Chapter 1 — 001 The Perfect Moment to Rebirth
"Ring ring ring ring ring—"
The shrill bell jolted Wang Heng awake from where he had been slumped over his desk.
When he lifted his head, he realized he wasn't in a hospital.
He was in a classroom.
The last thing he remembered was collapsing into a pool of blood, surrounded by the girls whose love and hatred were hopelessly tangled together…
Yet now, when he touched his neck, it was intact — the wounds had completely vanished.
What was going on?
While he was still confused, the proctor walked over, collected the exam paper from his desk, and moved on without a word.
At the instant the paper was taken away, Wang Heng caught sight of the title.
College Entrance Examination — English — Seven Years Ago
He scanned the room and finally recognized it.
This was the exam room from his gaokao… in the small city where he grew up!
Students around him stood up and immediately began discussing answers the moment they left the classroom.
There weren't many high schools in a small city — even after randomizing exam rooms, you'd still run into familiar classmates. Comparing answers and sharing test impressions was easy.
Wang Heng also stood up, hands braced against the desk, eyes almost watering.
"I'm never playing with fire again!"
he said viciously.
Walking out of the exam building, Wang Heng couldn't help sighing — his rebirth timing was unbelievably perfect.
At 25 years old, he had already forgotten half of his university knowledge, let alone high school material. Even if given time to review, he absolutely didn't want to dive back into exam hell.
But now?
He transmigrated right at the moment the gaokao ended — meaning he could enjoy the full vacation and even fill out university applications with future knowledge.
As he slowly walked home, he watched the streets with a relaxed mood.
But once he got home, his feelings grew complicated.
His parents had divorced when he was young. He grew up with his father, Wang Jian.
His father's income was limited, but since neither of them spent much, they managed fine. Unlike most coworkers, his father didn't smoke or drink — aside from necessities, his biggest expense was game top-ups.
Before rebirth, Wang Heng had become much better off financially, but for his father the only change was upgraded gaming hardware. Life itself hadn't changed.
This afternoon, when Wang Heng got home, his father was still in the cramped living room, fighting for victory in an online match.
Hearing his son say, "I'm back," Wang Jian glanced over briefly before immediately returning to the screen.
"You're back? How'd the exam go?"
"Pretty good."
"What does 'pretty good' mean? First-tier university score?"
"Probably a few dozen points above the cutoff."
Wang Jian glanced again.
"Oh? Confident, huh? Then those Beijing universities you wanted — you can pick any of them?"
Hearing that, Wang Heng shuddered and shook his head rapidly.
"No no no — not going to Beijing!"
"Why?"
Because he didn't want to repeat the previous life's trajectory — he had to avoid those terrifying romantic disasters.
But of course he couldn't say that.
"The air quality's bad there, and everything's expensive. Not comfortable."
"But big cities are better for young people's development."
"Can you pause the game before talking about development?"
"Can't — my teammates need my healing…"
"Dad, you sure have plenty of milk then."
Wang Heng couldn't help laughing.
Watching his father game like this — it felt strangely nostalgic, like a distant memory brought back to life.
Wang Jian suddenly added,
"You're free tonight, right? You handle dinner. Money's on the cabinet. Takeout or cook — your choice."
Wang Heng: "…"
Cooking for his dad — that part wasn't nostalgic at all.
According to his original life path, Wang Heng would spend four university years in Beijing and get entangled with multiple girls, sinking deeper into chaos.
But at the start, he never wanted a harem.
He was simply popular, watched too many romance anime and acted like a warm guy, studied at a female-majority teachers' college…
And most importantly —
He didn't know how to refuse.
Lesson learned.
This time, he'd solve the problem at the root.
After closing the university application page, Wang Heng received a call from his best friend Xiao Renjian — a classmate since middle school who ended up in the same high school class and became inseparable.
"Little Heng, you done with applications?"
"Done."
"What's your first choice university?"
"Rongdu University of Electronic Science and Technology."
Xiao Renjian was shocked.
"Didn't you always want Beijing? That's a whole different universe!"
"I changed my mind. Bad air, expensive living, uncomfortable."
He reused the same excuse he told his father — but his friend wasn't convinced.
"Then why a science university? Places with a male-to-female ratio N-to-1 are straight men's hell — your words!"
"I…"
"Don't tell me you're not straight anymore!"
"I'm straight," Wang Heng sighed.
"I just seriously don't want to date in college."
Xiao Renjian laughed.
"You sound like a veteran playboy… oh right, real reason I called — class group's planning a teacher appreciation banquet. You don't have WeChat, so they asked me to check if you're going."
"I'm coming."
"Oh yeah — Han Yixuan will be there too. Heard she might like you. You interested?"
"Interested in what?"
"If you won't date in college, at least date before college?"
Wang Heng: "…No."
He remembered that name very clearly.
After that banquet in his previous life, Han Yixuan confessed — his first love. They became long-distance in university and broke up two years later.
But after graduation, she came to Beijing and stepped directly into the battlefield…
What followed was nightmare fuel.
So his answer was firm:
"I have zero interest in dating right now. That's it."