[BRAIN-SUCKING TECHNIQUE! ZAP, ZAP, ZAP! HAND IT OVER!]
"Su Ming, do you know what the sweetest thing in the world is?"
"Hey, don't be in such a rush to act. Let me answer that for you."
"That's right. The sweetest thing in the world is the wedding candy from me and Liu Rumeng."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the man standing before Su Ming held out a wedding invitation.
*Slap!*
Without a moment’s hesitation, Su Ming swiped it out of the air.
In the instant the man spoke, the heart that Su Ming had kept hanging by a thread for so many years finally went cold. It had been his own wishful thinking from beginning to end; Liu Rumeng was nothing more than a master at playing with people’s feelings.
"Your reaction is exactly as I predicted. Truly pathetic."
The man was Zhao Yuanhua, a notorious local rich kid. It was no surprise that Liu Rumeng had taken a fancy to him. What pained Su Ming, however, was that after years of playing the devoted lapdog, he had ended up with absolutely nothing.
"No, there is actually one thing left."
As he spoke, Zhao Yuanhua pulled out a diary. The mottled cover and outdated style were proof enough that it had been around for a long time.
"Shen Ruoyan entrusted me to give this to you. She hates my guts, but what choice did she have? You had already blocked her on every possible platform, after all."
Zhao Yuanhua’s eyes were full of mockery. He had come today with one goal: to announce that Liu Rumeng was his property.
"You can get lost now."
Taking the diary, the emptiness in Su Ming’s eyes suddenly flickered with life. Shen Ruoyan—a name he would never forget in this lifetime.
"Fine, I know you don't welcome me. But the wind is strong on the rooftop, remember to keep warm~"
"Do me a favor and attend my wedding with Rumeng. Since you’ve already failed, you might as well fail spectacularly."
Look at that—was that even human speech? Having finished his gloating, Zhao Yuanhua strolled away.
Ignoring him, Su Ming sat down right on the edge of the guardrail.
"0, 1, 0, 1..."
Sure enough, the password to the locked diary was Shen Ruoyan’s birthday. Su Ming took a deep breath and turned to the first page.
"September 1st, Sunny.
Today is the first day I’ve started a diary, and the first day of the new semester. I’m quite lucky; Su Ming is sitting next to me.
He’s just as naughty as he was when we were little, always pulling on my braids.
Annoying! Annoying! Annoying!
ヾ(?`?′?)?!"
...
"October 3rd, Sunny, lovely breeze.
Su Ming stole roses from someone’s garden to give to me and ended up being chased by the shop owner.
Hmph~
The flowers are pretty, and I guess he isn’t as annoying as I thought.
(?????)!"
...
"December 19th, Overcast, no sun.
Su Ming hasn’t spoken to me for nearly a week. I know why—he’s been getting close to the transfer student and fawning over her.
Men are all pigs!
(っ`-′c)?!"
...
"January 2nd, Heavy rain, thunder and lightning.
Su Ming’s grades have plummeted because he’s put all his heart into that girl.
I tried to advise him, but he wouldn't listen.
I bought a bunch of snacks, but Su Ming didn't even touch them.
I’m a little sad. I want to cry.
(′?.?`)"
...
After flipping through several more pages, a sharp pain gripped Su Ming’s heart. He remembered it all. It turned out that the person who had been by his side all along was Shen Ruoyan. Every bit of concern and care had been ignored by him; the root of the problem had been himself all along.
Enduring the pain, Su Ming flipped to the last page to see the end of everything.
"April 24th, Clear skies.
It’s time to say goodbye.
Every night I remind myself that he is no longer the Su Ming he used to be.
I flipped a coin, but the answer wasn't what I wanted in my heart.
But what can I do? This is fate.
Here, I swear—
If there is a next life, I will never, ever fall in love with Su Ming again!"
*Drip! Drip!*
Tears wet the aged paper. The diary ended abruptly there. Su Ming looked up at the sky, the drizzle falling softly.
"I’m... I’m sorry."
"If there really is a next life, I will do everything in my power to make it up to you."
"Shen Ruoyan, don't cry..."
Su Ming stood up and slowly closed his eyes. After a long moment, with infinite despair, he leaped. Perhaps a miserable life deserved a miserable end.
...
"Look! Look!"
"Someone fainted!"
So noisy. It was so incredibly noisy. It felt like everyone was crowding around him. That was Su Ming’s first thought, and at the same time, he felt a piercing pain all over his body.
Hm?
He’d jumped from the 28th floor—was it just pain?
Struggling to open his eyes, Su Ming saw an incredible sight. It was a fair, exquisite face, a beautiful countenance without a single flaw. She had long, lustrous black hair tied into a high ponytail that radiated youthful energy. This perfect person was currently showing visible, frantic anxiety.
Yes, it was true. The person before his eyes was none other than Shen Ruoyan, the one he felt most guilty toward!
What was going on?
In an instant, a flood of memories surged into his mind. Su Ming had been reborn!
He had been reborn in 2002. It seemed like there had been a heavy snow that year. If his memory served him right, Su Ming had just been in the middle of an intense basketball game during PE. Back in this era, not many people played basketball, and those who could sing, dance, and rap were even fewer. Su Ming had been tall, already hitting 1.8 meters in his third year of high school. He had just pulled off a dunk using his talent, only to have someone maliciously slide their foot under him as he landed. Anyone who knew the move knew how shameless it was! As Su Ming twisted his ankle, he lost his balance and hit his head on the goalpost.
"Thank heavens! You’re awake!"
Seeing Su Ming staring blankly at her, Shen Ruoyan let out a long sigh of relief. Her nervousness was impossible to hide; how could a high schooler possibly conceal their true feelings? But just as Shen Ruoyan was about to ask if he was feeling uncomfortable, Su Ming suddenly stood up and pulled her into his arms.
He held her as if she were his whole world, filled with a deep longing he couldn't bear to let go of. In an instant, the bustling playground fell into dead silence. Time and space seemed to freeze! No one had expected that the moment Su Ming woke up, he would pull Shen Ruoyan, one of the two campus belles of Fandou High School, into his embrace. Even though they were childhood sweethearts, this was an explosive development.
"Su Ming, you, you..."
Shen Ruoyan’s beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief. To her recollection, this was the first time they had ever been this close. The famous writer Mr. Tree once said there are two types of people in the world: men and women. Men are smelly because they move around too much; women are fragrant because they are naturally so. But even though Su Ming was drenched in sweat, Shen Ruoyan didn't show the slightest hint of disgust.
"I said that if there were a next life, I would never let you down again. Shen Ruoyan, I swear, this time I will make sure you win everything!"
It was another inexplicable, heartfelt confession. Shen Ruoyan’s face began to turn a light shade of red. For some reason, she suddenly found herself enjoying it. But as she noticed the eyes of the people around them, she immediately snapped back to reality.
"Su Ming! What are you doing? Let me go!"
She pushed with all her might, but it had no effect.
"Su Ming, you're hurting me."
*Ouch!*
Only when he heard that did Su Ming finally bear to let go. Even though he had a thousand words in his heart, he had to calm his excitement for now. Since he had been reborn, everything had to start from the beginning. Taking it one step at a time was key—he had to start winning over his childhood sweetheart early.
"I'm talking to you! Why are you taking advantage of me?"
Shen Ruoyan was quite skilled; her fair little hand precisely found the soft flesh on Su Ming's waist.
"Ah!!!"
The miserable scream from the person in front of her made Shen Ruoyan’s heart skip a beat.
"Huh? Su Ming, are you okay? I'm sorry, I... I didn't use that much strength."
"No, it's just... I think you stepped on my foot."