Chapter 1

In 1979, on July 15th, the scorching sun made Hong Kong feel stiflingly hot. For many Form 6 and Form 7 students who had taken the Advanced Level Examination and the Higher Level Examination this year, their hearts were icy cold.

The Advanced Level Examination and the Higher Level Examination were the entrance exams for the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, respectively. Since Hong Kong had only these two universities, it was not an exaggeration to call them the "Gaokao" (the national college entrance exam in mainland China). The Chinese University of Hong Kong had a four-year program, one year longer than the three-year program at the University of Hong Kong. Therefore, Form 6 students, who had only completed one year of pre-university education, could take the exam, leading to a larger number of applicants and a lower admission rate.

At St. John's College, No. 11 On Tin Street, Kwun Tong, East Kowloon, a long queue moved slowly in front of the school office. The atmosphere was somber, and the people in line were quiet. Although Li Xuan's expression was calm, he felt a bit nervous inside. This was a moment that could change his fate.

Li Xuan's family was not well-off, so he had chosen the one-year pre-university program. This exam was his last chance; if he failed, he would have to find a job, as he wouldn't have the opportunity to retake the exam for the University of Hong Kong.

Although he was confident in his performance, he still felt uncertain until the results were announced. After a while, it was finally his turn. Li Xuan took a deep breath and said to the teacher at the window, "Class A, No. 04, Li Xuan!"

The teacher quickly pulled out a sheet of paper from a stack, glanced at it, and a smile appeared on his previously expressionless face. He nodded kindly at Li Xuan and handed him the paper.

Li Xuan took the paper and immediately looked at it, his face breaking into a joyful smile. He had scored A's in General Mathematics, Advanced Mathematics, and Physics, and B's in Chinese and English. Such excellent results were enough to secure him a place at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and he had a good chance of getting a full scholarship.

"Li Xuan, how did you do?" A tall, thin boy with glasses patted Li Xuan on the shoulder from behind.

"Pretty good, three A's and two B's!" Li Xuan turned around and saw it was Liu Zhihao from Class C. "Did you do badly?"

"How did you know?"

"Your hair is messy, your eyes are lifeless, and your face looks like a dried bitter gourd. Your smile is more painful than crying. How could I not know you did badly?" Li Xuan playfully patted Liu Zhihao's gaunt face. "Come on, let's go get some milk tea to comfort your wounded soul!"

"Ah, you're lucky. You can escape and ascend to heaven, but I have to go back to school! With this score, my chances of getting into the University of Hong Kong next year are slim. I might as well start working now!" Liu Zhihao said with a long face, feeling depressed. He was in Class C, a two-year pre-university program, and still had one year left.

"Hong Kong is a tough place without a degree. Do you want to work in a factory? Don't worry, if you don't get into the University of Hong Kong next year, your dad will send you abroad to study!" Li Xuan comforted him. Liu Zhihao's family was well-off, and his father was an orthopedic doctor, capable of supporting his son's overseas education.

In 1979, Hong Kong had only the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was still years away from being established, and other institutions like the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Baptist University were only community colleges, unable to award bachelor's degrees.

The number of university places offered by the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong was limited. According to statistics from the Hong Kong Education Department, only two out of every hundred eligible students had the chance to attend university, highlighting the intense competition for the Gaokao.

"But I don't want to go abroad. I don't know anyone there, and it's a whole new place!"

"Cheer up! You still have a year! Start studying hard from tomorrow, and I believe you can do it!"

Hong Kong followed the British education system, with a pre-university year between secondary school and university. Students applied for pre-university programs based on their results from the Certificate of Education Examination at the end of Form 5. Due to the different programs at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, there were one-year and two-year pre-university programs. Li Xuan and Liu Zhihao were classmates before the pre-university reassignment, and they were very close friends.

Li Xuan knew Liu Zhihao well and understood that his friend wouldn't take the poor exam results to heart. He would forget about it after a good night's sleep.

The two left the school and found a milk tea shop at a street corner, buying two cups of milk tea. Liu Zhihao planned to go to Repulse Bay Beach to have some fun, but Li Xuan didn't want to go that far and had to work in the afternoon, so they parted ways at the tea restaurant.

Li Xuan lived in Siu Fai Estate in Kwun Tong, Kowloon, a large public housing estate built by the Hong Kong government in the late 1960s. His parents worked at a garment factory in the nearby Kwun Tong Industrial Area.

Hong Kong was a densely populated city with expensive housing. Developers designed apartments to be small, with a two-bedroom, one-living room unit measuring only 450 square feet, and anything over 1,000 square feet was considered a luxury. The public housing units were even more compact, and Li Xuan's family of five lived in a two-bedroom, one-living room unit of less than 400 square feet.

Hong Kong, being a British colony, used the imperial system of measurement. One square foot was referred to as one "square foot" (呎). One square meter was approximately 10.76 square feet.

"Brother, you're back! How did you do? Did you get into the Chinese University of Hong Kong?" As soon as Li Xuan entered the house, his sister Li Ying, who was watching TV in the living room, ran up to him.

"Three A's and two B's. I should be able to get into the Chinese University of Hong Kong and even apply for a full scholarship!" Li Xuan patted his sister's head and smiled.

