Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting long shadows across the floor. Yun Fei sat at the breakfast table, barely touching his porridge. His mother hummed in the kitchen, flipping scallion pancakes, while Yun Xinyu scrolled through her phone across from him.
It should've felt like an ordinary morning.
But to Yun Fei, it was unreal—almost like walking through the set of a forgotten dream.
This was the last week before his high school graduation. A time when, in his old life, he'd been numb, isolated, and buried under quiet despair. A time when he'd already started cutting ties with people who cared.
But not this time.
This time, everything would change.
---
"You're being weird," Xinyu muttered without looking up. "You usually don't talk in the morning. Or look that depressed until after math class."
Yun Fei looked up from his bowl. "Hey… I'm sorry."
She blinked. "What?"
"For being a crap brother," he said, voice low. "I made you deal with too much. After dad left, after everything… I pushed you away. I wasn't there."
Xinyu stared, stunned.
Then scoffed. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Yun Fei?"
"I mean it."
Her eyes flickered. "What's going on with you?"
Their mother stepped into the room with a plate of pancakes, frowning slightly. "Is everything alright?"
Yun Fei smiled gently. "Yeah. I just… finally realized how much I owe you both."
His mother gave him a strange look—concerned, maybe even a little touched. Xinyu squinted at him like he had a hidden camera.
But Yun Fei didn't care if they believed him or not.
In his first life, he never got to say these things.
This was his second chance.
---
At school, the hallways buzzed with energy. Seniors were talking about graduation parties, college acceptances, and freedom.
Yun Fei moved through the crowd with a quiet purpose. Every corner of this building was haunted by echoes of a past life. He remembered the friends who weren't really friends. The teachers who gave up on him. The days he sat alone during lunch pretending it didn't bother him.
As he reached his classroom door, a familiar voice cut through the noise.
"Hey, Yun Fei. You still owe me that assignment copy."
Zhang Tao.
The guy who once called himself Yun Fei's best friend—but who had spread rumors behind his back, used him as a homework mule, and later framed him for cheating during exams.
Yun Fei turned to see him leaning against the doorway, grinning.
"Remember?" Zhang Tao continued. "You said you'd send me the answers for the chem test."
In the old timeline, Yun Fei had done it. He was too afraid of conflict back then. Too desperate for friendship.
But not now.
"No," Yun Fei said calmly. "I didn't."
Zhang Tao's grin froze. "What?"
"I didn't agree to anything," Yun Fei said. "And even if I did—I'm not doing it."
"Whoa, whoa, chill. What's with the attitude?"
"I just don't owe you anything anymore."
Zhang Tao stepped forward. "You think you can suddenly grow a backbone overnight? Who got you through Mr. Han's class, huh?"
Yun Fei tilted his head. "You mean that time you handed me your own notes with wrong formulas so I'd fail the midterm? Yeah, thanks for that."
Zhang Tao's face darkened. "Careful what you say."
Suddenly, the hallway felt tense.
But Yun Fei didn't flinch.
Because he remembered what happened next—how Zhang Tao would turn the class against him with lies. How no one would believe him. How it led to Yun Fei getting suspended right before exams.
But now he had Emotional Intuition.
As Zhang Tao spoke again, Yun Fei focused. His vision shimmered faintly, and a strange glow pulsed around Zhang Tao's body.
A sharp red tint near the chest—agitation.
A dull green over his eyes—calculation.
Yun Fei smiled slightly. He's already planning what to say about me.
He leaned closer. "You want a war of words? Be my guest. But make sure you wipe your search history first. I still remember the forum posts you made pretending to be other students."
Zhang Tao's eyes widened.
He took a step back. "You've changed."
"I've grown up," Yun Fei said. "Maybe it's time you try it too."
---
By lunch, the rumors were already flying.
"Did you hear? Yun Fei roasted Zhang Tao in front of class!"
"Didn't he used to be Tao's errand boy?"
"He's acting different lately…"
Yun Fei ignored them all.
He sat beneath a quiet tree in the school courtyard, taking a deep breath. The sun was warm. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance.
> Regret Shard #002 Unlocked
June 12th. Your silence led to a friend's expulsion. You walked away instead of speaking the truth.
Yun Fei's breath caught.
The vision slammed into him like a truck.
A girl crying outside the principal's office.
Her name was Ruo Lan.
---
Back in his old life, Yun Fei had gotten close to her by accident. She wasn't popular. Quiet, smart, the kind of person who lived in the margins of high school life.
But she'd believed in him when no one else did.
Until the day a cheating scandal broke out during mock exams. Someone had slipped the answer key into her bag.
Yun Fei had known the truth. It was Zhang Tao who planted it to protect himself.
But back then… Yun Fei said nothing.
He watched Ruo Lan get expelled.
And he never saw her again.
Until her photo showed up in the news, years later—dead in an alley, homeless, and alone.
---
Yun Fei clenched his fists.
This time, she wouldn't suffer because of his cowardice.
---
The afternoon passed like a slow burn. Yun Fei stayed quiet in class, but his thoughts raced.
At exactly 4:45 PM, he left his final class early and made his way to the admin office. He had twenty-four hours before the event occurred. He needed a plan.
He needed proof.
---
At home that night, Yun Fei hacked into the school's old forum archives. The same one Zhang Tao had used to spread rumors in the past.
The IP logs. The fake accounts. The edited screenshots.
He'd reported it years later in his old life—when it was too late to help Ruo Lan.
But now, he had time.
He downloaded everything. Saved every message, every timestamp.
He wouldn't confront Zhang Tao yet.
He'd wait until the trap was set.
---
That night, another message appeared.
> New Feature Unlocked: Regret Index
Track your current, past, and future regret shards. Each altered regret may create branches or consequences. Be wise.
Current Regret Shards:
[✓] #001 – Mother's Accident (Neutralized)
[ ] #002 – Ruo Lan's Expulsion
[ ] #003 – Xinyu's Isolation
[ ] #004 – Future Business Collapse (Year 3)
Daily Vision Countdown: 23:04:12
Yun Fei exhaled slowly.
So this was the true path of the Regret Bearer.
A life of memory, pain, and redemption.
But even with the burden… this time, he was awake.
And he would not let regret win again.