The rebirth of lickspittle

In the end, Shen Chuchu called her dorm and asked Liu Wenshi to borrow as much money as possible and come to her aid.

Shen Chuchu gathered all her remaining living expenses from the start of the semester, totaling 570 yuan. Liu Wenshi managed to bring 900 yuan, and together with Shen Chuchu's old phone from last year, they barely managed to resolve the issue.

The restaurant owner reluctantly let them go, stating they had to pay the remaining amount within a month, or the phone would not be returned.

Shen Chuchu gritted her teeth. That phone had cost her 4,500 yuan when she bought it. Even as a second-hand device, it could still fetch nearly 2,000 yuan.

Now, the two girls had less than 20 yuan between them, and the semester had only just started.

Feeling dejected, they returned to school.

Huayang University was located at the heart of Huayang University Town. Since its planning and development began in 1995, several other universities—about seven or eight—had gradually relocated their campuses there over the past decade. Among them were art schools and colleges specializing in flight attendants and healthcare.

In simple terms: the area was teeming with beautiful women.

Every evening, the roads near these universities would be jam-packed with cars, making parking almost impossible. Such a sight in 2005, where car ownership was not as widespread, was unique to this location.

Meanwhile, in Zhang Fan's dormitory, his roommates were enthusiastically discussing women.

Despite being reborn with past life experiences, Zhang Fan had little knowledge in this area. In his previous life, he had given up so much for Shen Chuchu.

The sixth roommate, He Guangxi, a chubby guy with a face full of acne, suddenly said, "Why don't we head to the internet café? I'll hack into our school's database and check out the quality of the girls here."

The others didn't understand what he meant, but Zhang Fan did.

"You can really do that?" Zhang Fan asked.

He Guangxi smirked confidently. "Of course! These official school systems are the easiest to hack. I can even generate game cards for Fantasy Westward Journey! That's child's play."

Everyone's eyes lit up. They didn't quite grasp hacking into a database, but generating game cards? That was something they could relate to—basically, cheating.

The third roommate, Jin Hui, kept urging He Guangxi to go to the internet café and generate some game cards for him.

Jin Hui, a local from the city, carried himself with the typical arrogance of someone from a big city. Before Zhang Fan revealed his phone, Jin Hui was always flaunting his own phone, never letting it leave his hand.

Under Jin Hui's urging, He Guangxi, who lacked assertiveness and was addicted to gaming, finally gave in.

The group, half-joking and half-serious, decided to head to the internet café.

Zhang Fan, however, had no interest in gaming. He took out two packs of cigarettes from his locker, handed them to He Guangxi, and said, "I won't go. But I'll cover the smokes. Do me a favor—check the profile of Gu You'an from the Folk Arts Department for me. Thanks."

"Sure, but I don't smoke. You should take these back," He Guangxi replied.

Before Zhang Fan could respond, Jin Hui snatched the cigarettes.

"You've gotta learn to smoke now that we're in college! These are high-quality smokes. Thanks, buddy!" Jin Hui exclaimed.

Zhang Fan waved it off.

With five of his six roommates gone to the internet café, Zhang Fan stayed back.

He wasn't randomly digging into Gu You'an's profile. This woman was stunningly beautiful, but despite her striking appearance, she remained low-profile at school. Even during the campus beauty contests, posts recommending her mysteriously disappeared.

In a way, Gu You'an was Lin Feng's major trump card.

In his previous life, Zhang Fan had investigated her background but found nothing. The only clue he got was from a high-ranking official who warned him: "Don't pry where you shouldn't. You'll bring trouble to your family."

Gu You'an was not only a symbol of beauty but also represented massive resources.

In this second chance at life, Zhang Fan was determined to wrestle her away from Lin Feng.

After his roommates left, Zhang Fan began replaying future events in his mind.

One vision stood out. It was set for two nights later by Zhan River.

