Under the night sky, inside the most luxurious hotel in the coastal metropolis of Binhai, many movers and shakers from the business and political worlds—wearing polished, practiced smiles—elegantly held cocktail glasses under the soft lighting, mingling and making small talk.
In the resplendent lobby, only Vera Sutton stood frozen in front of a full-length mirror in the corner.
Her eyes widened as she stared at her reflection in shock. Was this her face? Why did she look over a decade younger? The childish features, bare-faced, yet her skin was fair to the point of translucence.
Her big waves were gone, replaced by neat bangs and shoulder-length hair.
A plain white t-shirt, jeans, canvas shoes—the classic student look! But… where were her business clothes?
This was too weird! What was happening?
Just as she was reeling in confusion, a woman's shrill voice cut through her thoughts: "Oh my, Vera... you actually came to Jason's birthday party? What a surprise... But really, in a setting like this, how could you wear a t-shirt and jeans? Not that this outfit doesn't suit you, but you have to consider the occasion, don't you?"
Vera turned her face toward the speaker. The girl in front of her was around seventeen or eighteen, but cosmetics had ruined her natural appearance—heavily shadowed eyes and a starkly pale face, looking quite jarring.
The girl was looking at her sideways, her contempt barely concealed.
Who was this girl? She seemed familiar, but Vera couldn't place her...
"Hey, by the way, Vera," the girl pursed her lips in another cold smile, "I heard you have a crush on Jason? His father is the Director of the Education Bureau, and his mother, Mei Ling, is the director of the Binhai City Museum! Someone like you, could you ever be worthy?"
What was this girl talking about? Did it concern her? Vera frowned, her mind feeling foggy. Wasn't she supposed to be in Professor Liang's study organizing appraisal documents? How did she suddenly end up here? Was it because of that gunshot? Were those people trying to kill her?
Startled by this thought, she subconsciously touched her heart, feeling a faint ache. That bullet had entered her body from behind! Vera couldn't help but draw a cold breath. She was... dead?
Looking back at the chattering girl, Vera grasped the key point. Memories and information came flooding into her mind like a turbulent river: Jason Xu, birthday party, son of the museum director!
In an instant, she understood one thing: she had been murdered! Right there in her mentor's study!
At that time, she had just found the evidence of her parents' murder!
It was terrifying! She had actually witnessed... her own death and the gradual process that led her family to their doom.
She clutched her chest. The more she thought about it, the more shocked she became. It was almost unbelievable.
But... why? Miraculously, she had returned to her teenage years?
The word "rebirth" swirled in her mind, and Vera gradually understood. She had died and then come back to ten years ago, which was 2003! Back then, she was only 18, in her final year of high school!
The event this girl mentioned was precisely from just before her high school graduation, when a few female classmates had egged her on to attend the school heartthrob Jason Xu's birthday party. And she had been utterly humiliated at that party.
Now, the first thing she was facing was... Jason Xu's birthday party? Vera's bright eyes suddenly darkened. That party had left an indelible impression on her; it was practically the fuse that led to her family's ruin!
No! She couldn't let tragedy strike again! She couldn't lose her loved ones again! She couldn't become a victim of another bullet!
Perhaps fate had chosen this very moment to give her a second chance, to change all of this tragedy.
Since she was back, she had to change her destiny and save her family's lives!
Scrambling through the fragmented memories of ten years ago, Vera suddenly recalled that the sharp-tongued, arrogant girl in front of her was their class's culture and entertainment secretary, Yvonne Yang. Everyone in school knew her father was an antique dealer and very wealthy, so Yvonne always acted high and mighty, thinking she was something special.
Yvonne glanced at Vera's ethereally beautiful face, and the anger in her heart flared up. "If you don't have clothes to wear, just stay home and don't show yourself! You know, Yvonne has invited a special guest for Jason tonight, apparently a high-ranking official from the province! These are all important people with status. If someone like you is seen by them, they'll think our whole circle is this tacky!"
She deliberately spoke a little louder, and two girls who had just walked over overheard her.
One of them, elegantly adjusting her Western-style skirt, glanced at Vera and sneered before turning her gaze away.
The other curled her lips in a smile, her eyes darting between the two, finally settling on Vera's simple t-shirt. Her stare was blatant, as if she was waiting to see Vera get angry and make a fool of herself.
But Vera acted as if nothing was wrong, just smiling faintly. She faced the mirror, unhurriedly took a small comb and a black hairband from her backpack, swept her shoulder-length hair back, and deftly tied it into a ponytail.
The three beside her were all taken aback. They had never seen Vera look so calm and confident before! The moment she pulled her hair back, she seemed to transform, instantly brightening up.
Vera tossed her hair and said with an airy smile, "Saying all that, aren't you tired? You sure got some lung capacity..."
Yvonne stared at her as if seeing a ghost! She had never imagined that the usually timid, cowardly Vera would say something so sharp.
And Vera's face still held a smile, but her gaze was cold enough to send chills down one's spine.
"You... you... what did you say?"
Vera stood still, smiling but silent, her eyes clear.
"Vera! Do you know who you're talking to?"
Vera gave a leisurely smile. "When the doctor did your surgery, did he leave a clamp in your brain? You don't even know who you are anymore?"
"Bullshit!"
"Don't get mad... you know foot-and-mouth disease usually only spreads among livestock, so you biting people is useless."
"You! You—bullshit!" Yvonne was frantic, her nose practically steaming with rage. For a long moment, she couldn't get another word out.
Seeing the people around start looking over with surprised expressions, Yvonne realized she had lost her composure. Thinking fast, she threw a contemptuous look at Vera, pretending that the two "bullshits" had come from her.
Too lazy to bother with this airhead, Vera shouldered her backpack and headed for the exit.
Seeing her about to leave, Yvonne suddenly snorted and grabbed her, "kindly" saying, "We are classmates after all, so I have to give you some advice! Don't be a toad lusting after a swan's flesh!"
Vera completely ignored her sarcasm, sidestepped her, and kept walking out.
"Hey? What kind of attitude is that? I kindly remind you, and you get all high and mighty!"
Vera gave her a cold look. "If you like him, go chase him. I'm not interested."
"Ha! That's rich!" Yvonne sneered. "Not interested? Then why are you always hanging around Jason? Why did you go to all the trouble to come to his birthday party if you're not interested? Why do you stare at him like an idiot?"
Was she crazy? Couldn't Yvonne understand plain words? Still such an airhead?
Too lazy to deal with her, Vera said coldly, "Move."
Yvonne froze, intimidated by Vera's demeanor. She stared at her for a long moment, not recovering.
Seeing this idiot wasn't going to move, Vera squinted and asked, "What brand of perfume are you wearing?"
Yvonne snapped back, raised her chin proudly, and said, "The latest French release, 'Dream of Enchantment.' What, want to try some?"
Vera smirked. "The smell on you is way too strong. It's stinging my nose! Mind stepping aside?"
Yvonne was beside herself with rage, her mind blank of any retort. By the time the word "bullshit" finally flashed into her head, Vera was already long gone.