Twenty-Two Again
1988 Words
Lin Wan didn't sleep that night.
She sat alone in her bedroom with the curtains drawn, staring at the document on her laptop.
The screen was filled with names.
Companies.
Dates.
Numbers.
Memories.
Everything she could remember about her first life.
At the top of the document were four words.
Ten Years. Don't Waste Them.
She had already changed one thing.
The Phoenix Technology investment.
In her first life, Lin Group had walked away.
This time, she would not.
But she couldn't rush.
That was the first lesson she had learned from death.
Moving too quickly exposed you.
Trusting too easily destroyed you.
And revenge without preparation was nothing more than suicide.
Lin Wan opened another file.
Phoenix Technology.
She began rebuilding everything she remembered.
The company's founder was twenty-nine-year-old Chen Rui.
The company currently had fewer than fifty employees.
Its technology was still considered experimental.
Its valuation was less than thirty million dollars.
Three years from now, it would be valued at more than two billion.
Five years from now, it would become one of the most important technology companies in the region.
Ten years from now—
Lin Wan stopped.
She didn't remember.
That was one of the dangers of changing the future.
Her memories became less reliable the farther she moved away from the original timeline.
She couldn't simply treat the future like a fixed script.
Every decision she made would create another possibility.
She wrote another rule.
The future is information, not certainty.
Then she saved it.
A soft knock came from the door.
“Miss Lin?”
“Come in.”
Mrs. Chen entered with a cup of tea.
“You're still awake?”
Lin Wan smiled.
“I have some work to finish.”
“You're twenty-two.”
Mrs. Chen frowned.
“You shouldn't work like your father.”
Lin Wan looked at her.
For a moment, she almost smiled.
Her father.
In her first life, she had spent years trying to become like him.
Then, after his death, she had spent even more years trying to prove she could survive without him.
She had never realized how much she simply wanted more time with him.
“Mrs. Chen.”
“Yes?”
“Does my father usually leave home around seven?”
“Yes.”
“Then wake me at six.”
Mrs. Chen stared at her.
“Six?”
“I want breakfast with him.”
A strange look appeared on Mrs. Chen's face.
“Miss Lin, are you feeling all right?”
Lin Wan laughed.
“I'm perfectly fine.”
She turned back to the laptop.
“I just realized there are some things I should have done earlier.”
Mrs. Chen smiled.
“That's good.”
She walked toward the door.
Then she stopped.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
“What?”
“Your father asked me to remind you that you're going to the university tomorrow.”
Lin Wan froze.
“University?”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow?”
Mrs. Chen nodded.
“You have a seminar.”
Lin Wan stared at her.
Then she remembered.
Of course.
At twenty-two, she was still finishing her final year at university.
She had almost forgotten.
In her first life, she had hated that seminar.
She had skipped it.
That was where she was supposed to meet someone for the first time.
Someone who later introduced her to Lu Minghao.
Lin Wan's eyes darkened.
That meeting had changed everything.
If she didn't go—
Perhaps she could change the future.
But she suddenly stopped.
No.
That wasn't enough.
Avoiding one person wouldn't solve the problem.
She needed to understand why that person had entered her life in the first place.
“Mrs. Chen.”
“Yes?”
“What's the name of the guest speaker tomorrow?”
Mrs. Chen thought for a moment.
“I don't know.”
Lin Wan nodded.
“Never mind.”
After the door closed, she searched her memories.
The seminar.
The guest speaker.
The introduction.
She finally remembered.
Luo Qing.
A senior financial consultant.
At the time, she had thought Luo Qing was simply a friend of a friend.
Three years later, Luo Qing had become a financial adviser to Lin Group.
Five years later, he had disappeared.
And six years later—
His name had appeared in one of the documents connected to Blackstone.
Lin Wan's expression became cold.
She typed his name into her document.
Then added:
Investigate Luo Qing before meeting him.
The first life had taught her something important.
The people who seemed insignificant were often the most dangerous.
The next morning, Lin Wan woke at six.
Sunlight entered the bedroom.
She stood before the mirror.
For a long time, she simply looked at herself.
Twenty-two.
She touched her cheek.
Then smiled.
“Twenty-two again.”
There was something almost absurd about it.
She had once begged the universe for a second chance.
Now that she had one—
she wasn't sure what to do with it.
Her phone rang.
Her father's number.
She answered immediately.
“Dad?”
“Are you awake?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
His voice sounded exactly as she remembered.
Warm.
Calm.
Alive.
“Come downstairs.”
“I will.”
She hung up.
Then she sat quietly on the edge of the bed.
A strange ache filled her chest.
She had spoken to him thousands of times in her first life.
But she had never realized how precious an ordinary phone call could be.
Breakfast was simple.
Eggs.
Toast.
Coffee.
Fruit.
Nothing special.
But Lin Wan remembered it for the rest of her life.
Her father read the newspaper while eating.
Her mother complained that he was working too much.
Mrs. Chen brought more coffee.
Everyone spoke about ordinary things.
The weather.
The company.
Her university.
A supplier who had delayed a shipment.
Lin Wan listened.
She didn't interrupt.
She simply watched them.
Alive.
Together.
She silently promised herself something.
