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Rebirth: Different Way (

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“If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” – Nietzsche

For ten years in prison, Shen Xi, a son of a wealthy family, felt that he was living in the abyss every day.

Killed during a prison riot, Shen Xi awakens at the moment when his fate has turned at the age of eighteen.

In this life, Shen Xi vows to drag everyone into the abyss with him.

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Li Song Ru

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Dilushani Jayalath.
1,033 reviews199 followers
June 23, 2022
Looking for a telenovela style revenge story with a sprinkle of taboo relationships? Then this is the book for you. Please take note on how I added the word taboo in the first sentence itself. That is to warn anyone who has a first class ticket on the moral train because this book ain’t for those people.
There are many things in the story that might ultimately turn some people away. From age gap romances to incest, to morally gray characters and most importantly revenge without redemption. If I’m being honest the last factor isn’t necessarily bad as the whole point of the novel is for our MC to seek revenge. And he does exactly that. No questions asked. I don’t condemn the MC for that as that’s what he had been planning from the beginning and nothing deters him from that course. Not even our ever loving ML. MC is even willing to throw him away for his cause and I love that about him. Some might find that not up to their standard of romances but for me it was what made our MC perfect for this romance-revenge story.
I admit some points in the plot happened way too well and all chips happened to fall perfectly well but then again more angst would have ruined the story. It was fast paced and not all was perfect in it but the story promises some potential.
For those who think the incest is the one between the MC and ML you are in for a big surprise because it’s not that (they are cousins). Please be ready for that twist because even I was left shocked. Especially by the reaction of others for that and also how easily they accepted. I do believe myself to be an open person and accepting all forms of love but the way that developed, I was left confused.
Despite those hiccups, I still do find the story quite engrossing and the fact that the author did not waste time trying to drag the plot is an added bonus. The story is fast paced with morally grey characters which leave you to question if some actions are truly correct but at the end you would understand how they came to be.
Profile Image for linnnnn.
357 reviews16 followers
October 4, 2022
3⭐️

Muy entretenido. La venganza y los entresijos del plot me mantuvo sumamente interesada en casi toda la novela.

Me gustó mucho el plot, incluyendo el plot twist del villano. Que kinda se arruinó un poco con su cliché plan final y desenlace.

Me gustó el hecho de que los personajes no fueran del todo buenos, sino que tuvieran sus matices, algunos más oscuros que otros.

¿La relación amorosa principal? Well, no me agradó mucho. Y no tiene nada que ver con lo taboo del incesto, sino que más bien tiene que ver con su aburrido desarrollo. Muy plano. En contrapartida, me gustó más la pareja secundaria. De hecho, el personaje de Shen Ji me parece muy interesante.

Sin embargo, de lo que definitivamente no disfruté fueron de los diálogos. En los momentos románticos los diálogos casi me matan del cringe, y en los momentos normales era como que ??? en varias ocasiones.

En fin, de todas maneras disfruté de la lectura.
Profile Image for Hellarious.
186 reviews
July 20, 2022
And you know what? This is really different.

As a big lover of second chance and rebirth, I’ve read it quite an amount and this is really different. In a good and unique way.

The story is detailed, with good amount of romantic, emotions, drama, angst and fluff. The emotions it awoke in me were so vivid I’m in shock myself. Never expected this. The style is good, the pace is just right. From how good the mystery and detailed, I can understand how much work the author did. It was unexpected and high quality.

There is a good amount of angst and drama. But it’s good. Really good.

The novel and characters here gave me a down-to-earth feeling. I could feel like this is a real story, not novel. It was so alive, with the problems, struggles, the so unjust world. I was very immersed in it and this happens rarely.

The book is really deep. Be ready to be back and forth between heaven and earth. Still, this is a high quality novel and I definitely recommend.

P.S. be aware of tags. Incest here.
Profile Image for Dianna.
865 reviews60 followers
December 27, 2024
A cut throat rebirth story. It's pretty satisfying following along as the MC, Shen Xi, gets reborn and takes his revenge on everyone in his family who mistreated him in his previous life. He has it all planned out, but the only thing he didn't take into consideration is that he'd reconnect with his cousin (Li Mingxuan) through a series of coincidental meetings and that said cousin would fall for him.

