Chapter 8

### Chapter 8: The Truth

Without time to think it over, Zhou Shuo ran onto the main road and carefully identified his surroundings. Fortunately, the place where Wang Xu had thrown him was not far from Riverside Home. He hoped that in this life, he still had a chance!

He finally remembered it, yes! The history of this world had never changed!

Cars were speeding recklessly on the road, and Zhou Shuo didn't wait for the red light to turn green. He forced his way into the traffic, and the angry honking of the drivers immediately filled the air.

But he had no time to care about the curses behind him. His mind was filled with self-loathing. He hated his weakness, his dullness, and his powerlessness...

Almost there, almost there. Zhou Shuo was almost at the entrance of the beautiful and grand Riverside Home. The intense running made his lungs feel like they were on fire, scorching his nerves.

Memories began to surface uncontrollably in his mind, making him feel as if he were in a dream. The pain, regret, and heartache... compared to these memories, the physical strain was nothing. It seemed that the one running desperately was just a shell, while his soul was reliving those memories he had tried so hard to forget.

In that forgotten world, what he had experienced was almost the same as this rebirth. A heated argument in his youth indirectly led to a desperate criminal breaking into a house, and a single cry ended the life of a young girl in the bloom of her youth...

Zhou Shuo glanced sideways and saw the security guards in the duty room staring at him in shock as he ran past. What were they surprised about? He had no time to care. In his world, there was only the movement of his left leg, breathing, the movement of his right leg, and breathing again...

Sweat was rapidly pouring out of his body, on his eyelashes, face, and lips, making it impossible to tell whether it was sweat or tears.

Almost there, almost there! He could already see the entrance to the building! Zhou Shuo's body began to sway, and his vision started to blur. He seemed to see He Youyou lying in his arms, covered in blood, smiling and saying, "Mr. Zhou, did you know I liked you?"

I know! I know! I know!!!

I should have remembered it long ago!

But I chose to forget out of weakness!

To avoid self-blame, I chose to forget everything about you!

"Help!"

A shrill scream came from upstairs, and Zhou Shuo's vision went black. He felt each step like climbing a mountain, each movement like being pierced by a thousand swords...

Damn it, he really needed to start exercising!

Bang!

Zhou Shuo forcefully pushed open the slightly ajar security door. Wang Xu, holding a kitchen knife, was covering He Youyou's mouth and pressing her to the ground.

Time seemed to freeze. Zhou Shuo could see the joy and trust in He Youyou's eyes, as well as the shock and madness in Wang Xu's eyes.

Zhou Shuo's soul was in tears. He didn't know who to thank, just as he didn't know who had given him this second chance. If necessary, he was willing to give everything for this moment.

But at least he knew that this time, he had arrived in time.

"Stop!"

The frozen time was broken by Zhou Shuo's loud shout. The burning in his lungs and the pain in his muscles returned to him in an instant.

Without thinking, Zhou Shuo instinctively grabbed an umbrella from the stand by the door, raised the cold steel tip, and lunged at Wang Xu.

Wang Xu, of course, didn't surrender. He grabbed the umbrella with one hand and swung the kitchen knife at Zhou Shuo's arm with the other.

"Ah!"

Both of them screamed almost simultaneously, but Zhou Shuo's scream was hysterical, while Wang Xu's was filled with pain.

Wang Xu finally managed to grab the umbrella, but Zhou Shuo's strength was too great. The umbrella stand pierced through his palm, and the tip still deeply embedded itself in his chest.

Zhou Shuo stared into his eyes. They say that a person sees their entire life before they die. He didn't know what Wang Xu saw in his final moments, but he saw his lips move slightly, perhaps in longing for life or in repentance for the past. Finally, his eyes gradually lost their light...

Only then did Zhou Shuo feel the strength in his body ebb away like a tide, and fatigue and pain began to overwhelm him.

So tired...

Just as Zhou Shuo was about to fall, a figure suddenly fell into his arms. Feeling the warmth of the person in his arms, he exhaled and patted her back.

Feeling the girl's back tremble slightly with his hand, Zhou Shuo said softly, "I'm sorry, I came too late..."

I'm sorry, I was twenty years too late...

Zhou Shuo's hand seemed to trigger a switch, and He Youyou burst into tears under his comfort.

"I was so scared, waaah—"

Zhou Shuo patted her back and said gently, "Don't be afraid, the teacher is here!"

