Rebirth in the 1980s: After a Fiancé Swap She Married a Military Officer and Was Spoiled Rotten

Jiang Wan awakens in 1983, having been reborn to the moment before her tragic death in her previous life. In that past existence, her stepsister, Jiang Qiuyue, stabbed her after Jiang Wan helped her former fiancé become the wealthiest man in the country. Jiang Wan realizes that Qiuyue has also been reborn and is now attempting to steal her fiancé and her destined marriage into the wealthy Gao family. Confronted by her stepmother, Zhang Yan, and her father, Jiang Hai, who demand she switch marriages with her stepsister, Jiang Wan agrees but sets strict conditions. She demands the return of her dowry, the repayment of wages she had given the family, and the return of her mother’s jade bracelet. When her family hesitates, Jiang Wan takes a cleaver to the courtyard and publicly accuses her father of forcing his daughter to suicide, exposing their greed and the stepsister’s infidelity to the entire neighborhood. Fearing the scandal will destroy his reputation and position as factory director, Jiang Hai capitulates to all her demands.

After securing her money and possessions, Jiang Wan empties her father’s study of her grandfather’s valuable antiques and paintings, which he had illegally appropriated, and flees to the coastal town of Shichun Station. There, she reunites with her childhood friend, Lin Xiaohe, who is trapped in a miserable life caring for her bedridden mother and oppressive sister-in-law. Jiang Wan begins her business career by purchasing dried seafood from local fishermen. During this time, she encounters Chen Sunye, a stoic military officer who had been searching for her for two years. Chen Sunye protects Jiang Wan from Liu San, a local hooligan who had previously tormented Xiaohe, and returns a lost introduction letter to her. Jiang Wan remains guarded, unaware that Chen Sunye is the pen pal she had corresponded with in her youth.

Jiang Wan travels to Guangzhou, the forefront of China’s economic reform, to sell the dried seafood at a significant profit. She establishes a reliable supply chain with a local restaurant chef and accumulates a substantial amount of capital. Using her profits, she purchases fashionable goods such as watches, sunglasses, and bags in Guangzhou and Shanghai, planning to resell them in Haicheng. Her business acumen allows her to build financial independence quickly. Meanwhile, back in Haicheng, Jiang Hai’s illegal appropriation of assets is exposed, leading to his investigation and removal from his position as factory director. His family is left destitute and disgraced, a stark contrast to Jiang Wan’s rising success.

Jiang Wan returns to Haicheng as a prosperous independent trader, wearing fashionable clothes that draw attention. She intends to continue building her business empire while ensuring Xiaohe does not fall into the same tragic fate as in her previous life. The narrative follows her strategic navigation of the early reform era, leveraging her future knowledge to accumulate wealth and escape the toxic dynamics of her family. Her relationship with Chen Sunye remains a developing subplot, as he continues to watch over her from a distance, while she focuses on establishing her own future separate from the men who once controlled her life.