Chapter Summaries

Plot and key events

• Bai Chen visits Lin Jingchen to apologize for tea spilled on his clothes by a teahouse employee. Lin assures him the stain is washable and says he never blamed the employee, who had tried to shield him from the hot tea.
• Bai Chen insists the teahouse should compensate Lin and offers him a permanent 50% discount. Lin accepts, joking that he might drink the teahouse into bankruptcy; Bai Chen plays along, and the exchange turns their awkwardness into laughter.
• Lin asks the teahouse’s young owner’s name. Bai Chen explains that his parents named him Bai Chen after he survived a difficult premature birth, hoping he would always find light after hardship. Lin correctly interprets the name’s meaning and guesses Bai was born near dawn.
• Bai Chen, impressed, asks Lin’s full name. After Lin introduces himself, they meet each other’s gaze, ending the chapter on a moment of sudden intimacy.

Character development

• Bai Chen is conscientious and determined to make amends, even when Lin does not demand compensation. His delight at Lin understanding the story behind his name reveals a personal, hopeful side.
• Lin Jingchen appears composed and generous, showing empathy toward the employee and gentle humor with Bai Chen. His calm at the teahouse contrasts with the stress he feels while handling work elsewhere. He also recognizes Bai from an earlier encounter and has been unable to find him since.

Themes

• Kindness and responsibility: Lin responds to the accident with understanding, while Bai Chen takes his business’s responsibility seriously.
• Hope and resilience: Bai Chen’s name reflects his survival and his parents’ wish that he persist through dark times.
• Unexpected connection: Shared humor and a moment of mutual recognition deepen the pair’s interest in one another.

Character interactions

Bai Chen’s earnest apology meets Lin’s gentle reassurance. Their conversation grows from a businesslike offer of compensation into playful banter, then becomes more personal as they exchange their names and discuss Bai Chen’s origins.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen discover they both attended G University. Lin Jingchen graduated in financial management, while Bai Chen is a freshman.
• Bai Chen privately jokes that Lin Jingchen’s looks and major make him seem like a novel’s overbearing CEO, then imagines the melodramatic romance tropes such a character might bring.
• Lin Jingchen catches on to Bai Chen’s love of novels and gently teases him about his assumptions. He also says he envies Bai Chen’s opportunity to explore the world after graduation.
• Lin Jingchen receives an urgent call about a problem at his company. He tells someone to keep a person there and wait for him to return before taking action, then prepares to leave.
• Bai Chen hurries to fetch a small gift from the teahouse as compensation and offers Lin Jingchen a discount on a future visit.
• Before leaving, Lin Jingchen asks Bai Chen to remind a young woman to get her hand examined at the hospital, suggesting she may have been injured.

Character developments

• Bai Chen’s playful imagination and fondness for novels are revealed, along with his preference for realistic stories over exaggerated romance.
• Lin Jingchen appears calm, considerate, and lightly teasing, even while handling an urgent business matter. His concern for the young woman also shows his attentiveness.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen bond over their shared university, with Bai Chen addressing him as a senior.
• Lin Jingchen notices Bai Chen’s assumptions and teases him; Bai Chen is embarrassed but openly admits he likes novels.
• They part warmly: Bai Chen accommodates Lin Jingchen’s urgency, and Lin Jingchen thanks him and promises to visit again.

Significant themes

• Fiction versus reality: Bai Chen pokes fun at dramatic romance tropes and favors believable relationships and behavior.
• Kindness in everyday interactions: Both men show consideration—Bai Chen offers a gift, while Lin Jingchen remembers to check on the injured woman.
• Composure and responsibility: Lin Jingchen remains gentle despite the pressure of an urgent company issue.

Plot and events

• After Lin Jingchen leaves the teahouse, Bai Chen speaks with the young employee whose mistake caused the earlier incident. She thanks him and offers to repay the customer’s loss.
• Bai Chen treats the matter as settled but assigns her two months of extra cleaning work instead of docking her pay, mindful that she supports a younger brother.
• He notices serious burns on her arm and orders her to go to the hospital, take the day off, and submit her medical report for reimbursement. She initially refuses to avoid the expense, but agrees after he insists.
• The young woman’s frail appearance reminds Bai Chen of his sister, Bai Xi. He recalls discovering that she had been malnourished because she saved money after their parents died, despite the money he sent her. He responded by preparing nutritious meals and asking her to send photos of what she ate.
• Elsewhere, Lin Jingchen travels to the Lin Corporation, apparently in a subdued mood. He reaches the executive floor and politely acknowledges employees who greet him.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen shows compassion and practical concern: he avoids punishing the employee financially, insists she seek treatment, and recognizes signs of hardship from his own family experience.
• The young employee is grateful and accepts both the extra work and medical care, though her reluctance to seek treatment suggests financial insecurity and a habit of putting others’ needs ahead of her own.
• Bai Chen and Bai Xi are connected through his protective memories of her; the encounter makes him worry about how she is faring in another world.
• Lin Jingchen remains outwardly courteous despite his poor mood. His driver senses that a particular person is a subject he does not want discussed.

