---Chapter 1 The Awakening He drew in a sharp breath. Half asleep, Julian Vance felt warm breath tickling his ear, the tingling sensation sending an involuntary rush of heat through his body. He jolted in shock. His eyes snapped open. Sure enough, it was the girl from last night. She was draped over him, gazing down with a hazy look in her eyes. Her beautiful face still carried a trace of last night's intoxication. This isn't a dream. I really am back from the dead. That was the first thought that crossed Julian's mind. He only remembered scaling Mount Everest when Serena sneaked up, unhooked his safety harness, and shoved him off the cliff. Serena Quinn, his fiancée. She was the untouchable beauty of the financial world. I still don't get it. We are about to get married. I am ready to hand over the billions I bust my *ss for all my life. Why does she want to kill me? As the founder of Vance Capital, I am worth billions, known as the ultimate good guy in the industry. Marrying me is a jackpot, isn't it? While Julian was racking his brain, a soft moan broke his train of thought, followed by the press of smooth, soft skin. The girl actually took the initiative, wrapping her limbs around him. Catching her seductive expression and the overflowing desire in her unfocused eyes... Julian threw his restraint out the window and pulled her fiercely into his arms. Time faded away. An hour later. The girl finally drifted into a deep sleep, a satisfied smile on her lips. Julian checked the time. It was only three in the morning. They had already gone at it multiple times last night! Her stamina is off the charts. Studying that gorgeous, delicate face, Julian felt a bit puzzled. Does a stunner like her really need to go out looking for a thrill? If she just nods, countless guys will line up to be her lapdogs. Recalling the bone-deep pleasure from moments ago, Julian sighed. In his past life, he played the good guy and barely touched any women, so that sensation was a total first for him! Hitting the jackpot on day one of my second life. Guess the man upstairs is looking out for me. Pulling her near-perfect body into his embrace, Julian curled his lips into a smile and finally fell asleep. Morning soon arrived. "Ah!!!" Early the next morning, a piercing scream echoed through Cupid's Arrow Motel. The shriek was loud enough to wake the dead, jolting Julian from his sleep. Julian opened his eyes to see the girl from last night staring at him, pale and completely freaked out. She clutched the blanket tight, wrapping herself up like a burrito! "Who... who are you?! "How... how did I get here?!" "Look, gorgeous, you came onto me last night, and you made the first move in bed... Don't tell me you blacked out." Julian was lost for words. He was just having a drink at Subzero Bar last night when she slid into the seat across from him. Sure, she had a few too many, but she definitely initiated things! Later on, she was all over him, hands roaming everywhere. Otherwise, with his self-control, there was no way he'd just bring a random girl to a motel! "I came onto you?" Her face dropped further at Julian's words, her brows furrowing as she racked her brain. As snippets of the night before started coming back to her, all the color drained from her face and she froze like a statue. Seeing her blank stare, Julian shook his head in defeat, lighting a cigarette and hanging it between his lips. After a long pause, she snapped out of her daze, her expression returning to an icy calm. She looked up at Julian, totally deadpan. "Turn around." "What?" Julian blinked in confusion. Her expression grew even colder. "I need to get dressed. Turn around!" "I've already seen everything, what's there to... alright, alright, turning around." Before he could finish, a death glare cut him off, leaving Julian no choice but to face the wall. A few minutes later. Fully dressed, the girl grabbed her purse and headed straight for the door. Right at the threshold, something clicked. She spun around, locking her icy gaze on Julian, her voice freezing. "We have absolutely nothing to do with each other from now on! "And I don't want a single soul finding out about last night!" Dropping that bomb, she walked out without giving Julian a chance to respond. "D*mn, quite the switch from begging to rip my clothes off last night... She really is gonna act like nothing happened afterward." Julian stood up, rolling his eyes as he put his clothes back on. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a crimson stain on the bedsheets, his gaze sharpening as he froze in his tracks. "Holy sh*t?! "How... how is that possible?!?" Chapter 2 The Campus Queens Unable to figure out what had actually gone down, Julian pushed the girl out of his mind and walked out of the motel. Looking at Lincoln College of Finance just down the block, Julian finally accepted the hard truth: he had time-slipped back to the past. Strolling through the familiar campus, taking in the young faces and the raw teenage hormones in the air, Julian felt a wave of nostalgia. He never thought he'd end up back here after all these years. To all the hot professors and campus queens from back in the day, I wonder how you're doing... "Hey! Julian!" A voice called out from nearby, making Julian look up. Two girls were standing a few feet away. The one in front was rocking a white dress. She had fair skin, hair cascading down her shoulders, and a stunning, delicate face. Topped off with light makeup, she was a total knockout to the average college guy. Spotting