Chapter 1

Yang Jingxing, a student at Shangpu School in Puhai City, will be a senior next semester. It is now summer vacation, and he is traveling in Europe with the school-organized summer camp. Today is the last night in Paris, and after a while of boredom with his roommate Tan Dong, they decided to buy some alcohol to grow up a bit.

Following Tan Dong's suggestion, real men drink brandy. The two spent a long time in a small convenience store, picking a 700ml bottle without knowing the brand or type.

Both are already 16 or 17 years old, which is the legal drinking age, but their passports are managed by the teacher, and the school has a rule that students cannot drink alcohol, not even beer. So Yang Jingxing had to use his ID card to negotiate with the old cashier, nervously explaining for a long time. Tan Dong thought Yang Jingxing's 1.83-meter height and youthful beard would save them the trouble.

They finally managed to buy the alcohol and returned to their room at the youth hostel, feeling like thieves. After closing the door, they immediately found cups and each poured half a cup.

After a hasty drink, Tan Dong frowned and tasted it, commenting, "Damn, it tastes just like XO."

Yang Jingxing laughed, "Then we got a good deal."

Tan Dong chewed on some dried fruit, "You paid for it, drink more."

Yang Jingxing disagreed, "I'll treat you."

Tan Dong took another big sip, "Half each!"

Fifteen minutes later, the bottle was only half empty, and Tan Dong was already drunk, holding a pillow and complaining, "I really shouldn't have come to this school. I regret it so much. If I had stayed in Quhang, I would have had so much fun, more friends, and more beautiful girls." He is from Quhang, while Yang Jingxing's home is in Jiuchun, a small county-level city near Quhang, which is why they became friends and roommates.

Yang Jingxing was angry, "You can not consider me a friend, but you can't not consider Jiang Qing a beauty!" Jiang Qing is a pretty girl in the same class whom Tan Dong likes.

Tan Dong sighed, "I really don't like her anymore... I want to have an early romance, but it's too late!"

Yang Jingxing clinked glasses, "Misery loves company, cheers."

Tan Dong refused, "I don't believe you cried!" Although Yang Jingxing also had no romantic experiences in Shangpu, Tan Dong firmly believed his roommate had a shady past. After being roommates for two years and desk partners for one, he had some leverage over Yang Jingxing.

Tan Dong then spoke about his ideals, "I also want to take my girlfriend to Germany for the World Cup next year." That would be a celebration after the college entrance exam.

Yang Jingxing clinked glasses again, "Good luck, I hope you have an early romance soon!"

This time Tan Dong was happy, took a sip, and lay down, closing his eyes to gather his thoughts, "Ren Chuyu, poor grades; Li Ya, a bit short; Wang Fanxuan, don't know her well; Bai Yun, boring... Tao Meng, can't stand her anymore..." All the pretty girls in Class 3 were eliminated, and those in Class 4 were no good either, making it a real dilemma.

Yang Jingxing praised, "Your standards are too high."

Tan Dong was angry, "Damn, your standards are low!"

In the end, they didn't finish the bottle, but Tan Dong was already so drunk he fell asleep without washing up.

They had to get up and gather before 7:00 AM to catch the 9:00 AM high-speed train to Geneva. The strict and responsible Mr. Bo counted the students, with ten boys and eight girls present.

During breakfast, Tan Dong called Ren Chuyu and Li Ya over, saying he and Yang Jingxing were drunk last night and still had a headache.

The girls weren't impressed. Li Ya asked, "Yang Jingxing, have you ever ridden the TGV?"

Yang Jingxing shook his head, "Ask me again this afternoon, and I will have."

Ren Chuyu smiled, "There will be a high-speed rail between Quhang and Puhai."

Li Ya dismissed it, "By then, we'll all be graduated."

A little after 8:00 AM, the group was taken to the Lyon station by the travel agency. Mr. Bo called everyone to sit properly and not to wander off.

Yang Jingxing, who had been planning for days, seized the opportunity and boldly asked, "Mr. Bo, can I not go to Rome with everyone? I want to visit Modena."

Mr. Bo shook his head without hesitation, "No, no, how can that be... Where is Modena?"

"Ferrari headquarters," classmate Shao Lei lazily answered for Yang Jingxing, "A place to satisfy the eyes."

Yang Jingxing said urgently, "I'll leave from Geneva, only for one day, I'll make it."

Mr. Bo, remembering that Yang Jingxing had written he wanted to go there when they were collecting preferences, still shook his head, "No, no, you must go with everyone! This opportunity to visit CERN is hard to come by, you should cherish it." He is a physics teacher, so he thinks this way.

At that moment, Tao Meng walked over. She was wearing a Dior summer outfit that he had never seen before: a black short skirt, a light gray jacket-like top, black high heels, and sheer black stockings, which were not suitable for a 16 or 17-year-old girl.

Wearing high heels, Tao Meng was as tall as the 1.75-meter Tan Dong. Her large sunglasses covered half her face, making her pink, thin lips stand out.

