Chương 1: Rebirth, Past, Father

Cicadas chirped outside the window, and the afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the light blue curtains, casting dappled light on the wooden floor.

"Be careful!"

Lin Che suddenly sat up in bed, his back soaked in cold sweat.

He was panting heavily, his right hand unconsciously pressing against his left chest, where a faint pain seemed to linger.

Lin Che looked around blankly, his pupils slightly contracting. Everything in the room felt unfamiliar to him, yet it also revealed a strange sense of familiarity.

This was clearly not the bedroom he remembered, but the alarm clock crookedly placed on the bedside table, the books piled haphazardly on the desk, and even the half-open angle of the wardrobe door were exactly the same as his habits from his childhood.

He reached out and touched the left side of the pillow as if possessed, and his fingertips touched the still warm cell phone. The screen showed that the time was 8 p. m. and the date was August 29.

The absurd idea of "rebirth" became a certainty after unlocking his phone. He was back in the summer after his junior high school years, and two days later was the day he would be entering his senior year of high school.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar, still somewhat childish face captured by the phone's front-facing camera, Lin Che smiled silently.

Having grown accustomed to seeing myself with a full beard in the mirror, being able to see my younger self again in this way was a truly unexpected and delightful surprise.

"So, if I'm not mistaken..." Lin Che opened the map app, and the location showed Jiangchuan City, not Nanhu City as he remembered.

This fact made his heart race—in the original timeline, his father, Lin Chen, had paced back and forth in the living room on a sweltering summer afternoon, holding two transfer orders: stay at the Nanhu headquarters as a section chief, or be transferred to the Jiangchuan branch as a deputy general manager.

At the time, Lin Chen chose the former so that his son could continue living in a familiar environment, but it seems that in this world, he made a different choice.

"So this time..." Lin Che suddenly gripped the bed sheet tightly. Since this was Jiangchuan, it meant that her father had chosen his career, and it also meant that the woman who had ruined their family would never appear.

The woman he was referring to was his stepmother.

After his birth mother passed away at a young age, the father and son depended on each other for survival. Lin Che knew how difficult it was for his father to work and take care of him at the same time, so he always acted very sensibly and didn't want his father to have to work extra hard.

In his previous life, Lin Chen supported him until he graduated from university and found a job, before cautiously proposing that he wanted to remarry.

The man who had dedicated most of his life to his future actually humbled himself and begged his own son for forgiveness in order to obtain the happiness he deserved.

Lin Che found it hard to describe how he felt at that moment; he just felt that he owed his father far too much.

He agreed to the request without hesitation and moved out of the home where he had lived for more than 20 years, even though he had only just become truly independent at that time.

However, reality slapped them in the face. The gentle and kind stepmother before marriage revealed her true colors after marriage—she never did housework, never cooked, and was indifferent to her husband.

Lin Che, who accidentally learned the truth, clashed with that annoying woman countless times, and gave in countless times to his father's almost pleading eyes.

He could only silently shoulder the responsibilities that should have belonged to his stepmother, and then return to his cramped rented room to lick his wounds alone.

Then, unsurprisingly, the marriage fell apart.

The woman absconded with her father's life savings, taking her son with her to find another man, leaving behind a family that was once again broken.

His father refused his request to move back in and began living alone.

"Whether I get married or not, you'll have to live independently sooner or later. This is just the beginning, don't let it turn back."

"Don't worry, your dad isn't that old yet. He can take care of himself." He still remembered the cheerful smile on his father's face when he said this.

But that was a lie.

At the funeral a few years later, Lin Che stared at the wrinkles around his father's eyes in the black and white photo in the mourning hall. The person he hated most was not that woman, but himself for not being resolute enough back then.

If I had been more resolute back then, if I had been able to persuade my father to make a more careful choice... how could he have become so withdrawn, how could he have developed an alcoholic disorder?

But now, fate has given him a second chance.

Lin Che took a deep breath and secretly vowed: In this life, no matter what, I will make my father truly happy, and those women with ill intentions will never be able to get close to my father again!

"Xiao Che, can you help me decide what to wear to meet your future stepmother tomorrow? This is a formal meeting, so I need to make a good impression." Lin Chen's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.

"ha?!"

The declaration of protection had just been made when the BOSS suddenly appeared and started a team fight? Lin Che froze instantly. The shock brought by the word "stepmother" even overshadowed the excitement of reuniting with his father.

The door was pushed open, and Lin Chen, with his messy hair, poked his head in. Two suits hung on his arms like flags, and his face, which had not yet been tainted by alcohol, showed a hint of embarrassment.

He held the clothes hanger up to his chest and gestured, saying, "I've been looking for ages and still can't decide. You have a good eye, could you help your old man out?"

Realizing what was happening, Lin Che's eyes widened, and he hurriedly asked, "When was this decided? So suddenly?"

"You child... are you confused? Didn't I tell you this a week ago?" Lin Chen looked at his precious son suspiciously.

"Ah—I was a little dazed when I woke up, but I remember now." Lin Che hurriedly tried to smooth things over, his heart pounding like a drum.

The situation was more complicated than he had imagined; the stepmother candidate had actually made it to the final round.

"Even though it's summer vacation, you should still pay attention to your sleep schedule. You'll be a high school student soon, otherwise you won't be able to sleep at night if you go to bed so early."

"I don't mind if you get up late during summer vacation, but you'd better get used to it soon when school starts. If you're late every day, I'll have to get scolded by the teacher along with you."

Lin Chen accepted this explanation and then began to give Lin Che a long, rambling lecture.

"I understand, Dad. I'll be more careful next time." Lin Che couldn't resist and could only nod repeatedly.

Hearing his father's words of advice after so many years brought tears to his eyes and warmed his heart, but now was not the time to be sentimental; he had to get the information as soon as possible.

"Then... which one do you think is more suitable?" Lin Chen steered the conversation back on track.

"Then let's go with the one on the right... The color looks better on you, and you look more energetic." Lin Che mechanically pointed to the black suit, his brain working at lightning speed.

"This one will do. Your taste is much better than mine. I'll spray some perfume on myself tomorrow. As for the hair..." Lin Chen scratched his messy hair, looking a little troubled.

"I'll go to the hair salon during my lunch break tomorrow."

"Has this matter... been finalized?" Lin Che had a bad feeling when he saw how serious his father was about it.

What if something like that happened in my past life happened again?

"You can't say that, we're still one step away from success," Lin Chen said, blushing slightly and sounding a bit awkward.

"You're even trying to act cute now! Give me a serious answer!" Lin Che roared internally.

"By the way, did you try on the clothes I bought you the other day? You need to dress smartly tomorrow too. Although I've met her several times, this is the first time you're meeting your future sister."

"Remember to be polite then, leave a good impression on them, and remember we'll all be family from now on, so as the older brother, you'll need to take good care of them..."

Having been a single father for many years, Lin Chen switched into "male mother mode" and began nagging and giving instructions, but Lin Che couldn't listen to a single word anymore.

"Sister?!" Lin Che's voice suddenly rose, and he felt a sense of fear for no reason after being an only child for many years.