her, Julian stopped dead in his tracks. Memories came flooding back. In his past life, he had only ever chased two women. One he chased for all four years of college, only to be strung along with the excuse, "I'm not looking to date in college." He had thought true love would win her over. But on graduation day, she hopped right into a middle-aged sugar daddy's BMW! The other was Serena Quinn, the untouchable beauty he met only after grinding through hell to build Vance Capital. It was that seemingly innocent girl who made him believe in love again. But it blew his mind. Right when he trusted her the most, she pushed him off a cliff! Good guys finish first? What a load of absolute bullsh*t. Julian looked at the pretty girl in the white dress, scoffing on the inside. That's right. This is Chloe Jenkins, the department beauty I wasted four years simping over! "Julian, I might have been a bit harsh the other day, but I'm really not ready for a relationship right now." Chloe walked up to him, glancing at the guy who supposedly skipped class for two days because of her rejection, and spoke coolly. "But it's my birthday tonight, and you can totally swing by my party..." A birthday party? The old Julian would have been over the moon hearing that, bouncing back in a heartbeat! Then he would've run off like a good little lapdog to buy her a present. Too bad the current Julian was a completely different beast. Hearing Chloe's words, Julian found it almost comical. He remembered how it went down in his past life. She pulled this exact same stunt, keeping him on the hook without saying yes or no, tossing him breadcrumbs of hope, ,aking him waste four golden college years on her! And draining not just his time, but over half of his allowance and all the hard-earned cash from his part-time gigs! Dining out. Phones. Clothes. And all sorts of high-end makeup. He poured everything into her. Yet in four years, he barely even got to hold her hand. Then, on graduation day, she didn't bat an eye before riding shotgun in some rich guy's BMW! That was the day he finally snapped out of it and started his grind... "Hey, Julian!" Seeing Julian spacing out, Nina Lewis lost her patience. "Are you deaf? Chloe's having her party at Le Cordon Restaurant tonight. Don't forget to bring a gift!" A gift? Classic. Julian smirked, knowing Chloe was a total gold digger, and gave a brief nod. "That's more like it." Seeing him agree, Nina muttered under her breath before leaning in close to whisper, "Chloe's been dying for a new iPhone lately. It's all on you now..." With that, she dragged Chloe off toward the lecture hall. An iPhone? Julian paused. Right then, the memories of his past life rushed into his brain like a high-def movie! Wait, what is going on?! Am I watching a movie? Julian stood frozen, experiencing the crystal-clear video playback in his head. Even... Even every dirty detail of him and Serena in bed was in 4K resolution! Every look of pure bliss. Every twitch and shiver of her body. Even those soul-stirring moans... Holy crap, is this the perk of getting a second chance? He inhaled sharply. Feeling his teenage hormones kicking into overdrive, Julian took a deep breath! He quickly shoved his hands in his pockets to adjust himself... Connecting the dots between the iPhone and the birthday party, Julian locked it in: he had slipped back to 2012. He was a sophomore at Lincoln College of Finance. He was currently chasing Chloe like a madman. Today was Chloe's birthday. In his past life, on this exact day. He scraped together every penny, even dipping into his next few months of living expenses, just to buy her an iPhone 4S. But at the party, she threw a fit because it wasn't the latest iPhone 5. Chloe even accepted an iPhone 5 from a rich kid right in front of him. And then gave him the cold shoulder for months. She only talked to him again on Christmas, after he busted his hump to buy her a luxury makeup set. Man, I was the ultimate simp! Julian wanted to facepalm just thinking about his old self. "Look, it's Julian, the hopeless romantic!" "Hopeless romantic my foot, he's just a lapdog... Hehe, look at him, panting like a stray. So pathetic..." "Hey, you gotta admit, the simp is pretty cute though..." A group of girls walked past, gossiping about him. Julian snapped back to reality, wanting to cry after hearing their chatter. Is this really how everyone saw me back then? "Heh, playing the good guy really is a dog's game!" Thinking back on his pathetic past life, Julian wanted to smack himself. "Screw it, since I've got a second chance, I am not wasting this life like the last one! "A birthday gift, huh?" Thinking about Chloe's party tonight, a mischievous smirk played on Julian's lips. Just then, the gossiping girls caught sight of someone approaching and scurried off in a panic. "Oh snap, it's Evelyn Harper, let's get out of here..." Down by the library, a breathtakingly elegant figure strolled their way. Standing tall at five-foot-seven. Wearing a simple white dress. Fair, slender legs and hair tied up in a high ponytail. Her skin was pale as snow, her flawless face exuding an untouchable, frosty aura. She gave off a vibe that screamed "look but don't touch", making anyone near her feel hopelessly out of their league. Compared to Chloe, she was on a completely different planet in both looks and class. The student council president, universally crowned the top campus queen of Lincoln College. Evelyn Harper. But seeing this college goddess, Julian dropped his jaw. "Huh? General Manager Harper?"
