Chapter Summaries

Jiang Xueli stayed with Lin Zhengran and grew increasingly embarrassed as they shared a room and he helped dry her hair. The chapter ended with her accusing him of always teasing and bullying her, while Lin Zhengran continued looking after her.

• Jiang Xueli peeked into the bathroom after Lin Zhengran said he had not locked the door, and he scolded her and locked it.
• Lin Zhengran discovered Jiang Xueli had soaked the bath towel while rinsing it, and she offered him her partly dry clothes instead.
• After showering, Lin Zhengran finished drying his hair and helped Jiang Xueli dry hers under the covers.
• Jiang Xueli became flustered by Lin Zhengran's closeness and admitted she was shy, then complained that he had always bullied her.

While drying Jiang Xueli’s hair, Lin Zhengran answered her questions about He Qing, and Jiang Xueli offered to teach him how to hug girls. Her lesson turned into an intimate embrace that left her flustered and happy, while Lin Zhengran teased her.

• Lin Zhengran dried Jiang Xueli’s hair as she asked about his relationship with He Qing, and he said they had only held hands and linked arms.
• Jiang Xueli claimed she knew how to hug girls and offered to teach Lin Zhengran after her hair was dry.
• Jiang Xueli hugged Lin Zhengran, then instructed him to put his arms around her back, and he pulled her close.
• Jiang Xueli lingered in Lin Zhengran’s embrace until he suggested they lie down, making her suddenly self-conscious.
• Lin Zhengran laughed when Jiang Xueli tried to pull away, and she accused him of teasing her before wrapping her arms around him again.

Jiang Xueli spent the night with Lin Zhengran and slept in his arms, while Han Wenwen grew jealous after he asked her to bring Jiang Xueli a change of clothes. The chapter ended with Han Wenwen confronting Lin Zhengran in the hotel bathroom and demanding a hug.

• Jiang Xueli struggled to sleep until Lin Zhengran let her use his leg as a pillow, then she worried about having no clothes for the next day.
• The following morning, Lin Zhengran realized he had no shirt and called Han Wenwen to ask her to bring Jiang Xueli’s clothes from the dormitory.
• Han Wenwen became jealous when Lin Zhengran admitted he had stayed out with Jiang Xueli, but she went to fetch the clothes anyway.
• Han Wenwen arrived at the hotel and saw Lin Zhengran shirtless with Jiang Xueli asleep on the bed.
• Lin Zhengran pulled Han Wenwen into the bathroom, where she complained about his closeness with Jiang Xueli and asked him to hug her.

Lin Zhengran explained to Han Wenwen why he and Jiang Xueli had stayed at a hotel, making Han Wenwen jealous that he had bought Jiang Xueli underwear. Han Wenwen calmed down after Lin Zhengran promised to buy private items for her next time, but Jiang Xueli woke and asked to use the restroom, leaving Han Wenwen trapped there with him.

• Han Wenwen hugged Lin Zhengran and questioned him about staying at a hotel with Jiang Xueli.
• Lin Zhengran explained that he had bought Jiang Xueli underwear after her clothes were damaged and the dorm had closed.
• Han Wenwen grew jealous, then got Lin Zhengran to promise to buy underwear and sanitary pads for her next time they went shopping together.
• Han Wenwen questioned why Lin Zhengran had booked a King Bed Room, and he said he had chosen it without thinking much about it.
• Jiang Xueli woke and asked Lin Zhengran to come over so she could use the restroom, while Han Wenwen remained with him inside.

Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli left the hotel after spending the night together, then returned to Zhengshi Music, where Jiang Xueli filmed her MV while Lin Zhengran watched. When Lin Zhengran got home, he found Fang Meng and an unfamiliar couple visiting his parents.

• Lin Zhengran hugged Jiang Xueli in the restroom so Han Wenwen could slip out unseen.
• Han Wenwen brought clothes for Jiang Xueli, teased Lin Zhengran about hugging her, then left after getting a hug herself.
• Lin Zhengran and Jiang Xueli checked out, changed at their dorms, and returned to Zhengshi Music, where Jiang Xueli filmed outdoor MV scenes.
• Lin Zhengran headed home in the afternoon after saying goodbye to Jiang Xueli and Sister Wang.
• Lin Zhengran arrived home and found Fang Meng and an unfamiliar uncle and aunt drinking tea with his parents.

Lin Zhengran learned that his parents had arranged a childhood betrothal between him and Fang Meng, while a cultivation-system update recounted events from another life and granted him new abilities. A year and a half passed as his companies and friends made progress, leaving the group in their final semester before graduation.

