Chapter Summaries

At dinner, Bai Yunsheng watched Feng Yanshan send Feng Tingfan to the basement and use his authority to silence Jiang Li. The next morning, after Jiang Li threatened him and insulted his mother, Bai Yunsheng nearly threw her over the stair railing before stopping himself.

• Feng Yanshan revealed that Feng Tingfan had been sent to the basement, and he rebuked Jiang Li and Feng Zhiyou for speaking up.
• Feng Yanshan defended Bai Yunsheng at dinner, told him to ignore everyone but his father, and ordered Doctor Luoluo to check his injuries.
• Bai Yunsheng spent the night resting, then met Jiang Li on the staircase the next morning.
• Jiang Li threatened Bai Yunsheng and taunted him by bringing up Bai Zhi, so he grabbed her and suspended her over the railing.
• Bai Yunsheng let go of Jiang Li, who fell to the ground and silently feared him.

Bai Yunsheng navigated Jiang Li’s accusation that he had tried to strangle her, persuading Feng Yanshan to favor him because he had secured the meeting with Chairman Meng. The chapter ended with Jiang Li apologizing and Bai Yunsheng hiding his anger as he went upstairs.

• Jiang Li accused Bai Yunsheng of attacking her and urged Feng Yanshan to keep him from visiting the Meng Household.
• Feng Yanshan dismissed Jiang Li’s accusation, ordered her to her room, and praised Bai Yunsheng for arranging the connection with Chairman Meng.
• Bai Yunsheng recognized that Feng Yanshan had sided with him for the sake of the meeting and concluded that his father was cold and self-serving.
• Jiang Li quickly apologized to Bai Yunsheng and acknowledged his role in arranging the meeting, prompting Feng Yanshan to suggest letting Tingfan out of the basement.
• Bai Yunsheng excused himself to retrieve his phone, and his smile disappeared as he walked away.

Bai Yunsheng joined the Feng family for lunch at Meng Shangzhi’s manor, where Meng Shangzhi openly treated him with special care and challenged the Feng family’s assumptions about their relationship. Meng Shangzhi offered the Feng Household a business partnership on the condition that Bai Yunsheng be included, leaving Bai Yunsheng unable to refuse the opportunity or the attention.

• Meng Shangzhi welcomed Bai Yunsheng but questioned why Jiang Li and Feng Tingfan were there as his family, embarrassing the Feng family.
• Meng Shangzhi had Bai Yunsheng sit beside him at lunch and ordered a dish remade after noticing it was too sweet for him.
• Meng Shangzhi asked Feng Yanshan whether he still wanted to work with him, then made Bai Yunsheng’s inclusion in the partnership his sole condition.
• Feng Yanshan objected that Bai Yunsheng was too young and inexperienced, but Meng Shangzhi accepted the risk of any losses himself.
• Bai Yunsheng tried to thank Meng Shangzhi with a drink, but Meng Shangzhi stopped him because he disliked the smell of alcohol.

Feng Yanshan left Bai Yunsheng with Meng Shangzhi for a day, and Meng Shangzhi agreed despite knowing Feng Yanshan had ulterior motives. During a tour of the Meng Household, a sudden stop injured Bai Yunsheng, and Meng Shangzhi carried him inside, leaving Bai Yunsheng comforted by his embrace.

• Feng Yanshan suggested that Bai Yunsheng stay with Meng Shangzhi for a day to discuss their partnership, and Meng Shangzhi agreed after Bai Yunsheng accepted.
• Feng Yanshan left with Feng Zhiyou and the others, and Meng Shangzhi showed Bai Yunsheng around his vast home.
• Bai Yunsheng asked about the artificial lake, and Meng Shangzhi explained that his deceased mother had liked black swans and that his father had built it for them.
• When the driver stopped abruptly to avoid a cat, Meng Shangzhi shielded Bai Yunsheng, who went pale and broke into a cold sweat.
• Bai Yunsheng woke in pain and reassured Meng Shangzhi, who carried him inside and called for a doctor.
• Bai Yunsheng leaned against Meng Shangzhi's chest and admitted to himself that the embrace felt warm.

Dr. Xu examined Bai Yunsheng and discovered the wound on his back, prompting Meng Shangzhi to ask who had hurt him. After Bai Yunsheng named Feng Zhiyou and stayed at Meng Shangzhi’s home for the night, he planned to ask Meng Shangzhi more questions after bathing.

• Dr. Xu examined Bai Yunsheng’s back and found a serious wound, and Meng Shangzhi pressed him to reveal who had caused it.
• Bai Yunsheng told Meng Shangzhi that Feng Zhiyou had injured him.
• Bai Yunsheng reviewed the partnership contract with Meng Shangzhi, then asked to stay the night because Feng Yanshan would be unhappy if he returned home.
• Meng Shangzhi asked whether Bai Yunsheng would have stayed with anyone else, and Bai Yunsheng said he would not.
• Bai Yunsheng called Feng Yanshan to say he was not coming home, then accepted pajamas and toiletries from Meng Shangzhi.
• Bai Yunsheng said he would avoid getting his wound wet and asked to speak with Meng Shangzhi after bathing, and Meng Shangzhi agreed to wait.

