In the early morning, a ray of sunlight filters through the curtains and lands on the sleeping face of the teenager, Albert. He has not yet awoken but will soon be roused by his sister. Nina quietly opens the door to the second-floor bedroom and sticks her head in, gazing at her sleeping brother with big brown eyes.
She whispers, "Albert, it's time to get up."
When the teenager on the bed does not respond, Nina pouts in dissatisfaction and enters the room, followed by a British Shorthair cat. She picks up the cat and swipes its tail gently across Albert's face twice.
Albert, who was still asleep, stretches out the cat's tail that was placed on his face, opens his eyes to look at his mischievous sister, and yawns. "Good morning, Nina," he says.
"Dad said we're going to London today," Nina tells Albert. "We're going to help you get your Eton College uniforms fitted and buy the items on the list while we're there."
"Okay, got it. I'll get dressed," Albert replies, yawning again. He picks up the shorthair cat, which was stretching its paws on his sheets, and places it on the ground. He stretches his whole body and begins getting dressed. Afterwards, he cleans himself up and goes to the dining room for breakfast.
"You stayed up late again last night?" Albert's mother, Daisy, asks as she sets a hearty breakfast on the table in front of him.
"We'd better get a move on, son," his father, Herbert, said, placing an admission letter from Eton College on the table. "Today's schedule is quite full." He says this while wearing a proud smile.
It is well known that private schools in the UK are prestigious, and Eton College is one of the best. They receive generous donations from their previous students and are well funded by the government. To attend this school, one must possess both talent and a decent portion of wealth. The Anderson family belongs to the middle-class bracket. Both Herbert and Daisy run a law firm as partners, and the family has a decent amount of money saved at the bank.
Many consider Albert a genius. He not only has excellent grades but has also won awards in inter-school competitions. However, whether Albert considers himself a genius is known only to him. In reality, Albert does not think of himself as a genius. He has a secret: he is a transmigrator. He cannot explain why he is considered a genius.
To most adults, it is a sign of genius when a child who is unfamiliar with the Rubik's Cube can easily solve it. Albert can solve the Rubik's Cube because he played with it in a previous life and knows its secrets. He knows how to solve it. Albert is not concerned about maintaining the image of a genius because he has a legendary "golden finger." Most transmigrators have their own golden finger, as described in the online novels he had read.
When Albert was seven years old, he discovered a panel that appeared in front of him. This panel has two primary functions: issuing missions and improving skills. Sometimes, missions appear, and upon completion, Albert can gain experience or skill points. Experience can improve skills, while skill points increase the skill level by one.
Albert had a firm foundation in English. His proficiency in English was at level 3, equivalent to that of an ordinary English teacher. In comparison, the English proficiency of most British people is typically at level 2. With the addition of technical skills, Albert has the potential to become a genius scientist.
Albert never had a desire to become a scientist in either his current or previous lives. In his previous life, he enjoyed reading books and eventually became an ordinary online novelist. Through his writing, he could save a small amount of money and live a carefree life, doing what he loved every day. He was a disappointment to his Asian family.
Albert is ashamed to speak about how he crossed over into his current life. One day, while watching a Mr. Bean movie, he became so engrossed in the film that he forgot to chew his food and ended up choking to death on a piece of apple. Albert was 30 years old. When he woke up, he found he had been reborn as a baby.
After living in the house for many years, Albert got a cat, which he named Tom. The animation "Tom and Jerry" inspired the name. When Albert was seven years old, he encountered a game panel, which caused him to question the reality of his life and even wonder if he was an NPC in a game.
Since then, Albert has never encountered another player, so he views the game panel as a blessing for himself as a transmigrator. Linking crossing with a "golden finger," or a special ability or advantage, is like being a winner in life.
Albert does not have grand ambitions. He believes it is best for him to have a few close relationships in adulthood and to have a straightforward job after graduating from a Russell Group university, hopefully Oxbridge. He hopes to get married before the age of 30 and earn enough money to live a carefree and comfortable life.
In order to achieve this goal, Albert has a plan in mind. He intends to enter Wall Street after graduation and use his economic skills and the knowledge from his previous life to make a lot of money quickly.
However, improving technical skills is difficult, especially after reaching level 2. Each subsequent level requires a significant amount of experience. In order to earn experience and skill points, Albert must complete tasks, one of which is getting accepted into Eton College.
"Kid, what are you thinking about?" Herbert said as he cut the steak on his plate with a knife and looked at his son, who appeared to be in a daze.
"I'm thinking about what I want to do in the future," Albert replied as he put a poached egg into his mouth and swallowed it.
"What do you want to do in the future?" Daisy asked curiously. The couple rarely heard their children mention their dreams.
"Finance," Albert said without hesitation.
"I thought you might want to be a scientist, or a politician, or a teacher. You know, someone that'll make an actual difference," Herbert said, looking at his wife.
"What is finance?" Nina was upset that she was being left out of the conversation.
"Finance is a field that is good for making money," Albert explained, looking up. "I bought a few books on economics as an early birthday present for myself."
"Don't mislead your sister. Only smart people can make money in this field," Herbert said, his face twitching slightly. He clenched his fist and covered his mouth with a light cough. "Besides, our family is not poor."
"Okay, eat your breakfast and stop talking nonsense," Daisy interrupted. "Nina, remember to drink all of your milk."
"Oh!" Nina did not particularly enjoy milk.
Since being reborn, everything has been exquisite for Albert. He has a lovely sister, a harmonious family, a good life, and a "golden finger" that could take him to the top. However, the one thing that makes Albert feel depressed is definitely British food.
Before, when he read online that Britain was a "food desert," he was sceptical. After all, most British people prefer simple and comfortable living. However, after experiencing it personally, Albert no longer doubts the authenticity of those descriptions.
After finishing their meal, the Anderson family helps tidy up the furniture and closes the doors and windows before heading out as a group. Albert was just about to get into the back seat of the car when he heard a surprised voice from Nina next to him.
"Look, is that an owl?"
The Andersons looked suspiciously in the direction that their daughter was pointing and saw an owl flying towards them. As it passed over their heads, it dropped a letter at Albert's feet. At that moment, the expressions on the Anderson family's faces froze. An owl delivering mail? When did owls work as part-time postmen?