The Withered Rose

Lin Ziqi, a woman in her forties, is a dedicated wife and mother, having always adhered to the expectations laid out by her parents and husband. She married the man they chose for her, built a life around him and their children, and worked tirelessly to uphold the values of loyalty and obedience. However, her sacrifices go unappreciated. Her husband has a mistress, and in a brutal turn of events, it is her own son who, manipulated by this mistress, murders her. In her final moments, as she takes her last breath, Lin Ziqi's only regret is the life she could have had if she had chosen the boy from her past-the one who had waited for her, hour after hour, after high school, with a single withered rose in his hand. She wonders what her life might have been like if she had chosen to be loved, rather than loyal.

When she dies, the world changes.

Lin Ziqi wakes up. She is no longer a forty-year-old woman bound by regret. Instead, she is back in high school, the very place where her journey had once begun. Her best friend calls her attention to the present as the teacher asks her to answer a trigonometry question. Lin Ziqi's heart races. She is *reborn*. The realization hits her like a wave-the chance to rewrite her story, to make different choices.

As she walks out of the school building, her gaze lands on him-the quiet boy who waited for her, holding that same withered rose in his hand. Lin Ziqi smiles softly to herself and approaches him. This time, she accepts the rose without hesitation, placing a kiss on his right cheek. The boy, taken by surprise, blushes but smiles in return. The world feels different now, a world where the past cannot hold her back.