The cold seeped into Ye Xia's bones, a deep, marrow-freezing chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the water and everything to do with the betrayal etched on the two faces above her.
Her lungs burned, screaming for air she couldn't take. The heavy weights tied to her ankles dragged her deeper into the murky darkness of the private pool. Bubbles escaped her lips, a silent scream rising in her throat, but the water swallowed the sound, just as it was swallowing her life.
Through the distorted lens of the chlorinated water, she saw them. Liang Rui, her husband of five years, the man she had loved with a devotion that bordered on pathetic. His handsome face, usually a mask of indifferent tolerance, was now twisted with a chilling mix of relief and impatience. And beside him, Lin Wanwan, her best friend since childhood, the woman she had trusted with all her secrets. Lin Wanwan's delicate features were arranged in a smirk of pure, unadulterated triumph.
"It's for the best, Xiaxia," Liang Rui's voice was muffled, but the words were crystal clear, each one a shard of ice piercing her heart. "Your shares are mine now. The company will finally be able to merge with the Lin family's empire without your… cumbersome presence."
Lin Wanwan giggled, a sound that had once brought Ye Xia comfort but now echoed like the laughter of a demon. "All those years of playing the loyal, ugly friend. Eating the snacks you thought were out of concern, when really, they were just packed with hormones to keep you fat and docile. You made it so easy."
Ye Xia's vision began to blur at the edges. The memories flooded in, unbidden. The countless sacrifices. She had used her own inheritance, the money left by her mother, to fund Liang Rui's first startup. She had played the part of the unsightly but devoted wife, staying in the background while he rose to prominence, telling herself his success was their success. She had endured the whispers, the pitying looks, the blatant contempt from his business associates, all for the dream of a future that was nothing but a lie.
She had been a fool. A fat, ugly, trusting fool.
The last of the air left her lungs. A strange calm descended upon her. The burning sensation faded, replaced by an overwhelming cold. Her final thought was not a prayer, but a vow, etched in the fire of her dying heart.
If there is a next life… I will make you pay. I will make you both pay in blood and tears.
---
Darkness.
Then, a searing pain behind her eyes, followed by a cacophony of sounds. Harsh laughter, the screech of chairs, the bell signaling the end of a school period.
Ye Xia gasped, her eyes flying open. She was slumped over a desk, her cheek sticky against a laminated wood surface. The smell of chalk dust and cheap perfume filled her nostrils. She jerked upright, her heart hammering against her ribs.
She looked down at her hands. They were pudgy, the fingers short and dimpled, but the skin was smooth and young, untouched by the years of stress and self-neglect. She wore the hideous, baggy blue-and-white tracksuit of No. 3 High School.
A paper airplane hit her squarely on the back of the head. A wave of snickers erupted from behind her.
"Hey, Fatty Ye! Still dreaming about Prince Charming?" a boy's voice jeered.
"As if! Look at her. She's like a beached whale in that tracksuit," a girl's voice, sickly sweet and familiar, chimed in.
Ye Xia's blood ran cold. She knew that voice. Lin Wanwan.
She turned slowly, her body moving with a stiffness that was more shock than physical ailment. There they were. Not the polished, ruthless adults who had murdered her, but their teenage selves. Liang Rui, already tall and handsome, was surrounded by his usual sycophants, not even glancing in her direction. And Lin Wanwan, petite and pretty, was looking at her with a facade of concern that didn't reach her cold, calculating eyes.
This is a dream. A cruel, dying dream.
But the pain from the paper airplane was real. The grumble of hunger in her stomach was real. The date scribbled on the blackboard—March 15, 2012—was a date from ten years ago.
She was seventeen again.
The teacher droned on about quadratic equations, but Ye Xia heard none of it. Her mind was a whirlwind of panic, disbelief, and a dawning, ferocious joy. She had been given a second chance. The heavens, or some twisted sense of cosmic justice, had sent her back.
The final bell rang, shattering her reverie. Students scrambled to leave. As Ye Xia slowly packed her bag, her thoughts a chaotic jumble, Lin Wanwan skipped over, linking her arm with a familiarity that made Ye Xia's skin crawl.
"Xiaxia, you look pale. Didn't you sleep well? Here, I brought you your favorite chocolate muffin! You shouldn't skip snacks, it's not good for your… health," Lin Wanwan said, pressing a large, calorie-laden muffin into Ye Xia's hand.
In her past life, Ye Xia would have accepted it with grateful tears, touched by her friend's "kindness." Now, she saw it for what it was: a carefully calculated move to keep her fat, unhealthy, and unthreatening.
Ye Xia looked from the muffin to Lin Wanwan's smiling face. The image of that same face smirking as she drowned superimposed itself over the present.
Without a word, Ye Xia dropped the muffin into the trash can next to the desk.
The smile on Lin Wanwan's face froze. "Xiaxia? What's wrong?"
"I'm not hungry," Ye Xia said, her voice hoarse from disuse. It was the first time she had spoken in this new-old life, and the sound was strange to her own ears.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the classroom, leaving a stunned Lin Wanwan behind. The first small act of defiance sent a thrill through her. It was a start.
But as she stepped out of the school gates, the reality of her situation crashed down on her. She was seventeen, overweight, bullied, and living with a stepmother and stepsister who despised her. Her father was a weak-willed man who saw her only as a disappointment. She had no power, no money, no allies.
How could she, in this pathetic state, ever hope to take revenge on the powerful figures Liang Rui and Lin Wanwan would become?
Despair began to creep in when a voice, clear and mechanical, echoed directly in her mind.
[Ding! Host's strong desire for vengeance detected. Soul wavelength is a 99% match. The Money Wasting System is now activated!]
Ye Xia stopped dead in her tracks. Was she going insane?
[Hello, Host Ye Xia. I am your system. My purpose is to assist you in gaining the power needed for your revenge.