Chapter Summaries

Su Muzhi told Lin Yilin that her relationship with Jiang Linyuan revolved around tormenting each other as proof that neither would leave, then suggested Lin Yilin could be with him. She revealed that a heart condition from a childhood suicide attempt made her fear growing old and believe Lin Yilin could give him a more normal kind of love.

• Su Muzhi and Lin Yilin returned to their shared hotel room, where Lin Yilin asked Su Muzhi to give Jiang Linyuan to her because she could not compete with her.
• Su Muzhi explained that she and Jiang Linyuan tormented each other and took each other's refusal to leave as proof of their love.
• Su Muzhi told Lin Yilin she could be with Jiang Linyuan while Su Muzhi remained jealous and continued tormenting him.
• Su Muzhi revealed that strict control from her family had made her suicidal as a child and left her with a heart condition.
• Su Muzhi said she feared growing old and thought Lin Yilin could give Jiang Linyuan the normal love she could not, leaving Lin Yilin speechless.

Su Muzhi told Lin Yilin about her heart condition and urged her to pursue Jiang Linyuan without worrying about Su Muzhi’s feelings. Lin Yilin and Jiang Linyuan shared a romantic walk beneath molten iron fireworks, where she asked him not to make either her or Su Muzhi cry, and he promised he would not.

• Su Muzhi revealed that Jiang Linyuan knew about her heart condition and encouraged Lin Yilin to focus on her relationship with him.
• Lin Yilin left Su Muzhi’s room to find Jiang Linyuan, who was waiting outside, and Su Muzhi announced that she would look into Zhang Juntang.
• Lin Yilin and Jiang Linyuan walked together and discussed what Su Muzhi had told her, including Su Muzhi’s heart condition.
• Lin Yilin took Jiang Linyuan to watch molten iron fireworks and told him that both she and Su Muzhi were irreplaceable to him.
• Jiang Linyuan promised not to make them cry, and Lin Yilin let him hook his finger around her pinky beneath the fireworks.

Zhang Juntang admitted her feelings for Jiang Linyuan to Su Muzhi but insisted she would not interfere in his relationship. In Jinling, Shen Wanyu learned that Jiang Linyuan had resolved Haile Bio’s funding crisis, though she and her mother remained distant from him.

• Lin Lan cheered Zhang Juntang up after noticing her low spirits, while declaring that Lin Yilin and Jiang Linyuan belonged together.
• Su Muzhi questioned Zhang Juntang about her feelings for Jiang Linyuan and warned her not to ruin anyone’s relationship; Zhang Juntang denied liking him and promised she would not interfere.
• Su Muzhi asked Zhang Juntang about Haile Bio and Shen Wanyu, then photographed her and sent the picture to Shen Wanyu.
• Shen Wanyu recognized Zhang Juntang in Su Muzhi’s photo and wondered how chaotic things had become.
• Zhao Xueyun told Shen Wanyu that Jiang Linyuan had solved Haile Bio’s funding problems, and Shen Wanyu said he did not have to tell her everything.

Jiang Linyuan spent the evening with Lin Yilin and later reunited with Su Muzhi at the hotel. As rain kept everyone indoors the next morning, he felt he had glimpsed a small piece of his future.

• On their walk back to the hotel, Lin Yilin asked Jiang Linyuan whether she and Su Muzhi were bad people, and he praised both women instead.
• Lin Yilin gave Jiang Linyuan a room key and told him to stay there rather than visit Su Muzhi, while she shared a room with her senior sister.
• After Jiang Linyuan received a message from Zhang Zhu asking to share his contact information with Shen Wanyu's mother, Su Muzhi came to his room late at night.
• Su Muzhi kissed and cuddled Jiang Linyuan, and the two spent the night together as she worried about going to the hospital when the new semester began.
• The next morning, rain kept everyone in the hotel while Su Muzhi slept, Lin Yilin sulked, Zhang Juntang stared into space, and Lin Zhu and Lin Lan argued.

Jiang Linyuan returned to Jinling for the start of school and visited Su Muzhi, who was staying in the hospital. He promised to keep her company and bring her flowers, while Su Muzhi joked that she would never let anyone else have him.

• Jiang Linyuan drove Jiang Zhiyao and her luggage to her dorm, and she told him he seemed less carefree than before.
• Jiang Linyuan went to a private hospital and found Su Muzhi sitting in her dark ward.
• Jiang Linyuan promised to stay with Su Muzhi at night while she rested and recovered in the hospital.
• Su Muzhi admitted she feared his love would fade while she remained hospitalized, and Jiang Linyuan promised to visit every night.
• Su Muzhi asked Jiang Linyuan to bring her flowers he picked himself, then joked that she would drag him into a lovers' suicide when they were old.

