Reborn to heal and take revenge

Even months later, the word thief still clung to Elara's shadow.

The truth had come out, the cameras had cleared her name, and the real culprits had been exposed.

But lies had longer roots than facts.

And reputations — especially hers — weren't so easily repaired.

At school, some students whispered louder now.

Not because they believed she was guilty.

But because she'd won.

And no one liked a girl who refused to stay in her place.

---

"She's too quiet."

"She's probably planning something."

"I heard her brothers got grounded because of her. Bet the whole family hates her."

They weren't wrong about that last part.

At home, things had shifted — not softened.

Her father no longer addressed her directly. If he needed something passed to her, he told the housekeeper.

Her mother refused to look her in the eye unless it was to deliver a veiled insult.

"You're always reading, Elara. Perhaps you should learn to read a room instead."

Zian, still bitter, ignored her entirely unless he could mock her in front of others.

And Meilin?

Meilin watched her like a jealous cat who couldn't understand why the mouse stopped running.

Only Liwei, the second eldest, remained somewhat neutral.

But even he kept his distance.

---

The theft incident had not just painted Elara as a target — it had confirmed her role in the family's eyes.

She wasn't one of them.

She was a mistake that refused to break.

And that made her dangerous.

---

Still, Elara didn't push.

She didn't argue.

She didn't beg.

She studied.

Harder than ever.

She memorized traditional meridian maps in Mandarin, watched surgical tutorials online late at night with headphones, and read case studies from medical journals so advanced she had to translate them word by word.

No one helped her.

She didn't expect them to.

---

That semester, her teachers noticed something was changing.

Her grades, once good, became flawless.

Her essays took on a tone that was too clinical for her age.

She answered questions before they were fully asked.

And in science class, Professor Ren took notice.

---

He waited until the class emptied out before speaking.

"Lin Elara," he said, motioning her forward. "Stay a moment."

She approached without hesitation.

He held up her paper — an analysis of herbal anesthetics used in traditional Chinese medicine.

"Where did you learn to write like this?"

"I read," she said simply.

"A lot of students read."

"I read more."

He studied her, then reached for a file in his drawer.

"If you're willing to work harder than you already are," he said slowly, "I'll mentor you privately. No rewards. No trophies. Just knowledge."

Elara met his eyes.

She didn't trust easily. Not anymore.

But she trusted skill. And Ren Qingshan had it.

"I accept."

---

Word of her new "favoritism" spread fast.

Meilin, of course, was the first to lash out.

"Oh, so now you're the teacher's pet?" she sneered that night at dinner. "Does he give you gold stars for every sob story you tell him?"

Elara didn't reply.

She just placed a folded paper on the table and slid it across to their father.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Recommendation letter," she said. "For a summer program in Chengdu. Professor Ren wrote it himself."

There was a beat of stunned silence.

Her father scanned the document, frowning. It was stamped and signed.

"That's… a prestigious program."

"I know."

The look on Meilin's face was worth every hour Elara spent grinding through medical papers.

But she didn't gloat.

She simply returned to eating in silence.

---

Despite her achievements, the family didn't praise her.

Instead, they watched her more closely.

And behind her back, they spoke in low voices.

"She's hiding something."

"She's too composed. Too precise."

"She's waiting for something."

They weren't wrong.

---

One night, as Elara sat on her windowsill rereading an old herbology textbook, a memory stirred.

A soft hand in hers.

A weak laugh.

"Don't cry, Elara. You're going to be the best doctor in the world."

The memory flickered — hazy, like smoke.

But the warmth in her chest lingered.

Who was he…?

She clutched the wooden pendant hanging from her neck. She didn't know how she still had it, only that she never took it off.

She didn't remember his name yet.

But the promise?

That she would keep.

---

Because while the world whispered behind her back…

While her family plotted and picked at her like vultures around a sleeping lion…

Elara Lin was waking up.

And she remembered everything they had done.

The false accusations.

The betrayals.

The lies.

They had thrown her into the fire.

And now, she was learning how to control the flames.