The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Lin Xia’s life was as usual.
He climbed into his dormitory bed at 10:30 pm sharp, lay down, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. He drifted into the same dream he’d been having for over a decade.
This dream had no plot and no characters; if one were to say it had anything special, it was simply that the scenery was a bit more beautiful.
The mountains were like ink-black lines, the rivers like silver threads, and endless shards of light pierced through the clouds; every frame could be used as a top-tier aerial shot.
But after having the same dream for over a decade, even the most beautiful dream loses its novelty. In fact, out of sheer boredom, Lin Xia would sometimes scoop up the little specks of light.
After scooping them up for over a decade, the collected specks of light had piled up into mountains. Lin Xia had dreamed more than once that he wished these were gold.
When the sun rose in his dream, it was about time for him to wake up.
……
“Money, money, money coming from all directions~”
The alarm clock went off, and Lin Xia sat up abruptly, feeling a bit dizzy from getting up so suddenly. He stretched and yawned, “It’s that dream again.”
His roommate, Big B, had spent the whole night grinding monsters for gear materials for his beloved Xiao Xue. He had just taken off his headphones when he heard Lin Xia’s remark. He casually opened Lin Xia’s self-service vending cabinet, scanned the code, and grabbed a bowl of instant noodles: “What? Dreaming about a girl? Finally thinking about getting a girlfriend?”
Lin Xia was the kind of handsome guy everyone liked. He didn’t have any of those annoying aloof-guy quirks and seemed easy to get along with. In the first year of school, even Big B had received quite a few indirect messages asking for Lin Xia’s WeChat ID.
But Lin Xia was a guy with rather unique interests.
“Two yuan received via Alipay.” The notification sound from his phone injected Lin Xia with the first burst of energy for the new day.
The two yuan was for the instant noodles Big B bought; his roommates always only charged the cost price.
Lin Xia slipped on a T-shirt and jeans and jumped out of bed, too preoccupied to pay attention to Big B. Big B, with his love-obsessed mind, could only think about romance and couldn’t understand someone as sophisticated as Lin Xia, who had transcended such mundane interests.
“Where’s Second Brother?” Lin Xia asked, looking at the empty bed.
Big B slurped down half a cup of beef noodles: “Yesterday, he went to a haunted house with that guy next door to shoot some footage. He won’t be back for the entire holiday.” If he really encountered a ghost, he might not come back even after the holiday ends.
The three roommates each have their own hobbies. Big B’s hobby is his beloved Xiaoxue, while Second Brother’s is filming haunted-house explorations.
Only Lin Xia’s hobbies are healthy, noble, and beneficial to both body and mind.
Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Lin Xia headed out for his first morning job—delivering breakfast to the dormitories.
Riding his scooter to the East Gate, he found Aunt Liu had already delivered the sandwiches he’d ordered via the app yesterday. The three boxes were packed full and placed on the edge of the flower bed.
Aunt Liu, her face glowing and her voice crisp and bright, said, “Xiao Lin, those new flavors you mentioned are really selling well. I added an extra egg to your portion today~.”
“Thanks, Auntie!” Lin Xia moved swiftly, loading the breakfast boxes onto his electric scooter, and waved goodbye to Aunt Liu before heading off.
In his mind, he was already planning. With finals approaching, he needed to clear out the dormitory store’s inventory. The various sizes of woven bags he had ordered wholesale online were due to arrive today. They were in high demand during graduation season, so he had to head to the dormitory building early to sell them.
The scooter weaved through the tree-lined path. The early summer breeze was filled with the sweet fragrance of tung blossoms. A single breath made Lin Xia feel refreshed and happy.
His healthy, noble, and beneficial hobby is making money.
He sped all the way to the student dorms, delivering the rice balls, sandwiches, soy milk, and coffee he had pre-ordered last night to each dorm building.
Not long after the start of his freshman year, Lin Xia launched a breakfast-ordering app and promoted it in various college student chat groups. He stopped taking orders at 2:00 a.m. every day and guaranteed all deliveries would be completed by 7:00 a.m., ensuring no one would be late for their 8:00 a.m. class.
This was a steady source of income. Since Lin Xia only delivered to one dorm complex, he could get at least 180 orders a day. Although he only made a few yuan per order, it added up over time.
After finishing all the deliveries in forty minutes, Lin Xia sat on a bench in Rose Garden, munching on the extra-large sandwich with extra egg, meat, and double sauce that Aunt Liu had given him. Once he’d happily finished it, he hopped back on his scooter and headed to the service station.
