Morning sunlight spilled through gauzy curtains, dust motes dancing in the beams like tiny fireflies. The scent of congee drifted faintly from the kitchen downstairs, mixed with the sweetness of steamed buns. It was the same scent that used to irritate Li Meiyun—back when she considered home a cage.
Today, she breathed it in as if it were the fragrance of life itself.
She dressed slowly, choosing a soft cream blouse and pale trousers instead of the sharp designer dress she would once have worn to announce her superiority. Her reflection in the mirror looked gentler, almost unrecognisable. The woman who stared back no longer burned with pride or resentment—only determination.
She brushed her hair and listened. The small sounds of a household waking came from below: clinking dishes, a child's cautious footsteps, the quiet baritone of Gu Yichen's voice. Her chest tightened. In her last life she would have stayed upstairs until the table was cleared, forcing her family to eat under tension. This time she opened the door and went down.
---
The dining room was bathed in morning light. Yichen sat at the head of the table reading the news on his tablet, sleeves rolled neatly, face composed. Tian sat on his left, spooning porridge without appetite. Xiaoxi sat on the right, her tiny legs swinging, gaze fixed on the bowl.
When Meiyun appeared, both children froze. Even Yichen looked up, surprise flickering before his usual calm mask returned.
"Good morning," she said softly.
Her son lowered his spoon. "M-morning, Mommy," he whispered, uncertain. Xiaoxi buried her face against her brother's arm.
Meiyun's heart splintered. They were afraid. Of her.
She forced a smile and moved closer. "Did you sleep well?"
Tian nodded, eyes wide. Yichen's voice broke the silence. "There's porridge. Sit."
She obeyed, feeling the weight of every glance. The clatter of porcelain seemed painfully loud. She reached for a bun, nearly dropped the chopsticks, and exhaled.
"I'll take the children to school today," she said suddenly.
Yichen looked up again, brows drawing together. "You?"
"Yes." She met his gaze steadily. "I want to."
A faint pause. Then, a noncommittal hum. He turned back to his tablet, but she caught the tiny quiver in his fingers as he flipped the page. It was the smallest crack in his composure, yet enough to warm her like sunrise after endless rain.
When breakfast ended, Tian and Xiaoxi hovered by the doorway. Meiyun crouched down, offering her hand. "Come on. Let's go."
Tian hesitated, then slipped his small fingers into hers. Xiaoxi followed, clutching her mother's sleeve. The sensation of those fragile hands around her own almost brought Meiyun to tears. She blinked them away and smiled. "Good. Let's make it a beautiful day."
Behind them, Yichen's quiet voice drifted out. "Be careful on the road."
It was ordinary, almost mechanical—but she felt the weight of concern hidden underneath.
In my last life, I never heard that voice with kindness.
---
Outside, spring wind brushed her face as she walked the children to the car. The driver opened the door, astonished to see her.
"I'll drive," she said.
"Madam, the Master—"
"It's fine." She smiled gently. "I haven't driven in a while."
In her past life she hadn't, not since the accident that had been orchestrated to scare her into Zeyan's arms. The thought made her fingers tighten on the steering wheel. She glanced at the children through the mirror—two pairs of dark eyes, anxious yet hopeful.
"Seat belts," she reminded. "Safety first."
They nodded in unison.
The engine started with a low purr. The road ahead shimmered under soft sunlight, ordinary and precious.
This is where it begins to change, she told herself.
---
By the time she returned home, the housekeeper approached nervously. "Madam, Old Madam Li called. She asks that you and Master Gu attend the family dinner tonight."
Dinner.
Her pulse skipped. In her past life, that dinner had been the first battlefield. She'd gone furious because Yichen refused to publicise their divorce immediately. She'd humiliated him before both families and stormed out with Zeyan at her heels. That night had planted every poison seed that later killed her.
Meiyun inhaled deeply. So fate sends the same scene again.
"Tell her we'll come," she said evenly.
The housekeeper blinked. "You mean—together?"
"Yes. Together."
---
Evening fell like a promise and a warning. Meiyun changed into an elegant but simple cheongsam of pale jade silk. It skimmed her figure without ostentation. Her jewellery was minimal—pearl earrings, a thin gold bangle that Yichen had once given her and she had thrown into a drawer years ago. Now she fastened it with careful fingers.
When Yichen stepped into the foyer, he stopped for a heartbeat. "You're ready?"
She turned, offering a calm smile. "I thought we could go together."
He studied her, unreadable. "All right."
The drive was quiet, filled only with the muted rhythm of rain beginning to fall. Neither spoke, yet the silence felt less hostile than before—like a truce held by fragile thread.
---
The Li mansion glowed with chandeliers and laughter. Relatives filled the hall, voices overlapping with forced cheer. Meiyun walked beside Yichen, every step a memory of shame. Her mother greeted them warmly, unaware that in another lifetime this night had been catastrophe.
