Chapter 1: The Person in the Mirror

Global Swordsmanship Competition at Huashan!
Shaolin layman disciple “Kai Xin” automatically withdrew from the top 16 competition due to his absence…
As an unknown Shaolin layman disciple, he became the biggest dark horse to make it into the top 16 of the Huashan Swordsmanship Competition. Yet, at a moment when hundreds of millions of viewers were watching closely, he suddenly withdrew! This news shocked the official forum of “Jianghu,” marking the biggest upset in history.

The next day!
“Kai Xin” got into a dispute at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain. The fight escalated, and he was killed one after another by members of the Wudu Sect who had been lurking there. His strength kept declining…
In the end, Kai Xin, who had made it into the global top 16, could even not withstand several ordinary elders of the Wudu Sect. In despair, they deleted his name, and Chen Kaixin quit the game, leaving “Jianghu” forever.

However…
What he never expected was that on this intoxicating stormy night, he awoke from his dream.
Standing in shock in the dormitory he knew so well, his gaze fell on the 2013 calendar on the desk. Chen Kaixin shook his head violently! He couldn’t believe what was happening. Tapping his still-drunk head, he rushed to the bathroom, feeling unsteady and anxious.

“…”
In the mirror, a person stood with his mouth wide open, an expression of disbelief on his face.
The person in the mirror looked younger—exactly like him in his junior year: fair skin, a somewhat handsome face, still retaining an intellectual air. He was wearing a very ordinary and cheap Adidas outfit, looking incredibly young… Everything had returned to three years ago.

But…
Chen Kaixin in the mirror touched his familiar yet unfamiliar chin, his mind filled with confusion:
How is this possible?!
So dazed was he that he didn’t even notice three people standing beside him.
These three were naturally his roommates. Ever since Chen Kaixin went crazy, they had been silently watching his every move from the upper bed, not daring to “wake up” Kai Xin rashly.
In their opinion, after being rejected in love, a night of drunkenness wouldn’t solve Kai Xin’s problems. So, they could only let this poor guy heal on his own.
“Kai Xin seems a bit off.”
The tall, thin man adjusted his glasses, pointing this out, only to receive eye rolls from the other two:
“Nonsense.”
“…Who wouldn’t have problems after drinking a whole bottle of white wine, half a bottle of red wine, and then six bottles of beer? This kid has a decent tolerance…”

“Hey, hey, hey—this isn’t the time to discuss drinking capacity. Look, his expression isn’t right at all—angry and depressed, and he’s even sneering at the mirror… Good heavens, happiness doesn’t lead to self-destruction, does it?”
“You nearsighted idiot, just throw away your glasses! Happy is clearly forcing a smile…” Chen Fan glared at the tall and thin Bai Lang with disdain once again, who retorted defiantly by showing him the middle finger:
“Can you guys stop already? We’re discussing Happy right now.”
Another person couldn’t stand it any longer.
“You pervert, you heard that—give me your opinion…” “It was you who provoked me first.”
“Don’t call me a pervert. My name is Qi Ci.”
Sweat beaded on Qi Ci’s forehead.
Bai Lang spoke bluntly, “Alright, alright—what his name is isn’t important. The key is…”
Veins bulged on Qi Ci’s forehead, almost forming a “well” shape! “What do you mean it’s not important? That’s my name, okay?”
“Hey.”
Seeing that the person was about to explode, Chen Kai Xin finally couldn’t ignore the increasingly loud arguments of the three anymore:
“If you’re going to argue, do it outside.”
“Fine! A heartbroken man is the worst—I’ll give you face today.”
Bai Lang’s bluntness once again embarrassed Qi Ci and Chen Fan, who wished they could stuff a bar of soap in his mouth as they hurriedly pushed him outside.
At that moment,
Chen Kai Xin, who felt dizzy, was actually somewhat brought back to his senses by his three silly brothers.
Bai Lang—a top student in the computer science department—who spent his days searching for a girlfriend with his severe nearsightedness, with no success after three years, known as “Lonely Bai” for his loneliness during the day;
Chen Fan, Bai Lang’s classmate with darker skin, who was very active in both the department and the class, but lacked confidence in girls, so he still had no girlfriend, known as “Lonely Black” for his loneliness at night; and finally, Qi Ci, whom Bai Lang and Chen Fan called a “pervert”… He was actually a decent person, but since he was the only one in their dormitory with a girlfriend, he had always been the target of exclusion and oppression. After a joke, his infamous title as “the man who does it seven times a night” was firmly established, and Qi Ci became known to everyone as “Mr. Seven Times,” a lonely man who was lonely both day and night, despite not deserving it.
And these three were also known as the “Three Lonely Wolves” of the computer science department!
…
It wasn’t until the sound of a deliberately closed door came that Chen Kai Xin vaguely remembered that he had drunk quite a lot the previous day. He didn’t have many such memories in college, and the most unforgettable one was probably… his most embarrassing moment.
His first confession.

