“Who else wants some?!”

Inside Dorm 212 at Zhonghai University, Ethan Scott suddenly jerked awake, bolting upright with a gasp.

For a long moment, the cheerful chirping of birds outside gradually pulled him out of his daze. His vision cleared. A few ceramic mugs sat neatly on the table. Piles of clothes were strewn carelessly across all four beds.

Then it hit him.

“Where the hell am I?”

He practically jumped out of bed, rushed to the window, and froze. His mouth fell open at what he saw.

Stunned. Completely in shock. This couldn’t be real.

Everything outside was gray and old-fashioned. No flashy clothes, no one walking around glued to their phones.

A newspaper floated in through the window. He instinctively grabbed it.

“Asian Financial Crisis Deepens, Global Markets in Turmoil! — March 15, 1998.”

“1998?! How the hell did I end up in 1998!?” Ethan’s head spun.

He slapped himself several times, hard. When the sting on his cheek confirmed it wasn’t a dream, he stumbled back to his bed, collapsing into the mattress in disbelief."Reborn? No way, stuff like that only happens in cheesy TV dramas."

Ethan Scott sat there for a moment, completely dazed, before his eyes slowly scanned over the familiar dorm room around him.

“That saggy bunk? For sure, that's Cameron Grant’s bed.”

“That digital junk corner with snack wrappers everywhere? Bernie Hayes is the only one that treats his bed like a second PC station.”

“And that one—the one that honestly smells like perfume and looks like a furniture store display—that’s definitely Lucas Lawrence’s.”

As the memories started flooding back, all the shock and disbelief in his head slowly gave way to a weird sense of warmth. Everything here—it was all from that unforgettable era.

Back then, it was like the whole country was riding a wave. Everyone was diving into businesses, quitting jobs, taking risks. A lot of people made it big. They weren’t just rich—they had families, successful lives, the works.

That thought hit Ethan like a jolt of electricity. If this was real—if he really got a second shot—could he actually change how he ended up?

Suddenly, it was like the world flipped. His heart raced. For the first time, he felt like he was holding all the winning cards.

The dorm door creaked open with a click. In walked a hefty guy with a ceramic mug in hand—Cameron Grant.

“You’re finally up?” he asked casually, like nothing at all was out of the ordinary.“Yeah, you're finally awake.” Ethan Scott held back the rush of emotions, then suddenly threw his arms around Cameron Grant.

“Damn, I’ve missed you guys like crazy all these years!”

Cameron shoved him off like he'd seen a ghost and placed a hand on his forehead. “No fever... But you slept like the dead for days. Still, better have Nurse Gina check you out—maybe your brain glitched during the reboot.”

He grabbed his ceramic mug, took a swig of water, then got up and pulled a badminton racket from his bed. “Get ready. Bernie’s getting messed with again in the computer room. Bring something with you.”

Seeing Ethan still standing there, grinning stupidly with joy, Cameron frowned and doubled back. He poked him in the shoulder. “Look, I know you just got over whatever weird sickness that was, and maybe it’s not fair to drag you into a fight... but can you maybe stop with that creepy smile? You're freaking me out.”

Ethan finally snapped out of it. His memories rushed back—this exact day, March 15th, 1998. It had left a lasting mark in his last life.

He remembered it clearly because it was the day everything went wrong. He and the guys had gotten into a brawl—well, more like they'd been beaten up. And that night, Lily Lewis, his first love, had dumped him.That day messed up everything for him. After that beating, his grades tanked, and he eventually dropped out and went back to his hometown in Hubei to teach at a rural primary school. He spent the rest of his life just scraping by—ordinary, broke. Until that big event happened.

But that’s a story for another time.

Now, just as Ethan Scott was about to head out, it hit him—this was the day he got beat up. And thinking back, the real problem was what he used to fight back with. A badminton racket? Seriously? Not much damage you can do with that.

This time, though, things were different.

He was back, and he was gonna live bold. No more shrinking back. No more taking hits.

Screw it—he’d be the guy people didn’t dare mess with.

He called Cameron Grant back just in time, dashed into the dorm, and grabbed a clothes rod.

Back in this era, clothes rods were made from solid steel bars—heavy, durable, perfect as makeshift weapons. Good for self-defense or, well, less noble things too.

Cameron looked at him baffled, completely confused.

Ethan didn’t waste time. He rushed into the next dorm, borrowed another rod, and tossed it to Cameron.

“Let’s go! And don’t just stand there getting beat up this time!”

Cameron scratched his head behind him, muttering, “Yep, he’s fully lost it. Gotta get Gina Gilbert to check his head later.”Back in 1998, internet cafés were called computer rooms, and the costs were sky-high—ten yuan an hour! That was a lot, considering pork only cost five yuan a kilo at the time. So if you were hanging out in a computer room, either you were really into tech… or just showing off how deep your pockets were.

The one near the school gate was run by a local guy. Inside, it was chaotic—old, laggy computers everywhere, the sound of people slamming mice filling the air.

Right in the middle of it all, a group of students had surrounded a skinny guy.

“Look at your sneaky little face! You look exactly like someone who’d steal! Hand over the wallet. I’m warning you—if you don’t give it up today, this thing won’t just blow over,” barked a guy with slicked-back hair.

That was Jacob Jennings. Anyone at Zhonghai University knew who he was—the infamous cocky cousin of Dylan Douglas, one of the so-called ‘Zhonghai Four.’ Dylan was in senior year now, and more importantly, his dad owned one of the biggest real estate companies in Zhonghai. The guy practically bathed in money.

Thanks to that connection, Jacob strutted around campus like he owned the place, always stirring up trouble.

The poor guy being singled-out was Bernie Hayes—Ethan Scott’s roommate.

Bernie looked like he’d just swallowed a fly, face pale and miserable. He had no clue what was going on. He hadn’t moved a muscle, yet somehow Jacob had pinned a missing wallet on him. Honestly, how did this crap always happen to him?They always said the computer room was a hotspot for trouble. Bernie Hayes had been roughed up in there more than once, but never had he found himself surrounded like this.

And now, they were accusing him of theft?

Right as he was about to speak up, someone next to him piped in.

“Jacob! Just hit him already! I swore I saw him take it. He’s probably hidden the wallet by now. Only a good beating will make him spill.”

“You’re lying! I didn’t take anything!” Bernie yelled, voice trembling with rage. His face flushed red as he glared at the guy. What a load of crap—this was pure setup.

“Still need me to hit you again, huh?”

“Not scared, and you’re still talking back?”

Jacob Jennings lost his patience, snarled, then swung his hand toward him.

But before the slap landed, a loud clang sounded behind him—a steel rod slammed against his head.

“Go ahead. Try throwing another punch.” Ethan Scott’s voice rang out cold and steady.