Reborn While My Brother Stole My Wife I Conquered the Capital

In my past life, I vanished on my way back to my hometown.

By the time they found me, I was lying in a cornfield beside the village idiot, my clothes torn open. The mob branded me a rapist, shattered my legs with iron pipes, and dragged me off to prison.

My younger brother stole my identity. He took my university admission letter and went to the capital in my place.

But his stolen life didn't go as planned. For three years, wealthy second-generation students tormented him like a dog. Eventually, he was framed for a crime, thrown in prison, and finally jumped off a building to end his misery.

As for me, I was released due to insufficient evidence.

The following year, the "fool girl" was reclaimed by her fatherthe richest man in the region. It turned out she wasn't a fool at all. She had feigned madness to survive the schemes of her stepmother and stepsister.

And I? I had been knocked unconscious by thugs hired by her stepsister, used as a pawn to frame her.

After my release, I inherited a multi-billion-dollar family business, cleared my name, and moved abroad, leaving the envious villagers choking on their regret.

Now, I was back.

But this time, my younger brother beat me to the cornfield.

When I arrived with the search party, he was rolling around in the dirt with the woman who had been my wife in my previous life.

Seeing us approach, he smirked, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

"Little brother, she's quite a catch. In this life, it's my turn to enjoy her. You can go rot at that crappy university."

I stepped forward, intending to pull him off her, but the woman lunged and sank her teeth into my arm.

To my shock, she shielded my brother, glaring at me with venomous eyes.

"I won't let you touch him!"

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat.

That very night, I boarded the train to the capital.

1.

I left my brother standing in the cornfield, his clothes disheveled, grinning like a man who had finally snatched the trophy he had always coveted.

"Mom! Dad! I want to marry her! I'm going to take responsibility for the foolI mean, Jasmine McLaughlin!"

The smugness on his face landed like a fist to my chest.

I remembered how, in my previous life, he had come to find me right before his death. Under the guise of bringing me local specialties, he had barged into my villa, a knife gripped in his white-knuckled hand, and lunged at me hysterically.

My bodyguards had pinned him to the marble floor before he could get close.

Pinned down, he had screamed and cursed at me.

"Daniel Joyce! That night, I saw you get knocked out and dragged into the cornfield! I ignored it on purpose! I waited until the next day to bring the village to find you!"

"I wanted you in prison so Mom and Dad would give me your admission letter!"

"I thought once I got to the capital, I'd be someone important."

He had laughed then, a broken, weeping sound that made my skin crawl.

"I didn't expect to be played like a dog by those rich kids. They ruined my life! Now I have nothing. Why should you, an illiterate rapist, live so well? I refuse to accept it! If I could do it over, I absolutely wouldn't switch places with you! You're the one who should suffer in the capital! You!"

When the police arrived, he had shoved everyone aside and leaped out the window, dying on impact.

Now, reborn, he had taken the lead. He had turned the unconscious Jasmine McLaughlin into his "conquest."

The woman's gaze was clouded and confused, but the moment she heard him mention marriage, her face flushed crimson. The joy in her eyesusually hidden behind a mask of stupiditycouldn't be contained.

She lowered her head, her voice solemn and clumsy.

"Even though the fool girl is dumb-dumb, the fool girl will treat you well!"

It was exactly what she had promised me in our past life.

But my parents exploded.

*Slap!*

My mother's hand connected with my face. My cheek burned.

"What kind of older brother are you? How could you let him get tangled up with a retard? He's destined to marry a rich city girl!"

They tried to drag my brother away, refusing to let the marriage happen. They argued that the villagers only knew *someone* in the family had defiled the fool girl, not specifically who.

Their plan was obvious: I would go to jail for him.

Again.

Even though the trajectory of this life had completely shifted, I was still the designated sacrifice.

My heart turned to ice.

My brother leaned in and whispered something in their ears.

Mom and Dad's expressions shifted instantly. They sized up the woman again, skepticism warring with greed, before finally nodding.

"If it's really like you say, then let the marriage happen."

"But if it's fake, you run. We'll make your brother take the fall..."

My brother seemed terrified I would try to steal her back.

He insisted on holding a banquet that very night and demanded I help with the preparations.

The entire village knew he had taken a fancy to Jasmine McLaughlina girl so intellectually disabled she couldn't care for herself. Not only had he dragged her into the cornfield, but now he wanted to marry her.

