The first thing I did after my rebirth was to dump my devoted boyfriend and immediately accept the pursuit of the obsessive guy. Why? Because in my previous life, my best friend Emma had bound an app that could transfer all my boyfriend’s love for me to herself. The 999 golden roses he prepared for me ended up in her arms. The hotel he bought for me was registered under her name. His gaze towards me changed from passionate to cold and distant, yet when he turned to look at her, it was filled with the tenderness I once knew so well. When I cried and asked him why he had changed, he looked at me with disgust. “We broke up long ago. Stop harassing my girlfriend!” On my birthday, Emma livestreamed, showing off the entire amusement park my ex-boyfriend had rented for her, with fireworks blazing behind her. As for me, they joined forces to send me to a mental hospital. They said I was a madwoman who couldn’t accept rejection. I died in despair amidst endless electroshock therapy and drug injections. When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn. This time, I didn’t invest an ounce of true feelings in my ex-boyfriend. Instead, I played along with the obsessive guy’s pursuit. When Emma opened the app again to absorb all of the obsessive guy’s overwhelming love, I smiled. I wanted to see if she could handle it. 1 “Lily, I love you!” The deafening confession, accompanied by the screams of the crowd around us, yanked me back to reality. My boyfriend, Lucas, was holding a bouquet of golden roses, professing his love to me. Cheers erupted from all sides. “Say yes! Say yes!” I was momentarily dazed before realizing I had been reborn. I had returned to the day when Lucas was about to publicly declare his love for me in front of the entire school with 999 roses. In my previous life, I had waited here, full of anticipation, for him to approach me. But just when he was one step away from me, he suddenly turned and handed that bouquet to my best friend, Emma, who was standing behind me. I could never forget that moment. The love in Lucas’s eyes that was originally meant for me extinguished in an instant, only to reignite when he turned towards Emma. Later, I learned that Emma had an app on her phone that could steal love. It was her, like a thief, who stole Lucas’s love for me. And now, history seemed to be repeating itself. I could even sense Emma behind me, quietly raising her phone, ready to use her old trick again. The cheering around us grew louder, and Lucas’s smile became more radiant. I beat him to the punch, saying in an extremely calm tone: “Lucas, let’s break up.” Everyone’s expressions froze, and the cheering came to an abrupt halt. Lucas’s smile stiffened, and he looked at me in disbelief, as if he hadn’t heard clearly. “Lily, what… what did you say?” “I said, let’s break up,” I repeated, my tone as cold as ice. “I don’t like you anymore. I’ve lost feelings for you.” These words exploded like a bomb in the crowd. “What the hell? What’s going on? Has Lily gone crazy?” “Lucas treats her so well, everyone knows that. How can she say break up?” “Is she playing hard to get? That’s too cruel!” Lucas’s face instantly turned pale. His hands holding the flowers trembled slightly, and the deep affection in his eyes was replaced by immense shock and pain. “Why? Lily, tell me why? Did I do something wrong? I can change!” In my previous life, I had also pleaded with him like this, only to be met with his disgust. Now, it was his turn to experience this pain. “Lily!” A hand grabbed my arm. It was Emma, looking at me anxiously. “Don’t be impulsive! You and Lucas have such a good relationship, how can you break up just like that? Quickly apologize to him, stop fooling around.” I looked at her hypocritical face and laughed coldly in my heart. She was panicking, as expected. I suddenly understood that her app probably could only transfer the love of my current boyfriend. Once I broke up with Lucas, she wouldn’t be able to steal anything. That’s why she was so anxious to persuade us to reconcile. I forcefully shook off her hand, abandoning the weakness of my previous life, and stared at her with a piercing gaze. “My business is none of your concern.” With that, I turned and pushed my way through the crowd, leaving behind a commotion and Lucas’s heartbroken calls. 