The final bell rang across the campus at exactly 5:30 PM. Students poured out of classrooms, their chatter filling the corridors as they headed toward the school gates. Su Yiling packed her textbooks slowly, her mind still processing the confrontation with Su Meilin.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Xiaoli asked, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "You seem distracted."
"I'm fine. Just thinking about tonight's study session."
"Good. We need to review those calculus problems Teacher Chen assigned." Xiaoli waved goodbye as she joined the stream of students heading toward the bicycle racks.
Su Yiling made her way to the main gate, where luxury cars lined the street. Parents and drivers waited patiently, some chatting on their phones, others reading newspapers. The familiar black Audi A6L sat near the corner, its polished surface reflecting the late afternoon sun.
Uncle Wang stepped out as she approached, his driver's uniform neat and pressed despite the long day. He had been with their family since Su Yiling was twelve, always punctual, always reliable.
"Young Miss Su," he said with a respectful bow of his head. "How was school today?"
"Fine, Uncle Wang. Thank you for picking me up."
He opened the rear door for her, and she slid into the leather seats that still smelled faintly of her father's cologne. The partition between front and back was lowered, allowing conversation during the drive home.
As they pulled away from the school, Su Yiling watched familiar streets pass by through tinted windows. The route home took them through the old commercial district, past the traditional tea houses where elderly men played xiangqi under flowering trees. Street vendors were setting up their evening stalls, filling the air with the scent of grilled meat and steamed buns.
"Your parents called," Uncle Wang said, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "They should be home by seven tonight. Something about closing an important business deal."
Su Yiling nodded, not trusting her voice to remain steady. In her previous life, she had taken these moments for granted. Family dinners, casual conversations about school, the quiet luxury of being driven home each day. She had thrown it all away for the approval of people who never truly cared about her.
The car turned into Phoenix Garden, their residential compound. Tall gates opened automatically as the security guard recognized their vehicle. Manicured lawns stretched between elegant villas, each one surrounded by carefully tended gardens. Their house sat at the end of a tree-lined street, a two-story structure with traditional Chinese architectural elements mixed with modern design.
Uncle Wang pulled into the circular driveway. "Will you need the car this evening, young miss?"
"No, thank you. I'll be studying at home tonight."
He nodded and went to park the vehicle in the garage while Su Yiling stood before the front entrance. The red wooden door with its brass lion knockers looked exactly as she remembered. Potted orchids flanked the doorway, their delicate blooms catching the golden light.
She used her key card to enter, and the familiar scent of home enveloped her immediately. Jasmine incense from the living room mixed with the lingering aroma of Auntie Chen's afternoon cooking. Everything was exactly as it should be, yet her eyes began to blur with unshed tears.
"Young Miss, you're home!" Auntie Chen appeared from the kitchen, her face bright with genuine warmth. She had been their housekeeper for over ten years, treating Su Yiling more like a beloved niece than an employer's daughter.
"Hello, Auntie Chen."
"Your mother called. She and your father will be back by seven. I'm preparing braised pork with your father's favorite vegetables." The older woman studied Su Yiling's face with concern. "Are you feeling well? You look pale."
"Just tired from school. I think I'll rest before dinner."
Su Yiling climbed the carpeted stairs to the second floor, her hand trailing along the polished banister. Family photographs lined the wall-images of birthdays, holidays, and achievements. There she was at age ten, grinning as she received an academic award. At fifteen, she stood proudly with her debate team trophy. Moments of pure happiness that she had somehow forgotten to value.
Her bedroom door stood slightly ajar. She pushed it open and stopped completely.
Pink. Everything was soft, delicate pink. The walls, the curtains, the bedspread with its subtle floral pattern. Her desk sat by the window, organized with her textbooks and study materials. Stuffed animals that she had pretended to outgrow were arranged on a shelf above her bed. A bulletin board displayed her class schedules, university application deadlines, and motivational quotes written in her own careful handwriting.
This was her sanctuary. Her space before she had learned to be ashamed of the things that brought her joy. Before she had decided that pink was too childish, that academic ambition was unfeminine, and that her own dreams were somehow less important than fitting into someone else's expectations.
Tears finally spilled over, running down her cheeks as she stepped into the room. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, overwhelmed by the weight of everything she had lost and somehow been given back.
After several minutes, she wiped her face and moved to her desk. Her laptop sat closed beside a stack of practice tests. She opened it and waited for it to boot up, her mind already shifting into planning mode.
