Chapter 2: Reunion

Nian Yan was getting closer to the pharmacy. While crossing the street, his foot inexplicably caught on something, causing him to stumble and fall heavily onto the ground.

Misfortune follows happiness.

“Ahhh, it hurts so bad,” Nian Yan groaned, his hand feeling numb and his knees scraped and bleeding.

He barely managed to sit up, his knees smeared with blood.

At that moment, a pink-colored Liley hovercar passed by the roadside and came to an abrupt stop not far from Nian Yan. In Ningjiang, a small city, such high-end vehicles like the Liley hovercar were extremely rare. A limited edition model worth 90 million credits was something only wealthy families could afford.

A girl wearing a white dress opened the car door and hurriedly ran towards him.

“Classmate, are you okay?” a crisp, melodious voice full of concern rang in Nian Yan’s ears.

Hearing this voice so familiar it felt like it resonated deep within his soul, Nian Yan’s heart trembled. He looked up and saw none other than Xie Yao.

Xie Yao was still as beautiful as ever, wearing a white dress with pink lace trimmings. Her eyes sparkled with vitality, and her long ponytail was tied neatly behind her back. Her face still carried a hint of youthful innocence, yet radiated youthfulness and energy.

Nian Yan vaguely recalled the class reunion six years after graduation. At that time, Xie Yao had been a successful career woman dressed in elegant office attire, sexy and charming.

Time was truly a magical thing. It transformed a beautiful and innocent girl into a sexy, enchanting woman, and now it had seemingly turned her back again.

Separated by a lifetime, meeting once more—perhaps this was fate. Time rewound like a tape, bringing the two back to the beginning. A melodious tune slowly played, each note as beautiful and enchanting as ever.

Nian Yan remembered their first encounter, which had been in a similar situation. His eyes moistened slightly. Xie Yao, it’s been so long. Are you doing well? In this lifetime, I will never let you drift away again.

“Oh no, your knees are bleeding badly,” Xie Yao exclaimed. Remembering there were bandages in the first-aid kit in her car, she ran over to get them.

Nian Yan watched Xie Yao return to the car. Back in senior high, his favorite pastime had been watching her graceful figure from afar. Her slender body, with half of her calves visible beneath her white dress, looked as delicate and smooth as fine porcelain. Truthfully, Nian Yan wasn’t bad-looking. After his father’s success, their family had become quite well-off, not inferior to Xie Yao’s family at all. However, in front of Xie Yao, he had always lacked the courage to approach her.

Back then, his high school mindset had been so mysterious and unpredictable. Looking back as an adult, he realized how immature he had been.

Xie Yao retrieved the bandages and walked back to Nian Yan, cleaning his wound with antiseptic solution. Her movements were very careful, gently removing small bits of gravel from the wound with her delicate fingers.

“Why are you crying? A big boy like you shedding tears over such a small injury doesn’t look very good,” Xie Yao teased with a smile, gently massaging the bruise on Nian Yan’s knee with her thumb.

When she smiled, a faint dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth, exuding an indescribable charm.

“When I fell, some sand got into my eyes,” Nian Yan’s face turned slightly red as he made up a random excuse. The real reason for his tears wasn’t the physical pain. Xie Yao’s presence was like pouring hot water over his heart, stirring up a whirlwind of emotions—bitterness, happiness, and a longing to pour out everything inside him.

Xie Yao focused on treating the wound on Nian Yan’s knee.

Nian Yan raised his head, gazing at Xie Yao’s profile. Her skin was flawless and fair, so tender it seemed like it could drip with moisture. A strand of black hair hung down, and she wore delicate earrings.

Back when they were desk mates in high school, he had always secretly watched Xie Yao from the corner of his eye during class, never tiring of looking at her beautiful face.

Xie Yao had undoubtedly been the class beauty. Although other classes had pretty girls too, Nian Yan stubbornly believed Xie Yao was the most beautiful girl in the entire school.

Since their first encounter, Nian Yan had never stopped thinking about Xie Yao. Later, when they entered high school and surprisingly found themselves in the same class and even seated as desk partners, he had believed it was fate. It wasn’t until ten years later that he realized even two people with great chemistry could miss their chance if they didn’t cherish it. By the time he realized this truth, it was already too late.

“How could you come here alone? Ningjiang is a very dangerous place, full of gangs,” Nian Yan expressed his concern. This place was under gang control, and for a girl as beautiful as Xie Yao to come here alone was very risky.

“Don’t underestimate me. I’m a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo. When I turn 21, I’ll be promoted to fourth degree. If you don’t believe me, I can demonstrate,” Xie Yao assumed a standard starting stance, then suddenly stopped, her face blushing slightly. She hesitated, “But maybe not now—I’m wearing a skirt today. Still, I really am quite skilled.” Xie Yao was straightforward and innocent, without a trace of ulterior motive.

Nian Yan smiled with understanding. After chatting with Xie Yao for a while, that familiar feeling returned. The young girl before him was indeed Xie Yao—pure, adorable, lively, and cheerful. However, after their university graduation, that liveliness and innocence had gradually disappeared. He realized that sorrow, after being steeped in time, could so decisively transform a person.

Xie Yao glanced at Nian Yan. He looked a few years younger than her, about 1.7 meters tall, wearing slightly dirty clothes probably from the fall. Though not particularly handsome, his appearance was acceptable. For some reason, Xie Yao felt an indescribable sense of familiarity and closeness toward him, causing her to talk more than usual.

“Which school do you attend? Judging from your appearance, you must still be in junior high,” Xie Yao thought Nian Yan looked a bit silly, naively cute. Even while running, he hadn’t watched where he was going. Many boys in junior high were like that, becoming more mature in high school.

