You'll Understand When You Reach My Age

Time flew by like a fleeting shadow, slipping through their fingers like fine sand.

Chen Zhi, the Akina Mountain Racing God who once drove his little sports car around the small plaza—harvesting not only the tears of the chubby kid Liu Bo but also the admiration of the neighborhood children—was now, in the blink of an eye, facing the second major catastrophe of his life.

Kindergarten enrollment season.

The September wind carried a hint of dry heat, blowing in a way that made people feel restless and irritable.

In the Chen family's living room, the adults of both families sat around the coffee table. The atmosphere was so intense that it felt as if they were discussing a hundred-million-dollar mega project.

Several colorful flyers were spread out on the coffee table, bearing names like Sunflower Kindergarten and Rose Family Center.

"Let's go with this one, Sunflower."

Lin Shuxian pointed at one of the flyers, tapping his finger against the table.

"It's close to both our homes, just a ten-minute walk. The key is that their food is good. Looking at their menu, it's even better than my company's cafeteria."

Chen Jun expressed his strong agreement, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.

"I think it works. We can put the kids in the same class. Zhizhi and Wanwan have been together since they were babies, so they can look out for each other."

Zhang Guifang peeled an orange, nodding repeatedly.

"That makes perfect sense. We're all busy with work anyway. If someone has to work overtime and leave late, the other family can just pick up both kids on the way. It'll save so much trouble."

The adults hit it off instantly. In just a few words, they sealed the fate of the two children for the next three years.

Lin Jing turned to look at the two little ones playing with building blocks on the rug, her face full of maternal affection.

"Wanwan, Zhizhi, you two are going to kindergarten in a few days. Are you happy?"

Lin Wanwan suddenly lifted her head.

The little girl had grown a bit more. Her exquisitely fair face was embedded with two dark, grape-like eyes, and when she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared.

She tossed the blocks in her hand onto the floor and jumped up in excitement.

"Kindergarten? Is that the place with slides and lots of other kids?"

Lin Jing smiled and nodded.

"That's right! There are lots and lots of kids, and teachers who will teach you how to sing and dance."

"That's awesome!"

Lin Wanwan cheered, waving her little hands wildly in the air like a happy little moth.

"I want to go! I want to make lots and lots of new friends!"

For an unstoppable extrovert like Lin Wanwan, kindergarten was simply paradise.

It meant an unlimited supply of playmates, and it meant that besides Chen Zhi, there would be even more people to listen to her babble and tell stories.

She couldn't wait to go out and conquer this new world.

In stark contrast to Lin Wanwan's boundless excitement, Chen Zhi, who was sitting next to her, was a completely different story.

Holding a red Lego block in his hand, he slumped on the rug, looking as if his soul had been sucked right out of him.

His tender little face was written all over with a world-weariness and despair entirely unsuited for his age.

School.

These words struck like a bolt of lightning, blasting Chen Zhi to a crisp.

To think that he, Chen Zhi, had barely managed to survive nine years of compulsory education in his past life, endured three hellish years of high school, trudged through four years of college, only to finally die a glorious sudden death from overwork as a corporate drone.

He had thought that by being reincarnated, he could peacefully live as a wealthy idler, spending his days drinking milk, basking in the sun, and bullying the chubby kid, Liu Bo.

But alas, the gears of fate had started turning once again.

He had to start all over again?

Just thinking about the scenes he would have to face in the future made Chen Zhi's head ache.

Sitting on a tiny stool with his hands behind his back, repeating "sit in a row, eat some fruit" after the teacher.

Having to act obedient and sensible just to fight for a little red paper flower.

Being forced to take a nap at noon, having to squeeze his eyes shut and play dead even if he was as energetic as a Husky.

This wasn't going to school; this was clearly serving a prison sentence.

From kindergarten to college, that was nearly twenty years.

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and viciously pressed the Lego block in his hand onto the baseplate.

Click.

It sounded just like his heart breaking.

Over there, Lin Wanwan had already begun fantasizing about her wonderful school life, humming an unknown tune and wiggling her bottom on the sofa.

Lin Shuxian watched his daughter's carefree demeanor, feeling a surge of sour sorrow bubbling up inside him.

He scooted over to Lin Wanwan and poked her chubby little arm with a finger.

"Wanwan."

Lin Shuxian's voice trembled slightly, filled with the panic of an old father about to face separation.

"You're going to school soon. Are you going to miss Daddy?"

Lin Wanwan was completely immersed in the joy of soon having countless new friends. Hearing this, she didn't even turn her head, busy brushing the hair of a ragdoll she was holding.

"Nope."

The answer was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

It even carried a hint of disdain, as if her dad had asked a completely redundant question.

Crack.

Lin Shuxian heard the sound of his own heart breaking, and it was even louder than the click of Chen Zhi pressing down the building block just now.

He clutched his chest, his eyes instantly turning red.

"How could you not miss me? Daddy is going to miss Wanwan a hundred times a day."

Lin Shuxian sniffled, his voice choking up.

In his eyes, his daughter was just pretending to be strong.

After all, Wanwan was still so small and had never left her parents' side. Suddenly going to a strange environment must surely fill her heart with fear.

She was deliberately acting like she didn't care just so her dad wouldn't worry.

What a sensible child!

Lin Shuxian completely convinced himself of this narrative, moving himself to a total emotional mess.

He pulled Lin Wanwan into a tight hug, burying his face in his daughter's tiny shoulder, completely ignoring whether it was covered in the cookie crumbs she had just been eating.

"Wanwan, whatever you do, don't be scared when you go to kindergarten."

