Back To The Years When My Dad Was The School Heartthrob

Lu Yan, a pampered daughter of a wealthy family, dies in a car accident and is reborn into the past. However, she does not return to her own fifteen-year-old body but to the era before her birth, inhabiting the body of a girl who looks identical to her father’s missing younger sister. The Lu family patriarch, Lu Jian, lost his youngest daughter to human traffickers years prior, leaving him with deep trauma and guilt. Lu Yan finds herself stranded in Beicheng in the early 2000s, penniless and unrecognized, forced to survive on the streets while searching for her father, Lu Zhen. Her goal is to prevent the future bankruptcy of the Lu Group, which was caused by the ruthless schemes of her future rival, Shen Kuo.

After days of wandering, Lu Yan locates Lu Zhen at his high school, where he is known as a rebellious rich heir. She intercepts his motorcycle, pretending to be a homeless girl seeking money and food. Lu Zhen, initially hostile, notices her striking resemblance to his lost sister and agrees to take her in, believing she might be the mentally disabled sibling he abandoned. During this time, Lu Yan learns that Lu Zhen’s girlfriend, Shu Mengfei, is drifting away from him and growing close to Shen Kuo, a poor but ambitious classmate who will later destroy Lu Zhen’s business empire. Lu Yan visits Shen Kuo at a pool hall to intervene, offering him money to stay away from her father’s girlfriend, but Shen Kuo remains cold and indifferent.

When police raid the pool hall, Lu Yan is separated from Lu Zhen and rescued by Shen Kuo, who shields her from the crowd. Despite her fear of him, she attempts to apologize for her father’s behavior, showing a sincerity that confuses Shen Kuo. Later, Lu Yan works part-time as a singer at a karaoke bar to earn money, where she encounters Shen Kuo again. He helps her escape a debt trap at an arcade by winning money through skillful gameplay, revealing a hidden competence beneath his gloomy exterior. Their interactions highlight the stark contrast between Lu Zhen’s impulsive bullying and Shen Kuo’s quiet resilience.

Lu Yan is brought to the Lu family mansion, where she faces opposition from Lu Jian’s second wife, Shi Xuexian, and her daughter, Shi Ya. Shi Xuexian fears Lu Yan’s return will threaten her own daughter’s status and inheritance. Lu Yan decides to attend Beicheng No. 3 High School to stay close to her father and monitor Shen Kuo’s rise. She defies expectations by taking the entrance exam independently, scoring 614 points and securing a scholarship, shocking her stepmother and stepsister. This academic success marks a turning point, establishing her legitimacy within the family and setting the stage for her to alter the course of history.

As Lu Yan settles into her new life, she navigates the complex dynamics of the Lu family while maintaining a cautious relationship with Shen Kuo. She witnesses the harsh realities of his poverty and the prejudice he faces from neighbors. Lu Yan resolves to protect her father from the emotional and business disasters that await him, using her knowledge of the future to guide his choices. The story follows her efforts to bridge the gap between her father and Shen Kuo, aiming to prevent the bitter enmity that will define their adult lives and threaten the family’s prosperity.