Arc 2Winter Break and New Roles

Su Yan spent winter break working at Aunt Xu’s fruit shop and returned to school amid a fight, new class responsibilities, and worsening dormitory troubles. The stretch ended with a brightly haired youth confronting him and asking about Liang Kui.

  • Su Yan shared snacks with Chen Yan at the class party, sang for his classmates, and later learned he had ranked first in the exams and won a scholarship.
  • Su Yan hired Lin Qiang and Chen Yan at Aunt Xu’s fruit shop, where their work helped the business thrive through the holiday season.
  • After Su Yan spent New Year’s Eve alone, he went to a nightclub with Zhang Wei, where Liang Kui later saw photos of him dancing.
  • When Su Yan returned to school, Wan Xing and more than twenty sports students attacked him, but Su Yan fought back and was taken to the hospital.
  • Teacher Ma appointed Su Yan class monitor, made Chen Yan Youth League secretary, and assigned Su Yan and Liang Kui as flag bearers.
  • Su Yan helped Liang Kui escape an unbearable dormitory by arranging for him to stay at an elderly teacher’s home.
  • After Lin Qiang urged Su Yan to report repeated damage to his bicycle, Su Yan ate alone at a barbecue stall, where a brightly haired youth asked if he knew Liang Kui.
Chapters 26–50 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 26Page 26

Su Yan lent Lin Qiang money after Lin Qiang lost the class funds, then confronted Chen Wanwan when she withheld snacks from Chen Yan for not paying the class fee. Lin Qiang brought up spare food and teased Su Yan about his concern for Chen Yan.

  • Su Yan gave Lin Qiang three hundred yuan to buy party refreshments after Lin Qiang lost his wallet and the class funds.
  • The class prepared for its evening party, and Chen Yan received no snacks because she had not paid the class fee.
  • Su Yan confronted Chen Wanwan over excluding Chen Yan, and Chen Wanwan defended her decision.
  • Lin Qiang offered to get Chen Yan a portion of the leftover food, but Su Yan said he would share his own snacks with her.
  • Lin Qiang teased Su Yan, asking whether he had fallen for Chen Yan.

Ch. 27Youth Without Regrets

During the class celebration, Su Yan and Liang Kui nearly fought over an insult before their teachers stopped them and the performances began. The history teacher’s guitar performance captivated the class, but he ended by reminding everyone that unfinished homework still meant copying it one hundred times.

  • Su Yan shared snacks with Chen Yan and teased Liang Kui, who stole and devoured one of Su Yan’s tomatoes.
  • Liang Kui and Su Yan argued after Su Yan insulted Liang Kui and his girlfriend, Chen Wanwan, and Liang Kui prepared to punch him.
  • The homeroom teacher and Lin Qiang intervened, and the students started their celebration performances.
  • The history teacher sang “Birch Forest” while playing guitar, moving the class to applause and tears.
  • The history teacher warned the students to finish their homework within three days or copy it one hundred times.

Ch. 28Page 28

At the New Year’s party, Liang Kui sang “I Like You” to Chen Wanwan, while Su Yan reflected on how much he now cared about his classmates and their shared youth. Su Yan took the stage to sing Hacken Lee’s “Never Change,” ready to show a talent he had kept hidden.

  • The PE teacher failed to break a red brick, and the arts committee member introduced Liang Kui’s performance.
  • Liang Kui sang Beyond’s “I Like You” while looking at Chen Wanwan, who was moved by his serenade.
  • As the party continued, Su Yan realized he had become invested in his classmates and was experiencing the youth he had once avoided.
  • Su Yan teased his friend about saying “ganbatte” before agreeing to perform.
  • Su Yan selected Hacken Lee’s “Never Change” and prepared to sing from the heart.

Ch. 29Report Card

At the New Year’s party, Wan Fang confessed her love to Su Yan, but the celebration continued with the class singing together. After the holiday, Wan Fang stopped speaking to Su Yan, and he finished his final exams and left campus in the winter snow.

  • Wan Fang rushed to Su Yan after his song and confessed her love, while Lin Qiang pulled her away at the homeroom teacher’s order.
  • Su Yan and Liang Kui led the class in singing “True Heroes” as the party ended.
  • After the New Year’s Day holiday, Wan Fang stopped speaking to Su Yan.
  • Su Yan took his final exams in good condition and left campus after the last exam.
  • Someone called for Su Yan to wait, and he stopped and turned around.

Ch. 30Page 30

Su Yan returned to school to help grade exams and discussed finding a winter-break job with Lin Qiang. While they ate noodles, they overheard Chen Wanwan learning that her math score had fallen sharply, threatening her standing as class monitor.

