What kind of rebirth are you?

The current situation was far beyond Ye Lan’s comprehension, and countless paradoxes leapt into his mind.

Virtual illusion? Brain in a vat? False memory? Parallel universe? Time reversal?

Should he faithfully believe his own memories, thinking everything around him was false?

Or should he decide to live in the moment, trusting that everything happening before his eyes was real?

Ye Lan staggered toward the lake.

The surface of the lake was like a clear mirror, reflecting his image.

In the reflection, Ye Lan appeared as a fair-skinned young boy with black hair.

Perhaps because he rarely basked in sunlight, his skin was pale.

And since he hadn’t been cutting his hair diligently, it was a bit long, almost reaching his shoulders.

Ye Lan could confirm that at this moment, he must be around sixteen or seventeen years old.

And since he was still on Xin Laines, he probably hadn’t yet gone to the Soul-Cutting Military Academy.

The Soul-Cutting Military Academy was the starting point of Ye Lan’s career path.

But for Ye Lan, it had never been a pleasant place.

Not to mention that it wasn’t even his first choice, and all the ups and downs of his life, the bittersweet and harsh experiences, had happened there.

However…

If he really had returned to the past, that would mean Su Lixiao was still there.

As long as Su Lixiao remained, everything could start anew—and that wasn’t necessarily bad.

A leaf rustled down, disturbing Ye Lan’s reflection in the water.

Flowers in the mirror, moon in the water.

Even if all of this were false, Ye Lan still wanted to see Su Lixiao again.

He instinctively pressed his hand to his chest, gazing at the far shore of the lake, and shouted: “Lixiao, where are you?”

“Really, it’s only been a few days, and you already miss me this much?”

A pleasant voice, like a yellow warbler, came from behind Ye Lan.

His body shivered as he hastily turned around.

Under a tree, a black-haired girl with hair reaching her waist was smiling at him.

She looked as if she had just returned from a seaside vacation.

She wore a white blouse and a light blue summer skirt, and a straw hat rested atop her head, radiating youthful vitality.

Although she appeared only sixteen or seventeen, anyone without strong resolve could not ignore her impressive presence.

Ye Lan’s voice trembled as he asked: “Lixiao! Is it really you?”

Yes, the girl was Su Lixiao, Ye Lan’s childhood friend and lover.

Seeing the person he had longed for within a few meters, Ye Lan’s legs moved uncontrollably, and he ran straight toward her.

The excited Ye Lan did not notice his actions, like a starving wolf seeing a meal.

Though the metaphor was not quite accurate.

In terms of their individual abilities, the so-called “wolf” should really have been the other way around.

Su Lixiao may have looked delicate, but judging someone’s strength by appearance alone in this era of widespread psychic powers was a deadly mistake.

“It’s me! Lan, what’s wrong with you?!”

Su Lixiao was clearly startled by Ye Lan’s behavior.

However, she reacted quickly, stepping forward, grabbing his collar, and with a spinning move using his momentum, she threw Ye Lan back.

“Plop!” A clean, crisp splash echoed.

The splash startled Xiao Ke, perched atop the tree.

Panicking, it flapped its wings, then spotted Su Lixiao below.

It let out a joyful chirp and flew to her, landing lightly on her shoulder.

At the moment Su Lixiao grabbed him, Ye Lan felt as if he were being spun violently in a centrifuge, then flung downward.

By the time he realized, he had already plunged into the lake.

Fortunately, he could swim, and the water softened the fall, so he was uninjured.

“This force is real… I’m not dreaming.”

Ye Lan climbed out of the lake, drenched, and looked up to see Su Lixiao’s smiling face right before him.

A beautiful face, yet Ye Lan felt a chill from it, and with his soaking body, he shivered involuntarily.

Su Lixiao brushed back her slightly messy hair and scolded him:

“Really, didn’t I tell you I’d be away for a few days? You’re this impatient? You must not have read my messages carefully. Should I give you a lesson?”

Smiling gently, she tapped Ye Lan’s forehead with her finger, pushing him underwater just as he tried to surface for air.

Ye Lan surfaced on the other side, hurriedly begging: “Forgive me! I was wrong! I’ll read your messages next time!”

A brave man never suffers a loss lightly—especially when beaten by his beloved.

“We’re leaving for Beiken tomorrow. You’re still here playing instead of packing? Thinking of teasing me too?”

Yet Su Lixiao did not relent.

She pressed Ye Lan back into the water once again.

“Gurgle gurgle~”

With that, Ye Lan sank completely, only the bubbles on the water’s surface showing that he hadn’t drowned.

“Alright, stop pretending. You’re not going to drown.”

Su Lixiao knew Ye Lan was a good swimmer, evident by the fact that he hadn’t swallowed a drop of water.

