Chapter Text
It was a very cold night, but everywhere there was a moment of happiness. It was Christmastime. Everyone was celebrating, many were cutting cakes in their houses with their families. The streets were buzzing with people.
But suddenly, something heavy fell from a building with a loud thud. People crowded around it, yet no one dared to walk near it. In a pool of blood lay a man, looking up at the sky, trying to recall every happy—no, sad moment of his life. There were no happy moments that he could recall.
He never got to be happy. He was the child of a mistress who died after giving birth to him. Everyone in his father's house despised his presence, leaving him hungry for days. He managed everything on his own, working part-time jobs just to pay his school and college fees. He tried everything to win his father's family's hearts, but they never accepted him as their own.
Today, the truth was finally as clear as the steel rod in his chest. He slowly muttered something under his breath, as his breathing was heavy.
"I was building a home for people who only wanted to see me in a grave. I poured my life into a family that never existed. I was chasing affection from siblings who despised my very existence. My kindness was my weakness, and they exploited it until the end. There is a next life, I will not waste it on love. I will make sure the mere mention of my name makes them tremble."
A trail of tears fell from his eyes and his breathing stopped. If there is a next life, please let me be happy for just one day. That was the last thought in his mind.
There was water all around when Yan Shou opened his eyes. He choked on a mouthful of water, quickly swimming to the surface to gasp for air. His lungs were burning. He scrambled toward the corner of the swimming pool and pulled himself up, panting and coughing.
As he was trying to steady his breathing, a foot suddenly landed straight on his shoulder, pushing him back into the water.
Pain flared all over his body. He swam back to the surface, only to meet the one sight he never wanted to see again. Standing there was a man in luxurious clothes, looking down at him with a wide grin on his face. Yan Haotian... his stepbrother.
Yan Shou frantically looked around. This is impossible. It was a scene from six years ago, back when he was still a university student. Haotian had caught him on campus and thrown him into the pool with his friends. They had laughed at him because Yan Shou never knew how to swim. In his past life, he had nearly drowned before being saved by a passing student.
But what was he doing here, six years ago? He clearly remembered everything-especially how he died. This couldn't be heaven, because a person like Haotian would never be there. If there was any place in the world appropriate for a man like him, it would be hell. If he wanted to test if this was actually the scene from six years ago, there was only one thing he could do.
Yan Shou began to pretend to drown. He thrashed in the pool, moving his hands and feet frantically. Eventually, a group of students passed by the area, and one of them jumped in to save him. Once on the pool deck, Yan Shou coughed violently as the other students tried to comfort him, some even ran to call the school doctor.
From the corner of his eye, Yan Shou watched Haotian. His stepbrother glared at him, cursed under his breath, and quickly ran away with his friends to avoid trouble. After receiving medical treatment, Yan Shou was called straight to the principal's office.
On the way to the office, a thousand things raced through his mind, but one thing was clear: he was back. This time, he would make this opportunity worth his while. He would make the people who had hurt him regret every moment of their lives. He smiled darkly to himself, then walked straight toward the principal's office.
He knocked on the door, and when he heard a voice call out "Come in," he entered. He stood in front of Principal Lin, looking like a drenched puppy. The principal scanned him from head to toe, then turned to look at the other corner of the room where Haotian and his friends were standing leisurely.
"Is this how you maintain discipline in this university?!" Principal Lin yelled loudly at them, slamming his hand against the desk.
Yan Shou flinched at the sound.
"Sorry, did I scare you?" Principal Lin said to Yan Shou in a soft voice, gesturing for him to sit in a chair. Meanwhile, Haotian and his friends remained standing, glaring down at him.
"Look at him like that again and I will gouge your eyes out of their sockets!" the principal yelled again. He then passed Yan Shou a cup of hot chocolate, and the warmth of it helped soothe his nerves.
That was the strategic move. Principal Lin hated students who bullied others or lacked discipline. He never feared anyone because he was one of the top educators in the country. He owns many universities and schools, and he has written reviews or expelled students so that they won't be able to study anywhere else in the country.
