Summary
Highlights
Xiao Qi, having experienced nine previous lives, finds herself at her grandparents' house in Beijing after a long journey. She reflects on her past, where giving up seemed to be the only way to save her family from misfortune. Her mother explains that her grandparents, who are not in good health, wanted to see her after learning she was adopted from an orphanage.
Xiao Qi's arrival is met with surprising affection from her grandparents, who can hear her inner thoughts. The family quickly realizes that a new adopted cousin, Lin Weiwei, is replicating the manipulative schemes of Ning Nuannuan from Xiao Qi's past lives. The family, now aware of Xiao Qi's inner monologue and predictions, begins to proactively counter Weiwei's attempts to frame Xiao Qi.
The family showers Xiao Qi with gifts. Each gift interaction, however, triggers Xiao Qi's internal monologues, revealing the tragic fates of her family members in previous lives due to Lin Weiwei's influence. These revelations, heard by the family, lead them to take action to prevent the impending misfortunes, such as Second Uncle's bear attack, Grandpa's stroke, and Second Aunt's mental breakdown.
The family confronts Lin Weiwei with evidence of her deceit, including her attempt to bribe Aunt Zhang to frame Xiao Qi and stealing Grandpa's research files. Despite Weiwei's attempts to manipulate them, the family, guided by Xiao Qi's inner thoughts, sends her away, establishing Xiao Qi as the sole beloved daughter of the Ning family.
Xiao Qi's immediate family arrives, showcasing their concern and love. Her parents want to take her home, but her grandparents insist on keeping her, signing her up for a parent-child winter camp. This leads to a humorous competition among the family members to participate with Xiao Qi, all vying for her affection and the ultimate prize, a 'Champion Monkey' plush.
The family eagerly participates in the three-legged race at the winter camp. Grandpa, using his scientific knowledge, employs unorthodox methods (like building blocks and physics principles) to help himself and Xiao Qi win. Despite accusations of cheating, they secure first place, much to the delight of Xiao Qi, further cementing their bond.
After the demanding race, the family pampers Xiao Qi, showering her with food and affection. They then engage in a game of charades, showcasing their unique personalities and their growing understanding of each other through Xiao Qi's inner thoughts. Xiao Qi, wanting a backup plan for the Ning family's potential downfall, secretly plans to start her own business.
Xiao Qi, with the help of Third Brother, visits her father's company. She attempts to poach a talented employee, Chen Shuyuan, who is resigning due to bullying by a mole from the Lin family named Lei Song. Through her inner thoughts, Xiao Qi identifies Lei Song and reveals his tactics, including hiding confidential data in his underwear. Her father and mother, now aware, expose and deal with the mole.
Xiao Qi's family debates the concept of the butterfly effect. They realize that while they've averted several tragedies based on Xiao Qi's past lives, the core unfortunate events are still being 'corrected' by fate, now enacted by new characters mimicking the original schemers. They discover the endpoint of Xiao Qi's reincarnation cycle is her death at age ten.
The family resolves to protect Xiao Qi at all costs. As her tenth birthday approaches, Xiao Qi reveals that this milestone also marks her 'death date' where she has died in all nine previous lives. Despite her family's fears and attempts to keep her safe, she prepares for her inevitable end, making arrangements for her 'estate'. The family takes extreme measures to child-proof their home and provide constant vigilance to ensure Xiao Qi survives. She endures numerous assassination attempts in the minutes leading up to her birthday. After surviving past midnight, she feels a sense of freedom but then seemingly dies again, only to wake up surrounded by her loving family, celebrating her tenth birthday. She realizes she has finally broken the reincarnation cycle and can live happily with them.