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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3 — A Vow Unspoken, A Storm Awakens

Chapter 3 — A Vow Unspoken, A Storm Awakens

The sun peeked over the skyline of Huajin, painting golden streaks over the elegant curves of Xue Manor. Within its high walls and silent corridors, Meilin stood before her antique vanity mirror, fingers curled tightly over the jade hairpin she'd once worn on the day of her wedding.

The day that marked her downfall.

She had smashed this very pin in the past—shattered it against the wall in grief. But now, it lay in her hand once again, whole and smooth, as if time itself had rewound to offer her a second chance.

"Not this time," she whispered.

Her reflection was eerily calm—too calm for a woman who'd been murdered by the man she loved. But that was what rebirth did: it replaced innocence with steel, and love with awareness.

The Celestial Marriage System's symbol shimmered faintly on her palm—a five-petaled lotus etched in silver light. It pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. She had no full understanding of it yet, but she could feel its presence humming beneath her skin, as though it were a silent witness to her every decision.

> 📜 [System Alert]

"The Celestial Marriage System has been activated."

"Primary quest: Discover your destined match."

"Warning: Forming a bond with the wrong partner will weaken your spirit root."

"Rewards: Emotional resonance → Spiritual strength. Sincere love → Protective blessing."

A system that rewarded real love?

She almost laughed. In her last life, she'd given everything to someone who only saw her as a stepping stone. If this system had existed then, it would have punished her for sincerity.

Now, she had to be smarter than her heart.

---

At breakfast, her father, Chairman Xue Minghao, glanced over his newspaper. The same sharp-eyed patriarch who had once ignored every red flag about Lin Feng. A man who had let Meilin marry for status, not happiness.

"You're up early," he muttered. "Haven't done that since you were fifteen."

"I've changed," Meilin replied calmly, taking a sip of rose tea.

Her stepmother, Wei Zhenzhen, raised a perfectly plucked brow. "Changed how, darling? Planning to stop sulking about that little breakup?"

"Breakup?" Meilin's tone chilled slightly. "We were never truly engaged. I simply played along to satisfy everyone else's ambitions."

Wei Zhenzhen blinked. Even the housekeeper paused mid-step.

Meilin smiled sweetly. "But don't worry. I'm done playing along."

Her father set down the paper slowly, finally meeting her eyes. "What exactly are you planning, Meilin?"

She stood gracefully. "To protect what's mine."

---

As the morning rolled on, Meilin took a private car to Huajin University, where her past self had just started the final year of her degree. She hadn't set foot on this campus in nearly a decade.

Back then, she'd been a naïve socialite, shielded from harsh realities by money and influence. Now, she walked with the presence of someone who knew too much and trusted too little.

"Meilin Xue?"

A gentle voice interrupted her memories.

She turned. Standing beneath the cherry blossom trees was a familiar figure in a charcoal-gray uniform—Xu Wen, her former classmate and ex-tutor.

In her past life, he had always been kind, gentle, even slightly clumsy. She had ignored his quiet affection for the glittering lies Lin Feng wrapped her in. But now, her heart only saw him as another piece on the board.

"Xu Wen," she greeted softly, "It's good to see you again."

He flushed under her gaze. "I wasn't sure you'd remember me."

"I remember everything now," she murmured.

If only he knew how literal that was.

---

Later that day, her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

> 📱 [Unknown Number]

"You've been asking around about Lin Feng. Tread carefully. Some truths aren't meant to be uncovered."

Her eyes narrowed. She typed back one word.

> "Coward."

But her fingers trembled slightly. Lin Feng was already becoming aware that something had changed.

Good. Let him feel the pressure. Let him wonder if his perfect world was about to crack.

And it would.

Because Meilin wasn't the same foolish girl who had once cried herself to sleep over him. She had fire now. And she had the system.

---

Meanwhile, in another part of the city…

Li Yanzhou stood in a glass-walled penthouse, reviewing a file on his sleek black tablet. His assistant, Qiao Lin, waited beside him, her expression unreadable.

"She's different," Qiao Lin said quietly. "Reports say she turned down Lin Feng's proposal publicly. Even challenged her father during breakfast."

Li Yanzhou said nothing. His dark eyes scanned through the photos—one of Meilin walking through the campus, another of her standing beneath the cherry trees beside a blushing Xu Wen.

There was a glow about her—subtle, but unmistakable. A power that hadn't been there before.

"Keep watching her," he finally said. "But don't interfere yet."

"Yes, sir."

As she left the room, Li Yanzhou turned to the window, his reflection staring back at him like a warning. Something ancient stirred within him—an awareness long dormant.

So, the girl had come back.

---

Back at Xue Manor

Night had fallen. Meilin sat in her room with the lights off, moonlight spilling over her bed. The system's glow appeared again.

> 📜 [System Alert]

"You have avoided a tragic engagement. Destiny corrected."

"+50 Reputation with Self."

"+1 Emotional Clarity."

"Next quest unlocked: Attend charity gala. Objective: Reconnect with your fate thread."

"Charity gala…" Meilin whispered, eyes narrowing. "Wasn't that the night I first met Li Yanzhou?"

In her past life, she barely remembered him—a passing figure in a crowd. Cold. Handsome. Dangerous.

But now, fate was steering her toward him.

And Meilin Xue was finally ready to take control of the wheel.

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