Second Life

Life is a journey, shrouded in the fog of the future, full of unknowns. No one knows whether what lies ahead is an uphill battle or a downhill slope, just as no one knows whether it's a smooth path or a rugged mountain road. The unpredictability of life fills it with variables and surprises.

He once thought that the future was in his hands, that with strong, detailed, and comprehensive plans, he could control every step of life within the expected range. The future, success, career, family... even life itself would be firmly in his control, without any deviation.

But obviously, he was wrong. Just like he never anticipated that he would spend the rest of his life in a hospital bed because of a car accident, nor did he anticipate that the end of life would become a new beginning.

In his previous life, he was called Chu Jiashu, a Chinese man. He had always been a well-behaved child, obedient to his mother's arrangements, planning his future step by step. "You will grow up to be an outstanding adult, you will have a bright future." His mother had told him so since he was sensible.

His mother made a schedule for him, meticulously marking every detail on the entire wall blackboard, planning his life from age three to thirty. From academics to friends, from meals to extracurricular activities, everything was laid out on that plan, clear at a glance, as if standing in front of the blackboard could reveal the end of life.

Even now, he could vividly recall the New Year's Day when he was eight years old. He wanted to use his New Year's money to buy some fireworks and firecrackers, to join in the festivities with the neighbors. But his mother earnestly advised against it, pointing to the densely packed schedule, "We must take control of our destiny. Everything is here, in order from top to bottom, from left to right. From every minute to every hour to every day, every week, every month, every year, to your lifetime. Even your birthday gifts for each year are planned out. For example, this year, your eighth birthday gift is an abacus, which will come in handy for the math classes to come. I've already wrapped it."

He looked at his mother's earnest face, feeling confused and timid, the sounds of revelry and firecrackers faintly audible outside the window. He just wanted to light a firework. But his mother paid him no attention, standing before the schedule and speaking vigorously, "There are only one hundred and eighty-three days left until the start of first grade. It sounds long, but converted into hours, it's only four thousand three hundred and ninety-two hours, and converted into minutes, it's only two hundred and sixty-three thousand five hundred and twenty minutes. You'll find out that you can accomplish so much."

He didn't understand what those vast numbers meant, but he knew that his mother's determined gaze left him no room for refusal. "You must arrange every minute according to this schedule, ensuring efficient use of every minute! Let's be honest, once you enter society, you can only rely on yourself. If you want to succeed, we must firmly follow this schedule."

With a smile on her face and full confidence, his mother looked at him. He nodded blankly, unable to say the words that welled up in his throat. "Very well, you have fifteen minutes now to breathe some fresh air, relax, and then it's English time." This was his mother's concluding remark, still vivid years later, like a spell, deeply imprinted in his mind.

Unfortunately, this grand plan only lasted until he was twenty-two years old. About to leave the university gates, he actively prepared to enter an internship and seek better development in the future. It seemed that everything was progressing smoothly, with a bright future waiting ahead. But a sudden car accident brought the plan to a halt.

High-level paralysis.

He felt nothing below his chest, lying in bed like a useless person, anxious and restless. His mother did everything for him, even spending all their wealth, but still couldn't turn back time. He went through despair, madness, giving up, hopelessness, anger, regret... but in the end, he survived — like a walking corpse.

Luckily, he encountered movies, the uniquely styled yet profound "The Truman Show," which opened the door to a whole new world for him. This form of expression, known as the "seventh art," illuminated his dull life, and he eagerly immersed himself in the world of movies, soaring freely. Curious about life's ups and downs, curious about the colorful world, curious about society's vividness, curious about the carefree freedom... That was truly living.

Freedom, dreams, life. Just thinking of these words made his chest ache, because he could never touch them. He missed out, forever.