Principal Lin has no fear in this university, even though it is filled with rich fellows whose parents own multinational companies. Even Yan Shou only got his admission here because his father didn't want gossip that his child was uneducated. But Yan Shou only got in after he took a test and scored the highest marks. He always ranks first in class and has won many awards, that's why he kept his scholarship, otherwise he would have been thrown out long ago. He has even met Principal Lin many times while receiving his awards.
But Haotian and his sister were different. They were both so spoiled that their father had to pay a huge amount of money to the teachers to increase their grades and keep the matter quiet from the Principal.
Principal Lin glared at Haotian and his friend, practically boring holes into them with his gaze. He never liked Haotian, the boy was reckless and always caused trouble, but Principal Lin had never thought of pursuing the matter-until now. Right now, anyone could see the fire in his eyes. In Yan Shou's past life, Principal Lin tried to scold Haotian, but Yan Shou took all the blame on himself. How naive. But this time, it would be different.
Suddenly, the door burst open. A lady in a tight black dress, carrying a flashy, luxurious bag, walked in. Her heels made a tap-tap sound against the tiles.
'Finally, she's here, 'Yan Shou shouted inside his brain. A spark of excitement glinted in his eyes, though he kept his face blank and continued his 'drenched puppy' act.
"Principal Lin, it looks like there is a problem," she said. She took a seat beside Yan Shou, glaring straight at him from the corner of her eyes. Yan Shou frantically stood up and looked down at the floor in fear, shivering slightly. But inside, he was thrilled.
"There must have been some misunderstanding. My Haotian would never do the kind of things you just told me over the phone," she said.
Yan Shou knew she would come; Principal Lin must have threatened her by saying he would expel Haotian. That's why she had rushed all the way here. She snapped her head in Yan Shou's direction and pointed a finger at him.
"This boy must have provoked him into doing this! That boy is simply annoying. My Haotian is a simple boy, he has never even yelled at anyone before. But this boy.... he always causes trouble at home, too. I have a constant headache because of him," she said.
'Yes, yes... your precious boy would never do this. He's such a fragile boy-it's a wonder a gust of wind doesn't just knock him over. Yan Shou wanted to shout at the top of his lungs, but he kept quiet.
"Mrs. Yan, I know my students very well, " Principal Lin said, shooting a quick glance at Haotian. "I know exactly who was at fault."
Fang Huilian's face twisted as anger flashed across her features, but she fought to keep her calm. She looked at Principal Lin.
"Principal Lin, you may know your students, but you must realize that a wolf always hunts in sheep's clothing. That bast-I mean, that kid- is just pretending. I've seen him cause commotions and fight with others myself. But, if you still insist Haotian was at fault, why don't we just ask the boy? Let's hear if Haotian actually pushed him into the water, or if he simply fell by himself."
Their collective gaze turned toward Yan Shou, who immediately began to shiver in "fear."
"Speak!" Huilian shouted, her patience finally coming to an edge. When Yan Shou remained silent, she stood up and marched toward him. She leaned close to him and whispered in his ear, her voice a low venom.
"If you don't want your life to be miserable, accept that you were the one who caused all this." She pulled back, flashing a fake, sweet smile as she pretended to brush some wet strands of hair from his forehead.
Yan Shou turned toward Principal Lin, his voice trembling and thin. "Principal Lin, it was all my fault... I was the one at fault. It's all my fault. My brother called me to play in the swimming pool, but since I never learned to swim and have a fear of water... I shouldn't have gone. It's my fault I made fun of my brother. It's all my fault."
"Yan Shou!" Fang Huilian shouted, her face reddening. Yan Shou flinched violently.
"It's my fault... all my fault," he started muttering, sounding like a broken toy.
Finally, Fang Huilian's patience snapped. She lunged forward and planted a heavy slap across Yan Shou's face. The sound of the impact echoed through the office.
Gotcha! Yan Shou exclaimed inside his head.