Luo Chen woke up.
More precisely, he’d come back to life. Again.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a spotless desk. Above him, the blades of the ceiling fan spun.
He looked around in a daze. The faces around the desks were both familiar and strange.
Instead of thinking, “Who am I?” or “Where am I?”... Luo Chen reached into his desk and felt around.
His hand found a black phone. He woke the screen... and his pupils shrank when he saw the time.
…
…I’m alive again?
School was out.
Luo Chen was still sitting on a bench in the little garden on campus, lost in thought.
Going by the timeline in his memories, today was... exactly six years ago!
Six years ago, he and “her” weren’t together yet... He’d returned to this very day. He could still save things before they went wrong...
Come to think of it... today was the day he’d confessed to “her”...
He was still thinking when his phone rang. He answered, and a cool, clear girl’s voice came through.
“Where are you, Luo Chen?”
“I’m home.”
“Huh? ...Weren’t you the one who asked me to meet up?” The girl’s voice on the other end rose slightly.
“Oh... Sorry. Something came up.”
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then she answered.
“Okay. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Luo Chen let out a breath of relief and lowered the phone.
…
…
The girl on the other end was Lin Yuqi.
If things had followed the timeline in his memories, he would’ve confessed to her tonight...
And she’d said yes.
Lin Yuqi had taken their relationship very seriously. Her normally cool nature had grown gentler and sweeter because of him.
The following year, Luo Chen failed his college entrance exams and didn’t get into the university they’d agreed on. They ended up living far apart.
After a year apart...
He came back to this city for summer vacation and broke up with her. She fell silent on the phone. He could just barely hear her muffled sobs.
At the time, Luo Chen was standing outside her home. He knocked for ages, but there was no answer. So he used the key she’d given him to open the door.
The girl’s face was a sickly white. Blood slowly welled from the wound on her wrist...
“Luo Chen, you can’t leave me...”
She sat on the floor, her face streaked with tears, while crimson blood spread across the floor.
Luo Chen rushed over and held her, then called an ambulance.
After that, his nightmare began.
He didn’t understand what had happened to her that year... but Lin Yuqi had turned into someone who seemed to say, “If you don’t love me, I’ll die.”
He wasn’t joking.
Because of how unstable she was, Luo Chen didn’t bring up “breaking up” again for the time being.
In the years that followed, whenever he showed even the slightest coldness or distance, she’d still seem gentle and sweet on the surface. In private, though, she hurt herself again and again.
It wasn’t until he happened to notice the many deep wounds on her arm that he finally realized what was going on.
He started doing his best to play the role of a gentle, attentive boyfriend, making sure not to let even a trace of irritation or disgust show.
But the truth was, when you don’t love someone anymore, you just don’t. It had nothing to do with how pretty or obedient she was. Three years passed... He still couldn’t figure out why Lin Yuqi had suddenly changed, and he was nearly driven mad himself.
And now... the world had given him another chance to start over.
“I won’t bother you again...”
He murmured, phone in hand.
…
…
He lifted his head. The sunset on the horizon blazed in brilliant colors.
Only then did Luo Chen get to his feet and take a deep breath. He headed for the campus gates, his face relaxed with relief.
Everything around him felt brand-new. Following his memories, he found his way home.
When he reached the door, he stopped. A little while later, he raised a hand and knocked, trembling slightly.
“I’m home.”
He counted to three silently. The door opened soon after.
A pretty face appeared before him. The girl wore a middle-school uniform, her smooth black hair falling down her back. A slight curve in her chest stretched the fabric. Beneath her short skirt, her slender legs, clad in white stockings, were pressed together. She only came up to his chest.
The girl paused in front of him for a moment, then turned away, looking indifferent.
He froze for a moment... then tried to remember. A bitter smile crossed his face.
Luo Xi was still mad at him at this point...
He followed her into the living room. The girl went straight to the sofa and continued watching TV, her long legs in white knee-high socks crossed in a lazy pose.
Her face was fair, and so were her hands. She was beautiful.
The girl sitting on the sofa was his younger sister.
Mentioning a younger sister always seemed to bring up... incest, brocons, and other messed-up stuff.
In reality...
Luo Chen was a total siscon!
…
…
“Have you eaten, Xiao Xi?”
“No.” Luo Xi shot him a sidelong glance and answered flatly, then turned back to the TV.
Luo Chen was caught off guard and didn’t say anything else. He sat down on the sofa.
“Stay a meter away from me,” the girl said flatly.
“Okay.” Luo Chen shifted slightly to the right, a secret smile on his lips. After a while, his expression turned a little dejected.
His feelings were written all over his face. Luo Xi glanced at him and pursed her lips. “What, didn’t you go confess today?”
“She turned me down...”
“Wasn’t that to be expected?” Luo Xi said, still sounding casual.
“Ha... haha... ha.” Luo Chen let out a couple of bitter laughs and scratched his head.
“If you keep being so sharp-tongued, Xiao Xi, you’ll never find a boyfriend.”
Luo Xi raised an eyebrow, her voice climbing a few notes. “Are you asking to get kicked?”
Luo Chen stood up without answering, went over to the balcony, and stretched as he looked down at the street.
Night had fallen.
This is nice...
He stood there grinning like an idiot.
“What are you smiling about?” Luo Xi stood up from the sofa too.
“I’m happy.” Luo Chen pressed his lips together and looked up at the stars.
“You’re crazy.” Luo Xi rolled her eyes, then turned to head back to her room.
But Luo Chen suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.
“What are you doing?”
Luo Chen looked into her dark eyes, smiled, and spoke in a quiet, drifting voice.
“I love you.”
Luo Xi froze. Her beautiful eyes flew wide open, and she bit down hard on her lip. She began to tremble despite herself.
Then... “Smack...”
The slap rang out, sharp and clear.