2 The news of me dumping Lucas spread like wildfire across the campus. I became a heartless woman in everyone’s eyes, ungrateful and playing with feelings. Wherever I went, I could feel the pointing fingers and whispers behind my back. “That’s her, the one who dumped Lucas, such a good boyfriend.” “I heard she’s just riding a donkey to find a horse, must have found someone richer.” “Who would have thought, she seemed so quiet usually, but she’s so manipulative.” I didn’t care about any of this. These rumors and gossip, compared to the electroshock therapy and torture I endured in the mental hospital in my previous life, were like a gentle breeze. Emma had been buzzing around me like a fly these past couple of days, earnestly trying to persuade me to get back together with Lucas. She kept hinting at how miserable Lucas was, how he couldn’t live without me. “Lily, Lucas hasn’t been able to eat for days. He’s lost so much weight. Can you really bear to see him like this?” She held my hand, speaking with apparent sincerity. “You two were the campus’s golden couple. Don’t give up because of some small misunderstanding.” I pulled my hand away, looking into her hypocritical eyes, finding it all so ridiculous. “If you care about him so much, why don’t you date him yourself?” I said flatly. Emma’s face froze for a moment before she quickly recovered. “I’m saying this for your own good. I’m your best friend. I can’t stand by and watch you make a mistake.” “Oh, really?” I smiled. “Then I should thank you for your kind intentions.” I ignored her and walked straight towards the campus basketball court. On the court, one figure stood out. He was tall, with skin so pale it was almost sickly. His eyes were startlingly black, with a beauty mark under them that gave him an otherworldly allure. He wasn’t playing basketball, just leaning lazily against the hoop. Within a three-meter radius around him, there was no one else. This was Ethan, from a prestigious family background, but with a volatile temperament and unpredictable mood swings. He was the epitome of a yandere. In my previous life, I had heard about his exploits. A girl who had dated him for less than a month was forced to transfer schools. I took a deep breath, walked across the court, and stood in front of Ethan. He seemed to sense someone’s presence and lazily lifted his eyelids. Those pitch-black eyes fell on me, carrying a hint of scrutiny and impatience. “What do you want?” His voice was as cold and indifferent as his person. I looked straight into his eyes and said word by word: “I’ve broken up with Lucas. Now I’m agreeing to be your girlfriend.” As soon as I finished speaking, Ethan was stunned. He slowly straightened up, looking down at me with a playful smile tugging at his lips. “Didn’t you say you were deeply in love with Lucas when I pursued you before?” “What, now you’re willing to break up with him?” Ethan’s words suddenly reminded me of the time I had spent with Lucas over the past few years. Back then, we were very much in love, but that was before Emma transferred Lucas’s love away. I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible, “Not interested? If not, forget it.” I was about to turn and leave when he suddenly chuckled softly. “Of course I’m interested.” As soon as he finished speaking, Ethan’s lips came crashing down on mine. 3 The news of me getting together with Ethan spread even faster and wider than when I had dumped Lucas. The entire school was in an uproar. “Oh my God, has Lily lost her mind? Dumping Lucas to go after Ethan?” “Does she think Ethan is as good-natured as Lucas? Just wait, she’ll be a wreck within three days.” “I bet a week before she comes running back to Lucas, crying for reconciliation.” I became the laughingstock of the entire school, with everyone waiting to see how this drama would unfold. Lucas, whom I had ruthlessly dumped, finally couldn’t take it anymore when he heard the news. He burst into my classroom, his eyes bloodshot, and confronted me in front of everyone. “Lily! What the hell are you trying to do?!” He pointed at me, his voice filled with the anger of betrayal. “You broke up with me just to be with him? Why are you torturing yourself like this?!” Before I could respond, Emma immediately stepped forward, putting on an act of deep concern. “Lucas, calm down.” She held Lucas back but turned to scold me, “Lily, how could you be so foolish!” “Throwing away someone as good as Lucas, and for what? To go after someone like Ethan? What’s he worth that makes you do this?” “As your best friend, no matter how much you hate me, I have to knock some sense into you!” She stood on her moral high ground, speaking righteously, as if she truly had my best interests at heart. The classmates around us chimed in. “That’s right, Lily. Emma’s right, you should break up with Ethan right away!” “Lucas treats you so well, don’t be stupid.” I looked at this farce unfolding before me and found it laughable. “Lucas, you’re already in the past. Why can’t I start a new life?” I then turned to Emma, my eyes full of mockery: “And you, Emma, do you live by the sea? Why are you so concerned with everyone’s business?” Emma’s face turned pale instantly, probably not expecting me to publicly embarrass her like this. Lucas