A pagoda, a lake, and a row of lush, verdant weeping willows. The ancient-style pagoda is reflected in the tranquil, jade-green waters, while the wind brushes the willows along the shore, scattering catkins all over the ground. The undulating terrain around the lake merges with the shoreline to form smooth, flowing lines, outlining Yan Lake like a piece of gentle, polished jade.

The pagoda is called Gaoyang, and the lake is Yan Lake. Yan Lake to Jinghua University is like the charm of the Han and Tang dynasties to the vast land of China. Beyond its own inherent beauty and allure, it has become a cultural symbol—the very soul of Jinghua University's campus.

At this moment, Yan Lake is very quiet. The wind leaves no trace, yet ripples shimmer across the water's surface. Nathaniel Johnson stands quietly at the shore, gazing at the calm lake, slowly soothing the wild turmoil in his heart.

Fate truly is so strange—he had actually been reborn like this. From losing consciousness in Courtroom C101 of the Haidu City Intermediate Court, to waking up again at the graduation ceremony for the Class of '92 of the Guanghua School of Management at Jinghua University, the transition and overlap between past and present lives seemed to happen in an instant.

……

……

A long time passes. When the afterglow of the setting sun spills over Yan Lake, Nathaniel Johnson turns back resolutely and walks the way he came. Without any hesitation or confusion, having driven away endless resentment and sorrow, his steps are firm and steady.

What is there to hesitate about? Since heaven has granted him another chance at life, what is he waiting for? What was lost in his previous life will not be lost again in this one; what he never had before, he will cherish all the more; what was glorious before, will be even more glorious now. Starting over, he will do better than his former self. Of this, he has no doubt.

Completely relaxed in body and mind, he leaves all the gloom behind him. At this moment, under the clear sky of late June 1996, the renewed confidence and strength make Nathaniel Johnson's still somewhat youthful face shine with a captivating radiance. If any of his classmates from the Class of '92 in the Applied Economics Department of the Guanghua School of Management were to pass by now, they would surely notice that the usually unremarkable Nathaniel Johnson is now exuding a star-like brilliance from head to toe.

Who could know that within this seemingly immature and inconspicuous shell is wrapped a dazzling, genius-like, mature soul that has weathered countless storms?

A group of beautiful, lively girls walk by, their laughter and chatter filling the slightly damp air by the lake. Jinghua University is famous for its beautiful women—perhaps it is the influence of over a century of cultural heritage, but even the most ordinary-looking girls, after living here for a few years, seem to radiate an alluring, intellectual charm.

This group of girls must also be recent graduates from the Guanghua School of Management or other departments; the excited flush on their faces gives it away. No one notices Nathaniel Johnson quietly passing by at the roadside. On the Jinghua University campus, there is no shortage of well-dressed, handsome young men; ordinary-looking, plainly dressed guys like Nathaniel Johnson are everywhere, and they simply do not attract the attention of these proud beauties.

But Nathaniel Johnson immediately spots, among this group of girls, a delicate and beautiful face that is both unforgettable and yet strangely unfamiliar to him.

The rays of the setting sun filter through the mottled gaps in the trees, gently falling on the girl's fair, exquisite face. She tilts her head slightly, blooming with a brilliant smile, her small lips brimming with contentment and joy, curving into a beautiful arc. Her beige, finely crafted dress glimmers with flecks of gold, and her fair face at this moment is as pure and beautiful as an angel's. This unparalleled beauty makes her stand out among the group like a crane among chickens.

Laura Reed! It's Laura Reed!

Nathaniel Johnson's heart, which had just calmed down, suddenly trembles, thrown into chaos by the appearance of Laura Reed. He silently lowers his head; facing the Snow White he secretly loved for four years in his previous life but never dared to confess to, even after living two lifetimes and seeing all the vicissitudes of the world, his heart is once again stirred.

Laura Reed and the group of girls laugh and run toward Yan Lake, brushing past Nathaniel Johnson. From beginning to end, she does not glance at Nathaniel Johnson even once. This encounter is just like the countless accidental or inevitable meetings in Nathaniel Johnson's previous life.

In the heart of this princess from a wealthy Hong Kong family, there is simply no place for an ordinary, unremarkable, and low-key guy like Nathaniel Johnson. Although Nathaniel Johnson's family background is decent—his father is the deputy director of the Haidu City Public Security Bureau, and his mother is a Chinese teacher at Haidu No. 1 High School—in the Jinghua University campus, where the children of the powerful and privileged are as common as dirt, his background is nothing to boast about.

Moreover, during his university years, Nathaniel Johnson was always a low-key and quiet person.

She probably doesn't even know his name. Nathaniel Johnson smiles self-mockingly and continues walking forward.