Chapter Summaries

Camellya struggled to talk with Wuling while they sat together at her home, and Encore tried to help them grow closer. Wuling left open the possibility of visiting again after work, while Camellya remained unsure whether her feelings were affection or concern.

• Camellya invited Wuling to sit beside her, but both found the conversation awkward until Wuling asked about her life with Encore.
• Camellya told Wuling how Encore had killed her favorite camellia, while Encore secretly listened from the kitchen.
• Camellya asked Wuling about his free time, and Encore brought them warm water after noticing their conversation had stalled.
• Wuling explained his demanding work schedule, and Camellya voiced concern that he was not getting enough sleep.
• Encore invited Wuling to visit after work, and he said he would come by if the timing worked out.

Wuling found Camellya’s hidden adult book in the couch and left her home in a hurry, while Camellya discovered Encore had moved it and confronted her. On his way back to school, Wuling stopped to buy drinks for Calcharo and spotted Cartethyia nearby.

• Wuling found an adult book behind the couch cushion and suspected it belonged to Camellya, then nervously concealed that he had seen it.
• Wuling made an excuse to leave Camellya’s home, despite Encore asking him to stay longer.
• Camellya found the book in the couch and realized Wuling had likely seen it, then caught Encore sneaking away and scolded her.
• Calcharo persuaded Wuling to buy him three milk tea drinks, and Wuling added one for himself.
• Wuling waited at a milk tea shop and saw Cartethyia emerge from a nearby convenience store.

Cartethyia ran into Wuling at a milk tea shop and struggled to explain why she was out. After he asked about her recovering ankles and reassured her that she was already his friend, she accepted his belief in her strengths and promised to be a good friend to him.

• Wuling spotted Cartethyia near the milk tea shop and invited her to sit with him.
• Wuling asked about Cartethyia's ankles, and she said they had healed after she iced them.
• Wuling reminded Cartethyia that he had helped her because he considered her a friend.
• When Cartethyia said she was not good at anything, Wuling praised her kindness and sincerity and said friendship was not about repaying favors.
• Cartethyia asked if she could really be Wuling's friend, and he assured her they had been friends for a long time.
• Wuling offered to buy Cartethyia milk tea, and she accepted his reassurance.

Wuling bought Cartethyia milk tea after she agreed to let him treat her, then accidentally patted her head and left her flustered by how comforting it felt. As she waited for him, Cartethyia remembered her grandmother’s promise that someone would someday make her feel cherished and safe.

• Cartethyia accepted Wuling’s offer to buy her milk tea and promised to treat him another time.
• Wuling patted Cartethyia’s head, and she blushed while realizing she enjoyed his gentle touch.
• Wuling apologized and went to buy them pearl milk tea, while Cartethyia watched him leave.
• Cartethyia recalled her grandmother comforting her with head pats and saying someone would someday cherish and protect her.
• Cartethyia remembered that her grandmother had died, leaving her to face the world alone.

Cartethyia remembered her grandmother while sitting with Wuling, who mistakenly thought she was upset about what had happened earlier. They walked back to Star Torch Academy together, and Wuling gave her a unicorn hair clip that she happily accepted.

• Cartethyia explained that she had been thinking about the past and was not angry with Wuling.
• Wuling invited Cartethyia to walk back to Star Torch Academy with him, and she agreed.
• As they walked side by side, Wuling noticed Cartethyia's hair blowing into her eyes.
• Wuling offered Cartethyia a unicorn hair clip he had been carrying, saying it suited her.
• Cartethyia accepted the hair clip and thanked Wuling, promising to take good care of it.

Wuling helped Cartethyia put on the unicorn hair clip he had given her, and she was delighted while Kuai Niang watched and wondered about their relationship. As Wuling and Cartethyia walked back, they revealed that they both worked part-time and had lost their families, leaving them to share a quiet moment of understanding.

• Wuling fastened the hair clip beside Cartethyia’s temple and told her it suited her, making her blush with happiness.
• Kuai Niang secretly watched Wuling and Cartethyia, suspected he might be seeing another girl, and decided to ask Camellya about them later.
• Wuling sneezed, blamed Calcharo for badmouthing him, and agreed with Cartethyia that they should head back because they had work the next day.
• Cartethyia explained that she had just finished a part-time shift and had been supporting herself since her grandmother died and she was left without relatives.
• When Cartethyia asked about his parents, Wuling fell silent and told her they were dead.

Cartethyia and Wuling discussed losing their families, and Wuling comforted her before walking her back to the dorm. Kuai Niang followed them, then rushed to Camellya’s home to report seeing Wuling with a blonde girl.

• Wuling told Cartethyia that his parents had died and that he was focused on caring for his younger sister, Aimisi.
• Cartethyia shared that she still sometimes became lost in memories of her late Grandma, and Wuling encouraged her not to let the past trap her.
• Wuling walked Cartethyia toward the dorm while Kuai Niang watched them and suspected Cartethyia had fallen for him.
• Kuai Niang hurried to Camellya’s home, accidentally hit Camellya in the stomach when the door opened, and apologized.
• Kuai Niang told Camellya she had seen Wuling with a blonde girl who blushed and received a hair clip from him.

