Chapter 1: Put Down the Brick, Pick Up the Phone

"I've actually been reborn?"
"And it's back to ten years ago, on the very day I acted heroically?"
In the dim alleyway, Cao Kun stared at the date and time displayed on his phone, his fist clenched tightly.
Ten years!
He had dreamed of returning to this day.
Ten years ago, as Cao Kun passed through this alley, he happened upon Wang Shanshan's mother, Bai Jing, being harassed by three hooligans.
Wang Shanshan, the school beauty, had not only been his classmate for three years in high school but also the goddess he had pursued for three long years.
In fact, just recently, when filling out his college applications, Cao Kun had deliberately chosen the same university and major as hers, hoping to continue his pursuit.
Seeing the three thugs clearly intending to assault her, Cao Kun hadn't hesitated; he grabbed a brick and rushed forward.
Thanks to his regular training and his impressive height of 1.82 meters, even though it was three against one, Cao Kun was not at a disadvantage.
In the chaos, he managed to beat all three thugs, laying them out on the ground.
After subduing them, Cao Kun intended to call the police, but Bai Jing stopped him, fearing for her reputation.
Although her innocence hadn't been violated, if word got out, the story could easily spiral out of control.
Once neighbors got hold of it, it could become gossip that Bai Jing had indeed been assaulted by the three.
Putting himself in her shoes, Cao Kun realized this was entirely possible, so ultimately, he didn't report it.
Yet, the next morning, the police came knocking and arrested him.
It turned out one of the thugs had sustained serious injuries during the fight and died overnight.
Still, Cao Kun wasn't worried.
He had read up on the law: when stopping someone in the act of rape, kidnapping, or murder, any resulting injury or death did not constitute excessive defense, and one would bear no legal responsibility.
In other words, not only was he innocent, but his actions were considered heroic.
But in the end, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Because Bai Jing did not admit she was being assaulted.
Her statement was that the three thugs were merely asking her for directions, and Cao Kun, like a madman, attacked them out of nowhere.
Thus, what should have been a noble act of heroism became a murder case, thanks to Bai Jing's false testimony.
From then on, Cao Kun bore the stigma of a murderer and began his ten-year prison sentence.

Recalling all of this, a fierce light flashed in Cao Kun's eyes.
"Ten years. Do you even know what I've been through?"
"Wang Shanshan, Bai Jing, Wang Yifu—you three, just wait. I'll make sure you can't live nor die in peace!"
At first, Cao Kun thought the accusation was solely Bai Jing's doing.
Only after entering prison did he learn, by chance, that Wang Shanshan and her husband, Wang Yifu, were also involved in framing him for intentional murder.
All three members of their family took part.
In fact, the goddess he'd pursued for three years, Wang Shanshan, was the mastermind behind the framing.
So for ten years, he had dreamed of tearing the family apart.
Of course, he wouldn't actually kill them.
That would be too merciful.
As the saying goes, to truly satisfy vengeance, one must use a dull knife.
He intended to destroy them slowly, piece by piece.
Only then could he quench the hatred burning in his heart.
Seeing that the time was almost right, Cao Kun surveyed his surroundings and quickly hid behind two trash bins nearby.
If his memory served him, Bai Jing would soon be dragged into the alley by the three thugs.
As expected!
No sooner had Cao Kun crouched behind the bins than muffled cries and chaotic footsteps echoed nearby.
At the end of the alley, three thugs were forcibly dragging a voluptuous woman inside.
It was Bai Jing!
One covered her mouth, one lifted her body, another held her legs; together they quickly hauled Bai Jing in, barely two meters from Cao Kun's hiding spot, close enough to see everything clearly.
...
Over half an hour later,
Cao Kun emerged from behind the trash bins.
Glancing at the video he'd recorded on his phone, a wicked smile curled his lips.
"Aunt Bai, I suppose you wouldn't want your husband to see this video, would you?"
With that, Cao Kun burst out laughing and strode off in the opposite direction from Bai Jing.

...

Half an hour later,
Inside an old residential apartment, Cao Kun stepped out of the bathroom, his hair still damp.
Standing before the full-length mirror, gazing at his naked body, he couldn't help but smile.
Such a prime age, such a splendid physique!
No hideous scars winding over his skin.
No stitched wound stretching from his left eye across the bridge of his nose to the right corner of his mouth, like a centipede.
Everything was perfect.
Finally, after staring at himself in the mirror for nearly a minute, Cao Kun lit a cigarette and settled onto the sofa to think.
Now that he was reborn, revenge was inevitable.
He would never let Wang Shanshan and her family of three off the hook.
But since fate had granted him a second chance, he couldn't devote it solely to vengeance.
After all, life held more than revenge.
Things like good food, fine wine, women.
Ten years in prison had cost him too much; there were countless regrets to make up for.
So this time, besides seeking revenge, he would truly enjoy life.
But whether it was food, wine, or women, all required one thing:
Money!
Thus, revenge was important, but making money was equally crucial.
Of course, he had no intention of earning it through ordinary work.
Thanks to ten years behind bars, he knew quite a few ways to get rich quick.
However, most of those ways were too risky.
Otherwise, those people wouldn't have ended up in prison alongside him.
So he needed to filter carefully, and see if he could pick out a few methods that weren't so wild.