Not to mention that the dad is still enabling his wife and mother to ab*se her. He only asks MC to brush it off because they're elders. And when she doesn't relent, he calls her stubborn and hot tempered. And whenever there's a fight in the family, he can't help but blame MC for disrupting the family harmony even though she hasn't done anything. I don't really blame MC for maintaining low contact with her dad.

MC kept scoring high in the competitions without even having a stable foundation? In math? Is that even possible?

I also didn't like it when the school kept pressuring her to participate in the competition even though she has a job. The teachers know that her family doesn't support her anymore. I can understand if they're disappointed if she can't participate in the competition, but they get angry at her instead.

The timeline kept changing around. For example, she enters a new job during vacation only to suddenly go back to school for a bit before entering the job again. The time of year, school-year, and who is having a college entrance exam skip around so much that her entire 3rd year of high school seems to have been skipped. Background details of side characters keep changing. Chubby's parents were divorced with their own families, but later had a situation that nearly copied and pasted the ML's parent's situation (with an addition of an "adopted" brother, half-brother, and age gap). Some characters suddenly changed their life plans. One chapter Curly is determined to never return to his father's country. Barely more than a chapter later, he is the only one in the group going abroad for college. ML hides his green hair in front of her Aunt and Uncle and Cousins, causing him to not get recognized as her online CP partner. Years later their fam reminisces back to the time the "green haired boy" visited with her. Many many examples like this.

She has a baby in her 40s and the story ends with the ML dying of old age. The MC returns to the cultivation world and recalls that she was not the weak alchemist she thought. She had actually been in the cultivation world for 1000 years rather than 30. Everything that happens in the story from beginning to end is due to her heart demon. She likely entered her original world at that timing on her own initiative to solve her past life's regrets. Like she says not long before the end: The higher her cultivation the more perfectly she recalls her past. I say 'likely' because it is possible the entire story was merely an illusion. Regardless, she accepts her own heart and sends the ML's soul to reincarnate to a baby that she claims as soon as it is born.

I have soooooo many questions.

Her father kept vacillating between acknowledging his guilt then wiping all that away and blaming her. It was just constant criticism after criticism. Even when she's successful it was never enough because it wasn't EXACTLY what he wanted her to do. He would criticize her and tell her not to be a star, then when she quits the industry he becomes angry that she's not continuing. I know this kind of toxic environment has become many people's reality in one way or another, so the story isn't unrealistic. I just wish she had cut them off entirely rather than continuing to reply, albeit lukewarmly, even until the end of the novel. Everytime her father was mentioned I couldn't help but groan internally. Such a hypocrite. I won't bother to mention her mother/grandmother because they're just unreasonable tr*sh of family members. Vitriol is all they know how to spew.

Her Aunt/Uncle's family more than make up for her nuclear family's deficits, so despite the frustration there is some relief. She does have the ability to maintain good family relationships, which just goes to show it's the environment that affects someone's personality, not just who they were born to. Our girl knows who really deserves her filial piety.

Concerning our female lead, she's cool, hardworking, and unfazed through much of the novel. There aren't any big battles or faceslapping because her focus is always on cultivation. While there are hoards of internet sheep included in the novel, they don't affect her one bit because she 1- doesn't have time to go on the internet, and 2- genuinely doesn't care about people she doesn't know. It's nice to have a novel with the entertainment industry where the FL herself gives no f*cks. Some may wish she was more emotional, but considering her time as an immortal (and age of at least 50+) you can't expect her to truly have exaggerated emotions. Don't get me wrong though, She does cry/express sadness and happiness. She's not a robot, she's a phoenix risen from the fires of ab*se, neglect, and loneliness.

In the end, there's love, marriage, children (although I wish there was more mention of her pregnancy etc), and cultivation. There's even a hint that in that cultivation world her man would see her again. So I'm pretty satisfied (I managed to binge read this after all) even if her family were as annoying as a piece of lettuce that you just can't get out of your teeth.

The Father can be the most controversial and infuriating one from this bunch. You already could expect the reactions from the other members, besides the brother they were tr*sh to the beginning to end. But the father was contradictory and at the same time... this was how he was supposed to be. One time he reflects on the MC's bad treatment by the family, tries to do good to her, but in the end, he still can't understand how the MC is stubborn, how can she be this unfilial. I think he does like his daughter in his way, but it's more as an obligation as a parent. As a treasured male, he can never understand how an unwanted female can feel. For him the family is harsh but it is her filial piety duty just to keep up with it - says the son that had everything to the best the family had delivered to him. So he can't understand the MC and even if he tried a little more I doubt it would make much difference, due to his education. That's why I approve the way MC handled her family - just be not intimate acquaintances that just happen to be her biological family. Not reporting this family to abandonment in the police is the epitome of filial piety in this case.

