Leong woke earlier than usual, long before the sun had fully risen. For the first time since his rebirth, he felt a strange stillness—a quiet, razor-sharp kind of clarity settling in his chest. Yesterday's events replayed in his mind: the discovery of Fatma's loyalty, the exposure of Mei Lin's lies, the dark truth about the man she had been secretly involved with, and the painful realization of how foolish he had been in his previous life.
But now…
Now he finally understood something deeper.
This life did not owe him anything.
He owed himself the courage to reclaim it.
He splashed cold water on his face, staring at his reflection. The man in the mirror was still him—still Leong—but there was a new focus in his eyes. The old Leong had been too soft, too trusting, too eager to please everyone but himself. The reborn Leong would not repeat the same mistakes.
He dried his face, grabbed his phone, and scrolled through the messages Mei Lin sent last night—messages thick with fake sweetness and calculated guilt trips.
"Leong, I didn't mean to upset you…"
"You don't understand what I've been going through."
"I only met Kevin because I needed advice, nothing more."
"Can we talk?"
He deleted all of them.
Not because he was angry—anger was too small for what he felt.
He deleted them because she no longer mattered.
Instead, he opened a message he had meant to reply to:
Fatma:
Are you okay? If you need breakfast, I can bring some.
A warmth tugged at his chest.
Leong:
I'm okay. I'll see you later.
He hesitated.
Typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Leong:
Thank you… for yesterday.
He stared at the words for a moment before pressing send.
He had no idea what Fatma truly wanted from him, but she had shown him more sincerity in a single day than Mei Lin had in two years. And sincerity was something he could no longer ignore.
The Office — A Different Leong Arrives
At 9 a.m., Leong walked into the company office carrying not his usual quiet presence, but a calm, controlled confidence that made several colleagues look up.
"Morning, Leong," one greeted.
He nodded politely.
But inside, he had one target today:
the senior accountant who had helped Mei Lin falsify financial records in his previous life.
He wasn't sure if the betrayal had already begun in this life.
But he wasn't going to wait for it to happen again.
He approached the accounting office, knocked once, and stepped inside.
The accountant, Mr. Wong, looked up in surprise.
"Leong? Need something?"
Leong sat down opposite him, his posture relaxed.
"I want to review all transactions under my team's budget," Leong said.
Mr. Wong blinked. "All… of them?"
"Yes," Leong replied. "From the past six months."
Mr. Wong hesitated. "That's unusual. Any specific reason?"
Leong offered a polite but vague smile.
"Inconsistencies. I want to verify if they come from my side or yours."
The man swallowed.
Leong didn't raise his voice. He didn't threaten.
But the quiet confidence he carried was sharper than any accusation.
Mr. Wong nodded stiffly. "Give me two hours."
"Good," Leong said. "I'll be waiting."
As he stood to leave, he noticed the subtle tremor in Mr. Wong's hands.
In his past life, Mr. Wong had played innocent until the very end.
Not this time.
Fatma Appears — Calm, Warm, Genuine
Around noon, Fatma approached his department holding a lunch bag.
Her smile was small, warm, not intrusive.
"I thought you might be too busy to eat," she said softly.
Several coworkers looked over, curious.
Leong blinked, taken off guard. "You… didn't have to."
"I know," she replied. "But I wanted to."
There was no hidden meaning, no expectation—just sincerity.
Something so rare in his previous life.
He followed her to a quiet corner. She opened the bag and handed him a homemade meal.
"You cooked this?" he asked.
"Yes." Her smile turned shy. "You don't like oily takeout, right?"
Something fluttered in his chest.
"You remember that?"
"I remember a lot of things about you," she said very quietly.
He froze.
Fatma looked down quickly. "Sorry… that sounded weird."
"No," he said immediately. "It didn't."
And it didn't.
Because for the first time, someone paid attention to what he liked—not what he could provide.
As they ate, she asked gently, "Did something happen yesterday? You looked hurt."
"I was," he admitted.
"Because of her?" she asked.
He nodded slowly.
Fatma didn't speak immediately. She didn't offer fake words of comfort. She simply sat beside him in quiet solidarity.
Eventually, she said, "You deserve someone who treasures you. And who never makes you doubt your worth."
His throat tightened.
He had never expected this girl—soft-spoken, observant, quietly strong—to be the one reminding him what respect felt like.
"I'll try to remember that," he murmured.
She smiled.
"I'll remind you again if you forget."
The Return of the Ex — Mei Lin Starts Her Game
At 3 p.m., Leong received another message from Mei Lin.
"Can we meet? Just talk. Please."
He ignored it.
One minute later—
"Leong, if you don't reply, I'll come to your office."
He sighed.
Before he could decide, someone tapped his shoulder.
"Leong," a coworker whispered, "your ex-girlfriend is outside the lobby."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"I'll handle it," he said.
The Lobby — The Confrontation
Mei Lin stood there in a tight dress, makeup perfect, hair curled elegantly. She forced a teary smile when she saw him.
"Leong… finally."
He remained expressionless.
No warmth. No softness. Not this time.
"What do you want?" he asked.
She immediately stepped closer. "You blocked me. Why?"
"Because I don't owe you anything," he replied calmly.
She stiffened. "Leong, baby, don't be like this—"
He stepped back, creating distance.
"Stop calling me that."
Her face froze.
For the first time, she felt powerless.
"I was stressed!" she suddenly snapped. "That's why I talked to Kevin! I didn't do anything wrong!"
Leong looked at her with a level, calm gaze.
"In this life, I won't repeat the same mistake," he said. "You used me. Lied to me. Manipulated me. I'm done."
She stared at him as if seeing a stranger.
"You're different," she whispered.
"Yes," Leong said quietly.
"Because this time, I know what you really are."
Her lips trembled.
"You'll regret this," she hissed.
"I regret only one thing," he said.
"Wasting my loyalty on someone who never deserved it."
She turned and stormed out of the building.
And with her departure, Leong felt a strange lightness.
As if the timeline of his previous life had finally been broken.
Back to Work — A Small Victory
At 5 p.m., Mr. Wong delivered the accounting files to him personally.
"All clean," he said nervously. "Nothing unusual. You can check if you want."
Leong held the papers, his expression unreadable.
"Thank you," he said politely. "I'll look through them."
Mr. Wong nodded too quickly.
Leong hadn't caught him yet.
But he had sent a message:
Leong was no longer someone who could be exploited.
Evening — A Quiet Walk With Fatma
As Leong left the building, Fatma was waiting outside.
"You're off work late," she said softly.
He smiled for the first time that day.
"Long day."
"Do you want to walk?" she asked.
He hesitated—then nodded.
They walked together down the quiet street, the city lights glowing softly around them.
Fatma glanced at him, her expression gentle.
"You look lighter," she said.
"I feel lighter," he admitted.
"Good."
She paused. "You deserve peace."
Leong didn't know what the future held—revenge, rebuilding his life, unraveling his past mistakes—but he knew one thing:
Fatma was part of the future he wanted to protect.
When they reached the intersection, Fatma stopped.
"Leong?" she said softly.
"Yes?"
"I'm proud of you."
His breath caught.
No one had ever said that to him.
"Thank you," he whispered.
And under the quiet city lights, something unspoken grew between them—something warm, fragile, and full of possibility.
The new Leong had begun his new life.
And this time…
He would not live it alone.