After Rebirth and Done Chasing, I Choose the Gentle and Rich Goddess Over the Scheming Campus Belle - Chapter 1:

Chapter 1: That Afternoon of Rebirth

Martial Nation, Shuzhou Province! 

In Yecheng, beneath the setting sun…

“I already told you, I’m the type who warms up slowly. I need enough time to accept you. So I can’t accept your confession for now. My birthday’s in a few days—giving me flowers isn’t as meaningful as thinking about a more practical gift. Anyway, I’m heading out with my bestie to shop now. Don’t wait for me, just go home on your own.”

…

The sunset stretched her beautiful silhouette in the distance. He Li stood there, staring at Liu Yuyan’s back, dazed and confused. Only when memories from both lives completely overlapped did his thoughts clear.

Reborn? He Li scratched his head.

Smack! A hand patted his shoulder.

A familiar voice followed, “Liu Yuyan rejecting you is her loss. Trust me, bro, don’t waste your youth on her. Get your head right and go back to being the elite student you are. You’ve got what it takes for Qinghua and Beida. You’ll become someone great.”

Don’t waste youth on Liu Yuyan? 

That’s right—she wasn’t worth it.

In his previous life, He Li had scored over 700 points in the college entrance exam with absolute strength, yet gave up offers from top universities just to follow Liu Yuyan into a second-tier college. That self-destructive choice, along with Liu Yuyan’s backstabbing betrayal, completely destroyed his life.

And everything had started the year he entered high school.

That was when Liu Yuyan transferred into his class. 

When she first arrived, unfamiliar with the area, she got lost nearby. He Li had been the one to take her home. That was how they got to know each other, and from then on, He Li started falling for her.

After all, Liu Yuyan was stunning back then. What teenager wouldn’t be moved?

He began to pursue her, taking care of her in every possible way. Liu Yuyan’s parents were always busy with work and didn’t have time to make her breakfast. It was He Li who got up early to prepare breakfast and bring it to her.

Liu Yuyan used to have poor grades too, but it was He Li who tirelessly tutored her every day until her scores improved. When she occasionally got sick and had no one to take care of her, it was He Li who took leave from school to look after her at home.

He never missed a single one of her birthdays. He would always work part-time jobs during his free time to earn money and buy her the gifts she liked.

During college, he helped her complete countless assignments. Even after graduation, his help didn’t stop.

Because Liu Yuyan lacked capability at work, she constantly ran into problems after entering the workforce. All those big and small issues were silently handled by He Li.

Her poor performance? 

It was He Li who gave up his own clients and orders to support her. 

She only managed to gain a foothold in the company thanks to his support. Without him, she would’ve been fired long ago.

From the time they met in high school to a year after graduation, He Li cared for Liu Yuyan for a full eight years.

He valued her too much, couldn’t bear to see her wronged in the slightest, or even slightly unhappy. Even though they weren’t officially a couple, his devotion had long surpassed what most boyfriends would give.

He wasn’t without attempts to confess. But Liu Yuyan always kept him at a distance—never close, never far.

Every time he confessed, she gave the same vague replies: “Career comes first. I don’t want to date yet.”

“I’m a slow-burn type. Give me some time.” 

“Don’t pressure me. I need time to think.” 

“I almost said yes. Just try a bit harder.” 

“It’s not that I’m saying no—I just haven’t thought about the future yet.”

These words gave He Li hope every time he wanted to give up. He believed that his sincere companionship would eventually warm her heart.

Until that day… the company welcomed a new boss—a young and handsome rich second-generation.

That evening, He Li went to the company to surprise her and confess again. But right as he arrived, he saw Liu Yuyan walking out of the building with the new boss’s arm around her waist—even though they had only met that same day.

In that moment, she looked flustered, as if caught in the act, her panic visible. But it only lasted for two seconds before giving way to anger. She seemed worried that He Li’s appearance would make the rich guy misunderstand something. So she barely acknowledged He Li and hurriedly explained to the man, “This is just some persistent admirer who won’t leave me alone. We have nothing to do with each other.” Then, she didn’t forget to glare at He Li and warn him not to bother her again.

