After leaving the world, Xu Zifan returned to the void, a place where he could adjust his state of mind. Whether it was the lingering attachment to the various emotions of his life or the recovery of his aging mind, he needed to be in the best possible condition to begin a new life. He didn't know how much time had passed, but when he felt ready, he entered the next world.
This time, Xu Zifan wasn't alone when he woke up; the noisy laughter and chatter of men and women gave him a headache. He remained still and opened his eyes to look around. It was a classroom; the students looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, so they must be in high school. He was sleeping in the corner of the last row.
He sat up straight against the wall behind him, moving his numb arms as he tried to understand the world around him.
The bell rang, and the students quickly returned to their seats, took out their papers, and prepared for class. Some who were late were rushing back to their seats. Suddenly, a girl darted in through the back door, sat down next to him, patted him nervously, and asked, "Didn't the teacher come last class?"
Xu Zifan said calmly, "I don't know."
"Are you sleeping again? I only asked you to do this little favor and you won't even help me?" Seeing his expressionless face, the girl softened her voice and said, "Can you please cover for me properly from now on? My birthday is coming soon, and I want to work to buy myself a coming-of-age gift as a memento. Please, Zifan."
Xu Zifan glanced at her. This was Ji Yuxin, the original owner's childhood sweetheart and fiancée, and also the real heiress in this world of true and false heiresses—a woman who treated the original owner as a backup and played around with her. The current timeline was just before the truth about the true and false heiresses incident was exposed. Ji Yuxin had fallen for a wealthy young man and was constantly trying to find ways to spend time with him, even skipping classes with the original owner covering for her. Of course, her relationship with the young man was a secret, unknown to the original owner.
Xu Zifan saw the teacher pass by the back door and was about to enter the classroom. He whispered, "Someone saw you with Li Xudong. What's your relationship?"
Ji Yuxin tensed up instantly, her face turning unnatural as she said, "Who told you this nonsense? You must be mistaken. How could I possibly know Li Xudong?"
"Oh, that's for the best. After all, we're engaged, and I don't like being cuckolded."
Ji Yuxin glanced at the classmates nearby and whispered, "What green hat? We're not even dating!"
Xu Zifan turned to look at her, and said in a very low voice, "You mean you don't want to marry me? Why didn't you say so before? If you really think that way, we can talk to my parents and your parents about it when we get home from school."
"Huh? I don't think that's necessary..."
"Class is starting, don't talk." Xu Zifan took a test paper out of his bag and looked at the blackboard, ready to listen to the teacher explain the questions.
Ji Yuxin's words were stuck in her throat. She glared at him angrily and pulled out her test paper as well. Inwardly, she cursed him, thinking, "How could a slacker like you understand? What a pretentious act!" Thinking of Li Xudong, she felt guilty again. Why was Xu Zifan acting differently? Had he really discovered her relationship with Li Xudong? But even if he knew, so what? What era is this? Arranged marriages from childhood? Their engagement was invalid. Why couldn't she pursue her own love?
Ji Yuxin was lost in thought, head down, not paying any attention to the teacher's explanation, while Xu Zifan listened intently. He found it fascinating because although he had learned a lot, it was all practical skills acquired through the trials and tribulations of life; he had never actually attended a proper school. Now that he had this opportunity, he decided to be a good student and experience what it was like. He'd heard the college entrance exam was grueling; he wondered if it was true, but it seemed quite interesting.
After a math class, Xu Zifan was completely confused and only half-understood the material. He had an almost photographic memory and logical thinking was one of his strengths, but it was impossible to grasp senior year math all at once. get out of class ended, and he had a day off over the weekend. Xu Zifan packed his test papers, math book, and workbook into his bag, planning to study math at home over the weekend. He stood up and said, "Let's go. We need to go home and talk about serious business today. You can skip one of your part-time jobs."
Ji Yuxin hadn't expected him to still remember this. If she suddenly came home and denied the engagement, her parents would definitely press her for an explanation. Besides, she hadn't been coming home for lunch or dinner lately, only returning after evening self-study. They would definitely suspect she was in a relationship. What would they do if they found out about her and Li Xudong? Li Xudong hadn't personally acknowledged their relationship yet. If she was being controlled by her parents, Li Xudong definitely wouldn't come looking for her. Wouldn't that be the end of it?
Ji Yuxin slowly packed her schoolbag and waited until all the other classmates had left before handing it to Xu Zifan. Xu Zifan coldly said, "I used to help you carry it because you were my fiancée. Since you're not, you can carry it yourself." After saying that, he strode out without even looking at her.
Ji Yuxin stared in astonishment at his retreating figure until he turned the corner and disappeared before hurriedly chasing after him. The heavy backpack made her fingers ache; she had been stuffing too many books into it to buy time, and Xu Zifan hadn't helped her, so she was swaying precariously as she carried it. By the time she reached the parking shed, her forehead was already beaded with sweat.
She put her schoolbag on the back of the bicycle, panting, and said angrily, "How can you be so ungentlemanly? What's wrong with you?"
Xu Zifan unlocked the bicycle and said, "I didn't get angry. We're both eighteen years old. If we're not engaged, of course we should avoid suspicion. Oh, right, I just remembered, don't ride on my back seat anymore. Take the bus home by yourself."