His main job today was picking up packages for others. It was the same as usual: place orders through the app, enter the pickup codes, and get paid per package. Since he delivered multiple packages to the same building at once—and with the 618 shopping festival1June 18th is the anniversary of JD.com (京东), one of the Top 2 biggest e-commerce companies in China. going on—he made nearly 200 yuan in a single day.
Printing service, physical fitness test service, document submission service, document stamping service, errand running on campus, photo taking service in all four seasons…
After more than half a school year, Lin Xia had not only earned enough to cover his living expenses but also saved up a little extra. By summer break, he would be able to buy a gift for Grandma Dean.
Earning 6,000 a month without ever leaving campus—thank you, 8 a.m. classes! Thank you, 618!
Busy until dusk, Lin Xia was at the South Gate packing some grilled skewers for Big B to take back to the dorm when Campus Happy Delivery suddenly popped up with a high-paying order.
The order had been posted for several minutes with no takers, and the tip had already gone from ten to twenty yuan.
Twenty yuan and still no one’s taken it? There was no way Lin Xia was going to let such a generous tip slip away, so he clicked “Accept” instantly.
After accepting the order, he saw the pickup location was the little barbecue stand at the South Gate. What a coincidence! Doing a favor for Big B and earning an extra order on top of it. Good deeds really do pay off.
Upon taking a closer look at the address, he realized why no one had accepted it yet. Lin Xia felt a twinge of regret. This order was to be delivered to the Astronomy Memorial Hall on the back hill of the campus.
Just as he was about to cancel the order, the customer messaged him: “Classmate, help me out!”
Seeing that Lin Xia did not reply, the customer raised the tip to fifty: “Please, kind soul!”
Seeing the fifty yuan tip, Lin Xia decided to be a good Samaritan and rescue the college student who was practically starving. He even asked, “Do you want anything else? Do you want a drink?”
The customer replied instantly: “No, thanks. Hurry up.”
Lin Xia, carrying the barbecue takeout, sent a message to Big B:
“Picked up a big order. I’ll be back a little later.”
Big B replied with a Lina Belle2LinaBell is a clever, pink-furred fox character introduced by Disney on September 29, 2021, at Shanghai Disneyland. face-holding emoji. Ever since he started dating, this guy has been flooding others with sets of these emojis.
Lin Xia hummed a tune as he rode his electric scooter. With this extra fifty on top, he’d made a net profit of 380 today. And with tomorrow and the day after, he’d be raking in nearly a thousand!
The two “back hills” at Jiangcheng University were called hills, but they looked more like two small mounds of dirt. The observatory on top had a long history but was no longer suitable for astronomical observations, so the school funded its conversion into a memorial hall.
Lin Xia assumed the food delivery order was from one of these romantic couples. For the sake of that fifty-yuan tip, he even bought an extra bottle of mosquito repellent, hoping to score both the fifty-yuan tip and a five-star review in one go.
He had to leave his e-scooter at the foot of the hill. Winding solar-powered light strips lined the steps all the way up, and paired with the glowing green glass dome of the observatory, the scene was actually quite romantic.
Lin Xia jogged up the path carrying the takeout, but the observation deck was empty.
A message popped up in his chat again: “White Building, hurry!!!”
Haven’t they closed that white building behind the observatory for years? Is there a new stargazing spot over there? Lin Xia was a bit puzzled, but since he was already there, he couldn’t pass up the chance to earn fifty yuan.
He walked through the path to the back of the building. The mottled white walls were overgrown with greenery, and the grass on the ground was growing so tall it was almost covering the first-floor windows. There were no lights here, and the surroundings were very dark.
The faint sounds of panting and rustling could be heard from the grass.
Lin Xia froze. No way.
He lowered his phone flashlight to avoid seeing anything he shouldn’t, then cleared his throat, “Um, your takeout’s here. I left it on the rock.”
The moment Lin Xia spoke, the heavy breathing from within the tall grass abruptly stopped, while the rustling sounds grew even louder.
Subconsciously, Lin Xia slowed his pace.
“Thanks, buddy,” came a male voice, still panting.
The rustling hadn’t stopped; it sounded like someone was struggling desperately, and Lin Xia sensed something was off.
“Sorry, man, we just couldn’t hold it in…” The male voice continued to explain, hoping Lin Xia would turn around and leave.
But Lin Xia didn’t move.
“Help… help…” A faint but clear cry for help came from within the tall grass.
