“Have you stopped liking the guitar?”

That was certainly not the case. Although entering the entertainment industry at a young age disrupted Li Nan’s potential career as an athlete, he didn’t regret the time he spent in the spotlight.

In that glamorous world, Li Nan experienced both praise and neglect. His mindset was polished well during that period, which later helped him endure the ups and downs as a figure skater without breaking under the pressure of unstable results.

He still loved it. Before his rebirth, Li Nan hadn’t abandoned the habit of playing the guitar. It often served as a solace during the sleepless nights when the pain in his body became unbearable.

However, asking him to go back and relearn basic guitar theory just to pose as a fake guitar prodigy and waste his time? Li Nan was absolutely unwilling.

Right now, all he wanted was to quickly come clean with his family and start training for figure skating.

Not winning the most prestigious medal in the figure skating world had always been a source of regret for Li Nan.

Before his rebirth, he didn’t have the opportunity. Missing the prime age for competition meant the chance was gone. But now that he had been given a second chance, there was no way he would let it slip away.

Perhaps this time, he could stand on that long-coveted podium, holding the medal of his dreams?

But of course, he couldn’t just tell Shen Xudong outright: “Dad, actually, I’ve been reborn from the future. I’ve already learned guitar once, so I don’t want to study it again. Let me take up figure skating instead—I can win an Olympic medal.”

If he dared to say something like that, Shen Xudong would probably lecture him thoroughly before Li Wenqing even had a chance to step in.

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting every day?”

Even Li Nan thought his explanation sounded like something out of a fantasy tale, as if he were still lost in a beautiful dream and hadn’t fully woken up.

After thinking for a moment, Li Nan said, “Dad, it’s just that guitar is too easy for me to learn. I can teach myself. There’s no need to waste money on lessons.”

Li Nan said this without batting an eye, showing no hint of guilt or hesitation.

“Too easy to learn?” Shen Xudong chuckled when he heard this. “You haven’t even attended a few lessons, and you already know it’s too easy?”

“Of course! Dad, don’t you know how smart I am?” Li Nan shamelessly replied.

Shen Xudong nodded. “That’s true—your little clever tricks are certainly abundant.”

There was no doubt about Li Nan’s intelligence. He had inherited top-tier genes from both parents.

Shen Xudong had earned his way into college on a scholarship and returned to become a teacher. Hard work alone wouldn’t have been enough—natural talent played a significant role. As for Li Wenqing, while her formal education wasn’t high, it was only because she disliked studying. When it came to business, she was a first-rate talent, firmly in charge of the family’s finances with remarkable skill.

With parents like his, it was only natural that Li Nan wasn’t a fool. Otherwise, all those years spent chasing cats, teasing dogs, and causing trouble would have led to countless harsh scoldings from Li Wenqing. The fact that he hadn’t been completely “straightened out” by her proved, as Shen Xudong said, that his cleverness was indeed abundant.

Li Nan didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed by Shen Xudong’s teasing. The mischief he’d caused as a child could fill stories that would last days and nights. If he hadn’t been a little shrewd—knowing how to avoid danger, seek advantages, and apologize at the right moment—his backside would have been thoroughly “blossomed” by Li Wenqing’s punishments several times over.

True wisdom lies in knowing when to bend and when to stand tall. That, in Li Nan’s eyes, was the mark of a truly smart person.

“So, Dad—” Li Nan deliberately dragged out his words, a trick he’d perfected to deal with his grandparents. They would usually surrender as soon as they heard this tone. Unfortunately, his opponent now was his father.

Perhaps the image of his younger father had faded in his memories. Li Nan’s impression of Shen Xudong was always that of a kind and cheerful man, one who supported whatever decisions Li Nan made. What he’d forgotten was that the younger Shen Xudong was, in fact, not so easy to deal with.

Shen Xudong wasn’t fooled by Li Nan’s usual tricks in the slightest. “Playing cute won’t work, Li Nan,” he said with a smile.

“This is the class you begged and cried for. Didn’t you even pester your grandparents for days to get your way?” Shen Xudong added, still smiling as he reminded him. “And have you forgotten what you promised your mom at the time?”

Li Nan froze. What had he promised back then…?

It had been so long that he could hardly remember. It seemed like he had agreed to some condition his mom set, but what was it exactly…?

Seeing Li Nan’s completely blank expression, Shen Xudong kindly reminded him again. “You promised your mom that if she signed you up for this guitar class, you’d rank in the top three on next semester’s exams.”

“And…” Shen Xudong’s face took on an expression of amused anticipation. “If you fail to rank in the top three even once, your allowance for this semester, as well as next year’s New Year money, will all be gone.”

The Li family ran a supermarket business and was quite well-off. They were generous with their only child, which meant Li Nan received a considerable allowance—about two to three times that of his peers. His New Year’s money was even more substantial. From a very young age, Li Nan had been raking in several thousand yuan every year just from red envelopes.

Li Nan: ???!!!

He was utterly dumbfounded.

Did he really make such an outrageous promise just to attend guitar lessons?

Wait a minute… When had he ever ranked in the top three as a child? He had absolutely no memory of this!

