"Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring—" The urgent ringing sound woke Wang Heng, who was lying on the desk.
Lifting his head, he realized he wasn't in a hospital, but in a classroom. The last memory Wang Heng had was lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by the girls who had mixed feelings of love and hate for him...
But now, touching his neck, he found it was intact, with no trace of wounds.
Wang Heng : "."
As he was confused, the exam supervisor came over, collected the exam paper from his desk, and moved on without a word.
The moment the paper was collected, Wang Heng caught a glimpse of its title. It was a high school entrance exam paper in English, from seven years ago.
He looked around and finally remembered where this classroom was—it was in the small city where he grew up, the very place he took his high school entrance exam! As the students around him started leaving the classroom, they couldn't help but discuss the exam.
Since there weren't many high schools in this small city, and even with shuffled exam locations, it was easy to run into familiar classmates.
Discussing answers and sharing exam experiences was quite common. Wang Heng also stood up, hands on the desk, feeling a surge of emotion.
"I'm not playing with fire anymore!" He said fiercely.
When he walked out of the exam room, Wang Heng couldn't help but marvel at how perfect his timing was for rebirth.
At 25, Wang Heng had forgotten half of what he learned even in college, not to mention high school stuff. And he definitely didn't want to dive back into a sea of questions and relive that hell.
Now, after traveling back, he had just finished the college entrance exam, ready to enjoy a full vacation and pick his university choices with a cheat-like perspective.
Leisurely walking home, Wang Heng enjoyed the familiar streets, feeling relaxed. But once home, his feelings were mixed.
He had grown up with his father, Wang Jian, after his parents divorced. Wang Jian, earning a modest income, managed to provide a decent life as they both didn't spend much. Unlike other colleagues, his father didn't indulge in smoking or drinking. Apart from basic needs, his biggest expense was game cards.
Wang Heng remembered that before his rebirth, his financial situation had improved, but for his father, it only meant a slight upgrade in gaming hardware, with no real change in lifestyle...
That afternoon, when Wang Heng returned home, he found his father still sitting in the somewhat cramped living room, battling away in a game for his league.
Hearing his son's "I'm back," Wang Jian glanced at him, then quickly focused back on the screen, asking, "How was the exam?"
Not bad."
"What does 'not bad' mean? Did you score above the first-tier university?"
"A few scores above that, I guess."
Wang Jian took another look at his son and said, "Wow, confident, huh? So, those universities in the capital city you wanted to go to before, you can choose them now?"
Hearing this, Wang Heng involuntarily shivered and quickly shook his head: "No, no, no, I'm not going to the capital!"
"Why not?"
He didn't want to relive the same life as before, avoiding those terrifying romantic entanglements—but he couldn't just say that, so he made up an excuse: "The atmosphere there isn't good, and it's expensive to live in."
"But big cities offer better opportunities for young people."
"How about you stop your game and then talk to me about opportunities?"
"I can't, my team relies on me..."
"Dad, you're really full of it." Wang Heng commented, shaking his head but couldn't help laughing.
He had a distant memory of watching his father play games like this. Re-experiencing it now brought back a strange felling. Suddenly, Wang Jian said, "So, you're free tonight, right? You're in charge of dinner. There's money on the cabinet. You can take out or cook yourself."
Wang Heng: "..."
Taking care of his dad's dinner was not something he missed.
Following his original life trajectory, Wang Heng would spend four years in university in the capital and get entangled with several girls, sinking deeper into a vortex of relationships... But initially, Wang Heng had no desire to have a harem.
It was just that his looks and temperament were popular. He had watched a lot of romantic shows, adopted a 'nice guy' style, attended a teacher-training school with mostly female students, and most crucially, he didn't know how to say no, which ultimately led to his tragedy.
Learning from his past, Wang Heng decided to solve the problem from the root. After closing the webpage for university applications, he received a call from his close friend from his class, Xiao Jian. They had been classmates since middle school and became best friends in high school due to similar interests and hobbies.
"So… Xiao Heng, have you finished choosing your university preferences?"
"Done."
"Which university is your first choice?"
"Rongdu, University of Electronic Science and Technology."
Xiao Jian was surprised, "Weren't you always talking about going to the capital? That's a big change!"
"I changed my mind. Like I say before The atmosphere there isn't good, and it's expensive to live in."
Wang Heng repeated the excuse he had used with his father, but his friend wasn't convinced.
"But why choose a university focused on science and technology? The male to female ratio there is awful for straight guys, remember? You said that yourself!"
"I..."
"Don't tell me you're not straight anymore!"
"I am straight," Wang Heng sighed, "but I really don't want to date in college."
Xiao Jian laughed, "You sound like a veteran of love... Anyway, I called to tell you something important. Our class is planning a teacher's farewell dinner. You don't have WeChat, so they asked me to invite you. Are you coming?"
"Of course, I'll be there."
"Great, Han Yi Xuan will be there too. I heard she might be interested in you. What do you think?"
"Interested in what?"
Xiao Jian teased, "Not dating in college, so why not have a fling before it starts?"
Wang Heng: "...No dating."
The name Han Yi Xuan struck a deep chord in Wang Heng. He remembered that after the farewell dinner, this lovely classmate confessed to him, and he accepted. That was his first love. They started a long-distance relationship in college and broke up after two years.
But after college, Han Yi Xuan, unaware of his situation, came to the capital and entered the complex scene of his life. That marked the start of a dreadful period for Wang Heng...
So he was very firm now: "I'm not interested in dating at all right now, that's it."