In her previous life, Wang Zhi had been foolish—naive and blinded by love.
She and Ling Ron hadn't even been together when she chose her university. He was just a crush, someone she admired from afar, someone whose words made her heart race and judgment cloud. So, when he casually mentioned his dream to attend a certain university, she silently reshaped her future to match his.
Later, when college entrance exam results were released and she got in—and he didn't—he had suddenly confessed his feelings. At the time, she thought it was love.
Now she knew better.
It wasn't love.
It was strategy.
He wanted the image: the "smart girlfriend," the trophy who would elevate his reputation, not someone he genuinely cared for.
And she had fallen right into the trap.
But that was the old Wang Zhi.
This time, she refused to be anyone's stepping stone.
She had two months to reach her dream—and that dream was hers alone.
The days flew by in a blur of ink, textbooks, and revision sessions. Wang Zhi threw herself into her preparation with single-minded devotion. She attended every class, took detailed notes, and spent late nights in self-study. Her discipline was absolute.
Strangely, her memory was sharper than ever—whether it was the effects of rebirth or the fire of vengeance in her soul, she couldn't say. But what she did know was that she began topping every mock test.
First place. Every single time.
Her classmates were stunned. Her teachers, thrilled. And Wang Zhi? She quietly smiled to herself and worked harder.
This time, she wasn't aiming to scrape into the top 100.
This time, she was aiming for the very top.
She owed that much to the girl who had once died crying in the dark.
The entrance exam ended with the closing of the final bell—and for the first time in months, Wang Zhi allowed herself a breath.
A real breath.
She had given it her all.
Now, she could wait.
The next day, she decided to treat herself to something she had denied for far too long: a little joy. She went out for shopping—new clothes, essentials for the university life she was determined to embrace.
"No more cutting corners," she reminded herself while scanning outfits. "No more living small. This life is mine to own."
But fate had a habit of lurking in the corners.
As she walked past a local market, her thoughts scattered by sunlight and chatter, a sudden scream shattered the peace.
"Thief! Thief!!"
An elderly woman was shouting, struggling as a man snatched her bag and ran.
Without thinking, Wang Zhi took off after him.
Her body remembered its past training—her old athleticism from school, her childhood fascination with martial arts—and before she knew it, she was chasing the thief into a narrow, shadowed alleyway.
Too narrow.
Too quiet.
Too… wrong.
The thief suddenly stopped and turned around with a sly grin. That's when the realization hit her.
A trap.
"Shit," she breathed. "It's a trap!"
"Well," the thief smirked, pulling a knife from his belt, "that's a little late to realize, baby."
He lunged.
But before he could even reach her—
SLAM.
Another figure shot forward like lightning from behind her and pinned the thief to the ground with a single, fluid motion.
A tall man. Sharp-eyed. Broad-shouldered. Calm like a blade in its sheath.
"Too late for you to realize," he said coldly, pressing the thief's wrist to the concrete, "that she's not alone."
Wang Zhi stared, breathless.
The thief whimpered as the man twisted his arm behind his back. "Get the police," he said without turning.
She blinked and fumbled for her phone. Her heart still raced, but not from fear anymore.
From something else.
When the thief was taken away and the chaos cleared, she finally turned to the stranger.
"You…" she said, voice soft. "Thank you."
The man looked at her, really looked, as though searching for something in her expression.
"You handled yourself well," he replied. "But be careful. Not every fight is worth stepping into alone."
And with that, he turned to leave.
"Wait," she called. "What's your name?"
He paused. Then glanced back with the faintest smile.
He paused. Then glanced back with the faintest smile, the kind that lingered like a whisper.
"Maybe I'll tell you… if we ever meet again."
And just like that, he turned the corner and vanished into the city's heartbeat—leaving Wang Zhi standing there, stunned, the echo of his words dancing in her mind like a question waiting to be answered.