Free Web NovelChapter 2: Chapter 2: Meeting
March brought lovely peach blossoms, blooming vividly outside the window.
White clouds drifting on the wind would occasionally block the sun, causing the light in the classroom to shift between bright and dim.
The students were all focused on self-study, their heads bowed over their assignments. In the relative quiet, the only sound was the gentle scratching of pens on paper.
"Yanwan, Yanwan, the teacher’s here."
A soft voice called out beside her. Lin Yanwan furrowed her brows slightly and struggled to open her eyes.
She had been sleeping on her arms, and her cheeks felt hot and stuffy. She blinked hard a few times, keenly feeling the coolness of the room-temperature air.
Because her eyes had been pressed against her arm, her vision was slow to focus. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she shot her head up and scrambled to her feet, her expression panicked and her breathing ragged.
"Lin Yanwan, is something wrong?" asked her homeroom teacher, Ding Hui, from the front of the class.
She didn’t answer, merely gasping for breath as she stared at everything before her: the classroom, the teacher’s desk, the students, the teacher... Those young faces, so familiar yet strangely alien, left her utterly bewildered.
’Wasn’t there an earthquake?’
Lin Yanwan pressed her palms to her temples and shook her head hard a couple of times. The scene from before slowly surfaced in her mind.
The ceiling had collapsed, and Jiang Xia had shielded her with his body. But... how was she here?
’What in the world is going on?!’
Seeing her rubbing her temples and swaying unsteadily, her face pale and her forehead dotted with sweat, Ding Hui quickly walked over. "What’s wrong?" she asked with concern. "Are you not feeling well? Do you want to go to the nurse’s office?"
Lin Yanwan gave her a complicated look, recognizing her as her old high school teacher.
"I’m fine, Teacher Ding. I was just a little dizzy a moment ago, but I’m much better now," she said, shaking her head.
"Is that so? That’s good. The college entrance exams are coming up, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you’re tired, just rest your head on your desk for a bit," Ding Hui said, relieved.
Lin Yanwan nodded and sat down. Ding Hui then addressed the entire class, "The pressure during this final review period is immense. While you all are studying hard, you must also remember to rest."
"All right, continue with your self-study. If anyone has a question, please raise your hand."
Ding Hui sat down at her desk, took out a math practice test from a previous year’s college entrance exam, and began solving it herself. The classroom fell silent once more.
Lin Yanwan took a deep breath to compose herself and looked up at the blackboard. Flanking the small red flag were slogans written in red Songti-font characters on a yellow background: *Be Calm and Level-Headed.* *Guard Against Arrogance and Impatience.*
And in the top-right corner of the blackboard, an eye-catching sentence read: 98 Days Until the College Entrance Exam.
’This is the classroom from my memories... no, it’s even more real than I remember.’
Lin Yanwan’s expression was incredibly complex. She turned to look out the window at the familiar athletic field, where two classes were having PE.
’Is this all a dream, or is it, in some sense, real?’
For a moment, she couldn’t be sure.
She opened her pencil case and looked at her reflection in the small mirror inside. She was wearing a school uniform, her black hair tied back in a neat ponytail. Her features were still youthful, and a small beauty mark sat just below the corner of her eye like a teardrop. This was undeniably her high-school self.
A mix of complicated emotions churned within Lin Yanwan. ’So, does this mean I’ve been reborn? But what about Jiang Xia?’
Seeing her still spacing out, her deskmate gently tapped her arm and wrote in her notebook, "Yanwan, are you still not feeling well? Want me to go with you to the nurse’s office?"
Lin Yanwan shook her head gently. "No, it’s fine. Thanks."
"Yingying, I’m so happy to see you again." She gently squeezed Shen Ying’s hand.
"See me again?" Shen Ying thought her best friend was acting strangely today. Didn’t they see each other every day?
Lin Yanwan just smiled, offering no explanation.
Shen Ying had been her best friend in high school. But after graduation, they had enrolled in different universities, gone their separate ways, and eventually lost touch almost completely. frёewebηovel.cѳm
She closed her eyes.
’If this is all a dream, I hope I never wake up. Since heaven has given me a chance to start over, I want to live a different life this time around.’
’As for Jiang Xia...’
Eight years of marriage flashed before her eyes—the sweet moments, the bitter ones, the happiness, the arguments—all of it now seemed as illusory as flowers in a mirror or the moon’s reflection in water. ’It’s better if I don’t bother him in this life.’
’After all, we had already agreed to a divorce, hadn’t we?’
At this thought, a single, clear tear escaped from the corner of her eye.
’I just hope that without me, his life can be more wonderful.’
◇
The March wind still carried a slight chill. Jiang Xia had his school uniform jacket draped over his shoulders, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he strolled leisurely around the running track.
Ever since accepting the premise of his rebirth, his mood had been... surprisingly good.
’Could it be that heaven saw what a complete failure my last life was and took pity on me, giving me a chance to do it all over again?’
’In any case, what’s done is done. All I can do now is enjoy this life to the fullest.’
’Eighteen years old—the best years of a person’s life. As someone who’s been reborn, how could I possibly waste it?’
It was time to ride the fastest horse, drink the strongest wine, wield the sharpest sword, and pursue the most beloved girl.
’To make sure regrets no longer become regrets—that is the true meaning of rebirth.’
As he thought of this, his high-spirited expression suddenly tightened into a frown, and a sharp pain pierced his heart.
The name Lin Yanwan slowly surfaced in his mind. The two of them had once been so in love, vowing to be of one heart and never part until their hair turned white, but in the end, they were defeated by bleak reality.
’It wasn’t that the love was gone, but that it had faded.’
’Should I go find her?’
Jiang Xia heaved a long sigh and gently shook his head.
’My past life already proved our marriage was a failure. That being the case, it’s better to just let go and for each of us to pursue our own happiness.’
’I... just won’t bother her.’
Although they had attended the same high school, they were in different classes, and his first conversation with her, as he recalled, hadn’t happened until after graduation.
The beginning of their entire relationship was when she had done poorly on the college entrance exams and ended up at the university next to his. One evening, during a torrential downpour, they shared an umbrella.
’So, as long as I make a different choice at every crossroad, I won’t cross paths with Lin Yanwan. Our life trajectories will be like two parallel lines, stretching into infinity, never to intersect.’
’The fact that we were husband and wife in our past life... I’ll keep that as an eternal secret, locked away in my heart.’
◇
DRIIIING—
The bell signaling the end of class rang. Seeing a sweat-drenched Wang Ming walk over, Jiang Xia smiled and tossed him a bottle of mineral water.
What made him do a double-take was the label on the water bottle: *Xiaohaha*. The school store was really something else. Overcharging by fifty cents was one thing, but selling knockoff brands too? freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"Yo, you’re in a good mood," Wang Ming said, twisting off the cap and chugging a few big gulps. GLUG GLUG GLUG.
"It’s all right. How was basketball?"
"My skills are plain for all to see, aren’t they?" he said, lifting the water bottle and striking what he thought was a cool shooting pose.
Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow and grinned. "All right then, let’s go one-on-one next time. Loser pays for the winner’s weekend internet cafe fees."
"Damn, trying to trick me into paying your internet fees again!"
Wang Ming suddenly changed the subject, handing the water bottle back. "Wait for me, I’m gonna hit the restroom."
"Go on, go on."
Jiang Xia leaned against the railing, watching the vibrant, energetic students come and go in the hallway. Boys and girls playfully teased each other, and he couldn’t help but sigh in his heart. ’This is what youth is all about.’
Suddenly, his pupils contracted. He stared at the two girls walking toward him, his breath catching in his throat.
...