was so angry he was shaking all over, trembling so much he couldn’t utter a word. Suddenly, a male voice rang out. “Since when did my girlfriend become someone you could lecture?” Ethan was leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, looking at everyone present. He slowly walked to my side, naturally shielding me behind him. His gaze fell on Lucas, and he immediately launched into a tirade of mockery. “Losing to me isn’t shameful.” “After all, whether it’s family background or looks, you’re far behind. Instead of barking here like a defeated dog, why don’t you go look in a mirror and see why you got dumped?” Lucas was humiliated to the point of turning red, he glared at me fiercely before turning and running out. At this moment, I noticed Emma’s gaze was glued to Ethan, even more intensely than when she used to look at Lucas. I smirked coldly. The fish had taken the bait. From that day on, she no longer tried to persuade me to get back together with Lucas. Instead, she began to do everything she could to promote my relationship with Ethan. She revealed almost all of my preferences to Ethan. From small things like my favorite color to big things like what kind of person I liked. Ridiculously, Ethan actually listened to Emma’s advice and molded himself into a perfect boyfriend. Until one day at a class gathering, Emma deliberately locked me, who had drunk too much, in an empty private room with Ethan. As she closed the door, she turned back and gave me a meaningful smile. She thought that after tonight, Ethan’s love for me would reach its peak. Then she could reap the benefits and steal all of this intense love. She wasn’t wrong. But what she didn’t know was that I had been waiting for this moment too. 4 In the private room, only Ethan and I remained. He was indeed drunk, his eyes unfocused, his usually pale face flushed an unnatural red. He approached me step by step, calling my name in a low voice. “Lily, you’re mine, only mine…” He wanted to forcibly possess me. At this moment, I was eerily calm. Just as his lips were about to fall, I didn’t dodge. Instead, I raised my hand and, using all my strength, delivered a precise chop to the back of his neck. Bang—! Ethan’s tall figure collapsed softly, unconscious. I panted heavily, looking at him lying on the ground, without a shred of pity in my heart. The night was long. I sat on the sofa, quietly watching Ethan sleeping on the floor. During this time, I felt that suffocating love emanating from him. It was a hundred, no, a thousand times more intense than Lucas’s. It felt like countless invisible chains binding and suffocating me. In my previous life, it was in the mental hospital that I felt Lucas’s disgust after his love was stolen, dying in despair. And in this life, I wanted Emma to personally experience what it was like to be wrapped in this kind of distorted love. Time passed minute by minute, second by second. Finally, just before dawn, I felt the heavy feeling on my body suddenly being forcibly pulled away! What followed was an unprecedented sense of lightness. I smiled. Emma, you finally made your move. Almost at the same time, there was a soft click from the door lock. The door opened. Emma stood in the doorway. Seeing me unharmed, she was visibly stunned. “Lily! Are you okay? I… I accidentally lost the key last night and spent all night looking for the spare key.” “You and Ethan… how are things?” As she spoke, she anxiously looked into the room, searching for Ethan. I played along with her act, putting on a heartbroken expression, my eyes instantly reddening. “We… we broke up,” I choked out. “When he woke up, it was like he had become a different person. He said he had no feelings for me anymore and told me to get lost.” Hearing this, Emma’s eyes instantly filled with poorly concealed triumph and wild joy. She forcefully suppressed her upturned lips and came over to hug me with fake concern. “Lily, don’t be sad. You’re better off without a man like that! He doesn’t deserve you! It’s not worth crying over someone like him!” “Mm…” I buried my face in her shoulder, revealing a victorious smile where she couldn’t see. “I’m going to leave now. I need some time alone.” I pushed her away and walked out, looking lost and dejected. Emma almost eagerly saw me off. I didn’t actually go far, but hid around the corner of the hallway, coldly observing. Sure enough, as soon as I left, she immediately tidied her hair and clothes, and with a smile of certainty on her face, pushed open the door and entered the private room. The door wasn’t completely closed, leaving a small gap. Soon, I heard a man’s deep, suppressed voice, and a woman’s coquettish laughter from inside. “Mr. Ethan, you’re awake?” “…Who are you?”
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