Li Nan was smart, but he never liked putting in effort when it came to studying. He had attended the best schools in S City from a young age, but his grades had only ever been good enough to keep him in the top ten. He had never made it to the top three.

Occasionally, if he managed to make it into the top five, his family would take him out for a nice meal to celebrate. So, top three? That was a stretch!

If there had ever been a glorious moment like that, Li Nan surely wouldn’t have forgotten. And if his allowance and New Year’s money had actually been taken away, he would definitely remember that.

So how on earth had he managed to make his mom forget this?

Li Nan’s gaze gradually went vacant… Wait a minute, he wasn’t really just a ten-year-old kid anymore. How could a test still be so difficult for him? He had even gotten into one of the top ten universities in the country!

Li Nan straightened up, patting his chest as he reassured Shen Xudong, “Dad, don’t worry. I’ll get first place for you as soon as next semester starts.”

Shen Xudong had just driven into the youth center’s parking garage when he heard Li Nan’s words. He became interested. “Oh? Really?”

Without hesitation, Li Nan responded, “Of course it’s true. When have I ever lied to you?”

This wasn’t a lie. Li Nan didn’t have the habit of lying. Even when he caused trouble, he would honestly admit it when he got home. At most, he’d cry and turn to his grandparents for backup, but he’d never lie to his parents.

“You don’t sound like you’re lying, but more like you’re boasting,” Shen Xudong commented. “Alright, grab your guitar case and head to class.”

“Huh? Do we really have to go to class?” Li Nan protested reluctantly.

“Of course. No more talking.”

Li Nan was hurriedly urged out of the car. He slung his guitar case over his shoulder and reluctantly walked toward the youth center, glancing back every few steps.

Li Nan still had some impression of this place in his memory. He remembered that the guitar class he took back then was on the third floor of the youth center. With that vague recollection, Li Nan was able to find the classroom for the guitar class.

On the way, Li Nan also glanced at the classrooms for other extracurricular classes. He was thinking that if he couldn’t convince his dad to help him drop the guitar class, maybe he could simply switch to another class at the youth center—perhaps ballet, the most advantageous discipline for figure skating.

Figure skating is an ice sport that combines beauty and skill, with artistic components accounting for a significant portion of the technical score. Many foreign athletes, especially in Europe and the U.S., have been jokingly referred to as “artistic jellyfish,” which implies they are technically less skilled and mainly rely on artistic expression for scoring.

Although it’s a derogatory term, it highlights the importance of artistic expression in the sport.

Before his rebirth, Li Nan had mainly relied on artistic scores to compete with younger athletes for rankings. After all, as he got older, his physical condition didn’t allow him to attempt more difficult technical jumps. High-level jumps like the 4A or 4Lz weren’t in Li Nan’s technical repertoire.

Compared to those young athletes in their prime who were pushing the limits of difficulty, Li Nan could only focus on his artistic expression to earn points.

Every little bit counts when it comes to earning a medal and bringing honor to the country, and there’s no shame in being meticulous about it.

So, before his rebirth, Li Nan had also tried ballet. However, due to his older age and the higher flexibility requirements of ballet, he never really mastered it in the end.

Now, with a second chance at life, maybe he could start by learning ballet properly?

As Li Nan was standing at the door, he glanced around. Just then, the teacher, who had come out of the room, waved at him. “Class is about to start, come on in,” the teacher called.

This teacher was Lin, the music teacher who had introduced Li Nan to the guitar.

He was a young teacher, around 1.78 meters tall, with a bright and sunny demeanor. It was said that he had just graduated from a well-known music academy in the country, majoring in piano. During his time in school, he had taught himself a little guitar. While he wasn’t a virtuoso, teaching a beginner class was no problem for him.

Li Nan was urged to come in, but he felt a bit uncomfortable.

His mindset wasn’t quite right yet. He could act like a child in front of his parents and grandparents, as that was the usual dynamic in their family. But in front of outsiders, Li Nan couldn’t bring himself to act like a real child throwing a tantrum to skip class.

He could only resign himself to walking in, all the while thinking about how he could play the part of a beginner… Or maybe even pretend to be a genius who could master it in one go. If he pulled that off, maybe his dad would let him drop the class or switch to something else.

As Li Nan stepped into the classroom, he heard a few strange mechanical sounds.

【Detected binding species in the vicinity】

【System matching…】

【Matching successful.】

【System binding—】

【Ding—Superstar system binding successful.】

Li Nan’s footsteps paused for a moment, and he subconsciously thought, Who is so arrogant to play such loud games in the classroom? Wait a minute… If he remembered correctly, isn’t it still the year 2000? At this time, how could there be smartphones in China capable of playing games?!

Back in 2000, most people were still using pagers, and only a few families with some money had started using small “Little Smart” phones, which could only make calls, send text messages, and tell the time. How could anyone possibly play games on them?

As Li Nan looked around in confusion, the same mechanical voice echoed in his mind again.

【I’m the Superstar System 001.】

【Nice to meet you, Host.】

Li Nan’s pupils shook, and he clutched his head, frozen in place.

What is going on?!