Chapter 002:
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Seeing everyone whispering about Su Niansheng, a flicker of jealousy crossed Lin Yixuan’s eyes.
Su Niansheng, starting today, you’ll never steal my spotlight again!
“Thank you!” She grabbed the trophy, forcibly dragging everyone’s attention back to her. “Receiving this award today, I must not only thank the Golden Ear Awards committee for their support, but also thank Yubai… for all the help and love he’s given me over the years, always by my side…”
As she spoke, she subtly rose onto her toes and pressed a kiss against his chest.
“Ahhh—!”
“So sweet! My ship is sailing!”
The fans inside the venue instantly erupted.
A sharp pain lanced through Su Niansheng’s entire being, worse than any illness. It wasn’t the public display of affection that hurt… it was where Lin Yixuan kissed.
Right on the necklace she had given Shi Yubai.
That necklace was her mother’s final keepsake, a delicate camellia piece symbolizing eternal love for the devoted.
She’d entrusted that pure, fervent love to the wrong man. And now, they were desecrating it before the entire world.
A wave of furious indignation crashed over her. Fueled by adrenaline she didn’t know she possessed, she surged onto the stage. She shoved Lin Yixuan aside and clawed at the necklace on Shi Yubai’s chest. “Give it back! Give it back to me!”
The entire hall gasped, stunned by the sudden spectacle.
Shi Yubai was momentarily stunned too. He seized her wrist, his handsome face etched with impatience. “Su Niansheng! What madness is this now?”
“We’re divorced!” Su Niansheng’s voice tore from her throat, raw and desperate. “Shi Yubai, we’re divorced!”
For the first time, a crack appeared in the icy facade of the man before her. Disbelief flickered in his eyes. “What did you say?”
“We’re divorced. Give me back the necklace.” Su Niansheng repeated each word with chilling calm, a stark contrast to her previous frenzy. This sudden composure inexplicably infuriated him. “Impossible! Su Niansheng, don’t even think about it! I won’t agree…”
Lin Yixuan, hearing his refusal, paled slightly. Hidden beneath her voluminous ballgown, her foot lashed out viciously towards the other woman.
Die, Su Niansheng!
A sickening thud echoed. Then, darkness swallowed the world.
“Su Niansheng!”
“Su Niansheng!”
“Someone help! Quick!”
As Su Niansheng tumbled down the long flight of steps, a cacophony of horrified shouts assaulted her ears, a chaotic soundtrack to the reel of her disastrous life flashing before her eyes.
The last thing she saw was a face of breathtaking, aristocratic beauty etched with terror.
Shen Junxi.
Her once best friend, her childhood companion.
“Shengsheng!”
His arms trembled as he gathered her limp body. Shock jolted him – beneath the coat, she felt terrifyingly light, weightless, as if she might vanish at any moment. Pure, unadulterated panic flooded his eyes, darkening them into fathomless pools of despair.
“Shengsheng!”
“Su Niansheng! Open your eyes!”
“You dare die on me, I’ll kill Shi Yubai with my bare hands!”
Now, as before. Always the first to rush to her when she was hurt. Just like he’d promised long ago – he’d always have her back, even after she’d shattered their bond.
A faint, bitter curve touched Su Niansheng’s lips.
Such a pity… I’ve already stopped loving.
Regret, thick and suffocating, drowned her. Regret for sacrificing everything important – her family, her career, her friend – for Shi Yubai and Lin Yixuan. Now, even her life was forfeit. She longed to undo it all, to claw back the years, but her body was utterly spent. Not even the strength to lift her eyelids remained.
The girl closed her eyes in the man’s embrace.
“NO!!!”
“Shengsheng! Wake up! Please, wake up! I’m begging you! Please!”
The capital’s most illustrious Young and Accomplished CEO, clutching the lifeless girl, ran out of the building like a man possessed. The sight stunned everyone. His hands dripped with fresh blood, mingling with the rain, and the raw, broken agony in his desperate pleas sounded like his very heart was shattering.
“Shengsheng! Wake up! Wake up!”
Su Niansheng stirred awake to a clamor of youthful, familiar voices. She rubbed her eyes, blinking at the faces crowding around her.
“Su Niansheng, your family’s loaded! A hundred thousand just like that? That’s more than the whole school raised for Shi Yubai combined!”
“Yeah! With this, chasing him is practically a done deal!”
Her university classmates?
She looked around – the blackboard covered in advanced calculus problems, the large lecture hall, her desk-mate munching on spicy konjac strips.
Had she… truly gone back in time?!
Shock rooted her to the spot just as someone yelled from outside, “Shi Yubai’s here!”
Lightning flashed outside the classroom windows, thunder cracked, and rain lashed the panes.
Shi Yubai walked in, soaked to the skin. Crystal droplets slid down his damp, clumped hair, tracing paths over his strikingly handsome, yet cold, features. He walked straight towards her, eyes downcast, expression unreadable, a crumpled piece of paper clutched tightly in his hand. His voice was colder than the rain outside.
“This is the IOU.”
“One hundred and ten thousand. Principal plus interest. I’ll pay back every cent.”
Yes!
Su Niansheng remembered this day vividly.
Shi Yubai’s mother had been in a sudden, critical car accident, requiring an enormous surgery fee. The principal had organized a school-wide donation drive. Upon hearing, she’d immediately dipped into her allowance to cover the cost.
He’d responded with this IOU – a one-year term, interest at double the bank rate.
She recalled, back then, tearing up the IOU right in front of the whole class. She’d smiled at him, saying, “Shi Yubai, spending money for you is my choice. I’d spend any amount willingly, as long as you like me… just a little bit.”
He hadn’t said a word.
She’d thought he was deeply moved, that this would surely win him over.
But now…
Looking at the barely concealed resentment in his downcast eyes, the knuckles white where he gripped the IOU, and the mocking glint in Lin Yixuan’s eyes behind him…
The hatred had started here, hadn’t it? Hatred for her publicly humiliating his pride. Hatred for making him look weak in front of the girl he truly loved.
That’s why the revenge had been so cruel later.
But none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was… she was back. She had really, truly come back!
Shi Yubai, seeing her not taking the IOU but just staring blankly (which he mistook for shy giggling), dropped it dismissively on her desk and turned to leave.
Lin Yixuan approached with a saccharine smile. “Su Niansheng, thank you so much! You’ve really helped Yubai out this time… Oof!”
Her words were cut short as Su Niansheng abruptly stood up, shoulder-checking her aside.
“Hey!” Lin Yixuan rubbed her shoulder, watching the girl sprint out of the classroom, her teeth clenched.
Idiot!
What’s she so happy about?
Does she really think Yubai will change his opinion of her because of this money?
Su Niansheng hadn’t run out in excitement. She’d remembered something far more crucial.
Today wasn’t just the day Shi Yubai’s mother had her accident.
It was also the day Shen Junxi was leaving the country!
In her past life, consumed by chasing Shi Yubai, she’d fought bitterly with her family and friends, severing almost all ties.
Just yesterday, Shen Junxi had come to plead with her. Don’t fight with your family over Shi Yubai. He’s not worth it. She’d shut him down impatiently.
“My choices are my business. It has nothing to do with you. Stop meddling. If you disapprove too, then leave. We’re not friends anymore.”
His final, wounded words echoed in her reborn mind:
“Su Niansheng… Am I truly worth so little to you?”