In this vision, Shen Chuchu, drunk and disoriented, stumbled along the riverbank. Suddenly, a group of thugs emerged, eyeing her drunken state and beauty. They began harassing her, their actions becoming more daring under the cover of darkness.

Just as Zhang Fan was watching with interest, another man appeared in the vision.

It was someone he could never forget—even in death: Lin Feng.

Using his martial arts skills, Lin Feng quickly scared off the thugs. Shen Chuchu, in her intoxicated state, fell into Lin Feng's arms with a dazed expression.

The vision ended there.

This scene was far more valuable than the previous one Zhang Fan had seen.

If Lin Feng hadn't appeared, Zhang Fan would've been content watching Shen Chuchu suffer. But with Lin Feng's involvement, Zhang Fan's plans changed.

Shen Chuchu and Liu Wenshi returned to their dorm, both visibly upset.

The two sat on their beds, lost in thought. Their four other roommates exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

Eventually, one of them broke the silence.

"Um… Chuchu, you know, the semester just started, and we're all kinda short on cash."

"What do you mean?" Shen Chuchu asked, still not fully understanding.

One of them explained, "Well, you were short on money earlier, so Wenshi asked us to lend you some. I think it'd be good if you could repay us soon, if that's okay."

"Yeah, I lent you 100 yuan."

"Same here."

"I lent 50."

"Me too."

Hearing everyone's chatter, Shen Chuchu buried her head under her blanket and yelled, "I know, I know! My family lives in Qingjiang Villa! Do you really think I can't pay you back?!"

Her roommates exchanged uncomfortable glances. They felt disrespected—after helping her, they were now being looked down upon.

No one said another word.

Liu Wenshi, on the other hand, was preoccupied with her own concerns. All she could think about was the nineteen kisses she owed Zhang Fan. The thought made her incredibly embarrassed.

Later that evening, Zhang Fan returned to campus in a taxi.

His car was still at the repair shop. The repair itself was relatively cheap, costing only 1,200 yuan, but combined with depreciation, as he had said, it totaled 20,000 yuan.

Using some connections, Zhang Fan managed to obtain a repair receipt stating 40,000 yuan for repainting and depreciation.

After smoothing things over with the shop owner, who happily smoked the premium cigarettes Zhang Fan had provided, Zhang Fan left with 1,000 yuan still in his pocket.

Back at school, Zhang Fan called Liu Wenshi's dorm.

The phone rang, startling Liu Wenshi. She seemed terrified, while her four roommates stayed on their bunks, uninterested in answering.

It was Shen Chuchu, still annoyed, who got up to take the call.

Her tone was hostile. "Who is this? What do you want?"

"It's Zhang Fan. I'm looking for Liu Wenshi," he replied calmly.

"Zhang Fan?!" Shen Chuchu's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What do you want with Wenshi?" she demanded.

"None of your business," Zhang Fan replied coldly.

Enraged, Shen Chuchu wanted to hang up immediately, but her nosy roommates perked up.

"Is that Wenshi's boyfriend? Ooh, are they going on a date this late?" one teased, drawing everyone's attention to Liu Wenshi.

Liu Wenshi frantically waved her hands, denying the accusation.

Shen Chuchu yelled into the phone, "Zhang Fan! Are you threatening Wenshi or something?!"

Zhang Fan, unfazed, said, "Tell her I'm waiting for her by the campus lake."

With that, he hung up, not wanting to waste another word on her.

Shen Chuchu turned to Liu Wenshi, her expression stern.

"Wenshi! Is that jerk threatening you? If he is, just tell me—I'll handle it!"

Liu Wenshi curled up on her bed, hugging her knees, looking helpless.

She asked timidly, "W-What did he say?"

"That jerk said he's waiting for you by the campus lake. Don't go, Wenshi! Let's see what he dares to do!"

Liu Wenshi buried her head in her knees for a moment before getting off the bed.

Shen Chuchu was shocked. "What are you doing? Don't tell me you're actually going to meet him!"

Liu Wenshi whispered nervously, "I… I'll be back soon."