A crowd gathered outside, mocking him. They said he was thinking with his dick, willing to take a fool just to get laid.

My brother's eyes went red with rage. He pointed a shaking finger at them.

"When my wife claims her inheritance, you'll all come crawling back like dogs!"

"You'll kneel on the ground and beg me, and I won't give you a single cent!"

The villagers laughed harder.

"A fool with no parents who can't even wipe her own ass? You're banking on her?"

He stomped his feet and ran back into the house.

Naturally, Mom dumped her anger on me. She grabbed my arm and twisted the flesh until I gasped.

"They're cursing your brother, cursing your parents! Why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you curse back?"

She went inside to coddle my brother.

My dad, in a fit of pique, flipped the table.

"Forget the banquet! We aren't doing it!"

Bowls and chopsticks shattered against my body. He pointed at me, his face twisted with disgust. "Clean this mess up, or I'll clean *you* up."

I stood there, eyes stinging, clutching my bruised arm. My heart was a frozen wasteland.

Jasmine McLaughlin, wearing a red cotton jacket, shyly entered the courtyard and stumbled upon the scene.

She didn't hesitate. She walked straight toward me.

My heart leaped.

Memories of the fifty years we spent together in my past life flashed through my mind. How she used to shield me when my parents beat me and called me worthless. How she held me after every blow.

My throat tightened. I couldn't help but soften my voice as I said her name.

But she looked at me with cold, guarded eyes.

"Bad man! Don't you dare hurt my husband."

I froze.

She snatched a knife from the ground and drove it into my arm.

When I didn't dodge, she paused for a second, confused, but her voice remained vicious.

"My husband told me everything. You love bullying him."

"You even drugged me and my husband! You bullied me because I'm a fool! You wanted to ruin us!"

"A bad person like youthe fool girl curses you to die a horrible death!"

A boulder smashed into my chest. I bit my lip until copper flooded my mouth, my voice trembling.

"I brought people to save you..."

She scoffed, cutting me off. Her gaze was strangewary and sharp.

"I don't believe you!"

"When the fool girl isn't foolish anymore, I'm going to get revenge on you! I'm going to kill you, you bad person!"

Her eyes were completely clear. The hatred wasn't part of her act.

She genuinely believed my brother's lies.

The last ember of warmth in my heart extinguished.

I wiped away my tears, shoved her aside, and walked away.

Behind me, I heard her go into the bridal chamber to comfort my brother.

I walked into the woodshed.

My brother had thrown all my belongings in there. My clothes and books were torn to shreds, a deliberate mess.

Head bowed, I began to clean up the debris of my life.

Through the thin wall, the woman's voice drifted ingentle, sweet, coaxing.

It was exactly how she used to soothe me after an argument in our past life.

Soon, the sounds changed. Wet. Sticky. Unmistakable.

A knife twisted in my gut.

I stopped cleaning.

I grabbed a few changes of clothes and my university admission letter. Then, without a sound, I left that house forever.

I went to the railway station and bought the earliest ticket to the capital.

In this life, my lover was gone.

So, I would firmly grasp the future that should have been mine all along.

The moment I arrived at the university, I went to the student affairs office to register for a work-study program.

On orientation day, I volunteered to help welcome new students.

Under the blazing sun, I ran back and forth between the athletic field and the academic buildings until black spots danced in my vision.

My legs gave out, and I crashed into someone.

A shrill scream pierced my ear.

"Pervert! Do you guys have no shame? Just because you see a rich, fair-skinned beauty, you act like a toad trying to eat swan meat!"

I hurriedly backed away to apologize. But when I looked up, I froze.

Caroline Sawyer.

In my previous life, after my brother's downfall, my parents had wailed and beaten their chests, forcing me to investigate who had harmed him.

When the lawyer laid the evidence before me, I learned the truth.

My brother had met Caroline Sawyer, the sole heiress of the massive Fu Group real estate empire, at university. He had used every trick in the book to get close to her.

When his pursuit failed, he was bullied by the wealthy heirs who coveted Caroline.

Desperate, my brother had drugged her, hoping to force a marriage through scandal.

The Fu family was furious. They ordered the school to expel him, ruined his reputation, and slapped him with a lawsuit that sent him fleeing back to our village in disgrace.

In this life, as long as I stayed far away from her, I could graduate safely.

I forced myself to stand steady and turned to leave.

Behind me, I heard her friends gossiping.

"Oh? Looks like it wasn't an intentional grope."

