Chapter 2

Three days after I gave Benedict financial support, I stood before the school bulletin board, staring at the freshly posted technology competition poster. My fingers unconsciously tightened around my backpack straps.

In my previous life, this competition marked Joseph's first major turning point.

He won third prize with a simple weather forecast app. While the technology wasn't groundbreaking, his innovative concept really stood out.

Now, to my astonishment, the competition theme on the poster was exactly the same as in my previous life—"Smart Living Solutions for Future Cities."

"What's got you so absorbed?"

A familiar voice rang out behind me. I whirled around to find Benedict standing just half a step away, his arms laden with a stack of new books.

The sunlight streaming through the corridor windows cast a warm glow on him, bringing a faint flush to his pale cheeks.

I pointed at the poster. "Technology competition. Interested in joining?"

Benedict leaned in, carrying the fresh, simple scent of lemon shampoo. It was a clean fragrance, so different from the harsh, overpowering cologne Joseph always wore in my previous life.

Benedict shook his head. "I'm not that creative."

I noticed the title of the top book in Benedict's arms—"Python Programming: From Beginner to Expert." The spine still looked new, but the pages were already dog-eared from frequent use.

"Bought with the money I gave you?" I pointed at the stack of books.

Benedict's ears turned slightly pink. "Yeah, and a secondhand laptop. It cost me 500 dollars."

As he spoke, he pulled a neatly folded list from his backpack's side pocket. "Here's the expense breakdown. I've kept a record."

I took the note from him. It was filled with detailed records of every expense, down to the last cent.

7,500 dollars was no small sum for Benedict, yet he didn't hesitate to spend over 500 on a computer. This didn't quite match my image of a struggling student who scrimped and saved.

"Is a computer really necessary?" I couldn't help asking.

Benedict's eyes suddenly lit up. "Yeah! With a computer, I can try out the code from my books and maybe even take on some simple programming gigs."

He paused, his voice dropping to a murmur. "I want to pay you back as soon as I can."

My heart stirred, as if nudged by something unseen.

In my previous life, I gave Joseph over 150,000 dollars in financial support, but he never once mentioned paying me back. Instead, he grew more and more entitled.

"Take your time," I said as I folded the list and handed it back to him. "By the way, are you really not interested in the technology competition? I noticed all your books are about programming."

Benedict pursed his lips. "Actually, I have an idea about a smart home system, but—"

"Ariana!" A shrill female voice interrupted him.

Kiana emerged from the stairwell, arm-in-arm with Joseph. Both wore faded school uniforms, but that did nothing to mask their arrogant and domineering aura.

Kiana's eyes darted between me and Benedict, a sneering smile playing on her lips.

"Already found yourself a new target? So soon?" she said, glancing meaningfully at the books in Benedict's arms. "How much are you spending this time to buy his loyalty?"

Benedict visibly tensed up, clutching the books tighter to his chest.

I stepped forward, shielding him from Kiana. "Watch your words, Kiana."

Joseph had been silent, his gaze lingering on the competition poster in my hand.

Suddenly, he spoke up. "Kiana, let's enter this competition together."

Kiana's eyes lit up. "Great! That blockchain application you mentioned last time was brilliant."

My heart skipped a beat.

Blockchain?

It was only 2015, when the concept of blockchain had yet to take off locally yet.

In my previous life, Joseph didn't even hear about this field until college. How could he possibly know about it now?

Joseph seemed to realize he'd let something slip and quickly added, "I mean the concept of distributed storage, like what blockchain uses."

But it was already too late.

I saw Joseph and Kiana exchange a glance. There was tension, unspoken understanding, and a calculating look only adults had.

At that moment, I was almost certain. They had returned to the past, too.

"Let's go. Ignore them." Joseph pulled Kiana away, but not before shooting me a loaded look. "Ariana, I hope you won't regret the choice you've made."

I stood frozen in place, my palms growing clammy with sweat.

So they had returned to the past, too. That would explain everything—Kiana's strange hostility, Joseph's futuristic technical ideas, and their refusal of my financial support.

"Have they always been like that?" Benedict whispered.

I was distracted. "Hmm?"

"Joseph and Kiana." He shifted the books in his arms. "The way they look at you was weird."

I turned to Benedict, surprised by his keen perception. "What do you mean by 'weird'?"

Benedict paused for a few seconds before replying, "It's like there's some bad blood between you and them, but at the same time, they're scared you'll figure something out."

My heart skipped a beat. Benedict was even more observant than I thought.

"Forget about them." I changed the subject. "Didn't you mention you had an idea for a smart home system earlier?"

Benedict's eyes instantly lit up again as he launched into an animated explanation of his concept.

Though some of the technical terms were beyond me, the system he described was truly innovative—an AI that learnt user habits to automatically adjust to the indoor environment while also identifying unexpected situations such as elderly people falling.

"What a brilliant idea!" I exclaimed sincerely. "You should definitely enter the competition."

Benedict shook his head. "It's just an idea. Turning it into reality would take a lot of work."

"I can help you," I blurted out. "Not financially. I mean, I can do market research and write business proposals. That's where my expertise lies."

Benedict stared at me blankly. The sun cast a delicate shadow beneath his lashes. "Why are you helping me?"

I hesitated, words failing me.

I couldn't exactly tell him I knew from my previous life he was a genius who died too young, could I?

"Because I believe in your potential," I finally managed.

Benedict smiled. It was the first genuine smile I'd ever seen from him, warm like winter sunlight, but not dazzling. He said, "Thank you. So, shall we do it together?"

"Sure." I nodded. A peculiar sense of fulfillment welled up inside me. It was so different from the unease I'd felt when trying to please Joseph in my previous life.

Over the next two weeks, Benedict and I were practically inseparable. Every day after school, we'd stay in the empty classroom to discuss our project.

He'd be hunched over his secondhand laptop, working on programming, while I handled market analysis and proposal design.

Benedict's programming speed was astonishingly fast. Sometimes, he'd crack a tough technical problem in the time it took me to grab a bottle of water.

His code was clean and elegant, much like the man himself—unassuming, yet every detail revealed quiet sophistication.

"Did you learn programming before?" I couldn't help but ask one day.

Benedict's fingers paused on the keyboard. "There was an old computer at the orphanage. The caretaker would let us use it sometimes. I taught myself a bit."

He paused, then added quietly, "Actually, I've always wanted to be a programmer. I just never dared to dream about it before."

"What about now?" I asked softly.

"Now..." Benedict turned to look at her, the blue glow from the computer screen reflecting in his amber eyes. "I think my dream might not be so out of reach after all."

My heart fluttered again.