……

The next morning, Nathaniel Johnson had already made up his mind.

You have to eat your meal one bite at a time, and walk your path one step at a time. In his previous life, he was someone who planned before acting, always methodical—this was the key to his past success. In this life, it was the same; it would be the crucial factor in his rise to glory once again. After a night of contemplation, he now had a preliminary, clear, and comprehensive plan for his new life after rebirth.

If this unremarkable body housed a soul as brilliant as a genius, then beneath Nathaniel Johnson’s plain exterior was hidden a heart of unwavering persistence, determination, and profound depth.

To change himself, to change his father, to change his family’s fate—no matter how difficult, he would persevere, step by step, until the end… The trajectory of his life had already quietly reversed. All of this unfolded with the fall and rebirth of a genius, opening a new chapter in life.

Nathaniel Johnson knew what he should do, what he shouldn’t do, when he should act, and when he shouldn’t—this was his greatest advantage as someone reborn. The information advantage of rebirth, combined with the business acumen honed over more than a decade in the commercial world, had, after a baptism by fire, condensed into a powerful driving force.

He spent most of the first half of the night thinking and sorting through the countless threads of his life plan, only falling asleep in the latter half. When he woke up in the morning, his parents had already left for work. His mother, Paige Walker, had prepared breakfast: two boiled eggs, two slices of fried steamed bread, and a bowl of soy milk, all set out for him on the dining table. On the table was also a note left by Paige Walker:

“Nannan, Mom has gone to work. I have to tutor the graduating class during the holidays. Breakfast is ready. After you eat, you can rest at home or go out and find some classmates to hang out with.”

Nathaniel Johnson smiled slightly, sat down slowly to eat, and glanced up at the calendar on the wall: June 24, 1996, Monday.

Hang out… There really isn’t any time left. Nathaniel Johnson gave a wry smile, hurriedly finished his breakfast, changed clothes, and headed out. A white crew-neck short-sleeved T-shirt, sky-blue loose jeans, and a pair of canvas sneakers—just the fresh and trendy outfit popular among young men and women at the time.

After going downstairs, he opened the storage room and wheeled out his old bicycle. He quickly wiped the dust off the seat and handlebars with a rag, then got ready to set off. Just as he looked up, he saw a young woman standing in front of him, smiling brightly. She wore a beige dress, had long, jet-black hair draped over her shoulders, a slender figure, and delicate features.

“Nathaniel Johnson!”

“Lillian Lewis!”

The two greeted each other almost in unison, then couldn’t help but both laugh.

Standing before him was the daughter of the family across the hall, the cherished daughter of Quinn Lewis, a standing member of the Haidu City Party Committee and its Secretary-General—Lillian Lewis. Lillian Lewis walked over lightly and grabbed Nathaniel Johnson’s bike handle. “Nathaniel Johnson, I heard from my dad last night that you were back. I came to find you this morning, but Aunt Walker said you were still sleeping… so I’ve been waiting for you downstairs.”

“You waited for me—do you need something?” Nathaniel Johnson knew he probably shouldn’t have said that, but he said it anyway.

Lillian Lewis pursed her lips and said softly, “No, I just wanted to hang out with you. Do you have time? Let’s go see how our old classmates are doing? I heard most of them have graduated…”

A trace of tenderness and passion flashed in Lillian Lewis’s clear eyes. Four years apart at university hadn’t erased the feelings in her heart. The faint years of youth, the hazy first love of a young girl—not only had they not faded with time, but had instead grown suddenly stronger as she matured.

Nathaniel Johnson felt a bit awkward. If he were still the Nathaniel Johnson of those days, he might not have cared about Lillian Lewis’s secret affection and enthusiasm, but now he was no longer that naive young man just out of college. What he once understood, he still understood; what he didn’t, he now did… Even if he didn’t know that Quinn Lewis was about to commit a crime, with the experiences of his previous life, Nathaniel Johnson would never easily accept a new relationship.

Besides, with trouble about to befall the Lu family, all Nathaniel Johnson felt for Lillian Lewis was deep regret and pity. Although Quinn Lewis was beyond redemption, Lillian Lewis was a pure and innocent girl. In his memories of his previous life, it seemed… it seemed that after Quinn Lewis’s crime and sentencing, Lillian Lewis and her mother quietly left Haidu and returned to their hometown in the countryside. From then on, Nathaniel Johnson lost contact with them, and they never met again in the vast sea of people.

Since it was so in the previous life, it would be the same in this one. For Lillian Lewis, perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. Everyone’s fate is different. Her father’s arrest and the family’s downfall were a great misfortune for Lillian Lewis, but in his previous life… the brilliant business empire he had painstakingly built was reduced to ashes in an instant—wasn’t that also a kind of misfortune? Who would pity him?

At this thought, the last bit of tenderness and pity in Nathaniel Johnson’s heart was swept away, leaving him hardened and cold. He smiled faintly, “Lillian Lewis, I have something to do and need to go out. So…”

Lillian Lewis sighed softly in her heart, slowly stepped aside, and silently watched as Nathaniel Johnson rode away on his bicycle. Her eyes reddened, and she was on the verge of tears.