And then she saw them.
Gu Zeyan and Li Wen.
He was still devastatingly handsome, all charm and politeness. Li Wen sparkled in crimson silk, her smile too wide.
"Cousin Yichen, Sister Meiyun," Zeyan greeted smoothly. "Long time no see."
Yichen nodded curtly. "Zeyan."
Li Wen looped her arm through Meiyun's. "Sister, you look lovely tonight! I almost didn't recognise you."
Meiyun smiled faintly, concealing the chill crawling down her spine. "Thank you, Wen Wen. You haven't changed."
Not yet, she thought.
---
Dinner began with the usual pleasantries. Glasses clinked; servants moved gracefully between tables. Meiyun could almost hear echoes of her old voice—sarcastic, impatient, cruel. She had mocked Yichen for being boring, praised Zeyan for his wit, laughed too loudly to hide her emptiness.
Tonight she did none of that.
When her uncle praised Yichen's new company expansion, she joined softly, "He works hard for the family's honour."
The table fell into a brief silence. Yichen's hand, lifting his glass, paused midair. Across from them, Li Wen blinked, startled. Zeyan's charming smile faltered for a second before returning.
"Yichen has always been dedicated," Zeyan said quickly, smooth as ever. "Though perhaps he should relax sometimes. Life is more than work, Cousin."
Meiyun turned her gaze on him—steady, unreadable. "True. But not everyone defines life by self-indulgence."
The words slid out like silk over steel. Subtle, polite, and sharp enough to make Zeyan's knuckles whiten beneath the tablecloth. Her mother laughed to ease the tension, conversation resumed, but Meiyun saw the flicker of fury behind Zeyan's grin.
Yes, she thought, remember that sting. The game is no longer yours.
---
Later, while guests mingled over dessert, Meiyun slipped toward the garden veranda for air. The rain had stopped, leaving everything glistening. From the shadows behind the hedges came hushed voices. She stilled, recognising them instantly.
"…she's acting strange," Li Wen hissed.
Zeyan's tone was low. "Doesn't matter. The gala's next week. Once she attends, we'll make sure the same rumours start again."
"And the accident?"
"A small scare. She'll cling to me like before."
Meiyun's breath caught. So it is exactly as before.
She turned quietly away, heart hammering but mind clear. This time she would not walk blindly into their trap. She would walk ahead of it.
---
Back inside, Yichen was speaking to her father. When he saw her, his gaze lingered a moment longer than usual. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes," she said, smiling. "Perfectly."
And for the first time since her return, she meant it.
The past has started to repeat, she thought. But so will my corrections.
Outside the tall windows, lightning flashed distantly—white veins across a violet sky. The storm of fate was stirring again.
The week passed like the tightening of a noose.
Every step, every word seemed familiar to Li Meiyun—because she had lived it all once before.
Every phone call from her mother, every text from Li Wen, every polite invitation to the charity gala hosted by the Gu Group—each was a string leading her toward the same trap she had fallen into in her past life.
Except this time, she wasn't the same woman walking into it blind.
---
The Gala
The night of the gala shimmered with gold and noise.
The ballroom of the Imperial Jade Hotel was filled with crystal chandeliers, red wine, and polished laughter. Wealthy guests mingled, their smiles sharp as knives hidden in silk. Cameras flashed, capturing the social elite of City A.
Meiyun entered beside Gu Yichen, dressed in an elegant black gown that hugged her frame, her long hair swept into a smooth twist. She had chosen the gown deliberately—it was the same one she had worn the first time, in her past life, on this exact night.
She remembered how it had gone then:
She had argued with Yichen before leaving the house.
Zeyan had offered her a drink to "calm down."
And by the end of the night, she had been humiliated—caught in a compromising position that led to endless gossip and drove her to demand a divorce.
Her downfall had begun here.
Tonight, she walked the same path—but this time, her eyes were open.
---
Gu Yichen greeted the business partners with his usual cool composure. He was a man people both respected and feared—measured, calm, and unreadable. Yet when his gaze occasionally flicked toward his wife, there was an unfamiliar tension in his jaw.
She wasn't behaving like the Meiyun he knew.
The old Meiyun would have clung to his cousin's arm, laughed too loudly, picked arguments just to prove a point.
This new Meiyun moved with quiet confidence, smiling politely, her eyes steady and distant.
It unsettled him.
And though he didn't show it, it fascinated him too.
---
The music changed to a soft instrumental.
Li Wen appeared in a stunning red dress, her arm linked with Gu Zeyan's. Together they looked every bit the glamorous couple.
Zeyan approached, his smile as polished as ever. "Cousin, Cousin-sister. You look radiant tonight."
