Qian Wei woke up to the clamor of a ringing cellphone. She felt a little sore all over and groggy as she fumbled for her phone, subconsciously trying to slide her finger across the touchscreen. After groping around for a while, she realized to her surprise that she was holding an old-fashioned flip phone, the kind that was popular ten years ago. If she still thought she was dreaming at this point, Qian Chuan’s loud voice coming through the phone receiver after she answered jolted her halfway awake.
“Qian Chuan? When did you get back to China?”
“Qian Wei, are you crazy? What do you mean back to China? I’m downstairs at the East Campus Boys' Dorm Building 2 right now. Hurry up and get over here.”
The East Campus Boys' Dorm Building 2? Qian Wei was confused for a good while. The room she was in looked completely unfamiliar, yet not entirely so. It was clearly a female dormitory, with two rows of bunk beds lined up on one side of the room and four desks on the other. Qian Wei looked around again and became increasingly bewildered. The more she looked, the more familiar everything seemed, and the more she broke out in a cold sweat.
This was clearly her college dorm room! She pinched herself forcefully. Ouch! It really hurt! Qian Wei looked up at the calendar hanging on the wall—September 12, 2009. It really was the year she turned 19.
It seemed she had really kicked the bucket! Qian Wei thought in anguish. If only she'd known last night that the rundown temple would actually grant her wish, she wouldn't have jinxed herself by wishing to be 19 again. Even if she hadn't added, "And give me 500 more wishes," she could have at least wished to win the lottery jackpot or something! And to think she had died such an absurd death, falling into a pit at the temple. They could have at least given her a more heroic death, saving someone's life or something. At least then she could have gotten on TV and been praised as a "heroic good citizen"...
"Qian Wei! How many times have I told you to silence your phone before you go to bed!" came Liu Shi Yun's voice of complaint from the bunk above her. Qian Wei could even hear the creaking of the mattress as she turned over with a grumble.
Qian Wei thought philosophically, well, since I've been reborn, I'd better make the most of it. It's better than being dead and gone!
September 12, 2009—the date became clearer in Qian Wei's mind. Everything was the same as the morning of her 19th year: an ordinary morning, her slumber broken by Qian Chuan's phone call because she'd forgotten to silence her phone.
Wait! Qian Chuan's call! The East Campus Boys' Dorm Building 2!
The clues came together in Qian Wei's mind, and she was now fully awake. She tumbled out of bed and threw on some clothes, ready to rush out the door, when a slender white hand reached out from the mosquito net on the bunk above and grabbed the hood on Qian Wei's shirt. Then a woman with long, messy hair like the ghost from The Ring sat up in the net and stretched out her other hand, which held a potted cactus.
"Qian Wei, are you going downstairs? Can you take my cactus down to the big terrace on the first floor and put it in the sun? There's no sun on our dorm balconies, and my cactus is nearly dead."
It was early September of their sophomore year in 2009. There had been an incident in the girls’ dorm building next door where a peeping tom had broken in during the night. Although he had been discovered in time and fled without success, everyone had been terrified for a while afterwards. Girls had taken to keeping fruit knives under their pillows or buying security alarms. Liu Shi Yun had come up with a unique approach—she moved her cactus into her bed, claiming that if a pervert came close, she could knock him out with the plant.
"Even if he ran away after I failed to hit him with the cactus, I could still identify him from the cactus spines stuck in his face and catch him!" Qian Wei clearly recalled Liu Shi Yun’s confident expression at the time. But after a week passed with no further incidents, it was the cactus that languished at death's door, its spines all droopy and limp.
"Wait! I have an emergency!"
But Liu Shi Yun persisted, grabbing Qian Wei's hood. Having no choice, Qian Wei took the cactus from her and rushed out of the dorm clutching the pot, heading straight for the East Campus Boys' Dorm Building 2. Qian Chuan was there looking for a fight with Lu Xun! In her past life, Qian Wei had ignored Qian Chuan's call and gone back to sleep. By the time she woke up, Qian Chuan and Lu Xun had gotten into a vicious brawl in front of the boys’ dorm building, and had become enemies ever since. Qian Wei had been dragged into offending Lu Xun along with Qian Chuan from that day on.
Now that heaven was giving her a chance to relive her life, she was determined to seize the opportunity and get on good terms with her future boss!
But Qian Wei was still too late. By the time she arrived at the entrance to the boys’ dorm building, Qian Chuan had just punched Lu Xun in the face.
19-year-old Lu Xun was tall and slender, with red lips and white teeth. His well-defined eyebrows and eyes were as handsome as ever, his refined proportions evoking the image of a young master from a wealthy family in old Republican China. His face was still full of youthful vigor and exuded a different kind of beauty—clean, lucid, and refreshing. Even now, the contours of his handsome features already bore the beginnings of his future aura as an unattainable flower on a high peak. Lu Xun was that kind of person; at every stage you'd think his looks had peaked, only to have him shatter your perceptions each time and reach new heights with his extremely aggressive and larger-than-life appearance.
It was such a pity that this pretty face now sported a swollen red welt from Qian Chuan’s punch. The corner of Lu Xun’s mouth was bleeding from a cracked lip.
He gently dabbed at the blood and glanced impassively at the red smudge on his fingertips before raising his eyes to look indifferently at Qian Chuan. Calm as ever, showing not a hint of anger, he leisurely began rolling up his sleeves, every movement still elegant and poised.
Qian Chuan looked smugly at Lu Xun. "What's wrong? Can't take it anymore? You liberal arts boys are so weak."
Qian Wei knew things were about to turn ugly. The calmer Lu Xun's reaction, the more vicious his retaliation would be. Only now did she understand why Qian Chuan had gotten beaten half to death by Lu Xun at the entrance to the boys' dorm in her past life. This kind of provocation was just asking to get wrecked. Lu Xun wasn't weak at all—he had been practicing kickboxing since he was a child...
