"Mr. Chen, are you sure you want the injection?"
Beijing Third Hospital.
In a VIP intensive care room, several specialists in white coats stood around the bed.
The middle-aged man lying there was pale, his breathing already terribly weak.
At the doctor's words, Chen Fan struggled to open his eyes.
His voice sounded faint and distant through the oxygen mask.
"How... long will it take?"
The specialist hesitated before explaining.
"Generally speaking, an injection for euthanasia works very quickly. It should only take a few minutes."
"Give me ten more minutes."
Chen Fan turned toward the assistant beside him.
"Xiao Cai, how did things go with what I asked you to do?"
His assistant stepped forward, eyes red, and said respectfully, "Mr. Chen, everything has been taken care of according to your instructions."
"As you requested in your will, we used your shares in the group to establish a children's charity fund. All your personal assets have also been donated to charity."
"Also... your ex-wife has been causing quite a scene these past few days. She keeps threatening to sue you to recover what she says is her share of your assets."
Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged.
"How much does she want?"
"Eight billion, plus ten properties in Beijing!"
"Heh. She certainly has some nerve."
A faint sneer crossed Chen Fan's face.
Back when he was still a small-time businessman, his company had faced a major crisis, and the wife who had sworn to stand by him through thick and thin had been the first to betray him.
Not only had she colluded with outsiders to stab him in the back, but she had also divorced him and taken half his assets. She had nearly left Chen Fan bankrupt and homeless.
What a vicious woman.
"Mr. Chen, rest assured. The group's legal team will handle this."
The middle-aged man nodded and slowly closed his eyes.
"I'm tired."
With that, he struggled to reach beneath his pillow and pull out a slightly rusty tin box, holding it solemnly against his heart with both hands.
At the sight, his assistant's gaze shifted slightly.
As Chen Fan's assistant, he knew about this box.
With Mr. Chen's wealth, there was no treasure he couldn't buy.
Yet this was the only thing he truly cherished.
Whenever the group encountered a major obstacle, Mr. Chen would take out the box and gently wipe it, as though it held some priceless treasure.
And whenever Mr. Chen finished wiping the tin box and emerged from his office, he would regain his commanding confidence and lead the group forward, overcoming every obstacle.
Now Mr. Chen was clearly nearing the end.
He had donated assets worth hundreds of billions without hesitation, yet he still clutched this tin box tightly.
The assistant couldn't help feeling curious.
What exactly was inside?
"Doctor, I'm ready."
"You can begin."
Chen Fan spoke calmly with his eyes closed.
As the clear liquid slowly entered his body, Chen Fan briefly felt as though his soul had left it.
He became incredibly light.
He saw the tin box held against his chest, and a nostalgic smile appeared on his face.
There was no rare treasure inside, only an ordinary red cord bracelet.
A token of love given to him by a girl who had once loved him very, very much.
Su Ruochu.
Chen Fan's deskmate in high school.
His girlfriend afterward.
The girl who had been gentle as water and graceful as an orchid.
The girlfriend who had endured hardship by his side and never abandoned him.
Chen Fan had once promised to give Su Ruochu a grand wedding once his business succeeded.
But fate had played a terrible joke on him.
One day, while Su Ruochu was on her way to buy breakfast for Chen Fan, a car accident had cut her young life short.
Later, Chen Fan's business had grown ever larger, and all kinds of women had surrounded him.
Yet he had only grown lonelier.
Perhaps his life had ended long ago, along with Ruochu's.
His consciousness began to fade.
Was he about to die?
Chen Fan desperately tried to recall Su Ruochu's face.
At the very moment his consciousness vanished completely.
He seemed to see a beam of light...
Ruochu.
If there is another life, I want to hold your hand as we take in the brilliant stars and all the wonders of the world!
"Everyone, make a note of question six on page three of the test paper."
"This will definitely be on the exam. It wasn't on last year's, so it's bound to appear this year."
"Whether you want these five free points is up to you!"
A jumble of rustling papers reached his ears.
"Chen Fan, wake up..."
A clear, gentle voice sounded beside his ear.
That voice was so familiar.
Chen Fan's eyes flew open.
He found himself looking at a lovely, delicate oval face, with bright, expressive eyes and an orchid-like grace.
"Su Ruochu!"
Startled, Chen Fan abruptly sat upright.
"Am I dreaming?"
Overwhelmed with excitement, Chen Fan reached out and pinched her soft, smooth cheek.
"What are you doing?"
Su Ruochu's pretty face instantly reddened. She hurriedly pushed Chen Fan away and glanced nervously toward the lectern.
"It's real. It's actually real!"
Chen Fan could barely contain his excitement as he swept his gaze around.
He saw one youthful, familiar face after another.
Rows of desks and chairs, thick stacks of books and test papers.
The fan turning with a squeak overhead, the stuffy air, and the dazzling sunlight and chirping cicadas outside the windows...
A line of small writing appeared along the right edge of the blackboard at the front.
"36 days until the 2000 college entrance exam."
Chen Fan gaped, his face blank with shock.
"The 2000 college entrance exam?"
"Does that mean I've been reborn into my final year of high school?"
"Did heaven really hear my prayers?"
In his excitement, Chen Fan grabbed Su Ruochu beside him.
He pulled her firmly into his arms.
"This is wonderful! I've finally seen you again."
"Ruochu, this time I'll never let you leave me again."
Then, overcome with emotion, Chen Fan held her face and planted a fierce kiss on her lips.
"Ah!"
Su Ruochu screamed in fright.
The entire class erupted.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Chen Fan's lost it! He actually kissed the class academic representative!"
"Did he wake up with his brain scrambled?"
"Chen Fan!"
Bang!
Their homeroom teacher, Wang Qiming, who had been enthusiastically explaining the lesson at the lectern, couldn't hold back an angry roar.
"What are you doing?"
Under the entire class's gaze, Su Ruochu's face instantly turned scarlet.
Flustered and embarrassed, she shoved Chen Fan away and buried her blushing face against her desk.
Chen Fan looked excitedly at his homeroom teacher.
"Mr. Wang, you're still alive too!"
Mr. Wang: "..."
"Ha ha..."
The whole class burst into laughter.
"You... get out of my classroom!"
Wang Qiming shouted furiously.
Chen Fan scratched his head and stood up sheepishly.
As he left, he made sure to whisper to Su Ruochu.
"Wifey, don't leave when school's over. I'll take you home!"
Amid his classmates' laughter, Chen Fan left the classroom and stepped into the corridor.
But now that he had been reborn, he wasn't about to stand there like an idiot as punishment.
Instead, he hurried downstairs alone and ran to the school shop.
"Ma'am, one pack of Whisper. The kind with wings."
"Shoo, shoo! What class are you from, coming here to cause trouble?"
The shopkeeper waved him away.
Chen Fan hurriedly said, "I'm from Class Seven in the final year. Our homeroom teacher sent me to buy them."
Only then did the shopkeeper take out a pack of sanitary pads and toss it onto the counter.
"Three yuan fifty."
Chen Fan took the change from his pocket to pay, grabbed the sanitary pads, and ran.
"Thank you, ma'am!"
Watching Chen Fan run off, the shopkeeper suddenly muttered.
"Class Seven in the final year... isn't Wang Qiming their homeroom teacher?"
"What's a grown man like him buying these for?"
Before you continue