"Jiang Che, wake up!"
In a daze, Jiang Che was jerked awake by a familiar voice. His head throbbed painfully, and his stomach churned.
The harsh sunlight made him squint as he slowly opened his eyes.
He could smell the faint hint of alcohol on his breath, and a wave of regret hit him like a truck.
"Damn it… I should've never drunk so much last night."
Jiang Che muttered under his breath, his face twisted in discomfort.
He instinctively rubbed his temples, trying to clear the fog in his mind.
"Jiang Che, you really pushed it this time. But hey, it's your fault for getting drunk. Besides, you were pretty upset after your confession," a voice said with a teasing tone.
Jiang Che turned his head to see a somewhat familiar person but can't remember it.
He didn't think that he knew someone as young as the man before him.
Could he possibly be the son of one of my clients?
Jiang Che thought.
"You know, I told you it was a bad idea to confess to Xiao Yuxia like that. You're not the only one who likes her. But you insisted on doing it by saying you don't want to regret… What's the result? A whole bunch of guys are lining up, and you're the one who got shut down."
The person continued speaking, and Jiang Chen initially thought the young boy before him was mocking him.
However, he soon realized that the person was genuinely concerned, with no trace of mockery in his demeanor.
With his experience in the business world, Jiang Chen was skilled at reading people's expressions, and he could tell that the person was truly worried, not mocking him.
"We've been friends since we were little. I'm just saying, it's better to let it go. It's high school and there is only one month before the college exam. You've got bigger things to worry about, like your future."
The person before him continued.
Jiang Che, still confused, couldn't help but ask in confusion.
Even if the other party was worried, he couldn't continue listening to some nonsense he had no idea about.
"Who… Who are you? And what are you talking about?"
"You… Don't pretend to get amnesia after getting rejected. I am your good brother, Zhang Wei."
"Zhang Wei?"
Jiang Che muttered. He indeed has a good brother named Zhang Wei who is also one of the co-founder of his company.
( Now that I think about it, I realize that this person indeed resembles Zhang Wei when he was young. )
Jiang Chen thought.
( Just where am I? Am I still dreaming? )
Jiang Che, still feeling a bit dizzy, stared at the scenery.
His eyes settled on the familiar scenery—the same street, the same view—but something was off.
The sky seemed clearer, the road was quieter, and the radio blared a song he didn't recognize, something cheerful and nostalgic.
"Wait…"
He frowned.
Then quickly looked left and right, and realized that the place seemed to be where his parent's house used to be.
Moreover, he turned towards the window of the house behind him and looked at the reflection which he knew very well.
( Isn't this me when I was in high school? )
Jiang Che was finally able to piece together some of the information.
After some contemplation, he came to the conclusion that he had time-traveled.
"Where are we?"
Jiang Che asked after calming down a bit.
He still didn't believe that something so extraordinary had happened to him.
"You… Sigh! You didn't want to give up and want to try to confess once again to School Beauty. We are waiting for her!"
Zhang Wei replied.
He has discouraged Jiang Che again and again, after all, the school beauty has already rejected him and he didn't want to see his good brother be humiliated once again.
Jiang Che nodded his head.
It seems like he has indeed traveled back in time when he was unconvinced of his failed confession and wanted to try again.
( Anyway, what was the use of someone like me rebirthing? )
Jiang Che complained in his mind.
He wasn't killed. He clearly remembers sleeping in a 5-star hotel, the day before the rebirth.
Moreover, his parents were well and alive, although they had been quite disappointed by his early life choices but he made them proud over time.
He became a self-made multi-millionaire, on the verge of having a net worth of billions.
For that, he worked day and night without spending more than necessary and his car was also worth only a hundred thousand which was quite low compared to his net worth.
This all was for him to save money and invest more in order to become a billionaire.
But what was the result?
He was back to the time when he was poor and looked down upon!
"F**K!"
Jiang Chen couldn't help but curse out loud.
What was the use of struggling and amassing such wealth when he couldn't enjoy his fruit of labor?
It felt like playing an RPG where you grind for hours to collect experience and gold, only to be sent back to level 1, losing everything you've worked for.
He might have been a bit happy if he was sent back when he hit age 60 or 70 when his health deteriorated but no.
He had to be reborn at the pinnacle of his life when he was in his 30th and beginning of his luxurious life.
( Who said 'Invest in your future today, so you can reap the rewards tomorrow'? All of this is bullshit! )
"F**K!"
Jiang Che cursed again.
Zhang Wei near him thought that Zhang Wei was angry because of his words and tried to calm him down.
"Jiang Che, I know what I said isn't good to hear. But Xiao Yuxi isn't worth sacrificing your future."
Zhang Wei said.
The College Entrance Exam was just in a month, and Zhang Wei thought that it was better that Jiang Che prepares for it rather than obsessing over some love.
"Hmph! Who cares about her? There are plenty of fish in the sea—why would I waste my time chasing after someone like her?"
Jiang Che replied, his tone dripping with disdain.
He was already feeling humiliated having to relive his dark history.
( I'm the CEO of a billion-dollar company. Which girl could I not win over? It's only because I had no time for relationships that I wasn't in any type of relationship. Otherwise, there were a lot of girls including idols and models lining up to be my girlfriend. )
( Damn! I really denied all the opportunities to hook up with a beauty! )
Jiang Che couldn't help but regret it.
"You! What did you say?"
Just when Jiang Che was thinking about his missed opportunity, a girl's voice interrupted him.
Zhang Wei seemed to have already hidden behind him, not daring to look.
Jiang Che was confused and didn't know why the girl seemed angry at her.
"Jiang Che, I didn't think you were such a person. The one who can't reach the grapes says they are sour.' Just because your confession failed, it doesn't give you the right to insult her."
Another angry voice joined in.
Jiang Che didn't understand why they were so angry at him. He didn't think that he had offended anyone during this time.
"Who are you?"
Jiang Che asked.
The boy got angrier but didn't say anything to him and turned to the girl.
"Yuxia, let's not waste our time with such a person."
But the girl didn't move and got closer to Jiang Che.
"Jiang Chen, I've already said I don't want to be in a relationship until after I graduate high school. I hope you understand, and that you focus on studying harder to get into a good university."
After saying that, the girl walked away with her group of followers including that angry boy who glared at him.
"That must be Xiao Yuxia!"
Jiang Che said.
After listening to her words, Jiang Che finally remembered what happened that day when he was met with similar words as right now.
At that time, he was depressed for quite a long time and did very badly in his College Entrance Exam.
Anyway, those words were a fact and Xiao Yuxia really didn't get into any relationships in high school but that was also true for when she was in university.
Even in college, Jiang Chen couldn't let go of his childhood crush and tried to win Xiao Yuxia's affection, but all his efforts were in vain.
She said the same thing as when she was in high school and didn't want to be in a relationship until she graduated from university.
Even those handsome and rich seniors were heartbroken by her.
Until the day he was reborn, it seemed like Xiao Yuxia had stayed single.
She became a successful news reporter with her beauty and seemed to be career focused just like he was in the later part of his life.
The conclusion that Jiang Che came to was that conquering Xiao Yuxia was impossible.
Anyway, he didn't want to do that, not after being reborn.
"This time, I'm going to make a fortune and enjoy every bit of it!"