Chapter 1

The July sun was already approaching the most scorching time of the year, making people feel even more intense heat. The nights were still cool, but this contrast made the midday heat even more unbearable.

In a somewhat old room, a young figure stood there, staring blankly at a mirror for a full ten minutes before finally wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Standing at 175 cm tall, his slender figure seemed somewhat frail, with distinct features and a clear brow, and a straight nose, making the person in the mirror absolutely handsome. Compared to his peers who were often plagued by acne during their teenage years, he was already considered exceptionally good-looking!

However, the young man's eyes were filled with confusion. Chen Chu was still in a daze, remembering that last night, after finishing his last shift, he had eaten something casually and then returned to his mortgaged house to rest. It was the first time he had returned home after nearly a month of consecutive overtime. When he woke up, he found himself back in the old house that had already been demolished.

Looking around at the familiar scene, Chen Chu felt a sense of absurdity. Anyone who suddenly found themselves back in their old house from twenty years ago would probably not feel too good.

Chen Chu was certain this was not a prank. The old house was his family's former home, which had been demolished many years ago. Even if it were a prank, it would be impossible to restore the old residential complex.

Looking at the diary on the wall, Chen Chu finally sighed. July 2002, such a familiar date. This was the month when Chen Chu had taken his college entrance exam, one of the most important moments in his life, which he would never forget.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Chen Chu touched his stomach. He himself probably couldn't even associate the refined and reserved person in the mirror with the beer-bellied man he would become in a few years!

Thinking about his past life, Chen Chu felt a sense of dizziness. He remembered graduating from his computer science major, full of ambition, and starting a business. It was during the heyday of China's BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) and the global internet industry.

At that time, Chen Chu and his classmates co-founded a company, and he managed to secure several thousand dollars from his already declining family. However, as expected, reality and dreams always have a gap. Within three months, their company went bankrupt.

After that, Chen Chu, with a disheveled appearance, joined an internet company, starting a life of intense coding. Technical development, game development, and various programming languages were the tools he used to fight through countless nights. However, in his thirties, apart from a mortgage and a small car, he had no other achievements. His relationships with several girlfriends had all ended without any significant progress, and his health had been severely affected.

Sitting down, Chen Chu thought about his past life and suddenly felt a sense of emptiness. It seemed that apart from the endless days and the fame he had in school, he had gained nothing else!

Getting up, Chen Chu looked around his home, thinking about the Chen family's situation. He suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. He remembered that when he was admitted to university, his father, Chen Guohua, left his factory due to poor economic performance and joined the ranks of entrepreneurs.

At first, Chen Guohua made a lot of money by selling clothes from the coastal regions to Anyang. However, looking at the date on the wall, Chen Chu couldn't help but feel a sense of despair. If his memory served him right, he had only been a rich second-generation for a few days, during which the family had added many appliances, including a computer, TV, and washing machine.

However, the Chen family's situation soon took a sharp turn for the worse. Chen Guohua, in a moment of overconfidence, purchased a large amount of inventory, but due to fierce competition, he couldn't sell it. In the end, he had to sell it at a low price, losing most of the money he had earned.

Looking at the date, Chen Chu rubbed his face. If his memory was correct, he was now a bankrupt rich second-generation!

This made Chen Chu's lips twitch. He looked up at the sky but didn't dare to say anything provocative. He didn't know what to say about the mysterious fate that had brought him back to this point.

After so much effort, he had returned to this time, but it wasn't the time he had hoped for. If he could have returned two months earlier, he could have changed the Chen family's fate and become a genuine rich second-generation, not a bankrupt one!

Chen Chu wanted to find the person who brought him back and ask if they had given him the wrong script. He was supposed to be on the path to the peak of life, not living a miserable existence. This script was wrong!

Just as he lay down, the door to the room was pushed open, and a girl around fourteen or fifteen, full of mischief, burst in. Seeing Chen Chu on the bed, she was surprised.

"Brother, you're here? I thought you went out. Isn't it Ruo Yun's birthday today? Why didn't you go?" Chen Meng said to Chen Chu.

Hearing Chen Meng mention the name, Chen Chu was momentarily stunned but then returned to his normal self, as if nothing had happened. "I'm not feeling well today. I'll go later."

The name Qi Ruo Yun had accompanied Chen Chu throughout his student days. They were from the same residential complex and had grown up together, so their relationship was naturally good. However, they always seemed to belong to two different worlds or parallel lines, able to talk but never intersect.

Of course, Chen Chu only realized this in his later years.

Seeing Chen Meng looking around, seemingly searching for a reason to stay in his room, Chen Chu knew exactly what she was up to. "Finish your homework before you can play the computer. Don't let Dad and Mom see!"

Chen Chu knew Chen Meng's character well. She was more playful than most boys, but fortunately, she knew her limits and wouldn't go too far.

Hearing Chen Chu's words, Chen Meng cheered, as if she had just met him for the first time. In the past, Chen Chu had always been strict with her, constantly monitoring her studies. Today, it felt like he had completely freed her. "I finished my homework at school!"

She then rushed to the computer and turned it on. She could only play for about an hour before Chen Guohua and Chen Chu's mother returned, and she would lose her chance.

Chen Chu, whose mind was in a mess, suddenly felt his eyes light up when he saw the familiar computer interface. In this era, if asked what was the easiest thing to achieve, and what was the best industry for someone from the future, apart from the unreliable suggestion of buying lottery tickets, it would probably be internet technology!