Chapter 4

In his past life, Stephen was a dedicated simp. He only had eyes for Natasha throughout his entire high school and university years. He had never noticed Bailey. Of course, this was partly due to Bailey's personality—she was aloof and distant. But it wasn't just Stephen who had never talked to her. Even the male students in Bailey's class had barely spoken to her throughout their entire time in high school. Nevertheless, the name "Bailey Young" did seem familiar to Stephen. She was not only the top student in the Special Concentrations Program but she was also known for being the most beautiful student in school. She was many male students' first crush. She left an indelible mark in many of their hearts for years to come. From what he recalled, Bailey managed to secure the highest SAT score in Linden Town that year. Furthermore, her score was also ranked eighth in the entire state, and she was even offered early admission to Harvard. However, she didn't go. She chose to study abroad instead. "I—I didn't mean to pretend to be mute. I—I just don't like to talk. You're not angry at me, are you?" Bailey asked. Her eyes were filled with anxiousness. Stephen wasn't mad but he decided to put on an act. "How could I not be upset when you've lied to me this entire time? Bailey Young, I'm not going to stay friends with you if you keep this up." Stephen meant that as a joke to tease Bailey. However, Bailey's face turned pale instantly. She replied nervously, "I'm sorry… I—I don't have much experience in dealing with friends. I was just afraid I would say the wrong thing to upset you." "Haha! I was just kidding. I wouldn't get upset over such a small matter." "Really?" "Yes." Bailey let out a deep sigh of relief. Stephen asked curiously, "So… you've never had any friends growing up?" Bailey nodded. "My mom doesn't allow me to speak to guys. As for the other girls in school… I'm not sure why they don't quite like me." Stephen immediately understood what she meant. Even though he had experienced many things throughout his two lifetimes, nonetheless, he still found Bailey's looks and demeanor extraordinary. Furthermore, she was from a very wealthy family… When someone as outstanding as Bailey stood out from the rest of the group, it was only natural that she attracted jealousy and exclusion. Furthermore, with her naturally aloof and distant demeanor, she would be easily mistaken for being arrogant. With all the above factors combined, it was no wonder that she found it hard to make friends. "That's alright, I'll be your friend from now on. I'll even be your best friend." "Really?" Bailey's eyes sparkled with joy. She was genuinely happy to finally have friends—especially one who could talk so much! … The next morning, Stephen, who was physically 18 years old, but mentally 36 years old, returned to high school once again. He took some time to recall where his classroom was located. Just when he was trying to find his seat, he noticed a male student with a square face waving eagerly at him. Stephen was certain that that student would be able to assist him in locating his seat. He was Zachary Howard, Stephen's deskmate throughout high school. Just as Stephen made his way over, Zachary asked, "Stephen, I heard that you bought a huge bouquet of roses to confess to Natasha during spring break. How did that go?" As soon as Zack brought up the question, the entire class' attention turned toward Stephen. Who didn't like a little gossip? A few students even had smirks on their faces. They were clearly aware of what happened at the bar that night. Natasha, who was sitting not far away from them, also turned toward Stephen. There was a hint of grievance in her eyes. Nevertheless, she still exuded her usual haughty demeanor. If it were the old Stephen, he'd be extremely embarrassed at that moment. That was how one acted when they were young and naive, putting their pride above everything else. Fortunately, the current Stephen had a mature mindset that could easily handle the awkwardness in his teenage life. "You really want to know what happened, Zach?" Zachary nodded instinctively. "Honestly, most things in life can be summed up in five words," Stephen said, drawing out his words as he looked at Zachary. "Those five words are—It's none of your business." Zachary was left speechless. He thought that Stephen was especially annoying today. In reality, Zachary had already heard about the incident at the bar from a few of their male classmates this morning. He was well-prepared to comfort Stephen. But after seeing Stephen's current state, it seemed as if he didn't need any comfort at all. … "He'll come back eventually." Throughout the entire spring break, this line kept echoing in Natasha's mind. She eagerly waited for Stephen to apologize to her. When he didn't reach out on the first day, Natasha wasn't too worried. She didn't believe that Stephen would be able to hold it against her for long. Each day passed by without an apology from Stephen. By the end of spring break, Stephen had neither called her, texted her, nor left her a message on Facebook. Natasha started to feel anxious. Was he really going to ignore her? She had gotten used to Stephen always being around her throughout her entire high school life. The seven days that Stephen ignored her felt so different from what she was used to that she couldn't accept it. Natasha felt distracted the entire day. Occasionally, she would sneak a few glances at