On a midsummer day filled with the incessant chirping of cicadas, Chen Yan opened his eyes and found himself back in the senior year of high school that had changed his life.
This time, he was no longer a struggling student drifting through life. He was a traveler returning with a heart full of regrets. This year, Shen Qinghe had not yet been bent beneath the weight of life, and her smile still held starlight in her eyes. Uncle Wang from the print shop was still reminding everyone that “business starts with being a decent person,” and Chen Yan’s childhood friend Li Hao had not yet gone astray.
There was no System to give him a boost, no sudden windfall. He had only a notebook of mistakes, a 70-30 partnership agreement, and a heart determined to make up for the past.
He helped her scrape together the money for her mother’s medical bills, and she designed a fresh new sign for his print shop. He stayed by her side through the long nights of preparing for the college entrance exams, and she accompanied him as he grew from a little street-corner shop into a nationwide chain.
From 2006 to 2020, from exam-mistake study packages to cultural and creative products inspired by intangible heritage, from falling in love beneath an old camphor tree to growing old together, this is a story of youth, redemption, and two hearts choosing each other. It turns out the best way to be reborn is to turn your regrets into a happy ending with the one you love.
My new work is out! Come read it on Tomato Novel.
