Sitting down in front of a clean table, Henry Walker finally took in the furnishings of the room. At the next table, a few men who looked like laborers were eating hotpot. Flames licked the bottom of the pot, the rich broth bubbled and jumped inside, boiling soup overflowed, sliding down the belly of the clay pot and dropping with a sizzle onto the fire, making the flames hiss. The men’s faces were flushed red, sweating profusely as they ate, raising their glasses and drinking heartily, shouting in unison, “Eat, eat!”

It seemed that in that very instant, Henry Walker felt a sense of warmth in this simple yet clean little tavern, a feeling as familiar as earth itself. He couldn’t help but take a deep breath, then ordered a bottle of cheap baijiu and a plate of boiled peanuts. With both food and drink, it felt as if he had everything he needed! He picked up the wine cup, tilted his head back, and downed it in one go, feeling a burning heat in his chest, tears welling up in his eyes, but his heart finally felt much more at ease.

He didn’t even know how he eventually left the tavern. In any case, Henry Walker felt that every pore in his body was relaxed and comfortable. Even though he had lost face, at least his son’s job was settled. Thinking of this, it all seemed worth it!

A fine, drizzling rain. Blurred street scenes. The sound of cars. Screams. A bicycle sent flying by a collision. A handbag overturned in the middle of the road. Blood splattering across the pavement. In that moment, his body suddenly felt much lighter, as if he were floating away...

Henry Walker’s head hurt terribly, almost to the point of bursting, and he simply couldn’t open his eyes. Maybe it was the repeated calls by his ear that moved him, or maybe it was the many unfulfilled wishes he still had—he didn’t want to die, and he couldn’t die. So, he struggled on the edge of death, wrestling with himself in a dream, and after the struggle, he came back to life!

“Secretary Walker, wake up, Secretary Walker...”

Secretary Walker—who was being called? With great effort, Henry Walker forced open his heavy eyelids and saw a blurry face leaning over him, calling out to him again and again.

“Secretary Walker... Secretary Walker...”

This woman didn’t seem to be his wife, so who was she? Why was she here, and why was she calling him Secretary Walker in such a pleading tone?

Hearing the words Secretary Walker, a wave of indescribable bitterness welled up in Henry Walker’s heart. Back then, people did call him that, but now, more than twenty years had passed, and everything had changed. Was she an old colleague from over twenty years ago?

The light before his eyes gradually brightened, and Henry Walker finally saw the woman’s face clearly. She wore a dress with a white cashmere coat over it. Though she had no makeup on, she still looked radiant. But at this moment, her elegant face was filled with panic and helplessness.

Why did this woman look so familiar? Staring at this seemingly familiar face, the weary and confused Henry Walker pondered deeply, and suddenly, his groggy mind cleared.

“Grace Dawson! Isn’t this Grace Dawson!” Thinking of this woman he had hated for so many years, Henry Walker didn’t know where the strength came from, but he suddenly lifted his head.

As the distance closed, Grace Dawson’s face became even clearer in Henry Walker’s eyes.

Grace Dawson in her twenties—how could that be? How could Grace Dawson be only in her twenties? Back then, she was about the same age as him, so now she should at least be...

Just as Henry Walker was full of doubts, the previously sobbing Grace Dawson was first startled, then broke into a smile through her tears: “Secretary Walker, you’re awake? Thank heavens, you finally woke up!”

Looking at the tear-streaked Grace Dawson, Henry Walker felt that everything before his eyes was so familiar. Memories from over twenty years ago were suddenly reawakened, magnified, and laid bare in every detail before him!

In his confusion, Henry Walker turned his head to look around, and was shocked to find that he was actually inside a car. And this car—Henry Walker couldn’t be more familiar with it!

It was the only jeep in Xihezi Township back then. The moment this thought flashed through Henry’s mind, Henry Walker felt as if he had been struck by lightning!

“Secretary Walker, as long as you’re okay, I was scared to death! I don’t know where that startled cow came from...” Seeing Henry Walker awake, Grace Dawson’s eyes filled with tears again as she began to complain, almost ingratiatingly, about the culprit that caused Henry Walker to crash into the tree.

The familiar car, the familiar people, and this familiar scene— the disaster from more than twenty years ago appeared in Henry Walker’s mind exactly as it had before.

Am I dreaming? How did I end up back in this car? The scene that happened in this car twenty years ago was the most painful moment of his life, one that had shattered his world. A heart-wrenching pain tightened around him like a rope, and more than twenty years of suffering surged up as if he were about to vomit...

Back to the past again. At this thought, Henry Walker couldn’t help but shiver all over. Looking out the car window at the desolate world, Henry Walker was stunned!

Just as Henry Walker was lost in thought, Grace Dawson suddenly cried out, “Secretary Walker, look, the police station’s car is here! As long as someone’s here, everything will be fine!”