Chapter Summaries

Shan Qingrong faced Class 8’s objections to accepting an international student and played a video introducing a fair-skinned girl with African ties, after which he moved on to academic reminders. After class, Shan Xiao praised Song Sheng for confronting Pang Jiao, and the two became friends.

• Chen Siyu searched Bai Yuxia’s phone for evidence, but Jiang Ning pointed out that Bai Yuxia could have used incognito browsing.
• Xin Youling and several classmates objected to accepting international students, while Dong Qingfeng and Chen Qian argued over the reasons and consequences.
• Shan Qingrong showed the class a video introduction from the incoming international student, whose appearance surprised the students and softened some opposition.
• Shan Qingrong addressed the importance of the school year and left after giving his instructions.
• Song Sheng felt lonely in the corridor until Shan Xiao praised his courage in facing Pang Jiao, and Song Sheng invited him to work out together on weekends.

As the students of Class 8 gathered for evening self-study, Gong Jin watched Lu Qiqi try to get close to him while the class’s rowdy behavior bewildered him. After several teachers visited with test papers, physical education teacher Gu Wei seized control of the evening study period and ordered everyone to stop working.

• Students on Class 8’s balcony teased Liu Chuandao and Yun Tingting, while Tang Jing confronted Huang Yuzhu about staring at her.
• Lu Qiqi moved to Gong Jin’s seat and flirted with him, praising his watch as Wang Longlong and Ma Shicheng made fun of it.
• Gao Heshaui criticized Class 8 and left math test papers; students insulted a student with cerebral palsy before he challenged them with the student’s exam score.
• The physics teacher demanded that the class finish more test papers, then Guo Ran called Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong to her office.
• Lu Qiqi admired Gong Jin’s travel photos and mistook his joke about Photoshop for a foreign company.
• Gu Wei interrupted Dai Yongquan, declared that he was taking charge of evening self-study, and ordered the students to stop writing their test papers.

Gu Wei’s impromptu speech turned Class 8’s day into a celebration, while students later gathered to watch Senior Ouyang confess to Yun Tingting. After Yun Tingting challenged him to three badminton games, Yang Sheng insisted she would win and challenged Gong Jin to bet on it.

• Gu Wei rallied Class 8 with a speech and promised them two PE periods the next morning, while Chen Siyu took Tongtong’s chair and wondered whether she was mildly intellectually disabled.
• Students gathered to watch Senior Ouyang arrive with lights and a Guitar to confess to Yun Tingting, but Cui Yu disrupted his dramatic entrance by shouting that he was Tiga.
• Senior Ouyang sang to Yun Tingting and offered her a small box, but she told him to beat her in three badminton games if he wanted her to be his girlfriend.
• Yang Sheng declared that Yun Tingting would not lose, then challenged Gong Jin to bet on the match, and Guo Kunnan agreed she would win.

Gong Jin lost a bet to Yang Sheng, only for his seven cleaning-duty shifts to be auctioned off to Yu Wen for five hundred yuan. That night, Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong, and Xue Chuchu discussed the next day's school ceremony and breakfast, ending with Chuchu threatening to give them sleeping pills so she could sleep in.

• Yun Tingting defeated Senior Ouyang in badminton, rejecting his hopes of winning her over through the match.
• Yang Sheng won her bet with Gong Jin, but Wang Longlong auctioned Gong Jin's seven cleaning-duty shifts, which Yu Wen bought for five hundred yuan.
• Yang Sheng used three hundred yuan from the sale to treat the class to milk tea, while Yu Wen told Gong Jin he would clean with her.
• Jiang Ning escorted Xue Yuantong home before the next day's student registration conference, where Tongtong would give a speech.
• Xue Yuantong and Jiang Ning planned breakfast and left Xue Chuchu feeling excluded, so Chuchu threatened to give them sleeping pills.

Jiang Ning secretly met Geng Lu and took her to eat Hugou Pancakes, touching her with his memory of their earlier conversation. At No.4 Middle School, students prepared for a television interview, the Sports Team chanted about becoming security guards, and Qi Tianheng arrived to inspect the cleanup.

