Chapter 1: Death and Rebirth

“Comrade Bai, has your family still not come? You haven’t paid a single cent of your medical fees. We can’t proceed with the next round of treatment.”
The nurse informed her with an indifferent tone:
“If the fees aren’t paid today, you’ll have to be discharged tomorrow.”

Bai Yalan nodded awkwardly. “Okay… I understand. Thank you, nurse.”

After the nurse left, she closed her eyes in pain, not understanding how her life had ended up like this.

She had been married to her husband for ten years. For ten years, she worked hard to manage the household for his sake. Even though she knew he didn’t love her, she never once complained or regretted it.

But now, when she had cancer and needed treatment, he completely abandoned her. Even his mother, whom she had cared for all these years, hadn’t visited her once. She was left alone on a hospital bed, quietly waiting to die.

Just then, a middle-aged woman entered the room. When she saw Bai Yalan, a look of pity crossed her face.

“Aunt Zhang, did you manage to get the money?” Bai Yalan asked anxiously.

Aunt Zhang was a kind neighbor and friend. A few days ago, Bai Yalan had asked her to go to her mother-in-law’s place to ask for money to pay for her treatment.

Even if her husband didn’t care about her, she had served her in-laws wholeheartedly for so many years. She believed her mother-in-law wouldn’t let her die without trying to help.

But Aunt Zhang looked troubled and said, “Yalan, I went to your mother-in-law yesterday afternoon. They absolutely refused to give any money. They even said you’re already in the late stage of cancer, and there’s no point wasting money on treatment.”

At that moment, Bai Yalan felt her heart turn completely cold.

She had served them for years, worked hard on their business, cared for the old couple, and gave them the best life she could. Just because her business ran into a bit of trouble and went bankrupt, this was how they treated her.

Aunt Zhang looked at her with sympathy and continued, “When I left, I saw a woman beside your mother-in-law—quite pretty, with a beauty mark beneath her eye. A little boy stood next to her. I overheard them talking… It seems your husband got promoted to company commander and applied for military housing. He said he’s going to bring that woman and child to live with him—just waiting for you to die so he can marry her.”

Spurt! Bai Yalan coughed up a mouthful of blood, her vision going completely blank. Her body collapsed onto the bed, motionless.

Aunt Zhang panicked and shouted, “Doctor! Nurse! Hurry, come take a look!”

—

Bai Yalan felt like her body was floating in mid-air. When she opened her eyes, she saw the adulterous pair hugging each other affectionately.

She looked down in shock at her own translucent, ethereal body—and suddenly realized: she was dead. She had become a soul.

Right in front of her, her husband Qin Kaishen and that woman were being all lovey-dovey.

Qin Kaishen said happily, “That woman is finally dead. I endured her for ten years. If it weren’t for her scheming that tore us apart back then, I never would’ve married her. But now she’s finally gone. Qing’er, we can finally be together.”

“She was always hilarious,” Lu Qing’er chimed in with a sneer. “Always trying to compete with me—starting her own business just because you did. But she never once beat you. You easily set her up, made her company go bankrupt, and left her with nothing. Still, she was at least useful—she spent all those years caring for your parents. I wouldn’t have wanted to go through all that hassle.”

Qin Kaishen laughed. “My Qing’er is so smart.”

“That’s not the only thing she was good for,” Lu Qing’er said slyly.

“Oh?” Qin Kaishen raised an eyebrow.

Lu Qing’er held up a jade bracelet on her wrist. “Remember this bracelet?”

“Yeah, the one she gave my mom. My mom said it wasn’t suitable for her age, so she gave it to you.”

Lu Qing’er lovingly touched the bracelet and said, “Actually, this bracelet has a magical space inside it. That’s how I’ve always managed to beat her. I discovered it by accident when I cut myself while cooking and a drop of blood hit the bracelet—it recognized me as its owner.”

“Her business tactics may work on others, but she could never compete with the high-quality products from the space. She never stood a chance.”

“My Qing’er is amazing,” he praised again.

Bai Yalan stared at the bracelet in disbelief. She never imagined she had given away something so valuable. And that it ended up in Lu Qing’er’s hands, becoming her greatest weapon in their long-standing rivalry.

Even more shocking, her company’s bankruptcy had something to do with Lu Qing’er.

Qin Kaishen had the nerve to accuse her of scheming, when back then it was Lu Qing’er who had fallen for a man with a higher rank than him. Bai Yalan jumped into the water and was saved by that man. Later, Lu Qing’er found out the man was crude and had a terrible personality, so she regretted it—but blamed everything on Bai Yalan!

“Qin Kaishen! Lu Qing’er! You disgusting pair! Even as a ghost, I won’t forgive you!”

As soon as she screamed those words, Bai Yalan felt her soul being sucked away by some invisible force.

When she opened her eyes again, the surroundings were completely different.

Wait… Wasn’t this the room she had lived in before getting married?

She froze for a moment and looked at her hands. They were soft and delicate, without the calluses from years of hard work and chores.

She trembled in disbelief and stared at her fair, youthful hands for a long, long time.

Am I… dreaming?

She looked around the room again, eyes filling with tears.

This was her room. Her own room!

Everything was just as she remembered it. She was sitting on a single bed pressed against the wall. The sheets were old and faded but freshly washed and tidy.

A stuffed rabbit sewn by her mother, who used to work at the textile factory, sat beside her pillow.

A small desk stood by the bed, with an old bronze mirror and a few well-read books scattered on top.

She suddenly jumped to her feet! The sudden motion made her knee bang into the desk. The pain made her suck in a breath, and tears streamed down her face.

But she didn’t care. She threw herself in front of the mirror, and when she saw the reflection, she froze—then burst into tears of joy.

The girl in the mirror had rosy cheeks and youthful features. She was wearing a brand-new pale pink nightgown. The style was a bit childish, but the stitching was fine and detailed.

It was the birthday gift her mother had sewn for her 22nd birthday.

The pain was real. It hurt! She rubbed her sore knee—and finally accepted it.

This was real… it was real. She wasn’t dreaming.

She… she had been reborn!

She had really… been reborn!