Chapter 1: Rebirth in Blooming Season

  "And now, for the final treasure of this auction..."

  The auctioneer's low, rich and magnetic voice echoed through the microphone in the auction hall. The crowd below gripped their bidding paddles tightly, staring intently at the stage, finally waiting for the finale of this auction - a Qin Dynasty jade stone statue.

  The auctioneer maintained a smile, and with one hand seemingly unintentionally touched his earpiece, from which came an urgent reminder, "Little Zhang, just say something to stall for time, hold on first!" Immediately afterwards, the backstage was in chaos.

  "A bunch of idiots! How could the jade statue have gone missing?!"

  "She was just here a moment ago, I even saw Little Rain sweeping the floor!"

  ……

  Although anxious in his heart, the experienced Little Zhang remained calm and began to introduce fluently, "This Qin Dynasty jade stone female figurine is exquisitely crafted, with clever carvings that seem to defy heaven. It's 11.5 cm high, 0.4 cm thick, with a celadon green jade quality and partial white spots...". As he relied on his memory to describe it out of thin air, he prayed in his heart, "Hurry up and find it, I won't be able to keep this up for much longer!"

  Unfortunately, no matter how long he could drag it out, the jade stone statue would still be impossible to find. At the same time, in Binjiang City's famous Songhuajiang Riverbank, a stout woman of about 28 or 29 years old was holding the crazily sought-after Qin Dynasty jade stone statue found backstage at the auction house, laughing loudly facing the vast river water.

  "Hahahaha! Wang Yishi, you've ruined my family and caused me so much suffering. All these years, I mistakenly treated you like a father, dedicating myself to you wholeheartedly. Jiang Ruyu's face was twisted in anger. Her plump round face squeezed her eyes into a line, although she laughed wildly, tears fell like broken pearls, her voice entwined with anger, hatred, and regret, as if she wanted to laugh out all her resentment. "Today, I'll make you lose everything!"

  Clutching the jade stone that was crucial to Wang Yishi's family, Jiang Ruoyu gritted her teeth and slowly walked into the surging river. The biting cold and stinging pain flooded every nerve in her body, but the flames of resentment in her heart could not be frozen.

  What joy is there in living, what fear is there in dying? She was originally living like a walking corpse. Since her parents died at the age of 16, her days have been dull and grey. To repay kindness, she learned about antique appraisal and replication from Wang Yishi and worked hard for twelve years. But only yesterday did she realize how ridiculous and foolish her so-called repayment was.

  The river water submerged to her chest, Jiang Ruyu felt suffocated, but a triumphant smile floated on her face. She didn't regret it. Even if her revenge couldn't kill Wang Yishi, thinking of his frantic appearance made her feel relieved. Wang Yishi had actually killed her parents and deceived her using her! It turned out that all these years she was living were just a joke...

  "Knock knock——"

  The river water submerged Jiang Ruyu, her plump body sinking into the sandy pit at the bottom of the river. The shadow of death enveloped her, suffocation and despair approached, but she had no complaints or regrets. Such a miserable life, she had long wanted to end it...

  Jiang Yu's consciousness gradually faded away, and her life withered at the age of twenty-eight. But she couldn't see that the jade stone statue in her hand emitted a dazzling green light in the water, and then a white dot rushed into the sky from Songhuang River, disappearing instantly...

  Her body suddenly shook violently, as if struck by an electric current. Jiang Ruyu abruptly opened her eyes and was shocked to see the mottled brick walls on either side of her and the morning glory flowers on the wall, her mouth agape in surprise.

  This environment is all too familiar to her. Before she was 16 years old, when her parents were still alive, she had always lived in the only three-story small building at the end of this alley.

  Looking ahead, memories that had long been sealed up all flooded into my mind. At the end of the alley was a small grocery store. Turning right and walking for three minutes would take me to the main road, crossing it and turning left then walking for twenty more minutes would bring me to her school...

  She rubbed her eyes, and the scenery in front of her didn't change. She looked up at the big willow tree beside her that was as thick as two people hugging it, then looked at the morning sunlight that wasn't very bright, and finally looked down at the few small sparrows by her feet. Jiang Ruyu was stunned.

  Isn't she dead? She walked into the Songhuang River with that jade statue, shouldn't she be dead by now? Why is she appearing here?

  All of this made her feel as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. It was too unbelievable! With one hand against the mottled brick wall, Jiang Yuru's body swayed under the sudden stimulation and almost couldn't stand upright. Immediately after, a "rustling" sound came from behind her... the sound of a pencil case?

  Her hands trembled as she took off the backpack from her back, made of denim with "GOODLUCK" printed on it. She remembered that her grandmother had bought it for 15 yuan during Chinese New Year. Opening the zipper, a half-used metal pencil case with Saint Seiya's logo quietly lay inside. She excitedly took it out and carefully stroked it. This was something she had begged her mom to buy when she was in first year of junior high.

