Li Xinlan

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and schooling

Li Xinlan grew up near Qin An and Sun Pao in a dormitory community associated with the education system. Her parents, Li Changxing and Liu Wei, worked in that system. Although she and Qin An both envied families with siblings, their small age difference made them treat each other as peers rather than as an older sister and younger brother 24 41.

Her childhood dislike of Qin An stemmed from his bullying. In one particularly humiliating prank, he took an undergarment she had hung out to dry and put it over Sun Pao’s head while encouraging him to pretend to be a pilot. Li Xinlan was so embarrassed that she stayed home for three days afterward 13 14.

Her entrance score narrowly missed County No. 1 Middle School’s cutoff. Unwilling to pay nearly ten thousand yuan in school-choice fees, she entered County No. 2 Middle School’s experimental class instead. The newly established program gathered the top sixty students in her year in a separate teaching building 13 36.

Original timeline

In Qin An’s memories of his first life, Li Xinlan attended Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications after high school. They exchanged letters during college but eventually lost touch. Their occasional later meetings during New Year visits to former neighbors were polite rather than close; their childhood antagonism had faded without becoming lasting affection 13.

Appearance

• Hair and face: Wears her hair in braids at her introduction and has small freckles on either side of her nose 13.
• Clothing: Her wardrobe includes floral summer dresses, faded jeans, a clean white blouse, and the blue-and-white County No. 2 Middle School jacket 15.
• Other outfits: Wears a matching pink gauze top and knee-length skirt while studying in the dormitory hallway 23.

Personality

Li Xinlan is diligent and academically conscientious. She completes her homework, goes to bed early, and rises early to memorize lessons, frequently studying English in the shared corridor. She places considerable importance on respectable student behavior: after seeing Qin An smoke, she regards him as a bad student and remains visibly disappointed in him 13 15 23 24.

She is shy about romance but capable of expressing anger and setting boundaries. She dislikes Tu Gang’s unwanted advances and becomes deeply upset when Qin An allows adults to assume they are dating without consulting her. Her attitude toward Qin An softens as he apologizes and helps her, but this does not amount to an acknowledged romantic relationship 14 24 31 37.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Qin An’s apology

After his rebirth, Qin An sincerely apologizes for bullying Li Xinlan and promises not to do it again. Surprised by his seriousness, she tells him not to cause his parents further trouble. He also instructs Sun Pao to treat her respectfully, abandoning his former habit of joining in the teasing 14.

Tu Gang’s harassment

Tu Gang blocks Li Xinlan on her way to school and interferes with her bicycle and books. Qin An intervenes, claims she is his sister, and distracts Tu Gang with a cigarette trick. Li Xinlan worries about Qin An confronting someone notorious at her school, then objects to his smoking afterward 14 15.

The harassment continues, with Tu Gang following her by bicycle under the pretext of escorting her to class. Qin An offers her a ride, confronts Tu Gang, and punctures his bicycle tire before taking her away. Seeing Tu Gang left behind makes her laugh and reduces some of her fear, though Qin An’s fast riding frightens her and leaves her embarrassed by their closeness 30 31.

School escorts and mistaken courtship

Qin An announces that he will take Li Xinlan to school and collect her afterward. She objects, embarrassed by what the arrangement might imply. At the school gates, Secretary Tang mistakes her for Qin An’s girlfriend and invites them to Qi Mei’s restaurant, where Qi Mei makes the same assumption 36.

Afterward, Li Xinlan cries and confronts Qin An for being overbearing when they are not in that kind of relationship. He explains that presenting them as close gave Secretary Tang a reason to help protect her from Tu Gang. She only partly understands his reasoning, but accepts that he meant to help 37.

End of the harassment

Tu Gang subsequently arranges an ambush against Qin An. With Junzi’s help, Qin An beats him and confronts his father, Tu Ji, using his family’s official connections to discourage retaliation. Qin An acts because he fears continued harassment could damage Li Xinlan’s well-being and studies—not because such an outcome is established in his memories 39 40 41.

By Chapter 49, Tu Gang has stopped bothering her. Qin An is no longer regularly escorting her, but her opinion of him has improved enough that she willingly lends him her carefully maintained bicycle 49.

Equipment / Items

• Bicycle — Her usual transport to school and extra classes. Qin An uses it to escort her and later borrows it to visit Qi Mei’s restaurant. She carefully wipes it clean after he rides it 30 31 36 49.
• English textbook — Frequently used for early-morning recitation in the dormitory corridor 13 14 24.

Relationships

• Li Changxing and Liu Wei — Her parents; both belong to the local education-system community 41.
• Qin An — Younger neighbor and former tormentor who apologizes and becomes her protector. Their growing familiarity is mistaken for courtship, but she explicitly denies that they are dating 14 36 37.
• Sun Pao — Childhood neighbor involved in Qin An’s humiliating prank. As her resentment toward Qin An eases, she also becomes more willing to speak with Sun Pao 13 39.
• Tu Gang — Unwanted pursuer whose repeated harassment prompts Qin An’s intervention 14 30 40.
• Tang Qianxing (Secretary Tang) — Offers access to help through Junzi after learning that a hoodlum is bothering her 36 37.
• Junzi — Agrees to help with her harasser and assists Qin An in confronting Tu Gang and Tu Ji 36 40 41.