Chapter 1

Sometimes, Shen Dapeng felt that he was a failure.

Actually, it couldn't be called a failure. He had a nine-to-five job, a mortgage, and a decent job in Sanlitun. He drove a BMW 318, which he had bought on loan, removing the original factory badge and replacing it with a 335LI badge.

He wanted to break out of this circle and start his own business, to change this seemingly glamorous but suffocating white-collar life.

But Shen Dapeng didn't dare. He was afraid that if he jumped out, he would die.

He was no longer the naive young man who had just left school. He was already in his thirties, unmarried, and had just started dating a girlfriend. He was afraid that without his job, he would lose everything.

What people fear is not poverty, but a lack of ambition, sharpness, and courage.

Shen Dapeng drove on the road outside the Seventh Ring Road, heading home. There were few cars on the road, and he looked out the window at the rapidly moving streetlights, thinking with a self-deprecating smile that if he had a chance to live again, he would change.

The school beauty was even more beautiful, but the Bentley Continental that she drove had dealt him a heavy blow... and the big-headed fool from his class, who used to call him "Peng Ge" when they were in school, was actually driving a genuine BMW 335Li, which happened to be parked next to his fake one.

Today was Shen Dapeng's high school reunion, and he had even taken out his car keys, thinking of driving the school beauty home...

Shen Dapeng smiled bitterly and shook his head.

The next moment, a blinding high beam suddenly made him temporarily blind... and then, a screeching brake sound accompanied by the sound of something shattering rang in his ears.

Liberation... perhaps the next life would be better, he thought as he lost consciousness.

...

Shen Dapeng felt as if he was being taken to a hospital. A group of people in white coats were busy around him, but his body seemed to be frozen. He could only watch everything happen, unable to speak or move.

This feeling was very strange. He was clearly conscious, but he couldn't do anything.

After watching the white-coated people work on him for more than half an hour, Shen Dapeng was pushed into a ward.

"Shen Dapeng's family hasn't arrived yet. He was brought here by his teacher. Call this number if there are any updates!"

A nurse settled Shen Dapeng's bed and said something to someone.

Teacher? What teacher?

Shen Dapeng was puzzled. Moreover, this ward seemed to be a shared one. Shouldn't he, a severe patient hit by a truck, be directly pushed into the ICU?

"The Games of the 29th Olympiad in 2008 are awarded to the city of Beijing..."

A rhythmic English voice came from somewhere, followed by a brief silence in the ward, and then a chorus of cheers.

Some people were cheering, some were crying, and the hospital corridor echoed with various passionate shouts.

What does this mean? Did I end up in a mental hospital? Shen Dapeng instinctively turned his head.

At this moment, Shen Dapeng suddenly found that he could move again. Turning his head, he saw an old TV hanging in the center of the ward.

It was one of those large, bulky CRT TVs that were already rare in small hotels.

"Why did the gentle announcement of 'BJ' by Mr. Samaranch ignite a thunderous cheer across the land, and why did it stir the hearts of millions of Chinese people? Why did a piece of sports news make every ordinary citizen think of China, of the nation, of the world? ... Because we were once called the 'Sick Man of East Asia,' because we have always harbored the dream of a strong country..."

What the hell is this?

A replay of the 2008 Olympic bid success news?

But... this news should have been broadcast in 2001. Why is it being replayed now?

If Shen Dapeng remembered correctly, the 2016 Rio Olympics had just ended!

"Back in 1908, the pioneers of Chinese sports had the dream of hosting the Olympics in China. Whether it was a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement by history, that year was exactly 100 years before 2008. A century of vicissitudes and humiliation, a century of glory and dreams, the Chinese people have waited too long..."

Shen Dapeng watched the strange news replay on the TV and the excited patients and their families in the ward. He felt very uneasy.

"Success! The Olympic bid is successful! Tonight, we're all going to Yu Baobao Barbecue King, no excuses!"

A patient who seemed to have no serious issues picked up a... Nokia 3310? and called his friends.

Can this phone still be used? Isn't it only good for cracking nuts? Before Shen Dapeng could figure it out, a series of beeping sounds came from his left.

An aunt... was holding a pager! Yes, Shen Dapeng rubbed his eyes, it was indeed a pager.

Is the world crazy, or am I crazy?

"Bro Peng, are you okay?"

Shen Dapeng was still in a daze when a loud voice pulled him back to reality. He looked up and almost fell off the bed.

Isn't this Big-Head?

Of course, this wasn't a problem. Before the accident, Big-Head had compared his BMW 335Li with Shen Dapeng's, and it was natural for him to come and visit after the accident.

But the key was, where did you dig out that school uniform? And it fits you perfectly.

"Bro Peng, what's wrong with you? Didn't you get beaten into a fool? Why are you so reckless? Sun Dapao went to the school to find Cao Mengyuan. You could have just told him. You got beaten up, and Cao Mengyuan doesn't even know. What's the point?"

Big-Head looked at Shen Dapeng with a puzzled expression.

"..."

Shen Dapeng didn't know what to say. He calmed down and realized something was off. Not only was Big-Head wearing a school uniform, but he also looked much younger!

And the Sun Dapao he mentioned was a small-time thug around the school, but wasn't he arrested for stabbing someone in 2004?

Could it be... Shen Dapeng shivered, thinking about some things from his sophomore summer.

BJ, the Olympic bid success.

School tutoring, Sun Dapao going to the school to find the school beauty Cao Mengyuan.

These scenes connected in Shen Dapeng's mind...

"Give me a mirror."

Shen Dapeng took a deep breath, sensing something.

"Don't worry, Bro Peng, you're not disfigured! You still look great!"

Big-Head picked up a small tabletop mirror from the ward table and handed it to Shen Dapeng.

Although Shen Dapeng was prepared, when he saw his own face, the young, fresh face, the half-long Jay Ching-style middle part, and the faint acne...

His hand holding the mirror trembled for a while. Shen Dapeng seemed to accept the reality, looking at the still smiling Big-Head, he asked, word by word:

"Big-Head, tell me, what year, month, and day is it today?"

(Fish Baby has a new book. This is my second reincarnation novel after 12 years, a tribute to the youth we lost together. I hope you will like it~)