Volume One Chapter One Rebirth

Page 1 of 3

Fu Chun’er squeezed her eyes shut, every sensation of the man’s heat and heavy breathing magnified unbearably within her.

Only after a long while, utterly spent, did she turn away and burrow into the quilt. Yet the man’s arm reached out, long and unyielding, pulling her tightly against him.

Their bodies, slick with sweat, clung uncomfortably together. Fu Chun’er squirmed in protest, uneasy.

His hand froze, then his voice, tinged with mockery, sounded in her ear. “Oh? Now that Shangguan Hao is returning, you can’t restrain yourself any longer?”

“Yin Lingxiao, haven’t you tormented me enough?”

Yin Lingxiao’s gaze darkened, but his fingers, neither rough nor gentle, pinched her earlobe.

“Your brother’s been plotting to get you out, and now that he’s back, the two of you must be in perfect accord. After all, he’s to be your future husband, isn’t he?”

Fu Chun’er shut her eyes, refusing to listen further. Every mention of Shangguan Hao only served as his excuse to torment her with even greater cruelty.

She was truly exhausted today. Her heart throbbed with a faint ache, and all she wanted was to sleep...

“Chun’er, have you forgotten what happens when you anger me?” Yin Lingxiao’s breath was hot against her neck.

Fu Chun’er frowned. The consequences of angering him?

The price was the exile of her entire family, the trueborn daughter of the Fu household imprisoned as his plaything, forced to endure everything he wished, stripped of her freedom...

His breath grew hotter. Yin Lingxiao clamped her chin, bending to kiss her.

Fu Chun’er clutched her aching heart, turning her head to avoid him.

Yin Lingxiao’s face was inscrutable as he sneered, “Chun’er, what does it matter how much you despise me? Even your bastard sister has married into a noble house as she wished, while you—even in death—can only die in my arms.”

A chill crept through Fu Chun’er’s heart, her mind growing ever more clouded.

It was as if her soul was slowly being drawn away. She heard her own voice, growing more and more distant:

“Yin Lingxiao, I will kill you someday.”

At that, Yin Lingxiao arched a brow, as if his interest were only piqued further. He bent down and gently bit her earlobe, muttering something indistinctly.

Fu Chun’er could no longer make out his words; no doubt it was more filth.

Suddenly, agony seized her heart. Before she could even gasp for breath, she sensed a gentle, unseen force smoothing away her pain, carrying off her battered and broken soul.

At the very moment her consciousness slipped away, she felt an unprecedented lightness. As her breathing ceased, the oppressive voice at her ear abruptly fell silent, and that stunning face, usually so composed, twisted with disbelief and panic as he called her name.

“Chun’er! Chun’er!”

*

Fu Chun’er seemed to have fallen into a dream.

Page 2 of 3

The familiar voice of the man gradually faded, replaced by a strange, rhythmic cadence:

[The world you inhabit is, in truth, a book. Yin Lingxiao is the deranged, blackened male lead within it, and you are the beloved he fell for at first sight—unattainable, driving him mad with obsession, whom he keeps imprisoned at his side. Your death brings him indelible torment, and a year later, he meets your replacement—the true female protagonist of this story…]

Fu Chun’er slowly came to her senses, eyes confused. Who was speaking?

Suddenly, a glowing book flew before her, its pages opening to reveal a lengthy passage:

[Fu Chun’er was raised by Aunt Mei in the countryside. Only upon reaching adulthood did she learn she was actually the daughter of the Fu household’s legitimate wife, while Aunt Mei’s own daughter had taken her place and enjoyed every privilege. Now both Aunt Mei and her birth mother are gone; she is brought home, placed by her stepmother into the elite Tian class at White Deer Academy, where she meets Yin Lingxiao…]

Her fingers brushed across the words, her eyes widening in shock.

She had indeed been born to Lady Wang, the legitimate wife of the Fu family. Yet while Wang was pregnant with her, Aunt Mei—herself with child—entered the household.

Aunt Mei, once a courtesan and disgraced daughter of an official, had been redeemed by her childhood sweetheart, Fu Chun’er’s father. He settled her in a private residence, but when her pregnancy became too obvious to hide, he brought her into the household as a concubine.

According to Aunt Mei, Lady Wang had invoked the family’s ancestral rule—refusing to share a husband with a courtesan—and demanded Aunt Mei’s exile to the countryside estate. But Aunt Mei was no saint. Seeing the situation set, she took advantage of the chaos during Lady Wang’s fatal childbirth, bribed the maids, and swapped their newborn daughters.

Thus, Aunt Mei’s daughter became the legitimate young lady in the Fu family—clothed in silks, educated and dignified, known as Fu Xiaolian.

Meanwhile, Lady Wang’s trueborn daughter was taken to the countryside, left to run wild and ignorant of books—the unfortunate Fu Chun’er.

Aunt Mei, ever guilty, sent a letter to the capital before her death, confessing the truth behind the swapped infants.

