Chapter 3 · He Broke My Heart, So I Raised His Rival

On Friday afternoon, while we were testing the program, the classroom door was suddenly pushed open.

Joseph stood at the doorway, his sharp gaze darting between me and Benedict with scrutiny.

I set my notes aside. "What do you want?"

Joseph strode in, his eyes briefly scanning Benedict's computer screen before curling his lips in disdain. "So you two are joining that competition too?"

Benedict instinctively snapped his laptop shut, but I held his hand. "Yeah, we're in."

Joseph's eyes darkened. "Since when have you been interested in tech competitions, Ariana?"

"I've always been interested," I replied calmly. "Just never found the right partner before."

Joseph's expression twisted momentarily before quickly smoothing out. "Kiana and I have developed a blockchain wallet app. It's already in the testing stage."

Joseph gave Benedict a pointed look. "This takes real technical expertise. It's not something you can master with just book learning."

Benedict's fingers tensed slightly, but he held his ground. "Technology is meant to solve problems, not to show off."

Joseph sneered, "Nice words. Ariana—"

He suddenly turned to me, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you seriously teaming up with someone who can't even grasp basic algorithms?"

I stood up and met Joseph's gaze head-on. "Benedict is far more talented than you give him credit for. And besides—"

I paused deliberately. "A blockchain wallet in 2015? You guys are really ahead of your time."

Joseph's pupils dilated violently, his face draining of color in an instant.

He parted his lips, at a loss for words. Then he turned and hurried out of the classroom.

"What's wrong with him?" Benedict asked, looking confused.

I sat back down, my heart pounding wildly. "Who knows? Maybe he suddenly remembered something urgent."

But I knew—my probe had struck a nerve.

Joseph and Kiana had definitely returned to the past, and they knew I had, too.

On my way home from school, I mulled over the implications of this new discovery.

Rounding the corner, I suddenly spotted Joseph leaning against a sycamore tree by the school gate, clearly waiting for someone.

I was about to avoid him when he made a beeline for me. "Let's talk?"

I eyed him warily. "What could we possibly have to talk about?"

Joseph took a deep breath, his eyes clouded with conflicting emotions. "Ariana, I know you've returned, too."

I'd long suspected it, but hearing Joseph admit it outright made my heart lurch.

I forced composure. "So?"

He lowered his voice. "We should talk about what happened in our previous life. I'm sorry. I had too much to drink back then and didn't know what I was doing."

I sneered, "Being drunk doesn't excuse strangling someone."

Joseph's face flashed with panic. "I-I deeply regretted it later. In this life, we could start fresh—no misunderstandings, no Kiana."

I couldn't believe my ears. "Wait, are you hinting that I should keep sponsoring you?"

"It's not sponsoring, it's a partnership!" Joseph said urgently. "I know the tech trends coming in the next few years. You've got the capital and connections. We could—"

"Enough!" I cut him off sharply. "Joseph, you haven't changed a bit. In our previous life, you hated me for buying you with money, and now you're willingly putting yourself up for sale at a better price?"

Joseph's expression darkened. "You think Benedict is more virtuous than me? He's just after your money!"

"At least he intends to repay his debts," I scoffed. "And he actually appreciates what he's given, unlike you."

Joseph's eyes flashed with that familiar resentment. "You'll regret this, Ariana. What do you think Benedict could possibly achieve? In our previous life, he didn't even live to enter college!"

That remark stabbed me right in the heart.

A chill ran down my spine. Without another word, I turned on my heel and left.

Joseph called out from behind me, his voice full of spite. "When the day comes that Kiana and I take our company public, don't forget that you're the one who threw away this golden opportunity!"

I didn't look back, but his words coiled around my heart like a venomous snake.

As soon as I got home, I jumped on my computer and searched for blockchain news. Sure enough, discussion of this technology was still in its infancy locally.

Joseph and Kiana had indeed returned from the past with memories from their previous life, and they were planning to use that knowledge to fast-track their success.

After a brief hesitation, I picked up my phone and texted Benedict: [Are you free tomorrow? I'd like you to come over to my place to go over the project proposal.]

