Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Bai Chen worries that the people behind the attempted kidnapping may be Shi Long and his friends—or Gu Cheng. The former would be relatively easy to handle, but Gu Cheng’s influence could threaten Bai Chen’s family and their business.
• Bai Chen considers warning his family, seeking police help, and, as a last resort, asking Mr. Lin to use his influence against Gu Cheng. Though apprehensive, he decides he cannot keep submitting to Gu Cheng.
• Lin Sen advises Bai Chen to go home and stay out of danger. Bai Chen refuses, believing running away will not help, and says he can defend himself physically; his real fear is for his family.
• Lin Jingchen calls to check that Bai Chen is safe and says he is coming to see him. He then angrily reprimands the bodyguard assigned to watch Bai Chen for failing to prevent the incident, removes him from the assignment, and cuts his pay for six months.
• At the dormitory, Lin Jingchen embraces Bai Chen and apologizes for not protecting him properly. Bai Chen insists he is fine and asks to be released; Lin Jingchen eventually loosens his hold.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen shows growing resolve: rather than remain meek, he plans to confront the threat and protect his family. His composure masks his anxiety, especially about Gu Cheng’s power.
• Lin Jingchen reveals how deeply concerned he is for Bai Chen. His urgent call, anger at the bodyguard, and apologetic embrace show both protectiveness and guilt.
• Lin Sen tries to reassure Bai Chen and offers practical advice, while Bai Chen rejects retreat as a solution.
• The bodyguard accepts responsibility but is disciplined for neglecting his duty.
• Bai Chen’s request to be let go contrasts with Lin Jingchen’s intense, protective embrace, adding emotional tension to their interaction.

Significant themes

• Protection and family responsibility: Bai Chen’s chief concern is preventing harm to his family, not merely defending himself.
• Power and vulnerability: Physical strength may help against attackers, but Gu Cheng’s wealth and influence pose a more serious threat.
• Agency and resistance: Bai Chen begins shifting from passive endurance to active confrontation.
• Care, guilt, and boundaries: Lin Jingchen’s protective response is sincere, yet Bai Chen’s discomfort suggests a tension between being cared for and maintaining personal space.

Plot points

• Bai Chen asks Lin Jingchen how he learned about his predicament. Lin admits he had people discreetly follow Bai Chen, but says he never meant to harm him.
• Lin blames himself for failing to protect Bai Chen from Gu Cheng. Bai Chen reassures him that Gu Cheng is responsible for his own actions and that he does not blame Lin.
• Lin promises to give the police solid evidence against Gu Cheng and insists he will pursue the matter legally.
• Worried that Lin might put himself at risk, Bai Chen asks whether the evidence could hurt him. Lin assures him it cannot.
• Lin insists on taking Bai Chen to dinner, and Bai Chen agrees. At an elegant Chinese restaurant, Bai Chen discovers that Lin has arranged a meal featuring all his favorite dishes.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen shows trust and affection toward Lin, even imagining that he would openly confess his feelings in another world. He is candid but guarded when Lin probes whether he would rely on him for reasons beyond Lin’s competence.
• Bai Chen also reveals how deeply he cares for Lin: he becomes anxious at the thought that Lin might be harmed while pursuing Gu Cheng. At the same time, he recognizes how little he knows about Lin’s personality.
• Lin Jingchen is protective, attentive, and gently teasing. He admits to monitoring Bai Chen, takes responsibility for not intervening sooner, and reassures him with a clear plan to use lawful evidence against Gu Cheng.
• Their exchange highlights a quiet imbalance in their knowledge of each other: Lin understands Bai Chen’s needs—including that he is hungry and what food he likes—while Bai Chen is still learning who Lin is.

