You Look a Lot Like My Boyfriend

Lin Zhi is a university student who has spent two years grappling with profound personal loss, including the death of his father and the disappearance of his best friend. In his current life, he maintains a long-distance relationship with an anonymous online boyfriend known only as "Zhi," whom he has never met in person or heard speak. While walking through People's Square in J City to meet Zhi for the first time, Lin Zhi witnesses a four-year-old boy running into the path of a speeding black sedan. Acting on instinct, Lin Zhi pushes the child to safety but is struck by the car, experiencing a moment of intense pain and impending death. As his vision fades, he receives a call from Zhi, but before he can answer, the world shifts violently.

Lin Zhi opens his eyes to find himself sitting in a high school classroom, startled awake by his desk mate, Chen Guyang. He realizes he has traveled back in time to his second year of high school, three years prior to his original timeline. The immediate shock gives way to a desperate hope that this is a second chance to rectify his past regrets. His first action is to call his father, Lin Qingye, whose voice is still strong and alive, confirming that the tragedy of his father's death from lung cancer has not yet occurred. Overcome with emotion, Lin Zhi resolves to change the trajectory of his life, focusing on preventing his father's illness from progressing and ensuring his friends do not suffer the same fates as before.

However, Lin Zhi discovers that his online boyfriend, Zhi, no longer exists in this timeline. His WeChat search returns no results, leaving him without his primary emotional support system. Complicating matters further is his re-emergence of feelings for Lu Liu, the class president and student body monitor. In his previous life, Lin Zhi had harbored a secret, unrequited crush on Lu Liu but never confessed, eventually pouring his romantic energy into the anonymous Zhi. Now back in high school, Lin Zhi attempts to avoid Lu Liu to protect his emotional stability, yet their paths cross repeatedly. He witnesses Lu Liu politely rejecting a female classmate's confession, a moment that reveals Lu Liu's true nature as someone who is kind but guarded.

The narrative deepens as Lin Zhi reconnects with his best friend, Yao Wenjing. In the original timeline, Yao Wenjing’s life spiraled out of control due to his abusive, gambling father, leading to a estrangement from Lin Zhi. Determined to help Yao Wenjing achieve his dream of attending university and escaping his home life, Lin Zhi uses his future knowledge to guide him. He also begins to study diligently, realizing that his previous academic mediocrity contributed to his regrets. Lu Liu, noticing Lin Zhi's efforts, offers to tutor him in mathematics. Their interactions grow more frequent, shifting from distant classmates to study partners, with Lu Liu displaying a patience and gentleness that Lin Zhi finds both comforting and confusing.

A significant turning point occurs when Lu Liu offers Lin Zhi a ride home after exams, introducing him to Lu Liu's warm and harmonious family. This contrasts sharply with Lin Zhi's own single-parent household and Yao Wenjing's traumatic home environment. During the car ride, Lin Zhi compliments Lu Liu's gentle nature, a trait Lu Liu’s mother confirms is well-known to his family, though Lu Liu himself seems reluctant to accept the label. This interaction marks a shift in their dynamic, moving Lin Zhi from avoidance to curiosity and gradual acceptance of Lu Liu's presence in his life.

As the story progresses, Lin Zhi balances his academic improvements with his efforts to support Yao Wenjing and navigate his complex feelings for Lu Liu. He begins to suspect that Lu Liu might be the person he once knew as Zhi, given the similarities in their supportive and intelligent nature. The narrative follows Lin Zhi's determination to rewrite his future, not only by saving his father and friend but also by confronting the romantic possibilities that now exist within his immediate reach. The tension between his past memories and present realities drives the plot forward, as Lin Zhi seeks to uncover the truth about his identity and relationships in this reborn timeline.