Lower rating because ML died at the beginning of the arc 😢

ARC 1: The FL is a mentally sick young lady, when I say mentally sick, I mean she is as slow as a child or in broader terms a fool/dumb. The ML on the other hand, should one call him a yandere like the reviewer above? Broadly yes, it would seem so but in my standpoint reading more into his background and history, like the FL, I also believe he's mentally sick but the type wherein he seems to have OCD with a tendency of possessiveness for things he wants which is also connected to this OCD.

Now I do have to point out that there is a so called transmigrated (not reborn) woman in this story who is from the modern times and acts like those villains who bring up their modern ideas to the the past but the author handles it and explains it well. The author paints this woman as a naive and vain woman who thinks she's a holy saint here to save a man she only knew in her history class as a romantic. The author does an exceptional writing on these villains giving them character despite how annoying they are. Retribution is a price of their arrogance and actions and the author uses fate to cause these retributions instead of the leads handling it making feel a little realistic in a way that one can only learn and realize their mistakes by their own reflection and understanding. Honestly it's more impactful to me as it makes it clear to these villains that it isn't simply because the FL or ML have power and luck on their side but it's because of their decisions and actions alone that led them to a bleak end.

Now moving on to its extremely high and nearly perfect rating. Honestly, as a starting arc the first few chapters were confusing and surprising to read with its odd but unique way of showing point of views and storytelling. The reason why I gave it a 4.7 which you'll know is the lowest I'll be giving compared to the other 3 arcs is because although I found our FL endearing and cute, as a reader it just didn't make me feel that connected or impacted than the other 3 arcs I have read in comparison.

Truly a sad story to talk about, one can simply imagine the dedication and patience of the ML for the FL and the sacrifices he has done for his lover is truly textbook romance one can only dream off. The author told a story of a love that crosses boundaries that most can only dream to achieve in this life. A lovely read to start off your interest of this novel.

ARC 2: This arc simply gets a higher rating than the first arc despite having a sad ending similar to the first is due to the angst that I find a guilty pleasure when reading novels. I rarely get to read such angst that stays true to the idea of a bad end as most authors always end such angst on a good note or overdramatize the story which leads to the loss of the essence of angst.

Anyway, to explain more on our FL and ML, well the FL in this arc is the youngest of twins, sickly and frail with a ticking time bomb of life and is just hanging by a thread with her whole organ system close to failing on the spot with only a short miracle holding up. I bet you Dr. House and any doctor would call her a miracle for surviving her 20's and an extra 3 months with an organ system of an old person about to die. Now the premise is that her twin older sister is too selfish, vain, and arrogant enough to see whether or not her parents love and spoil her more than her younger, frail sister. The ML on the other hand is a young master with a bright personality and who loves sports but he gets in a car accident and becomes an amnesiac. I swear the first 2 arcs were just the author enjoying that both FL and ML were in some sort of sickness lol!

To summarize this arc, FL's twin loves another guy but is engaged to ML but ML gets in this car accident on their supposed wedding day which was actually caused by this bad twin and is in a coma. On the other hand, FL is in love with the ML even before our Ah Wu inhibits this body and becomes one. I won't go deeper but just know I love how the ML suffered hard in this arc, I loved the angst, the pain, everything!

This surely deserves its.1 close of perfection rating because it actually made me ugly cry. I easily get moved or emotional when the topic becomes family or specifically parents as I'm slightly scarred by an event in the past which I'm sure has emotionally affected me in this aspect.

This actually doesn't revolve much on the love story of the FL and ML but do not worry as star-cross lovers will always be star-cross lovers. He still has an importance but not significant, though he does finally get that happy end I believe he deserves after the kast 2 lives. Now let me briefly explain the main people in this arc, with our FL Ah Wu taking over this body, a young daughter of a single mother. The single mother who is cold to such daughter has both a love and hate attitude to such daughter. Also a peculiar existence of the 40 year old original Ah Wu who was reborn and returned to the past yet now is a rich daughter of a loving single dad. Lastly, the ML who is a rich, low-scoring, bottom of the class man but not the type from those cliche dramas like a school bully, a bad young master, or the F4 type guys.