Ji Yuxin quickly looked around and said in a low voice, annoyed, "Stop talking! This is school. What will people think if you keep calling us 'engaged couple'? They'll laugh at us!"
"Here's your backpack. Go wait for the bus. I'm leaving." Xu Zifan shoved the backpack into her arms, pushed his bicycle, and turned to leave.
Then we left.
Ji Yuxin quickly caught up with him, clutching her heavy schoolbag, feeling extremely wronged. "Zifan, please don't do this, okay? I've been handing out flyers outside for two hours. I'm so thirsty and tired, I have no strength left. If you bully me again, I'll go back and tell my uncle and aunt!"
Xu Zifan didn't believe her. She always went to high-end restaurants and entertainment clubs with Li Xudong. What was she doing handing out flyers? He said casually, "I almost forgot. Tomorrow I'll go to the teacher and have our seats changed. If you want to work, ask your new deskmate to cover for you."
"Are you serious? We've been deskmates since we were kids. Are you treating me like a stranger?"
"As for having a childhood sweetheart sitting next to me, other girls might misunderstand. Since you're not interested in me, don't delay my dating life."
Ji Yuxin couldn't help but think he was jealous, and wondered if he had really heard that she and Li Xudong were seeing each other. At first, she didn't take Xu Zifan's words too seriously, but when she thought that if she got a new deskmate, her skipping class would definitely be exposed, she said anxiously, "Are you done yet? I didn't mean that. I just... I just know that girls are shy. Let's be the same as before. Don't say anything when you get home."
Xu Zifan stopped and looked at her. "You mean we're engaged?"
Ji Yuxin's expression changed, and she said irritably, "Yes, is that alright now?"
Xu Zifan nodded, pointed to the bus and said, "Your backpack is too heavy, so I won't give you a ride. You'll be more comfortable on the bus. I'm leaving."
"Xu Zifan! Xu Zifan?"
Xu Zifan pedaled away, ignoring the shouts behind him. He had already achieved the result he wanted, and there was no need to waste any more time on this person.
The Xu and Ji families had been neighbors since his grandfather's generation, and their relationship was as close as family. Therefore, when the two families' wives gave birth to a boy and a girl, they arranged a marriage between them. The original owner and Ji Yuxin grew up together, childhood sweethearts, and were deskmates from kindergarten to high school. Although he never confessed or actually dated, the original owner liked Ji Yuxin very much, and Ji Yuxin's attitude was always ambiguous. Everyone thought they would get together after the college entrance examination and then get married after graduating from university.
Little did she know that she would almost be hit by a car one day, and that's how she met Li Xudong, a well-known rich second-generation at school. Li Xudong captivated her, and they ate together every day at noon and in the evening, frequented upscale clubs, and even booked rooms together. The original owner of this body was completely kept in the dark and knew nothing about it.
Later, Li Xudong brought Ji Yuxin to Yan Yaru's birthday party, publicly exposing the truth about the real and fake heiresses. They switched places, and Ji Yuxin went from an ordinary girl to a wealthy heiress. The original owner was shocked by Ji Yuxin's relationship with Li Xudong and confronted her, but she claimed she only saw him as a brother and never took her parents' jokes seriously. The original owner, of course, didn't believe her; their years of ambiguous relationship were undeniable, how could she only see him as a brother? But Ji Yuxin wouldn't admit it, and he had no choice but to give up.
Not long after, Ji Yuxin and Li Xudong had a falling out. She actually came to the original owner of this body in the middle of the night crying and complaining. Enraged, Li Xudong had the original owner's leg broken. The original owner became lame. One day, he ran into Ji Yuxin by chance and asked her if she had done it on purpose that day. Ji Yuxin didn't deny it and instead mocked him, laughing at a poor penniless man who dared to dream of marrying a rich heiress. She said it was just wishful thinking, and that a poor wretch like him wasn't even worthy of carrying her shoes; he was only good enough to be used by her. After all, using their childhood friendship to provoke her boyfriend was quite effective.
The original owner was only unguarded because he liked Ji Yuxin, but because of her selfishness, he was harmed and lost his leg, which affected him for the rest of his life. The original owner was just an insignificant person, unable to deal with Ji Yuxin or Li Xudong, unable to vent his anger, and his whole family was plunged into misery.
Now, Xu Zifan has transmigrated here, and his mission is to replace the original owner and rise to power, becoming a family that surpasses the Yan and Li families, and to find a wife who is far better than Ji Yuxin, making Ji Yuxin regret her past actions.
A revenge mission is usually driven by the original owner's obsession. The original owner, through a series of coincidences, gets this opportunity but lacks the ability to achieve it themselves, so they ask a dimensional messenger to help them. The price is high, but those harboring resentment are often willing to sacrifice their very soul for revenge. The only thing Xu Zifan can do for them is to complete the mission flawlessly.
Ji Yuxin won't know her true identity for another two weeks, and she'll be taken to the birthday party to expose the truth. There's no rush. Right now, as a high school senior and a poor student, with his monthly exams coming up soon, he's decided to go back and study hard. After all, this is his face now, and he doesn't want to get such embarrassing grades that he'll be too ashamed to face anyone.