In the second semester of her junior year, on a drizzly evening, Kai Xin ran into the girl of her dreams—Xu Xin, the most beautiful and gentle girl in the department, whom she had had a crush on for over two years—below. Xu Xin was standing alone in the corridor, looking at the light rain outside. Out of some unknown courage, Chen Kaixin stepped forward and offered her his umbrella. An awkward moment ensued—Xu Xin had just looked up and taken out her own umbrella, only to be shocked as Chen Kaixin’s face, once full of pretended generosity, quickly turned a mortified red. During the break, this incident quickly became the most famous and popular joke on campus, leading to another incident involving a man getting drunk late at night. The memories gradually became clearer. The scenes from three years ago reappeared as if they had happened yesterday. In the mirror, Chen Kaixin’s pale face turned red and hot, her expression turning strange and helpless! “It can’t be that coincidental.” Even years later, every time Chen Kaixin thought about it, she felt extremely embarrassed at her foolish expression of not knowing whether to pull back or offer the umbrella… As a result, at every class reunion, someone would bring it up to tease her, sacrificing themselves to lighten the mood. In the mirror, Chen Kaixin clenched her fists in anger, gritting her teeth: “We’ve all traveled through time—why not go a little further?” “…” Behind the bathroom door, three lecherous men overheard the heartbroken man muttering nonsense and exchanged looks. “Is this guy regretting not going further yesterday?” Chen Fan was surprised that the heartbroken man had suddenly changed from a sweet guy to a pervert overnight. Bai Lang laughed with a lecherous expression: “As expected of someone we trained—true to the legacy of our Computer Department’s ‘Three Lonely Wolves’!” “Legacy? I’ll give you a legacy—of getting beaten up!” Qi Ci finally found an opportunity to pummel Bai Lang’s head repeatedly. “Ah!” “Shh.” It was too late for the three to stop the noise. Chen Kaixin came out of the bathroom. The three quickly forced smiles and turned around. “Kai Xin, we knew you were fine. If anything happens, don’t worry. We pooled money to get you a virtual helmet. Tomorrow, the four of us in the dorm will fight side by side and face whatever challenges come—those rumors in school don’t bother us.” Qi Ci was quick enough to bring out the second plan they had prepared earlier, shifting the blame from their eavesdropping. Chen Kaixin had already experienced this back three years ago.

Hearing this, he rolled his eyes, pulled out a red sun from his pocket, and said succinctly: “Installment payments, to be paid off in three years.”
“Jianghu,” which had been released less than a month ago, had attracted over 50 million players worldwide in a short time. The special terminal device, the virtual helmet, was sold for 3,600 RMB each.
“Damn.”
Qi Ci and the other two were stunned for a long time as they stared at the 100 RMB Chen Kai Xin handed over with such calculated precision. “Nice guy—paying off something worth over 3,000 RMB in three installments? You really know how to save money.”
“Who leaked the info to them?”
“No! It definitely wasn’t me.” Bai Lang and Chen Fan began to suspect each other.
“Stop guessing. You were talking in your sleep last night; I heard everything clearly.”
“Is that possible?”
Bai Lang pushed his glasses skeptically.
Chen Kai Xin ignored them: “Where’s the helmet?”
Although “Jianghu” had been around for less than a month, many people had already achieved fame there. When he first entered, there were already over 50,000 sects, and even practitioners of the legendary martial arts skills “The Nine Yin Manual” and “The Nine Yang Divine Art” were about to appear. So, more martial arts skills might be inherited by others at any moment.
“…”
Qi Ci and the others were speechless again.
They originally thought the only honest scholar in the dormitory would struggle to fit in with them in “Jianghu” and would require a lot of effort to get him to play the game. But this kid was hiding his true abilities, seeming even more experienced than them. Could this be the legendary low-key guy who doesn’t seek attention?
“The helmet’s in your closet.”
“If anyone bullies you once you get in, remember to mention my name—I’m ‘Lonely Xiao Qi,’” said Qi Ci.
“I’m Lonely Xiao Hei, Bai Lang is Lonely Xiao Bai. I guess you should be Lonely Xiao Xin,” Chen Fan gave Chen Kai Xin a ridiculously cliché name.
Picking up the soft, foldable helmet from the closet, Chen Kai Xin’s eyes took on a strange depth and brightness. After a long silence, he finally looked up: “I’ll just call myself ‘Happy’.”
At that moment, Chen Kai Xin had made up his mind!
Three years later, at the Mount Hua Sword Competition…
This name was destined to be remembered by people all over the world!