After Rebirth, I Married My Rival - Chapter 01
Chapter 1: I’m Looking at Your Future Sister-in-Law
On the rooftop of the skyscraper, Xu Yuan, dressed in a crisp suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, listened as the sound of high heels grew closer behind him. He chuckled lightly and said, « You competitors are really something—so fond of meeting on rooftops? »
« Give it up. Compared to you, Tianyu Pharmaceuticals clearly has more faith in our investment vision, » Li Xinran’s voice brimmed with confidence, as if she were flaunting it to Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan turned around, still leaning against the railing, and gazed at the stunningly beautiful woman before him, radiating confidence. He couldn’t possibly connect her to the nerdy, thick-glasses-wearing academic from high school who used to sit beside him.
Over the past few years, Xu Yuan’s career had soared, earning him the title of a rising star in the investment industry—and Li Xinran was no exception.
The competition between the two had seen victories and defeats on both sides, but today’s project was crucial for Xu Yuan’s future development—failure was simply not an option.
Click..
Xu Yuan lit a cigarette, looked at Li Xinran, and said, « Back then, I had no choice but to invest in some wrong projects.
« But now I want to secure this deal, I want to go public. »
« Go talk to Tianyu’s person in charge. » Li Xinran crossed her arms, looking at Xu Yuan with the teasing gaze of a victor.
« That means asking me to halt the IPO. » Xu Yuan suddenly stood up, his face almost touching Li Xinran’s.
Caught off guard by this abrupt move, Li Xinran’s seductive red lips parted slightly, showing a hint of fluster, but her lively eyes stubbornly held Xu Yuan’s gaze.
« We’re old classmates after all—do me a favor. You’re just an employee. Come to my company, and I’ll make you vice president. » Xu Yuan couldn’t understand why Li Xinran insisted on competing with him.
Although their company is an established investment firm, it’s ultimately a family business where nearly all top executives are connected by nepotism. For Li Xinran to climb higher, it’s practically impossible.
Sorry, but business is like war. You should reflect on why you lost this time.
The amount of investment capital is certainly important, but every penny should be spent in the right place.
Money is hard to earn.
Xu Yuan was getting closer and closer, their eyes locked at this distance—they were either about to fight or about to kiss.
Yet, instead of the expected fury, a faint smile curled at the corners of Xu Yuan’s lips as he said, « You’re right. Business is like war. I suppose by now, Qi Wei should have already signed the contract with Tianyu’s representative? »
Qi Wei was Xu Yuan’s assistant and also their high school classmate. Though the guy had poor investment instincts, his execution skills were top-notch. Rarely did Xu Yuan assign him a task that he couldn’t accomplish.
« You tricked me… » Though Li Xinran’s words denied it, a flicker of doubt flashed through her beautiful eyes.
I told you, you’re just an employee. You’re indeed capable, but your boss isn’t too bright.
Xu Yuan leaned against the railing. His earlier look of utter despair had all been an act, just to set up this moment of reversal.
Li Xinran watched Xu Yuan’s smug expression and couldn’t help stamping her foot in anger. She turned and hurried away, determined to stop Xu Yuan’s scheme.
Too late now! Haha…
Xu Yuan laughed heartily with satisfaction, but just then, the railing suddenly gave way.
From ecstasy to tragedy in an instant, Xu Yuan felt his entire body go weightless.
In the final moment of his life, Xu Yuan saw Li Xinran’s panicked expression as she rushed forward to grab him.
But it was all too late.
Li Xinran, meeting you must be the worst luck I’ve had in eight lifetimes!
……
……
Li Xinran!
At the graduation party of Class 7, Senior Year, Xu Yuan, who had been completely drunk, suddenly slammed the table and stood up.
The equally intoxicated classmates at the table were stunned by this sudden outburst.
Li Xinran, who had been sitting across from him sipping juice, now looked up, adjusted her thick glasses, tilted her head slightly, and stared at Xu Yuan in confusion.
« Bro Yuan, you drunk? Even if you’re trying to confess your feelings with liquid courage, you got the name wrong, » Qi Wei, in his younger days, tugged at Xu Yuan’s sleeve and whispered a reminder.
« Wei Qi, I didn’t ask you to… » Xu Yuan heard a familiar voice and turned to speak, but froze when he saw Qi Wei’s youthful face.
Looking around, his classmates were all staring at Xu Yuan in confusion, wondering if this guy had gotten drunk.
Xu Yuan sat down dazedly, his mind still not fully processing what was happening. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
The password was still his birthday, unchanged in that regard. However, the phone model was the outdated smartphone he had bought right after graduating high school.
« Did I really get reborn? » Xu Yuan took a deep breath. Falling to his death and being reborn—such a thing had actually happened to him.
The dinner was still going on, but Xu Yuan had stopped drinking and was now staring intently at Li Xinran, who was sipping juice across the table.
At this time, Li Xinran was still very young and even somewhat socially awkward, looking like a complete bookworm—nothing like the future business prodigy who would dominate the industry and stand toe-to-toe with him as a formidable rival.
Seemingly sensing Xu Yuan’s gaze, Li Xinran appeared somewhat uneasy and kept sipping her juice nervously.
« Bro Yuan, what’s up? Why are you staring at our class genius Li like that? » Qi Wei nudged Xu Yuan’s arm discreetly and whispered.