Regarding the class beauty status between Jiang Qing and Tao Meng, Tan Dong thought Jiang Qing was slightly better because Tao Meng was already the class president and couldn't have too many titles, which would make her too arrogant.

Standing in front of Mr. Bo, Tao Meng took off her sunglasses and said, "Mr. Bo, please tell the travel agency that I will stay in Italy for a while and not return with everyone."

Mr. Bo agreed, "I understand. Your father is coming?"

Yang Jingxing, being shameless, quickly asked, "Mr. Bo, can I stay for two more days? I'll call my parents..." This made Tao Meng look at him.

Mr. Bo, who values fairness, had to say, "As long as your parents agree!"

Yang Jingxing quickly called his father, unusually humble. But his father, of course, disagreed, "No, you alone! People in Italy don't speak English, right?"

Yang Jingxing didn't give up, "I beg you, it's not for Ferrari, I didn't even want to come..." Finally, he had to give up his dignity, "I'm not alone, there's a classmate, her family will come to pick her up!"

Tao Meng looked at Yang Jingxing in surprise, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.

His father asked a series of questions, "What classmate? Boy or girl? What does her family do? Is it true?"

Yang Jingxing didn't look at Tao Meng, "It's true!"

"Give the phone to your teacher, I'll ask."

Yang Jingxing, with a thick face, begged Mr. Bo again.

Mr. Bo was very conflicted, saying on the phone, "There is a classmate who won't return... a girl, but they also don't..." He looked at Tao Meng resolutely, "Tao Meng, are you willing to be responsible for Yang Jingxing?"

Amidst the other students' mocking, Tao Meng lowered her eyes and shook her head without expression.

Yang Jingxing, embarrassed, took back the phone and angrily whispered to his father, "I'm not a kid anymore... forget it!"

After a while, they got on the bus. Yang Jingxing seemed very disappointed, looking out the window gloomily. About an hour after departure, he suddenly heard Tao Meng call him, "Yang Jingxing."

Yang Jingxing rarely turned his head, giving her a sideways glance.

"What are you going to do in Rome? How long will you stay?" Tao Meng asked in a business-like tone.

Yang Jingxing's expression immediately changed, his face full of smiles, "I'm going to visit the Ferrari headquarters... two days, at most three!"

Tao Meng looked at Yang Jingxing for five seconds, then said, "We'll go on the 9th, and you must be on the plane by the 11th."

Yang Jingxing quickly said, "No problem! I'll go alone, see it, and leave, nothing will happen!"

The class president shook her head sternly, "You must go with me."

Yang Jingxing said without hesitation, "Okay, you decide!"

Tao Meng nodded, "Call your parents."

For Ferrari, Yang Jingxing was truly humiliated and had to let his father talk to his classmate.

Tao Meng was very polite, "Uncle, hello... Yes, I'm Tao Meng... My father, he's in Leipzig... No, Germany... I'm not sure. Uncle, I'm Yang Jingxing's class president, and I know he wants to go to Maranello this time, and I happen to have time..." After a long explanation, Tao Meng handed the phone back to Yang Jingxing, her brow slightly furrowed.

Yang Jingxing quickly reassured his father again, while enduring a heavy punch from Tan Dong on his left arm.

They arrived in Geneva at noon. After Mr. Bo's arrangements, they returned to their rooms. Tan Dong didn't hide his envy and disdain for Yang Jingxing, and asked him to pay attention to what Tao Meng's family does.

Tan Dong analyzed, "Absolutely awesome! Look at Hu Xuan, he has no ideas now, right?"

Yang Jingxing laughed at himself, "For Ferrari, I'm willing to do anything."

During lunch, Tan Dong and Yang Jingxing ate steak and drank beer, each having three bottles, feeling very satisfied. Then Mr. Bo gathered everyone to introduce the CERN visit scheduled for the next day.

Later, Tao Meng called Yang Jingxing to room 1108 to discuss the trip to Modena.

"Sit down, do you want some water?" Tao Meng greeted him like a guest. She shared a room with Cao Linglan, who was sorting her loot on her messy bed, while Tao Meng's bed was very tidy.

Yang Jingxing smiled, "Thank you, actually, you don't have to accompany me. I'll go early in the morning on the 9th and return in the afternoon on the 10th..."

Tao Meng interrupted, "No, we must go together. It's the class president's responsibility, and I promised your father... I knew where you wanted to go when we collected preferences, but I had to consider the majority, so the route couldn't accommodate everyone."

Cao Linglan interjected, "Wouldn't you want Tao Meng to accompany you?"

Yang Jingxing laughed, "I'm afraid you'll be bored."

Tao Meng shook her head, "I don't have any plans anyway. My father will pick me up in Rome on the 10th, but we'll stay longer, so you'll have to go back alone. You'll book your own flight?"

The class president, being serious and responsible, detailed Yang Jingxing's itinerary and required him to report back immediately upon returning to China.