Significant themes

• Compassion and responsibility: Bai Chen responds to a worker’s mistake with proportionate accountability while protecting her health and livelihood.
• Poverty and self-sacrifice: The employee’s reluctance to seek care echoes Bai Xi’s past habit of depriving herself to save money.
• Family care across distance: Bai Chen’s memories show how attentively he tried to look after Bai Xi, and his concern continues even while they are apart.

Plot points and events

• Lin Jingchen confronts his ambitious younger half-brother, who has come to Lin Corporation seeking help. The young man claims his mother’s investment entitles him to shares and appeals to family ties.
• Lin Jingchen refuses to be pressured, saying the shares can be bought back and rejecting the idea that they are brothers or family. He warns that if their mother tries to return, he can make the young man disappear.
• Frightened, the young man leaves. Lin Jingchen tells Assistant Wang to throw him out if he comes back, then calmly resumes work.
• Elsewhere, Lin Sen shows Bai Chen a sensational online post claiming Gu Yun has been cheated on. Its photos show Gu Yun tying the shoelaces of a young man in a gray windbreaker. Bai Chen recognizes the young man as Brother Li, Gu Yun’s childhood sweetheart.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jingchen remains composed under provocation but reveals deep hostility toward his half-brother and their mother. He is firm about protecting the Lin family and maintaining distance from them.
• The half-brother shifts from swaggering threats to pleading when his claim to shares fails, then panics at Lin Jingchen’s warning.
• Lin Sen urgently alerts Bai Chen to the gossip, while Bai Chen initially sees nothing unusual in the photos before recognizing Brother Li.
• The chapter contrasts Lin Jingchen’s cold confrontation with the more curious, gossip-driven exchange between Lin Sen and Bai Chen.

Significant themes

• Family as a choice, not merely blood: Lin Jingchen refuses to accept his half-brother as family.
• Power and inheritance: The young man tries to use shares and family connections to gain leverage, but Lin Jingchen dismisses the threat.
• Appearances versus reality: Lin Jingchen’s calm, benevolent public image conceals a ruthless edge; meanwhile, ordinary-looking gestures in photos are framed by gossip as evidence of infidelity.
• Rumor and ambiguity: The images invite speculation, but the chapter does not establish what the relationship between Gu Yun and Brother Li actually is.

Plot points

• Bai Chen realizes Gu Cheng and Gu Yun may be heading for another tense encounter after seeing a headline calling Gu Yun Young Master Gu’s “sweet little wife.”
• Lin Sen reveals that he has also noticed something unusual between the two. Earlier, he overheard Gu Cheng offer Gu Yun a bouquet of red roses—an unmistakably romantic gesture—which Gu Yun angrily rejected before leaving.
• Lin Sen proposes that he and Bai Chen stay at a hotel to avoid the anticipated awkwardness in the dorm. Bai Chen considers it but refuses, partly because he doesn’t want to leave Gu Yun alone with Gu Cheng and partly because he dislikes spending money that isn’t his.
• Lin Sen offers to pay, but Bai Chen still declines. Lin Sen jokingly asks whether Bai Chen would rather stay and be a “third wheel.”

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Sen shifts from thinking Gu Cheng and Gu Yun were simply friends to recognizing the romantic tension after witnessing the rose incident. His imagined future of dorm-room couple behavior makes him eager to escape.
• Bai Chen is uneasy about Gu Cheng’s temper and the likely confrontation, but also feels protective of Gu Yun. He remains careful about accepting money or favors, even from a wealthy friend.
• Gu Yun, though absent from the present conversation, is shown as sharply rejecting Gu Cheng’s attempt at friendship—or possible confession.
• Gu Cheng’s gift of red roses suggests romantic interest, though his intentions and the outcome remain unresolved.

Significant themes

• Romance and misread intentions: A gesture framed as friendship appears to carry a much more intimate meaning.
• Awkwardness and anticipation: Bai Chen and Lin Sen dread being caught between the two men’s unresolved feelings.
• Independence and obligation: Bai Chen avoids relying on others financially because he fears becoming indebted.
• Humor through contrast: Lin Sen’s elaborate fantasies about couple behavior clash with Bai Chen’s more restrained, practical concerns.

Plot points and events

• Lin Sen abandons his idea of going to a hotel alone because he is intimidated by Gu Cheng’s bad temper.
• That evening, Bai Chen notices Gu Yun has not returned by nearly ten and briefly considers messaging him. Gu Yun soon arrives, carrying bubble tea and looking unusually cheerful.
• Lin Sen, still embarrassed by an earlier incident, becomes captivated by Gu Yun’s beauty and stares at him. Bai Chen notices and worries that the dorm is becoming a “romantic battlefield.” Lin Sen catches himself and is mortified.
• Gu Yun wakes Bai Chen to invite him to watch a meteor shower from the sports field. Though exhausted, Bai Chen agrees to go with him.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen is considerate toward Gu Yun and readily sacrifices some sleep to keep him company. His humorous inner commentary also reveals his growing awareness of the romantic tension around him.
• Gu Yun seems happier after an unseen encounter, and he makes a point of inviting Bai Chen out. When he realizes how tired Bai Chen is, he kindly offers to cancel.
• Lin Sen shifts from nervousness around Gu Yun to openly admiring his appearance, then feels embarrassed by his own reaction.
• Bai Chen and Gu Yun share a gentle, familiar exchange: Gu Yun calls him “Xiao Bai,” and Bai Chen accepts the invitation despite being sleepy.

