Returning to Infancy with my Nemesis - Chapter 71

Fu Shizhao knew that Tang Mian had recently been affected by the situation between Mu Zichen and Fu Jiacao, but he didn’t know exactly what he had been thinking about.

Many things carried risks; his words that night might not necessarily have a positive effect.

It’s not that he didn’t want to probe, but Tang Mian suddenly fell ill during that period, close to the end-of-term exams. Seeing him looking pitiful every day, like a poisoned mushroom in a corner, he didn’t want to take advantage of his vulnerability.

However… now he knew, he knew what Tang Mian had been thinking about. Memories of the past resurfaced. Mu Zichen and Fu Jiacao were childhood friends. In the previous life, he and Tang Mian were too. In this life, they were both reborn with memories, not truly growing up together.

From Tang Mian’s perspective, he corrected his previous life’s “betrayal” of his archenemy, watching him grow from a little ball into a young man, obedient to him.

From his perspective, he cooperated with Tang Mian in acting, making up for regrets from his previous life, always by his side, enjoying his “bullying.”

Their “motives” were not pure.

Naturally, they couldn’t match up to the beautiful term “childhood friends.”

He had never dared to probe, nor did he know how to—probe how Tang Mian felt about his previous self. It had been thirteen years since the accident. Thirteen years had passed since their rebirth.

Although many things from the past seemed to have faded with time, they were still vivid when he closed his eyes and tried to recall.

He didn’t know how to answer Tang Mian’s question. Both the previous and current lives were not dreams.

Because he knew that both he and Tang Mian were reborn because of that accident. But Tang Mian didn’t know; he thought he was the only one reborn. He was “alone.”

As time passed, memories blurred, bodies automatically edited, and many things that existed in his memory indeed became illusory, making one can’t help but doubt—whether those memories were just dreams.

Even though he knew in his heart that it wasn’t a dream, that it had actually happened, without anyone to verify, subconsciously, he still hoped that those unpleasant memories were fake.

Tang Mian might choose to forget about his previous life and forget about him from his previous life.

But he didn’t want to pretend for a lifetime.

Apologies for the oversight. Here’s the corrected version:

He liked Tang Mian, liked him for so many years, and he also hoped Tang Mian could accept his complete self.

In the previous life, he hid many things from him, but in this life, he didn’t want to have any more secrets.

He would confess to him, sooner or later.

Staring at Tang Mian’s profile, who was absorbed in the painting, Fu Shizhao suddenly felt a very strong impulse in his heart.

A voice inside him was shouting—tell him everything, tell him that both the previous and current lives were not dreams, tell him that you also, like him, were reborn in the accident thirteen years ago.

But he hesitated.

One cannot be impatient for success.

Everyone understands the principle of not forcing things too much.

He had been scheming for so many years, scheming against the Fu family, and also… against Tang Mian. Everything had been progressing very smoothly, including his relationship with Tang Mian.

The fish had already been hovering around the bait, and at this moment, being restless might scare the fish away.

Tang Mian was naive, especially in matters of the heart; he could only lead him to contemplate their relationship, lead him to discover his rebirth slowly and gradually accept it.

He couldn’t confess directly; it might frighten him, and could even backfire. In the last year before they would be separated into different classes, he wanted to spend it well with Tang Mian.

They still had to write couplets together, cut paper-cuts for windows, build snowmen, and wait together for the new year’s firecrackers. He didn’t want this year to be too dull.

After this year, he couldn’t guarantee that the situation would still be under his control. His diary was already full, and no new loose-leaf paper could be added. It was time to change the way he kept a diary.

Diaries were essentially for recording daily life, which could be done alone or together with someone else. He hoped that after this, he could record with Tang Mian in another way.

After almost half a day passed without getting any response, Tang Mian turned his head and glanced at Fu Shizhao, only to find him looking down at him with a slight tilt of his head. Meeting his gaze, Fu Shizhao quickly blinked, then finally spoke: ” Assuming it exists, situation one… “

Tang Mian hurriedly interrupted him, grabbing his sleeve, ” Let’s go check out over there. “

Why was he even talking to this science guy? His brain must have been waterlogged.

But… whether it was the Fu Shizhao from the previous life or the one from this life, they both had this “boring” demeanor.

The more their lives overlapped, the more Tang Mian felt stifled inside.

It was like there would never be two identical snowflakes.

The Fu Shizhao he detested had died in that accident, never to be seen again, and many unasked questions would remain unanswered.

Dreams were like that too.

Many dreams ended without resolution, perhaps abruptly waking up, or maybe forgetting upon waking, unable to recall. That’s why he hated dreaming.

Fu Shizhao obediently followed him as he was led, continuing to stroll through the art exhibition.

Some of the paintings depicted beautiful dreams, while others portrayed nightmares. The styles varied greatly, giving a strong visual impact. Fu Shizhao couldn’t discern much, but still took out his phone and snapped a few pictures, intending to post them on social media later. There was no prohibition on photography in the exhibition.

It was another form of recording, just like writing in a diary.

Except diaries wouldn’t be seen by others, so they could be bolder.

When they finished viewing all the paintings and left the exhibition, the staff at the entrance handed them each a sleep fragrance sachet, smiling and saying, “Wishing you dreamless sleep.” The best quality of sleep was not dreaming.

Whether it was a beautiful dream or a nightmare, it all amounted to nothing upon waking up.

The happiness we see isn’t always real. When we wake up, it’s like trying to hold onto a dream that slips away. And fear? It sticks around long after we’ve woken up.

But you know what’s better? Getting a good night’s sleep and waking up feeling fresh. After leaving the art show, the two of them grabbed dinner nearby and rushed back home.

The night breeze was chilly. Tang Mian didn’t like wearing earmuffs and didn’t like having something covering his ears, as it would make his hearing aids uncomfortable, so his ears always turned slightly red from the cold.

