Rebirth: Looking Back in a Sudden Realization - Chapter 5

Shao Chuyan sat in a large dressing room, dazed. Three walls were lined with clothing racks, and in front of her stood a full-length mirror.

She spun around, examining her body from every angle, muttering endless complaints in her heart.

Sigh, baby fat… sure, it’s cute, but it doesn’t match my mental age at all. Only one meter fifty-five tall, such a flat chest, such short legs—what a tragedy! At least my hair is like a seaweed curtain, thick, dark, and shiny… that’s some small consolation.

Then she looked at the three wardrobes again and sighed nonstop. How am I supposed to wear these clothes? She was already twenty-five years old in heart and mind, and psychologically it was really hard to accept…

Another sigh. As a child, her temperament had indeed been cold and aloof, her clothes mostly black and white. Still, to be able to return to age thirteen was already a mercy from heaven. Whether she was used to it or not, she had to adapt right away! She must uncover the reason behind the Zhao family’s bankruptcy! She must find her brother’s murderer!

Back in her bedroom, she sat cross-legged on the soft round bed, hugging her pale legs. Every time she thought of the last week of her previous life, her heart nearly stopped beating. Who could have, within one short week, forced my entire family to such a cruel end?

A chill seemed to surge into every pore of her body. It was hatred—deep, searing hatred! And that alluring, seductive woman—who exactly was she? If she had managed to catch her, would everything have turned out differently? Why were those people hunting her? Why must they see her dead?

It felt as if she and the Zhao family had fallen into a vast conspiracy laid out long ago, unknowingly cast as weak prey. Shao Chuyan’s eyes gleamed with a dark light. This time, I will never let the schemers succeed! I will take revenge!

A gentle knock sounded on the door. Then Shao Yiner’s displeased voice came through:
“Yanyan, how long are you going to take? Teacher Lu has called several times already!”

Shao Chuyan quickly put back on her thirteen-year-old act and answered sulkily through her nose:
“Not going!”

The door pushed open, and Shao Yiner walked straight in. “Now what?”

Shao Chuyan looked up. Today, Shao Yiner was dressed in a refined moon-white cheongsam embroidered with silver peonies along the front. Her naturally serene and graceful aura now carried a touch of noble elegance. Shao Chuyan’s eyes lit up. She hurriedly climbed off the bed to admire her mother’s outfit. Indeed, only such exquisite national dress can withstand the test of time.

Shao Yiner gave her daughter a helpless look. Ever since deciding not to go abroad, Chuyan seemed to have changed a lot. Previously, due to her indulgence, her daughter had always been calm, self-reliant, and strong-willed. But now, that prematurely mature demeanor had vanished, replaced by the spoiled ways of a pampered princess. Yiner found it both amusing and puzzling—was it good or bad? Pretending to be stern, she said,
“You’re the one who insisted on staying. I went out of my way to arrange a private entrance interview for you. Even if you don’t need to take the test, you still have to show your face!”

Shao Chuyan felt defeated. She had worked so hard to finish sixteen years of schooling, and now she was about to be sent back for at least seven more. The thought of it made her want to run away. Tilting up her apple-like face, she pouted:
“What if I don’t go to school?”

That genuinely shocked Shao Yiner, who grew visibly angry.
“Of course not! Do you want people saying that the Shao family’s eldest daughter dropped out right after middle school?!”

Chuyan lowered her head, twirling the curls of her hair around her fingers. Suddenly, she lifted her face again:
“Then let’s move! If we move, I’ll go to school!”

Shao Yiner’s head throbbed. For a moment, she suspected her daughter had gone back to first grade, throwing tantrums and acting spoiled with practiced ease. Helpless, she asked,
“Where exactly do you want to move?”

Chuyan answered excitedly,
“Of course to Jincheng! I want to go to the same school as Xiaoyuan!”

Shao Yiner froze. After a few seconds, she asked uncertainly,
“You mean… back to Jincheng?”

Chuyan nodded emphatically, as if it were only natural.

Yiner’s face darkened, her tone growing displeased.
“Shao Chuyan, are you saying you want to change your surname?”

Chuyan stiffened, suddenly recalling the real reason they had gone abroad back then. She had been too eager to see Xiaoyuan and her father again, forgetting that this was precisely when Grandfather Zhao’s health was failing, and the Zhao siblings were fighting viciously. Even she and her mother had been dragged into the mess.