The beauty of this arc lies in the essence of healing past grievances and clearing misunderstandings. One would never really understand unless they would be a victim of r*pe how scarring it is, especially being sold by family. One can only sympathize with the mother for being cold to this child out of r*pe yet none can blame her for she as a mother never really ab*sed her. The author highlighted how strong a mother's love would be for her child and how strong that bond can be despite any circumstances. Ah Wu allowed not only to heal her mother but also heal Baobei (Original Ah Wu) from all her pain growing up in that alternate life. This arc showed a beautiful friendship, and some parts were heart wrenching to read.

A perfect rating simply because of its ending and how impactful it was to read. Unlike the other arcs, the other reincarnated/reborn lady in this arc was the only one who actually reflected and redeemed herself. The perfect rating wasn't actually because of the beautiful story of ML and FL but because of FL's dynamic with this reborn lady and the ending wisdom of conversation between them which I believe was the most beautiful writing I've read from this book currently.

This story is of FL, a widowed woman with twins and ML who is supposed to be dead in battle as a soldier. The reborn lady knew of ML's fate and decided to marry this other soldier who was married to FL (not Ah Wu but the original) in the last life because he was successful and the only one kind to help her in her lowest. In short she switched her marriage and in the end felt guilty about this for the next few years until the ending conversation between her and Ah Wu.

Should you know why I love this arc so much, simply told without spoilers that FL's mature way of handling this especially because she was a teacher made it more impactful to read. It really isn't about a tooth for a tooth and an eye of ran eye. Sometimes, if one is willing to change and repent why not give the final push. The FL's advice to the reborn lady was beautiful and author built up to this moment making sure that it wouldn't be odd and impossible realistically for the reborn lady to believe and listen to this advice. Also more endearing to read that reborn lady honestly admits she still is jealous but also thankful to FL showcasing so much growth for a villain who was once prideful.

This arc is as beautiful as the last and Ah Wu here was significantly affected by the last arc, showcasing her maturity and understanding as a teacher yet still have her own unique thoughts and feelings that shows her childish and immature characteristics based on her age in this arc. The FL and ML here are a poor older brother and younger sister, since the title is 'Switching Lives' then you may have guessed that at least one of the leads or someone is switched. Well yes, the switched lives pertain to FL who was switched at birth but do not worry as the tone of this arc is very mature. It's heavily on palace intrigue and an additional mention of how powerful the effect of opium was in that era enshrouding it in mystery as if it's some rare alchemy for immortality.

A deeper dive which is obviously a big spoiler is that in the start, FL was supposed to be sold but ML instead sacrificed himself. Oddly enough, originally the soul of FL and the original body was not in equilibrium so she was particularly slow and child-like. It was a few months or so when the ML was gone which allowed FL to be im sync with this body that she matured and never forget the ML. Let's say both FL and ML of this arc were crazy for each other lol! So a few years later, FL was taken back by her family who were very warm and welcoming except for the second branch but I mean who cares! ML on the other hand became a eunuch because in this era because he wanted to be more powerful for his sister. Though this affects him significantly in this arc as being a eunuch in palace is no easy job, and the intrigues start being amped up.

Another slightly major character is the other child who was switched, she was jealous but the author made us realize that in her shoes, a child who was spoiled would obviously act in such way finding out she isn't her dear parents' most loved child and slowly losing the attention of her parents. In the end, the relationship between these two can't be called sisterly but it was the best of both worlds and the most perfect and mature way to face such problem. I really hate how dumbed down most ladies are when it comes to switched lives and this take made me happy enough. In the end, this lady's life was not happy per say but as long as she finally got her dreams of parental love then I believe that no matter if she couldn't bare a child as Empress, she was probably content and happy.

I can't believe Meng Po's soup was mentioned and Ah Wu saying it seems like she drank only half which is similar to how I would describe this novel's reincarnation way. Relationship between FL and ML stressed me out the most, it's like being the matchmaker of one dun head and one smart head who just decided to create the slowest pace of romance that it was more of a torture than anything. Also if I had a penny for every ML I've read who became a eunuch, like a legit one not like some novels who say they're a eunuch but still have the baby making machine, then I'd say I only have 2 pennies which isn't a lot but still rare. Though it's wilder to me that the most common thing about these 2 eunuch MLs are that they're out of their minds, in short crazy maniacs. Though I do say, our ML is too humble in this regard because the first eunuch ML I've read about was far worse and crazier in the head, so seeing the ML's inner monologue about his deeds made me giggle a bit because it looked like child's play compared to what the other ML I know had done.

