Xiao Yu didn’t think much of asking his ex-wife for her “secret” to breaking up teenage romances. Even if their relationship was cold, he assumed she wouldn’t hide it from him. He agreed to Liu Qianliu’s request with gusto.
When the call reached Hu Limin, she paused. Xiao Yu hadn’t cared about the details when Xiao Luocheng broke up; why bring it up now? Knowing how to protect her daughter’s privacy, she demanded to know why he was asking.
Xiao Yu didn’t hide it—he said Liu Qianliu wanted to learn from her.
Hu Limin understood immediately: this was about Han Doudou. Out of affection for her daughter’s best friend, she knew she couldn’t give advice to someone as impulsive as Liu Qianliu. If she shared her tactics and Liu Qianliu botched the execution, she’d be blamed. She flatly refused to help.
Unfazed by Xiao Yu’s frustration, Hu Limin called her daughter. Xiao Luocheng was exasperated to hear that Liu Qianliu was actually trying to “consult” her mother. She assured Hu Limin that Han Doudou wasn’t dating and that it was all Liu Qianliu’s paranoia.
The two girls texted each other later:
Han Doudou: “Your dad and my mom are truly a match.”
Xiao Luocheng: “Both are self-righteous and talk only to themselves.”
Han Doudou: “At least my parents are divorced.”
Xiao Luocheng: “Thank goodness mine are, too.”
…
Back home, Han Doudou flopped onto the sofa next to Han Ze. “Dad, can I trade my mom for a new one?”
“No,” Han Ze replied without looking away from the TV.
“I know I can’t,” she sighed. “I missed out on her love when I needed it most. Now she thinks she can buy a few outfits and start barking orders at my life? Her hands are reaching too far.”
Han Ze thought for a moment and said, “Your mother has always lived in her own world.”
“Dad, I promise I won’t date and I’ll follow the ‘Daughter’s Code.’ Can you please just keep her out of my business? I’m afraid she’ll make things impossible for me at school.”
Han Ze sighed and patted her hand. “I’ve been blocking her. You focus on school. I may not provide a wealthy life, but I can provide a peaceful one.”
Then, Han Ze dropped the truth: “Your mother suspects you because Xu Yining told her you were going out with a boy.”
Han Doudou was furious. She had considered Xu Yining a friend. Han Ze watched her and asked gently, “Are you angry?”
He explained that while Xu Yining might claim she was “worried,” a true friend would never snitch to a parent, knowing it could cause a “storm” at home. Han Doudou, with a cold smirk, realized it wasn’t a mistake—Xu Yining was smarter than most. She did it on purpose.
“Since you know she has ill intentions, keep your distance,” Han Ze advised.
…
Back at school, Han Doudou observed Xu Yining. Within a single minute, she saw Xu Yining look at He Lan three times with hidden affection.
She likes He Lan, Han Doudou realized. That was the motive.
Han Doudou kicked He Lan’s chair. “Hey, my mom found out about our dinner yesterday.”
He Lan turned around. “How?”
Han Doudou looked directly at Xu Yining. “Yining, my mom said you were the one who told her.”
Xu Yining turned pale and denied it instantly, but Han Doudou didn’t back down. “My mom might be unreliable, but she doesn’t lie about names. She specifically named you.”
Xu Yining turned to He Lan with teary eyes. “Lan, I didn’t… please believe me.”
“If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it,” He Lan said expressionlessly. He turned back to Han Doudou. “Bring me the problems you don’t understand. I’ll explain them before class starts.”
Han Doudou eventually changed her seat. Xu Yining watched them from afar, her heart full of resentment. Though He Lan didn’t officially date Han Doudou during high school, he never let anyone else get close to her.
..
After graduation, Han Doudou got into a top provincial university. He Lan went to study in the US. Before leaving, he found her.
“If you want to date during these four years, find me,” he said.
“What?” Han Doudou gaped.
“If you want to date, find me. If you want to marry, find me.”
“And if I never want to marry?”
He patted her head. “Wake up, stop dreaming.”
Han Doudou realized he was confessing. She agreed to try a long-distance relationship. When she brought him home to meet Han Ze, the father’s face darkened initially.
“Dad,” Han Doudou teased, “this is He Lan. He’s been using ‘tutoring’ as an excuse to get close to me for over a year. He ignored all the other failing students just to help me. You should give him a hard time!”
Han Ze laughed, realizing the boy’s seriousness. He accepted them.
Han Doudou and He Lan married at age thirty. At the wedding, they saw Pan Hao. He was a successful elite now, but he looked lonely. Xu Yining, in her obsession to win He Lan, had offended a powerful family during her time abroad and ended up in prison.
Han Ze lived to be a gray-haired old man. On his deathbed, surrounded by his daughter and grandchildren, he smiled. “Don’t cry. I’ve worked hard all my life; it’s time to rest.”
[Mission Complete: Changed the fates of Han Doudou, Xiao Luocheng, and He Lan. Reward: 600 points.]
Han Ze returned to the void. The system explained that by changing how Xiao Yu parented, Xiao Luocheng’s tragic original fate was also rewritten.
“Next world,” Han Ze said.
…
The scene shifted. Han Ze opened his eyes to a dim, damp room. The air smelled of mold. He was lying in a cramped hut made of rammed earth and thatch.
“System, send me the memories.”
In this world, he was Han Ze, the eldest son of Han Youtian. Because he was physically weak, he couldn’t do farm work. He had spent his life studying. His teacher said he was a genius and sent him to the town’s private school.
His father, Han Youtian, pinned all the family’s hopes on him, starving the rest of the family to pay for his tuition. At seventeen, he became a Tongsheng and married the daughter of a cloth merchant, Wang Shi.
However, his health was his undoing. Every time he entered the high-level imperial exams, he fainted from the stress and had to be carried out. This happened repeatedly over several years. Now, at twenty-five, he had four children—two sons and two daughters—but no official title. His younger brothers’ wives were beginning to resent supporting a “sickly scholar” who produced no results.
In the original timeline, Han Ze died at twenty-five.
But there was a twist: his eldest daughter was the “Female Lead” of an original story. However, a “Cannon Fodder” character had been reborn. This reborn woman hated the daughter’s family and was using her knowledge of the future to ruin them, leading to a miserable end for the whole household.
Mission: Survive, protect the family, and pass the Imperial Exams.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152