Chapter 2

The first thing I did after getting Isabella's social media account was link it to my phone.

Isabella scoffed, watching my actions. "Seriously? I won't go back on my word."

I ignored her. In my last life, she didn't go back on her word, but in this life, I wasn't going to gamble.

After logging in, the last message in the chat history was from the guy, asking Isabella to the library, to which Isabella had responded with a sarcastic eye-roll emoji.

I scrolled further back.

They had been chatting for three months, and the total word count was less than what my online boyfriend and I exchanged in a week.

Every time, he initiated the conversation, asking how many problems she'd solved that day, which concepts she didn't understand, or if she needed help organizing her notes.

Isabella would usually reply with "Mhm" or "Oh," and most of the time, she didn't reply at all.

For three months, Isabella found him unromantic and never even met him.

He, however, kept actively asking her to the library, but Isabella always made excuses to push him off.

Perhaps it was this contrast that made Isabella conclude he was a boring bookworm, which conveniently benefited me.

It had been three days since their last chat, and Isabella hadn't replied.

I quickly tapped the input box, typed a few words, deleted them, and repeated the process several times before finally sending a message:

【Isn't meeting like this a bit too casual?】

He replied quickly: 【Then what do you want to do?】

I thought for a moment, then typed: 【Let's go for a run on the track tonight. 800 meters. The loser does ten practice tests.】

This time, he paused for a few seconds.

I stared at the screen, my palms a little sweaty.

A message popped up: 【Okay.】

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though I was reborn, my memories of studying hadn't faded.

This life, I had a chance to turn things around.

I immediately got out of bed, packed my backpack, and got ready to leave.

Isabella was chatting with Chloe, laughing loudly. "I'm meeting my boyfriend for bubble tea tonight. There's a new trendy spot that just opened, and I haven't been able to go, but tonight someone's finally treating me!"

She glanced at me, her tone boastful. "My new boyfriend? He's so generous. You can tell he's willing to spend money on me."

I didn't reply, just slung my backpack on and walked out the door.

After dinner, I waited for him by the track.

My heart was pounding, not because we were meeting, but because I knew this man could change my destiny.

In my last life, the first time I met my online boyfriend, Federico, he dragged me to a bubble tea shop, ordered two of the most expensive drinks, and then told me he'd forgotten his wallet.

I ended up paying.

I wondered if Isabella would manage to get anything out of him this time.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

I turned and saw a guy walking over. He was tall, with clear, sharp eyes, and held a bottle of water.

His name was Gabriel, and in my last life, I'd seen his face on TV.

I felt a little guilty and avoided eye contact.

He looked at me, then handed over the water. "Warm up first, or you'll cramp."

I took the water and started jogging slowly behind him.

Neither of us spoke; only our footsteps and breathing filled the track.

When we finished, I leaned on my knees, panting.

Gabriel stopped beside me, glanced at his stopwatch. "Four minutes and two seconds. You lost."

"Ten practice tests," he said. "Start tomorrow."

I looked up at him.

In the moonlight, his expression was serious, and he looked handsome and fresh.

"Okay." My heart thumped uncontrollably, and my face began to flush.

He nodded, then turned and walked away.

I stood there, watching his retreating back, then looked down at the water bottle in my hand.

My heartbeat returned to normal.

Catherine, you don't need a man; you need a top-tier university.

By the time I returned to the dorm, it was almost ten.

Though my legs were wobbly from exhaustion, I felt incredibly happy.

In my last life, this was the day I started down the wrong path. This life, no more.

I looked at Isabella's bed; it was empty.

Chloe poked her head out. "Isabella said she's not coming back tonight. She went to an all-night karaoke with her online boyfriend."

I didn't reply, just lay back on my bed and closed my eyes.