Lin Xia rushed over, shining his phone’s flashlight directly into the man’s face. The man, wearing a hoodie and a mask, lunged at Lin Xia with a knife. Though unarmed, Lin Xia’s reflexes were lightning-fast; in an instant, he knocked the knife away with his phone.
The knife rolled into the tall grass, and the phone’s flashlight went out instantly.
Lin Xia quickly gained the upper hand and pinned the assailant beneath him.
He looked up toward the girl, “Are you okay? Do you have a cell phone? Call the police!” Both the phone and the knife had flown away. He had no idea where they’d landed in the grass.
The girl, who had been struggling desperately just moments ago, was now completely still, and the scent of blood gradually filled the night air.
The girl’s fate was unknown, and the man beneath him was still struggling desperately. There was no way Lin Xia could hold him down for long. Just as Lin Xia was trying to figure out what to do, the man’s bones cracked, and his body went rigid.
His eyes, hidden beneath the brim of his cap, were bloodshot. Though he had been immobilized moments ago, his strength suddenly surged, and he flung Lin Xia into the tall grass.
With one hand pinning Lin Xia down, the man raised the knife—which had been driven into the tall grass moments earlier—with his other hand. Without a moment’s hesitation, he plunged the blade into Lin Xia’s body.
There was a crisp “crack”, as if something had split open from inside Lin Xia’s body, and countless fragments of light surged out from the crack, illuminating the surroundings with golden light.
The killer, however, seemed not to notice a thing; he delivered another stab, then stood up and quickly left.
Blinded by the intense light, Lin Xia closed his eyes and passed out.
……
“Money, money, money coming from all directions~”
When he opened his eyes again, Lin Xia was completely dazed. It took him a while to realize he was lying on his dorm bed. He reached out and turned off the alarm clock.
Where is the rapist? Where is the girl? Where are the little specks of light flying around?
Had he been too exhausted lately? Was he actually dreaming about a murder case?
Big B is still fighting the boss, the room still smells of braised beef noodles, and the second bed is still empty…
He reached down and touched his lower abdomen. The feeling of the sharp knife piercing his flesh was still fresh in his memory, but his skin was smooth. There wasn’t even a scratch on his arm, let alone a cut.
A dozen or so time-loop movies with ratings ranging from 2 to 9 instantly flashed through Lin Xia’s mind.
Had he returned to the beginning of this day? Did he have to evade the killer to survive it? How many playthroughs did he have? What about that girl? Was saving her part of the rebirth quest?
But he hadn’t even seen her face! How was he supposed to find her among the 40,000 students at the school and warn her not to go to the back hill of the campus?
Got it. He could head up the hill early to set up an ambush, make all the necessary preparations, call the police at exactly the right moment, and catch the killer red-handed. This time, he’ll definitely punish that guy!
Big B heard the noise and turned around, “You’re awake? It’s a holiday today. Why don’t we go out for a nice meal tonight?”
Knowing that Lin Xia was “stingy,” Big B continued, “The cafeteria will definitely serve pork ribs stir-fried with zongzi again for the Dragon Boat Festival. I don’t like that stuff. Why don’t you come with me to eat sweet and sour pork? Second Brother is probably lurking at some grave or other—let’s take a picture and send it to him. It’ll make him drool!”
Big B was making excuses to treat Lin Xia to a nice meal. Normally, Lin Xia would either refuse or insist on splitting the bill.
Lin Xia didn’t respond right away. Was today really the Dragon Boat Festival?
He pulled out his phone and checked the date. There was no loop—he had definitely lived through a full day.
Lin Xia hesitated before asking Big B, “How did I get back yesterday?” If it was a dream, he should have the memory of returning to the dormitory, so why did he have no memory of it?
Big B was completely focused on forging materials and didn’t even think twice: “You just walked back, that’s all. What, did eight guys carry you on a palanquin?”
Lin Xia looked around, and everything seemed normal. There were even skewers from South Gate BBQ in the trash can by Big B’s desk.
Was it really a dream? Had he watched too many short dramas and started thinking he was a movie star?
Lin Xia hesitantly got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and splashed water on his face. Just as he reached for a towel to wipe his face, his whole body froze.
The mirror above the sink clearly reflected his wet hair, his lean yet well-defined muscles, and… a huge “0” perched on top of his head.
Lin Xia rubbed his eyes and then reached out to wipe the mirror.
That “0” was still there on top of his head—it even flashed at him briefly.
————- End of Chapter —————–
TN: Should I keep the translated: Big B, Second Brother, Third Brother? or keep the Chinese endearments: Da B, Lao Er, Lao San? What do guys prefer?
“Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else.”
— Anonymous
