Ye Qiao was awakened by the sound of sirens blaring in the compound. It was a sound that she had not heard in a long while but served to remind that her that she was really alive.
The families of the armed forces occupied the main compound in the neighborhood, so her grandfather had spent his entire life as an instructor there. Therefore, even after his retirement, he continued to live in the area.
After spending some time in the woods yesterday, she went around the place, searching for her grandfather's living quarters. When she finally found it, she took a quick shower before eventually passing out on her bed.
The next morning, she woke up in a room that felt like a distant memory to her and was immediately immersed in the fragrant smell of the aged wooden furniture around her as she walked barefoot around the room. Standing in front of the dressing table, she slow brushed the surface of the wooden tabletop with her fingertip, and it had never felt more real.
Moreover, her reflection in the mirror was of a woman of timeless beauty, whose brows were ebony and eyes as captivating as starlight; skin as white as ivory and lips as red as roses, with a pair of sweet dimples on her face when she smiled.
This was how she looked when she was 18 years old, unlike her 38-years-old self, whose beauty was long faded after her torment in jail.
The thought of her new life clouded her eyes with happy tears.
Out of the blue, she caught hold of the sound of a piano playing nearby. Apparently, it was time for Ye Zhenzhen's usual piano practice.
Ye Zhenzhen was Ye Qiao's younger sister; born of the same father, but of a different mother, she was known as the princess of the Ye family who was dearly cherished. She looked down on her half-sister, who had originated from the countryside, and chose to address her elder sister by her name without ever truly acknowledging their sisterhood.
Ye Qiao remembered that Ye Zhenzhen would spend her whole summer here. Her stepmother, Qin Lan, sent Ye Zhenzhen over to her grandfather's place to keep Ye Qiao from getting all of their grandfather's attention and love.
…
"Miss Zhenzhen, the way you play the piano is so elegant. I can already picture a white swan in the early morning light – so beautiful and stunning!" The housekeeper's daughter, Chen Ya, was here to flatter Ye Zhenzhen again.
Ye Zhenzhen maintained her usual prideful ways as she closed the piano. In fact, she did not need the flattery to remind herself of her swan-like elegance. She had always been a princess in her family, so she was never short of any attention or compliments from everyone else in the light of her halo.
"It is so unfair. You are so accomplished, and yet your grandfather only favors the bumpkin. Just yesterday, he asked my mother to deliver a few more boxes of Arctic soda to her simply because she likes it!" Chen Ya continued.
This remark immediately triggered Ye Zhenzhen. In her eyes, her unsophisticated elder sister had neither beauty, talent, nor manners. Furthermore, she was an illegitimate daughter of her father and another woman from the countryside. There was no reason at all for her to be the favored child.
"She is so old-fashioned and inferior. All my grandfather has for her is pity!" Ye Zhenzhen loudly and proudly announced.
Ye Qiao came down just in time to catch their conversation and overheard everything from the stairs. Ye Zhenzhen and Chen Ya were a little surprised to see her but were absolutely comfortable to continue talking bad about her even in her presence.
As she walked further down the stairs, a girl in white shoes and socks slowly came into view. She was unafraid to display her long, slender legs by wearing a pair of black shorts with a red jersey top. With a ponytail dangling on her back, it made her completely unrecognizable.
Chen Ya and Ye Zhenzhen stared at her in stunned disbelief.
"Zhenzhen, don't you recognize me anymore?" Ye Qiao calmly asked Ye Zhenzhen as she approached her doll-like sister, attentively.
Back in the days, Ye Zhenzhen was the center of attention in the neighborhood. All the boys were crazy about her.
"Sister?" Ye Zhenzhen had not recovered from her astonishment. She had always refused to address Ye Qiao as her sister, but in this instance, the word 'sister' simply slipped out of her mouth because she was too surprised.
Ye Qiao put a warm smile on her beautiful face as she responded, "Good girl!" She was about half a head taller than Ye Zhenzhen at that time.
Ye Qiao could not hold herself back from seizing the opportunity to make fun of the spoilt girl. In her previous life, she was already 38 when she passed away in her previous life. With that level of maturity in mind, looking at Ye Zhenzhen now who was now at the tender age of 16 made Ye Qiao feel like she was dealing with her niece instead of her sister.
Nevertheless, she was actually only two years older than her!