Meiyun's lips curved faintly. "Thank you, Zeyan. So do you. Both of you."
Li Wen laughed, though her eyes narrowed slightly. "You should join us for a toast later, Sister. For old times' sake."
"Of course," Meiyun said sweetly.
Inside, her pulse beat steady—because she knew exactly what that toast would contain.
---
The Trap Reborn
Later, when waiters began circulating with champagne trays, Li Wen floated toward her again with practiced grace.
"Sister Meiyun, here." She offered a glass with that same sugary smile. "Let's toast to peace between families."
The very same words she had used before.
Meiyun's lashes lowered to hide the glint of recognition in her eyes.
"Oh?" She accepted the glass lightly. "Then peace it shall be."
But when Li Wen turned away, smirking in satisfaction, Meiyun's hand moved swiftly—switching her glass with another on a passing tray.
She raised the clean glass to her lips and took a slow sip, never breaking her calm expression.
From across the room, Zeyan's eyes met hers. Surprise flickered there—just for an instant—before he smiled again, but tighter now, colder.
Caught off guard, are you? she thought.
This time, I'm the one who knows how the story goes.
---
A Subtle Change of Fate
As the evening deepened, Meiyun excused herself to the garden terrace for air.
The night breeze was cool, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms. She stood near the railing, watching the city lights shimmer far below.
Moments later, footsteps approached.
"Why are you out here alone?"
She turned.
Yichen stood behind her, one hand in his pocket, the other holding two glasses of wine.
"I needed quiet," she said softly.
He handed her one glass. "So did I."
Their fingers brushed briefly, and her heart skipped before she could stop it.
In her past life, he had stayed inside that night—too tired, too cold, too distant.
Tonight, he followed her.
Something had already changed.
They stood in silence for a while, the city's hum beneath them.
Yichen's voice was low when he finally spoke.
"You've been different lately."
She glanced sideways at him. "Do you dislike it?"
His gaze lingered on her face. "No," he said after a pause. "Just unfamiliar."
Meiyun smiled faintly. "Then I hope you'll get used to it."
Their eyes met under the glow of the terrace light—hers filled with hidden sorrow and determination, his shadowed with confusion and a faint, unspoken longing.
For one fragile moment, it almost felt like they were the people they could have been—before pride and betrayal destroyed everything.
---
The Repeat of the Accident
When the gala ended, guests began leaving in elegant clusters.
In her past life, Zeyan had offered her a ride home because "Yichen was too busy."
She had accepted—and the staged car accident had followed soon after.
Tonight, history tried to play its same hand.
Zeyan appeared near the entrance, car keys dangling between his fingers.
"Cousin Yichen seems occupied," he said smoothly. "Let me drive you home, Meiyun."
She tilted her head, the corners of her lips curving. "No need. My husband will take me."
"Are you sure?" His voice softened, falsely concerned. "It's raining again."
"Yes," she said clearly, "I'm sure."
At that moment, Yichen emerged from a crowd of businessmen, his gaze settling on her. Without hesitation, he took the umbrella from the valet and held it over her.
"Let's go," he said simply.
Something in Zeyan's charming mask cracked. "Ah, Cousin, you should let me—"
Yichen's eyes, calm and deep as ink, turned to him. "You've interfered enough."
The words were polite in tone, but sharp enough to end any argument.
He placed a hand lightly on Meiyun's back, guiding her toward the car.
The umbrella tilted, covering her completely.
And just like that, the moment that had once destroyed her life passed by—quietly rewritten.
---
In the Car
Rain tapped against the windows as the city lights blurred past.
For a long while, neither spoke.
Then, softly, Yichen said, "You handled Zeyan well tonight."
Meiyun looked out the window. "Did I?"
"You didn't argue, didn't get drawn into their game." His tone was unreadable. "That's new."
She smiled faintly. "Maybe I finally learned my lesson."
He glanced at her profile—the calm curve of her lips, the softness that used to be buried under sharpness.
Something inside him stirred—something he had long buried beneath duty and disappointment.
When they reached home, she reached for the door handle, but he spoke again.
"Meiyun."
She turned. His eyes met hers in the dim car light—dark, steady, searching.
"Whatever changed you," he said quietly, "I hope you keep it."
For a moment she couldn't breathe. Her heart pounded with the ache of all the years she had wasted.
"I will," she whispered.
He nodded once and got out, walking around to open her door. The rain had softened to a drizzle, and as she stepped beneath his umbrella, her fingers brushed his sleeve.
This time, he didn't pull away.
---
Inside the house, the children were asleep. The scent of rain lingered through the windows. Meiyun stood in the hallway, listening to the silence, her heart full and trembling.
The past repeated tonight, she thought, but I changed its ending.
And somewhere deep inside her, for the first time since rebirth, hope began to bloom.
---