Rebirth to Save Myself

Chen Li tried to rush over and hug Chen Wanying's legs, but Lin Zhe stopped her. He looked at her as if he had seen something disgusting, and pulled Chen Wanying aside, saying, "What's the use of apologizing here? Those people online don't know anything. If you had any sincerity, you wouldn't just be kneeling here begging for forgiveness."

"But, I did all this because of you!" Upon hearing Lin Zhe's words, Chen Li stood up, pointed at Lin Zhe, and cursed, "If you hadn't rejected my confession, if you hadn't kept nagging me about how great Chen Wanying was, would I have done this? It's all because of you. If you had agreed to my proposal back then, I wouldn't be in this situation today."

Chen Li's words made Chen Wanying feel physically uncomfortable; she felt like she was about to vomit up her lunch. This blatant moral blackmail was so easy to pull off! She had done something wrong but didn't have the courage to admit it, instead blaming others. Chen Wanying said to the lawyer, "Since she has no intention of settling privately, let's go straight to legal proceedings."

"No, please, I really know I was wrong." Chen Li reached out, trying to awaken the kindness in Chen Wanying's heart.

Unfortunately, she was wrong, terribly wrong. Chen Wanying appeared gentle and soft-spoken on the surface, because the people she encountered in her life were all raised in similar circumstances. There were no hidden agendas or backstabbing; she simply focused on becoming stronger, learning more, and ensuring the company wouldn't go bankrupt when she inherited it.

Therefore, Chen Wanying knew what she wanted and what she needed to do from a young age, and then worked hard and studied diligently, just like Lin Zhe. Coincidentally, the two were attracted to each other and got together, but Chen Wanying never considered giving up her own life to become Lin Zhe's appendage. As for Chen Li, she felt disgust, loathing, and utter revulsion. A woman willing to die for a man she couldn't have, yet afraid to vent her resentment on him, turning instead on other women—this truly exemplifies the saying, "Only daring to bully the weak." Therefore, Chen Wanying wanted to teach Chen Li a lesson: not everyone who seems easy to bully is a reason to take action.

"If I were you, I would probably just choose the right path now and then sincerely repent," Chen Wanying said before leaving with Lin Zhe.

A few days later, the school issued a notice criticizing Chen Li's actions, gave her a major demerit, and required her to publicly apologize to Chen Wanying on the school's online forum and explain everything that had happened.

Everyone learned about Chen Li's character from this incident. Chen Li's roommates were the first to criticize and condemn her, judging her from a moral high ground. The other two roommates immediately applied to change dorm rooms, saying that if they shared a room with Chen Li, they would be dragged down with her and scolded as well. In the face of such a huge event, people rarely remain rational, even if Chen Li's relationship with her roommates was relatively harmonious before this incident.

Since posting her apology online, Chen Li has been working part-time to earn money. She still owes Chen Wanying 10,000 yuan in compensation for emotional distress. Although Chen Wanying ultimately spared her from detention, the compensation for emotional distress was doubled. To keep it from her family, she desperately tries to earn money to pay it off. As for why Chen Li is unwilling to ask her family for money or want them to know about the matter, she hasn't mentioned it to anyone, and it's been left unresolved.

Some people didn't understand Chen Wanying's actions, arguing that she could have simply had Chen Li apologize online. Why make a scene with the principal and give Chen Li a major demerit? This could potentially cost Chen Li her job if she applies to state-owned enterprises or takes civil service exams. Meanwhile, those bystanders who didn't understand the situation directly criticized Chen Wanying harshly.

"She knows she was wrong, so isn't this a bit too much?"

"She didn't really say anything. Although it affected you, the school is so big, not everyone knows she was talking about you, right?"

"She's having a tough time right now, working from dawn till dusk to earn money. I don't think you're short of that little bit of money, so why make things difficult for her?"

"Oh dear, she's just a student, she doesn't know any better. A little discipline will suffice. She's already been given a demerit, why insist on compensation?"

…………

When Ye Zhenzhen heard what these people said, she was furious. She yelled at them in the dormitory, "Seriously? Are these people crazy? They're not the ones being slandered, so why are they forgiving Chen Li on behalf of Wanying?!"

