Rebirth 2007: Becoming the Original Influencer

Jiang Xue, a thirty-year-old woman who died from overwork, awakens in her fifteen-year-old body on July 3, 2007. She finds herself back in her childhood home, facing a mother, Liu Yan, who is abusive, biased, and eager to force her eldest daughter out of school to work in a factory. In her previous life, Jiang Xue had obeyed this demand, endured exploitation, and eventually escaped through education, but this time she intends to change her fate. The central conflict arises immediately when Liu Yan, frustrated by Jiang Xue’s refusal to be submissive, attempts to physically discipline her. Instead of cowering as she did in her past life, Jiang Xue fights back, biting her mother’s leg and threatening suicide by grabbing a sickle. She then kills a family chicken in the courtyard, using the act as a stark warning that she will not be treated like livestock. This display of defiance shocks her parents into a temporary standstill, allowing Jiang Xue to assert her boundaries and demand answers about her mother’s hatred.

Jiang Xue’s background is revealed through her memories: she was born to a mother who had been pregnant by another man before marrying Jiang Haiyang, a poor farmer. Raised primarily by her grandmother, Jiang Jiang, after her mother left for work, Jiang Xue grew up feeling unloved and insecure. Her grandmother favored her younger siblings and often used Jiang Xue as a pawn in family disputes. Her mother, Liu Yan, resented Jiang Xue for siding with the grandmother during childhood arguments and for being a reminder of her own difficult past. Despite these hardships, Jiang Xue had managed to excel academically in her previous life, eventually attending a key university and building a successful career, only to die from exhaustion. Now reborn, she possesses the mindset and knowledge of an adult, giving her a significant advantage in navigating the toxic family dynamics.

A key turning point occurs when Jiang Xue visits her former homeroom teacher, Yang Anzhi, who had died saving a child in her past life. She secures his promise to keep her student status while she works temporarily to earn tuition money, demonstrating her determination to continue her education. She also retrieves hidden money left by her grandfather, which she had forgotten in her previous life. With these resources, she prepares to leave for the city, not as a submissive victim, but as a strategic actor. She confronts her family about their financial exploitation, refusing to let her mother take her earnings. When her younger sister, Jiang Lu, attempts to steal money from her room at night, Jiang Xue catches her and publicly exposes the theft, forcing her parents to acknowledge her autonomy.

The story direction shifts as Jiang Xue leaves for S-City to work, but she does so on her own terms. She negotiates with her parents, insisting that her wages will be used for her education, not for her siblings’ expenses. Her mother, initially hostile, attempts to manipulate her with feigned affection, but Jiang Xue remains emotionally detached and vigilant. She recognizes that her family’s love is conditional and transactional, and she resolves to use their support only as a means to achieve her independence. The narrative follows her preparation for this new chapter, highlighting her internal growth from a people-pleasing child to a resilient young woman who prioritizes her own future over familial expectations. Her journey is one of reclaiming agency, breaking the cycle of abuse, and ensuring that she controls her own destiny through education and financial independence.