At eleven that night, Chen Zhu drove home in a fairly new Dongfeng Nissan after working overtime at the office.
Yuecheng was lively at night. Even at this hour, cars streamed endlessly along the streets, and the Inner Ring Road resembled a flowing ribbon of color, reflecting the splendor and bustle of a major metropolis.
"Phew..."
Chen Zhu cracked the window open. The cool night air helped clear his head as he turned the steering wheel and pondered the wording of the official document he had just finished.
Suddenly, his phone rang insistently.
Chen Zhu glanced at the glowing screen, paused for three seconds, then put on his Bluetooth headset and answered. "Good evening."
He made no attempt to hide the weariness in his voice.
"Chen Zhu, there's something I wanted to talk to you about..."
It was a woman on the other end. Unfortunately, she failed to notice Chen Zhu's obvious exhaustion and simply carried on. "I heard today that the Tianhe District Industry and Information Technology Bureau is hiring a fresh university graduate. Could you put in a word and recommend my younger brother?"
Chen Zhu felt a flicker of disappointment at being ignored.
He didn't show it, keeping his voice calm and amiable. "These days, everyone entering the civil service has to take an exam. You know that."
"I know."
The woman raised her voice slightly. "That's for people without connections. You're in the provincial department that oversees their work. Surely the district officials would do you a favor? He's my only brother. If we get married, he'll be your brother too. You have to help him, whatever it takes."
Chen Zhu fell silent for a moment. What he really wanted to tell her was:
First, I don't run the district Industry and Information Technology Bureau. I can't just let in whoever I please.
Second, mandatory entrance examinations are national policy. Do you understand what national policy means? Do you think a word from me can override it?
Third, I don't even want to get started on your brother's abilities. Could he even understand the essay questions on the exam?
Most importantly, we're only seeing each other through a matchmaking arrangement. We're nowhere near marriage, and you already want me to use my connections to prop up your brother?
But by the time the words reached his lips, they had become a gentle suggestion. "If your brother really wants a career in government, I'd suggest signing up for a prep course first. A young man in our division just passed the exam. I could ask him to share some pointers with your brother..."
"No!"
The woman rejected it outright. "Taking a prep course means staying up late studying. My brother has never had to suffer like that in his life. You keep making excuses. Is it because you just don't want to help?"
Just then, another voice came over the phone. "Sis, forget it if he doesn't want to help. Why should we beg him? He thinks he's such a big shot..."
Those words were like a fuse, instantly setting off the woman's temper.
"Chen Zhu, other people might think you're some impressive Deputy Division Chief in a provincial agency, but don't you know what your life is really like?"
"You're just an old man in his thirties who still isn't married, driving a car worth a hundred-something thousand yuan, carrying a mortgage of several million, and earning less than twenty thousand a month."
"The only reason I agreed to see you was because I thought your position might help my brother. Now you're making excuses over something as simple as a job. Why should I keep going on dates with you?"
"Beep, beep, beep..."
After venting her displeasure, the woman hung up. Since most of what she had said was true, Chen Zhu actually had no comeback.
Am I really that pathetic?
Chen Zhu's chest suddenly felt tight.
He had done well at school, gaining admission after high school to South China University of Technology, one of the prestigious Project 985 universities. After completing his bachelor's and master's degrees, he had passed the Provincial Civil Service Examination and entered government service. Six years later, he had steadily worked his way up to section-chief rank.
At the time, an opportunity happened to arise for a temporary posting to a prefecture-level city to work on poverty alleviation. Three years later, he returned to his original agency and was duly announced as a Deputy Division Chief.
Although the position carried no real authority, it came with the substantive rank of a deputy division-level official. Having reached that level before thirty-five, he was always praised at meetings as a "young veteran leader."
But only Chen Zhu knew how hard that journey had been. He had remained unmarried all these years because he simply had no time to date. During his poverty alleviation posting in particular, he had stayed out in the countryside and barely had time to go home.
Over the past two years, watching the white hairs multiply on his parents' heads had finally forced him onto the matchmaking circuit.
