Roses and Sneakers

On New Year's Day, Zhou Xinyi put on a suit and bought a bouquet of his favorite bellflowers, ready to confess his feelings. Then he got into his beloved car to pick up his sweetheart after work...

"Bam!"

A tremendous impact slammed into the car, flipping it over. Zhou Xinyi was still clutching the white bellflowers, thinking how awful it was that they had gotten stained with blood.

The glaring lights hurt his eyes as the gurney sped down the hall toward the emergency room.

"In today's news, the president of Xinyu was found dead in his office this morning after suffering sudden cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful."

Zhou Xinyi thought the impact had left him hallucinating. Why was he hearing news about Ji Boyu? His eyelids grew heavier and heavier...

The heart monitor flatlined. The defibrillator started up, but even after a round of shocks, his heart would not beat again.

"Hey, why are you pretending to be dead? Wake up! I don't have any money to give you, so wake up already!" Zhou Xinyi's face stung from the slaps. He opened his eyes groggily and tried to shove away the rude person in front of him, but couldn't budge him. A miniature Ji Boyu stood there in a filthy school uniform and yellowed canvas shoes, staring at him anxiously.

"If you're awake, get up already. My mom's calling me to dinner. Remember to do my homework for me, or you'll be sorry!" The kid tossed aside the branch in his hand, clapped the dust from his palms, and left. A schoolbag lay beside him. There was an old alleyway, and his hands were tiny.

He had been reborn, back to when he had first met Ji Boyu.

He had a chance to start his life over, but this rebirth wasn't quite what he had imagined. There was no golden finger or cheat ability. Changing even one small detail could send his life down a different path.

"What are those nobodies to me? My Xinyi is one of a kind, do you hear me, Zhou Xinyi?" A man's anguished roar echoed through his dream.

He had finally gotten to be with Ji Boyu, and yet Zhou Xinyi kept having this dream over and over...

An assertive, highly capable top: Ji Boyu

An art student who likes cross-dressing, the bottom: Zhou Xinyi

This is not rebirth in the literal sense. This is not rebirth in the literal sense. This is not rebirth in the literal sense. (Three times for emphasis. Thanks for reading.)

Please don't relate this to real life. Live well.

Theme: Love life and keep striving every day.