Claire Reed was dead.

Her body had been taken back, but there was no cremation, no funeral worth mentioning. They dumped her in an abandoned temple well, plastering yellow talismans all over her, stitching her lips shut with red thread, performing some twisted curse to make sure she’d never get peace—not even in death.

Claire wasn’t surprised.

Deep down, she’d always known. To the Parkers, she was just a walking blood bank for Emily Parker. And Ethan Carter? He stopped caring a long time ago. Years of marriage, and he’d never so much as touched her.

He thought she was dirty.

After all, she’d been Leonard Black’s lover for seven years, locked away by him like some kind of possession.

Her body and soul had long belonged to someone else.

Claire didn’t really feel sad. Just... a little empty. A bit of regret.

In this messed up life of hers, had anyone ever actually loved her?

As her soul began to drift away, the lid of the well above her suddenly creaked open, letting in a harsh beam of daylight that stung even her spirit.

Then, she felt someone lift her out.

A pair of freezing, blood-drenched hands carefully peeled off the talismans one by one.

Those cold, pale fingers skimmed over her filthy and rotting face like he was holding something precious.

Claire finally got a clear look at him.

Leonard Black.

The heir of the mighty Black family from Hualanzhou—the kind of man whose name alone could shut up a room. A monster, people called him.

But... why was he here?

Her soul floated over, quietly standing in front of him.

He still looked the same—tall, striking, detached. Like an icy sculpture. Nothing ever rattled him… except when he was losing it on her.

“Hey,” he said softly, dabbing the crusted blood off her face.

His voice was low, calm. That same nickname he used to taunt her with in bed. “Little classmate.”

She never imagined he’d say it like this—gentle, almost warm.

Suddenly she caught a sharp whiff of blood coming off him.

“I got your revenge,” he said flatly.

Claire’s gaze shifted behind him.

Cages. Dozens of them. Every single person who had a hand in her death locked away like animals.

And they were treated just like she had been—covered in talismans, dumped right back into the same well.

Leonard had paid them all back, detail for cruel detail.

Then he cradled her body close. His deep black eyes, blank and unfeeling, dropped to her swollen lips. He kissed her.

His voice was raspy, cold as ever. “Let’s go home.”

Claire hovered in front of him, his sharp gaze slicing through her ghostly form.

Seven years of hell—and now, she finally understood.

He loved her.Claire’s eyelashes fluttered slightly before everything gradually faded into darkness.

She’d thought that was it for her—but no. Somehow, she was back.

She’d been reborn.

——

The clock rewound to 2018.

This year, Claire left the Reed family she’d grown up in, leaving behind her three doting brothers.

She was just brought back into the Parker family and immediately turned into a walking blood bank for Emily.

At the same time, she learned she had a fiancé now—Ethan Carter.

The Parkers arranged for her to transfer to Jiangcheng No.1 High and later she got accepted into Huaqing University for Computer Science.

But due to an unexpected incident with Emily just before the semester started, she was forced to delay her enrollment by two months, stuck in the hospital donating blood, completely missing out on orientation and military training.

By the time she finally made it to campus, military training had long ended.

Claire stood quietly in the hallway with her backpack, fingers nervously gripping the straps, waiting obediently.

The Parker family’s driver was up ahead talking to the program advisor.

Originally, Mr. and Mrs. Parker had said they’d bring her to school, but Emily had yet another allergic episode, so Claire came alone to a campus full of unfamiliar faces.

But after being given a second chance at life, Claire had already given up on them. All of them.

Last time, she failed too miserably. She'd been naive, too proud, too soft, and too honest.

Not anymore.

Everything she lost—she was going to get it all back.

After wrapping up the conversation, the driver gave her a quick wave and left.

Claire returned a polite, gentle smile, though it never reached her eyes.

Behind her was the classroom she’d stay in for the next four years.

And also... him.

Freshmen at Huaqing still had early classes, and right now was one of them. Behind her, the classroom buzzed with chatter from boys and girls sitting in the back rows.

“That’s the new girl who skipped military training? Damn, her skin’s unreal!”

“Look at those legs—long and slim as hell.”

“She’s got that fairy vibe going on... and that waist? Crazy.”

“Yo, Leonard, check this out.”

“Bro! Leonard, wake up! You gotta see your new deskmate—total angel in a JK skirt.”

Claire stiffened slightly at the familiar name, fingers clutching her bag strap tighter.

“Just average,” came the guy’s voice—low, raspy, and cool with a weirdly heated edge to it.

“Damn, Leonard, savage!” the boys cracked up.

Claire didn’t get mad. Instead, her expression softened a touch. She gazed at her reflection in the glass window across the hallway.

She blinked slowly, a sweet, effortless charm blooming across her stunning face.

So... Leonard’s first impression of her?

Just average, huh?