We Are About to Get Into a Fight

In a chilly and unfamiliar street, a few sanitation workers in orange uniforms were cleaning the road. Not far from the school gate, there was a cart selling triangular rice cakes, emitting a sweet aroma.

Lina sniffed the fragrant scent in the air and couldn't help but swallow. She felt as if there was a kitten in her stomach, scratching her whenever she was hungry. She covered her stomach, walked to the cart, and said pitifully to the vendor, "I'd like one, thank you."

"Alright! Fifty cents."

The vendor handed her a steaming triangular rice cake. Lina hesitated for a moment, then took out the only hundred-yuan bill she had and handed it to the vendor. The vendor examined the bill several times, puzzled, "What kind of money is this? I've never seen it. Is it fake?"

"It's not fake," Lina quickly explained. "If you keep this bill for twenty years, no, maybe just ten, it will be usable."

The vendor looked at her as if she was crazy. Seeing her fair and delicate skin, and her refined appearance, he concluded she didn't look like a scammer. In the end, he didn't take her money.

"Running away from home isn't good. Go back to your parents; they must be worried."

"Um, thank you!"

Holding the warm rice cake, Lina stood by the wall and began to eat. It was her third day since being reborn. Unlike the glamorous tales in novels, she was starving, struggling to survive.

An unexpected car accident had caused Lina to be reborn, returning to when she was 15. She thought she could start over, study hard, shed her spoiled rich girl image, and genuinely help her family. She never expected to return to the time when her father was 15!

The city was familiar, as were the streets. But no one recognized Lina because... she hadn't been born yet.

As someone who hadn't been born yet, Lina had wandered the streets of the early 2000s for three days, truly experiencing the struggle for survival. Even when her family went bankrupt overnight, she had never felt so destitute.

If she couldn't find her young father, Talon Lu, she might genuinely starve on the streets. After inquiring around, she arrived at the school her father attended, Northville Middle School.

Northville Middle School was the oldest school in the city. Even after Lina was born, the school was still enrolling students and was later recognized as a prestigious institution. She often heard her father mention his reckless past here.

Now, standing at the school's entrance, she felt a rush of excitement. What kind of stories did her father have here?

-- -

Lina had been squatting at the school entrance for three days, but she hadn't caught a glimpse of her father.

"Excuse me, do you know Talon Lu?" she asked a student.

"Oh, young Mr. Lu? He doesn't come to school often."

"Where can I find him?"

"He might be hanging out on the entertainment street. I'd advise you not to go there; it's quite chaotic."

"..."

Despite the warnings, Lina decided to wait for Talon at the school gate. Given her current sensitive status, wandering around wasn't advisable. She waited for three days straight, but Talon never showed up. She heard that the young Mr. Lu wasn't the type to attend school daily; skipping classes was routine for him.

Recalling her stern and aloof CEO father, Lina felt that the "young Mr. Lu" everyone described seemed like a completely different person.

Sitting on the street, bored and waiting for her father, Lina was oblivious to the fact that she was being watched by some girls nearby. She was strikingly beautiful, especially her slender waist. In her past life, as soon as she entered college, she was dubbed the "campus belle," captivating countless nerdy guys.

Even though the current Lina was only fifteen, her stunning beauty was enough to make the surrounding girls envious, leading to an instinctual hostility.

"I heard she's been waiting outside the school every day."

"She keeps asking about Talon Lu."

"Tsk, how shameless, coming all the way to the school."

...

Lina knew that boys and girls from her father's generation were innocent and conservative. Even a mere eye contact would make them blush and their hearts race. Her blatant waiting for Talon outside the school was seen as audacious, especially since Talon was... incredibly popular in school.

Thus, Lina's actions drew a lot of attention.

But what could she do? As an unborn "person with nothing," she needed to eat! Apart from her father, she didn't know who else to turn to. Going to the police was out of the question; they'd either send her to an orphanage or a mental institution.

The whispers of the girls were incessant, and Lina overheard them.

"She's so persistent, waiting here every day. Doesn't she know Talon already has a girlfriend, and she's the school beauty?"

Lina's ears perked up, eager to catch the gossip.

Did Talon already have a girlfriend? Could it be her mother?

"Hey, I heard Melfi Su broke up with Talon."

"Why? Weren't they a great couple? Melfi Su is so beautiful; she and Talon were perfect together!"

"I just heard that Melfi has been... getting close to someone else."

"Who?"

"Kairo Shen."

"..."

The girls fell silent for a moment.

"Has Melfi lost her mind, getting involved with him?"

"He's so gloomy and creepy."

"And Kairo is so poor. How can he afford Melfi?"

...

