ryethenovel Chapter 1 Returning to 8 Years Old
Chapter 1 Returning to 8 Years Old
Some people die at eighteen, but are not buried until they are thirty-six.
Farewell Hall.
Zeng Cheng hung in mid-air, looking down at his own corpse.
The host was reading the eulogy.
"Mr. Zeng Cheng passed away at the age of thirty-six..."
"Founded Fruit Technology at 25, entered the Hurun Rich List at 35..."
"He is a true genius, a leading figure among young entrepreneurs, a pillar of the nation, and a backbone of society..."
"Mr. Zeng Cheng's passing is like the withering of flowers in early spring, or a total solar eclipse at noon. It is a devastating blow to the hearts and minds of his beloved family and friends present. It hurts so much, my friends, it really hurts so much..."
After the long and tedious eulogy was finished, the farewell ceremony finally began.
"Acheng, great generals and beauties are not allowed to grow old in this world. Although you left before you had lived half your life, you will always be young."
"Brother, you're a true genius. I've learned so much from you, especially that trick of dripping chili oil into condoms. I'll benefit from it for life..."
"Zeng Cheng, as my rival, I fucking hate you, but the thought that this world will no longer have a bastard like you makes me feel a little lonely."
"Mr. Zeng, do you remember that moonlit night when you were talking to someone about Van Gogh's starry night and Plato's Republic? You said the universe is desolate, the world is empty, and the meaning of life is meaningless. I suggested we take some medicine, but you said you took it and the effects haven't kicked in yet..."
Among those who came to see Zeng Cheng off were his close friends, company executives, business rivals, and several uninvited so-called socialites.
There are no relatives.
The parents could not bear the grief of outliving their child.
In accordance with his last wishes, his relatives in his hometown were not notified of the funeral.
As for lovers—
Those in the industry know that Mr. Zeng is a highly eligible bachelor who believes in the saying, "If you have no woman in your heart, you can draw your sword and become a god."
He said love is nothing more than the secretion of dopamine and a mixture of hormones. Love is a load of rubbish. Only a fool would believe this crap.
Only a few close friends from high school knew that Zeng Cheng was once a fool who believed in love.
He had a crush on a girl named Xia Ning since junior high school, and that crush lasted until he was about to graduate from university, spanning the best ten years of his life.
The emotions invested in the process were so intense and sincere that they could fill mountains and seas.
During their university years, moved by his feelings, Xia Ning did indeed become his girlfriend.
Unfortunately, feelings aren't about being moved; Xia Ning stabbed him in the back just before graduation.
"Zeng Cheng, I tried my best, but... not loving is not loving."
As she spoke, Xia Ning held her new boyfriend's hand, her eyes sparkling like stars, and she exuded a tenderness and shyness that Zeng Cheng had never seen before.
That was a fucking brutal cut.
Fortunately, Zeng Cheng did not become despondent after being heartbroken.
He focused solely on making money, and it took him over ten years to amass a considerable fortune.
He had several girlfriends in between, but none of them led to marriage.
It was all his fault—those unbearable and muddy ten years made him completely incapable of love.
At this moment, a portal of light appeared out of thin air, emanating a tremendous suction force that pulled Zeng Cheng's consciousness gradually blurred.
He heard people crying, people sighing, somber music, many sounds, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes faint, sometimes ethereal...
Zeng Cheng knew that with this grand yet desolate funeral, his life would finally come to an end.
If I could live my life again, how would I live it?
It's clear that he will no longer like Xia Ning.
When I was eighteen, I felt she was radiant.
Looking back at thirty-six, it was just the light I saw in her eyes when I looked at her—in reality, she wasn't that good.
With such high hopes, Zeng Cheng pushed open the door of light.
[If we meet on a narrow path in this lifetime, we cannot escape... Before we understand the world, after we are moved, our love lasts no more than a day...]
A door was pushed open.
Looking at the KTV room in front of him, where a dozen or so young men and women were sitting, and listening to Faye Wong's songs coming from the speakers, Zeng Cheng's vision gradually cleared.
The private room was decorated in a rather old style, at least fifteen years ago, and the young men and women sitting inside looked strangely familiar.
At this moment, the boys and girls began to speak.
"Haha, I knew Zeng Cheng would come!"
"Wow, she's carrying such a big bouquet of roses. It must have cost her at least half a month's allowance. How devoted."
"Look at him, all sweaty, he probably ran all the way here, he looks like a dog!"
"Please remove the image!"
A bright and beautiful young woman walked slowly towards Zeng Cheng.
"Zeng Cheng, I didn't mean to tease you. I was playing Truth or Dare with them and lost. The bet was to have you come over and confess your feelings to me. If you don't come, I'm going to drink a whole bottle of beer. You care about me so much, you definitely don't want me to drink, right?"
The voice was soft and gentle, very pleasant to the ear.
Her pale face was full of guilt, vividly illustrating what it means to be pitiful.
Zeng Cheng's expression gradually turned to astonishment.
The girl talking to me was tall and beautiful.
She was wearing a floral dress, and her exposed forearms were so white they were almost blinding.
She has a high, straight nose, rosy lips, and large, watery eyes.
Zeng Cheng knew this girl—she was Xia Ning.
If the white moonlight is something you never got to sleep with, and the unresolved feelings are something you could have slept with but didn't, then Xia Ning is something that combines both.
