Chapter 1 Rebirth.

"Su Jin, tell me-what's it like to be the living dead, lying in bed?"

The voice was sweet, almost mocking, slicing through the sterile air of the hospital room.

Su Jin's lashes fluttered. Her eyelids felt heavy, her body numb. The operation was over-but it seems like the humiliation had only begun.

Bathed in golden sunlight, the girl in front of her looked like a goddess. Smiling. Untouched. Cruel.

"Sister... Sister..." Su Jin's lips trembled as the words escaped, barely more than a whisper, thick with grief and pain.

......

A car accident destroyed her life.

Her once smooth, flawless skin had become wrinkled and scarred. Her hands-once so skilled-had been amputated due to severe burns. Even her sweet, gentle voice had been shattered in the crash, reduced to a broken rasp.

Su Jin, the once-renowned medical genius, had become a withered shadow of her former self.

No longer fully human, nor truly dead.

Just a discarded shell.

"You bitch," Su Nuo's voice purred with venomous delight as she leaned close, her breath brushing against Su Jin's ear. "Look at you now. So disgusting. It honestly makes me so happy."

Her words pierced deeper than any scalpel.

"I'm afraid you still don't understand... all of this? It's thanks to me."

She let out a satisfied laugh-soft, cruel.

"And guess what? Zeyu has already slept with me. He said he feels sick just looking at you."

Zeyu?

Lu Zeyu?

The man who once held her like she was his entire world. The man who promised to marry her. The man who swore he would never leave her.

No. No... He wouldn't do this.

"He wouldn't..." Su Jin murmured weakly, but her broken voice was unintelligible. No one could hear her. No one cared.

Su Nuo laughed louder, throwing her head back in triumph.

"Oh? Still trying to talk?" she mocked. "Let me guess-you want to ask why?"

Su Jin blinked slowly, a silent confirmation in her sunken eyes.

"Because only when you die," Su Nuo hissed through gritted teeth, "will Zeyu truly be mine."

Su Jin's eyes widened in disbelief. Bitterness and hatred surged like wildfire through her frail body.

"I want you to die knowing the truth," Su Nuo spat. "You really thought my father loved you?"

Her sneer deepened, eyes filled with scorn.

"Don't be so naive. He only ever cared about your value. Now that you're crippled and worthless, he's done with you."

No wonder...

No wonder her adopted father hadn't shown up-not even once-since she'd been hospitalized.

So this was the truth.

All her life, she had believed in his love, trusted him blindly, worked tirelessly for the Su family-sacrificing everything.

How laughable.

Now, all that remained was regret. And hate.

She had been blind-so tragically blind.

To the venomous snake right beside her.

Su Nuo had worn a mask of weakness, gentleness, and consideration... but it was all an act. A cruel, calculated facade.

And she-Su Jin-had treated her like a real sister.

And what did she receive in return?

Ruin.

Seeing her frozen with pain, Su Nuo's expression twisted with pleasure. She lightly stroked her chest, eyes flashing with cruelty.

"So go ahead and die," she said coldly. "Once you're gone, this healthy heart will belong to me. I'll give Brother Zeyu children... and live a beautiful, happy life with him."

No...

Su Jin began to tremble. Her soul spiraled into madness.

She shook her head in disbelief, eyes wide with despair.

The people she loved had betrayed her, used her, destroyed her-and now wanted her dead.

She had nothing left.

"Wuwu wuwu..." A hoarse, strangled sound rasped from her throat. She sounded like a dying beast, caged and powerless.

But she didn't want Su Nuo to win.

Not like this.

Su Nuo, reveling in the sight of her collapse, leaned in one last time.

"There's no need to look so surprised," she whispered sweetly. "I have some more good news for you."

She lifted her slender finger, flashing a diamond ring in Su Jin's face. The gemstone sparkled mockingly under the hospital lights.

"Just now, Brother Zeyu proposed to me. He promised he'll love me forever." She smirked. "My father already supports the marriage and even transferred your estate to my name-for my dowry."

She tilted her head smugly.

"I'll marry Zeyu with everyone's blessings... and you? You're only fit to rot in a cold coffin."

Then, as if delivering the final blow, Su Nuo dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Oh, and one more thing-Fu Siyan is dead."

The room fell deathly silent.

Su Jin's dull, lifeless eyes suddenly snapped to focus-sharp, wild, and filled with disbelief.

Fu Siyan...

Dead?