Chapter 043: Yang Tian's Birthday

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Living Again: Fulfilling Dreams Without Distraction

[Early morning update, urgently requesting recommendation votes! Third place on the new book chart now. Xiao Mo is very happy, thank you all!]

The next day, Sun Hui was indeed beaten up by Zhou Bing and his gang of vocational school students. What amused Yang Tian even more was that, after being pummeled into a swollen mess, Sun Hui actually came to him for help to mediate.

The king of brawlers, Zhou Bing, had declared that unless Yang Tian stepped in to plead for Sun Hui, he might as well resign himself to his fate. Zhou Bing, despite coming from a poor family, had grown wild since childhood and was now one of the town’s small-time troublemakers, utterly unafraid of being expelled from school.

Yet he admired Yang Tian’s fighting skills. After all, this generation idolized heroes; anyone who could perform a few moves was revered by them.

Zhou Bing wanted to befriend Yang Tian, so this was his strategy!

Before his rebirth, Yang Tian had seen plenty of people like Zhou Bing. They weren’t truly bad—just far too mischievous. Yang Tian didn’t dislike being friends with Zhou Bing, but to properly teach Sun Hui a lesson, he deliberately refrained from mediating, causing Sun Hui to be repeatedly beaten by Zhou Bing and his gang over several days.

“The dream is the butterfly’s wing, youth is the paradise for flight. Release the long string of the kite and paint love upon the face of time. The heart is the power of growing, like the butterfly’s wing, the louder the wind, the higher the song. Butterflies fly! Like childhood running in the wind, feeling the rainbow of youth farther than the sea, higher than the sky. Butterflies fly! Fly toward the castle of the future, open the skylight of dreams, so that growth can be faster and more beautiful…”

That morning, the audio shop outside the school gate was playing “Butterflies Fly” by the Little Tigers. All the children on campus were in high spirits, even Yang Tian was feeling lively; he had always liked this song.

It was Wednesday. As usual, Yang Tian quietly finished his morning exercise, returned, shouldered his backpack, and prepared to go to the classroom for morning reading.

Just as he left the dormitory, he noticed Huang Juan standing right at the entrance, her hands hidden behind her back, her face bright with a smile and lovely dimples.

“Juan, why aren’t you going to morning reading?” Yang Tian asked in surprise. At school, though they ate and played together, mornings were free time, and he rarely sought out Huang Juan, nor did she often come to find him.

“Happy birthday, this is for you!” Huang Juan said something that utterly shocked Yang Tian.

“Happy birthday?!” Only then did Yang Tian remember—it was his birthday today. What Huang Juan handed him was a rectangular object, wrapped in maroon paper, on which two lines of blue ink read: Happy Birthday, Juan!

“What, did you forget your own birthday? Don’t open it yet, wait until I leave!” Huang Juan laughed, her cheeks blushing. Seeing Yang Tian about to unwrap it, she quickly stopped him, then looked up to meet his gaze briefly before lowering her head and running toward the classroom.

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“This girl, so mysterious!” Yang Tian shook his head with a smile, his heart warm. Before his rebirth, aside from Yang Bao and his wife, few remembered his birthday. Now it was different—Huang Juan remembered, and it was clear she had prepared the gift well in advance. The packaging was delicate yet simple, obviously made by her own hands.

Yang Tian was touched; he knew this warmth was brought by the changes after his rebirth.

Watching Huang Juan disappear into the distance, he slowly unwrapped the package and was astonished to find inside Huang Juan’s diary.

Opening it, he saw entries from third grade through second year of junior high. The earlier parts were written in plain pencil, later entries in ballpoint, fountain pen, and colored pens, densely packed but clearly written, showing how seriously she had kept it.

Reading several entries closely, Yang Tian was even more surprised—they were all about him, beginning from when the two of them first sat together in third grade.

She wrote about every detail of her observations, as well as how her impression of him gradually changed—from innocent curiosity, to companionship, and eventually to a deep, inseparable understanding.

Yang Tian nearly shed tears. He had thought that this new life would be a lonely journey to fulfill his dreams, but he had already found happiness and moved so soon, which only strengthened his resolve to pursue his dreams.

He carefully placed Huang Juan’s diary in his backpack, and tucked in the jujube blossom she had given him when they first sat together, understanding what it meant for her to give him her diary.

“Brother, brother, happy birthday!” Just then, Yang Xuelin ran over happily with her small backpack, holding a white plastic bag.

“Thank you, is this for me?” Yang Tian took the bag with delight—even Yang Xuelin had remembered his birthday. Such joy had never come to him before his rebirth.

“Yes, Juan and I also ordered a cake together. We’ll eat it tonight! Brother, you’re thirteen now!” Yang Xuelin smiled especially sweetly.

“That’s right, and you’re eleven! Come, let’s see what birthday present you bought for me!” Yang Tian patted her head, then opened the bag freely.

But when he saw what was inside, he almost fainted! Yang Xuelin had bought him two pairs of boxer shorts—one black, the other with black and white stripes.

“Do you like them? Juan and I picked them together, but I paid for them because this is my birthday gift for you!” Yang Xuelin squinted and smiled, apparently finding nothing odd about it.

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“What made you think of buying me these?” Yang Tian was a little embarrassed, though his heart was full of joy.

“Last time when I slept with you, I noticed your underwear was torn. I was going to ask Mom to buy some for you, but then decided to buy them myself as your birthday present!” Yang Xuelin covered her mouth with her small hand, giggling mischievously.

“You little rascal!” Yang Tian patted her head again.

“Oh, and Juan said you’re really big—how could you wear such big underwear? Haha, I’m off to morning reading, see you at lunch!” Yang Xuelin whispered in his ear, then ran off with a mischievous smile.

“These… two girls!” Yang Tian was first stunned, then could only laugh bitterly.

“Yang Tian, Yang Tian, something’s wrong!” Just as he was about to enter the classroom, Chen Ming ran up, panting.

“What’s wrong?” Yang Tian asked, frowning.

“Zhou Bing from the vocational school brought a group to the school gate, says he wants to see you!” Chen Ming adjusted his glasses, speaking nervously.

“Let him wait!” Yang Tian glanced toward the gate where indeed a crowd of high schoolers had gathered, Zhou Bing in the center, still wearing his shiny black sunglasses.

“No, he said if you don’t go out, he’ll come to the classroom to find you! If he causes trouble inside the school, I’m afraid Teacher Bao will notify your parents!” Chen Ming was sweating with anxiety, since it was because of him that Yang Tian had gotten involved with this gang.

“Give me five minutes!” Yang Tian checked his watch—five minutes before the morning bell. He angrily threw down his backpack, then rushed toward the school gate.

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