Chapter 10: Ripples in Time and Space

When he saw that the domain ownership had indeed changed to his registered name, even though Xia An had seen far more money in his past life, his emotions inevitably surged wildly.

Thirty-five million US dollars, 270 million yuan.

This wasn’t money he had earned—it was a huge fortune picked up purely by luck.

To put it into perspective, in 2006, the average monthly wage of urban workers was 1,750 yuan, and the average price of beef was 18 yuan per half kilogram.

A pauper suddenly rich.

Though he disliked the phrase, it was the only way to put it.

“Right? It’s yours now, isn’t it?”

Beside him, Tang Wan leaned on the computer desk, tilting her head sideways to glance at the screen, then nervously looked at Xia An.

His stunned expression made her wonder silently if something had gone wrong. Had she not followed his instructions carefully?

Recalling the details, she was certain.

Yes, back then, that hand of cards held a plane, a small straight, and the ultimate trump.

After winning, she refreshed the webpage; the button turned green, then after submission, it went gray again.

She had only clicked the mouse twice.

Yes, just like that.

It wasn’t difficult; there was no reason for an error.

Yet Xia An just stared at her blankly, unmoved.

In Xia An’s eyes, Tang Wan’s pose was radiant.

She wore his oversized T-shirt, the neckline slipping low, with only her long hair trailing from her shoulder partially obscuring the view.

Her undergarment was pure white, without lace, fitting snugly like an inverted bowl.

A pale green Guanyin pendant hung just above the abyss.

Tang Wan finally realized what he was looking at.

Her face flushed, she straightened up and shyly covered her chest, kicking him lightly in embarrassment.

But Xia An felt no trace of impropriety.

If Zuo You represented perfect regret in his heart, and Le Ning embodied complete indebtedness, then Tang Wan at that moment was like Athena bathed in holy light, bringing him flawless fortune.

He closed his eyes and solemnly pressed his palms together.

Tang Wan blinked, awkward and unsure of what to do.

After a while, she reluctantly handed over the pendant, letting him pay homage.

Xia An remained still for a long time, and so did she.

Suddenly finding the scene quite amusing, Tang Wan cleared her throat and reached out to stroke Xia An’s head.

Feigning seriousness, she said, “Buddha has no form; he saves those destined to be saved.”

Xia An thought the phrase was wonderful. He opened his eyes and smiled faintly, asking Tang Wan, “When was this?”

Tang Wan thought a moment and replied, “Just now. You were wiping the floor and seemed in a bad mood, so I didn’t disturb you… Ah!”

With no distracting thoughts, Xia An gently embraced her and whispered in her ear, “You go to sleep. I’ll buy vegetables at the morning market and come back to make dumplings for you.”

...

In his previous life, Xia An had acted in two short dramas about rebirth and was fortunate enough to be familiar with the core of such stories.

The confidence of a reborn person is innate, and the advantage they hold is natural.

Within the unique historical context, following political and economic trends, being a pig at the right moment is no longer enough—it’s like being a pig riding a rocket.

A few days ago, waking in the classroom, his first feelings were mostly confusion and daze, but soon after came ecstatic joy and confidence.

This feeling persisted for several days, still hazy and gradually fading.

Until just now, when he truly seized the chance through foresight, it gave him an overwhelming flood of information from a godlike perspective within this immersive space-time.

---

The market was noisy, but he already knew this place would be redeveloped into a large community in a few years.

Construction on Metro Line 2 would start after the New Year.

The new airport would begin construction in five years.

“Here, pork, half a catty; beef, one catty. Don’t cut it, I want it all. Money’s no object!”

“Shrimp, live ones? Don’t put them back, give me all. Can’t eat it all? Then I’ll release the rest!”

On his way home, Xia An, dressed in shorts and a tank top, slippers slapping against the pavement, bathed in sunlight, walked with light steps.

He felt like a butterfly, fluttering gracefully.

He would also, in the visible future, rise with the awakening of an Eastern dragon, soaring into the sky.

On the morning of July 14, 2006, Xia An spent a total of 189.5 yuan.

It was like a butterfly sipping nectar on a meadow—obvious and clear.

He could see it and calculate it.

But where he could not see...

In a dark cavern, a spider was weaving its web, spinning endless threads and clues.

And on the other side of the earth, the night before, in Vancouver.

