After being reborn, I gained a childhood sweetheart who appeared out of nowhere.

Late at night, in the conference room on the top floor of the Huaguang Commercial Building in the city center, Lin Chuan sat at the end of a long table. The cold white light above illuminated the entire space, while outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky was pitch black and rain was falling.

"This month is a vacuum period for our competitors' product iterations, which is also our best opportunity," he said, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to carry throughout the entire office. A market gap analysis chart appeared on the projector behind him.

Lin Chuan paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over each face, and said, word by word, "Today's meeting content is also very simple: regarding the regional market share in the third quarter, the target is to increase it by ten percent."

After the words were spoken, there was a complete silence, except for the sound of raindrops falling on the French windows. Several managers subconsciously exchanged glances.

Lin Chuan tapped the remote again, and a new analysis diagram appeared on the screen. "I know this is difficult, but it's not impossible. This is the specific implementation architecture and plan..."

What was supposed to be a simple meeting for Lin Chuan ended up dragging on for almost an hour due to infighting among the various managers before a new task framework and executors for the plan were finally agreed upon.

When the words "Meeting adjourned" were uttered, the managers seemed to have been granted a pardon, and they quickly got up and left with their materials.

Lin Chuan leaned back in his seat and took a long breath. Then, a wave of fatigue washed over him. He had been in meetings for three days straight, traveling to three different cities. And in two hours, he would be at the airport in the suburbs, heading to the next city.

This high-pressure rhythm continued from his university days to his work life. Every moment of his time was filled with studying and working. It wasn't that he was a workaholic, but rather that he didn't want to stop, because that would remind him of the past.

Just then, the conference room door opened again, and Xiao Li stepped in, quickly walked to his side, leaned down and whispered, "President Lin, someone is looking for you."

Lin Chuan closed his eyes and responded. The meeting had just ended, and there were already new arrangements.

He rubbed his temples, braced himself on the smooth tabletop to stand up, and the next moment, a sharp pain shot through his heart, his vision went black, and he instinctively fell backward. Everything around him rapidly faded away, and he was plunged into boundless darkness.

"Someone has fainted! Help!"

"Call an ambulance!"

"Mr. Lin, what's wrong?"

"..."

"Why don't you go to No. 1 High School? It's such a rare opportunity!"

"Eat well and sleep well, Mom loves you."

"Lin Chuan, wake up..."

The previously noisy sounds seemed to quiet down, replaced by someone whispering in his ear and a pleasant scent, like warm sunshine carrying the fragrance of leaves, which made Lin Chuan feel inexplicably at ease. He thought that it would be good to just fall asleep like this and never wake up again, because he was too tired.

At this moment, a bright light appeared in front of him, somewhat dazzling. Lin Chuan subconsciously opened his eyes and saw his surroundings clearly.

In some old living rooms, a college admission notice torn in half lies at the feet. In front of it stands a middle-aged woman in a simple floral dress, just over forty years old, with graying temples, red eyes, and tears streaming down her face.

The middle-aged man sitting next to me had a sullen face and remained silent.

Everything before him was so familiar that Lin Chuan immediately remembered that it was the summer after he graduated from junior high school.

That year, his middle school entrance exam scores were mediocre. He could attend a high school, but his score was at least one grade below the admission score for the city's No. 1 High School. However, his parents still spent a lot of money to send him to No. 1 High School so that he could receive a better education. This must have been a considerable expense.

Even though the opportunity was rare, Lin Chuan was unwilling to go to the No. 1 Middle School in the city. During the argument, he even tore up the No. 1 Middle School's admission notice.

In the end, he "got his wish" and didn't go to the top high school. After wasting his time, he went to an ordinary high school. For three years, he spent his time hanging out with a group of bad friends. His college entrance exam score was only high enough to get into a private third-tier university.

The exorbitant tuition and living expenses directly crippled the already impoverished family, and his mother passed away during his sophomore year due to overwork.

Lin Chuan then realized his mistake and began to study like crazy. Fortunately, he was lucky and took the postgraduate entrance exam in his senior year. A professor from one of the top universities in the country was willing to take him on as a graduate student. After graduating successfully, he also joined a listed company.

He started working like a machine again, like an ascetic, with no other joy in life. He rose to a leadership position before he turned thirty, with unlimited potential, but the person he wanted to see achieve something was no longer there.