  • Liang Kui told Su Yan to return to school to help grade papers, and Su Yan reflected that Liang Kui had been his first love.
  • Su Yan and several classmates graded Class Three’s papers, then Su Yan told Lin Qiang he planned to work at a fruit shop during winter break.
  • Lin Qiang asked to join Su Yan, who said he would check whether there was room for him.
  • Hungry from grading, Liang Kui went to buy instant noodles, and Lin Qiang took Su Yan to eat in the teachers’ office building lobby.
  • Chen Wanwan learned from Yu Cong and another girl that she had lost more than ten points on the math exam, while Liang Kui and several classmates had earned full marks.
  • The girl told Chen Wanwan that her teacher suspected her relationship with Liang Kui had hurt her grades and that class officers would be reelected; Chen Wanwan was stunned to hear Chen Yan had ranked among the class’s top ten in math.

Ch. 31Page 31

On report card day, Su Yan learned that his father would not attend the parent-teacher conference, while students and parents gathered to hear the homeroom teacher speak. As the report cards and test papers were distributed, Liang Kui noticed that Su Yan’s parents were absent.

  • Yuan Yuan deliberately warned Chen Wanwan that she might lose her vice class monitor position, then told Yu Cong that Wanwan had betrayed Lin Qiang by reporting his mistake to the teacher.
  • Lin Qiang told Su Yan that he had kept Chen Wanwan’s relationship with Liang Kui secret, yet she had reported him; he later returned to class angry but afraid to confront her.
  • Five days later, Mr. Ma told Su Yan that his father had refused to attend the parent-teacher conference, and Su Yan said he did not care.
  • Students and parents filled the classroom for the conference, where Liang Kui attended with his cousin while his own parents remained in City A.
  • After Mr. Ma’s lengthy speech, Su Yan helped distribute the math papers, and Liang Kui asked why Su Yan’s parents were not there.

Ch. 32Winter Vacation

After Su Yan topped the Year One exams and received a thousand-yuan scholarship, he left the awards ceremony and rode toward the market. Five school troublemakers blocked his way and demanded his prize money, but Su Yan called 110.

  • The homeroom teacher announced Su Yan as the class’s top student, with Lin Qiang second, Liang Kui third, and Chen Wanwan fourth.
  • At the school-wide ceremony, Su Yan received first place in Year One and a thousand-yuan scholarship, then advised students to eat more fruits and vegetables.
  • Liang Kui laughed with delight over his fifty-yuan scholarship, while Su Yan quietly left the ceremony and rode away from campus.
  • Five school troublemakers stopped Su Yan around a corner and demanded his scholarship money.
  • Su Yan raised an eyebrow and used his phone’s quick dial to call 110.

Ch. 33Chapter 33

Su Yan called the police when five thugs tried to rob him, then used his scholarship certificate to explain why they had targeted him. After the police took the thugs away, he brought Lin Qiang to help run the fruit shop over winter break, and they finished setting it up for business.

  • Su Yan reported five thugs robbing him near Pear Blossom High School, kicked three of them down, and let the leader strike him before police arrived.
  • Su Yan showed the police his first-prize scholarship certificate and one thousand yuan, and officers arrested the thugs.
  • Lin Qiang warned Su Yan that the thugs were followers of Wan Fang’s thug brother, then agreed to work at the fruit shop for fifty yuan a day.
  • Su Yan took Lin Qiang to the market, where Aunt Xu approved him as a helper and told them to prepare the shop.
  • Su Yan and Lin Qiang arranged and labeled the fruit, and Lin Qiang handled sales and accounts without making a mistake.

Ch. 34Page 34

Su Yan and Lin Qiang’s fruit shop grew busy, so they hired Chen Yan to help as New Year’s demand increased. Their sales and profits rose sharply, leaving Su Yan promising to buy jade soon.

  • Aunt Xu invited Su Yan and Lin Qiang to dinner after their first busy day at the fruit shop, and they discussed hiring another worker.
  • Su Yan suggested hiring his honest classmate Chen Yan, and Lin Qiang called her to the market the next day.
  • Chen Yan accepted the part-time job and said she could use an electronic scale, though she could not reliably spot counterfeit bills.
  • Su Yan, Lin Qiang, and Chen Yan worked through the holiday as customers bought fruit by the box and business grew.
  • Lin Qiang’s father brought relatives and friends to the shop, while the New Year rush also boosted the vegetable stall’s sales and profits.
  • Su Yan told the voice offering him endless produce that he would buy jade soon, and it claimed selling everything could earn six hundred thousand.

