REBIRTH

"What is the domain of the function 𝑓(𝑥)f(x) defined on [0,1][0,1] if the function is 𝑓(𝑥2)f(x 2 )?" Bai Yang stared blankly at the characters on the exam paper. What is a domain? What do these letters even mean? Did I really learn this stuff in high school? He scratched his head, put down his pen, and looked up. The chalk dust in the air was visible in the late summer sunlight, and the sound of scribbling filled his ears. Amid the bright tones, young students were bent over their desks, answering questions. Bai Yang was not unfamiliar with this scene. It appeared in the occasional short videos about youth, in the memories that flashed during drinking sessions with old friends, and in the dreams that he couldn't recall clearly the next day. But he never thought he would find himself back here. Back to being seventeen, in the classroom at the start of his second year of high school. He couldn't trace the reason; maybe all the luck accumulated in his past life was used up at this moment... Bai Yang only knew he had been reborn. He had broken free from the shackles of a tired, middle-aged body and flowed back to a sunny time. The inscrutable math exam paper in front of him didn't affect Bai Yang's mood at all. He secretly pulled out his phone again—not the latest large-screen Huawei smartphone, but a small Nokia with physical buttons. The time displayed: September 1, 2011. Countless thoughts flooded his mind. Bitcoin was only a few dollars each, housing prices hadn't peaked yet, Maotai stocks were very cheap, smartphones were just starting to become popular, Temple Run was dominating the mobile game market, and Germany would win the 2014 World Cup— The information flowing upstream from the long river of time seemed like a once-distant galaxy suddenly surrounding him. Plucking a star at random would be an opportunity that ordinary people could never reach. This was the advantage of being reborn. Undoubtedly, he could easily earn money that he couldn't make in his previous life, no matter how hard he tried, and live the life he once dreamed of. Dreamed of... Bai Yang paused and then laughed. Even reborn, he couldn't shake the inertia of his previous life, always thinking about money first... But, before being worn down by life, people's true dreams might be things that money can't buy. He was suddenly poked in the side, and a nervous voice came to his ear. "What are you laughing at? The head teacher is watching you!" Bai Yang looked towards the podium and met a pair of sharp eyes. The other party's stubborn face, barely covered by a few strands of deliberately left long hair, brought back memories of a once blurry face... This was the head teacher of the science class after the second year of high school. Strong aura, fierce eyes—if he stared for two more seconds, a piece of chalk would probably be thrown at him. Bai Yang decided to avoid the conflict. So, he turned his head to look at the boy who reminded him. Thick eyebrows, big nose, eyes darting around, but his body trying hard to maintain a serious posture of answering questions. "Li Yang?" This face, although much more youthful than in his memory, was very familiar to Bai Yang. Just a few days before his rebirth, he had been video chatting with this guy on WeChat, using each other's miseries to accompany their drinks, getting thoroughly drunk. "Don't talk! I don't want to get scolded on the first day of class!" Li Yang quickly ended the conversation. At this age, a teacher's authority was enough to suppress most of the boys' restlessness. So Bai Yang also quieted down, silently surveying the classroom and the faces that were too young for him. Bai Yang didn't have a good memory. After graduating from high school, he hadn't seen most of the people in this classroom again. So, after more than a decade, most of them looked unfamiliar to him... He couldn't remember their names or faces. Life is like this; the people you pass by may not leave any traces in your memory. He couldn't finish the math paper, so when the bell rang, Bai Yang quickly filled in the multiple-choice questions to show some respect for his first exam since being reborn. "It's finally over!" Beside him, Li Yang let out a long sigh of relief and instantly became animated. "How could we have such a strict head teacher? A test on the first day of school?" "Even though it was only math, physics, and chemistry, I can already foresee the tough days ahead!" Bai Yang smiled but didn't say anything. "You can still smile?" Li Yang glanced at him. "I saw you almost left the math paper blank. That's not like you... Is it because of that thing?" Bai Yang raised an eyebrow. "What thing?" "Don't play dumb." Li Yang shook his head dramatically. "I heard in the morning that Xiao Zhenzhen asked you to meet at the track tonight." "Damn, after just one summer break, you're already getting a girlfriend!" Bai Yang was stunned. Xiao Zhenzhen... such a distant name. Memories flooded back like a tide, with images flashing before his eyes. No boy forgets his first love, and Bai Yang's first love was Xiao Zhenzhen. Even if this first love lasted only one day. Xiao Zhenzhen was Bai Yang's middle school classmate. They both got into Xiangdong County No. 1 High School. She had a cute, innocent face typical of that age and an unexpectedly mature figure. Only much later could Bai Yang jokingly talk about his opinion of her from those days. Youthful Beauty and Ample Bosom. Without a doubt, young Bai Yang liked this type. It wasn't a big deal in middle school, but by high school, as he started to experience the stirrings of love, Bai Yang felt the pangs of his first crush. Unfortunately, Xiao