Chapter 2  

He Yang took a deep breath and pushed the door open.  

The warm aroma of food rushed to greet her. On the dining table were two vegetable dishes and one meat dish—the latter being He Shunli’s signature Spicy Sauce Duck.  

He Shunli and He Qingquan were already seated in their chairs.  

Li Yazhen set down three bowls of freshly scooped rice on the table and distributed the chopsticks. “Old He rarely cooks. Qingquan, eat up.” She picked up a duck leg and placed it in He Qingquan’s bowl, then took the other one and gave it to He Shunli.  

He Yang crossed her arms and watched coldly. After closing the door, she set her rain-soaked backpack by the entrance, ignoring her drenched clothes, and walked to the table with a forced grin. “Dad, Mom, I’m home.”  

Without waiting for their stunned reactions, she went to the kitchen, grabbed a pair of chopsticks and an empty bowl, then sat down at the table. She picked out two of the meatiest duck pieces and stuffed them into her mouth. “Dad, this is delicious!”  

He Shunli gave an awkward smile, not expecting her to return so early. “…Aren’t you working tonight?”  

He Yang chewed on the meat, speaking vaguely between bites. “The rain’s too heavy. Uncle Li said there wouldn’t be many customers tonight, so he let me come home early.”  

The spiciness made her stick out her tongue and pant a little. She looked as if she hadn’t eaten in days, shoveling another large piece into her mouth, ignoring He Shunli’s pained expression. “Business at Uncle Li’s restaurant has been decent lately. Been pretty busy—exhausting, really.”  

Hearing this, the others couldn’t say much. They could only watch as she piled the best cuts of meat into her bowl, stacking them high despite having no rice underneath. For a moment, the dining table fell silent, everyone scrambling to grab meat before He Yang took it all.  

She tore into the duck with force, even crunching the bones between her teeth.  

On her way back, she had roughly pieced together her current situation.  

Her school uniform bore a badge with her class information: Senior Year, Class 4.  

Inside her uniform pocket was an old flip phone, displaying the exact date. Right then, a message from Uncle Li came through, telling her not to come in due to the heavy rain.  

She stared at the message for a long time before remembering who Uncle Li was.  

Uncle Li’s parents and Li Yazhen’s parents had been neighbors in Luofeng Village, on good terms. Before middle school, He Yang had lived with her grandfather. After his passing, she was brought to Yangkui Town.  

Uncle Li had met He Yang during a visit to the countryside, and she had called him “uncle” ever since. Naturally, he treated her with the kindness of an elder toward a younger.  

Uncle Li ran a modest restaurant in Yangkui Town. Seeing He Yang’s pitiable state, he immediately offered her part-time work during her free time, paying her generously.  

As for why He Yang was pitiable…  

She let out a cold laugh.  

Because her parents favored sons over daughters. In poor, backward small towns, people generally believed girls had no future beyond marriage. There was even a saying: “A married daughter is like spilled water.” After her grandfather’s death, when she was brought to Yangkui Town, her parents treated her like a thief.  

Back then, she was young. Who didn’t crave their parents’ love?  

She threw herself into her studies, pushing through sleepless nights in her first year of high school, making rapid progress. But her parents still ignored her, even mocking her for “wasting money” on education.  

If it was about money, then fine. He Yang secretly vowed to earn her keep, handing over every penny from her part-time jobs. Even after graduation, she sent most of her salary home, keeping only enough for daily expenses.  

And yet?

Heh…

It was only after starting work that He Yang realized one thing: even with a stable job and sending most of her salary to her parents every month, in their eyes, she still wasn’t as promising as the lazy and gluttonous He Qingquan.

She finally saw the truth—it was never about the money.

If only she had been born with that extra appendage, her parents would have treasured her even if she were a complete mess.

What truly crushed He Yang was her first year working.

City A was a big metropolis with expensive rent, utilities, and living costs. Back then, she was naive and gave all her money to her parents, leaving almost nothing for herself. Then came the call demanding she contribute to He Qingquan’s wedding home purchase. As a fresh graduate, where was she supposed to get that kind of money? She scraped together what she could and sent it back.

That same night, she came down with a high fever. Penniless and drained dry by her family, she deliriously called her mother, clinging to a warmth she never truly had. But her mother told her to figure it out herself.

With no options left, she resigned herself to fate.

In the end, she didn’t get her wish. She woke up in the hospital.

The nurse said if she’d arrived any later, the fever would have left her brain-damaged.

When she asked who brought her in, the nurse smiled and said, “Your boyfriend.”

He Yang was completely baffled—she was single!

The nurse couldn’t provide more details, but after learning her “boyfriend” had covered all her medical expenses, He Yang concluded it must have been a kind stranger who chose to remain anonymous.

In a way, He Yang considered herself lucky.

Why? Because just when things seemed hopeless, fate would suddenly twist in her favor, making her sometimes wonder if someone was watching over her.

