Volume One, Chapter 2: Reborn, returning to seven years ago.

Her breath was stolen away, replaced by the suffocating sensation of drowning that wracked her entire body. Shen Yuan felt as though she were on the verge of being snuffed out, only to jolt awake from her nightmare with a sharp gasp.

"Yuan-yuan, what is wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

The voice beside her, brimming with tender concern, was hauntingly familiar.

Shen Yuan pried her eyes open, clearing the haze to see the man before her. Her pupils constricted violently.

It was Chu Yuning!

Yet, it was not entirely the Chu Yuning she knew; he was far younger, his features still retaining a trace of boyish innocence. He was dressed in a long robe, the attire of a scholar.

Shen Yuan’s gaze darted across the fabric of his garment and suddenly froze. This was the uniform of the Ziyun Academy!

Chu Yuning was still at the Ziyun Academy? Was this... a return to when she was fifteen?

At this moment, Chu Yuning was only eighteen. He had not yet passed the imperial examinations and was merely a weak, bookish student at the Ziyun Academy.

Without a second thought, Shen Yuan snatched up the herb-digging shovel at her side and swung it toward him.

Chu Yuning was too slow to dodge. The iron blade tore through his sleeve, and blood instantly seeped through the tattered fabric, staining his sleeve crimson. Clutching his arm, he stumbled back and looked at her in confusion. "Yuan-yuan, what has come over you?"

"Brother Chu, are you alright?"

Seeing him injured, the students of the Ziyun Academy rushed over to surround him.

Watching these scholars, Shen Yuan’s frantic heart gradually steadied. If she committed murder in front of so many people, she would certainly be thrown into prison.

In this life, she would not waste her existence. She would exact her revenge, ensuring those who deserved to die met their end, while also living her own life to the fullest!

With this thought, Shen Yuan immediately dropped the shovel and feigned helplessness. "Are you alright? I fell asleep waiting for you and had a nightmare. I was so frightened!"

Though she spoke the words, her gaze lingered on his wound for only an instant.

If only she had held a dagger instead! What a pity she hadn’t managed to sever the hand he used to hold his brush!

Chu Yuning shook his head. "I am fine! It is I who kept you waiting. It must have been uncomfortable sleeping on these rocks, wasn't it?"

Shen Yuan nodded. "It was indeed uncomfortable; otherwise, I wouldn't have had such a nightmare."

As they spoke, a student behind Chu Yuning hooked an arm around his shoulder. "Brother Ning, has your little cousin come to bring you money again? We can go to the Mingyu Pavilion for a drink tonight!"

Chu Yuning had always told outsiders that Shen Yuan was his distant cousin and that she came to the academy only to deliver money from his mother, the Zhao woman.

In her past life, to preserve his pride, Shen Yuan had played the fool and acted as his cousin, handing over every cent she earned through back-breaking labor in the name of the Zhao family.

But in this life, Shen Yuan would not be so foolish again!

She wanted her to continue earning money to fund his studies and exams? He could dream on!

"Yuan-yuan, the master lost track of time and lectured for an extra quarter-hour. I am sorry to have kept you waiting. You are here to deliver the monthly allowance from my mother, aren't you? How much did she send?" Chu Yuning looked at her expectantly, his eyes darting to the pouch at her waist.

Shen Yuan lowered her head and unfastened the pouch.

"Yuan-yuan, thank you for the trouble," Chu Yuning said with a smile, reaching out his hand.

But the coarse cloth pouch traced a graceful arc through the air, landing firmly in Shen Yuan's other hand instead.

"Yuan-niang, what are you..." Chu Yuning looked at her, bewildered.

Shen Yuan smiled. "This is my money. Every single copper in here was earned by me, rising before dawn and scouring the mountains for herbs. Why, do you want my money?"

Chu Yuning’s expression stiffened. "Of course not. I want the money my mother... asked you to bring."

"Since you entered the academy, has your mother ever given you a single cent? These past three years, the tuition, the ink, the paper—which of these was not paid for by me? Tell me, Chu Yuning, you have played the part of my son for three years; do you actually think I am your mother?"

Shen Yuan spat, her eyes filled with revulsion.

Chu Yuning was stunned. Shen Yuan had clearly sent word through the gatekeeper that she was bringing his monthly allowance. Why, upon being woken up, was she exposing the fact that he had been living off her for years?

He reached out to pull her aside, but Shen Yuan shoved him away without mercy.

"Chu Yuning, pay me back every cent you owe me!" Shen Yuan held out her hand, her voice cold and hard.

"I never imagined Chu Yuning couldn't even afford his own tuition and had to have a young girl pay it for him! Spending a young girl's money—how shameless!"

"And to think the master praised him every day as the academy's greatest talent, a role model for us all. What are we supposed to learn? His lies, or his swindling?"

"Chu Yuning, with so many people watching, hurry up and pay her back. Causing such a scene at the gates of the Ziyun Academy makes us all a laughingstock!"

Among the students, there were many who envied Chu Yuning’s academic success and were eager to kick him while he was down. Their jeers left him mortified.

In his eighteen years, he had always been a standout student, a prodigy in the eyes of his masters. Everywhere he went, he was treated with reverence; he had never known such humiliation!

His reputation was utterly ruined!

This Shen Yuan—if not for the fact that she was willing to earn money to support him, he would never have deigned to associate with such a village woman!

"Shen Yuan!" Chu Yuning roared. "That money was clearly given to me by you voluntarily! How can you call it a loan?"

"Chu Yuning, your face is as empty as your purse! I have no time to waste on you today. Pay me back every cent you owe me, with interest, or I will not leave the academy today. I will make sure the entire city of Jian'an knows you are a deadbeat who refuses to pay his debts!"

"You..."

Chu Yuning’s lips trembled with rage, but he couldn't utter a word.

He could not let this spread! He was a scholar, destined for the imperial examinations and a high-ranking post; how could he let it be known that he was a debtor?

His bravado crumbled. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to borrow some silver from his peers to appease Shen Yuan for the time being.

He didn't have a single coin on him; he had been counting on her to bring money today. Who knew she would not only refuse but demand payment? Where was he to find the money?

He had no choice but to beg from others.

But after asking around, even those who were once his close friends were unwilling to lend him anything. After all, if he was already a debtor who refused to pay, who could guarantee he would ever return their money?

Chu Yuning was met with cold shoulders, his expression growing increasingly sinister.

Born to a poor family with a deceased father and an ailing mother, he had always been looked down upon by these wealthy young masters. He had fought to excel in his studies just to hold his head above theirs.

Yet today, Shen Yuan had trampled his pride and self-esteem into the dust, subjecting him to utter disgrace!

He was the finest student of the Ziyun Academy! How could he endure such humiliation?

Watching Chu Yuning grovel among the students, begging for loans, Shen Yuan curled her lips. Was this really all it took to break him?

Had Chu Yuning ever felt a shred of remorse for the contempt and suffering she endured in her past life, when she dug for herbs day and night, carrying her goods from pharmacy to pharmacy, begging them to buy her wares?

She wanted to see, in this life, without her money to support him, whether Chu Yuning could still place first in the examinations and become the top scholar!