Chapter 2: I Shall Be Heartless

One face after another, handsome or beautiful, appeared before his eyes. The faces of these young students were adorned with pure, joyful smiles; their hands raised above their heads, clapping vigorously, shouting something loudly.

Across the lawn under the night sky, as far as he could see, students dressed in camouflage uniforms sat together.

"Sing a song!"

"Ma Jun, don’t be shy, sing out what’s in your heart!"

"Jun, our Rong is already waiting impatiently!"

"If you don’t sing, we won’t feel comfortable entrusting Rong to you!"

Ma Jun stared blankly at the guitar in his hands, confusedly looking over his own camouflage uniform. Then he gazed at the students causing a commotion—a crowd of familiar faces.

"Ma Jun, what’s there to be shy about? Be a man and sing!" The speaker was a slightly plump man, his uniform a little different from Ma Jun’s, standing not far away with a cheerful smile.

This was during the military training at Beijing Film Academy! How had he returned here? He hadn’t seen the instructor since the end of training. That guy had been tough with them, but at the end, many girls had shed tears, unwilling to part.

Ma Jun’s gaze shifted to his classmates in front of him—Gu Xinghua, tanned as coal during military training, his bronze skin now long unseen; Dong Tianhai, still the handsome fellow, but his eyes kept darting elsewhere—what was he looking at? Yan Rong, surrounded by a group of girls, her face untouched by makeup, cheeks rosy and slightly plump with baby fat, shy and delighted as she looked at him.

Had he been reborn?

Ma Jun’s mind went blank, uncertain yet hopeful.

Rebirth, transmigration—these weren’t unfamiliar words to a modern youth.

"Old Ma, hurry and sing!" Gu Xinghua cupped his hands like a megaphone, stood up, and shouted with a grin.

Slowly, Ma Jun couldn’t help but laugh, his fingers gently strumming the guitar strings as he called out, "Everyone quiet down, I’m about to sing!"

Whether it was a dream or rebirth, he thought, might as well sing a song to enjoy himself first.

"Hard to forget the first time I saw you."

"Those enchanting eyes."

"In my mind, your silhouette never fades."

Ma Jun’s voice was clear and bright, tinged with a slight huskiness. His fingers danced across the strings as he sang joyfully.

But the expressions of his classmates were odd—their faces filled with astonishment and shock!

"Is my singing really that impressive?" Ma Jun wondered, puzzled. "Back then, these guys just kept egging me on, but they never looked like this."

"Falling for you is something I can’t help."

Suppressing his doubts, Ma Jun finished the last line, ending with the final strum of the guitar.

"Wow, amazing!"

"Jun, did you write that song yourself?"

"A true talent!"

His classmates kept cheering, many stood up, even the instructor clapped along.

Still confused, Ma Jun watched as Yan Rong was gently pushed over by her girlfriends, left standing next to him, while the others formed a circle, clapping and chanting, "Together, together!"

Yan Rong’s face was bright red as she looked at Ma Jun and asked softly, "Was that song you just sang written for me?"

Could they all be playing a trick on him? Ma Jun was baffled; it didn’t make sense. Had none of them ever heard “Can’t Help Falling for You”? Their reaction hadn’t been like this before—something must be wrong. Was he dreaming?

"Why aren’t you saying anything?" Yan Rong asked gently.

"It’s my song—so, what do you think? Like it?" Ma Jun gritted his teeth, decided to go for it, and replied with a cheerful smile.

"I like it!" Yan Rong smiled, "I didn’t expect you could write songs, and such a good one!"

"Kiss, kiss!" The onlookers cheered again; they really had done this back then.

Ma Jun looked at Yan Rong’s face—the face he hadn’t seen in so long, so pure.

If it was a dream, then let it be a final farewell.

Ma Jun stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Yan Rong, and kissed her soft, moist lips.

"Oh!"

"Alright, it’s late, time to disperse!" The instructor walked up with a smiling face, patted Ma Jun’s shoulder, and gave him a wink, "Tomorrow, I’ll let you two come a little late!"

Ma Jun laughed heartily—the old guy had acted this way back then too. He turned to Yan Rong, "Let’s meet at the school gate after we’ve changed clothes!"

"Okay!" Yan Rong whispered, then turned and ran away.

"You sly devil!" Gu Xinghua rushed over and threw his arm around Ma Jun’s neck. "You had this trick up your sleeve and never told us!"

"You haven’t heard ‘Can’t Help Falling for You’?" Ma Jun asked.

"Nope!" Gu Xinghua replied instantly. "Was that what you called the song? Sounds great—did you plagiarize it?"

"Pinch me!"

"You alright?" Gu Xinghua grinned and pinched Ma Jun. "Go flirt with your Rong later!"

Ouch, Ma Jun clutched his chest—it hurt, so he probably wasn’t dreaming.

Thinking it over, Ma Jun returned to the dorm with his classmates, changed clothes, grabbed his phone, and walked toward the school gate.

Along the way, he browsed the internet on his phone.

The more he read, the stranger his expression became—the world was different from his memories.

The hottest game, League of Legends, didn’t exist.

Some top movie stars were gone.

Popular variety shows, dramas, and films were missing.

The world had changed dramatically!

A parallel world?

Ma Jun had heard of such ideas, always thought they were nonsense, but the facts spoke for themselves—he dared not make rash assumptions now.

He quickly called his parents—thank goodness, they hadn’t changed, nor had their jobs or identities.

Unconsciously, he arrived at the school gate, scratching his head, feeling out of sorts.

He looked up and sighed, but mid-sigh his expression twisted oddly—above him, the massive beam bore the name: Yanjing Film Academy.

Well, even the city and school names had changed!

"At least some people around me haven’t changed!" Ma Jun breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good—starting over. Plenty of resources to use; though I don’t remember much, I should be able to do better than last time."

Before long, he saw Yan Rong come out, wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, a backpack slung over her shoulders.

Ma Jun looked closely at Yan Rong’s face, waiting until her ears flushed red before speaking, "Rong, will you stay with me for a lifetime?"

"Yes!" Yan Rong smiled in shy delight and spoke softly.

Back then, this girl had said the same, vows as deep as the sea, but three years later, his head was a lush green, and he had been kept in the dark for a long time.

Until rumors spread throughout the school, Ma Jun began to suspect. Yan Rong, tears in her eyes, insisted it was all gossip and begged him not to misunderstand. But soon after, when the truth was revealed, Yan Rong used clever words to shift all the blame onto Ma Jun.

Only then did Ma Jun realize he had ignored Yan Rong’s extreme vanity, deceived by her appearance.

Now, given another chance, what should Ma Jun do?

Following his actions from the past, he and Yan Rong wandered the streets, ate a late-night snack, watched a midnight movie, then naturally ended up in a hotel together.

Early the next morning, Ma Jun stood neatly dressed by the bed, gazing at Yan Rong’s exposed shoulder and lazy expression.

"Why are you up so early? It’s not even six yet!" Yan Rong’s cheeks were rosy as she spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

"We should break up," Ma Jun said, expressionless.

"What!" Yan Rong sat up in panic, not caring about her exposed charms. "Don’t joke like this!"

"I’m not joking," Ma Jun shook his head. "I’m going to be the heartless man."