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May 1985.
The Capital.
At the matchmaking corner inside the Beijing Friendship Hotel coffee shop, two young women—cousins—sat by the window.
The older sister was fresh-faced and charming, dressed with impeccable taste. Her sweet, effortless smile made anyone around her feel as refreshed as a spring breeze.
The younger sister, on the other hand, had bushy eyebrows, bright red lipstick, and a matchmaker’s mole at the corner of her lip. Paired with her ill-fitting, overly loud floral dress, she looked gaudy in the extreme.
The waiter brought over two cups of coffee and turned to leave with a look that defied explanation. He couldn’t help thinking how peculiar the younger sister’s taste was, and wondered which poor, unsuspecting soul was unfortunate enough to be set up on a blind date with her today.
“Ningning, I know this is unfair to you, but I really have no other choice,” Lin Meijia said.
Though her words sounded apologetic, the look deep in her eyes was one of immense satisfaction at her handiwork.
In her past life, she had been foolish. She had brought her cousin, Jiang Wanning, along to her blind date just to flaunt her suitor’s wealthy family background—hoping to finally avenge the years she spent living in the shadow of Jiang Wanning’s beauty.
What she hadn’t expected was that her blind date would fall for Jiang Wanning instead!
To make matters worse, the matchmaker messed up the details. Lin Meijia had married the man full of joy, only for him to lift her bridal veil, realize it was her, and demand on the spot how she could possibly be the bride! From then on, she was left to sleep in an empty bed, becoming a complete laughingstock.
Jiang Wanning, meanwhile, married into a well-off family and soon became pregnant with twins. Later, her husband unexpectedly became the richest man in the country, catapulting her to status as a billionaire’s wife enjoying endless luxury and prestige! Over a decade later, both of Jiang Wanning’s sons scored as the top scorers in the College Entrance Examinations, making her the ultimate winner in life!
Why did she get to marry better than me? Why was her life so much better than mine?!
Unable to swallow her bitter envy, Lin Meijia had stabbed Jiang Wanning to death. She never imagined that upon reopening her eyes, she would be reborn to the day right before the blind date!
This time, she was making double preparations.
First, she dressed Jiang Wanning to look hideous and tacky, completely destroying any chance of her holding a place in her past-life husband Lu Jinchao’s heart! If Lu Jinchao took a liking to her this time, they could start fresh without Jiang Wanning in the picture—and she was confident she could manage the marriage well.
If Lu Jinchao didn’t fall for her, he certainly wouldn’t fall for Jiang Wanning either! In that case, she would execute Plan B: steal the marriage that was originally meant for Jiang Wanning!
She was going to be the billionaire’s wife, and she would crush Jiang Wanning under her feet!
“It’s okay, Cousin. It’s your blind date—I definitely won’t steal your thunder,” Jiang Wanning replied with an understanding shake of her head and a docile smile.
Underneath her heavy, garish makeup, the smile looked utterly bizarre.
Yet, Lin Meijia was immensely satisfied. With all her preparations in place, she was bound to get what she wanted this time!
In her smug triumph, she failed to notice the sharp glint that flickered in the girl’s eyes beside her.
Jiang Wanning lowered her gaze, concealing the storm raging inside her heart.
She, too, had been reborn.
Fortunately, she had returned before her aunt could fool her parents into marrying her off to the Liu family to “ward off bad luck” for their sick son!
Tugging at the red silk scarf around her neck, Jiang Wanning feigned tiredness, let out a yawn, and complained, “Cousin, your blind date sure is taking his time. How can he still not be here after all this time?”
Jiang Wanning knew full well what kind of person her future brother-in-law was. In her past life, her cousin had dragged her here for this very date, making them wait a full two hours!
The funny thing was that the man fell for her instead. Yet somehow, through the matchmaker’s sheer incompetence, no one realized they had matched the wrong people, and he ended up marrying her cousin anyway.
Resentful over the humiliation on her wedding night, her cousin grew to detest Jiang Wanning even more. Her aunt felt the same, which was why they went out of their way to orchestrate such a “wonderful” marriage for her later on.
At the thought of the suffering she endured in the Liu household in her past life, Jiang Wanning’s fingernails dug deep into her palms…
“He’s probably busy with work. Let’s wait a bit longer,” Lin Meijia said, her smile faltering for a moment as she felt a strange sense of being outmaneuvered. “Let’s drink our coffee first. Try it—it’s very expensive. Normally, even I can’t bear to come here and drink it.”
She studied Jiang Wanning’s face carefully, but saw nothing amiss. Perhaps she was overthinking it.
Rebirth is such a rare phenomenon—now that I’ve been reborn, how could anyone else be?
“Okay, I’ll listen to you, Cousin,” Jiang Wanning replied, pretending to take the advice to heart.
She carefully picked up the coffee cup, took a tiny sip, and her expression instantly morphed into disgust. “Oh, it’s so bitter! Cousin, this coffee tastes terrible!”
Hearing this, Lin Meijia finally lowered her guard and let go of her suspicions.
If Jiang Wanning had also been reborn, she wouldn’t be unaccustomed to drinking coffee! Now that I possess decades of future memories, I am the female lead of this real-life drama! Heaven has finally done something right!
“You silly girl, drink it slowly. You’re supposed to sip coffee bit by bit, savoring the bitterness first until it leaves a subtle sweetness in your mouth…” Lin Meijia delicately raised her pinky finger, demonstrating the proper, elegant way to taste coffee.
The waiter, who had been observing from a distance, couldn’t help but cast an approving look in her direction.
Jiang Wanning happily played along, though her gaze drifted intentionally toward the glass window outside.
In her previous life, on this exact day, a robber held up a gold and jewelry shop nearby. A certain man happened to be passing by and shot the robber dead on the spot, making the front page of the newspapers.
This was likely her only chance right now to cross paths with him…
Just as expected, after another hour and a half of waiting, her cousin’s date finally arrived.
“Are you the match my mom set up for me?”
Standing at a commanding height of around six feet, his presence alone carried a strong sense of pressure.
Yet even more striking than his overbearing presence or his rude demeanor was his sheer good looks. His bedroom eyes only added to his charm, and his casual, unbothered posture gave him a dashing, rakish air without seeming vulgar.
Having lived with him for decades in her past life, Lin Meijia knew his temperament inside and out. She had rehearsed the exact words and micro-expressions she would use upon seeing her husband in his youth again.
Yet when she actually faced him, the words caught in her throat. She could only nod slightly, her voice trembling as she answered, “Yes, I’m Lin Meijia. Nice to meet you.”
“You’re not ugly—why are you doing blind dates? Have you ever had a boyfriend before?”
Lu Jinchao sat down carelessly, leaning sideways back against the chair. Only then did he notice the downright ugly woman sitting beside his date, and his mood instantly soured.
“My family is very strict. I’ve never dated anyone,” Lin Meijia said, nervously wringing her fingers. She realized she couldn’t control her anxiety and was stuck passively answering his questions, unable to take charge of the conversation.
Worse still, she noticed something that made her unsure whether to be relieved or devastated:
Lu Jinchao’s eyes kept instinctively drifting over to Jiang Wanning!
She had gone to such lengths to make Jiang Wanning look repulsive! Why was his gaze—even if filled with disdain—still involuntarily falling on her?!
Unwillingness, jealousy, and rage burned furiously within Lin Meijia’s heart…
“Well, to be frank, you’re not my type,” Lu Jinchao said, glancing a few more times at the ugly girl before abruptly ending the date. “I like women who are striking—stunning beauties at a single glance. So let’s end this here. I’ll pay for the coffee.”
He didn’t want to waste any more time here; he’d rather go drag racing.