The most prestigious hospital in Solviva City.
The intensive care unit was dimly lit and eerily silent, save for the rhythmic beeping of medical equipment that echoed in the stillness.
A pale-skinned middle-aged man lay weakly on the hospital bed, an oxygen mask strapped to his face.
A doctor and a lawyer stepped into the room.
"Mr. Lucian, the last bone marrow transplant showed some effects, but... the cancer cells have now spread throughout your body. I'm afraid..." The doctor hesitated.
"How much longer do I have?" Lucian's voice was hoarse, but his expression remained calm.
"A couple of weeks... maybe a month," the doctor said, trying to sound comforting.
"A couple of weeks, huh?" Lucian let out a bitter chuckle. It was probably worse than that.
"Mr. Lucian, your wife, Mrs. Clara, has filed a lawsuit against you. She's demanding five billion from your eighty-billion-dollar estate. This is the formal letter from her attorney," the lawyer said, handing over the document.
Clara. His wife. His college classmate. They had been married for seven years. On the very night he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer, she had rushed to draft a will and forced him to sign it.
Seven years of marriage, and it was only on that day that he finally saw her for who she really was.
Money. It was all about the money. Every ounce of affection—fake.
Lucian stared at the legal document warning him not to arbitrarily dispose of his assets. His eyes welled up.
He laughed bitterly, and a tear slid down his cheek.
Ten years in the business world, fighting tooth and nail to build an empire worth nearly a hundred billion...
And in the end, he had no one—no one he truly loved, and no one who truly loved him.
Now he lay in this cold, empty hospital room, with no family, no lover by his side.
Pitiful. Truly pitiful.
Reality… felt like nothing more than a cruel illusion.
"Tell her to forget about the money," Lucian said coldly. "Execute my will. Donate all of it—to charity."
"Understood, Mr. Lucian."
"Also," the lawyer added, "a woman came by yesterday. She asked me to give you this." He pulled out a cloth-wrapped object from his bag. It looked like a book.
The doctor raised the bed slightly, letting Lucian sit up.
"We'll leave you to rest now, Mr. Lucian."
The doctor and the lawyer exited the room.
Once again, silence returned.
Lucian slowly unwrapped the cloth. Inside was an old, yellowed journal.
He gently opened it—and saw the familiar name: Seraphina Hayes.
...
"April 11, 2002 – Cloudy. That jerk Lucian let the air out of my bike tires! I'm so mad! I'm gonna draw a turtle on his backpack!"
"June 10, 2002 – Light rain. That dummy forgot his umbrella and got soaked like a wet turtle! I couldn't stop laughing!"
"July 5, 2002 – Sunny. College entrance exams are coming up and he's sleeping in class! His mom scolded him last night—he doesn't know it was me who secretly told on him! Haha!"
"August 1, 2002 – Cloudy. Lucian tried to secretly change his college application preferences. I kicked him awake. Hmph! We promised to go to the same university. How dare he try to back out?"
...
"April 6, 2004 – Overcast. That jerk... Lucian has a girlfriend now… Hmph, anyone who likes him must be blind!"
"May 4, 2004 – He talks about his girlfriend every single day. It's driving me crazy! Ugh! I couldn't sleep at all last night because of it!"
"Have I… fallen for him?"
"Ugh! So annoying!"
...
"May 20, 2007 – Sunny. Today is his wedding day. He asked me to be his bridesmaid. I made up an excuse and turned him down. I didn't even go. I hope he finds happiness… in the life he chose."
...
"February 11, 2014 – Overcast. He called to tell me he has cancer. Late stage. It felt like my whole world fell apart..."
"March 2, 2014 – Light rain. He has no living relatives left, no one who could donate bone marrow. Coincidentally, I was a match. A one-in-a-hundred-thousand chance. Was it fate?"
"If it means saving him, I'm willing to endure any pain, any cost—even my own life."
"But... he'll never know, just like he'll never know I've loved him all this time..."
...
Lucian's hands trembled as tears fell uncontrollably down his face.
So she was the anonymous donor.
Moments from their past came flooding back, playing in his mind like an old film.
Childhood days spent playing together… swimming in the river, getting scolded together… climbing into neighbors' yards to steal bird eggs and getting chased by dogs…
Walking to school together, coming home together, playing hide-and-seek and video games, year after year...
They had grown up side by side—inseparable. She was the person he knew better than anyone else.
But maybe it was because she was always there that he had taken her for granted… as if her presence was just a given.
