Reborn to prepare for the college entrance exam, you're letting me retire and make a comeback?

"Even though we're cousins, I have to say... she truly is my sister!"

Looking at Xiao Nuomi's face, which instantly went from aggrieved to a bright smile, Lu Qian felt his heart melt.

This little guy is truly a little angel sent by heaven to heal him.

People often say that sincerity is the ultimate weapon.

Such genuine affection from a child is a surefire way to win someone over, and Lu Qian is no exception.

Seriously? Surely there's no one in this world who doesn't even have a little sister sitting and waiting for you to come home?

That's such a shame.

Looking at the little glutinous rice clinging to his palm, Lu Qian instinctively reached into his pocket for some snacks to coax her.

My fingertips touched a square piece of chocolate.

He bought this on a whim earlier, intending to feed Lin Shuyue, that little glutton, again that afternoon.

But at this moment, looking at the little dumpling in front of him whose eyes were full of him, Lu Qian changed his mind without hesitation.

After all, family is more important; his childhood sweetheart isn't even married yet.

"Here, this is a reward for our little Nuomi."

He magically handed the chocolate to Xiao Nuomimian, his slender fingers holding the dark brown wrapper, which looked particularly beautiful in the sunlight.

"Wow! Chocolate!"

Little Nuomi exclaimed with delight, carefully extending her two little hands to take it: "Thank you, Brother Lu Qian!"

She couldn't wait to open the packaging, her little mouth pursed, already tasting the silky sweet flavor.

Seeing her greedy expression, Lu Qian couldn't help but pat her head again and reminded her with a smile, "Eat slowly, be careful of cavities."

"You can only eat one piece of chocolate a day at most. If you eat too much sugar, you'll become chubby and won't be pretty."

His cousin is destined to be a campus beauty when she grows up, and he can't let his doting spoil her.

Upon hearing this, Little Nuomi immediately nodded seriously, clutching the chocolate tightly in her palm, her little face earnest: "Yes, I'll only eat one piece, and then I'll brush my teeth... I want to always be pretty!"

His serious demeanor made Lu Qian unable to suppress a laugh.

"Good girl, come inside, it's hot outside."

He took Xiao Nuomi's soft little hand and pushed open the door.

"Mom, I'm back!" Lu Qian called out.

A gentle response came immediately from the kitchen: "Oh, you're back? Perfect timing, dinner will be ready soon, wash your hands and get ready to eat!"

"understood."

Lu Qian responded, changed into his slippers, and walked into the living room. Then he looked around and asked, "Huh, isn't Dad back yet?"

"..."

Perhaps Xu Qingwei didn't hear the noise from the kitchen, so no one answered him.

Lu Qian didn't think much of it, put down his schoolbag, and walked to the dining table.

I had just sat down at the dining table when I heard footsteps coming from upstairs.

A middle-aged man dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, with a slightly serious expression, walked down.

"Are you looking for me?" the middle-aged man asked.

Upon seeing this man, Lu Qian almost stood up from his chair.

Lu Jianguo, his father, was also a high school Chinese teacher.

Lu Qian's parents were both Chinese language teachers at the same middle school. Although it wasn't a top-tier school like Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School, it was still a decent school, and Lu Qian attended that school.

At his current age, he sometimes goes back to his old junior high school with his parents during holidays, but he hasn't done very well since then and rarely goes back to that school.

Once people have money, they like to return home in glory, but if they haven't made a name for themselves, they'll be too embarrassed to even go back for the New Year.

Many people can attest to this.

Looking at his father, whose hair was thick and whose brows showed no signs of being tormented by illness, Lu Qian felt a tremor in his heart.

In his previous life, his father worked himself to the bone to save money for his future wife, eventually falling ill with cancer. This drained the family's savings, and he was still not fully recovered before his rebirth, which was his eternal regret.

Seeing his healthy father standing in front of him again, Lu Qian's eyes even welled up with tears.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and simply said, "Dad, take care of yourself these days."

Hearing his son's words, Lu Jianguo was somewhat surprised.

According to the usual script, if the father and son were to meet, Lu Qian, who is going through a rebellious phase, would probably coldly look away.

But this time, Lu Qian took the initiative to speak.

Lu Jianguo paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay, I understand."

That was a response, and then he pulled out a chair to sit down.

Just as Lu Jianguo settled down, Lu Qian seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "Oh right, Dad, don't put your secret stash of money under your shoe insoles anymore."

"???"

The serious middle-aged father's persona crumbled instantly, his eyes widening in disbelief.

No, how did you know that?

Seeing Lu Jianguo's reaction, Lu Qian slowly added, "Yesterday when my mom was cleaning the house, she wiped your old leather shoes... and we almost gave ourselves away."

"what?"

Comrade Lao Lu subconsciously wanted to look down at his feet, but forcibly restrained himself.

He glanced quickly towards the kitchen, making sure his wife was still busy and hadn't noticed, before lowering his voice and saying, "So... you already knew?"

Lu Qian shrugged, gave a knowing smile, and said nothing.

At that age, Lu Qian naturally didn't know where his father kept his secret stash of money. However, not long after he went to university, the secret hidden in those old shoes was exposed during a major cleaning by Empress Dowager Xu. Therefore, after being reborn, he naturally knew his father inside and out.

He only remembered that Comrade Lao Lu was punished by washing dishes for a month.

All I can say is, it's deserved.

"Ahem, well..."

Lu Jianguo couldn't save face when he saw his son's knowing look.

He pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his inside pocket and stuffed it into Lu Qian's hand: "Here you go, brat, keep this secret for your dad."

"Next time... next time your mother wants to shine my shoes, please remind me!"

Seeing his father's anxious expression, Lu Qian couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Parents are healthy, and the family is harmonious.

This feeling... is wonderful.

……

……

After finishing his meal, Lu Qian returned to his room on the second floor.

As I pushed open the door, a familiar scent wafted out.

The room wasn't particularly tidy; several textbooks and workbooks were piled on the desk, a coat was draped over the chair, and a dusty basketball leaned against the corner.

But this is where he lived for more than a decade, a place where he was once rebellious, confused, and full of dreams.

Compared to the exquisitely decorated houses in his previous life that always felt somewhat impersonal, this slightly messy but life-filled room gave him a sense of solid belonging.

My gaze fell on the bedside table, where a plump, white, plush polar bear sat quietly, occupying a corner of the bedside.

That was a gift Lin Shuyue gave him for his birthday last year.

The girl even gave the bear a serious name, "Little Du Bear," which became one of the family's favorite plush toys for her daughter, Xiao Nuomi.

The bear that followed him on his travels throughout the country was considered his old lover. Although the years had made it a bit worn and its fur wasn't as fluffy, Lu Qian never wanted to throw it away.

Seeing it brand new now brings back vivid memories that had been blurred by time, and a smile unconsciously appears on my lips.

He walked over, picked up the bear and squeezed it, then lay back on the bed and hugged the bear in his arms.

The afternoon sun streamed in through the window, making it feel warm and cozy.

I closed my eyes, let out a long sigh, and prepared to sleep.

"I examine myself three times a day..."

"Was I being too polite?"

"Did I give him too much face?"

"Should I make my move?"

"..."

As I pondered these thoughts, my consciousness gradually blurred, and I drifted into a short nap.

Senior year of high school is a time when physical strength is crucial. I got up at six o'clock this morning, and I still need to take a nap. Not to mention that Lu Qian in his previous life always had the habit of taking a nap.

Until the alarm clock rang sharply.

Lu Qian sat up abruptly, rubbed his eyes, and glanced at the time.

Wash your face, get in the car, and pick up Lin Shuyue.

He returned to school quickly.

Lu Qian didn't arrive at school on time today. When he arrived, there was still some time before the exam started, and students were strolling or chatting in twos and threes on campus.

Lu Qian parked the car and said to Lin Shuyue, "I'm going to the restroom."

"Okay, I'll go to the classroom now." Lin Shuyue nodded and turned to walk towards the teaching building.

Lu Qian turned towards the men's restroom at the back of the teaching building, seemingly familiar with the area.

As soon as he reached the door, a familiar smell of tobacco wafted towards him, making him frown slightly.

Pushing open the door and going inside, sure enough, several boys, all wearing senior high school uniforms, were huddled in a corner by the window, smoking.

Judging from their clothes and demeanor, they are clearly not from the honors class, but more like students from a regular class or a sports class.

Lu Qian didn't even need to look closely at the cigarettes they were holding to know that they were most likely "Liqun" or "Baisha" cigarettes that cost around ten yuan.

At this point, it seems that Hongtashan can hardly be seen anymore.

Several students from families that were clearly not well-off were cautiously taking turns smoking the same cigarette, puffing and puffing, chatting about random things amidst the swirling smoke.

Lu Qian really disliked this secondhand smoke environment and just wanted to finish relieving himself and leave as soon as possible.

He walked to the urinal, and as soon as he unzipped his pants, he could clearly hear the group of people chatting next to him.

"Hey, did you hear?"

A boy with a hoarse voice said exaggeratedly, "Last night, Butcher Wang's dog climbed over the wall and got Widow Li's cat pregnant."

"Wow, this Big Yellow is pretty good!" A lewd laugh rang out from the side. "He's way better than our Reward Bro, don't you think?"

"Get out, get out of here, you son of a bitch!"

"He's getting anxious, haha, look, even Reward Bro is getting anxious!"

"..."

Listening to this gossip that resembled a rural romance drama, Lu Qian's lips twitched, and he sped up the urination.

It is also abstract.

However, with so many people talking so loudly next to me, it was difficult to urinate quickly even if I wanted to.

"That's nothing! There's something even more shocking!"

Just then, the person who had spoken first suddenly lowered their voice and said mysteriously, "Do you guys know Wang Lili from Class 5 of Senior Three? The one who's quite pretty, and whose family owns a small supermarket?"

"Yeah, I know. So what?"

"Around 11 PM last night, someone saw her enter a hotel with Zhao Mingzhe from Class 2. They even came to school together this morning. This is... I heard they just officially announced their relationship on social media. They moved really fast!"

"Holy crap, really? Zhao Mingzhe? Isn't his dad that Zhao the mine owner? Did Wang Lili really marry into a wealthy family?"

"Of course it's true! My buddy saw it with his own eyes! The two of them were holding hands as they sneaked in through the back gate of the school this morning!"

Hearing the gossip from the group, Lu Qian paused for a moment.

Are Wang Lili and Zhao Mingzhe together?

How come he doesn't remember anything like this ever happening?

Lu Qian clearly remembered that in his previous life, Wang Lili went to work in another city after graduating from high school. Later, he heard that she married a middle-class man, but she often went out to seduce men.

Zhao Mingzhe's family went bankrupt due to an accident at the mine, and he became a lazy bum. He was imprisoned for fighting and had not been released until his rebirth.

How did those two end up together?

Could this be... the butterfly effect brought about by rebirth?