Significant themes

• Attraction and romantic tension: Lin Sen’s sudden admiration, Gu Yun’s unexplained glow, and Bai Chen’s concern about a “romantic battlefield” hint at complicated feelings.
• Care and companionship: Gu Yun considers Bai Chen’s fatigue, while Bai Chen chooses to accompany him anyway.
• Self-consciousness and humor: Lin Sen’s embarrassment and Bai Chen’s comic internal narration keep the scene light.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yun brings Bai Chen to a park to watch the rare Geminid meteor shower, explaining meteor showers and their annual appearances. The sky is crowded with couples, leaving the two men feeling somewhat conspicuous.
• Gu Yun had learned about the meteor shower earlier from his childhood friend Li Xingzhu, whom he unexpectedly ran into after leaving campus to clear his head.
• As they wait in the cold, Gu Yun offers Bai Chen his scarf. Bai Chen declines, uneasy about accepting a gesture that feels romantically intimate.
• A phone call interrupts them: a friend has been hospitalized because of Gu Yun. Gu Yun leaves to go to the hospital, apologizing for abandoning their plans. Bai Chen tells him to go and says he will wait and take pictures.
• Gu Yun assumes they can watch another meteor shower together in the future, unaware that this missed chance will widen the distance between them.
• Bai Chen waits until after midnight, but the meteors do not appear. Too cold to stay, he leaves without seeing the shower. On the way back, he buys two portions of wontons—one for himself and one for Gu Yun—and calls for a cab.

Character developments

• Bai Chen remains considerate and accommodating, readily excusing Gu Yun’s departure. His thoughts also reveal his discomfort with gestures that might imply romantic closeness, despite noticing Gu Yun’s beauty.
• Gu Yun shows concern for Bai Chen by offering his scarf and checking that he gets home safely. He is disappointed to leave, but believes there will be plenty of future opportunities.
• Gu Yun and Li Xingzhu’s history is briefly established: they were close childhood friends who drifted apart after attending different high schools.

Significant themes

• Missed opportunities and timing: Gu Yun’s decision to leave seems temporary, but the narration foreshadows lasting consequences.
• Unspoken intimacy: The scarf, shared outing, and food gesture carry emotional meaning, though Bai Chen resists interpreting them romantically.
• Chance versus destiny: Meteor showers are associated with wishes and fate, reinforcing the chapter’s focus on opportunities that may not come again.
• Care shown through small gestures: Gu Yun’s concern and Bai Chen’s purchase of food express affection indirectly.

Character interactions

• Gu Yun teaches Bai Chen about meteor showers, and Bai Chen listens closely.
• Gu Yun offers Bai Chen his scarf; Bai Chen refuses, and Gu Yun appears disappointed.
• When Gu Yun leaves for the hospital, Bai Chen reassures him and offers to take pictures.
• After waiting alone, Bai Chen buys food for both of them, quietly anticipating Gu Yun’s needs.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• After a late-night meteor-shower outing with a classmate, Bai Chen is left alone when the classmate has to leave for an urgent matter. Unable to find a taxi, he tries to navigate back to campus.
• His poor sense of direction—and two unreliable map apps—lead him in circles and eventually to an unfamiliar park. By 2 a.m., cold and hungry, he gives up and waits on a bench, eating the wontons he brought.
• Lin Jingchen unexpectedly finds him while driving home from work. He lends Bai Chen his warm suit jacket and offers him a ride to campus.
• Lin drives Bai Chen through the university gates and safely drops him off. During the drive, Bai Chen openly admires Lin’s looks until Lin notices and teases him.

Character developments

• Bai Chen remains cheerful and self-deprecating despite being stranded. He recognizes his limitations, abandons his attempts to navigate, and accepts Lin’s help, though he becomes embarrassed when caught staring.
• Lin Jingchen shows a considerate, protective side: he notices Bai Chen is cold, lends him his jacket, and personally drives him home. His amused attention to Bai Chen hints at growing interest.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen and Lin’s chance reunion shifts the chapter from comic misadventure to a warm, intimate encounter.
• Bai Chen is grateful but awkward around Lin; Lin responds gently, calling him “little boss” and reassuring him that helping is no trouble.
• During the car ride, Lin watches Bai Chen discreetly, while Bai Chen’s admiration becomes obvious enough for Lin to call him out playfully.

Significant themes

• Comic helplessness and resilience: Bai Chen’s repeated navigation failures provide humor, but he adapts by stopping and waiting rather than making things worse.
• Kindness and protection: Lin’s practical gestures—sharing warmth and offering a ride—contrast with Bai Chen’s lonely, uncomfortable night.
• Growing attraction: Their teasing, glances, and Bai Chen’s unguarded staring suggest a developing connection.

