Volume One, Chapter One: Return

Li Shuhe sat quietly before the vanity, her waist-length hair now resting over her shoulders. The tablecloth was no longer the green she favored. The heavy foundation and lipstick on her face felt strangely unfamiliar; the woman in the mirror was both herself and yet not herself.

Her trembling fingertips lightly touched her cheek, the strange sensation causing her to quickly withdraw her hand.

Had she regained control over her body?

The calendar on the table read 1981. She was already twenty-three years old...

Lost in thought, the mirror before her vanished.

A harsh force yanked her hair, dragging Li Shuhe from her seat. Her vision blurred, and all she could hear were her own ragged breaths and Aunt Li’s furious curses.

“Always staring at the mirror, dressing up all wrong. Five years ago, you weren’t like this! What kind of evil has possessed you in these years?”

Aunt Li gripped Li Shuhe’s hair tightly.

“How did I end up raising such a disgrace?”

“I’m not asking for anything in return. I found you such a good match, but you refuse! You even dare to marry without accepting a single betrothal gift? Marrying that son of Duan Tiezhu!”

The news of today’s engagement had already spread through the neighborhood, and yet her own aunt had learned about her marriage from the neighbors.

With a fierce snap, Aunt Li smashed the mirror onto the floor, her voice sharp and trembling, squeezed out through clenched teeth, filled with pain and disappointment.

“You beast! Have you forgotten how your father died? How your mother ended up in prison? Have you forgotten? Are you even human?”

The mirror shattered beside Li Shuhe, shards scattering like snowflakes, each fragment reflecting faint, fractured light—broken and pitiful.

For a moment, Li Shuhe felt dazed.

Her hands pressed against the cold floor, the biting chill seeping through her palms.

She had not forgotten.

She remembered clearly that rainy night ten years ago, her father lying alone on the ground, rain mixing with blood flooding the entire courtyard. She and her mother stood helplessly outside, eyes bloodshot, ears filled with angry curses—they could do nothing.

Her father had been beaten to death by Duan Tiezhu and his men.

Worse still, those fiends had colluded to pin the murder on her mother.

They had no one to turn to; no one listened to their pleas or sought justice for them.

The day her mother was taken away, the sky wept the same rain. Whether it was rain or tears blurring her vision, she had fallen to the ground, her mother’s figure fading into the downpour as the wailing sirens vanished.

She hated them fiercely. She swore she would make Duan Tiezhu pay.

But the sudden car accident five years ago took away Li Shuhe’s control over her own body.

Helplessly, she watched another soul claiming to be from the future invade her body and ruin her life.

The government-funded study abroad opportunity she had struggled so hard to earn was casually abandoned by “her.”

The man she adored was scorned viciously by “her.”

The money she had painstakingly saved to clear her mother’s name was mercilessly spent by “her.”

“She” spoke words Li Shuhe could not understand—something about missions, main characters, conquests...

“She” even signed an agreement forgiving the perpetrator of the accident—

The son of Duan Tiezhu, Duan Xiadong.

Every day, she woke up only to fawn before Duan Xiadong, acting as his sycophant.

Offering warmth and care, utterly humiliated.

The hatred for the one who killed her father, disgraced her mother, and ruined her life burned eternally in Li Shuhe’s heart.

At the thought, she closed her eyes in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks.

How could she forget? How could she ever forget?

She must not allow things to worsen. Her father’s spirit deserved peace, and her mother desperately needed her help.

Eyes opening again, determination filled Li Shuhe’s gaze.

“Aunt, I will break off the engagement! I will make Duan Tiezhu and Duan Xiadong pay!”

Aunt Li’s eyes locked onto Li Shuhe’s face, meeting her clear, resolute eyes. She was stunned.

She had said these words countless times before; usually, Li Shuhe would cry and slam the door on her way out.

But today, Li Shuhe’s expression carried a long-lost familiarity, reminding Aunt Li of the stubborn little girl from years ago.

Her lips twitched, but her heart softened, and she sighed deeply.

“It’s too late to say these things now.”

