Chapter 1: The Leap

Lian Meng never imagined she would die in such an unclear and senseless way. Life drained away with her blood, and her face grew as pale as paper; the once bright and clear eyes now hollow and helpless, her hand gripping the sheet trembling uncontrollably. The terror of death pressed heavily on her chest. With great effort, she managed to turn her head slightly, looking toward the crib where her daughter lay swaddled tightly.

Before she could see clearly, a woman in protective gear picked up the child, her movements clumsy, as if handling a cat or dog without care. “Mengmeng, you can rest easy now. I swear, I’ll take good care of your child and husband,” the woman’s seductive voice carried both contempt and delight.

Lian Meng, lying on the blood-soaked delivery bed, glared at the woman before her. If looks could kill, this woman would have died a thousand deaths at her hands. Yet the truth was that Lian Meng herself was dying, and in such a subtle way that it would hardly be noticed.

“You… you…” She tried desperately to speak, but her words were barely a whisper, “I swear… I will make sure… you both… meet a terrible end…”

Seeing Lian Meng in this state, the woman laughed until she was bent over, “Ha ha, Mengmeng, you really are a joker. You’re dying—how could you possibly take revenge on us?”

Lian Meng tugged at the corner of her mouth in a cold smile, “Even if I die… I’ll curse you… haunt you… just wait and see.”

After uttering her threat, Lian Meng wondered silently—was there truly such a thing as retribution?

She was so unwilling to accept that her life would end at twenty-eight, so unwilling to see her newborn daughter fall into their hands, so unwilling to be utterly powerless. Her vision blurred, her bloodless lips parted, unable to utter another word…

Boundless darkness swallowed everything around her. She kept running but could not escape the claws that pursued her. Lian Meng tried to struggle, tried to scream, but not a sound came out. Just as despair was about to consume her, a blinding white light suddenly appeared in front of her, illuminating the night.

Lian Meng opened her eyes to find a clear, pale blue sky above her. A few white clouds drifted by, resembling snowy waves on a vast ocean.

Before she could fully take in the sky and clouds, several heads crowded into her line of sight, all staring at her with wide eyes.

“Look! She’s awake!”

“Could it be… a last burst of energy before death? What do we do?”

“Everyone stay still, wait for the ambulance and the teachers to arrive!”

Under their astonished gazes, Lian Meng pushed herself up from the grass. It felt as if she had taken a hard fall, her bones aching as though they had come apart.

Watching her stretch her arms and legs and move about, the onlookers grew even more unsettled, backing away quickly.

“Look, look… does this make any sense at all? It’s completely illogical!”

“What’s going on? She fell from the sixth floor—if she’s not dead, she should have shattered bones!”

“Oh my god, call the TV station! This is truly a miraculous event!”

“A corpse… a corpse has come back to life! Everyone run!”

The crowd that had surrounded her scattered in a clamor, leaving Lian Meng standing alone, bewildered.

Where was she? Wasn’t she supposed to be dead? Why was she still alive, and why had she been surrounded by so many people?

Lian Meng looked around, finally resting her gaze on the glass doors of a nearby building.

The reflection there was…?