Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Return to Childhood

If someone had told Luo Qianqian before today that she would be scared back into her childhood by a sudden marriage proposal, she would have never believed it, even if it killed her. Yet she actually fainted from fright, and upon waking, she discovered herself in the bedroom of her childhood.

The moment Luo Qianqian opened her eyes, she felt the weight on her arm and wrinkled her brows unconsciously, only to find the familiar frail body lying on the edge of the bed with both hands tightly clutching her wrist. The curled-up, slender eyelashes trembled slightly, and there were two streaks of tears on the dark face. He had already fallen asleep, emitting faint snoring sounds.

Looking at her brother, who seemed so much younger, and then hurriedly looking at her own body, which was far more frail, Luo Qianqian quickly got up from the bed and struggled out of her brother’s arms; in three steps she dashed to the wardrobe, and the mirror above displayed a small face the size of a palm—haggard and sallow, precisely her childhood self.

What’s the situation?? She rushed to her brother’s desk, snatched up the calendar—June 1999?? Luo Qianqian was instantly dumbfounded. Her grip loosened, and the calendar fell to the ground, waking the sleeping youth by the bed.

”Qianqian?” A joyous voice came from behind Luo Qianqian. Before she could turn around, she was tightly embraced by Luo Shufan, ”You little rascal, you’re not allowed to climb trees again. Otherwise, Brother will beat you to death!”

Climbing a tree? Luo Qianqian hugged her brother, feeling a bit foolish, and the knot in her eyebrows loosened. In her memory, the only time she climbed a tree was when Luo Shufan’s classmates taunted them for being ’wild children without a father’, then threw Luo Shufan’s schoolbag into a tree. Angered, her brother chased after them to fight, while she secretly climbed the tree to fetch the schoolbag; she didn’t manage to get the bag but got scared by a caterpillar, lost her grip and fell, hitting her head and passing out for several hours.

Luo Qianqian subconsciously touched the back of her head, and her small face instantly scrunched up, letting out a hiss.

”Does it still hurt? You little rascal, lie down, Brother will go cook for you.” While speaking, he carried Luo Qianqian to the bed, propped her up with a pillow, covered her with a blanket, and walked relieved towards the kitchen.

There’s never been such a thing as a regret medicine in this world, yet now she was reborn. Did this mean that all the unwillingness and regrets could be changed? Thinking of her brother who dropped out of school early to support the family, of her mother who labored from dawn till dusk and ended up with a host of illnesses, of her brother marrying that savage, unreasonable, and temperamental woman on her second marriage, and of the tears her mother shed and the illness that plagued her due to the siblings, tears streamed down Luo Qianqian’s face. If she could do it all over again, then all these things could be changed. Her academically excellent brother definitely couldn’t drop out of school; her gentle and kind mother must not be worked to the point of illness.

With these thoughts, Luo Qianqian was filled with strength. Even if she was only five years old this year, she had to change everything and not let the past repeat itself on the same trajectory.

”Why is Qianqian crying? Does it still hurt? Brother will take you to the hospital!” Luo Shufan was simmering porridge in the kitchen but couldn’t stop worrying about his little sister, taking the opportunity to peek into the room anytime he could.

Luo Qianqian pouted, ”It’s all Brother’s fault. Qianqian is hungry, but there’s nothing to eat.” As she spoke, her stomach cooperatively let out a rumble.

”That’s what you get for not eating breakfast! Still have the cheek to say so. I’ll wash a tomato for you to eat first.” Luo Shufan muttered as he walked into the kitchen, ”A little dwarf who doesn’t eat breakfast, if you grew a bit taller and stronger, you wouldn’t have fallen so pitifully...”

It had been a long time since she’d seen her childish yet desperately dignified brother, and Luo Qianqian covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

”Still have the nerve to laugh. Wait until Mom comes back and you’ll get it. Want to watch TV?” Luo Shufan, with a dripping wet tomato in his hand, walked into the room and couldn’t help but feel joyous upon seeing his sister laughing with her eyes squinted into slits on the bed.