As for his reasons for not wanting to go to No. 1 High School, on the one hand, he didn't like the "arrangement" made by his family, and on the other hand, he wanted to go to the same high school as the girl he liked, and he was confident that he could study well in any high school.

Looking back now, I just think the decisions I made back then were incredibly stupid. It's true that sometimes people can't even empathize with their past selves.

But why am I seeing this scene now? Did I faint after the meeting? Shouldn't I be in the hospital when I wake up? Or is this a dream? Why does everything feel so real?

After a moment of stunned silence, Lin Chuan seemed to understand something, reached out and pinched his face, feeling a distinct pain.

He instantly realized that he had been reborn!

Instead of immediately showing his inner elation, Lin Chuan suppressed his excitement, took a deep breath, remained silent for a few seconds, then bent down to pick up the torn acceptance letter and looked at his father. "Dad, this is damaged, can it be replaced?"

Dad was taken aback. "What did you say?"

"I lost my temper just now, but now that I've calmed down, I realize you're right," Lin Chuan said. "I'm going to No. 1 Middle School."

"Is that really what you think?" Dad asked doubtfully.

Just minutes ago, his son firmly stated that he would not go to the No. 1 High School, but now his attitude has changed so suddenly that he is not sure what to do. The admission notice was torn up, but it can indeed be reissued. At worst, he can ask someone for help again.

But what if my son changes his mind again?

"I'm serious." Lin Chuan knew his attitude had changed too quickly, but he couldn't explain it.

Since he couldn't explain, he could only show his attitude. He bowed slightly to his parents and said sincerely, "Dad, Mom, can you give me another chance?"

The living room was silent. The father looked at his son, who was so sincere, and remained silent for a long time before slowly standing up. "If you really understand, I'll call someone right now to help you get a replacement admission notice."

"Xiao Chuan, have you really figured it out?" Mom still seemed a little incredulous.

"Mm." Lin Chuan nodded.

The wrinkles around Mom's eyes smoothed out, a smile spreading across her face. She quickly took her son's hand and repeated, "That's good, it's good that you want to go to No. 1 High School..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Chuan took a step forward and hugged his mother.

"What's wrong? Is there something else?" His mother was taken aback by his action. Had something happened to her son again? Was that why he agreed to go to No. 1 Middle School?

"It's alright, it's alright," Lin Chuan said softly.

Despite his best efforts to control his emotions, his eyes still welled up with tears when he hugged his mother. His voice trembled slightly as he slowly spoke the words he had always wanted to say, "Mom, I was so immature before, I'm sorry..."

His mother paused for a moment, then gently patted Lin Chuan's back and said softly, "Silly child, we're all family, why say such things?"

"Um."

Tonight's dinner was originally only supposed to have two dishes, but Mom asked Dad to go downstairs and buy some more cooked food. Dad even had a couple more drinks at the table, and Mom surprisingly didn't say anything about his drinking.

Everyone enjoyed the dinner together. The reason his parents were so happy was simply because he had agreed to attend the No. 1 Middle School.

As night deepened, Lin Chuan returned to his room.

The small room contained only a wooden bed with a light blue sheet, a wooden wardrobe and a desk next to it. The walls were covered with many gaudy posters, among which Kobe and Yao Ming were the most normal.

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Time has given him a second chance, and he will cherish this new life. He will definitely make money. He has only graduated from junior high school, so he should study hard and enjoy his youth, which is worthless yet more precious than gold.

The shadow of the osmanthus tree outside the window was pitch black in the night, and the air was faintly filled with its cool fragrance.

As drowsiness washed over him, Lin Chuan slowly closed his eyes.

The next day, early morning.

In the garden-themed residential area in the city, Lin Chuan knocked on the door of one of the rooms.

After a while, the door opened, and a boy of unremarkable build stood there, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning," Lin Chuan greeted.

Wang Xu paused for a moment, rubbed his eyes, and looked the boy in front of him up and down, his tone somewhat uncertain, "You are... Lin Chuan?"

"If I remember correctly, we haven't seen each other for a month, and you don't remember?" Lin Chuan asked.

Wang Xu chuckled awkwardly, "I almost didn't recognize you after your haircut."

Lin Chuan got a haircut before leaving home in the morning.

His hair used to be long, and it looked like it hadn't been styled for over a month, all messy and resembling a non-mainstream look. Now it looks much cleaner and neater. Plus, Lin Chuan's appearance is fine, with a well-defined face, a straight nose, and gentle eyes and eyebrows.