• Lin Zhengran's parents revealed that they had been close college friends with Fang Meng's parents.
• Fang Meng told Lin Zhengran they had a childhood betrothal and said she would often come chat with him.
• A cultivation-system update described Lin Zhengran founding the Zhengshi Sect with the Empress, growing its ranks, and gaining new levels and spiritual-power abilities.
• Lin Zhengran filmed an MV with Jiang Xueli and helped her develop into a well-known singer while Zhengshi Company established its operations.
• Lin Zhengran coached at Zhengshi Sports, where He Qing won the City Area selection championship and secured a provincial slot.
• A year and a half passed, and Lin Zhengran and his friends entered their final semester before graduation.

Lin Zhengran learned that Zhengshi Company’s livestream competition would be held before New Year, then found Fang Meng at his house in a maid outfit, where she continued observing and recording him. Fang Meng asked whether he was two-timing, and Lin Zhengran denied it.

• Lin Zhengran told Pan Lin to keep the livestream competition scheduled for before New Year, after the college entrance exam.
• Lin Zhengran used Spiritual Energy Manipulation to bring a glass of water to his hand and discovered Fang Meng waiting at home with breakfast.
• Fang Meng explained that she had been visiting Lin Zhengran for over a year and recording him to investigate him for Jiang Qian.
• Fang Meng wore a maid outfit to gauge Lin Zhengran’s opinion, and he said he might like it if a girl he liked wore it.
• Fang Meng asked Lin Zhengran whether he was two-timing, and he denied it.

Lin Zhengran spent the day with Jiang Xueli and Han Wenwen before encountering Fang Meng on the ride back to school, where he noticed her growing distance from Jiang Qian. As the college entrance exam approached, Lin Zhengran chose his university, and Jiang Qian went to the teacher to find out which one he had picked.

• Jiang Xueli and Han Wenwen waited for Lin Zhengran, joined him for a haircut, and then had him tutor them at Jiang Xueli's house.
• Fang Meng appeared in the taxi with Lin Zhengran, Jiang Xueli, and Han Wenwen, saying she had come to meet a male friend.
• Fang Meng accompanied Lin Zhengran to class and briefly greeted Jiang Qian, whose relationship with Fang Meng seemed less close than before.
• The homeroom teacher asked Lin Zhengran about his university plans, and Lin Zhengran chose a domestic university despite the teacher recommending Stanford University.
• Jiang Qian went to the office and asked the homeroom teacher which university Lin Zhengran had chosen.

Jiang Qian confronted Lin Zhengran after learning he had rejected Stanford, then Fang Meng recalled how their childhood friendship and the Jiang Family’s financial crisis had changed Jiang Qian. The chapter ended with Jiang Qian’s memories tracing her growing cold and driven until she met Lin Zhengran.

• The homeroom teacher told Jiang Qian that Lin Zhengran had decisively refused Stanford, and Jiang Qian said she needed more time to decide about attending.
• Jiang Qian asked Lin Zhengran why he would not choose a better university, wondering whether he was staying for the girls around him.
• On the ride home, Fang Meng saw an old photo and remembered how Jiang Qian had helped her family when they were children.
• Fang Meng recalled that when the Jiang Family later faced a crisis, only her family agreed to lend money, while Jiang Qian’s other classmates refused.
• After a classmate insulted her family, Jiang Qian slapped the girl, and Fang Meng remembered Jiang Qian later thanking her for helping.
• Fang Meng reflected that the Jiang Family survived through an unexpected windfall, after which Jiang Qian became colder and more focused on her abilities before meeting Lin Zhengran.

Jiang Qian and Fang Meng argued over whether their long friendship was rooted in guilt, and Fang Meng quit as Jiang Qian’s assistant and left. Jiang Qian returned to the villa alone, where Jiang Jingshi suspected that the two friends had finally fought.

• Fang Meng asked whether Jiang Qian planned to attend Lin Zhengran’s college, and Jiang Qian said she wanted to help him find a better future.
• Fang Meng challenged Jiang Qian’s distrust of people and confronted her about repeatedly giving her time off and suggesting they attend different colleges.
• Fang Meng accused Jiang Qian of believing she stayed beside her out of guilt, explained that she had always considered Jiang Qian her best friend, and resigned as her assistant.
• Fang Meng got out of the car and left by taxi, while Jiang Qian ordered the driver to take her home and wiped her reddened eyes.
• Jiang Jingshi noticed Fang Meng was missing, questioned Jiang Qian about her, and suspected the two friends had finally argued.

Fang Meng and Jiang Qian continued avoiding each other, drawing attention when they both brought Lin Zhengran water during PE. Later, Fang Meng visited Lin Zhengran's sick mother, and she followed him to his bedroom to talk.