"Maybe he's playing hard to get. That's fresh. Caroline, this kid isn't bad lookingwant to play with him?"

Caroline Sawyer scoffed. "Boring."

As I walked away, I couldn't help but think of her fate.

In her junior year, she would be drugged by my brother, suffer severe toxicity, and be sent abroad for treatment.

Sadly, her medical flight would crash, leaving no survivors.

But in this life, I wouldn't get entangled with her, and she wouldn't die.

My life narrowed down to two things: studying and working.

Yet, for some reason, I kept running into her.

My seat in the study hall was always surrounded by her clique.

Whenever she saw me return, she would lift her chin and frown, glaring at me with distaste.

The cheap food I left on my desk to stave off hunger would vanish.

She would sneer, "What garbage are you eating? I don't like the smell."

My classmates cautiously comforted me, mentioning that Caroline Sawyer had been asking about my background, as if she wanted to teach me a lesson.

I stopped going to the study hall. I took the longest, most obscure routes to class to avoid them.

But even when I worked at the cafeteria, I couldn't escape.

Seeing me behind the counter, her friends would jeer, insisting that I be the one to serve them.

Then they would refuse to order, making me stand there like a statue while they chatted.

Eventually, the manager asked if I had offended them.

I shook my head and quit that very day.

A few days later, they cornered me in the narrow alley behind the library.

Caroline Sawyer stood in the shadows, her expression thunderous.

Her opening words cut like glass.

"You quit?"

I pressed my lips together. Offered nothing.

She stared at me for a long moment, then a scornful smile curved her mouth.

"Daniel Joyce."

"You don't need to hide from me. I have zero interest in you."

"Do you honestly think I *want* to run into you?" A bitter laugh escaped her. "Don't be ridiculous."

She spun on her heel and marched away.

From that day on, true to her word, our paths didn't cross.

Not long after, my teacher informed me about a corporate sponsorship program for high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds.

I was on the list.

Full tuition waiver. Monthly living stipend. Staring at the string of zeros on the notification, my throat tightened. Finally*finally*I wouldn't have to starve myself just to squeeze in another part-time shift.

I threw myself into my studies.

Later, I heard the sponsoring company had organized a volunteer teaching trip. I signed up immediately, eager to pay it forward.

I never expected to see Caroline Sawyer in the crowd on the day of departure.

When her gaze landed on me, her expression remained frozen. She simply turned her back and walked away.

For several days, we existed in the same space without a single interaction.

That changed one night when a senior in my dorm mentioned how surprised he was by the kindness of the Jiang Group's heiress. Not only was she funding students, but she had also come personally to volunteer.

I froze.

Just as I opened my mouth to ask more, the ground beneath us shuddered violently.

"Flood! The flood is coming!" someone screamed, voice cracking with terror.

Chaos erupted. Students scrambled, shoving past each other, sprinting for their lives. I joined the stampede, legs pumping toward higher ground.

Amidst the roar of water and screaming, one name cut through

*Caroline Sawyer.*

Instinct whipped my head around.

I saw her shoving a little girl up onto the riverbank. The effort cost her. Her footing slipped, and the surging black water swallowed her whole.

I didn't think.

Gritting my teeth, I turned and dove into the torrent.

The current slammed into me like a freight train. Muscles screaming, lungs burning, I clawed through the churning darkness. My fingers closed around her armlocked tightand I dragged us both toward the shore.

Fingertips numb. Vision tunneling.

I didn't let go until I hauled her onto the mud.

Only then did the darkness take me.

***

When I woke, the sharp antiseptic smell of a hospital filled my nose.

The ward door swung open. An elegant middle-aged woman rushed to my bedside, taking my hand in her warm grasp.

"Child, you're awake?"

"Thank you. Thank you *so much* for saving my daughter."

"Name your price. Anything you want, I will"

My fingers curled against the sheets. I shook my head gently.

"I saved her to return a favor. Thank you for funding my education."

The polite socialite mask on her face slipped. Genuine softness replaced it.

"Caroline is fine. She's been wanting to see you for days," she said quietly. "I'll send her in to thank you personally."

My chest tightened. I wanted to refuse, but she was already out the door.

Moments later, Caroline Sawyer walked in.

She marched to the bedside, gaze sweeping over me from head to toe. Only after confirming I was in one piece did she set her jaw.

"Who told you to save me?"

