Bai Lingxi lounged in her leather chair, legs crossed, a single finger tapping against her desk. The skyline stretched before her, glittering with the lights of a city that bent to her will. From the seventy-fifth floor of Bai International's headquarters, she ruled everything below.
She was Bai Lingxi.
CEO. Capitalist. Self-made billionaire.
And right now, she was bored.
Bai Lingxi was not a stranger to threats. Competitors trying to destroy her, political figures scheming in the shadows, and of course, the filthy parasites within her own family.
Like the one currently shouting at her.
"You ungrateful brat! You think you can just throw me out like this?!"
Bai Lingxi sighed, swirling her wine. Across her massive desk, her uncle, Bai Jinhai, was red-faced, veins bulging in rage.
"I built this company with your father! You wouldn't even be here if it weren't for me! And this is how you repay me?" His fists slammed against the table. "All these years—"
Bai Lingxi finally glanced up, unimpressed.
"Yes, yes. Years of leeching off me. Years of siphoning money into your little 'side businesses.' Years of betrayal." She smiled, sharp and cold. "And now it's over. You're fired."
"You can't do this to me!"
"I already did." She gestured to the security at the door. "Get him out."
The guards stepped forward, but Bai Jinhai wasn't done yet. He struggled, cursing as they dragged him toward the exit. "You'll regret this, Lingxi! I won't go down without a fight!"
Bai Lingxi only laughed.
You'll go down either way.
Bai Lingxi exhaled, rolling her shoulders. Annoying.
She glanced at the clock. Almost time for the gala.
She stood, smoothing her dress, and walked out.
-------
That evening, Bai Lingxi attended the business gala.
She wore a custom black gown, sleek and elegant, paired with diamond earrings that reflected the city lights.
Champagne bubbles fizzed in crystal glasses. Music swirled through the air, layered with murmured conversations and polished laughter.
Investors, CEOs, politicians—all eager to curry favor, all spinning empty words and fake smiles.
She tolerated them. Barely.
Halfway through the night, she received a text message.
— From: Unknown
— You made a mistake today.
Bai Lingxi arched a brow. Her uncle.
She smirked, taking a sip of her wine before deleting the message. Pathetic.
The gala ended late, and Bai Lingxi slipped into her black sports car, alone except for her security team following behind.
The city blurred past as she drove, neon lights streaking against the rain-speckled windshield.
Her hands rested on the wheel, movements practiced, effortless. Driving calmed her. It was one of the few things that didn't require negotiations, contracts, or fake smiles.
The wind picked up as she drove,she glanced through her window,the clouds were forming. She scoffed as she recalled the previous whether forecast.
Only a fool would believe those ingrates. She speed up as she wanted to reach her home before the storm began.
Then—
Her car lurched forward.
Her heart didn't skip a beat. Not yet.
She pressed the brakes.
Nothing.
She pressed again. Harder.
Nothing.
The car sped up.
A slow smile curled on her lips. "Ah."
"My dear uncle," she murmured, laughing softly. "You really don't waste time, do you?"
Most people would panic. But Bai Lingxi had survived more assassination attempts than she could count.
Her uncle wasn't even creative.
She had survived poisoning, arson, gunmen in boardrooms— and now this? A cheap car accident?
Amateur.
She yanked the wheel, aiming for a street pole. If she hit it just right, she could force the car to a stop without crashing outright.
The impact was brutal. Metal crunched, smoke rose from the engine, and the airbag deployed, slamming into her face. Her head was ringing.
She shook herself, forcing her body to move. Reaching for her phone, she dialed her security team.
"Boss! We've got your location, we're on our way—"
The signal cut out. The winds picked up again. She cursed the weather forecast for the second time.
She groaned as she tried to sit up,the wind picked up more,making sounds as they passed. The streetlights flickered. The pole she had crashed into groaned ominously.
Her heart dropped.
"Don't you fucking dare," she hissed.
The wind howled. The pole snapped.
And then, with terrifying force, it came crashing down.
Pain. Sharp and cold. Blood dripped down her forehead, blurring her vision. She coughed, chest heaving.
I built an empire. I own everything.
And now… she was just supposed to die?
No. No fucking way.
Her fingers twitched. Her breathing slowed.
The world faded to black.
-------------
Pain.
That was the first thing Bai Lingxi registered. Deep, bone-aching pain that spread through her body like she'd been tossed down a flight of stairs. Her head throbbed, her limbs felt like lead, and her throat—God, her throat was dry.