No matter what happened—
She would protect them.
Her father suddenly looked at her.
“Why are you staring at us?”
Lin Wan smiled.
“I just think breakfast tastes better today.”
Her mother laughed.
“That's because you usually sleep until noon.”
“I'll change.”
Her father raised an eyebrow.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“You've changed quite a lot since yesterday.”
Lin Wan smiled.
“Maybe I've grown up.”
Her father laughed.
“Overnight?”
“Sometimes people grow up overnight.”
He looked at her for a moment.
Then his smile faded slightly.
“You really did have a strange dream, didn't you?”
Lin Wan lowered her eyes.
“Yes.”
“What happened in it?”
She hesitated.
Then said,
“I lost everything.”
Her father put down his newspaper.
“Everything?”
Lin Wan nodded.
“My company.”
Her voice became softer.
“My family.”
Her father watched her carefully.
“And me?”
Lin Wan looked at him.
She couldn't speak.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Her father reached across the table and touched her hand.
“I'm here.”
Those two words nearly destroyed her.
Lin Wan looked down quickly.
“I know.”
Her father squeezed her fingers.
“Whatever happens, you don't have to carry everything alone.”
Lin Wan nodded.
But inside, she made another promise.
This time, I will carry it before you have to.
After breakfast, her father's driver took her to university.
Lin Wan sat in the back seat, watching the city pass by.
Everything looked smaller than she remembered.
The buildings.
The streets.
The shopping district.
Even the financial center.
Ten years ago, she had thought this city was enormous.
Now she knew every corner of it.
She knew where fortunes were made.
Where companies collapsed.
Where people disappeared.
Where the first major Blackstone transaction had taken place.
And where she had once signed away pieces of her future without knowing it.
Her phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown Number: Don't invest in Phoenix Technology.
Lin Wan stared at it.
The same warning.
She hadn't told anyone about Phoenix.
She hadn't even discussed the investment with her father.
How did they know?
She typed:
Who are you?
No response.
She waited.
Nothing.
She deleted the message.
Then saved the number.
She would find out.
At university, Lin Wan walked into the seminar room ten minutes early.
Students were still talking.
She chose a seat in the back.
In her first life, she had sat near the front.
That was where she met Luo Qing.
This time, she would observe.
The professor entered.
The room became quiet.
A few minutes later, the guest speaker arrived.
Lin Wan's eyes narrowed.
Luo Qing.
Exactly as she remembered him.
Early forties.
Glasses.
Calm smile.
Professional appearance.
Nothing suspicious.
But Lin Wan had learned not to trust appearances.
He began speaking about investment strategy.
The lecture was ordinary.
Until he mentioned one company.
“Phoenix Technology.”
Lin Wan's fingers tightened.
Luo Qing smiled.
“Some companies are worth investing in before the market understands them.”
Her eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
After the lecture, several students surrounded him.
Lin Wan remained seated.
She waited.
Eventually, Luo Qing noticed her.
“Miss Lin?”
Lin Wan looked up.
“Yes?”
“I remember you.”
She smiled.
“Do you?”
“You're Lin Group's daughter.”
“Yes.”
“I've heard a lot about you.”
Lin Wan studied his face.
“Good things?”
He laughed.
“Mostly.”
She stood.
“Then I hope the rest aren't too bad.”
Luo Qing smiled.
“I think you'll have an interesting future.”
Lin Wan's expression didn't change.
“What makes you say that?”
“People who listen more than they speak usually do.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment.
Then he left.
Lin Wan watched him disappear through the door.
Her phone vibrated.
Another message.
Unknown Number: Don't trust Luo Qing.
Her blood ran cold.
She looked toward the doorway.
Luo Qing was already gone.
Someone knew she had met him.
Someone was watching her.
And now—
someone was warning her about him.
Lin Wan slowly put the phone away.
She had expected her second life to be difficult.
She hadn't expected it to be watched.
That evening, Lin Wan returned home and opened her laptop.
She spent three hours researching Luo Qing.
His education.
His employment history.
His investments.
His connections.
Everything appeared normal.
Too normal.
At midnight, she finally found something.
A company registered eight years ago.
The company had no employees.
No public website.
No visible business.
But one of its directors—
was connected to a lawyer.
That lawyer had represented a subsidiary of Blackstone.
Lin Wan leaned back.
Her eyes became cold.
It was a tiny connection.
Almost meaningless.
But she knew better.
She saved the information.
Then she opened another document.
People to Watch.
She added three names.
Lu Minghao.
Luo Qing.
Blackstone.
She stared at the list.
Then paused.
After a moment, she added one more.
Gu Yanshen.
She didn't know whether to trust him.
She didn't know what he was hiding.
She didn't know why he had tried to save her.
But she knew one thing.
She needed him.
Not as a man.
Not yet.
As an ally.
The next morning, she would make her first move.
And this time—
she wouldn't wait for fate to bring him to her.
She would find him herself.
Lin Wan closed the laptop.
Outside the window, the city lights glittered against the darkness.
Ten years ago, she had been a girl who believed the future belonged to her.
Now she was a woman who knew exactly how quickly the future could take everything away.
She smiled.
“Let's see who gets to rewrite it first.”
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