Chapter 1 returns to 2006
The prices are quite affordable; for instance, the breakfast he just had, which included a basket of soup dumplings, a large bowl of plain rice porridge, and a bowl of beef bone soup, only cost a total of 3.5 yuan
Inserting the bank card into the ATM, Sun Quan skillfully pressed a few buttons, and the balance on the card was displayed.
Only those who have experienced the swift passage of time and the erosion of years, like him, truly understand what it means that "an inch of time is worth an inch of gold, yet an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time"
When he increasingly realized that writing online articles was a dead end, he could no longer turn back
This breakfast shop was his favorite place to visit during his university years, and he loved the beef bone soup here, which was both fresh and fragrant, leaving an endless aftertaste
What is the situation
Feeling a bit happy, suddenly rejuvenated by 13 years; compared to the losses in material and financial aspects, how precious these 13 years of time are!
But in the next moment, he suddenly frowned, looking a bit bewildered as he turned his head to survey the surroundings.
Youthful!
Such a small amount of money, if placed in 2019, would definitely not last long! If spent extravagantly, it could easily be exhausted in just a day or two
In front of the mirror, Sun Quan touched his belly, turned around to take his wallet and keys from the bedside table, casually grabbed his phone as well, and without changing his clothes, went out wearing his floral shorts, floral shirt, and slippers.
As an old saying goes: "To realize that today is different from yesterday, and to know that one has forgotten the distant path while being lost."
Money can be earned again, cars can be bought again, but time...
Sun Quan smiled as he rode his bike to that spot. After a young man in front of him withdrew some cash and left, he stepped forward, took out his wallet, pulled out his Agricultural Bank card, and inserted it into the ATM
... ...
Returning from 2019 to 2006, a span of 13 years
Riding a bicycle, he entered the campus of M University directly, where there was an ATM next to a campus convenience store
Rebirth? Time travel?
Not right
After struggling for over a decade, I finally wrote a work that could earn over 10,000 yuan a month. I saw hope for my life, but tragedy struck so suddenly. I had only experienced the feeling of earning over 10,000 yuan for a few months. Just like that, my book was banned. In today's fiercely competitive online literature environment, how difficult would it be to produce another work with such success? I have little confidence in my heart. Just like that, my book was banned. In today's fiercely competitive online literature environment, how difficult would it be to produce another work with such success? I have little confidence in my heart.
Being well-fed and well-watered diminishes the longing for home, which indeed holds true
Moreover, when his ongoing novel was banned by the website yesterday, he was also a poor individual, living in a rented house, driving a second-hand car, and having savings of only around 100,000. As for a girlfriend? He didn't even know if his future mother-in-law was born, so how could he have a girlfriend?
How did I end up here
Sun Quan furrowed his brows and calculated for a moment, then suddenly let out a laugh
Sun Quan groggily opened his eyes, his gaze slightly weary, as he had been working hard on a novel for over half a year, only to have it suddenly banned by the website, which was a significant blow to him
I want to confirm that it is currently the 2000s, which is not difficult. I casually picked up the black flip phone from the bedside table, a TCL flip phone that he bought with his manuscript fees during university.
However
He blinked his eyes and smiled again
The small studio he is currently renting is located near M University, in a private three-story building. The landlord's family occupies the three rooms on the ground floor, while the other seven or eight rooms of various sizes are all available for rent.
It is often said that "flowers may bloom again, but a person cannot return to their youth." However, he is now different; he has returned to his most glorious time, in 2006, when he was just 21, and everything was at its best!
Sun Quan rents the room at the far west end of the top floor. Aside from being somewhat hot in the summer, it has no other drawbacks, at least from his perspective
Parents are not yet old, housing prices have not skyrocketed, and there are still many single senior and junior students. Most importantly, he has gained 13 more years of experience, and there are countless opportunities to make money
The terrible mood he experienced last night before going to sleep clearly did not vanish after a night's rest; the weariness in his eyes at this moment is a result of his emotional distress
Although he has traveled back into his own body, he cannot remember how much money he currently has in his card
What year is it now, in the 2000s
Sun Quan sat up from the bed in a daze, looking around as if he were in a dream
1246.00 yuan
Therefore, if he spends this more than one thousand two hundred yuan sparingly, it will be completely sufficient for three to four months
He has lived in this small room for more than three years
He does have an impression of this room; it is the small studio he rented over a decade ago. However, the question is... why does everything seem so real?
Descending from the upper floor, riding a second-hand bicycle purchased during university, Sun Quan skillfully navigated his way out of this urban village. He stopped at a breakfast shop next to M University and ordered a steamer of soup dumplings, a large bowl of plain rice porridge, and a bowl of beef bone soup, enjoying the meal immensely
In a small rental room, on an old wooden table not far away, there sits a brand new black laptop. Next to the laptop is a can of cola, which contains some ash and cigarette butts; the ceiling is yellowed and peeling; ... on the bedside table lies a flip phone in black; beneath me, the bed ... ... is covered with a yellowed straw mat ... ...
Early morning
As long as he makes money, his life will be significantly different
As a web novelist with over a decade of experience, he is no stranger to the concepts of rebirth and time travel. He has written several novels in the genres of rebirth and time travel himself, but... he was very clear while writing that all of it was fictional; it was impossible for anyone to truly be reborn or to travel back in time.
Having eaten and drunk to his fill, as he was leaving, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction, and a contented smile radiated from his face
Before making money, one must first go out to fill their stomach
The phone cover flipped open, and the answer appeared—August 8, 2006, the year he had just graduated from university. From a numerical perspective, it indeed seems to be a very auspicious day
It does not feel like a dream at all
Fairly satisfied
Then I have lived here for more than three years, walking further and further down this irreversible path of online literature, never looking back.
Many people earn only a few hundred yuan per month, with amounts such as two to three hundred or three to five hundred yuan being quite common
A basket of soup dumplings costs 3 yuan, a bowl of white rice porridge is 0.5 yuan, and the beef bone soup is offered for free as a small tactic by the shop to attract customers
He has only a vague impression—seems like when he had just graduated, after renting a house and buying a laptop, the earnings he had accumulated during his university years were almost depleted
Indeed, it has become younger
He was more than willing to exchange those things for 13 years of his life
Where is this
But now ... he seems to have really traveled back in time
He raised his hand to scratch his face, pressed his lips together, blinked repeatedly, and wore a look of confusion
He remembers that after graduating from university, he could no longer stay in the school dormitory, so he came here to rent a small single room, writing online literature full-time. For the sake of tranquility, he specifically rented the top floor
But now it is the year 2006
Although he is thin, has a few pimples on his face, a somewhat outdated hairstyle, and is wearing a rather cheap T-shirt, do these things really matter? What is important is that he has transformed back into a youthful heartthrob!
With a smile, he got out of bed and walked to the washstand, looking at himself in the mirror
Having just returned from his journey, he first needed to ascertain how much money he had in his bank account. The cash in his wallet was not much, just around one hundred yuan. If the funds in his account were too low, he would have to quickly devise a way to earn money
However, since he left City M, more than ten years have passed, and he has never returned, thus he has not had the breakfast here or tasted the beef bone soup here. Now that he has come back, the first breakfast shop he chooses is this one