Significant themes

• Trust and care: Bai Chen accepts Lin’s explanation and believes his concern is sincere.
• Vulnerability beneath resilience: Lin sees that Bai Chen’s cheerful, tough exterior may hide deep exhaustion and a fragile heart.
• Protection and responsibility: Lin feels responsible for Bai Chen’s safety, while Bai Chen worries that protecting him could endanger Lin.
• Fate versus personal judgment: Bai Chen wonders whether Lin might be a “villain” in the story’s original plot, but trusts his own experience of Lin over labels imposed by the novel.
• Intimacy through attention: Lin’s knowledge of Bai Chen’s preferences and his thoughtful dinner preparations express affection more than direct declarations do.

Key plot points

• Bai Chen enjoys the fish, while Lin Jingchen tries a spicy bite to share in his pleasure, despite disliking strongly seasoned food.
• Touched by Lin Jingchen’s willingness to change for him, Bai Chen resolves to tell him he is not worth pursuing—but Lin’s phone interrupts.
• Lin returns with news that Bai Chen’s problem has been addressed and asks him to go to the police station. He insists they finish their meal first; Bai Chen eats quickly, focused on resolving the danger.
• At the station, Officer Qin confirms that the attempted kidnapping was arranged by the Gu Family. Anonymous information has also provided a lead, though police must verify it before making arrests.
• Bai Chen gives his statement and completes the paperwork. Qin tells him to go home and await the investigation’s results.
• Lin says the information he provided was useful, but apologizes, feeling responsible because Bai Chen became involved through him.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen is grateful for Lin’s care but remains determined to reject his affection, believing Lin deserves someone else. His anxiety about the case takes precedence over the meal.
• Lin Jingchen shows affection through small acts—trying food he dislikes, serving Bai Chen, and gently urging him to eat. He also takes practical steps to help with the case and feels guilty about Bai Chen’s involvement.
• Officer Qin is angered by wealthy people abusing their influence and is committed to pursuing the case carefully and fairly. He and Bai Chen interact formally as Qin gathers his statement.
• Bai Chen and Lin share a warm, considerate meal, but Bai Chen’s unspoken rejection contrasts with Lin’s growing devotion.

Significant themes

• Unrequited or unequal affection: Lin is willing to change for Bai Chen, while Bai Chen believes he cannot return that commitment.
• Care expressed through actions: Lin’s concern appears in his attentiveness, food-sharing, and help with the investigation.
• Justice versus privilege: Qin’s determination to investigate the Gu Family challenges the assumption that wealth can shield wrongdoers.
• Vulnerability and responsibility: Lin feels accountable for the danger Bai Chen faces, while Bai Chen struggles to accept his care.

Plot points and events

• Five minutes after leaving the police station, Lin Jingchen drops Bai Chen at his dorm. Lin Sen and Gu Yun are still awake and worried because Bai Chen was targeted in an attempted kidnapping.
• Bai Chen reassures them that he escaped unharmed and that the police are handling the case. He expects Gu Cheng and the three men involved to face punishment, though he keeps the details—and the documents he gave the police—private.
• Gu Yun is furious that Gu Cheng took his anger out on Bai Chen, while Bai Chen insists the situation is under control. He expects Gu Cheng’s arrest and business consequences for the Gu family to reduce the threat.
• After a poor night’s sleep, Bai Chen looks exhausted. Lin Sen suggests he consult a traditional Chinese medicine doctor for his persistent insomnia. Bai Chen agrees to go once the current trouble settles.
• Lin Sen offers to find the doctor’s address and asks Bai Chen to share his location when he visits, since Gu Cheng might still target him.

Character developments

• Bai Chen remains calm and reassuring despite the danger, but his chronic insomnia and exhaustion reveal an ongoing vulnerability. He is cautious about what he reveals to others and willing to seek help for his health.
• Gu Yun shows strong concern and protectiveness, becoming openly angry on Bai Chen’s behalf.
• Lin Sen acts as a practical, caring friend, offering medical help and suggesting precautions.
• Lin Jingchen gets Bai Chen home safely, though he is not involved in the later conversation.

