Chapter 1

"Would you choose 700 points on the college entrance exam or 7 million yuan?"

Luo Fan saw this post on the homepage of Tieba as soon as he opened it. There were over 1,700 replies, and he casually glanced at the highly praised comments:

"Another post like this, will you give me the choice if I pick one?"

"I choose the blue capsule, slap the OP through the screen."

"Is it just a score or a choice? Can we have something fresh?"

"Knowledge changes destiny! I choose 7 million!"

"Without knowledge, how can I compete with the rich second generation? I choose 7 million!"

"Books contain gold, I choose 7 million!"

"What about the blue capsule? Give me a bottle!"

"You shallow people, I choose 7 million!"

...

"Netizens never disappoint!" Luo Fan sighed.

"Luo Ge, what are you looking at?" A young man with a sharp mind came over and asked.

"Just browsing Tieba, Xiao Wang, are you done with your work? Let's go eat if you're done." Luo Fan turned and said.

"Done, done! Let's go!"

Luo Fan nodded, stood up from his chair, and the next second, he felt dizzy and then lost consciousness.

"Xiao Luo, Xiao Luo, wake up!"

After an unknown amount of time, a familiar voice rang in Luo Fan's ear. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a ball of flesh in front of him.

"Fat... Fat Brother?"

"It's me, are you okay, Xiao Luo?"

Luo Fan subconsciously shook his head and got up from the ground.

"You scared me to death, damn it, that motorcycle was really despicable! Knocked you down and ran away, what a lack of morals, don't let me catch him again, or else..."

Luo Fan listened to Fat Brother's curses in a daze, gradually regaining his senses.

He first looked at the slightly younger-looking Fat Brother, Zhang Shuai, then looked down at his own clothes to confirm one thing: he had been reborn, and it was the day that would change his life.

Today was June 8, 2009, a day of great significance for Luo Fan.

Luo Fan took the college entrance exam in 2009. It was 2:40 PM, and Luo Fan was on his way to the exam room to take the final English test.

Luo Fan remembered clearly that his final English score was 141 points, and his total score on the college entrance exam was 703 points.

In the province where Luo Fan lived, a score of 703 in the science section was roughly in the top 50 in the province, meaning Luo Fan could choose any major at any university in the country.

But now, Luo Fan had decided to give up this impressive score of 703.

Because that afternoon, Luo Fan's father was going to sign a contract with a businessman who claimed to be from abroad, and this contract would change the fate of Luo Fan's family.

Luo Fan's parents moved from their rural hometown to the city right after they got married and opened a grocery store. The couple worked hard and diligently, and after more than ten years, the small grocery store grew into a medium-sized supermarket.

About half a year ago, due to urban planning and renovation, Luo Fan's family's supermarket was included in the demolition area, with a total compensation of 3 million yuan.

The land that Luo Fan's father bought for 250,000 yuan had turned into 3 million yuan in the blink of an eye, making many people envious, and quite a few relatives and friends came to borrow money.

Fortunately, Luo Fan's father was a strong-willed person and refused to lend money to anyone, managing to keep the money.

Luo Fan's parents were ordinary farmers, and with money in hand, they didn't want to sit idle. After the supermarket was demolished, they were always thinking about finding a new project.

At this time, a businessman who claimed to be from the United States was introduced to Luo Fan's parents by a friend, saying he wanted to cooperate with them to build a food processing plant locally.

Foreign investment was not uncommon, and Luo Fan's father's friend had already co-founded a clothing factory with a foreign businessman. Moreover, foreign businessmen had some policy support in business, so Luo Fan's father thought this deal could be done.

Over the next two months, Luo Fan's father followed the foreign businessman for inspections and secretly probed the businessman's background.

But what Luo Fan's father thought of, the businessman had already thought of, and in the end, Luo Fan's father fell into the trap. After signing the contract, he transferred 3 million yuan from the demolition compensation, plus the money he had saved over the years, and 2 million yuan borrowed from the bank, totaling 7 million yuan. Two weeks later, the foreign businessman disappeared.

When Luo Fan's father realized he had been cheated, he couldn't handle the shock and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. He was barely saved at the hospital but could never stand up again.

(Ps: This is a true story, it happened in our urban village after the demolition, but the amount of money lost in reality was not as large, about 2 million yuan.)

To pay for Luo Fan's father's medical expenses and the bank loan, Luo Fan's mother set up a stall and started selling snacks, working from morning till night to support the family.

Luo Fan chose a school he didn't like for the scholarship and studied a major he didn't like, computer science, hoping to earn money quickly after graduation to help his mother.

After graduation, Luo Fan entered an internet company, working overtime every day, with 996 (working from 9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week) being the norm, and even working on weekends if he was unlucky.

By 2022, in his early 30s, Luo Fan's health had deteriorated, with abnormal liver function and severe stomach problems, requiring medication regularly.

And the root cause of all this was the contract to be signed that afternoon.

Luo Fan had thought countless times that if he could go back to the day his father signed the contract with the foreign businessman, he would stop it and save his family. Now, the opportunity had finally come.

Luo Fan was so excited that his whole body trembled. A few minutes ago, he had seen the choice between 700 points and 7 million yuan on Tieba, and now he actually had the chance to choose.

As for how to stop it, Luo Fan already had some ideas. After being hit by the motorcycle, he had a large bump on the back of his head and was dizzy for two days.

Now, thinking about it, he probably had a mild concussion, which was the best reason.

Luo Fan immediately pretended to be dizzy and collapsed to the ground.

"Xiao Luo, what's wrong? Don't scare me!" Zhang Shuai was scared stiff, his face turning pale, and he quickly squatted down to ask.

"Fat... Fat Brother, I'm so dizzy, I can't even stand. Can you... can you find a phone booth and call my parents for me?" Luo Fan said weakly.

"Right! Right! Call, call, but where is there a phone booth..."

Zhang Shuai was almost in tears.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who had been watching the commotion handed over his mobile phone: "Young man, I have a phone, use mine!"

Zhang Shuai took the phone, thanked the man, and asked Luo Fan, "Xiao Luo, what are your parents' phone numbers?"

Luo Fan recited the familiar number, a number that hadn't changed for years.

Zhang Shuai entered the number and made the call. After two rings, a familiar voice came from the receiver: "Hello, who is it?"