Beyond the Rules [Reborn]

[Substantially revised after completion.

1.

Shen Jin spent half his life being hated. As he lay dying, he regretted two things most:

First: rushing into a fire to save someone like an idiot. His face was ruined.

Second: not having made Xiao Congmo, that mute idiot, unable to get out of bed the night before. Then he would not have had the strength to follow Shen Jin into the fire, only to end up burned beyond recognition.

The character Jin in Shen Jin's name means restraint and confinement.

His mother hated her husband's drinking, gambling, and idleness, so she deliberately gave her son a name that carried a sense of warning and shackles.

But the name was more like a cruel joke.

Shen Jin was violent and quick to fight. He dropped out of school and never tried to be good.

All he wanted was to survive.

For as long as he could.

Xiao Congmo was an unexpected turn in his life, the only lifeline in an otherwise utterly miserable existence.

When he was seventeen, he skipped class and climbed over the school wall. Taking a shortcut past the county sports center, he saw some unlucky guy who collected scraps locked inside.

He picked up a scorching-hot rock and smashed open the metal door.

From then on, he had another burning-hot problem following him around.

Xiao Congmo couldn't speak. He usually kept his eyes down and tried to make himself as small as possible. Yet after that day, he learned to write love letters to a delinquent.

Yes, the delinquent was a guy.

Shen Jin thought, Damn gay romance.

Later, Xiao Congmo was gone, and Shen Jin read those letters until they were worn and frayed.

After being reborn by accident, Shen Jin decides to live differently. While he's at it, he'll bring home a certain scrap-collecting ancestor, clean him up, and put him on a pedestal.

2.

Xiao Congmo has known since childhood that Shen Jin was a delinquent and not someone to mess with.

He was always getting into fights, with a reckless, desperate streak, and was constantly bruised black and blue.

Xiao Congmo secretly swore he would never end up living like such a mess.

Later, this man tangled with him in the dead of night countless times, carefully looking after him for the rest of his life. He watched him rise step by step, shed the gloom that clung to him, and become someone everyone admired.

PS:

1. The love interest is not mute by birth. Later on, the male lead will find a doctor to treat him.

2. The author is a devoted shipper and loves the characters they've created.

3. Both leads have character flaws, but neither is weak overall.

4. They cherish each other; both are sexually inexperienced and each other's first love. Happy ending, and it shouldn't be too angsty.

5. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy!

Blurb first posted on July 30, 2025, and archived on Weibo.

Next novel: The Stingy Guy Learns to Spend

Qin Zhuo grew up scrimping and saving, toughing it out as he went. Stinginess and the urge to make money were carved into his bones.

His grades were average, so after graduating from high school, he decided to go out and make his own way.

Making it in a big city was hard. He did construction work, factory shifts, drove excavators, resold secondhand goods, and failed at starting a business three times. Eventually, Qin Zhuo fell ill.

He did the math and realized that after all those years of stumbling along, he was only twenty-three. He ran the numbers again. Great, he owed the bank two hundred thousand.

After leaving the hospital, Qin Zhuo rented a used car, driving it during the day and sleeping in it at night. This numb, repetitive existence ended on a stormy night.

The bad news: his car was wrecked.

The good news: the driver who hit him was behind the wheel of a luxury car worth tens of millions, so getting compensation was easy.

The neither-good-nor-bad news: the car's owner was Shen Shizhou, a top student from his high school class, though they weren't close.

Qin Zhuo recognized him for two reasons:

First, Shen Shizhou was exceptionally handsome.

Second, he was the long-lost son of a wealthy businessman.

After that day, Qin Zhuo became Shen Shizhou's personal driver.

Later, somehow, the two ended up in bed together, and Qin Zhuo became Shen Shizhou's driver, assistant, and lover.

Shen Shizhou gave him money, lots of money!

Through countless nights when they couldn't bear to part, Qin Zhuo didn't know whether he loved Shen Shizhou, but he sure loved Shen Shizhou's money.

Later, Shen Shizhou had an accident. As he lay dying, he clutched Qin Zhuo tightly and asked, "Besides money, what else are you missing?"

Qin Zhuo was at a loss for words. Shen Shizhou added, "From now on, take better care of yourself."

Later, Qin Zhuo was unexpectedly reborn in his senior year of high school.

Looking at himself, skinny and sallow, in a home with nothing but bare walls,

Qin Zhuo let out a long sigh. "Damn it! My house, my car, my investments...it's all gone!"

His gaze shifted to the window, and his heart suddenly raced. Whoa! My sugar daddy, Shen Shizhou!

Qin Zhuo knew he wasn't a good person. He had planned to latch onto this rich guy again before Shen Shizhou returned to his wealthy family. But the more he tried to protect him, the more he realized something was wrong with himself.

When Shen Shizhou fell, Qin Zhuo panicked.

When Shen Shizhou got sick, Qin Zhuo worried.

When Shen Shizhou was broke, Qin Zhuo paid up! Paid up! Paid up!

At last, he understood. Besides money, he was missing Shen Shizhou.

Qin Zhuo, top; Shen Shizhou, bottom

Stingy, unlucky top X scheming, possessive, secretly unhinged bottom

Reader's Guide:

1. Both the high school and adult portions have significant page time; the exact balance is undecided.

2. Qin Zhuo never figured out his feelings in his previous life because he never had the chance to spend money on his sugar daddy.

3. Focused on the main couple, no strict stance on character preferences. Readers can interpret them however they like; respect the characters.

4. They'll be very poor at first. Both of them.

5. Both are sexually inexperienced, strong, and each other's first love; they cherish each other. Happy ending!

6. Hope you all enjoy!

Blurb archived on Weibo on September 28, 2025.

Theme: Life's hurdles are crossed one step at a time, and slowly they all pass. Don't look back, and don't let go. You have flowers to see, clouds to watch drift by, and a lifetime to spend growing old with the person you love.