Chapter 1, The Origin

The key must lie within this dragon-patterned jade! Jiang Cen immediately felt an infinite hope arise in his heart, and his expression was as different as night and day from before

Then, he was killed by that person in the "dream," but the real him suddenly woke up. After waking up, he found that he had returned to the day of November 7, and everything started over again

This time, Jiang Cen inadvertently found himself on an ancient-style street. The shops here sell antiques and ceramics, and the people coming and going are mostly elderly individuals, making young people like Jiang Cen a rare sight.

This is it

Every time he wakes up, he engages in different activities and goes to different places. He only hopes for a one in a billion chance to make a change, allowing him to wake up and no longer be at the starting point

Belongs to my future

Whenever and wherever he falls asleep, he experiences a terrifying nightmare each time. In the dream, he finds himself transported to a new world, where he is being hunted. The person who catches him holds a blueprint and forces him to hand over a treasure. That treasure is a piece of jade pendant he has never seen before, and of course, he cannot give it up

Some elderly individuals believe that he is feeling guilty, and as a result, they scold him even louder, while other nearby elderly people join in, pointing and commenting.

How much is it? It's not some special antique, it shouldn't be too expensive! Jiang Cen asked as calmly as possible. In fact, he had already made up his mind that no matter the cost, he would obtain this dragon-patterned jade.

It is again November 7, 2016! Jiang Cen was extremely frustrated. He angrily wanted to throw his phone, but realizing that it would be meaningless, he slowly lowered his raised hand

What on earth is going on! Jiang Cen shouted in a low voice, feeling utterly helpless at that moment

He probably does not even dare to believe himself that, after numerous failures and returning to square one, he still maintains a glimmer of hope and still wishes to struggle and escape from the whirlpool of fate

The young man truly has an eye for quality! The shopkeeper, upon noticing Jiang Cen's gaze, immediately recognized that a business opportunity had arisen. He thoughtfully took out a piece of dragon-patterned jade from the display case and said: This is an ancient piece of jade; although the quality of the jade is average, the craftsmanship is exquisite, and it has considerable age.

Jiang Cen opened the thermos box and saw a note that confirmed his "guess" word for word, and a tiny glimmer of hope in his heart simultaneously turned into a bubble. He did not touch his breakfast, walked straight out the door, even deliberately forgetting to lock it. After all, even if everything in the house were stolen, as long as he took a nap, everything would return to the starting point

I do not want to be forever trapped at the starting point

The despair of repeatedly seeing no way out grew increasingly intense, nearly driving him to the brink of collapse

Jiang Cen had been continuously searching online for clues related to the dragon-patterned jade, yet he could not find any useful information. Unexpectedly, at that moment, a jade pendant that was exactly the same as the one in his dreams appeared before his eyes

The elderly wake up early and enjoy taking a stroll after their morning exercises. The shops on this street primarily engage in morning market business, so early in the morning, the street is quite lively.

Time and again, he was pursued in nightmares, with his pursuers demanding treasures from him while holding a blueprint. The blueprint depicted a piece of dragon-patterned jade like this one

A different future

He encountered a strange matter, a matter that would make others think he is insane if he were to speak of it

Ah! Seventeen-year-old high school student Jiang Cen woke up from a nightmare and immediately grabbed the phone beside his pillow to check the time

Jiang Cen knew the contents of the breakfast without opening the thermos box, and he also knew that there was a note inside the box. He even knew that the note contained his mother's persistent reminder for him to finish the fresh milk.

I do not want to see hopelessness

Jiang Cen wandered aimlessly on the street. He did not go to school, as attending or not attending school would not change the outcome; whether he worked hard or wasted time, he would still return to the starting point

This shop sells antiques. The shopkeeper was momentarily taken aback upon seeing the young man, then cheerfully asked, "Young man, what are you planning to buy? Our store is newly opened today, and the first transaction comes with a 50% discount."

At first, Jiang Cen thought this was not bad, because no matter how great the trouble he caused, as long as he woke up from a sleep, everything would return to the starting point

Indeed, there truly exists such a piece of dragon-patterned jade in the world

His parents have already gone to work, and the breakfast prepared for him is in the thermal container on the table. Although it is not expensive, it is quite abundant

Jiang Cen also tried to stay awake. He exhausted various methods to keep himself from falling asleep, managing to last a week at most. However, as soon as he let his guard down even slightly, he would still have the same dream. Upon waking, everything returned to square one, starting all over again

He once publicly kissed Lin Lu, the class beauty he had secretly admired for a long time. ... The outcome was certainly not good, but as long as he took a nap, he would return to the starting point upon waking up ... . ... No one else knew what had happened before except for him

I took a wrong turn!" Jiang Cen responded in a low voice, turning to leave. Suddenly, he caught sight of a familiar object among a pile of mahogany furniture, scrap metal, and peculiar jade stones

Those who have no hope for the future seem to have lost their soul, as can be seen from their gaze. Such individuals are often categorized as "idle people." The pedestrians on the street hurry by, yet they all avoid Jiang Cen as if he were a plague.

A person's strength may only be truly manifested when faced with dire circumstances

Dragon-patterned jade

If it were the usual Jiang Cen, he would most likely avoid and apologize, but at this moment, he only felt annoyed. To escape the scolding of those elderly people, he quickened his pace and unknowingly turned into a secluded shop.

If this continues, he will soon start to believe that he is going insane

Despair was consuming Jiang Cen's spirit, yet it was also tempering his will

I want the future

His eyes sparkled with a different light as he fixed his gaze intently on this object. This was certainly the first time he had seen it, yet it felt as if he had encountered it hundreds of times before

Jiang Cen was shouting in his heart, and the occasional glimmer in his eyes proved that he had not completely given up yet

Jiang Cen haphazardly threw on a few pieces of clothing and stumbled out of the room in a daze. He had lost count of how many times he had returned to the starting point, perhaps it was over eighty times, or maybe more than a hundred.

I want to change

The torment of repeatedly returning to the starting point left Jiang Cen in a daze, as if he had lost his senses. While walking, he would occasionally bump into some elderly people, who would scold him for "not watching where he was going and lacking proper upbringing," but he could not be bothered to pay them any mind

Jiang Cen attempted to sleep at a classmate's house, yet he continued to have the same dream. Moreover, upon waking, he still found himself in his own room, and the time had reverted to the origin of November 7.

He found himself trapped in a vortex of dreams and time, unable to escape. He had shared his experiences with his best classmates, friends, and even his parents, yet no one believed that his mind was functioning normally. His mother, who would haggle over the price of a scallion, was willing to spend a hefty sum to hire a psychologist for him