June in Capital City was like a natural furnace, bringing with it unpredictable weather.
One moment the sun was shining brightly in the clear sky.
In the blink of an eye, it turned into the current dark clouds and thunderous roars.
This storm provided the perfect cover for all the sins inside the house, drowning out the cries, the questioning voices, without exception.
'Snap.'
A stark, snow-white glare suddenly illuminated the pitch-black room.
A tall figure became visible in the darkness.
"Ling Tian?" The slender and frail figure huddled in the corner saw the newcomer, and a glimmer of hope quickly spread across her dim, unclear eyes.
Although she had been kept in this dark and boundless basement for many days and was somewhat unaccustomed to such dazzling light, even unable to see the true face of the person before her clearly,
having spent more than a decade with Shen Lingtian, she instantly recognized his unique aura of superiority.
"Ling Tian, is that you?"
The man slowly lifted his gaze, and when his eyes fell on the slender and frail figure, his eyes revealed an undeniable look of disgust, "Yes, it's me."
His voice was deep and incredibly pleasant to the ear.
Relieved by the man's response, Qin Jie's hopeful expression grew more intense, "Ling Tian, save me…"
Due to days of captivity and not enough warm food, her usually sweet and soft voice had become as hoarse as that of a seventy or eighty-year-old woman.
Her whole body had been abused so much that nothing was intact, except for her clear and beautiful eyes.
Shen Lingtian walked step by step towards Qin Jie, who was crouched in the corner. A mocking curve formed on his lips as he sneered, "Save you?"
The corner of Shen Lingtian's mouth twisted into a cold smile, "Qin Jie, it's time for you to wake up from your dream."
"Ling Tian, you…?" Qin Jie looked at her husband, who had always been gentle and refined, with astonishment, hardly daring to believe he would say such a thing.
This was her husband.
The man she was willing to sacrifice everything for to live a life together.
Unbelievingly, Qin Jie stared at Shen Lingtian, "What did you say?"
"I've already taken over the Qin Group, and I've used up your worth, so, your dream should end now."
These words, chilly to the extreme, were delivered by Shen Lingtian with such indifference that they sounded as trivial as deciding what to have for breakfast the next morning.
"Dream! A dream? Hah..." A chill ran through Qin Jie's chest.
Before her eyes flashed the memory of herself, as foolish as an idiot.
Back then, when the Shen Group was on the brink of bankruptcy, it was she who brought millions in dowry to fill the financial gaps.
Back then, when the Shen Group faced an economic crisis, it was she who stood by Shen Lingtian's side, fighting shoulder to shoulder to keep the Shen's position in Capital City.
Ten years of marriage, ten years of dedication.
Had she exhausted all her talents and given her whole heart, only for it to end up being nothing but a pipe dream?
"Ling Tian..."
A woman dressed in a white gauze dress, untouched by the dust of the world, walked gracefully towards them, bathed in the light.
Her voice was soft, gentle, just like her whole being—so flawless one couldn't find a single blemish.
At the sound,
Qin Jie squinted her eyes and looked towards the source of the voice.
Had it not been for that familiar voice and that immaculately delicate face, Qin Jie might have thought she was hallucinating.
This fairy-like person was the young mistress of the Lu family, Lu Yan.
Lu Yan was the head of the Lu family of Capital City and a talented woman whose abilities equaled Qin Jie's.
She was also Qin Jie's closest confidante, her most intimate friend.
Because the two of them were very close on a daily basis, they were jointly referred to by the outside world as "the Two Talents of Capital City."
The biggest difference between her and Lu Yan was that face.
Lu Yan's face was incomparably stunning...
While hers was just average...
Shen Lingtian turned his head, his eyes betraying an undeniable adoration, and his tone was extremely gentle, "Yan is here."
This was an expression Shen Lingtian had never shown when he was with her.
Moreover, he called her "Yan"...
Qin Jie's heart grew colder and colder...
Lu Yan's lips curled into a smile, "I've come to see my sister."
"Yan, don't look,"
Shen Lingtian immediately reached out to cover Lu Yan's eyes, "A worthless thing, better not to dirty your eyes."
Worthless thing?
Had the ten years of youth she devoted to him turned her into such a worthless thing?
"Lu Yan,"
Qin Jie lifted her eyes, a pair of beautiful peach-blossom eyes burning with fierceness, "Tell me why?"
She had trusted Lu Yan so much...
Lu Yan laughed with great satisfaction, "Sister, do you really think, with your so-called honor, you are worthy of Ling Tian?"
