重生-真乖女儿归来

Death and Rebirth

  When Gu's parents found Zhao Qing, she was working as a helper in her stepmother Zhang Haiying's restaurant. While carrying a bowl of hot soup to a customer, Zhao Qing was bumped on the shoulder, and the scalding soup spilled all over her thighs, causing her to inhale sharply and the nearby customers to gasp in shock. Zhang Haiying, who was snacking on melon seeds and watching a drama at the counter, heard the commotion and rushed to Zhao Qing's side, slapping her and cursing at her with dirty words. 

  "You clumsy girl, I'll beat you to death!" Five red marks immediately appeared on Zhao Qing's face, and she bit her lip without making a sound, still tightly holding the porcelain bowl that was hot to the touch. Zhao Qing knew that if she were to drop the bowl, Zhang Haiying would become even more violent towards her.

  As Zhang Haiying was about to slap Zhao Qing again, an enraged male voice stopped her in her tracks. "Stop it! You are not allowed to hit my daughter!" Zhao Qing and Zhang Haiying both turned their heads to see a well-dressed couple standing at the restaurant's entrance. The well-preserved woman sobbed as she threw herself at Zhao Qing and hugged her, gently caressing her slightly swollen cheek. "My dear daughter, I'm so sorry, it's all our fault. If we had found you earlier, you wouldn't have been hurt." The couple were none other than Gu Yingjie and Jiang Mo, the CEO and his wife of the Gu Corporation, and Zhao Qing's biological parents.

  Gu Yingjie and Jiang Mo took Zhao Qing to the hospital, and after the doctor treated her burns, Jiang Mo held Zhao Qing's hand and wept continuously. At that moment, Zhao Qing thought that her life, like mud, was really about to end. When Zhao Qing's burns healed, Gu's parents brought her back to their home, carefully introducing her to the family members. There was elder brother Gu Yuze, second elder brother Gu Yucheng, and sister Gu Ling'er, the same girl who was originally supposed to live in the Jiang family and swap places with Zhao Qing.

  On the first day of her return, when Gu Yingjie opened the door, the pitch-black room suddenly lit up, and Gu Ling'er, dressed in an exquisite dress and holding a cake, stood in front of Zhao Qing with a smile, welcoming her home. Gu Ling'er's smile was bright and dazzling, piercing Zhao Qing's eyes. 

  Zhao Qing cautiously asked, "Isn't she going back?" The Gu family members immediately changed their expressions, and Gu Yucheng even shouted at Zhao Qing, "I knew you had bad intentions, wanting to drive Ling'er away as soon as you arrived!" Gu Yingjie promptly stopped Gu Yucheng, while Jiang Mo held Zhao Qing's hand looking troubled. "Xiaoqing, Ling'er has been living here for more than twenty years, and if she goes back, she may not adjust well. Mom promises to treat you well, Ling'er is a good child, and she will treat you well too. We won't neglect you because of Ling'er's presence..."

  Zhao Qing silently nodded as she watched Gu Ling'er, who was hiding behind Gu Yucheng with a look of grievance. However, Zhao Qing clearly underestimated Gu Ling'er's parents' favoritism towards her and her maliciousness and scheming behind her well-behaved appearance.

  With Zhao Qing's arrival, Gu Ling'er appeared even more docile and pitiful in front of her family, gradually pushing Zhao Qing towards the abyss with every step she took. One was an adopted daughter who had been considerate, generous, and had grown up with the family for over 20 years, while the other was a timid and introverted biological daughter who felt awkward even when hugged and had not grown up with them.

  In terms of emotional connection, Zhao Qing was far less connected to Gu Yucheng's family than Gu Ling'er was. What kept Zhao Qing going was only the slight guilt that the Gu family had towards her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't compete with Gu Ling'er's various means. In just half a year, the Gu family's guilt towards Zhao Qing was completely worn away.

  After being accused by Jiang Mo once again because of Gu Ling'er, Zhao Qing left the Gu family with a sense of loss. On her way to the rental house she used to live in before, she was dragged into an alley by several small hoodlums.

  Despairing, Zhao Qing stumbled out of the alley and stood alone on the rooftop. Just before taking her last breath, Zhao Qing saw Gu Ling'er, dressed up and appearing in front of her with a sneer, looking down at her with contempt.

  "Zhao Qing, what can you do by returning to the Gu family? You couldn't beat me before, and you still can't beat me now. If you had obediently stayed as a poor little girl in the Zhang family, maybe I could have spared your life. But since you insisted on coming back, from now on, I am the only young lady of the Gu family. Everything that belongs to you, including Cheng Jun, will be taken away by me."

  Upon hearing Cheng Jun's name, Zhao Qing's pupils suddenly contracted. She watched Gu Ling'er's back and suddenly understood why her life had never been smooth-sailing. From being beaten by her foster parents when she was young to being bullied at school and facing job rejections after graduation, to being targeted by strangers on the street and having her rental house broken into, all of this was because of Gu Ling'er.

  Reluctantly, Zhao Qing closed her eyes.

  She then thought of the boy who was as bright as sunshine. If Cheng Jun had not worked hard to pry open a crack in her dark life and let her feel a trace of warmth, she might have died long ago. Would Cheng Jun forget about her? If he came back and couldn't find her, would he be very sad?

  Later, Zhao Qing was awakened by the noisy sounds in the hospital. Opening her eyes, she saw a sea of white, and voices speaking nearby. She was stunned for a moment. Didn't she... die? Zhao Qing clearly remembered that she had jumped from the 30th floor of a high-rise building and couldn't have survived. Zhao Qing moved her body slightly and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right thigh. She subconsciously touched her leg and felt that her thigh was wrapped in a layer of gauze.

  A hand with a familiar scent reached out and touched her forehead."It's okay, you're not running a fever," the person said.Zhao Qing turned her head to look at the speaker, Jiang Mo, who was looking at her with concern, with Gu Yingjie standing beside him.The hospital, her injured right leg, Jiang Mo, and Gu Yingjie - so much shock was making her mind increasingly clear.Could it be that she had died and been reborn? And then returned to the day when she was found by the Gu family?!If she had really gone back to that day, did it mean that everything could start over again?