Xu Yuan didn’t answer immediately. After a long silence, a faint smile curled at the corners of his lips: « I’m looking at your future sister-in-law. »
He suddenly had a bold idea!
Li Xinran, Xu Yuan’s most formidable business rival in his previous life. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the two were destined to clash again in this lifetime.
What’s the most crucial aspect of investment? It’s having a long-term vision. Since he foresaw potential future problems, he needed to nip them in the bud.
Why not marry his competitor and turn her into a comrade sharing the same pillow? Wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?
Glasses can truly seal away a person’s beauty. Li Xinran was severely nearsighted, and the thick lenses completely hid her pair of lovely eyes.
Knowing just how stunning this woman would become in the future, Xu Yuan thought to himself that marrying her wouldn’t be a bad deal at all.
« Brother Yuan, are you running a fever? Didn’t you say you were confessing to Lin Wan’er today and asked me to back you up? » Qi Wei’s heart skipped a beat as he glanced at the pure-looking girl sitting just three or four seats away from them.
« Hmm? » Xu Yuan frowned slightly, thinking it over. It seemed there really was such an arrangement. His gaze involuntarily drifted toward the most eye-catching girl at the dining table.
Her waist-length hair paired with that sweet, innocent face of first love made her the ultimate student heartthrob.
Lin Wan’er and Xu Yuan could be considered childhood sweethearts, and coincidentally, they had been in the same class since they were little.
During high school, Xu Yuan was in the throes of adolescence, his thoughts simple and his heart full of romantic longing. By sheer luck, he had a pure, adorable childhood friend with excellent grades by his side.
Unsurprisingly, Xu Yuan fell hard. Throughout all three years of high school, from teachers to classmates—even both sets of parents—everyone knew Xu Yuan was smitten with Lin Wan’er.
It’s just a pity that whether this girl genuinely didn’t know or was pretending, even when Xu Yuan finally confessed his feelings, she insisted she had always seen him as an older brother.
After graduating from high school, Xu Yuan fell into a long period of melancholy, often dragging Qi Wei out to drink while declaring, « I’ll never love again in this lifetime. »
However, time proved that so-called deep affection was merely attraction at first sight. The dazzling world of temptations beckoned, and Xu Yuan was admitted to the Capital University of Finance and Economics.
Where in the world of finance are beautiful women lacking? From then on, Xu Yuan’s life took off—during university alone, he dated eight girlfriends, enough to fill two mahjong tables.
After achieving entrepreneurial success, he became even more remarkable—young, wealthy, and handsome, never lacking in romantic pursuits. He lost contact with Lin Wan’er after high school and gradually forgot about the girl.
Though the two families didn’t become in-laws, their parents remained close. He heard Lin Wan’er later went abroad.
While Xu Yuan was still lost in thought, the server pushed a dining cart into the private room. On it sat a birthday cake adorned with lit candles.
At the center of the cake was a large heart, with the words « Lin Wan’er » written in jam.
The entire room suddenly darkened as several waiters carrying roses entered, clapping and singing « Happy Birthday. »
This unexpected move left everyone utterly bewildered.
« Excuse me, there must be some mistake. This is a class reunion, not a birthday celebration, » said class monitor Liu Hao, clearing his throat as he stood up.
« May I ask who Mr. Xu Yuan is? This is the cake and flowers you ordered, wishing Miss Lin Wan’er many happy returns of this special day, » the waiter explained politely with professional courtesy to the group.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath and glanced at Qi Wei beside him. The guy was pounding his chest with a look that said, « Trust me, bro. »
As soon as the waiter finished speaking, the entire room gasped, and all eyes turned to Lin Wan’er.
The girls were the most excited, covering their mouths in anticipation of Lin Wan’er’s reaction. Xu Yuan had finally made his move—after three years of shipping them, today was surely the day they’d get their happy ending.
This move with flowers and cake was simply too romantic.
Lin Wan’er appeared somewhat flustered at this moment; she hadn’t expected Xu Yuan to prepare so much for her.
Xu Yuan’s mind drifted to distant memories, recalling Lin Wan’er’s classic, timeless words: « I only see you as a brother. »
As expected, Xu Yuan would likely be rejected once again.
But now, whether he was rejected or not was no longer the main issue. The real question was: if things continued this way, how could he ever pursue Li Xinran?
Say yes, say yes!
The crowd had already started cheering, and Lin Wan’er’s face turned crimson. Truth be told, she wasn’t unaware that Xu Yuan had feelings for her throughout their three years of high school—she’d just been avoiding the issue.
Xu Yuan was now caught between laughter and tears. He hadn’t even said anything yet—what were they all making such a fuss about?
« Ahem… let me say something. Everyone’s misunderstanding—today is Wan’er’s birthday. » If Xu Yuan didn’t speak up now, it would really be too late.
« Wan’er~ » The crowd cheered again.
It’s not what you think. I’ve always treated Wan’er like a younger sister.
As soon as Xu Yuan finished speaking, the previously restless crowd instantly fell silent.
Even Lin Wan’er was stunned—this was supposed to be her line. She had already prepared to use this very reason to reject Xu Yuan, yet for some reason, hearing it come from his mouth made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