So that was it, she had ultimately lost because of her looks.
Lu Yan gently brushed aside Shen Lingtian's hand, slowly squatting down, her lips curving into a cold arc, "Moreover, sister, do you know,"
As she spoke, a severe chill flashed through Lu Yan's slightly narrowed eyes, and she enunciated each word, "A mountain cannot harbor two tigers!"
Being on par with Qin Jie was nothing but an illusion she had created.
In fact, Qin Jie had always surpassed her in terms of ability.
People could only see Qin Jie's talent, while she, people were only interested in her face after all.
However, Qin Jie had just completed a groundbreaking masterpiece, still unknown to the outside world, with only Shen Lingtian and herself being aware.
With Qin Jie's death, she could rid herself of the label of a mere vase using that masterpiece.
This was an excellent opportunity to cleanse her reputation, and she intended to grasp it firmly.
"You..." Qin Jie felt a thick, sweet taste welling up from the depths of her throat, and she couldn't utter the rest of her words.
The two people she trusted most in her life had betrayed her.
How ridiculous!
And how naive she was!
Lu Yan let out a cold laugh, extended one slender, fair finger to lightly lift Qin Jie's chin, "Sister, remember not to be so foolish in your next life, failing even to differentiate between a play and real life."
"Yan, let's go,"
Shen Lingtian affectionately wrapped his arm around Lu Yan's shoulder, "No point wasting words on a pile of ashes!"
...
That night, a major fire broke out in the villa.
The young and influential Shen Lingtian, despite everyone's attempts to stop him, resolutely entered the fiery encirclement to save his wife, but ended up seriously injured and in a deep coma due to the blaze.
His self-sacrifice to save his wife won the praise of many people for a time.
Unfortunately, the talented lady of Capital City still perished in the inferno.
When the head of the Lu family of Capital City, one of "the Two Talents," heard the tragic news, she passed out from excessive grief and couldn't eat for days, eventually being admitted to the hospital.
A year later, Lu Yan, one of "the Two Talents of Capital City," successfully published a groundbreaking masterpiece, "The World and You."
```
For a time, the nation was in turmoil, and sales surpassed a hundred billion.
"The Two Talents of Capital City" became "the Unparalleled Talented Girl."
Shen Lingtian fainted at Qin Jie's grave, overwhelmed by memories of his late wife.
Lu Yan, recalling the affection for an old friend, volunteered to take care of Shen Lingtian.
For a time, she earned the admiration of many.
As time passed and with the matchmaking efforts of their fans, the two naturally came together.
They became a beautiful tale.
From then on, the life of "the Unparalleled Talented Girl" seemed charmed, flourishing with wealth and glory, and receiving the reverence of all.
Qin Jie turned into a lone soul, drifting midair, watching scene after scene unfold before her eyes, her lips curled into an ice-cold smirk, fists clenched, her words seeping with blood, "Shen Lingtian, Lu Yan, if there is an afterlife! I will surely make you pay in blood for your debts!"
If there is an afterlife!
I must wash the skies with blood!
Just at this moment, with a 'boom',
a purple thunderbolt fiercely struck down from the sky.
The wisp of a soul in the air slowly vanished.
**
Pain, excruciating pain, pain throughout the body.
Pain as if being crushed by everything in existence.
Fragments of disjointed memories rushed in from all directions.
At the same time, a shrill voice kept nagging in her ears.
"Marrying into the Mo family, you don't know how many lifetimes of good fortune you have cultivated. Yet instead of being grateful, you actually seek death!" The middle-aged woman looked at her coldly, her eyes full of disdain.
"Shut up!" Qin Jie, enduring the headache, spat out two words. Having held a high position for many years, she had naturally developed an imposing manner.
This aura effectively silenced the middle-aged woman who had been ranting ceaselessly before her.
After a stunned pause, the middle-aged woman came to her senses, inwardly fuming at how this upstart young girl had overawed her.
The middle-aged woman's brows tightened, "Chu Jin!"
She said sternly, "Don't put on that aggrieved look, just think about your current status. It's you who's reaching high by taking Zhao Yiling's place to marry into the Mo family! Don't be ungrateful! Let me tell you, this marriage must be fixed, whether you like it or not! You don't have a say in this!"
The middle-aged woman's demeanor was extremely proud, especially her last sentence, which was very forceful, leaving no room for refusal.
The pain grew worse, as if she was about to explode.
Qin Jie bit her lip slightly, her whole body breaking out in layer upon layer of cold sweat.
She struggled to contain the agony, quickly organizing the fragmented memories in her mind and her own current circumstances.