John, forty-six years old, running down the street, could never have imagined that his fate would be completely changed five minutes later by a stranger thousands of miles away.

Affected by the early signs of the subprime crisis, banks no longer lent to him. His company in Detroit had gone bankrupt a year ago.

During his time back in Vancouver, John was depressed and had to rely on welfare to survive.

But having drifted and started businesses for half his life, John knew well that market economies are cyclical.

He was merely in a temporary trough, believing that once the crisis passed, there would be a chance to rise again.

His capital was eighteen internet domain names he had registered years ago.

He had foreseen the tourism industry booming in the future, so he had registered many related websites in advance.

After bankruptcy, the renewal fees for these domains, once negligible to him, became a huge problem.

He tightened his belt, cutting down on food and drink expenses, using his meager welfare funds to renew the domains.

The problem arose in the past two months.

More and more people were claiming government aid, causing delays in community disbursements.

Damn corrupt officials!

On July 13, Vancouver had heavy rain. That day was the renewal deadline, but the community said the welfare money wouldn’t be available until next week at the earliest.

John returned home in despair.

He knew clearly there were countless “domain bottom feeders” lurking in the shadows.

If he missed even thirty seconds—no, ten seconds—someone else could snatch the domains.

In the afternoon, John developed a high fever but somehow mustered the strength to get up muddled.

He shamelessly stormed the community welfare office, causing a scene for half a day.

He even took two hard slaps from security guards.

Yet, amazingly, he succeeded!

He finally received his welfare money!

Leaving the community, John rushed wildly to the bank to deposit the cash so he could use online banking to renew his domains.

At the street corner, a maroon Hellcat roared by.

With flashing headlights, John was thrown into the air.

Damn! That was the car I sold last year!

The wet road caused the car to skid and crash into a signpost, flipping over.

Two seconds later, John fell from the sky.

The car and body perfectly blocked the entrance of a movie theater.

---

The driver, Yodel, was speeding toward the airport under the influence of drugs and wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

By then, he was speechless as blood gushed from his throat.

Seconds later, the car exploded.

In Yodel’s last moments, the $200,000 photograph burned along with the vehicle.

The girl in the photo was so beautiful; when she smiled, her eyes turned into crescent moons.

When the contact handed him the photo yesterday, he thought he had seen an angel.

Damn! Life is worth less and less these days.

To kill such a beautiful woman in China, the pay was only $200,000.

Yodel died, and the poster at the theater entrance burned up as well.

“The Butterfly Effect 2,” North American premiere...

The stylized letters turned to ash, swirling like butterflies in the night.

Hours later, in Edinburgh.

Johnny, a chubby man who had been at his computer for a day and night, finally couldn’t sit still.

He needed a coffee and a burger.

From bedroom to kitchen was twelve meters; two minutes in the microwave to heat the meal.

When Johnny settled back into his chair, two of the seven domain pages had changed hands during those two minutes.

Johnny was stunned, bit into his burger, and laughed bitterly.

He crossed out those two domains in his notebook.

Fate or coincidence? Whatever, it wouldn’t be so lucky that only those two domains were valuable; the odds were too slim.

Besides, it was tough for others to keep watch on their computers too.

Thinking this, Johnny returned to his wait-and-see vigil.

Months later, when Johnny saw the news that one of the two domains he lost over a burger had been sold for $35 million...

A suicide by gunshot was reported in the Edinburgh countryside.

Yet none of this caused much of a ripple in the renewed year of 2006.

The ripples of space-time were soon buried beneath political and current events.

Xia An and Tang Wan would never know.

-----------------

At two in the afternoon, as Xia An chopped meat like a wild turkey with two knives, Tang Wan woke up.

The small bedroom door opened from the inside.

Barefoot, rubbing her eyes, Tang Wan’s long hair fell casually down her back as she stepped into the living room with the afternoon sunlight.

Backlit, the curves within her T-shirt were especially captivating.

Especially the patch of light shining between her legs.

Her legs were too long and perfect. Xia An withdrew his gaze and focused on chopping the meat.

Tang Wan stood at the kitchen doorway, asking what she could do to help.

Xia An said, “Just wait to be fed.”

Though she didn’t understand, Tang Wan could sense how important that domain was to him.

She smiled brightly, “Then I’ll go study Texas Hold’em.”

Xia An said, “From now on, you can do whatever you want in this room.”