Significant themes

• Safety and lingering danger: Escaping the kidnapping does not eliminate the threat, so the characters remain alert.
• Trust and privacy: Bai Chen accepts his friends’ support but withholds sensitive information about the police investigation.
• Care and friendship: Lin Sen and Gu Yun respond to the ordeal with concern, reassurance, and practical help.
• Health and self-care: Bai Chen’s insomnia has taken a toll, prompting him to consider treatment.

Character interactions

• Lin Sen and Gu Yun question Bai Chen about where he went and whether he was hurt; he reassures them while keeping investigative details confidential.
• Gu Yun reacts with anger at Gu Cheng’s actions, and Bai Chen tries to calm him by explaining that the matter is being handled.
• Lin Sen recommends a doctor and promises to find the clinic’s location. Bai Chen agrees to share his location with Lin Sen and Gu Yun when he goes.

Chapter summary

• Dorm life changes: With Li Xingzhu spending most evenings with Gu Yun, Bai Chen sees less of Gu Yun but notices that Gu Yun’s supposed irritation toward Li is not genuine. Li quickly becomes part of the dorm group: he brings food for everyone, fixes computers, writes small programs, and keeps the dorm exceptionally clean. Bai Chen is happy to relinquish his unofficial “dorm dad” role.
• Li and Gu Yun’s growing closeness: Li is openly attentive to Gu Yun, even wiping a skewer clean and feeding him while he reads. Gu Yun accepts this familiar care without hesitation, recalling how natural their closeness was in childhood. He asks why Li disappeared from his life for a period in high school. Li gives an evasive explanation, and Gu Yun recognizes that he is hiding something. Li promises to tell him everything “when the time comes,” and Gu Yun agrees to wait. Li then resumes feeding him, while their affectionate exchange leaves Bai Chen and Lin Sen feeling like third wheels.
• Bai Chen’s secret: After lamenting that neither of them has anyone to love, Lin Sen asks Bai Chen whether he likes someone. Bai Chen admits that he does, blushing. Lin Sen is thrilled and immediately presses him for the person’s identity and appearance.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen proves perceptive about Gu Yun’s feelings for Li, while remaining unguarded when asked about his own romantic interest.
• Li Xingzhu settles comfortably into the dorm and shows both practical kindness to the group and tender devotion toward Gu Yun. His evasiveness about high school suggests unresolved history.
• Gu Yun begins to question how much he truly knows about Li, but trusts him enough to wait for the truth. His ease in accepting Li’s care hints at deep-rooted intimacy.
• Lin Sen acts as the dorm’s enthusiastic gossip, teasing Bai Chen and drawing him into a conversation about romance.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts comfortable intimacy with hidden truths: Li and Gu Yun’s closeness feels instinctive, yet Li keeps part of their past from Gu Yun. It also highlights found family and everyday care, as Li wins over the dorm through food, help, and chores, while setting up a new thread of romantic curiosity around Bai Chen.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen admits to Lin Sen and Gu Yun that he likes someone, but believes they cannot be together. He describes the person as wonderful and exceptionally kind, adding that he feels unworthy of them.
• Lin Sen tries to cheer Bai Chen up with jokes and the familiar reassurance that “the next one will be better.” Bai Chen repeats the phrase with a strained smile, then returns to his book. None of the three sleeps well.
• Elsewhere, the Gu Group is overwhelmed by accumulated troubles: financial strain, an unresolved bidding scandal, and a police investigation into suspected illegal business. At midnight, police take Gu Zhengde into custody.
• Gu Cheng, still hospitalized and unaware of his father’s arrest, is waiting for news of an attempted kidnapping of Bai Chen. Instead, police arrive and arrest him on suspicion of kidnapping.
• During questioning, Gu Cheng denies the accusation. Qin Yong presents him with a statement from the person involved. Reading it, Gu Cheng realizes the people he hired were caught and is furious that their plan failed.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen reveals vulnerability beneath his usual composure: he has deep feelings for someone but sees the relationship as impossible and doubts his own worthiness.
• Lin Sen responds with teasing affection, then attempts to comfort Bai Chen when he recognizes his sadness.
• Gu Yun wants to approach Bai Chen, but Li Xingzhu advises him to give Bai Chen space. Gu Yun reluctantly agrees, despite wanting to help.
• Gu Cheng remains arrogant and vindictive, still intent on punishing Bai Chen and impressing Lin Jingchen. His confidence falters when police confront him, though he tries to mask it with threats.
• Qin Yong stays calm and professional during the interrogation, while Gu Cheng’s hostile demeanor contrasts with the officers’ restraint.

