Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ning took Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu to an arcade, where the girls played games before the trio raced home late at night. After drying Xue Yuantong’s hair, Jiang Ning asked what she could do to repay him, and she said she could not leave him.

• Jiang Ning brought Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu into an arcade, helped them choose games, and played alongside them.
• Xue Yuantong challenged Jiang Ning to King of Fighters, but he defeated her with powerful characters before giving her a token to play Knights of Valour with Xue Chuchu.
• After midnight, Jiang Ning gave the girls ice cream, and Xue Chuchu raced ahead on her Electric Bike while Xue Yuantong urged Jiang Ning to catch up.
• Aunt Gu waited at home with a feather duster and scolded Xue Yuantong for staying out late without checking in.
• Xue Yuantong went to Jiang Ning’s home to have him dry her hair with a wind Spell, then offered to repay the favor with one of her many skills.
• When Jiang Ning asked what she could not do, Xue Yuantong replied that she could not leave him.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong spent a sweltering summer day at home before Dongdong returned and caused trouble over her tablet. After Dongdong’s grandmother made a scene and Uncle Zhang lost his phone, Uncle Zhang plotted to use the wasps’ nest to get revenge.

• Wei Zishan contacted Jiang Ning about the fight at the barbecue stall, but he did not accept her friend request and told her his power was Immortal Arts.
• Xue Yuantong warned Jiang Ning that Dongdong was a badly behaved child with an unreasonable grandmother.
• Dongdong tried to approach Xue Chuchu, then threatened Xue Yuantong with a slingshot until Jiang Ning took it away and intimidated him.
• Dongdong demanded Xue Yuantong’s tablet, and Jiang Ning stopped him from grabbing it; when Uncle Zhang gave Dongdong his phone, Dongdong smashed it.
• Dongdong’s grandmother blamed Uncle Zhang and threw a public tantrum, while Uncle Zhang, unable to get compensation, decided to use the wasps’ nest beneath the poplar tree to retaliate.

Uncle Zhang tricked Dongdong into attacking a wasp nest, leaving him badly stung and sent to the hospital. Jiang Ning later destroyed the nest with flaming nunchucks, then traded its pupae to Uncle Zhang for spare ribs.

• Uncle Zhang baited Dongdong into smashing a wasp nest by promising him meat, and Dongdong was stung repeatedly and rushed to the hospital.
• After Xue Chuchu warned them about the danger, Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning prepared to deal with the nest themselves.
• Jiang Ning knocked the nest down and burned the attacking wasps with flaming nunchucks, using his Spiritual Energy to draw out the wasps inside.
• Jiang Ning found pupae in the nest, and Xue Yuantong agreed to trade them to Uncle Zhang for spare ribs.
• Uncle Zhang brought over the ribs and took the nest, while Xue Yuantong suggested they fry the ribs.

Jiang Ning treated Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu to fried ribs, then took them out to catch loaches in a ditch. Meanwhile, Wei Zishan got Jiang Ning to accept her friend request, but grew furious when he brushed off her messages.

• Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu watched Uncle Tang discover that Dongdong had torn down his greenhouse covering, and Uncle Tang vowed to settle the score.
• Xue Yuantong fried the ribs Jiang Ning had obtained, and the three ate dinner together while Uncle Zhang shared his fried bee pupae with Teacher Qian.
• Wei Zishan asked Lin Zida to help her add Jiang Ning as a friend, and Jiang Ning accepted her request.
• Jiang Ning promised Xue Yuantong a fun outing, then led her and Xue Chuchu to a ditch pool to catch loaches.
• Wei Zishan became angry when Jiang Ning brushed her off and asked Li Shi where he lived.

Wei Zishan and Li Shi tracked Jiang Ning to the River Dam, where he was catching loaches with Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu, but Jiang Ning rejected Li Shi’s offer to buy their catch. Afterward, Xue Yuantong went to buy ginger for cooking the loaches, and Jiang Ning noticed the stall’s scale had been tampered with.

