Chapter 1: Reborn

Jiang Ning was awakened by the sound of cicadas.

As he opened his eyes and took in the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings, his mind went blank for a moment.

A dark brown wardrobe stood in front of him, its dimly colored surface covered with several anime stickers.

Jiang Ning’s gaze instinctively fell on the stickers.

“Android 18″…
“Yukishiro Tomoe”…
“Asakura… Anna?”

He muttered the names under his breath.

Just then, a light breeze drifted in through the window, causing the room to rustle with a soft, fluttering sound.

Following the noise, Jiang Ning turned his head and spotted a dark brown desk pushed against the wall.

The desk was a mess, cluttered with workbooks and exam papers.

《Three-Point Practice》, 《Three Years of High School Exams, Five Years of Simulations》…

This…?

Jiang Ning turned his head in confusion, scanning the room.

Just a moment ago, he had been in a lively bar, downing glass after glass of cheap liquor and exchanging insincere pleasantries.

All he had done was step into the restroom, his head pounding from the alcohol.

Then, after a sudden wave of dizziness, he found himself back in this place—one that was both familiar and strange.

Is this… a dream?

Jiang Ning lifted his hand and instinctively slapped his own face.

“Smack… Smack…”

The crisp sound and the sharp sting made him suck in a breath.

No… This isn’t a dream!?

What… what’s going on?!

He stood frozen for a long time.

Then—

As if suddenly remembering something, Jiang Ning quickly threw off the strawberry-patterned blanket covering his legs, got out of bed, and hurried toward the door.

However—

As he passed the mirror by the doorway, he was completely stunned.

Reflected in the glass was a slender figure, dressed in a pink and white striped tank top and loose-fitting pale yellow capri pants that resembled sleepwear.

But what truly caught his attention was the wild, voluminous hair that nearly engulfed the entire top of his head.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning instinctively raised a hand to push the messy strands away from his face.

At the same time, the reflection in the mirror did the same.

Lifting a hand—brushing aside the overgrown bangs of that explosive hairstyle.

In that moment—

Jiang Ning realized something.

With trembling hands, he lowered his gaze, past his delicate fingers, and down to the rather… prominent curves beneath his striped tank top.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

“AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!”

—

Half an hour later.

Jiang Ning emerged from the room, pale-faced, supporting himself against the wall.

His eyes swept across the living room.

Everything was just as he remembered.

And yet—he… no, she—still couldn’t understand.

If he had been reborn, then why had he gone from being a sturdy, 180cm-tall man to… a non-mainstream girl with an explosion of hair?

Why?!

Why?!

Was it because of the fake liquor? Did my ‘brother’ not reincarnate with me?!

No matter how much Jiang Ning thought about it, he couldn’t make sense of the situation.

Even after thoroughly examining himself from head to toe in the room earlier, there was still only one conclusion he could accept—

Aside from his gender and some changes in the entertainment industry, everything else remained mostly the same.

It was now the year 2000, July 28th.

The middle school entrance exam results had already been released some time ago.

Thanks to three years of hard work, Jiang Ning had successfully been admitted to the best high school in the city—

Jiangzhou No.1 High School.

However, in her past life, over the next three years, distractions from video games and relationships had taken their toll.

Her once top-ten ranking in class had plummeted to the bottom ten, and she had barely managed to scrape into an average university.

From there, she drifted through four years of college life, graduating into the harsh reality of society.

After struggling for ten years, she had finally saved up enough for a down payment on a house and had been set up with an ordinary woman through an acquaintance.

Yet, before taking the next step in life, she had already been thrust into this new reality.

But that was the life of Jiang Ning—the man.

This time, things would be different.

Leaving aside everything else, just the fact that her ‘little brother’ was gone…

Forget it.

If possible, she really wished that mischievous brother had come along.

Unfortunately…

The more Jiang Ning thought about it, the more unsettled she felt. She let out several deep breaths, but her emotions refused to calm.

With no other choice, she shifted her attention to the still somewhat tidy home around her.

A traditionally furnished living room.