Significant themes

• Unrequited or seemingly impossible love: Bai Chen’s affection is paired with self-doubt and resignation.
• Comfort versus giving someone space: Lin Sen offers reassurance, while Li Xingzhu believes Gu Yun should let Bai Chen process his feelings privately.
• Consequences and justice: The Gu family’s business troubles deepen as authorities investigate, and Gu Cheng faces arrest for the kidnapping plot.
• Arrogance and miscalculation: Gu Cheng underestimates Bai Chen and the people he hired, only to discover that his plan has backfired.

Plot points and events

• Gu Cheng spends the night at the police station as investigators uncover serious, long-standing problems at the Gu Group. Gu Zhengde is questioned by a special investigation team, but the evidence against the group is overwhelming.
• Bai Chen receives word from Lin Jingchen that the case has been resolved: Gu Cheng, Shi Long, and their associates have been punished. Bai Chen thanks Lin and tells him to rest.
• Bai Chen visits the traditional medicine clinic Lin Sen recommended, following a badly drawn map through a quiet, mossy alley. He consults the elderly physician about his recurring insomnia. The physician checks his pulse, asks about possible stimulants, and offers acupuncture and herbal pills.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen feels relieved that the trouble involving Gu Cheng has been dealt with. His polite message to Lin Jingchen includes a wish that Lin rest; Lin rereads it warmly, suggesting growing affection.
• Bai Chen’s insomnia is tied to deeper anxieties: he worries about his sister, Bai Xi, back in his original world, and is uncertain whether the body’s original owner is dead.
• The physician is calm and compassionate. He recognizes Bai Chen’s pent-up worries, advises him not to let them consume him, and offers practical treatment. Bai Chen agrees that the advice makes sense but admits he cannot simply stop worrying.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: The Gu Group’s influence cannot shield it once its misconduct is exposed.
• Care and attachment: Bai Chen’s concern for Bai Xi and Lin’s tender response to him reveal important emotional bonds.
• Worry and perspective: The physician urges Bai Chen to take life in stride, while the chapter shows how difficult that can be when unresolved responsibilities weigh on him.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Chen buys two boxes of medicine from an elderly traditional doctor, paying a little over fifty yuan with cash he had previously received from someone who humiliated him.
• A framed photograph falls and reveals a girl who looks exactly like Bai Chen’s younger sister, Bai Xi, dressed in Miaojiang clothing.
• The doctor says the photograph was taken in Mu Village, a remote village near Y City in Miaojiang. He warns Bai Chen that outsiders are unwelcome and the area can be dangerous.
• Convinced the girl may be Bai Xi, Bai Chen decides to return to G University, pack, and travel to Miaojiang to find out.
• The doctor cautions him not to trust food or water offered in the village. He recommends staying with the village chief and gives Bai Chen a small bottle of pills that counter most local poisons.

Character developments

• Bai Chen shifts from a routine medicine purchase to urgent determination once he sees the photograph. His emotional reaction shows how deeply he cares about Bai Xi.
• He takes the doctor’s warnings seriously and accepts the antidote, while showing gratitude and promising to be careful.
• The elderly doctor emerges as compassionate and experienced, drawing on a past poisoning incident to protect Bai Chen.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen and the doctor begin with a practical conversation about medicine prices and instructions.
• After Bai Chen recognizes the girl, he urgently questions the doctor about her identity and the photograph’s location. The doctor cannot identify her, but provides directions and advice.
• The doctor repeatedly warns Bai Chen about the risks and offers the antidote without charge; Bai Chen responds with respect and thanks.