Unfortunately, now that he was older, the women matchmakers introduced to him already included divorcees with children. Nor was there any shortage of unreasonable women like tonight's, who devoted themselves to propping up their brothers.
"Ah..."
Chen Zhu heaved a deep sigh. Remembering how delighted his parents looked whenever they saw someone else's children, he couldn't help regretting his choice. If I'd known, I never would have taken the civil service exam. Once you're inside these walls, so much is out of your hands!
His thoughts drifted, and as he rounded a sharp bend, a dazzling white light suddenly shone at him from the opposite direction.
There was a crash, and Chen Zhu instantly lost consciousness.
"Chen Zhu, wake up. Class is about to start."
He had no idea how much time had passed before someone shook Chen Zhu's arm and woke him.
Was I in a car accident? I wonder if anyone in the other car got hurt.
Rubbing his numb, aching arm and groggy head, Chen Zhu intended to check on the other vehicle.
But the moment he looked up, he froze.
This didn't seem to be the Inner Ring Road. There had been no accident, and he wasn't even in a hospital. He was in a classroom.
Around him were students with hair plastered to their scalps and slightly greasy faces. Some slept with their heads on their desks, some bent over exam papers, and others gathered together to joke around;
In front of him stood a tall, thick stack of textbooks and workbooks, the top one bearing the conspicuous title "Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Mock Tests";
The glass windows were half open, and blue curtains swayed in the draft blowing through the corridor.
"This... looks like my classroom from senior year."
As he took in these scenes, at once familiar and unfamiliar, a possibility seemed to occur to Chen Zhu. His throat suddenly went dry with tension.
Had I...
Been reborn?
Chen Zhu slowly turned around. On the blackboard behind him, a line of large, conspicuous red chalk lettering read: 99 days until the college entrance exam!
Holy shit!
I really had been reborn!
And I'd come back to that evening in 2007, ninety-nine days before the college entrance exam!
Suppressing the turbulent emotions surging inside him, Chen Zhu turned to look at his deskmate.
Huang Bohan!
That settled it. Huang Bohan had indeed been his deskmate in his final year of high school.
The guy looked exactly as he had back then, too: a dark ring of downy hair around his lips, a few pimples on his face, a greasy film on his thick glasses, and several fingernails bitten down to stubs from his habit of chewing them while working through problems.
"Chen Zhu, why do you keep looking at me?"
Noticing that Chen Zhu's gaze was stranger than usual, Huang Bohan couldn't help asking.
"Oh, it's nothing."
Chen Zhu forced himself to calm down, picked up a pen, and tried twirling it twice in his hand. Then, wondering if this might be a dream, he stumbled out into the corridor.
A group of youthful faces in school uniforms passed him, laughing.
He looked down. He was wearing the same uniform.
He looked up. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the last rays of the setting sun spilled freely over a nearby classroom building. Its old tiles reflected a gentle light. He took a deep breath and felt a refreshing ease seep through him.
"I really have been reborn."
Although his head was still a little dizzy, Chen Zhu slowly accepted the fact.
"This is so depressing. The money tree I bought over New Year died today. It hasn't even been a month. Does that mean I'll be dirt-poor all year?"
Two teachers stood beside Chen Zhu. Since class hadn't started yet, they were chatting in the corridor too.
The other teacher smiled reassuringly. "Those trees are hard to keep alive. I had one before, and it died too. Don't take it to heart."
That reassurance did little good. The teacher who had spoken first remained downcast.
For some reason, hearing those words struck a chord in Chen Zhu's mind, and he instinctively replied, "I think that's a good thing. The tree's gone, so all that's left is the money. I'd say you won't be poor this year-you might even make a fortune."
"Hm?"
Both teachers turned to Chen Zhu in surprise.
Chen Zhu was taken aback himself.
It really was muscle memory from years of working in government. The right words came effortlessly, and even after being reborn, the habit remained ingrained in his bones.
(The next chapter will be up around eight tonight. This is my first book since returning from my temporary posting. As a new author, I'd appreciate any support you can offer. I can definitely guarantee the quality of this urban novel!)
(End of chapter)
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