Ye Chen died.
His soul floated in midair, looking at his body covered with a white sheet. His short life had come to an end just like that.
In his ears, he could hear the sorrowful cries of his family.
At that moment, the door suddenly slammed open!
A girl with tear-streaked cheeks rushed in, her gaze immediately locking onto the lifeless figure on the hospital bed. She knelt beside him, and tears poured down her face again.
"Ye Chen, Ye Chen, didn't you promise me you'd make it through?"
"Why didn't you even give me the chance to see you one last time? I hadn't even confessed to you yet, and now you're gone. How am I supposed to go on?"
"Ye Chen..."
Ye Chen looked over and instantly recognized her.
It was his childhood sweetheart, Gu Nianxi.
Because of the close relationship between their families, they had known each other since they were little. Naturally, their relationship was very close. It was even rumored that their families had arranged a marriage for them when they were still children.
She called him "Brother," and he always treated her like his little sister.
But when he was 15 and in middle school, disaster struck—he was diagnosed with leukemia.
Several times, his life was on the brink of ending. Not wanting to burden his parents, he often thought of giving up. But it was Gu Nianxi who silently encouraged and supported him.
She even shaved her head in solidarity, enduring ridicule from others, and ate hospital food with him. He still remembered their conversation from that time:
"You're not the one who's sick, so why shave your head? You're a girl—it'll look so bad!"
Ye Chen vividly recalled Gu Nianxi's face as she tilted her head up, her eyes sparkling like stars. "I'm naturally beautiful, so I'll still look great even with a shaved head."
The flood of memories overwhelmed Ye Chen, making his soul ache.
So, even souls could feel pain?
---
**Blue Star, an elementary school classroom.**
The school bell rang, and students diligently prepared their books, waiting for the teacher to enter.
"Brother Ye Chen, wake up!"
"The teacher is here. If you don't wake up, you'll be punished to stand again."
A sweet, hurried voice rang in his ears.
Ye Chen groggily opened his eyes.
That voice—so familiar.
He looked up and saw a doll-like face pushing at his shoulder to wake him up.
Seeing that he was finally awake, the girl sighed in relief. "Brother Ye Chen, you're finally awake."
Where am I?
Ye Chen's head ached terribly. Hadn't he already died?
Who was this girl? Why did she seem so familiar?
As he pondered, his memories suddenly became clear.
Gu Nianxi?
To be precise, this was Gu Nianxi when she was a child.
Could it be… he had been reborn?
"Brother Ye Chen, are you okay? Are you sick?" the girl asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Let's get ready for class."
At the front of the room, the teacher entered with a lesson plan.
The students focused on the lesson, but Ye Chen's thoughts wandered.
He had been reborn to when he was 9 years old. At this time, he hadn't yet fallen ill and was still enjoying carefree days of going to and from school with Gu Nianxi.
As he thought about this, suddenly, a screen appeared in his mind!
"Ding! The All-Capable Sign-In System is binding..."
"Ding! Binding successful!"
---
Host: Ye Chen
Age: 9 years old
Admiration Points: 0
Skills: None
Intelligence: 8 (out of 10)
---
Seeing this panel, Ye Chen was stunned.
A sign-in system?
So, this thing actually exists?
He'd spent countless hours reading web novels on his phone. While the concept of a system didn't surprise him, experiencing it firsthand was astonishing.
"System... does this mean my life is now upgraded with cheat codes?" Ye Chen muttered.
"Hello, Host. I am the All-Capable Sign-In System, version 002. I specialize in assisting you in reaching the pinnacle of life. As long as you sign in daily at 8:00 AM, you'll earn admiration points, which can be used for a lucky draw!"
Admiration points? Like game points?
"Exactly. You can earn them by signing in or through other methods, such as surprising or impressing others."
"As this is your first time binding with the system, a welcome gift is prepared for you. Would you like to open it?"
"Yes," Ye Chen replied.
"Gift opened. Congratulations, Host, you've earned 100 admiration points!"
Ye Chen used his mind to open the lucky draw panel. For every 100 admiration points, he could spin the wheel once.
The lucky draw had different levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. The higher the level, the better the rewards.
The Beginner Draw required 100 admiration points.
After spending a few minutes understanding the system, Ye Chen exited the panel.
"Ye Chen, are you even listening to my lecture?" The teacher's voice jolted him out of his thoughts.
Ye Chen looked up just as a piece of chalk flew at him.
Instinctively, he dodged it.
"Do you know what I just said?" the teacher asked with a frown.
The other students cast mocking glances at Ye Chen.
In his previous life, Ye Chen was known as a hopeless underachiever. It was only later, with Gu Nianxi's guidance and encouragement, that his grades improved, and they both got into the same university.
An elementary school-level question was now no challenge for him.
Just as everyone expected Ye Chen to embarrass himself, he calmly said, "Li Bai's poem."
"Which poem?"
"'Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu.'"
"Alright, recite it for the class."
Gu Nianxi, knowing Ye Chen's past struggles, prepared to whisper a hint. But before she could, Ye Chen confidently began:
"Sunlight streams on the Incense Burner Peak, producing purple smoke,
Far off, the waterfall hangs in front of the river,
Its torrent plunges three thousand feet,
As if the Milky Way fell from Heaven."
His composed recitation astonished the class.
Even the teacher was surprised. In the past, Ye Chen couldn't even read poetry fluently, let alone recite it from memory.
"And what is the meaning of this poem?" the teacher asked.
Ye Chen smiled slightly and gave a detailed explanation.
"Can I sit down now, Teacher?" he asked after finishing.
The teacher nodded, still puzzled. When had Ye Chen become so brilliant? It was as if he were a completely different person.
---
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've amazed the entire class. Admiration Points +30!"
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've impressed the teacher. Admiration Points +2!"
Hearing this, Ye Chen smiled faintly.
After school, as the sun set, two small figures walked along the street. Thinking back to Ye Chen's performance earlier, Gu Nianxi was full of admiration.
"Brother Ye Chen, you were amazing just now."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've earned Gu Nianxi's admiration. Admiration Points +3!"
Ye Chen smiled indulgently. "Really? How amazing?"
"Just... so amazing! When did you memorize that poem?" She remembered Ye Chen hated studying, especially memorizing poetry and texts.
"Take a guess."
"I can't guess."
"Then don't guess. Come on, let's go get some treats." Ye Chen took her soft little hand and led her to a cotton candy stand on the street.