In June, the scorching summer wind blew across the small city of Huabei.
On the grassy shore of Thousand Buddha Pagoda Park's lake, a heart was carefully laid out, formed by a circle of colorful paper cranes.
Inside the heart stood a girl in a white floral dress. Her petite feet were as delicate as exquisite porcelain, and beads of sweat dotted her fine nose. Her smooth, jade-like forehead was creased with a few lines of agitation.
"Li Yuan, thank you. It's an honor that you like me, but I'm not ready to be in a relationship right now."
"I've always seen you as an older brother. I appreciate all your care during our three years of high school."
"We're still best friends, aren't we?"
Li Yuan looked up in a daze at the vibrant young woman before him, who was holding a bouquet of flowers. The scene felt both familiar and baffling. This scene feels strangely familiar. The white dress, the flowers in her hands, that early summer years ago.
Seeing Li Yuan's silence, the girl in white bit her lip. She glanced at the platinum earrings nestled among the roses and spoke softly, "Li Yuan, if you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes. Thank you for the gift. I really like it. Well, I'm leaving now!"
She glanced at Li Yuan, who looked utterly lost. Biting her lip again, she stepped out of the paper crane heart. Her long, black hair fluttered in the wind, her slender figure casting a lengthy shadow as she turned to leave.
Li Yuan stood there, transfixed, as a flood of memories filled his mind.
During their first year of high school, the first glimpse he caught of her on the sports field during military training made her seem like a celestial being. He fell for her at first sight, watching her silently from the seat behind hers every day, believing he had found the love of his life…
In their second year, when classes were split into arts and sciences, he abandoned his own interests to study science with her, just so he wouldn't be so far away and could see her every day…
He would wake up at five every morning in his rented room just to make her a breakfast made with love. He did everything he could to tutor her in her weakest subjects and help her improve her grades…
He cherished her like a delicate flower. For her, he rejected all flirtatious advances, devoting himself to her alone.
And how did she respond?
"Li Yuan, I don't want to date in high school. I just want to get into a good university."
"The first-year courses are a lot, and our campuses are so far apart. You don't need to come see me every day."
"Thank you for the birthday gift, I really like it. But I don't want you to work so hard at a part-time job. Don't make your life so tiring."
"Li Yuan, just give me a little more time. Please don't push me, okay?"
"I'm sorry, Li Yuan, but he's my boyfriend. I've held you up for so long. If you hate me, there's nothing I can do."
A textbook example of how a high-level "green tea" could bewitch an excellent student, leaving him utterly infatuated and stringing him along in her pond of admirers for a full seven years... Yes, that was his past life.
Li Yuan stared intently at the departing Bai Weixi, his expression complex.
The reeds are lush; the white dew has not yet dried. Such a beautiful and poetic name, yet her actions were anything but humane. If one were to rank the misery index of a simp, his past self would surely be near the top. Unfortunately, Bai Weixi's skills as a "green tea" were on another level entirely. The moment she appeared, she had dazzled the entire summer and led a fine young man astray. If it weren't for that day during his senior year internship, when he personally saw her get out of a BMW hand in hand with a plain-looking guy, he might still be a clueless fish. He was like one of those warriors who charge into battle for love, only to return covered in wounds—a vivid illustration of the saying: a simp gets nothing in the end.
After that, he had drowned his sorrows in alcohol for a long time, failed several classes, and nearly didn't receive his diploma.
But today, he had been reborn! He was back in the early summer of his eighteenth year, just three days after the college entrance exams…
Li Yuan's gaze fell on the roses and the gift box in Bai Weixi's hands. He had spent a whole month's living expenses on those platinum earrings from the Old Phoenix Jewelry Store. It was a full 1,000 yuan—and this was 1,000 yuan in the year 2008.
"Bai Weixi, wait a minute."
The girl in the white dress turned, a flicker of imperceptible delight in her captivating eyes. "Li Yuan, what's wrong?"
Li Yuan's gaze was fixed on the roses and gift box in her arms. "Give me back the gift."
Without waiting for her reaction, he reached out and snatched the flowers and gift from her.
Bai Weixi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Li Yuan, what do you mean?"
With an icy, expressionless face, Li Yuan stuffed the earring box into his pocket. "You rejected me. Why would you think you still get to keep my gift?"
"But you already gave it to me!"
"I only give gifts to my girlfriend."
Bai Weixi smoothed her hair, her beautiful eyes welling up as if she were about to cry. "Li Yuan, I do have feelings for you. But didn't we agree? We said we'd try dating when we got to college. Right now, I just don't have those kinds of feelings for you. Please, don't push me!"
There it is again! Every time he confessed, she always had a thousand reasonable excuses. She would put on a pitiful act, and combined with her campus belle looks, who could possibly resist?
Li Yuan sighed inwardly. Bai Weixi was too skilled at her green tea act. His past self couldn't handle her, led around like a simp on a rollercoaster of ecstasy and agony. But the man standing here now had struggled in society for years; his heart was already encased in cement. He recalled the teachings of his idol, "Jiangnan's Number One Romantic," the patriarch of scumbags: *When your emotions are being manipulated by a woman, don't hesitate. Cut her off.*
Li Yuan couldn't be bothered to waste another word. His past self had been thoroughly wounded by so-called love. In this new life, he was determined to become the patriarch of scumbags. He turned and left with a cool, resolute air.
