Chapter 1

In the dark room, Wang Ming woke up drenched in sweat. Before he could realize what had happened, a piercing pain shot through his head, a pain that came from his soul, indescribable by any words. Even the cruelest torture in the world could not compare to it!

Wang Ming let out a painful moan, clenching his hair with both hands and biting his lips tightly. Soon, he could no longer bear the pain, howling as he rolled off the bed onto the floor, thrashing, rolling, and crashing into the walls. In an instant, he lost all other sensations, feeling only one word: pain!

This pain left no room for time, space, or thought. He had no idea how long it lasted—perhaps a minute, an hour, a day, or even a century. Wang Ming lay curled up on the floor.

In the darkness, a flash of blood-red light seemed to appear. Wang Ming's eyes slowly opened, the capillaries in his eyeballs already burst, and the first thing he saw was a blood-red world.

Wang Ming struggled to sit up from the floor, moved his body, and leaned against the wall. His eyes, blurred, looked up at the ceiling, a mix of bitter, grateful, bitter, sweet, and mostly heart-wrenching flavors swirling in his mouth.

In the darkness, Wang Ming fumbled for a half-smoked pack of cigarettes on the bedside table, trembling hands lighting one up. He took a deep drag, exhaling a long stream of smoke, as if all his loneliness and pain were dissipating into the air, gradually fading away.

He needed to calm down. The overwhelming amount of bizarre information had left his brain in a daze, making it hard to distinguish between dreams and reality.

The first scene that came to mind after waking up was him, in the midst of Yang Yang's desperate pleas for mercy, hugging him tightly and leaping from the same spot where Guan Ying had fallen. He had watched Yang Yang's brain splatter before taking his last breath. How could he not be dead? Was it all just a dream?

No, it couldn't be. The trajectory of his life over the past twenty years was etched in his memory, so real that it couldn't be a dream.

If those memories weren't a dream?

Wang Ming suddenly realized something and quickly got up from the floor, turning on the light. The familiar room appeared before his eyes. This was the house his parents had left him, which he had sold after graduating from university!

An unbelievable thought flashed through Wang Ming's mind. Could it be that heaven had heard his wish and given him a second chance at life?

Wait!!! What year is it? What day is it?

Wang Ming frantically searched for something to confirm the date. Finally, in the living room, he found the familiar telephone, which displayed the date he would never forget: 2000.3.08, 19:30.

March 8th, today is March 8th, the day of the nightmare that had haunted him for twenty years. After this day, Wang Ming's life had been devoid of sunlight, love, and filled with endless darkness.

"Seven thirty! Ha ha, seven thirty!" Tears streamed down his face as Wang Ming laughed wildly, muttering, "There's still time, there's still time!"

Wang Ming wiped away his tears, gritting his teeth, and said, "Yang Yang, you wait for me. I'm coming for you now. Guan Ying, wait for me, wait for me, I will save you!"

Wang Ming rushed out of the door, stopping a taxi at the entrance of the neighborhood. Without waiting for the driver to speak, he stared at him and said, "How long will it take to get to Linji University from here?"

The driver, seeing the bloodshot eyes and the lingering smell of alcohol on Wang Ming, hesitated for a moment and said, "If there's no traffic, it should take about fifty minutes to an hour."

Wang Ming took out five hundred yuan and placed it on the dashboard of the taxi. "If you can get me to Linji University in half an hour, this money is all yours!"

The driver's eyes lit up. It was the year 2000, and a night shift usually earned only two or three hundred yuan. Five hundred yuan was equivalent to a night's earnings. He quickly pocketed the money. "Buckle up!"

The driver started the car and sped towards Linji University, willing to risk a fine from the traffic police for the sake of the five hundred yuan. Even if he was fined two hundred, he would still have three hundred left, a risk worth taking.

"Still in time, definitely in time!" Wang Ming kept telling himself. For him, this was a matter of life and death, a race against time. He knew only that Guan Ying was killed that night, but he couldn't be sure of the exact time. He could only return to the university as quickly as possible.

The cold wind blew, and the memories of the last twenty-four hours of his previous life flooded back into Wang Ming's mind. It was the day of the class reunion, and the events of that night had led to his rebirth.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Wang Ming calmly walked into the Hao Yue Hotel, crossed the luxurious lobby, and took the elevator to the banquet hall. He sat in a corner where no one noticed him, observing everything with a cold, emotionless gaze, as if it all had nothing to do with him.

Today was the day of the class reunion, and as usual, the focus was on Yang Yang, the current mayor of Chun Chang City.

Yang Yang, a high-achieving student in the Chinese Department of Linji University, was the epitome of a rich, handsome, and talented man. He had always been the top student from elementary school to high school until he met Wang Ming in college, breaking his record. The competition between the two began from the moment they entered the university. Class president, publicity minister, student council president—every battle ended with Wang Ming's victory.

The turning point in their lives came with an unexpected event.

After the incident, Wang Ming was unable to escape the pain and regret, and his glory gradually faded. Yang Yang, on the other hand, continued to advance, seemingly under the patronage of a powerful figure, rising step by step. Over the past twenty years, he had become the mayor of Chun Chang City, the guardian of eight million people in Linji Province.

Only a mature and beautiful woman in the corner was looking at Wang Ming in surprise, seemingly unable to believe that this was the same man who had once been a campus sensation.

Wang Ming's premature gray hair and the pain in his eyes filled her with pity, heartache, and regret. "How could he have aged so much?"

Was it because of the incident back then? Had he never let it go? Had he been living in regret for the past twenty years? She poured red wine into her glass again and again, her eyes becoming increasingly unfocused. After the other classmates had exchanged pleasantries, either genuinely or feigned, Tian Nina felt a surge of impulse and walked determinedly to Wang Ming's side.

Seeing her, the pain in Wang Ming's eyes slowly faded, and he smiled. "Nina, it's been a long time! How are you?"

Tian Nina felt even more heartache. Was he afraid others would see his pain? She leaned forward, her head close to Wang Ming's, and whispered, "Come with me!"

Wang Ming's brow furrowed. Was it like people said, that class reunions were just a pretext for old flames to rekindle? If so, she was wrong. He had rejected her twenty years ago, and he would do the same today.

"Guan Ying's death was not an accident. She didn't commit suicide!"

After Tian Nina's figure disappeared, Wang Ming was still in shock. Guan Ying didn't commit suicide? Guan Ying didn't commit suicide!

Wang Ming had suspected this many times in the past and had even conducted a secret investigation.

However, the appearance of the suicide note, the police's investigation of the scene, and the testimonies of the students all pointed to Guan Ying's suicide. For twenty years, Wang Ming had lived in regret, thinking that if they hadn't had a misunderstanding that day, he wouldn't have passed out, and she wouldn't have chosen to die. This thought had gnawed at his heart, the root of his pain.

The truth? What was the truth?

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**End of Chapter**