HUN Chapter 1: Loss and Recovery After Rebirth

The tearing pain mixed with the harsh sound of metal scraping was Lin Yu'an's last memory.

He remembered that truck, the out-of-control shipping container that had fallen off, and the terrified screams of the surrounding crowd...

"Buzz—"

Suddenly, Lin Yu'an bolted upright from the bed, his chest heaving violently, his forehead covered with fine beads of cold sweat.

An unfamiliar ceiling... no, it was a familiar yet strange ceiling.

He looked around at the cheap IKEA-style furniture, the thick English textbooks scattered on the desk. This was... his and Aliya's first home?

Lin Yu'an was somewhat dazed. Hadn't he been crushed to pulp by a shipping container that had fallen from a truck while riding his motorcycle in Montana, evading immigration authorities?

He instinctively touched his body. No pain, no blood, all limbs intact.

Instinctively searching for his phone, with trembling hands, he grabbed the iPhone X that was still charging and lit up the screen—

June 12, 2020, 11:30, Saturday.

The screen lit up, the lock screen wallpaper showing a golden-haired girl with a radiant smile, against the backdrop of Texas's familiar vast blue sky and blooming cornflowers.

Lin Yu'an's pupils suddenly contracted!

He had actually been reborn! Reborn to his senior year studying in America!

That damned pandemic hadn't swept across the globe yet! Aliya... Aliya was still alive!

This date! This time!

"Fuck!"

"Damn it!"

Lin Yu'an let out a beast-like low roar, his heart feeling as if it were being tightly squeezed by an invisible hand, almost suffocating!

He had been reborn to that moment he could never forgive himself for!

"Aliya!!!"

Lin Yu'an leaped from the bed like a madman, not even having time to put on his jacket, grabbed the car keys and phone from the desk and rushed outside!

Almost tumbling as he scrambled into his second-hand Ford pickup, he floored the gas pedal, the engine letting out a roar as he sped toward the suburbs.

Texas highways were wide and straight, but at this moment every second felt like a century!

The cold face of Aliya in the morgue from his previous life kept flashing before his eyes, like a knife repeatedly cutting through his heart.

He desperately, continuously commanded Siri to dial Aliya's number, but the damn phone at this crucial moment just wouldn't connect!

Lin Yu'an began unconsciously recalling every detail of his previous life with Aliya.

A few months after their marriage, which was exactly today!!

Aliya, with a mix of unease and anticipation, told him over the phone that she was pregnant, and with twins!

These two children were so precious! Aliya treasured them greatly, but she understood Lin Yu'an's upbringing and wasn't sure if he would like these two children.

When Lin Yu'an received the call, he fell silent for a long time.

His childhood experiences flashed through his mind repeatedly. He was going to be a father.

Hearing Lin Yu'an's silence on the other end, Aliya's voice began to carry a slight sob as she said it was okay, she would raise these two children herself, even if they had no father!

"No, no, no, Aliya, listen to me, I'm very happy!"

"I just... I'm just not sure if I'm qualified to be a good father."

Aliya immediately broke into a smile through her tears, happily praising Lin Yu'an, saying he was so smart, brave, considerate, and most importantly, could cook excellent Chinese cuisine.

He would definitely become a wonderful father!

They thought their beautiful life together was about to begin.

But then, gunshots! Intense and rapid gunshots! Coming from the Little Ladybug maternity supermarket where Aliya was!

He clearly remembered receiving the police notification call only after his iPhone X had charged to one hundred percent.

The standard charger had low power, actually taking about 3 hours to fully charge, with 20 minutes able to charge about 12% of the battery.

When he left the dorm, the battery was at 80%, so he had to contact Aliya within half an hour!

"Faster! Even faster!" Lin Yu'an roared, his eyes bloodshot, frantically pressing the gas pedal!

He recalled Aliya's enormous sacrifices for him in his previous life.

In his past life, to earn more dollars, relying on his decent cooking skills, he secretly worked cash jobs at a popular Chinese restaurant off-campus.

He never expected that after an argument with a banana person kitchen helper, the latter would hold a grudge and report him to immigration authorities.

A cold notice from immigration directly declared that his F-1 student status faced termination due to "unauthorized work."

The international student office at Texas Tech University also said they couldn't help.

Just one step away from graduation, he was about to be deported because of this blemish, his future looking bleak.

Just when he was at his wit's end, almost in despair, it was Aliya, his girlfriend whom he had met in a project collaboration group during his freshman year.

When she learned of his crisis, she calmly said to him, "Darling, let's get married. That way you can get a green card."

Afraid that Lin Yu'an might doubt the purity of her feelings about this marriage, Aliya even made a small confession to him.

She said she was captivated by the charm of Lin Yu'an, this "Chinese warm man," that she felt comfortable being with him, he was very considerate, and the days living with him matched her expectations of married life.

The more Lin Yu'an recalled, the more his eyes moistened. Finally, under Lin Yu'an's speeding, the cute ladybug sign of the Little Ladybug maternity supermarket appeared in his view.

He jerked the steering wheel hard, the pickup making a harsh tire screeching sound as it crashed to a stop at the supermarket entrance. Without even turning off the engine, he pushed open the car door and rushed in.

But he immediately turned back to rummage around in the car, then rushed into the Little Ladybug supermarket again.

The supermarket was playing soft music as usual, several young mothers pushing baby strollers, playing with their babies and selecting products. Everything looked so peaceful.

"Aliya! Where is Aliya?"

Ignoring the strange looks from others, his gaze swept frantically through every corner like radar.

His heart, due to extreme tension, felt like it was being tormented on a searing hot pan every second.

Finally, in the dazzling array of baby bedding section, that figure he had been thinking about day and night, that was etched in his bones, crashed into his sight!

It was her! Really her!

Aliya was facing away from him, her tall figure and golden hair clearly visible. Her movements as she selected products were filled with the happiness of motherhood.

She held a soft pale yellow baby blanket in her hands, her fingertips gently brushing over it, her profile radiating the gentle glow of maternal love.

That was a scene he had never had the chance to savor carefully in his previous life, yet appeared repeatedly in countless midnight dreams.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

All the noise, all the fear, disappeared the instant he saw her safe and sound, making his nose tingle with emotion.

"Aliya—!"

Lin Yu'an's voice was hoarse beyond recognition, carrying uncontrollable trembling and excitement mixed with lingering fear that was about to overflow!

He didn't even dare to blink, afraid this was just a hallucination before his death!

Hearing the voice, Aliya turned around in surprise. When her light green eyes recognized that it was him, joy instantly burst forth in her eyes that she couldn't hide!

"Darling, how did you get here?"

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