• Fang Meng and Jiang Qian refused to help classmates pass messages or items to each other, making their falling-out obvious.
• During PE, Fang Meng and Jiang Qian each gave Lin Zhengran a bottle of water, prompting classmates to speculate that their quarrel involved him; Han Wenwen watched from the Teaching Building and was caught by her teacher.
• The homeroom teacher promised the class a movie during Chinese class if they did well on next week's Mock Exam, and students discussed swapping seats while Fang Meng and Jiang Qian remained apart.
• Lin Zhengran returned home and found Fang Meng caring for Lin Xiaoli, who was sick after a mountain-climbing trip with Lin Zhengran's father.
• Fang Meng followed Lin Zhengran into his bedroom to talk, and he asked why she had come there.

Fang Meng visited Lin Zhengran because she was upset about her estrangement from Jiang Qian and wanted advice. Lin Zhengran urged her to talk honestly with Jiang Qian and left her considering his point that Jiang Qian had sincerely treated her as a friend.

• Fang Meng admitted she had come to see Lin Zhengran because she felt low and had no one else to talk to, then joked about discovering his weakness: he responded warmly to people who treated his loved ones sincerely.
• Fang Meng described her unusual ideas about freedom and pain, and Lin Zhengran knocked her on the head when she acted as if she had reached enlightenment.
• Fang Meng told Lin Zhengran that she and Jiang Qian had fallen out after an argument in a car and confessed she regretted it but could not tell whether Jiang Qian had considered her a friend.
• Lin Zhengran listened while resting, then told Fang Meng that she and Jiang Qian needed to discuss their feelings directly and suggested Jiang Qian had bought her a bottle of water during PE class.
• Lin Zhengran left for the restroom, while Fang Meng remained on his bed thinking about his strength and the pain of being pinned down.

Fang Meng cared for Lin Xiaoli while deciding to face Qian Qian and ask Lin Zhengran to accompany her for encouragement. Lin Zhengran agreed to spend the morning with her, and Fang Meng apologized for manipulating him before they left together.

• Fang Meng prepared nourishing soup for Lin Xiaoli and told Lin Zhengran she intended to explain things honestly to Qian Qian.
• Fang Meng admitted she wanted Lin Zhengran to accompany her to sing and drink after Lin Yingjun returned, and she tried to persuade him by caring for his mother.
• Fang Meng told Lin Xiaoli she hoped to become Lin Zhengran’s future wife and asked her to help persuade him to keep her company.
• Fang Meng’s tears moved Lin Zhengran, who agreed to spend the morning with her.
• After Lin Yingjun returned, Fang Meng apologized to Lin Zhengran for using a sly method and offered to do him a favor in return.

Lin Zhengran accompanied Fang Meng to karaoke, where he advised her about Jiang Qian and then helped police catch a fleeing criminal. At school, the Dean of Studies announced the incident as a heroic act and mistakenly called Fang Meng Lin Zhengran’s girlfriend, leaving Lin Zhengran, Fang Meng, and Jiang Qian stunned.

• Fang Meng drank and sang with Lin Zhengran before asking what Jiang Qian should do if people she had helped never repaid her, and Lin Zhengran told her to judge people individually.
• Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng sang together as police raided the karaoke bar and arrested people in a nearby room.
• Lin Zhengran stopped a fleeing criminal outside the restroom and held him until the police caught up.
• Two of Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng’s classmates recognized them at the karaoke bar, and police learned Lin Zhengran attended No. 1 Middle School.
• The Dean of Studies praised Lin Zhengran in class and called Fang Meng his girlfriend, prompting surprise from Lin Zhengran, Fang Meng, and Jiang Qian.
• The homeroom teacher called Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng out of the classroom.

Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng received praise from the school for helping capture a criminal, while their teachers quietly avoided discussing whether they were dating. After classmates saw the police video and recognized Fang Meng beside Lin Zhengran, He Qing, Han Wenwen, and Jiang Xueli were left wondering about their relationship.

• The Dean of Studies praised Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng, and said Lin Zhengran would be commended and asked to speak at the exam mobilization meeting.
• The homeroom teacher told Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng the school would avoid mentioning romance in its public account of their good deed, then asked Lin Zhengran whether he would change his university choices.
• Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng returned to class, where Jiang Qian watched Fang Meng with surprise.
• Class Three students exaggerated stories about Lin Zhengran subduing a criminal, and a classmate told He Qing, Han Wenwen, and Jiang Xueli that he had been on a date with his girlfriend.
• He Qing, Han Wenwen, and Jiang Xueli watched the school's video and recognized the girl beside Lin Zhengran as Fang Meng, then wondered what was going on between them.

