Chapter 2

A groan escaped his lips as Bao Feiyang woke from his unconscious state, only to feel an intense headache. He opened his eyes and saw a pale white ceiling, followed by light blue walls and a glass window with a sky-blue curtain. A peculiar smell soon reached his nose. Bao Feiyang sniffed and quickly identified it as the distinctive smell of lysol, characteristic of hospitals.

A chill spread from his forehead, significantly alleviating his headache. It was then that he noticed an ice pack on his forehead, the coolness gradually dispelling the pain and dizziness from his head.

Bao Feiyang, holding the ice pack, sat up and realized he was only wearing a pair of shorts. Besides the ice pack on his forehead, there were four more ice packs, two placed in his groin area, and the other two scattered on the bed, presumably having been placed under his armpits.

What's going on?

Could it be that the truck didn't kill him, and he was brought to the hospital?

But if he was hit by a car, why would ice packs be used for treatment? Moreover, his body was unscathed, which didn't look like he had been hit by a car. He wasn't Superman; how could he have been thrown over ten meters by a heavy truck without even a scratch?

A middle-aged nurse entered with a tray.

"You're awake?" she said to Bao Feiyang. "Do you feel any discomfort? Come, let's take your temperature." She handed him a thermometer.

"Ah, he's awake?" A surprised voice called out from outside the door upon hearing the commotion inside the room.

With hurried footsteps, a tall, slender young woman rushed to Bao Feiyang's bedside. She then screamed, covering her face with her hands and turning away. "You... you... put on some pants!"

"The patient's temperature hasn't fully come down yet; it's best not to wear pants right now. I'll get a sheet for him." The middle-aged nurse, who had a good impression of the girl who had been waiting outside the room, took a sheet and covered Bao Feiyang's lower body.

"Feiyang, you're finally awake. You really scared me!" The woman turned around, her blushing face filled with joy and concern. "How do you feel? Are you still in pain?"

Bao Feiyang gazed intently at the woman before him. She had two curved eyebrows, large, clear eyes like lake water, long lashes that curled upwards, and eyes that seemed to speak. Below her elegant, beautiful nose was a rosy, rose-like mouth, and the dimples on her cheeks made her incredibly alluring.

Meng Shuang!

Isn't this his college classmate, Meng Shuang, the campus beauty of Zhongtian University of Technology?

Back in college, Meng Shuang was almost every male student's dream girl, with a line of suitors that could form an entire battalion. However, Meng Shuang was uninterested in all of them, except for Bao Feiyang. Although Bao Feiyang also had feelings for Meng Shuang, he kept his love buried due to the three rules set by his father, the head of the Civil Engineering Department at Zhongtian University, which prohibited dating during college. He planned to confess to Meng Shuang after graduation. However, a sudden incident led to his uncle's imprisonment and his parents' subsequent deaths. Bao Feiyang's heart was filled with hatred, and he focused solely on avenging his family, closing the door to love.

Meng Shuang, after being rejected multiple times, finally chose to study abroad in the United States in 2002 at the age of 32. Bao Feiyang hadn't seen her since then.

Didn't she go to the United States for her studies? How could she be here? Bao Feiyang remembered that the last time he saw Meng Shuang eight years ago, despite her careful grooming, he could still see the hidden weariness. How could she, after eight years, look like the fresh and beautiful college student she once was?

"Meng Shuang, why are you here?" Bao Feiyang blurted out.

"Where else would I be?" Meng Shuang, hearing Bao Feiyang's familiar call, smiled and scolded, "You really are something. An intern, working harder than the production line workers? Why did you go near the kiln in this heat? Now you've got heatstroke, aren't you happy?"

Intern, kiln, heatstroke, production line...

Bao Feiyang suddenly remembered. During his senior year of college, he and Meng Shuang were both assigned to intern at the Zhongtian New Beautiful Ceramics Co., Ltd. The company had just installed a state-of-the-art tile production line from Italy. As a student of silicate materials, Bao Feiyang was fascinated by the advanced production line. Despite the scorching heat, he stood in front of the automatic kiln for hours, observing the production process, until he fainted from heatstroke...

Bao Feiyang remembered that it was May 1992. Could it be that the truck didn't kill him but sent him back to 1992?

At this thought, Bao Feiyang's heart tightened.

"Meng Shuang, what's the date?" Bao Feiyang grabbed Meng Shuang's hand.

Feeling the strength and warmth from Bao Feiyang's hand, Meng Shuang felt a strange yet sweet sensation. Her cheeks turned red, and she looked down at her watch. "It's 12:30 PM."

"I'm not asking for the time, I'm asking for the date!" Bao Feiyang, realizing Meng Shuang had misunderstood, shouted in frustration. "What year and month is it?"

"The date? It's May 11th, 1992." Meng Shuang looked at Bao Feiyang with concern.

"Nurse, ma'am," she pulled the middle-aged nurse aside and whispered, "He's so confused from the heatstroke that he doesn't even know the date. Could there be any aftereffects?"

"Usually not," the experienced nurse replied. "Heatstroke patients often experience short-term confusion when they first wake up. Rest for a while, and it will be fine. Don't worry."

"Okay." Meng Shuang, hearing the nurse's reassurance, patted her chest and let out a long sigh, her heart finally settling.

May 11th?

Bao Feiyang was stunned for a moment before shouting at Meng Shuang, "Really May 11th?"

"Of course, May 11th!" The middle-aged nurse, this time answering Bao Feiyang, handed him the nurse's logbook. "See, the date is clearly written here. You were brought in at 11:50 AM today."

Bao Feiyang looked at the logbook, and the admission date clearly read May 11, 1992.