Significant themes

• Family and loyalty: Bai Chen’s immediate resolve to investigate the girl reflects his attachment to his sister.
• Trust and caution: The doctor stresses that danger may come from a few individuals even in a community with many decent people.
• Kindness and reciprocity: The doctor helps Bai Chen selflessly, and Bai Chen resolves to support his pharmacy in return.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Chen photographs an old image of a young woman from Miao territory who strongly resembles Bai Xi. Unsure whether she is Bai Xi, he decides to travel there and find out.
• He rushes back to G University, secures three days’ leave, packs, and catches an afternoon flight.
• Before boarding, he researches Hmong customs and taboos so he can avoid offending people during his visit.
• At the airport and on the plane, he encounters a striking young man with deep-blue eyes and stiff Chinese.
• During the flight, a passenger suffers a sudden medical emergency, prompting a call for help.

Character developments

• Bai Chen is newly energized and determined by the possibility of finding Bai Xi. Gu Yun notices that his usual reserve seems like a protective shell, and that this brighter, more animated side may be his true self.
• Bai Chen acts quickly and thoughtfully: he arranges leave, travels in haste, and studies local customs before arriving.
• The blue-eyed young man is introduced as mysterious and possibly foreign; he remains quiet and keeps to himself.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen reassures Gu Yun and Li Xingzhu that nothing is wrong, though he has no time to explain his sudden trip.
• Gu Yun worries about Bai Chen and wonders whether his change in demeanor reveals a side he has not seen before; Li Xingzhu interrupts his thoughts.
• Bai Chen apologizes to the young man at the airport for disturbing him, and they exchange brief, polite greetings again aboard the plane.
• A distressed passenger calls for medical help, and the flight attendants respond to the emergency.

Significant themes

• Identity and resemblance: Bai Chen’s search is driven by the possibility that the woman in the photograph is Bai Xi, while Gu Yun questions which side of Bai Chen is most authentic.
• Urgency and hope: The chance of finding someone important gives Bai Chen a sudden sense of purpose.
• Respect across cultures: Bai Chen’s research reflects his effort to approach Hmong people and traditions considerately.

Plot points

• A middle-aged passenger on Bai Chen’s flight suddenly struggles to breathe. A young man identifies a possible pneumothorax and uses a pen to relieve the pressure, stabilizing him until the plane lands and medical staff take over.
• Bai Chen thanks the young man, who explains that he is a doctor and has recently arrived in China to use the Chinese he has studied. They part, hoping to meet again.
• Bai Chen travels toward Mu Village in Miaojiang, first by taxi and then by bus. The journey grows rough and winding as the bus enters the mountains.
• On the bus, a young woman becomes repeatedly carsick while her companion tries to comfort her and persuades her to continue the trip to investigate whether gu worms are real.
• Bai Chen reaches a small town, uncertain where to go next. He gets off where there are plenty of people and notices a food stall nearby.

Character developments and interactions

• The young doctor proves decisive and capable under pressure, while remaining modest afterward. His friendly exchange with Bai Chen hints at a possible future reunion.
• Bai Chen is compassionate, relieved when the passenger is helped, and cautious about his journey: he keeps the traditional medicine doctor’s pills close and compares this Miaojiang with the more welcoming region he remembers from his former world.
• The young couple’s interaction reveals contrasting attitudes: the woman is miserable and skeptical, while the man is enthusiastic about exploring Miaojiang and its rumored gu.