Key plot points and events

• After Lin Jingchen catches Bai Chen secretly looking at him, Bai Chen awkwardly compliments his appearance. Lin takes the teasing in stride.
• Lin drives Bai Chen back to his dorm. Before Bai Chen leaves, Lin points out a vivid Geminid meteor shower. Bai Chen photographs it and wishes fervently to return to his own world.
• Bai Chen thanks Lin and promises to give him pottery from the tea house. Lin watches him enter the dorm before driving away.
• At home, Lin is surprised to find his married sister, Lin Xiaoqian, awake. She grills him about the “friend” he took to campus, eager to know whether the person is a potential partner. Lin avoids giving details.
• Unable to sleep, Lin keeps recalling Bai Chen’s expressions. He realizes Bai Chen’s happiness during the meteor shower felt unusually genuine and wishes Bai Chen would smile at him that way.
• In a separate scene, Li Xingzhu is being treated for a wound by Gu Yun after a fight. Gu Yun is annoyed that Li keeps interfering in his affairs. Li refuses to explain the fight, so Gu Yun asks their friend Fang Yuan what happened.

Character developments

• Bai Chen shows both playful awkwardness around Lin and a deep longing to return to his own world. His wish beneath the meteors exposes the sadness behind his brief excitement.
• Lin Jingchen grows more emotionally attentive to Bai Chen. He is captivated by the sincerity of Bai Chen’s joy and begins to want a more personal connection.
• Lin Xiaoqian is protective and curious about her younger brother’s romantic life, quickly suspecting that his “friend” may be a partner.
• Li Xingzhu remains stubbornly protective of Gu Yun, accepting blame for involving him late at night but refusing to say why he fought.
• Gu Yun is concerned for Li but frustrated by his repeated meddling and secrecy.

Significant themes

• Hope and longing: Bai Chen uses the meteor shower as a focus for his hope of returning home.
• Genuine versus guarded emotion: Lin notices that Bai Chen’s happiness seems more authentic than the smiles he usually gives him, highlighting the distance between them.
• Care expressed through restraint: Lin quietly looks after Bai Chen, while Gu Yun’s irritation masks concern for Li.
• Secrets and unspoken feelings: Lin conceals Bai Chen’s identity from his sister, and Li keeps the cause of his fight from Gu Yun.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen and Lin share a warm, teasing ride that becomes more intimate when they watch the meteor shower and discuss making wishes.
• Lin and Xiaoqian’s lively exchange reveals her curiosity about his private life and his reluctance to disclose it.
• Gu Yun treats Li Xingzhu’s injury while confronting him about his interference; when Li stays silent, Gu Yun turns to Fang Yuan for an explanation.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Yuan declines to tell Gu Yun why Li Xingzhu was injured, following Li’s silent warning.
• Gu Yun scolds Li for being reckless and reminds him that he has a family. He assumes Gu Cheng was responsible and offers to confront him, but Li stops him, proudly saying he fought back too. Gu Yun leaves, and Li’s bravado fades into a private, sinister smile.
• Bai Chen returns to the dorm after curfew and is caught by the dorm supervisor. He signs the late-arrival register, accepts the penalty, and politely agrees to her advice about staying out late and avoiding late-night snacks.
• Back in the dorm, Bai Chen finds Gu Cheng just out of the shower. Gu Cheng mocks Bai Chen’s physique, while Bai Chen silently judges Gu Cheng’s arrogance and avoids provoking him. Gu Cheng asks where Gu Yun is; Bai Chen gives no useful answer and goes to bed.
• The next morning, Bai Chen sees Gu Yun studying after only recently returning. When Gu Yun asks whether Bai Chen wants to know where he went, Bai Chen says it is his private business.

Character developments

• Li Xingzhu masks his pain with pride and dismissiveness, but his private smile suggests he may be plotting or harboring resentment.
• Gu Yun shows concern for Li through blunt scolding and a willingness to retaliate on his behalf. Later, he seems disappointed that Bai Chen does not ask about his night.
• Bai Chen remains tired, practical, and inwardly sarcastic. He follows rules when reprimanded, avoids a confrontation with Gu Cheng, and respects Gu Yun’s privacy.
• Gu Cheng is physically confident but comes across as boastful and inconsiderate.

Significant themes

• Privacy and boundaries: Bai Chen refuses to pry into Gu Yun’s whereabouts, while the reason for Li’s injuries remains deliberately undisclosed.
• Concern expressed through anger: Gu Yun’s harsh lecture reflects genuine worry about Li’s safety and family responsibilities.
• Appearance versus character: Gu Cheng’s impressive physique is undercut by his rude behavior.
• Everyday consequences and exhaustion: Bai Chen’s late-night ordeal—from curfew trouble to dorm tension—underscores the strain of navigating ordinary rules and relationships.

Character interactions

• Fang Yuan and Li Xingzhu silently coordinate to keep Gu Yun uninformed.
• Gu Yun confronts Li with concern, then leaves after Li insists he can handle the situation.
• The dorm supervisor reprimands Bai Chen but also gives him practical advice; Bai Chen responds respectfully.
• Gu Cheng insults Bai Chen, who hides his irritation and avoids engaging.
• Gu Yun appears to invite Bai Chen’s curiosity about his absence, but Bai Chen maintains a clear boundary.

