Forced Me to Regress, Huh?

Cheng Zhu was now certain that he had regressed.

He simply couldn’t understand why. So many people wanted to go back in time, while he was the only one who didn’t, yet somehow, he was the one chosen.

He still had over six million in that bank account that he hadn’t had a chance to spend!

If he were still the fresh high school graduate he once was, he probably wouldn’t have been so bold as to confront Li Rui, the class monitor who loved to dig into other people’s relationships.

But now, he was someone from many years later.

At that time, he had already experienced the ups and downs of love and meandered among the fields of flowers, so he didn’t care about the trivial matters that bothered young people. Naturally, he looked down on so-called warm-hearted guys like Li Rui.

Why did the phrase ‘warm-hearted guys line up behind dogs’ become popular again recently?

It was simply because someone had left a message in the comments of a girl who had posted a risqué video. “Stop it. You deserve to be loved.”

And the girl directly replied, “Warm-hearted guys line up behind dogs.”

For fools like Li Rui, who were overly attentive and caring towards other people’s girlfriends, the legendary highest level of treatment was: letting you stand at the door and listen or using the condoms you bought tonight to give you a sense of involvement.

Cheng Zhu had a good mindset. He even felt that he wasn’t insulting Li Rui. He saw himself as a living Buddha, saving him and giving him a wake-up call.

Moreover, he genuinely disliked Li Rui from the bottom of his heart.

When everyone had just graduated from university, Li Rui was the one who had done the best among them. He had relied on his family’s connections to secure a stable job and spoke with a hint of officialdom.

At that time, Cheng Zhu had yet to make a name for himself and was still at the stage of struggling to find his way, so he had often faced Li Rui’s sarcastic remarks.

Ultimately, Li Rui couldn’t stand the fact that his childhood goddess had ended up with Cheng Zhu.

However, at later class reunions, Li Rui didn’t show up, or rather, he couldn’t make them.

Due to some issues, he ended up with another stable job—a prison sentence.

At this moment, Li Rui’s face was flushed with anger, and his fingers were trembling with rage.

But for some reason, when he looked into Cheng Zhu’s eyes, he felt a bit intimidated.

Cheng Zhu felt that this intimidation stemmed from his early success and achievements, which made him accustomed to being in a position of authority. The aura he exuded was entirely different from that of ordinary high school graduates, and he viewed Li Rui as a mere child.

In contrast, Li Rui saw Cheng Zhu as someone who, for some reason, seemed like a seasoned figure of society, a real society person!

Cheng Zhu had slightly prominent brow bones, and the outer corners of his naturally arched eyebrows gave his face a distinct look. His features were sharp and well-defined, combined with a hint of rebellious charm.

Moreover, his tall stature often led to misunderstandings about his demeanor, making people think he was a school bully.

Since middle school, whenever two groups of boys had a conflict, if he chose to stand on one side, even if he was just trying to show support, once a fight broke out, the opposing side would inevitably focus on him, adhering to the principle of capturing the leader first. And he would end up getting beaten badly.

Throughout his school years, he had never experienced the thrill of being a leader, but he had certainly endured the consequences that came with the role.

However, it must be said that this type of boy was quite popular during school. There was no shortage of girls interested in them.

At this moment, Li Xinyue felt there was simply no comparison between Li Rui and Cheng Zhu.

But she still held firmly to her original stance and said angrily, “Then that’s it. I won’t care about you anymore!”

With that, she huffed away in anger, prompting Li Rui and Chen Rongrong to quickly follow after her.

Wang Anquan stood beside Cheng Zhu and asked, “Brother Zhu, aren’t you going to chase after her?”

“Chase after her for what? There are always better options,” Cheng Zhu replied dismissively, not having this thought at all.

Of course, first loves were always unforgettable.

But Li Xinyue was a girl who had taught Cheng Zhu a lesson in life.

She was the one who had pursued Cheng Zhu, and she had always been very clingy, acting completely infatuated with him. She had even repeatedly warned him that even though they would be in a long-distance relationship during college, he couldn’t cheat on her.

But in reality?

There were girls like her all over the world—passionate and reckless when infatuated, but their hearts couldn’t be devoted to just one person.

Just a month into college, Cheng Zhu experienced the infamous cold treatment.

It wasn’t until after their breakup that he learned Li Xinyue had developed a crush on a senior during the orientation party.

During the period of cold treatment, Cheng Zhu had tried repeatedly to warm her heart, and just after they broke, he did everything he could to win her back.

In the end, all he received was a simple message: “Please don’t text and call me anymore. Just leave me alone.”