At Xingnan University, Zhang Shuo and Zheng Qiu rejected a company’s attempt to take control of their voice AI, while Jiang Linyuan promised to keep funding its research without seeking profits. Afterward, Jiang turned his attention to recruiting researchers for Haile Bio and decided to approach Haji Yao’s academic circle.

• A suited company representative urged Zheng Qiu to discuss taking the voice AI to market, but Zheng said Zhang Shuo and their investor, Jiang Linyuan, had to agree.
• Zhang Shuo told Zheng that he would not cooperate unless Jiang agreed, and Zheng said he shared that position.
• Jiang told the representative that funding was not a concern and that he would leave the AI’s research and development to Zheng and Zhang without meddling or pursuing profits.
• After the representative left, Zheng explained that the AI had originally been developed to recreate his daughter’s voice, and Zhang encouraged him to thank Jiang in person.
• Jiang reviewed research-team leader résumés from Zhang Zhu for Haile Bio, found them unsatisfactory, and decided to recruit from Haji Yao’s research circle.

Jiang Linyuan arranged for Gao Ting to join Haile Bio, hoping the company could help her find a treatment for her daughter, Wanwan. He then took Jiang Zhiyao to the new house he had bought and showed her the room he had set aside for her.

• Gao Ting told Zheng Qiu she planned to leave the research institute and work for Haile Bio to pursue treatment for Wanwan.
• Gao Ting and Zheng Qiu learned that Jiang Linyuan had recruited her and was also behind Zheng Qiu's voice AI project.
• Jiang Linyuan drove Jiang Zhiyao to his newly purchased house and gave her access to a room there.
• Jiang Zhiyao teased and scolded Jiang Linyuan over his joke about a room for his future child, then went to cook dinner with him.

Jiang Linyuan visited Su Muzhi in the hospital, where they fed each other cherries, and the vice principal invited him to appear in Xingnan University's anniversary video. Back at school, the Student Union began planning the video, and a campus romance idea sparked a jealous objection from Lin Yilin.

• Jiang Linyuan brought flowers to Su Muzhi at the hospital, and they playfully fed each other cherries while the vice principal watched.
• The vice principal advised Jiang Linyuan about Su Muzhi's personality and marriage, then invited him to appear in the school anniversary promotional video.
• The vice principal told Jiang Linyuan that Su Muzhi could leave the hospital for the anniversary events if she wanted to.
• The Student Union gathered to plan the anniversary gala and a short film, and Lin Yilin suggested a protagonist traveling through Xingnan University's history.
• A Saint of Thieves suggested making the short film a campus romance and proposed that Jiang Linyuan play the male lead opposite her.
• Lin Yilin objected to the Saint of Thieves's proposal, determined to keep an eye on Jiang Linyuan while Su Muzhi was unwell.

The Student Union planned an anniversary short film, and Jiang Linyuan teased Shen Wanyu into considering a lead role. The casting remained unsettled after they learned Su Muzhi was away for a hospital checkup.

• Yu Songsong argued with Lin Yilin over who should play opposite Jiang Linyuan, while Shen Wanyu told Yu not to make trouble by confessing her feelings.
• Jiang Linyuan teased Lin Yilin about secretly calling him Jiang Puppy, and she grew embarrassed when he seemed to know what she had thought.
• The Student Union chose a story about a student from a hundred years ago arriving at modern Xingnan University and began discussing the two lead roles.
• The Student Union president rejected Yu Songsong as the female lead because he thought she was too lively, and Lin Yilin suggested Shen Wanyu instead.
• Jiang Linyuan provoked Shen Wanyu about acting with him, but she asked whether Su Muzhi could take the role and learned that Su was away getting a hospital checkup.
• Jiang Linyuan left the casting undecided and asked whether Shen Wanyu planned to visit Su Muzhi, but Shen dismissed the idea.

Shen Wanyu and Jiang Linyuan rehearsed their short film around Xingnan University, trading jokes as they acted out the scene at the school gate. Their rehearsal reminded them that they had first met at the same gate, and Shen Wanyu said her impression of Jiang Linyuan was still bad.

• Shen Wanyu and Jiang Linyuan met by the artificial lake and rehearsed their lines while teasing each other.
• Jiang Linyuan suggested rehearsing at the script's locations, and Shen Wanyu joked about his character dying at the school gate.
• The two went to Xingnan University's main gate and performed the short film's opening scene about a confused time traveler.
• Shen Wanyu remembered that she and Jiang Linyuan had first met at the school gate, and she told him his first impression was still bad.

Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu continued filming their school anniversary short film, visiting the observatory after touring the campus. Their teasing turned to Jiang Linyuan’s feelings for Shen Wanyu and her promise to tell Su Muzhi, while their visit to Su Muzhi remained unresolved.

• Shen Wanyu gave Jiang Linyuan a bottle of water, and they discussed whether to visit Su Muzhi together that night.
• Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu climbed to the observatory, where he lent her his coat after she sneezed in the cold.
• At the observatory, Shen Wanyu asked Jiang Linyuan whether he liked her, and he said that he did.
• Shen Wanyu said she would tell Su Muzhi about Jiang Linyuan’s confession, and he suggested they visit her together.
• Jiang Linyuan wondered aloud why Shen Wanyu had rejected his past pursuit, and she called him unbelievable.

Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu wrapped up a scene at the observatory and walked back downhill together, teasing each other along the way. When a stray cat approached, Jiang Linyuan discovered that Shen Wanyu feared cats because one had ambushed her as a child.

• At the observatory, Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu finished their work for the day and prepared to leave.
• Shen Wanyu offered Jiang Linyuan tissues to clean his dusty pants, and they shared her bag strap as they carefully walked downhill.
• Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu traded teasing remarks after a stray cat darted across their path.
• When the cat approached, Shen Wanyu asked Jiang Linyuan to scare it away, and he chased it off with a shout.
• Jiang Linyuan learned that a cat had ambushed Shen Wanyu when she was young, and she said she would throw away her bag when they got back.

After a campus walk, Jiang Linyuan told Shen Wanyu about his complicated relationship with Yu Songsong and said he would not leave Su Muzhi. Shen Wanyu teased him about a possible future together, then decided to visit Su Muzhi and help turn him from a scumbag into a normal person.

• Jiang Linyuan asked whether Shen Wanyu had enjoyed their walk, and she said having him with her made the familiar campus feel different.
• Shen Wanyu asked about Lin Yilin and Yu Songsong, and Jiang Linyuan admitted he could not let Yu Songsong go because she had no one else.
• Jiang Linyuan said he would not break up with Su Muzhi, while Shen Wanyu pressed him on whether he would ever choose her and cut off contact with everyone else.
• Shen Wanyu joked that Jiang Linyuan should beg her to be his girlfriend, and he teased her by imitating a stray cat.
• Shen Wanyu decided to go see Su Muzhi and laugh at her, and Jiang Linyuan followed her toward the school gate.

Jiang Linyuan drove Shen Wanyu toward the hospital, but they stopped at a flower shop to buy flowers for Little Su. After Jiang Linyuan picked a roadside flower and was called a flower thief by a child’s mother, he and Shen Wanyu continued to Little Su’s hospital.

• Jiang Linyuan drove Shen Wanyu from the school gates and stopped at a pedestrian street so they could buy flowers for Little Su.
• Shen Wanyu chose several red Chinese roses after asking Jiang Linyuan which flowers he liked.
• Jiang Linyuan secretly picked a white flower from a roadside flowerbed while Shen Wanyu waited with the roses.
• A girl’s mother described Jiang Linyuan as a flower thief, and the girl recited a bizarre fairy tale about Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty.
• Jiang Linyuan returned to Shen Wanyu with the wildflower, and they drove to Little Su’s hospital carrying their different flowers.

Jiang Linyuan brought Shen Wanyu to visit Su Muzhi in the hospital, where the two women traded insults while he tried to keep the peace. Their argument resurfaced their broken childhood friendship, and it ended with Su Muzhi threatening Jiang Linyuan after he asked what it meant to “cut ties.”

• Jiang Linyuan arrived at Su Muzhi’s hospital room with Shen Wanyu, and Su Muzhi greeted Shen Wanyu as an unwelcome guest.
• Su Muzhi and Shen Wanyu argued while Jiang Linyuan silently arranged flowers and offered them strawberries.
• Su Muzhi bit Jiang Linyuan’s neck, then used his closeness to tell Shen Wanyu that he was her boyfriend.
• Shen Wanyu said she wanted to stop Su Muzhi from ruining her life, and Su Muzhi accused her of betraying her after they had been close as children.
• Shen Wanyu admitted she had never truly hated Su Muzhi but said they would never be friends again, and Jiang Linyuan asked what part of the body “cut ties” referred to.
• Su Muzhi threatened to show Jiang Linyuan exactly what it meant.

At Su Muzhi’s hospital room, Shen Wanyu confronted Jiang Linyuan about his tangled relationships and urged him to become a normal person, while Su Muzhi made clear she would not give him up. After Shen left, Su Muzhi and Jiang Linyuan reconciled and discussed her childhood jealousy of Shen and the stray cat she had left in Shen’s care.