Significant themes

• Duty and compassion: The doctor risks intervening to help a stranger, and Bai Chen is concerned for the passenger.
• Cross-cultural connection: The doctor’s effort to learn Chinese creates an easy bond with Bai Chen.
• Uncertainty and foreboding: The difficult road, remote mountain setting, and talk of gu establish an uneasy atmosphere as Bai Chen approaches Mu Village.
• Different perspectives: Bai Chen’s memories of a welcoming Miaojiang contrast with the more ominous place described by the old doctor and suggested by the journey.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen stops at a roadside stall, buys three pieces of Fried Spicy Baba, and asks how to reach Mu Village.
• The vendor explains that Mu Village is the principal Miao village and tightly restricts outsiders. A recent incident has made it even harder to enter.
• When Bai Chen shows her a photo of the woman he seeks, the vendor recognizes the group’s traditional clothing and identifies them as shrine maidens. Since Bai Chen appears to know one, he may gain entry by showing the photo to the village guards.
• The vendor explains that shrine maidens are chosen by the High Priest through divination, serve for seven years, and generally may then leave and marry—though some remain in service.
• Before Bai Chen leaves, she warns him to bring food and water, avoid offending villagers, and politely refuse a girl’s scarf unless he welcomes her interest. She also cautions him about Gu Poison, which is common in Mu Village and can only be treated by a Shaman Doctor.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen remains determined to reach Mu Village despite its restrictions, but his uncertainty about the woman’s identity and the village’s customs leaves him dependent on local guidance.
• The vendor shifts from friendly shopkeeper to concerned adviser. She helps him interpret the photo, explains local traditions, and gives him practical safety warnings, while choosing not to leave her stall to guide him herself.
• Their interaction is warm and courteous: Bai Chen thanks her, promises to return for hot food, and leaves before dark; she privately hopes he stays safe.

Significant themes

• Outsiders and barriers: Mu Village’s rules and recent lockdown make entry difficult.
• Tradition and hierarchy: Shrine maidens and the High Priest hold powerful roles in village life.
• Danger beneath the unfamiliar: The warnings about Gu Poison suggest that local customs and threats are more serious than Bai Chen expected.
• Kindness and caution: The vendor’s hospitality is paired with urgent warnings, showing both the community’s generosity and the risks awaiting Bai Chen.

Key plot points and events

• After the Gu Group collapses and Gu Cheng is imprisoned, Lin Jingchen asks Assistant Wang to check on Bai Chen. He learns Bai Chen has taken leave and gone toward Miaojiang, though no one knows why.
• Lin calls Bai Chen repeatedly but cannot reach him. An email then appears, warning that Bai Chen is in Mu Village and urging Lin to go there alone—or regret it. The message disappears, but Lin remembers its contents and rushes to arrange a trip to Y City.
• In Miaojiang, Bai Chen pays a local Miao girl to take him by motorcycle toward the village. When another motorcycle charges toward them on a narrow mountain road, their bike tips over, sending both into a muddy pool.
• The girl apologizes and offers to repay him. Bai Chen laughs off the accident, still offers her the agreed payment, and gives her tissues.

Character developments

• Lin Jingchen is visibly anxious about Bai Chen’s safety. Though he has struggled to find a reason to contact him, the warning prompts him to act immediately and travel to Miaojiang.
• Bai Chen is resourceful and determined to reach the village, willing to pay for help. Even after a frightening fall, he stays good-humored and generous.
• The Miao girl is practical and confident in her riding, but her confidence proves misplaced. She feels responsible for the accident and quickly apologizes.

Character interactions

• Lin questions Assistant Wang about Bai Chen, then orders him to investigate the vanished email and postpone Lin’s meetings.
• Bai Chen negotiates with the girl for a ride, and their cheerful exchange turns into an awkward accident. He reassures her afterward rather than blaming her.

Significant themes

• Concern and attachment: Lin’s actions show how strongly he cares about Bai Chen, despite their limited communication.
• Chance and danger: A seemingly routine ride becomes hazardous on the mountain road, underscoring the risks surrounding Bai Chen’s journey.
• Kindness amid mishap: Bai Chen responds to the fall with humor and generosity instead of anger.