• Wei Zishan asked Li Shi to find Jiang Ning’s home, and Wang Yong told them he rented a house near the River Dam from Xue Yuantong’s family.
• Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong, and Xue Chuchu lowered the water in a pond and caught wild loaches together.
• Wei Zishan and Li Shi found Jiang Ning at the River Dam, but he refused Li Shi’s offer to buy the loaches, saying they would eat them themselves.
• Xue Yuantong carried the catch to a vegetable stall to buy ginger, and Jiang Ning sensed that the Electronic Scale had been tampered with.

Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong, and Xue Chuchu bought ginger, prepared the loaches they had caught, and shared dinner. The evening ended with Uncle Tang reminiscing about hardship and Xue Yuantong teasing him about losing money at cards.

• Xue Yuantong challenged the vegetable seller's overpriced ginger, and Xue Chuchu used Uncle Zhang's presence to secure a better deal.
• Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong argued about who could eat more loaches on the walk home, while Xue Chuchu helped ease her own guilt about accepting their kindness.
• Jiang Ning used spiritual energy to clean the loaches, then Xue Yuantong prepared them for a dry-fried dinner.
• Jiang Ning tried to add Ding Shuyan as a friend but learned that she had disabled friend requests.
• Xue Yuantong cooked dry-fried loaches as Xue Chuchu made flatbread and Jiang Ning prepared tomatoes, and the three ate together.
• Uncle Tang praised frugality while eating broad beans, and Xue Yuantong teased him about losing fifty yuan playing Fight the Landlord.

After Xue Yuantong’s mother locked away her snacks, Xue Yuantong searched for the key and cut off Jiang Ning’s Wi-Fi in retaliation for tattling. Jiang Ning built a hammock in the grove, and Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu ended up swinging in it and sharing his soda.

• At dinner, Xue Yuantong exposed Uncle Tang’s card losses, and Xue Chuchu tried to ease his embarrassment before he left.
• Aunt Gu learned Xue Yuantong had skipped lunch, locked away her snacks, and told her to eat proper meals for two days.
• Xue Yuantong blamed Jiang Ning for tattling, turned off his Wi-Fi, and later begged him to help find the cabinet key, but he refused.
• Jiang Ning took fertilizer sacks and rope from Xue Yuantong’s home, built a hammock between two trees, and settled in with snacks and soda.
• Xue Yuantong discovered Jiang Ning relaxing in the hammock, then returned with Xue Chuchu and climbed aboard after he got up.
• Xue Yuantong shared Jiang Ning’s soda with Xue Chuchu, who shyly accepted a sip.

Jiang Ning protected Xue Yuantong’s hammock from Dongdong by using a caterpillar to scare him away, while Xue Chuchu reflected on how Tongtong’s liveliness had brought color back into her memories. At Evergreen Liquid Company’s annual meeting, Shao Shuangshuang’s team discussed developing a whitening product and using tiered pricing.

• Jiang Ning caught Xue Yuantong’s out-of-control hammock swing before she was hurt, and Xue Chuchu wondered whether Tongtong had grown more childish because of him.
• Xue Yuantong and Xue Chuchu helped prepare lunch, then ate with Jiang Ning and shared canned yellow peaches.
• Dongdong tried to claim the hammock, but Jiang Ning made a Yang La Zi fall onto his neck, sending him screaming home for his grandmother.
• Jiang Ning told Xue Yuantong he could control insects and promised she would not get stung while playing.
• At Evergreen Liquid Company’s annual meeting, Lin Han recommended developing whitening products, and Shao Shuangshuang’s team discussed pricing them in tiers.

Shao Shuangshuang planned Evergreen Liquid’s expansion and an anti-corruption inspection team, while Lin Han hinted that she wanted to speak with Ding Shuyan. Later, Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong, and Xue Chuchu found a phone and threw it into the Hui River after its owner accused them of stealing it.