Meng Shangzhi struggled to control his desire for Bai Yunsheng, who grew closer to him and asked to call him Brother. After Meng Shangzhi secretly touched Bai Yunsheng while he slept and fled before going further, Bai Yunsheng revealed he had been awake; the next morning, their warmer relationship showed in their greetings.

• Bai Yunsheng questioned Meng Shangzhi about the limited funding, and Meng Shangzhi became overwhelmed by his closeness before ending their conversation.
• Bai Yunsheng asked to call Meng Shangzhi Brother and invited him to call him Shengsheng, and Meng Shangzhi agreed.
• Late at night, Meng Shangzhi entered Bai Yunsheng's bedroom, touched his face, and nearly kissed him before fleeing.
• Bai Yunsheng opened his eyes after Meng Shangzhi left, revealing he had been awake.
• The next morning, Bai Yunsheng greeted Meng Shangzhi as Brother, and Meng Shangzhi called him Shengsheng.

Meng Shangzhi’s touch on Bai Yunsheng’s lips brought color back to his sight, while Bai Yunsheng handled Feng Yanshan’s probing questions and moved into a room beside the piano room. Feng Tingfan mocked Bai Yunsheng about Meng Shangzhi, but Bai Yunsheng recorded him and revealed he had already sent the recording to Meng Shangzhi.

• Meng Shangzhi touched Bai Yunsheng’s lips to check for a wound, and his black-and-white world filled with color as he called Bai Yunsheng “Shengsheng.”
• Meng Shangzhi drove Bai Yunsheng home, where Feng Yanshan asked whether he and Meng Shangzhi had been together the previous day.
• Bai Yunsheng told Feng Yanshan he would complete the partnership and moved his belongings into the room beside the piano room.
• Feng Tingfan insulted Bai Yunsheng and mocked his relationship with Meng Shangzhi in front of the servants.
• Bai Yunsheng played back a recording of Feng Tingfan’s remarks and told him he had already sent it to Meng Shangzhi.

Bai Yunsheng stood up to Feng Tingfan before leaving to study piano with Wu Shanye, where he endured strict training and met fellow student Han Chen. He promised to persevere despite the hardships and setbacks ahead.

• Bai Yunsheng told Feng Tingfan that their old relationship no longer gave him power over him, then revealed he had lied about asking Mr. Meng and warned there would be no next time.
• Bai Yunsheng traveled to Wu Shanye’s home and recognized Han Chen from the Spring Dawn competition, where Han Chen had performed with an injured hand.
• Wu Shanye gave Bai Yunsheng a harsh piano lesson that left red welts on his hand, and Han Chen took him to apply medicine.
• Han Chen told Bai Yunsheng that two previous students had quit after one day because they could not accept Wu Shanye’s physical punishment and suppressive teaching style.
• Bai Yunsheng told Han Chen he would persevere, and said people could always try again as long as they did not fall to their deaths.

Bai Yunsheng prepared to return to school after throwing away his old, defaced uniform and putting on a new one. At the school gates, he rejected Gao Yan’s attempt to reconnect, prompting Sheng Chengguang to say he wanted to pursue Bai Yunsheng.

• Bai Yunsheng found two new school uniforms waiting in his room, threw his old uniform into the trash, and slept before the first day of school.
• Jiang Li mocked Bai Yunsheng about the placement test and told him to maintain his relationship with Chairman Meng, while Feng Tingfan taunted him on the drive to school.
• Bai Yunsheng arrived at school separately from Feng Tingfan and reflected on the badges that distinguished students by status.
• Gao Yan approached Bai Yunsheng at the gates and asked about his injury, but Bai Yunsheng coldly left for his exam.
• Sheng Chengguang told Gao Yan that Bai Yunsheng was his type and asked whether he should pursue him, and Gao Yan reacted with a frown.

Bai Yunsheng returned to class, confronted the students who had bullied him, and received a rare gold school badge adorned with a red gemstone. As the exam began, he resolved to stop hiding his abilities, recognizing that his mother had misjudged Feng Yanshan.

• Bai Yunsheng found his desk filthy, accused a classmate of ruining it, and slammed him to the floor before taking his clean desk.
• The injured classmate threatened Bai Yunsheng, but the exam bell interrupted their confrontation.
• The teacher gave Bai Yunsheng a gold school badge with a red gemstone, astonishing the class.
• Bai Yunsheng silently warned the boy that he would deal with him later, then began the exam.
• Bai Yunsheng recalled how he had deliberately kept his scores low to avoid Feng Yanshan's hostility and decided not to hide his abilities anymore.

