Chapter 1 – Bright Sunshine
“Gao Wen… Gao Wen?”
A warm, cosy haze enveloped Gao Wen, a drifting, floating sensation that blurred his consciousness. His vision dissolved into a halo of light, making contours and lines indistinct. Amid this vagueness, a hint of blue emerged—clear, vivid blue—that instinctively drew him to reach out and touch it.
A little closer, just a little closer.
“Gao Wen!”
A voice rang in his ears, sharp and startling like a clap of thunder. The reverberating force shattered his balance, and gravity yanked him downward. The sudden sensation of weightlessness gripped his chest. Reflexively, he flailed his limbs, desperate to regain equilibrium, to grasp something that would anchor him.
He plunged headfirst into the blue, and then…
His feet landed firmly on the ground. The reassuring solidity beneath him contrasted sharply with the frantic pounding of his heart against his ribcage. His ears buzzed, and his focus gradually sharpened. The blue transformed into gold—radiant, dazzling gold—that pierced the depths of his pupils.
Before him stood a square-faced young man, with jet-black hair and eyes. His prominent brows and deep-set features exuded a certain handsomeness. Though his lips were pressed into a slight line, a faint smile flickered across his expression, brimming with youthful exuberance.
Wait… was this McDonald*?
Gao Wen was momentarily bewildered.
Mackenzie McDonald—his college teammate and fellow member of the UCLA tennis team. They had spent countless days training and competing side by side. But after graduation, their paths had diverged entirely.
Due to a knee injury, Gao Wen had given up tennis and returned to China to live as an ordinary office worker. Meanwhile, McDonald pursued a professional tennis career, achieving remarkable success.
The last time Gao Wen had heard about McDonald was on TV.
Earlier this year, McDonald had stunned everyone at the Australian Open by defeating three strong opponents in succession to reach the round of 16, matching his best Grand Slam performance. Gao Wen had been genuinely happy for his old teammate, silently cheering him on from afar. Their lives had taken such different trajectories that they hadn’t spoken in ages, let alone met face-to-face.
So, what was going on now?
Gao Wen finally looked at his surroundings amid a flurry of unanswered questions. They weren’t in his office or apartment. Instead, they stood on… a tennis court.
A hard court of deep and light blue hues, tangled nets carelessly piled like fishing gear and tiered seating that rose on all sides to create a well-like space. Tall trees planted neatly around the court swayed gently in the breeze, their rustling leaves whispering softly.
It felt both unfamiliar and profoundly familiar.
The early morning sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled light on the court. Gao Wen instinctively extended his right hand, savouring the warmth of golden sunlight in his palm. His gaze drifted to a supermarket cart overflowing with tennis balls—worn and frayed from overuse, resembling tiny angry birds that seemed to encapsulate their youthful memories.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind stirred the treetops, the interplay of light and shadow shifting. Then Gao Wen noticed a familiar emblem on the side of the court:
The UCLA Bruins logo.
Wait—this was his alma mater? But how had he travelled from Shanghai to Los Angeles? And why was he at the university tennis court?
Could this all be just a dream?
But if it was a dream, everything felt too vivid, too perfect to merely be a figment of the imagination.
“…Gao Wen, what’s up? Still not awake?”
McDonald nudged Gao Wen’s shoulder, waggling his eyebrows teasingly.
“Or are you trying to slack off and push the prep work onto me?”
Looking at McDonald’s sun-kissed complexion, Gao Wen could almost feel the lingering warmth of sunshine on his skin—a testament to the vitality of their youthful years.
Pulled back to reality, Gao Wen spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness and replied with a playful grin.
“Ah, you caught me.”
McDonald, who had been joking, seemed momentarily embarrassed when Gao Wen “admitted” it. He rubbed his nose sheepishly.
“Alright, alright. The other day, when I wasn’t feeling well, you handled all the cleanup after practice. Today, I’ll take care of the prep work.”
Sure enough, McDonald was just as honest as Gao Wen remembered him to be. Before Gao Wen even said much, McDonald had already thought everything through on his own initiative.
Gao Wen deliberately raised his eyebrows at his friend and made a victorious “V” gesture, celebrating his successful escape from doing the prep work.
McDonald looked thoroughly annoyed and shot him a protesting glare. Taking a step forward, he attempted to grab Gao Wen, but to his surprise, Gao Wen reacted even faster. With a quick retreat, he dodged nimbly.
“You little rascal!”
McDonald shouted through gritted teeth, raising a tennis ball and hurling it at Gao Wen. Watching Gao Wen continue to flee, he threw ball after ball, cursing and chasing him around the court. The two of them darted and dashed, their laughter ringing out pure and bright, like children who had yet to grow up. Their uninhibited joy echoed through their chests, so infectious that even the sunlight seemed to dance along with their movements.
