“Now Mr. Ming, mind telling us the solution of the equation on the board?”

“Huh?”

Lu Ming looks up in a daze. His teacher, Ms. Koi towers above him, meter stick in hand. A threatening face stares down on him. Lu Ming looks at the board, and sees the school bully, Tang Yan, smirks at him.

“What happened here?”

As Lu Ming ponders over his situation, Ms. Koi grows more infuriated by the second. The classroom erupts in laughter.

“Lu Ming got caught napping again.”

“He’s going to get expelled at this rate.”

“Why is he even at this prestigious school if all he does is sleep?”

Just as Tang Yan gives a triumphant grin, Lu Ming quietly stands up and walks to the board. Tang Yan scowls but smiles cheerfully a moment later.

“Good luck answering the question, it’s a calculus problem that even I have trouble answering,” Tang Yan whispers.

Tang Yan is the class president. His good looks and incredible grades always left the girls speechless. If even Tang Yan can’t solve it, then Lu Ming can only dream to answer the problem.

Lu Ming, however, does not respond. He silently grabs the chalk and quickly writes the correct formula to the problem. As he is writing, the whole classroom whispers among themselves.

“What’s he writing?”

“Why does he have to make a fool of himself? He should just say he doesn’t know and ask the teacher to show the answer.”

“He should just stop trying and accept his fate.”

Everyone is unconvinced that Lu Ming knows what to do. Only Tang Yan and Ms. Koi stare at the board silently. They are the only ones who know that Lu Ming is writing the correct answer.

Seeing the teacher’s silence, the class quiets down, seeing something is wrong. For the next few minutes, only the sound of chalk scratching against the board is heard.

Lu Ming easily writes out the steps to the problem, but his mind is focused on a different matter.

“How did I end up 20 years in the past? What happened to my life? Was it all… a dream?”

When the problem on the board is completed, Lu Ming turns around to the silent classroom.

“Ms. Koi, may I go to the washroom?”

Struck speechless, the teacher can only give a slight nod before looking back at the board with disbelief in her eyes.

“How is this happening? Could Lu Ming be hiding his talent all along?”

Lu Ming quickly leaves the classroom. The whole class silently watches after him. Tang Yan looks on, anger fills his face as he clenches his fists tightly.

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In the washroom, Lu Ming washes his face several times over. Yet, everything seems so realistic. No matter how hard he thinks, it just isn’t possible.

“How could I have gone back in time?” He wonders.

Lu Ming has traveled 20 years into the past back to when he was still in high school. It is February. This is around the time when that happened, something that changed Lu Ming’s life forever, and led him to play the game Conquest.

Back when Lu Ming first started playing, Conquest had already been released for a month. Although starting behind others, Lu Ming had quickly caught up, eventually reaching the apex of the game. His slow start had placed a heavy burden on his development speed as many guilds were established. Most beginner leveling areas were controlled by various guilds, so independent players like him suffered a huge setback when leveling up.

This also further prompted players to join the various powers to help with their own development at the cost of some freedom. However, Lu Ming was not the kind to bow down to others. He fought hard on his own and achieved great success with his own abilities.

But this was all in the past. Lu Ming has been given a second chance in life, a chance to correct his past mistakes and help the ones who were close to him.

Lu Ming thinks quickly. The release of the game is in 10 days, and he has to prepare.

The first thing he had to do was to convince his parents. Being a teenager at 16 years old, Lu Ming still lives with his parents. They will definitely object to his proposal of playing a video game all night. Unless… he proves to them that he can make a living by doing just that.

The second is to receive funding. Buying a headset is incredibly expensive, nearly $1500 after tax. Getting this much money in a short period of time is incredibly hard. He may have to pull some strings to get what he wants.

As Lu Ming ponders over his dilemma, a thought suddenly appears in his mind. He can do both at the same time! His face reveals a large grin. This is going to be easy!

Lu Ming quickly walks back to his classroom. The teacher ignores him as though he didn’t exist. Tang Yan shoots him a resentful look. However, Lu Ming casually ignores him and silently sits down at his desk.

Over the course of one afternoon, Lu Ming becomes a celebrity. Everyone in the hallways whispers about him.

“Did you hear? The genius Tang Yan was outsmarted by Lu Ming.”

“What? How is that possible? Tang Yan is one of the five smartest students in the grade!”

“Rumor has it that Lu Ming bested him in math, the subject that he was most proficient at.”

“Has the hierarchy changed? Is Lu Ming now smarter than Tang Yan?”

“No way. Tang Yan has won many awards in competitions for his outstanding achievements. A nobody like Lu Ming can’t possibly beat him in other subjects.”

After Lu Ming listens in on the conversations, he can't help but snicker. These people underestimate him too much. He had graduated from U of T, one of the most prestigious universities in his previous life. With a master’s in mathematics and computer science, Lu Ming was unrivaled by most adults his age, much less a highschool student like Tang Yan.

In the next class, Lu Ming nearly dozes off again. This time, a note is placed on his desk. When Lu Ming looks up, he sees his childhood friend, Jin Yu give a worried look before walking back to his desk.

Jin Yu is the future heir to his family's corporation, Horizon Ltd. It is one of the most influential and wealthy companies in Canada. Despite his strong background, Jin Yu never revealed his true identity to anyone. Lu Ming only found out years later about Jin Yu’s secret. By then, it was already too late.

Unwrapping the note, Lu Ming gently smiles, Jin Yu is a true friend.

“Even with all this commotion he still cares for me.”

In his previous life, Jin Yu was always there for him. Even in times of difficulties, Jin Yu always helped Lu Ming. To Lu Ming, Jin Yu was a true friend, even after he went missing.

Afterschool, Lu Ming takes the bus home. Walking up to the house where his parents live, Lu Ming can’t help but have a sense of nostalgia. This was where he spent his childhood. Before his regression, Lu Ming ran away from home to live with his girlfriend, Li Xuan, because his parents didn’t approve of her. Now, he knows that his parents were correct. He wouldn’t make the same mistake he did in the past. He has turned over a new leaf.

Cautiously, Lu Ming opens the door to his home.