All Chapters of She Took the Rags, I Took the Empire: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The very moment I heard my sister Serena’s inner thoughts, I knew she had been reborn, too.I watched as she threw herself into the arms of the impoverished couple, turning to me with a perfectly staged, saintly look on her face.“I don’t need a life of luxury and wealth,” Serena said. “I only want Hill to have a good life.”The couple showered her with praise, calling her a sensible and sweet girl. Yet, I could hear the malicious sneer echoing clearly in her mind.Serena thought to herself, “The Barrington family is only adopting a child because their business is struggling and they desperately need a tool for a marriage alliance. Enjoy that miserable taste! As for this poor couple, they must be low-key scientific geniuses. This time, that massive global research award is going to be mine!”I kept my mouth shut. Without saying a word, I simply turned around and stepped into the luxury car.Serena had absolutely no idea. In our past life, my ability to study abroad relied entirel

My adoptive parents finally returned home by dinnertime.They were exactly as the rumors described them—powerful, commanding figures who naturally exuded the heavy, suffocating pressure of elite high society.“So, you are Hill?” my adoptive father asked, his sharp eyes scanning me.I offered a polite, quiet nod.Seeing how well-behaved and composed I was, he seemed reasonably satisfied.“I will lay everything out on the table right now,” he continued, getting straight to the point. “The reason we adopted you is because we need you to secure a marriage alliance with the eldest son of the Herbert family. If you are unwilling, we won’t force you. We will simply provide you with a sum of money and let you find a new set of parents.”He leaned back slightly, his expression stern. “The choice is entirely yours. You decide what you want to do.”The necessity of a marriage alliance with the Herberts arose because the Barrington family’s influence had been steadily declining in recent ye

University life progressed even more smoothly than I had originally anticipated.Leveraging the memories of my previous life, I began layout preparations early for the exact same scientific research project that had won me the prestigious international award. Equipped with prior experience and ample funding, my progress this time around was a full twice as fast as before.Yet, during this process, I unexpectedly crossed paths with someone.Galen Herbert.He was the eldest son of the Herbert family—and my designated partner for the marriage alliance. In the competition during our past life, he had been my fiercest rival, ultimately losing to me and taking second place. We barely had any interaction back then, but this time, he suddenly called out to me in the hallway.“Are you the adopted daughter of the Barrington family?” he asked.The man was tall with sharp, deeply defined features and a cool demeanor. A pair of narrow, deep blue eyes fixed intently upon me.I couldn’t quite

It was Serena.She had somehow found an iron pipe and was rushing toward us, her features contorted into a hideous, feral grimace. Her hair was completely disheveled, the angry red handprint from the kidnapper’s slap still burned on her cheek, and her eyes were wild with insanity.“Go to hell! Both of you can go to hell!” she shrieked.Owen threw his body in front of mine. The heavy iron pipe struck his back yet again, emitting a sickening, muffled crack. His entire frame shuddered violently from the impact, but he stubbornly kept his arms wrapped around me, shielding me completely in his embrace.Tears instantly welled up and spilled down my face.Having lived through two entire lifetimes, I had always carried every burden silently and alone. This was the exact first time I had ever experienced the feeling of being protected by someone else.Boom!The deafening roar of an explosion detonated right beside our ears. Thick smoke billowed wildly in all directions, and the entire st

One week later, I returned to the laboratory.Although I had missed the official competition, it wouldn’t hinder me from publishing my research findings independently. Having won that exact award in my previous life, I knew precisely what it stood for, and more importantly, what it didn’t. Ultimately, it was nothing more than the trivial difference of missing a title. The things of true value were never found under the flashing spotlights anyway; they lived right here, inside this tedious, quiet laboratory.This time, I chose to announce the research directly under the name of our family conglomerate. My adoptive parents utilized the breakthrough as a foundation to launch brand-new corporate projects, single-handedly dragging the stagnant company back from the brink of severe financial loss.That evening, my father spoke to me with solemnity.“Hill, from this day forward, the matter of the arranged marriage alliance will never be brought up again,” he declared. “You are the most ex