DANMEI Reading List (RAW) Pt. 2

359. Reborn to Strive

Translator: Yong Yuan Chun

Chapters: 183 + 21 Extras

Tags: 90s, poor to rich, gong MC, rebirth (later, double rebirth)

Synopsis:

Shi Zhen spent half a lifetime donating to charity, and after his death he went even further and gave away all his wealth.

The Heavens most likely took pity on him and he was reborn back to the year 1994.
At that time he had just come of age. He was hungry, and lived beneath a bridge, but the events he regretted had not yet occurred. His beloved person was still alive.

Impressions: Love it! I saw this among the new novels picked up for translation so I couldn't help but MTL it :3

Set in the 90s, our MC is a poor boy from the countryside who went outside to work. They encounter a black-hearted Boss and MC's cousin dies cos the Boss refused to pay medical fees when he got injured in the construction site. MC swore to revenge so he worked hard to become a Boss himself and fought with the guy for projects. Laters, he meets shou and they get together and he also achieves his revenge. Before getting jailed, the guy tries to run over MC, shou pushes MC away and dies. MC lived a lonely life, donating to charity and then he dies.

Then he is reborn to when he just left their village. MC knows that shou lived a hard life so he found him early and pretended to be his cousin so he has a reason to help him. Since MC is older, he always thought that he led shou astray/caused shou to bend, that's why he decided to be just 'family' with shou from now on. Then it's poor-to-rich arc with MC finding jobs at the construction site, setting up stalls etc. Laters, he took his family out from the village and gave them the food stalls so they can earn their own money. In the last life, after MC became rich, he became lavish and paid for everything for his family. As a result, his family depended on him FOR EVERYTHING. Grandchildren are sick? Call MC to drive them to the hospital. Don't know how to use the appliances? Call MC. No more money? Call MC. Our MC is too...responsible!  It's so...messy. Anyways, in this life, he wanted his family to know how to earn money and to earn it for themselves. It's mostly business management, family, MC raising shou.

Laters...shou bent. He tried to 'woo' MC but MC pretends to be ignorant. Then, the shou dreamt of the past life. And he realized that MC must be reborn too and they're not really cousins. Then he attacks MC and gets him in one fell swoop XD He feels bad for MC cos he feels that MC must've suffered for him to be so mature now, and that MC must really love him that's why he looked for him after he was reborn. In the last life, shou and MC is actually both insecure in their relationship. Shou feels that he is not worthy of MC and MC feels like he 'bent' shou and shou might not love him as much as he does. 

Anyways, they are more lovey dovey/straightforward in this life. They tell both sides (MC parents and shou's real parents) about their relationship. Shou's character also became 'less innocent' after he gets his past life memories. Then its shou's business management next. Since he died early, he asks MC about the future developments but MC can only tell him about the general direction since he's not really techie/doesn't use the internet much. Shou establishes his own career. Ending is shou & MC meeting the black-hearted Boss again in this life and solving him before he can harm them. Shou also gets into a car accident but only got minor injuries. Extras is shou being reborn in the last life. He prevented his death and took care of MC's messy family situation, and also MC's health (cos MC only lived for 20 years after shou died). Also extras about MC's cousin (the one who died in the last life) and nephew plus some loose ends (MC Mom's relatives etc)

I like this. It set in the 90s. I like MC's responsible personality, the poor-to-rich/career building, helping his family but not too much. Although its rebirth, MC still basically built his career from scratch. The people, the capital etc. are all earned thru MC's hard work (Sorry investor reincarnators XD)  Shou as well, cos he died early in the previous life and MC can't really point him the specifics, his ideas/career doesn't feel that much of a 'cheat' (He still made investments though) and all the loose ends (even MC Mom's identity) were all nicely ended. ^^ 

Read for 90s career building with gong MC. Nearest reco: Restart 1991.