"James Carter, to our Peterson family, you were nothing more than a dog. A guard dog, a money-making dog.
"Yeah, you bailed my brothers out of jail numerous times and built a fortune for my family, but so what? In my eyes, you were always a mutt.
"And now that you’ve got cancer, you're just a useless, toothless, crippled dog. You can't do anything for me anymore.
"Sure, your parents treated me like their own daughter. But I gave them a grandson, so we’re even.
"That child may share your last name, but he never sides with me. Never once showed real respect to his uncles. Starting today, I’m done paying for him.
"When you're dead, I’ll find someone young and give birth to a daughter this time. My mom says daughters are more obedient—my daughter will be raised to love this family just like I do.
"Don’t blame me for being cold, James. I turned off your ventilator. That thing costs money to run—your money, but still a waste.
"Better to save it for someone who matters."
…
"I came back to life?" James Carter gasped.
One second ago, he’d been lying in an expensive VIP ward in a Shanghai hospital, watching his wife Arkell Peterson unplug his ventilator.
Now, he was back in his childhood bedroom in the old house in Pengcheng, Northern Jiangsu.
Plain brick walls, flat concrete ceiling, everything felt humid and suffocating.
The ceiling fan above was groaning along, spinning slow and loud, but offering zero relief.
Posters of pop stars from the 90s—Four Heavenly Kings, Nicholas Tse, Jeff Chang—were yellowed but still clinging to the wall.
Two dumbbells collected dust in the corner; a spring puller hung behind the door next to a beat-up pair of gloves with foam sticking out.
Jeff Chang’s voice played softly from his old cassette player: “...find the one you love, deeply love, truly love…”
“This house got torn down over a decade ago,” James muttered. “So I really… came back?”
He grabbed the mirror on his desk and took a look.
The reflection showed a skinny teenage boy, maybe 18 or 19. Not movie-star handsome, but energetic and easy on the eyes.
That half-smirk of his had a bit of roguish charm. If only his skin were a bit fairer, he’d pass for that guy from *Under the Zhengyang Gate*—Han Chunming.
He set the mirror down and noticed an envelope on the table, marked with the name of Pengcheng Normal College.
"Oh, it's the year 2000,” James said to himself. “I just got into Pengcheng Normal that summer..."
He was trying to piece together everything that had happened after 2000 when the door creaked open gently.
A girl stepped in, slim, pale-skinned, with eyes that seemed to speak on their own. Just one look, and you’d want to protect her.
James recognized her instantly. It was Arkell Peterson—his wife from the previous life. Only, right now, they were still just classmates.
They’d spent all three years of high school together.
Back in freshman year, James had a crush on her. By senior year, that crush had become a full-blown obsession. He’d compromised everything, including his dignity.
That summer of 2000, both got accepted to Pengcheng Normal College.
Arkell's family never cared much—they'd rather spend money on her brothers. It was James and his parents who paid for her tuition and her living costs.
In that past life, they both became teachers at Xinhe High School in Pengcheng after graduating.
But Arkell didn’t want a teacher’s modest income. Soon after they got married, she pushed James to quit and start a business.
He opened a typing shop, later started his own ad agency. Two decades of hard work took him from Pengcheng to Nanjing—
By the time he died, he was the millionaire CEO of a media company.At the beginning of his business, James Carter pushed himself too hard and ended up with lung cancer.
Arkell Peterson didn’t want to pay for his treatment and literally switched off his ventilator herself.
Even now, James could still hear her cold voice at his deathbed: “You were just a dog to the Petersons…”
The fury burned in his chest, though his face stayed calm. “What are you doing here?”
Arkell put on a pitiful look. “James, I guess I won’t be joining you at college after all.”
He played along. “Why not?”
“My parents said my brother’s getting married and my little brother still needs schooling. They can’t afford my college fees at all…”
Her words were soft, her eyes full of blame—just like in his past life, as if this was somehow James’s fault.
Back then, James had patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to my parents. We’ll cover your tuition and living costs.”
And Arkell had quickly added, “You said it, not me. I didn’t force you. But if your family really pays for my college, I might give you a chance!”
Look at that tone!
“I didn’t force you…”
“I *might* give you a chance…”
During those three years, Arkell handed out "chances" to several guys at school. James, left behind and heartbroken again and again, ended up being the fallback guy when none of them took her seriously.
This time, James knew better. He wasn't going to be used again.
Their paths would diverge here.
“I don't think you'd gain much from this college anyway,” he said coolly. “Three years later, you’ll just be a teacher with a low salary—not even enough to cover your brother’s cigarettes or your little brother’s messes.”
Arkell stared at him, shocked. Was this really James talking? The sweet, thoughtful James who always looked out for her?
Her voice shrank even more. “James... don’t you want us to go to college together?”
“Nope,” he replied flatly. “I'd rather have some peace without you around.”
Her tone suddenly sharpened. “James! You’re not like this! You kept saying you wanted to go to the same school as me—”
James sneered. “Yeah, and that’s why I stopped caring about my own studies to help you. Chose the same school just to be near you. I could’ve gotten into a much better college in Jinling! I regret every second of it now.”
With his grades, he absolutely had a shot at a tier-two university in Jinling. He gave that up… to stay close to her.
Without his tutoring, Arkell wouldn’t have gotten into any college.
If he had used that time for himself, he could’ve aimed so much higher.
Hearing that, Arkell softened again. She grabbed his arm and gave it a gentle shake. Her voice turned sugar-sweet. “James, you’ve already done so much for me… can’t you just help me one more time? Once we’re in college, I promise—you’ll get your chance.”
James yanked his arm away. “I can’t help you, and I don’t need your lousy ‘chance’. Go ask someone else. Maybe they’ll be dumb enough.”
Arkell’s face went pale. She covered her face and bolted out.
Through the window, James watched her rush into the courtyard and scoffed. “Let’s see who’s fool enough to fall for that act…”
Right then, the front door creaked open.
In walked a middle-aged couple—his parents.
James’s stomach dropped.
Uh-oh.
This was gonna be trouble.