Chapter 2

Chen Kuo was indeed her boss, but he was her boss from ten years in the future.

They had lost touch after high school. While they didn’t keep in contact much, before she returned to Jiangzhou, she often heard updates about him. In their senior year, he didn’t opt for direct admission to a university because those institutions weren’t his top choices. He performed at the level expected in the college entrance exam, and the best two universities in Beijing extended invitations to him. He pursued a top-tier major and, before graduation, started a business with like-minded friends. Later, he returned to Jiangzhou and, thanks to a series of local policies, grew his company into a thriving enterprise, becoming a well-known tech entrepreneur.

When she applied for the job, she didn’t pay much attention to the details. It wasn’t until she passed the interview and had been working for several days that she realized her boss was her high school classmate.

But she was just an ordinary employee, and he was the boss, so they had no direct interactions at work.

Occasionally, they’d run into each other in the break room, where he would simply nod at her politely.

It was quite a coincidence.

The last familiar face she saw before her rebirth was actually his. It was near the end of the year, and she had become busy, working overtime until around 8 p.m. She ran into him in the elevator. She was heading to the first floor, while he was going to the parking lot in the basement. She called out to him, “Mr. Chen,” and he gave a brief smile in acknowledgment.

Luckily, the elevator was quick. As she walked out of the building, she hadn’t even caught her breath when her ex-boyfriend showed up, trying to win her back.

It turned into a frustrating tug-of-war.

Trying to avoid her ex-boyfriend’s embrace, she stepped back and bumped into a solid chest. Startled, she looked up and was even more surprised to see it was her boss. His hand rested on her shoulder, creating some distance between them. He told her ex-boyfriend she was his employee and warned him that if he continued to harass her, he would call the police.

After her ex-boyfriend left, she quickly thanked him.

His expression was calm as he reminded her to be careful, and after watching him drive away, she hurried home. After showering, she shared the whole story with her friend Dai Jia, who was pregnant.

Dai Jia, who was also a top student, knew more about Chen Kuo than she did: “He’s really a good guy. He was the top student in our class, but he’s not arrogant at all. Really, he’s great.”

She teased, “A winner in life~”

Dai Jia responded, “Not entirely. Everyone has their struggles. I heard from Mi Xin that his parents keep pressuring him to go on blind dates.”

At work, no one had the luxury of gossiping about their boss’s private life.

Though she had only been working as a corporate drone for a year, Zhang Yunyi had learned to be cautious. Even with old friends, she never engaged in such gossip. She quickly changed the subject, and they began talking about the latest social news.

…

“Are you alright?” Chen Kuo asked again.

He had overslept this morning, and his arrival had been rushed. Noticing Zhang Yunyi’s hesitant expression and furrowed brow, he thought he might have accidentally hurt her.

Dai Jia also hurried to ask, “Zhang Yunyi, are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.” Zhang Yunyi forced a smile, her dimples showing when she smiled. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Really okay?” Chen Kuo asked.

“Yeah, really!” If he hadn’t been wearing glasses at that moment, she might not have reacted so quickly. Right now, he wasn’t her boss—he was her class monitor.

Chen Kuo didn’t press further, glancing at his watch and reminding her, “It’s time for early study. Let’s head to the classroom.”

After he finished speaking, he turned and brushed past her shoulder, maintaining a clear distance. He strode into the classroom.

Zhang Yunyi still felt a bit disoriented, but Dai Jia pulled her inside through the back door. According to school rules, unless there were special circumstances, all senior students had to stay at the school. The morning study session started at 6:30 a.m., and evening study ended at 10:10 p.m. Very few students could handle commuting back and forth.

At 6:20 a.m., the classroom was still quite empty.

By 6:30 a.m., everyone was sitting at their desks, looking tired.

Zhang Yunyi didn’t really remember where she sat. After scanning the room, she recognized her old deskmate and went to sit next to them, shoving her bag into the desk.

Her deskmate, seizing the chance while the homeroom teacher hadn’t arrived, mischievously poked a straw into a milk carton and took a few sips, asking her, “Did you finish the chemistry test prep? Can I copy yours?”

To be honest, just hearing the word “chemistry” made Zhang Yunyi want to shrink back like a quail.

She pulled out her textbook from the book stand and flipped through it, feeling dizzy.

She really wished this was just a nightmare.

“I don’t know. You can look for it yourself,” she said faintly.

Her deskmate laughed, “You definitely didn’t do it.”

Zhang Yunyi didn’t know how others felt about being reborn in their senior year, but for her, it was scarier than encountering a ghost. Ghosts didn’t force you to take the college entrance exam.

Why was the universe torturing her like this?

She had spent her life doing good deeds, but this wasn’t meant to be her second shot at the college entrance exam!

“Ugh, so annoying,” she muttered to herself. Early study didn’t limit the subjects, so she endured the physiological dread and nausea, flipping through the textbooks. They had already covered most of the material in the first two years, and in the final year, the teachers simply helped them review everything again.

She kept trying to motivate herself in her mind.

Don’t panic, don’t panic!

But if this were a comic, she imagined herself reading it with tired eyes, wondering how she managed to even pass those exams in the past. After ten years of graduation, revisiting these textbooks felt like torture.

