Art Troupe Beauty Mistakenly Identifies the Wrong Army Officer

Meng Yingying, a professional dancer in her past life, dies and reincarnates into the body of an overweight, bullied girl with the same name in 1970s China. The original Meng Yingying was the daughter of a rural butcher, Meng Baichuan, who worked tirelessly to send her to the City Propaganda Team to learn dance, hoping she would join the prestigious Military Cultural and Arts Troupe. However, she was constantly mocked by her peers for her weight and lack of skill, and was exploited by the corrupt Director Lin, who demanded double tuition to keep her enrolled. Upon waking in the practice studio, Meng Yingying realizes she has traveled back in time to a pivotal moment. Using her professional dance expertise, she effortlessly performs complex routines that stun her coaches and classmates, proving her talent. Confronting Director Lin’s extortion, she refuses to pay the additional fees and resigns from the propaganda team, choosing to return home to her critically ill father.

Back in Mengjia Village, Meng Yingying finds her father, Meng Baichuan, on his deathbed. He is being pressured by his elder brother, Uncle Meng, and other relatives who covet the family’s two-story house. Uncle Meng proposes that Meng Yingying marry his adopted son, Dunzi, so the clan can seize the property under the guise of keeping it within the family. Meng Baichuan, knowing his daughter will be vulnerable after his death, reveals a childhood betrothal token exchanged with his former comrade-in-arms, Qi Zhenguo. He urges Meng Yingying to seek out his son, Qi Xiao’er, a rising officer in the military, to fulfill the marriage and secure her future. Meng Yingying, aware of the original story’s tragic outcome where Qi Xiao’er despises her and ruins her life, initially resists. However, seeing her father’s desperation and the predatory nature of her relatives, she agrees to the plan to protect herself and her father’s legacy.

Meng Baichuan sends a telegram to Qi Zhenguo, but receives no reply, leading him to believe the connection is severed. He then calls Qi Zhenguo directly, making a deathbed plea for his son to accept Meng Yingying. Qi Zhenguo agrees, despite his wife Chen Xiulan’s vehement opposition, as she views Meng Yingying as an unworthy butcher’s daughter who would ruin their younger son’s prospects. Qi Zhenguo firmly rejects his wife’s demands and insists on honoring the promise made to his savior. Meanwhile, Qi Xiao’er, who has a traumatic memory of being bullied by the heavyset girl in childhood, is horrified by the arrangement and desperately tries to escape the engagement, fearing a disastrous marriage.

Qi Xiao’er confides in his regimental commander, Qi Donghan, a stern and formidable man known for his integrity. Qi Donghan reprimands Qi Xiao’er for wanting to break a promise and for believing that marriage determines a soldier’s success. Unaware of the turmoil, Meng Yingying prepares to leave for the military unit. Her departure is marked by a poignant farewell with her best friend Zhao Yueru and Coach Chen, who regrets losing such a talented student. As Meng Yingying travels to Heilongjiang, she is determined to rewrite her fate. She plans to use the engagement not as a trap, but as a strategic move to gain independence and a stable position, intending to eventually cancel the marriage on her own terms while securing a career in the cultural troupe. The story sets the stage for her confrontation with the Qi family and her complex relationship with the rigid Commander Qi Donghan, who becomes an unexpected ally in her journey.