Chapter 3

Stephen had no idea who had called the State Department of Education to report that Linden High School was conducting classes during the holidays. Consequent to that, the school had declared a full seven-day holiday for spring break, including for students in their senior year. Stephen had slept soundly the night before and got up early the next morning. Instead of doing his revisions at home, he rode his worn-out bike to the library in the city a few miles away from his home. He had developed a habit during his postgraduate studies of studying in the library. He found it to be more efficient. It was great to be young and energetic again. Although his bike was quite worn out, Stephen treated it like a prized possession. He rode his bike out of the saddle the entire way and reached the library within ten minutes, without breaking a sweat. His body felt strong and fit, as if he could easily handle physically demanding work. When he reached the Reading Area, he lifted his gaze and was immediately taken aback. The entire area was packed with people. They were mostly final-year students who were here to do their revisions, just like him. There was significant population growth during the late 1980s and 1990s. As such, his generation faced intense competition among their peers. Stephen couldn't help but wonder if he was late. After searching for a while, he still couldn't find any available seats. Just as he was about to head back, he spotted an empty seat by the window. Typically, seats by the window in the library would always be taken first. Therefore, the availability of this seat seemed abnormal. Stephen quickly figured out the reason. Across the empty seat sat a young woman with long hair. She was incredibly beautiful and had a captivating presence. While Natasha was beautiful, she was merely average when in comparison to this young woman. They weren't in the same league. The young woman wore a baggy sweater, yet it didn't hide her curves. She was neither too thin nor too curvy. She had a well-proportioned figure. The striking features on her slim face were breathtaking and almost glowed under the sunlight. Her beauty made her stand out in the crowd. In his past life, Stephen would've been too shy to sit across from her. At most, he would've opted to walk past her and sneak a few glances. If she ended up noticing him, his heart would race and he'd turn red from embarrassment. But now… He walked up confidently in front of her and asked, "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" When the young woman heard Stephen's question, she was slightly stunned. She glanced at him but didn't reply. Stephen thought that perhaps she was just quiet. Then, he sat down abruptly. If this seat was taken, he'd just move elsewhere. There was no big deal. Revisions were a long and tiring process. Occasionally, Stephen would glance up at the young woman sitting across from him. After all, she was quite a sight. The saying that there was a treasure in every book was indeed true. But today, Stephen didn't have to look for the treasure in his books. Instead, a treasure was sitting right across him. Ten minutes later, Stephen lifted his gaze for the third time. This time, the young woman lifted her book and blocked his view of her stunning face. Her gesture allowed Stephen to notice the book that she was reading. It was a children's book, specifically an illustrated version of "The Cat that Lived a Million Times". Stephen recalled that he had bought this exact book for his ten-year-old niece in his past life. When she finished, his niece had solemnly told him, "Stephen, please don't buy me such childish books in the future." Stephen decided to take a look at the book himself. The book was about a tabby cat that had died and been reborn a million times. This caused the tabby cat to feel indifferent about everything in life until he finally met a beautiful white cat. The tabby cat and the white cat shared a joyful life together, but after the white cat died, the tabby cat also passed away from grief. This time, he was not reborn again. This story might have seemed childish for a ten-year-old child, but for Stephen, whose soul was already in his 30s, it seemed just right. Stephen couldn't help but smile gently. The young woman sitting across him appeared to be aloof, but she still had a touch of childlike wonder. Since the young woman had covered her face with the book, naturally, Stephen didn't continue to look at her. He lowered his head and continued to complete his practice question. When he finished, he checked his answers against the answer guide and pulled out a packet of cookies from his bag. They were a rare brand called "Teddy Cookies". It wasn't very popular because of its unique flavor. Stephen on the other hand, genuinely enjoyed them. He snacked on them happily like a kid. Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation on his fingers as he reached for another cookie. There was another pair of slender fingers that was reaching into the bag of cookies. It was the young woman across from him. She was taking his cookies! It wasn't stealing since she was doing it right in front of him, but she was still taking it nonetheless. Stephen felt a bit annoyed. She had no right to take his cookies just because she was pretty! He rolled his eyes instinctively. The young woman seemed completely unfazed by his reaction. Instead, she quickened her pace of taking the cookies and munched on them insatiably, enjoying each bite. Consequently, Stephen also picked up his pace of grabbing and devouring the cookies. He didn't want to be left with nothing if this young woman continued to take his cookies. The both of them ended up taking the cookies in turns, as soon as he took one, she proceeded to take another one. Both of them munched on the cookies voraciously. Soon, they were left with one last piece of cookie in the bag. Stephen managed to reach for it first. The young woman sneered softly. "Here." Stephen was rendered speechless by her reaction. Nonetheless, he broke the cookie into two halves and gestured for her to take one. To his surprise, the young woman ended up taking both pieces. She munched on them loudly as if to show