If the deaths of the three of them were just an illusion, then why did the scenes in the illusion match reality exactly? The conversation Evelyn Carter had before helping the old man cross the street, the truck barreling through—except for the final outcome being different, everything else was exactly the same. Was that also an illusion? But if it wasn’t a delusional hallucination, then how could he explain suddenly returning to an earlier point in time?

It simply made no sense!

Could there really be such supernatural things in this world?

Alan Cooper silently chanted in his heart: Go back! Rewind! Return! Back! BACK!

He tried several times but got nothing. He smiled helplessly—of course, how could superpowers possibly exist?

Chapter 2: [Can I Go Back Sixty Seconds?]

The capital, Beijing.

Eastern District, North Entrance of Heping Street.

Yesterday’s brush with death had left a deep impression on Alan Cooper. If time hadn’t miraculously reversed, he would never have seen his mom or Aunt Xuan again. For the first time, he truly felt how good it was to be alive. After a night of restless thoughts, Alan Cooper didn’t fall asleep until dawn, so when he crawled out from under his towel blanket in the morning, it was already past ten. He rolled off the creaky old spring sofa, rubbed his eyes, and went to the bathroom to wash up. After wiping his face, he yawned and casually called out to the tightly closed bedroom door, “Mom, are you awake?”

His mother Sophie Grant’s choked voice quickly sounded from inside the room, “I’ve been up for a while, tidying up the house. Do you want some breakfast?”

“I’ll just wait for lunch.” Alan Cooper sensed something off in his mother’s tone. He quickly walked over and pushed the door open, only to see his mom sitting on the snow-white bedsheet, anxiously wiping tears from her face with the back of her hand. When she saw him come in, she turned her head away, sniffled, and hurriedly forced a smile as she stuffed a few black-and-white old photos into her wallet. These were photos from when his parents got married, taken more than twenty years ago.

A dull ache rose in Alan Cooper’s heart. He sat down next to his mom. “Thinking about Dad?”

“No, not really.” His mom carefully put away the wallet and wiped her eyes. “I just came across them and took a look.”

He had seen this scene countless times over the years. His mother was gentle and soft-hearted; whenever she thought of sad things, she often cried alone. Alan Cooper felt bad. “Mom, it’s all because your son is useless. I’m no good at studying, have no abilities, and I’m not even sure I can pass the civil service exam. At best, I work part-time at the Panjiayuan antique market during winter and summer breaks. I… I… sigh, back when Dad was in the hospital a few years ago, if I’d earned money earlier and gotten him the best treatment, maybe he wouldn’t have passed away.”

His mom touched his leg. “Don’t say that. My son is the most capable. You’re destined to be an official one day.”

Alan Cooper moved his lips but couldn’t say anything.

His mom smiled and patted his hand. “Don’t think too much. I’ll make you something good for lunch.”

A small plate of stir-fried garlic sprouts with shredded pork, a bowl of stewed cabbage, and half a pot of rice porridge—this was considered a pretty good meal in Alan Cooper’s home. Usually, when he was home alone, he wouldn’t eat like this. He’d just steam a pot of rice and stir-fry some greens to get by for both lunch and dinner. It wasn’t that Alan Cooper was frugal, but that the family simply didn’t have much money. Every penny had to be stretched.

He, Alan Cooper, was 23 years old this year, a college graduate.

Average looks, average height, average personality, average ability.

Family savings: definitely not more than five digits.

The year his dad was hospitalized, all the family’s savings were spent. In the end, they even sold their house. The current one-bedroom apartment was rented later. After his dad passed away, his mom lost her job because she took too much time off to grieve. With the high cost of living in Beijing, she gritted her teeth and returned to their rural hometown, found a job as a Chinese teacher at a local middle school through connections, and worked to support his college education. She only came to Beijing to stay with him for a month or two during winter and summer breaks.

Rent, utilities, living expenses, daily costs—relying on his mother’s meager salary alone was obviously not enough. So during holidays or weekends, Alan Cooper often worked as a cashier at a supermarket or did odd jobs at the antique market. Except for tuition, he could barely cover the other expenses himself. By scrimping and saving, he almost never had to ask his mom for money each month—it was all on him.

Life was tough, but he’d managed to stumble through four years.

After lunch, his mom tidied up the dishes while watching the black-and-white old movie “Tunnel Warfare” on TV. He went back to his bedroom, lay on the rickety wooden bed, and stared at the peeling ceiling in a daze. No matter how he thought about it, universities in Beijing basically didn’t assign jobs anymore, and he’d already gotten his diploma from United University. If he couldn’t pass the civil service exam and become an official, what would he do in the future?

Sigh, if only he really had some kind of superpower.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times he tried yesterday, he couldn’t succeed again.

Try again?

The door creaked open. His mom poked her head in and said gently, “You read your books for a bit. I’m going upstairs to visit Aunt Xu. I heard her son is also taking the civil service exam this year, and at the same test site as you. I’ll see if he can help tutor you a bit—Xiao Dong is a great student.”

Alan Cooper felt a bit choked up and replied hoarsely, “Okay.”

“I’ll be back soon.” Thud—the door closed.