Ch. 35Chapter 35

Su Yan, Aunt Xu, Lin Qiang, and Chen Yan shared a New Year’s Eve reunion dinner, where Aunt Xu gave Chen Yan new clothes and spoke sadly about her absent daughter. After everyone left, Su Yan spent the holiday alone and reflected on the lonely households around him.

  • Su Yan took lower-spiritual-energy vegetables and fruit from his space to sell as the store grew quiet on New Year’s Eve.
  • Aunt Xu gave Lin Qiang and Chen Yan red envelopes for working on the holiday and invited them to a reunion dinner at Wisteria Flower Restaurant.
  • At dinner, Lin Qiang praised Chen Yan’s appearance, and Aunt Xu gave her three bags of new clothes while lamenting that her daughter was away.
  • After dinner, Lin Qiang and Chen Yan went home, and Su Yan sent Zhang Wei a text before leaving the restaurant alone.
  • Su Yan returned to his decorated residential complex and reflected that he and Aunt Xu were among many people spending the holiday in loneliness.

Ch. 36New Year's Greetings

On New Year's Eve, Su Yan received calls from his absent parents and went out to numb himself at a nightclub, where Zhang Wei watched him dance. Photos of Su Yan partying reached Liang Kui, who was stunned by the contrast with the good student he knew.

  • Su Yan's father and mother called to say they would not spend the New Year with him, and his mother announced she was pregnant.
  • Su Yan met Zhang Wei at a nightclub and drank iced beer before heading to the dance floor.
  • Su Yan danced wildly and kissed a woman while someone secretly photographed him and sent the pictures away.
  • Liang Kui received the photos from his cousin and realized they showed Su Yan acting unlike the student he knew.

Ch. 37Page 37

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, Su Yan danced at a nightclub while Zhang Wei watched over him, then drove him home. Afterward, Su Yan relaxed in the waterfall pool and happily discussed growing taller.

  • Liang Kui examined saved photos of Su Yan dancing and wondered whether Su Yan had been using drugs, while Zhang Wei believed Su Yan was dancing with a clear mind to release stress.
  • A man praised Su Yan’s looks and figure, but Zhang Wei rebuked him for his lewd thoughts.
  • At midnight, Su Yan finished dancing and asked Zhang Wei why he had come if he would not drink or dance; Zhang Wei left the club with him.
  • Zhang Wei drove Su Yan home, asked whether he often went to nightclubs, and wished him a happy New Year.
  • Su Yan washed in the waterfall pool and joked with the old man about growing taller and not wanting to be as tall as basketball stars.

Ch. 38Page 38

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Su Yan celebrated at the fruit shop with Lin Qiang and Chen Yan, then agreed to visit their homeroom teacher with them. The next morning, the three students visited Ma En and enjoyed a generous breakfast at his home, where a new arrival interrupted their conversation.

  • Su Yan ate chicken soup vermicelli, exchanged New Year greetings at the fruit shop, and urged Aunt Xu to take a holiday break.
  • Su Yan, Lin Qiang, and Chen Yan decided to visit their homeroom teacher, Ma En, and brought fruit to his home the next morning.
  • Ma En warmly welcomed the students, and his wife served them chicken noodle soup packed with ingredients.
  • The students told Ma En about their winter-break fruit-selling work and finished their noodles before chatting over snacks and fruit.
  • When the doorbell rang, Lin Qiang quietly asked Su Yan whether they should leave.

Ch. 39Taking a Beating

Su Yan returned to school after the New Year break as an epidemic began spreading, then was lured to a stairwell and attacked by a group of second-year sports students. The chapter ended with Lin Qiang helping the bleeding Su Yan up as Su Yan coldly faced the group’s leader.

  • Chen Wanwan and her father visited Teacher Ma with New Year gifts, and Su Yan secretly marked their car.
  • Su Yan, Lin Qiang, and Chen Yan returned to school after the holiday, and Su Yan hired someone to mind the shop.
  • Teacher Ma warned the class about an epidemic spreading across the country and around the world before leaving for a meeting.
  • A girl called Su Yan out of the classroom, and more than twenty second-year sports students attacked him by the stairwell.
  • Lin Qiang rushed to help Su Yan, who clutched his bleeding forehead and stared at the group’s leader.

Ch. 40Page 40

Wan Xing attacked Su Yan at school, but Su Yan fought back and drove off the athletic students who had come to back Wan Xing up. The conflict ended with Thick Lips warning Su Yan that they might confront him outside school.