  Taking out a book from inside, Jiang Ruyu looked forward to seeing the cover wrapped in calendar paper. On top, two big characters "语文" were written neatly with red watercolor pen, and below, some crooked small words written with a ballpoint pen - "Experimental Middle School First Year Class 2, Jiang Ruyu".

  Tears flowed uncontrollably, is this a dream? She's back! Back to sophomore year!

  Jiang Yu looked at her own pale hands in disbelief, then lowered her head to glance at the light blue school uniform on her body. For a moment, she was both laughing and crying, unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.

  "Xiao Yu, what are you doing?!"

  A familiar voice came from behind, Jiang Ruyu suddenly turned her head back, and her father and mother, who had passed away for more than a decade, were pushing an old bicycle, with surprised faces walking towards her.

  "Mom, Dad..." Tears flowed even more recklessly. For many years, Jiang Ruyu's dream had repeatedly appeared with the figures of her parents. Every time she woke up, she would cry until her pillow was wet. Now they were standing alive in front of her, and Jiang Ruyu could no longer control her excited emotions as she ran over to hug her mother's waist, burying her tears on her mother's body.

  Li Jing looked at her inexplicably crying daughter, rubbed her head, worried but still seriously playing the role of a strict mother, "What are you crying about? Hurry up and go to school!"

  Her mother's words immediately brought Jiang Yuru back to her senses. Right, she couldn't cry anymore, or else her parents would definitely think it was strange. She didn't mind telling her parents about future events, but she even more so didn't want to be treated like a mental patient by them.

  Wiping away tears, Jiang Ruyu stuck out her tongue, "Nothing, I just forgot to bring my math book."

  Jiang Hongwei looked at his daughter's red and puffy face, laughing and scolding: "Then hurry back home to get it, why cry? You scared Daddy half to death."

  Li Jing also let out a sigh of relief, and immediately raised an eyebrow, scolding with her hands on her hips: "Hurry up and go home to get your books, if not you can take the bus to school! Didn't you leave early? Now you're only just leaving, getting up early but going late, hurry up and go to school!"

  She heard her mother's lecture again, Jiang Ruyu was moved to sniffle. When she was young, she always thought her mother was too strict, but now Jiang Ruyu felt that her heart was filled with happiness, it was great! As long as her parents were alive, she would be willing to be scolded by her mother every day!

  "Yes!" She gave a boy scout salute, earning a helpless smile from Jiang Hongwei and a white eye from her mother. Jiang Ruyu stared blankly at the disappearing figures of her parents riding their bicycles at the end of the alley, and it wasn't until after a while that she gathered her backpack and walked out of the alley with quick steps and a smiling face. Since everything was starting over again, no matter if this was a dream or not, she would cherish every moment well and make up for all her regrets! This time, she vowed to make both her family and herself happy!

  Once again walking on the way to school, Jiang Ruyu's mood was particularly refreshing. Taking a deep breath, she felt that the air was fragrant. After all, it was 1992, and air pollution wasn't that severe yet.

  The willows on both sides of the road were still the same as before, and her classmates who wore oversized school uniforms like hers were rushing towards the school gate. The iron stationery box was making a "whooshing" sound. The small shop where she secretly rented romance novels was still standing by the roadside, with the words "Rent Books" written in red paint on the plywood, swaying gently in the wind.

  Jiang Yu's chubby little face was adorned with a brilliant smile, looking around comfortably from east to west, occasionally letting out a sigh of emotion. At this moment, her heart felt as sweet as if it had been brushed with honey.

  "Sprinkle!"

  "Ah!"

  Jiang Ruyu was startled by a pat on her right shoulder and turned around to the right, but didn't see anyone.

  "Hehe, Xiaoyu, you always fall for it!" A silvery laughter came from the other side.

  Jiang Yu's heart skipped a beat. This scene was so familiar, wasn't it her best friend from elementary school to junior high school, Yu Shan Shan, who always tapped her shoulder and then hid on the other side to tease her?

  She turned to the other side and looked at the girl in front of her. The rosy apple face always had a bright but slightly shy smile, with yellowish hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a large school uniform that seemed like a child wearing an adult's clothes. On her single-shoulder backpack was painted "Athena", which seemed to be the one she accompanied her to buy. This girl once gave her the warmest and most precious friendship, but died in a car accident in the second year of junior high school. In her previous life, she had been sad for a long time because she lost this good friend. Now she was standing in front of her, Jiang Yurou was so excited that she didn't know what to say, and only thanked the power that brought her back again and again in her heart.

  "Little Rain, what's wrong?" Yu Shan Shan anxiously pulled up Jiang Ruo Yu's chubby hand and shook it.

  "Huh? Oh, nothing! Hehe."

  "What's wrong with you? Ah, hurry up, we're going to be late!" Yu Shan looked at her watch and pulled Jiang Ruoyu towards the school gate, running while panting: "If Old Liu catches us, we're dead for sure, he'll definitely make us write a 1,000-word self-criticism!"