Sensing the situation was escalating, someone came over and managed to defuse it, persuading her to leave.

I knew we'd be enemies from now on.

After the morning classes, it was lunchtime.

I went to the cafeteria alone, got the cheapest two vegetarian dishes and a bowl of free soup, and found an empty seat.

At the start of the semester, I had little money and needed financial aid to cover my tuition.

Suddenly, someone sat down next to me and pushed a meat dish in front of me.

"Just veggies won't do. Erica, I ordered too much food. Can you help me finish it?"

I looked up to see Joel Stephens, the heartthrob of our department.

Joel sat next to me, his attractive eyes sparkling with a hint of a smile.

I straightened up abruptly, my right hand clenching involuntarily.

In my previous life, Joel stood up for me when others mocked and excluded me, confessing his feelings to the ugly duckling that I was.

Just when I thought I'd found true love, willing to endure the exclusion and mockery, I found out I was just a punishment for a lost bet between Joel and his friends.

The punishment was to pursue the poorest and ugliest girl in school.

And I was that girl.

I vividly remembered the day the bet was revealed. Joel looked at me with utter disdain.

"Erica, do yourself a favor and look in the mirror. You're broke and shabby. How could I ever like you? Every second with you makes me sick!"

Laughter surrounded me, but I only felt my heart shatter.

The memory brought a flash of hatred across my eyes.

I picked up my tray. "Sorry. That's filthy."

Ignoring Joel's stunned expression, I walked away, feeling an incredible sense of relief.

Back from the dead, my first challenge was still the same: I'm broke.

Even with four years of foresight, everything needed money to start.

So, not long after school started, I went back to my old trade—collecting recyclables.

I needed to accumulate my initial capital through recycling.

The amount of recyclables in a university was astounding, and the surrounding shops, stores, and delivery stations provided a huge opportunity. If done right, the profit could be unimaginable.

Thanks to my mom, who also collected recyclables, I knew a bit about it.

I used this semester's living expenses to rent a small room off-campus dedicated to storing the recyclables.

Initially, I only collected around the school.

During that time, I got a lot of disdainful looks.