After Rebirth, I Became A Millionaire

As I juggled studying and running the ad agency, the campus Independence Day Gala finally arrived.

In my previous life, the gala was a painful memory. Juliette closed the show with a sensational dance that drove the crowd wild. At the end of her performance, she turned the spotlight on me, dragging me onto the stage and announcing that I would also perform a dance for Joel despite my complete lack of experience.

I was thrust onto the stage in front of a jeering crowd, feeling like a clown. Amid the laughter, I saw Joel and Juliette standing together, sharing a private joke. Juliette playfully punched Joel's arm and leaned on his shoulder, laughing as he smiled at me and said, "Erica, you prepared a dance for me? Let's see it! Don't let me down!"

The laughter grew louder.

"What dance could she possibly do? Does she think she's Juliette? Her family collects trash…"

"Look at her, trying to perform. She should be hiding in a hole instead…"

"Going out with Joel? He wouldn't even hold her hand. If I were her, I'd just disappear…"

Amid the mockery, the lights suddenly went out. I scrambled off the stage, nearly tripping, and I fled the scene.

This time, I knew history was about to repeat itself, but I was going to rewrite it.

Before the event, I approached the organizer, offering to sponsor the gala with the condition of adding a performance.

After I came into money, I didn't become arrogant. Instead, I frequently helped others and sponsored various events, which earned me a great reputation and made me well-acquainted with the event organizers.

Adding one more dance performance was no problem for them; they agreed without hesitation.

I hired a professional dancer to perform a dance that mirrored Juliette's. I remembered the dance Juliette performed in the past life, so I had the dancer learn and modify it, giving it a new name.

The new dance was scheduled as the penultimate act. When it was performed, it was a hit—a stunning, energetic display that left Juliette's routine in the dust.

Watching from the audience, I relished every change in Juliette's expression—from initial confidence to shock and, finally, to anger and retreat. She had been waiting by the right side of the stage for her turn.

If it had been in my past life, with no professional dancers among the college students, Juliette's high-energy dance would indeed have brought the house down. But with a professional routine preceding hers, she now appeared out of place, like a poor imitation.

She would embarrass herself.

If she didn't go on stage, however, it would damage her reputation and blacklist her from future major events, making it impossible for her to stand out in the future.

As Juliette's turn came, the host, unaware of the earlier dance's impact, continued to urge her to go on stage.

Juliette's face changed colors like a painter's palette. Under the pressure from the crowd, she reluctantly took the stage and performed her routine in a rush. As predicted, the anticipated excitement and climax didn't materialize.

The audience, having just witnessed a dance spectacular, found Juliette's performance to be a poor imitation. Booing erupted.

"What was that? It's just like the earlier dance."

"Yeah, it's nowhere near as good as the previous dancer…"

"Juliette, the 'beauty and talent' of the design department? She's not as pretty as Erica, and her talent isn't impressive either."

The audience booed and demanded Juliette leave the stage. Juliette, caught in a moment of embarrassment, stood there helplessly, her face going from flush to pale, much like how I had been during my forced performance.

She cast a pleading glance at Joel, unaware that Joel's feelings for her had changed. My on-again, off-again relationship with Joel had only deepened his interest in me, leaving him little time to pay attention to Juliette.

Seeing Juliette's desperate look, I mimicked her previous behavior and deliberately rested my head on Joel's shoulder. Juliette's face darkened immediately.

The next moment, Juliette grabbed the microphone and adjusted her expression. "I heard Erica also prepared a dance. Would you like to see Erica perform for us?"

Juliette looked at me with a vengeful glare, clearly hoping to see me fail. The audience erupted with excitement, calling my name and urging me to go on stage. My name had frequently appeared in the campus news and forums, making me one of the most talked-about figures of the year.

Some acquaintances knew that I came from a scavenging background and had never received any dance training, so they tried to help me out.

Unlike last time, Joel didn't join the cheerers either but tried to pull me away, "Let's go. There's no need to emba—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but I could tell he meant I would make a fool of myself. To him, having someone from a background of picking up trash dance was like asking Anna Pavlova to feed pigs.

I smiled, shrugged off Joel's hand, and took the stage alone. "Guess I'll make a fool of myself then!"

I had the sound technician play some classical music and performed a little ballet dance. During the summer, I hired a one-on-one instructor to learn this dance just for this moment.

Wearing a flowing white dress, I danced gracefully, creating an ethereal presence. After being bombarded by high-energy dance routines, the sudden shift to a classical dance captivated the audience.

The room fell silent, the lights dimmed, and I spun in the center of the stage, my white dress fluttering.

When the dance ended, the audience was silent for a few seconds before erupting into thunderous applause. I heard cheers and saw the excitement on everyone's faces.

I even noticed Joel's eyes widening with joy and disbelief. I knew this moment would become a new legend about me at the university.

Backstage, Joel rushed in, ignoring the other people present, and hugged me tightly. "Erica, you've totally blown me away! Anything else I should know about you?"

When Joel entered, Juliette's face lit up, but her hope was soon crushed, replaced by a look of rage. I didn't push Joel away and deliberately said, "Joel, you asked me to be your girlfriend. The answer is yes."