As for how the MC dealt with her family, I thought it was the best. She didn't try to get revenge, even against her sister. She just treated them a little better than strangers from the beginning to the end. Even tho her brother tried time and time to get near her, she just maintained a polite distance. The only one that did felt hurt for her was this brother but it was just too late. He never treated her bad but the thing is... he never did anything. He just lived in his little world and enjoyed the benefits of being the house's only son. He more or less received the same ideology as father Su but was way better than he, just in this.

And his end was satisfying. What could be worse to a patriarchal house than it's only male descendant turned out to be gay? And the fault lies entirely on the household females. To put it simply, he got so much traumatized with his grandmother, mother, and elder sister personalities that he just straight got to reject a relationship with a woman. he would rather be single than get married to a female like them.

And the sister, even tho the readers asked the author to give her a "bad" ending, she just made it so she got everything she wanted at the start, the family property. In the end, she got to be the second mother Su. She realizes her wish but it was still a bitter one.

It turned out her crossing over was just a dream made by her heart demon based on her first life's memory when she was trying to ascend to mahayana. That was why MC never felt any emotional attachment when she got back. She never got her revenge on her family and she kept ML at an arm's length, not fully giving her heart to him. Those cute scenes with ML never actually happened (つ﹏⊂)

I am sooooooo pissed that he did die & she didn't have the heart (nor brains) to try to teach him cultivation. I suppose it would be kind of a waste if he started late because qi is so scarce in modern times BUT MY HEART SAYS OTHERWISE. As for the ending, I assume her transmigrating back to her past was a form of tribulation & she ends up meeting the male lead again. Ah but it s**ked so I'm salty

He might be the first one to step up to offer give MC the basic necessities she lacks but is still condescending about it and demands from her to be understanding regardless how her family mistreats her. It's like he's giving her alms as a bystander when in fact he is her father and these things are necessary by law in the first place. If it was a blood dog drama he'd probably be behind bars. He is being described as someone with a soft temper but he's definitely not someone without ego and vanity. Also since he was raised and influenced by his mother (the patriarchy hag) he never realised the wrongs of his parental conduct or spousal, even. Later on, you can probably tell he's the worst of scums as he even wanted to use the success of MC as a stepping stone for his other two children. If he'd only treated his wife better, these sort of unhappiness wouldn't linger in their family, it was after all his own mother who antagonized his wife from morning till night treating her like a unpaid maid and birth chamber.

The father in-law was as good as invisible while the mother in-law, the grandmother always quick to step in and add her two cents, nothing is really known much about her life story except that she willingly and proudly aborted many daughters before she finally had a son.

This level of bone deep ideals is hard to change especially at their age. Of course nobody can because of the strong integrated ideal of filial piety. A role like daughter-in-law will never be able to get a word in, (not to mention the grandchildren) mother Su was destined to suffer in that kind of an environment and later transforms from tortured to torturer.

There is no love in Su family. The only objective and highest regarded honor is to have is to make the family line flourish.

That ultimately made both eldest daughter and their only son suffer in the years to come. They went as far as to try to "straighten and fix" the son's homosexuality by imprisoning at home and attempted to force a marriage at the age of 35+ for two months after luring him back under a ruse of sick dying elderly. While the eldest daughter was treated by her in-laws as a birth chamber which just ended in more misery to the point of divorce and coming back home to her parents. People might find the MC's coldness towards her family boring or lacking but honestly against those type of people, pretending like you're listening is the best option. She never deemed them worthy of her attention or saving.

I love how the ML is by no means some fully developed young iceberg CEO, he's realistically also deals with his share of family strives, his own insecurities and pains. The MC's change and newfound determination was like a beacon of light guiding him into a happier place (career wise and in his own mental peace). He never strayed from her side and she never strayed from her ideals and ambitions. They happily walked side by side from the beginning til end.

The grandmother. This old woman is set in her ways. She grew up being taught that women were only a loss to the family while she was taught the "duties of a woman". So when the daughters were born, they were disregarded and treated as money loosing goods. As for her attitude difference between the MC and the sister, it is because the sister was raised in the family and she gained some emotional attachment. As for the MC, it is because she returned to the family which she shouldn't have. She forced the MC to work to make up for the unnecessary loss in income due to her return.

The grandfather. Standard patriarch. He doesn't get much story time, because he is a former patriarch. The reason why he helps the MC isn't because he feels bad for her or has a sense of guilt, but because his son is the bread winner of the family. His son does better than him in earning money and financially supporting the family. This has caused him to feel a sense of insecurity and that he has lost the power and authority as the patriarch. By helping the MC, he feels that he is still the decision maker of the family and that no one can oppose him.

