001 The Best Moment to be Reborn
“Drrrrrring—”
The urgent ringing startled Wang Heng awake from where he was slumped over his desk. Lifting his head, he realized he wasn’t in a hospital, but a classroom.
The last thing Wang Heng remembered was collapsing in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by the girls who both loved and hated him… Yet now, he touched his neck. It was perfectly fine; the wounds were gone without a trace.
What’s going on?
Just as he was trying to make sense of it, the exam proctor walked up to his desk, collected his test paper, and moved on to the next person without a backward glance.
In the instant the paper was taken, Wang Heng glimpsed the title at the top.
College Entrance Exam, English, seven years ago.
He scanned his surroundings and finally remembered where this classroom was—it was the exam hall in the small city where he grew up!
The other students were getting up one by one, unable to resist discussing the test as soon as they left the classroom. There weren’t many high schools in this small city, so even with the randomized seating, it was inevitable to run into familiar classmates. It was quite easy to find someone to compare answers with or share thoughts on the exam.
Wang Heng also stood up, his hands resting on the desk, feeling an overwhelming urge to cry.
“I’m never playing with fire again!” he said viciously.
**
Walking out of the exam hall, Wang Heng couldn’t help but marvel at the impeccable timing of his rebirth.
The 25-year-old Wang Heng had already forgotten half of what he’d learned in his university classes, let alone his high school material. Even if he were given ample time to study, he had no desire to dive back into the hellscape of practice problems. But now? He had transmigrated to the very moment the college entrance exam ended. Not only could he enjoy a full vacation, but he could also fill out his university application with the cheat-like foresight of his future knowledge.
Wang Heng ambled home, taking in the street scenery along the way, his mood quite relaxed. When he got home, however, his feelings were a bit more complicated.
His parents had divorced when he was young, and he was raised by his father, Wang Jian. Wang Jian’s salary was limited, but fortunately, neither father nor son spent much money, so they managed to get by. Unlike his colleagues, his father had no hobbies like smoking or drinking. Besides basic living expenses, his biggest expenditure was on game point cards. Wang Heng remembered that before his rebirth, his own financial situation had improved considerably, but for his father, it just meant an upgrade to his gaming hardware; his life hadn’t changed much otherwise…
This afternoon, when Wang Heng arrived home, he saw his father still sitting in their slightly cramped living room, fighting for the Alliance.
Hearing his son call out, “I’m back,” Wang Jian glanced over before quickly turning his head back to the screen. “You’re back,” he said. “How was the exam?”
“It was okay.”
“What do you mean, ‘okay’? Did you make the cutoff for a Tier 1 university?”
“Probably a few dozen points above it.”
Wang Jian shot his son another look. “Whoa, that confident, huh? Doesn’t that mean you can pick any of those universities you wanted to go to, the ones in the capital?”
Hearing this, Wang Heng instinctively shivered and quickly shook his head. “No, no, no, not the capital!”
“Why not?”
Because I don’t want to repeat the trajectory of my past life. I have to avoid those terrifying romantic disasters. But of course, Wang Heng couldn’t say that. He could only make up an excuse. “The air quality there isn’t great, and the cost of living is high. It wouldn’t be comfortable.”
“But big cities are better for a young person’s development.”
“How about you stop playing your game before you talk to me about development?”
“Can’t. My teammates are counting on my heals…”
“Dad, you’re really full of milk,” Wang Heng retorted, shaking his head with a helpless smile.
This daily routine of his father playing games while he watched from the side felt like a distant memory to Wang Heng. Reliving it now brought a strange sense of nostalgia.
Wang Jian suddenly spoke again. “So you’re free tonight, right? You’re in charge of dinner. Money’s on the cabinet. You can either get takeout or buy groceries and cook.”
Wang Heng was speechless.
Being responsible for his old man’s dinner—that was something he didn’t feel nostalgic for at all.
**
According to his original life’s path, Wang Heng would spend four years of university in the capital and become entangled with multiple girls. He would find himself unable to escape the vortex, sinking deeper and deeper…
But in the beginning, Wang Heng never had any desire to build a harem. It was just that his looks and demeanor were quite popular, and he’d been watching too many romance anime at the time, so he started acting like a “warm guy.” On top of that, it was a normal school with a high proportion of female students. And the most crucial point—he didn’t know how to say no. All of this led to the final tragedy.
Having learned his lesson, Wang Heng decided to solve the problem at its source.
After closing the university application webpage, Wang Heng received a call from his best friend from class. His name was Xiao Renjian. He and Wang Heng had been classmates since middle school and could be considered friends. By coincidence, they were placed in the same class again in high school. Since they had similar interests, they became best friends who could talk about anything.
“Little Heng, you all done over there?”
“Done.”
“What’s your first-choice university?”
“Rongdu, University of Electronic Science and Technology.”
Xiao Renjian was surprised. “Didn’t you always say you wanted to go to the capital? That’s a world away!”
“I changed my mind. The air quality there isn’t great, and the cost of living is high. It wouldn’t be comfortable.”
Wang Heng used the same excuse he’d given his father, but his best friend wasn’t buying it.
“Even so, you can’t apply to an engineering university! A place with an N-to-one male-to-female ratio is hell for a straight guy. Weren’t you the one who said that?”
“I…”
“Don’t tell me you’re not straight anymore!”
“I’m definitely straight,” Wang Heng sighed. “But I really don’t want to date during university.”
Xiao Renjian laughed. “The way you say that, you sound like some kind of playboy… Oh, I almost forgot, the real reason I called was to tell you something. People in the class group chat are talking about organizing a teacher appreciation dinner. You don’t have WeChat on your phone, so you can’t see it. They asked me to check if you’re coming.”
“Of course I’m coming.”
“Right, that Han Yixuan is coming too. I heard from others that she might have a thing for you. What about you? Do you have a thing for her?”
“What thing?”
Xiao Renjian egged him on, “If you’re not going to date during university, why not seize the opportunity to date once before it starts?”
Wang Heng: “…No.”
Of course, the name Han Yixuan left an extremely deep impression on Wang Heng. He remembered that it was after this very teacher appreciation dinner that this lovely female classmate confessed to him, and he accepted. That was Wang Heng’s first love. After starting university, they entered a long-distance relationship and broke up two years later.
But after graduation, Han Yixuan, completely unaware of the situation surrounding him at the time, came to the capital and charged right into the battlefield. What followed was a development that made Wang Heng’s blood run cold…
So, Wang Heng’s attitude was now resolute. “I have absolutely no interest in romance right now. That’s it.”