Benedict replied promptly: [Sure. Send me the address.]

Chapter 3

On Friday afternoon, while we were testing the program, the classroom door was suddenly pushed open.

Joseph stood at the doorway, his sharp gaze darting between me and Benedict with scrutiny.

I set my notes aside. "What do you want?"

Joseph strode in, his eyes briefly scanning Benedict's computer screen before curling his lips in disdain. "So you two are joining that competition too?"

Benedict instinctively snapped his laptop shut, but I held his hand. "Yeah, we're in."

Joseph's eyes darkened. "Since when have you been interested in tech competitions, Ariana?"

"I've always been interested," I replied calmly. "Just never found the right partner before."

Joseph's expression twisted momentarily before quickly smoothing out. "Kiana and I have developed a blockchain wallet app. It's already in the testing stage."

Joseph gave Benedict a pointed look. "This takes real technical expertise. It's not something you can master with just book learning."

Benedict's fingers tensed slightly, but he held his ground. "Technology is meant to solve problems, not to show off."

Joseph sneered, "Nice words. Ariana—"

He suddenly turned to me, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you seriously teaming up with someone who can't even grasp basic algorithms?"

I stood up and met Joseph's gaze head-on. "Benedict is far more talented than you give him credit for. And besides—"

I paused deliberately. "A blockchain wallet in 2015? You guys are really ahead of your time."

Joseph's pupils dilated violently, his face draining of color in an instant.

He parted his lips, at a loss for words. Then he turned and hurried out of the classroom.

"What's wrong with him?" Benedict asked, looking confused.

I sat back down, my heart pounding wildly. "Who knows? Maybe he suddenly remembered something urgent."

But I knew—my probe had struck a nerve.

Joseph and Kiana had definitely returned to the past, and they knew I had, too.

On my way home from school, I mulled over the implications of this new discovery.

Rounding the corner, I suddenly spotted Joseph leaning against a sycamore tree by the school gate, clearly waiting for someone.

I was about to avoid him when he made a beeline for me. "Let's talk?"

I eyed him warily. "What could we possibly have to talk about?"

Joseph took a deep breath, his eyes clouded with conflicting emotions. "Ariana, I know you've returned, too."

I'd long suspected it, but hearing Joseph admit it outright made my heart lurch.

I forced composure. "So?"

He lowered his voice. "We should talk about what happened in our previous life. I'm sorry. I had too much to drink back then and didn't know what I was doing."

I sneered, "Being drunk doesn't excuse strangling someone."

Joseph's face flashed with panic. "I-I deeply regretted it later. In this life, we could start fresh—no misunderstandings, no Kiana."

I couldn't believe my ears. "Wait, are you hinting that I should keep sponsoring you?"

"It's not sponsoring, it's a partnership!" Joseph said urgently. "I know the tech trends coming in the next few years. You've got the capital and connections. We could—"

Joseph's expression darkened. "You think Benedict is more virtuous than me? He's just after your money!"

"At least he intends to repay his debts," I scoffed. "And he actually appreciates what he's given, unlike you."

Joseph's eyes flashed with that familiar resentment. "You'll regret this, Ariana. What do you think Benedict could possibly achieve? In our previous life, he didn't even live to enter college!"

That remark stabbed me right in the heart.

A chill ran down my spine. Without another word, I turned on my heel and left.

Joseph called out from behind me, his voice full of spite. "When the day comes that Kiana and I take our company public, don't forget that you're the one who threw away this golden opportunity!"

I didn't look back, but his words coiled around my heart like a venomous snake.

As soon as I got home, I jumped on my computer and searched for blockchain news. Sure enough, discussion of this technology was still in its infancy locally.

Joseph and Kiana had indeed returned from the past with memories from their previous life, and they were planning to use that knowledge to fast-track their success.

After a brief hesitation, I picked up my phone and texted Benedict: [Are you free tomorrow? I'd like you to come over to my place to go over the project proposal.]

Benedict replied promptly: [Sure. Send me the address.]