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Chapter 1: Awakening from a Dream (Part 1)

  Chapter 1: Awakening from a Dream (Part 1)

  "Xiao Li, your scream last night was so frightening!" Chu Lianyou sat at the dinner table, listlessly tearing apart a piece of bread and stuffing it into her mouth, occasionally taking a sip of milk. "I had nightmares all night."

  Gu Huanli smiled wistfully, silently picking up the banana milkshake in front of her, sipping it quietly as she pondered. Eight-year-old Gu Huanli was indeed at the most beautiful age. But was heaven mocking her powerlessness or punishing her selfishness with such perfection and beauty?

  No matter how much suffering you endure, you shouldn't choose suicide. From any perspective, this behavior is just too stupid and too weak.

  "Lian You, don't think that you can use your nightmares as an excuse. If you get bad grades on the exam, I won't go easy on you!" Chu's mom glared at her daughter, then placed a plate of grapefruit mango shrimp salad in front of Huan Li. "Look at your cousin! Even though her uncle, aunt and older brother are all abroad, she still practices piano every day, and her grades are always the best in her class! I don't need to worry about her at all!"

  Chu Lian pouted and muttered to herself, "I work hard every day, I don't know how many times I've done the exercises you bought for me. But I'm just not as clever as Xiao Li, not as capable...Xiao Li is the pride of the Gu family, while I'm just a shame to the Chu family."

  But you don't know, one day I will become everyone's big trouble, and you will be the only hope to save everyone.

  Gu Huanli sighed and ate her breakfast in silence. Then she stood up, putting the cup and plate she had used into the sink.

  "Huanli, you don't have to do these things, the servants at home will take care of them." Chu's mother said with concern, "Look at your complexion, it's so pale. You must not have slept well last night. Come on, tell Auntie what you want to eat for dinner tonight, and I'll make it for you."

  Gu Huanli made a great effort to force a smile on her lips, and said, "Auntie, you've always taught me to do things by myself. Now that I'm in the third grade of elementary school, let me handle these things that are within my ability. Besides, if I don't learn how to do any household chores, how will I take care of myself in the future?"

  "Is that so." Chu Lian leaned on Gu Huanli's shoulder, pouting her mouth and said coquettishly, "Does mother only want to raise us into young ladies who stretch out their hands for clothes and open their mouths for food?"

  "Huanting's future is naturally to become a world-renowned pianist, what does it matter if she can't do household chores?!" Chu's mother thought of her own daughter's perpetually mediocre grades and got a headache, couldn't help but scold, "As for you, your studies are so poor, your grades are so bad, humph, in my opinion, just hurry up and get married after graduating from college. So I and your father won't have to worry about you!"

  "Wenjuan, don't scold the kids so early in the morning." Chu's father walked down the stairs and affectionately rubbed Lianyou's short hair, smiling, "Today is the last day of the final exam, just let them go quietly to take their exams."

  "Dad!" Chu Lian said with a hint of resentment and grievance, "I just finished combing my hair!"

  "Lin Tao, you're being too protective of this girl!" Gu Wenjuan said with some dissatisfaction.

  "I'm her father, she's my daughter, if I don't protect her who will?" Chu Lin Tao laughed and handed a paper to Gu Huan Lian, "As for you, Huan Lian, you're a child with dreams and self-discipline, so this parental consent form, I've already signed it."

  Parent Consent Form

  Gu Huanli furrowed her brow, took a look, and only then remembered that during the summer vacation when she was eight years old, she went to the UK with the school's art troupe for an exchange. It was this exchange that ultimately made her decide to make playing the piano her lifelong career.

  If she wanted a different life; if, as someone reborn, shouldn't she make completely different choices to avoid those disasters?

  "Huanli, your complexion doesn't look too good. Are you tired lately?" Chulin Tao looked at Gu Huanli with some concern and then said to Gu Wenjuan, "Let Ahling cook some nourishing soup for Huanli, she's been frail since childhood, don't let her exhaust herself from practicing piano."

  Gu Wenjuan smiled and said, "I've already told Ah Ling, everything is waiting for you, see you at night, Autumn."

  Gu Huanli raised her head, gazing at her uncle and aunt. Her uncle was warm and elegant, with a scholarly air about him. Her aunt was stately and refined, dignified and elegant. Although they were not a perfect match, they could be considered as respectful to each other. In her childhood, she spent most of her time living with them. Because of her father's business, because of her mother's frail health, and also because of her brother's busy studies, the family members simply had no time to take care of her. So, having a home was like not having one at all.

  In fact, even during summer and winter breaks every year, there's no guarantee that she'll get to see them. Her father is still flying around the world for work, her mother is still staying in their villa in Provence resting, and her brother is still studying in England. They never fly over to visit her, nor do they allow her to fly over to visit them. Because she's still young, because there's no reason for her aunt and uncle to drop work just to accompany her on a trip to see family.

  Can't be selfish, can't be arbitrary, can't waste others' time, can't squander others' kindness... In the past, hearing such words was really too much, annoying, and sickening. So, it's necessary to be selfish, necessary to be arbitrary, necessary to bully everyone she dislikes, and necessary to torment all those who are not as noble as her.

  Noble?