The only silver lining was that she had studied this material before. Maybe not in depth, but after an hour of early study, her mind, though almost lost, was starting to clear a little.

“Let’s go to the cafeteria!”

When the bell rang, the students rushed out like tigers, and in less than a minute, half of them were gone. Dai Jia came over with her wallet, and although Zhang Yunyi had other good friends, they weren’t in the same class. Over time, she spent more time with Dai Jia, going to the restroom together, going to the cafeteria together.

Zhang Yunyi responded gloomily.

Even if the sky fell, she still had to eat.

The two of them linked arms as they walked out of the classroom toward the stairs. Seeing Zhang Yunyi looking so down, Dai Jia said, “If you’re not feeling well, you can rest in the classroom. I’ll bring you breakfast.”

“No need,” Zhang Yunyi shook her head. Staying in the classroom was even more suffocating. She might as well get some fresh air.

The school wasn’t strict about students’ attire as long as it wasn’t offensive to teachers or principals. Dai Jia had originally intended to observe Zhang Yunyi’s expression, but her gaze lingered on Zhang Yunyi’s smooth forehead, clean brows, and sharp nose. The light illuminated her face, and Dai Jia could even see the small peach fuzz on her fair cheeks. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “I wonder what it feels like to be as pretty as you.”

Not only that, Zhang Yunyi had great fashion sense, something people would call good style in the years to come.

Even though she was wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans, it looked completely different on her.

Her shoes were spotless, and the laces were tied in a unique way.

Zhang Yunyi smiled, “How about we swap brains instead? Come on, you can trade intelligence with me~”

Dai Jia couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re not an idiot. I think you’re just not using the right study methods. How about asking your parents to hire a tutor for you? Have them come once a week—it really makes a difference. But it has to be a top-tier student, someone who’s really outstanding. My cousin’s like that. My uncle hired a high-achieving student during the summer and winter breaks—seems like they were from Fudan, and his progress was amazing.”

Zhang Yunyi sighed lightly, “It’s hard to find someone like that.”

“Now that rules are stricter, teachers are swamped with lesson planning. Even if they have time to teach extra classes, one wrong move, and someone might complain and report them. It’s just not worth it,” she explained.

“As for college students, they aren’t all free just because they’re in university. How about early 8 a.m. classes five days a week? The ones who can make time are in high demand in the tutoring market…”

But she couldn’t force it. If she found learning difficult and couldn’t follow the teacher’s line of thought, she’d definitely ask her parents for extra help. In her past life, although she wasn’t a genius, she wasn’t a failure either. Truly failing students wouldn’t even make it into this high school. In any case, her baseline was the university she attended in her past life, which was a point of pride for someone who had been reborn.

The two chatted while walking. On the way from the teaching building to the cafeteria, they passed the basketball court.

Zhang Yunyi, still lost in her thoughts, heard Dai Jia speaking enviously, “I wish I could switch brains with the class leader. You see, we can barely survive a morning self-study, and he still has the energy to play basketball.”

Generally speaking, teachers in their grade would advise against intense physical activity during the senior year of high school.

If someone injured their arm, it would affect their study progress too much.

That’s why they only started playing basketball at the beginning of the senior year. If it was next semester, teachers would definitely give a concerned smile and check in.

Hearing Dai Jia’s words, Zhang Yunyi heard some cheers. Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw Chen Kuo in a short-sleeved shirt and light gray sports pants, shooting hoops. He was tall now, but compared to the calm, sturdy figure he’d have ten years later, he still appeared somewhat slim and youthful.

The basketball bounced off the rim and hit the ground with a loud thud before bouncing back.

Chen Kuo was just warming up. He exchanged a high-five with a teammate and smiled. He rarely smiled, and when he did, his teeth were clean and bright.

Zhang Yunyi watched him thoughtfully.

Only when Dai Jia pulled her forward did she snap out of it. They continued walking quickly to the cafeteria. Zhang Yunyi fell into a daze as they lined up for soup noodles. Sitting at an empty table, she picked up her chopsticks and was greeted by the rich aroma of beef soup. She blinked, and an unbelievable thought popped into her head that she couldn’t shake.

Does rebirth come with a golden finger?

It does, but the extra ten years of memories don’t really serve a big purpose. But compared to others, she could predict the future.

For example, she knew that Dai Jia, sitting in front of her, had been accepted into a 985 university. There, she met her future husband. Their relationship was sweet, they worked hard academically, and eventually both were guaranteed postgraduate spots. After graduation, they would marry. If she had been reborn a few months later, she would even know whether Dai Jia was having a boy or a girl.

And then there was Chen Kuo—he would be her future boss.

After working for a year, she had mostly good things to say about the company. The work environment was tough, but finding a humanized company was harder than finding a good boyfriend. Think about it: weekends off, overtime with pay, job stability, good benefits, and real bonuses or shopping vouchers for holidays. Their annual leave was better than most companies, and salary increases were guaranteed every year!

Some employees had been with Chen Kuo since their startup days, and their benefits were even more impressive.

She used to get fired up reading rebirth novels, but reality was in front of her now. Even getting into her past life’s university took effort. Forget about conquering the world—just maintaining the life from her past would be worth celebrating.

After all, she’d always have to work like a corporate drone, so why take any detours?