**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**

I thought the revenge part of the story was done pretty well, but some things didn't make sense for me especially near the end. For example, why did Wang Changlin go through all this effort to acquire a majority of Shen Group's shares, only to want to burn the whole Shen family and himself to death at the end?? I thought his plan was to openly live as a member of the Shen family and no longer hide behind the name Wang Changlin, but somehow he wanted to commit suicide with everyone else instead. Also, it's not really explained why he killed the MC in his previous life, we only find out about it at the very end and the story just ends like that.

While I enjoyed the events in the present and thought the story moved along at a good pace there, I personally thought that the author spent too much time recapping the events of the past, about the tangles and complications of the MC's parent's generation. I wasn't super interested in this and would've preferred a shorter back history.

The romance was okay but not the best. The MC agrees to start dating the ML because of the warmth he provides and because he craves human touch, but it's more about the physical and not emotional. He states multiple times that he's solely bent on revenge and is okay giving up the ML and their relationship for the sake of his revenge, and he sticks to his words. From the ML's side, he initially fell for the MC purely based on his looks, and even though he's always been known for having good self control, he can't seem to control himself around the MC. Surprisingly his whole family and even his best friend, the MC's estranged older brother, accepts their relationship relatively quickly. I would have expected much more resistance especially given the nature of their relationship and the complicated business relationships between their two families, but oh well... I know the romance isn't the focus of the story.

I did find the ML a bit pathetic especially near the end. It's like he tries to leave the MC after learning more and more about his true self and the fact that he's behind most of the bad things happening, but every single time he leaves, he finds his resolve weakening and he runs back to find him again. Again, our ML has zero self control when it comes to the MC, and it's a bit too much. I wanted him to grow more of a spine.

Anyways, this was a pretty good rebirth/revenge story. It's one of my favorite genres of c-novels, so I enjoyed this one quite a bit.
304 reviews5 followers
June 10, 2022
This was a fun book, beautifully translated. I quite enjoyed the mystery, though the revenge got a bit extreme for my tastes. I think that's the point though, revenge sounds good except for all the people it hurts.


I really liked the couple as well, though I feel like their love is a bit too magical for me. If you fall in love with someone who is wearing a mask around you, are you actually really in love with them?

The questions about love in this book are pretty interesting in general. The author makes a point of saying that finding a replacement once you lose your love means your original love is fake. I think that's not true - people handle grief in different ways. It does feel cheap towards the replacement though, but I guess in this story, the replacements know exactly what they're getting into.


The people I found myself most surprised to like are the brothers. They had a charmed life, but when it was challenged, they actually handled it really well.
Profile Image for Xantababy.
250 reviews31 followers
October 26, 2023
“If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” – Nietzsche

Just from the title, it was pretty apparent that this novel includes a rebirth. Based on the novel description and from what I've heard, I was already expecting an angsty start. However, it wasn't just angst that I felt, but also hatred, pity, and all sorts of negative emotions that surged from within me. The Shen family was just too toxic and disgusting. It was to the point that I started thinking of the worst for every character in the novel as if every one of the characters has a hidden side to them hidden from the readers, and the other characters in the novel. Doubt has been planted in my heart with all the schemes happening throughout the story. The toxicity may make your blood boil, not a recommended read for those looking for a fluffy novel.

The plot of the novel was very interesting and very much plot-heavy. With all these schemes and events that happened one after another, it made me enjoy guessing who was the one behind each incident. Of course, that includes the several eye-rolls and the uncountable times I have raised my eyebrows while reading. The romantic aspect of the main couple in the novel relies heavily on dependence and security. Trust was definitely not a part of it, and so was 'like'. However, as their feelings developed, it still became 'love' in the end. The author didn't put too much focus on it. It felt like an added bonus just to place this novel with the 'danmei' tag. For me, the whole story, including the plot, rebirth, and romance was very unrealistic. I do have to admit that the NSFW scenes were great. Not too detailed but you can imagine it nevertheless. If you can't take any level of incest, again, I suggest you find another novel to read. The ML and MC are blood-related relatives, not the first-degree kind but still considered incest; while the extras at the end of the novel, include direct incest.

There was a sudden extra in the middle of the chapters that left me baffled. I think the author needed to be reminded that not all readers like to know the ending midway through the novel. It made me speechless. Thankfully, the translator left a comment before the start of the chapter; otherwise, I would have dropped it then and there.

