Chapter 1.

“Go to hell, Su Miao!”

That raw, hate-filled shriek and the malice twisted across her face were burned into Su Miao’s mind forever.

Su Miao was dead.

Pushed from the top of a skyscraper by her own cousin, Su Ran.

It was a cold, calculated murder, seamlessly disguised as a suicide.

In less than a month, the prominent, high-society Su family of An City had been completely systematically dismantled, a tragedy that left the public sighing in disbelief.

Yet no one knew the sinister plots pulling the strings from the shadows.

Around that same time, another young man in An City, Fu Xizhou, shot up through the ranks like a rising star, becoming the city’s newest sensation, universally lauded and pursued…

Even in death, Su Miao never would have guessed it.

The masterminds who had destroyed her family and taken everything were none other than her cousin, Su Ran, and Su Ran’s fiancé, Fu Xizhou.

Her family had done nothing wrong to Su Ran. In fact, when tragedy had struck Su Ran’s own household years ago, Su Miao’s parents had opened their doors and taken her in. But Su Ran repaid their grace with poison. Teaming up with Fu Xizhou, she systematically stripped the Su family of their fortune and drove Su Miao’s parents to their early graves.

As a ghost, Su Miao watched them live high on the hog, entirely unbothered.

She watched Fu Xizhou step into the spotlight as the city’s celebrated new tycoon.

She watched them walk down the aisle, embarking on their picture-perfect life together.

The sheer injustice of it ate away at her. She burned with pure, unadulterated hatred.

If only she had seen through Su Ran’s deceitful facade sooner, her family would still be whole. Her parents would still be alive.

That consuming resentment festered in her spirit day after day.

Until he came back.

He returned to An City like a force of nature, ruthlessly tearing through the elite. When he had left years ago, he had possessed nothing. But now, he stood at the absolute pinnacle of power.

The boy she had once remembered as pure and gentle as moonlight had changed. He had become unhinged, dangerous, and utterly merciless.

And every bit of that transformation… was because of her death.

Only then did Su Miao realize that the boy she had spent years quietly longing for had been holding her in his heart all along.

He never believed she had taken her own life.

He never believed her family’s sudden ruin was a stroke of bad luck.

She watched him spend sleepless nights obsessively digging for the truth.

And she watched him, upon discovering what really happened, drag Su Ran to the top of the highest skyscraper in the city and hurl her off the edge, killing her in the exact same way she had murdered Su Miao.

Step by step, his hands were stained crimson.

Su Ran, Fu Xizhou… he spared none of them.

He had avenged her.

Yet her heart bled for him. Her boy, who had once been as clear and bright as the moonlight, never belonged in hell…

If she could only go back, she promised herself she would keep her eyes wide open. She would separate the people from the snakes.

And more than anything, she would find the courage to tell that boy how she truly felt.

Suddenly, darkness rushed in.

A tearing sensation ripped through her body, followed by a blinding burst of light.

When Su Miao opened her eyes again, she was lying on a soft bed.

She blinked in shock, taking in the familiar room around her.

It was her bedroom!

More precisely, it was her room before Su Ran had moved in.

Back then, after Su Ran’s father and younger brother were thrown into prison, Su Ran had been left orphaned and alone. Su Miao’s father had immediately brought her to live with the Su family.

At the time, Su Miao and Su Ran got along well enough. Seeing her cousin drowned in grief, Su Miao had let Su Ran share her bedroom, spending every day comforting her.

As time went on, the room subtly became Su Ran’s.

The desk and closets were slowly filled with Su Ran’s clothes and belongings. Su Miao hadn’t said anything—they were family, after all. So when Su Ran eventually voiced a desire for her own space, Su Miao simply gave up the bedroom she had occupied for years and moved into the guest room next door.

Looking back now, Su Miao felt like the biggest fool alive.

Su Ran had harbored dark intentions from the very beginning. Yet Su Miao had treated her like a sister…

Su Miao bolted upright.

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and checked the date.

The truth hit her in an instant.

She was reborn.

She had actually come back.

Three whole years into the past.

Her parents were still alive. Su Ran had not yet moved into the house.

And her boy was still as pure and untainted as the moonlight. Nothing had been ruined yet. There was still time to save everything.

Right then, a gentle knock sounded at her door.

Su Miao practically flew out of bed and pulled the door open. Standing in the hallway was her mother, Wen Jiu, looking exactly as vibrant as she used to.

As Su Miao stared at her, tears spilled over her lashes and tracked down her cheeks.

“Mom…”

She threw her arms around Wen Jiu, sobbing into her shoulder, unable to form proper words.

In her past life, after her father, Su Hang, died in a car crash, her mother had been so devastated that she fell gravely ill. Su Miao would never forget how her mother had aged overnight, hollowed out by grief.

Wen Jiu was caught completely off guard by her daughter’s sudden, weeping embrace. Flustered, she rubbed Su Miao’s back, trying to soothe her.

“Miao Miao? Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Don’t cry…”

Her tender voice only made Su Miao weep harder.

The noise drew Su Hang out of his study. He looked at the two of them, thoroughly bewildered.

“Miao Miao, what happened?” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Is this about your uncle?”

Su Miao’s crying instantly cut off. She lifted her tear-streaked face, looking at Su Hang with wide eyes, and blurted out fiercely, “No!”

Why on earth would she waste tears on Su Ran’s family?

Ha!

If she ever shed a tear for Su Ran in the future, it would strictly be a performance.

Su Hang looked even more confused. “Then what are you crying about?”

Su Miao sniffled twice, let go of Wen Jiu, and lunged toward her father, wrapping her arms around his waist to get in another good cry.

