The first thing Su Meili felt was a sharp and lingering pain, as if her soul had been dragged across glass.
She opened her eyes to find herself staring at a ceiling fan slowly turning above her. Dust clung to the blades, exactly the way she remembered it years ago. Her gaze shifted—a poster of a once popular girl band clung to the wall, and a large room buried under clothes and novels appeared before her eyes.
This was her old room.
But how was it possible? —this room had been lost to her long ago. She had watched, powerless, as someone else lived in this body, in this space, and turned her existence into a legend.
Her chest tightened and feeling that, she abruptly put her hand on her heart. And it was beating! Which means that ... she is alive?
Her breathing became fast as memories slammed into her like waves: a high school uniform folded neatly on the chair, her parent's divorce, the endless nights she spent pretending to study while actually playing videogames with her friends, the day she lost everything.
And then—years of watching. Watching her body, occupied by a new soul, walk across stages she could never reach.
That girl, calling herself Mei Li, lived the life Su Meili never could.She washed away the stains of rebellion, studied with brilliance, and dazzled everyone with her grace.
She became loved by everyone.
She entered Tsinghua.She won the Chern Medal.
She married the cold and unreachable man every girl dreamed of, becoming the goddess of an entire nation.
Every praise for "Su Meili" was a knife in her chest. Every scornful word about her original self twisted deeper. She had been erased, rewritten as a villain, while someone else wore her face and received the love she had once longed for.
And Su Meili — the real Su Meili — could only watch how the love and affection she yearned from her family was poured into a stranger. They didn't even realize that it was not her, that she was gone.
Finally, at the height of Xue Jiao's glory, Su Meili thought her soul might finally fade into silence. But instead, she came back.
Tears welled up in her eyes and her hand curled into a fist. The bedsheets were warm against her palm. Real. She was here. Alive. In her body.
Suddenly, a chill wind tore across her consciousness and a familiar voice rang out:
"I don't want to die."
The intruder's shadow lunged toward her but Su Meili resisted.
"No! This body is mine! You won't take it from me another time!"
The two souls collided, struggling in the endless void. Pain surged through her being, tearing at her as if she would split apart. For a moment, she thought she might lose again.
But then—she remembered every humiliation, every time she had been called worthless, the long years in total silence. Rage burned into strength.
With a scream that shook the darkness, Su Meili shoved the intruder back. Mei Li's shriek echoed as her form dissolved into mist, vanishing beyond reach.
And then, light appeared again.
A trembling laugh escaped her lips, mixed in half relief and bitterness."I'm back."
Fate had given her another chance, and this time, she will not beg for scraps of affection anymore.
This time, Su Meili will live as no one else but herself.
...........................................................................
The door slammed open.
"Su Meili!" A sharp, angry voice cut through the haze. A woman stormed in, eyes blazing.
It was Su Fanghua — her mother.
Before Su Meili could react, a slap rang out. Pain blossomed on her cheek.
Su Meili staggered, stunned. The memories of both worlds crashed into her mind like a tide. She remembered her mother's neglect, her family's coldness, and also the story she had been forced to witness.
Su Fanghua's hand trembled after the blow, but her words were sharp."You'll start school the day after tomorrow. Tonight, the Zhao family will send you off. Apologize to Yi Ran! I'll pick you up at five o'clock. And wash that mess off your face!"
She turned and left without looking back.
Su Meili slowly raised her hand to her burning cheek. Her lips curved into a bitter smile.
Her second chance at life had begun.