Chapter 2: The Return of the "Dead"

The Lin family estate in the capital was glowing with the kind of superficial warmth that only immense wealth could buy. Crystal chandeliers cast golden light over marble floors, and the scent of expensive lilies filled the air—the favorite scent of the "Golden Daughter," Sofia Lin.

Inside the study, Lin Ru Hai, the head of the family, sipped a glass of aged whiskey. Opposite him sat his wife, Madam Ye, who was busy scrolling through a tablet, looking at high-end jewelry for their upcoming "Celebration of Peace."

"Is it done?" Madam Ye asked, her voice as sharp as a diamond cutter.

"The driver called," Lin Ru Hai replied, his eyes cold. "The car went off the cliff at Black Ghost Ravine. There’s no way that... eyesore... survived. By tomorrow, the news will report a tragic accident involving a country girl who couldn't handle the mountain roads."

Madam Ye sighed in relief. "Good. Now Sofia can marry into the Lu family without that girl’s shadow looming over her. Imagine the scandal if the capital saw that 'Lin Ran'—looking like a cursed demon with those black veins. It would have ruined our bloodline's reputation."

Just as she finished speaking, a thunderous BOOM shook the mansion.

The heavy, oak front doors—secured by a state-of-the-art electronic lock—flew off their hinges, skidding across the marble foyer like discarded toys.

The alarms wailed. Security guards rushed forward, batons drawn, only to freeze in their tracks.

A figure stood in the doorway.

She was drenched in the evening rain, her cheap, mud-stained floral shirt clinging to a frame that looked far too delicate to have kicked down a reinforced door. Her hair hung in matted clumps, and blood—dark and drying—streaked her forehead.

But it was her presence that stopped their hearts. The air around her felt heavy, as if the gravity in the room had suddenly tripled.

"Who... who are you?!" the head of security shouted, his hand trembling on his holster.

The girl tilted her head. The black, vine-like marks on her face seemed to writhe under the foyer’s lights. She took a step forward, her flip-flops making a wet slap on the pristine marble.

"You've lived in this house for ten years," the girl said, her voice low and resonant, carrying an authority that didn't belong to a nineteen-year-old. "And you don't recognize the Eldest Miss? Your eyes are as useless as your security system."

Lin Ru Hai and Madam Ye rushed onto the balcony overlooking the foyer. When Lin Ru Hai saw the girl, his glass shattered in his hand.

"Lin... Lin Ran?!"

"Junior, you should call me by my name with a bit more respect," Lin Ran said, looking up. Her golden-flecked eyes locked onto his, and for a second, Lin Ru Hai felt as if a physical weight had slammed into his chest. He gasped, clutching the railing.

"How are you alive?" Madam Ye shrieked, her face pale. "The accident—"

"The accident was a bit of a bore," Lin Ran interrupted. She began walking up the grand staircase, the guards parting like the Red Sea before her. None of them dared to touch her; every instinct in their bodies was screaming PREDATOR.

She reached the top of the stairs and walked right past her "parents" as if they were invisible. She headed straight for the dining hall, where a lavish spread of food had been set out for a dinner they were too "mournful" to eat.

She sat at the head of the table—the seat reserved for the patriarch.

She picked up a pair of silver chopsticks, weighed them in her hand, and then used them to skewer a piece of expensive Wagyu beef.

"The seasoning is mediocre," she remarked after a bite. "Too much salt, not enough soul."

"Get out of that chair!" Lin Ru Hai finally found his voice, though it was an octave higher than usual. "You're a disgrace! You come back looking like a beggar, breaking my doors—"

"I broke the door because it was locked," Lin Ran said, her eyes never leaving her plate. "And I sat here because I’m the eldest. According to the rites of the First Era... wait, you wouldn't know about the First Era. Let’s just say, I’m the Boss now."

"You've gone mad," Madam Ye hissed. "Security! Drag this girl to the basement! Call the mental hospital!"

The guards hesitated, then moved forward.

Lin Ran didn't look up. She simply tapped her silver chopsticks against the edge of the crystal water glass.

Ting.

The sound wave rippled outward. The guards suddenly felt their knees buckle. It wasn't magic they could see; it was a pure, physical pressure that slammed their foreheads into the floor. Six grown men were suddenly pinned to the marble, unable to lift their heads.

"I’m eating," Lin Ran said softly. "Noise is forbidden."

The room fell into a terrifying silence. Lin Ru Hai and Madam Ye stood frozen, their breath hitching. This wasn't the daughter they had sent away to the countryside. That girl was a stuttering, fearful mess who covered her face in shame.

This girl... this girl looked at them as if they were ants she was deciding whether or not to step on.

Just then, a light, melodic voice drifted from the hallway.

"Father? Mother? What was that loud noise? Is the guest here?"

Sofia Lin stepped into the room. she was dressed in a white silk gown, looking every bit the "Golden Daughter." But the moment her eyes fell on the girl sitting at the head of the table, her perfect mask shattered.

"You..." Sofia’s voice trembled. "How... why are you here?"

Lin Ran finally looked up. She set her chopsticks down and leaned back in the chair, a predatory smirk playing on her lips.

"Ah, the little sister who smells like fake lilies," Lin Ran murmured. "I heard you were worried about me. So worried you sent two 'friends' to check on me in the ravine."

She reached into her pocket and tossed something onto the table. It rolled across the white linen and stopped in front of Sofia.

It was a leather wallet—the one belonging to the lead thug.

"They won't be coming back for their paycheck, Sofia," Lin Ran said, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "But don't worry. Your Ancestor is here now. I'll make sure the Lin family's lives become... very, very interesting."

She stood up, grabbed a bottle of $5,000 wine, and began to walk toward the hallway.

"I’m taking the master suite," she announced. "The one with the balcony. Move my 'sister's' things to the attic. Or the trash. I don't really care which."

"You can't do this!" Sofia screamed, her face contorting with rage.

Lin Ran stopped, looking over her shoulder. The black veins on her face pulsed with a dark, hungry light.

"I just did, Junior. Now, go find me some spicy noodles. The real kind. If they aren't in my room in ten minutes, I’ll start breaking things. And I might start with your favorite piano."

As Lin Ran vanished into the shadows of the hallway, the temperature in the room finally began to rise, but the Lin family remained frozen in a cold, paralyzing fear.

The "Ugly Girl" hadn't just come back. She had brought a nightmare with her.

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