She sat sullenly in the chair, posture rigid, shoulders tight.

"Don't you hate me? Why bother?"

"Just to repay a debt?" Her tone turned brittle. "There's no need. The money used to fund you lot isn't even enough to buy me a handbag."

She glanced at me, expecting anger.

Instead, she found my expression calm. Devoid of humiliation.

It seemed to throw her off balance.

"What do you want?" she added, voice dropping lower. "I can give you anything."

"I do want one thing," I said softly.

Caroline looked up. A flicker of anticipation crossed her eyes.

I held her gaze, voice serious.

"Can we call a truce? Let's just be ordinary classmates and get along. Okay?"

Her complexion shiftedfirst a flush of embarrassment, then a dark shadow of annoyance. She stood abruptly.

"When did I ever"

She cut herself off.

"Forget it. Whatever."

She stomped her foot and turned to leave, radiating frustration with every step.

......

I never expected to see my younger brother in the hospital. I hadn't seen him in over a year.

He wore a caregiver's uniform, scrubbing the floor near an elderly patient's bed. A lame leg dragged behind him as he moved. Disheveled. Broken.

The sight triggered a memory from my previous life. At this exact time back then, I had been in his shoeshauling goods in a warehouse, breaking my back to pay for Jasmine McLaughlin's medical bills.

Back in the village, neighbors had accused us of moral corruption. They broke my leg and torched our home, forcing us to flee.

Once we left, Jasmine's stepsister hired thugs to harass us constantly. To protect herself from her stepfamily, Jasmine feigned madnesssmashing shopkeepers' goods, causing chaos wherever we went.

I worked three jobs a day, only to come home to the wreckage she left behind. I spent my life on my knees, apologizing and compensating strangers for the destruction she caused.

Now, I watched a family member of the patient scold my brother for his rough movements.

"I'm disabled!" Landon shouted, eyes red-rimmed as he shoved them away. "You make a cripple do heavy laborhave you no heart?"

The family sneered. "If we didn't pity you for being lame and dragging that stupid wife around, we wouldn't have hired a novice like you. If you won't do the work, get lost."

Landon spun around in a rage

And locked eyes with me.

He froze. Then, taking in my pale, hospital-gown appearance, a sick glint of excitement sparked in his gaze.

"Brother!" A cruel grin spread across his face. "I *told* you. Sooner or later, you'd end up like me. Trying to ride the coattails of the rich, provoking those second-generation heirs!"

He limped closer, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Why are you here? Did they push you into a pool? Throw you down the stairs?" His eyes rolled. "I'll give you some advice. If you want to survive school, stay away from those rich girls. Don't think about climbing the social ladder. Trash like you isn't even fit to be their toy."

When I remained silent, he grew agitated, desperate to prove his superiority. He started bragging about how good Jasmine was to him. How much she loved him.

He claimed she felt sorry for him, so she stopped smashing things and secretly helped with chores. He swore that Jasmine's biological father would acknowledge her soon.

Then, he would be rich.

And I? I would be chased back to our hometown like a dog because I offended the elite. Destined to die miserably.

As he ranted, Jasmine McLaughlin emerged from the stairwell.

The moment she saw him, her eyes welled up. She threw herself into his arms.

"Husband! What's wrong? Who made you angry? I'll bite them to death!"

She turned, ready to attack the elderly patient and his family. "I'll beat you bad people to death!"

That protective ferocity... I had seen it in my past life.

But what good was it?

Jasmine relied on her "madness" to destroy things without consequence, knowing people wouldn't argue with a fool. But the blowback always fell on me.

What should have been a simple scolding would turn into a beating and a massive debt because of her unreasonable escalation.

Sure enough, Landon forced a smile and hugged her tight.

"It's okay. Husband isn't afraid of being scolded."

Then, as if struck by a thought, he pointed a finger at me.

"Oh, right. Jasmine, my brother is sick. Do you remember him? Say hello."

Jasmine looked at me coldly. Seeing my haggard state, she clapped her hands and laugheda manic, grating sound.

"Husband! It serves this bad person right! I hope he dies of sickness!"

She hid behind Landon, making a grotesque face at me.

"Big villain! Drop dead!"

"Sorry, brotherJasmine is just simple like that. She doesn't hide her likes and dislikes." Landon glanced at me smugly, hugging her close as he turned to leave.

They had barely taken two steps when Caroline Sawyer appeared at the end of the corridor.

