Chapter 1: Awakening from slumber
12:01 AM – AVALIN Hollywood Nightclub, Hollywood, California, America
Inside this iconic nightclub—filled with the vintage charm of ornate mirrors and a modern dance floor—in a remote corner, a handsome but haggard young man lay carelessly on a plush velvet bench.
The table in front of him was piled high with various drinks and snacks. Suddenly, with a jerk, he showed some movement and slowly tried to open his eyes.
His mind was a total mess; he tried moving his body, but to no avail. It felt as if it was filled with lead.
Muffled voices of people talking and dancing to loud music filled his head.
He opened his eyes in slits with great difficulty; but his vision was blurred, and all he could register was a cascade of colorful lights and the vintage decoration surrounding him.
Groggy and confused, he struggled to understand what was happening, yet his body refused to listen to his commands. In the end, he remained exactly where he was—his mind completely blank.
Just as he was struggling, he vaguely felt someone coming toward him. His eyes seemed to glue shut but with great difficulty, he opened them again to see a womanly silhouette stumble next to him.
And that was the last thing he saw before his mind completely blacked out.
Ding!
[System initialization]
[Scanning the current universe…]
[1%... 2%... 3%…]
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Next Day
The morning sun shone brightly, its rays struggling to illuminate the luxurious room through thick curtains.
Amid the chirping of birds and the muffled noise of traffic outside, the young man slowly opened his eyes, his eyes were ocean blue with a mysterious hint of red.
The first thing he saw was the intricate ceiling above him, adorned with a beautiful chandelier.
But before he could register anything else, he felt a splitting headache, it felt like someone had forcefully split open his head—and his mind descended into chaos.
His face twisted in pain; his temples throbbed, and he winced on the luxurious bed, rolling around in a desperate attempt to suppress the unbearable pain, but to no avail.
And just like that, an hour passed, and the pain finally began to subside.
He felt as if he had just returned from a trip to hell. His clothes and the bed were drenched in sweat.
Upon closer inspection, something black and slimy was visible in the sweat, but the young man couldn't care less about that right now.
His face was changing colors—red, blue, then white—before finally settling into a pale shade.
Slowly, he opened his eyes again. He tried recalling what was happening, but his mind remained blank.
For a moment, all he could do was stare blankly at the ceiling. Then his senses gradually returned, and various memories continuously emerged in his mind; he finally remembered who he was.
His name was Rex Lee, a 20-year-old young man from Los Angeles, California, America.
But that wasn't the real issue.
The most important thing was—he was not himself anymore.
That's right. He had crossed over. He had crossed over from year 20xx to 20xx.
He was no longer in his original world.
His former self seemed to have died in his sleep—or maybe he had not really died and had just been transported into a new body in an alternative universe, one with a completely different life trajectory, because he didn't remember dying or anything like that. Who knows?
The excruciating pain he had felt earlier seemed to be the result of merging memories—his past as an orphan and the new life of a rich student.
The sheer volume of information left him utterly bewildered.
His ocean-blue eyes reflected the chaos in his mind.
He struggled to his feet and glanced around the luxurious hotel room, though his thoughts were in too much turmoil to admire its beauty.
He needed something like a mirror—a way to confirm this new reality, even though he knew that he had crossed over, he still couldn't believe it.
Scanning the room frantically, his gaze landed on a full-length mirror near the bed.
Staggering toward it, he took in his reflection.
There was a handsome face with sharp yet balanced, sculpted features that looked as if they belonged to a Greek statue. His ocean-blue eyes carried a unique charm, holding untold secrets.
Thick, dark eyebrows framed his gaze, adding intensity to his expression. Prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline gave him a striking presence.
His hair, somewhere between midnight and charcoal, was parted loosely in the middle, falling just past his brow. It carried an air of effortless cool, with a hint of rebellion—a modern ruffian, a man who whispered adventure and danger. His height was a solid six feet, and his build was lean yet well-defined.
His face was undeniably handsome; his appearance wasn't drastically different from his past self—just a little more refined, a little more captivating. Well, maybe more than a little, but overall, one could still see the shadow of his previous self.