She stood on the lakeshore, arms crossed, watching him with the expression of someone who had him completely under control.

And indeed, she did.

Even though Ye Lan had extensive combat experience, was skilled in various tactics, and proficient with nearly every weapon, in hand-to-hand combat, he was no match for Su Lixiao.

In fact, across the entire Human Alliance’s billions of people, very few could contend with her in a test of strength.

S-class psychics were no joke—though Su Lixiao wasn’t fully at her peak yet.

It was certain that attending the Soul-Cutting Military Academy was a waste of her talents, while Ye Lan had ended up there only because he hadn’t been accepted into his first-choice academy.

In many ways, Su Lixiao had chosen to attend the academy with him for his sake.

On this matter, Ye Lan felt guilty toward Su Lixiao.

“Forget it, I won’t bother with you anymore.”

But seeing that Ye Lan still hadn’t surfaced, Su Lixiao huffed and turned to leave.

Only after Su Lixiao walked away did Ye Lan quietly emerge, keeping a cautious eye on his surroundings before deciding to climb ashore.

“Ha! Gotcha!”

Yet, as he was halfway out, Su Lixiao’s voice came from behind him.

This nearly scared Ye Lan back into the water.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Go change your clothes…”

Seeing Ye Lan’s sulky face, Su Lixiao realized her prank had gone a bit too far.

But as if realizing something else, her tone softened: “Or… do you want to stay here a little longer?”

Standing at the shore, Ye Lan looked once again at the lake.

If he were truly sixteen or seventeen, this lakeside would have been nothing new to him.

But now, a hundred years had passed, and this lake belonged to the deeper recesses of his memory.

If he remembered correctly, he hadn’t returned to Xin Laines since he and Su Lixiao had left.

Between school affairs and external assignments, they had never had time to revisit.

Thus, every flower, every tree, every patch of soil and wood was something to be cherished.

Ye Lan’s clothes were soaked, but a minor cold was no concern.

He said to Su Lixiao: “Hmm, I’ll stay a little longer.”

“Alright, I’ll come call you later. Don’t catch a cold.”

Su Lixiao nodded, turning to walk toward the edge of the forest.

Just as she was about to completely leave, she paused, looked back deeply at the surroundings, and finally met Ye Lan’s gaze before leaving with peace of mind.

Ye Lan watched her figure fade into the distance, then surveyed the surrounding unfamiliar scenery, a place that should have been the most familiar to him, feeling a swirl of emotions.

He found a rock by the lake to sit on, letting the breeze dry his wet clothes while his thoughts drifted further away.

This was their secret base, a discovery that belonged only to him and Su Lixiao.

…

At night in the mountain forest, two small figures ran.

The boy in front, the girl behind, they ran through tree tunnels, leaped over rocks, and crossed streams.

“Lan, where are you going?” asked the girl trailing behind.

The boy running ahead laughed brightly: “Follow me and you’ll see!”

The girl pouted in dissatisfaction but still kept up with him.

Starlight filtered through the dense leaves, speckling the ground and falling upon the two children.

They ran deeper into the forest, climbing toward the mountaintop, venturing farther from the city than children their age should.

Just as the girl grew suspicious, the boy suddenly stopped.

Caught off guard, the girl collided with him.

“Ouch!”

The boy hadn’t expected such an accident and cried out in surprise.

The impact made him unable to stabilize himself, and he fell to the ground.

The two children tumbled together for several rolls before finally stopping.

Luckily, the grass was soft, and although they were covered in mud, they weren’t hurt.

“Wow! Can you let go? I’m suffocating!”

The boy’s luck wasn’t great. When they stopped rolling, he ended up face down in the mud, nearly unable to breathe.

The girl, in her panic, had tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, almost suffocating him.

Realizing her mistake, her cheeks flushed red, and she quickly released her hold.

As she stood, the brilliant starlight poured down, dyeing her hair a beautiful silver-white.

“This is…” the girl paused in awe.

The sky glittered with stars, like countless silver beads densely embedded in the deep black night.

The lake mirrored the Milky Way, blending sky and water, making the children feel as though they were among the stars themselves.

“It’s beautiful, right?” the boy said proudly, as if claiming credit: “I discovered it!”

“Mm!”

The girl gazed at the countless twinkling stars as if looking at a long-separated loved one, her eyes filled with nostalgia and emotion.

Amid the interplay of starlight and lake light, the girl instinctively took a step… then another, dancing gracefully, like a sprite moving among the stars.

“Lixiao,” the boy suddenly called out.

“Ah! What is it?” the girl asked, startled, stopping her dance.

The boy said firmly: “I will conquer the stars and seas, and make this beauty ours forever.”

…