Plot points

• Gu Yun answers that he does, in fact, like Bai Chen’s pan-fried buns, though his unusual manner leaves Bai Chen puzzled.
• Bai Chen enjoys food he could not eat in his former life because of chronic stomach problems, especially spicy pan-fried buns. The meal also prompts memories of his old roommates’ kindness during a difficult period.
• Xia Wangqiu approaches Bai Chen at breakfast. Bai Chen assumes he wants Gu Yun’s contact information, but Xia says he wants to be friends—and then admits he actually came to recruit Bai Chen for a pottery club, having heard of his skill. Bai Chen agrees.
• Xia gives Bai Chen soy milk, takes his hand in excitement, and continues watching him eat. After breakfast, he asks to attend Bai Chen’s class, despite studying a different subject. Bai Chen points out that his usual lecturer is absent, and suspects Xia really wants to see her.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen remains guarded and blunt with strangers, initially expecting Xia to have an ulterior motive. He agrees to join the club because he enjoys pottery, but is uncomfortable with Xia’s overly eager attention. His memories of his former roommates reveal how deeply he values genuine friendship and mutual care.
• Xia Wangqiu is sweet, enthusiastic, and somewhat overfamiliar: he excitedly grabs Bai Chen’s hand and brings him a drink. His interest in Bai Chen seems sincere, though Bai Chen interprets his request to attend class as likely connected to the lecturer.
• Gu Yun is present only briefly, but his unusual response about the buns hints that something is on his mind.

Significant themes

• Bai Chen’s longing for home and difficulty feeling at ease in his new world: he feels constrained by the book’s apparent plot and doubts whether its ending can be changed.
• Friendship and kindness: memories of his former roommates’ quiet support comfort him and make him grateful, while his own offer of hope to Gu Yun reflects his desire to help others even amid his uncertainty.
• Food as pleasure and freedom: being able to eat spicy and fried foods again contrasts sharply with the restrictions of Bai Chen’s former life.

Chapter summary

• Xia Wangqiu decides to attend Bai Chen’s class, despite Bai warning him that the strict professor may call on students. Wangqiu jokes that Bai can help him avoid trouble.
• On the way to the classroom, Wangqiu peppers Bai with personal questions. Bai is mildly irritated by the chatter but answers him.
• They sit near the front, where nearby students recognize Wangqiu as a handsome campus celebrity and speculate about Bai’s appearance. Bai privately reflects on how attractive people in a romance-style story often turn out to be important characters.
• Bai openly tells Wangqiu that he is handsome. Wangqiu is flustered, then compares himself unfavorably with Gu Yun; Bai bluntly agrees, leaving Wangqiu awkwardly amused.
• When Professor Chen begins attendance, students panic because he requires them both to answer and raise their hands, making it difficult to impersonate absent classmates. As the roll call begins, the professor catches a student pretending to be Tao Liang and points out that the voice and appearance do not match.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen remains reserved, sleepy, and straightforward. He tolerates Wangqiu’s questions and gives him an unvarnished compliment, though his candid agreement about Gu Yun’s looks embarrasses Wangqiu.
• Xia Wangqiu is sociable, teasing, and eager to stay close to Bai. He is also bashful when Bai praises his appearance and seems pleased by Bai’s attention.
• Bai and Wangqiu develop a light, teasing rapport: Wangqiu seeks Bai’s help and company, while Bai acts exasperated but continues to engage with him.
• Professor Chen appears strict and observant, immediately detecting an attendance impersonation.

Significant themes

• Appearance and social status: Wangqiu’s reputation as a campus heartthrob shapes how other students see him, while Bai connects attractiveness with importance in the story’s romantic world.
• Honesty and awkwardness: Bai’s direct compliments and comparisons contrast with Wangqiu’s attempts to respond modestly.
• Everyday student mischief: The attendance scheme and students’ frantic messages provide comic relief, while the professor’s scrutiny threatens to expose them.

Key plot points and events

• Professor Chen takes attendance strictly, catching late-arriving students and intimidating Xia Wangqiu after he wakes from sleeping through class. Xia stays awake afterward, though he barely follows the lecture.
• After class, Xia follows Bai Chen and tries to join him for lunch and arrange to spend time together. Bai Chen assumes Xia wants access to his friend Gu Yun and politely avoids him, claiming he needs sleep.
• Xia tells Bai Chen that the Pottery Club meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Hongde Building; Bai Chen says he will come.
• Bai Chen sleeps through the afternoon and wakes feeling feverish and weak. Gu Yun worries and blames himself for taking Bai out to watch the meteor shower.
• Bai tells Gu Yun he photographed and filmed the meteor shower for him. Gu Yun is touched, since being with Bai—not the meteor shower itself—was what mattered to him.
• Lin Sen notices an unusual atmosphere between the two, then reminds them that the freshman mixer dance is that evening and jokes that Bai may soon stop being single.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen is considerate toward Gu Yun but guarded around Xia Wangqiu, misreading Xia’s persistence as an attempt to get closer to Gu Yun. He also instinctively avoids Gu Yun’s touch, then gently lowers his hand to ease the awkwardness.
• Xia Wangqiu continues seeking Bai’s company, but his real motives remain unclear. Bai declines his invitations without openly confronting him.
• Gu Yun shows growing concern and affection for Bai, feeling guilty about Bai’s illness and moved that Bai saved the meteor-shower footage for him.
• Lin Sen watches their interaction with curiosity and lightly teases Bai about the dance.

