Qinghe University

The towering gates of Qinghe University opened like a memory—old, familiar, and too sharp to touch without flinching.

Luo Xinyi stood still.

Thirteen years since she'd left the Zhou family. Five years since she first stepped onto this campus in her past life. But this time was different.

This time, she was reborn.And her heart knew exactly what to expect—even if the people here didn't know her at all.

"This time," she whispered to herself, "I won't walk in with lowered eyes."

She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, into the world that had once let her down. The weight of memory sat beside her—but so did clarity. Her second chance had begun.

The campus buzzed with voices and hurried footsteps. Posters waved in the breeze, clubs advertised themselves with overzealous banners, and students in matching t-shirts passed out flyers.

Xinyi walked with quiet grace, eyes calm, but alert.Her past life had taught her which professors to avoid, which friendships to build, and which people would betray her smile.

But today, the universe greeted her with something sweeter.

"XINYI?!"

The voice snapped her head around, just in time to be engulfed in a whirlwind hug.

Yan Shuang.

Even before she turned, she knew.

Her best friend from her past life. Loud, unfiltered, loyal to the bone.

"You're really here!" Shuang shrieked, gripping her arms. "I saw your name in the admissions list and screamed so hard the cafeteria staff threatened to mop me!"

Xinyi's eyes softened. This reunion—this raw warmth—was something her soul had missed more than she realized.

"I missed you," she said, voice barely audible.

Shuang's eyes glistened. "Don't you dare disappear again."

They walked through campus, laughter breaking the heaviness in Xinyi's chest.

Xinyi kept glancing around—not because she was unfamiliar, but because she knew what was coming.In her last life, her first week at Qinghe had been quiet.

But not this time.

It happened fast.

A commotion near the cafeteria.Shouts.A metal tray crashing to the floor.The crowd parted, and in the middle of it all—

Him.

Zhou Hao.

Her fourth brother.Her distant, misunderstood, fiercely rebellious sibling.

The same defiant posture.The same scar beneath his eye.The same fire in his fists.

Xinyi's breath caught. Not from fear.But from grief.In her first life… she never got this moment.

She'd always missed him by a thread.He'd stayed distant. He'd dropped out early.She'd watched him spiral into someone colder… someone unreachable.

And now, here he was.

Still untouched by time. Still unaware that she had come back with a thousand unsaid things in her heart.

He wasn't the one who started the fight, she could see that.

But he finished it.

A taller boy stumbled back, blood at the corner of his lip.

Zhou Hao's voice cut through the murmurs."You try that again," he warned, "and you won't be able to chew for a month."

Students gasped. Faculty began rushing in.

And then—his eyes swept the crowd.

And landed on her.

Luo Xinyi didn't flinch.She stepped forward, voice trembling not from fear, but emotion.

"…Zhou Hao."

He paused. His expression shifted slightly—confused.

But there was no recognition in his eyes.

Of course there wouldn't be.

To him… she was just a stranger.

To her… he was the brother she lost twice.

"Who was that?" Shuang asked, tugging her elbow. "You looked like you saw a ghost."

Xinyi turned away, trying to steady her breathing.

"I did," she whispered. "But this time… I won't let him disappear."

Later That Day

The campus library smelled of ink and lemon floor polish.

Shuang talked about the dorms, the professors, the clubs.

Xinyi nodded, but her mind was stuck on one thing—her brother's stare. Cold. Unknowing. Distant.

He didn't even blink.

In her past life, she never had a real conversation with Zhou Hao. He kept to himself, skipping family dinners and avoiding conflict.But she remembered one moment—just once—when he stood silently outside her dorm during a thunderstorm… and left without knocking.

Maybe that memory was her illusion.

Maybe this time, she could change it.

That night, lying in her dorm bed, she stared at the ceiling.

The girl in the next bunk was snoring softly.Outside, someone was playing music on their guitar.

Her phone lit up.

Message from Yan Shuang:"Ready to take over the campus tomorrow?"

Xinyi smiled faintly.

She typed back:"Ready to rewrite everything."