During the summer break, I didn't go home. Instead, I embarked on a major venture.

In my previous life, poverty drove me to work harder in my major. My designs were the best in the class, and I even worked part-time at a design company, gaining some experience.

This time, I invested all my earnings from collecting recyclables into starting an advertising design business. I hustled to get clients, did the designs myself, and worked with printing companies, focusing on business with colleges.

Thanks to the knowledge from my previous life, my first project—a promotional booklet for a university—earned me a solid 4,000 dollars.

I quickly built on this success by recruiting a few talented college students specializing in different areas—design, client acquisition, networking, etc. I even bought equipment and worked together with them, leveraging information gaps, and soon took over design and promotion projects for various universities in the area.

Luckily, my frequent part-time jobs in my previous life helped me meet these capable and kind-hearted partners.

This time, I approached them in advance, and together, we formed a small advertising office.

By the time the new semester started, I had made a fortune. I no longer needed to collect recyclables and had successfully transitioned into advertising design.

Earning money wasn't enough; I also needed to improve myself in other ways.

With enough money, I began focusing on my appearance.

Joel Stephens and Juliette Hoover thought I was the poorest and ugliest in the school. I would show them who the real fool was.

In truth, I was never ugly. I had nice features, but working part-time under the sun damaged my skin. Poverty also prevented me from dressing well, making me stand out as the ugliest among the vibrant college students.

In this life, I would play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses.

During the summer, I enrolled in etiquette classes to cultivate my taste and even squeezed in one-on-one dance classes to learn some routines.

Soon, my taste and temperament improved significantly.

Money gave me confidence. I dressed stylishly and applied tasteful makeup. By the time the new semester began, I showed up on campus, leaving everyone stunned. They barely recognized me.

Joel saw me from afar and was stunned. "Erica, is that really you?"

Juliette, on the other hand, angrily dragged her friend away. "Does a toad think she's a swan just by putting on a coat?"

I'm running my own small advertising business, and with an improved demeanor, along with a generous hand, those who once mocked me quickly flocked to flatter me.

Threads on the school forum even detailed my transformation from a trash collector to a successful student entrepreneur, gossiping about my rumored relationship with Joel.

Many people seemed to only now realize that the girl they once unanimously deemed the ugliest in the school, once stripped of those ill-fitting, dull clothes and unflattering hairstyles, actually had very striking features, even rivaling the most beautiful girl in the class, Juliette. With a bit of grooming, my bright eyes and radiant smile shone through.

Now, my photos frequently appeared on the "campus crush" wall, causing a stir each time.

This truly validated the saying: the harder they mocked me back then, the harder they praise me now.

Despite all this, I didn't let it get to my head.

I knew everything I achieved was due to my own efforts.

Only when you become good enough will the world be kind to you, and better things will be attracted to you.

No one was more upset about my transformation than the teaching assistant.

She despised me the most, and now that I was on par with the rich students she favored, she was even more caustic in her words.

"Erica, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're now popular on campus. As a student, grades are what matters. If you spend all your time running that ad shop, when will you study? If you fail this semester, I'll make sure you don't get your diploma!"

She was already threatening me. I wasn't going to back down. "What if I pass and even become top of the class?"

She probably didn't expect me to challenge her head-on, let alone aim for the top.

She sneered, "You think you can beat Juliette? If you top the class, you can have my job!"

I scoffed, "That's unnecessary. If I don't top the class, I'll obey you for the next two years. But if I do, you have to publicly apologize for your past actions."

A bystander posted our exchange on the school forum, and everyone was eagerly waiting for the outcome.

Some were waiting to see me fail, while others, fed up with the assistant's bias, supported me.

I ignored it all.

In my previous life, I studied hard to escape poverty and secure a better future, consistently topping my class.

In this life, I downplayed my abilities initially to avoid the same fate of having my designs plagiarized. I kept my grades average on purpose.

Now that I was forced to reveal my true capabilities, topping the class would be a breeze.

Hearing about my bet, Joel came to comfort me. "Erica, we all know Juliette's level. Don't let the assistant get to you. Apologize to her, or you might really not get your diploma!"

Juliette, on the other hand, was smug. Her head was held high all the time.

Last time, I had overshadowed her in the class beauty contest.

This time, she was ready to crush me with her academic prowess, and she was strutting around with a newfound swagger.

I pushed Joel away. "We'll see who has the last laugh."

As I juggled studying and running the ad agency, the campus Independence Day Gala finally arrived.

In my previous life, the gala was a painful memory. Juliette closed the show with a sensational dance that drove the crowd wild. At the end of her performance, she turned the spotlight on me, dragging me onto the stage and announcing that I would also perform a dance for Joel despite my complete lack of experience.

I was thrust onto the stage in front of a jeering crowd, feeling like a clown. Amid the laughter, I saw Joel and Juliette standing together, sharing a private joke. Juliette playfully punched Joel's arm and leaned on his shoulder, laughing as he smiled at me and said, "Erica, you prepared a dance for me? Let's see it! Don't let me down!"

