Rebirth of the Genius Bride – Chapter 6: The First Strike

 

🌸 Rebirth of the Genius Bride 🌸

Chapter 6: The First Strike

The wedding contract was signed.

The ink on the paper seemed harmless, but to Lianhua, it was written in blood.

Her stepmother had gloated, her stepsister had sneered, and her father had sat in silence. None of them saw it, but as she held that pen, her heart had blazed with fire.

In her past life, this contract had been her prison.
This time, it would be her weapon.

---

The next morning, the Young family mansion opened its doors to her.

Tall gates of black iron loomed overhead, and guards bowed as she stepped through. She walked in calmly, her tiny frame wrapped in a simple dress, but her eyes carried a sharpness that made the servants pause.

“Is this the girl?” someone whispered.
“Just a child… how could she be worthy?”

The whispers followed her down the hall like shadows, but Lianhua didn’t flinch. She remembered every insult from her past life. They thought she was weak. They thought she was disposable.

Let them.
The lower they looked at her, the easier it would be to strike from below.

---

At dinner, Young Master Xuan himself appeared.

He entered the hall dressed in black, his presence chilling. Every step carried authority, and every glance was like a blade. The room fell silent as he took his seat.

His eyes landed on her.
Cold. Assessing. Dangerous.

“So,” he said lazily, swirling the wine in his cup, “this is the girl who dared correct me in public.”

Her stepmother stiffened beside her, about to apologize on her behalf, but Lianhua spoke first.

“Yes,” she said calmly, looking him in the eye. “You were wrong. I only spoke the truth.”

Gasps rippled around the table. A child—speaking like this to the heir of the Young family?

But Xuan Hao… smiled.
Not warmly. Not kindly. But the faint, dangerous curve of someone who had just spotted a worthy opponent.

“You’re bold,” he said softly. “I’ll give you that.”

Her stepmother’s hand shook under the table. Her stepsister paled. But Lianhua sat straight, her gaze unflinching.

You think you’re testing me, Xuan Hao? she thought. No… it’s I who am testing you.

---

That night, her first strike began.

She wasn’t reckless. Revenge was never loud at the beginning. It was quiet, like poison seeping drop by drop.

When her stepsister slipped into the Young mansion to brag about her new “status,” Lianhua waited.
She overheard her sister whispering to a servant—spreading lies about her, calling her arrogant, saying she would soon be punished.

Lianhua stepped from the shadows.
“You should be careful what you say.”

Her sister froze. “You—! What are you doing here?”

Lianhua smiled faintly. “Nothing. Just watching how quickly a snake shows its fangs.”

Before her sister could retort, a shadow moved in the corner. Xuan Hao himself appeared, his sharp gaze sweeping over them.

The servant dropped to his knees. The stepsister stammered, trying to explain. But the cold expression on Xuan Hao’s face silenced her.

“So,” he said evenly, “my bride hasn’t even settled in, and already there are whispers behind her back.”

His voice was low, deadly.
The stepsister turned pale as wax. “N-no, Young Master, I didn’t—”

But Xuan Hao raised a hand, and the servant was dragged away. His eyes lingered on Lianhua for a long moment, unreadable.

And in that moment, Lianhua realized something dangerous.
She had intended to strike at her stepsister in secret. But now, she had drawn the attention of the most ruthless man in the room.

Was this a blessing? Or a trap?

Her sister fled in tears, but Xuan Hao’s gaze never left her.

“You,” he said softly, almost like a whisper of steel. “You are not what you seem.”

Lianhua’s heart thudded, but her face remained calm.
“Neither are you,” she replied.

For the first time, his lips curved—not in mockery, not in disdain, but in something that looked very much like interest.

And that… was far more dangerous than hate.

---

✨ End of Chapter 6 – The First Strike
📖 Next: Chapter 7 – Between Hate and Desire

🔥 Don’t miss tomorrow’s episode as sparks fly between Lianhua and Xuan Hao.

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