”No, brother, just let me look at your textbook, the illustrations in it are so pretty.” Luo Qianqian took a big bite of her tomato, and the juice fell precisely onto Luo Shufan’s forehead without deviating. She guiltily kept her head down, nibbling carefully, not daring to look up.

Luo Shufan, amused, wiped the juice from his forehead, looking at the usually fierce Little Witch who now resembled a meek little lamb. Her pitiful appearance made it hard to scold her.

”Silly girl, I’ll give it to you after you’ve finished eating. Don’t get the pages wet,” Luo Shufan said as he ruffled Luo Qianqian’s messy short hair, making it even more disheveled, and cheerfully returned to cooking.

Luo Qianqian kept her head low, knowing how much her brother cherished his books, as well as his love for learning. It seemed like something had happened this year that made Luo Shufan detest schooling. In her previous life, if it hadn’t been for her, he wouldn’t have dropped out so early, always saving the best food for her. Every year, his academic rewards were invariably what she desired. This rebirth was a gift from heaven—a blessing for their family. This time, with the halo of rebirth, she was determined not to let her family down again, nor let the family’s changes affect her and her brother.

Their family’s good genes meant that even without studying hard she was among the top students. In her past life, Luo Qianqian’s confidence in her intelligence meant she never really studied, ending up in a third-tier college. Yet even so, her mother and brother insisted she continue with her education. To pay the tuition, her brother had even married that woman and become a live-in son-in-law.

”Brother, brother, what’s the date today?” Luo Qianqian casually asked.

”The 25th. Next week I have my final exams, have you forgotten? Humph, if I do well this time, I won’t ask for that bear you want,” Luo Shufan said as he threw a damp towel to Luo Qianqian, ”Wipe your hands and that cat face clean; don’t dirty my books.”

Luo Qianqian was rendered speechless by the mention of the bear, ”Brother, I don’t want Little Bear anymore. Can we let mom send you to learn Taekwondo instead? That way, you’ll be able to protect me.”

Hearing this, Luo Shufan came out of the kitchen to scrutinize his sister, remorsefully saying, ”Qianqian, I will protect you in the future. I won’t let anyone bully you. We both agreed on Little Bear, I won’t go back on my word.” His eyes brimmed with regret.

”Brother, who said you went back on your word? Look at how skinny I am; if you go learn it, then you can teach me, and I’ll become strong. I won’t get hurt so easily,” seeing the remorse in Luo Shufan’s eyes, Luo Qianqian spoke in a slightly more mature tone to comfort him.

Luo Shufan looked intently into his sister’s eyes, clear and bright, with not a trace of unwillingness or perfunctory vibes.

”I’ll think about it, go read your book. Dinner will be ready soon; don’t fall asleep,” he said.

Luo Shufan returned to the kitchen to ponder the feasibility of taking up Taekwondo while Luo Qianqian sat at her desk, contemplating her next moves.

Having returned, she had to change the situation of the past. The first thing to do was to make money; only then would their mother not be tired, and her brother wouldn’t need to drop out of school or marry a Witch. She regretted not studying something practical like Traditional Chinese Medicine, computer science, art, design, or music in college—studying a foreign language was so useless now. Then there were the grades, which she wasn’t worried about. Skimming through her brother’s fifth-grade textbooks, she hadn’t forgotten what she learned. Grades wouldn’t be a concern, and as long as she kept studying, while she didn’t dare dream of top universities like Qinghua, getting into a 985 university was definitely possible. Health was another priority; her mother had always been unwell, and she needed to make sure her mother recovered. Therefore, cooking—commandeering that duty was essential. To bribe her brother into silence, money was necessary to convince him to trust a five-year-old kid. Lastly, there were unresolved questions from her past life. Despite her mother claiming that her father had died before she was born, the divorce papers dated eight months before her birth proved otherwise. Plus, never having seen any relatives from her father’s side was abnormal. This mystery needed to be investigated—regardless of personal feelings, they were entitled to child support.

With a plan for the future in mind, a shallow smile appeared on Luo Qianqian’s face. In the kitchen, Luo Shufan showed a resolute look, clenching his fists and glancing in the direction of his sister.