• Jiang Ning left before dawn while Xue Yuantong slept and rode to meet Geng Lu.
• Jiang Ning praised Geng Lu, took her on his Electric Bike, and brought her to Huang Family Sesame Cake for breakfast.
• Geng Lu recognized the Hugou Pancakes Jiang Ning had remembered from their conversation the previous year and thanked him.
• Gong Jin joined Class 8's cleanup, while Wang Longlong assigned tasks and Yang Sheng pressured Liu Chuandao to sweep.
• Gu Wei led the Sports Team in chanting about becoming security guards, and Wang Longlong replaced their slogan with one about Yuzhou Security Guards.
• Qi Tianheng arrived, praised Wang Longlong, and mocked Yang Sheng's bets before several students glared at him.

Qi Tianheng’s insult nearly provoked a fight, while Zhao Xiaofeng paid the angry students to back down. On No.4 Middle School’s first day back, Xue Yuantong gave a brief assembly speech, students endured interviews and classes, and Teacher Gao’s attempt to motivate Class 8 ended with them teasing him about his breakup.

• Qi Tianheng ordered Zhao Xiaofeng to stop Duan Shigang, Liu Chuandao, Gong Jin, and Tang Jing, and Zhao handed out money that most of them accepted.
• A reporter interviewed Wang Longlong, Chen Qian, and Zhang Chi, who delivered a long speech, a boast about grades, and an advertisement for duck necks.
• Xue Yuantong addressed the assembled students, and Principal Yu later praised Luo Jun for a dramatic rise in the rankings.
• Gu Wei led Class 8 through two PE classes before dismissal, and Jiang Ning returned home with Xue Yuantong to have her cook.
• Jiang Yanan explained the Small Dining Table system to Gong Jin, who planned to contact Director Yan about his meal assignment.
• Teacher Gao tried to encourage Class 8 to study, but the students teased him about his breakup, and Xue Yuantong said Jiang Ning was meditating rather than spacing out.

Class 8 discussed the upcoming seat rearrangement, celebrated Xue Yuantong’s top exam score, and watched Yun Tingting eagerly seek Jiang Ning’s attention. During evening self-study, students studied, joked, and made a bet over Zhang Chi’s duck necks, which disappeared just as he prepared to sell them.

• Shan Qingrong postponed the seat rearrangement until Geng Lu returned and announced Chen Qian’s fourth-place school ranking, Du Chuan’s 670 points, and Xue Yuantong’s city-leading 718.
• Lu Qiqi tried to arrange a badminton game between Yun Tingting and Jiang Ning, but Chen Siyu said Jiang Ning was teaching her, and Yun Tingting ran upstairs to find him.
• Jiang Ning helped Chen Siyu study, and they agreed that if she failed to understand a problem after one explanation, she would shout that he was Chen Siqing.
• Tang Jing tried to make Huang Yuzhu jealous by telling him a handsome boy had asked for her WeChat, but he took her words literally.
• Zhang Chi bet Yang Sheng he could sell duck necks, bribed Liu Chuandao to pretend to buy two, and then discovered his duck necks were missing.

Class 8 auctioned Zhang Chi for seven yuan, and Xin Youling tried to recruit him while challenging Yang Sheng’s influence. Meanwhile, Jiang Ning spent the evening with Geng Lu before returning to find Xue Yuantong sulking in bed, where barbecue tempted her out.

• Wang Longlong auctioned Zhang Chi, who sold for seven yuan after Pang Jiao mocked him and he accidentally struck Song Sheng with a textbook.
• Xin Youling stopped Zhang Chi from leaving school to buy batteries, then approached him after evening study and offered to pay twenty yuan for his services.
• Jiang Ning rode with Geng Lu to a noodle shop near a private high school, shared a meal with her, and accompanied her to buy ink pens and a pear drink.
• Xue Chuchu tried to cheer up Xue Yuantong, who hid under her blanket because Jiang Ning had left after bringing her home.
• Jiang Ning returned carrying barbecue and teased Xue Yuantong that she could have acupuncture or come out for lamb and beef skewers.