Camellya heard Kuai Niang’s suspicions that Wuling was growing close to another girl, but she trusted him despite knowing him for only three days. Meanwhile, Wuling confronted Calcharo over unpaid milk tea money and missing gold orbs, and the two prepared to fight.

• Camellya told Kuai Niang she did not know the light-haired girl Kuai Niang had seen with Wuling.
• Kuai Niang argued that the girl was interested in Wuling and worried she would marry him, while Camellya said she trusted Wuling despite having known him for only three days.
• In the dorm, Wuling chased Calcharo and demanded payment for milk tea bought on installments.
• Wuling threatened to break Lingyang’s legs, but Calcharo rushed to protect the snow leopard and took the pipa away.
• Wuling demanded his gold orbs, and he and Calcharo recalled their many childhood fights before getting ready to settle things once and for all.

As military training began, Wuling asked Phrolova which department she belonged to and learned she was a student in the Voidmatter Science Department. After hearing that Wuling worked to support his younger sister, Phrolova invited him to hear her play on Saturday, and the two parted as the training groups were ordered to line up.

• Changli led Wuling and the other students to the sports field for military training, where Wuling spotted Phrolova.
• Wuling asked Phrolova why he had previously seen her at the Torchlight Energy Faculty, and she explained that she studied in the Voidmatter Science Department and had only been there to pick something up.
• Phrolova invited Wuling to hear her play after school, but he said he had a part-time job and offered Saturday instead.
• Wuling told Phrolova that he worked at Bozai Coffee to support his younger sister, and Phrolova apologized before accepting his explanation.
• Phrolova arranged to invite Wuling to the auditorium on Saturday afternoon, and Wuling agreed to come.
• A nearby voice ordered all classes to quiet down and line up.

Jiyan, a Sentinel General and Star Torch Academy alumnus, took charge of the new students’ military training and began with strict rules and a thirty-minute attention drill. Wuling found that Jiyan had been assigned as his class’s instructor.

• Principal Luosela introduced the invited alumnus who would address the new students.
• Jiyan revealed that he was Huanglong’s general and would serve as chief instructor for the week.
• Jiyan explained the purpose and rules of training, emphasizing discipline, resilience, and unity.
• Jiyan ordered the students to stand at attention for thirty minutes and set penalties for false illness claims or disrupting the ranks.
• Wuling learned that Jiyan was also the instructor assigned to his class.

During a break in military training, Jiyan told the students how his father’s harsh physical training prepared him to serve as a military doctor on the battlefield. The students returned to formation with a new understanding of their training.

• Jiyan gave the students five minutes to rest after they had stood at attention for half an hour.
• A student asked Jiyan about his time at the academy, and Jiyan agreed to tell them about it.
• Jiyan explained that he had once hoped to become a military doctor and that his father had put him through grueling training after school.
• Jiyan said he understood his father’s methods only after witnessing wounded soldiers on the battlefield who needed urgent help.
• When the break ended, the students got to their feet and returned to formation.

Cartethyia woke in the infirmary after fainting during military training, where Wuling cared for her as she recovered. After a flustered second faint brought her back to the same scene, she woke again and accepted a sour orange segment from Wuling.

• Cartethyia woke in the infirmary, and Wuling explained that she had fainted during training from dehydration and low blood sugar.
• Wuling offered Cartethyia water, but she lacked the strength to hold the bottle, and she imagined him kissing her as he fed her water.
• Cartethyia realized the kiss had only been a daydream and blushed when Wuling leaned close to check on her.
• Cartethyia fainted again, and Wuling caught her before she hit her head.
• Cartethyia woke once more, accepted an orange segment from Wuling, and grimaced at its sour taste.

Wuling became a regular at Phrolova’s fried rice restaurant, but one snowy day he told her he was tired of her cooking, and Phrolova believed he meant to leave her behind. After Nabomo’s taunts pushed Phrolova toward giving up the restaurant, Wuling clarified that he only wanted to try a different dish, and Phrolova agreed to cook for him.

• Wuling discovered Phrolova asleep at her new fried rice restaurant, ordered egg fried rice, and was delighted by how much it reminded him of his late mother’s cooking.
• Over the next two years, Wuling became a daily customer, and Phrolova learned his preferences and treated him with increasing familiarity.
• During a heavy snowfall, Wuling told Phrolova he was tired of eating her fried rice, and she assumed he was ending their routine.
• Phrolova posted that her storefront was for rent, then treated Wuling coldly when he returned and ordered his usual meal.
• Nabomo taunted Phrolova by claiming Wuling preferred her potato noodles, leaving Phrolova distressed and wishing he would come back.
• Wuling told Phrolova he wanted to order pork cutlet curry rice instead, and she smiled and agreed to make it.

Wuling learned that Cartethyia had fainted because she skipped breakfast to save money, and he urged her to protect her health. He offered to cover her breakfasts until she could repay him, briefly joked that she could be his girlfriend, and left her in Doctor Lu’s care.

