Opening spoilers: The male lead does not end up with the female lead. They are each the protagonist of their own life, and the second male lead is the female lead’s destined partner. The male lead is reborn for the second time, the female lead for the third time, and the second male lead is reborn for the second and third times.
Synopsis from the male lead’s perspective
No one is the absolute protagonist.
Fan Ran had heard his grandmother say this countless times. When he was young, he didn’t understand what it meant. Later, he grew up and went abroad, where he stayed for five years. In a foreign land, he fell for someone and did things with youthful abandon that he would never have dared to do under his parents’ watchful eyes.
Just as the woman he loved found a boyfriend, he graduated from graduate school. With his parents urging him from across the ocean, he returned to China. Only after he got home did he realize that his childhood friend, whom he thought of as a younger sister, had been secretly in love with him for a long time. Even worse, his parents were discreetly trying to bring them together. He felt nothing for his quiet, gentle childhood friend, but still tacitly allowed his parents to do as they pleased.
Just as they were about to discuss marriage, a call from overseas rekindled the fire in his heart. After a sleepless night, he made a major decision. Ignoring his parents’ attempts to dissuade him, he packed his suitcase and flew abroad the very next day.
After a long and difficult journey to win her love, he eventually married the woman he loved. But their different personalities led to constant friction in their life together. He didn’t regret marrying her, but the endless domestic hassles left him feeling resentful.
Three years into their marriage, he brought her home to meet his parents for the first time. But his wife, who had grown up in a different environment, and his parents could never quite manage to live together harmoniously.
Just as he was in the midst of this ordeal, he got a second chance.
Synopsis from the female lead’s perspective:
She constantly worked hard because she was in love with the boy next door. In the eyes of others, she was already outstanding, but her insecurity in love kept her trapped in her feelings.
Later, when she learned that Fan Ran had fallen for someone else, she finally chose to let go. Before long, she married a senior she had known for years.
But her married life wasn’t as happy as she had imagined. Her husband loved her to the point of obsession. He not only controlled her social life, but even kept her from spending much time with their child.
Then one day, she was given another chance.
Theme: No one is the absolute protagonist