The longest review of an arc currently which obviously deserves it. Bless this arc for clutching a happy ending because the start was so grim I was expecting another Arc 1 or even worse, an Arc 2! It was even funny in the end when some people urged the ML to have more concubines and have more children because the people didn't know that he was a eunuch, castrated and unable to have a child. They really thought the child both FL and ML adopted were theirs because this child looked so much like them which was cute, the author was good enough to do this for both their sacrifice. The FL and ML's relationship at the end is vague for them both but as readers, we know it should be more than familial bond but more of fate and love from multiple lives that have affected them.

FL is 39 and ML is dead, see, this is how you surprise me after that last arc. Man the ML is catching strays these days, what a pitiful man HAHA! They're a significantly well-off family who went from bottom to top and have long shed the olden view of their village and so are very open-minded. Judging from the time period I'm sure what her daughter said about giving birth at that age had some worries and potential problems. Though I would disagree about it being that big of a risk since they are rich enough and it's already the second child, I mean I'd understand the danger if FL were already in her 40s but 39 seems like just a safe enough age to still give birth at that time unless it was the medieval period. Though after reading more and realizing in the other timeline, the mother suffered depression then it would really affect the child especially at such an age for a mother.

I'm actually editing this review as I go through every update. This arc interested me so much based on my experience as a child born from a mother when she was 47, which wasn't all that hard for her as I was the 4th child but even then I had like a 17 year age gap from my sibling and getting along closely like the usual type is impossible. In a way I can see how the daughter can be jealous and uncomfortable about the idea of another child taking the love of her mother especially after the guilt of indirectly causing you father's death and your mother's injury as well as the pressure of your family valuing this child for being possibly male. Similar to the daughter, my older brother and sister also were at college age when I was born though unlike the daughter weary about the child, my siblings were very excited to have a younger child though this story case is different as she was originally an only child and female with old relatives who didn't have the same new views as her parents. Still a familial bond is strong especially one of siblings, as I have gon through the recent chapter, I can see that she has already opened up to the idea of this unborn child. I just hope that she and her mom (FL) talk it out more and she lets go of her spoiled stubbornness and actually open her eyes to how bad her friend and boyfriend are in terms of influence. I hope she finds a closer bond to her mother and her unborn sibling as the dynamic for this arc.

"In the first half of my life, the country controlled my womb.""In the second half of my life, my child still wants to control my womb. Wanwan, is it Mom who is selfish, or you?" Wow, the author is really great at dropping such fire words. I've been impressed at every arc for having conversations that had me wanting to stand up and applaud.

Ah~ Alas! Young love, a first is always sweet and can lead to impulsive decisions you'd surely regret in the end. I can't blame the daughter because I too had went through such a period albeit short enough to not affect my academics or anger my parents to some point. Both the original parents and the daughter have their wrongs, one spoiled the other and the other was too hasty in her decisions blinded by love and taking for granted her parents' love for her. Though I also realized that this family lacked communication and daughter was sheltered too much to actually see how much her parents had done for her. Both sides are wrong but her boyfriend, mother of boyfriend, and friends are truly worst than scum. Their thought process are extremely selfish and I especially hate how well these people can hide in the past life to have ruined the mother and her daughter in the past life.

I honestly thought that there was nothing wrong for this boyfriend except for giving bad advices to FL in a way wherein it sounds good. I didn't know he was such a hidden tiger, it's absolutely abhorrent to know that his mother is also a selfish woman who has questionable thought processes. As I go through a chapter per day and see that it is about these mother-son duo, I just lose the mood to be excited and am hoping that we'll reach the part wherein the FL and her daughter actually get closer and she stays farrrrrrr away from this 1st love boyfriend of hers.

I finished this arc through raws because I just couldn't wait to know what happened to that man and I'm glad he failed in the future and that woman he married, the 1st wife in the last life was able to actually escape her original faith of dying due to depression. Honestly speaking, she wasn't in the right for coveting a man who had a girlfriend but her future married life was not in anyway deserving at all. The mother-in-law was a selfish, entitled wench who took pride in abusing her status as the elder just because of how 'arrogant' this rich daughter-in-law was when they scolded the cleaners about her lost diamond ring. What BS! Old lady stole that ring and thinks she's in the right end of justice and law? Both of them deserved the worst actually.