• Wuling asked Cartethyia whether she had skipped breakfast, and she admitted she had been trying to save money.
• Wuling told Cartethyia that enduring hunger could damage her health and insisted she eat breakfast from now on.
• Cartethyia refused Wuling’s offer to pay, but he said she could repay him after she received her wages.
• Wuling joked that Cartethyia could be his girlfriend if she felt indebted to him, and she blushed before he clarified that he was joking.
• Wuling left Cartethyia with Doctor Lu and reminded her that he would see her the next morning.

Cartethyia recovered in the infirmary after fainting, while Doctor Lu encouraged her to be more open about her feelings for Wuling. At lunch, Wuling persuaded Calcharo to try a revolting-looking purple stew, and Calcharo discovered it was sour.

• Cartethyia chose not to ask Wuling to stay, and Wuling left her in Doctor Lu's care before returning to military training.
• Doctor Lu told Cartethyia that low blood sugar, malnutrition, and standing too long had caused her to faint, and advised her to eat regularly and rest.
• Doctor Lu teased Cartethyia about her feelings for Wuling and advised her to be bold, while Cartethyia privately wondered whether she was worthy of him.
• Wuling convinced Calcharo to try an unappetizing purple stew by promising it would help him build muscles and attract girls.
• Calcharo finally ate a spoonful of the stew, and his expression showed that it was sour.

Wuling and Lingyang watched Calcharo suffer after he ate a sour dish and drank hot water, then Xigelika joined them in the cafeteria. Danya returned without food after the military trainees emptied the serving windows, and Wuling offered her his sausage.

• Calcharo ate a mouthful of sour purple food, then Wuling accidentally scalded him with hot water while trying to help him recover.
• Xigelika arrived and asked to sit with Wuling, Calcharo, and Lingyang while Danya went to get food.
• Wuling told Xigelika that Calcharo had eaten something bad, and Xigelika assumed military training had upset his stomach.
• Danya searched the cafeteria but found that the food had been taken by the military trainees, so she returned empty-handed.
• Wuling offered Danya his sausage after she explained that she had found nothing to eat.

Wuling brought extra grilled sausages to the infirmary, and an accidental mouthful left Xigelika and him awkwardly sharing one. After Danya teased them, Xigelika thanked Wuling before heading to the cafeteria with Danya, while Calcharo remained confused about what had happened.

• Wuling offered sausages to Danya and Xigelika, and Danya eagerly ate hers while Xigelika initially refused.
• Xigelika accidentally got the sausage in her mouth when Wuling moved it toward her, leaving it coated with her saliva.
• Danya teased Xigelika into eating the sausage rather than wasting it, and Xigelika nervously accepted it from Wuling and finished it.
• Calcharo woke enough to ask why everyone was acting strangely, and Danya called the incident a grown-up secret.
• Xigelika apologized and thanked Wuling before Danya pulled her toward the cafeteria line, while Lingyang teased Wuling and Calcharo stayed puzzled.

After dinner, Danya arranged for Wuling to accompany Xigelika to the back mountain on Saturday morning, helping her see the unfamiliar birds there. Wuling agreed, and Danya hurried Xigelika away before she could say more.

• Danya finished her meal and asked Wuling if he was free on Saturday morning.
• Danya told Wuling she could no longer take Xigelika to the back mountain and asked him to go in her place.
• Wuling pointed out that he did not know the way, so Danya said Xigelika could lead while he helped her on the steep paths.
• Xigelika admitted she knew the way and asked Wuling to come with her; he agreed to meet her at eight by the cafeteria entrance.
• Danya pulled Xigelika away at the fork in the road, and Xigelika glanced back at Wuling before turning away when their eyes met.

Wuling endured Instructor Jiyan’s punishing individual training, then waited out the final seconds before his promised exemption from training. After Calcharo and Lingyang mocked him, Wuling laughed, caught their attacks, and recited a poem while holding them.

• Instructor Jiyan singled Wuling out for individual training after seeing how fast he ran at noon.
• Wuling kept running and exercising through the session, knowing that lasting until the end would earn him several days away from military training as a supervisor.
• During the break, Calcharo and Lingyang taunted Wuling and danced in front of him.
• Wuling watched the clock until training ended, then burst into laughter as Calcharo and Lingyang realized something was wrong.
• Calcharo and Lingyang reached for Wuling’s mouth, but he caught their attacks and recited “Becoming a Venerable” from “Insect Stories.”

Wuling used his new authority to punish Calcharo and Lingyang with extra running, then made them fetch him water. Camellya brought him a bottle and sat beside him, deciding to speak about the incident that had kept her from contacting him.

• Wuling made Calcharo and Lingyang run extra laps to vent his grudge against them.
• Wuling ordered Calcharo and Lingyang to buy him water in exchange for ending their punishment, and they ran off quickly.
• Camellya surprised Wuling with a bottle of cold water, and he thanked her before asking why she had come to the field.
• Camellya explained that she had no afternoon classes and had stopped by to watch the freshmen train, while keeping her real reason to herself.
• Camellya recalled that she had avoided contacting Wuling since an earlier incident, then decided to speak to him before she lost her nerve.