Significant themes

• Misunderstood intentions: Bai interprets Xia’s friendliness as strategic, while the reason for Xia’s attention is left unresolved.
• Care and affection expressed indirectly: Gu Yun’s concern and Bai’s thoughtful photos reveal their closeness without either openly defining it.
• Awkwardness and guardedness: Bai’s reflexive avoidance of touch creates a brief tension, while his friends’ observations hint at feelings he may not acknowledge.

Plot points and events

• The freshmen are told they must attend a formal university dance. Bai Chen would rather stay in and finish an assignment, but agrees after learning attendance is mandatory. He plans to avoid dancing and spend the evening near the food.
• Lin Sen offers to lend Bai Chen and Gu Yun suits. Gu Yun declines because he has volunteer work; Bai Chen decides to check his own suitcase.
• When Bai Chen opens it, the original owner’s clothes spill out in a chaotic heap, embarrassing him in front of his roommates. Lin Sen and Gu Yun tease him, then laugh together.
• Lin Sen spots a signed racing helmet in the suitcase and is astonished: it belonged to Cool, a famous racer, and is uniquely valuable. Bai Chen has no idea how it came to be there, but pretends Cool is his idol and says its origin is a secret.
• Gu Yun recognizes Cool’s reputation as a racing prodigy and champion.

Character developments

• Bai Chen remains practical and socially reserved. He reluctantly accepts the dance requirement, improvises an explanation for the messy suitcase, and conceals his ignorance about the helmet to avoid revealing that he is not the suitcase’s original owner.
• Lin Sen is sociable and enthusiastic, especially about Cool; his excitement over the helmet briefly eclipses the earlier joking.
• Gu Yun confirms that he has volunteer duties and shows that, despite not following celebrities closely, he knows of Cool’s achievements.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and mistaken identity: Bai Chen continues navigating a life and possessions that belonged to someone else, hiding what he does not know.
• Comedy and embarrassment: The suitcase’s disorder and Bai Chen’s awkward attempt to play along create a lighthearted roommate scene.
• Celebrity and status: The helmet’s rarity and value reveal Cool’s fame and Lin Sen’s admiration for him.
• Romantic-world conventions: Bai Chen expects the dance to produce familiar melodramatic encounters, though he intends to stay out of them.

Character interactions

• Lin Sen tries to persuade Bai Chen to attend the dance and offers him a suit; Bai Chen declines the offer while Gu Yun declines because of volunteering.
• When the suitcase spills open, Lin Sen and Gu Yun help Bai Chen save face before laughing with him.
• Lin Sen’s questions about the helmet put Bai Chen in the awkward position of pretending to know its owner and withholding how the helmet came into his possession.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Chen searches the original owner’s luggage and finds mostly flashy black clothes, ripped jeans, and several expensive suits. He chooses a navy-blue suit for the ball, worrying that replacing anything damaged will strain his limited finances.
• Bai Chen and Lin Sen walk to the lavish ball on the northwest campus. Gu Yun stays behind because of volunteer duties.
• Feeling seriously ill, Bai Chen sits alone in a corner while Lin Sen checks on him. Bai Chen insists he can manage and encourages Lin Sen to pursue the older design student he likes.
• As the ball is about to begin, students discuss the expected appearance of Senior Lin Jingchen and the upcoming business bids involving the Lin and Gu groups. Bai Chen falls asleep, and someone sits beside him.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen continues to struggle with his incomplete knowledge of the original owner and the novel’s plot. His practical, frugal outlook contrasts with the wealth and expectations around him. Despite his worsening cold, he tries not to inconvenience Lin Sen.
• Lin Sen shows concern for Bai Chen and offers to take him to the hospital, but leaves after Bai Chen reassures him and urges him to enjoy the event.
• The students at the ball reveal their admiration for Lin Jingchen and their interest in the business rivalry and social connections surrounding the Lin and Gu families.

Significant themes

• Displacement and uncertainty: Bai Chen lacks the original owner’s memories and must navigate an unfamiliar life without a clear guide.
• Class and wealth: His modest habits stand out against designer clothing, lavish venues, and students from powerful families.
• Care and independence: Lin Sen’s concern contrasts with Bai Chen’s insistence on handling his illness alone.
• Romance and status: The ball’s excitement is shaped by celebrity-like admiration, attraction, and the influence of family business ties.

