Before I Abandoned my Husband and Children, I was Spoiled (70s)

Shen Yiyi, a veteran agent of the Fast-Travel Bureau, completes her 999th mission as a vicious supporting female character in the novel Reversing to a Perfect Life. In the story, she played a woman obsessed with the male protagonist, Lin Jiadong, who abandoned her husband, Li Chen, and their three sons to follow him. This betrayal led to Lin Jiadong’s manipulation, the family’s ruin, and ultimately Shen Yiyi’s death at Lin’s hands. However, the post-mission vision reveals a divergence from the original plot: instead of being discarded, Li Chen and the three sons are consumed by grief and hatred. They dedicate their lives to destroying Lin Jiadong, with Li Chen driving a car into him and the sons serving life imprisonment for assault. The system explains that Li Chen’s profound love for Shen Yiyi broke the narrative constraints, altering their fates entirely.

Overcome with guilt and genuine affection for the family she neglected in her previous life, Shen Yiyi refuses to retire to a new world. Instead, she uses her two retirement wishes to strip Lin Jiadong of his protagonist halo, turning the story into a free world, and to acquire a personal space filled with renewable resources. She is immediately transported back to 1973, moments before she originally abandoned her family. Determined to make amends, she resolves to love Li Chen and their three sons wholeheartedly, using her infinite supplies to improve their lives.

Upon her return, Shen Yiyi finds her sons being bullied by local children who steal the fish Li Chen caught for them. She intervenes, protecting the boys and asserting her authority. The incident reveals the deep emotional bond between the children and their father, as well as the neglect they suffered due to her previous indifference. Shen Yiyi takes charge of their daily care, bathing them, cooking nutritious meals with ingredients from her space, and fostering a warm family environment. Her transformation confuses and suspiciously delights Li Chen, who has long accepted her coldness but refuses to divorce her.

Conflict arises when Li Tiezhu, the son of Li Chen’s third brother, falsely claims Shen Yiyi injured him to extort food. Jiang Ailing, Tiezhu’s mother and the sister of the novel’s female protagonist, confronts Shen Yiyi aggressively. Shen Yiyi calmly exposes the lie, revealing Tiezhu’s greed and the children’s loyalty to her. Li Chen disciplines Tiezhu for bullying, and Shen Yiyi extends kindness to the rest of the family, including Li Chen’s parents, further solidifying her new role within the household. This act of generosity surprises the family, particularly Mother Li, who had grown accustomed to Shen Yiyi’s hostility.

As Shen Yiyi continues to nurture the family, Li Chen remains wary of her sudden change, suspecting ulterior motives such as a planned divorce. Despite his suspicion, he is unable to reject her kindness, and small moments of connection begin to form between them. Shen Yiyi’s efforts to integrate into the family and provide for them mark a significant shift from her original character arc. She is no longer the passive, neglectful wife but an active, caring matriarch who uses her resources to ensure her family’s well-being and happiness.

The narrative sets the stage for Shen Yiyi to navigate the challenges of the 1970s while rebuilding her relationships. With Lin Jiadong’s protagonist status removed, the original plot’s inevitability is broken, allowing Shen Yiyi and Li Chen to forge their own path. The story focuses on her redemption, the healing of familial bonds, and the potential for genuine love to develop between her and Li Chen, who has always loved her despite her past cruelty. Shen Yiyi’s journey is one of atonement and the creation of a perfect life she once failed to appreciate.