Pain. That was the last thing Bai Lianhua remembered—cold rain soaking her skin, the weight of betrayal crushing her chest, and the sight of her adoptive sister smiling as she fell into darkness.
And yet… she awoke.
The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, delicate and calming. Her eyelashes fluttered open to find herself lying in a grand canopy bed, soft silk brushing against her cheek. She bolted upright, her heart thundering.
This room—wasn't this her bedroom from five years ago?
Her fingers trembled as she clutched the sheets. The memories came flooding back: the humiliation at her engagement party, her adoptive parents turning their backs on her, and finally, her lonely death in a rundown hospital ward. But now…
"I'm back," she whispered, her voice hoarse with disbelief. "This is five years before everything went wrong."
Her chest rose and fell with shaky breaths. Heaven had given her another chance.
No more begging for love. No more being the scapegoat. This time, Bai Lianhua would rewrite her fate—with blood, if she had to.
A knock sounded at the door. Before she could answer, it creaked open and a woman in a black-and-white uniform stepped inside. Madam Li, the Bai family's head servant. Her expression was stiff with professional courtesy, but her eyes flickered with curiosity.
"You're awake, Miss Lianhua," she said. "The Patriarch has requested your presence."
The words struck her like lightning. The Patriarch—Bai Hengyuan—had never once looked at her directly in her previous life. To him, she was just the adopted girl, a stain on the Bai family name.
But this time, she knew the truth. She wasn't adopted. She was his biological daughter—the one stolen at birth.
"I'll come right away," she said calmly, slipping out of bed.
Minutes later, she stood outside the study doors, her palms clammy despite her resolve. Two guards opened the grand wooden doors without a word.
Inside, the legendary Bai Patriarch sat behind a wide desk carved from blackwood. His hair was silver at the temples, his expression carved from stone. He radiated power—undeniable, unforgiving.
His sharp eyes lifted to meet hers.
"So," he said slowly. "You've awakened."
Lianhua bowed respectfully. "Yes… Grandfather."
The old man narrowed his eyes at the word, then gave a low grunt. "Come here."
She stepped forward.
"I had my suspicions when I first saw you," he murmured, pulling out a leather-bound folder. "But now I know. You're not adopted. You're mine."
He placed a DNA test result on the table between them.
"You were switched at birth," he said coldly. "That wretched woman thought she could replace my bloodline with a substitute. But no more. From this moment on, you are Bai Lianhua—true daughter of this family."
Lianhua's throat tightened. In her past life, she'd longed for this acknowledgment. Now that she had it, it felt like thunder breaking across a stormy sky.
"I understand," she said quietly, but firmly. "I won't let you down."
The old man's sharp gaze didn't soften, but his voice did. Slightly. "Your identity will be announced soon. Ziyu will arrange your return."
Her heart skipped. Bai Ziyu—the eldest brother who had always seemed distant and cold, but who now would be her protector. Things were falling into place.
As she stepped out of the study, a servant rushed up to her with a message: "Young Master Ziyu will be returning from the Bai Group this evening. He wishes to see you."
She smiled faintly. In her past life, she had feared him. But now, with blood ties proven and her past memories as armor, she wouldn't cower anymore.
This time, she would embrace her rightful place—not as a discarded girl, but as the precious pearl of the Bai family.
And woe to anyone who dared try to take it from her.