• Plot: At a university mixer, feverish and exhausted Bai Chen recognizes Lin Jingchen by his familiar pear-blossom scent. Lin notices Bai Chen’s fever and insists on taking him to the hospital after his speech, inventing a convenient excuse about being nearby. Bai Chen realizes Lin is disguising his kindness to make it easier to accept and feels grateful. While Lin prepares to speak, the dean jokes with the students, easing the mixer’s awkward atmosphere. Bai Chen watches, eats a cupcake, and is briefly cheered by the happy crowd. Lin then gives an impressive speech, captivating the audience, before leaving backstage.
• Character development: Bai Chen remains stubbornly reluctant to inconvenience others, even while ill, but recognizes and appreciates Lin’s thoughtful persistence. His fever leaves him muddled and sleepy, though the lively gathering lifts his spirits. Lin comes across as considerate and quietly determined, as well as confident and charismatic in public.
• Interactions: Lin checks Bai Chen’s fever and arranges to take him for medical care despite Bai Chen’s protests. The dean’s playful banter draws the students into laughing and mingling. Lin’s polished speech earns enthusiastic applause and admiration, especially from the girls.
• Themes: Care expressed through subtle, selfless gestures; Bai Chen’s difficulty accepting help; and the contagious nature of happiness and social warmth.

Plot points

• At the school ball, Bai Chen watches happily as Lin Sen succeeds in asking a girl to dance.
• Lin Jingchen messages Bai Chen, saying he is waiting outside and has arranged permission for Bai Chen to leave. Bai Chen heads out.
• On the way, Bai Chen collides with the Campus F4, led by Gu Cheng. His suit is stained with wine during the encounter.
• Gu Cheng blames Bai Chen for the collision, while Shi Long mocks him and throws money on the floor as supposed compensation for the damaged suit.
• Bai Chen calmly picks up the money and thanks Shi Long, leaving the onlookers sympathetic and the F4 confused.
• Gu Yun sees what is happening and considers intervening, but Lin Jingchen arrives first. He puts his jacket around Bai Chen, reassures him, and confronts the four young men for bullying him.

Character developments

• Bai Chen chooses not to retaliate against the powerful F4, recognizing the risks of provoking them. Though their treatment is humiliating, he views the money as compensation and stays composed.
• Lin Sen takes a courageous step by inviting a girl to dance, and she accepts.
• Lin Jingchen reveals a protective, unusually stern side when he sees Bai Chen being mistreated.
• Gu Yun notices the bullying and is ready to help, though Lin Jingchen reaches Bai Chen first.
• Gu Cheng and Shi Long display entitlement and cruelty, treating Bai Chen as an easy target.

Themes

• Pragmatism versus pride: Bai Chen’s restraint is presented as caution, not cowardice, given the F4’s wealth and influence.
• Public humiliation and power: The F4 use money and status to demean Bai Chen, while the silent crowd’s discomfort contrasts with their laughter.
• Protection and solidarity: Lin Jingchen’s arrival shifts the balance, offering Bai Chen both comfort and a defender.

Character interactions

• Lin Sen and the girl share a successful first dance invitation.
• The F4 accuse and ridicule Bai Chen; Shi Long throws money at his feet, but Bai Chen’s polite thanks confounds them.
• Gu Yun watches the incident, while Lin Jingchen comforts Bai Chen and directly challenges Gu Cheng’s version of events.

Plot points and events

• Lin Jingchen arrives at the teahouse lobby and finds Bai Chen crouched on the floor, collecting money while several young men insult him. Seeing Bai Chen’s helpless, vacant expression, Lin immediately intervenes without asking what happened.
• Lin warns Gu Cheng that the Gu Group may lose an important bid, unsettling him, then takes Bai Chen away. The other young men are too intimidated to respond.
• In the car, Lin apologizes for taking Bai Chen’s hand without permission. Bai Chen thanks him and admits Lin’s support moved him, even though he had expected to endure the humiliation quietly.
• Lin asks Bai Chen to stop addressing him so formally and calls them friends. Bai Chen agrees, still calling him “Mr. Lin.”
• Lin notices Bai Chen has a fever and takes him to the hospital. He insists on accompanying him and driving him back to school afterward, despite Bai Chen suggesting he could stay at an inn.
• While waiting at the emergency department, Bai Chen asks why Lin trusted him without hearing his side. Lin says he believes Bai Chen would not start trouble—and that, even if he had, the others must have provoked him first.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jingchen acts unusually impulsively and protectively. His anger at Bai Chen’s mistreatment surprises him, and he recognizes that his growing attachment to Bai Chen is changing his usual, cautious behavior. He wants their relationship to become more personal and is pleased when Bai Chen accepts his friendship.
• Bai Chen is grateful and quietly touched by Lin’s unconditional support, but remains wary of relying on others. He worries Lin’s trusting nature could lead him into trouble and warns that, when pushed too far, Bai Chen himself can do anything.
• Gu Cheng shifts from mocking Lin to visibly panicking when Lin implies the Gu Group’s bid is in danger.
• Lin and Bai Chen’s relationship grows warmer through their hand-holding, honest conversation, and Lin’s insistence on caring for him.

