Chapter Summaries

Jiang Linyuan checked on Su Muzhi and learned that she was staying at a sanatorium because of lingering effects from a childhood accident that left her with poor stamina. The vice principal explained that Su Muzhi’s mother had sent her there after hearing about the hike, while Jiang Linyuan remained concerned about her.

• Jiang Linyuan messaged Su Muzhi to ask for advice about winning Shen Wanyu over at the upcoming Music Festival.
• Su Muzhi video-called Jiang Linyuan from a sanatorium and said she was naturally weak and needed rest.
• Jiang Linyuan offered Su Muzhi his bank card, then contacted the vice principal to ask about her health.
• The vice principal told Jiang Linyuan that Su Muzhi had lingering effects from a childhood accident and that her mother had sent her to the sanatorium after hearing about their hike.

Jiang Linyuan planned to visit Su Muzhi at the sanatorium, while Su Muzhi discussed him with her mother and messaged Jiang Zhiyao. In Jinling, Jiang Zhiyao reunited with Huang Taoyan, who recalled how Jiang Linyuan had ruined her first confession.

• Jiang Linyuan got the sanatorium's address from the vice principal and considered visiting Su Muzhi, deciding not to bring the Department Head.
• Su Muzhi's mother urged her to pursue Jiang Linyuan, but Su Muzhi told her not to interfere and secretly reflected that she had chosen Xingnan University herself.
• Su Muzhi messaged Jiang Zhiyao, hinted that Yu Songsong had something going on too, and called Jiang Zhiyao Jiang Linyuan's little sister.
• Jiang Zhiyao met Huang Taoyan in Jinling, and Huang Taoyan teased her about Jiang Linyuan's Music Festival post.
• Huang Taoyan told Jiang Zhiyao that Jiang Linyuan had written the outrageous confession line that ruined her first confession.

Jiang Linyuan accompanied Jiang Zhiyao and Yu Songsong to help Huang Taoyan move into Xingnan University, while Yu Songsong pursued his attention and Jiang Zhiyao warned him to explain himself later. On the way to the dorms, they ran into Bai Yi, the woman who had received a dramatic confession on Purple Gold Mountain.

• Jiang Linyuan agreed to let Yu Songsong come along while he went to meet Huang Taoyan, and she helped carry the luggage.
• Huang Taoyan teased Yu Songsong about being Jiang Linyuan's girlfriend, while Jiang Zhiyao privately told him to explain himself later.
• Jiang Linyuan and Huang Taoyan caught up as the group headed toward the dorms, and Yu Songsong asked about visiting his mother.
• Bai Yi stopped the group to ask for directions to the library, and she recognized Jiang Linyuan from Purple Gold Mountain.

Bai Yi tried to thank Jiang Linyuan and apologize for Zhang Xiaoxiao, but Zhang Xiaoxiao pulled her away when she saw him. After the group unpacked Huang Taoyan's dorm, Huang Taoyan invited Jiang Linyuan to a high school reunion and decided to bring her shy cousin Zhang Juntang, who secretly photographed him and had a crush on him.

• Bai Yi asked Jiang Linyuan to show her the library and explained that she wanted to thank him and apologize for Zhang Xiaoxiao.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao arrived, reacted fearfully to Jiang Linyuan, and dragged Bai Yi away before they could clear up their past dispute.
• Huang Taoyan invited Jiang Linyuan and their high school classmates to get together, and he agreed to attend.
• After the others left, Huang Taoyan confronted her cousin Zhang Juntang about secretly photographing Jiang Linyuan and urged her to make a move at the reunion.
• Huang Taoyan told Zhang Juntang to touch Jiang Linyuan in a sexually suggestive way, leaving her flustered and embarrassed.

Zhang Juntang recalled her first awkward meeting with Jiang Linyuan and prepared to meet him for dinner, getting help from Lin Yilin to dress up. At Jiang Linyuan’s class reunion, Huang Taoyan arrived with Zhang Juntang, surprising him.

