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Her True Identity Burns the City

Palvinderkaur
7
chs / week
The average realized release rate over the past 30 days is 7 chs / week.
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Synopsis
They thought she was just a quiet schoolgirl. Fragile. Obedient. Easy to control. They were wrong. Gu Ning was once the Iron Queen of the corporate world—ruthless in business, feared by rivals, and betrayed by those closest to her. After dying at the hands of traitors, she is reborn in her teenage body with all her memories, instincts, and secrets intact. Now, she's back in a world that hasn’t yet seen her rise—and this time, she’s starting early. With sharp wits, mysterious powers, and a storm of vengeance brewing in her heart, Gu Ning quietly builds her empire from scratch. From campus bullies to crooked elites, none are prepared for the girl who sees the future, reads intentions, and plays every move ten steps ahead. As her influence spreads like wildfire and her name begins to echo in business and power circles, one truth becomes undeniable: Her return will burn everything they thought they knew. Because this time... she's not just back. She's unstoppable.
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Chapter 1 - Rebirth in Uniform

Chapter 1:

The crisp scent of disinfectant still lingered in her nostrils when Gu Ning's eyes snapped open. Ceiling tiles. White lights. A distant voice yelling in the corridor.

Her heart thudded once—twice—and then she shot upright.

This wasn't the sterile, metallic cold of her office suite. This wasn't the private hospital where her enemies had finally cornered her. This was...

She looked down.

The uniform was unmistakable. Stiff collar, blue skirt, the familiar itch of cheap school-issued fabric. Her hands—smaller. Thinner. No trace of the scar from her boardroom scuffle with Duan Xuefeng five years ago.

She stood up too fast and had to grip the bedside railing.

This isn't possible.

Outside the open window, students chattered on school grounds, teenagers in matching uniforms crowding under the morning sun. The old cherry tree near the back gate—the one she remembered being cut down—was still in full bloom. Her eyes widened.

Second Year Building. East Wing. Health Room.

Seventh High School.

The year was 20XX–7.

Seven years ago.

The door creaked. A nurse peeked in, startled. "Gu Ning? Are you feeling better? You fainted during morning assembly. Should I call your mother?"

Gu Ning blinked.

Mother… Her chest tightened at the thought. Her mother was still alive and healthy now. Still struggling with debts. Still wiping tables to support their little rented apartment. Still unaware of the blood price her daughter would one day pay in full.

"No need." Her voice came out hoarse but steady. "I'll return to class."

"But your—"

Gu Ning had already stepped out into the corridor.

Her legs felt unfamiliar at first, like she was borrowing someone else's stride. But every step solidified one terrifying, brilliant truth:

She had come back.

Not metaphorically. Not in some dream. This was real. She was seventeen again.

And this time, she wouldn't be the clueless girl waiting to be ruined.

This time, she would burn everything down—on her terms.

---

Class 2-B – 10:35 A.M.

The classroom buzzed with the chaotic hum of a free period. Students gossiped, flicked paper balls, and scrolled through their phones under desks. At the back corner, Gu Ning slipped into her seat without a word.

Lin Yuhan, the quiet boy next to her, glanced up from his notebook. "You okay?"

Gu Ning studied him. His glasses were smudged. His sleeves half-rolled. The same boy she remembered—brilliant, bullied, invisible to everyone else. He would go on to build one of the most successful tech startups… if he wasn't sabotaged first.

"I'm fine," she said calmly. "Thanks."

He blinked. She'd never spoken to him before. But before he could respond, a loud voice cut through the room.

"Look who's back from her beauty nap!"

Tang Rou.

Gu Ning didn't turn. She didn't have to. That high-pitched lilt, the false sweetness—it hadn't changed. Tang Rou sauntered toward her desk, two girls trailing behind like decorative shadows.

"Maybe the heat got to her fragile little head," Tang Rou snickered. "Hope you didn't drool too much, Ning."

Gu Ning slowly looked up. Their eyes met.

In her past life, she'd always bowed her head. Let it slide. Took the insults. This time?

A slight smile curved her lips. "Don't worry. It takes more than morning sun to melt brains. Otherwise, you'd be long gone."

A ripple of laughter shot across the back row. Tang Rou's expression stiffened. The girls beside her shifted awkwardly.

Gu Ning returned her gaze to the textbook she hadn't yet opened. The message was clear: not worth her time.

Tang Rou scowled and stormed off.

Lin Yuhan gave her a side glance, eyes curious.

"You've changed," he said after a beat.

"Good," Gu Ning replied. "Change is long overdue."

---

That Afternoon

The school library was nearly empty after lunch. Gu Ning navigated the stacks with muscle memory she didn't know she had. Her fingers slid along the spines until they found it: Foundations of Modern Economics. The 2007 edition, with a misprinted index—useless to students, but to Gu Ning, it held the real treasure.

Inside the cover, someone had left a flyer years ago. One that led her to her first opportunity: a failing home-based electronics supplier trying to sell bulk phone cases online. In her last life, she'd passed it up. This time, she had other plans.

She snapped a photo of the QR code and slipped the book back into place.

She was already building her first inventory.

---

Later That Week

After two days of silence, Gu Ning had mapped out her timeline in full. She remembered stock crashes, the rise of a niche e-commerce platform, the early gold rush in social reselling. Most importantly, she remembered the people who would betray her.

It was time to prepare.

She sat in front of the family's old desktop after school, its fan wheezing from age. Her mother, Zhao Meilin, called from the kitchen.

"Ning, dinner in ten!"

"Coming, Mom."

Her voice cracked slightly at the end.

She stared at the screen. Her hands trembled—not from fear, but resolve.

She opened a document and titled it:

"Phase One: Initial Capital."

Beneath that:

Sell trending accessories through group chats

Target campus resellers in 3 schools

Use Lin Yuhan's help to design basic site

Secure 5000 RMB by end of month

In her past life, she had started with nothing.

This time, she had memory. She had timing.

And she had rage.

---

Evening – Small Apartment Living Room

Gu Ning sat beside her mother on their worn-out couch, sipping barley tea. Zhao Meilin looked tired, her eyes sunken from years of stress.

"I applied for extra shifts," her mother said gently. "We'll be okay."

Gu Ning reached for her hand and held it tight.

"I'll handle things soon, Mom. Just trust me."

Her mother smiled, amused. "What, you going to win the lottery?"

Gu Ning's lips curved into a smile.

"Something like that."

---

Final Scene – Nightfall

Alone in her room, Gu Ning stared out the window.

Seven years ahead, a younger version of Duan Xuefeng was preparing his schemes. Tang Rou would soon latch onto a political family. Jiang Chen—someone she hadn't even met yet in this life—would rise as a silent giant in the background.

She took a deep breath.

"I've come back for a reason," she whispered.

Then her phone lit up—an anonymous message from a group buy server she remembered joining in her previous life.

Opportunity.

She smiled darkly.

Rebirth wasn't a gift. It was a weapon.