Su Hang and Wen Jiu exchanged baffled glances over their daughter’s head. Neither knew what to say or how to comfort her, terrified that a wrong word might trigger another breakdown.

After a while, Su Miao finally exhausted her tears. She rubbed her red eyes, looking at her parents with a bashful expression.

“I… I just had a terrible nightmare. I dreamed that both of you were gone, and then I died too… It was just so sad…”

Her parents let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Silly girl,” Wen Jiu said gently. “It was just a dream. You’re probably just shaken up by what happened to your uncle.”

“Your uncle brought this on himself,” Su Hang added firmly. “He took a life, and going to prison is what he deserves. Don’t be afraid, Miao Miao. Our family isn’t like them.”

At the mention of her brother-in-law, Wen Jiu’s face darkened slightly. She muttered under her breath, “I don’t know how they raised their kids. Father kills a man, son kills a man… A whole family of murderers.”

Su Hang shot her a disapproving look. “Don’t say things like that in front of the kid.”

Wen Jiu ignored him and turned back to Su Miao. “Miao Miao, we agreed yesterday that we’d go pick up your cousin Ran today. Are you still coming with us?”

In Wen Jiu’s eyes, Su Ran was an innocent bystander in her family’s mess. So when Su Hang suggested bringing her home to live with them, Wen Jiu hadn’t objected. It was just one more mouth to feed, and Su Miao had always liked her cousin well enough.

Hearing the question, Su Miao hesitated. She looked between her mother and father. “Do we… really have to bring her here to live?”

Su Hang looked surprised. “I thought you two got along great?”

Wen Jiu stayed quiet, studying her daughter’s expression.

Su Miao offered a small, noncommittal smile. She couldn’t tell them the truth, they had no idea what the future held, and if she pushed too hard right now, it would only raise red flags and cause unnecessary complications. She needed to play this smart and take it step by step.

“I was just thinking,” Su Miao said carefully, “her family’s house is still there. If we bring her here to live indefinitely, won’t people start whispering that we’re trying to seize her father’s estate?”

Wen Jiu let out a soft, mocking laugh. “Nonsense. As if our family is hurting for money.”

Still…

A flicker of hesitation crossed Wen Jiu’s eyes.

Her daughter’s words tapped into a real concern. Even if their intentions were pure, gossip was a dangerous thing. She glanced over at her husband.

Su Hang was weighing the same thought.

Su Ran’s father and brother were convicted felons, and the relationship between the two branches of the family had never been particularly warm. Getting too close to Su Ran right now could indeed invite unwanted scrutiny. Besides, Su Ran was an adult now.

After a moment of silence, Su Hang spoke up. “We’ll bring her over for a couple of days to help her get her bearings. Once she’s emotionally stable, we can arrange for her to go back home.”

Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Su Miao beamed.

“Sounds like a plan! You two go pick her up, and I’ll stay home and get the guest room ready.”

Wen Jiu blinked. Something about her daughter felt distinctly different today.

Su Hang frowned slightly, wondering if he was somehow out of touch with his daughter’s train of thought. “Miao Miao, didn’t you two always share a room whenever Ran stayed over?”

Why the sudden need to clean out the guest room?

Su Miao turned to her father with an innocent smile. “Dad, you don’t get it. Her world just fell apart, and she’s bound to be devastated. If she stays in my room, it’s going to be awkward for her. What if she needs a good cry? With me hovering around, she’ll feel self-conscious. Right now, she doesn’t need people constantly suffocating her with sympathy, she needs privacy and understanding. You two go grab her! I’ll oversee the staff and make sure the guest room is spotless.”

Su Hang nodded, looking impressed. “That… actually makes a lot of sense. You’re very thoughtful, sweetie. Guess I’m just an old man who doesn’t understand young girls. Good thinking.”

He turned and headed downstairs.

Wen Jiu lingered for a second, casting another long look at Su Miao. She couldn’t shake the subtle impression that her daughter was deliberately drawing a boundary between herself and Su Ran.

Shaking off the thought, she followed her husband out the door.

Once they left, Su Miao went into her bathroom to wash up.

Since they had planned to bring Su Ran back in time for breakfast, Su Miao instructed the housekeeper to prepare the guest room down the hall.

She checked the clock, just past seven in the morning. Still early.

She slipped out of the house for a quick errand, returning about half an hour later. She stepped into the main living room, spent about five minutes inside, and then walked out with a composed expression. Sitting down gracefully on the sofa, she quietly waited for her parents to return.

A little after eight o’clock, the front door opened.

Su Hang and Wen Jiu walked in, leading Su Ran behind them.

Su Miao’s gaze locked instantly onto her cousin.

“Cousin Ran,” she called out smoothly.

Su Ran startled slightly, looking up. “Miao Miao…” Her voice was raspy, thick from prolonged crying.

Su Ran took two quick steps forward, making a motion as if to throw herself into Su Miao’s arms for a tearful embrace. But Su Miao casually pivoted out of reach, stepping to the side with a polite smile.

“Please, sit down. Breakfast is all set. Try not to be too sad.”

Su Ran: “…” My father and brother were just sent to prison, and you’re telling me not to be too sad?

Noticing everyone staring at her, Su Miao blinked innocence at Su Ran and added with utmost gravity, “You’ve lost so much weight. No matter what happens, your health comes first. If you fall sick, Uncle won’t be able to rest easy behind bars…”

Su Ran’s eyelid twitched violently.

She and Su Miao had always been close, and she knew Su Miao wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box, in fact, she was usually ridiculously easy to manipulate.

But listening to this so-called comfort right now, Su Ran felt utterly speechless. If you don’t know how to comfort someone, just shut up!

Was this comforting her? This was driving a dagger straight into her heart!