Ye Xiaoyu, a modern corporate worker in Beijing, dies unexpectedly and awakens in the body of a twenty-six-year-old woman in 1992 Yanjing, a parallel universe resembling China during the early reform era. The original Ye Xiaoyu was a factory worker from a rural background who married Yang Ligang, a technician at the same motor factory. Overworked and neglected, she gained significant weight and suffered emotional abuse from her husband, who had begun an affair with a younger colleague named Hu Wanwan. Driven to despair by her in-laws and husband, the original Ye Xiaoyu attempted suicide by gas poisoning, allowing the modern Ye Xiaoyu to take over her life.
Upon waking, Ye Xiaoyu immediately recognizes the danger of the gas leak and ventilates the apartment, securing her survival. She discovers she possesses only 3,840.83 yuan, all the money the original owner had managed to save in secret, while Yang Ligang withheld his income for himself and his mistress. Realizing the gravity of her situation, she visits a hospital to ensure she has no lasting physical damage from the poisoning and consults a traditional Chinese medicine doctor for advice on weight management. The doctor notes her surprisingly strong pulse, attributing it to robust vitality, and recommends dietary changes rather than medication.
Ye Xiaoyu’s primary conflict centers on escaping her toxic marriage and securing financial independence. She confronts Yang Ligang, who demands a divorce to marry Hu Wanwan, who is now pregnant. Instead of submitting, Ye Xiaoyu aggressively counters his demands. She threatens to expose his adultery to the factory and the media, which would ruin his career as a state-owned enterprise director. Using a kitchen knife to intimidate him and leveraging evidence provided by the mistress, she forces Yang Ligang to agree to a divorce settlement of 150,000 yuan and custody of their five-year-old son, Lexuan.
To enforce the agreement, Ye Xiaoyu takes leave from the factory and enlists the help of her second sister, Ye Ermei, and brother-in-law, Zhao Qing. They recruit three intimidating men to accompany Ye Xiaoyu to the motor factory, where they confront Yang Ligang in his office. Faced with physical intimidation and the threat of public scandal, Yang Ligang relents and transfers the money. Ye Xiaoyu also sells her job position at the factory for 800 yuan, severing her ties to the workplace that enabled her abuse.
The narrative shifts to Ye Xiaoyu’s new life as a single mother. She retrieves Lexuan from her in-laws, who had mistreated him, and begins to build a close bond with him. She rejects the traditional expectation of enduring family conflict, instead openly confronting her abusive in-laws and protecting her son from their negativity. She also advises her sister and brother-in-law to start a small business near a school, anticipating the economic shifts of the era. The story follows Ye Xiaoyu as she navigates the challenges of raising a child, managing her finances, and rebuilding her identity in a world that is both familiar and foreign, determined to live a life of autonomy and self-respect.
