🎶 "Men crying, crying, crying isn't a sin—Even the strongest have the right to be weary..."
🎶 "Because of love, I love—tenderness can't be scheduled. Happiness comes too fast, don't wait until we hurt each other…"
On the old city street, Andy Lau's emotional ballads intertwined with The Hulk's booming tunes, echoing from the shops lining both sides.
These were the two hottest songs of the millennium. You could hear them anywhere—on repeat, every single day.
Zhao Wanqiu tilted her head slightly and stared at Fang Yi.
"Yi-ge, I swear… there's something off about you today," she said seriously.
"What's off about me?"
Fang Yi wore a light smile, casually taking in the familiar sights and sounds of the old street.
In just two years, Experimental First High would undergo expansion, and this very street would be completely demolished along with it.
Right now, reality and memory were overlapping, and the resulting dissonance made him feel like he was walking through a dream.
"I don't know… just weird. You're acting all strange," Zhao Wanqiu frowned, then threw a punch at Shen Hao. "Haozi, you feel it too, right?"
"Yeah, kinda. He's been smiling non-stop. Creepy," Shen Hao agreed, then immediately switched gears with excitement in his eyes. "So, Yi-ge, what are you treating us to today?"
Before Fang Yi could respond, Zhao Wanqiu shot back, "You damn foodie! All you care about is stuffing your face!"
"Here. This."
Fang Yi jerked his chin toward a small eatery across the street.
"A noodle shack?" Shen Hao muttered, visibly disappointed.
Fang Yi ignored him and strolled into the place without a word.
The stir-fried noodles here had a distinct smoky fragrance that couldn't be found anywhere else.
But in just two years, this beloved little "fly house" would vanish along with the street's demolition. Even if he wanted to eat here again, he wouldn't get the chance.
"Boss, three plates of fried noodles!"
After placing the order, Fang Yi found a random empty table and sat down.
Soon, the owner brought over three steaming plates of stir-fried noodles, the aroma thick and mouthwatering. Fang Yi took a deep breath, broke open the disposable chopsticks, and took a bite.
Still the same taste. Heavenly.
Shen Hao, despite his earlier disappointment, was the first to wolf it down once the noodles were in front of him.
And, of course, he ate the fastest.
After inhaling his noodles and slurping up the bowl of seaweed soup, he wiped his mouth clean. Noticing that Fang Yi and Zhao Wanqiu were still eating slowly, he fished a small booklet out of his school uniform pocket and began reading intently.
Fang Yi glanced at the cover—one of those cheap two-yuan horror story books.
The quality of these books was awful. The paper was a dirty gray, and they always smelled like chemicals.
But the stories inside—mashups of spooky tales and bizarre events—were the perfect time-killers in an age without smartphones. Fang Yi had read a few himself in his past life.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind.
"Haozi, do a lot of students at school read ghost stories?"
"Quite a few, actually. Someone borrows one from me almost every day," Shen Hao replied without even looking up.
"And what about your dad? Does Uncle Shen read them?"
Shen Hao looked puzzled, but still answered honestly, "Yeah, sometimes."
Perfect.
Fang Yi's eyes lit up. His first pot of gold—he finally had a plan.
Just realizing this made the noodles taste even better.
After finishing the meal and polishing off the soup, Fang Yi stood up and patted his pockets.
Hmm… empty?
Not a single coin.
Still, he didn't panic. He just raised his chin at Zhao Wanqiu and arched a brow. "Qiu-ge, time to pay up."
"Wasn't this your treat?" Zhao Wanqiu paused, still sipping the last of her soup, her expression full of confusion.
"Exactly!" Fang Yi nodded with conviction. "I'm treating—you're paying. No problem!"
Zhao Wanqiu rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She stood up and paid the bill.
Three plates of noodles cost just 4.5 yuan in total—each plate loaded and satisfying.
As they left, she counted on her slender fingers. "Including today's 4.5, you owe me 48 yuan now. When are you paying me back?"
"We're bros—why get so calculative?" Fang Yi grinned, slinging his arm over her shoulder again.
"No way!" she shot back. "Even real brothers settle their accounts!"
"Alright then, lend me another 52 yuan—let's round it up to a neat hundred!"
Zhao Wanqiu: ???
Shen Hao: ???
...
In the end, Zhao Wanqiu did lend him 2 more yuan, rounding it up just a little.
And with that, Fang Yi bought four ice pops.
Zhao Wanqiu held one in her mouth and glanced at the extra pop in his hand.
"Why'd you buy four?"
"Gotta have bait for flirting, right?" Fang Yi wiggled his brows.
Flirting?
She gave him a side-eye.
Yi-ge really was acting strange today. He'd already dropped several new words she'd never heard before—flirting, Pinduoduo, Alipay, and even Meituan...
But what truly stuck with her was the way he'd softly said "long time no see" after school… and the look in his eyes. It was gentle, nostalgic, and impossible to describe.
It had left her feeling tingly all over.
Still, strange or not, he was still her Yi-ge.
…
This millennium summer felt even hotter than usual.
It wasn't even July yet, and the temperature had already shot past 38°C.
Just a short trip out for lunch had left their school uniform t-shirts soaked in sweat.
By the time the trio returned to the classroom, plenty of students were already inside.
With only 18 days until gaokao, everyone was trying to make the most of their time—whether they were sprinting toward a last-minute miracle or hugging Buddha's leg for luck.
Some were reciting English words with eyes closed.
Some were furiously solving mock questions.
Others were reviewing past mistakes on practice tests.
The intense, high-energy atmosphere was infectious, even for Fang Yi.
Up until now, rebirth had always felt a bit surreal—like watching a movie, or playing a game from a first-person perspective.
But at this moment, standing in the heat, in this busy classroom…
He finally felt it.
He was really back. He was truly part of this world again.
"What are you standing there for?"
Zhao Wanqiu tossed the words at him casually before slipping back into her seat. She pulled out a test paper and—with the ice pop still dangling from her lips—started answering questions.
This was Experimental First High, after all. The school had a strong academic culture, and most students were highly self-disciplined.
Zhao Wanqiu's grades had always been in the upper-middle tier.
According to Old Qin's prediction, if not a 985 university, she'd at least get into a 211.
Yet, in Fang Yi's previous life, her scores fell short, and she ended up attending a lower-ranked college.
…
Fang Yi swept his gaze around the classroom and soon spotted the familiar figure in the second row.
Han Ning.
Class monitor of Grade 12, Class 2.
The goddess of Experimental First High.
The untouchable ideal in countless students' hearts.
In school—especially in middle and high school—girls typically attracted attention in two ways: looks and grades.
If a girl had both… she was on a whole different level.
Han Ning was that girl.
Her grades never left the top three.
She was gentle, soft-spoken, and had the kind of classic beauty that made people feel clean just looking at her. Long, silky black hair fell past her shoulders like ink. She looked like she walked right out of a manga.
To top it off, she had a fantastic figure—tall at 168 cm—and even the tacky school uniform looked stylish on her.
In comparison, Zhao Wanqiu, while also quite pretty, had a slimmer frame and lacked the same visual impact.
The contrast between them was like… Bear Boss and Bald Strong.
And to make matters worse, in this era, the tomboy style just wasn't in vogue.