• Shao Shuangshuang rejected partnering with outside delivery companies and directed Evergreen Liquid to build stores and a VIP delivery network.
• Shao Shuangshuang approved an inspection team to investigate corruption at Evergreen Liquid’s branches, while privately planning for the team to protect Jiang Ning.
• Lin Han told Ding Shuyan that Shao Shuangshuang was preparing to talk with her.
• Xue Yuantong suggested a walk along the River Dam, and she and Xue Chuchu discussed their plans while walking with Jiang Ning.
• Jiang Ning answered the call from the owner of a found iPhone, who accused him of stealing it and threatened to track him down.
• Jiang Ning threw the phone into the Hui River, and Xue Yuantong praised him as they continued on their way.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong spent the day at home, while the Class Group erupted into an argument about privilege, work, and comedy. The chapter ended with Jiang Ning tricking Dongdong into bothering Uncle Zhang after Dongdong tried to steal Xue Yuantong’s ice cream.

• Aunt Gu revealed that she had hidden the key inside Xue Yuantong’s Math Test Paper, exposing Xue Yuantong’s excuse for not studying.
• Xue Yuantong joined Jiang Ning and Xue Chuchu for instant noodles, then stayed home while Xue Chuchu left for tutoring.
• Jiang Ning used Spiritual Energy to drop two Yang La Zi onto Dongdong, sending him running home after he threatened them with his slingshot.
• Dong Qingfeng argued that comedy’s core was tragedy in the Class Group, prompting Zhang Chi to condemn classmates for spending their families’ money and showboating.
• Shan Kaiquan privately messaged Bai Yuxia after the argument, but his awkward joke went unanswered and left him feeling like a tragedy.
• When Dongdong tried to steal Xue Yuantong’s ice cream, Jiang Ning kicked him away and tricked him into charging into Uncle Zhang’s house.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong watched Dongdong provoke Uncle Zhang into a neighborhood brawl, then enjoyed dinner and chatted with classmates. The next morning, Jiang Ning took Xue Yuantong to the city for a haircut, where she let the barber believe she was starting seventh grade.

• Jiang Ning explained why Uncle Zhang had become more agreeable, then Dongdong woke him by slapping him and demanding ice cream, prompting Uncle Zhang to chase and beat him.
• Dongdong’s grandmother confronted Uncle Zhang, and Uncle Tang and Teacher Qian eventually mediated the argument without Dongdong revealing what had started it.
• Aunt Gu cooked a lavish seafood dinner, and Xue Chuchu joined Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning for the meal.
• Jiang Ning avoided the mosquitoes with his lightning while classmates discussed HPV vaccines and Meng Gui jokingly told fortunes in the class group.
• Xue Yuantong asked Jiang Ning to take her to the city, and at the hair salon she quietly played along when the barber mistook her for a child starting seventh grade.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong left the barbershop after Tan Meiling exposed Xue Yuantong’s claim that she and Jiang Ning were siblings. Jiang Ning won five hundred yuan on a scratch-off ticket and treated Xue Yuantong to KFC; on the ride home, they played their guessing game and shared gummy candies.

• Xue Yuantong pretended to be a seventh grader at Iron Middle School while Jiang Ning got his hair cut, then Tan Meiling recognized them and revealed that they were classmates, not siblings.
• Jiang Ning insisted on paying for his haircut, and Tan Meiling told her mother that Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong ranked first and second in the whole school.
• Jiang Ning took Xue Yuantong to a lottery shop, used his Spiritual Sense to select a winning scratch-off ticket, and collected five hundred yuan.
• Jiang Ning treated Xue Yuantong to a KFC Family Bucket and bought her an ice cream while they wandered around the mall.
• On their way home, Xue Yuantong asked Jiang Ning to guess how many gummy candies she had, gave him two, and fed him the last one.

Huang Zhongfei, Yu Wen, Cui Yu, Meng Gui, and Jiang Yanan went shopping, where Yu Wen was mocked in a selfie and then attacked after trying to comfort a crying woman. Later, Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong spent time with Dongdong and Teacher Qian before going to the River Dam for dinner, where Teacher Qian left feeling slighted.

