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"Lin Xuan, I swear I'll secure that lead role for you—just please, don't go through with the wedding, okay?"

Amidst the opulence of the wedding venue, a girl in garish attire clung desperately to the groom's leg, her pleas punctuated by sobs.

The assembled guests shook their heads, their eyes brimming with scorn and disdain.

Yet the girl remained undeterred, gripping Lin Xuan's leg and wailing, "Lin Xuan, I promise to always heed your words. I'm begging you, don't marry her. I can't bear to lose you!"

Her plea was cut short as the bride yanked her hair and sneered, "Look at yourself, you freak. What gives you the right to cling to Lin Xuan like this?"

Lin Xuan, the groom, regarded her with revulsion and delivered a sharp kick. "Shen Qingwan, get lost and stop making a spectacle of yourself!"

The girl tumbled down the stairs, blood blossoming from her head, yet the crowd only laughed, indifferent to her plight.

Lin Xuan scowled. "Get her out of here; she's bringing bad luck!"

A security guard approached and hoisted the seemingly unconscious girl off the floor.

But in that instant, her eyes snapped open. Taking in her surroundings with a surge of surprise, her body instinctively sprang into action.

Her foot slammed into the ground, and with a swift roundhouse kick, she struck the guard's chin, then landed gracefully.

Surveying the scene with wide eyes, she was visibly taken aback. What was going on?

Her private plane had been sabotaged; she was supposed to be dead, blown to bits. How had she ended up here?

Her shock mirrored that of everyone else, who stared in disbelief.

Shen Qingwan was notoriously inept, and her sudden display of agility was completely unexpected.

Her fashion sense was atrocious, and her infatuation was well-known, making her the butt of jokes throughout the capital.

"Shen Qingwan, you must be out of your mind to cause a scene at my wedding!" Lin Xuan said, exasperated, as he grabbed her by the collar and started dragging her towards the exit.

"Insolent!" A chill flashed in the girl's eyes. She seized Lin Xuan's wrist and, with a deft judo throw, sent him sprawling.

With a thud, Lin Xuan hit the ground in a disoriented heap. Before he could gather his wits, a girl descended upon him like a bolt of lightning, planting her foot firmly on his chest.

Massaging her temples, she winced at the pounding headache but also absorbed some of the memories from her new body. Her name was Shen Qingwan, the adopted daughter of the prestigious Gu family—a naive fool and a hopeless romantic. She had chased a male celebrity across the globe and repeatedly begged the Gu family patriarch for favors to secure roles for him, only to become the family's pariah. To finance a villa for this man, she had even incurred a massive debt in the Gu family's name.

Ultimately, the Gu family's rejection and disdain had led to her untimely death. Indeed, Shen Qingwan had died from her fall down the stairs. And this was the moment Lan Wu was reborn.

Now, the spirit inhabiting Shen Qingwan's body was none other than Lan Wu, the formidable head of the Lan Family—one of the Empire's nine Great Clans. Under her leadership, the Lan Family had risen from the bottom to become the second most powerful clan in just five years, thanks to her iron-fisted and merciless approach.

Looking down at the man beneath her foot, Lan Wu sneered with contempt. What had ever drawn Shen Qingwan to such a preening, effeminate man? Her lips twisted into a mocking smile as she silently vowed, "Lin Qingwan, henceforth, I am you! You are the master now, and I will avenge every insult you endured."

"Shen Qingwan, what... what are you doing?" Lin Xuan was stunned. He couldn't believe that the always compliant Shen Qingwan would dare to defy him, especially in front of an audience, stripping him of all dignity.

It felt like a nightmare. He struggled to dislodge Shen Qingwan's foot, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge her an inch.

The rest of the people in the hall snapped to attention, gasping in shock. The bride, furious, charged at Shen Qingwan, intent on a confrontation. But with an effortless flick of her wrist, Lan Wu sent her sprawling with a slap...

With a resounding smack, the bride crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

When Lin Xuan saw his bride collapse, he erupted in fury, bellowing, "Shen Qingwan, have you lost your mind? Who emboldened you to do this? How dare you strike me?"

Adorned with heavy, exaggerated makeup, Shen Qingwan's face was caked with so much powder that it appeared eerily pale. She flashed Lin Xuan a chilling smile that sent shivers down the spines of onlookers.

Without warning, she planted a forceful stomp on his chest and declared, "You're not fit to cause a scene in my presence."

Lin Xuan coughed up blood, his body curling and writhing on the ground as he howled in agony. Moments before, he had been insufferably arrogant; now, he lay there like a beaten cur.

The guests, who had initially moved to intervene, froze in place, making no further move to assist.

Lin Qingwan surveyed the crowd with contempt. "Ladies and gentlemen, didn't you come for a wedding? Please, by all means, carry on!"

The onlookers' mouths twitched in disbelief. With the bride unconscious and the groom incapacitated, the absurdity of the situation rendered the idea of continuing the festivities utterly ludicrous.