But this inexplicable streak of luck finally dealt her a fatal blow when she least expected it: sending her back to the past.

The word “past” was a sore subject.

Some longed to return to fix regrets or start over. But He Yang? She’d studied hard, aced her exams, and finally made it to university and a stable job—only to be forced to restart from scratch…

It was like choking on blood, the sheer frustration!

After dinner, she naturally cleared the table and swept the floor spotless, her efficiency cutting off Li Yazhen’s brewing complaints before they could start.

After washing up, He Yang muttered about homework and retreated to her room.

The He family’s finances were modest, and as the daughter, He Yang got the worst room—a converted storage space, narrow and tiny, perpetually shaded.

Lying on the musty bed, her mood soured further. But no matter how bleak, life went on. One of her strengths was optimism. Even facing utter chaos, she could reorganize and push forward.

Staring at the ceiling, He Yang vented a few quiet curses before abruptly sitting up. She grabbed her backpack and dumped its contents onto the small desk.

The pressing issue now was the impending college entrance exams in a few months. No matter how diligently she’d studied before, she’d long forgotten most of it.

As an arts student, other subjects were manageable, but politics and history required massive memorization—everything she’d once learned was gone.

Flipping through test papers with a headache, a fluorescent yellow square suddenly flashed before her eyes.

She picked it up and realized it was her phone.

To be precise, it belonged to the 24-year-old He Yang—a smartphone with a fluorescent yellow case that read “Retire Early” on the back.

She pressed the buttons a few times, but the screen remained black, the dangling rabbit plushie swaying gently.

The little rabbit was snow-white and fluffy, dressed in something resembling an Ultraman transformation suit, with a majestic Red War Robe draped over its back.

The rabbit had bright red eyes and ears standing tall.

He Yang stared at it, lost in thought.

Truth be told, the origin of this rabbit plushie was quite mysterious.

She had grown up in the countryside, where kids were wild—climbing trees and swimming in rivers—and she was no exception. After watching Ultraman, she often declared herself a hero saving the world. Sometimes, after watching a period drama, she’d claim to be a great general, draped in a majestic war robe.

She never imagined there’d be a plushie like this—wearing an Ultraman suit and a general’s war robe, and just happening to be her zodiac animal.

She found this plushie in her desk compartment the year she graduated from high school.

Written on it in neat handwriting was: “He Yang, happy graduation.”

She had no idea who left it there. After discreetly asking around for a long time with no leads, she set it aside—though she adored the plushie.

As it turned out, the plushie adored her too.

It even followed her back through rebirth.

After letting her thoughts wander for a while, He Yang flipped through her exam papers but couldn’t focus on a single word. So she happily gave herself the night off and went to bed.

Before falling asleep, she even cheerfully wished that this was all a dream—that she’d wake up, eat her takeout, take an afternoon nap, and head to work.

Unfortunately, when she woke up, He Yang was still there.

She ruffled her hair in resignation and went to school.

The atmosphere in the senior year classroom was thick with tension. The moment He Yang stepped inside, she was immediately swept up in it. She pulled out her first-year textbooks and started reviewing from the beginning.

Lin Kexin leaned over mysteriously. “I’ve discovered a huge secret!”

Lin Kexin was He Yang’s good friend. They had attended college in the same city and stayed in touch after starting work.

He Yang, however, was completely absorbed in relearning lost knowledge. “Hmm.”

Lin Kexin: “It’s about Su Wei.”

He Yang frowned. “Su Wei?” She barely remembered.

Lin Kexin: “Yesterday on my way home, guess what I saw? Su Wei was with Zhao Miao! But it looked like Su Wei was the only one interested—Zhao Miao didn’t seem to want to walk with him. Do you think Su Wei has a crush on Zhao Miao? Zhao Miao’s famously aloof, and a top student like her wouldn’t bother with someone who doesn’t do well academically.” Seeing He Yang’s lack of reaction, Lin Kexin was stunned. “…Wait, didn’t you like Su Wei?”

He Yang froze, trying hard to recall. “I think so?”

Before Lin Kexin could say more, He Yang cut in, “Kexin, it’s morning self-study time. If the homeroom teacher catches you talking, you’ll get punished.”

Lin Kexin immediately cowered and opened her book to start memorizing.

A while later, Lin Kexin propped up her textbook as a shield. “He Cheng’s absent again. He looks like a vampire from a movie—his skin’s so pale, no wonder he’s always sick. He takes leave every few days, and today’s no exception.”

He Yang replied absentmindedly, “You pay a lot of attention to him.”

Lin Kexin smiled and said, “She’s pretty and gets good grades—it’s hard not to notice her.” Then she muttered under her breath, “Class One is on the east side, and the east staircase is the closest. So why does she pass by our classroom door every morning… Don’t you think that’s strange?”

He Yang wasn’t interested and quietly recited his notes.