"What are you staring at? Come at me if you've got the guts."
Qian Chuan was still jumping around obliviously. Qian Wei rushed up and gave him a whack to the back of the head.
"Who was that?!" Qian Chuan roared furiously as he whipped around. Seeing Qian Wei, his tone softened a bit. "So you finally got here to cheer me on, huh."
Hearing Qian Chuan's voice, Lu Xun also turned his gaze to Qian Wei. In a flash, Qian Wei switched to an ingratiating smile with the speed of a Sichuan opera face-changer. She enthusiastically rushed up to grasp Lu Xun's hand.
"Lu Xun! I've admired you for a long time!"
Qian Chuan: ???
Lu Xun was also taken aback by this sudden turn of events, momentarily forgetting to withdraw his hand.
Qian Wei shamelessly pressed on, "Hello! I'm Qian Wei. You might not remember me since I skip class a lot, but I'm also a law student. Qian Chuan is my twin, though I'm one minute older than him—so I'm his big sister. Sisters are like mothers, so please let me apologize on his behalf! I hope you can forgive him just this once, as fellow law students! My brother was recruited into A University as a special sports student for the College of Physical Education, so you know his brain isn't the best. Please don't take it to heart."
"Qian Wei! What are you saying?! There's nothing wrong with my brain!" Qian Chuan yelled furiously. "And now my fourth girlfriend broke up with me because of this Lu Xun, saying she likes him instead. Yet here you are defending this pretty boy?"
Qian Wei shot Qian Chuan a fierce glare. "Qian Chuan, how can you blame Lu Xun for this? You've had four ex-girlfriends all leave you for Lu Xun, but first, you have no proof that Lu Xun acted as the third party. Second, even if he was the third party, you should examine your own issues first. If your relationships with those girlfriends were rock solid, how could anyone else have taken advantage?"
Qian Chuan's face contorted in anger and shock. "Qian Wei, you... you..."
"What do you mean, you you? Your exes broke up with you because you don't have Lu Xun's charm, intellect, or refinement. You should learn to grow from setbacks and become stronger through comparison. How can you resort to violence against someone superior to you?" Qian Wei said with an obsequious glance at Lu Xun. "Lu Xun, is your mouth injury okay? Shall I take you to the clinic? Just let me know if you need anything!"
Lu Xun watched the scene unfold with an inscrutable smile that was half amusement, half something else. He looked at Qian Wei and said rather meaningfully, "Do you think you could let go of my hand now?"
Only then did Qian Wei realize she was still tightly grasping Lu Xun's hand. She gave an embarrassed laugh and quickly released it. "I got too excited in the heat of the moment and was a bit overcome despite myself. Please accept my sincere apologies!"
Given this second chance at life, she must rewrite her destiny this time! Not only must she avoid offending Lu Xun, she had to become good friends with him right off the bat. Got to suck up to her future boss! After all, the future Lu Xun would be a walking money tree and wealth spreader!
Qian Wei shoved the potted cactus into Lu Xun's hands with great ceremony. "What man cannot bend and yield? There are no overnight grudges. Please accept this as a token of my sincerity!"
"So your token is a potted cactus?" Lu Xun gave a derisive laugh. "Cacti represent resilience. By giving me this cactus, do you mean to tell me to resiliently bear your brother punching me in the face for no reason?"
Qian Wei was at a loss. She didn't want to offend Lu Xun, but she couldn't sell her own brother out either. With Qian Chuan's pathetic grades, ten more demerit points would prevent him from accumulating enough credits to graduate in four years...
Perhaps being in dire straits stimulated one's hidden powers, for Qian Wei suddenly remembered the cactus in her hands.
"Not at all! This is a gift for you!" Qian Wei proclaimed solemnly as she shoved the cactus into Lu Xun's hands. "A man must know when to yield. There are no overnight grudges."
"So your token is a potted cactus?" Lu Xun gave a derisive laugh. "Cacti represent resilience. By giving me this cactus, do you mean to tell me to resiliently bear your brother punching me in the face for no reason?"
Qian Wei was at a loss. She didn't want to offend Lu Xun, but she couldn't sell her own brother out either. With Qian Chuan's pathetic grades, ten more demerit points would prevent him from accumulating enough credits to graduate in four years...
Perhaps being in dire straits stimulated one's hidden powers, for Qian Wei suddenly remembered the cactus in her hands.
"Not at all! This is a gift for you!" Qian Wei proclaimed solemnly as she shoved the cactus into Lu Xun's hands. "A man must know when to yield. There are no overnight grudges."
Lu Xun stared at the cactus, then smiled at Qian Wei. "Is that so? But your cactus already has saggy, droopy spines—it looks like it will die in a few days. I'd say the peace and friendship between your brother and I will end up just like this cactus—dying very soon."
"..." Qian Wei was exasperated. "Let me make amends on Qian Chuan's behalf, okay?"
"My face is injured, and you think an apology will suffice?"
"Then tell me, what can I do to get you to reconcile with Qian Chuan? Whatever compensation you ask for, I will make it happen!" Qian Wei sucked up. "After all, you've always been my learning model, my benchmark to catch up to. I can't stand to see my idol get hit, even if you're the injured party. You're the pride of our law school! Even if you're magnanimous enough to forgive Qian Chuan, I can't!" She turned to Qian Chuan. "I'm going to give you a good talking-to when we get back!"
Lu Xun eyed the scowling Qian Chuan and said lightly, "Since that's the case, I won't pursue the matter this time." He looked back at Qian Wei. "As for compensation—I'll let you know when I think of something."