After rumors spread that Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng were a couple, Lin Zhengran reassured He Qing, Jiang Xueli, and Han Wenwen that he had only helped Fang Meng out of gratitude. The three girls agreed to speak with him one-on-one during PE that afternoon, while Fang Meng planned to tell Jiang Qian the truth that night.

• Students questioned Fang Meng about her supposed relationship with Lin Zhengran, and Jiang Qian left the classroom looking upset.
• Fang Meng told Lin Zhengran she planned to speak honestly with Jiang Qian that night, then wondered why her heart was beating faster as she left.
• He Qing, Jiang Xueli, and Han Wenwen met Lin Zhengran and praised his act of bravery before asking about Fang Meng.
• Lin Zhengran explained that Fang Meng had helped his mother and that he had returned the favor, but the three girls remained suspicious of the rumors.
• Han Wenwen proposed that Lin Zhengran explain everything to each girl separately, and they agreed to talk with him during PE that afternoon.

Lin Zhengran spoke with Jiang Qian in the piano room after she paid him to hear her out about Fang Meng. Jiang Qian asked whether he had slept with Fang Meng, then agreed to try dating him after misunderstanding his joke.

• Lin Zhengran met Jiang Qian outside the washroom, and she offered him twenty thousand yuan to talk.
• Lin Zhengran and Jiang Qian went to the piano room, where she asked whether he had slept with Fang Meng.
• Lin Zhengran denied sleeping with Fang Meng or dating her, and Jiang Qian seemed relieved.
• Jiang Qian said her conflict with Fang Meng was affecting her sleep and studies, and asked Lin Zhengran for advice.
• Lin Zhengran joked that her offer of any request excluded sleeping together, and Jiang Qian mistook his words as a request to date her.
• Jiang Qian said Lin Zhengran was the only boy she did not dislike and agreed to try dating him, leaving Lin Zhengran surprised.

Jiang Qian proposed that she and Lin Zhengran marry, but he clarified that he had not confessed and asked her to explain her conflict with Fang Meng. After hearing Jiang Qian’s memories, Lin Zhengran urged her to talk honestly with Fang Meng, and Jiang Qian decided to meet her that afternoon.

• Jiang Qian said she would marry Lin Zhengran and agree to sleep with him, but Lin Zhengran told her he had not confessed and that he already had a girlfriend.
• Jiang Qian explained that she and Fang Meng had been friends since elementary school and that an old question about lending money had continued to hurt her.
• Jiang Qian recalled that a year earlier she had learned Fang Meng wanted to attend Tsinghua, then worried that Fang Meng’s wish to attend Stanford with her meant she was holding her back.
• Lin Zhengran told Jiang Qian to tell Fang Meng directly how the old question had hurt her and explained that Fang Meng genuinely wanted to go to Stanford with her.
• Jiang Qian agreed to find Fang Meng that afternoon and talk things through with her.

Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng went to the sports field for a mock fitness test, but Fang Meng’s trip to the warehouse for a spare part turned into an embarrassing accident. Lin Zhengran found her trapped among the scattered equipment, and the chapter ended when a mouse frightened her into grabbing him.

• Han Wenwen saw Lin Zhengran and Jiang Qian return to class together and teased Lin Zhengran.
• Lin Zhengran told Fang Meng that she and Jiang Qian should talk that afternoon, reassuring her that they would not fall out.
• Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng demonstrated the fitness test before the Physical Education Teacher sent Fang Meng to fetch a spare part from the warehouse.
• Fang Meng snagged and tore her clothes on equipment, then knocked things off a cabinet and ended up crouching behind a board to cover herself.
• Lin Zhengran found Fang Meng in the warehouse and offered to help her get replacement clothes, but a mouse made Fang Meng drop the board and cling to him.

Fang Meng’s clothes were accidentally torn in the Physical Education Warehouse, prompting Jiang Qian to mistake the situation for an intimate encounter with Lin Zhengran. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Jiang Qian and Fang Meng reconciled and began talking honestly about their feelings.

• A mouse startled Fang Meng, who clung to Lin Zhengran, and he kicked it away before noticing her torn clothes.
• Lin Zhengran fetched his jacket for Fang Meng, while Jiang Qian noticed him repeatedly going to the warehouse and went to investigate.
• Jiang Qian found Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng with their clothes partly removed and assumed they had planned to have sex in the warehouse.
• Fang Meng explained how her clothes had been torn, and Jiang Qian accepted the explanation and arranged for her family’s driver to bring clothes.
• Lin Zhengran left the warehouse entrance to give the two women privacy, and Jiang Qian and Fang Meng apologized to each other and began sharing their thoughts.