chapter 1 — Awakening

Li Wei woke up abruptly.

Her chest rose and fell sharply as she sucked in a breath, her heart beating so fast that it felt painful. For a moment, she couldn’t tell where she was. Her mind was blank, as if it had been forcefully wiped clean.

Then memories surged back.

The night.

The road.

The truck.

Her pupils shrank violently.

“I… I was hit…”

Li Wei subconsciously tried to move, but her body felt strange. Too light. Too weak. She slowly raised her hands in front of her eyes—and froze.

Her hands were small.

Not just small, but childish. The fingers were thin, short, and soft, without the roughness she remembered from years of work. Her nails were neatly trimmed, pink and clean.

Her breathing grew rapid.

“This isn’t right…”

Her voice startled her even more. It was high-pitched, young, nothing like the calm but tired voice she used to have.

Panic flooded her chest.

Li Wei pushed herself up and looked around. The room was spacious and bright, decorated in warm colors. Sunlight streamed in through large windows, illuminating expensive furniture and a soft carpet beneath her feet.

This was not a hospital ward.

It was not her rented room either.

She stumbled out of bed and ran toward the mirror beside the wardrobe. When she saw her reflection, her mind went completely blank.

A little girl stared back at her.

She looked around nine years old, with delicate features and large eyes that were now filled with fear. Her hair was slightly messy, falling over her shoulders, and she was wearing a simple but high-quality pajama dress.

Li Wei pressed her palms against the mirror.

“That’s… me?”

No.

That couldn’t be her.

She was twenty-three years old. She had grown used to seeing exhaustion in her eyes, not this childish innocence.

Her head started to ache violently.

“I should be dead,” she murmured.

As soon as those words left her mouth, a sharp pain pierced her brain. Her vision blurred, her legs weakened, and before she could call for help, everything around her suddenly turned white.

The White Space

When Li Wei opened her eyes again, she was no longer in the room.

She stood in an endless white space. There was no ground beneath her feet, yet she didn’t fall. There was no sky above, yet the space felt vast and boundless.

It was silent.

Unnaturally silent.

“Where is this place…?” she asked cautiously.

Her voice echoed faintly, then disappeared.

“That’s because this isn’t a real place.”

A soft voice sounded from ahead.

Li Wei stiffened and looked up.

A girl stood a short distance away.

She looked almost the same age as Li Wei—around nine—but her presence felt different. Her features were identical to Li Wei’s, but her eyes were light pink, clear and gentle, without fear or confusion.

They looked calm.

“You’re awake,” the girl said softly.

Li Wei stared at her, her heart pounding. “Who are you?”

The girl smiled faintly, not surprised by the question. “I am Li Wei.”

Li Wei’s breathing paused for a second.

“…Then who am I?”

“You are the one who will live for me.”

Before Li Wei could ask what that meant, the white space began to tremble. Cracks appeared in the air like broken glass, and fragments of light rushed toward her.

She felt her head explode with pain.

“No—wait—!”

Her voice drowned out.

The memories forced their way into her mind.

The first memory was bright.

A hospital room.

Li Wei saw a newborn baby wrapped in soft blankets, crying loudly with all her strength. A woman lay weakly on the bed, her face pale but filled with joy.

“She’s beautiful,” Shen Meilin whispered, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.

Beside her stood Li Junhao, gripping her hand tightly. His eyes were red, his voice hoarse. “She’s finally here.”

Outside the bed stood a six-year-old boy.

Li Chenyan.

He stared at the baby seriously for a long time before saying, “I’ll protect her.”

The scene shifted suddenly.

A hospital corridor late at night.

The lights were dim.

A nurse pushed the crib forward, her footsteps echoing softly.

Then—

Someone blocked her path.

Li Wei felt her heart clench as the baby’s cries grew louder, then abruptly disappeared.

The next image was dark.

Rain poured heavily.

The baby was left at the gate of an orphanage, crying until her voice became hoarse.

Back at the Li family home, chaos erupted.

Shen Meilin collapsed on the floor, screaming her daughter’s name until she fainted.

Li Junhao used every connection he had, mobilizing people, money, and power to search endlessly.

Li Chenyan stood quietly by the door, his small fists clenched tightly.

Days passed.

Months passed.

Years passed.

The little girl was never found.

The Empty Years

The villa became cold and silent.

Shen Meilin often sat in Li Wei’s empty room, holding tiny clothes that no longer fit anyone.

Li Junhao buried himself in work, his hair turning gray before his time.

Li Chenyan changed the most.

He stopped smiling.

He spoke less.

He grew up quickly.

Relatives began to interfere.

“You can’t keep living like this.”

“Adopt a child.”

“At least continue the family line.”

The pressure became unbearable.

Two years later, they finally agreed.

Xu Yuran

Xu Yuran arrived at the Li family mansion on a quiet afternoon.

She was four years old, dressed neatly, with soft eyes and obedient behavior. She bowed her head politely and called Shen Meilin “Auntie” in a timid voice.

Shen Meilin felt her heart soften.

Li Junhao nodded, trying to convince himself.

But Li Chenyan’s expression remained cold.

“She’s not my sister,” he said clearly.

Xu Yuran smiled obediently, but lowered her head slightly.

Li Wei saw it clearly.

That fleeting darkness in Xu Yuran’s eyes.

The memories moved forward.

At family gatherings, Li Junhao’s elders whispered among themselves.

“Four generations without a girl.”

“She was the only one.”

“How can an adopted child replace her?”

On Shen Meilin’s side, the atmosphere was even colder.

Blood was everything.

Xu Yuran was polite and well-behaved, but she could always feel the distance.

She was inside the family—

Yet never truly part of it.

One year later.

Xu Yuran stood in the living room wearing a new dress.

It was her fifth birthday.

She waited.

But instead of celebration, the family suddenly became busy.

Excited.

Nervous.

“They found her,” someone whispered.

Xu Yuran didn’t understand.

The family left in a hurry.

When they returned, they carried a small girl in their arms.

Two years old.

Soft cheeks. Big eyes.

Li Wei.

The real Li Wei.

The entire household erupted in joy.

Xu Yuran stood silently to the side.

Her birthday was forgotten.

That day, jealousy quietly took root in her heart.

Back to Reality

The memories ended abruptly.

Li Wei felt herself falling.

She gasped and opened her eyes.

The smell of disinfectant filled her nose.

White walls.

A hospital room.

She tried to move and felt pain spread through her body.

She raised her hand.

Small.

Still small.

This wasn’t a dream.

She was no longer twenty-three years old.

She was nine.

Li Wei stared at the ceiling, fear and determination mixing in her heart.

“I won’t tell anyone,” she whispered.

“I’ll live.”

Outside the curtain, hurried footsteps approached.

A calm, cold voice spoke softly.

“She’s awake.”

Li Wei’s fingers tightened slightly.

Her new life had officially begun.

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