I’m reborn! Staring at my youthful, wrinkle-free face in the mirror and my still-pale knuckles, after a moment of stunned silence, I quickly grabbed my phone to check the time: June 26, 2024. This was the time after my high school graduation when I was applying to colleges. And it was also… the period in my previous life when my two childhood friends, Seraphina and Kendall, began fiercely pursuing me! A flash of surprise sparked in my eyes. Without another thought, I grabbed my phone and rushed straight to the office. “Ms. Hayes, I want to change my college application. I want to switch Yale to Harvard!” Ms. Hayes’s face lit up with a relieved smile. “You finally came around? You’re a perfect SAT scorer, the top in the city. While Yale is excellent, Harvard is, after all, a top Ivy League university. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity.” A bitter smile touched my lips, a painful echo of past mistakes. “I was too stubborn before, I apologize, Ms. Hayes. Now I want to change it back.” Changing a college application didn’t take long. Soon, it was done. When I returned home, however, a few uninvited guests had already arrived. It was my two childhood friends, Seraphina and Kendall, and my so-called best friend, Asher. “What are you all doing?” Seeing me return, Seraphina, usually so composed and distant, looked at me with tender eyes and smiled. “Did you forget? We agreed to have dinner at your place today to celebrate all four of us getting into the same university!” Kendall, always a bit wild and headstrong, took a few steps forward, walked up to me, and lightly tapped my head. “You big dummy! We knew you’d be busy preparing for your valedictorian speech these past few days, so we’ve been setting everything up. You just have to show up and eat.” I was about to speak when my phone suddenly rang. It was Ms. Hayes. “Julian, you left in a hurry just now. There’s something I forgot to tell you. You were originally scheduled to give the excellent student speech in three days, but suddenly two influential board members intervened and changed it to Asher…” Ms. Hayes’s voice held a hint of regret. It was clear that, by all accounts, I, a perfect SAT scorer, was more suited for the speech. She wondered what connection Asher had with those board members that they would personally demand a change. But unlike Ms. Hayes’s confusion, I glanced at Seraphina and Kendall, who were right in front of me, and understood perfectly. Weren’t the fathers of my two childhood friends on the school board? “I understand. Thank you, Ms. Hayes.” I nodded calmly, accepting the news. Ms. Hayes seemed surprised by my calmness. “You’re a perfect SAT scorer; it definitely makes more sense for you to give the speech. It’s an honor. Are you really going to let Asher have it?” I remained calm, even managed a small smile. “Yes, I am.” Not just this time, but Seraphina and Kendall too, I was letting Asher have them. After all, I never wanted to experience the torment of my previous life again. In my past life, Seraphina and Kendall had pursued me just like this, eager to offer their hearts to me. The first time, I married Seraphina. But in the third year of our marriage, Seraphina died in a car accident protecting Asher. It was then that I discovered she had never loved me; her love had always been for Asher! I was completely shattered by this double blow and couldn’t recover. It was at this time that Kendall reappeared in my life. She helped me through my grief, encouraged me to embrace a new life, and told me that I still had her. So, the second time, I married Kendall. After our marriage, I was as gentle with her as ever, yet our relationship, though gentle, felt strangely distant, like we were polite strangers, devoid of true intimacy. At first, I thought love had simply evolved into a familial bond. But then, Asher, already an old man, was diagnosed with a severe heart condition, and without a second thought, she donated her own heart, ignoring my protests. That’s when I realized that Kendall’s love was also for Asher! I couldn’t understand why. If both my wives loved Asher, why did they marry me? It wasn’t until the funeral that Asher graciously revealed the whole truth. “Why did they marry you? Because I planned it all, of course! I told them if they didn’t follow my instructions and pursue you, I would disappear from their lives forever. They were both terrified, which is why they scrambled to chase after you.” “Oh, and did you know why you never had any children your whole life? It’s because they both willingly had an IUD inserted for me! They told me that even though they were married to you, their hearts would always belong to me, and they would never have children with you! Hahahaha!” I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I screamed, demanding to know why Asher would do such a thing, and his reason was just as ridiculous. “Why? Because I envied you, of course! You were born a privileged heir, never wanting for anything. Everything I fought tooth and nail for, you got effortlessly. Of course, I couldn’t stand it. I just wanted to see you suffer. I wanted to show you that the happiness you cherished was merely an illusion I granted you!” With that, Asher triumphantly walked away, and I, consumed by rage, choked on my own blood and died. Now, Heaven had taken pity on me, giving me a chance to start over. This time, I would never get entangled with them again, not even for a second! #### Chapter 2 “What’s wrong?” After the call ended, Asher curiously leaned closer. My expression was normal, as