  Gu Huanli thought, who is more noble than whom? Is having money and power the only thing that makes one noble? In the past, she was indeed both high and noble, but what happened in the end? She still fell hard and painfully, losing even her own life.

  Now, with the blessing of heaven, she has come back to life. At this moment, the only thing she wants to do is go home, rush into her parents' arms, and also, act spoiled in front of her brother.

  Thinking of her brother's tears at the corner of his eyes, she felt an indescribable mix of sorrow and comfort in her heart. It turned out that in this world, even for someone as failed and selfish as herself, there was still someone who would cry for her.

  Older brother...

  Gu Huanli struggled to recall her childhood memories of her brother, but couldn't help but smile bitterly. In fact, even on her birthday, Christmas, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Spring Festival, all the days when she should be reunited with her family, she was always left at her aunt and uncle's house. The only thing that brought her comfort was that her parents would send her greeting cards and a large sum of pocket money. And as for her brother...

  Big brother must be very annoyed with her now! He regards her as a nuisance, and can't get rid of her. Because in her memory, when she was a child, she wanted to stick to big brother for 24 hours a day. Although big brother often threw a book at her to make her go to the corner, this kind of distance did not prevent her from secretly crawling to big brother's feet, using big brother's calf as a backrest, leaning happily against it until she fell fast asleep.

  Thinking of this, Gu Huan Lian's heart skipped a beat. Brother, I'm sorry. This time, she must be an obedient and sensible younger sister, definitely following her brother's arrangements in everything, never letting him worry about her again, feel sad for her, or make sacrifices for her...

  "Xiao Li? What are you spacing out about? If we don't leave now, we'll be late!" Chu Liu Yu stretched out her hand and waved it in front of Gu Huan Li's eyes, "Snap out of it! Snap out of it!!"

  Gu Huanli came back to her senses, smiled faintly, turned around and picked up the school bag on the sofa, saying to Chu Lintao and Gu Wenjuan, "Uncle and aunt, I'm going to school with Liangyou sister."

  "Dad! Mom! We're leaving!" Chu Lianyou put her backpack on her shoulder, giggling as she followed behind Gu Huanli. As they were about to leave the door, she turned back and made a silly face at Chu Lintao.

  "This little devil!" Chu Lintao laughed loudly, saying to Gu Wenjuan, "Since Huanli is going abroad for an exchange, and you will definitely miss her, why don't we bring Lianyou during the summer vacation and give Huanli a surprise, how about it?"

  "Poor little girl, she's never done well in school. If you take her abroad to play again, she'll become even more unruly." Gu Wenjuan shook her head in disapproval, "In my opinion, it's better to send her to a cram school, otherwise she won't even be able to get into a good middle school in the future!"

  "Don't you want to see Huan Lian? If you go to England alone, who will take care of me and Lian You? Can you be at ease leaving Lian You, that silly girl, behind in the country to watch Huan Lian?" Chu Lin Tao knew his wife's weakness, so he knew exactly how to persuade her.

  "Uh... let me think about it."

  Chu Lian walked ahead with her backpack, occasionally turning back to glance at Gu Huanli who was trailing behind. She felt that there was something different about her cousin today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. So, she just furrowed her brow and continued walking through the campus.

  For this cousin who lived in her house, Chu Lianyou actually disliked her. Firstly, she was very good-looking, with fair skin, big eyes, and a hint of spirit that couldn't be described whenever she blinked. Even when her mother took them out shopping, they liked to hold Gu Huanli because the neighbors all said she looked like an exquisite doll, while Chu Lianyou only got praised for being cute and delicate, never beautiful or lovely.

  Actually, Gu Huanli was very smart. She was said to be a cousin, but in fact she was only one month and three days younger than herself, so the two of them were in the same grade, same class. It's just that Gu Huanli's grades were always first in the year, while her own grades were always barely passing. So, Chu Liuyou hated two things the most: one was exams and the other was parent-teacher conferences.

  Thinking of the upcoming English exam, Chuyan slowed down her pace, "Xiaoli, do you still remember how to spell the English words for 'zebra' and 'prince'? I suddenly can't think of it."

  Gu Huanli was lost in thought, and upon hearing Chu Lianyou's question, she replied softly, "Zebra striped horse, z-e-b-r-a prince, p-r-i-n-c-e."

  "Zebra, zebra... prince, prince..." Chu Lian murmured to herself several times, feeling that she had memorized it. She then lifted her head and smiled lightly, "Xiao Li, when I grow up, I must marry a prince, yes, a prince!"

  Is it the prince riding on a zebra?

  Gu Huanli suddenly remembered her husband (ex-husband?) and then imagined him wearing a tailcoat, riding a white horse, smiling faintly at Chu Liuyou. Chu Liuyou clasped her hands together in front of her chest, looking infatuated as she shouted, "Oh, Prince! Please defeat the evil dragon and save poor me!"

  Evil giant dragon?

  Alright, maybe in their eyes, her past life was indeed a fierce dragon. So, the fierce dragon doesn't need a prince, the fierce dragon needs a brave warrior, a brave warrior who is evenly matched with her.

  But when the evil dragon saw the third-grade English final exam paper, he thoroughly woke up and realized that life was not just about joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, but also about exams!

  What can be done about it?

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