I was reborn!

In my last life, my wife and her lover schemed to take all my assets.

My daughter accepted a thief as her father. She was thrilled to finally get rid of me!

I died in a strange car accident on a winter night.

In this life, they knelt by my side. They begged me not to leave...

***

I pretended to divorce my wife, Luna Jones, to help her get the company's single apartment.

To let my daughter, Eleanor Taylor, take advantage of the student home-buying discount to buy a large apartment, I sold the house and the farm I was running as they requested.

I thought I could soon remarry Luna. I wanted to end the days of our family living apart.

When I put on the down jacket Luna prepared for me in the restaurant and came out, I unexpectedly overheard a heartbreaking conversation between them.

"Mom, you must not remarry that poor guy. Everyone thinks Mr. Young is my dad. They think my dad is the president of Tanaxes' largest property company. Ethan said we would get married right after graduation..."

Since I quit my job and returned to the village to manage the farm, Eleanor despised me.

She thought I was sloppy and unkempt. I looked even more rural than the villagers.

She never video-called me, afraid her classmates might see.

One time, I impulsively went to her school to visit. She avoided me from a distance and took a detour.

I thought she didn't see me. I chased her, calling out all the way.

In the end, she called me from far away. She coldly told me to leave immediately and complained that I dressed like a beggar, embarrassing her in front of her classmates.

"Don't worry, do you think I'm stupid? I put so much effort into getting rid of him. He's a useless coward. It's not our fault we're heartless..."

Luna's words crushed my last illusions.

"Mr. Young? She had a lover." What broke my heart the most was that the daughter I had cherished all along accepted all this!

It turned out they had always been plotting to cut ties with me.

"You..." I wanted to step forward and ask them for an explanation.

But the sudden blow left me powerless. Just as I lifted my foot, I stumbled and collapsed by the roadside.

Suddenly, a strong light shone. When I turned around, it was too late to dodge. I watched as the car's headlights grew from small to large.

With a "bang," I felt myself soar into the air. Then, I crashed back down onto the road a few seconds later.

Immense pain instantly engulfed me. Despair made me remember the years spent with my wife and daughter.

"Why is it you? I'm sorry. You can't die! Hold on! I'm calling an ambulance now," said the woman.

A trembling female voice and a red wristwatch were the last images I remembered.

Moments later, everything froze in a beam of light.

When I woke up again, I found myself lying safe and sound in the rocking chair at the village farm, enjoying the gentle spring breeze.

Before I could figure out what had happened, my phone on the table vibrated with a "buzz, buzz." The screen displayed a call from "Darling."

I glanced at the date. Had I returned to six months ago?

I suppressed the excitement in my heart and pressed the answer button with trembling hands.

"Hey, transfer me thirty thousand dollars. I want to buy a piano," Eleanor said.

The familiar voice on the other end was none other than that ungrateful daughter, Eleanor!

The arrogant and domineering tone confirmed that I wasn't dreaming. I had truly been reborn!

Eleanor was the only daughter of Luna and me. Luna had endured a lot to conceive her. She even slipped at home and gave birth a month early.

Because of this, we spoiled her since childhood and granted her every request.

Gradually, this made her develop an attitude of entitlement and impunity.

After attending Tanaxes for college, she became even more distant and disdainful towards me. She only contacted me to ask for money and didn't even bother to call me "Dad."

"Didn't I just buy you a cello and sign you up for cello lessons last month? Why do you suddenly need a piano now?" I asked.

Having been a "daughter's slave" all my life, it was hard to change overnight. Though it was a question, my tone remained gentle.

But even so, Eleanor was not satisfied. She felt I didn't trust her and started to throw a tantrum!

"Why are you asking so many questions? Weren't you the one who said it's good for girls to have many skills?

"Now I want to learn, and you won't pay for it! Forget it. I won't learn anymore. I'll drop out of this lousy university! Transfer the money. I'll buy a ticket home!" Eleanor said.

Wow, she played me just like this in the last life!

She never studied well growing up. In the end, she didn't even pass the college entrance exams and stayed home, crying and making a fuss.

I used all my savings, begging everyone to get her into a third-tier private college.

I didn't expect her to begin complaining about the dorm conditions just a few days after she reported to the school. She persuaded her mom to have me sell the old house and buy a two-bedroom apartment near her school.

They had been distant when they were home. After they went to the Tanaxes, their contact with me became even rarer. They only called or texted when they needed money.

"Buy it! Buy whatever you want! Use your credit card for now. I will pay it off after I finish delivering this batch and get paid!"

"You said it! I also want to buy some other things. You can pay it all off at once later," she said.

"Of course, I will pay it off as long as you're happy! If your card limit isn't enough, use your mom's..." I said.

I wasn't going to pay off anything for her!

She was already eighteen. The card was in her own name anyway. It was time she paid for her reckless spending.

Before I could say anything, she hung up the phone!

On this day in my previous life, I couldn't come up with the money. I told her I'd buy the piano later.

She threatened to sell her blood and body to get the money. I was so scared I hurried to borrow thirty thousand dollars from my brother, Leo Clark, who was lending money.

Afraid she might do something foolish, I transferred the money to her as soon as I got it. Instead of getting a "thank you," I was met with her complaints.

"You clearly have the money. Why do I have to beg and get mad at you? Are you even my real dad?" Eleanor said.