Gong Jin watched Class 8’s students prepare for a class monitor election, while Yu Wen bought votes by offering money and reducing the favors owed to Gong Jin. Elsewhere, Jiang Ning walked with Geng Lu back to school, where they talked about badminton and her figure.

• Gong Jin went to the balcony, where he watched Yun Tingting and Tang Fu play badminton as Class 8 students crowded around.
• Lu Qiqi criticized Yun Tingting, then Chai Wei tried to join the conversation and angered her with a remark about losing weight.
• Yu Wen told Gong Jin and Lu Qiqi she was running for class monitor and secured their votes by reducing the uses she had bought from Gong Jin.
• Yu Wen paid Zhang Chi for his vote and went on to recruit Chai Wei, while Xin Youling worried about Yang Sheng’s influence.
• Jiang Ning walked with Geng Lu after breakfast, declined Liu Chuandao’s invitation to play badminton, and joked with Geng Lu about surgery to reduce her figure.

Class 8 welcomed exchange student Huang Xingyue and held a new election for class officers after Shan Qingrong announced they would be reconfirmed. Yu Wen ran against Xin Youling and won the class monitor vote, leaving her stunned by the support of her classmates.

• Xin Youling warned Huang Yuzhu and Tang Jing to bring the water bucket back before class, while Yang Sheng avoided being drawn into their conflict.
• Huang Xingyue introduced herself as an exchange student, and Shan Qingrong seated her beside Gong Jin.
• Shan Qingrong reconfirmed the class officers, and the students explained that the Sports Committee position had been vacated repeatedly.
• Yu Wen declared her candidacy for class monitor with a brief speech, then Xin Youling delivered a polished campaign speech.
• After Shan Qingrong agreed to a show-of-hands vote, a large number of students supported Yu Wen, and she realized she had won the position.

Yu Wen secured the class monitor position after Wang Longlong silenced the heckling, and Shan Qingrong began rearranging the students by grade. The new seating left Jiang Ning beside Xue Yuantong and Xin Youling, while Gong Jin ended up beside Wang Yong and near Pang Jiao.

• Yu Wen won the class monitor election, and Wang Longlong rallied the class to applaud her until Shan Qingrong officially named her monitor.
• Shan Qingrong sent the students into the hallway to change seats, where Zhang Chi apologized to Huang Xingyue after learning how expensive her clothes were.
• Jiang Ning took the central seat in the second row, and Xue Yuantong sat beside him; Chen Qian, Gong Jin, Song Sheng, and other high-ranking students chose their seats next.
• Xin Youling sat on Jiang Ning's other side, while Wang Yong took the seat beside Gong Jin and promised that Gong Jin would thank him in five minutes.
• Liu Chuandao accused Duan Shigang of sabotaging his grades, then took the last available seat beside Zhang Chi as Pang Jiao greeted Gong Jin and overwhelmed him with her smell.

With the teacher absent, Class 8 fell into disorder as Yu Wen struggled to manage discipline and Wang Longlong maneuvered to gain influence. Wang Longlong ended the chapter on the podium, embracing his new role as the class’s regent.

• Guo Kunnan befriended Huang Xingyue, who gave him bitter chocolate that he pretended to enjoy.
• Chen Siyu chatted with Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong, and Bai Yuxia about traveling abroad, while Xin Youling remained dispirited after losing the class monitor election.
• Director Yan reprimanded Yu Wen for failing to maintain order while the subject teacher was absent.
• Yu Wen tried to silence Tang Jing, but Tang Jing mocked her until Wang Longlong backed Yu Wen by invoking the class teacher’s authority.
• Yu Wen asked Wang Longlong to manage discipline from the podium, and he accepted the position while Ma Shicheng recognized his maneuvering.
• Wang Longlong stood above the class and declared to himself that he was no longer Class 8’s shadow but its regent.