I read the English fan translation of this novel and I was really put off by it. Several lines in the novel were wrongly punctuated. It messed up the mood that the line should have expressed. For example, a line spoken by the character with a sigh, but with an exclamation at the end of the statement. So he sighed with exclamations? I’m so confused. Exclamation points were supposed to be used for strong commands. But the translator added an exclamation point even for the character ‘嗯’, which meant 'yes' or a sound of acknowledge with a nod. And the topic of conversation at that time was supposed to be solemn. It totally ruined the moment. So if you're planning to read the English translation, do ignore the unnecessary exclamation marks all throughout the novel, or read the Chinese raw instead.

Overall, I'd say if you want to read toxic novels, not 188 novels toxic but more on family dog blood that focuses heavily on revenge, then this novel is definitely for you. Do read the trigger warning tags before you start reading.
Profile Image for Angeloflight.
405 reviews1 follower
July 19, 2025
A good revenge stroy but I have to say that at the end I was kind of exhausted because I even felt pity for the villains because almost everyone had a sad story. It's good to see that in the end Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan got their HEA. Another thing I liked was that Shen Xi's really focused in his reveng and not even his love for Li Mingxuan made him give up to finally get the revenge he wanted. As for Li Mingxuan I loved how much he loved Shen Xi and tried so hard to understand his reasons for revenge.
402 reviews
August 11, 2023
3.5/5
The way the revenge was set out was satisfying and I appreciate the fact the mc was not deterred by anything at all to get his revenge, including cus of the ML. however the relationship between the 2 was meh, didn't rlly get me in the feels


ALSO WTF WAS THE LASDT CHAPTER OF THE INCEST SCENE BETWEEN THE BROTEHRS - DID NOT MF EXPECT THAT
189 reviews2 followers
June 12, 2022
I hated the main pairing: the main character is traumatised by his childhood and prison experience and I felt the ML took advantage of his trauma, meanwhile the main character only tried to use ML for comfort. The entire relationship felt wrong.
227 reviews1 follower
December 2, 2022
A very good revenge story. Tends to be a lot heavier and more psychological than quite a few I've read before, but the romance portions help lighten the tone enough that it's still a good read.
Profile Image for Mint missusO3.
48 reviews
August 29, 2023
“if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

“Since I am already in the abyss, all of you, come and keep me company”.

Revenge/ scheming MC/ Incest/ Angst

Definitely my type of novel trope.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Zoey.
34 reviews
November 14, 2025
Liked the ‘side couple’ more… honestly the revenge part was starting off solid and was pretty good but I just thought the main couples relationship was too smooth sailing for what it was
Profile Image for yura ꨄ︎.
42 reviews2 followers
December 13, 2025
i actually inhaled this book and couldn't put it down until i finished!!! so good!!!! the revenge was always the main focus and i loved that the mc never thinked of stopping despite his relationship with the ml. the plot twists also shocked me.

one thing i'll say definitely be mindful of the tags because they're very much there. it wasn't a problem for me and i actually enjoyed the psychological aspect of it, but yeah.
Profile Image for Inn Auni.
1,090 reviews24 followers
June 30, 2025
BEWARE of SPOILER

The story begins in a straightforward manner, following the main family’s complex relationships, and takes a turn when the male lead is introduced—bringing in themes of complicated family dynamics that some readers might find challenging.

Shen Dehan married Fang Yun, a woman from a modest background, and together they had two sons: Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. Tragically, Fang Yun passed away when the boys were still young. Shen Dehan remarried Han Rou, who came from a powerful family. Concerned about protecting his family’s wealth and legacy, Shen Dehan pressured Han Rou regarding pregnancy, leading to difficult decisions involving his mistress, who was also expecting a child.

Despite these challenges, Han Rou gave birth to Shen Xi but faced significant pressure and hardship within the family. This tension ultimately led to a heartbreaking outcome for Han Rou. Shen Dehan’s extended family includes a half-brother and a sister, who is married into another influential family. Within this network, friendships and loyalties vary—some members are close, while others distance themselves from certain relatives.

Reader advisory: The novel explores complex and sensitive family relationships, including themes that might be uncomfortable for some readers. It’s recommended that those sensitive to such topics approach with caution.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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