She tried to open her eyes. Blinding light.
A groan left her lips—weak, hoarse. Pathetic.
The light dimmed as a shadow loomed over her.
"Lingxi? Oh, my heavens, Lingxi! You're awake!"
A pair of rough hands grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. The motion sent another wave of agony through her body. She hissed.
Who the hell was touching her?
Her eyes finally cracked open.
A woman in her forties hovered over her, face lined with worry, clothes worn but neat. The room around them was cramped, walls yellowed with age, wooden beams visible across the ceiling. It smelled like a mix of medicinal herbs and something earthy.
Bai Lingxi frowned.
This… wasn't a hospital.
She moved to sit up, but the woman pushed her back down.
"Don't move, silly child! You almost died! We thought… we thought Heaven had taken you already!"
Bai Lingxi blinked. Slowly.
Her head was spinning. The last thing she remembered—the crash. The impact. The pole snapping. The weight crushing her—
She should be dead.
Her fingers curled against the rough fabric of the blanket covering her.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
She turned her head, finally taking in the full picture.
The furniture was antique. The floor was stone. A wooden basin sat in the corner, filled with water. A single oil lamp flickered on a nightstand.
Her lips parted. No.
She looked down at her hands.
Small. Thin. Calloused.
She yanked the blanket away and froze.
This wasn't her body.
Her breath hitched.
Her skin was paler. Her legs—slimmer, shorter.
Her fingers pressed against her own face, moving over sharper cheekbones, a smaller nose, softer skin.
This wasn't her.
It took every ounce of restraint not to scream.
Bai Lingxi inhaled sharply. Think. Think.
She needed a mirror.
Her gaze snapped to the woman beside her.
"Where…" Her voice cracked, dry as dust. "Where am I?"
The woman's eyes welled with tears.
"Oh, my sweet girl, you must've hit your head badly! You're home, Lingxi. Your mother is here."
Mother?
Her mother had died when she was eighteen.
No. No, no, no.
Bai Lingxi's stomach twisted.
This wasn't just somewhere else. This was somewhen else.
-----------
The next few hours were a blur.
She was Bai Lingxi. But not her Bai Lingxi.
The woman—her "mother"—kept talking, filling in the gaps.
It was 1980.
She was the eldest daughter of a poor rural family. Her father had died when she was twelve. They lived in a small town on the outskirts of a growing village. No internet. No skyscrapers. No Bai International.
She was supposed to be sixteen.
Sixteen and useless.
Her memories were scattered, but she remembered enough. The old Bai Lingxi—this body's original owner—was a timid girl, obedient, soft-spoken, the perfect little bride-to-be.
She had been engaged.
The thought made Bai Lingxi's stomach churn.
Marriage? Hell no.
Her hands clenched into fists.
She had built an empire with her own blood and sweat. She had commanded entire industries, crushed rivals under her heels, sat in rooms with billionaires and left them shaking.
And now she was supposed to cook and clean for some random man?
She inhaled. Slowly. Deeply.
No.
Absolutely not.
She wasn't some scared village girl.
She was Bai Lingxi.
And she would rebuild her empire.
No matter the era.
A sharp pain pierced her skull.
Bai Lingxi winced, pressing a hand to her temple.
Then—
Ding!
A mechanical voice echoed in her mind.
[ Congratulations! You have activated the Tycoon System! ]
She froze.
What?
[ Host has been recognized as a natural-born capitalist. The system will assist in building your new empire from the ground up. ]
[ Would you like to view your stats? ]
Bai Lingxi blinked. Stats?
A blue screen flickered in front of her, translucent, floating in mid-air.
She sucked in a breath.
This… was new.
Her eyes scanned the screen.
─── TYCOON SYSTEM ───
Host: Bai Lingxi
Age: 16
Wealth: 0 yuan
Reputation: Nonexistent
Business Skills: 4/10
Leadership: 5/10
Negotiation: 6/10
Market Insight: 3/10
Available Funds: 0 yuan
Active Missions: None
She read the words twice. Then a third time.
Then she laughed.
Low. Dark. Amused.
The system thought she was a beginner? A novice?
She had built a multi-billion-dollar empire with her bare hands, crushed men twice her age in boardrooms, dictated the economy with a single press conference.
And now she was a nobody?
Fine.
Let's start from zero.
Her smile widened.
This world had no idea what was coming.