Night draped the world in silence. A young man walked alone down a empty road, his footsteps crisp against the hush. Each step echoed, the air was cool, thick with the scent of distant rain. Streetlights flickered, their glow stretching his shadow long across the road. The world felt vast, empty like he was the only soul left awake.
Lost in thought, he walked, his mind drifting like a leaf on quiet water. Step by step, the night wrapped around him, soft and endless.
Then Sudden, a sharp Horn
[VROOOMP!]
His head turned left, but too late. A truck roared forward, metal and speed crashing into him. The impact sent him flying. His body hit the roadside hard. He lay in pain, the cold air biting at him, the rough ground beneath his body.
Warmth spread over his body as thick, pooling blood spilled across the road, dark and endless under the streetlights. The world around him blurred, distant voices fading into the ringing silence.
Lying on the cold roadside, he felt the life slipping from him. His breath came in short, shaky gasps. He murmured, barely a whisper
"Am I dying...?"
A weak chuckle left his lips, almost bitter " It's... so warm..… but.... I..I don't wanna die like this"
His fingers twitched, reaching for something. The night felt heavier now, pressing down on him.
"This… was worst thing.... I could imagine"
He felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into an ocean with no bottom. The cold wrapped around him, pulling him down. In the darkness, his memories played like a broken film.
"I tried my best…" His voice was a whisper in his own mind. He saw himself, hunched over books, chasing a future that never welcomed him.
The boy always stood top of his class, but nothing more than a ghost in the world. No friends, No warmth. Just a quiet, unnoticed life. A dumb who lived more of his life inside books. Even the most enjoyable thing he had was just reading novel. He imagined himself living a different life in those stories. Almost like escaping this pressure of reality.
And, his parents
"Can I go out?" His voice
"No" His father's reply
"Do you think those kids outside will be successful?" his mother had added, her tone sharp
"But I studied all week…"
"Then study more" His father's voice "Hard work now means an easy life later"
Seeing this his muttered "Easy life you said!... it was..."
Even the girl he had once admired had sneered at him "What a loser" she said, laughing "Just keep your eyes on your books, not on me"
But he never felt she said something wrong "I think that's what kind of person I was"
Then came the worst year of his life. One year since school ended. One year since his parents the only reason he had kept going were gone. His last hopes buried with them long ago. And Now his part time job was also gone. No home, no money. Nothing left.
"I haven't even paid my college fees yet..."
His thoughts swirled like a storm "My life is nothing but regrets..."
Yet, in the depths of his fading mind, a thought clung to him "They says there may be rebirth after death…"
A promise took shape in the void
"If I get another chance, I will not live live in this way... I hope that life will be different..." And with those words, his consciousness slipped away into the abyss.
****
.....
{A few moments later}
A weight pressed on his body heavy, suffocating. Pain throbbed through him, deep and real. His mind stirred
"Am I… still alive?"
With effort, he forced his eyes open. Blurry shapes swam before him. His breath hitched. Instead of the cold roadside, he saw a wooden ceiling above him, carved with intricate designs. His vision wavered, adjusting to the dim light.
"… am I being born again?" he murmured, his voice hoarse, unfamiliar.
His fingers twitched. His body felt strange, different. Panic and confusion twisted inside him. This… this wasn't the world he had left behind
"Where is my mother...."
For a few moments, he lay still, his mind heavy, his body foreign. Then, his vision cleared.
Above him stretched a wooden ceiling, detailed with elegant carvings, the kind only found in ancient mansions. He turned his head, taking in the room wooden beams, delicate lanterns glowing softly, paintings of mountains and rivers hanging on the walls. Ornate shelves lined with scrolls and jade ornaments. The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air.
His fingers pressed into the silk sheets beneath him Soft, Warm "Where am I?"
Slowly, he sat up. His breath caught in his throat as he looked down at himself. His previous frail, overworked body was gone. In its place was something unfamiliar.
"Huh?"
He shot up from the bed, hands running over his arms, chest, face. The skin was smooth, unscarred. The muscles beneath felt lean, a lingering fatigue clinging to them.
His eyes landed on a large mirror framed. Heart pounding, he stepped toward it.
What stared back at him was not the face he had always known.
The young man in the mirror had a refined, almost otherworldly beauty. His long black hair, smooth as flowing ink, was tied loosely at the back, with a few stray strands framing his face. His jade-like skin was clear and smooth, untouched by blemishes, glowing with an unnatural purity. Deep, piercing eyes, yet a faint hint of weakness lingered in their depths. His sculpted jawline and straight nose gave him an air of elegance.
His body was tall and slender, lacking strength, draped in elegant deep blue robes with silver embroidery. Though weak in flesh, his presence held a quiet grace.
His breath shuddered.
"This… this is me?... What's… happening…" he murmured, his voice unsteady. His mind spun, struggling to grasp reality.
With a deep breath, he sat back down, hands gripping the soft sheets beneath him. The room was silent except for his own heartbeat thudding in his ears.
Then—
[Creak]
The wooden door swung open
A beautiful woman stepped inside, her long robes flowing behind her. Her face, delicate and refined, carried an expression of deep worry. Behind her, an elderly man followed. Two young girls trailed them, their gazes fixed on him, uncertainty flickering in their eyes.
The woman's lips parted, and in a trembling voice, she called out
"Little Jie!"
Before he could react, she rushed forward, wrapping him in a warm embrace. Her arms tightened around him, as if afraid he would disappear.
"Are you okay?" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion
He froze—
This feeling.... this warmth.... it was something he had never known. Not once in his past life had anyone held him with such care, such genuine concern. His mind screamed that something was wrong, that this wasn't his life. Yet, as he sat there, feeling the rapid beat of her heart against his chest.