At that moment, Cheng Zhu was taken aback. He recalled during summer when she leaned into his arms and said cautiously yet filled with warmth and expectation, “You won’t leave me once we start college, right?”

Later, he heard that Li Xinyue hadn’t been doing well.

The reason was simple. Her boyfriend, the senior she had fallen for, was a super-rich second-generation heir.

Some locks had been opened with a gold key, and once touched by a bit of gold dust, they began to think of themselves as gold locks.

When that senior dated in university, he knew full well it wouldn’t lead to marriage. He only sought out beautiful girls, dismissing everything else.

But when it came to marriage, he suddenly insisted on finding someone from a suitable background.

As a result, Li Xinyue found herself stuck, unable to meet his standards while also unwilling to lower her own.

Many years later, at a reunion with high school classmates, Cheng Zhu, now successful and still single, was surprised to see Li Xinyue show up.

After dinner, Li Xinyue took the initiative to ask him to send her home. Dressed in a skirt suit with black stockings, she got into the car and immediately seemed ‘intoxicated’.

Cheng Zhu sent a WeChat message to Yiyi, his company’s star streamer, asking her to come to his house and ‘take good care’ of Li Xinyue.

In the end, it led to her fleeing in embarrassment.

To be honest, I was too naive back then. My level was low, so I had poor ability to identify bitches, Cheng Zhu thought.

Li Xinyue has always been surrounded by people like Li Rui. Maybe she doesn’t do it intentionally, but she definitely has her own fish pond.

I can see some clues now.

People like her are incredibly passionate when pursuing someone, but once they’re in a relationship, they can be unbearable. From my later experiences, some of these women are quick to change their hearts.

Wang Anquan looked at his best friend and sensed that he was different from before, but he couldn’t tell what it was.

However, for a student like him, Cheng Zhu’s current carefreeness was too cool. It seemed to elevate his own status.

Cheng Zhu looked at Wang Anquan, whose skin was a bit dark and had some acne. He patted his shoulder and said earnestly, “If I remember correctly, you seem to like Li Xinyue’s best friend, Chen Rongrong?”

Chen Rongrong wasn’t as pretty as Li Xinyue, but she knew how to dress well, had a bit of a flirtatious tone, and was very good at getting along with boys.

Hearing what Cheng Zhu said, Wang Anquan lowered his head slightly. “Brother Zhu, my grades are bad, and my family background is ordinary. Rongrong doesn’t even fancy that guy Wang Kai, let alone me.”

“I’m glad you have this self-awareness.” Cheng Zhu pursed his lips and nodded in affirmation.

“Brother Zhu, can’t you at least comfort me a bit?” Wang Anquan was speechless.

Cheng Zhu looked at him and said seriously, “Actually, you can be bad at studying, not make money, and even be unattractive. You can be mediocre, unmotivated, or even unintelligent.”

Wang Anquan listened, thinking that surely comforting words were coming next.

Cheng Zhu continued, “But I can’t!”

Wang Anquan was stunned for a moment before becoming so angry that he wanted to fight him.

He was indeed quite sturdy, resembling a water buffalo and had immense strength. Cheng Zhu ran away.

As he ran, he laughed.

What he said just now came from his heart. You can be ordinary, but I can’t. After all, I’ve got to carry you forward.

In the future, as long as I have a bowl of food to eat, you’ll have a bowl to wash. This is my promise to you.

After their chase, the two of them eventually hopped on the bus home.

On the bus, Wang Anquan couldn’t resist asking, “Brother Zhu, are you really breaking up for good this time? No more getting back together with Li Xinyue?”

Li Xinyue was the kind of girl who would threaten to break up at the drop of a hat. She did it often, but the moment her partner gave in and softened, she’d agree to get back together.

“Of course. Anquan, let me tell you, you can’t be a licking dog in the future. Some people’s hearts, I swear, the more you fucking lick, the harder they become,” Cheng Zhu said sincerely.

It was now 2014, and although the term licking dog had not gained much traction yet, Wang Anquan still got the gist of it.

He asked, “But in the end, won’t it eventually soften?”

This made Cheng Zhu immediately worry about his buddy’s mindset. Not only did Wang Anquan seem willing to be a licking dog, but he also had the dangerous idea of persevering, hoping that persistence would pay off in the long run. Wasn’t he bound to get hurt badly by love like this?

Seeing Cheng Zhu frowning, Wang Anquan changed the topic. “Brother Zhu, although Li Xinyue has a princess-like attitude, you two have been on and off so many times already. What’s one more?”

Cheng Zhu gazed out the window and said lightly but firmly, “Reading a book again might give you new insights, but the ending doesn’t change.”

===

Some of the main character’s thoughts are pretty interesting, albeit some of them may be scummy, lol.