As soon as Lillian Clark left the house, Emma Bennett struggled to get out of bed and dug out her grid notebook and pencil.

"Emma Bennett, in 2010, married Samuel Howard, only to find out after the wedding that he had someone he truly loved. And Emma Bennett was just his shield against his family to protect his real beloved. Samuel Howard was the descendant of soldiers and businessmen, wealthy and powerful. Samuel Howard never touched her, and when she finally realized what she was to him and tried to leave, Samuel Howard wouldn’t allow it."

From an outsider’s perspective, Emma Bennett wrote down this passage. By the time she finished, she was drenched in cold sweat, but she knew she had to keep going.

"2012. Emma Bennett managed to meet the person Samuel Howard truly loved for the first time, but in the blink of an eye, Samuel Howard sent her back and, for the first time, slapped her. Mrs. Lillian Clark and Mr. William Bennett were heartbroken, running around begging for help for her even in middle age. In the end, Mr. Bennett had an accident and became a vegetable."

As Emma Bennett recalled, tears streamed down her face.

Emma Bennett resolutely continued to write: "Mrs. Lillian Clark finally went to beg a man, and he rescued Emma Bennett. That man was called Charles Page, a man the whole world saw as a villain, whose programs all disrupted social order. He was silent and withdrawn, protected Emma Bennett for two years, and on the day she died, Charles Page told her, 'She was the treasure he never dared to love in his whole life.'"

"2014, Emma Bennett died in humiliation, still just a shield for that woman."

Lillian Clark's footsteps drew near, and Emma Bennett didn’t have time to continue. In the end, she could only hastily tell her future self: "Treat Charles Page well."

With the final stroke of the character "川," she quickly stuffed the notebook into the drawer. Lillian Clark pushed open the door and glared at her: "You’re still running around with a fever!"

Emma Bennett wiped away her tears and obediently lay back in bed.

She didn’t know which day her memories would finally stop at. Living with memories from a past life was already against the natural order. To have a second chance was already a blessing.

"Mama, can you sing me a song?"

Lillian Clark scolded with a smile: "You’re still asking for a song when you’re being naughty!"

But in the end, she felt sorry for her daughter. After thinking for a moment, she began to sing in a clear, bright voice:

"Gently awaken the sleeping soul

Slowly open your eyes

Look at the busy world

Is it still spinning in lonely circles

The spring breeze doesn’t understand romance

It stirs the hearts of the young..."

This was from an album released in 1985. Emma Bennett hadn’t heard such a familiar yet distant and gentle song in many years.

She vaguely remembered that the song was called "Tomorrow Will Be Better."

In Lillian Clark’s singing, she drifted off to sleep again.

Before falling asleep, Emma Bennett wondered, did Charles Page go to kindergarten today?

In his previous life, because of what happened yesterday, he refused to go to kindergarten and never spoke again. What about today?

～

Today, the sun was shining brightly, and the children at kindergarten were watching a white butterfly that had landed in the grass.

Several children surrounded Grace Ford, all wanting to catch the beautiful butterfly.

Henry Brooks came running over noisily: "Grace Ford, do you want to play hide-and-seek?"

Grace Ford turned her head.

It was a face that, in 1996, was called a "little jade beauty," already showing the features of a certain Hong Kong star. This made Grace Ford’s mother, Susan Clark, especially proud.

Unlike other children her age, Grace Ford wasn’t chubby; her face was slim, which made her look even more delicate and pretty.

She said, "Okay, but I’m not going to be 'it.'"

Henry Brooks agreed immediately.

Then he pointed to a little boy to be 'it.' The boy pouted but had to agree.

With a cheer, the children all went to hide.

They played happily, while in the corner, Charles Page watched coldly.

Amid the innocent laughter, he looked at the empty seat at the very front where the little girl usually sat.

He came to school, but she didn’t.

Chapter 4 He’s Not Dirty

Emma Bennett was sick until August before she recovered. Her four-year-old body fiercely rejected the memories of her previous life. Whenever Emma Bennett was conscious, she would write things in her notebook, then hide it in the gap between her bed and the cabinet, a place Lillian Clark never cleaned.

By early August, at the height of summer’s heat—

Emma Bennett’s memories finally stabilized, and her last memory was from third grade. That was the limit for this soft little body. She vaguely knew she had been reborn, and knew she had to treat Charles Page well, but if you asked her why, she couldn’t say.

With a third grader’s level, when she looked at her notebook again, she couldn’t even understand it. She recognized some characters, but not all. Still, the intense anxiety inside made her hide the notebook again.

During this time, Emma Bennett’s illness had worried Lillian Clark and William Bennett sick. William Bennett, smoking a cigarette, said, "When 瑶瑶 turns four, let’s hang a red banner and set off firecrackers to ward off bad luck." Lillian Clark agreed readily. In the nineties, child mortality was much higher than in later years. Emma Bennett was the couple’s first child, and though the preference for boys hadn’t yet faded, and Emma Bennett’s grandmother didn’t like her, the couple cherished their daughter.

Now that Emma Bennett was better, it was time to send her back to kindergarten.

With the perspective of a third grader, she saw the world much more clearly. She was no longer restless; her clear eyes were now full of longing and curiosity about the world.

The road to kindergarten was lined with summer flowers.

Emma Bennett stared intently at the lotus flowers in the pond.