The moment my best friend, Patrick York, rushed ahead of me into the convenience store and asked for a lottery ticket with that specific string of numbers, I knew he was in the same boat as me.

We were reborn.

In the past life, Patrick and I were shortlisted for an interview at a Fortune 500 company, but there was only one opening.

The day before the interview, I had a sudden urge to buy a lottery ticket. However, because of that, I missed the interview and Patrick got hired.

Surprisingly, I got the winning ticket and won 50 million dollars. After my graduation, I enjoyed an easy life by living off interest from the bank.

Meanwhile, despite getting hired, Patrick was paid a low wage and suffered daily abuse from his colleagues. In the end, he took out his frustrations on me by pushing me off the rooftop, killing me on the spot.

After my death, my girlfriend, Emily Hayward, committed perjury for his sake. She claimed that after a prolonged period of staying home with nothing to do, I was in a bad mental state and leaped off on my own.

The two of them profited off my death and became trending influencers, making it big.

When I opened my eyes once more, I realized I was back to the day I purchased the lottery ticket.

"Sir, give me a lottery ticket!"

Patrick York darted past me into the convenience store like an arrow.

When I heard him breathlessly rattle off that exact string of numbers I knew by heart, I instantly understood: he had been reborn, too.

Clutching the ticket, Patrick turned toward me with a smug grin.

"Oliver Hutchinson. Sorry, this one's mine."

I shrugged, completely unfazed. "I wasn't planning on buying it anyway."

He clearly did not believe me. With a sharp scoff, he shoved the ticket into his bag.

"Impossible. That ticket is the reason you..." He cut himself off mid-sentence.

However, I already knew what he wanted to say. In our previous life, I missed the bus because I bought that lottery ticket, which made me late for a big job interview.

That accident cost me an offer at a Fortune 500 company.

Meanwhile, Patrick, who was competing for the same spot, got the job.

However, the joke was on him because I won 50 million dollars with that lottery ticket.

So, while he was working overtime, barely scraping by, and getting pushed around at work, I was lounging at home, living off interest from the bank.

Until one day, in a fit of rage and jealousy, he shoved me off the top floor.

Now reborn, Patrick looked at me with the same arrogance.

"I'm not even going to that interview. Since you like working yourself to death so much, you can have it."

I simply nodded.

If that were the case, then I would gladly let him have the 50 million dollars.

Without hesitation, I turned and hopped onto the bus headed to the interview.

That evening, I returned to the dorm.

The sight that greeted me stopped me cold.

Patrick had his arm wrapped around Emily Hayward's waist. The two of them looked like they had just finished rolling around in bed.

I must have been blind in my previous life. I did not realize until the very end that the two of them had been in on it together all along.

They were not even startled to see me. In fact, their faces brimmed with defiance.

Emily curled her lip in disgust. "Oliver, the truth is, I've always loved Patrick. The only reason I stayed with you was because your family had two old apartments.

"But things are different now. Patrick just won 50 million dollars. We're rich. I'll never again have to degrade myself by being with trash like you."

My fists clenched tight. So that was it.

Both Patrick and Emily had come from poor villages. One was my so-called best friend, the other my girlfriend. I had never once quibbled about money with them.

Yet the whole time, they had just been leeching off me.

Now that fate had given me a second chance, I swore I would make them repay me a thousandfold for everything they sucked out of me last time.

Patrick sneered. "Oliver, the only reason I tolerated you before was because your family's situation was slightly better than mine.

"But now that I've got 50 million dollars, I have achieved financial freedom. How could you ever compare? You're destined to be a lowly workhorse your whole life, while Emily and I will travel the world. A life you can never even dream of."

The two of them packed their bags and strutted out of the dorm.

I watched their backs disappear down the hall and could not help but laugh coldly.

Naive fools. Did they really think blessings that fall from the sky would ever land in their laps?

I nailed the interview and landed an offer at the Fortune 500 company.

For someone with my background, that was already the peak of my achievements.

The office was far from my parents' place, so after talking it over with them, I decided to buy an apartment near the company.

At the sales center, the agent had just shown me a few units when a loud, gratingly familiar voice came from the entrance.

"Hey! Show me your best apartments. Right now!"

I turned my head.

There was Patrick, swaggering in with Emily clinging to his arm.

The moment they spotted me, they strutted over, sneers plastered on their faces.

"Oliver, why the hell are you still pretending? You think you can afford a place here? I've already checked. You'd have to sell both of your run-down old apartments just to scrape together a down payment."

At his words, the sales agent, who had just been all smiles with me, suddenly cooled.

