Suddenly, Kane felt a blinding light in his eyes, a loud noise in his ears, his skin burning hot, and his mind growing hazy.
Through the blur, he saw a beautiful young girl, probably seventeen or eighteen years old.
She wore a flowy floral dress, revealing a pair of fair, slender legs. Her nose was delicate and well-defined, her lips soft and rosy, her lashes long and curled, and her bright eyes were full of life.
Kane smiled.
All these years of slaving away to buy some big boss a new car and a bigger house, he had never even dreamed of meeting a girl this beautiful.
Someone this stunning—she'd probably cry for ages if he smacked her, huh?
"Kane, I really don't want to date anyone. I'm sorry."
His smile froze.
Because he realized—the girl in front of him was becoming more and more real.
Her floral dress had a print of chrysanthemums on it, and she stood gracefully on a red running track, shielding her eyes from the sunlight with an arm as pale as fresh snow.
But despite her efforts, the scorching heat still made this radiant, youthful girl visibly annoyed.
"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes. We're still good friends, right?"
Kane's brows furrowed, a trace of seriousness flashing in his eyes.
He knew this girl.
She was Sophie Chase, the most beautiful girl in his high school class. By now, she was probably married already.
Back in the day, he had chased after her for seven years—through high school and college—until he almost started doubting his own existence.
It wasn't that Kane was some desperate simp who refused to move on. He wasn't the type to obsessively cling to someone.
The problem was—Sophie had never truly let go of him either.
She kept inserting herself into his life as a "friend," constantly asking him to do this or that, stopping him from dating other girls, giving him just enough hope to keep him around, throwing him a few sweet words here and there.
She had played with the young Kane's emotions, driving him half-mad in the process.
"I'll consider being your girlfriend after freshman year!"
"I didn't expect sophomore year to be this overwhelming. Let's talk about it in junior year."
"There are so many competitions in junior year—I don't have time for a relationship."
Until the second semester of junior year, when she showed up hand in hand with a tall, slender guy, both dressed in matching couple outfits.
That day, she was all gentle smiles, her eyes shimmering like a starry sky. Laughing, she asked her boyfriend if he thought he was handsome.
From that moment on, Kane Brook sealed his heart in concrete. He never thought about love again, which eventually led to him barely settling for marriage at thirty-eight.
Back in 2008, the term backup guy wasn't even a thing. It wasn't until the internet became widespread that Kane finally understood—he had been a backup all along.
She was just keeping him around because she hadn't found the right person yet. When she was in a good mood, she'd tease him; when she wasn't, she'd ignore him completely.
To put it bluntly, to her, he was nothing more than a way to pass the time when she was bored.
The memories played vividly in his mind, but right now, Kane felt a little dizzy, and a faint ringing echoed in his ears.
Southgate High, the school from his youth. The campus belle from his teenage years.
Was this... a rebirth?
Or just a dream?
If this was a rebirth, then where was the notification sound? Why wasn't there a ding?
With trembling fingers, Kane reached out and grasped at the air, trying to summon a virtual screen—but nothing appeared.
What the hell? Was he a fake reborn protagonist? Where was his starter pack?!
"Kane, did you even hear me? I really don't want to date right now."
"Alright, whatever you say."
Kane replied absentmindedly, then shut his eyes, attempting to awaken some hidden ability with sheer willpower. Unfortunately, it didn't work—there was no system, no cheat, nothing.
Hearing his nonchalant response, Sophie Chase was visibly caught off guard. Kane's attitude screamed indifference, making her feel like she had just punched a pillow—completely powerless and frustrated.
"Did you even hear me? I just rejected you!"
"Yeah, I heard you. I'm not deaf."
"Then… then don't you have anything to say to me?"
Accepting the harsh reality that he had no system, Kane's gaze fell on the object in Sophie's hand.
"What's that in your hand?"
Sophie smugly lifted the envelope. "This is the love letter you just stuffed into my hands! I already told you I don't want it, and you still gave it to me. Don't write another one next time."
"Can you give it back? I need it."
Before she could even reply, Kane took the letter back on his own. He pulled out the page inside, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his pocket. Then, he flattened the envelope, placed it on his lap, and swiftly wrote two lines.
"No matter what, never work for someone else. If you can find a rich woman to rely on, do it.
Money can always be made again, but if you ditch your conscience, you'll make even more."
That thing that fell down was probably a steel plate used for construction.
Kane Brook thought for a moment and came to a reasonable conclusion.
Now, he faced a crucial question: Why was I reborn?
The answer was actually quite simple. He must have had deep regrets in his heart, and his sheer remorse moved the heavens, granting him a second chance.
So what was Kane's biggest regret?
Nothing else—just that he hadn't made enough money.
That meant his rebirth had only one purpose: to make money. Love? Even a damn dog wouldn't bother with it!
Especially playing the role of a backup plan for someone—that was the biggest waste of energy. He might as well use that time to help his parents wash the dishes.
When people are young, they tend to overthink things. It's natural to admire beauty, but if a grown man on the verge of forty gets a second chance at life and all he can think about is breasts and thighs, that would be utterly ridiculous.
I got reborn, damn it! What kind of idiot wastes time on love?
Kane folded the paper he had written on, stuffed it into his pocket, and looked up—only to find Sophie Chase standing there in shock, disbelief flashing in her eyes.
"That was a love letter you wrote to me… How can you just take it back?"
"You don't want it, right? No point in wasting it. I'll just change the name and give it to someone else."
Sophie was momentarily speechless before quickly rephrasing her words:
"Kane, it's not like you have no chance at all. It's just that I don't want to date right now. But when we get to college, who knows? I might consider you first!"
Kane glanced at her, and in that instant, his skin crawled with goosebumps.
If this was the teenage version of him, he might have actually clung to this sliver of hope, stubbornly chasing after a dead end.
But now, looking back from his current perspective… His younger self had absolutely no taste.
Consider me first? The hell kind of line was that?