Megan Lincoln reached out to feel his forehead. It seemed he didn’t have a fever. She carefully looked her son over a few more times before finally saying, “Hurry up and wash up. After breakfast, we’re going to wish the old man a happy birthday!”

“Alright…”

William Lawson nodded absentmindedly, then closed the door and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

He felt like his head was about to split open.

Back in 2011, when he was still single, William Lawson would sometimes go online to read novels out of boredom. Almost every novel he read was about reincarnation. William Lawson would usually grin foolishly as he read, thinking that today’s writers really lacked imagination. If it wasn’t reincarnation, it was superpowers—no one could come up with anything else!

Reincarnation!

Heh, as if something that good could ever happen.

If reincarnation really existed in this world, he, William Lawson, wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state. Born into such a prominent family, yet ending up worse off than a beggar. In his forties, still single.

But now, it seemed he really had been reincarnated.

Unless this was all just a dream.

William Lawson raised his arm and looked at it. On his smooth, elastic skin, there were two neat rows of teeth marks—he’d just bitten himself.

Everything was just too crazy.

William Lawson absolutely didn’t believe that reincarnation could happen to him.

After a while, William Lawson finally calmed down a bit and began to look around the room.

No mistake!

It was the same military district staff dormitory he’d lived in before.

William Lawson had a good memory, and many things from his youth were deeply imprinted in his mind.

Then, William Lawson saw the calendar on the wall—one of those old-fashioned tear-off calendars. The date was clearly displayed: March 21st, twenty-two years ago.

William Lawson couldn’t help but groan.

There was no doubt—he was back, back to twenty-two years ago.

William Lawson was born into an extremely prominent family in the capital. The old man of his family was once one of the most powerful elders in the Republic. At least when he had just graduated from college, the old man was still in power—a mere tap of his cane could shake the entire Republic.

But that home, the ancient courtyard house in the capital, felt so far away from him.

William Lawson had run away.

His rebellious nature as a young man made him completely out of place in that powerful, strict, and solemn family. After he decided to go to Zhongnan Agricultural University in Chunan Province and had a big falling out with his elders, the contact between him and that illustrious family grew less and less.

In a big family like the Liu family, with its many branches, strict rules, and numerous descendants, no one would pay much attention to a young junior, let alone yield to one with a rebellious spirit.

Thinking of all this, William Lawson felt gloomy. But the next moment, he quickly pulled himself together.

The current William Lawson was no longer the old William Lawson—not that underachieving, disheartened associate researcher at the Chunan Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences who drowned his sorrows in drink. Now, he was the young William Lawson who had just graduated from college and started working not long ago.

“Bro, hurry up! Everyone’s waiting for you!”

William Lawson was still in a daze when a lively girl’s voice sounded from outside the door.

That’s right, it was his younger sister Helen Lawson’s voice—her voice from when she was young. Helen Lawson had inherited all the best genes from their parents; she was very beautiful, and her voice was lovely too.

“Oh, coming…”

William Lawson replied in a fluster.

A few minutes later, William Lawson came out of his room and entered the dining room. He saw the three family members already sitting at the table. Sitting upright in the main seat was a military officer in full uniform, with the rank of colonel—it was William Lawson’s father, The Lawson Family.

The military rank system had just been reinstated last year, and his father looked very imposing in his uniform.

By this time, William Lawson had basically calmed down. He walked over quickly and called out, “Dad, Mom, good morning. Helen, good morning!”

The Lawson Family kept a stern face and said nothing, giving him a very severe look.

Perhaps years of military service had made The Lawson Family a man of few words. But using such a harsh look on his own son wasn’t just a matter of habit—it was because of William Lawson’s rebelliousness.

In the Liu family, with its strict rules and harsh discipline, having such a disobedient and rebellious son was a disgrace for The Lawson Family, causing him to lose face in the family and making it hard to hold his head up.

That’s why The Lawson Family was never fond of his only son.

For example, today was the old man’s eightieth birthday, yet William Lawson was still hiding in his room sleeping in. He had to be called twice before he finally showed up—completely unacceptable.

Megan Lincoln and Helen Lawson also looked at him curiously.

Helen Lawson giggled and said, “Bro, you’ve changed… you’re polite now.”

Apparently, the old William Lawson never cared about such things. But in the twenty-first century, this was basic etiquette. William Lawson’s rough edges had long been worn down by life—at least on the outside.

William Lawson smiled slightly and sat down at the table.