The truth was, she never really saw me as her dad. She was spending the money I worked so hard for. On the other side, she was calling another man "Dad."

After finally being reborn, I returned with a thousand times more caution this time!

I wouldn't spend a single cent on them this time, not even for a grain of rice, let alone a piano!

Leo and I grew up together in the same village. I was one of his trusted clients.

He didn't mess around when it came to loans! The process was done quickly, and 1 million dollars was in my account immediately!

I borrowed the money urgently and in a large amount this time. He thought something had happened to Luna and Eleanor in Tanaxes.

Over the years, whenever they asked me for money, it was as if they were collecting a debt, always in a hurry.

"I want to give you a heads-up. If you don't want to hear it, just pretend I'm talking nonsense!" Leo said.

I guessed what he wanted to say.

"Ezra told me when he came back from Tanaxes last time. He said he saw Luna having dinner with a man. They were pretty close..." Leo said.

Ezra was Leo's eldest son. He also lived in Tanaxes.

In my last life, he also told me this news cautiously, considering my feelings.

But back then, I was a fool blinded by love!

I thought he was jealous because he couldn't win over Luna when he was younger. I believed he was spreading rumors to drive a wedge between us because Luna and my daughter weren't with me.

This time, I told him I knew what was going on. I wasn't borrowing the money for those two. I had big plans.

I glanced at the few acres of overgrown land outside his yard. I reminded him not to let it go to waste. He should build more houses while labor costs were still low.

Leo lit a cigarette and looked at me. Seeing his indifference, I leaned over and told him about the upcoming land acquisition in the village.

After hearing it, he couldn't stop patting his chest and gasping, exclaiming, "That was close!"

According to my memories from the last life, the village would undergo a land acquisition in three months.

The village was next to a rare redwood forest. Developers and the relevant authorities had already planned to turn this area into an eco-friendly resort.

To prevent leaks and villagers from rushing to build, they planned a surprise land acquisition, securing the village with the lowest budget and shortest time possible.

These few acres of barren land that Leo had were quickly targeted by insiders in the last life. He thought it was better to cash out the unused land and get back to his old business, so he hastily sold it to an outsider for just a few hundred thousand dollars.

He said, "That was close" because someone had indeed come yesterday to offer a price for his land, and he was considering selling it.

Since I had worked in the city before, he thought I got the insider information through my connections.

"Julian, you've done me a huge favor this time. I won't charge you any interest on this loan! If you need anything else, just ask!" Leo said.

"I do need one more favor from you..." I whispered into his ear.

Leo was someone who hated owing favors. After I gave him this huge insider tip about the land acquisition, he agreed to my request without hesitation.

The surrounding villagers, who were chatting, immediately shifted their attention to us. They were curiously looking my way as they saw us being all secretive.

Afraid that the news might leak and affect the demolition plan, I reminded Leo to keep it secret before heading to the village committee.

My parents died young. They left the farm and two shops to my brother and me.

My brother, Aiden Taylor, wasn't like me. He dropped out of middle school and went to work.

As the older brother, I acted like a father. He begged me in tears. I chose the barren farm and gave him the shops, ensuring he would have a steady monthly rental income.

After the marriage, Luna somehow heard about this. She kept calling me a fool and urged me several times to go to my brother and have the shops and farm redistributed.

I refused, and she threw a fit. Eventually, she went behind me, taking my daughter to see my brother and his wife.

After that visit to my brother, she never brought up redistributing the properties again.

I still don't know how my brother and sister-in-law convinced her...

In the previous life, she didn't hold any grudges and eventually sold the farm to my brother at a low price to get some cash.

"Are you sure you don't want to add your wife's name?" The village committee confirmed again.

"I'm sure!" I replied firmly.

This farm was divided before Luna and I got married. It was my pre-marital property.

Being rural land, it never had a deed. Perhaps due to the impending demolition, the village committee recently started organizing everyone to get their deeds.

In the last life, I took this opportunity to add Luna's name to it. I never imagined that she would end up selling the farm to my brother at a low price just before the land acquisition.

Fortunately, this time I was in time to remove her name before the village committee submitted the paperwork.

As soon as I finished the village committee's business, Luna's call came in.

"Julian, can you come to Tanaxes tomorrow if you have time? I have something to discuss with you!" Luna said.

"What is it? Can't you tell me over the phone? Do I really need to make a special trip?" I asked knowingly.

"Why are you asking so many questions? Don't I have any say anymore? Remember to bring your ID and marriage certificate! Oh! Eleanor's birthday is coming up. Don't forget to prepare a gift for her!" Luna said.

"Is this what she calls discussing? It's an order!"

With the experience from my previous life, I knew exactly why she wanted me to go.

But this time, I made an excuse that I had to wait for a payment and would arrive a few days later.

Settlement meant I'd have money coming in. My money was her money. She agreed without a second thought...

She didn't forget to complain about the upcoming property and insurance fees, how Eleanor had overspent again, and how I'd better figure out how to pay off the credit card bill when it came due.

The implication was all about money. To them, I was just an ATM.

After arranging everything in the village, I arrived in Tanaxes two days earlier than the time agreed upon with Luna.

I had only visited the house we bought here twice in total.

Looking back, they never intended to give me the keys. Fortunately, I secretly made a spare key back then, just in case they lost it.

Early in the morning, I squatted downstairs for a long time, waiting until I saw Luna dressed up and heading out for work. Only then did I enter the house.