The weather in June is as fickle as a child's face, changing in an instant. The morning was clear and sunny, but by noon, distant rumbles of thunder could be heard. Soon, dark clouds covered the entire sky, casting everything into a somber gloom, and it looked like rain was imminent. Around two or three in the afternoon, during the muggy and uneasy hours, the clouds churned, and thunder rumbled. Suddenly, a massive lightning bolt split the sky, seeming to strike the window. Immediately afterward, a low, oppressive rumble of thunder rolled from afar, shaking the house. "Ahhh..." A scream. Xia Xiang woke up from a nightmare, drenched in sweat, his face filled with terror. He had experienced an incredibly vivid and clear nightmare, in which he failed at stock investments 12 years later, leading to the collapse of his company. He became a complete failure, eventually turning to alcohol and dying an untimely death. Each event, every detail, was so clear that it made him wonder if it was all just a dream or if it had truly happened. Xia Xiang, drenched in sweat and panting, forced down his fear and unease, trembling as he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. He glanced at the calendar on his desk, which read: June 15, 1998, Monday. He clearly remembered it was March 15, 2010, Monday, when he went to a bar alone and drank, not sure how much. He only remembered his head feeling heavy, dizzy, and he seemed to have met his ex-girlfriend Wei Xin. Then he left alone, staggering outside, feeling the world spin, and eventually collapsing on the ground... What was going on? Was this what it meant to die? Then he woke up, and time had reversed, bringing him back 12 years. Was this a cruel joke by fate, or a generous second chance? Twelve years, neither long nor short, were the most crucial golden years of his life. Now, with this precious opportunity before him, what kind of different life should he lead? Xia Xiang's head throbbed as he stood up and looked out the window. Outside, the grapevines were laden with tiny grapes. Further away, several loofah vines climbed the walls. Through one side of the wall, he could see a Qianlima car parked outside.
This wasn't the low-end Qianlima car produced by Hyundai in 2003, but the mid-to-high-end Qianlima from Nissan Japan in 1998, designed for the European and American markets. It had leather seats, automatic transmission, electric windows, and automatic wipers, which were very luxurious features at the time.
Xia Xiang suddenly remembered, wasn't this Li Dingshan's car? Sure enough, the license plate started with F, confirming it was the smuggled car Li Dingshan had driven from Bao City to Yan City, with fake registration. The market value of the car was over 300,000 yuan, but Li Dingshan had gotten it for only about 80,000 yuan.
1998? Li Dingshan? Xia Xiang finally came to his senses. It was his second year out of university, he was 23, and working at Li Dingshan's company.
Li Dingshan was originally the chief of a national newspaper's station in Yan Province. In 1996, riding the wave of major newspapers developing tertiary industries, the newspaper invested 1 million yuan to register a technology information and cultural development center in Yan City under the name of the national newspaper! One million yuan was a huge sum in the 1990s, proving that Li Dingshan had strong support within the newspaper.
However, Li Dingshan's ambitious plans didn't last long. After a year, the first business venture lost 500,000 yuan, and the second 500,000 yuan investment was a total loss. Xia Xiang wasn't sure about the details of the first loss, as he hadn't joined the company yet. But he was fully involved in the second, knowing every detail and mistake. For the second failure, he could only lament Li Dingshan's bad luck, unable to say anything more because the situation was so frustrating, leaving them with no choice but to blame their misfortune.
Now, the company was in disarray. It was small, with only a dozen people. The second business venture was on the brink of failure, and there was no hope. So, people resigned or transferred, and soon, only five people remained.Wen Yang, the vice president, is 36 years old. He was originally a section-level cadre at the Provincial Youth League Committee. When Li Dingshan first started his company, Wen Yang joined immediately and became one of Li Dingshan's most loyal followers and one of the people he trusted the most.Jia He, 27 years old, is both a secretary and a driver. He has been with Li Dingshan for five years and is also one of his most capable subordinates. Besides sometimes acting as a driver, Jia He usually serves as Li Dingshan's personal secretary, taking care of his daily life. Since Li Dingshan is divorced, his six-year-old son lives with his ex-wife, and he himself stays in the company.
Xiao Jia, 23 years old, like Xia Xiang, is a female college graduate from last year. She has a sweet appearance and came to the company through Wen Yang's introduction. She and Wen Yang have a close relationship, often exchanging glances, which seems to suggest some romantic interest. However, Xia Xiang only suspects this and has no concrete evidence.
Teng Qiang, 26 years old, was originally a technician at Yan City Pharmaceutical. Because Li Dingshan's first business deal was with Yan City Pharmaceutical, and Teng Qiang had some distant family connection with Li Dingshan, he volunteered to transfer to Li Dingshan's company. After the business deal fell through, Teng Qiang remained in the company, but he was essentially sidelined and no longer given important tasks. Despite this, he never left the company, and it was unclear what his plans were.
The last person is Xia Xiang. After graduating from university, he was initially assigned to work as a technician at a construction company. Later, he was introduced to Li Dingshan. As Li Dingshan was planning a second business venture involving infrastructure, they hit it off and had a long conversation. Unable to resist the allure of Li Dingshan's promising prospects, Xia Xiang resigned from his job and joined Li Dingshan's company. Technically, Li Dingshan's company was still part of the public sector, which, compared to a private enterprise, sounded more prestigious.
Unfortunately, while the company was indeed part of the public sector, it was just a nominal title. The company had to rely on its own income and expenses, and the newspaper would not provide any additional funding, so in reality, it was still a private enterprise.
With the company's future looking bleak, Xia Xiang had not left, not because he didn't want to, but because he hadn't found a suitable job yet. Once he did, he would definitely leave the company. After all, their current situation was that everyone gathered together with nothing to do, waiting for the final decision.
In the end, there was no real decision; at most, Li Dingshan would publicly admit defeat, declare bankruptcy, and everyone would find their own way. However, Li Dingshan was a proud man who refused to admit failure, and he had not accepted the reality of it. Just like how he had kept his divorce a secret for many years, with only Jia He knowing about it.
Xia Xiang knew about it because once, when he and Jia He were drinking, they both got drunk, and Jia He let slip the truth.
Today is June 15th. He remembers it clearly. On this day, he received a job offer from another company and submitted his resignation to Li Dingshan. Although Li Dingshan looked uncomfortable and claimed the company still had a chance to turn around, he eventually nodded in agreement and let Xia Xiang go.
From today, after leaving, Xia Xiang began his independent struggle. His contact with Li Dingshan gradually decreased, and he only heard rumors that Li Dingshan eventually returned to the newspaper as an ordinary editor. By the time of Xia Xiang's rebirth, Li Dingshan was 52 years old. If everything went as expected, he would retire in a few years as an editor, perhaps with the title of editor-in-chief, but with no chance of revival. His life would be uneventful, without any significant achievements.
The joy of rebirth was soon overshadowed by reality. Xia Xiang sat back down in his seat, feeling depressed. Today, Wen Yang and Xiao Jia had gone out early, and no one knew where they were. Teng Qiang didn't come to work, and Jia He took leave to visit his hometown. Now, only he and Li Dingshan were in the company. If he was not mistaken, Li Dingshan was probably sleeping upstairs.
Was there really no opportunity or choice after his rebirth? Would he have to leave the company and start over, only to end up with an ordinary life again?
Ring, ring, ring...
The phone suddenly rang, interrupting Xia Xiang's thoughts. He was startled and instinctively thought, "Could it be the company I applied to, calling to notify me to start work? If that's the case, should I, like before, resign from Li Dingshan and step out of this small building that carries the failed dreams of so many people?"