You Need to Die First to Be Reborn

Shi Qi sat frozen in the stiff leather chair, her boss's words still echoing in her mind.

"I'm sorry, but you have to leave." 

Across from her, Mr. Lin, a man in his late fifties, avoided her gaze. 

"The business is struggling… we have no choice but to, well, rightsize." His eyes darted away for a moment before meeting hers again. 

Shi Qi clenched her fists beneath the table. "And I was chosen because…?"

"You're young and one of the smartest ones here, finding a job should be easier for you than the rest of them.." he added with a faint smile, as if trying to justify it.

Young? 

That word felt like a slap.

She is already forty.

Her gaze shifted past the glass wall behind him, she saw them—the ones who were allowed to stay.

Young, fresh-faced girls with dewy skin and effortless beauty. 

Their youth is an unspoken asset. They didn't need to push for sales, their presence alone was enough.

And there she was, her own reflection staring back at her. The lights were cruel, revealing every fine line, every shadow under her eyes and every trace of exhaustion.

She isn't glowing.

She isn't fresh. 

She is old.

As she stepped out of the office building, the words echoed in her head.

"You're young and smart..You'll find a job easier than the rest."

Bullshit.

She had spent years proving herself, working late nights, hitting targets and sacrificing weekends.

She didn't even had time for love. 

And all for what? To be tossed aside just because she wasn't young enough?

I gave them everything.

Her grip tightened on the box of her belongings. Tears gathered in her eyes, not from anger but from sheer rage.

Shi Qi barely registered the world around her as her thoughts drowned out the noise surrounding her.

She didn't notice that the traffic light ahead had turned red. 

As she stepped onto the road,

A blaring horn..

A rush of light…

The screech of tires tears through the silence.

A powerful force slammed into her, lifting her off the ground and weightless for a moment. Then, gravity reclaimed her, slamming her back down with unforgiving force.

…..

No, no, no.

This can't be happening.

She tried to move but her body wouldn't respond. As she lay on the cold pavement, she could no longer feel anything. She saw faces on the walkway, pedestrians frozen in shock. 

I can't end like this.

As the lights above her flickered like dying stars, her vision blurred as she felt everything slipping away and fading into the darkness..

No sound...

No pain...

Just…nothing..

....

....

And then—

A sharp breath.

Shi Qi opened her eyes. Her body trembled as a wave of dizziness and nausea hit hers. The ceiling above her is wooden, aged, with cracks running through the beams. The scent of damp earth and old fabric filled her nose.

She blinked.

Where am I?

Was that accident…a dream?

Slowly, she pushes herself up, but something felt off.

Her body felt light.

Her fingers curled into the rough, scratchy blanket covering her, and she stared at them.

Why are my hands so tiny?

They were small, delicate, nothing like the aged hands that she had known as her own.

Trembling, she raised them in front of her, turning them over.

Soft and chubby.

This is a child's hand.

She pinched her own cheeks hard and the sharp sting spread across her skin, making her wince.

Okay, that hurt.

Shi Qi stiffened.

She had been reborn.

Her throat felt dry and sore, as if she hadn't spoken in days. She swallowed, but it did little to ease the hoarseness. 

She took another glance around the small, worn-down room. The walls had cracks, the furniture is old and a faint scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air.

Whoever is living here isn't wealthy. 

Just then, the door creaked open and a young woman stepped in. She is beautiful, her features were delicate but her gaze was firm. Her hair is a mix of brown and red, flowing past her shoulders, her eyes brown and her fair skin emits a natural glow.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked gently.

The woman reached out, her slender fingers brushing against her forehead.

"The fever seems to have gone down," she murmured. 

"Yao Yao, you really scared me," her voice laced with genuine concern.

Shi Qi looked dazed as her mind is still struggling to keep up with everything.

"Yao Yao?"

Is that… my name now?

She opened her mouth to speak, but only a weak rasp came out.

Her throat was too dry and her voice too hoarse to form words. Before she could stop it, she was already coughing. 

"Don't force yourself, Yao Yao. I'll bring you some water," the woman's expression softened further. 

As she sipped the icy water, it soothed her dry and aching throat.

She looked at the woman and a surge of emotion stirred inside her. 

Was it because of the gentleness?

Or perhaps it was everything she had gone through before she woke up..

The unfairness...

The accident...

The confusion...

The fact that she was reborn and woken up in a strange body, in a strange world...

Before she knew it, tears were already slipping down her face.

It started with just soft sobs before it grew into a wail…as if she were letting everything out.

At that instant, she felt a small force inside her, as if like an invisible pulse rippling through the air.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, the force swelled, bursting out of her like an unleashed wave. 

CRASH!

The room shuddered as the window shattered, sending glass shards bursting outward and scattering across the wooden floor. 

The woman stared at her, stunned, her hair blown back by the sudden force.

Shi Qi froze mid-sob. 

Her breath hitched and her teary eyes widened in shock.

Oh crap. 

We're already poor as it is, and now I went and broke our window too...