Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• After He Zhiwen gently turns down Tan Xiang’e’s invitation to a film, Tan spirals over whether she is reading too much into He’s kindness. To stay involved, she asks to join He’s plans for opening a music shop.
• The next day, Tan visits He for lunch and meets Yu Shuang, He’s longtime friend and future collaborator. Seeing their easy intimacy and learning Yu will stay in He’s guest room makes Tan intensely jealous.
• Tan and He view possible shop locations, then go to the movie Tan had originally suggested. Tan remains distracted by Yu’s closeness to He.
• When He says she has nightmares and would like someone nearby at night, Tan’s jealousy softens into concern—but she recognizes that she wants to comfort He while also resenting the possibility of anyone else doing so.
• Later, Yu reveals she was hired to play the part of He’s close friend and accepts her fee. She flirts with He, but He refuses, saying she dislikes casual flings.
• Unable to sleep and troubled by He’s earlier vulnerability, Tan drives to He’s apartment after 1 a.m.

Character developments and interactions

• Tan Xiang’e struggles to accept that her relationship with He has shifted toward ordinary friendship. Her jealousy of Yu exposes how deeply she still loves He, while her concern for He’s nightmares shows that her feelings are not only possessive. She also recalls her younger sister, who died at fifteen or sixteen.
• He Zhiwen remains gentle and considerate toward Tan, but keeps some distance. Her disclosure about recurring nightmares hints at emotional vulnerability. Despite hiring Yu to act as a close friend, He rejects Yu’s sexual advances.
• Yu Shuang is introduced as He’s old friend, a violinist, and a prospective music-shop collaborator. Her teasing and flirtation intensify Tan’s insecurity, though she ultimately leaves after He turns her down.
• Tan and He share an awkward, emotionally charged day: Tan tries to insert herself into He’s plans, watches He and Yu bond, and later attends the film with He. Tan’s unspoken jealousy contrasts with He’s unaware or restrained manner.

Significant themes

• Unrequited love and emotional distance: Tan wants a relationship He has declined, and ordinary kindness keeps her hoping.
• Jealousy and possessiveness: Tan knows she has no claim on He, yet struggles to imagine He sharing intimacy with someone else.
• Misreading kindness: Tan questions whether He’s warmth signals affection or is simply her considerate nature.
• Vulnerability and comfort: He’s nightmares reveal a need for companionship, prompting Tan to confront what she can—and cannot—offer.
• Boundaries and consent: He clearly refuses Yu’s advances and states that she does not want casual relationships.

Plot points and events

• Unable to sleep, Tan Xiang’e waits in her car outside He Zhiwen’s building with herbal sleep medicine. When He comes downstairs, she learns her friend Shuangshuang is staying at a hotel, leaving He alone.
• He hints that she could use someone to cuddle. Flustered, Tan follows her upstairs, insisting to herself that the arrangement is platonic.
• He takes the medicine and falls asleep, leaving Tan awake and disappointed. Later, He presses against her, saying her head and face feel hot. Tan’s involuntary snake-like traits emerge, and she panics, hiding her tail and pleading with He not to turn on the light.
• Once her tail recedes, Tan accidentally feels something cool and soft beneath the covers—apparently He’s tail. He then puts an arm around Tan and asks her to visit again. Tan agrees and finally pulls He into a close embrace.
• At daybreak, Tan admits she is falling for He but believes their relationship cannot last because she cannot marry. She resolves to set boundaries—until He sends a voice message apologizing for her tail appearing and describing its faint Weeping Jasmine pattern. Tan’s embarrassment and affection overwhelm her.

Character developments

• Tan Xiang’e becomes increasingly aware of her attraction to He. Her clinical composure gives way to nervousness, jealousy, longing, and finally a willing embrace. Her fear of a temporary relationship, however, makes her consider withdrawing.
• He Zhiwen gently initiates closeness while maintaining a shy, vulnerable manner. Her apparent illness leads to intimate contact, and her request for Tan to return reveals that she wants the companionship. Her message also shows she knows Tan may have noticed her tail and wants to reassure her.

