Chapter 2: Report the Murderer and Get a Reward
Arriving at the gate of Chengnan High School, Jiang Zhou stopped his bike and instinctively patted his pocket.
He had a smoking habit in his previous life. But now, at eighteen, there were no cigarettes in his pocket.
So, he bit onto a blade of grass instead, easing the craving a little.
“Reborn once… I’ve got to do something big. How do I get my first pot of gold?”
He looked around, but had no clue where to start.
He didn’t remember any winning lottery numbers.
He had no useful resources at hand.
Compared to those ridiculous web novel protagonists, he had zero advantage.
Just then, something on the school bulletin board caught his eye.
Jiang Zhou’s gaze froze.
He remembered this case.
This guy had murdered a family of three and had been on the run for five years.
The crimes were brutal and heinous, which was why Jiang Zhou had followed the case for a long time.
Wang Dahai was finally caught in 2014, in a radish cellar in the western suburbs.
He had been hiding there since the crime, living underground for five years.
He never showed up during the day, only coming out past midnight to scavenge for food.
If that land hadn’t been sold to a real estate company, they might not have found him for another decade.
Jiang Zhou had seen the news of Wang Dahai’s arrest before his rebirth.
Which meant that he knew exactly where that radish cellar was!
A grin spread across his face.
Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity for his first pot of gold?
A 500,000 yuan reward.
Not a fortune, but enough to kick-start a small business.
That man was a menace to society. Making money off catching him would be doing good.
Just as Jiang Zhou was getting excited, a bicycle sped up to the school gate.
It was his old buddy Guo Wei.
As soon as Guo Wei hopped off, he ran over.
“Old Jiang, you okay?”
Jiang Zhou coughed and replied calmly, “What could be wrong with me?”
Guo Wei wasn’t buying it. “Come on, yesterday you were bawling like your life was over. And now you’re fine?”
“I was really crying that hard?”
“Bro, you looked like you were about to jump into a river. I didn’t even cry that hard when my grandma passed away!”
Jiang Zhou’s face turned a little red.
Man, I really was dumb back then.
What was the point of being a simp?
I couldn’t believe how my younger self thought.
Was Chu Yuwei really that attractive?
But after more than a decade, her image was fuzzy in his mind.
He couldn’t even recall how he had felt at eighteen.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about that. Let’s get our graduation certificates.”
Guo Wei eyed him. “When you see Chu Yuwei later, you’re not gonna lose it again, are you?”
Jiang Zhou smirked. “Please. High school crushes are nothing. College is where life begins.”
“Damn, you’re slick as ever. Sounds convincing, too.”
“Convincing? Wait till you experience it yourself.”
The two of them walked into the school building.
Since it was graduation certificate pickup day, lots of graduates had returned.
The hallways buzzed with conversation about plans for the long summer vacation.
But the moment people saw Jiang Zhou, all chatter stopped. Eyes turned his way.
“Isn’t that Jiang Zhou? He’s still alive?”
“Why wouldn’t he be?”
“Didn’t he post on his Moments yesterday about how heartbroken he was and how he didn’t want to live anymore?”
“Pfft, that was just for Chu Yuwei to see. Like he’d actually go through with it.”
“Old Jiang is such a character. If it were me, I wouldn’t have the guts to show up today.”
“Bet you anything he’s gonna cling to Chu Yuwei again.”
“Maybe we’ll see him break down crying and hug her leg, refusing to let go!”
“Oh man, this could be fun to watch.”
Jiang Zhou kept a straight face, heart steady.
The senior year classes were reshuffled by academic performance, so people didn’t really form strong bonds.
And besides, who hadn’t been a little dramatic in their youth?
Everyone’s posted some melodramatic stuff after a rejection. Who could deny that?
Jiang Zhou wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest as he confidently walked down the corridor.
Halfway through, he stopped.
At the window nearby stood a classmate with dyed purple hair. It was one of the school’s most notorious slackers.
Jiang Zhou remembered him. This guy definitely had cigarettes.
The purple-haired guy noticed Jiang Zhou’s intense gaze and got a bit nervous.
“Jiang Zhou, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Old Sha, give me a cigarette.”
Relieved, Old Sha handed one over. “Damn, you scared me. Thought you were about to come out as gay after your failed confession!”
“Cut the crap. It was just a girl.”
Old Sha snorted, “Yeah right. Yesterday you cried like a baby, and now you’re pretending to be cool.”
Jiang Zhou’s face darkened.
He turned to Guo Wei. “Exactly how many people saw me crying yesterday?”
Guo Wei nodded. “Just our class… and the one next door.”
Jiang Zhou lit up the cigarette and took a puff. “Damn. That’s embarrassing.”
But before the words left his mouth, a beautiful figure suddenly stepped in front of him.
Her face was icy, her eyes filled with resentment as she stared him down.
Jiang Zhou looked at her and ancient memories failed to fully surface.
“Jiang Zhou, what’s your deal?
“If you thought confessing to me was so humiliating, why’d you do it?
“We could’ve still been friends. But now I hear you’re talking crap behind my back.
“What did I ever do to deserve this? You saying that just to reclaim some dignity?
“Childish. Pathetic. Laughable.
“A grown man who can’t own up to his actions!”
She got more and more emotional, her chest heaving with each word.
Jiang Zhou was stunned for a moment, then finally came to.
The girl in front of him had fair, porcelain-like skin, bright and expressive eyes, and a delicate nose.
But her face felt unfamiliar.
“Wait, my memory’s stuck. Give me a second to remember who you are.”
“…What did you just say?”
Laughter erupted in the hallway.
Seriously? Pretending not to know me after a failed confession?
He really thought that made him cool?
The whole “act indifferent to get attention” routine was so played out.
It’s just ridiculous.