• Zhang Juntang remembered how Jiang Linyuan had chased away the classmates who pressured her to confess to him in high school.
• Lin Yilin asked her roommates how her friend could invite an older student to the Music Festival without giving him the wrong idea.
• Zhang Juntang admitted she was going out for dinner and accepted Lin Yilin’s offer to help her get made up.
• Jiang Linyuan and Jiang Zhiyao arrived at their class reunion and greeted their former classmates.
• Huang Taoyan arrived with Zhang Juntang, and Jiang Linyuan realized that Zhang Juntang was Huang Taoyan’s cousin.

At a class reunion, Jiang Linyuan rejected Huang Taoyan’s attempt to set him up with Zhang Juntang, then comforted Zhang outside the restaurant while explaining that they might not be a good match. The system’s reading of Zhang’s Bad Woman Level flickered between A and D before settling on D, prompting Jiang to consider raising her rank himself.

• Huang Taoyan brought Zhang Juntang to a reunion hot pot dinner, where Jiang Linyuan remembered that Zhang could not eat spicy food.
• Huang Taoyan challenged Jiang Linyuan to drink and jokingly offered him Zhang Juntang, but he refused and said that being pretty was not enough to make him fall for someone.
• Zhang Juntang left the private room, and Jiang Linyuan followed her outside with cola and tissues.
• Jiang Linyuan told Zhang Juntang that not everyone was a good match for everyone else, and she returned to dinner despite her unspoken feelings for him.
• Jiang Linyuan saw Zhang Juntang’s Bad Woman Level flicker between A and D before settling on D, then decided he could raise her rank himself.

Jiang Linyuan traded insults with Zhang Xiaoxiao before returning to the private room, while Zhang Juntang followed Zhang Xiaoxiao into the restroom and confronted her over an old incident. After hearing Zhang Xiaoxiao’s account of the past, Zhang Juntang hit her twice and left, and Zhang Xiaoxiao composed herself and returned to work.

• Jiang Linyuan ran into Zhang Xiaoxiao near the restroom and mocked her, prompting her to yell at him before she retreated into the women's restroom.
• Zhang Juntang followed Zhang Xiaoxiao and reminded her that she had once acted as the big sister of a group of punks outside Thirteenth Middle School.
• Zhang Juntang told Zhang Xiaoxiao that the punks had hurt her senior and affected his parents' jobs, then punched Zhang Xiaoxiao in the stomach.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao recalled a fight outside Thirteenth Middle School and argued that Zhang Juntang was to blame for the senior's trouble.
• Zhang Juntang agreed that Zhang Xiaoxiao had a point but hit her again, then left the restroom.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao straightened her clothes, composed herself, and walked out with a smile.

Jiang Linyuan dealt with club representatives arguing over the Music Festival lineup while Yu Songsong made increasingly brazen advances and Shen Wanyu chased everyone away. After Yu Songsong left, Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu traded sarcastic remarks and kicks, ending with Shen Wanyu tapping him on the head for his distracting blinking.

• A Street Dance Club senior asked Jiang Linyuan to move her club's performance later in the Music Festival lineup, but he said the order was not his decision.
• Yu Songsong clung to Jiang Linyuan and drove the senior away, then bit Jiang Linyuan's ear and invited him to bite her back before running off.
• Shen Wanyu told Yu Songsong to leave so she would not interfere with work and the incoming sponsors.
• Shen Wanyu mocked Jiang Linyuan for letting Yu Songsong's advances happen, and he insisted he was the victim.
• Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu kicked each other under the table until Shen Wanyu stopped, suggested he might need a psychiatric hospital, and tapped him on the head for blinking too much.

Bureau Chief Bai asked the Student Union to add a band to the Music Festival so his daughter Bai Yi could surprise Zhang Xiaoxiao on her birthday, but Shen Wanyu dismissed the plan and Bureau Chief Bai left after recognizing her. Bai Yi then asked Jiang Linyuan for gift ideas, and he suggested SpongeBob with an outrageous explanation.