off. The corner of Stephen's eye twitched in annoyance. He was taken aback by her gesture. Suddenly, the young woman started to cough violently. She had choked due to eating too quickly. Stephen shook his head and pulled out an unopened bottle of water from his bag. After twisting the cap open, he made a gesture to offer the bottle of water to her. Just as the young woman reached out, Stephen pulled back and took the drink for himself. He gulped down nearly half the bottle and let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Ah, this water is so refreshing!" The young woman shot Stephen a nasty glare. Stephen chuckled softly and packed all his things into his bag. He hummed a cheerful tune as he got up and left. The young woman seemed to cough even more vigorously. After Stephen left, Bailey Young finally stopped coughing and clenched her fists tightly. If it weren't for the fact that she didn't know how to insult someone to their face, she would've surely given him an earful. It was infuriating enough that he stole her cookies, but he even went on to mock her in the end! Bailey had completely lost any desire to continue reading and decided to pack up her things. Just as she zipped open her bag, Bailey was shocked—there was a brand new bag of Teddy Cookies in her bag. "This means that… he didn't steal my cookies?" Her face flushed with embarrassment. … The next morning, Bailey arrived early at the library. When she reached, Stephen was already seated at the same spot as yesterday. She silently let out a sigh of relief and took her seat across from him. She remained silent. She wasn't sure how to start a conversation as she never had to deal with such a situation. Just when Stephen finished a set of foreign language practice questions and was prepared to reach into his bag to grab a snack, Bailey's eyes lit up. She immediately pulled out a box of macarons from her bag and pushed it toward Stephen. She remained silent throughout. Stephen couldn't help but wonder if the young woman across from him was mute. He asked curiously, "Is this an apology for taking my cookies yesterday?" Bailey's face flushed with embarrassment. Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to respond, but no words came out of her mouth. This made Stephen more certain of his thoughts. "I've noticed that you can't talk. Just nod if that was a yes, or shake your head if it's not." Bailey immediately nodded. She was fine with him assuming that she was mute. That way, she didn't need to talk. Stephen grabbed the box of macarons and gobbled them without any hesitation. Bailey had never seen anyone with such sloppy eating habits. She looked at him with great disbelief. Stephen finished the box of macarons very quickly. He figured that it would be rude not to reciprocate. Therefore, he pulled out a pack of Hot Cheetos, peeled it open, and offered it to Bailey. Bailey's eyes widened with curiosity. "You've never had Hot Cheetos? Trust me, they're delicious!" Stephen took a piece from the pack and tossed it into his mouth. Maybe it was the way that Stephen was enjoying them that finally gave Bailey the courage to reach out. She carefully reached for a small piece. She took a tiny bite, her brows knitting tightly together at first, and then gradually relaxing. After swallowing, she stuck out her tongue slightly, hissing softly from the spice. Stephen looked at her in slight disbelief. "I'm surprised you can't tolerate this level of spice." His remarks seemed to have sparked Bailey's determination. She pursed her lips tightly. Then, she worked up the courage to take a large bite. After she swallowed, her hissing sound grew louder and her once calm and distant gaze now displayed clear signs of joy. … The seven-day-long spring break had finally come to an end. Stephen spent his entire break studying in the library. Bailey came every day as well. The only form of communication between them was through sharing snacks. Their mutual habit of sharing snacks helped them build a connection. Stephen treated Bailey as if she was mute. Throughout their time together, he was always the one doing the talking. Bailey only needed to nod or shake her head. Bailey never explained to him that she wasn't mute. For her, it was better that she didn't need to speak. Stephen had always been a talkative person. Furthermore, he had a strong desire to rant ever since his rebirth. He had shared many stories with Bailey throughout the past few days. It was mostly about his childhood mischiefs. Other times, he also shared about things he had experienced in his past life. Of course, he often started with the phrase "I have a friend who…" Bailey was a great listener. No matter what Stephen talked about, there were always signs of clear admiration in her eyes. It seemed as if she admired his ability to talk so much. Who wouldn't feel proud to have a beautiful young woman resting her head on her hands and looking at them with such admiration, as if they were her entire world? Stephen, for one, felt incredibly proud. Fortunately, having lived through two lifetimes, he was able to keep his ego in check. On the last day of spring break, after Stephen had finished his revision, they shared their snacks once again. Bailey rested her head on her hands and looked at Stephen, her eyes filled with anticipation. It was her favorite part of the day when Stephen told her stories. Stephen raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I haven't got stories to tell today. Instead, let me ask you a question." Bailey nodded gently. "I noticed you like reading children's books. So, let me ask you, why did Cinderella leave all her breakfast cereal?" Bailey's face showed a sense of confusion. She was intrigued by the question. Stephen smirked and said, "Cause she ran away from the bowl!" Bailey was confused for a moment, but when she realized what he implied. After a few seconds of silence, she glared at Stephan and blurted out, "That was stupid." This time, it was Stephen who was taken aback. "So… you're not mute?" Bailey smiled gently. There was a hint of mischief and shyness in her bright eyes. She continued, "Nice to meet you, Stephen Clayton from Senior Class 6. I'm Bailey Young, from Senior Class 1."