The laughter grew louder.

"What dance could she possibly do? Does she think she's Juliette? Her family collects trash…"

"Look at her, trying to perform. She should be hiding in a hole instead…"

"Going out with Joel? He wouldn't even hold her hand. If I were her, I'd just disappear…"

Amid the mockery, the lights suddenly went out. I scrambled off the stage, nearly tripping, and I fled the scene.

This time, I knew history was about to repeat itself, but I was going to rewrite it.

Before the event, I approached the organizer, offering to sponsor the gala with the condition of adding a performance.

After I came into money, I didn't become arrogant. Instead, I frequently helped others and sponsored various events, which earned me a great reputation and made me well-acquainted with the event organizers.

Adding one more dance performance was no problem for them; they agreed without hesitation.

I hired a professional dancer to perform a dance that mirrored Juliette's. I remembered the dance Juliette performed in the past life, so I had the dancer learn and modify it, giving it a new name.

The new dance was scheduled as the penultimate act. When it was performed, it was a hit—a stunning, energetic display that left Juliette's routine in the dust.

Watching from the audience, I relished every change in Juliette's expression—from initial confidence to shock and, finally, to anger and retreat. She had been waiting by the right side of the stage for her turn.

If it had been in my past life, with no professional dancers among the college students, Juliette's high-energy dance would indeed have brought the house down. But with a professional routine preceding hers, she now appeared out of place, like a poor imitation.

She would embarrass herself.

If she didn't go on stage, however, it would damage her reputation and blacklist her from future major events, making it impossible for her to stand out in the future.

As Juliette's turn came, the host, unaware of the earlier dance's impact, continued to urge her to go on stage.

Juliette's face changed colors like a painter's palette. Under the pressure from the crowd, she reluctantly took the stage and performed her routine in a rush. As predicted, the anticipated excitement and climax didn't materialize.

The audience, having just witnessed a dance spectacular, found Juliette's performance to be a poor imitation. Booing erupted.

"What was that? It's just like the earlier dance."

"Yeah, it's nowhere near as good as the previous dancer…"

"Juliette, the 'beauty and talent' of the design department? She's not as pretty as Erica, and her talent isn't impressive either."

The audience booed and demanded Juliette leave the stage. Juliette, caught in a moment of embarrassment, stood there helplessly, her face going from flush to pale, much like how I had been during my forced performance.

She cast a pleading glance at Joel, unaware that Joel's feelings for her had changed. My on-again, off-again relationship with Joel had only deepened his interest in me, leaving him little time to pay attention to Juliette.

Seeing Juliette's desperate look, I mimicked her previous behavior and deliberately rested my head on Joel's shoulder. Juliette's face darkened immediately.

The next moment, Juliette grabbed the microphone and adjusted her expression. "I heard Erica also prepared a dance. Would you like to see Erica perform for us?"

Juliette looked at me with a vengeful glare, clearly hoping to see me fail. The audience erupted with excitement, calling my name and urging me to go on stage. My name had frequently appeared in the campus news and forums, making me one of the most talked-about figures of the year.

Some acquaintances knew that I came from a scavenging background and had never received any dance training, so they tried to help me out.

Unlike last time, Joel didn't join the cheerers either but tried to pull me away, "Let's go. There's no need to emba—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but I could tell he meant I would make a fool of myself. To him, having someone from a background of picking up trash dance was like asking Anna Pavlova to feed pigs.

I smiled, shrugged off Joel's hand, and took the stage alone. "Guess I'll make a fool of myself then!"

I had the sound technician play some classical music and performed a little ballet dance. During the summer, I hired a one-on-one instructor to learn this dance just for this moment.

Wearing a flowing white dress, I danced gracefully, creating an ethereal presence. After being bombarded by high-energy dance routines, the sudden shift to a classical dance captivated the audience.

The room fell silent, the lights dimmed, and I spun in the center of the stage, my white dress fluttering.

When the dance ended, the audience was silent for a few seconds before erupting into thunderous applause. I heard cheers and saw the excitement on everyone's faces.

I even noticed Joel's eyes widening with joy and disbelief. I knew this moment would become a new legend about me at the university.

Backstage, Joel rushed in, ignoring the other people present, and hugged me tightly. "Erica, you've totally blown me away! Anything else I should know about you?"

When Joel entered, Juliette's face lit up, but her hope was soon crushed, replaced by a look of rage. I didn't push Joel away and deliberately said, "Joel, you asked me to be your girlfriend. The answer is yes."

Joel was initially taken aback but quickly erupted with joy. Juliette, on the other hand, looked devastated.

I brushed past Joel and leaned into Juliette, whispering, "It's time for you to pay up on our bet. I'm eagerly waiting for you to call me 'Daddy.'"

Juliette's face darkened with anger.

