A white ceiling.
He blinked his eyes in confusion.
This was… his room. Or more like it used to be.
The pale morning light spilled through curtains worth more than most people's monthly salary. A soft breeze stirred the edges. The air smelled faintly of cedarwood, filtered air, and wealth.
Su Yang sat up, dazed.
He stared at his own hands.
Smooth skin. No callouses. No needle marks. No burn scars.
His breath caught in his throat.
"…No way."
Startled by the realization and hoping but thinking this was all a dream, Su Yang pinched his leg hard.
"Ouch."
So this was not a dream.
The door creaked open.
A gentle, measured voice entered — one he hadn't heard in over a decade.
"Young Master, breakfast is ready. Old Master asked you to attend school on time today. Young Miss and Miss Luo Yue have already left."
Luo Yue.
That name hit him like a knife through the chest. A fire burned in his chest and killing intent flashed in his eyes.
The woman he had once loved. The fiancée who had stood by his side with ice in her eyes. The wife who had shared his name, his home, his everything — and sold him to another man like a pawn on a chessboard.
Miss Luo Yue.
Still, the word that caught his attention was 'Miss'.
That meant she was not yet his wife.
Not yet his murderer.
Su Yang's throat was dry. He wanted to believe that it was all true and he really had come back in time — but it all felt too good to be true. A dream, an illusion to console his teetering mind as he died.
His voice came out hoarse, almost alien.
"What… what day is it?"
The butler paused.
"August 9th. Your third year of high school begins today."
Su Yang's lips parted. A bitter laugh escaped before he could stop it.
August 9th, 2025 — the day he died.
Exactly fifteen years from now.
He didn't go downstairs immediately.
Instead, Su Yang stood before the mirror, shirtless, and stared at his reflection.
Youthful face. Cold eyes. Shaggy hair reaching up to his shoulders that made him look like a clown — all because she once said that she liked Bon Jovi. A slender frame with slight muscles. That same arrogant tilt of the chin he used to wear like a badge.
This was the day his past life had started to unravel.
The day he had, for the first time, taken note of the boy named Jin Zixuan, a boy from a poor background who got into Phoenix No.1 High — and Luo Yue had introduced him as her friend.
Back then, he had laughed it off.
Back then, he thought he was only her deskmate — thus it was pretty normal for friendship to develop.
Back then, he believed in love.
He believed in love stories and fairy tales. Tales of knights and their beloveds. He believed as long as he loved her with all his heart, she would return his feelings. Her icy visage was just a defensive mechanism. She had liked him too — and just didn't know how to express her feelings.
"Fool."
His voice was flat.
This time, he wouldn't ask for love.
He wouldn't ask for answers.
He would take what he wanted — and burn what dared stand in his way.
Putting on a shirt, he went down the stairs.
Downstairs, the morning chatter was peaceful.
His mother — elegant, composed, her beauty untouched by time — sipped tea while scrolling through her phone. She glanced at him and smiled.
"You're up early. That's rare."
Su Yang looked at her — this woman who would be bedridden and broken within a few years, crippled by stress, betrayal, and the fall of the Su family. All because he was busy chasing a bitch and neglected his own family, taking them for granted.
His lips twitched.
"You look beautiful today, Mom."
She blinked, a little dazed.
"What…?"
He didn't answer. He just sat down and ate quietly.
For the first time in years, he ate a hearty meal — free of any stress.
"Are you sick?" she asked again.
"No," Su Yang said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Just… glad to be alive."
As he walked toward his black sports car, the driver opening the door for him, his phone buzzed.
A message from Luo Yue.
[Be on time, it's the first day. Don't embarrass me by being late]
So cold. Ordering me first thing in the morning.
'What do you mean by don't embarrass me' — he was not her dog.
He was her fiancé. Even if she didn't have feelings for him and didn't want to marry him…
They were once childhood friends.
She was the girl who used to chase him around the garden.
Su Yang looked at the message for a long time.
Then he typed a reply.
[Got it.]
He hit send, leaned back in the seat, and closed his eyes.
This time… he would not die quietly.
This time… he would burn their whole damn world down.