Shi Qi sat frozen in the stiff leather chair, her boss's words still echoing in her mind.
"I'm sorry, but you have to leave."
Across from her, Mr. Lin, a man in his late fifties, avoided her gaze.
"The business is struggling… we have no choice but to, well, rightsize." His eyes darted away for a moment before meeting hers again.
Shi Qi clenched her fists beneath the table. "And I was chosen because…?"
"You're young, and one of the smartest. Finding a job should be easier for you than for the rest…" His smile was faint, almost apologetic, as if trying to justify himself.
Young?
That word felt like a slap.
She is forty.
Her gaze shifted past the glass wall behind him, where she saw them—the ones who were allowed to stay. Young, fresh-faced girls with dewy skin and effortless beauty. Their youth is an unspoken asset. They didn't need to push for sales, their presence alone was enough.
And there she was, her own reflection staring back at her. The lights were cruel, revealing every fine line, every shadow under her eyes, and every trace of exhaustion.
She isn't glowing.
She isn't fresh.
She is growing old.
As she stepped out of the office building, the words echoed in her head.
"You're young, and one of the smartest. Finding a job should be easier for you…"
Bullshit.
She had spent years proving herself, working late nights, hitting targets and sacrificing weekends. She didn't even had time for love.
And all for what?
To be tossed aside just because she wasn't young enough?
I gave them everything.
Her grip tightened around the box of her belongings, the sharp corners digging into her palms.
Tears gathered in her eyes, not from anger, but from sheer rage. The world around her blurred into the background, the noise of passing cars and murmurs of people fading as her thoughts drowned out everything else.
She didn't even notice when the traffic light turned red.
She stepped onto the road..
A blaring horn..
A rush of light…
The screech of tires tears through the silence. A sudden, powerful force slammed into her, lifting her off the ground, leaving her weightless for a brief moment. Then, gravity reclaimed her, crashing her back down onto the pavement with a brutal, unforgiving force.
…..
No, no, no.
This can't be happening.
Shi Qi tried to move, but her heavy body refused to respond. She lay on the cold pavement, a wave of numbness spreading through her body, dulling all sensations. She could no longer feel anything as her vision began to blur, though she could still make out the faces of pedestrians who were frozen in shock.
I can't end like this.
The street lights above flickered weakly, their glow resembling dying stars. As her vision began to fade, everything around her dissolved slowly, disappearing into the darkness.
No sound.
No pain.
Just…nothing.
....
....
And then—
A sharp breath.
Shi Qi opened her eyes.
Her body trembled as a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over her. The first thing she saw was the ceiling above, wooden and aged, with deep cracks running through its beams. The air around her felt dense, filled with the strong scent of damp earth and old fabric.
She blinked.
Where am I? Wasthataccident…a dream?
Slowly, she pushed herself up, but something felt off.
Her body felt light.
Her fingers curled into the rough, scratchy blanket covering her, and she stared at them.
Why are my hands so tiny?
They were small, delicate, nothing like the aged hands that she had known as her own. Her fingers trembled as she raised them before her, turning them over in a daze, as though reassessing.
Soft and chubby.
This is a child's hand.
She pinched her cheeks hard, and the sharp sting spread across her skin, making her wince.
Okay, that hurt.
Shi Qi froze, her heart racing as realisation settled in. It felt almost certain, too real to deny.
She had been reborn.
Her throat felt dry and sore, like she hadn't spoken in days. She tried to swallow, but it did little to ease the hoarseness. Her eyes swept across the small, worn-down room, taking in every detail. The walls had cracks, the furniture was old, and a faint scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air.
Whoever lives here, she realised, clearly isn't wealthy.
At that moment, the door creaked open, and a young woman stepped in. She was beautiful, with delicate features and a resolute gaze. Her hair, a blend of brown and red, flowed past her shoulders. Her warm brown eyes shone brightly, complementing her fair skin that radiated a natural glow.
"Are you feeling better now?" she asked gently.
The woman reached out, her slender fingers brushing against Shi Qi's forehead.
"The fever seems to have gone down," she murmured. "Yao Yao, you really scared me."
Shi Qi looked dazed as her mind struggled to keep up with everything.
"Yao Yao?"
Is that… my name now?
Shi Qi opened her mouth to speak, but only a weak rasp came out. Her throat felt too dry and her voice too hoarse to form words. Before she could stop it, she was already coughing.
"Don't force yourself, Yao Yao. I'll bring you some water," the woman's expression softened.
As Shi Qi drank the icy water, it soothed the dryness in her throat, easing the ache. She glanced at the woman, and a surge of emotion stirred within her. Was the tenderness of her touch, or all she had suffered before waking up, that made her feel so vulnerable?
The unfairness...
The accident...
Or the reality that she had been reborn, awakening in an unfamiliar body within this new world... Before she realised it, tears were streaming down her face. Her soul needed to cry, but it felt as though her small, fragile body couldn't handle the intense emotions swirling inside her.
Her grief surged, amplifying in ways she couldn't understand. It began with soft sobs, but soon it grew into a wail that she couldn't control, as if she were trying to release everything.
She felt a small force inside her at that instant, like an invisible pulse rippling through the air. The force swelled before she could comprehend what was happening, bursting out of her like an unleashed wave.
CRASH!
The room shuddered as the window beside her shattered, sending glass shards bursting outward and scattering across the wooden floor. The woman stared at her, stunned, with her hair blown back by the sudden force.
Shi Qi froze mid-sob, her breath hitched, and her teary eyes widened in shock.
Oh crap.
We're already poor as it is, and now I went and broke our window too...