"An illegitimate child will always be an outsider."

Yu Lixue had grown up hearing those words, spoken as though they were unchangeable truth. As she stood alone in the corner of the banquet hall, she watched her family gather around her half-sister, Jia, who basked in the glow of their admiration. Tonight, as always, Jia claimed credit for Lixue's paintings and songs, presenting them as her own.

Lixue's stepmother approached Jia, her eyes glowing with pride. "Jia, dear, you're the true star of our family," she said, giving a dismissive glance toward Lixue.

Lixue's heart tightened, though she masked her pain, knowing her protests would go unheard. In their eyes, she was nothing—a shadow to be used when convenient and dismissed when inconvenient.

But her heart sank further when she overheard her stepmother's tense whisper.

"Jia, you must go through with the marriage to Mo Ran. The Mo family's influence is too valuable to risk."

Jia's voice, laced with annoyance, was low but cutting. "Mother, I can't marry him. He's cold, barely even talks. I'd rather live alone than spend my life with a man like that."

Her stepmother's eyes narrowed. "We don't have a choice. Unless…" Her gaze flicked toward Lixue, and a slow, calculating smile spread across her face. "Lixue can marry him instead. She's hardly worth mentioning, so why not put her to some use?"

Lixue froze, feeling their laughter pierce her as they openly discussed her fate. She was nothing more than a disposable pawn.

Days later, the arrangement was made. Mo Ran, as distant and unreadable as his reputation had promised, barely acknowledged her during their wedding. He looked at her with a cold indifference, as though she were a stranger he had no interest in knowing.

Life with Mo Ran was empty, his presence as remote as the icy mountains he seemed to embody. He spoke to her only when necessary, and even then, it was with an aloof formality that reminded her she meant nothing to him. She had traded one prison for another, and loneliness wrapped around her like a suffocating shroud.

Three months later, on a cold night, Lixue found herself driving alone down a dark road, her mind clouded with exhaustion and bitterness. She had tried to endure, tried to find peace in her new life, but it was as hollow as the promises her family had made.

Suddenly, a flash of headlights appeared in her rearview mirror, growing brighter as the car behind her accelerated. The other driver edged dangerously close, forcing her toward the edge of the road. She gripped the wheel, her heart racing, trying to keep control as fear surged through her.

The road curved sharply, and in an instant, her car skidded, the tires screeching as she veered off the pavement. She felt the impact jolt through her, pain flooding her senses before everything went black.

Through the haze, she thought she saw Mo Ran's face, his normally cold eyes filled with something that looked like regret.

"If there's a next life," his voice drifted to her as consciousness faded, "I'll make things right. I'll take care of you."

His words were the last thing she heard before darkness claimed her.

Yu Lixue woke up with a start. The sharp scent of lavender filled the air as she slowly adjusted to the familiar surroundings—her bedroom in the Mo family estate. For a long moment, she just lay there, her breath coming in shallow gasps, unable to process the overwhelming sense of déjà vu that flooded her senses.

How is this possible?

Her eyes roamed around the room—the expensive silk sheets, the heavy curtains drawn shut, and the grand furnishings that she had come to loathe in her past life. The realization hit her like a thunderclap: She was back. Back to the day she had married Mo Ran. Back to the life she had fought to escape only to die in a tragic accident, her pleas for justice buried with her.

The crash… It hasn't happened yet.

Her heart pounded as she sat up, staring at the intricate designs on the wallpaper, trying to steady her thoughts. It was the same day she had married Mo Ran—a man who had never shown her warmth or care, a man she had been forced to marry for reasons she could never understand.

But now, things would be different.

This was her second chance—her opportunity to take back what was stolen from her: her art, her voice, her talent. Everything had been taken from her by her stepmother, her half-sister, and even her own father, all in the name of power and greed. They had used her, manipulated her, and discarded her without a second thought. But not anymore.

This time, she wouldn't sit back and accept her fate. She wouldn't be the helpless, silent girl she had been in her previous life.

Revenge.

The word echoed in her mind like a sweet melody, a promise of what was to come. She had suffered enough, been trampled on by everyone who should have cared for her. Her paintings, her songs, everything she had poured her heart into, had been stolen by her half-sister. It was her stepmother who had orchestrated it all, using Lixue as a tool for her own ambitions. And in the end, when Lixue had dared to speak out, she had been silenced—both by death and by the indifference of the man who was supposed to be her husband.

Mo Ran…

She felt a twist of bitterness in her chest. He had been a stranger to her in her past life. Cold, indifferent, distant. She had married him out of necessity, a pawn in a game she didn't understand. He had shown her no kindness, never once lifting a finger to protect her from the cruelty of her family.

But now, she had the power to change it all.

She rose from the bed, her body still feeling the residual weakness from her previous life's suffering. But it wouldn't matter. This time, she would not let anyone steal her future. Not her stepmother, not her half-sister, and certainly not Mo Ran.

She stared at herself in the mirror across the room, her reflection staring back at her with eyes that burned with determination. She had been weak before, but she wasn't anymore. This time, she would fight for everything that was taken from her, even if it meant going against the man she had once thought was her savior.

Lixue's thoughts were interrupted by the faint sound of footsteps approaching outside her door. Her heart skipped a beat, but she quickly quelled the nervous flutter. She wasn't afraid anymore.

Let him come, she thought, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. I'll make sure no one uses me again.

The door opened quietly, and Mo Ran appeared in the doorway, his usual impassive expression in place. He wasn't here to check on her, not really. He had never been concerned about her well-being. His eyes flickered over her briefly before his lips parted, his voice as cold as ever.

"You're awake," he said simply, his tone carrying no warmth, no affection. "Get ready. The marriage ceremony is today."

Lixue's gaze locked onto him, the man who had been the catalyst for her suffering in her previous life. Her heart hardened as she suppressed the flood of emotions that tried to rise in her chest. There was nothing more to say to him. There was no point in speaking, not now.

"I'll be ready," she replied, her voice calm, even though her heart was already plotting the course of her future. She wasn't the same woman she had been before. She wasn't going to play the obedient wife anymore.