Stephen. She noticed that besides joking around with Zachary from time to time, Stephen was deeply focused on his studies. It was clear that Stephen didn't spare her a single glance throughout the entire day. It seemed as if she was non-existent. Natasha grew even more anxious. There were moments when she felt an impulse to walk up to Stephen and talk to him. However, she managed to hold herself back in the end. Her pride wouldn't allow her to do such a thing. Stephen, on the other hand, had no way of knowing what Natasha was feeling. Otherwise, he would've surely told her, "Don't let me catch you regretting this, or I'll be sure to mock you." … After class, Stephen and Zachary left together. Moments later, Zachary couldn't keep it in him any longer and asked, "Stephen, are you really going to ignore Natasha? I noticed that you never said a word to her today…" "Zach, I've finally moved on from that traumatic episode. Shouldn't you be happy for me?" "If you've really moved on, of course I'll be happy for you!" Zachary let out a sigh before he continued, "I'm just afraid that you're not being true to your feelings. I hope you're not keeping the sadness to yourself just to hide it from others, and end up crying yourself to sleep at night." "Ha! Do you really think I'm so fragile that I would cry over such a small matter?" Stephen burst into laughter. As he laughed, the humor seemed to have faded, leaving a strange feeling behind. He realized that he was exactly what he had mocked himself for in his previous life. In his previous life, after the incident at the bar, he sulked for days, refusing to talk to Natasha. At the same time, he would quietly cry himself to sleep at night when no one was watching. After that, when Natasha showed him even the slightest bit of attention, he immediately resumed his role of being her most dedicated simp. As they walked past the school gate, Zachary suddenly nudged Stephen and pointed ahead. Natasha and her best friend, Lily Condor, stood by the bus stop. The contrast between them was stark. Although Lily was quite a decent young woman, she seemed rather dull when standing next to Natasha. When the soft glow of the streetlamp shone down on Natasha's features, it cast a natural filter over her already outstanding features. She was absolutely breathtaking. Stephen had never denied Natasha's good looks. Although Natasha couldn't quite measure up to Bailey, everything about her seemed to click for Stephen. Otherwise, he wouldn't have fallen head over heels for her in his past life. When Natasha noticed Stephen, she huffed and raised her chin slightly. Her expression carried a hint of arrogance and grievance. It seemed as if she was expecting something. Zachary nudged Stephen gently and said, "Stephen, look at how upset Natasha looks. She's obviously waiting for you to go talk to her. Go now!" Stephen ignored Zachary. He walked straight past Natasha without even sparing her a glance. He wasn't putting on an act nor was he trying to prove anything. Natasha couldn't believe that Stephen could possess such a nonchalant attitude. Her gaze was filled with shock and a hint of sadness. How could Stephen do that to her? How dare he not say a word to her and treat her as if she didn't exist? "Stephen, I'm not going to forgive you!" Natasha shouted at him, feeling utterly wronged. She stomped her foot and turned to get on the bus. Zachary sighed and said, "Stephen, you're done for. You're completely out of the running now…" Stephen shrugged slightly and replied, "I'm fine with that. Here's hoping the next person is a better match." "Nonsense!" Zachary rolled his eyes and continued, "There's only one legendary person in the entire Linden High School that could compare against Natasha…" Just as Zachary began to mumble, a Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of them. The window rolled down to reveal a young woman with an exquisite face. Zachary was stunned. This was that legendary person that he was referring to just moments ago. She was none other than the smartest and the most beautiful student in Linden High—Bailey Young. Bailey said cheerfully, "Stephen, get in the car, I'll give you a ride!" "I told you the next person would be a better match. Do you trust me now, Zach?" Stephen couldn't resist rubbing it in Zachary's face. Then, he turned toward Bailey and said, "That's alright. My house is nearby." "Alright." Bailey pouted slightly. After a brief moment of silence, she asked again, "Can we… grab lunch together tomorrow?" To Bailey, she thought that good friends should always eat together. "Sure!" "I'll see you tomorrow?" After getting Stephen's confirmation, Bailey showed clear signs of happiness. She waved goodbye to Stephen and rolled up the window. Then, the Rolls-Royce slowly pulled away. "Bailey's family… must be quite loaded." Stephen was well aware of what it meant to own a Rolls-Royce back in 2009. Families with such financial power weren't typically from small towns like Linden Town. Zachary finally snapped out of it. "Stephen, was that Bailey who was talking to you just now?" "I—I guess so." "She offered to give you a ride home? And even asked you out for lunch?" "Uh… I guess so." "Am I dreaming?" "Shall I pinch you to find out?" "Ow—Ouch!" "Sorry to disappoint you, Zachary, but you're definitely not dreaming." "Stephen, aren't you going to explain to me what's going on?" "Zachary, you clearly lack some self-awareness. Why would I owe you an explanation?"