Shu Shu died at twenty-four years old .
She died on her way back from dropping off her four-year-old son off at kindergarten. She was killed with a single, fatal knife wound from behind. She didn’t even see the who killed her.
Shu Shu had a dream as she was losing consciousness due of excessive blood loss. She dreamed that her world was actually a romance novel.
She was the “White Moonlight” in this story. The first love of the male lead. She ran away while pregnant and died young. Her children were destined to be the “cannon fodder foils” to the female lead’s children.
Her son would grow up as a delinquent who would fight the female lead’s genius son over a girl. He will become a laughingstock, and will eventually lead a life of crime and end up in prison.
Her daughter, on the other hand, grew up withdrawn and unlikable, without ever experiencing maternal love. She became a binge eater, turning morbidly obese. An accident ruined her hand while competing for the position of lead violinist with the female lead’s “perfect” daughter. It drove her insane, leading her family to abandon her.
The ending – the female lead replaced her as the “White Moonlight” in the male lead’s heart, and her brilliant children were recognied by the clan, and they lived happily ever after as a new family.
Huh! So I was stabbed out of nowhere just to fulfill the “died young” plot requirement!?
Shu Shu’s final thought before drawing her last breath was: What an absolute bullsht novel.*
Perhaps the Heavens heard her curse and suddenly felt merciful, because the next thing she knew, Shu Shu was reborn.
The bad news: She had been reborn into the year her son turned seventeen years old.
“You sneaky bastard, how dare you attack me! I’ll kick you to death!”
Shu Shu launched a violent kick, but her foot met only air and she nearly fell over.
She opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar environment: a school gate. The sign clearly read: An City No. 3 High School.
Before she could figure out what she was doing here, a commotion caught her attention. A big crowd had gathered nearby and looked like a public confession. Shu Shu’s legs moved before her brain could react, she has to witness this gossip.
“Chu Lian, be my girlfriend!”
A youth with “Shamate[1]” style hair—dyed a chaotic mix of red, yellow, and blue—stood wearing a black skull-print t-shirt and ripped jeans. He was holding a bouquet of roses while he gazed at the girl opposite him with his “tender” eyes.
The girl being proposed to, Chu Lian, lived up to her name. She has long black hair, a fragile frame, and a pure, pitiful look. At this moment, her eyes were red and watery as hid cautiously behind a friend. It’a not because she felt moved, she felt fear and revulsion.
The boy’s cronies began jeering as soon as the boy finished his proposal: “Hey, School Beauty Chu! Just say yes to Brother Chen! Otherwise, don’t think about leaving today!”
Chu Lian’s face was pale with fear, yet she managed to have a stubborn streak as she shook her head. “You…Shu Lingchen, … please don’t do this.” She sobbed quite delicately.
Shu Shu’s fists tightened as she listened from the sidelines. What a bullying little brat!
Chu Lian’s friend stepped forward, indignant, she said. “That’s enough, Shu Lingchen! Chu Lian is the school beauty and lives in the luxury Imperial View Gardens. You’re just a poor thug who keeps pestering her shamelessly every day. What!? You’re a toad dreaming of swan meat!”
Shu Shu couldn’t help but nod in agreement. This student is my spirit animal. She just took the words right out of my mouth.
The Imperial View Gardens was a high-end luxury complex. Before she “died,” Shu Shu had owned a fully-furnished, six-million-yuan apartment there. This girl’s family was definitely well-off if she lived there. This “turkey” haired punk really didn’t match her aesthetic.
Wait… what the heck did she call him? Shu Lingchen?
Why does he have the same name as my son?!
Shu Shu had a bad feeling about this. She looked closer at the boy and focused on his familiar facial features, completely ignoring his neon hair. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, then it turned cold.
This “toad” shamate… is my son!!!
She fist her hand harder, her head began to spin as she recalled the dream—her son was the foil to the female lead’s son. The loser who met a tragic ending because of a girl.
Is this Chu Lian that girl?
A clean hand suddenly pushed through the crowd just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point. Then, a pleasant male voice, tinged with a cold tone was heard, “What is happening here?”
“Class Monitor Shi!” Chu Lian’s friend cried out in relief. “You’re finally here! This Shu Lingchen is trying to force Chu Lian to be his girlfriend!”