“It’s not too late. I haven’t married him yet. There’s still a chance to make things right.”

Li Shuhe’s jaw tightened into a firm line, her voice no longer the gentle water-like tone it used to be, but strong and resolute.

With her tear-streaked face, she looked stubborn yet restrained.

Aunt Li was taken aback, the sense of familiarity growing stronger.

“Shuhe!”

A knock came at the door, and a familiar voice filtered through the gap.

Aunt Li snapped back to reality, curling her lip.

“Here we go again. I’m done dealing with you.”

She turned and closed the door to her bedroom.

Li Shuhe walked over and opened the door. Today was “her” scheduled date with Duan Xiadong; he would come to take her out for dinner.

Outside, Duan Xiadong wore a carefully chosen suit, his hair meticulously combed.

His gaze slipped through the half-open door, falling on Li Shuhe’s tear-streaked face.

“Why are you crying?”

Duan Xiadong asked in surprise, reaching out to wipe the tears still wet on her cheeks.

Li Shuhe instinctively recoiled; Duan Xiadong’s hand froze mid-air.

His eyes narrowed slightly, eyebrows raised, displeasure flashing in his gaze.

With a soft snort, his warmth veiled a hidden threat.

“Shuhe, what’s going on?”

A chill crept up from her feet; her body stiffened, eyes red-rimmed, hatred surging in her heart.

Duan Xiadong was a madman. If he discovered she was no longer the pliant “her” he controlled, he would stop at nothing to destroy her.

Now was not the time to expose the truth.

Li Shuhe forced a gentle smile, mimicking “her” tone.

“Sorry, I just had a quarrel with Aunt. I’m not in a good mood. I’ll go touch up my makeup now.”

“All right, I’ll wait here. Don’t keep me waiting too long~”

Duan Xiadong sat on the sofa, his tone casual, indifferent to the cause of the quarrel.

Li Shuhe quickly entered the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She chose not to apply heavy makeup, merely tidying herself up lightly.

“I’m ready. Let’s go!”

Duan Xiadong’s eyes narrowed into slits, fists clenched at his side, brows furrowed as he spoke sternly.

“You’re going out like this?”

“You’re acting strange today, Li Shuhe.”

His tone softened slightly, but Li Shuhe could sense a deeper anger beneath his words.

“Now, put on your makeup. I’ll pretend today never happened. Don’t make me angry—you know I don’t like your bare face.”

Duan Xiadong deliberately avoided looking at her, his expression complex.

Her bare face reminded him of who Li Shuhe was before the accident.

The proud, unyielding Li Shuhe who never bowed to him.

Noticing his unusual demeanor, a flicker of surprise crossed Li Shuhe’s eyes.

She imitated that person’s style, applying exaggerated makeup.

Duan Xiadong’s gaze returned to her face; he nodded slightly, his expression relaxing as the tension and anger gradually faded.

He stood, a faint smile curling his lips.

“That’s better.”

Li Shuhe lowered her head in silence, grabbing a jacket as she turned back to glance at Aunt Li’s door—still closed.

She followed Duan Xiadong into his car. The atmosphere inside was heavy and silent; Duan Xiadong deliberately ignored her, not uttering a single word on the way.

Li Shuhe welcomed the quiet, leaning back against the cold window, her gaze wandering casually over the passing scenery.

The city had undergone earth-shaking changes in the past five years.

Five years ago, she would never have imagined their village turning out like this.

Lost in thought, her eyes suddenly caught a familiar figure by the roadside.

A man dressed in a stylish black coat, black leather shoes, sporting the latest men’s hairstyle, wearing thin-framed black glasses that radiated an undeniable aura of elite sophistication.

With graceful, composed movements, he opened the door of a black-plate Hongqi car and slipped into the back seat.

Li Shuhe’s heart raced; her fists clenched tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Her gaze followed the Hongqi as it slowly retreated, shrinking to a dot before vanishing.

After a long moment, Li Shuhe regained her composure and closed her eyes.

Since that day five years ago when “she” took over her body, she and he had become strangers on separate paths.

Bitterly, Li Shuhe’s heart ached.