At 10:40 PM, after returning home, Bian Xuedao didn't feel like reading any books or doing any exercises. He turned on the light, lay down, and soon fell asleep.
When his mother came in to bring him milk, she saw Bian Xuedao sleeping and gently turned off the light.
3:00 AM.
Moonlight filtered through the glass, casting a cool glow across the room.
Bian Xuedao woke up.
He actually wished that when he woke up, he would see his home from 2014. But what greeted him was a poster of Yang Caini with long hair on the wall. Under the white moonlight, the poster gave him a fright.
Just moments ago, Bian Xuedao had a dream.
Yes, in his dream, he had another dream.
Ridiculous, right?
It gets even more absurd.
In the dream just now, Bian Xuedao dreamt of himself from 2014. In the dream, he became someone else and, as an observer, attended the funeral of the Bian Xuedao from 2014.
During the funeral, while he was trying to examine the face of the person lying in the coffin, the Bian Xuedao in the coffin suddenly smiled at him.
He was frightened awake.
After waking up, Bian Xuedao felt very confused. He could barely distinguish which layer of the dream he was in.
However, this dream served as a reminder to him: life is fragile, and death is like a candle being extinguished. If there's an opportunity to live an exciting life, don't miss it.
Whether it's a dream or a multi-dimensional space, it doesn't matter. The most important thing is to live in the present, even if it's a fantasy, and make something of it.
He turned on the light and stared blankly at the calendar on the wall, beginning to sort out his thoughts.
He realized that he had missed many important pieces of information.
For example, the winning numbers for the 2014 August 12th double-color ball were 1, 7, 8, 11, 21, 31, 1. Normally, Bian Xuedao wouldn't remember such numbers, but this combination was so distinctive and regular that he couldn't forget it.
For example, he knew the complete route map for the subway lines 1 and 2 in Song City, and the plans for lines 3, 4, and 5.
For example, he had reviewed detailed gold price charts from 2003 to 2013 during his editorial work.
For example, he knew that China's real estate prices started to rise around 2003, and he knew about the price trends in Song City, the provincial capital of Spring City, 160 kilometers away from his hometown. 2006 was the first peak in prices, and 2009 was the second peak.
For example, he knew that from 2005 to 2007, the stock market was in a bullish phase.
For example, he knew Liu Xiang would win the gold medal, Mo Yan would win the Nobel Prize in Literature; he knew what the torch for the Beijing Olympics looked like, as well as the design of the China Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo. He knew the champions of several World Cups and European Cups, and that Guangzhou Evergrande bought several foreign players to dominate the Chinese Super League.
For example, he knew the composition of Song City's municipal leadership teams over the years and the political and economic trends...
After recording some key pieces of information in his notebook, the sky began to lighten.
In the spring city of 2001, there was no hint of smog in the air. The sky outside was clear and blue, and early birds chirped as they flew about searching for food.
Bian's father had just gone to the morning market to buy fresh fruit, and his mother was making breakfast for him in the kitchen.
Looking at his busy parents, Bian Xuedao increasingly felt that he must achieve a score in the college entrance exam that his parents could accept, so they wouldn't be disappointed and embarrassed in front of relatives and friends.
Bian Xuedao also clearly knew that, although a degree was becoming less valuable over time, it was still indispensable.
To live an exciting life and make his parents proud, the first step was to pass the college entrance exam and get on the list.
After breakfast, Bian Xuedao realized he didn't know the time for the early self-study session. He left home early.
When he arrived at school, the playground was mostly empty, with a few people jogging or stretching, and a couple of boys practicing shooting at the goal.
Seeing people playing football, Bian Xuedao felt a little itch to join, but now the priority was reviewing, and every minute was precious. He had to suppress the urge to play and walked into the teaching building.
When he entered the classroom, three students were already sitting at their desks, two girls and one boy—none other than Zhou Hang.
Looking at the class schedule posted on the wall, Bian Xuedao realized he had arrived over an hour early.
Sitting at his seat, Bian Xuedao looked at Zhou Hang's back and recalled some details: Zhou Hang's family was from a town near Spring City. He had been boarding at the school for three years, and their relationship in high school had been average.
With a little over a month left until the college entrance exam, Bian Xuedao's family didn't want him to worry about money, so they gave him 100 yuan—an unusual amount.
After sitting for a while, Bian Xuedao took out a few English multiple-choice questions and walked over to Zhou Hang.
"Hey, Zhou Hang, can you help me look over these English multiple-choice questions?"
Bian Xuedao's purpose in asking for help was to get closer to Zhou Hang before the exam seating arrangements were made.
Though time was tight, it was not impossible.
After all, Zhou Hang didn't know that in more than 40 days, Bian Xuedao had something very important to discuss with him. Right now, they had no connection of mutual benefit.
The morning time was precious, and asking a few simple English questions was the most ideal.
Bian Xuedao didn't want to ask complicated math problems, because he wasn't sure if Zhou Hang was the type of person willing to help. What if he wasn't? The first attempt at asking for help would be a failure, and then how could he approach him next time?
The result was that the first time he asked for help, everything went smoothly—Zhou Hang was very approachable.
Before the self-study session started, Bian Xuedao went to Zhou Hang again to ask two geography questions.
The nature of his editorial work gave Bian Xuedao an extraordinary ability to focus. With his years of political vision and understanding as an adult, when he studied politics and history now, it felt effortless.