It really is May 11, 1992.

In his previous life, Bao Feiyang didn't realize the significance of this date. It was only later, through constant reflection, that he remembered this special day, the turning point that led his uncle, parents, and the entire Bao family into a downward spiral. He never expected that this day was also the day he fainted from heatstroke. It seems that in his previous life, this day was indeed a dark and disastrous one.

Bao Feiyang's thoughts drifted back to the past:

In his previous life, Bao Feiyang had a happy and fulfilling family. His father, Bao Guosheng, was a renowned construction expert and the head of the Civil Engineering Department at Zhongtian University of Technology. His mother, Zhou Xiaofang, was the vice-principal of the Experimental High School in Zhongjiang Province. More importantly, Bao Feiyang had a high-ranking uncle, Bao Guoqiang, who was the acting mayor of Zhongtian City, the capital of Zhongjiang Province. Although their family was not as prominent as the children of provincial and municipal officials, they were still considered influential in Zhongtian City.

In March 1992, the provincial party committee officially decided to recommend Bao Guoqiang as the sole candidate for the mayor of Zhongtian City, to participate in the government transition election starting on May 16th.

Bao Guoqiang's political rival, the deputy secretary of the Zhongtian Municipal Committee, Lu Zhongcheng, to secure the position of mayor, set up a trap. He instructed his son, Lu Weiguo, to cause an accident at the Zhongtian Petrochemical 50,000-ton ethylene expansion project, where Bao Guoqiang had once served as the chief commander, resulting in two deaths and three injuries among the migrant workers.

The families of the migrant workers, who were local villagers, came to the project command center to demand justice. The deputy director of the command center, who had received a bribe from Lu Weiguo, arrested several family members under the pretext of protecting Bao Guoqiang's reputation, which escalated the conflict. With Lu Weiguo's secret instigation, thousands of villagers blocked the railway, causing the Ninghai railway to be interrupted.

At that time, a flood was occurring in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The interruption of the Ninghai railway forced a special train carrying emergency relief supplies to the disaster area to make an emergency stop, causing a significant political impact. The central leadership was shocked and immediately dispatched a special investigation team led by Zhao Genhong, a member of the Central Political Bureau and the head of the Eighth Supervision Office, to investigate in Zhongjiang Province.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lu Zhongcheng secretly arranged for many anonymous letters to be written, falsely accusing Bao Guoqiang of serious corruption in the Zhongtian Petrochemical 50,000-ton ethylene project. These letters were delivered to the special investigation team on the day they arrived in Zhongjiang Province. The investigation team took the allegations very seriously and conducted interviews with city leaders and old cadres to understand their views on Bao Guoqiang.

Due to Bao Guoqiang's integrity, he had offended many people while overseeing key city projects. When the Central Committee's investigation team interviewed city leaders and old cadres, some took the opportunity to speak ill of Bao Guoqiang.

On May 8, 1992, the provincial party committee received a report from the special investigation team, finding the situation very serious and complex. With only seven days left before the city's transition, there was no time to verify the authenticity of the allegations. Additionally, some city leaders and old cadres had given negative feedback about Bao Guoqiang. Continuing to nominate Bao Guoqiang as the mayor candidate posed significant risks. If the allegations were true, it would be a political disaster, and handling the situation would be very difficult.

The provincial party committee held an emergency meeting on the night of May 8 to reconsider the city's transition. Out of caution, the committee decided to revoke Bao Guoqiang's nomination as the mayor candidate and instead nominate Lu Zhongcheng as the candidate for the provincial governor.

On May 9, the provincial organization department met with Lu Zhongcheng to announce the decision and ask for his requirements. Lu Zhongcheng requested that to avoid interference in the city's transition, Bao Guoqiang should not remain in Zhongjiang Province during the election period.

The provincial leaders agreed, finding Lu Zhongcheng's concerns reasonable. A trade delegation from Zhongjiang Province was scheduled to visit Japan on May 11 and return in half a month. The provincial leaders decided to appoint Bao Guoqiang as the deputy head of the trade delegation, leaving for Japan on May 11 to avoid any unnecessary interference in the city's transition.

On May 11, Bao Guoqiang and the Zhongjiang Province trade delegation flew to Zhongtian Airport, then to Beijing Airport, and finally to Tokyo, Japan.

On May 16, the Zhongtian City People's Congress and Political Consultative Conference officially opened.

On May 18, Lu Zhongcheng was officially elected as the mayor of Zhongtian City.

...

Memories flashed through Bao Feiyang's mind. When the date reset to May 11, Bao Feiyang felt a deep sense of regret. This damned fate, giving him a second chance, but why only a few days? If he had been reborn before Lu Zhongcheng's plot unfolded, he could have carefully planned to thwart it. Now, with most of the plot already in motion, reversing the outcome would be extremely difficult!

But it's only May 11, Bao Feiyang thought. There's still time, provided he could reach the airport and intercept his uncle before the trade delegation boarded the plane!

With this thought, Bao Feiyang pulled off the sheet and stood up, saying, "I need to be discharged immediately!"

Meng Shuang was about to give Bao Feiyang a cup of light saltwater to replenish his lost salts. When Bao Feiyang pulled off the sheet, the bulge in his underwear, almost bursting through, was exposed to Meng Shuang.

"Ah! Pervert, shameless!"

Meng Shuang quickly turned away, her face as red as a piece of cloth, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

How could it be so big? It's terrifying to see it stretch the underwear like that! The thought of possibly dealing with that terrifying bulge in the future made Meng Shuang feel both embarrassed and afraid. However, at the same time, a strange feeling quietly ignited in her heart, even her pale earlobes turning red...