Although Nian Yan was only eighteen now, he possessed the wisdom of a twenty-eight-year-old. Meeting Xie Yao again, he was no longer the innocent, clueless boy he had once been. Mentally, he had gained calmness and composure through years of experience.

“Who says I’m still in junior high? If it weren’t for the family planning policy, I could already have a son old enough to run errands,” Nian Yan joked. Life shouldn’t be so rigid and dull.

“You’ve got a son old enough to run errands? Go ahead and keep boasting,” Xie Yao was amused by Nian Yan’s words, laughing heartily.

“I’m eighteen,” Nian Yan stated.

“You’re eighteen? You don’t look it. We’re the same age then,” Xie Yao said in surprise.

Due to poor nutrition, Nian Yan still looked young, only about 1.65 meters tall. He didn’t grow to 1.8 meters until after senior high when his family’s living conditions improved. His current appearance still carried a hint of youthfulness, making him seem like a junior high student, which frustrated him a bit.

After all, he had the soul of a twenty-eight-year-old, yet was mistaken for a middle schooler. Still, there was nothing he could do about his baby face. “It’s just that my face looks younger.”

“You’re young and you won’t even admit it,” Xie Yao giggled. She found Nian Yan quite interesting. The boys in her class were either overly shy and awkward around her or exuded a repulsive thuggishness.

After chatting for a while, Nian Yan became more at ease around Xie Yao, occasionally making witty remarks that made Xie Yao laugh joyfully.

Looking at Xie Yao’s radiant smile, Nian Yan recalled their past. Back when he graduated from senior high, they had been desk mates for a year. He had always thought they belonged to different worlds, never daring to hope for any connection. He had quietly admired Xie Yao, always ready to help her, never expecting her to remember him. Yet, after graduation, he unexpectedly received a gift from her—a photograph from when she was twelve, still a chubby little girl. Only a close friend would give such a photo.

After graduation, Nian Yan couldn’t forget Xie Yao, and they occasionally kept in touch.

This time, having been reborn, Nian Yan was determined not to miss his chance again.

Meeting once more, Nian Yan felt a bit dazed. In this life and the last, he and Xie Yao shared an inescapable destiny.

Xie Yao secretly stole glances at Nian Yan’s face. Although he wasn’t particularly handsome, he had an unassuming but inexplicably steady demeanor, likely due to his personality.

“I’m Nian Yan,” Nian Yan locked eyes with Xie Yao.

Xie Yao blushed slightly and averted her gaze.

“I’m Xie Yao,” she replied.

Nian Yan’s gaze shifted downward to Xie Yao’s lips, a soft pink, delicate and sensual. The Nian Yan of his high school days would never have dared to stare at Xie Yao like this. Back then, he had only dared to secretly admire her beautiful face from the corner.

“I should go now. My dad is waiting. I had a great time today. Remember, don’t remove the bandage until tomorrow,” Xie Yao reminded him, standing up.

Nian Yan moved his knee slightly—it still worked, just a minor injury.

“I’m fine now, I can walk. Thank you for today,” Nian Yan said. Although he wanted to talk more with Xie Yao, he calmly stepped aside. After all, he would soon attend the city’s prestigious school, giving him plenty of opportunities to spend time with her.

“Then I’ll go first.”

“Bye,” Nian Yan smiled, walking away toward the nearest pharmacy. In his heart, he felt a bit sad. After this brief encounter, they had to part ways again.

Xie Yao got into her hovercar and started the engine.

Nian Yan looked back. Xie Yao’s hovercar had already left. In his previous life, their encounter hadn’t been this smooth. Back then, he had barely been able to utter a word in front of Xie Yao. She had bandaged his wound and then left. But that casual encounter had left an indelible impression on him, making him remember her all these years.

Rebirth was wonderful. Everything could start anew. Thinking of the future, when everything he had might be taken by Cao Xu, Nian Yan felt a strong sense of urgency. He needed to become stronger to protect what was his.

Thinking of Cao Xu, Nian Yan’s heart gradually turned cold. It was a deep-seated hatred so intense that in his previous life, he had unhesitatingly put a bullet in the other man’s head.

What he could do now was to enter Faith as soon as possible and establish himself within it. Unlike other games, Faith was a second world for humanity, a game that changed the entire world. In Faith, Nian Yan could obtain everything he desired.

After buying some cold medicine at the pharmacy and taking it, his body immediately felt much better, and his fever subsided. The medicine in this era was quite effective.

Leaving the pharmacy, Nian Yan headed toward a nearby department store. He needed to buy a gaming headset.

The department store was filled with a dazzling array of goods—numerous electronic devices, mostly smart products, some of which Nian Yan couldn’t even name. The store operated with no staff, allowing customers to simply swipe their cards to obtain whatever they wanted.

After wandering around for a while, Nian Yan finally found the counter selling gaming headsets. Various colors and styles were displayed neatly on the walls, creating a dizzying array of choices. There were three models and thousands of designs.

The cheapest headset cost 1,300 credit points, while the most expensive one was priced at 1.2 million credit points.

The higher the price, the better the configuration. As they say, you get what you pay for. Currently, Nian Yan could only afford the lowest configuration model.

It was said that besides gaming headsets, there were also limited edition gaming pods available for order, costing as much as 60 million credit points.

For now, Nian Yan could only dream about those.

Nian Yan swiped his card at the payment terminal and picked up a light blue headset, completing the identity binding process. Once bound, only Nian Yan could use this headset.

Faith had only been open for seven days, and the highest level achieved was level five. He still had ample time to catch up.

A reborn individual should dominate all adversaries with overwhelming force—that was the aura he required. Standing at the pinnacle, gazing down upon all others beneath.