Money. In her previous life, she had been financially dependent on others until it was too late to build anything of her own. This time would be different. She had savings from New Year money, birthday gifts from relatives, and the monthly allowance her parents had always been generous with. Money that she had previously spent on clothes and cosmetics to impress people who didn't deserve her attention.
The stock market interface loaded slowly. Su Yiling cracked her knuckles and began to research. She remembered key market movements from the next few years-companies that would surge, others that would crash, and emerging technologies that would revolutionize entire industries.
Tencent's gaming division was about to announce a breakthrough that would send its stock soaring. A small pharmaceutical company was on the verge of a major drug approval that would triple its value overnight. Electric vehicle manufacturers were positioning themselves for massive government subsidies.
She opened a trading account, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she input buy orders. Conservative investments mixed with strategic risks, all based on knowledge that only she possessed. Within an hour, she had deployed nearly eighty percent of her available funds across carefully chosen positions.
This was just the beginning. Academic success would prove her intelligence, but financial independence would prove her worth in a way that no one could dismiss or take away.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Xiaoli asking about their study session. Su Yiling was typing a response when
Su Yiling was typing a response when familiar voices drifted up from downstairs. Her parents were home early.
But there was another voice too. Deep, warm, tinged with laughter that she hadn't heard in years.
Su Yiling's heart stopped.
She dropped her phone and ran to the window overlooking the front driveway. A taxi was pulling away from the house, and standing beside the entrance with two large suitcases was a tall figure in a dark coat.
Su Jihan. Her second brother.
Without thinking, she threw open her bedroom door and flew down the stairs, taking them two at a time. She burst into the foyer just as her parents were embracing their son, all of them talking at once.
"Jihan!" she called out.
He turned at the sound of her voice, and his face broke into the same warm smile she remembered from childhood. At twenty-five, he had grown even taller, his features more defined by years of research work in harsh climates. But his eyes held the same gentle intelligence that had always made him her favorite confidant among her brothers.
"Xiao Yiling," he said, opening his arms wide. "Look how grown up you've become."
She ran to him without hesitation, throwing her arms around his waist the way she used to when she was small. He smelled like airports and foreign soap, but underneath it was still the familiar scent of the brother who had taught her to solve complex equations when she was barely ten years old.
"I missed you so much," she whispered against his coat.
"I missed you too, little sister." His hand stroked her hair gently. "Three years is far too long to be away from family."
Their parents watched the reunion with tears in their eyes. Their father cleared his throat roughly. "He finished his research project in Antarctica ahead of schedule. Flew directly here from New Zealand."
"I wanted to surprise everyone," Jihan said, pulling back to look at Su Yiling's face. "Though I have to say, you look different. More serious somehow."
If only he knew how different she really was. How much she had changed, and changed back again.
"Just thinking about Upcoming Examination," she said, wiping her eyes. "It's stressful."
"Exam stress" He frowned slightly. "But you're brilliant. You've always been the smartest of all us children."
The simple statement, spoken with such absolute confidence, made her throat tight with emotion. This was what she had lost in her previous life. The unwavering faith of family members who truly knew her worth.
"Come," their mother said, linking arms with both her children. "Auntie Chen has prepared enough food for an army. We need to celebrate having our family together again."
They moved toward the dining room, and Jihan looked around appreciatively at the familiar space. "Everything looks exactly the same. I missed this so much."
"Three years is too long," their father said, pulling out chairs for everyone. "But tell us about your work. Did you finish the ice core samples successfully?"
"Actually, we completed the project two months ahead of schedule. The climate data was clearer than we expected." Jihan settled into his seat with a satisfied smile. "I could have stayed to help with the next phase, but honestly? I was homesick. I wanted to see my family."
He reached over to ruffle Su Yiling's hair the way he used to when she was small. "Especially this one. I wanted to see how my little sister was doing with her final year."
"She's doing wonderfully," their mother said proudly. "Top of her class, as always."
"And Mingyu? Zhen? Are they both still working in Beijing?"
"Mingyu is expanding his law practice," their father replied. "Very busy, very successful. Zhen just got promoted at the tech company. They both wanted to come home when they heard you were returning, but..."
"Work commitments," Jihan nodded understandingly. "I'll call them tonight. It's been too long since all the siblings were together."
Su Yiling watched her brother's animated face as he caught up on family news, feeling a warmth she'd forgotten was possible. This was what family was supposed to feel like. Safe, supportive, unconditionally loving.