if I were talking about something completely unrelated to myself. “You’re giving the speech in three days instead of me.” “Me? But I didn’t score as well as you, and I’m not as excellent. Why would it suddenly be me? Oh, then I can’t eat! I need to rush back and prepare!” His eyes were filled with delight. He finished speaking and hastily ran out. Seraphina and Kendall didn’t try to stop him, but their gazes lingered on his retreating figure, their love so evident it couldn’t be hidden. They wished they could leave with him that very second. I took in their expressions and spoke flatly, “You can go with him if you want.” “What are you talking about? You’re still here, why would we go with him?” Seraphina instantly snapped back to reality. She looked at me again, letting out a small, unintentional laugh. After a pause, she feigned comfort. “It’s just a speech spot. Don’t be sad.” “Exactly! Our Julian is so brilliant; the school just has poor judgment to replace you,” Kendall echoed Seraphina. I just twisted my lips, saying nothing. In my past life, they had comforted me like this too. But, in reality, it was them who had arranged for the switch behind my back. I was about to say something, but before the words could leave my mouth, Seraphina and Kendall interrupted me again. “Julian, we’re taking you somewhere.” They mysteriously pulled me outside. It wasn’t until we reached our destination, and I saw the abundance of flowers and colorful balloons, that I realized it was a proposal setup! Seraphina pulled out a bouquet of white roses from somewhere, adopting a deeply affectionate demeanor. “Julian, you must be clear about my feelings for you these past few months. Now, I want an answer.” Seeing this, Kendall wasn’t willing to be outdone. She quickly pulled out a bouquet of red roses from behind her back and presented them to me, her voice also full of tenderness. “Julian, I liked you first! I’ve been preparing this confession for three months, you have to choose me! If you agree to be with me, I’ll go through hell and high water for you!” Looking at these two kneeling before me, I felt a momentary daze. If I hadn’t known the truth, seeing their affectionate expressions, I might actually have believed they loved me. We used to be the closest childhood friends. I never knew before that they had such a talent for acting. Just as I was about to speak, our phones simultaneously vibrated. It was a message from Asher, who had left earlier, in our shared group chat. **Asher:** My lightbulb broke at home, and I don’t know how to change it. 🥺 It was followed by a pitiful emoji. In an instant, Seraphina and Kendall’s expressions changed. Seraphina forgot all about her confession and stood up first. “Asher’s home alone, and the lightbulb is broken; he must be scared. How about I go help him change it?” “I’ll go with you!” Kendall quickly followed suit, standing up. After speaking, she seemed to remember I was still there, her expression awkward. “Julian, it’s almost dark now, and Asher can’t wait. As for who you’ll finally choose… maybe you can tell us tomorrow.” With that, neither of them waited for my reaction. They rushed off. Watching their retreating figures, I could only find it somewhat amusing. They claimed to have meticulously planned this confession for three months, yet Asher merely encountered a small problem, and they immediately cast me aside? The evidence that Seraphina and Kendall didn’t love me was everywhere, yet in my past life, I was so blinded I never saw it. I lowered my gaze to the two bouquets of flowers and gift boxes they had left behind. A smile played on my lips, but it didn’t reach my eyes. I picked up the flowers and gifts, and without a moment’s hesitation, threw them all into the trash. Seraphina, Kendall, this lifetime, I won’t choose either of you! With two months until college started, to minimize my interactions with the three of them, I simply blocked Seraphina, Kendall, and Asher’s contact information and went on a solo trip for a month. When I finally returned home after my travels, I saw two figures squatting by my door. It was Seraphina and Kendall. The sound of my suitcase caught their attention. When they saw it was me, they immediately rushed over like madwomen and hugged me tightly. “Where have you been this past month? You didn’t answer your calls or reply to messages. Do you know we’ve been frantic looking for you?!” The worry in their eyes didn’t seem fake. It was clear they hadn’t rested or taken care of themselves for who knew how long; their eyes were bloodshot. In their disheveled state, you could hardly tell they were the two most popular figures in high school. I looked at them, and it inexplicably reminded me of when I was thirteen. My parents, unable to endure their constant arguments, finally decided to divorce. But when it came to my custody, they started pointing fingers, neither willing to take on the responsibility of raising me. In the end, they left me a property and a bank card with enough living expenses to last until I was an adult, then both walked out of my life. The night my parents left, I didn’t cry or fuss. But later that evening, I quietly slipped out alone. Seraphina and Kendall had searched frantically for me that entire night, finally finding me by the lake. TThey held me tightly then too, just as anxious, saying, “Your aunt and uncle might be gone, but you still have us. If they don’t want you, we do. We’ll always be with you. Never leave alone again, we really would go crazy…”
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