I rated this only a 4.7 because I felt the ending a bit lackluster honestly, I would've wanted more of their family dynamics to be fleshed out more in the future. This arc was probably the arc that had the lest Ah Wu presence which also has affected the rating significantly. I loved the message in this arc though and it can resonate well with most readers especially with similar problems. Still salty though that ML had to die, and felt as though the real ML's soul actually switched the same time as Ah Wu in this arc which is why in Ah Wu's memory in this arc the memory of the dying husband was the strongest emotion for her because it really was him. What a pitiful guy, it's both funny as well as sad to think about the fact that fate really scolded him for his Eunuch life craziness HAHAHA!

The longest review I have currently and it seems to get longer every new arc. I seem to be quite chatty when it comes to this novel. It has a similar rating as arc 6 just because I felt the ending wasn't enough to quell my romantic heart for too long especially since in the previous arc, ML was dead.

A short description about Ah Wu in this arc is Reformed Rich Girl x Tsundere Chill Rich Guy in a school arc with 2 important supporting characters which are Ex-Crush and Reincarnated Wife of Ex-Crush. You'll get the gist once you read on.

The beginning of this arc is quite pitiful for the original Xiang Wu, for such a man I really wanna go in and tell her it isn't worth it. There are plenty of fishes in the sea why settle for one who does not want you back. I really love the premise of this novel that doesn't focus on remembering the past but still letting our dear Ah Wu retains a few emotions, thoughts, and skills that her past self had. In short it simply is like having only drank half of Meng Po's soup, she firmly believes she is the original and has no memories whatsoever of the past lives but experience in itself is not erased which helps each arc's Ah Wu to become better and have a change of future.

This is actually quite a cute arc, the ML is quite fierce in terms of both emotions and thoughts when it comes to Ah Wu. Surprisingly both Ah Wu and ML in this arc have great family backgrounds, what a blessing after the last 2 arcs. The description of Ah Wu in this arc reminds me of those Japanese doll like people who have straight neck-length hair with pink cheeks. It's no wonder the ML fell in love, as someone who loves cute appearance the most, the descriptions makes one want to spoil such a person. The guy that Xiang Wu also liked before seems decent enough for now, he's not a s*umbag who falls in love with someone just after they improved appearance. He seems to just be studious type who doesn't put romance in his to-do list as a student which I respect him for.

ML is super cute in this arc, trying to impress our dear Ah Wu because he saw her and her past crush in the hospital. That's right young man, show off your strengths that you haven't been able to share after dying early last arc. This arc must be a blessing to the ML, having the time to enjoy this sweet romance budding in their youth compared to the past challenges their love faced. Also hoping that in the next few chapters Ah Wu and her father have a heart to heart talk and communicate their grievances.

Oh my I'm surprised there is a reincarnated lady in this arc, she doesn't seem to pose any harm in ML and Ah Wu's romance though so she could do whatever as long as Ah Wu isn't harmed. What shocks me is that the original timeline actually had Ah Wu become Shen Chenglin's (Ex-crush) white moonlight and she actually dies? Well good for this current timeline, Ah Wu has awakened and can choose a better path and future especially with ML acting very tsundere. She's in good hands if anyone dares to try and harm her with underhanded tricks. What a pity though that ML's personality makes it easier for him to drown in a sea of vinegar, it's funny seeing him talk about how Ah Wu is the one who likes him to his friend.

I love how this story doesn't completely erase the original Xiang Wu's feelings for her previous crush. Such a deep liking surely would be impossible to let go immediately but I noticed that most stories like these make emotions fleeting and irrelevant which obviously isn't. Now that Ah Wu is being tutored by her previous crush, when ML finds out, brother might drown in an ocean of vinegar. I'm glad really that the path this arc went with isn't vilifying and dumbing down her previous crush but instead deeply roots the idea that he is a studious guy who's life in the original timeline was filled with hardships. I can't seem to hate such a guy and hoping that him, Ah Wu, and ML can create a close bond of friendship together. This guy also deserves a woman who will love him like the original Xiang Wu did in the previous timeline.

Holy shit! Ah Wu met the reincarnated girl and suddenly this unexpected scene where she earns memories about her timeline from a book. From what I remember, this hasn't happened before and at most it's just her memories about the possible life in the first timeline like arc 6. Also faith is really odd for the pitiful father, it truly is heartbreaking for a child being constantly stood up by her father on her birthday. Promises from parents that are constantly broken are really the worst kind of feeling, probably because it's from family and hurts more than say, a broken promise from a friend or lover.

