Chapter 1: Test Me? Are You Even Worthy?

Page 1/3

May, 2013.

Lu Yao stared at the mirror in silence, taking in the sight of his young, handsome face, his sharp features. He had never expected this—he had truly been reborn.

They say a person can never possess both youth and an awareness of youth at the same time. Yet now, Lu Yao did.

In a single instant, he was thrust eleven years back into the past. But rather than being swept away by dreams of the future or plotting to amass wealth by exploiting his foreknowledge, his heart was filled only with a deep sense of rue.

He was good-looking and decently educated. With the nation’s economy on the rise, he’d managed to accumulate a tidy fortune just a few years out of university. And so, at the height of the property boom in South City, he had taken out a loan to buy a sprawling two-hundred-square-meter apartment from Evergrande.

Then, when those extraordinary times arrived, his finances tightened. Confident in his ability to make money, he plunged headlong into the A-shares market…

And when the stocks crashed, the company optimized its workforce—he, a so-called “outstanding talent,” was sent packing into society.

Only after this relentless series of blows did Lu Yao awaken from his dream. His earlier success had not been due to his own brilliance, but because he’d happened to ride the crest of a wave for a brief stretch.

Just as the bank reclaimed his apartment and he was left with nothing but debt, a night of drunken stupor transported him back to the eve of his university graduation.

It felt unreal, almost dreamlike.

But as he gazed down at the deep purple bruise on his own thigh—a mark he’d just pinched—Lu Yao felt neither excitement nor joy. Instead, he let out a long, heavy breath.

He was back at the table for the game of life, hand clutching a set of trump cards.

Most importantly…

He hadn’t yet played them all wrong.

Lu Yao glanced around. His roommates, each absorbed in their own pursuits, paid him little mind. One was engrossed in a game, another buried in exam prep for graduate school, a third busy preparing for the spring job fair. Lu Yao alone seemed idle and aimless.

Though he’d gotten along well with his roommates, after graduation they’d only met up a few times in the first two years, and then contact dwindled to almost nothing. By then, messages came only when someone was getting married and collecting red envelopes.

Of course, Lu Yao had never actually attended any of their weddings.

So, returned now to the past, looking at these young men—still with a trace of innocence—he felt a sense of unfamiliarity, even discomfort.

Just then, the roommate with the wealthiest family bounced a basketball into the room and grinned, “Bros, how about we go out for a few drinks later? I’ve invited quite a few girls.”

He wore a mischievous smile as he spoke.

This was Xu Ziqiao. The infamous womanizer. His ambition: to sleep with a hundred women before graduating.

So far, his record stood at twenty-four.

Page 2/3

His dream of a hundred conquests was a long way off. But he’d already collected the full set of twelve zodiac signs and twelve star signs.

No one in the dorm seemed interested in his invitation. Graduation was looming; though everyone wore cheerful smiles, worry and uncertainty about the future had them all strung tight as bowstrings.

Receiving no response, Xu Ziqiao scanned the room and then looked at Lu Yao, clutching his face in mock agony. “Brother Donkey, I’m not inviting you, or else there’ll be no action for me tonight!”

Lu Yao smiled. “No problem.”

Xu Ziqiao grinned, “You know me, Brother Donkey. I might not make the hundred before graduation, but my new goal is to get there by thirty! Right now, I’m aiming for all fifty-six ethnic groups!”

Lu Yao: “…”

Truth was, he never did reach that grand goal before thirty.

A few years after graduating, Xu’s family business went under during those turbulent times. After that, Lu Yao lost all contact with him.

So Lu Yao just smiled. “I wish you luck.”

Xu Ziqiao was the very picture of youthful optimism, bursting with hope for the future. “Thanks, Brother Donkey!”

Just then, Lu Yao’s phone buzzed. The contact name made his skin crawl—a pair of pink hearts bracketing the name “Fan Shushu.”

Damn!

Old ghosts surged up to haunt him. How had he ever been so cringeworthy in his youth?

He hastily changed the contact name before reading Fan Shushu’s message:

“Lu Yao, I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day. I really don’t think we should rush things. It’s not that you’re not good enough—it’s that you’re too good. There are so many girls around you; I feel so insecure. I need time to test things between us.”

It sounded sincere enough.

But Lu Yao, after a decade spent navigating the treacherous circles of fame and pleasure, only rolled his eyes.

Test, my foot.

Wasn’t this just keeping her options open?

Her words sounded better than a song.

He’d been such an idiot back then, actually believing her nonsense. For three years after graduation, he’d remained faithful, turning down countless temptations.

And in the end?

Fan Shushu got together with a rich guy from Beijing. The way he drove his Ferrari one-handed was enough to make women swoon. When he proposed with a Gucci haute couture bag, she was so moved she cried.

Lu Yao owed her thanks, though.

The west wind roused him from his youthful dreams; from then on, he never again wore his heart on his sleeve.

That was when he finally understood—

Being a heartbreaker is fun for a while.

Being a heartbreaker forever is even better!

Even after he went bankrupt, there were always women—older and younger—coming to drink with him, to talk, and more often than not, to tumble into a hotel bed.

With his spending restricted, it was always the ladies footing the bill.

Thinking of his former naivety, Lu Yao couldn’t help but smile. Then he tapped out a reply: “Only the nation is qualified to test me. You? Not so much.”

Then he blocked and deleted her, all in one go.

Page 3/3

Lesser-known fact: only by blocking and then deleting can you prevent new friend requests.

After erasing her from WeChat, Lu Yao didn’t give her the chance for a comeback. He blocked and deleted her on every platform.

He felt nothing but a profound sense of relief—utterly refreshed!

Then, Lu Yao opened another chat window. This contact was saved as “Sister Wang.”

Even from the name, it was clear that the old Lu Yao had been exceedingly polite with her—almost distant.

He’d met Sister Wang during last year’s autumn recruitment. Since then, she had subtly hinted at wanting to get closer to him, always checking in and showing concern.

She never arrived in anything less than a Mercedes or a Porsche.

In short: she was loaded.

Because of her frequent visits, rumors spread across campus that Lu Yao was living off a sugar mama. The old Lu Yao had been mortified, doing his best to avoid her.

But now…

He wanted to slap his younger self.

He hadn’t known the value of a wealthy woman, foolishly treating young girls like treasures.

To borrow a line from Soldier Boy:

Women are like fine wine—the older, the better!

So.

Having been reborn, he was definitely taking the shortcut with a rich woman this time!

Today was Friday. Normally, Sister Wang would message him to ask him out.

If she didn’t, he’d take the initiative himself.

If a wealthy woman fancied him, why shouldn’t he make the first move?

The proactive child gets the milk, after all.

He set his phone on the desk and waited. Sure enough, after ten minutes, his phone vibrated.

Lu Yao picked it up, delighted, only to see: “Why did you delete Shushu? That was way out of line!”

Damn.

His face instantly darkened.

The message was from Luo Yuyan, Fan Shushu’s roommate and best friend.

But in truth, their friendship was pretty fake. Birds of a feather, really.

So Lu Yao tapped out a reply: “Almost forgot about you.”

Then he blocked and deleted her, too.

Not a penny to her name, yet she had quite the attitude.

No need to indulge her!

Cradling his phone, Lu Yao contemplated: should he take the initiative and message Sister Wang?