Chapter 1

On the stage of Lincoln Center, a little girl slowly walked out from the back.

She looked to be around ten years old, with a small, adorable face, and her long platinum blonde hair was tied up. Her large azure eyes were intensely focused.

She was dressed in a black ballet performance outfit, white tights, and pointe shoes, holding a tambourine in her hand.

Then—

The music began.

The little girl started to dance.

Emma Edson and Bruce Edson sat excitedly in the audience, watching their daughter's performance.

"Oh, Kate," Emma said, covering her mouth in excitement.

After all, this was already the final round.

At this moment, the little girl performed a difficult back kick, her left leg kicking over her head and touching the tambourine in her right hand. The judges in the front row all nodded in approval.

The little girl was performing a ballet tambourine dance called "Esmeralda," which lasted only about eighty seconds.

After a series of movements, the little girl circled half the stage, raised the tambourine over her head, and began a series of kicks. Her first kick stunned the audience; even professional ballet dancers usually start from 90 degrees and gradually kick higher, with the last few reaching 180 degrees. However, this girl's kicks, from the first to the ninth, were all slightly over 180 degrees. More impressively, she managed to maintain the same force and height with each kick, which was truly remarkable.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap—"

After the performance, the audience burst into applause. The little girl bowed to the audience and then walked off the stage.

When all the performances were over, the little girl undoubtedly won the championship.

...

If I were to ask whether, after removing subjective gender factors, beautiful women are better or handsome men are better, I would choose beautiful women.

But if there were really such things as reincarnation and rebirth, I would choose to be a man.

I am captivated by the opposite sex, and the fantasy of women's beauty makes my hormones surge.

To put it bluntly, many men who fantasize about becoming beautiful women are just curious.

Perhaps I've read too many unsavory novels, but in those novels, the women always seem to have it better than the men, so I also thought women might be better.

If that were true, it wouldn't matter.

But I'm not sure if I would still have such a desire if I became a woman.

Moreover, beautiful women are few and far between. If I really did reincarnate, who could guarantee that I would become a beautiful woman?

And after forty, women start to age, while men are at their most charming.

If I had to choose between a beautiful woman and an ugly man, I would probably choose to be the beautiful woman. But if the choice was between an ugly woman and an ugly man, or a beautiful woman and a handsome man, I would probably choose to be a man.

As a child, I hated growing up, and now that I'm grown, I hate getting old.

I don't wish for immortality, but I hate the feeling of aging. If I could live to the same age but look like I'm in my thirties or forties when I die, that would be perfect.

In fact, the idea of reincarnation and rebirth is just something I fantasize about, as I am an atheist. Even if someone told me that the Loch Ness Monster was a Martian's pet, it would probably seem more real than Jehovah or Laozi.

My thoughts might have offended the gods, or perhaps a god wanted to convert me to believe in their existence.

Clearly, they succeeded.

I started to be suspicious of everything. When I went to church, I would bow my head devoutly. When I saw a monk, I would fold my hands. If I could go to a Taoist temple, I would probably light a stick of incense and make a wish.

It might also be the work of aliens. They saw that I was a "loyal atheist" and gave me a chance to experience it. The Stargate in Somalia should probably be closed to prevent aliens from coming to Earth to play pranks—if such a thing really exists.

...

When she got home, Catherine casually placed the trophy on the table and then returned to her room, looking exhausted.

Although she had been practicing in pointe shoes for more than two years, she still found them unbearable.

She fell onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

After all, she had been in this world for twelve years now.

The calendar read 1960. She had been learning ballet for eight years. Sigh, what could she do? Her mother was a ballet dancer, and although she stopped performing after giving birth to Catherine, she placed her hopes on her daughter.

Her parents were immigrants and both were orphans of World War II—they met because of that. Her mother had British and Nordic heritage, while her father was of French and Jewish descent. The "hybrid vigor" was evident in Catherine; even at twelve, she was incredibly cute and beautiful.

"I need to do something... Oh, by the way, 'that' should be arriving soon, right?"

As a reincarnated person—well, with a gender change—Catherine felt she had to do something. Her family lived in the suburbs of New York, and they were middle-class. But she couldn't let this life go to waste, even if she was just a little girl. There were still many things she could do.

After lying down for a while, she sat up and began to massage her feet.

Ballet may look beautiful, but incorrect methods can make the calves thick and the feet splayed, and wearing pointe shoes frequently can lead to deformed toes. Although Emma was once a professional ballet dancer, and the New York City Ballet School where Catherine studied was also very professional—the New York City Ballet School, School of American Ballet (SAB), is part of Lincoln Center and shares the same building as the famous Juilliard School, with a rich artistic atmosphere.

Although becoming a woman was terrible, Catherine did not give up. Even though being reborn in the 1950s and 1960s in America was somewhat difficult to adapt to.