The indifferent father. The father has no prior emotional attachment to the MC before she returns to their home. He relies on his wife expecting her to take full responsibility and handle all matters. However, when he starts to realize what the daughter has been through, he wants to make up for her. But, the way he makes up for her is in the wrong direction. He doesn't try to build an emotional bond with the MC, and instead is materialistic. This is called, self satisfaction. He doesn't really want to make up for her, but get rid of his own guilt. This is what's called a hypocrite. As soon as he looses his sense of guilt, he would return to his indifferent attitude.

The abusive mother. While the mother seems to be very aggressive, she is in fact very insecure. She may seem like the standard villain that you would find in most novels, illogical and doesn't make sense, but she is in fact a perfect example of a standard ab*ser. You have to remember that ab*se and bullying is an addictive behavior. For most who ab*se others, it isn't to satisfy some pe*verted desire but because they have feelings of powerlessness. Abusing others lets them feel like they have gained control and are not as week and insecure as they really feel. The mother's ab*se stems from the fact that she came from a patriarchal family that disregards daughters, and married into another patriarchal family, where she received neglect and ab*se for giving birth to a daughter and not a son. After she gave birth to a son, her status in the family changed and she was no longer subjected to the ab*se. However, she still has the emotional scar left behind. As a result, she became aggressive and domineering to make up for the helplessness that she felt. When the MC was away from her family, she gained a sense of security by ignoring her existence. When she returned to the family, the scar was opened, and the mother felt that the MC is the representation of her weakness and helplessness. Thus, she became an ab*ser.

The sister. She, like her mother is an ab*ser. However, her personality doesn't come from some deep psychological shadow, but from a sense of loss and insecurity. When the MC wasn't living in the home, she was the daughter that was favored by both her mother and father. Even if the grandmother disregards her as a daughter of the family, she was the eldest sister and and for the face of the family the mother never let her go without. When the MC moved in, she was moved into her room, invading her personal space and it was perceived by the sister that what she has would be taken away. She became an ab*ser to increase her own sense of security. And when the father started acting to "make amends" for the MC, she felt that she was loosing more, while also regaining some of what she has previously lost.

The brother. He is probably the only truly pitiful character in the book. He started as an immature child that went along with the family. Due to the change in personality of the MC, this pushed the brother to think for himself, instead of just taking everything for granted. This caused him to mature and sympathize with the MC. This later affected his life choices and caused a psychological shadow. The shadow of a having an extremely partial grandmother, mother and aggressive sister, he gained a sense of fear towards women and ended up being homos*xual caused by a psychological trauma. Please read below.

To note, homosexuality is usually determined by birth and is caused by a naturally occurring physical condition that modern medicine can't fully understand. But, for some people, homosexuality is caused by a psychological or a psychosomatic trauma. Of course, there are others who just choose to have physical relations with the same gender.

The boyfriend. He has a crush on the MC and is devoted. The reason for this isn't as simple as simply because he likes her. He has a sense of insecurity and loss caused by the marital problems of his parents. When he first got together with the MC and they were dating, he disregarded her and ended up being dumped. This amplified his sense of loss. Thus, he gained a liking for the MC. In other words, the MC has become his emotional support through his troubled times. And the reason that he is so devoted is that he is trying to regain his sense of being loved and cared for. This is a stand of human psychology and why humans naturally seek companionship.

The Main Character. The MC admits herself to being selfish. But selfishness is within human nature. We want better and when we have better, we want more. And when we are wronged, if not consciously we subconsciously hold a grudge against those who have wronged us, and will not easily forgive those who tortured us. In the case of the MC's family, she was tortured. She doesn't want nor need to forgive her torturers. This is why she becomes indifferent to her family and chooses to severe ties with them. While, we are taught that selfishness is wrong, most take it the wrong way. Being selfish is fine, being selfish to the point of inconveniencing others is wrong. The MC is a perfect example of being appropriately selfish. She wants what she can get and works hard to obtain what she can't get.

Some people have posted how wronged the father is, and that the MC is wrong for accepting some of the amends while not giving any emotional return to the father. As I wrote earlier, the father is only trying to make amends to ease his sense of guilt, and not because he truly cares for the MC. Why is it inappropriately selfish for not wanting make up with him and go through the drama to try and change her family for the better? The answer, it's not inappropriately selfish. It is personally reasonable, because people aren't so easy to change.

For those who have never experienced the neglect and ab*se in the name of "family", you may feel that it is feel good story to make up and live happily ever after, but the writer is a realist and will not write something that is nearly impossible to happen in real life in the character settings.

Did I just get cheated? It what immediately popped out of my mind after reading the end. It looked, felt rushed. It was really a pity.

The ending of MC's brother was really bitter, I hope he finds some way to move forward and move on from a toxic family. Also sometimes I feel MC is incredibly ruthless towards the change of MC's father and brother. Maybe I'm just being soft hearted, also they were MC's heart demon for years so it's understandable that there's some trauma in there. Also based on the ending, I think MC didn't came to love ML in the end, she didn't even teach him how to cultivate, or maybe she already knows that she was trapped in an illusion?