• Huang Zhongfei bought a Huawei P6 to support domestic phones and declined the saleswoman’s request for a picture.
• Yu Wen tried to take a photo with Huang Zhongfei, but her camera opened to an unflattering close-up of her face, and Cui Yu teased her.
• Yu Wen approached a crying woman outside the mall, who attacked her; Cui Yu and Meng Gui restrained the woman while Huang Zhongfei called the police.
• Dongdong wiped chili oil from his hands and face onto Teacher Qian’s White Cat, then aimed his slingshot near Xue Yuantong.
• Jiang Ning showed off his Wooden Sword to Dongdong, who ran home to find materials to make one, while Xue Yuantong praised Teacher Qian’s integrity.
• Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong ate Tofu Brain and Roujiamo at the River Dam, where Teacher Qian wanted Jiang Ning’s untouched extra Roujiamo but left without it.

After dinner, Jiang Ning used his sword to break Dongdong’s hand-carved Wooden Sword, sparking a neighborhood dispute. Later, a Class Group discussion about climbing Mount Tai left Xue Yuantong wishing she could afford a trip there with Jiang Ning.

• Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning watched Teacher Qian make the Tofu Brain seller figure out that he did not want cilantro, and Jiang Ning called it troublesome heuristic teaching.
• Jiang Ning confirmed Shao Shuangshuang’s lottery prize was an individual travel voucher, while Xue Yuantong went to spend the night at Xue Chuchu’s home.
• Dongdong finished carving a Wooden Sword, and Jiang Ning cut it in half when Dongdong challenged him to a duel.
• Dongdong blamed Teacher Qian for ruining the sword with his inscription, and Teacher Qian compensated him with a wooden strip after the neighbors intervened.
• Dong Qingfeng and their classmates discussed visiting Mount Tai, and Xue Chuchu showed Xue Yuantong photos of a mountain climb through the fog.
• Xue Yuantong admired the scenery but worried about the cost of climbing Mount Tai and considered taking Jiang Ning if she could save enough money.

Jiang Ning prepared talismans for Xue Yuantong’s Mount Tai climb and set up a formation to scare Dongdong’s family, then rescued Xue Yuantong from her shampoo-induced panic. Shan Kaiquan planned a Mount Tai trip with Guo Kunnan, who gained attention in the New Student Group before deciding to join the climb.

• Jiang Ning made three Swift Steps Talismans and set up the Demonic Dance Formation around Dongdong’s house.
• Xue Yuantong thought shampoo had blinded her until Jiang Ning turned on the bathroom light and she realized the power had gone out.
• After receiving money from his parents, Shan Kaiquan invited Guo Kunnan to climb Mount Tai, and Guo Kunnan initially dismissed the idea.
• Guo Kunnan kicked Ma Shicheng’s fake Teacher Yan account from the New Student Group, winning praise and attention from the freshmen.
• Guo Kunnan realized a younger girl liked his Captain Levi profile picture rather than him, then agreed to climb Mount Tai with Shan Kaiquan.

Xue Yuantong watched Teacher Qian investigate the strange screams in the fat old lady’s east room and discover a frightening haunting. Later, Uncle Zhang tried to challenge Xue Yuantong to eat eight peaches, but she finished them all and thanked him.

• Uncle Zhang rode to the train station to pick up his college-aged son, while Teacher Qian dismissed the fat old lady’s claims that ghosts had screamed in her house.
• Teacher Qian entered the east room, heard a chilling scream and saw the memorial tablet tremble, then admitted to the fat old lady that he had gone too far.
• Xue Yuantong told Jiang Ning that Dongdong’s family was haunted, but Jiang Ning showed no concern.
• Shan Kaiquan invited classmates to climb Mount Tai, while Chen Siyu said she could not go because she was busy helping at her aunt’s clothing shop.
• Uncle Zhang brought his son home and bought him expensive fruit, then grew upset when his wolfdog continued guarding Jiang Ning’s doorway.
• Uncle Zhang challenged Xue Yuantong to eat eight peaches in twenty-four minutes, and she finished them all while Jiang Ning helped peel them.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong prepared to climb Mount Tai after Aunt Gu gave Jiang Ning her travel voucher and bank card, and they left for the train station. As they entered, a girl recognized Jiang Ning, while a crack appeared in the jade bracelet Aunt Gu wore.