I shot back, saying, "And you think you can afford it?"

Patrick tilted his chin proudly. "Of course. I won 50 million dollars. I could buy several units in cash."

The sales agent's demeanor flipped instantly, practically rushing to his side.

"Sir, how can I help you?"

Patrick pointed lazily at one of the displays.

"That one looks nice."

The agent's eyes lit up, immediately launching into her pitch.

"Excellent choice, sir. That's the best apartment in the whole complex: prime location, best view. For you, it's practically nothing. It's only 20 million."

"Twenty...million!?"

Both Patrick and Emily froze, jaws dropping.

They clearly had not expected a 100-square-meter place in the city center to be that outrageously expensive.

The agent quickly said, "Of course, if the price feels a little high, you can always finance it with a mortgage."

Patrick stiffened, his pride pricked. "A mortgage? I just won 50 million! Why would I need a mortgage? I'll pay cash."

The agent beamed at that, her tone warming again.

"In that case, sir, you can put down a one-million deposit first. Even if your lottery winnings haven't cleared yet, you can arrange a bank loan in the meantime."

Patrick and Emily exchanged a nervous glance, suddenly wavering.

That was when I frowned and snapped impatiently, saying, "I'm starting to wonder if you really did win 50 million. Or are you just here wasting everyone's time? If you can't afford it, get out."

Emily's eyes blazed red with fury. "Don't you dare spout nonsense! Patrick definitely won the lottery. He just hasn't received the payout yet."

I waved her off. "Then step aside. I'm buying this unit."

My words made the two of them panic.

Grinding his teeth, Patrick barked, "No! I'll take this one. I'll get the bank loan and pay the deposit right now!"

Over the next few days, Patrick and Emily spammed everyone's feeds with photos from their so-called world tour.

Luxury brands filled every frame.

Judging from how fast they were burning cash, it was obvious the two of them had not just taken a mortgage. They were living on loans, too.

Wanted to ruin someone? First, one should let them lose control.

They even sent the photos to me directly. I did not bother responding and blocked them both.

Meanwhile, I buried myself in studying.

A Fortune 500 job was not child's play. I had not even officially started yet, but my future team lead had already sent me stacks of materials to read up on.

Then came the graduation party.

As class representative, Patrick dropped a message in the group chat.

[Everyone, please be at the designated restaurant by 11:30 a.m. sharp for the graduation party.]

Right after, he made sure to tag me. [Oliver, you must come.]

I replied instantly. [Sure.]

Some classmates asked why the restaurant was so far from campus.

Only I knew the answer.

The place just happened to be right next to the convenience store.

At 11:30 a.m., everyone, lecturers and students alike, was already seated.

That was when Patrick and Emily strolled in, deliberately late, hand in hand.

Every head turned toward them.

The two of them had completely reinvented themselves, dripping luxury from head to toe.

Patrick strutted forward and handed out branded bags to every classmate.

"Order whatever you like tonight. Everything's on me!"

The room fell silent.

People stared at them like they were clowns. A few even whispered whether the purses were knockoffs.

Patrick smirked and pulled the lottery ticket from his bag, waving it proudly in front of everyone.

"I won 50 million."

The room erupted.

"Fifty million dollars?"

"No way! Patrick's that lucky?"

"Damn, I couldn't make that in a lifetime."

As if that was not enough, he had even hung a giant banner in the restaurant.

[Congratulations to Patrick on Winning the 50-Million Jackpot!]

One lecturer frowned and asked, "But the ticket's still in your hand. The prize hasn't even been paid out yet. Where did all this money come from?"

Patrick brushed it off with a laugh. "The money's basically mine already. I'm just enjoying it a little earlier."

Then, someone in the crowd blurted, "Wait, isn't Emily dating Oliver? Why is she with Patrick?"

All eyes turned toward her.

Emily did not even flinch. She clutched Patrick's hand tightly, face calm and voice sharp, as she said, "People move up in life. Don't you get that? Oliver's destined to be a wage slave after graduation. But Patrick? He's different. And besides, Patrick has been my true love all along."

The room buzzed, stunned.

Finally, a classmate spoke up in my defense, "But Oliver landed a Fortune 500 offer. That's the best placement in our entire class."

Patrick burst into laughter so hard that tears welled in his eyes.

"And what's that worth? Even if he got the best offer, will he ever make 50 million in his lifetime? These days, having a so-called good job just proves you're a high-class workhorse. Truth is, you're no better than a dog."

Then he sneered at me. "Oliver, you're not even fit to polish my shoes. But if you grovel nicely, maybe I'll take pity on you and throw you a free meal."