Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

"Miss, wake up! We need to hurry up and get ready. It's the Second Miss's coming-of-age ceremony, and we can't be late. Otherwise, the First Madam will make trouble later!" Nan Rao said, shaking Ye Xingchen.

"What?" Ye Xingchen rubbed his sleepy eyes, wondering to himself, "What are you talking about? Didn't I die?"

However, upon opening her eyes, Ye Xingchen jolted awake and pinched herself hard. Looking around, she saw that the room's furnishings were exactly as they had been; it was indeed her old boudoir.

Wait a minute! The Second Miss's coming-of-age ceremony? Ye Ruohuan was fifteen, and Ye Xingchen was sixteen? Was that fire just a dream? Ye Xingchen looked bewildered.

"Hurry up, Miss!" Zhu Ling gave Ye Xingchen a push and ran into the wardrobe to rummage around.

Ye Xingchen's eyes instantly welled up with tears as she looked at the two busy people in front of her.

Nan Rao, the one who always silently stayed by Ye Xingchen's side no matter what he did but didn't say much, was beaten to death by Gu Chengjie in the Ye Ruohuan incident.

Zhu Ling, that timid and crybaby girl, threw herself in front of Ye Xingchen on a rainy night, taking a fatal blow for her, but never got up again.

It's so good to see you all again, even if it's just a dream. Ye Xingchen thought to herself.

"Miss, what happened to your neck? How come there's such a deep mark?" Nan Rao asked in confusion.

Ye Xingchen raised her hand and touched it; there was indeed a clear mark, and a slight pain. This was a dagger wound? Her eyes widened suddenly. Had she been brought back to life? Had Heaven taken pity on all living beings and allowed her to live again? Ye Xingchen was stunned.

"Zhuling, quickly help Miss to do her makeup, I'll go get a hot towel to reduce the swelling," Nanrao said urgently.

Coming-of-age ceremony? Ye Xingchen tried hard to recall. That year, Ye Ruohuan's coming-of-age ceremony was the first time Ye Xingchen had formally appeared in front of so many dignitaries after returning to the Ye family. Because of his arrogance, overstepping his bounds and being impolite, he frequently made a fool of himself, making everyone laugh at him. However, he was unaware of this and even became arrogant because of his royal marriage agreement.

Ye Xingchen was stunned and raised his hand, knocking over the items that Zhu Ling had placed on the table. Zhu Ling hurriedly apologized and knelt down with a thud.

"Get up." Ye Xingchen sighed. "Don't kneel so casually in the future." Zhu Ling looked up and then got up to continue doing her makeup.

There was a wooden box on the inside of the table. Ye Xingchen opened it and found a jade hairpin with two small characters engraved on it: "Yun Chu".

That was a coming-of-age gift left to Ye Xingchen by her mother, but unfortunately, she lived to be sixteen without having one. Who would care about the coming-of-age gift of an orphan? In a few months, she would be seventeen, and many things would happen in the future. Whether to go with the flow or to fight back, Ye Xingchen hadn't decided yet. She only hoped that everyone around her could live a peaceful life.

Looking at the jade hairpin in his hand, Ye Xingchen fell into deep thought.

Back then, my father was on a mission abroad when he was robbed. Fortunately, my mother rescued him, and the two traveled together, fell in love, and secretly pledged their lives to each other. My maternal grandfather, who came from the sea, and his relatives did not approve of the marriage. They always felt that people in officialdom were all seeking fame and fortune, deceiving each other, and blinded by self-interest. Moreover, they feared that there would be infighting in the inner quarters of a noble family, which was not suitable for my mother's personality at all.

But my rebellious mother quarreled with her family for love, even making my grandmother sick, and insisted on going back to the capital with my father. Unexpectedly, after returning to the capital, my mother found out that my father had concealed the fact that he was already engaged. She wanted to separate from him, but unexpectedly she became pregnant with me.

My mother had always lived a life of unrestrained freedom, roaming the world and living a fast-paced life, yet she fell for a man. Even though she entered the household as a secondary wife, she was ultimately disappointed. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager in the palace had traveled to Jiangnan in her youth and was rescued by my great-grandmother during a sudden storm. Remembering the life-saving favor, she often took care of my mother. To protect my mother's position in the Ye family, the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree while she was alive: if my mother gave birth to a daughter, she would be betrothed to a member of the royal family. Such a marriage was a great honor for the family, and my grandmother, who had never thought highly of my mother, was somewhat more pleasant because of this.

However, in the second year after I was born, the First Madam gave birth to the Second Miss. The First Madam, who was already a relative of my grandmother's family, was even more favored. Moreover, my grandmother had always looked down on my mother's background, and this made it even more obvious. My father was busy with official duties and rarely cared about her, leaving the inner quarters and backyard to my grandmother.

My mother, having watched coldly for so long, perhaps lost heart. When I was three and old enough to run, she took me to live in a villa near the capital, rarely returning to the Ye residence. Although the villa lacked the luxurious food and clothing of the Ye mansion, my mother often took me on outings. Seeing the vast rivers and mountains, those were probably the happiest times. Later, my mother's health deteriorated, and she passed away when I was eight. When my mother died, my father came to the villa once, but didn't take me with him. I heard that the First Madam had just given birth to a young master, and I was considered unlucky and would offend him. From then on, the people at the villa rarely cared about me. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, missing my father, I secretly ran back to the Ye mansion alone, peering over the wall, only to be met with utter disappointment. Then I turned and ran away.

Thinking of this, Ye Xingchen suddenly realized that even after so long, her heart was still ice-cold.

Ye Xingchen has been back at the Ye family mansion for over a year now. Her return was due to the Empress Dowager's dying wish and the marriage decree from years ago. The Ye family had no choice but to send someone to bring her back. During this time, Ye Xingchen and Gu Chengjie grew close, and Ye Xingchen felt she had found someone to rely on again. Now, it all seems like a joke.

When she returned to the Ye family mansion, Ye Xingchen's coming-of-age ceremony had long passed, so naturally no one mentioned it. Ye Xingchen had grown accustomed to being ignored. She harbored a plan: to climb high and thoroughly humiliate these people, filled with hatred and selfishness. Now, reborn, what choices will she make?

The front yard was filled with the deafening sound of gongs and drums, quite a lively scene. It seemed another tender moment between father and daughter was about to unfold, and that person... they would meet again. Tsk. How laughable was her past self. Ye Xingchen closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"Miss, is this alright for today? These are clothes prepared by the Madam," Zhu Ling said, holding up the clothes.

Ye Xingchen examined her clothes. To put it nicely, they were elegant and luxurious; to put it bluntly, they were extravagant and decadent. These clothes perfectly embodied both descriptions. Ye Xingchen even remembered how she had flaunted these clothes at a banquet years ago, leaving a terrible impression on the dignitaries and their wives, and becoming the laughingstock of every household. Now, reborn, she secretly vowed that she would never lose her mother's upbringing.

"Change into that outfit." Ye Xingchen picked out a simple, elegant dress and handed it to Zhu Ling.

After washing and dressing up, Ye Xingchen looked up at herself in the mirror. She applied light makeup, preferring a more understated look compared to her previous heavy makeup. A heavily made-up appearance was completely unsuitable for her, in order to please Gu Chengjie.

All is ready; let's wait for today's show to begin.