• Bureau Chief Bai asked Jiang Linyuan and Shen Wanyu to approve an outside band for the Music Festival, and Jiang Linyuan agreed as long as the university approved it.
• Bai Yi explained that she wanted the band to perform for Zhang Xiaoxiao, whose birthday fell on the festival date, and Shen Wanyu called the idea foolish.
• Bureau Chief Bai recognized Shen Wanyu, ended the discussion, and left with Madam Bai, telling Bai Yi to stay behind.
• Bai Yi thanked Shen Wanyu for defending her at Purple Gold Mountain and asked if she could prepare more birthday surprises for Zhang Xiaoxiao.
• Bai Yi asked Jiang Linyuan what plushie to give Zhang Xiaoxiao, and he chose SpongeBob and described him as sexy in a crude joke.

Jiang Linyuan left Shen Wanyu and Bai Yi to plan a Music Festival surprise, then visited Su Muzhi at her sanatorium and urged her to recover in time to help him. He left after beginning to recall what he had said on Purple Gold Mountain, while Su Muzhi stayed behind eating an apple.

• Shen Wanyu sent Jiang Linyuan out of the meeting room and told Bai Yi to plan a Music Festival surprise for her friend.
• Shen Wanyu told Bai Yi she disliked people who pretended to be stupid, and Bai Yi said she was content with her relationship with Xiaoxiao.
• Jiang Linyuan got into Su Muzhi's sanatorium after the nurse confirmed his identity with the vice principal, then visited her in Room 303.
• Jiang Linyuan and Su Muzhi traded teasing remarks, and Su Muzhi said she was too unwell to attend the Music Festival.
• Jiang Linyuan started to remind Su Muzhi what he had said on Purple Gold Mountain, but she told him to get out, and he left.

At Xingnan University's Music Festival, Jiang Linyuan took part in a booth quiz with Lin Yilin and ended up having his photo taken by Zhang Juntang. Zhang Xiaoxiao received a call from her supervisor firing her, leaving her devastated and unsure how she would support her disabled mother.

• Jiang Linyuan teased Lin Yilin about who would sit with him at the festival and admitted that Yu Songsong was pursuing him.
• Jiang Linyuan and Lin Yilin met Zhang Juntang at a quiz booth, where Jiang answered the first three questions correctly but missed the final one.
• Zhang Juntang photographed Jiang Linyuan, while Zhang Xiaoxiao accused her of using the quiz as an excuse to take his picture.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao's supervisor, General Manager Wang, called and fired her, dismissing her threat to pursue labor arbitration.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao crouched down and sobbed as she worried about losing her livelihood and supporting her disabled mother.

Zhang Xiaoxiao remembered how meeting Bai Yi had changed her life, then confronted Bureau Chief Bai at the Xingnan Music Festival after losing her job. He admitted he had let her rely on Bai Yi for years because she once saved his daughter, but told her she could no longer stay near Bai Yi and should build a life elsewhere.

• Zhang Xiaoxiao recalled being bullied as a child, her mother's disappointment, and how she met Bai Yi when Bai Yi intervened in bullying.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao remembered envying Bai Yi after her father helped drive the bullies out of their school.
• Bureau Chief Bai summoned Zhang Xiaoxiao to discuss her job and told her that she had to pay for her wrongdoing.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao accused Bureau Chief Bai of making her lose her job, but he said she could have kept it by returning to work that day.
• Bureau Chief Bai explained that he had tolerated Zhang Xiaoxiao because she saved Bai Yi from the lake, but could no longer accept her staying beside Bai Yi.
• Bureau Chief Bai wished Zhang Xiaoxiao a happy birthday and urged her to build a life elsewhere, leaving her feeling exposed as a parasite.

At the university music festival, Bai Yi arranged a public birthday surprise for Zhang Xiaoxiao, but Zhang Xiaoxiao interpreted it as another display of Bai Yi’s family’s wealth and fled. Shen Wanyu condemned Zhang Xiaoxiao’s treatment of others and the person who had enabled it, while Jiang Linyuan questioned whether enjoying something made it wrong.

