A sharp intake of breath.
Leng Qingxue's mind jolted awake, but everything felt… different. No harsh city lights, no cold rooftop beneath her feet. The pain of betrayal was gone, replaced by warmth—soft fabric, a light scent of antiseptic, and the distant hum of machines.
She opened her eyes.
Bright, sterile lights glowed overhead. The steady beep of a heart monitor filled the air. A hospital room.
She was alive.
The last thing she remembered was falling—betrayed, her blood staining cold metal. Yet, now she was in an incubator, small and fragile, wrapped in a white blanket.
No. Not small. Tiny.
She moved her fingers—soft, chubby. A baby's hands.
She had been reborn.
Her sharp mind processed the situation quickly. The technology, the sterile environment—this was no ancient world. She was still in the modern era.
"Qingxue…" A gentle, trembling voice broke through her thoughts.
A woman stood beside her incubator, her face breathtakingly beautiful despite the exhaustion in her eyes. Long black hair cascaded over her hospital gown, her elegant features glowing with maternal love.
Her mother.
Next to her, a tall, noble-looking man with sharp, refined features leaned in. His piercing gaze, cold yet deep with warmth, softened as he looked at her. "She's beautiful."
Qingxue remained still, absorbing the reality of her new life. She had parents. A family.
A small noise came from beside her.
She turned her head slightly and met a pair of silver-blue eyes.
Identical to hers.
Her twin brother.
Even as a newborn, the air around him was cold, exuding an unshakable calm. But when he turned to her, something flickered in his gaze—an instant, unspoken connection.
Leng Qiuhan.
Even without words, Qingxue knew—he would be the only one to understand her in this new life.
The moment was interrupted by a loud cry from the other side of the room.
A nurse approached, carrying another newborn, whose delicate features twisted in frustration. The baby girl had the same black hair as their mother but lacked the defining silver-blue eyes.
"She was born just minutes after the twins," the nurse explained, passing the child to another woman.
That woman's expression was stiff, her grip tense. Envy flashed across her face before she forced a smile.
Their cousin.
Born on the same day, yet already destined to be overshadowed.
As the room bustled with soft murmurs and hushed excitement, Leng Qingxue remained quiet.
In her past life, she had been alone, standing at the peak of the world only to fall.
This time, she was not alone.
This time, she would rise again.
And this time—no one would ever betray her again.
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