Chapter 2: Mysterious Pattern

After putting down the test paper, Lin Yumo got ready to wash up.
Standing before the sink, she stared blankly at the long-lost, youthful face in the mirror.

At fifteen, her cheeks still carried a trace of baby fat. Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and watery, framed by lashes that fluttered like tiny fans.

Her nose was high and straight, her lips a soft pink—like a freshly picked peach.

Only her complexion was a little dull from staying up late studying, with faint dark circles under her eyes.

“Mm… looks like a little panda…”
She poked her own cheek; the soft, springy feel made her pinch it twice more for good measure.

“Oh! Forgot my hair tie!”

With her mouth full of foam, she hurried back toward her room, almost slipping in the hallway.

She quickly steadied herself and walked more slowly toward where she kept her hair ties.

When she finally raised her arm to tie up her hair, she caught a glimpse of an unusual green mark on the inside of her wrist.

She froze, tilting her head and bringing her arm closer for a better look—it was a jasmine blossom, about the size of a fingernail. Its petals were a translucent milky white, the stem a tender green so fresh it seemed it could drip water. Even the veins in the petals were finely detailed, as if traced by a delicate brush. It lay quietly on her skin like a freshly stamped seal.

“Huh?”
She gently tapped it with her fingertip. The texture was no different from the surrounding skin—warm and soft—not a sticker, and certainly not drawn on.

Lin Yumo turned her arm over and over, her brows knitting slightly.

In her previous life, she’d never even gotten her ears pierced, let alone a tattoo. Where had this little jasmine come from?

Sunlight slipped in through a gap in the curtains, falling right on the tiny blossom. The petal edges seemed to glimmer with gold, and then… they trembled slightly, as if stirred by the wind.

Startled, Lin Yumo yanked her hand back with a gasp.

D-did that flower just move?!

Cautiously, she extended her finger again—this time not daring to touch it, just letting it hover in the air and sway slightly. When the tiny jasmine remained perfectly still, she finally let out a breath.

Maybe she’d imagined it?

No… she was sure she hadn’t. The flower really was strange. She’d take a closer look after breakfast.

But it was just so well-behaved—green and white, exactly like her nickname.

The longer Lin Yumo looked at it, the more she felt an odd sense of fondness, as if she were keeping a little secret. Her fingertips brushed the spot again, curiosity gradually replacing her wariness.

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter… it was actually quite pretty.

Once she was finally ready, Lin Yumo headed out of her room. Aunt Wu had already set breakfast on the table: a porcelain bowl of millet porridge with a few bright red goji berries floating on top, and a plate of steaming dumplings.

There was also a small dish of pickles, a vibrant green that whetted the appetite at a glance.

Lin Yumo sat down at the table, scooping up a spoonful of millet porridge.

It was thick and glutinous, melting in her mouth with a light fragrance of rice. As it slid into her stomach, warmth spread through her.

She took a bite of a dumpling next—the filling was shiitake mushroom and greens, fresh and savory.

By the time she finished breakfast, she felt a little warm, tiny beads of sweat dotting her forehead.

She got up and walked to the fridge, planning to grab a cup of yogurt to cool off.

The moment she opened the fridge door, a wave of cold air hit her, making her shiver involuntarily.

Inside, everything was neatly arranged—fruits on the upper shelf, milk and yogurt on the lower.

Lin Yumo’s eyes swept across the contents, and just as she was about to take a strawberry-flavored yogurt, she was suddenly drawn to a jar of dried jasmine flowers in the dry goods section.

The jar was transparent, and inside, the jasmine petals were soft white and tender, clearly visible.

At that moment, she felt the “Little Jasmine” on her arm stir slightly, as if a tiny insect was crawling under her skin—ticklish.

Immediately after, a strong craving welled up inside her—an intense desire to eat those dried jasmine flowers.

Lin Yumo blinked in surprise and glanced down at the inside of her wrist. The little jasmine there looked just the same as always—tiny and delicate, white with touches of green, impossibly cute.

She smiled, thinking this “Little Jasmine” was quite interesting—it even seemed to “want to eat” things.

She took out the jar of dried jasmine flowers, then fetched her own bunny-shaped mug from the cupboard, scooped in a few spoonfuls of the petals, and poured in hot water.

The white petals slowly unfurled in the water, each like a blooming jasmine blossom, and their fragrance spread through the air.

Carrying the cup back to her room, she sat at her desk while the morning sunlight filtered in through the sheer curtains. Her fingertips gently brushed the white-and-green jasmine-shaped birthmark on the inside of her wrist.

The sunlight falling on it seemed to make the little jasmine’s colors look even more vivid.

She finished the cup of jasmine tea, the warm liquid sliding down her throat with a faint, refreshing aroma, but for now, she didn’t feel any noticeable change.

Blinking, she looked down at her wrist, curiosity flickering in her heart—
What secret could this pattern be hiding?

Lin Yumo took out a notebook with a light blue cover and a starry sky design.

Her desk was full of pens—some with tiny bells hanging from their caps that jingled when shaken; some wrapped in colorful ribbons tied into neat bows; and some printed with all sorts of lifelike little animals.

After picking through them for a while, she finally chose the pen with the bunny-shaped cap. After all, it was the one she was most used to, and it felt especially comfortable in her hand.

She opened the notebook, lightly tapped the paper with the pen tip, and then neatly wrote six characters: “High School Transformation Plan.”

The handwriting was round and tidy, with a touch of earnest youthfulness. When she finished, she gently blew on the paper as if afraid the ink might smudge. She stared at the words for a long while, silently vowing to herself—these next three years, she would work hard. She wouldn’t leave behind the same regrets as in her previous life.

High School Transformation Plan

First item: Study Plan

In the elite A City No. 1 High School, Lin Yumo’s science grades had always hovered in the middle of the year group. Even though her Chinese and math propped up her total score, the overall results still didn’t look good.

This time, she would tackle her weak subjects one by one. Thinking back to her high school years in her past life, physics and English had been her weakest compared to the rest.