After a long pause, she made up her mind.
“Of course not about the surname. But I will negotiate with the Zhao family. Mother, let’s move to Jincheng. That way we can see Xiaoyuan. You miss him very much, don’t you?”

Shao Yiner was stunned. For a moment, she said nothing. Then, in a soft voice, she asked,
“You’ve already thought of a way to avoid getting entangled with the Zhao family’s matters, haven’t you?”

Chuyan nodded, trying to persuade her.
“Mom, I know you hate Jincheng, but please believe me. Xiaoyuan is important—more important than the Zhao family, more important than the whole of Jincheng combined! Let’s move there, okay?” Her final plea was already tinged with entreaty.

Yiner’s expression grew complicated. She stood up, deliberately changing the subject.
“I’ll call Teacher Lu to cancel the interview and invite him to dinner as an apology. Are you coming with me to dinner, or will you eat on your own?”

Chuyan knew her mother needed time to decide, so she didn’t push further. She nodded obediently.
“I’ll come with you. I should apologize too.”

That surprised Yiner. Since when did her daughter care about such formalities? This was nothing like the arrogant, pampered girl she knew. Just days ago, after bumping into someone at Jinghua, the other party had demanded an apology—Chuyan had thrown water in their face instead! Was she overthinking it?

“All right then. I’ll have Uncle Wu pick you up at five. Stay home and rest—don’t go running around.”

Chuyan agreed with a harmless smile on her face.

Only then did Yiner leave the room and head downstairs gracefully.

Chuyan flopped onto the bed, turning her head to look at the fresh green buds outside the window. She thought to herself: Right now, the Zhao family is like a powder keg—whoever touches it will get burned. I must find a way to avoid being dragged into their mess!

As always, the driver Uncle Wu was punctual. At exactly five, he rang the bell at the front gate of their villa.

Chuyan had just tied her hair up. She leaned out of the second-floor window, waving.
“Uncle Wu, I’ll be right down!”

Uncle Wu smiled and nodded, then returned to wait in the car.

Chuyan put on a simple white knee-length dress with flat sandals. Muttering to herself—“Keys, phone, wallet, watch…”—she repeated the checklist three times before realizing with a start: she didn’t even have a phone, a wallet, or a watch yet! Sigh, I really need to adjust these habits quickly. After confirming she at least had her house keys and some coins tucked into a small purse, she finally went downstairs.

Uncle Wu’s steady driving gave her a long-lost sense of security.

Naturally, Shao Yiner’s dinner invitation was at the most upscale place in the city—the Jinghua Hotel. She adored their truffle foie gras and rarely dined elsewhere.

Chuyan leaned against the car window, watching the bustling city of Shangcheng in the final year of the twentieth century. Even after moving abroad, she had returned every year until age twenty, just before Xiaoyuan came of age. Sometimes she came with her mother, stopping briefly in Shangcheng for a week or so, mainly to check on the upkeep of the old Shao family house. Her grandfather had poured his whole life into that home, and she wanted to ensure it didn’t fall into disrepair.

Still, she usually chose to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel instead of the empty old mansion, which long ago had lost its warmth of family.

Looking at the streams of traffic outside, Chuyan knew that in the coming decade, this city would only grow more prosperous. Even global financial crises would not dim its flourishing. Skyscrapers would rise higher and higher, the CBD would rival Manhattan itself, land prices would soar, the subway system would crisscross the city…

Suddenly, she remembered something. Among her grandfather’s inheritance to her mother, besides the vast cash stored in Zurich Bank, were entire blocks of real estate on Yuande Road, along with plots and gardens in several nearby cities. Yet in their third year abroad, her mother, tired of constant minor troubles, had entrusted a lawyer to liquidate everything into one large sum of cash.

Now, seeing the future clearly, Chuyan thought, If we’re not leaving this time, those assets could be far more useful. After all, I’ll need an enormous amount of money—enough to save the entire Zhao Corporation!

From the Shao residence, it only took half an hour to reach the city center. Uncle Wu pulled up at the hotel entrance, where attentive doormen immediately opened her door.

Chuyan instinctively reached for her purse to tip them, then quickly remembered—she was still just a child. Glancing around to make sure no one noticed, she discreetly withdrew her hand.

Riding the elevator straight to the revolving restaurant on the top floor, she immediately spotted Shao Yiner seated by the window at a four-person table.