• Uncle Zhang angrily left after Xue Yuantong ate the peaches, and his son Zhang Ruyun later approached her and learned the peaches had not gone bad.
• Xue Yuantong hinted that she wanted to climb Mount Tai with her classmates, so Aunt Gu gave Jiang Ning her travel voucher and accompanying bank card to take Tongtong on the trip.
• Xue Yuantong shared their travel plans with Xue Chuchu, and three days later Aunt Gu packed for the journey while the Fat Old Lady and Dongdong fought over whether to move out.
• Jiang Ning took Xue Yuantong by bicycle to the train station, where Aunt Gu watched them leave and noticed a crack in her jade bracelet.
• At the crowded train station, Xue Yuantong asked Jiang Ning where the ticket machines were, and a girl behind them called out to him.

Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning boarded a train from Yuzhou to Tai City with classmates who planned to eat barbecue and climb Mount Tai to watch the sunrise. As the train traveled, Jiang Ning helped Xue Yuantong feel at home, while Yu Wen hoped the trip would bring her closer to Dong Qingfeng.

• Xue Yuantong reunited with Yang Sheng and Tang Fu at the station, then met Dong Qingfeng's group and heard their plan to hike Mount Tai overnight after resting.
• Huang Zhongfei offered the group inexpensive apartments, while Jiang Ning said he and Xue Yuantong had already booked a hotel.
• Jiang Ning bought Xue Yuantong a McDonald's meal as they waited to board, and she shared some of her fries with him.
• Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong settled into their sleeper carriage, and he gave her homemade mung bean ice cream to ease her homesickness.
• Yang Sheng and Tang Fu ate ice cream Jiang Ning had brought, and Yang Sheng rescued Tang Fu when she could not remember her zodiac sign.
• As the hard-seat passengers grew tired, Yu Wen signaled Jiang Yanan that she planned to use the group's barbecue and drinking plans to get closer to Dong Qingfeng.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong settled into a hotel in Tai City before joining their classmates for a barbecue dinner. The group’s drinking grew rowdy, and the chapter ended with Yu Wen drunkenly flirting with Huang Zhongfei while Guo Kunnan and Shan Kaiquan broke down crying.

• Jiang Ning booked two hotel rooms near Huang Zhongfei’s group, and Xue Yuantong delighted in the complimentary snacks and room comforts.
• Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong met the others for barbecue, and Xue Yuantong gave Yang Sheng two breakfast vouchers.
• The classmates ate and drank together, while two drunken diners raced out of the restaurant without paying.
• Shan Kaiquan, Yang Sheng, Dong Qingfeng, and others joined a baijiu drinking contest as Yu Wen drank on Huang Zhongfei’s behalf.
• Yu Wen drunkenly confessed her feelings to Huang Zhongfei, and Guo Kunnan and Shan Kaiquan began crying over their romantic troubles.

At a drunken barbecue, Yu Wen, Dong Qingfeng, Guo Kunnan, and Shan Kaiquan made a spectacle of themselves while Jiang Ning helped get them home. Afterward, Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong returned to the hotel, where her concern about his drinking ended with his affectionate reassurance.

• Yu Wen drunkenly confessed her feelings to Huang Zhongfei and tried to breathe fire, while Dong Qingfeng surfed against the table and Guo Kunnan cried over Xu Yan.
• Jiang Ning used Spiritual Energy to steady the table, then carried the unconscious Guo Kunnan and Shan Kaiquan out after Huang Zhongfei paid the bill.
• Yu Wen joined a square dance, Xue Yuantong tried a slide, and Shan Kaiquan startled a woman by trying to ride her samoyed home.
• Jiang Ning and Huang Zhongfei took the drunk classmates back to the apartment, and Jiang Ning left them in Huang Zhongfei's care.
• On the walk back to the hotel, Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning talked about homes and living conditions, then she asked him to drink less.
• When Xue Yuantong sternly told Jiang Ning not to drink because he was underage, he teased her before saying he kept her in his heart.