• Jiang Linyuan watched the festival with Lin Yilin, Shen Wanyu, and Yu Songsong as Bai Yi and Zhang Xiaoxiao arrived.
• Bai Yi tried to comfort the subdued Zhang Xiaoxiao, who hid her envy and resentment and asked Bai Yi to stop questioning her.
• The host announced that the festival sponsor wanted to wish her best friend a happy birthday, and Bai Yi, dressed as a rabbit mascot, called Zhang Xiaoxiao to the stage.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao felt humiliated by the lavish surprise, saw it as a reminder of the class divide, and ran away from the audience.
• Shen Wanyu said Zhang Xiaoxiao had become a bully and criticized the person who had allowed it, while Jiang Linyuan asked whether enjoying wrongdoing made it wrong.

After Zhang Xiaoxiao fled the Music Festival, she confessed to Zhang Juntang that jealousy and insecurity had driven her to torment Bai Yi, then jumped into the artificial lake. Bai Yi and Jiang Linyuan rushed to find her, but the chapter ended with Bai Yi insisting Xiaoxiao could not swim.

• Bai Yi apologized to Shen Wanyu for the Music Festival disruption, while Jiang Linyuan refused to search for Zhang Xiaoxiao until he learned she had gone to the lake.
• Zhang Juntang found Zhang Xiaoxiao by the lake and confronted her about her past role in the bullying.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao admitted she had used the bullies, told Bai Yi about them, and later tormented Bai Yi because she envied and resented her.
• Zhang Juntang told Zhang Xiaoxiao that she had decided to shed tears only for her senior, and Zhang Xiaoxiao asked whether meeting someone like him might have changed her life.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao sent her mother a message and jumped into the lake while Zhang Juntang watched.
• Bai Yi told Jiang Linyuan that Zhang Xiaoxiao had jumped into the water; he called campus security and headed to the lake, but Bai Yi cried that Xiaoxiao had never learned to swim.

Jiang Linyuan rushed to the lake after learning Zhang Xiaoxiao could not swim, then pulled her from the water and made sure Zhang Juntang had recorded the rescue. After Zhang Xiaoxiao woke, she confronted Bai Yi about the drowning incident from their past, and the two clung to each other as the chapter ended.

• Jiang Linyuan argued with Bai Yi about whether he should rescue Zhang Xiaoxiao, then hurried to the lake after Shen Wanyu confirmed Bai Yi was telling the truth.
• Jiang Linyuan reached Zhang Juntang, told her to record the rescue, and dove into the lake to retrieve Zhang Xiaoxiao.
• Jiang Linyuan carried Zhang Xiaoxiao to shore, where bystanders gave first aid and Bai Yi stayed beside her.
• Jiang Linyuan told Zhang Juntang to keep the video in case anyone blamed her, and Zhang Juntang said she could not ignore someone in trouble.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao regained consciousness and asked Bai Yi whether she had once pretended to drown despite being able to swim.
• Bai Yi apologized while holding Zhang Xiaoxiao, who bit her shoulder as they clung to each other.

After Jiang Linyuan rescued Zhang Xiaoxiao, he confronted her and Bai Yi, while Shen Wanyu and the vice principal watched. The system issued a B-Rank Reward Pool Exchange Card for Zhang Xiaoxiao, and Shen Wanyu ended by warning Jiang Linyuan about Su Muzhi’s possessiveness over her toys.

• Shen Wanyu gave Jiang Linyuan her coat, and rescuers arrived to secure the scene and examine Zhang Xiaoxiao.
• Jiang Linyuan asked to speak to Zhang Xiaoxiao, then slapped her twice as she accused him of enjoying control over her.
• Bai Yi tried to shield Zhang Xiaoxiao, so Jiang Linyuan slapped her and punched Zhang Xiaoxiao until the vice principal stopped him.
• Zhang Xiaoxiao shouted that she refused to be saved, and the system issued Jiang Linyuan a B-Rank Reward Pool Exchange Card for her.
• Shen Wanyu told Jiang Linyuan that Su Muzhi was protective of her toys, and Jiang Linyuan joked before Shen Wanyu told him to shut up.

