Chén Zhāoyáng drifted off to sleep wrapped in the joy of having met Lín Xiǎotáng, his dreams filled with vivid scenes of a bright future. The next morning, sunlight filtered through the mottled windowpanes, spilling across his face like a gentle call. Blinking sleepily, he looked around his familiar yet unfamiliar room, taking a few seconds to realize that he had truly returned to the year 1990.
Thinking of going to school today and seeing Lín Xiǎotáng once more, a surge of energy washed over him. He bounded out of bed, washed up, and put on his slightly faded school uniform. His mother had already prepared breakfast—a simple meal of corn porridge and salted pickles—yet Chén Zhāoyáng savored every bite as if it were a feast. After finishing, he shouldered his schoolbag and stepped out humming a cheerful little tune.
Along the way, he watched the bustling figures of early risers on the street. A stall selling soy milk and deep-fried dough sticks puffed out clouds of hot steam, and a few elderly residents sat near their doorways chatting under the morning sun, all of it brimming with the vibrant atmosphere of life in the nineties.
Upon arriving at school and stepping into the classroom, he immediately heard his classmates chattering excitedly about something.
"I heard the math teacher is going over a super difficult problem today, and hardly anyone knows how to solve it!" one classmate said.
"Yeah, I previewed it for ages last night and I'm still completely lost," another chimed in.
Listening to their discussion, Chén Zhāoyáng smiled inwardly with quiet amusement. After his Rebirth, these junior high school math problems were absolute child's play to him. He walked over to his desk, sat down, pulled out his math textbook, and casually flipped through the pages while waiting for the lesson to begin.
The class bell rang, and the math teacher walked in carrying a stack of homework notebooks. The teacher was a middle-aged man wearing glasses, with thinning hair and a habitually stern expression. He placed the notebooks on the podium, cleared his throat, and said, "Class, today we are going to look at a very important math problem. This type of problem frequently appears on exams, so everyone needs to listen carefully."
With that, the teacher turned around and wrote the problem on the blackboard. Chén Zhāoyáng took one look and recognized it instantly as the headache-inducing puzzle that had plagued so many of his classmates in his past life, yet to him, it was exceptionally simple. The teacher began to explain the problem, writing out the solution steps one by one while periodically asking the class if they understood.
Chén Zhāoyáng grew a bit impatient, feeling that the teacher's explanation was far too long-winded. Unable to help himself, he muttered softly under his breath, "It's so simple, why is he still dragging on?"
To his surprise, despite how quietly he spoke, the teacher caught it. Frowning, the teacher looked directly at him and said, "Chén Zhāoyáng, what did you say? If you think it's so simple, why don't you come up here and explain it to everyone?"
Chén Zhāoyáng froze. He hadn't expected the teacher to call him up to the blackboard, and a wave of regret washed over him for failing to keep his composure. But since matters had reached this point, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk up to the podium.
He picked up a piece of chalk and rapidly wrote out his problem-solving process and steps on the board, explaining as he wrote. His delivery was exceptionally clear and his logic rigorous, leaving the entire classroom dumbstruck. Even the teacher looked on in astonishment, never expecting Chén Zhāoyáng to explain the problem with such flawless clarity.
When he finished, Chén Zhāoyáng put down the chalk, looked at the teacher, and said, "Teacher, I'm done."
The teacher nodded and said, "Mm, that was well explained. However, you shouldn't let it go to your head. Mathematics is a discipline that requires steady, down-to-earth effort; you cannot become complacent just because you can solve a single problem."
Chén Zhāoyáng nodded hastily. "Teacher, I understand." With that, he stepped down from the podium and returned to his seat.
The other students cast looks of deep admiration his way, and a few whispered among themselves:
"Since when did Chén Zhāoyáng get so good at math?"
"I know, right? I never realized he was this brilliant before."
Lín Xiǎotáng turned her head to glance at him as well, a trace of surprise and approval in her eyes. Feeling slightly self-conscious under everyone's gaze, Chén Zhāoyáng lowered his head, though in his heart he thought: *In this lifetime, I will definitely make everyone look at me in a whole new light.*
However, before he could bask in his triumph for long, trouble arrived. Right after class, the math teacher called him into the office. Chén Zhāoyáng felt a flutter of anxiety in his chest, wondering what the teacher wanted with him.
Once inside the office, the teacher told him to take a seat, looked at him sternly, and said, "Chén Zhāoyáng, be honest with me—did you look at the answer to this problem beforehand?"
Hearing this, Chén Zhāoyáng grew anxious at once. "Teacher, I didn't! I really figured it out all by myself."
