Chapter 2  

The two of them walked unsteadily to the school gate. Wang Zibo talked a lot the entire way, but Chen Hansheng did not respond. He was trying his best to adapt to his hometown, Port City, from seventeen years ago.

This was before he left for Jianye, the big city. Back then, Chen Hansheng had felt that the economic development of his hometown was not doing well after graduating from university, so he stayed in Jianye to find his fortune.

Occasionally, he would go home to visit his parents, but he would come and go in a hurry. There was no time for him to notice the changes Port City had gone through over the years.

The only times he truly felt nostalgic about his hometown was when he got drunk. But it would quickly be replaced by the need to deal with his busy reality.

What’s the point of a person like me to get a second chance in life?’

Chen Hansheng felt very depressed. He had everything in 2019 – money, status, a company, and people who would be at his beck and call. How were these characteristics of a person who would get reincarnated? Weren’t opportunities like these given to those who have been treated unfairly by life? Like being cuckolded, losing their parents, being poor, or starving?

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“Damn it, I really don’t want to go back in time!”

Chen Hansheng could not help but curse out loud. Wang Zibo was just recounting how Chen Hansheng had gotten drunk last night and insisted on confessing to Xiao Rongyu. Chen Hansheng’s sudden outburst startled him.

“Are you listening to me or not?”

“Oh, I am.”

Chen Hansheng casually responded. Then, he touched his pocket. He had no wallet and no cell phone on him. He sighed and turned to Wang Zibo. “Do you have any money on you? I want to get something from the grocery store.”

“Do you want to buy some water?”

Wang Zibo could empathize. He knew Chen Hansheng’s mouth would be dry after a hangover. Plus, it was quite a hot day.

“What do you want to drink? A Jianlibao soda or coke?” Wang Zibo was ready to treat him.

“Just water is fine. And get me a pack of cigarettes.” Chen Hansheng requested.

Wang Zibo’s eyes instantly widened as he took a good look at Chen Hansheng. “When did you learn to smoke? How come I didn’t know?”

Chen Hansheng started to grow a little impatient. Why was his good friend being so naggy? “I’m in a bad mood, so I want to smoke to relieve my boredom.”

Wang Zibo hesitated for a moment, but he bought the cigarettes for Chen Hansheng in the end. The snack bar was just outside of The First Port City High School. Chen Hansheng looked at the massive iron gate and thought, ‘This was where I made all those memories from three years of high school. It feels like a thousand years ago.’

Not long after, Wang Zibo returned. “Here, your cigarettes.”

‘Wow, when was the last time I smoked a Hongtashan cigarette?’

Chen Hansheng could not help but laugh. Ever since he started working, he rarely smoked this brand. He skilfully tore open the packaging and handed a cigarette to Wang Zibo. “Want one?”

Wang Zibo hesitated for a while, but in the end, he decided to accompany his friend to smoke one.

Wang Zibo was still a typical student who had yet to experience the harsh realities of life, unlike Chen Hansheng who had experienced the ravages of society. It was obvious from the way each of them smoked.

Chen Hansheng directly rolled his trouser legs to his knees and sat on the curb to smoke. He narrowed his eyes and looked thoughtfully at the students passing by.

Wang Zibo was shyer. When he smoked, he would turn his head away and hide the cigarette behind his back every time he took a puff. Even the way he released the smoke seemed like an amateur.

Wang Zibo turned to Chen Hansheng and noticed how comfortable the latter was. “Hansheng, your smoking style is quite cool.”

Chen Hansheng was a veteran smoker. Even the way he flicked his cigarette ashes had a sense of rhythm.

“Practice makes perfect.” Chen Hansheng replied indifferently which only made him seem pretentious. Wang Zibo became envious and almost wanted to beat him up. But he had to admit that Chen Hansheng was looking quite charismatic.

Before they finished their cigarettes, a group of people approached on bicycles. Wang Zibo quickly put out his cigarette before warning Chen Hansheng.”Throw that away, quick.”

Chen Hansheng was stunned by Wang Zibo’s behavior. “Are teachers on their way?”

“No, not teachers. Our classmates.” Wang Zibo explained.

Chen Hansheng was about to throw his cigarette away since he thought they were teachers. But when he heard that they were just students, he returned to being calm and continued smoking. He respected teachers, but what was there to be concerned about if they were just high school classmates? They had already graduated?