Gong Jin escaped his miserable seat in Class 8 and went with Zhuang Jianhui to collect debts for Zhuang Jianhui’s associates. Back at school, Wang Yong angered Pang Jiao and barely avoided a beating, while Zhuang Jianhui’s group continued looking for debtors.

• Gong Jin hid his new seat from Lin Zida and Zhuang Jianhui, then eagerly left school with them when Zhuang Jianhui invited him along.
• Liu Chuandao assembled a badminton group, rejected Guo Kunnan for asking his girlfriend’s permission, and accepted Chai Wei as a teammate.
• Chen Siyu and Bai Yuxia worried about Xin Youling, and Chen Siyu claimed she had known Xin Youling since childhood because they had played in separate homes.
• Wang Yong snapped at Pang Jiao during self-study, and she overturned his desk until he apologized and called her beautiful.
• Zhuang Jianhui took Gong Jin to collect debts, where their associates beat a bald debtor before failing to find another man who threatened them over the phone.
• Zhuang Jianhui offered to return to school or keep going, and Gong Jin chose to stay out longer.

Dong Qingfeng took Shen Qing'e and Jiang Yanan to lunch, where a drunken, knife-carrying man provoked him. Jiang Ning intervened and knocked the attacker down, just as a suited man arrived demanding money from someone surnamed Wu.

• Dong Qingfeng invited Shen Qing'e and Jiang Yanan to lunch, while Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong strolled to eat out together.
• Cao Kun texted Meng Ziyun to remind her to eat and rest, and she told him they were strangers.
• At the noodle shop, a disheveled man provoked Dong Qingfeng, but Shen Qing'e and Jiang Yanan stopped him from fighting.
• The man insulted Jiang Ning, who kicked him down and revealed a folding knife had fallen from his pocket.
• The attacker grabbed the chef's ladle and charged Jiang Ning, who knocked him down again.
• A suited man entered the restaurant demanding that someone surnamed Wu repay money, then stopped in surprise.

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong ate calmly after he stopped a debt collector’s target from causing trouble, then helped Xin Youling prove that an auntie had deliberately reversed into her Electric Bike. Xin Youling resolved the dispute and, after Jiang Ning reminded her that her mother had carefully prepared the bike, watched him leave with renewed resolve.

• Jiang Ning knocked Surname Wu to the floor, then ordered food while the suited debt collector took Surname Wu away; Zhuang Jianhui recognized Jiang Ning and explained his family’s connection to Evergreen Liquid.
• Shen Qing'e remembered sharing the same dishes with Jiang Ning in junior high as she watched him eat with Xue Yuantong.
• After losing the class monitor election, Xin Youling bought a Scratch-off Lottery Ticket, regretted it, and later crashed her Electric Bike near an Elderly Scooter.
• Jiang Ning discovered that Xin Youling’s bike had a dashcam and showed the footage proving the sweater-clad Auntie had reversed into her.
• The Traffic Police officer held the Auntie responsible, and Xin Youling settled the matter with an apology and one hundred yuan in compensation.
• Jiang Ning told Xin Youling that her mother had added safety features to the bike and reminded her that her mother was waiting at home before leaving with Xue Yuantong.

Jiang Ning spent time alone with Geng Lu, then helped her regain confidence by comparing their abilities to people who had taken different paths. At school, he defeated Yun Tingting at badminton and arranged a match that made Geng Lu believe she was just as capable.

• Jiang Ning and Geng Lu shared dinner and discussed Liu Chuandao's plan to challenge Yun Tingting at badminton.
• Geng Lu felt discouraged after learning that a former fine arts student was selling fruit, and Jiang Ning told her that success depended on the person.
• Liu Chuandao sought advice from Cui Yu, Meng Gui, and Zhang Chi before Yun Tingting rejected his challenge and his offer of money.
• Jiang Ning played Yun Tingting, defeated her with a smash, and left after telling her she had let him win.
• Jiang Ning played Geng Lu and deliberately missed a shot, telling her that she was no worse than Yun Tingting.

