Lin Chuyi is dead.
He died by suicide, because of school bullying, because no one believed him, because he had struggled so hard to come into this world only to receive not even a little love.
He was not gloomy or malicious, and had none of the unusual traits of a typical redemption-story hero, like being "aloof" or "brooding." He was quiet and reserved, and almost never lost his temper. He was gentle and diligent, cared for his family from a young age, and ranked among the top students in his class.
His family was poor. He came from a remote mountain village. His father was an alcoholic and a gambler who liked to beat him. His mother worked in an occupation she could not openly discuss, and liked to scold him.
He earned a place at a prestigious middle school through his grades, becoming both the best student and the poorest student there.
His clothes didn't fit and were covered in patches. He was always bruised, and stood out from everyone else. Naturally, his classmates isolated and bullied him, even framing him.
The accusations made him the target of everyone's condemnation.
On an utterly ordinary night, he stood on the school's rooftop.
And jumped.
Du Yiran was an ordinary girl. Her grades were above average, and she came from a happy family.
If anything, her family had a little money, and she had a rebellious streak. But she always acted obedient and never caused trouble. She rarely did what she wanted.
She was an utterly ordinary bystander to school violence.
A little ordinary teenage defiance kept her at school late one night, and she happened to witness Lin Chuyi jump.
She came within a hair's breadth of catching him, though doing so would only have killed them both.
His vibrant life faded away right before her eyes. His blood slowly spread across the ground.
Du Yiran had never experienced such a shock. From then on, she could not sleep soundly for even a single night.
She had felt sorry for Lin Chuyi and treated him kindly, but had never truly helped him. She had never imagined things had gotten this bad for him.
Amid unbearable regret, she returned to the age of six.
She decided to save him.
*
A redemption story, with a devoted male lead. Though now that I think about it, the male leads in my other stories are basically all saved by the female leads, and they're devoted too... What's wrong with having one consistent preference?! (Says so with complete confidence.)
Synopsis posted on 2022.11.15 and archived.
Theme: Address school bullying and spread positive energy
An Unequal Relationship
Who Can Tame a Dangerous Monster?
Global Gossip
But in My Past Life, I Was Always Tormenting You
I Tormented My Childhood Friend a Thousand Times
Stockholm Syndrome
Death Warrior
Tough Guy