It's just that her hair used to be messy and her eyes were gloomy, so she didn't look very likable.

"Tsk tsk tsk, buddy, you're actually...not bad looking!" Wang Xu said.

"We don't serve nutritional drinks here, so praising me won't help," Lin Chuan said calmly.

Wang Xu chuckled. "So you're here so early to ask me to go to the internet cafe for some online gaming? Wait a minute, I'm going to wash my face and brush my teeth."

"I don't use the internet," Lin Chuan said. "I came to you to borrow something."

"Borrow something?" Wang Xu, standing at the door, looked completely bewildered, as if he hadn't woken up yet, which was his usual appearance.

"All of my junior high school Chinese and math textbooks," Lin Chuan said. "I want to review them before starting high school."

Although he has a postgraduate degree, it's been many years since he graduated, and he's forgotten most of what he learned in college, not to mention what he learned even earlier.

That's why he thought of finding some textbooks to study on his own before going to No. 1 High School, so that he wouldn't be at a loss when he entered the school. Of course, the only one he could think of was Wang Xu, his junior high school deskmate.

Wang Xu exclaimed in surprise, somewhat stunned, and slowly said, "Wait, buddy, are you really Lin Chuan?"

"If it's not me, then who is it?" Lin Chuan retorted.

"But..." Wang Xu looked closely and saw that Lin Chuan had not only gotten a haircut, but also changed his clothes. He no longer had his usual flashy outfits; now he was just wearing simple shorts and a white T-shirt, looking clean and neat. And now he was even coming to borrow his textbooks to study?

The guy in front of me looks like Lin Chuan, but there's something wrong with him in every other way.

Lin Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to tell you about secretly reading erotic comics during Chinese class before you'll believe me?"

"Hey...brother, you're my own brother, this is my front door, don't say things like that," Wang Xu quickly stopped Lin Chuan. "You want the Chinese and math textbooks, right? Wait for me a minute." With that, he turned and ran into the room. About ten minutes later, he came out carrying a pile of textbooks.

"By the way, are you really going to Experimental High School?" Wang Xu asked casually.

"No, I want to go to No. 1 Middle School," Lin Chuan said.

"Didn't you say you were going to Experimental High School with Chen Xueting?" Wang Xu asked.

Chen Xueting was the girl he liked in junior high school. In fact, he can't even remember what she looks like now. In the end, the person you like when you're young may not be that great. It's just that you add a thin layer of fog to your memory of her. Everything looks good through the fog.

Giving up a better school for a girl he had a crush on sounds ridiculous, but what's even more ridiculous is that Chen Xueting's family spent some money to get her into No. 1 Middle School, but she never told Lin Chuan.

In the end, he really did become a complete idiot clown.

Now he's going to No. 1 High School, and he might run into Chen Xueting again. But it doesn't matter to him whether he meets her or not. Since his rebirth, their lives and paths will never intersect again.

"Am I that familiar with her?" Lin Chuan asked back.

Wang Xu was taken aback. If he had to say, they weren't really close, since it was his deskmate who had been the one simp for him.

"Thank you for the book," Lin Chuan said, taking the book from him. He didn't bother to say anything more about the matter. "I'll return it to you after I've finished reading it."

"Just throw it away after you're done reading it, I don't need it anymore," Wang Xu waved his hand and smiled, "It's good that you're going to No. 1 High School, then we'll be classmates again."

Lin Chuan almost forgot that his deskmate had performed exceptionally well in this year's high school entrance exam, barely making it into the top high school.

"Okay, see you at No. 1 High School." Lin Chuan smiled at him, then turned and left.

Watching the boy's departing figure, Wang Xu scratched his head, turned around, and went back to his room.

With more than a week to go before the official start of school, Lin Chuan didn't wander around. He spent his days reading and taking early morning walks, adjusting to life after his rebirth.

After all, there weren't such advanced smartphones, games, and entertainment options in this era, but he adapted surprisingly well. Before his rebirth, he didn't really have any entertainment options.

Later, Lin Chuan realized that making money is important, but after achieving financial freedom, no matter how much you have, it's just a number. In this life that is bound to end, enjoying life is equally important.

It's summer 2009 now, and there's still time to change things. His new life has just begun, and the best days will be when spring arrives after winter.