That was the first time He Li had seen her lose composure. She had always been so calm and cheerful. In that instant, he completely woke up.

He watched Liu Yuyan get into the rich guy’s car and said nothing more. His heart shattered completely. He started drowning himself in alcohol, drinking himself half-dead every day.

Liu Yuyan never came to check on him. On the contrary, she used the opportunity to have her new boyfriend force He Li out of the company so he wouldn’t cause any trouble.

That period of his life was like falling into an abyss—his world full of darkness.

Until that girl appeared…

Miao Xiaoyu.

That gentle, cheerful girl from his memories… the one who always sought him out to chat, who defended him fiercely no matter what…

The same girl he had never paid much attention to, yet who had quietly grown into a stunning beauty with long, slender legs in black stockings like a goddess out of a manga. She appeared like a ray of light, pulling him out of the darkness just when he needed it most.

If Liu Yuyan was a beautiful devil with a dark heart, then Miao Xiaoyu was the perfect angel.

He Li still clearly remembered… that night, when he was drunk and heartbroken, lost in painful memories, she showed up in front of him. Wrapping him tightly in her warm embrace, she cried while comforting him, saying, “The tenderness she owes you, I’ll give instead. He Li, pull yourself together, okay? In this world, the one worthy of your love isn’t just Liu Yuyan. You still have your parents… and you have me. Do you know? I already liked you back when I transferred schools. You’re too amazing, shining like the sun. Every moment I spent with you made my heart race. Meeting you has been the happiest thing in my life. I just wish you’d see that I’m right here by your side, always watching over you.”

…

That dark and cold night, within Miao Xiaoyu’s warm embrace and sincere love, he found himself again, found hope and light, and found the angel that truly belonged to him.

Only then did he finally realize… giving up his life, hobbies, and offers from top universities for someone unworthy like Liu Yuyan had been the dumbest mistake. 

That girl he once cared for so deeply… when seen through clearer eyes, was just an average person with a pretty face.

The only one who truly loved him… the one who healed him with sincerity… that was the real goddess in his heart.

He had given his love to the wrong person in the first half of his life. In the second half, Miao Xiaoyu would be his only one.

Unfortunately, fate didn’t give him the chance. Before he could repay Miao Xiaoyu, he died in a terrorist attack…

…

But Heaven showed mercy—he returned to that afternoon, right after the college entrance exams ended.

That very afternoon when he got rejected by Liu Yuyan again after confessing, and then argued with his best friend Wu Gang.

“Hmph, reborn? The heavens have opened their eyes at last! Liu Yuyan, I gave you eight years of sincere companionship, yet in your heart I wasn’t even worth half a day with some rich kid. Slow-burn? Focused on your career? What a joke—that was all just an excuse to string me along. You just wanted to keep me serving you. That was my past life. In this life, I won’t repeat the same mistake. Liu Yuyan, we’re done.”

Thinking that, He Li remembered that girl again. “Xiaoyu… this time, I won’t keep you waiting.”

Taking a deep breath, He Li came back to his senses and looked at the one who had just patted his shoulder—a big, burly guy everyone jokingly called the “Woodcutter of the Moon Palace”: his good brother Wu Gang.

“Yeah, Woodcutter, I’m listening to you this time. There’s no shortage of great girls in the world. Liu Yuyan, I’m done with you.”

He smiled. Wu Gang was stunned for a second, then immediately wrapped his arm around He Li’s neck, “Now that’s the spirit! Honestly, I didn’t expect it. Every time I gave you advice before, you wanted to fight me over it. Didn’t think you’d actually listen this time.”

“Get off, you bastard,” He Li rolled his eyes, “What, trying to strangle me to inherit the 10 yuan in my pocket?”

Wu Gang chuckled, “Come on, I’m in a great mood today. Let’s hit the internet café—my treat!”

“Nah, I’ve got something to do later.”

“Huh? Exams are over, what else could you possibly have going on?”