In early May, the weather had already warmed up, and there were just over thirty days left until the college entrance exams.
Charlton Collins, like every other senior student, was supposed to be in the classroom grinding through mock papers. Instead, he used a fake stomachache as an excuse to skip class and sneak out for some milk tea. What he didn’t see coming was the freak accident on his way back—a runaway electric scooter hit him straight on.
The impact left Charlton with a serious head injury, and he slipped into a coma that lasted an entire month.
During that long stretch of unconsciousness, he lived through a nightmare—so vivid it felt real, like reliving another version of his life.
In the dream, he bombed the college entrance exam. The results were a disaster. His girlfriend dumped him the moment she found out. With no other option, he ended up going to a subpar private college.
To cover the tuition, his family scraped together every cent they had.
The year he graduated, a global mask crisis hit, throwing the job market into chaos. He couldn’t find work and had to return to his rural hometown with nothing to show.
At his mom's urging, he got into a relationship. It wasn't love—just settling. The family poured everything they had yet again into renovating the old house for the wedding.
But on the big day, the bride threw a tantrum over the so-called name-changing gift and refused to even get out of the car. That pushed Charlton over the edge.
What should’ve been a happy celebration turned into a public spectacle.
From then on, things went downhill fast. The bride’s family kept showing up causing trouble, accusing Charlton of ruining their daughter’s life and demanding 300,000 in compensation.
People in the village had a field day gossiping. The whole Collins family became a joke.
With no money to pay off the bride’s family, the harassment just escalated—paint buckets, feces, you name it.
Charlton’s mom, already frail from years of hard work and stress, eventually couldn’t take it anymore and passed away. His dad turned into a drunk and wasted away too.
Just like that, a once-happy family of three fell apart.
...
“Son, you're awake? Are you feeling okay?”
Linda Brown’s voice was shaky with emotion as she watched her son's eyes flutter open.
Charlton slowly turned his head and saw her—his mom’s familiar face, tired but alive.
In that moment, all the bottled-up grief and longing crashed over him like a tidal wave.
“Mom... you're still here?”
He couldn’t hold it in anymore. He shot up from the hospital bed and threw his arms around her, breaking down in tears.
His mom had always been his rock. She gave everything for him.
In that nightmare, she died grieving, unable to accept how things had spiraled.
But now—now—he had another chance.
The weight of regret and guilt poured out with every tear as he clung to her, unable to let go."You silly boy, what's going on with you? Don't scare me like that. I'm fine—it's you who nearly…"
Tears welled up in Linda Brown’s eyes. She felt both relieved and scared—glad that her son was finally awake, but afraid he’d say something more disturbing.
“Just lie back and don’t move. I’ll go get the doctor,” Arthur Collins said hoarsely, voice tight with emotion.
Hearing his father's voice, Charlton Collins turned his head. The face in front of him was both familiar and strangely new. It wasn’t the weary, hopeless man he remembered from that nightmare of a future. No—his father now looked vibrant, eyes clear and firm even with a bit of gray at the temples.
In that moment, everything clicked.
Those ten years of pain and loss... it had to have been a dream. A terrifyingly vivid one, yes—so real it still made his heart race—but a dream nonetheless.
“I’m not letting that nightmare become reality,” Charlton thought, his jaw clenched.
Soon, the doctor arrived. After a thorough check-up, he confirmed that Charlton was recovering well and could be discharged in two days if nothing abnormal showed up.
The news lifted a huge weight off Linda and Arthur’s hearts.
But Charlton, on the other hand, couldn’t sit still. “Mom, Dad, the college entrance exam is only a week away. I need to get back to studying right now.”
His voice was firm, and the resolve in his eyes was unshakable.
That dream had left a mark—he knew too well how everything could fall apart, all starting from that one test.
“You still need to rest, honey. Don’t push yourself too hard,” Linda said gently, worry in her voice.
Charlton looked at his mom's tired face, and with steady determination, said, “Mom, being unconscious for a whole month opened my eyes. I can’t waste another second.”
There was something in his look that hadn’t been there before—a sharpened edge of determination.
Arthur watched his son for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, I’ll go get the discharge papers ready.”
Linda still had concerns, but seeing her son's attitude, she didn’t push further.
After resting for just one night, Charlton insisted on heading back to school.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, a round figure came barreling straight at him.
“Holy crap! You’re finally awake!”
It was Luke Carter, his desk mate and best friend.
“Back off. Quit hugging me,” Charlton frowned and pushed him away. “You look like you were hoping I’d be out cold a little longer.”Luke Carter looked miserable, unloading his frustration like it had been bottled up forever. “Man, you’ve no idea how rough it's been while you were in the hospital. Every mock exam, I’m dead last in class. It’s been torture.”
For Luke, grades were the core of his bond with Charlton Collins. He came from a well-off family and had only gotten into Yizhong thanks to some connections. Charlton, on the other hand, came from a modest background and had earned his spot with solid scores. Back in the day, he used to do pretty well too.
But ever since Charlton got into a relationship in senior year, his grades had tanked, eventually dropping him down to sit next to Luke. Occasionally, Luke even managed to score a bit higher than him, which always gave him a tiny boost of pride. To him, staying off the bottom of the class and beating Charlton was pretty much the only thing his dad expected of him.
Then, Charlton was gone for a whole month. Without his rival around, Luke had no one to push him, and so he hit rock bottom every single time. It was miserable.
Charlton flashed a quiet, confident grin. “You better get used to that last place, 'cause I’m back, and it’s a different game now.”
Luke raised his eyebrows and shot back with a teasing tone, “Oho, look who’s talking big. One month in bed and you think you’re reborn? The monthly exam's tomorrow, pal. If you beat me, I’ll treat you to burgers for a whole week.”
The two of them laughed and shoved each other a bit before Charlton settled back in his seat and buried himself in his book.
And then—he noticed it.
Something… had changed.
Every line on the page, every concept he glanced at—it all clicked instantly. As if his brain had turned into a high-def scanner, locking everything in with zero effort. It wasn’t just speed-reading—it was like those textbooks had been etched right into his memory.
And on top of that, Charlton still remembered the exact questions from that high-stakes, vivid dream of the college entrance exam, down to the word. With this combo of cheat codes, getting a top score felt like a done deal.
Just as he was fully zoning into study mode, Luke nudged him with an elbow and jerked his chin toward the classroom door.
Charlton looked up.
Melissa Scott strolled in, all smiles and laughs—right beside Bradley Hayes, the class sports rep.
Melissa. His girlfriend. The girl who used to shine like his personal sun, the reason he’d fallen behind. If he hadn’t gone out to buy her that milk tea, he wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital in the first place.
Luke’s expression turned serious. “Hey, man. I gotta tell you something.”
Charlton didn’t say anything, but the look on his face said he already knew what was coming.
“While you were out, Melissa and Bradley got real close,” Luke said quietly. “Like, really close. They’re basically a step away from being official.”