The next morning, they visited CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Mr. Bo was more excited than the students, constantly asking the guide to take photos and explaining how beautiful particle physics is.

The Europeans, perhaps to show their human side, opened the Large Hadron Collider to these Eastern children and arranged for an engineer to explain.

Standing in front of the massive core of the collider, Mr. Bo, like a native seeing a totem, worshiped with reverence and gratitude, his voice trembling, educating Yang Jingxing, "Look carefully, isn't this more exciting than Ferrari?"

Yang Jingxing nodded in agreement.

Mr. Bo then started talking about black holes and wormholes, and Tan Dong squatted down, making a Terminator pose, "I come from the future." As expected, he got a few laughs from the girls.

The summer camp guide translated for the students, "Most people visiting this year haven't had such good luck, as the LHC has been under maintenance. Today, the Higgs boson experiment is being conducted."

Just as Yang Jingxing was about to take a photo, he suddenly felt a blinding white light...

When his consciousness returned, Yang Jingxing found himself in complete darkness. He tried to open his eyes, but it was still pitch black. In a panic, his first reaction was to touch himself, but unfortunately, he couldn't feel his hands... The action commands from his brain disappeared without a trace, with no feedback.

After the panic, Yang Jingxing realized he couldn't feel anything in the darkness, as if he had no body, no breath, no air, no temperature... The only thing he had was consciousness, and the ability to think.

Could he be dead? Just a pitiful soul floating in endless darkness. Yang Jingxing's consciousness was filled with despair and sadness.

After a long time, which felt like days, Yang Jingxing guessed he was probably in a vegetative state, as the calm him didn't believe in the concept of a soul.

How unfair, he was still young, yet he had become a vegetative state! What happened? Did the collider explode? Yang Jingxing imagined how sad his mother would be, and he could only cry in his heart.

How much he wanted to live! Before, Yang Jingxing never understood why people lived, but now he knew. People live to live, and living is better than anything else!

Living means eating, sleeping, talking, laughing, crying, and cursing... Living means having friends, family, and girls... After an unknown amount of time, probably weeks or months, Yang Jingxing began to suffer from loneliness.

His remaining consciousness hoped that advanced medicine would soon wake him up from his vegetative state, allowing him to see the light of day again and escape the torment. Yang Jingxing had to wait, but this wait had no end. One day passed, then another, and a week passed... He was still a pitiful soul floating in endless darkness, not needing to sleep or breathe...

Now, perhaps a year had passed. Yang Jingxing wanted his consciousness to go mad, to become a complete fool, so he wouldn't suffer from the torment of thought. He finally understood why prisoners in solitary confinement were so afraid, it was truly painful!

How much he missed! He missed his mother's nagging, his father's scolding, his grandparents' love. Friends, are you all doing well? We said we would go to the same city for university. Liu Miao, Xia Xue, we said we would go swimming during the summer, did you come to see me? Where am I now? Am I home? Mom and Dad, don't be sad...

He was so unwilling, truly unwilling! Yang Jingxing sighed and felt sad in the endless darkness... After a long time, he occasionally wanted to laugh...

As time slowly passed, one year, two years, ten years... Endless loneliness...

How many years had passed? Were his parents still alive? Was he old? Was it time to die? If medicine didn't advance, euthanasia would be better! Was this the fate of not being able to live or die? What did he do wrong to deserve this punishment!

One day, Yang Jingxing suddenly felt a bit of spirit, thinking he should think of something happy. Fortunately, the memory of a vegetative state was surprisingly good, and every detail of his life was still vivid.

Although he had thought and imagined everything countless times over the decades or centuries, he started again with one of the many possibilities: If he hadn't had the accident, how would he live the rest of his life? What kind of wife would he marry? Would he have a daughter or a son... How could he live without wasting his life?

Just as he was daydreaming, Yang Jingxing's thoughts were suddenly startled. White? Was that white? Why was there white? It seemed to flash before his eyes! Was it a vision or an illusion? He had long forgotten what vision and illusion were!

This change was too significant for Yang Jingxing, who had been in a state of nothingness for decades or even centuries. He was both afraid and ecstatic, hoping for more.

Yang Jingxing was not disappointed. In his consciousness, which had no direction or angle, white appeared, followed by red, green, orange... So many colors!

The colors appeared and disappeared, as if vanishing into his consciousness, but more kept coming. Finally, the light intertwined into a shape like a DNA helix, constantly spinning and changing, entering his mind.

Yang Jingxing's consciousness had lost track of time, but he estimated this colorful state lasted about a day or a month. As the patterns of light filled him, he clearly felt his consciousness changing, or rather, his mind and brain changing. Many forgotten things suddenly came back, and his memory became clear and organized.

Suddenly, without warning, Yang Jingxing felt something! Feeling, feeling! What was it? Breath, temperature! Yes! It was his body!

Yang Jingxing's consciousness was so happy it almost fainted. This wasn't an illusion! The past decades were the illusion. The current feeling was so real.

Page break for AD starts

Page break for AD ends