• Shen Wanyu told Su Muzhi that she wanted Jiang Linyuan to become a normal person and cut off his messy relationships, and Su Muzhi dismissed her interference.
• Su Muzhi offered Jiang Linyuan money to stay with her, then Shen Wanyu asked for her belongings from his car and left with his keys.
• Su Muzhi climbed onto Jiang Linyuan’s back, accused him of bringing another woman to visit, and kissed him after he explained Shen’s visit.
• Jiang Linyuan told Su Muzhi about rehearsing a school-anniversary short film with Shen, and Su Muzhi said Shen would never accept his current life with her.
• Su Muzhi admitted she had left a stray cat with Shen out of jealousy and wanted the cat to cause trouble, though she had not expected it to scratch Shen.
• Su Muzhi asked Jiang Linyuan not to hate her and said Shen could only be his friend, while Jiang Linyuan accepted that their relationship would not change.

Su Muzhi spent the morning with Jiang Linyuan and then spoke privately with her mother, who discussed Jiang’s AI venture and investment in Haile Bio. Su Muzhi said she was happy he was looking for treatment options for her and sent him on his way before the mother-daughter conversation continued.

• Jiang Linyuan and Su Muzhi woke up together in the hospital, joked affectionately, and were interrupted by Mother Su arriving with breakfast.
• Mother Su asked Su Muzhi about Shen Wanyu’s visit, and Su Muzhi teased her before Mother Su left the room.
• Su Muzhi asked Jiang Linyuan to leave so she could speak with Mother Su alone, then joked with him before he went.
• Mother Su returned and asked why Su Muzhi had left Jiang’s roses beside the bed; Su Muzhi said they were props meant to irritate people.
• Mother Su told Su Muzhi that Shen Pingyan had introduced Jiang’s AI venture and that Jiang had become a shareholder in Haile Bio.
• Su Muzhi said Jiang was free to spend his own money seeking treatment options for her, while Mother Su urged her to tell him not to trouble himself.

Jiang Linyuan, Shen Wanyu, Mu Mei, and Zhang Juntang began filming their student short film, completing the opening scenes at Xingnan University’s gate. The crew then prepared to move to the famous figures’ statues for the daytime outdoor scenes, with Jiang carrying Zhang’s equipment.

• Jiang Linyuan arrived early and met Shen Wanyu at the school gate before Zhang Juntang and Mu Mei joined them.
• Zhang Juntang set up her extensive camera equipment, which she had bought to film Jiang Linyuan.
• Mu Mei directed Jiang and Shen through the scene of their characters meeting, and Zhang gave them filming instructions.
• The crew finished the scene at the school gate and decided to film the daytime outdoor scenes by the famous figures’ statues.
• Jiang took some of Zhang’s equipment to carry, prompting Mu Mei to tease him about treating Shen and her differently.

Jiang Linyuan filmed a scene at the statue while Yu Songsong openly pursued him and Shen Wanyu showed her own concern for him. Mu Mei told Zhang Juntang about her long-ago crush, leaving Zhang to wonder whether Jiang might be secretly preparing to date someone too.

• Yu Songsong greeted Jiang Linyuan, grabbed his hand, and asked to meet him after class, while Huang Taoyan mocked her advances.
• Shen Wanyu straightened Jiang Linyuan's cuffs before the group filmed their scene by the statue.
• Yu Songsong offered Jiang Linyuan an opened bottle of water, but Shen Wanyu gave him an unopened one instead.
• Mu Mei struck up a conversation with Zhang Juntang and admitted she had secretly liked someone for three years.
• Mu Mei explained that her crush returned the money for a game after seeing her retrieve a cake from a trash can, then later got a girlfriend.
• Zhang Juntang wondered whether Jiang Linyuan might also be preparing himself to date someone.

Mu Mei encouraged Zhang Juntang to pursue her crush on Jiang Linyuan boldly, and Huang Taoyan urged her to be more direct while apologizing for failing to notice her past bullying. Zhang Juntang resolved to act braver, then took a photo of Jiang Linyuan as Mu Mei prepared to continue their photography session at the library.

• Mu Mei advised Zhang Juntang to persist in her secret crush and promised to share her collected simp advice over WeChat.
• Huang Taoyan pulled Zhang Juntang away from Mu Mei and warned her against following the senior’s advice, but Zhang Juntang defended it.
• Huang Taoyan apologized for not noticing Zhang Juntang’s past bullying, and Zhang Juntang said she had been too timid to speak up.
• Jiang Linyuan approached Zhang Juntang, who took his photo and admitted that she thought he looked good.
• Mu Mei said they had rested enough and suggested walking around the library to take indoor shots.