Chapter 1

"Ah... Ouch!" After stretching lazily, Lin Xi opened his sleepy eyes. When he saw the spotty lime walls, the light yellow desk, and the old-fashioned telephone, his mind was a bit confused. Where was this place, and how did he end up here?

Lin Xi clearly remembered that just now, while playing poker with his friends, he suddenly saw his furniture store across the road on fire, with thick smoke and a large blaze. To rescue the two Ming dynasty huanghuali armchairs, which were the pride of his store, he didn't think twice and rushed into the house.

Just as he was running out with a chair in each hand, he suddenly felt a dark shadow rushing towards him. When Lin Xi saw that it was a charred beam, it was already too late. He felt a buzzing in his head and then everything went black.

Lin Xi subconsciously touched his forehead, relieved to find everything normal. Just as he was feeling puzzled, he caught sight of the calendar on the desk and quickly picked it up to look. This look left Lin Xi even more stunned: August 8, 1991, Thursday, Start of Autumn.

What... What's going on? Time travel? Rebirth?

In 2012, after his career hit rock bottom, Lin Xi became fond of web novels, many of which featured plots of rebirth and穿越 (time travel). Could such a bizarre thing really happen to him?

Just as Lin Xi was lost in thought, he heard a knock on the door. He subconsciously said, "Come in!"

As soon as he spoke, a middle-aged man with a sly look pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Lin Xi, he was slightly taken aback but quickly nodded and bowed, smiling obsequiously, "Director Wang, hello. I've always heard that Director Wang is young and capable, and today I finally have the chance to see it for myself. Come, have a cigarette, have a cigarette!"

As he spoke, the man placed a black plastic bag on the side and took out a pack of Hongtashan, offering one to Lin Xi.

Director Wang? Lin Xi felt dazed, wondering what was going on.

Although he had no desire to smoke, seeing the man bow almost ninety degrees in respect, he still reached out to take the cigarette.

Lin Xi gestured for the man to sit down and asked casually, "Who are you?"

"Director Wang, I am Niu Quanbao, the factory manager of Qingyuan Machinery Factory. The county chief has been working hard for our factory recently, so I brought him two packs of cigarettes to show my gratitude," Niu Quanbao said, placing the black plastic bag in front of Lin Xi.

Lin Xi glanced at it and saw that it indeed contained two packs of cigarettes. However, since he wasn't that Director Wang, he couldn't accept the cigarettes, "Mr. Niu, you should take them back, I can't..."

Before Lin Xi could finish, Niu Quanbao quickly interrupted, "Director Wang, these are for County Chief Lin, not for you. Please pass them on. I have some business to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

Seeing that it was just two packs of cigarettes, Lin Xi nodded slightly.

Niu Quanbao, seeing that Lin Xi agreed to accept them, smiled slyly, but quickly hid it. He nodded at Lin Xi and prepared to leave.

Just as Niu Quanbao was about to leave, Lin Xi quickly asked, "Mr. Niu, I want to ask, what's the date today?"

"August 8th, what's the matter?" Niu Quanbao asked, puzzled.

"I mean, which year?"

"1991!"

Niu Quanbao didn't know what this young man was up to and decided to leave. He smiled, "Director Wang, you're busy, I'll take my leave. Goodbye, goodbye!"

With that, he turned and fled from the county chief's office.

"August 8, 1991, truly reborn!" Lin Xi felt a surge of joy. The heavens were indeed kind to him, giving him a second chance when his life had reached its end.

Right, where is this place, and why did that factory manager call me Director Wang? Thinking about this, Lin Xi began to observe his surroundings.

When his gaze swept over the old desk, file cabinets, and the closed door behind him, he vaguely felt that this place was very similar to the small office outside his father's office, the secretary's office.

To confirm this, Lin Xi stood up and walked to the door. When he saw the sign "County Chief's Office," he confirmed his suspicion.

As for why he was here, Lin Xi quickly figured it out. In August 1991, the county's machinery factory had a significant issue, and his father, along with the secretary, was handling it. He, on the other hand, was staying in the office, helping with tasks like answering calls and handling documents.

Lin Xi remembered this very clearly because after that, his father was removed from his position as county chief and almost faced imprisonment. The reason was simple: his father had accepted a bribe from the Qingyuan Machinery Factory.

The middle-aged man who just left not only claimed to be the factory manager but also brought two packs of cigarettes. Could this be a coincidence? Lin Xi wondered.

Lin Xi clearly remembered that after his father's incident, his mother told him that the machinery factory had hidden a bank deposit slip inside the cigarettes. His father, not knowing what was happening, was mistakenly labeled as a corrupt official.

The scene that just unfolded was a replay of his past life.

Thinking about this, Lin Xi decided to find out exactly what was going on. His parents had suffered a lot, and it all started with his father's fall from grace.

Lin Xi grabbed the black plastic bag, opened it, and carefully took out the two white-pack Hongtashan cigarettes. Since the early 1990s, Hongtashan had been very popular in Jiangnan Province, and people with status and position generally smoked this brand.

Lin Xi didn't care about the brand of the cigarettes; he focused entirely on the outer packaging. He believed that if someone had tampered with the cigarettes, he would be able to find some clues.

After a thorough examination, Lin Xi finally noticed two creases on the seal of the bottom pack. Although not very obvious, they were still visible upon close inspection.

Cigarette packaging is done by machines and would never have such marks. Lin Xi confirmed that someone had tampered with the cigarettes.

Considering his past life, someone had taken the cigarettes, inserted a bank deposit slip, and then sealed them before sending them. This person was naturally Niu Quanbao, the factory manager of Qingyuan Machinery Factory.

As for why Niu Quanbao did this, Lin Xi had no time to think about it. He had only one thought: how could he resolve the crisis at hand?

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