Caught by the Male Lead and Can’t Escape

He Yang, a twenty-four-year-old woman who had secured a stable civil service job after years of diligent study, finds her life upended when she is sent back in time to her senior year of high school. Waking up in the pouring rain outside Yang Kui Number One High School, she initially believes she is dreaming or trapped in a fictional rebirth scenario. However, the physical sensations and the weight of her school uniform confirm she is truly back in the past. Frustrated by the prospect of restarting her academic journey after having already achieved her goals, she struggles to accept her situation. Her family dynamic is strained; her parents favor her younger brother, He Qingquan, while she has spent her life sending her earnings home, only to be treated as an afterthought. She resolves to navigate this second chance with caution, focusing on surviving the college entrance exams while maintaining her part-time job at Uncle Li’s restaurant.

Her first encounter with He Cheng occurs on that rainy day. He Cheng, a wealthy and strikingly handsome student from the elite Class 1, notices He Yang sitting alone in the downpour. Despite his usual aloofness and frail health, he approaches her and offers his umbrella. He Yang, confused by his kindness, accepts it as he flees to a waiting black sedan. Later, she learns through her classmate Lin Kexin that He Cheng is the top student, known for his beauty, wealth, and emotional distance. He Cheng has secretly followed He Yang for three years, watching her from afar while hiding his own deteriorating health and obsessive feelings. He believes he is unworthy of her and that his dark desires would only ruin her bright future, so he maintains a silent, shadow-like presence in her life.

The narrative shifts when He Yang, delivering food on her electric scooter, witnesses He Cheng being cornered by a group of thugs in a dangerous part of town. Remembering his vulnerability from previous encounters, she impulsively rescues him, speeding away on her scooter to escape his pursuers. This act of bravery breaks the barrier between them. He Cheng, overwhelmed by her intervention and the proximity to her, becomes increasingly attached. He offers her a replacement electric bike as repayment and invites her to his lavish home, Tianhe Grand Residence, to wait out a sudden storm. He Yang agrees, unaware of the intensity of his obsession.

At the He residence, the tension escalates. He Cheng’s housekeeper, Jiang Xuehui, harbors secret feelings for him and resents He Yang’s presence. When He Yang goes upstairs to check on He Cheng, who has developed a fever, she encounters Jiang Xuehui, who warns her to keep her distance. Later, Jiang Xuehui attempts to invade He Cheng’s private room, only to be violently repelled by him in a fit of protective rage. He Cheng, suffering from a fever and his repressed desires, nearly loses control when He Yang touches his forehead to check his temperature. He retreats into the bathroom, terrified that she might discover the safe filled with photos and mementos of her that he has collected over the years. The story concludes with He Yang caring for the feverish He Cheng, while Jiang Xuehui lies injured on the floor, setting the stage for a complex dynamic between the reborn girl, the obsessive young master, and the jealous housekeeper.