The teacher eyed him skeptically. "Your math grades haven't exactly stood out in the past, and this problem is extremely difficult. How could you suddenly know how to solve it, and explain it so well besides?"
Chén Zhāoyáng groaned inwardly, knowing the teacher didn't believe him. Yet he couldn't very well blurt out the secret of his Rebirth, so what was he supposed to do? Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead from the tension.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. "Teacher, actually, it's like this. I've been sick recently, and while resting at home out of boredom, I read through a lot of math books and did quite a few practice exercises. I realized that as long as you master certain problem-solving techniques, many difficult puzzles become easy to crack. I solved this problem using the techniques I learned."
The teacher listened to his explanation with a slight frown, seemingly weighing the truth of his words. After a moment, the teacher said, "I hope what you're saying is true. You must understand that there are no shortcuts in learning, and clever tricks won't take you far. If you're genuinely interested in mathematics from now on, study hard. I believe you can achieve good results."
Chén Zhāoyáng nodded eagerly. "Teacher, I know. I'll definitely study hard from now on."
Stepping out of the office, Chén Zhāoyáng let out a long breath of relief. *I managed to bluff my way through this time,* he thought, *but I can't be this impulsive again.* He returned to the classroom, sat at his desk, and began to reflect on his behavior that day.
He realized that even though he had been reborn and knew many things about the future, in this era he still needed to keep a low profile. He couldn't afford to stand out too much just because he knew how to solve a few problems, or it would easily invite suspicion. He had to take things one solid step at a time, making his transformation appear completely natural.
At that moment, Lín Xiǎotáng walked over and sat down in the adjacent seat. Looking at him with a smile, she said, "I had no idea you were so amazing at math. You looked so cool when you were explaining that problem today!"
Chén Zhāoyáng blushed all the way to his ears. "Not really, I just got lucky and happened to know how to do it."
Lín Xiǎotáng rolled her eyes playfully. "Stop being so modest. I know you must have put a lot of effort into it. If you have any study tips in the future, you have to share them with me, okay?"
Chén Zhāoyáng nodded vigorously. "Definitely, definitely!"
Watching Lín Xiǎotáng's charming expression, Chén Zhāoyáng felt his heart burst into bloom. He decided that even though he had almost crashed and burned in math class today, earning Lín Xiǎotáng's praise made it all worthwhile.
Over the next few days, Chén Zhāoyáng maintained a much lower profile at school. He listened attentively in class and no longer showed off needlessly. When classmates came to him with questions, he answered them with patience, and gradually, his image among his peers grew increasingly favorable.
When the weekend arrived, Chén Zhāoyáng remembered his plan to help his parents develop their small business. After discussing it with them, they decided to start by renovating the family's little convenience store. Their shop was located in a small fishing village, quite modest in scale and limited in its inventory.
Entering the shop and looking at the haphazardly arranged goods scattered inside, Chén Zhāoyáng formulated a plan. He reorganized the merchandise from scratch, grouping items by category and clearing out some expired goods. Afterward, using his own pocket money, he bought some colored paper and crafted a few simple promotional signs displaying the prices and features of the products.
Once everything was done, the shop looked much cleaner and far more inviting. Chén Zhāoyáng stood at the entrance, surveying the fruits of his labor with a deep sense of accomplishment.
Just then, a neighbor walked past the store, stopped to look at the changes inside, and said in surprise, "Well, look at that, Zhāoyáng! You guys really fixed up the shop nicely. It looks a lot better than before."
Chén Zhāoyáng smiled warmly. "Uncle, if you need anything, come on in and take a look. We just got in some new tasty snacks."
The neighbor stepped inside, browsed the shelves, and bought a few items. As he paid, he remarked, "Zhāoyáng, you're a capable lad. You're bound to accomplish big things in the future."
Hearing this, Chén Zhāoyáng felt a warm glow of pride. He knew this was only the beginning; there was still much more for him to do. Through his own hard work, he would make his family's store increasingly prosperous and give his parents a happy life.
Amidst the renovation of the shop, Chén Zhāoyáng did not neglect his studies. Every single day, he carved out time to review his lessons and work through practice problems. He knew that only by maintaining strong academic results could he have the energy and freedom to pursue other endeavors.
That evening, sitting in his room and looking up at the starry night sky, Chén Zhāoyáng felt his heart brimming with anticipation for the future. He knew his path of Rebirth was still long and would bring many difficulties and challenges, but he felt no fear. With the support of his family and the companionship of Lín Xiǎotáng, he believed that as long as he kept striving, his dreams would surely come true.