Reborn in 1985: My Legendary Era

Reborn in a Time of Change tells the story of Su Ran, an ordinary middle-aged man who unexpectedly returns to 1985. Armed with memories of the next forty years, he turns his life around amid the tides of the times. Reborn as a ten-year-old boy, he plans his life with remarkable foresight: in middle school, he outsmarts his rivals in campus drama and first meets his childhood sweetheart, Lin Xiao, in the library, planting the seeds of a lifelong romance. As the college entrance exams approach, he stands firm against the naysayers and chooses the sciences, while making a pact with the talented humanities student Lin Xiao to grow together. In college, he spots the potential of the internet early and builds a tech empire, starting with social networking software. He weathers the trials of entrepreneurship, a housing crisis, romantic betrayal, and many other challenges, ultimately building a business spanning technology, healthcare, culture, and more.

Business rivalries form the backbone of the story, set against the sweeping changes of the Reform and Opening Up era: from the rush to go into business in the 1990s to the internet bubble at the turn of the millennium, from the decade-long real estate boom to the rise of the mobile internet. The protagonist hits every turning point with uncanny precision. The story also follows three generations and their legacy: Su Ran and Lin Xiao's love lasting four decades; their son Su Yue's journey from rebellious music-loving boy to rising tech entrepreneur; and the family business's transformation, as it passes from one generation to the next, from commercial empire into a custodian of culture.

Through the lens of rebirth, the novel shows how an ordinary person can change his fate through knowledge, seize opportunities amid the currents of the times, and find balance between profit and his original ideals. It offers both the thrilling business battles of a self-made man and the steadfast love of childhood sweethearts; both the twists and turns of internet entrepreneurship and the craftsman's dedication to preserving traditional culture. In the end, the protagonist moves from accumulating wealth to achieving spiritual fulfillment, weaving his personal struggle into the nation's development and composing an epic of reinvention that spans a century.