Chapter One: Parting Ways Upon Reaching the Shore

In a small restaurant in Huangyuan County, Li Xiuyuan stared blankly at the calendar hanging on the wall beside him.

March 23rd, 2005!

Had he really been reborn?

Across from him sat a young woman in her early twenties, her face full of youthful softness, clearly just graduated from university. She exuded an air of innocence tinged with fragility, and now wore a pitiful, helpless expression.

“Xiuyuan, I know you’re a good person. I remember all the kindness you’ve shown my family, and I’m truly grateful. But feelings can’t be forced. We should break up,” she said. Her name was Lin Jingya, and she was Li Xiuyuan’s girlfriend.

The familiar lines finally jolted Li Xiuyuan from his daze, and he looked at Lin Jingya.

Even though he’d been through this in his previous life, facing it again, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of fury.

He and Lin Jingya had started dating during their first semester of university. Her family was extremely poor, and by the end of the second semester, disaster struck her family, leaving her unable to pay tuition. It was Li Xiuyuan who gave up his own living expenses to pay her fees.

For three and a half of those four university years, Li Xiuyuan, who came from a fairly well-off family, worked part-time jobs every weekend, never daring to buy himself decent clothes or treat himself to even a single restaurant meal, subsisting on cafeteria food.

All so that Lin Jingya could live comfortably at school for four years.

During their graduation internship, Li Xiuyuan had secured a great placement at a large state-owned enterprise, where good performance could have earned him a permanent position. But when Lin Jingya’s father fell ill and was hospitalized in the provincial capital, and her mother—anxious and distraught—slipped and broke her leg, Lin Jingya went home to care for her mother, and Li Xiuyuan, without hesitation, stayed to care for her father.

Juggling between the hospital and his internship resulted in him missing out on that position, and even the hospital bills were paid from what he and his parents scraped together.

He’d poured nearly half his life’s worth into this relationship.

“Xiuyuan, we’re really not right for each other,” Lin Jingya continued, her voice weak but her words as venomous as a serpent’s. “Let’s break up. Please don’t bother me anymore.”

“Not right for each other?” Li Xiuyuan’s voice rose, brimming with barely contained rage. “When you couldn’t afford tuition and I paid for you, did you say we weren’t right then?

“When your father was sick in the hospital and I gave up a golden internship to look after him, did you say we weren’t right then? Now you’re saying we’re not right?”

At his words, Lin Jingya flushed with embarrassment and snapped, “I told you, I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me. But gratitude and love are two different things. I just don’t like you anymore—can’t you accept that?”

In his previous life, Li Xiuyuan had never imagined Lin Jingya could be so heartless. After all he had given, when she discarded him, it was with such cold efficiency—summed up with a single “I’m grateful.” Not a word more.

Reality, it seemed, was even more fantastical than television dramas. Even in those, at least the heroine would acknowledge a great debt. But for Lin Jingya, “I’m grateful” was all she spared for four years of devotion.

A cold laugh escaped Li Xiuyuan. “So you ‘don’t like me anymore’? Isn’t it because you placed first in the written exam, you’ve got a government job lined up, and now you look down on me? Isn’t that the truth?”

The story went back a month. The two had been on the verge of discussing marriage when Lin Jingya decided to take the civil service exam.

She’d even promised Li Xiuyuan: “If we both pass, we’ll work together. If not, we’ll start a business together—open a family shop. No matter what, we’ll get married.”

But she’d never said what would happen if only one of them succeeded.

A month later, the results were out. Lin Jingya had applied for a position that hired ten people; she was ranked first in the written exam. The outcome was certain, even before the interviews.

As for Li Xiuyuan, he’d applied for a post with only one opening and had placed fifth—he didn’t even qualify for the interview. He’d failed.

After the results, Lin Jingya used interview preparations as an excuse and avoided Li Xiuyuan for over two weeks. Now, on their next meeting, she was breaking up with him—right in his family’s restaurant, in front of his parents, humiliating him.

“Fine, if you want to talk about reality, let’s be honest. Yes, I do look down on you now. Did you see that Audi parked outside? That’s my new boyfriend’s car. His father is a deputy director at the Bureau of Commerce, and he himself works in a respected public institution—his future is bright. With a single word, he could shut your family’s little restaurant down.”

“How can you compare? You didn’t even make it to the interview. Do you expect me to marry you and spend my life in this shabby restaurant? Face it—whether you admit it or not, we’re from two different worlds now!”

With that, Lin Jingya tore off her mask completely. Even though he’d seen this in his past life, the sight still left Li Xiuyuan feeling as if she were a stranger. He no longer felt any desire to speak to her.

Back in university, Lin Jingya had always played the part of the pure, gentle maiden. He’d never imagined that the woman he’d shared his life with for four years, the one he’d given everything to, could be this kind of person.

“Go,” Li Xiuyuan said flatly. “I agree to break up.”

In just half a month, she’d already found someone else. If he didn’t agree, he’d be a fool, perhaps even worse.

Yet, beneath his bitterness and helplessness, he didn’t even want to utter a harsh word, lest this woman end up dragging his parents’ livelihood into the mess. The powerlessness etched itself deep in his heart. He swore that in this life, he would do whatever it took to climb to the top—he would never again allow anyone to threaten him like this.

Lin Jingya rose, eyeing Li Xiuyuan warily and warning, “Since you agree, don’t bother me again.”

Li Xiuyuan nodded. “Don’t worry. If I ever pester you again, I’m not even a man.”

In his previous life, he’d humbled himself and pleaded, thinking it would win her pity. In the end, Lin Jingya nearly called the police to accuse him of harassment.

Now that fate had given him a second chance, he would never make the same mistake.

Lin Jingya left, got into the Audi, and drove off. Throughout, her new boyfriend—the son of the deputy director—never even bothered to step out. Perhaps, to people like him, someone like Li Xiuyuan was beneath notice.

At that moment, Li Xiuyuan’s mother, Zhang Qiuhe, came out from the kitchen, sighing and trying to comfort him. “Xiaoyuan, you should have tried harder to keep her. If there’s a misunderstanding, talk it out. You were about to discuss marriage—how did it come to this?”

Li Xiuyuan shook his head wearily. “Mom, this isn’t a misunderstanding. She’s about to get a secure government job—she doesn’t care about me anymore.”

Of course, Zhang Qiuhe and her husband, Li Jianguo, understood the truth. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have stayed silent in the kitchen during the scene earlier. Now, they could only console their son. After all he’d given, after four years together and talk of marriage, the breakup would be a heavy blow.

And they weren’t wrong. In his previous life, Lin Jingya’s abrupt breakup had devastated Li Xiuyuan, causing him to miss a golden opportunity—something he would regret for years to come.

Zhang Qiuhe looked at her son, eyes full of concern. “Go get some rest. When you’ve calmed down, there’s always next year’s civil service exam. And if that doesn’t work out, you can stick to our original plan and start a business. Your father and I have saved some money—we can help you…”

Li Xiuyuan shook his head, then gave his mother a bright smile. “Mom, the provincial exam isn’t over yet. This is only the first round—the written test. The interviews haven’t even started. The outcome isn’t decided yet; it’s still anyone’s game!”

With that, Li Xiuyuan stood, waved, and headed home, leaving his mother sitting in confusion. She turned to Li Jianguo and asked, “Jianguo, what does Xiaoyuan mean by that? He’s not acting out of shock, is he?”

It wasn’t surprising she doubted him; she knew the rules of the civil service exam. The position her son had applied for only accepted one person, and he’d placed fifth—he hadn’t even qualified for the interview. How could there be any chance left?

Li Jianguo frowned, worry clouding his eyes.