Aravind Roy has perfected the art of being alive without living. At 24, he is a prodigy mechanical engineer in 2028 Delhi, earning an elite salary and solving impossible technical problems, all while nursing a soul shattered by early heartbreak and class resentment. He has optimized his life into a joyless routine of efficiency and isolation.
But just as he achieves the pinnacle of his career, his optimized body fails him. He dies alone in his perfect apartment.
When he opens his eyes, it is 2012. He is eight years old. He is in Beijing. He is Rohan Long, the coddled, sole heir to a clandestine dynasty with wealth that makes his previous life's "rich people" look like paupers.
Trapped in the body of a child, surrounded by servants, bodyguards, and ancient family secrets, Aravind must navigate a treacherous world of high-stakes Chinese societal maneuvering. He retains every memory, every mathematical formula, and every bitter cynical lesson from his past life.
Xu Long is an 8-year-old who knows how to rebuild a hydrogen engine and despises consumerism, now living in the ultimate lap of luxury. He must decide: will he use this second chance to heal the wounds of his past, or will he use the Dragon family's immense resources to become the coldest, most efficient machine the world has ever seen?