She watched their retreating backs before turning to me.

"Family?"

I shook my head.

Caroline scoffed.

"Two fools. A perfect match. Stay away from themstupidity is contagious."

With a stony face, she shoved a three-tiered, expensive-looking insulated lunch box into my hands.

"Here. The chef made too much. Don't waste it."

At the sight of Caroline Sawyer, the color drained from Landon's face.

He looked back at me, eyes swirling with disbelief and devastation. It wasn't until Jasmine tugged at his sleeve, asking what was wrong, that he gritted his teeth.

"It's nothing. I just think it's ridiculous how some people are merely toys being played with, yet they take themselves so seriously."

He dragged Jasmine away.

From that day on, Caroline brought me food daily.

But as I ate, suspicion grew. For a family as wealthy as the Jiangs, why were the chef's dishes so... home-style? So ordinary?

***

After recovering, I returned to school.

I assumed Caroline and I would return to being parallel lines. Never intersecting again.

I was wrong.

She chose the same electives as me. Joined the same student union department. Even at my part-time job, I would look up to find her lingering nearby.

Finally, I snapped.

"Caroline, what is your game?" I cornered her. "Did I do something wrong?"

Her face darkened. Defensive anger flared.

"You think I'm looking for revenge?"

Her voice cracked, composure shattering. She looked like she was throwing caution to the wind.

"I'm *chasing* you! Can't you tell?"

I froze.

The next second, I bolted.

In my previous life, my brother's tragic ending was a thorn lodged in my heart. No matter what, I didn't dare get close to someone like Caroline Sawyer again.

Perhaps she sensed my terror. From that day on, she vanished from my side.

Six months passed.

Despite myself, I couldn't stop listening for news of her.

My classmates stared when I finally asked. "You didn't know? Caroline is prepping to study abroad."

My blood ran cold.

The memory of the plane crash from my past life slammed into my mind.

Suppressing the frantic pounding of my heart, I pressed for the date.

"In two weeks. December 10th."

My mind reeled.

I whipped out my phone and dialed her number.

"Don't go, Caroline."

On the other end, she let out a soft, mocking laugh.

"You won't let me go? Who are you to stop me?"

Silence stretched between us.

Before I could explain, before I could find the words, she spoke again. Her voice turned indifferent.

"I'll give you a chance. Have dinner with me on the night of December 9th."

"Convince me face-to-face. If your reasoning holds up, I'll stay."

"If you can't, I leave tonight."

I agreed without hesitation.

That night, I arrived at the hotel address she'd sent. The front desk informed me a private room had already been booked and directed me straight there.

I shoved the door open, breathless. Before I could take a step inside, someone slammed me viciously against the wall.

Jasmine McLaughlin stood there, draped in a designer gown, clinging to Landon Joyce. His eyes were bloodshot, fixing me with a glare of pure hatred.

"Daniel Joyce." Jasmine's voice dripped venom. "I told you. The day I regained my clarity, I would kill you with my own hands."

She stepped closer. "You ruined the purity between Landon and me. And now you have the audacity to seek revenge? You want his other leg broken?"

Ice crept into her gaze. "Then I'll let you taste what it feels like to be a cripple. Break three of his limbs."

A dismissive wave of her hand.

I struggled against the grip of the thugs pinning me. "I didn't! Jasmine, I didn't do any of that!"

She looked at me like I was something rotting on her shoe.

My phone buzzed. Caroline Sawyer.

Before I could answer, Landon snatched it from my pocket.

"So this is the shameless woman my brother was talking about?" He put the phone to his ear. "My brother already has someone he loves. Why don't you get the hell away from him?"

Silence on the other end.

He scoffed. "What? You don't believe me?"

A cruel, jagged laugh tore from his throat. He pulled Jasmine close, snapped a few intimate photoscarefully angling them to hide their facesand hit send.

"Take a good look. My brother and his girlfriend. So intimate."

He glanced at the screen, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Brother, Ms. Sawyer says she understands. Her flight is tonight. She's leaving the country and won't return for the rest of her life."

He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. "Your daydream is over."

A chill like plunging into an ice cavern seized my body.

Jasmine kissed Landon's forehead, her expression sickeningly doting. "Husband, let's go. Don't dirty your eyes with this trash."

The door clicked shut.

I was thrown to the floor. Batons rained down. Pain exploded across my body, and my vision blackened in waves.

*Thud.*

The private room door was kicked open.