The smell of blood filled her lungs.
Lin Xueyi lay motionless on the cold stone floor, her vision blurring as the world around her slowly faded into darkness. Warm liquid spread beneath her body—her blood.
Standing before her was the man she once loved. His long robe was spotless, his expression calm, as if he had merely stepped on an ant. The sword in his hand still dripped red.
"Xueyi… don't blame me," he said softly, his voice as gentle as ever.
Gentle enough to kill.
Her lips trembled slightly.
Behind him, another figure stepped forward.
Her younger sister.
Lin Yue.
Still wearing that same innocent smile.
"You were always in the way," Lin Yue said sweetly. "In talent… in status… and even in his heart."
Each word struck like a blade.
Lin Xueyi stared at them, her heart no longer aching—but freezing.
So this was the truth.
The man she trusted.
The sister she protected.
Together… they destroyed her.
A weak laugh escaped her lips.
So this was how it ended.
Not in glory.
Not in power.
But as a stepping stone for others.
Her fingers curled against the cold ground.
If there was another life—
Her eyes darkened.
She would repay this debt a thousand times over.
She would make them feel despair.
She would make them regret ever crossing her.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
—
Her eyes snapped open.
A sharp breath tore from her throat as she sat upright.
The world was silent.
No blood.
No pain.
Only stillness.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she looked around.
Familiar surroundings.
Her room.
Simple wooden furniture. Old curtains. The faint scent of herbs drifting in the air.
Her gaze trembled.
This place…
It was her room from years ago.
Before everything began.
"No…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
She raised her hands.
Smooth skin.
Unscarred.
Alive.
Her pupils trembled violently.
"I…"
A sudden realization struck like lightning.
Reborn.
She had returned.
Back to the past.
A long silence followed.
Then a soft laugh escaped her lips.
It started faint.
Then deepened.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
A smile curved on her face—but there was no warmth in it.
Only killing intent.
"Very well…"
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"If heaven insists on giving me another chance…"
Her eyes hardened.
"I will not waste it."
"This time…"
Her fingers clenched tightly.
"I will take everything back."
"And those who betrayed me…"
Her gaze turned icy.
"They will pay the price."
—
Lin Xueyi slowly steadied her breathing.
This was no dream.
Everything was real.
The air. The weight of her body. The faint chill against her skin.
She closed her eyes briefly, sorting through memories.
This point in time…
She had not yet been discarded.
Not yet been labeled useless by the Lin family.
Not yet trusted the people who would later destroy her.
A dangerous light flickered in her eyes.
"This is where it begins…"
In her previous life, she had been naïve. Trusting. Weak.
She believed in family.
Believed in love.
And in the end—
She paid with her life.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Never again."
She stood and walked to the mirror.
A young girl stared back.
Delicate features. Calm face. Eyes that once held innocence.
Now—
Only cold clarity remained.
Lin Xueyi studied her reflection.
"This face… this life…"
"They are mine again."
A faint smile appeared.
Not warm.
Not gentle.
But controlled.
Resolved.
"Since fate has given me another chance…"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"I will rise to the top."
She turned slightly away from the mirror.
Silence filled the room.
Then her eyes narrowed.
"No matter the cost."