After crying for a while, He Youyou's emotions gradually calmed down. She lifted her head from Zhou Shuo's chest and exclaimed, "Mr. Zhou, you're hurt!"

Following her gaze, Zhou Shuo saw a knife wound on his arm, a deep cut that had dyed his shirt red. He tore off the sleeve and tied it tightly above the wound, slowing the flow of blood.

Zhou Shuo licked his lips, which felt dry, a sign of blood loss. He tried to speak calmly, "Don't worry, the teacher is fine. Go call the police."

"Okay, I will!" He Youyou reluctantly stood up from Zhou Shuo's arms and walked into the inner room, looking back every few steps.

The police arrived quickly, along with an ambulance. After a brief questioning, Zhou Shuo's suspicion was quickly cleared, and the ambulance took him and He Youyou to the hospital.

The knife wound on Zhou Shuo's arm was long but fortunately not very deep. The doctor stitched it up with eight stitches and gave him a tetanus shot, and he was fine.

Finally, the room was quiet. Fatigue and blood loss made his eyelids heavy, and he gradually fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up again, it was already completely dark outside. Zhou Shuo moved, trying to sit up, and a voice quickly said, "Don't move, the doctor said you need to rest!"

Zhou Shuo turned his head and saw that his parents were quietly sitting by his side. His mother's eyes, red and swollen like peaches, clearly showed how much she had cried.

Hearing this, Zhou Shuo lay back down, feeling guilty. "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for worrying you."

His mother stroked his hair, wiped away her tears, and said with a mix of tears and a smile, "As long as you're okay, don't think too much."

His father, sitting next to his mother, patted his hand and said steadily, "You did well, you didn't disgrace the Zhou family."

"Dad, Mom..." The comfort and recognition from his family filled him with emotion.

His mother picked up a cup of water from the bedside table, tested the temperature, and placed it to his lips. "Here, drink some water. Don't talk too much, the doctor said you need to rest."

Zhou Shuo drank some water and felt a bit more energetic. His father then went out to find his attending doctor for a check-up.

After the doctor finished the examination, he reassured the two elders, saying that Zhou Shuo's condition was not serious, just a bit of blood loss. He gave some instructions and then left.

Not long after, the door to the ward was suddenly pushed open, and He Youyou, wearing a hospital gown, and a middle-aged woman walked in.

Seeing Zhou Shuo lying in bed, He Youyou flew into his arms and exclaimed happily, "Mr. Zhou, you're awake!"

Zhou Shuo patted He Youyou's back and comforted her, "The teacher is fine, get up, you're a big girl now."

"Okay!" He Youyou quickly stood up, her face blushing, perhaps embarrassed by what Zhou Shuo had said. But the joy in her big eyes was impossible to hide, almost overflowing.

He Youyou introduced him, "Mr. Zhou, this is my mom. She came to thank you."

Zhou Shuo looked at He Youyou's side and finally got a good look at her mother. He Youyou's mother wore a lady's suit that wouldn't look out of place in the 21st century. Time seemed to have left no mark on her, and standing next to He Youyou, they looked more like sisters. It was hard to believe that she was the mother of a 17-year-old girl, except for her mature demeanor.

The mother who had been in deep sorrow in his memories now stood by his side with a smile. Zhou Shuo finally confirmed that he had indeed changed history and avoided the tragic fates of many people. A great sense of happiness descended upon him, and the dark clouds that had lingered in his heart for twenty years finally dissipated.

Doing the right thing can make one happy. This realization echoed in Zhou Shuo's mind. Changing the fate of more people was the true meaning of his rebirth.

This was a unique experience, hard for those who hadn't been reborn to imagine. Why was there a rebirth, and why was it him? These questions had troubled him from the beginning. If an ordinary person's life had no goal, just living and living well, what should a life after rebirth be like?

How many people had been reborn? Perhaps there had never been such people in history, or perhaps Zhou Shuo was the only person in the world who knew what the future would be like.

Wasn't such a rare encounter destined to be extraordinary? Should he live an ordinary life like in his previous life, or pursue endless wealth? Don't say he was too immature, but his heart had always been asking: What's the point?

For him, wealth was within reach; for him, fame was within reach; for him, status was within reach.

But did having these things mean he hadn't wasted his rebirth?

For Zhou Shuo, his life was not an abstract ideal but a hope that could be realized with effort. It was precisely because of the many choices that he fell into confusion.

But at this moment, all the questions finally had an answer, allowing his life to be as he wished, as long as he could live without regret.