Bai Yunsheng returned to the main residence, where a thoughtful gift softened Grandfather’s attitude toward him. At dinner, Feng Yanshan revealed that acclaimed pianist Wu Shanye had personally sought Bai Yunsheng out as a student, surprising the family.

• Bai Yunsheng thanked Meng Shangzhi for preparing his school badge while riding to the main residence with Feng Yanshan.
• Bai Yunsheng apologized for arriving late and gave Grandfather agate cufflinks, prompting Grandfather to welcome him warmly and invite him to sit nearby.
• Bai Yunsheng’s younger cousin questioned his claim that his exams went well by bringing up his poor performance last semester, and Grandfather’s warmth toward him faded.
• At dinner, Feng Yanshan told the family that Teacher Wu Shanye had praised Bai Yunsheng’s exams and piano playing.
• Feng Yanshan revealed that Wu Shanye was the country’s most influential pianist and had personally come to the Feng Household to find Bai Yunsheng.

Bai Yunsheng played chess with his grandfather and earned his appreciation, while remembering that the old man had failed to defend Bai Zhi. Afterward, Feng Tingfan and his younger cousin confronted Bai Yunsheng on the stairs, and his cousin grew angrier when Bai Yunsheng ignored him.

• At dinner, Feng Yanshan steered the conversation toward Bai Yunsheng, and the family discussed him while the old man’s influence kept them deferential.
• Bai Yunsheng volunteered to play chess with the old man, beat him, and said his mother, Bai Zhi, had taught him.
• The old man praised Bai Zhi and invited Bai Yunsheng to visit and play chess again, but Bai Yunsheng felt no comfort from his approval.
• Feng Tingfan and the younger cousin waited outside the chess room, then tried to ingratiate themselves with the old man when he came out.
• Feng Tingfan called Bai Yunsheng back on the stairs, and his younger cousin accused him of acting proud and threatened to get rough.
• Bai Yunsheng considered the family’s hostility insignificant and looked away, which made his younger cousin angrier.

After his cousin tried to push him down the stairs, Bai Yunsheng dodged and the cousin tumbled down instead. When the family blamed him, Bai Yunsheng exposed their hypocrisy and challenged them to return the support Feng Yanshan had given them, while Old Master Feng stayed silent.

• Bai Yunsheng sidestepped his cousin’s attempt to shove him, and his cousin fell down the carpeted stairs, injuring his hand.
• Feng Tingfan and the eldest aunt blamed Bai Yunsheng, but he said his cousin had lunged at him and pointed out the nearby surveillance camera.
• Bai Yunsheng explained that his cousin had tried to push him, and Old Master Feng ordered someone to check the footage.
• The eldest aunt and eldest uncle tried to drop the matter, but Bai Yunsheng brought up their accusations against Feng Yanshan and the money and property they had received from him.
• Bai Yunsheng demanded that the eldest uncle return the family’s support, including his company shares, while Old Master Feng chose not to stop him.

After leaving the Feng Household, Bai Yunsheng got stranded in the rain and called Meng Shangzhi for help. Meng Shangzhi picked him up and took him to the apartment where he stayed most often, where Bai Yunsheng noticed a framed dried flower.

• Bai Yunsheng asked Feng Yanshan to let him return to school, then left the main residence on foot.
• Unable to get a cab in the rain, Bai Yunsheng accidentally called Meng Shangzhi and asked him to pick him up.
• Meng Shangzhi arrived, gave Bai Yunsheng a towel and clean clothes, and learned that he planned to go to school.
• When the school gates were already closed, Meng Shangzhi invited Bai Yunsheng to stay at his apartment.
• Bai Yunsheng looked around Meng Shangzhi's warm, lived-in apartment and noticed a dried flower in a picture frame.

Bai Yunsheng spent the night at Meng Shangzhi’s home, where a flower and a sudden headache hinted at buried memories. The next morning, he returned to school and demanded that a student apologize both to him and to the classmate he had let take the blame.

• Meng Shangzhi identified the dried flower as Hessea cinnamomea and recalled someone saying that life could flourish after a wildfire, triggering a sharp headache in Bai Yunsheng.
• Bai Yunsheng told Meng Shangzhi his headaches had begun after his rebirth, and Meng Shangzhi told him not to joke about nearly dying.
• Meng Shangzhi prepared ginger tea and a bedroom for Bai Yunsheng, then gently touched his hair before wishing him good night.
• Bai Yunsheng realized Meng Shangzhi had arranged the tea, pajamas, toiletries, and clean bedding in advance, and he went to sleep thinking of him.
• Bai Yunsheng went to school the next morning and heard an awkward apology from a student who had messed up his desk.
• Bai Yunsheng told the student to apologize to the classmate he had let take the blame, then added that the classmate deserved it too.

