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"Where am I?" Wang Qi lay on the bed, feeling at peace. His mind was clear, but he couldn't open his eyes no matter how hard he tried. "Wang Qi, male, 48 years old, suffered cardiac arrest due to severe alcohol poisoning, leading to sudden cardiac death. By the time he arrived, there was no heartbeat." "Vomit has entered the airway. This is tricky." "Doctor, the patient has no heartbeat again." It was so noisy. He just wanted to sleep. Amid the clamor, Wang Qi kept hearing someone shouting to increase the power. Gradually, his consciousness grew more and more blurred. "Patient Wang Qi was brought to our hospital for emergency treatment at 1:18 a.m. on March 22, 2021. At 2:55 a.m. on March 22, 2021, resuscitation efforts failed, and clinical death was declared." Before his awareness faded completely, Wang Qi vaguely heard someone announce his death. "Am I dead? I can't accept this." Smack. "Ouch." Wang Qi felt a sharp blow to the back of his head, and his previously scattered and confused thoughts snapped into clarity. Instinctively, he opened his eyes and glared at the person who had attacked him. With just one look, Wang Qi was stunned. "Wang Qi, really? I told you to stand here to wake up, and you managed to fall asleep standing up." The person in front of him, full of anger, clutched a book tightly and said in a sarcastic tone, "I really underestimated you." It wasn't that Wang Qi was overreacting. The woman in front of him was all too familiar, and facing her always made him uneasy. Lee Yan had been Wang Qi's homeroom teacher during his senior year of high school and the bane of his existence that entire year. Even though he had graduated many years ago, every time he saw her, he still straightened up and behaved himself. Truth be told, there was no student who wasn't a little afraid of their teacher. It was the fear of getting your parents involved that really got to you. Unfortunately for Wang Qi, Lee Yan was good friends with his mother and lived nearby. Every time Wang Qi acted up at school, Lee Yan would inevitably show up at his dinner table that evening, and his mother would be sure to serve him a dish of "belt-fried meat" as a lesson.

Over time, Wang Qi even gave Lee Yan a nickname: "Nosy Ms. Lee." Wait a minute, Wang Qi thought. I'm 48 now, so Lee Yan should be in her sixties. But she looks barely over 30. Something's not adding up. Suddenly, Wang Qi remembered something: he had died, hadn't he? Drank himself to death, if he recalled correctly. Looking back at his past life, "pathetic" was the only word that came to mind. He had coasted through high school without building a solid foundation. Even though he occasionally exceeded expectations on exams, he barely managed to get into a second-tier college. After graduating, he ended up working at a company writing code. Like most people, he found an average job to make a living, married an average woman due to societal pressures, and lived a monotonous life on an average salary. Someone like Wang Qi, without a standout degree or connections, had limited opportunities for advancement. Eventually, he became what he once despised: a corporate drone catering to both clients and bosses. Wang Qi didn't like alcohol, but he couldn't refuse it. The reason he drank so much that day was because his department's team-building event involved the boss pushing drinks, and it wasn't the first time. Each time, Wang Qi had to force a smile and drink up, unable to decline. It was simple. Middle-aged now, he needed the job and the paycheck to support his family, and then it all just stopped. Could it be a dream? No, the pain from the recent hit hadn't completely faded. Lee Yan sure had a heavy hand. Wang Qi's head was still buzzing. If it wasn't a dream, then. "Ms. Lee, did you pass away too?" Understanding everything, Wang Qi's expression relaxed, and he chuckled. "Back in school, you loved to hit me. Now that we're both gone, maybe you could ease up a bit?" "Wang Qi, what nonsense are you talking about? Did you wake up confused?" Lee Yan rolled her eyes at Wang Qi's words, instinctively raising the book in her hand, ready to swat him. Wang Qi thought to himself, "When I was alive, I respected and feared you. Now that we're both ghosts, you still want to oppress me? No way." "Heh. So I can't control you anymore, huh?" Lee Yan said, watching as Wang Qi grabbed her wrist. She laughed in exasperation, struggled a bit, then freed herself.

"Fine, if I can't handle you, someone else will!" She shot Wang Qi a furious glare, then turned on her heel and stormed off, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor. Who were you trying to scare? My mom is alive and well. But is this heaven or hell? Wang Qi wondered, looking up at the sign for Class 30. Everything felt so familiar. If this was hell, why did he run into Lee Yan? Even though Wang Qi didn't like her, she was a dedicated teacher who had spent her life educating students responsibly. If this was heaven, why did he run into Lee Yan? With his mind full of questions, Wang Qi wandered into the classroom. As soon as he stepped inside, he collided with a soft figure, accompanied by a waft of fragrance and a gentle gasp. Wang Qi, who had been confused and puzzled, was jolted awake by the person who bumped into him. The noisy classroom during break, filled with lively and energetic classmates, and the unresolved feelings that had kept him up countless nights, seemed to unlock a door to memories long sealed away. "I'm not dead, but... reborn?" Wang Qi murmured in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. In his previous life, Wang Qi had watched the comedy film "Goodbye Mr. Loser" and laughed at its over-the-top plot, thinking the director was out of touch with reality. But now the very storyline he had mocked was happening to him. Like the character in the movie, having lived for 48 years, he found it hard to accept this new reality. "Let go... please, Wang Qi, let go of me, okay?" The person who had bumped into him, now in tears, pleaded without giving Wang Qi much time to process. Looking down at the frail girl in his arms, Wang Qi couldn't believe that this seemingly undernourished girl would grow up to be such a stunning beauty. Qu Menghan had a tough life, growing up without parents and living with her grandparents in a rundown neighborhood. The three of them survived on the grandparents' small street stall and welfare. Qu Menghan had a cruel uncle who, after she graduated high school, forced her to marry a man over 20 years her senior for his own selfish gain. Wang Qi and Menghan were not supposed to have much in common, but at a class reunion, Menghan, now a young widow, drank too much. She ended up pouring her heart out to Wang Qi, laughing and crying.

It was then that Wang Qi realized he had been a significant part of Menghan's youth. She had been too insecure to express her feelings to him and had often dreamed of him slipping a ring on her finger. Now, everything had come full circle, his youth filled with bittersweet regrets he could not change.

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