The man was too handsome for her own good.
His tall frame, broad shoulders, and deep, cold voice still echoed in her ears. It had made her heart stutter in a way it hadn't in years. The kind of dangerous flutter that came before the fall.
But Wang Zhi quickly snapped out of it.
She didn't have time for fluttering hearts or fairy-tale crushes. She'd already been burned once—badly. And she wasn't going to hand her heart over a second time.
So, throwing the entire incident to the back of her mind, she pulled herself together and continued with her shopping, refusing to look back at the alley or the man who had stirred something long buried.
A month passed.
The day of the results arrived.
Wang Zhi stared at her phone, fingers trembling.
Despite all her preparation, her mind was a battlefield of excitement and fear. She had worked harder than ever before, but she couldn't help imagining the worst—what if it wasn't enough? What if her dreams slipped through her fingers again?
With a breath that shook her bones, she opened the portal and checked her result.
746 out of 750.
She blinked.
She rechecked.
Only four marks lost, and that too in the Chinese composition. Otherwise—perfect.
She had done it.
City Topper.
With that score, her admission to the First Military University was guaranteed.
Her knees buckled as she sat down, eyes wide, hands covering her mouth as tears streamed freely down her face. Not the tears of weakness—no. These were the tears of a fighter who had won the first battle.
She had fought back from death.
She had rewritten fate.
And now, she was one step closer to becoming a soldier—a real one.
For the entire month, she had not only studied but trained her body. Morning jogs, strength workouts, flexibility exercises—she wanted to ensure that when she entered the military university, she would not fall behind. Her mind was sharp, and now, her body was ready.
She knew it wouldn't be easy. The road to becoming a special forces soldier would demand more than just strength—it would demand her soul.
But Wang Zhi was ready.
It took her nearly an hour to calm her storm of emotions.
Feeling light but powerful, she stepped out of the hostel to get some air—and stumbled into a scene she had long forgotten.
A flash of déjà vu hit her hard.
A proposal.
Of course. It was today.
The day Ling Ron proposed to her in her past life.
Just an hour after the results, and here he was—right on time. Even though she had made a completely different choice, he still showed up.
Why?
Why was fate still weaving familiar threads?
She turned on her heel, hoping to escape before he saw her.
But it was too late.
He spotted her.
"Wang Zhi!"
She froze.
Ling Ron strode toward her, then dropped dramatically to one knee, right in front of the hostel entrance.
"Wang Zhi, I like you! Would you be my girlfriend?!" he shouted for everyone to hear.
Gasps and murmurs erupted around them.
Classmates peered from corridors. Passersby stopped to gawk. Some even smiled and whispered, "Say yes, say yes!"
Wang Zhi stood still, eyes cold, face unreadable.
She wasn't seventeen anymore. She wasn't naive. She saw through him now—through the desperate, selfish boy who only liked her when it made him look good.
Well, not this time.
She lifted her chin and said clearly, "I'm sorry. I can't. I already have a boyfriend."
Silence.
Stunned silence.
Before anyone could process her words—before the first gasp could spread—Wang Zhi had already turned around and walked back into the hostel, head held high, heart untouched.
She didn't owe explanations.
She didn't owe him anything.