The problem is—this is the eighteen-year-old version of Xia Ning!
[Could it be that I've been reborn, back to the day I confessed to Xia Ning for the first time when I was eighteen, the day that made me instantly lose my mind?]
Zeng Cheng is a person with a very strong ability to learn.
Although rebirth is absurd, he was certain it wasn't a dream.
The colors in my dream weren't so vibrant, and my senses weren't so clear.
He could even smell the faint fragrance on Xia Ning's body.
"Zeng Cheng, why aren't you saying anything? I've already apologized to you, you're not really angry with me, are you?"
Xia Ning continued speaking, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction.
Knowing Zeng Cheng as she does, she knows that it's Zeng Cheng's turn to coax her next.
If it were Zeng Cheng at eighteen, he would definitely do as she wished—those who are favored are always fearless.
Unfortunately, Zeng Cheng, who stood in front of her, had the soul of a thirty-six-year-old living inside his body.
"Xia Ning, so you're saying you called me all this way here, and even specifically asked me to buy flowers, just to play this ridiculous Truth or Dare game?"
Zeng Cheng's voice was very calm, like it was synthesized by AI.
A hint of panic finally appeared in Xia Ning's bright eyes.
[Could it be... that I really messed up today?]
[But I chose to tease you instead of other guys who were pursuing me. Shouldn't you feel honored?]
Even if I was really wrong, you shouldn't be angry with me!
Xia Ning felt guilty for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by resentment.
"Zeng Cheng, how dare you speak to me like that?"
She raised her sharp chin, looking extremely arrogant, clearly waiting for Zeng Cheng to apologize to her.
Zeng Cheng smiled.
A touch of irony—it turns out that if you remove the filter of her teenage years, Xia Ning is just a pretty girl with a lower body.
Seven parts bitterness—I was once so insignificant, standing guard in front of McDonald's, the two jokers in a deck of cards.
"Xia Ning, thank you. You made me realize that I used to be a complete idiot."
After Zeng Cheng finished speaking, he turned and left.
This scene left everyone in the private room speechless.
Is this the Zeng Cheng they remember?
Xia Ning stomped her foot angrily.
"Zeng Cheng, stop right there—if you dare walk out this door, I...I'll delete your QQ account!"
"puff--"
Zeng Cheng couldn't help but laugh out loud.
I remember when I finally managed to add Xia Ning on QQ, I was so excited that I jumped up and broke the bed frame, which earned me a good beating from my mom.
This is the love of youth: sincere yet humble, foolish yet pure, possessing nothing yet giving everything.
Zeng Cheng turned around, looking at his past life's white moonlight and lingering regret, and said in a calm tone, "Xia Ning, let's leave it at that. I'm withdrawing all my feelings for you."
After saying that, he disappeared into the many astonished gazes.
Xia Ning stood there, stunned, her eyes gradually welling up with tears.
"Ningning, are you crying?"
"Zeng Cheng... Zeng Cheng has never treated me like this before."
"Heh, I don't believe Zeng Cheng will just stop pursuing you if he says he won't. Just wait, it won't be more than three days, maybe even tomorrow morning, before he shamelessly apologizes to you—a hungry dog knows to turn back on its own."
Xia Ning thought about it and agreed that it made sense. She raised her chin again, revealing her graceful swan neck.
"Hmph, Zeng Cheng humiliated me in front of so many people, I won't forgive him so easily!"
After leaving the KTV room, Zeng Cheng took out his phone to check the time—the afternoon of April 30, 2009.
Labor Day is just around the corner, and the school has given us a three-and-a-half-day holiday.
Xia Ning had no classes all afternoon, so she went to a karaoke bar with a group of classmates to relax.
[Uh, the college entrance exam is in a little over a month, does that mean I'll never even get into a decent third-tier university in my lifetime?]
Zeng Cheng was somewhat depressed.
He actually has a good aptitude for learning. Even if his middle school entrance exam scores were placed in a national key high school like Dezhou No. 1 High School, they would be considered top-tier. Dezhou is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province, with a population of over three million, and is a standard third-tier city.
Logically speaking, he should have been a shoo-in for a top-tier university, but he didn't even get into a second-tier university.
What's the reason? — A simp's version of the tragic story of Zhong Yong.
At the age when she should have been focusing on her studies, she chose to date, and all her energy was spent on how to please Xia Ning, which caused her grades to decline steadily.
After being tricked by Xia Ning at the KTV and ridiculed by other classmates, Zeng Chengdao's mental state completely collapsed. He was in a daze for the next month, and his college entrance examination was a complete mess. In the end, he spent a lot of money to study at a lousy third-tier university, wasting his parents' hard-earned money.
It's fine to date, but the worst part is that he hasn't even gotten a girlfriend yet. Even during the time when Xia Ning agreed to be his girlfriend, the most intimate thing they did was hold hands—because Zeng Cheng in his previous life was a pure love type.
This version of Zeng Cheng will definitely not be playing any pure love stories anymore.
What kind of bullshit white moonlight is this? You haven't even stripped her naked, how do you know if she's really white?
The first lesson a boy learns to become a man is to demystify women!
After shaking his head, Zeng Cheng cleared his somewhat chaotic thoughts and decided to go home first.