Just then, Emma knocked on Catherine's door.

"Kate, a Mr. Robert is looking for you. He said he's from the paperback company... Kate, what have you done?"

"Kate" is a nickname for "Catherine," and she is called this at home.

So soon?!

Catherine's face was full of surprise. She didn't expect to have a talent for writing—although most of the plots were "referenced."

"I wrote something," she said excitedly, jumping up and opening the door.

Penguin Books, located in New York, is the oldest and largest publishing company in the United States.

Normally, the publisher would first send a letter and then call to schedule a meeting. Why did they come directly?

When Catherine followed her mother to the living room, she saw a young man in his twenties sitting nervously on a chair. Catherine understood.

"Ah... Oh... You... You are Miss Catherine?" Robert looked at the little girl walking toward him, his face full of disbelief.

This young man, who seemed to be just starting his career, was shocked by Catherine's age.

"Harry Potter."

That's right, what Catherine "wrote" was this novel, and she wrote three books at once and sent them all.

After all, she wasn't sure if such a novel would be popular in a different era, or if the publisher had the eye to recognize it.

But it seemed her plan was working.

After all, the fantasy trend sparked by "The Lord of the Rings" had just begun a few years ago, and it would surge again in ten years.

Even the "Dungeons & Dragons" series and various video games were influenced by "The Lord of the Rings," with orcs, elves, and the like.

But the modern setting of "Harry Potter" caught the attention of the editors at Penguin Books.

Such a novel, such a story, clearly subverted the fantasy world created by Tolkien and opened up a new realm.

Another reason Catherine chose this novel was that the "Harry Potter" series could be considered a fairy tale, and writing it at her age didn't seem too out of place.

"You're right, sir."

Catherine's words made Robert feel very uncomfortable.

Could his first business deal really be with a twelve-year-old girl?

Are you kidding me?

He thought the author was a middle-aged woman in her thirties with a motherly charm!

"I think you must be here for my novel," Catherine said, unable to bear his nervousness.

"Uh... Ah, yes!"

Robert pulled out a document from his briefcase.

"We will offer 10% royalties and a $50,000 advance, but we hope to buy the full rights to all three books..."

Royalties refer to the share of retail book sales. For example, 10% royalties on a $50 book means the author gets $5 for each book sold.

The 1960s were a golden age for American development. The Bretton Woods system had not yet collapsed, and the U.S. was still on the gold standard. The dollar was strong.

Catherine really doubted how this rookie passed the interview. The contract offered 7% royalties and a $20,000 advance, but he had already offered the bottom line...

After all, 10% royalties were already a lot for a new author.

Encountering such a rookie, Catherine naturally smiled.

"Kate, oh my God, Kate, you wrote a novel?"

Emma, standing nearby, was dumbfounded.

In fact, Emma had long confirmed that Catherine was a genius. She had been accepted into the Grier School, a prestigious all-girls school with only about 300 students, but one of the top 100 high schools in the U.S. It was not easy to get in without a certain level of ability.

Even when Catherine was just seven and started school, she showed remarkable "talent," scoring 120 on the AR (Accelerated Reader Test).

The AR test is a reading assessment. Third-grade students usually score around 20—this is the highest. Even for fifth graders, scoring 120 is rare.

At the time, Catherine chose "The Children's Bible."

In fact, if her English had been better, she might have considered reading "Das Kapital."

The teacher suggested transferring her to the city's gifted student school, which was for students with an IQ of 145 or higher. At least before George W. Bush cut funding for gifted students to support low-IQ children, these schools were very well-developed and excellent. American education was very responsible, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, a golden decade for the U.S., where everything was soaring and changing, and education was a top priority.

However, Catherine had self-awareness. She was just precocious, not necessarily high-IQ... hehe.

So Catherine declined the offer.

After talking with Robert and having Emma, her guardian, sign the contract, she finally reacted.

"What novel did you write?" Emma asked.

"Harry Potter, a story about magic."

Emma nodded. Children generally like to imagine strange and wonderful things.

"Um, I'm really looking forward to it. I'll tell your father about it."

Western education often has an inspirational aspect. Parents sometimes talk to their children as friends, using encouraging words and hopeful looks to motivate them.

"Of course, I'm a genius." If knowing 50 years of history didn't make her a genius, she would be ashamed.

In her previous life, although Catherine was a college graduate, she studied software engineering, and this world was one where personal computers had not yet been invented, and even the famous Intel founders were still working at Fairchild Semiconductor. In such a world, what use was her professional skills?

So, after coming to this world, Catherine never stopped learning. With her precociousness, she was considered a small "genius."

Catherine's goal was to earn enough for 200 years of living by the age of 20, and then enjoy life for 50 years.

After all, she had become a woman, so why not try something "new and unique"? Of course, she would never touch a man.