Xue Yuantong woke to dinner and called Jiang Ning her servant while Huang Xingyue sought out local food and met Jiang Ning. During evening study, Guo Kunnan tried to comfort his online girlfriend, Pang Jiao devoured classmates’ snacks, and Zhang Chi struggled to collect payment; afterward, Jiang Ning rode Xue Yuantong home, where Xue Chuchu waited.

• Jiang Yanan brought dinner to Xue Yuantong, who told Huang Xingyue that Jiang Ning was her servant and directed her to ask him about the food.
• Huang Xingyue heard Shen Xu mock Black people, gave him bitter chocolate, then asked Jiang Ning where to buy spicy hot pot and fried skewers; Jiang Ning accepted her chocolate and advised her to request plenty of chili.
• Guo Kunnan asked Ma Shicheng for advice about his online girlfriend, then tried to comfort her period pain by calling so she could place her vibrating phone on her stomach, but found she was already on another call.
• Pang Jiao collected snacks around the classroom, and Zhang Chi sold her chicken-flavored bites before Xin Youling lent him two yuan for her change.
• Jiang Ning rode Xue Yuantong home after evening study, and they found Xue Chuchu waiting by the houses.

At a lively gathering, Zhuang Jianhui’s friends celebrated his father’s growing political power while teasing Gong Jin about the girls in Class 8. Later, Jiang Ning spent a cozy evening with Xue Yuantong, who stretched out her visit before asking whether a lifetime could ever offer enough time together.

• Zhuang Jianhui’s friends discussed how his father might gain leadership over Yuzhou’s courts, procuratorates, and Public Security, while Zhuang Jianhui focused on making the Wu Brothers suffer.
• Lin Zida showed the group Bai Yuxia’s dance video, and Gong Jin claimed he was busy dealing with the girls in Class 8 but admitted he could not take them down.
• Jiang Ning chatted with Xin Youling after she sent him a photo of a stray kitten, and she felt reassured before heading home.
• Xue Yuantong played games with Xue Chuchu at home, shared snacks with Jiang Ning, and smiled when he called her the sweetest.
• Aunt Gu came to check on Xue Yuantong after her joking claim that she had been drinking, and Jiang Ning told her to go home after her match.
• Xue Yuantong kept playing past Jiang Ning’s time limit until he gently sent her home, and she asked whether a lifetime was still too short.

Gu Wei pushed Class 8, Grade 11 through an intense physical education class, then made the boys and girls compete in a relay race. Wu Xiaoqi secured a narrow victory for the boys, leaving the class furious at Gu Wei’s attempts to hinder them.

• Gu Wei took over the class’s physical education period, set fitness goals, and led the students through strenuous warm-ups.
• Lu Qiqi and Tang Jing teased Gu Wei about being unmarried and offered to introduce him to relatives, prompting the exhausted students to seek breaks.
• Gu Wei organized a boys-versus-girls relay race in which contestants had to slap the Basketball in his hand, and he excluded Jiang Ning from participating.
• Gu Wei raised and waved the Basketball to obstruct Cao Kun, giving the girls a lead as the teams neared the end of the race.
• Wu Xiaoqi feinted and struck the Basketball, then overtook Yu Wen to win the relay for the boys.

Class 8 students played ping-pong, lost cleaning shifts to Gong Jin, and shared pineapples while the other classes trained. Later, Xin Youling invited Jiang Ning to see her Mimi, leaving him confused.

• Gong Jin defeated Zhang Chi, Shan Kaiquan, Chai Wei, and several others at ping-pong, claiming thirty-six cleaning duty shifts before Yang Sheng beat him.
• Huang Yuzhu brought Big Pineapples from his father, and Class 8 shared them after Wang Longlong finished auctioning off the cleaning shifts.
• Class 8 ate pineapples in front of the sun-baked Class 3 and Class 9 students, while Jiang Ning impressed everyone by peeling one with a flashy flourish.
• Gong Jin snatched a piece of pineapple from Duan Shigang and decided that the school and Class 8 were interesting, though he disliked sitting between the Four Golden Flowers.
• Xin Youling invited Jiang Ning to see her Mimi during the afternoon break, and he wondered if she was telling him not to give up on himself.