Chapter 1 – Digital Clock

(02)

The terrible pain made Bai Lang gasp, then once again he woke up from a terrible nightmare.

When he opened his eyes, he heard the sound of his own gasping and painful breathing sounding in the quiet room.

Bai Lang lay on the bed. He stared dazed at the white ceiling lit by a street lamp from the window and listened to the sound of his own heart pumping furiously; peng, peng, peng. It felt as though any minute now it would fail.

After a long time, when his heart beat had somewhat slowed down, Bai Lang finally rubbed his face and raised his body to drink a sip of water.

There was a warm thermos beside his bed. In the last few days he had gotten into the habit of preparing one before going to bed.

Only after feeling the warm liquid flow down his throat could let Bai Lang escape from the grasp of repeated nightmares he had night after night.

However if it was only just a nightmare, a dream, then how good would it be?

And if it wasn't a dream, then how should he describe it….?

Bai Lang clutched the thermos, staring dazed into the darkness.

His eyes turned, unbidden, again to the digital clock sitting on his bedside table.

In the darkness, the illuminated numbers and words clearly showed: August 23rd, Year 20XX.

This was the summer of ten years ago.

To him,that had died of a heart attack, had somehow returned to ten years previously.

...***************...

In the entertainment world ten years into the future, although Bai Lang perhaps could not be considered a mega star, he was at least someone who had attained household name status.

He had a warm and gentle image. In the broadcast of the long drama "Partners for Life", he portrayed the role of a young single father. He held the hand of a five year old little boy and this image of father and son was carved deep into the hearts of the audience.

This kind of suitable role helped shape his image. Bai Lang's fans came from all age groups: from small school students, to old 70 or 80 year old grandmothers and grandfathers. During a particular time, he was also considered every unmarried girl's dream "good husband" image representative.

Suitably accompanying Bai Lang's image was his clean and warm appearance. He had white skin that never tanned, straight and glistening black hair, and full lips that carried with it a natural redness. He had a tall and slender figure and was a living example of a white-skinned and red-lipped scholar from a storybook. After "Partners" became a popular drama, it was extremely difficult for Bai Lang to shake off this image.

This kind of advantage also had its limitations. In his next five dramas, Bai Lang's company arranged for him roles all of which showed him as a good and upright youth, it was unable to be changed. In the future all of his roles went in this direction: righteous, good and family-friendly.

Thus Bai Lang's advancement was limited, however since this image was suitable for many types of product endorsements, Bai Lang's rewards could have been said to be more than his losses. In terms of amount of taxes paid, in many years Bai Lang could have been accounted in the top five artistes, and can be considered an actor who worked hard for the aim of earning money.