"Exactly, these people are speechless. They don't know the pain until they're hurting themselves." Su Xia nodded in agreement. Moral blackmail has existed since ancient times! When Chen Wanying was being slandered, these people didn't stand up for her. Instead, they doubted her. But when the truth came out, they pretended to be on Chen Wanying's side.

"Don't be angry, let them say what they want, we'll just ignore them." Chen Wanying handed Ye Zhenzhen and Su Xia each a bottle of water, not caring about what the group was saying. Whatever they said couldn't hurt them; they were just trying to play the saint.

"Forget it, it's me who's upset, not them, so I don't know." Su Xia nodded, opened a glass of water to moisten her throat, and then asked Chen Wanying, "So you're just going to let them keep talking like this?"

Chen Wanying shook her head and then said, "I'm not that kind. I want them to know how treacherous the world can be."

"What kind of human evils?" Ye Zhenzhen asked curiously.

"You'll find out in a few days," Chen Wanying said mysteriously, keeping everyone in suspense.

Not long after, we heard that the founder of the famous Anker brand was coming to the school to give a speech. The teacher talked about it in the group and encouraged everyone to sign up. Some people who were interested, and some who wanted to get credits, signed up one after another. A classmate asked Ye Zhenzhen, "Are you signing up? I heard that the founder will also announce a collaboration with the school, and if you get good grades, you can get an internship."

"That has absolutely nothing to do with our major, and we're not even eligible for the internship, right?" Ye Zhenzhen asked, puzzled. This had absolutely nothing to do with her.

"Zhenzhen, over here!" Chen Wanying waved from a distance, with Su Xia standing beside her.

"I can't talk to you anymore, my roommate is waiting for me over there." Ye Zhenzhen hurriedly said goodbye to her classmates, then ran to Chen Wanying and Su Xia and said, "Have you heard that An T is coming to our school to give a speech?"

"I heard about it, and I even signed up." Su Xia nodded; she was quite interested in this entrepreneurial history.

"My classmate also asked me to participate, but I feel it has nothing to do with my major, so I don't really want to go," Ye Zhenzhen waved her hand, completely unconcerned. For her dorm, the credits are never less, so they wouldn't risk attending irrelevant lectures for a few extra credits.

“Go ahead, I want to go too,” Chen Wanying said to Ye Zhenzhen, a rare occurrence for her.

Su Xia looked at Chen Wanying suspiciously. Why would she suggest Ye Zhenzhen go when Ye Zhenzhen had clearly said it was pointless? It didn't seem like something Chen Wanying would do. Was there some hidden reason they didn't know that made Chen Wanying want Ye Zhenzhen to go with her?

Back in the dormitory, Chen Wanying ran into Lu Lu, who hadn't gone to her part-time job yet, and asked her, "Lu Lu, are you going to that lecture?"

"No, I have to work a part-time job that day." Lu Lu shook her head. Although her teacher had helped her secure a scholarship, she still had to earn money through part-time jobs to cover her living expenses, in addition to tuition. She already had enough credits, and she wanted to earn as much money as possible while she was still in China so she wouldn't be short of funds when she went abroad.

"Go ahead, maybe there will be a surprise?" Chen Wanying rarely looked at Lu Lu and said to her.

Lu Lu looked up at Chen Wanying and asked, puzzled, "What surprise?"

"I wanted to ask that too, Wanying, why do you insist that everyone in the dorm go?" Su Xia asked. Earlier in class, Chen Wanying had asked Su Xia if she wanted to go with someone. Su Xia agreed because she was interested herself, but Ye Zhenzhen and Lu Lu were in different majors, and Lu Lu was working part-time. Why was Chen Wanying insisting that they go?

"Ah, because there's a surprise!" Chen Wanying smiled and looked at everyone.

Lu Lu looked down at her phone for a moment, then looked up and asked Chen Wanying, "You wouldn't happen to be Chairman Anke's daughter, would you?"

"No way!" Su Xia was shocked for a moment, then leaned over to look at Lu Lu's phone. Inside was a photo of Anke's chairman, and compared to Chen Wanying, they did indeed look five or six points alike.