Only now did he realize—he had missed the one person who truly mattered.
And this was a regret that would last a lifetime.
If God would give me one more chance... I would never let her go again!
"Cough... cough—!"
The intense wave of emotion triggered a violent fit of coughing. Blood spilled from his mouth, choking him, flooding his nose.
His consciousness began to fade.
A faint light appeared before his eyes—blurry, distant.
He could no longer feel his body. He was slipping away.
Is this… the end of my life?
Seraphina... I'm sorry.
In the next life, I hope we'll still be childhood sweethearts.
A single tear rolled down his cheek as he slowly closed his eyes.
...
"Lucian! Wake up! Hurry!"
"You need to wake up! The teacher's about to start class!"
A bright, urgent voice rang in his ear.
Lucian's eyes flew open.
He was in a classroom—surrounded by familiar faces.
Then suddenly, a delicate face leaned in close.
She had long black hair tied into a ponytail, and her expressive eyes were fixed on him.
Her youthful face radiated a warm, garden-like freshness that made his heart stir.
"Sera... Seraphina?!" Lucian stared at her in shock.
What was going on? Wasn't he just in the ICU?
Wasn't he… already dead?
"Why are you staring at me like that? Get up already—the teacher's coming!"
"You wanna get punished or something?" Seraphina shot him a playful glare.
Was this… a dream?
Lucian's eyes turned red as he suddenly smiled.
He jumped to his feet—and pulled her into a tight hug.
Even if it was a dream, it was enough!
"Seraphina!"
"I'm so happy to see you again!" Lucian said, gripping her shoulders, tears glistening in his eyes.
"Huh? What are you talking about? What are you doing?" Seraphina looked completely confused.
The entire classroom turned to look at them.
"I won't let you slip away this time!" Lucian smiled and held her tightly.
"Wait—what??"
Suddenly, he kissed her!
The classroom exploded into chaos.
Everyone was stunned!
Seraphina's eyes went wide in shock—frozen in place like a statue...
The classroom fell silent.
Dead silent.
Everyone stared in utter disbelief, jaws dropped, eyes wide.
Unbelievable!
Lucian had just kissed Seraphina—the class goddess—right on the lips!
Was he insane?!
Lucian blinked, stunned by the soft, warm sensation lingering on his lips.
Wait... Why does this dream feel so real?
He unconsciously licked his lips.
What? It even tastes... sweet?
Can dreams even have taste?
He pulled back and looked at Seraphina, whose cheeks had turned a deep, rosy red.
"This... this isn't a dream?" he said, shocked.
"Lucian Rhys!"
Seraphina's face was flushed pink, her expression flustered and furious. With a shout, she shoved him away and followed it up with a perfect shoulder throw!
BANG!
Lucian hit the floor with a thud. Pain exploded across his back, and in that moment—he was completely awake.
Lying on the ground, he stared up at the ceiling in a daze. Then he looked at the stunned expressions on his classmates' faces. Finally, his gaze drifted to the blackboard at the back of the room.
The date was written clearly at the top.
April 12th, 2002.
His heart skipped a beat.
There was no more doubt.
He had been reborn!
Back to the year 2002!
He remembered clearly—this year, Seraphina turned eighteen.
This was their final year of high school. Only 69 days left until the college entrance exams.
Lucian lifted both hands and looked at his still-skinny arms. A smile broke across his face.
I really have come back...
Since the heavens have given me a second chance, this life—I'll live it without regrets.
And this time, I won't let Seraphina slip away again!
"Lucian, did something hit your head?" Seraphina snapped, stepping into view with a fierce glare, her face still flushed red.
"Hey there, Seraphina!" Lucian replied with a bright smile.
She blinked. "What kind of greeting is that? What nonsense are you spouting now?"
She crouched down and suddenly grabbed his hand, twisting it into a painful joint lock.
"Speak! Why did you take advantage of me just now?!"
"Ouch, ow, ow—can you let go first?!"
"Not until you answer me!"
"Everyone's watching! Aren't you embarrassed? Come on, let go!"
Seraphina glanced around—and sure enough, the entire class was staring at them.
The looks on their faces were... indescribable.
Being under so many gazes made her uncomfortable. After a beat, she reluctantly let go of his hand.
If all these people weren't watching, she would've ripped him to pieces!
Lucian got up with a wince and sucked in a breath through his teeth, rubbing his sore wrist.
Yep. Seraphina was still just as violent.
Just like he remembered her.