You know, when they say be careful what you wish for, they really do mean it.
I was scrolling through Twitter (still refuse to call it X) when I saw a meme. You know, the usual 'choose your pills' gif.
There were three choices: get a million now, go back in time with your memories, or undo a major regret. And in the captions, it said to pick two.
For shits and giggles, and because I was bored out of my mind that day, I commented that I'd go back in time with my memories.
I mean, I was getting into my 30s after all. Life was going well, but it was new game plus. Who WOULDN'T want to do that, right?
Well. Turns out, it didn't specify how far back you'd be going back in time.
And now...
"Alex?" A beautiful young Asian woman glanced at me, concerned. "Are you okay, Sweetie?"
I let out a bright smile on my (now) chubby face and said, "I'm fine, Mommy!"
...Yeah. I was a five year old. Back in the 90s. Before social media, internet, and all that jazz.
Specifically, right at the turn of the century. 1999.
My mother, Mei, still looked a bit concerned. But she nodded and said, "Okay... did you want some more books to read? Daddy's going to work late, and Mommy has to head off to work soon... Are you sure you'll be fine?"
I gave her a thumbs up. "I'm a big boy now!"
And I was.
Considering my mother right now was only 23, I was more qualified than her at adulting.
...Huh. That was a weird thought.
I was the oldest child. Since I'd gone back in time, and since I'd be actively changing things up... My younger siblings probably wouldn't be born huh?
I had four younger brothers. At this rate though... I probably- No, I'd definitely never meet them again.
...That's a weird feeling.
I'd never get to see them get married or have kids, huh? No getting to be the fun uncle.
But on the other hand... it was possible that I could have a kid sister this run around.
...Is it bad that I kinda cared about that more? I mean, I loved my younger brothers, but I ALSO was always under a lot of pressure because I had to set a proper example...
Led to a big mental breakdown in my early twenties. Long story.
But anyway... where was I?
Right. Taking care of myself.
My mom, Mei, let out a sigh as she finished adjusting her shirt. "Okay. Mommy's going to catch the bus to head to work at the factory then." She gave me a hug and kissed my forehead. "Be good, okay? If something happens, call auntie with the phone. Just press 1. You remember that, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not stupid, Mommy. I remember."
Mom gave me another strange look. But she nodded and said, "Okay. Then... bye for now. Don't go anywhere."
After saying that, Mom left the house, locking it behind her.
And then it was just me alone.
Once it WAS, I took stock of my current situation.
It was summer of 1999. August 30th, just after my birthday on August 29th.
My Dad, Wang Li, was working in the public housing sector. At this time, he should be working his way up as a manager... and he was also working long hours at the time.
It was a LONG time ago for me, but I vaguely remembered that he did 12 hour work days, getting up at 6 and working until 6.
Since I was on summer break... that meant I was just alone at school. And also since I had a late birthday, that meant I was in First Grade. Or, I'd be starting it.
...But damn.
I plopped myself down on my bed in our small rambler house and muttered, "Did NOT think of the implications of going back into the past."
Most regression stories had the MC take advantage of future knowledge. They used lottery tickets, stock knowledge, all that jazz.
But you see, most regression stories operated on the premise that history would stay on course.
I did NOT have that guarantee.
To begin with, I didn't even know for sure if I'd gone back in time, or if I'd slipped into a parallel world.
The reflection of the chubby boy in the mirror showed that it was definitely me. And the various retro... I guess 'modern' tech around, like VHS tapes, CRT television sets, and my dad's Windows 98 PC showed that I was back in time.
But whether history would unfold the same was the big question.
Even if it DID unfold the same...
"Honestly, I'm not going to be able to do anything with this future info."
Dad was a stubborn man who absolutely believed he knew best. Even when I was an adult before I timetraveled, he still insisted on being right and tried controlling my life before I started drawing proper boundaries.
He absolutely was NOT going to be listening to any opinions from a five year old, even if it potentially made us millionaires.
Meanwhile, Mom was pretty helpless. She'd been a teenaged bride and only had her high school diploma. That was why she worked in the nearby factory for medical products, doing assembly line work. She simply lacked the knowledge base to comprehend any useful information I could give.
Which left me with only one real option.
"...Guess I just gotta grind my stats and play the child genius card, huh?"
The 90s were a time where the idea of a 'child prodigy' was still super big. Not only that, but in the future... well, I guess it's just my 'past life' now, right?
In my past life, I was already a 'gifted' child. At my dad's insistence, I was even put into independent study for algebra and higher level maths at the start of middle school.
I crossed my arms and did some thinking. "Hm... Mom leaves for work on the weekdays at 12 PM. She works until 5 PM. Dad gets back home at 6 PM, but he's too tired to care about me. They're usually spending time together in the evening and leaving me to my own thing. And Mom takes care of me in the morning until she leaves. The weekends, Dad goes to hang out with his friends and I spend time with Mom..."
...Wait.
...Isn't this a completely disfunctional family?
Huh.
I rubbed my chin. "...Is this why I don't remember my childhood at all?"
I'd never thought about it until now. But...
Until my younger brother was born, I was pretty much neglected, wasn't I? And AFTER he was born, Dad pushed me super hard to be good in school. And I did that because he was always super happy and proud to brag about his intelligent and gifted son...
Well. Didn't expect to unpack that by going into the past.
But whatever. I was an adult, not a kid. And the lack of supervision was a blessing to me, not a curse.
Not to mention that Dad was only 25. Hell, I knew *I* didn't have my shit together at that point in time. I couldn't blame him for not having it together either.
I hopped off my bed and said, "Alright. Enough mental trauma unpacking." I lightly patted my cheeks and said, "Let's take advantage of this time period."