They called me worthless, now the beg.

Chapter 3: Reborn at the Funeral

"Ethan, James is going abroad to study, Daniel needs money for his wedding, and Michael's business needs investment. You're their closest relative, so you should help them. Your parents left you enough money, and there's no reason to be selfish."

The familiar voice dragged Ethan out of the darkness.

He opened his eyes sharply, his chest rising as he sucked in a desperate breath. For a moment, he expected to feel icy water filling his lungs, but instead, he felt the solid mattress beneath him and heard the low murmur of people talking nearby.

He looked around in confusion. The room was crowded with relatives dressed in black, their faces solemn beneath the pale funeral decorations. The smell of incense lingered in the air, mixing with the faint scent of flowers, and photographs of his late parents stood at the front of the room.

Ethan's gaze locked onto them, and his heart began to pound.

This was his parents' funeral.

He remembered this day. He remembered the relatives who had surrounded him with false sympathy before beginning to demand money from him. In his previous life, he had mistaken their concern for genuine affection and spent years giving them everything they asked for.

Then came the unpaid debts, his wife's betrayal, and his lonely death in the icy pond.

His fingers dug into the edge of the mattress as he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. He was alive, his heart no longer failing, and the funeral decorations confirmed that he had returned to the day his life had begun to fall apart.

"What's wrong with you, Ethan?" his grandmother, Margaret Carter, demanded when he remained silent. "I've been talking to you, and you're staring into space as though you can't hear me."

Ethan slowly turned toward her. Margaret sat beside his grandfather, George Carter, with Richard, Patricia, and Michael gathered nearby. Their expressions were familiar, and so were the expectations in their eyes.

Margaret continued before he could answer. "James needs eight hundred thousand yuan for his overseas studies. Daniel is getting married, so the family needs to help him prepare. Michael's company also needs money to keep running. Since your parents left you an inheritance, you should use some of it to support your relatives."

In his previous life, Ethan had agreed without hesitation. He had believed that refusing his relatives would make him ungrateful, especially after his parents' deaths, when everyone claimed they were only trying to protect him.

This time, he looked directly at his grandmother and shook his head.

"No. I'm not giving them my money."

The room fell quiet for a moment, and Margaret's face tightened as though she had misheard him.

"What did you just say?" she demanded.

"I said I'm not giving them my money," Ethan repeated, pushing himself upright. "My parents left that inheritance for me, and I intend to use it for my own future."

Margaret slapped her palm against the armrest. "Have you forgotten who you're speaking to? You've always been obedient, but now that you have money, you think you can disregard your elders. Is this how your parents taught you to behave?"

Ethan's jaw tightened at the mention of his parents, but he kept his voice steady.

"Grandma, you received a share of the inheritance too. If you're so concerned about James, Daniel, and Michael, why don't you use your own money to help them?"

Her eyes widened, and Richard immediately leaned forward.

"Ethan, your parents are gone, and we're the closest family you have," Richard said, adopting a gentler tone. "I'm not asking you to give me the money. I only need to borrow one million yuan for Daniel's wedding. I'll repay you when I can."

Ethan almost laughed at the familiar promise. In his previous life, Richard had said the same thing before denying the debt and setting his dogs on him.

"Daniel has hands and feet," Ethan replied, looking from Richard to his cousin. "If he wants to get married, he should earn the money himself. I won't use my parents' inheritance to buy him a wife."

Daniel's face flushed with anger, but he quickly replaced it with a miserable expression.

"Ethan, you know my situation. I love my fiancée, but I can't afford the wedding without help. Are you really going to watch me lose her over money?"

"Why not?" Ethan asked calmly. "You're asking me to pay for your wedding. If you don't have the money, don't get married yet. I heard the Whitmore family is looking for a live-in son-in-law. Why don't you try your luck there? If you can't afford a wedding, becoming a live-in son-in-law isn't a bad option."

Several relatives exchanged startled looks, and Daniel's face turned red with humiliation.

"How dare you insult me like that?" Daniel snapped, rising from his seat.

Ethan barely glanced at him before turning back to Richard. "If the wedding is so important, you could always fake a car accident. The compensation might cover the expenses."

For a brief moment, Daniel's expression changed, and his eyes flickered as though he were actually considering the suggestion. Richard noticed it too and immediately sprang to his feet, striking his son across the face.

"Are you out of your mind?" Richard roared. "You'd actually consider doing something so stupid?"

Daniel clutched his cheek, staring at his father in shock while the relatives watched in uneasy silence.

Ethan leaned back slightly, watching their reactions without a trace of regret. In his previous life, he had sacrificed his savings to make sure Daniel had a grand wedding, only to be treated like a stranger when he needed help. He would not repeat that mistake.

Margaret's expression darkened as she turned toward him. "You've become arrogant, Ethan. Your cousins are struggling, and you have enough money to help them. What kind of person refuses his own family at a time like this?"

"The kind of person who has finally learned not to let others spend his inheritance for him," Ethan replied.

Richard's face twisted with anger, while Patricia shook her head in disapproval. Michael remained quiet, but his uncomfortable expression told Ethan that he remembered the money he still owed.

Margaret pointed a trembling finger at Ethan. "You will regret speaking to us this way. Don't think you can turn your back on your family just because your parents left you money."

Ethan looked at the photographs of his parents once more, then returned his gaze to the relatives who had already begun dividing his inheritance among themselves.

He had been given another chance, and he would not waste it trying to earn the affection of people who had never truly cared about him.

"That's enough," he said, his voice firm as he rose from the mattress. "My parents have only just been laid to rest, and you're already fighting over their money. If you want to help James study abroad, Daniel get married, or Michael save his business, use your own money. From now on, none of you will decide how my inheritance is spent."

Margaret stared at him, stunned by his refusal to back down, while Richard clenched his fists at his sides. Across the room, James looked furious, and Daniel's humiliation had hardened into resentment.

Ethan noticed every expression, every clenched jaw, and every pair of eyes measuring what they could still take from him. Their demands had only begun, but this time, he was ready for them.