Luckily, they had been moving inside the mall the whole time, enjoying the warm air conditioning. When they came out, their private car was waiting to take them back, so they didn’t freeze too much.

Whether it was because of the sleep fragrance sachet or because the start of the winter vacation had relaxed his mood, Tang Mian slept very well that night and didn’t dream again.

The new year was the Year of the Rat.

Another new beginning.

This year wasn’t much different from previous ones, except that the snowfall was heavier than usual.

Tang Mian didn’t like going out in the snow. At most, he would play in the snow in the yard at home for a while before returning indoors to warm up.

Fu Shizhao had his foster father drive him to Tang Mian’s house, they brought along Snowball.

The Samoyed wasn’t afraid of the cold and left many paw prints in the snow in Tang Mian’s yard.

Cotton Candy, on the other hand, was afraid of the cold and stayed lazily in her nest, reluctant to move. When Snowball came her way, she slowly shifted her position—onto the back of the Samoyed.

Fu Shizhao came over this time intending to stay for a few days. One reason was to see Tang Mian, and the other was to avoid the people from the Fu family. He didn’t want his mood to be affected by them during the New Year.

While sharpening the ink, Fu Shizhao casually glanced at Tang Mian, who had already finished cutting out a paper-cut window decoration. On the window decoration was a pattern of a big-eared mouse holding a lantern, which was very cute.

Tang Mian’s fingers also had faint marks from the scissors handle. He quickly brushed his thumb over it, moved his wrist a bit, and then picked up another circular piece of paper for another window decoration.

Fu Shizhao withdrew his gaze, dipped the brush in ink, and smoothly wrote two lines on the blank couplet, flawlessly and without any imperfections.

Tang Mian leaned in at some point, admiring, “It looks great. ” Fu Shizhao’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he continued to write the horizontal scroll.

Tang Mian sat up straight, continuing to fold the paper in his hand while listening to the pure music playing in the background. His thoughts began to churn once again.

In his previous life, Fu Shizhao’s handwriting wasn’t very good, often being scolded by the Chinese teacher and called to the office every now and then. He couldn’t write such beautiful couplets at all.

Clearly, he had “raised” Fu Shizhao to be the way he was now, but he couldn’t help but miss the Fu Shizhao from his previous life, always feeling that that was the real Fu Shizhao.

A bit masochistic.

He didn’t know what to do to satisfy himself.

For the past few days, Fu Shizhao had been staying at their house. His elder brother and sister-in-law had also returned. His sister-in-law was good at cooking, and they had prepared a big table of dishes together, celebrating the pre-New Year’s Eve.

On New Year’s Eve, they went to their great-grandmother’s house to spend New Year’s Eve together and also asked her for some lucky money.

Lucky money, warding off evil spirits, symbolizing peace and calm in the new year. But Fu Shizhao knew that the new year wouldn’t be too calm.

On the third night of the first month, Fu Shizhao and Tang Mian held the gaming controllers connected to the screen, competing against Tang Sheng and Jiang Tian in a game, while also discussing where to go on the fourth day.

The snow had stopped a few days ago, and the snow on the roads had been cleared to the sides, melting quite a bit. It was a bit cold, but staying indoors for so long was suffocating. They needed to go out for a walk.

Fu Shizhao controlled his character to block an attack for Tang Mian and suddenly said, “Let’s go to Yangchun Temple.”

Tang Mian’s heart suddenly jumped, forgetting to operate. On the screen, his character was discovered by his brother, Tang Sheng, who exploited a flaw and executed a skill, rendering Fu Shizhao unable to save him.

Jiang Tian, not adept at playing these games, had her controlled character eliminated long ago. She sat nearby watching them play, and upon hearing Fu Shizhao’s words, she chimed in, “Yangchun Temple is good. I heard it’s especially accurate for matchmaking, but you two kids are too young to seek that now.”

Upon hearing “especially accurate for matchmaking,” Tang Sheng immediately said, “Let’s go then. They’ll both be 17 after the New Year; they’re not that young anymore.” Jiang Tian laughed, “They’re not even 18 yet. Early relationships are not advisable.”

Tang Sheng joined in the laughter, “I regret not dating you earlier.”

“Victory in freshman year isn’t too late either.”

Tang Mian put down the controller, furrowing his brow as he looked at Fu Shizhao sitting beside him. Cotton Candy nestled in his arms, he instinctively held Fu Shizhao’s hand that was holding the controller.

“Yangchun” is another name for peach blossoms, and Yangchun Temple is planted with many peach blossoms, but you can’t see them in late January.

They had gone to Yangchun Temple during the New Year’s in the previous life. It was also Fu Shizhao’s suggestion.

He remembered it very clearly because that was the last New Year’s they had spent together in the previous life. However, in the previous life, Tang Sheng’s relationship with his sister-in-law hadn’t been as smooth, and she hadn’t been here during New Year’s.

In his previous life, Fu Shizhao had made this suggestion to let his brother go to the temple to pray for a charm to give to his sister-in-law, hoping to further their relationship and bring her back home for New Year’s the following year.

What about this time?

Was it just a coincidence?

Such coincidences made Tang Mian feel a bit heavy-hearted. He didn’t want to see any more overlaps between this Fu Shizhao and the one from the previous life. He hoped they could become completely different people. Otherwise, memories from the previous life would continue to haunt him.

Fu Shizhao naturally noticed Tang Mian’s gaze, but he continued to focus on controlling the character on the screen as if he hadn’t noticed. The New Year had passed, and he needed to make some moves.

Finally, on the screen, his character defeated Tang Sheng’s. Fu Shizhao turned with a smile, meeting Tang Mian’s gaze.

“Victory, ge.”