The whole day was spent in studying, understanding, and memorizing.
Whenever he felt tired, he would quietly observe Zhou Hang, trying to figure out his personality and preferences, and study his social circle.
Aside from the couple of questions he asked before the early self-study session, Bian Xuedao didn't approach Zhou Hang again that day. He didn't want to appear too obvious. His intuition told him that Zhou Hang was a rather sensitive person.
During the evening self-study session, while his mind wandered, Bian Xuedao suddenly thought of a question: What if someone sees the important information written in his notebook? What if it caused trouble?
Fully immersed in the dream and thoroughly taking on his past self's mindset, Bian Xuedao became nervous.
No, he couldn't leave it exposed like this. He needed to be discreet, to make sure others couldn't understand it.
So, that night, Bian Xuedao didn't do anything else but put all his energy into creating a code that only he could understand—a system combining Arabic numerals, English, pinyin, the Heavenly Stems, incremental and decremental orders, reverse writing, and colors.
By dawn, after successfully embedding the winning lottery numbers from 13 years later into a strange combination of symbols, Bian Xuedao pressed a black leather notebook to the bottom of his bookshelf.
The next morning.
Bian Xuedao went early again. He sat in the classroom for more than ten minutes before Zhou Hang walked in.
Bian Xuedao greeted him politely, and half an hour later, he brought over a few English questions he was a bit confused about to ask Zhou Hang.
Bian Xuedao could clearly feel that Zhou Hang's attitude toward explaining the questions was much more natural today.
During the afternoon break, Bian Xuedao asked Zhou Hang a few more questions while reflecting on his attitude and personality.
There was no way around it. During high school, Bian Xuedao had little interaction with Zhou Hang, and he didn't really know him. Moreover, there was a gap of over 10 years in between.
Spring City First Senior High didn't have a cafeteria. Students either went home to eat, brought lunch, or ate at the nearby snack street.
The senior year students had enough time for lunch, but dinner time was much tighter. There was enough time to eat, but barely enough time to get back home.
Zhou Hang, being a boarder, surely had a long-term eating contract with some nearby small restaurant.
After class, Bian Xuedao followed Zhou Hang out of the classroom, trying to keep a distance while fearing to lose track of him. He felt like he was chasing a girl, but it was far more exhausting.
The restaurant where Zhou Hang ate wasn't fancy. There was a fan that barely worked, and a TV hanging from the ceiling was playing Slam Dunk on VCD. A few students sat at a table, eating while watching and occasionally making comments.
Bian Xuedao casually picked a couple of dishes and squeezed into the table next to Zhou Hang.
His simple idea was to increase his visibility in front of Zhou Hang and make himself familiar.
Not long after, a few other boys from the class came in and greeted both Bian Xuedao and Zhou Hang, sitting down at a table.
The focus of this table was Peng Hong, who ranked towards the bottom of the class academically. His mother was a doctor, and his father was a powerful official in the land bureau. His family was quite wealthy.
Bian Xuedao had seen Peng Hong twice after he started working—once when he drove an Audi and another time in a Range Rover. He heard that after failing the college entrance exam, Peng Hong served in the military for a few years. After retiring, his father used connections to get him a position in Song City's land bureau.
With only about 40 days left until the college entrance exam, other students were either cramming or feeling anxious and unable to concentrate, but for Peng Hong, this was a "wonderful" time.
As the exam drew closer, many students began to experience a strange sense of release. Girls who were once strict started visiting internet cafés, karaoke bars, and nightclubs to relieve pressure.
At the break when Bian Xuedao went to the restroom, he overheard some boys gossiping about a girl in their class who was pretty and did well in her studies. Recently, she had been "opened" by Peng Hong at a motel near a nightclub.
In the small restaurant.
Peng Hong ate while watching TV, shouting loudly once, "Boss, change the disc."
When Zhou Hang went to refill his rice, Peng Hong cheerfully asked Bian Xuedao, "Bian Xuedao, are you anxious about college? I heard you've been asking Zhou Hang questions lately. Your grades are fine, at least good enough for a university. If I finish my exams, I'll be so happy, my old man might even fix me up."
Bian Xuedao was puzzled. How had Peng Hong already noticed him after just two days?
When Zhou Hang returned, Peng Hong chatted with a couple of friends, saying, "We can't choose our seats for the exam. It's so bad! If I could sit next to Zhou Hang or other good students, that would be great. It'd save me from getting scolded when I get home."
One of the boys, a big, fat guy named Du Gao, finished his last bite of food and said, "What are you thinking? You can't pick your seat. Even in the same class, it's rare to sit near each other."
Bian Xuedao understood.
Although Peng Hong seemed careless and indifferent to the exams, he actually wanted to go to university.
After all, there were better girls in college.
He had probably fantasized about sitting next to someone like Zhou Hang during the exam, riding on their coattails.
No wonder he had been paying attention to Bian Xuedao.
Basically, most of the good students in high school were a bit more mature, and Zhou Hang calmly listened to Peng Hong's conversation as if it had nothing to do with him.
Of course, there was also a chance that everyone knew the odds of sitting together in the same exam hall were so low that it could practically be ignored.
After eating, Peng Hong asked the boss for five cans of cola. The five of them each took one can and headed back to school.