Significant themes

• Protection and trust: Lin takes Bai Chen’s side without demanding proof, while Bai Chen struggles to understand such faith.
• Growing intimacy: Practical acts of care and a request to be friends deepen the connection between the two men.
• Power and vulnerability: Bai Chen is publicly humiliated, but Lin’s status and intervention quickly reverse the balance of power.
• Self-restraint and suppressed anger: Bai Chen presents himself as accommodating, yet cautions that he has limits; Lin’s own normally controlled nature is also tested by the incident.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Chen questions whether he was wrong to pick up money thrown at him as an insult. Lin Jingchen says the money was fair compensation for the damage to Bai Chen’s clothes, though the humiliating way it was offered was unacceptable.
• Bai Chen is delighted to find someone whose practical sense matches his own, and reflects that Lin Jingchen trusts him specifically rather than being blindly sympathetic or trusting toward everyone.
• At the clinic, Lin Jingchen initially tries to accompany Bai Chen into the consultation room, but Bai Chen politely asks him to wait outside. Lin Jingchen realizes he has been hovering too closely and resolves to respect Bai Chen’s boundaries.
• The doctor finds Bai Chen’s fever is dangerously high—40°C—and prescribes an IV drip. Bai Chen pays for it and returns to the third floor.
• He spots Lin Jingchen politely turning down a nurse who appears to be interested in him. Bai Chen jokes that Lin is popular.
• While Bai Chen receives his drip, another nurse admires the two handsome men. This prompts Bai Chen to recall how Gu Yun’s looks and protagonist-like “halo” regularly attract attention, disrupting their meals and leaving Bai Chen feeling uncomfortable.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen shows practical judgment and self-awareness: he is comfortable accepting compensation, asks Lin Jingchen to give him space, and notices how attention drawn by handsome companions affects him.
• Lin Jingchen demonstrates that his faith is uniquely centered on Bai Chen. He is attentive to him, but recognizes he may be overdoing it and tries to maintain appropriate boundaries. He also responds to romantic attention with polite refusal.
• Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen share an easy, teasing rapport. Their agreement about the money strengthens Bai Chen’s sense that Lin is someone who understands him.
• Bai Chen and Gu Yun are not together in the present scene, but Bai Chen’s memories show how Gu Yun’s popularity repeatedly pulls him into awkward situations.

Significant themes

• Trust and special loyalty: Lin Jingchen’s belief in Bai Chen is personal and selective, not a general faith in people.
• Practicality versus social ideals: Bai Chen rejects the romanticized expectation that pride requires refusing compensation.
• Care and boundaries: Lin Jingchen’s concern is genuine, but he learns to avoid treating Bai Chen like a child.
• The burden of beauty and attention: The chapter humorously highlights how attractiveness—and especially a protagonist’s supposed halo—can make ordinary public moments uncomfortable.

Plot points and events

• Students hoping to get close to Gu Yun repeatedly leave gifts and snacks for Bai Chen, hoping he’ll pass along information or help them contact Gu Yun. Bai Chen refuses bribes, apologizes to the senders, and returns their things; Gu Yun simply throws away the gifts meant for him.
• While receiving an IV for his fever, Bai Chen grows cold and falls asleep. Lin Jingchen leaves briefly, then returns with a jacket and hot milk, quietly looking after him.
• Bai Chen wakes from a vivid nightmare about a frightened girl named Bai Xi jumping from a balcony. He calls out her name, alarming Lin Jingchen. Bai Chen says it was only a nightmare, but his reaction makes it clear he has painful reasons for keeping the subject private.
• Lin Jingchen doesn’t press him. He gives Bai Chen the milk and stays until the IV finishes, then drives him back to the dormitory late at night.
• The dorm supervisor notices Bai Chen returning after hours but lets him go because he is carrying medicine. Back in the room, Bai Chen tries not to wake Gu Yun, only for Gu Yun to ask whether he went to the hospital with Lin Jingchen.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen remains considerate and principled: he won’t exploit others’ gifts, and he worries about burdening Lin Jingchen while he rests. His nightmare and distress over Bai Xi reveal a vulnerable, guarded side.
• Lin Jingchen shows growing tenderness toward Bai Chen through practical, attentive care—covering him with his jacket, bringing milk, and respecting his reluctance to discuss Bai Xi.
• Gu Yun remains difficult for classmates to approach and uninterested in their gifts. His quiet question at the chapter’s end hints that he has noticed Bai Chen’s closeness with Lin Jingchen.
• Bai Chen’s repeated gift-returning gives him an unexpectedly thorough knowledge of the dormitory building, while also making time with Lin Jingchen feel like a welcome break from the chore.

Significant themes

• Care shown through small actions: Lin Jingchen’s quiet attentiveness contrasts with the impersonal gifts sent by Gu Yun’s admirers.
• Integrity and obligation: Bai Chen refuses to accept favors that could make him indebted to others.
• Hidden grief and respect for privacy: Bai Chen’s nightmare suggests unresolved trauma, while Lin Jingchen’s decision not to pry shows sensitivity.
• Growing intimacy and possible jealousy: Lin Jingchen’s care and Gu Yun’s final question sharpen the contrast between the two relationships.