As expected, Juliette tried to weasel out of it. She denied ever making the bet and refused to apologize publicly or call me "Daddy."

That was fine with me. I knew from my previous life that Juliette would try to avoid her promises. My goal was to make her uncomfortable. I had plenty of opportunities to deal with her later. Most importantly, her denial meant she couldn't complain to Joel about our bet, so I wouldn't need to waste time explaining things to him. After all, if Joel didn't experience the same pain I had before, it wouldn't be true revenge.

After the Fourth of July festivities, my reputation surged across campus. Almost no one remembered the old story of Erica Contreras, the student who got by on financial aid and collected recyclables for a year. Now, whenever my name came up, it was met with awe and praise.

But I didn't let it go to my head. I remembered my humble beginnings and the painful end of my previous life. Now, I was using my foresight to improve myself and raise my family's living standard. Every step I took, I made sure to be grounded and steady.

By evening, I declined Joel's invitation and hurried outside with some cat food, heading toward the southeastern part of the campus.

The area was still undeveloped and desolate. No one knew that six months ago, I spent nearly all my savings to buy up this wasteland. Even fewer knew I had been taking care of a few stray cats here.

When I arrived, I was surprised to see a guy squatting in front of the stray cats, placing food on the ground. Did someone else know about this place and come to feed the cats?

As I approached, I was surprised to find it was Duncan Mathis.

I was even more taken aback. Like I said, I had become one of the campus celebrities, and Duncan, a senior in the computer science program, was another. Rumor had it that he came from a wealthy background and spent most of his time working on apps outside of school. I never met him in my previous life and had only seen his photos on bulletin boards around campus.

"Erica, are these cats yours?" Duncan asked as the strays affectionately rubbed against me.

I was a bit surprised and put the cat food on the ground. "How do you know my name?"

Duncan's voice sounded oddly familiar. Could it be...

I shook my head. He couldn't be that person.

Duncan stood up. "You're one of the campus celebrities now. How could I not know about you?"

I felt my cheeks flush slightly.

To me, these stray cats were like my former self, driven away by poverty and wandering aimlessly. Now that I could help, I wanted them to be well cared for.

After feeding the cats, we packed up and walked slowly along the wasteland. Duncan pointed at the surrounding area and said, "Erica, I'm planning to buy this land with my startup money. If you have enough savings, I suggest you buy a small plot too. According to my dad's inside information, this area will soon be designated as a new economic zone and will face redevelopment."

I told Duncan, "You might need to rethink your plans."

Duncan looked puzzled. "Why?"

I replied, "Sorry, but I've already bought this land."

In my previous life, this plot of land was a barren area so desolate that even farmers avoided it, with vast stretches of it lying unused. However, after a major shake-up in the local government and the arrival of new officials eager to make their mark, the land was designated as a new economic zone. Coincidentally, this piece of land fell within the new zone's boundaries, and once it was included, property values skyrocketed.

This time, I had used the information gap to buy up as much of the land as I could six months ago, waiting for the redevelopment to make a profit. If everything went as planned, I would make a fortune, enough for me and my family to live comfortably for life.

As we reached the school gates, Duncan suddenly said, "Erica, don't get involved with Joel."

After hesitating, he added, "Joel isn't sincere. He's with you because of a bet with someone else."

"I know," I replied calmly.

"Then why are you still—" Duncan began, confused.

Before he could finish, Joel appeared, having come to the gate after not being able to reach me by phone. He ran into us as we were heading back.

Joel wrapped his arm around my shoulders possessively. "Erica, I've been waiting for you. Let's have dinner together tonight."

I pushed Joel's arm away and stepped closer to Duncan, deliberately saying, "I'm afraid not. Duncan and I have some academic matters to discuss. Maybe another time."

In my previous life, even though Joel had become my boyfriend due to the bet, he often used "discussions" as an excuse to leave me and go out with Juliette.

"You and he are in different fields—design and computer science—what could you possibly discuss?" Joel noticed something was off, just like in the past when I questioned him.

I mimicked Joel's previous behavior, feigning annoyance. "If you don't trust me, maybe we shouldn't be together."

Back then, Joel was the one cheating and getting defensive. This time, he was the one desperately trying to hold on.

Joel's face softened immediately. "Go ahead with your discussion. Call me when you're done, and I'll come pick you up."

Not wanting to push too hard, I nodded.

Joel reluctantly left. The scene was identical to my previous life, except the roles were reversed. It was oddly satisfying!

As soon as Joel was out of sight, Duncan leaned in and whispered with a chuckle, "Using me as a decoy, huh?"

I looked at Duncan and said apologetically, "Sorry about that. I won't do it again."

Duncan's eyes sparkled with a smile. "I'm not sure what you're up to, but if you need my help, I'm more than willing to assist."

Shortly after, another piece of gossip spread through the school.

Everyone was talking about how Erica Contreras had supposedly lost her mind and bought a plot of land in the middle of nowhere.