---
It was a gray, rainy morning, a gloomy reflection of the sorrow hidden in Ling Yui's heart. She looked out of her small room window, watching the raindrops slowly slide down the glass, as if they were competing with her silent tears. She was an ordinary girl, a teenager trying to find her place in a world that didn't care for her. She had always felt a strange emptiness, a deep sense of being lost, as if something vital was missing from her life.
In a hushed voice, she whispered to herself, "Why does life have to be this hard?" She felt lonely, despite the few friends surrounding her at school. She preferred books and solitude over socializing, and real life seemed to her like a constant struggle against time.
On her way to school, the wind howled unusually, and the heavy rain offered her little protection. She walked alone under her tattered umbrella when she suddenly heard a scream nearby. She lifted her eyes to see a man attacking an elderly woman, trying to snatch her handbag.
She felt confused and hesitated, but something within her compelled her to intervene, despite the fear raging in her heart.
But then she suddenly felt a familiar pang of pain, like sharp stabs in her chest, recalling the memory of an old incident—knives and blood. She froze in place, unable to take a single step forward. Panicking, she ran away in terror, tears filling her eyes, until she didn't notice a speeding car approaching her…
Suddenly, she felt emptiness engulf her, her body floating in darkness. She tried to scream, but her voice wouldn't reach, as if she were in the depths of an endless abyss. Then she felt something pulling her slowly to a new surface, unsure whether it was a dream or reality.
She gradually woke up, feeling a sharp headache, but the strange sensation of her new body puzzled her. She looked around and found herself in an extravagant room, foreign in all its details. The ceiling was adorned with intricate golden paintings, the walls draped in silk, and the furniture was large and opulent.
Whispering to herself, her hands exploring her body, she said, "Where am I? What is happening here?"
As she tried to comprehend what was going on, a maid entered wearing a traditional dress, her modest smile conveying respect. "Madam, are you alright? You seem tired; should I call the doctor?"
Ling realized she was in another person's body, in a different world. She hesitated for a moment, then answered in a soft voice, trying to avoid any mistakes, "No... I'm fine. Just feeling a bit tired."
She worriedly questioned herself, "Am I living a dream? Or have I really... reincarnated in another world?"
After the maid left, Ling sat on the bed, trying to understand this strange situation. As she pondered, she recalled the last moment of her previous life, the panic that drove her to flee from the man, and the approaching car. Suddenly, the horrifying truth dawned on her: she was dead… and now in the body of someone else.
Shivering, she whispered, "Impossible… I really did die. But… where am I now? Who is this girl I've reincarnated into? And why?"
She immersed herself in thought, trying to remember anything that could be a clue about her new identity. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on a large mirror in the corner. Slowly, she rose and approached it. Once she saw her new face, she gasped in horror.
She bore strange features, pale skin, wide eyes, and a serene expression, resembling the nobles in ancient tales. In disbelief, she whispered to herself, "I'm… Feng Yuxing?"
Ling didn't know how to cope with this new reality, but she understood that she needed to learn more about the world she found herself in. She feared making a mistake that would expose her, so she tried to recall things she knew about the mythological worlds she had read about.
As she searched around the room, she found ancient books and papers bearing family crests. She began reading some phrases here and there, discovering that Feng Yuxing, the young woman she had become, was from a noble family but was not well-liked due to a conflict with one of her older brothers, who sought to seize their father's inheritance.
She sat on the bed, contemplating, "So… this body belongs to a noble girl, but she isn't beloved. Perhaps this explains the hateful glances I saw in the maid's eyes."
While deep in thought, she heard a knock at the door. She responded nervously, "Come in." A young man entered, looking dignified in his luxurious clothing, bowing slightly in greeting.
"Are you alright, my dear sister?" the young man said with a sly smile. "We heard you had a little accident." This was Feng Zulin, one of her brothers who was trying to get rid of her.
She hesitated for a moment, then decided to act with the calmness she had become known for: "Yes, I felt a bit tired. Nothing to worry about."
He stepped closer and said authoritatively, "I hope you learned something from this accident and that you won't meddle in matters beyond your grasp."
She replied with a tone more confident than she felt, trying not to reveal her weakness: "Matters beyond my grasp? You're the only one who feels threatened, aren't you?"
He was taken aback by her tone, stepping back in surprise, not realizing how much his sister, whom he always saw as weak, had changed. He left angrily, while her eyes sparkled with newfound determination.
---
Ling sat in the darkness, contemplating her new future. Despite the anxiety and fear, she began to feel that this life could be her opportunity to rediscover herself, to become stronger than she had ever been.