A boy with sharp features, wearing a pristine white shirt under his school uniform, turned to Chu Lian and spoke gently: “Student Chu, are you alright?”
Chu Lian bit her lip and shook her head, but her eyes were brimming with tears as if she were looking at her savior.
Shu Shu felt like fainting again. If she wasn’t mistaken, this boy was the female lead’s son, Shi Jin.
Am I witnessing the exact moment of the “creche of doom” battle?
“That’s enough!” Shu Lingchen was annoyed seeing his crush and his love rival exchanging glances. His hand gripped the rose wrapping hard as he glared at Shi Jin. “Shi Jin, this is none of your business. Get lost, or don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Shi Jin didn’t flinch. He stood straight as a bamboo stalk and said, “If you’re harassing a classmate, then it is my business.”
Chu Lian’s eyes practically glowed like the stars.
Shu Shu knew exactly what “cannon fodder” meant in novels. Looking at it in this frame, her punk son looked like a total loser next to the radiant and righteous Shi Jin. His son was a complete clown.
Shi Jin wasn’t afraid because he had already notified the school security. Within three minutes, Shu Lingchen and his gang would be arrested for “provoking trouble.”
Sure enough, Shu Shu saw her son throw the roses to the ground and lunged to attack Shi Jin.
But he stopped halfway through his stride. He was grabbed by the collar by a slender, pale hand.
“Who the hell…?!” Shu Lingchen turned around angrily.
Shu Shu ignored him and looked at Shi Jin and Chu Lian. “You two should leave first. I’ve got this.”
Chu Lian: “?”
Shi Jin: “…?”
Shu Shu urged them: “Go! Do you want to stay here and get hit?”
The trio left, feeling confused. As they walked away, Shi Jin looked back to give Shu Shu a long, curious look.
Shu Shu let go after a while.
“Hey, who are you?!” Shu Lingchen finally broke free of her grasp but his targets were gone. He roared like a frustrated lion cub.
Shu Shu realized they hadn’t seen each other in “thirteen years.” She smoothed out her clothes, put on a kind, motherly smile, and introduced herself:
“I am your mother.”
The surrounding cronies gasped in shock. They couldn’t believe the audacity of this foul-mouthed pretty girl, insulting Shu Lingchen right away!
(TN: Shu Shu said (我是你妈 – Wǒ shì nǐ mā) which connotes an insult that means that I’m better than you or you’re beneath me. Like “I’m your father”, connotes the same)
But Shu Lingchen froze and stared at her face.
Why does this woman looked exactly like his mother who had been dead for thirteen years. No, not just similar. They looked exactly the same, except she looked younger, maybe eighteen, about the same age as him.
He was dazed for a second before snapping out of it. He was convinced she was just mocking him. “Are you looking for death?!”
He raised his fist to strike, but Shu Shu didn’t move an inch. She just stood there watching him.
His hand stopped in mid-air. For some reason, looking at that face that looked so much like his mother’s, he couldn’t bring himself to hit her.
“Dammit!” Shu Lingchen dropped his hand and gave up. He stomped on the fallen roses and waved his gang away. “Let’s go!”
Shu Shu picked the flowers up, tossed them in a nearby bin, and followed him.
“Shu Lingchen, I am your mother,” she said as she walked behind him. “I really am your mom.”
The cronies were flabbergasted. Man, Brother Chen was nice enough to let her go, why is she still chasing and cursing him?!
“You’re crazy!” Shu Lingchen barked, his pace quickening into a run to get away from the “madwoman.”
Shu Shu tried to keep up, but by the next intersection, she had lost him.
Sansukini: A new novel. （＾▽＾）／＼（＾▽＾）
Our badass mom is called Shu Shu, and his son is Shu Lingchen. If you watch Chinese short dramas, this novel has been adapted to so many versions already. Well this one doesn’t focus on the bad people unlike the drama versions, but focuses more on the relationship between Shu Shu and her children. I really enjoyed reading this, especially because of the relationship of the mom and the silly son. There’s certainly a Bai Fu Mei here, but it’s the son and not the mei mei.
[1] Chinese subculture haracterized by “explosive” gravity-defying hair dyed in neon colors, heavy makeup, piercings, and cheap, flashy “gothic” clothing.