Upon hearing the name Kairo Shen, Lina shuddered involuntarily, breaking into a cold sweat. Kairo Shen, years later, would become a powerful and influential figure in the north city. After years of plotting, he would push Talon's thriving company to the brink of bankruptcy, stepping on him in the process.

Lina was terrified of him!

Who would have thought that Kairo Shen and Talon Lu, arch-enemies, were high school classmates? From the girls' gossip, it seemed that Talon's girlfriend, the school beauty, might have switched her affections to Kairo.

"Shh, stop talking. Talon is coming out!"

Lina looked up to see Talon riding a motorcycle, accompanied by a few unruly-looking youths. He wore a white shirt with the collar slightly open and the sleeves rolled up, revealing his tanned skin. Talon's handsome features were evident, but what was most captivating were his peach blossom eyes, slightly upturned, passionate yet carefree.

Lina's captivating eyes were a spitting image of her father's. Family members used to joke that with those eyes, both father and daughter were bound to cause trouble. But from a distance, Lina felt that her young father was way more of a troublemaker than she was!

Talon was the acknowledged heartthrob of Northville High School. With the aura of a rich kid, he knew how to dress and charm. Walking on the streets in the early 2000s, he was a head-turner.

Lina couldn't believe that her serious and stable father was once this flamboyant!

As Talon's motorcycle was about to pass her, Lina rushed forward, blocking his path. Talon slammed on the brakes, stopping just a feet from her.

"Damn it, are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Seeing her beloved father and thinking of the hardships she'd endured over the past three days, tears welled up in Lina's eyes.

"Dad," she choked out, on the verge of crying.

"You're trying to scam me and now you're crying? If you'd been hit, I'd be the one crying! Move!"

But Lina didn't budge; she firmly held onto the front of his bike.

"You're not leaving?" Talon reached for his wallet, pulling out a wad of cash. "I'm in a hurry. Tell me, how much do you want to let me go?"

Talon's tone was brash and unapologetic, fitting the image of a rebellious rich kid.

Talon's friend, Tim Liang, patted him on the shoulder, urging him to calm down. "She's just a scared young girl. It's not about the money."

He then handed Lina a dark handkerchief. "Here, wipe your face."

"Thank you, Mr. Liang, but I'm fine."

Lina skillfully accepted the money from her father while holding onto his hand, sobbing, "Dad, Lina's so hungry. I haven't eaten in two days. Please, give me a little more."

Talon was dumbfounded.

After a standoff, Talon reluctantly handed over several more bills. After accepting the money, Lina tearfully said, "It's not about the money. I really have something important to tell you."

Talon's mouth twitched in annoyance. "You scam me for money and then say it's not about the money?"

Lina suggested, "Let's find a restaurant to sit down and talk, okay?"

"You scam me for money and now you want a free meal? You've got some nerve!"

Lina turned to Tim for support. "Mr. Liang, please help me!"

Tim, still puzzled, said to Talon, "Look, she seems really desperate. Maybe we should hear her out?"

Talon adjusted his bike's handlebars, clearly irritated. "If I had to pay and treat every girl who chased after me, I'd be broke!"

Lina thought to herself, "You'll go broke eventually, but if you listen to me now, there might be a chance to turn things around in the future." However, she didn't dare voice this thought.

She looked at Talon with pitiful eyes. "Dad..."

Tim observed Lina's face. She was around fourteen or fifteen, with a soft, oval face that looked gentle and obedient. Her delicate eyebrows and long eyelashes, slightly wet from tears, made her look endearing.

And, surprisingly, she bore a striking resemblance to Talon.

Tim looked from Lina to Talon and back again.

Talon snapped, "What are you looking at?"

Tim hesitated, then said, "Talon, she... she looks a lot like you."

For the first time, Talon really looked at Lina. Lina tilted her head back, tucking her hair behind her ears to give him a clearer view. She was undoubtedly his spitting image!

She revealed her fair, oval face, and her cute earlobes were slightly red from anxiety.

Talon was known for his short temper, and when he got agitated, his earlobes would turn red too.

So, these two, with their four cherry-red earlobes, looked incredibly alike, not to mention their strikingly similar facial features.

Talon's expression shifted slightly. He was reminded of his younger sister, who had been kidnapped and sold when she was a child. By now, she would be around the same age as this girl, and they looked alike...

Just then, his Nokia phone beeped. He checked it and his expression darkened. "Damn it, Kairo Shen is already at the billiard room!"

The boys prepared to leave on their bikes.

Lina looked at Talon, hesitating. "Dad, what about me?"

With an air of authority, Talon said, "Get on. We're about to get into a fight. We'll deal with your issue afterward."