This group of students probably came to get their admission letters as well. As they approached, they chatted excitedly about their eagerness for university life. When they passed by Chen Hansheng and Wang Zibo, the group stopped.

Chen Hansheng was looking quite sloppy as the fatigue from his hangover was written all over his face. The cigarette in his hand and the way he was smoking did not improve his appearance either. If it weren’t for the fact that he had the face of an eighteen-year-old boy, people would have easily mistaken him for a middle-aged man.

The classmates looked at Chen Hansheng in surprise. For such a strict and prestigious school like The First Port City High School, female students weren’t even allowed to have long hair. So how would one even dare think of smoking?

“Are you guys on your way to collect your admission letters?” Wang Zibo felt that it was necessary to say something.

But the students remained silent and they slowly turned to look at another girl approaching on her bike.

The girl exuded a bright and lively aura as she rode over. When she stopped and got off her bike, she stood at least 1.68 meters tall. She had fair skin, a straight nose, and red lips. The heat of the day made her face flush slightly pink.

She looked at Chen Hanshang with her clear, bright eyes under thick eyelashes. Her soft and natural hair bounced as she walked over. Chen Hansheng could even smell a faint fragrance of lily coming from her.

“Chen Hansheng, how can you smoke?!”

Her voice was pleasant despite the hint of anger. But Chen Hansheng could not remember who she was at all. He turned to Wang Zibo for help but the latter only stared back with widened eyes. In the end, Chen Hansheng had no choice but to ask, “Who are you?”

“Wow.”

The group from earlier sighed out loud. Especially the girls who shook their heads. What they had heard on TV seemed to be true: men’s hearts changed quickly. Chen Hansheng had just confessed to her the night before and now he’s pretending as if he didn’t know her just because he got rejected.

“Hansheng, don’t be like this.”

Another boy walked out from the crowd. He was tall and had a warm smile. “Smoking isn’t your style. I hope you can walk out of the shadow of a broken heart and welcome a beautiful tomorrow. We are all want to see you succeed.”

These words sounded like consolation and encouragement, but there was a sense of condescension between the lines. Chen Hansheng had been a leader for so many years, and he was also quite an arrogant person. He did not like it when others try to step on him, especially if they weren’t familiar with each other.

Although Chen Hansheng was sitting on the ground, he raised his head and puffed out his chest. His eyes were calm as he silently stared at the boy who spoke until the latter felt uncomfortable. Then, Hansheng asked, “And who the f*ck are you?”

A man with a successful career was not afraid to protect his dignity. How could a child like this boy who had yet to enter society compare to Chen Hansheng? Even if the boy had entered society, he probably wouldn’t be able to catch up to Chen Hansheng.

“You are too disappointing.” The boy responded harshly before turning to the tall girl. “Let’s go. These kinds of people are not worth our time.”

But the girl didn’t follow him. Instead, she stepped closer towards Hansheng. “If you want to pretend that you don’t know me, then there’s nothing I can do about it. But I’ve made it very clear last night that I don’t want to change anything about our friendship before I graduate from university.

“If you smoke again, I’m telling Mrs. Chen,” said the girl with her chin held high.

This got Chen Hansheng’s attention. He had just traveled back in time and this was not how he planned to greet his parents. Moreover, today was the day to get the admission letter, so there were many students around to play witness.

Chen Hansheng thought for a moment and obediently threw away the cigarette butt.

The girl smiled with a hint of pride. She took out a bottle of mineral water from her bag and handed it to him, “Wash up first. Then go get your admission letter.”

“Thank you. But I have my own.” Chen Hansheng rejected her directly.

“Ugh, what an old trick of playing hard to get. Just because you got rejected, you’re pretending to be cold,” said the boy disdainfully.

However, the girl was quite stubborn. Even though Chen Hansheng did not want it, she still put the water beside Chen Hansheng’s feet. Then, she pushed her orange bike towards the school gate.

It was only once everyone had left that Chen Hansheng suddenly realized. “She must be Xiao Rongyu.”

“Stop playing dumb.” Wang Zibo was not impressed. “I know that you’re feeling bitter about your rejection. But I’m your good friend. There’s nothing you can’t tell me, you know.”

Wang Zibo also thought that Chen Hansheng did it on purpose just to avoid embarrassing himself.

Chen Hansheng did not know how to respond, so he could only pat Wang Zibo on the shoulder. “You’ll be an adult once you enter university. Perhaps it’s time you experience the loneliness of one.”