The desolate highway stretched endlessly beneath a moonless sky, swallowed by an ocean of black clouds that hung heavy and low. The night air was thick with silence, disturbed only by the cold wind whispering through the trees lining both sides of the road. Streetlamps flickered faintly along the highway, glowing like scattered stars in a sea of darkness — fragile, isolated, and dim.
Then—Screech!
The shriek of tires tore through the still night. A black car jerked violently forward as a white sedan slammed into its rear, sending it careening into the roadside trees. Metal groaned, glass shattered, and the world spun into chaos. The car finally came to a brutal halt — teetering mere inches from the cliff's edge. One breath too long, and it would've been swallowed by the abyss.
Hiss—!
Inside the wrecked car, a woman stirred, her breath shaky. Her forehead pulsed with pain where it had struck the steering wheel despite the airbags' cushion. She pressed trembling fingers against her temple, feeling the sticky warmth of blood. The acrid scent of burnt rubber and leaking fuel filled her lungs, stinging her senses.
"Where... am I?" Her voice quivered, rough and disbelieving. "I—I'm still alive?"
Her gaze dropped to her hands- pale, slender, unblemished. Her skin was smooth, her reflection in the cracked mirror youthful and unscarred. Wasn't she dead? Then what was she doing in the car? Wasn't she burnt alive with her limbs broken? Then what kind of sorcery is this? Why was she looking so young and flawless?
As her pounding heartbeat steadied and the reality slowly sunk in, memories flooded in like shards of glass. Only then did she finally remember the situation she was in. The accident that marked her own downfall, one that left her crippled and powerless, under the mercy of others. The accident which was personally orchestrated by her dear father and his beloved family.
Not her father by blood, but the father of her identity, Xin Mei. The name that she had worn like a borrowed skin for six long years. At the tender age of thirteen, her body experienced the pain of broken bones, and damaged nerves after being schemed against by her family rivals. In that darkness, Xin Mei came as a beacon of light in her life.
Looking like her, but with an optimistic personality that she wish she had.
With her bright smile and her inherent cheerful self, she lit up her world like no else did. Both hospitalised in the same hospital, the only difference being that Xin Mei was all alone in a foreign country with no one to call hers, but she had a loving family accompanying her. Despite having no one by her side, Xin Mei remained optimistic until the last breath of her life.
Xin Mei had been the reason she stood again, the reason she lived on when all she'd wanted was to die. But the one who gave her that hope, Xin Mei never lived to see her stand tall again.
Taking on Xin Mei's name later had been her tribute, and her weapon. She had come to Country X disguised as her late friend, determined to uncover the truth behind her downfall. But fate had played its cruellest joke, instead of revenge, she met her end once more.
Xin Mei had been the daughter of Xin Zhaowen and Anna, a wealthy heiress. Though he had once loved Anna, his heart or rather, his greed had drifted toward Lu Meili, a woman as cunning as she was ruthless. He used Anna's love, drained her fortune, and then killed her.
Xin Siyue, his daughter with Lu Meili, was born soon after, a child he called his lucky charm, believing her birth had rid him of Anna and secured his wealth. But what he didn't know at that time was that before Anna died, she had already transferred all her assets to her daughter, Xin Mei.
With a flash of hatred in her eyes, she woke up from her stupor to face the first ordeal. She had came to this country to avenge her best friend. But now, she had her own accounts to settle.
Blood still trickling down her temple, she pushed the car door open with a grunt. The cold wind hit her face, sharp and biting. Every instinct screamed at her to stay alert. She wasn't going to resign to fate. After all, she was the not Xin Mei. She shouldn't be the one to lose her life under this unscrupulous family. She still had her real enemies, ones who want to go against her family, waiting to strike her at any time.
From the shadows, Xin Siyue emerged. Her supposed half-sister, the one who had rammed her car off the road. Seeing "Xin Mei" standing there, bloodied but alive, her face twisted in disbelief.
"S-Sister, you… you—" She stammered, her eyes wide, flickering between fear and envy.
She wasn't able to finish her words. Maybe due to the fear of seeing 'Xin Mei' alive or due to absolute trace of envy in her eyes when she took in the appearance of the women standing in front of her.
"Xin Siyue." Her lips curved into a cold, crooked smile. "Trying to kill me? Or just cripple me? Dream on." Her English was sharp and elegant, her accent polished from years abroad.
Sweat beaded on Xin Siyue's forehead. Her lips trembled in fear, but her pride refused to yield.
"So what?" She spat, her voice shrill in Mandarin. "If I let you live, my entire career, my reputation, everything I've built — gone! If people knew that every song, every lyric I claimed as mine was yours, do you know how they'd see me? A fraud. And soon, they would dig in to my entire family history. Then, everything would be revealed. My father, a cheater. My mother, a homewrecker. I can't let that happen. I have to silence you one way or another, Xin Mei!"
Before she could act further, Xin Siyue took out a huge rock and pointed at her, ready to throw it at her any second. If it was just Xin Siyue, she could've easily disarmed her. But what she didn't expect was to be surrounded by twenty or so bodyguards who were standing behind Xin Siyue for protection. Fighting one person was simple but fighting twenty fully grown men who were clearly armed was impossible. She might've had a chance of defeating the majority and escaping if she was in her best condition but with a dizzy head, she wasn't even able to think straight.
If she had to escape this tragedy, she had to run! She couldn't allow such tragedy to happen again. Or else what's the point in gaining a second chance?