Jiang Linyuan visited Su Muzhi at the Sanatorium, where they discussed Zhang Xiaoxiao, Bai Yi, and Su Muzhi’s past. Su Muzhi agreed to leave the Sanatorium with him, though a nurse was due to check on her soon.

• Jiang Linyuan brought snacks to Su Muzhi and teased her about rescuing Zhang Xiaoxiao from the water.
• Su Muzhi said she would arrange help for Zhang Xiaoxiao’s disabled mother and told Jiang Linyuan that Bai Yi’s family was facing trouble.
• Su Muzhi recalled meeting Bai Yi at a social gathering, helping her when others picked on her, and telling her to test people’s feelings.
• Jiang Linyuan asked Su Muzhi whether she really believed people had to be tested, and she said her mother had been tormenting her at the time.
• Jiang Linyuan asked Su Muzhi if she wanted to go out, and she agreed to leave the Sanatorium with him.

Jiang Linyuan took Su Muzhi from the sanatorium to Qixia Mountain to see the autumn leaves, where they teased each other and discussed their feelings. The outing ended with them watching the sunset together, their relationship still unresolved.

• Jiang Linyuan warned the vice principal that he was taking Su Muzhi out, then borrowed a wheelchair and left the sanatorium with her.
• Jiang Linyuan drew the B-Rank reward Overclocked Brain, a skill that boosted his memory and learning ability for one hour.
• Jiang Linyuan took Su Muzhi by taxi to Qixia Mountain, where she admired the red leaves and explained that she rarely traveled as a child because of her poor health.
• Jiang Linyuan asked Su Muzhi about her past and Shen Wanyu, but she refused to discuss either subject and teased him about pursuing her.
• Jiang Linyuan confessed to Su Muzhi, and she rejected him with disgust before the two watched the fading light and leaves together.

Jiang Linyuan took Su Muzhi out for a walk and gave her a handmade paper-strip music box, which she enjoyed despite teasing him about it. On the taxi ride home, Su Muzhi pretended to sleep and caught him reaching to brush her hair aside.

• Su Muzhi asked Jiang Linyuan how much longer she would be kept cooped up, and he walked with her before they headed back.
• Su Muzhi guessed that Jiang Linyuan had hidden something in his snack bag, and he gave her a paper-strip music box he had planned to present at the Music Festival.
• Jiang Linyuan played the music box for Su Muzhi and explained that he had transcribed and punched the music himself.
• Su Muzhi called the music box cheap but said she was satisfied with it as a toy, while privately wondering whether she loved Jiang Linyuan or merely liked the gift.
• On the taxi ride home, Su Muzhi pretended to sleep until Jiang Linyuan reached to brush her hair aside, then opened her eyes and said, “Caught you.”

Jiang Linyuan brought Su Muzhi back to the Sanatorium, where he teased the Vice Principal about his strained relationship with his wife and earned his thanks. Later, at a Student Union meeting, Yu Songsong asked Jiang Linyuan to consider a future with her, while Lin Yilin quietly wondered if she should be bolder herself.

• Jiang Linyuan returned to the Sanatorium with Su Muzhi and provoked the Vice Principal by holding her hand and mocking his parenting and marriage.
• The Vice Principal admitted he had failed Su Muzhi when she was young, warned Jiang Linyuan that her mother was angry, and thanked him after Su Muzhi went to rest.
• Jiang Linyuan tried [Overclocked Brain*] and experienced an hour of intense thought and near-perfect memory, followed by exhaustion.
• At a Student Union meeting, Li Jianyi announced plans to help graduate entrance exam candidates, and Lin Yilin asked Jiang Linyuan about his plans after graduation.
• Yu Songsong offered to work hard to support Jiang Linyuan and asked if he would be with her once she could afford it; he gave her a vague promise to discuss the future later.
• Lin Yilin felt down after hearing Jiang Linyuan say he had rejected Yu Songsong before, and wondered whether she should express her own feelings more boldly.