Zhenzhen got a boyfriend in their first year, so his crush remained a secret. It wasn't until the start of their second year, when he heard that she had broken up with her boyfriend over the summer, that Bai Yang finally mustered the courage to confess. Bai Yang remembers this day clearly: the first night of their second year, he and Xiao Zhenzhen were walking on the track field when she shyly accepted his confession. It was the first time he held a girl's hand, and also the first time he got hit. By Xiao Zhenzhen's ex-boyfriend. Coming from a rural background and being young, he didn't know how to handle such situations. Afraid to fight back, he silently endured it, and the next day, Xiao Zhenzhen broke up with him. Though it wasn't explicitly stated, Bai Yang knew she didn't like overly honest boys. Bai Yang used to be that honest boy, afraid of getting into fights and having the school find out, afraid of worrying his family, and afraid of jeopardizing his future. He channeled his anger into studying, believing that education was the only way to escape his environment. For the next two years, he studied tirelessly, eventually getting into a good university. A provincial university may not seem impressive, but for a county school, it was quite an achievement. At least Bai Yang heard that the other boy didn't even get into a vocational school and later became a mechanic. Even before his rebirth, that boy was still stuck with gasoline and car parts. However, the world isn't filled with stories of teenage triumphs or miraculous success through hard work. At least, not for Bai Yang. After high school, he never saw Xiao Zhenzhen or her ex-boyfriend again, and his life didn't become particularly remarkable. A degree from a provincial university is still quite ordinary in the larger societal context. After graduation, he faced repeated setbacks in the job market, much like many young people, and eventually decided he didn't want to keep struggling in that way. Instead of dealing with difficult bosses, he decided to work for himself, striving to be the master of his own life. Over nearly ten years, he learned many skills, tried many paths, opened a bar, made short videos, did livestreams, and even drew street portraits. After many twists and turns, by his thirties, he managed to make a living by writing articles, drawing from his many years of experiences. Though he couldn't claim to have seen it all, he had experienced a lot and shouldered his responsibilities. Looking back at his youthful decisions, he saw them as naive but knew he couldn't relive them. Xiao Zhenzhen's name became a subject of self-mockery when he was drunk. "What are you daydreaming about?" Li Yang gave Bai Yang a heavy pat on the shoulder. "We have nearly an hour and a half for lunch break. Let's go to the internet cafe and play some games?" Teenagers' attention shifts quickly. Compared to gossip about Xiao Zhenzhen, Li Yang was more interested in the games at the internet cafe. "No," Bai Yang shook his head. "I'll just wander around." "What's there to see?" Li Yang grumbled. "Fine, but remember, I'm the main gunman and can solo. When my level is higher and I move to a new map, don't beg me to take you." He ran out of the classroom excitedly, and most of the others scattered too. In their second year, the class was newly formed due to the science and arts stream separation, so most people didn't know each other well. Bai Yang enjoyed the solitude, wandering out of the classroom and looking at the nameplate. Class 499. Xiangdong No. 1 High School was the best in Xiangdong County and had a history of nearly 100 years, accumulating almost 500 classes since its founding. In Bai Yang's previous life, due to increased enrollment, new classes had already reached the six hundreds. The teaching building had a layout similar to a quadrangle courtyard, with six floors and corridors connecting all sides of the first floor, allowing sunlight to pour in through the atrium, illuminating the students running around the corridors. It was the prime of youth. Bai Yang sighed nostalgically but then smiled. He subconsciously adopted the mindset of an older person revisiting their school, but in reality, he was still one of these teenagers. He wasn't quite used to it yet. Reaching the cafeteria, he felt even more out of place, finding only a little over thirty yuan in his pockets. It had been a long time since he'd been this poor. Fortunately, the cafeteria food was cheap: one yuan for vegetables, two yuan for meat dishes, and rice was forty cents with free refills. Bai Yang indulged a bit, getting one meat and two vegetable dishes. His young body had a big appetite, so he piled the rice high, thinking about his future plans as he ate. Studying was essential, but Bai Yang was realistic. High school was probably his peak in his previous life, and even with an adult mindset, he might not surpass his previous achievements. From the recent math test, it was clear his starting point was likely lower than before— He had forgotten most of his high school knowledge, and even a lot of middle school knowledge. The only subject he was confident in was Chinese, having made a living writing in his previous life. "Spending all my time on high school studies would be a waste." He didn't get a second chance just to redo everything he had already done. While education was important, for someone reborn, the path to a degree didn't have to be the same one millions of others took. With over a decade of accumulated experience, Bai Yang was confident he could find a different path. And that path would give him plenty of time to enjoy the scenery along the way.