There could be no mistake…

Bai Yuyang looked around. This was his own room.

But something seemed different from when he’d left yesterday. Had Xiao Xi tidied up?

But that didn’t make sense. Why was he here? Had he passed out yesterday from drinking, exhaustion from work, and all the stress?

If that was what happened, shouldn’t he be in a hospital?

Unable to come up with any reasonable explanation, Bai Yuyang heard Bai Yuxi’s trembling voice scold him.

“Wah… Big Brother, you’re finally awake! You were having a nightmare, weren’t you? You were covered in cold sweat, and I couldn’t wake you up no matter how much I called. You looked like you were in so much pain. Do you know how scared I was?!”

“Ah, um… Xiao Xi, don’t cry. I’m fine, see?”

Bai Yuxi didn’t answer the string of questions Yuyang had just asked.

No matter what, the first thing she had to do was make sure her big brother was all right. That was what mattered most to Yuxi.

With her beautiful silver hair and doll-like face, she was adorable and lovable—sweet, sensible, and always thinking of Yuyang.

She was Yuyang’s treasure, the little sister he’d always been proud of.

The dizziness he’d felt when he first got up had mostly faded. After finally calming Bai Yuxi down, he asked again about the things that had been puzzling him.

“Xiao Xi, did you bring me back from the company yesterday? What happened after I passed out?”

“The company… What company? B-Big Brother, are you still half asleep?”

Bai Yuxi had composed herself. But at Yuyang’s question, she only tilted her head in confusion, her silver hair spilling over the edge of the bed.

Heh heh… My little sister is so cute.

Wait! This isn’t the time to be thinking about that.

“I mean Kongfeng Group! Oh, I get it. You’re worried I’ll run off to hide at the office again, aren’t you? Don’t worry… I won’t go running off anymore.”

“So what are you talking about, Big Brother? I’ve heard of Kongfeng Group, though. Is it that big company that’s always in the news? But what does it have to do with you?”

As she spoke, Yuxi gently covered Yuyang’s hand with her right hand.

“Heehee… But you’re so amazing, Big Brother. Once you graduate from college, getting into that company will be a piece of cake.”

“?”

Am I still dreaming?

Yuyang stared at Yuxi’s face in astonishment…

Now that he looked at her, wasn’t Xiao Xi a little younger than she’d looked yesterday?

She looked just like she had a few years ago… There wasn’t much difference, but after growing up together, Yuyang could still tell.

As if to confirm something, Yuyang—his thoughts in a muddle—put a hand on the foot of the bed and pushed himself up to look beside it.

Sure enough, he saw a brand-new basketball…

Hadn’t he ruined this basketball and thrown it away ages ago?

“……”

At a loss for words, Yuyang asked something a little more practical.

“Xiao Xi… tell me, what’s the date today?”

“Um… September 1, 2021. You really must still be half asleep, Big Brother.”

Bai Yuyang froze in shock.

But the shock only lasted a little while.

Bai Yuyang was an excellent person—some might even call him a genius.

He gathered every ounce of emotional control he had and forced himself to calm down.

Then he picked up the phone on his bedside table. Sure enough, it was the model he’d used a few years ago.

Whoa… Phone buddy, you came back to life! This is so moving.

After all, Yuyang was a cheapskate… Ahem, someone who took good care of his belongings.

He checked the time on his phone. It matched what Xiao Xi had said.

But as far as Yuyang knew, it was 2028.

So does that mean I’ve gone back seven years?

“Big Brother, snap out of it! How can you be this out of it on the first day of school? You’re a second-year high school student starting today.”

Whoa… This feels surreal.

Yuyang hadn’t even figured out whether he could accept what was happening. Right now, sitting against the wall in bed, all he could do was laugh and cry at once.

But no matter what, my little sister really is cute.

Just look at Xiao Xi in her uniform. It was mostly black, with a big pink bow at the gently rising line of her chest. White ribbons decorated the uniform, and her billowing skirt fell below her knees.

Her slim legs were covered by pure-white over-the-knee socks, and the whole outfit came together beautifully.

Sigh… I never thought I’d get to see Xiao Xi in her school uniform again. It really brings back memories.

The way Yuyang looked at her was pure affection and admiration, an utterly unreserved love.

In these bewildering days… his little sister really was the only one who could make him feel better.

But Yuyang’s gaze made Bai Yuxi a little embarrassed…

A faint blush rose on her face, and she turned her sapphire-blue eyes away.

“Big Brother… don’t you have anything to say?” she suddenly asked.

“Say what? Oh, Xiao Xi, you’re really cute.”

“That’s not what I mean! Though that’s important too…” Yuxi puffed out her cheeks in a huff, as if to show her displeasure.

“Big Brother! Today’s the first day your precious little sister is starting high school. Don’t you have anything to say about that?”

“……”

Seriously, this all feels so strange.

In my mind… you were already about to graduate from college.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

That was Yuyang’s philosophy in life.

He tamped down the urge to make a snarky remark and, as calmly as he could, offered her his heartfelt blessing.

“Well, Xiao Xi, your uniform suits you. I hope you have a happy and meaningful three years of high school—and, most importantly, don’t let your grades slip.”

“Why do you suddenly sound so grown-up, Big Brother? You’re only in your second year of high school too. You’re talking like you’ve already graduated.”

My silly little sister, not only have I graduated from high school, I’ve even finished college.

If I told her that… she’d never believe me.

Without Yuyang noticing, Bai Yuxi gave the faintest smile.

Then she turned around and deliberately spun once, as if inviting Yuyang to admire her figure.

“All right, I’ll take your advice, Big Brother. I hope high school goes smoothly! You should get up and get ready too. We’ll be leaving soon. I’ll cry if I miss the opening ceremony on the very first day.”

“Don’t cry. I won’t know how to comfort you.”

“Hehe, then I’ll cling to you until you do. All right, Big Brother, I’ll wait outside. Hurry up and get changed.”

“Okay.”

After Yuxi left the room and closed the door,

Yuyang still found it a little hard to believe what was happening…

But when he opened his phone’s contacts and saw that all the familiar numbers from before were gone,

reality reminded him once again that this really was seven years in the past.

He really had come back…

Now that he was back, could he change a lot of things?

Yuyang calmly considered the possibilities.

He might need to find out whether anyone else had returned with memories of the past.

There were plenty of other things he needed to confirm, too.

No more waiting.

He swung his legs out of bed and was about to change out of his pajamas and into the uniform neatly folded on the bedside table. Xiao Xi must have folded it and brought it over… She really was thoughtful.

But before he could change, he heard a rapid knocking from the living room.

And then came that familiar voice—exceptionally loud, but not at all grating, and even kind of pleasant.

“Bai Yuyang!! Bai Yuxi!! You two idiot siblings, how about checking the time?! What are you still doing in there?! Open the door!!”