Simple furniture—a TV, sofa, refrigerator—all present and accounted for.

But if her memory served her right—

This entire home, along with its furniture, would be sold off by her stepfather under the pretense of buying a bigger house when she went off to university.

Then, he would disappear with the money, leaving the city forever.

At that time, her mother—who had been by her side for twenty years—would fall into deep self-reproach over the ordeal.

In the end, drowning in sorrow, she would pass away on an early spring morning.

Did she hate him?

Back then, of course.

But after a long period of reflection, Jiang Ning realized that more than anything, she hated her own weakness and incompetence.

If she had been more capable, would her mother have clung so desperately to this home?

So eventually, Jiang Ning let go of her resentment.

She abandoned all attachments and threw herself completely into her career.

Yet after ten years of struggle—

Her career had taken off, but she remained alone.

And now, fate had given her another chance at life.

Though the manner of her rebirth was unexpected, it didn’t change the fact that she wanted to rewrite the past.

She would make up for her regrets.

Family.

Friendship.

Lo—

…

Ugh. No.

The mere thought of someone sticking that thing into her sent a chill down her spine.

Goosebumps rose all over her skin.

She couldn’t help it.

No matter what, she simply couldn’t accept that she was now a girl.

She didn’t even dare look at the mirror.

She had no idea how long she stood there lost in thought.

Until a grumble from her stomach snapped her back to reality.

She placed a hand on her belly.

…The smooth sensation…

Forget it. Food first. Everything else can wait.

After some clumsy fumbling, she made herself a bowl of noodles and started eating.

But before she could finish, her unruly hair kept falling into her face, irritating her to no end.

She ruffled the wild mess on her head.

“A ‘Buried Love’ princess, huh…?”

“Heh heh heh…”

Her first act in this new life—would be to chop it all off.

With a plan in mind, she tidied up, avoided the mirror, rummaged through her wardrobe, and frowned at what she found.

Her entire closet was filled with emo-style clothing.

Pink floral-sleeved shirts…

Ripped wide-leg jeans…

Striped zip-up tops…

Not a single item she could tolerate.

Finally, after much searching, she dug out her old middle school uniform from a drawer.

Short-sleeved shirt, long pants—acceptable.

After changing, she grabbed some money, put on sneakers, took her keys, and headed out.

Five minutes later.

Jiang Ning rode her bicycle to the barbershop outside her neighborhood.

The owner was a chubby uncle who had trained as a barber in another city before returning to open his own small shop.

The place wasn’t big, but his skills were solid.

For six years of middle and high school, Jiang Ning had always gotten his haircuts here.

But today—

As she stepped through the door and greeted the barber—

The chubby uncle turned around with a grin.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Our little Buried Love princess?”

…

(End of Chapter)

Notes:

1. Android 18 (人造人十八号) – A character from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. She is a powerful cyborg created by Dr. Gero and later becomes the wife of Krillin.
2. Yukishiro Tomoe (雪代巴) – A character from Rurouni Kenshin. She was the first wife of Kenshin Himura and played a tragic role in his backstory, influencing his future path.
3. Asakura Anna (麻仓アンナ) – A character from Shaman King. She is the fiancée of the protagonist, Yoh Asakura, and is known for her strong personality and powerful spiritual abilities.

These are well-known Chinese study materials used by students preparing for high school exams:

1. 《Three-Point Practice》 (《三点一练》) – A common workbook series in China designed to help students practice key points in various subjects. The name suggests a focus on three core aspects of learning and applying knowledge.
2. 《Three Years of High School Exams, Five Years of Simulations》 (《三年高考，五年模拟》) – One of the most famous exam preparation books in China. It includes real past exam questions from the Gaokao (China’s National College Entrance Exam) and simulated practice tests to help students improve their test-taking skills.

Both are essential resources for Chinese students striving for high academic performance, especially in high school.

(Buried Love) was a phrase tied to the “非主流” (Non-Mainstream) subculture in China during the 2000s. This style, influenced by early internet emo and visual kei aesthetics, was known for dramatic hairstyles, heavy photo editing, and sentimental or rebellious attitudes.