"Oh, you guys found out!" Chen Wanying feigned surprise, then readily admitted it.

"Holy crap, it really is!" Ye Zhenzhen was the first to exclaim in surprise.

"No, the real Miss Chen is actually right beside me!" Su Xia exclaimed, then couldn't believe it. In her previous life, she hadn't paid much attention to this kind of news, so she had no idea that Chen Wanying was actually the daughter of the chairman of Anker, a brand that sponsored the Olympics!

“My dad heard about what happened to me at school and wanted to come and clear things up for me, plus to keep things under control.” Chen Wanying nodded and then explained her father’s purpose in coming.

Su Xia and Ye Zhenzhen exchanged a glance, then both pounced on Chen Wanying, each taking one of her legs, and cried out, "Miss, please take care of us!"

"So this is the surprise you were talking about?" Lu Lu was still quite clear-headed. If it was just about telling them this, there was no need to send the whole dorm to the lecture.

"Everyone's been saying there are a batch of internship positions available, and my dad heard about Lu Lu's situation. At my suggestion, he decided to set up a scholarship to help these girls achieve their bigger dreams and ambitions. That's why I asked Lu Lu to come along, because you were the first person my dad chose. It would have been quite awkward if you hadn't been there." Chen Wanying helped Su Xia and Ye Zhenzhen up first, then spoke to Lu Lu.

After hearing this, all three fell silent. Lu Lu's experience was perhaps something most girls across the country were going through, or were about to go through. In most families that favored sons over daughters, a daughter's only value was to marry when she reached marriageable age and earn a dowry for her younger brother or older brother. Although it's the 21st century, some outdated customs can't disappear overnight, and that's when someone needs to step forward and take the lead.

"Thank you!" Lu Lu said first.

"No need. Although it sounds ideal, I'm a capitalist, so there will definitely be conditions." Chen Wanying winked playfully, making her point clear. There's no such thing as a free lunch, and she wasn't stupid or rich; there's no reward without effort.

"I understand." Lu Lu nodded, only then could she accept it. If it was one-sided financial assistance, that would be charity. She was an adult and needed to be responsible for herself, instead of thinking about getting something for nothing all the time.

"May I ask a question? You are the heir of AnT, so what about Lin Zhe?" Su Xia asked. Since they were childhood sweethearts and grew up together, and their elders knew each other, then Lin Zhe's family background must be quite impressive, right?

"Him? His family makes clothes," Chen Wanying said casually, then added, "The Lin family."

"Wow, is that the Lin Family Mansion that you visit twice a year and always discover something new?" Su Xia recited the advertising slogan word for word. This was a brand she had known since she was a child!

"Yes, this slogan was designed by someone back then." Chen Wanying nodded; she also thought it was catchy at the time.

“Yingying, can you ask your mom if she has a younger sister who has been separated from her for many years? Like me!” Su Xia pointed to herself.

"For example, me," Ye Zhenzhen pointed to herself and said, "I might be your long-lost sister!"

"Hahahaha!" Chen Wanying and Lu Lu both burst out laughing. These two were really hilarious! Ye Zhenzhen goes without saying, and Su Xia was quite composed at first, but the more they spent time together, the funnier she became!

"Hahahaha." Su Xia and Ye Zhenzhen laughed too, and the whole dormitory was filled with laughter, easing the atmosphere from before.

A few days later, Chen Wanying's father came to the school to give a speech, mainly about how he and she created the Anker brand and how they gradually built it into a large and successful company. It was a traditional, clichéd story, but after he finished recounting his experiences, Ms. Chen said:

"My speech ends here. Now, I'd like to take a little of your time to talk about something. This is something my daughter has been working on, so I'd like to invite her to come up and explain it to you."

The students below were still wondering why Mr. Chen had brought his daughter. And when the school leaders met with Mr. Chen earlier, there wasn't a single girl with him; even the student council hadn't been notified of this procedure. Then everyone saw Chen Wanying slowly walk onto the stage, stand next to Mr. Chen, take the microphone from him, and say, "Hello everyone, my name is Chen Wanying."