Returning to High School, Flushed by My Childhood Friend’s Rival

Zhu Zhixi, a woman who had spent her life devoted to her childhood sweetheart Gu Qishen, discovers his infidelity on the eve of their planned wedding. After twenty years of unwavering loyalty and five years of engagement, she finds a video of Gu Qishen with another woman, Wen Yuqing, wearing a ring identical to the one Zhu Zhixi possesses. Confronting him in a high-end boutique, she witnesses his cold indifference and his protective stance toward Wen Yuqing. Instead of begging for his return, Zhu Zhixi removes her engagement ring, declares she will marry someone else, and leaves him. She announces her intention to marry Xie Jin, a man with a crippled leg and a fierce reputation, who is also Gu Qishen’s sworn enemy. Before she can execute this plan, however, a desperate attacker stabs her in a parking lot, an act of revenge orchestrated by her own brother, Zhu Huaiqian, whose criminal actions have ruined lives.

Upon waking, Zhu Zhixi finds herself not in a hospital bed, but back in her high school classroom. She has重生 (reborn) to the moment just before the chain of tragedies began. In her previous life, this period marked the beginning of her brother’s downward spiral and her own tragic end. Realizing she has been given a second chance, Zhu Zhixi resolves to change her fate. She immediately seeks out her brother, Zhu Huaiqian, stopping him from engaging in a violent fight against Xie Jin. This intervention is crucial, as the original altercation led to Xie Jin’s leg injury and Zhu Huaiqian’s expulsion, which set off the catastrophic events that followed. Zhu Zhixi also confronts the root of her past pain: her relationship with Gu Qishen. She recognizes that his affection was never genuine love, but rather a habit formed from their shared childhood and her family’s closeness to his.

Zhu Zhixi begins to distance herself from Gu Qishen, refusing his attempts at reconciliation and ignoring his confusion at her sudden change in behavior. While Gu Qishen remains oblivious to the depth of his feelings, believing Zhu Zhixi’s anger is merely a temporary tantrum, she focuses on repairing her relationship with her brother and altering the timeline of disasters. She also takes a new interest in Xie Jin, the boy she once feared and avoided. In her past life, she had only interacted with him as an adult, knowing him as the ruthless business magnate known as "Xie the Cripple." Now, she sees the seventeen-year-old Xie Jin running a humble fried noodle stall in an urban village, struggling to make a living while nursing the aftermath of his injury.

Her approach is direct and uncharacteristic. She visits his stall, endures his sharp tongue and suspicion, and attempts to apologize on behalf of her brother. She also brings him health supplements, trying to care for the frail young man she remembers. Xie Jin, wary and guarded, initially rebuffs her, viewing her as just another member of the elite circle that looks down on him. However, he is intrigued by her sincerity and her willingness to stand up to the bullies who harass his stall. As Zhu Zhixi navigates this new reality, she must balance her academic struggles, her evolving dynamic with Xie Jin, and the growing tension with Gu Qishen, who refuses to accept her rejection. The story follows her efforts to dismantle the toxic dependencies of her past and build a future where she is no longer defined by her love for a man who never truly valued her.

Gu Qishen, accustomed to Zhu Zhixi’s unconditional availability, becomes increasingly unsettled by her detachment. He attempts to assert control, but she remains unmoved, treating him with the same polite indifference she shows others. Meanwhile, her relationship with Xie Jin deepens as she helps him navigate the dangers of his neighborhood and supports his small business. Xie Jin, in turn, begins to see past her privileged exterior, recognizing her genuine kindness and strength. The narrative explores the contrast between Gu Qishen’s possessive but shallow attachment and Xie Jin’s cautious, earned trust. Zhu Zhixi’s journey is one of self-discovery and redemption, as she works to prevent the tragedies that destroyed her family and herself, all while forging a new path with the man she once feared but now understands.