Seeing her silence, the middle-aged woman's anger deepened, "Chu Jin, one should be grateful and reciprocate kindness. Your mother's medical bills have always been covered by our Zhao family, and the Chu Group, had it not been for our Yiling's support, would have collapsed long ago,"
At this point, the middle-aged woman's lips curled up with a dangerous smile as she continued coldly, "The life or death of the Chu family is now in your hands. You'd best be wise about it."
After dropping this bombshell, the middle-aged woman left in anger.
The nagging noise in her ears gradually ceased, and Qin Jie's thoughts slowly cleared, her disjointed memories beginning to fit together.
She slowly opened her eyes, her clear gaze piercingly sharp.
In this life, she was no longer Qin Jie; she was, Chu Jin.
Yes, she had been reborn, reborn into the body of a girl named Chu Jin.
She slowly combed through the memories in her mind.
Chu Jin, female, 18 years old, a high school senior.
The fate of this girl, even until her death, could not have been more turbulent.
Chu Jin was the sole heir to the Chu Group, cherished and adored since childhood.
```
Unexpectedly, due to a turning point seven years ago, she became a fallen heiress living at the mercy of others.
Because she was accustomed to living off others, under their scrutiny, she developed a demeanor of weakness and incompetency.
Seven years earlier, her father perished in a car accident, and her mother, unable to withstand the blow, committed suicide by jumping off a building, becoming a vegetative state patient.
In an instant, the Chu Group was headless and on the verge of bankruptcy...
Then her only uncle made an appearance.
That middle-aged woman who had been nagging nonstop by her side was her aunt—Li Ruyu.
Her uncle's family treated her lukewarmly, and if it wasn't for the considerable profits brought by the Chu Group, she might have long been driven out of the home.
And this accident was due to the sudden marriage proposal between the Zhao family and the Mo family.
Zhao Yiling, the only daughter of the Zhao family, was smart and clever from a young age, with exceptional talent. She had some reputation among the socialites in Capital City.
She was also fair-skinned and beautiful, surpassing fairies in appearance.
The Mo family was the top magnate of Capital City and the foremost business family in China mainland.
They were the leaders of the entire business community in China mainland.
Mo Zhixuan was the head of the Mo family.
Mo Zhixuan was low-key and mysterious; no one had ever seen his true face, nor did anyone know his actual age.
Rumors spread that not only was the Mo family head, Mo Zhixuan, an ugly and decrepit old man but he also bore a terrifying curse.
That was—
widowhood!
Mo Zhixuan had undergone eighteen marriages, yet none of the marriages lasted more than three days. Every woman who married him would bleed from seven orifices and die a violent death within three days.
Thus, in the eyes of outsiders, this mysterious and unpredictable head of the Mo family was labeled a demon.
A few days ago, the old Lady Mo personally visited the Zhao family, hoping that the Mo and Zhao families could be united by marriage.
The reason: the Mo family needed a girl born under the sign of Tai Yin to counteract the curse on Mo Zhixuan.
A girl born in the Yin hour, on a Yin day, in a Yin month of the lunar calendar is considered a girl of Tai Yin.
And Zhao Yiling was precisely the girl born during the Yin hour, on a Yin day, in a Yin month of the lunar calendar.
With its immense power and wealth, the Mo family could rival nations. In front of them, the Zhao family was like a minor household.
Moreover, the Mo family promised that as long as Mo Zhixuan and Zhao Yiling were engaged,
the Mo Clan would offer one-fifth of the shares from one of its renowned international brands as a betrothal gift and invest one billion into the account of the Zhao Group.
Such astounding wealth and prosperity.
Additionally, the high threshold of the Mo family was something many people longed to cross but couldn't.
Naturally, the Zhao family couldn't bear to refuse.
However, the proud Zhao Yiling naturally did not want to marry an old and decrepit man, nor did she wish to die young from a horrible curse.
The Zhao family was also reluctant to send their precious child into a 'wolf's den.'
After weighing their options, they thought of Chu Jin.
Because Chu Jin was born in the same year, month, and day as Zhao Yiling.
Li Ruyu, with her glib tongue, successfully convinced the old Lady Mo.
But Chu Jin was still only an 18-year-old child, and already timid and cowardly by nature, she was so frightened at the thought of marrying such a demon that she attempted to jump into the lake.
Remembering this, Qin Jie's lips curled into a dazzling smile.
Meet the head of the Mo family, huh? She was indeed eager to meet him!
In this life,
She was determined to make those who wronged her pay in blood!