The last message was from his direct supervisor, written in earnest words, telling him that the company’s performance had been poor lately and hoping employees could voluntarily take a pay cut to help the company get through tough times together.

William Carter instantly lost the mood for drinking and continued smoking under the construction building.

In this era, if you want to have money, you absolutely can’t just work for others, because the distribution of resources in this society is inherently unfair.

But when he thought about his age, William Carter couldn’t help but laugh.

Is it realistic to start a business at thirty-eight?

These past two years, his back was almost broken from exhaustion, his cervical spine was acting up, and his neuralgia was more frequent than his urination.

Dragging this battered body to start a business—even if he succeeded, he’d be fifty by then. What would there be left to enjoy in life?

If only he could start over, he’d never work for anyone. If he could latch onto a rich woman, he’d do it.

If that didn’t work, he’d start a business, firmly believing that money lost could be earned again, but if you lost your conscience, you’d earn even more.

William Carter took a deep breath, kneaded his sore neck, and couldn’t help but glance upward.

Hmm?

What’s that dark mass? And it’s coming straight at him?

“……”

“Give him a shot of adrenaline, hurry!”

“……”

“Welcome the Olympics, promote civility, foster new trends!”

“……”

“Where’s Mr. Parker? Ask if the operating room is ready, hurry up!”

“……”

“My door is always open, waiting for you with open arms.”

Suddenly, William Carter felt a bit dazzled, his ears noisy, his skin burning hot, and his mind a little dizzy.

In a blur, he saw a very beautiful young girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old.

She was wearing a fluffy floral dress, showing a small stretch of fair, smooth calf, with a high, delicate nose, rosy thin lips, long curled lashes, and a pair of bright, lively eyes.

William Carter smiled.

All these years of working hard to help the big boss buy new cars and villas, he’d never even dreamed of such a beautiful girl.

A girl this pretty—if you slapped her, she’d probably cry for a long time, right?

“William Carter, I really don’t want to date anyone, I’m sorry.”

William Carter couldn’t smile anymore, because he realized the girl in front of him was becoming more vivid and clear.

On her floral dress were printed wild chrysanthemums, and she stood tall and graceful on the red plastic track, using her snow-white arm to shield herself from the sun so she wouldn’t have to squint.

But even so, the scorching weather still made this youthful, beautiful girl look a bit irritable.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as you agree. We’re still good friends, right?”

William Carter’s brow furrowed, a trace of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

He knew this girl—the class beauty from his high school days, Sophie Clark. She should be married by now.

Counting high school and college, he’d chased her for seven years, almost getting rejected to the point of doubting his own existence.

Actually, William Carter wasn’t a hopeless simp, nor could he bring himself to pester someone endlessly.

The problem was, Sophie Clark kept inserting herself into his life as a “friend,” asking him to do this and that, not allowing him to date other girls, occasionally giving him hope, tossing him a bit of sweetness—she really tormented the young William Carter.

“After freshman year, I’ll consider being your girlfriend!”

“I didn’t expect sophomore year to be so busy, let’s talk in junior year.”

“There are so many competitions in junior year, I don’t have time for a relationship.”

Until the second semester of junior year, she showed up hand-in-hand with a tall, skinny guy, both wearing matching couple’s outfits.

That day, she was all gentle smiles, her eyes sparkling like the stars, asking her boyfriend if he was handsome.

After that, he sealed his heart in concrete, never again thinking about love, which led to the story of him, at thirty-eight, barely finding someone to marry.

Back in 2008, the concept of a “backup guy” didn’t exist. It wasn’t until the internet became widespread that William Carter realized—he’d been a backup all along.

She just hadn’t found the right person yet, so she kept him at arm’s length, teasing him when she was happy, ignoring him when she wasn’t.

To put it bluntly, to her, he was just a tool to kill time when she was bored.

The memories were vivid, but at this moment, William Carter felt dizzy and his ears were ringing.

The high school in the south of the city, the class beauty in her youth.

Is this… rebirth?

Or is he dreaming?

If it’s rebirth, then where’s the “ding”? Why isn’t there a “ding”?

William Carter shakily reached out, grasping at the air, but didn’t summon any virtual screen.

Is he a fake reborn protagonist? Not even given a starter pack?

“William Carter, did you hear me? I really don’t want to date right now.”

“Okay, whatever you say.”

William Carter replied casually, then closed his eyes, wanting to see if he could awaken a cheat with his mind, but unfortunately, he failed—there really was no system.

Hearing his straightforward answer, Sophie Clark was a bit taken aback. William Carter’s attitude was full of indifference, making her feel like her punch had landed on cotton—completely powerless.

“Did you not hear me? I just rejected you!”

“I heard you, I’m not deaf.”

“Then… don’t you have anything to say to me?”