Live Again

Chapter Two

Throughout the entire English class, Gu Ran spaced out completely, looking like a total blockhead.

He glared at the page in front of him as if trying to burn a hole through it.

The pristine white pages, the old desk, and the noisy classroom around him—everything felt so real.

He gave himself a vicious pinch, and the sharp pain radiating from his thigh instantly jolted him awake—hiss!

This was not a dream!

He rubbed his aching thigh and thought to himself.

He, Gu Ran, had actually been reborn!

He had actually returned to the winter of 2010, the first semester of his senior year in high school.

In the classroom, the English teacher's crisp voice was like a melodious tune, drawing the students to perk up their ears and listen attentively.

However, to Gu Ran, it all sounded like noise from distant outer space. His thoughts had long since drifted beyond the clouds.

He was currently trying hard to recall his glorious history during his senior year. Otherwise, if he went home to see his old man without figuring out his current situation, Lao Gu might think he had been possessed and throw him straight into the police station. What would he do then?

He remembered that around this time, Lao Gu suddenly brought a woman home, saying she was going to be his stepmother.

How could his young and arrogant self accept this sudden invader? He actually kicked her right out of the house.

Although whether his dad remarried or not had absolutely nothing to do with him, at the time, he just felt sickened by it.

As a result, because of his meddling, Lao Gu and that potential stepmother really didn't end up together.

Even up until he got into a car accident, Lao Gu had been living a lonely and miserable life all by himself.

Thinking of this, Gu Ran felt an increasingly bitter taste in his mouth.

He couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile. He was far too willful back then, causing the old man to have such a miserable old age.

Losing his father in childhood, his mother in his youth, his wife in middle age, and his son in old age—the old man had always been completely alone.

One could only imagine how desolate his heart must have been when he heard the news of his accident!

Forget it, forget it.

Gu Ran thought to himself, It's just a stepmother, right? If he wants to find one, let him. It'd be best if he found a few, so the old man won't end up dying alone again.

He saw things much more clearly now, and the old man truly was quite pitiful.

Lao Gu's unyielding and righteous face unconsciously surfaced in his mind, and a soft smile touched his lips.

He had made the old man so angry in the past. Now that he had a second chance, he might as well be a filial son!

...

On the podium, the English teacher, Li Sinan, noticed Gu Ran sitting below with a silly smirk on his face.

The boy's eyes were vacant; he was clearly not paying attention to the lecture.

However, she was already used to Gu Ran's habit of constantly ignoring the class.

The only thing that puzzled her was that this little brat used to stare at her legs non-stop during class. Why had he suddenly turned over a new leaf?

Li Sinan's thoughts flashed by, and she continued explaining the exam questions.

She didn't show much emotion toward this second-generation rich kid.

Laissez-faire was the unanimous attitude of all the senior year teachers towards Gu Ran—as long as he only ruined his own future and didn't bother anyone else, it was fine.

...

The class dismissal bell finally rang!

Li Sinan quickly packed up her lesson plans and left the classroom with lightning speed.

Never dragging the class past the bell was one of the most popular traits of this young teacher.

With her departure, the atmosphere in the classroom quickly became relaxed and cheerful.

The girls walked arm in arm to the restroom, while the boys gathered together to chat, giving their brains a break after a full class of studying.

However, sitting upright in his seat, Gu Ran seemed a bit out of place.

But he had always kept a low profile in the past, so he didn't attract anyone's attention.

Brother Gu, are you alright?

Gu Ran, whose mind had been wandering the heavens, was suddenly slapped hard on the shoulder. He looked back in astonishment—only to see a chubby face right in front of him!

Ye Jinliang?! Gu Ran exclaimed in shock.

His childhood friend, who had been dead for five years, was standing right in front of him again!

Oh, wait. To be precise, in his previous life, Ye Jinliang had died five years earlier than him...

Because the girlfriend he had been dating for five years had been cheating on him for four and a half of those years, he got drunk and ended up in a fatal car accident...

Tsk, they really were true brothers. Both of them had died in car accidents...