Lin Shuxian spoke with a tearful voice, looking even more nervous than he had been when Lin Jing was giving birth to her.

"Mommy and Daddy are just going to work, we aren't abandoning you. We will definitely come pick you up. We'll be there the second school gets out!"

Lin Wanwan was being squeezed so tight by her dad that she could barely breathe.

She struggled to break free from Lin Shuxian's embrace, reaching out a tiny hand to pat Lin Shuxian's head like a little adult comforting a dog.

"Mhm, okay."

She nodded vigorously, her face screaming with perfunctoriness.

Lin Shuxian entirely missed the impatience in his daughter's eyes.

He lifted his head and said to Lin Jing beside him with red-rimmed eyes,

"Honey, don't be fooled by Wanwan acting all strong right now. When the time comes, she'll definitely be crying for her mommy and daddy. This kid is just so deep-feeling, she takes after me."

Lin Jing, who was peeling an orange, rolled her eyes at his words.

She stuffed a slice of orange into her mouth and mumbled indistinctly,

"Give me a break. I bet you'll be the one crying for your daughter when the time comes. Wanwan has a cheerful personality and is very adaptable. Kids grow up, and this day was bound to come sooner or later. You have to learn to let go."

"I won't let go!"

Lin Shuxian cried out in grief and indignation. "She's only three! Having to face the harsh realities of society at three years old, how can I let go!"

Lin Jing was too lazy to bother with her husband, turning her head and resuming her chat with Zhang Guifang about which children's clothing store had the nicest and best-quality clothes.

While the Lin father and daughter were acting out a melodramatic soap opera of life-and-death separation on this side.

On the other side, Chen Zhi was sitting cross-legged on the rug, resting his chin in his hands and staring blankly at the ceiling.

With that melancholic aura, he looked exactly like an artsy young man who had just gone through a bad breakup.

Chen Jun and Zhang Guifang noticed their son's unusual behavior.

The couple exchanged a glance, a silent signal of "I understand" passing between them.

Their son had been smart since he was little, far more mature than his peers, and they had long grown used to it.

When other kids were still playing in the mud, Chen Zhi had already learned how to use the remote to change channels, accurately finding the financial network. However, the couple figured he probably just liked the colorful red and green candlestick charts.

But no matter how smart he was, he was still just a child.

Facing separation and an unfamiliar environment, it was perfectly normal for him to feel anxious.

Chen Jun set down his teacup and crouched in front of Chen Zhi, doing his best to make his tone sound gentle and reassuring.

"Son, what's wrong? Are you scared of going to kindergarten?"

Chen Jun reached out a large, calloused hand and rubbed Chen Zhi's head.

"Don't be afraid. Mom and Dad understand how you feel. It's your first time leaving home, so it's natural to be a little nervous. We promise we'll come pick you up the second we get off work this evening. We absolutely won't be late."

Zhang Guifang leaned in as well, overflowing with maternal love.

"That's right, Zhizhi. There are lots of little friends to play with at kindergarten, and yummy snacks, too. If you miss Mom, just tell the teacher, and the teacher will call me."

Chen Zhi slowly turned his head, looking at his parents and their faces full of concern.

In his clear, dark eyes, there was no fear and no dependency—only a deep, profound helplessness, as unfathomable as an ancient well.

It was the exhaustion of having seen through the mundane world, yet being forced to remain deeply entangled within it.

He gently shook his head.

His movements were slow and heavy.

"You don't understand."

A tender, childish voice, yet delivered with a world-weary tone.

Chen Jun and Zhang Guifang were stunned.

Why did this line sound so familiar?

"What don't we understand?"

Chen Jun asked in amusement, chalking it up to innocent childhood babble.

Chen Zhi stood up from the carpet.

He patted some nonexistent dust off his bottom, then clasped his hands behind his back.

His posture was perfectly straight, his chin tilted up at a slight forty-five-degree angle.

At this moment, he was no longer a little brat in split-crotch pants—oh wait, he was wearing regular pants now.

He looked as if he were an old man who had weathered the vicissitudes of life.

Chen Zhi glanced at his parents and sighed.

"You'll understand when you get to my age."

With that, he shook his round little head and, hands still clasped behind his back, waddled off toward his bedroom with the splayed gait of an old official.

His retreating figure looked desolate, exuding the aura of an invincible master lonely at the top.

You could have heard a pin drop in the living room.

The teacup in Chen Jun's hand froze in midair.

The half-peeled orange in Zhang Guifang's hands dropped onto the table.

Lin Shuxian forgot to cry, and Lin Jing stopped cracking melon seeds.

The four adults looked at each other, a giant question mark popping into their heads simultaneously.

When they got to his age?

Three years old?

"Um..."

Lin Shuxian broke the silence. Pointing at the door where Chen Zhi had just disappeared, he gulped.

"Lao Chen, has your Zhizhi... been watching some weird TV shows lately?"

Chen Jun snapped back to his senses and gave a dry laugh, trying to cover up the awkwardness.

"Maybe, maybe he's been listening to too much traditional storytelling with my dad. You know how the elderly are, they just love listening to tales of the Three Kingdoms and the Water Margin."

Zhang Guifang, however, stared thoughtfully at her son's bedroom door.

She couldn't shake the feeling that, for a split second just now, the look in her son's eyes was like he was looking at two children who had yet to grow up.

Inside the bedroom.

Chen Zhi climbed into his little bed and lay down spread-eagle.

He looked at the star stickers on the ceiling and let out another long sigh.

This damn life.

He had to do it all over again.

If only he could just fast-forward straight to retirement.