Once, they had been so carefree, believing in sunshine, in the future, in hope. Back then, simple things like running and chasing brought them unbridled happiness. But as time went on, they grew up, and that happiness faded. Joy became harder to grasp, and eventually, they were trapped in a grey, endless haze.
Like walking corpses.
Only when watching tennis matches did Gao Wen feel a faint flicker of passion deep within his soul. Yet every time he looked down at the ugly surgical scars on his knee—aching relentlessly through rainy nights that stole his sleep—he could only turn off the television in despair.
His knee?
It took Gao Wen several beats to realize that his knee didn’t feel swollen or painful as it usually did. Not only that, but it moved freely and felt light as a feather, as if… it had never been injured.
With an abrupt stop, Gao Wen planted his feet firmly. From his toes to his calves, through his knees and up to his thighs, he could feel his muscles tensing and responding with precise control. The light, springy tension of his body absorbed the impact effortlessly, even in the middle of a high-speed sprint.
A smile lingered at the corners of his mouth. Gao Wen looked down at his knee in disbelief—
A smooth, flat, healthy knee.
The ghastly scars from multiple surgeries had vanished entirely. He could barely remember what his knee had looked like before the scars.
But now? No scars, no pain, no swelling—nothing. It was as good as new.
“Bang!”
Gao Wen’s sudden stop was so abrupt that McDonald, charging forward like a runaway train, couldn’t react in time. A collision seemed inevitable, but Gao Wen absorbed the impact. With several quick adjustments to his footing, he not only maintained his balance but also prevented McDonald from falling.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry!”
McDonald’s first instinct was to apologize. Though he had no idea what had just happened, the words spilt out anyway.
Gao Wen lowered his gaze to his knee, marvelling at the fluidity of its movements. He could feel every detail—the interplay of muscles and bones—like a brand-new, well-oiled machine with its original, high-performance configuration.
Naturally, joy and elation surged through his chest.
Lifting his head, Gao Wen saw McDonald’s worried expression. His friend hadn’t even caught his breath yet, fumbling out an apology with a dazed look. The sight brought an uncontrollable grin to Gao Wen’s face.
“Heh… hahaha… hahahahaha!”
He started laughing—softly at first, then louder and more freely, until his laughter echoed unabashedly around the court.
Like an absolute fool.
McDonald froze for a moment, staring at the silly Gao Wen in confusion. He glanced around to ensure no one else was watching their absurd antics. Torn between “keeping his distance to avoid catching the foolishness” and “joining his friend in the silliness,” he hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he chose the latter.
A snort escaped him.
McDonald couldn’t hold back any longer. Watching Gao Wen, he shook his head repeatedly and joined in the laughter. The more they laughed, the harder it was to stop. Their booming laughter filled the tennis court, basking in the golden sunlight.
Gao Wen laughed even brighter.
He was back.
A second chance?
In the darkest, most exhausting, and helpless days of his life, Gao Wen had often wished for a do-over.
He never thought it could actually happen. But now, it had. He had truly won a chance to restart, and the happiness was indescribable.
But what date was it now, exactly?
He would never forget that his knee was first injured on February 15, 2014. Since his knee was still intact, this must be sometime before that date.
Looking at McDonald’s youthful, boyish face, and then at the tennis court bathed in the light of dawn, waiting to be set up, memories buried deep under layers of dust began to stir and awaken—
This should be December 2013.
The exact date still needed confirmation, but if he wasn’t mistaken, this should be time during the college tennis team’s winter training, preparing for the spring season set to begin two months later.
Gao Wen and McDonald were both freshmen rookies, having joined the team less than half a year ago. Every day, they were the first to arrive at the court to set it up and the last to leave after packing up.
That November, Gao Wen had just turned 18. A vast, boundless world lay before him, and even the sound of his heavy breathing was filled with youthful energy and vitality.
Buzz…
A faint vibration echoed in his mind, and the next moment, a set of light blue text appeared on his retina.
“System Activated.”
What… what was this?
Just as Gao Wen thought he might be imagining things, another line of light blue text emerged.
“Growth Potential +0.01%.”
Hmm? Was this some rebirth perk?
T/N – HERE WE GO, another project, another new novel on this site and I am so looking forward to translating this one. You probably didn’t know but I trained tennis for six years, so naturally, it is one of my favourite sports to watch, so when I found this novel I wanted to translate it, and lets gooo.
T/N – Btw a couple of days ago I put out a list of my favourite 50 web novels, so if you are interested and if you want to maybe add something to your to-read list please check it out – https://hereticnovels.com/my-top-50-web-novels/
T/N – Massage to the author – if you don’t want me to translate your novel send me a message and I am going to take down the translation.