Chapter 1: Rebirth in 1998
Parallel world, please do not take anything literally.
Spring 1998, Changhe City, First High School, teaching building rooftop.
"Chen Pingan, can you stop being so childish? I won't like you."
"We are third-year high school students, and the College Entrance Examination is coming up soon."
"You should be in the classroom reviewing your lessons, but you called me up to the rooftop to confess. Do you think this is meaningful?"
"I will not like a childish person like you."
The young woman Li Mengyun said, puffing out her cheeks, her tone filled with the feeling of disappointment in someone who fails to meet expectations (literally: hating iron for not becoming steel).
They were both third-year high school students and Classmates in the same class; three years of being Classmates had made their relationship quite good.
Of course, also because Chen Pingan was very handsome, there was a little ambiguity between them.
Just now, Chen Pingan had found Li Mengyun and asked to meet on the rooftop.
Li Mengyun didn't think much of it and followed him up.
As a result, Chen Pingan took advantage of the empty rooftop and confessed directly to Li Mengyun.
Chen Pingan wanted to confess before the College Entrance Examination.
At this time, there were still two months until the College Entrance Examination.
Chen Pingan seized the opportunity to confess.
Li Mengyun hadn't expected this outcome and was immediately furious.
Everyone was a third-year high school student, and the College Entrance Examination was imminent. At this critical juncture, Chen Pingan actually came to confess to her, which truly infuriated Li Mengyun.
Li Mengyun did have a good impression of Chen Pingan.
But she was more rational; she knew exactly what she should and should not be doing right now.
High school romance had no future; at the very least, they needed to wait until they got into university.
But what did Chen Pingan do? He actually came to confess to her—it was too childish.
She was truly furious.
Just this morning, she had told Chen Pingan that they should both work hard to get into Qingbei. Chen Pingan had agreed wholeheartedly yesterday.
Yet, in the afternoon, he came to confess to her.
This damned kid was hopeless.
The more Li Mengyun thought about it, the angrier she became.
Chen Pingan stared blankly at the beautiful young woman in front of him, his eyes slowly growing moist.
"Am I dreaming?"
"Is the young woman in front of me Li Mengyun?"
"Oh my god, have I returned to the eve of the College Entrance Examination in '98?"
Chen Pingan was shocked.
He was too familiar with the scene before him.
This was the spring of 1998, when Chen Pingan asked Li Mengyun to the rooftop to confess, only to be harshly scolded by her.
This memory was too profound; he would never forget it for the rest of his life.
But the era Chen Pingan lived in was November 2024.
He had undergone Rebirth from 2024 back to 1998.
A time span of 26 years.
Heaven had treated him kindly.
He had too many regrets in his previous life, and he hadn't expected to have a chance to start over in this life.
Looking at the huffing young woman before him, Chen Pingan felt no disappointment from his rejected confession.
Because he knew that he truly didn't deserve Li Mengyun.
If nothing had changed.
Li Mengyun would get into Peking University, and in her sophomore year, she would go to the Ugly Country to study abroad.
She would graduate from a prestigious university in the Ugly Country, start a company there, and then rise steadily, making the company bigger and stronger.
Twenty years later, when Chen Pingan saw Li Mengyun again, she was already the CEO of a multinational corporation.
Her net worth was at least thirty billion, and that was in U.S. dollars.
Twenty years later, Chen Pingan, conversely, had failed in business, accumulated five million in debt, and was disheartened enough to attempt suicide by jumping off a building.
It was Li Mengyun who heard the news, contacted Chen Pingan, helped him pay off his debts, and gave him the courage to live again.
Later, when they talked, Chen Pingan realized that although Li Mengyun had rejected him in high school, she had a good impression of him and high expectations for him.
It was just that Chen Pingan himself failed to live up to expectations; he didn't get into Peking University with Li Mengyun, only went to a mediocre university, and missed the chance to be with her.
Chen Pingan wasn't very clear about Li Mengyun's marital status, only hearing that she wasn't very happy and had no children.
However, by that time, Chen Pingan no longer had the opportunity to be with Li Mengyun.
After all, the gap in their status and position was too vast.
That was a story that would happen twenty years later.
Now it was 1998, and nothing had happened yet.
If Chen Pingan made no changes, the outcome twenty years later would likely be the same.
"Mengyun, thank you."
Chen Pingan excitedly hugged Li Mengyun tightly and leaned down for a kiss.
He truly liked Li Mengyun too much.
And he was too excited.
So he couldn't help but steal her first kiss.
On that day twenty years later, he had truly gone up to the rooftop, preparing to jump.
But Li Mengyun appeared before Chen Pingan like an angel and pulled him out of the abyss.
Chen Pingan was genuinely moved.
He had originally thought his life would end like that, with no chance to repay Li Mengyun or to possess her.
He would carry his regrets into the grave until death.
But Heaven opened its eyes and sent him back to his high school days.
In 1998, nothing had happened yet; everything could still be changed.
Chen Pingan finally had the chance to make up for his regrets.
"Slap!"
Li Mengyun pushed Chen Pingan away and fiercely slapped him across the face.
"Chen Pingan, you bastard."
Li Mengyun's eyes were red, and tears fell. She cursed fiercely and turned to leave.
Her first kiss had been stolen by Chen Pingan just like that; she was truly infuriated.
Although she had a good impression of Chen Pingan, she absolutely did not want to hand over her first kiss under these circumstances.
Chen Pingan, however, smiled, feeling that everything was so wonderful—even the slap Li Mengyun gave him felt sweet.
But in reality, Chen Pingan's face already bore a slap mark.
Li Mengyun hadn't held back; the slap she delivered was truly forceful.
Chen Pingan touched the stinging slap mark on his face, and the smile at the corner of his mouth grew brighter.
Returning to 1998 was truly great.
In his previous life, he was a failure. In this life, he must become a superior person.
Chen Pingan remembered the major events of the past twenty years very clearly. Relying on the opportunities in his memory, it would be quite simple for him to get rich.
Putting other things aside, just by buying a little stock in major companies, he could make a huge fortune later on.
And Bitcoin—that was the key to wealth.
It was just that Bitcoin appeared too late; it would take more than ten years.
Bitcoin couldn't be relied upon in the short term.
But there were plenty of other projects for getting rich.
Chen Pingan felt his body filled with vigor.
Of course, Chen Pingan also knew that he was just an ordinary person. Although he had memories of the future, he couldn't change too many things.
Making money and getting rich was fine, but he shouldn't get involved in other matters.
Those major events were not something an ordinary person could participate in.
He would just stand at the cusp of opportunity and make some money following the trends.
Just then, a pleasant voice sounded in his ear.
"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the One Yuan Flash Sale System."
"The one-yuan flash sale event has begun. Please complete the flash sale as soon as possible, Host."
Chen Pingan's expression froze.