Chapter 52: Common Ideal

Li Chang'an opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Cao Shuran, who followed closely behind him, beat him to it, offering a beaming smile as he spoke. "You must be Chang'an's homeroom teacher, aren't you? I recall seeing you at the last Bureau of Education meeting. To nurture such an outstanding student, your capabilities are truly no small feat!"

As he spoke, he reached out and patted Qin Yang's shoulder, his expression as warm and refreshing as a spring breeze.

Hearing this praise, Qin Yang was caught completely off guard.

As the vice chairman of the Linjiang City Reincarnator Association, Cao Shuran concurrently held several positions within the Ministry of Education, so Qin Yang naturally recognized him.

However, Qin Yang was merely a homeroom teacher at an ordinary high school, whereas a Bureau of Education leader like Cao Shuran was a grand figure whom even the principal of First High School would treat with the utmost reverence; the gap in status and position between them was far too vast, and under normal circumstances, their paths would never cross.

It was only during the large, internal meetings of the Bureau of Education that they might catch an occasional glimpse of each other, where Cao Shuran would usually sit in the seat of honor, speaking eloquently.

Meanwhile, Qin Yang would be down below, diligently scribbling notes.

Thus, when Cao Shuran uttered those words, Qin Yang for a moment could not even discern whether the man truly remembered him or was simply offering a casual pleasantry out of courtesy.

Yet, whether true or not, it was a source of extraordinary and unexpected joy for him.

Feeling instantly overwhelmed by the honor, he spoke with genuine modesty, "Chairman Cao, this is entirely the student's own merit. As his homeroom teacher, I merely taught what anyone else could have, I really do not deserve such high praise from you..."

With Cao Shuran's influence and status, to be granted the compliment of possessing "no small feat" meant that, if nothing else, his award and commendation for excellence this year was absolutely set in stone.

Seeing the tension in his face, Cao Shuran could not help but laugh heartily, "Don't be so modest. If I were you and had taught a student with such a bright future, I would have been bragging about it all over the streets by now."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yang abruptly shook himself out of his excitement, turned his gaze toward Li Chang'an, and said with profound sincerity, "Chang'an, you have truly brought immense pride to your teacher today!"

As he said this, his facial muscles trembled uncontrollably.

The truth was that happiness had arrived far too suddenly, leaving his mind temporarily dazed and overwhelmed.

But guided by Cao Shuran's subtle reminder, he had now reasoned it through; the only reason Cao Shuran showed such high regard for a minor homeroom teacher of an ordinary class, even to the point of lowering his own stature to grant him face in public, was fundamentally to court this rising, brilliant star right before their eyes!

Li Chang'an had evidently seen through to the essence of the matter even faster than he had, and could only offer a wry smile at this moment, saying, "I had no choice but to bring you pride, Teacher, after all, the strength is right here!"

The two exchanged a few more brief pleasantries, and Qin Yang finally managed to inquire clearly about Li Chang'an's reincarnation results, which left him sighing with deep emotion.

From the moment he entered the reincarnation world until now, barely an hour had passed in total.

Li Chang'an, a student who had originally been overlooked and entirely ordinary to the world outside, had now become a figure of such magnitude that even he had to look up to him.

What was meant by changing one's destiny against the very heavens?

This was precisely it!

After the pleasantries concluded, Li Chang'an did not rush to leave, but instead turned his gaze toward Li Jianfei, whose face was a complex tapestry of emotions, and spoke, "Didn't we agree to become reincarnators together? Why did you break your word?"

Li Jianfei let out a bitter laugh, saying with a touch of self-deprecation, "Who knows? Perhaps this is just fate!"

Though he did not recognize Cao Shuran, he certainly recognized Qin Yang.

For someone to make Qin Yang so restrained and cautious, their identity was bound to be extraordinary.

At the very least, it was a presence completely beyond his current reach.

Consequently, at this very moment, he could feel the vast, chasm-like gulf between himself and Li Chang'an even more acutely, prompting him to laugh and curse good-naturedly, "As expected, one's own failure is terrifying, but a friend's success is even more heartbreaking!"

Li Chang'an laughed along, patting him on the shoulder as he said, "Rest assured, I will secure an extra temporary reincarnation privilege for you. Go back and wait for my good news!"

Li Jianfei smiled bitterly, shaking his head as he replied, "An extra temporary reincarnation privilege is no easy thing to get. You've only just set foot on the path of the extraordinary yourself, so don't go worrying about me..."

At this point, his voice paused, and after a long silence, he put on a carefree front and said, "Actually, I already thought it through long ago. If the reincarnation failed, I'd just go back and inherit the family business. Even if my dad's restaurant can't make me fabulously wealthy, keeping me clothed and fed for the rest of my life won't be an issue!"

Neither of them came from a wealthy background, so the so-called inheritance of a family business was naturally not as glamorous as it might sound; Li Jianfei spoke this way purely because he did not want to burden his friend with too much psychological weight.

Once the reincarnation failed at the age of eighteen, under normal circumstances, a failure would never receive a second chance, unless they could somehow acquire an extra temporary reincarnation privilege.

An extra temporary reincarnation privilege was vastly different from a standard reincarnation privilege.

An extra temporary reincarnation privilege could be designated for anyone to use; even an ordinary person could re-enter the reincarnation world by relying on it.

A standard reincarnation privilege, however, could only be used by reincarnators who already possessed a permanent reincarnation imprint.

Therefore, the difficulty of acquiring the two was completely distinct.

A standard reincarnation privilege could be purchased on the market for a mere thirty to fifty thousand reincarnation points.

But a temporary reincarnation privilege not only required a specific evolution level but also citizen clearance, and its price was exorbitant, offering absolutely no cost-effectiveness whatsoever.

Even among the great clans of reincarnators, very few would ever choose to purchase an extra temporary privilege for a failed family member.

After all, failing to succeed on the first try implied a lack of talent; what difference would giving them another chance make?

Even if they struck a stroke of absolute luck and became a permanent reincarnator, they would struggle to achieve anything significant in their lifetime.

This kind of obviously losing business venture was almost entirely impossible to occur within those sprawling, heavily populated clans of reincarnators.

Li Chang'an knew that saying anything at this moment would carry no weight of conviction.

Thus, he merely smiled, and under the guidance of Cao Shuran, left the playground, walking toward the nearby personal information registration center.

Watching his retreating figure, the look in Li Jianfei's eyes was, in the end, still laced with sadness and dejection; he naturally wished to become a reincarnator as well, but he also knew that the destinies of men were inherently different.

Some were born destined to be the center of everyone's attention, while others were like him, remaining stuck in place despite exerting all their might, destined for a lifetime of mediocrity.

"Farewell, brother Chang'an, I hope we will always be friends."

The concept of time for a reincarnator was entirely different from that of an ordinary person.

A single day spent by a reincarnator within the reincarnation world could easily span a length of time that an ordinary person could never fathom in a lifetime.

Precisely because of this, many ordinary people with fragile wills would completely forget their past friends and even their relatives shortly after becoming reincarnators.

Although he believed Li Chang'an would not be so, he had no way of being certain that the next time they met, they would still be able to greet each other with a shared smile, conversing about their mutual dreams.

...