The results hadn't been released yet, but the ease and faint confidence on Leo's face as he walked out of the exam hall let Andrea know the outcome wouldn't be bad.

Leo's parents were overjoyed, their gratitude toward Andrea beyond words. Not only did they settle all her wages, but they also gave her a thick red envelope as a thank-you gift.

Looking at the savings in her bank card—which for her was a "huge sum"—Andrea's heart was exceptionally calm.

She planned carefully and anonymously remitted about one-third of the money into her mother's account.

This amount was enough to repay the most urgent part of the family's debt, ensuring her parents wouldn't fall into a desperate situation immediately. It also served as a final severance of her ties regarding the "debt of upbringing."

After doing this, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

She had a clear plan for the remaining money.

Study abroad.

In her previous life, she was trapped in debt, illness, and that suffocating relationship; the world to her was only a grey corner.

Meanwhile, Macy, the "sister" who occupied all her luck, could take money that didn't belong to her and fly freely to the other side of the ocean to see a wider sky.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't envious, but that envy back then was mixed with too much resentment and bitterness.

In this life, she would go see it for herself.

To study, to travel, to see the scenery she had never experienced, and to experience a life that truly belonged to her.

When she tactfully revealed her idea of studying abroad to Leo's parents, she didn't expect to receive their enthusiastic support.

"This is a great thing! Andrea, you have good grades and you're steady; there's absolutely no problem with going out to see the world!" Leo's mother held her hand, her tone sincere. "To be honest, we were also planning to send Leo abroad to study for a few years. Boys need to be independent. You two can be companions and look out for each other abroad!"

Leo's father also nodded in agreement. "As for the procedures and schools, if you don't mind, we can help contact and handle them. We have some friends and connections abroad; we can help you apply to a good school, and the process will be much faster. Consider this a small token of our appreciation for helping Leo so much."

Andrea knew this was a massive help and opportunity for her.

She didn't refuse out of false modesty and solemnly thanked them.

Under the efficient operation of Leo's parents, her study abroad applications and visa matters were handled very quickly. Soon, the offer and the visa were successfully in hand—the school was exactly the one she desired.

Before departing, she returned to the school dormitory to pack her last few odds and ends.

The dormitory was empty; her roommates had already left campus.

Just as she zipped up her suitcase and prepared to leave, the partially open door was pushed wider, and a familiar figure blocked the light at the entrance.

It was Julian.

He was tightly clutching a savings book, his knuckles turning white.

"Andrea..." His voice was terribly hoarse. He strode in and forced the savings book into Andrea's hand without allowing any refusal.

"This... this is all my savings, plus money from selling some things. I know... I know what I owed you in the last life cannot be compensated with money, but this is just the beginning. Andrea, everything I have in the future can be yours! The company, the house, anything! I only beg... I only beg you to give me a chance to spend this lifetime compensating you and taking care of you."

Andrea didn't look at the savings book. It slid from her hand and hit the floor with a thud.

"Julian," her voice wasn't loud, but it was crystal clear. "Your money, your company, your house, your everything—I don't need it, and I don't want it."

"In the last life, when I was lying on the hospital bed, shaking with pain and counting down the last moments of my life; when I listened to your family on the other end of the phone sounding so harmonious while I couldn't even swallow a sip of warm porridge; when I was vomiting blood and unconscious while you abandoned me at the hospital for a dog—my heart had already died."

She looked at his suddenly ashen face. "It died completely, it turned cold, not even ashes remain. Do you understand what it means to be 'dead-hearted'? It means no matter what you do—whether it's repentance, compensation, or digging out your heart to show me—I won't feel even a tiny bit anymore. I won't be moved, I won't forgive, and I'm even too lazy to hate."

Julian stumbled back a step. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound. He could only stare into Andrea's eyes—eyes that were once filled with love for him but now held only indifference.

"You've been reborn, and perhaps you feel this is a chance for remedy given by heaven." Andrea picked up the handle of her suitcase, the wheels making a slight rolling sound on the floor. "But for me, this is my new life. And the first step of my new life is to completely say goodbye to the past, including you."

She walked past him, bringing a slight breeze.

"Julian, if you still have a tiny bit of guilt for me, or even just adult decency," she stopped at the door without turning back, "please, from now on, stay far away from me. Don't come looking for me again, don't disturb me. That is the only way you can compensate me."

With that, she stayed no longer. Pulling her suitcase, she walked into the bright sunlight at the end of the corridor, never looking back.

Julian froze in place, the savings book lying lonely by his feet. He slowly knelt down and picked it up, his fingers trembling so much he could hardly hold it.

A thick metallic sweetness surged in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it down.

His vision went dark in waves, and Andrea's words "too lazy to even hate" echoed repeatedly in his ears.

As it turned out, what is more thorough than hate is indifference, is disregard, is completely erasing you, the person, from her life and memory.

The next day, at the airport.

Andrea brought only a simple suitcase and a backpack.

Leo's parents and Leo all came to see her off. Leo's mother held her hand and gave her many more instructions, and Leo was unusually talkative, saying they must keep in touch once she arrived.

Before passing through security, Andrea took one last look back at the terminal hall.

Among the bustling crowd, that figure was not there.

She withdrew her gaze calmly, turned around, merged into the flow of people, and walked toward the boarding gate.

Chapter 21

The school where Andrea applied had a rigorous yet free academic atmosphere, and the professional direction she chose happened to be the intersection of her interests and abilities.

Her mentor was a female professor who had achieved great things in the field, possessing a sharp gaze yet immense patience; she quickly noticed Andrea.

"Andrea, you are a natural researcher," the mentor told her privately after a seminar, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration. "Your way of thinking is very unique. You aren't impulsive; you can truly immerse yourself. Continue to dig deep in this direction, and there will be great results."

Such affirmation was a huge encouragement to Andrea.

She devoted all her energy to her studies and research. Her life followed a simple routine of library, laboratory, and dormitory, yet it brought her unprecedented satisfaction.

She loved the world constructed through knowledge and reflection, and she enjoyed the sense of achievement that came from unmasking problems bit by bit through hard work.

Occasionally, leaving the lab late at night and looking up at the clear starlit sky of a foreign land, she would feel a sense of peaceful joy.

Financially, the initial help from Leo's parents allowed her to start smoothly, and she subsequently applied for various scholarships and research assistant positions. Though her life was not luxurious, it was enough for her to focus single-mindedly on her academics.

She began to explore this unfamiliar city, visiting museums, attending concerts, and hiking in the outskirts.

She visited the famous landmarks that Macy had posted on social media in the previous life, but she also walked many unnoticed paths that held their own hidden beauty.

Standing by the vast coastline, feeling the salty sea breeze on her face, Andrea suddenly understood a little why the Julian of the previous life had been obsessed with the Macy who had "seen the vast world" abroad.

Back then, she was trapped in the mire of survival, struggling to pay debts, enduring illness, and looking up at that "freedom" and "being loved" that she could never reach. How could that relationship not change amidst daily wear and tear and constant comparison?