He wanted to travel every corner of the world, taste the chill of snowy mountains and the surge of the ocean; he wanted to challenge every limit of life, experience the madness of skydiving and the excitement of rock climbing; he wanted to experience every emotion in life, the joy of achieving goals and the pain of facing setbacks... because he realized for the first time that life couldn't be planned. Success and failure, happiness and sadness, joy and torment, they were two sides of the same coin. Without the contradiction, life would lose its meaning.

Unrestrained, uninhibited, reveling, mad, casual, free. Seizing every moment of life, truly infusing life with one's own brilliance, not squandering this rare and only chance at life.

He couldn't help but wonder, if he became a mountaineer, could he climb all the world's peaks? If he became a journalist, could he converse with the world through his pen? If... if he became an actor, could he portray all aspects of life? Could he infuse roles with soul like those actors, inspire others like movies inspired him, and revitalize art with his acting?

Ten years, a whole decade, he lay paralyzed in bed for ten years. He communicated with movies for ten years, but unfortunately, he never had the chance to try those "ifs." How he wished for a second chance, to break all shackles and restraints, to be reckless, but it was all too late.

On his thirty-second birthday, due to heart and lung failure, his orderly and mediocre, simple yet short life came to an end, fading into nothingness.

Closing his eyes, the world turned dark, but at the end of the darkness, there was a faint light, as if guiding him forward from the depths of oblivion. Was it heaven or hell? His footsteps started, then gradually quickened, accelerating until he was running, then sprinting. He opened his arms and plunged into that milky white light.

At the end, it wasn't heaven or hell, but a new beginning.

He was reborn.

From 2017 to 1989, from thirty-two years old to infancy, from Asian to Caucasian, from China to England, from Chu Jiashu to Renly Hall.

He won a second chance, and this time, he wouldn't miss it.

The Hall family was a declining aristocratic family in England, holding hereditary baron titles. Although they were no longer wealthy, it wasn't the 1920s or 1930s anymore. They didn't have estates or manors, but life was still quite comfortable.

Renly was the youngest son of the Hall family, with an older brother and two sisters above him. Although they were a declining aristocratic family, they still adhered to elite education. From Oxford's Dragon School to Eton College, and then to Cambridge University with excellent grades. However, Renly didn't follow his father and brother's footsteps into Trinity College; instead, he chose Pembroke College to study classical literature. After just a year, Renly took a temporary leave from Cambridge and entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England, beginning his journey in London's West End to hone his skills.

(A/N: The name of school is actually Oxford's Dragon School; not a Chinese nationalism thing.)

This time, Renly wanted to fulfill his dreams, to explore more possibilities, to truly embrace freedom.

Acting was Renly's passion. He longed to become a part of movies, to become an actor, not just an imitator or a mere decoration relying on appearance. He wanted to be a genuine professional actor, using his acting skills to deliver impactful performances, constantly challenging his own limits on the path of acting.

He didn't know how much talent he had, how high his achievements could be, or whether his dreams could be realized. But he didn't care. He just wanted to try, to be reckless, to run wild according to his own ideas, to live life as he wanted.

Even if he failed, he didn't care. In this life, he wouldn't waste it, compromise, or give up, because he didn't want to regret at the end of his life.

But for the Hall family, Renly's choice was unacceptable. It was a disgrace to the aristocratic family, and they would become objects of ridicule in high society, making George and Elizabeth unable to lift their heads.

So he crossed the ocean to New York, leaving behind his parents' opposition and protests. He settled here, working tirelessly to carve out a place for himself, despite facing financial constraints from his parents. He searched for opportunities to polish his skills in Broadway and gradually began auditioning for acting opportunities. At the same time, he worked part-time to earn money, completely freeing himself from his parents' economic constraints. He had an unprecedented eagerness to become an actor, not for success, fame, or high income, but simply to become an excellent actor.

And George and Elizabeth's suspicions proved right. It had been three months in New York, and Renly had just found his first audition opportunity. The path was much more arduous than he had imagined. He was now pursuing that one-in-a-hundred-thousand or one-in-a-million chance to achieve his dream.

But he had no regrets!