  • Wan Fang scolded Wan Xing for attacking Su Yan, but Wan Xing insisted he was protecting her and threatened to keep beating Su Yan.
  • Su Yan kicked Wan Xing twice and knocked him to the ground as Chen Wanwan called a teacher and warned the gathered students about disciplinary action.
  • Wan Fang tried to stop Wan Xing from continuing the fight, while Wan Xing demanded that Xu Wei and the others help him.
  • Thick Lips objected to fighting at school because he and his men wanted to attend sports school, then left with them.
  • Thick Lips warned Su Yan to avoid being alone outside school, and Su Yan mocked him as the undefeated lone hero.

Ch. 41Page 41

After Wan Xing injured Su Yan in a school fight, teachers intervened and took Su Yan to the hospital, where he received stitches. Liang Kui learned what had happened and berated Su Yan’s classmates for backing down, while Chen Wanwan reported that Su Yan was not seriously hurt.

  • The vice principal and other teachers stopped the fight, and Teacher Ma arranged for Su Yan to go to the hospital with Wan Xing.
  • Lin Qiang and Chen Wanwan helped Su Yan in the car, where he joked with them despite being covered in blood.
  • At the hospital, Liang Kui encountered the group and was shocked to see Su Yan’s injury.
  • Classmates told Liang Kui that Wan Xing had attacked Su Yan over Wan Fang, and Liang Kui scolded the boys for not fighting back.
  • Chen Wanwan told Liang Kui that Su Yan’s bleeding had stopped and he had received stitches.

Ch. 42Class Cadres

After Su Yan was injured in a fight, he refused to pursue revenge and returned to school with Lin Qiang. The semester began with the school imposing closed-campus rules, and students learned that class representatives would help enforce them.

  • Liang Kui visited Su Yan in the hospital and promised to deal with the students who had attacked him, but Teacher Ma warned him not to cause trouble.
  • Su Yan told Liang Kui and Teacher Ma that he had already gotten his revenge because Wan Xing was injured, and Liang Kui left the hospital in frustration.
  • Su Yan arrived at school with Lin Qiang, where students whispered about his injury without affecting his mood.
  • The homeroom teacher announced that the school would begin closed-campus management and assign student representatives to check students’ school badges.

Ch. 43Page 43

Teacher Ma announced new class roles, naming Chen Wanwan as student representative and Su Yan and Liang Kui as flag bearers. Chen Wanwan then challenged Lin Qiang’s appointment as class monitor and recommended Yu Cong instead.

  • Teacher Ma named Chen Wanwan the class’s Student Council representative, and Chen Wanwan accepted the role while Yu Cong encouraged her.
  • Teacher Ma announced that Su Yan and Liang Kui had been chosen as flag bearers, and Liang Kui objected before reluctantly accepting.
  • Su Yan recalled that Liang Kui had also been chosen as a flag bearer in his previous life and reflected on how his own changed circumstances had affected his height and personality.
  • Teacher Ma named Lin Qiang class monitor, and Chen Wanwan objected, criticizing his management and recommending Yu Cong for the position.

Ch. 44Chapter 44

Teacher Ma appointed Su Yan as class monitor and Chen Yan as Youth League secretary, despite Chen Wanwan’s objections. As the class reconsidered its impression of Chen Yan, Su Yan and Lin Qiang encouraged her to keep going.

  • Yu Cong objected when Chen Wanwan nominated her, while several students spoke against Lin Qiang as class monitor.
  • Lin Qiang opposed his own nomination and recommended Su Yan, and Teacher Ma appointed Su Yan class monitor with Lin Qiang as vice class monitor.
  • Teacher Ma announced Chen Yan as Youth League secretary and challenged the class to consider why they had excluded her.
  • Chen Wanwan questioned whether Chen Yan knew her classmates, and the class noticed that Chen Yan’s appearance differed from their assumptions about her.
  • Su Yan wrote that he believed in Chen Yan, and Lin Qiang silently encouraged her.

Ch. 45Godslayer

Chen Yan overcame her old insecurities, earned her classmates’ applause, and told her father she had become Youth League secretary. After the class seating changed, Su Yan became Liang Kui’s deskmate, and Liang Kui asked him for a tomato when hunger overcame his irritation.

  • Chen Yan stood before Class Two of Year One and called out her classmates’ names, earning their applause and feeling joy in her newfound confidence.
  • Chen Yan told her father she had become Youth League secretary, and he encouraged her to work hard.
  • The homeroom teacher rearranged the seats, placing Chen Yan in the second row and seating Su Yan beside Liang Kui by the window.
  • Liang Kui asked Su Yan to switch seats, but Su Yan refused because he loved the window seat.
  • Liang Kui stayed silent until he saw Su Yan eating a tomato and asked him to share one.