Time had moved on; Lady Wang had long since passed, and now the matron of the Fu family was her father’s second wife, Lady Lin. When the truth reached the capital, no one bothered to inquire too deeply; they quietly brought Fu Chun’er home.

To cover up the scandal, the Fu family—well-connected at court—suppressed the truth of Fu Xiaolian’s origins, claiming instead that Fu Chun’er had been sent away as a child to avert a predicted calamity, and having reached the proper age, was at last returned.

Thus, the Fu household found itself with two acknowledged daughters of the main line.

Few knew her tangled, tragic history. How did this book…?

Fu Chun’er was stunned, until she read the final line. Her finger paused, a surge of loathing rising within.

—She never wanted to see Yin Lingxiao again.

[Wish received from host: to live anew, to seize your own pen, to script your own fate.]

[Read thousands of books, and your writing will flow like a god’s. Remember: the imperial exams change destiny. May you find success in all things.]

As the strange voice faded, Fu Chun’er’s vision spun, and when it cleared, the scene had shifted.

She was in a side chamber, a table laid with exquisite dishes, several clever-looking maids serving. A gentle, motherly voice spoke:

“Most students in the Tian class are already scholars. Chun’er, you may find the lessons too much. Is this really a good idea?”

A soft, delicate voice followed: “Mother, please don’t worry. Though Her Majesty the Empress has decreed that women may sit for the exams, haven’t the ministers all opposed it? It’s just so we can learn a few characters and not be laughed at. If my elder sister is too competitive, I, as her younger sister, will have to guide her now and then.”

“Very good, Xiaolian, you are thoughtful indeed.”

Fu Chun’er glanced up. The women speaking were her stepmother, Lady Lin, and Aunt Mei’s daughter—Fu Xiaolian.

This conversation was etched in her memory.

Page 3 of 3

At that time, she had just returned to the Fu household, barely aware of the undercurrents swirling within. She first encountered her snake-tongued stepmother and her resentful half-sister, who feared her secret would be exposed and harbored deep malice.

This “mother and daughter” pair sent her into the prestigious Tian class, and she, anxious and grateful, didn’t realize this was where all her tragedies would begin.

Luckily, she had returned to life at this very turning point.

Fu Chun’er buried her tangled thoughts deep within, and when she looked up at her stepmother, her gaze was already calm. “Madam, you are quite right. I have not yet been taught to read; the Tian class truly isn’t suitable for me.”

In her previous life, after entering the Tian class, she was relentlessly pursued by her classmate Yin Lingxiao, which led to rumors that ruined her reputation. With the city awash in gossip, she was driven to the brink of hanging herself.

Now, given a second chance, she would have nothing more to do with Yin Lingxiao.

[Ding~ To change your fate, you must master knowledge. System tip: complete your studies to gain the right to alter the script.]

Fu Chun’er paused—this was the voice from her dream.

In the next instant, a familiar book appeared before her, a brush floating beside it, glowing faintly.

No one but herself could see any of this.

[Current script loaded. Beginner’s boon: single character modification (one use). Please try to activate.]

The pages turned on their own, displaying a passage that matched the present scene.

[Location: Fu residence, west side chamber. Characters: Fu Chun’er, Lady Lin, Fu Xiaolian.]

[Fu Xiaolian sneered: White Deer Academy has three classes—Tian, Di, and Ren. The Tian class truly isn’t for you, sister; why not try the Ren class instead? Lady Lin gently said: Chun’er, your sister is right. The Ren class is more suitable. As for other academies, they’re too far, and your father would never allow it.]

The story had picked up right where she was.

Most in the Tian class were children of titled officials; the Di class admitted the wealthy merchants’ offspring. Only the Ren class was filled with poor students who had to pass the entry exam by merit.

Those in the Ren class viewed the imperial examinations as their sole path to a future. The atmosphere of learning was intense—just what Fu Chun’er needed. Besides, newly returned to the Fu family, she could hardly defy her elders’ wishes.

She considered the layout of White Deer Academy. The Tian class, to maintain its exclusivity, was set far apart from the other two. Entering from the southern side gate, she would be unlikely to encounter that person.

With this in mind, Fu Chun’er decided to accept things for now.

[Fu Xiaolian, seeing Fu Chun’er’s silence, smirked: “Our Tian class is full of noble scions—even the Marquis Yongyi’s heir, Young Lord Yin, studies here. He’s proud and cold; he’ll surely despise your shabby airs and send you packing.”]

Reading this, Fu Chun’er’s heart gave a painful thump. The heir of the Marquis Yongyi—Yin Lingxiao.

In her previous life, not long after she joined the Tian class, Yin Lingxiao had forced her to his side, his fierce, intimidating presence driving away any who might have befriended her. Later, he trapped her in the classroom and confessed his feelings; when she rejected him, he left with red eyes.

Years later, already a powerful figure in the capital, he would, on a tangled bed, demand to know if she loved him, like a mad dog, until she was forced to nod.

If only he had driven her away back then—she would have burned incense day and night in thanks for the gods’ mercy.