I'm a bit disappointed in Chenglin (ex-crush) for harboring these feelings for Ah Wu after some time though I can't say it is unexpected as human beings are truly fickle beings in terms of emotions. Also the saying, "absence makes the heart grow fonder." truly embodies these kind of moments as the absence of the original Xiang Wu endlessly pursing Shen Chenglin has left him looking for it and I'm glad this guy acknowledges this. Still I think faith also plays a hand in this, I think faith really holds much power in this novel though only subtly mention. The fated feelings of ML and FL after every awakening or this sudden feeling of loss by Shen Chenglin are true signs of how much faith holds. Especially when in arc 5, faith itself held back Ah Wu's awakening (as I wanna call it) until the ML went away was truly telling of how powerful it is.

I'd also like to point out and acknowledge how mature and responsible Ah Wu is in terms of emotion and relationships. She isn't one of those female leads who are dumb to realize another party's suggestive looks despite it being obvious. Understandably she never noticed ML's weird behavior at the start because it simply looked too cold and arrogant when a normal girl would compare it to someone liking them. Now back to mentioning Ah Wu's maturity and responsibility, she also isn't one to try to run away and ignore those who she knows have feelings for her. She knows to draw a line and I love that for her especially as she knows she's in a relationship now. This is admirable as there are a lot of FLs in these genres or in romance genres who may realize the other males affection but chooses to ignore and refuses to draw a line. In my opinion, this kind of thing is such a scummy behavior and seems like playing with one's feelings. Comparing this to reality, I can acknowledge these vague decisions as the feeling of still being chased or admired by others is truly a feeling that can feed one's vain ideas but it truly doesn't justify the behavior as just 'normal human selfishness'.

Now regarding this 'reincarnated lady', her actions truly are disappointing. She's a 30+ reincarnated lady but is blinded by jealousy and indirectly harms Ah Wu's reputation just because Shen Chenglin harbors feelings for her? That's quite immature for her to do especially knowing that Ah Wu has not continued to pursue this person and is trying to improve herself. As a reincarnated woman, I hoped she actually learned from her past pursuits and actually do the same now especially since the person of her affection is still young and unguarded as a teenager but knowing how she only 'loves' the future Shen Chenglin who had suffered setbacks and faced challenges, can one truly call this 'love'?

Actually looking at Ah Wu personality and disposition, it truly is a miracle there hasn't been some supernatural buddhist/taoism arc. I'm reading this novel at the same time as another one with a similar genre and I keep seeing Ah Wu in the taoist lady in that novel who can use qi. With Ah Wu's calm, collected, and mature disposition it truly is a miracle in itself that she hasn't chosen the life of monasticism or of similar behavior.

In this arc, I loved reading the teacher's words to the class and I quote, "When the students from the outside class came to our classroom to find trouble with Xiang Wu, I saw that you were all righteous and indignant, but do you really think those people are just sarcastic towards Xiang Wu? No, they are satirizing everyone one of you here. Public opinion is telling you that you are tr*sh today and will only be tr*sh in the future." Honestly that last part would truly sting and hold true especially for schools that have the so called 'worst class/section'. Why simply call someone who did bad before but became better a cheater just because they came from a poor performing group? Isn't this what they call "Judging a book by its cover"? Truly harrowing to think about how so many students who have the possibility to shine are shackled by these judgmental views of never improving because they are situated in the bottom group. The teacher's words were an opener to the class as well as something to deeply think about in our world and the education system.

AHAHHAHAHA! The ML got his confession as he wished, I thought he had let go of it but he actually still held on to it. Ah Wu graciously fulfilled his wish, now he doesn't have to stay stuck up by the thought of Xiang Wu confessing fervently to Shen Chenglin in the past. I'm happy in the end, Shen Chenglin chose to let go despite having seen the original timeline and actually wished them well and cheered from afar. That is an emotional hurdle that most 2nd male leads fail to do and sometimes become the reason of long disturbance. The end was sweet and happy but I was surprised that it ended immediately after graduation. Truly this arc sticks to being a 'school arc' and although this didn't have much of a lasting effect as the previous ones, any story related to Ah Wu is worthwhile and enriching!

Our MC as suggested by the synopsis isn’t fully conscious of the reincarnation, but finds herself almost observing her own life with a kind of detachment that allows her to slowly influence her life and enjoy the berth of human emotions with less constraints on her actions