A sudden thought struck him, and he hurriedly checked his pants. Seeing that everything was still intact—and his "little brother" was okay—he let out a sigh of relief.
After one last look at his reflection, he returned to bed and began sorting through the information in his mind. His thoughts were still hazy, and he couldn't remember things too clearly.
As he was deep in thought, his phone suddenly rang.
He reached over to grab it from the bedside table, struggling slightly due to his lingering dizziness.
The screen displayed the caller ID: UCLA Student Affairs Department.
It was a call from the university. That's right.
He was still a student—a UCLA student, to be exact. It made sense; he hadn't attended classes in a long time, so it wasn't surprising that they were calling. After some thought, he decided to answer.
"Hello?" he said.
Before he could utter another word, an angry roar exploded through the speaker.
"Rex Lee! This is the last time I'm warning you. If you don't show up at the university tomorrow, I'll personally send your expulsion notice! And I won't even care about your parents' kindness anymore!"
Rex was momentarily stunned.
Piecing things together, he quickly realized that his predecessor had been skipping classes for quite a while, spending most of his time indulging in nightclubs.
After some contemplation, he decided it was best to continue attending university, at least for now.
"Sorry, Uncle Johnson. I promise I'll be there tomorrow," he replied.
After hearing his reply, Mr. Johnson's anger subsided a bit—even though he was still skeptical about his promise, he chose to believe it for the sake of his parents.
"Alright. But this is your last warning. You need to start thinking about your future and your parents' expectations. You can't keep wasting time."
"I understand. This will be the last time. Thank you," Rex responded hurriedly.
"Good. See you tomorrow."
Without even waiting for a reply, the call was hung up, which showed how angry he really was.
He slowly put down his phone and thought about Mr. Johnson—his full name is John Johnson, and he is currently vice chancellor of Student Affairs at UCLA, as well as an old friend of his parents.
Thinking about his new parents made him feel a bit melancholic, but he forcefully pushed those emotions aside for now.
He slowly walked toward the window.
As he gazed at the bustling cityscape of Los Angeles, reality finally sank in.
He had truly crossed over. And he wasn't just anyone. He was now a rich second-generation heir with over $100 million.
Thinking about so much money, he felt a bit flustered because, in his previous life, he was just an orphan without friends or relatives—a graduate from an ordinary university, leading a completely ordinary life.
He lived an entirely ordinary life until his death. Well, he was a bit more handsome, but that's it; he didn't even have a girlfriend.
When he thought about his previous life, he realized that he truly lived a miserable existence.
But now, things are different.
He had money.
He had an identity.
But most importantly, he had a chance.
He knew the importance of education and connections. That was why, despite his wealth, he wouldn't drop out of university.
Just like the famous Chinese proverb, "An innocent man is made guilty by the treasure he possesses," even if he didn't want to achieve something great, he needed enough power to at least preserve the wealth he currently had.
He also needed networking opportunities.
There was still much to learn, especially about managing money, because without knowing how to manage money, no matter how much money one has, one will eventually go bankrupt.
You have to know that American universities aren't just places for studying; they are important places for making connections. Otherwise, so many rich and powerful people wouldn't send their children to top universities—even at the cost of donating millions of dollars.
There were countless stories of people who became rich overnight, only to squander it all due to a lack of financial literacy.
Rex had no intention of becoming one of them.
Thankfully, his predecessor had majored in business management. That would make things easier.
And while $100 million sounded like a lot, in America—the land of millionaires and billionaires—it was nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Well, if you just want to laze around, then $100 million is more than enough, but he didn't want to waste his life like in the past.
Even though he wanted to live a leisurely and carefree life, he didn't want to be holed up inside a room.
He also wanted to live in a mansion, travel around the world, taste different foods, and flirt with beauties. Basically, he wanted to see all the beauty this world has to offer; he didn't want to die with regrets, just like in his last life.
He wanted to do everything he couldn't do in his previous life, and without financial support, all of this would have been just empty dreams.
As he looked out at the dazzling skyline of Los Angeles, he made up his mind to graduate honestly.
As he contemplated his future, he suddenly thought about the parents of his current self.
(End of Chapter)