When Bai Weixi saw Li Yuan truly leave with such a cold expression, her heart was suddenly filled with a sense of loss, and crystal tears welled up in the corners of her eyes…
***
"Auntie, these flowers are for you!" Li Yuan said, casually handing the roses to a cleaning lady in the park.
He walked aimlessly through Thousand Buddha Pagoda Park. It was only 2008, and the skyline was not yet crowded with skyscrapers. A plaque on one of the park's buildings clearly displayed the date: June 10, 2008.
He had really been reborn.
Li Yuan felt his mind spin into chaos. Although his previous life had been miserable and financially strained, he at least had a respectable job. Why was he suddenly reborn? Was it really based on looks? Forget it. No matter why I was reborn, getting a second chance at life is my greatest opportunity. All the things I missed, regretted, and couldn't let go of—I can make up for them now.
Li Yuan sat on a bluestone by the lake, organizing his thoughts as he reflected on his past life.
His high school grades had been decent. He scored 603 on the college entrance exam and was admitted to a respectable university in Modu. It wasn't a top-tier 985 or 211 school, and his major was terrible: Biological Engineering, one of the four "academic graveyards" along with chemistry, environmental science, and material science.
When he took his exams, there was no Douyin, nor were there consultants like Zhang Xuefeng. His parents were ordinary farmers—one with an elementary school education, the other junior high. None of their relatives or friends were influential people, so naturally, there was no one to guide him. When choosing a major, he had naively believed his biology teacher's declaration: "The 21st century is the century of biology." And so, he had walked further and further down a dead-end path.
A woman fears marrying the wrong man; a man fears entering the wrong profession. Your major is the stepping stone to your career, and once you're in university, changing it is extremely difficult. His major meant not only low pay but also no room for advancement.
To establish himself in Modu, he worked tirelessly, holding a regular job during the day and moonlighting as a coder at night. After four or five years of grueling work, his savings went from not being enough to buy a toilet to *still* not being enough to buy a toilet. His hard work couldn't keep up with soaring housing prices.
Disheartened, he decided to quit, go back to his hometown to "lie flat," and study for the civil service exam. The 2016 provincial exam in the Central Plains region wasn't excessively difficult. Even though he could only apply for the "three-no-limit" posts, which had a success ratio of about one in a hundred, he studied hard and managed to pass. But the salary was low, life was hard, and advancement was hopeless. He could see his entire future stretching out before him, a straight line to retirement. While others enjoyed smooth sailing and promotions, he only grew increasingly gloomy and isolated, earning a reputation for having "low EQ, being introverted, unsociable, and incompetent at office politics."
Was he really wrong for not wanting to play the so-called game of "connections"?
Thinking back on the miseries of his past life, Li Yuan instantly understood the root of the problem. It could be summed up in three words: powerless, penniless, and talentless.
Money was his number one priority.
Now that I'm reborn, my first task is to make money! Make money! MAKE MONEY! Important things must be said three times. As for love... once you have money, you won't believe how proactive women can be.
So, how to make money?
He came from a farming family. His parents had gone to the Northeast to run a small business when he was in second grade. As a child raised by his maternal grandparents, Li Yuan never lacked pocket money. His parents always sent him extra money on time, so he dressed quite presentably in high school. For the sake of his pathetic pride, he would spend two or three hundred yuan on a single pair of basketball shoes. To play the part of a simp, he had also spent quite a bit of money on Bai Weixi during their three years of high school—not a fortune, but certainly eight or ten thousand yuan.
Taking the gift box out of his pocket, Li Yuan opened it. Inside lay an exquisite pair of platinum earrings, along with the receipt.
I should be able to return this, right? he muttered to himself.
***
The Old Phoenix Jewelry Store was located just north of Thousand Buddha Pagoda Park on Zhou Yuan Xi Road. It was a long-standing brand in the county with a good reputation and steady business.
Li Yuan placed the gift box on the counter in front of the saleswoman and asked directly, "Miss, can I return these earrings?"
The sales staff at jewelry stores were mostly women in their twenties with pleasant looks and figures. Hearing Li Yuan call her "Miss," the saleswoman was a little surprised. She carefully inspected the earrings and saw no signs of damage or wear. Although they had a seven-day unconditional return policy, she still asked, "You just bought these yesterday, so why return them today? If you don't like the style, we can exchange it for you."
Li Yuan shook his head, showing no embarrassment as he said frankly, "My confession failed, so the gift was never given. I don't need it anymore. I'd just like to return it."
The saleswoman was taken aback. She couldn't help but look again at the well-dressed Li Yuan. He was tall, about 1.8 meters, with strong, handsome features, fair skin, and fashionable brand-name sportswear.
With looks like that, he couldn't even give away a gift? She found it hard to believe.
"Don't lose heart, handsome," she said kindly. "You may have lost this tree, but there's a whole forest waiting for you out there."
Li Yuan chuckled. "If I can't even hold on to a single tree, how could I possibly own a whole forest?"
The saleswoman was left speechless.
After pocketing the 1,000 yuan in cash, Li Yuan coolly walked out.