Themes

• Desire versus restraint: Tan wants closeness but believes she should end things before He becomes more attached.
• Vulnerability and trust: Both women reveal private, unusual aspects of themselves, while Tan’s instinctive protection of her secret contrasts with their growing intimacy.
• Awakening and self-deception: Tan repeatedly labels the encounter “platonic” even as her jealousy, disappointment, and physical reactions expose her feelings.
• Tenderness and ambiguity: He’s teasing advances coexist with genuine-seeming concern and vulnerability, leaving Tan unsure how to interpret their intimacy.

Character interactions

• Their nighttime chat and meeting reveal that both had been watching their WeChat conversation, suggesting mutual anticipation.
• He teases Tan about being her cuddle partner; Tan responds with awkward concern and follows her home.
• During the night, He seeks comfort and later holds Tan with restraint. Tan eventually reciprocates, embracing He tightly.
• He’s morning message acknowledges the tail incident and apologizes, prompting Tan to confront how deeply she is affected by He.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• After He Zhiwen mentions marriage, Tan Xiang’e becomes preoccupied with the idea, imagining a future with her “little white snake.” She is startled by how strongly she wants He, despite having resisted marriage for years.
• Tan’s roommate and longtime friend, Yun Shu, teases her about being lovestruck after learning that Tan and He shared only a hug and slept in each other’s arms. Yun then warns Tan that He may be manipulative and motivated by the accomplishments of her partners. Tan defends He, citing how He took the blame for her breakup with a seriously ill ex-girlfriend.
• On a boat ride, Tan reveals that her younger sister was murdered in revenge for Tan’s genetic research. Though the killer is dead and Tan has protective tracking technology, she remains afraid that marriage could put loved ones at risk. She asks He to stay with her without marrying or having children.
• He, hurt after two years of waiting, asks whether Tan will keep using her fears to avoid marriage. She leaves quietly. Tan goes home, drinks heavily, and messages He asking whether they can truly be together.
• He considers accepting a lifelong relationship without marriage after speaking with her mother. She returns to Tan’s home with flowers, but finds Tan and Yun asleep together after Yun helped Tan through her heat. He is devastated by what she sees and leaves.
• He replies to Tan’s message with a blunt “Yes” to the question of whether they cannot be together. She concludes that she will never love anyone again.

Character developments

• Tan Xiang’e recognizes how deeply she loves He, but her sister’s murder continues to govern her decisions. She wants closeness while remaining unable to offer the commitment He needs.
• He Zhiwen shifts from patient hope to heartbreak. She had been willing to reconsider marriage, but the sight of Tan and Yun together convinces her that the relationship is over.
• Yun Shu acts as Tan’s protective, outspoken friend. She distrusts He’s romantic motives, though her matter-of-fact attitude toward helping Tan through a heat inadvertently creates the final rupture.

Significant themes

• Trauma and commitment: Tan’s fear is rooted in real loss, yet it prevents her from building the future she wants.
• Trust and interpretation: Yun and Tan read He’s past in opposite ways, while He and Tan fail to communicate clearly about what they can offer each other.
• Love and incompatibility: Strong feelings are not enough when one partner wants commitment and the other cannot accept its risks.
• Jealousy and misunderstanding: Yun sees her actions as ordinary friendship; He experiences the scene as proof that Tan has betrayed or excluded her.

Character interactions

• Yun teases Tan about her innocent romance, then challenges her idealized view of He; Tan responds defensively and insists He is kind.
• Tan confides her deepest fear to He and proposes remaining together without marriage or children. He asks whether this is another way of keeping her at a distance.
• He’s quiet departure leaves Tan isolated and drinking. Her later discovery of Tan and Yun together turns the unresolved conflict into a final break.