Looking at Ye Jinliang's chubby face now, he was the classic picture of a little fat boy.

The corners of Gu Ran's mouth curled up involuntarily. It seemed the saying that every fat person is a hidden gem was actually true.

After all, this little fatty would successfully stand out from a crowd of simps in the future, relying entirely on his face!

Of course, compared to Gu Ran himself, he was still far behind.

B-Brother Gu, if there's something wrong, just say it. Don't look at me like that, I... I'm scared...

Seeing Gu Ran's complex gaze, Ye Jinliang subconsciously shivered.

It's nothing.

Gently swatting away the chubby hand waving in front of his eyes, Gu Ran's lips curled into a smile once more.

Although he didn't know why he had been given a second chance at life, his mood right now was exceptionally bright. After all, there were so many regrets waiting for him to make right!

If it's nothing, then let's go. If we dawdle any longer, class is going to start.

Ye Jinliang curled his lips and prepared to pull him up from his seat.

To this, Gu Ran asked in stunned confusion, Go where?

Damn! Are you really half-asleep?! To the bathroom for our rations, of course! Ye Jinliang rolled his eyes at him speechlessly.

Gu Ran: ???

To the bathroom to eat rations?!

What kind of messed-up fetish is that?!

Was he really that wild back in high school?!

Gu Ran looked totally bewildered, his eyes filled with shock as he stared at Ye Jinliang's impatient expression. For a moment, he found it hard to accept this reality...

But the next second, he touched his bulging pocket and instantly realized what was going on.

Pulling out a half-empty pack of Yuxi cigarettes from his pocket, he looked down at it, his mind suddenly flooded with memories...

It turned out that back in high school, whenever the bell rang, he and Ye Jinliang would sneak into the bathroom to puff clouds of smoke. It was his way of rebelling against his dad's orders to be a good kid.

Because getting caught by the disciplinary office meant the school would call the parents, he took great pleasure in doing it.

Unfortunately, even so, his father—who was completely consumed by his work and held the position of deputy chief of the police station—had never once been called to the school...

Over time, he simply gave up and completely let himself go...

Ah, hurry up!

Ye Jinliang urged him impatiently, while consciously pulling out a pack of Chunghwa cigarettes from his own pocket.

Here, smoke this. It's way better than your Yuxi!

Compared to Gu Ran's family, Ye Jinliang's family was much wealthier.

However, even with such a background, it still paled slightly in front of Gu Ran, even though Gu Ran's dad only made a pitiful three thousand five hundred a month...

Whoosh—

A graceful parabola traced through the air as the two packs of cigarettes, along with a lighter, were tossed straight into the trash can by Gu Ran!

Holy shit! Brother Gu, why did you throw them away?!

Ye Jinliang was absolutely shocked and instinctively reached toward the trash can to retrieve his two precious packs.

But the very next second, Gu Ran grabbed him by the back of his collar, yanked him back, and delivered a swift kick right to his fleshy backside.

What are you doing smoking at such a young age? Stop learning bad habits. Get your butt to the bathroom and then come back to study!

Gu Ran snapped in annoyance as he let go.

Ye Jinliang was once again left looking completely dumbfounded.

What was wrong with this guy? Had he been possessed?!

Having been obsessed with cultivation novels lately, Ye Jinliang's imagination began to run wild. On their way to the restroom, he kept tentatively asking all sorts of bizarre questions to verify Gu Ran's identity.

This made Gu Ran grind his teeth in sheer annoyance. He mercilessly kicked him again and urged, "Cut the crap and hurry up! I need to get back to studying!"

Gu Ran had already learned the hard way just how crucial a good degree was as a stepping stone in life.

Having only graduated from a junior college in his previous life, he had faced rejection at every turn in the real world, completely unable to compete with graduates from elite 985 and 211 universities.

This was the cruel reality he had awakened to after enduring the harsh blows of society...

Given a chance to start over, he wanted to seize this opportunity and give it his absolute all to make up for the very first regret of his past life!

He used to always envy those high-achieving students from prestigious schools, but now, he wanted to become one of them!