After Rebirth, I Became A Millionaire

During the summer break, I didn't go home. Instead, I embarked on a major venture.

In my previous life, poverty drove me to work harder in my major. My designs were the best in the class, and I even worked part-time at a design company, gaining some experience.

This time, I invested all my earnings from collecting recyclables into starting an advertising design business. I hustled to get clients, did the designs myself, and worked with printing companies, focusing on business with colleges.

Thanks to the knowledge from my previous life, my first project—a promotional booklet for a university—earned me a solid 4,000 dollars.

I quickly built on this success by recruiting a few talented college students specializing in different areas—design, client acquisition, networking, etc. I even bought equipment and worked together with them, leveraging information gaps, and soon took over design and promotion projects for various universities in the area.

Luckily, my frequent part-time jobs in my previous life helped me meet these capable and kind-hearted partners.

This time, I approached them in advance, and together, we formed a small advertising office.

By the time the new semester started, I had made a fortune. I no longer needed to collect recyclables and had successfully transitioned into advertising design.

Earning money wasn't enough; I also needed to improve myself in other ways.

With enough money, I began focusing on my appearance.

Joel Stephens and Juliette Hoover thought I was the poorest and ugliest in the school. I would show them who the real fool was.

In truth, I was never ugly. I had nice features, but working part-time under the sun damaged my skin. Poverty also prevented me from dressing well, making me stand out as the ugliest among the vibrant college students.

In this life, I would play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses.

During the summer, I enrolled in etiquette classes to cultivate my taste and even squeezed in one-on-one dance classes to learn some routines.

Soon, my taste and temperament improved significantly.

Money gave me confidence. I dressed stylishly and applied tasteful makeup. By the time the new semester began, I showed up on campus, leaving everyone stunned. They barely recognized me.

Joel saw me from afar and was stunned. "Erica, is that really you?"

Juliette, on the other hand, angrily dragged her friend away. "Does a toad think she's a swan just by putting on a coat?"

I'm running my own small advertising business, and with an improved demeanor, along with a generous hand, those who once mocked me quickly flocked to flatter me.

Threads on the school forum even detailed my transformation from a trash collector to a successful student entrepreneur, gossiping about my rumored relationship with Joel.

Many people seemed to only now realize that the girl they once unanimously deemed the ugliest in the school, once stripped of those ill-fitting, dull clothes and unflattering hairstyles, actually had very striking features, even rivaling the most beautiful girl in the class, Juliette. With a bit of grooming, my bright eyes and radiant smile shone through.

Now, my photos frequently appeared on the "campus crush" wall, causing a stir each time.

This truly validated the saying: the harder they mocked me back then, the harder they praise me now.

Despite all this, I didn't let it get to my head.

I knew everything I achieved was due to my own efforts.

Only when you become good enough will the world be kind to you, and better things will be attracted to you.

No one was more upset about my transformation than the teaching assistant.

She despised me the most, and now that I was on par with the rich students she favored, she was even more caustic in her words.

"Erica, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're now popular on campus. As a student, grades are what matters. If you spend all your time running that ad shop, when will you study? If you fail this semester, I'll make sure you don't get your diploma!"

She was already threatening me. I wasn't going to back down. "What if I pass and even become top of the class?"

She probably didn't expect me to challenge her head-on, let alone aim for the top.

She sneered, "You think you can beat Juliette? If you top the class, you can have my job!"

I scoffed, "That's unnecessary. If I don't top the class, I'll obey you for the next two years. But if I do, you have to publicly apologize for your past actions."

A bystander posted our exchange on the school forum, and everyone was eagerly waiting for the outcome.

Some were waiting to see me fail, while others, fed up with the assistant's bias, supported me.

I ignored it all.

In my previous life, I studied hard to escape poverty and secure a better future, consistently topping my class.

In this life, I downplayed my abilities initially to avoid the same fate of having my designs plagiarized. I kept my grades average on purpose.

Now that I was forced to reveal my true capabilities, topping the class would be a breeze.

Hearing about my bet, Joel came to comfort me. "Erica, we all know Juliette's level. Don't let the assistant get to you. Apologize to her, or you might really not get your diploma!"

Juliette, on the other hand, was smug. Her head was held high all the time.

Last time, I had overshadowed her in the class beauty contest.

This time, she was ready to crush me with her academic prowess, and she was strutting around with a newfound swagger.

I pushed Joel away. "We'll see who has the last laugh."