"Oh, should we go out to celebrate?" The little girl's eyes twinkled, and she immediately hugged her brother's arm, pouting.

"We'll celebrate at dinner. Mom will make some good dishes when she gets off work!" Li Xuan knew what his sister was up to and pulled out a ten-dollar Hong Kong bill from his pocket. "Here, this is your pocket money. Don't spend it all at once!"

Li Ying snatched the bill from Li Xuan's hand, smiling and putting it in her pocket. Her father usually gave her five cents or one dollar as pocket money, so ten dollars was a significant amount for her. "Second brother is the best!"

Li Xuan's father, Li Haichuan, was a fisherman in Lantau Island. When Li Xuan was five, Li Haichuan encountered a storm while fishing. His small boat capsized, and he drifted in the sea for a day before being rescued by a passing cargo ship. After this incident, Li Haichuan didn't dare to go fishing anymore and found a job in a factory in Kowloon. He later applied for and was fortunate enough to get a unit in the newly built Siu Fai Estate, and the family moved to Kwun Tong.

Li Haichuan and his wife, Liu Huili, had two sons and a daughter. Li Xuan was the second son, and his older brother, Li Ke, was two years older. Li Ke wasn't as academically inclined as his younger brother and dropped out after Form 3. He initially worked in an electronics factory but quit after a few days, finding the work too tiring and the salary too low. He now worked as a security guard at a video arcade.

There were some leftovers from last night in the kitchen. Li Xuan cooked rice in the rice cooker, and he and his sister Li Ying had an early lunch. Then, they went out together. Li Xuan went to work his afternoon shift, while Li Ying was sent to deliver the good news to their parents at the garment factory. The whole family knew that the exam results were announced today and were eagerly waiting for the news.

"After you go to Dad's factory, come back and do your summer homework. I'll check it tonight!" Li Xuan reminded his sister. "When you get back, remember to call your older brother and ask him to come home for dinner. I couldn't reach him earlier!"

"Got it, Second brother, you're more talkative than Mom!" Li Ying pouted and gave her brother a sidelong glance.

The college entrance exam was held at the end of May, and the results were announced in mid-July, with university admissions starting in September. Li Xuan didn't want to waste the summer months and found a part-time job at a small import-export company right after the exam.

The company, called Hengtai Trading, was located in a commercial building in North Point, on the Hong Kong Island side of Victoria Harbour. Li Xuan had to take a bus to Kwun Tong Pier and then a ferry to North Point Pier.

On the ferry, Li Xuan chose a seat by the window. The sea was calm, and the outline of Central could be seen in the distance. The iconic skyline of Central, with landmarks like the Bank of China Tower, the International Commerce Centre, and the International Finance Centre, was still in the planning stages in the architects' minds.

The tallest building in Hong Kong at the time was the Hopewell Centre, which was completed in 1973, standing 178.5 meters tall with 52 floors. However, its status as the tallest building in Hong Kong was about to be challenged by the 216-meter, 66-story Hopewell Centre, which was nearing completion.

Li Xuan couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. The world had changed so much, and who could have imagined that a scenario like reincarnation, which only appeared in online novels, would happen to him?

He had just forgotten to fasten his seatbelt before the plane landed and, by a stroke of bad luck, encountered a tire blowout. "Boeing, are your tires made by Kumho?" Li Xuan was tragically thrown from his seat during the sudden turbulence, hitting his head hard on the floor and losing consciousness...

When he woke up, he found himself in the body of another Hong Kong teenager with the same name, and the year had reverted from 2015 to 1979.

In 1979, China was on the cusp of the reform and opening-up era, and Bao'an County across the border had become the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, earning the nickname "Iron Lady" for her strong leadership. The Iran hostage crisis erupted, turning a former U.S. ally into its top enemy. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, a move that would ultimately contribute to the downfall of the Soviet Union.

In the field of semiconductors, Intel released the 8088 processor, a cheaper version of the 8086. Two years later, IBM used this processor to launch the first personal computer, ushering in the era of personal computing and profoundly changing the world.

In his previous life, Li Xuan was an orphan. In the spring of 1992, shortly after the great leader's southern tour, he was found in the toilet of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone railway station by a kind aunt. After the police were alerted, he was sent to a welfare home and grew up with the young city.

Li Xuan initially studied software engineering but later switched to microelectronics in the Department of Information Engineering in his second year, as he didn't want to become a programmer after graduation.

After graduating, Li Xuan applied for and was fortunate enough to receive a full scholarship to a prestigious university in the United States, where he pursued a master's degree. After graduating, he found a job in Silicon Valley, working on embedded system design, earning a salary of $120,000, which placed him in the middle class in the United States.

Two months ago, Li Xuan met the chief engineer of a well-known high-tech company in Shenzhen at a technical seminar. The engineer invited him to return to China to work. Li Xuan, who had been away from Shenzhen for eight years since his university days, suddenly felt a strong desire to return home. Although he had no family in Shenzhen, it held all his childhood memories.

So, Li Xuan resigned and boarded a flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong, but he didn't expect an accident to happen just as he was about to reach his destination...

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End of Chapter