Rewriting Destiny Episode 1 Recap
> Rewriting Destiny Recap
A rookie comic author, An Lan, finds herself at a creative standstill while working on her serialized comic, "Rewriting Destiny". Her editor demands revisions before publication due to issues with the main characters, Xia Yubing and Xu Ziyan. Meanwhile, within the comic world, Xia Yubing, who retains memories from previous iterations of the story, is acutely aware that her intended husband, Xu Ziyan, has repeatedly poisoned her.
Determined to escape his clutches, she is desperate to facilitate the marriage between Xu Ziyan and her second elder sister, Xia Lan. The story begins with a nightmare where Xia Yubing is married to Xu Ziyan. Servants gossip, claiming the groom preferred the eldest sister, Xia Liuqing, but Xia Yubing poisoned Xia Liuqing to secure the marriage. Xu Ziyan, cold and distant, lifts Xia Yubing's veil and forces a bowl of medicine down her throat, causing her to collapse.
He then orders his servants to bury her in a pre-dug grave. Xia Yubing jolts awake from this terrifying dream, realizing she is still alive. She recognizes this dream as a recurring premonition of her death at Xu Ziyan's hands. An Lan, the author, is grappling with her story. Her editor calls, criticizing the "stupid girl and vicious guy" narrative, stating it lacks positive elements and won't appeal to readers. An Lan promises to make changes.
She attempts to revise a scene where Xia Lan manipulates Xia Yubing into poisoning Xia Liuqing's butter biscuits. Xia Yubing, now with memory of this plot, secretly replaces the poison with sugar. However, Xu Ziyan still misinterprets her actions and poisons her, leading to her death. Xia Yubing finds herself in a seemingly hellish afterlife, confronted by a mysterious figure.
She begs to be sent to the afterlife, but the figure informs her that she has died of poisoning again because the writer is a "newbie" who didn't edit correctly. She is given another chance to return, with a warning that her destiny is her own to change. Xia Yubing finds herself back in her room, the day before her wedding. Overwhelmed by the endless cycle of death, she leaves a note for her maid and attempts to flee.
As she makes her escape, she bumps into Xu Ziyan, who is in the mountains searching for herbs for an upset stomach caused by accidentally tasting a poisonous one. He does not recognize her, noting only her "special pulse." Xia Yubing, however, recognizes him as the man who repeatedly poisoned her. She frantically warns him not to marry any girl from the Xia family, claiming it would "jinx him for life," before running off.
Xu Ziyan, intrigued by her unique pulse, orders his servant A'Guang to find out who she is. At the docks, Xia Yubing is relieved to leave Xu Ziyan behind. She boards what she believes is a boat leaving town, but her cousin, Xue Mu, appears, having come to comfort her. The boatman then informs her it's actually a return boat to town.
Meanwhile, A'Guang reports back to Xu Ziyan, confirming that the mysterious girl was Xia Yubing, the Third Lady of the Xia family, and that Xu Ziyan is scheduled to marry Xia Lan, the Second Lady. Xu Ziyan then sets off for the wedding. Back at the Xia Manor, Xia Yubing is surprised to learn from Xue Mu that it's Xia Lan's wedding day. She's secretly overjoyed that she won't be marrying Xu Ziyan this time.
Her maid informs her that Xia Lan is furious because Xia Yubing hasn't delivered the wedding dress, and is blaming her for not wanting to get married. Xia Yubing notices Xia Lan's personal maid, Xiao Cui, secretly tampering with the butter biscuits in the kitchen, just as she had done in her previous memories.
Realizing Xia Lan plans to poison Xia Liuqing again, Xia Yubing tries to intervene, causing a commotion when she snatches a poisoned butter biscuit from her younger brother, Xia Yaozu, who was about to eat it. Amidst the chaos, Ye Wenzhao, the son of the richest man in Yanxia, crashes the banquet.
He publicly declares his love for Xia Liuqing, praising her baking skills and proclaiming that no one can take her from him, effectively creating a scene and distracting everyone from the poisoned biscuits.
Xia Lan, meanwhile, is fuming, recounting to her maid the chaotic events of the day: Xia Yubing and Xu Ziyan's chase, their father throwing Xu Ziyan's father (Xu Guangling) out, Xia Liuqing being punished in the ancestral hall, and Ye Wenzhao's father dragging him away for making a scene and refusing to let his son marry a "cook."
Xia Lan believes Xia Yubing's actions unintentionally saved her from marrying Xu Ziyan, declaring she wants nothing to do with the Xu family. At the wedding ceremony, just as the poisoned butter biscuits are brought out, Xu Ziyan unexpectedly declares his intention to marry Xia Yubing, not Xia Lan. Terrified, Xia Yubing tries to flee, knocking over the trays of biscuits as she goes.
A masked man tries to intervene, but Xia Liuqing subdues him, revealing him to be Xia Yaozu, who was apparently helping Xia Lan sabotage the wedding. As Xu Ziyan pursues Xia Yubing, she reaches a riverbank and, desperate to escape him, jumps into the river, choosing to die yet again. Xu Ziyan immediately dives in after her. An Lan, the author, is on the phone with her editor, who is exasperated by the repetitive plot.
The editor complains about the hero's "wacky" behavior and the heroine's constant deaths, warning that the comic is set to serialize tomorrow and its fate will be decided by viewer ratings, giving An Lan one last chance. Xia Yubing awakens in an unfamiliar room, finding a doll with her name on it, covered in silver needles. She is convinced Xu Ziyan will kill her again. Xu Ziyan enters, offering her medicine.
He claims he won't kill her but insists she must marry him. When Xia Yubing demands to know why, reminding him of his past desire to avenge Xia Liuqing, Xu Ziyan denies knowing anyone by that name. He states that he wants to marry her because her "body is special."
To ensure her compliance, he forces her to swallow a pill made from Ucupra Cacia, warning that without an antidote in three days, she will die a painful death, feeling as if her stomach is being cut open. He gives her an ultimatum: marry him in three days for the antidote. Xia Yubing, resigned to another death, prepares for the inevitable.
But a mysterious NPC, Gu Gu, appears, revealing a shocking truth: Xia Yubing is not a real person but a character in the comic world of "Rewriting Destiny". Gu Gu explains that the writer, her creator, has rewritten the script several times, but this is Xia Yubing's last chance to survive. Gu Gu explains that everyone in this world has a lamp, and when it goes out, they disappear forever.
If the comic fails to gain clicks and revenue, both Xia Yubing and her world will vanish. Understanding her precarious existence, Xia Yubing resolves to take control of her fate and ensure her survival by making the comic a success and changing her destiny.