Ch. 46Page 46

Su Yan trained to become a flag bearer, kept working on the accounts for his shops, and arranged a mate for War God. During the holiday, he brought War God to B City to meet Brother Fei, who admired the dog.

  • Su Yan agreed to help Liang Kui, then reminded him that eating during class was wrong.
  • Teacher Zhang took Su Yan, Liang Kui, and the other new flag bearers to train with the older group, where Su Yan recognized the sports students who had followed Wan Xing.
  • Liang Kui shared KFC with Su Yan to repay him for the tomato, while Su Yan worked on his accounts.
  • Brother Fei emailed Su Yan photographs of a female Tibetan Mastiff, and Su Yan decided to arrange a meeting for her and War God.
  • Su Yan brought War God to Brother Fei's address in B City, and Brother Fei praised the dog's appearance and asked Su Yan for advice.

Ch. 47Shen Cheng

Su Yan bought War God a second Tibetan Mastiff, and the dogs became inseparable while Su Yan’s friends teased him for his spending. After school began under stricter campus rules, Liang Kui struggled with dorm life and complained to Su Yan about his roommates.

  • Su Yan agreed to buy a Tibetan Mastiff for War God after Brother Fei found an owner willing to sell.
  • War God rushed to meet his future wife, and Su Yan bought her without inspecting her himself.
  • Su Yan saw people wearing masks as the flu worsened, while War God and Rock joked about naming the new dog.
  • War God spent all his time with his wife, leaving Su Yan feeling neglected as his friends criticized his spending.
  • School introduced closed-campus management, and Mother Liang made Liang Kui live in the dormitory.
  • Liang Kui complained to Su Yan about the crowded dorm and asked him, as class monitor, to make Wang Fugui wash his smelly socks.

Ch. 48Page 48

Su Yan promised to solve Liang Kui’s dormitory complaints by making him dorm leader. During evening study, Chen Wanwan told Yu Cong that Su Yan made her uncomfortable and reminded her of Chen Yan, while Yu Cong defended him.

  • Liang Kui complained to Su Yan about Huang Biao’s and Fu Chao’s habits making their dormitory dirty and unpleasant.
  • Su Yan told Liang Kui he would ask the homeroom teacher to appoint him dorm leader of 303 Dormitory.
  • Chen Wanwan grew irritated when Liang Kui kept talking to Su Yan and ignored her messages.
  • Yu Cong praised Su Yan’s looks and questioned why Chen Wanwan disliked him.
  • Chen Wanwan said Su Yan seemed gloomy and cunning like Chen Yan, and Yu Cong silently resented the comparison.

Ch. 49Page 49

Su Yan and Lin Qiang stopped for fried tofu after evening study, and Liang Kui asked them to buy some for the dorm. When Liang Kui returned, he discovered Huang Biao planned to keep a chamber pot beside the dorm beds, prompting the roommates to discuss how many they needed.

  • Chen Wanwan felt uncomfortable around Su Yan because she sensed that he disliked her.
  • Lin Qiang asked Su Yan whether he should live in the dorms, and Su Yan advised him against it.
  • Su Yan discovered that someone had removed his bicycle's valve core again and got his tire inflated at a repair stand.
  • Lin Qiang bought ten yuan's worth of fried tofu for Liang Kui, who was waiting by the school fence.
  • Liang Kui returned to the dorm and was shocked to see Huang Biao carrying a chamber pot.
  • Fu Chao pointed out that the chamber pot was too small for the dorm, and Huang Biao offered to bring more the next day.

Ch. 50Page 50

Liang Kui left the dorm after his classmates planned to keep chamber pots there, then moved into an elderly teacher’s home. Later, after someone slashed Su Yan’s bicycle tire, a brightly haired youth stopped Su Yan and asked about Liang Kui and Chen Wanwan.

  • Liang Kui called Su Yan to say he had climbed over the school wall and was staying at his cousin’s place because he could not bear the dorm’s chamber pots.
  • Su Yan and Liang Kui spoke with the homeroom teacher, and two days later Liang Kui moved into an elderly teacher’s home.
  • After evening self-study, Lin Qiang urged Su Yan to report that someone had repeatedly tampered with his bicycle and now slashed its tire.
  • While waiting for the tire to be patched, Su Yan stayed behind after Lin Qiang went home and ate at a quiet barbecue stall.
  • A brightly haired youth and his group arrived, and the youth stopped Su Yan, learned he was in Chen Wanwan’s class, and asked whether he knew Liang Kui.
Arc 2 of 2
Arc 2 of 2