Bai Yunsheng refused to forgive a classmate for years of bullying, then learned he had placed first in the school exam. He told Feng Yanshan he had achieved the result by himself while watching kittens in the corridor.

• Bai Yunsheng listed the ways a classmate had bullied him and said he would forgive him only if he endured the same treatment.
• Students spoke up about the classmate's past abuse, but he threatened them and tried to intimidate Bai Yunsheng.
• Bai Yunsheng refused to protect the students who had spoken in his favor, and the confrontation ended when the teacher entered.
• The teacher announced that Bai Yunsheng had placed first in the entire school, surprising the class.
• Feng Yanshan called to ask if Bai Yunsheng had earned the result himself, and Bai Yunsheng said he had.

After placing first on his exams, Bai Yunsheng confronted Li De for bumping into him and cursing at him outside the cafeteria. Li De apologized too late, and Bai Yunsheng left him humiliated as Sheng Chengguang watched with growing interest.

• Bai Yunsheng waited for Meng Shangzhi's message as he walked to the cafeteria, where Li De bumped into him and tried to leave without apologizing.
• Bai Yunsheng grabbed Li De and demanded an apology, while Sheng Chengguang recognized him as the young master Bai.
• Li De accused Bai Yunsheng of abusing his power, so Bai Yunsheng mocked him and told him to get out of the school.
• Li De fell when Bai Yunsheng released him, then apologized after learning Bai Yunsheng's gold badge could get him expelled.
• Bai Yunsheng rejected Li De's apology and entered the cafeteria, while Li De was stopped from following him upstairs.
• Li De overheard students call him a clown who ingratiated himself with badge holders, and he froze in humiliation.

Bai Yunsheng agreed to celebrate with Meng Shangzhi, then rejected Sheng Chengguang's invitation to Gao Yan's birthday and denied ever liking Gao Yan. Remembering how Gao Yan had mocked him and pretended to be his friend, Bai Yunsheng reflected on the false kindness he had clung to until his death.

• Bai Yunsheng arranged to treat Meng Shangzhi to a celebration after Meng offered to congratulate him.
• Sheng Chengguang sat across from Bai Yunsheng, flirted with him, and asked whether he would attend Gao Yan's birthday.
• Bai Yunsheng said he would not attend and denied that he had ever liked Gao Yan.
• Bai Yunsheng remembered arriving at Gao Yan's birthday in the rain and overhearing Gao Yan ridicule him with the other guests.
• Bai Yunsheng recalled entering the party anyway, still unwilling to give up the small kindness he thought Gao Yan had shown him, and remembered that Gao Yan never visited his grave after his death.

Bai Yunsheng confronted Feng Tingfan and his companions after earning first place, then attacked a student who insulted his mother. He revealed that Feng Tingfan was the child of a mistress and that Bai Zhi had been Feng Yanshan’s first wife, leaving everyone stunned by his claim that he was Feng Zhiyou’s full younger brother.

• Bai Yunsheng refused to avoid Feng Tingfan and challenged him and Zhang Cheng when they questioned his grades.
• Bai Yunsheng warned Feng Tingfan that his gold school badge came from someone important, then accused a companion of stirring up trouble.
• After the companion insulted Bai Yunsheng’s mother, Bai Yunsheng beat him and demanded an apology before the others pulled him away.
• Bai Yunsheng smeared blood on Feng Tingfan’s sleeve and called him the child of a mistress.
• Bai Yunsheng announced that his mother was Bai Zhi, Feng Yanshan’s first wife, and that he was Feng Zhiyou’s full younger brother.

After beating Hu Ye for insulting his mother, Bai Yunsheng faced the Feng and Hu families at the hospital, where Feng Tingfan privately told Feng Yanshan something that changed his expression. Bai Yunsheng realized Feng Tingfan had revealed his illegitimate status earlier than planned, leaving him to face the consequences of acting on his anger.

• Bai Yunsheng let rumors spread after declaring that Feng Tingfan was Feng Zhiyou's full-blooded younger brother, while doctors and teachers took the injured Hu Ye to the hospital.
• On the ambulance ride, Bai Yunsheng told the nurse that Hu Ye had insulted his mother and deserved worse injuries.
• At the hospital, Feng Yanshan promised Manager Hu that the Feng family would take responsibility, while Bai Yunsheng struggled with memories of his mother's death.
• Feng Tingfan drew attention to the blood on Bai Yunsheng, prompting Hu Ye's mother to demand an explanation; Bai Yunsheng said Hu Ye had been beaten for having a filthy mouth and warned him against repeating the insult.
• Feng Tingfan whispered to Feng Yanshan, and Bai Yunsheng recognized that he had revealed Feng Tingfan's illegitimate status earlier than Bai Yunsheng had planned.