Plot points

• Bai Chen and the young woman clean mud off themselves after a motorcycle accident. She has badly cut her palm, so Bai Chen gives her a shirt to bind the wound.
• With no phone signal and no other travelers appearing, they wait for an hour. As night approaches—and with wolves said to roam nearby—they decide Bai Chen should try riding the motorcycle.
• Though Bai Chen lacks conscious riding experience, the original owner’s instincts surface, and he handles the motorcycle confidently. The young woman rides behind him and gives directions.
• She warns him away from a road connected to Mu Village’s recent unrest, though she cannot explain what makes it dangerous.
• They reach Mu Village. The young woman learns that outsiders are currently barred from entering unless they can identify whom they seek. Bai Chen shows a village official a photo of two girls; after studying it, the official lets him in.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen is practical and considerate: he helps the injured woman, offers his clothing to dress her wound, and weighs the risks of waiting versus traveling.
• His ability to ride reveals how strongly the original owner’s physical memories remain accessible, even when Bai Chen himself does not understand them.
• The young woman is frank and helpful. Despite her injury, she guides Bai Chen and tries to smooth his entry into the village. Her warning also shows concern for his safety.
• The village official initially appears stern and restrictive but changes his decision after seeing the photograph, leaving Bai Chen puzzled.

Significant themes

• Inherited memory and identity: Bai Chen can use skills from the body’s former owner without consciously possessing them.
• Uncertainty and danger: The accident, approaching darkness, wolves, and unexplained forbidden road create mounting unease.
• Trust and cooperation: Bai Chen and the young woman depend on each other to recover from the accident and reach the village.
• Suspense and mystery: The village’s unrest, the dangerous road, and the official’s reaction to the photo suggest a larger secret—possibly involving the girl Bai Chen seeks.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen asks a middle-aged Miao villager if he recognizes a girl who resembles Bai Xi. The man denies knowing her, then says he will take Bai Chen to where he is staying that night.
• Ajike, the young woman who brought Bai Chen to the village, worries that the villagers may mistreat him. She makes the man swear that he will not hurt Bai Chen, invoking the frightening consequences of Blue-Red Gu Poison.
• Before leaving, Ajike warns Bai Chen to stay alert and says he can find her in Southeast Village if he gets into trouble. She then heads to her grandmother’s home.
• Bai Chen follows the man, keeping his distance because he fears Gu Poison. He has already taken an antidote given to him by an elderly traditional doctor.
• The man notices Bai Chen’s muddy, disheveled appearance and teases him, then insists that he will not harm him despite disliking outsiders. They continue along a dark, deserted road at seven in the evening.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen remains polite and trusting, though his caution around the middle-aged man reveals his anxiety about Gu Poison and the village’s reputation.
• Ajike shows compassion and courage, intervening to protect Bai Chen despite being an outsider herself only rarely and harboring distrust of outsiders in general. Her history of village tensions helps explain her concern.
• The middle-aged man is brusque and resentful toward outsiders, but agrees to Ajike’s oath and says he will not hurt Bai Chen. His teasing softens the tension slightly, though Bai Chen remains wary.
• Ajike and the man argue in the Miao language, leaving Bai Chen unable to understand their exchange; their strained relationship and the man’s irritation are clear from their tone.

Significant themes

• Trust versus suspicion: Bai Chen tries to trust his hosts, while Ajike and the villagers’ past experiences make them wary of outsiders.
• Protection and moral responsibility: Ajike risks angering the man to safeguard someone she believes is good.
• Cultural difference and vulnerability: Bai Chen’s unfamiliarity with the language, local customs, and Gu Poison leaves him dependent on others and unsure of his safety.

Plot and events

• Bai Chen arrives at a secluded, well-kept stilt house in the Miao village with a middle-aged guide. The village seems unusually deserted.
• Before unlocking the house, the guide rings a bell, calls out in Miao, and burns incense—rituals Bai Chen doesn’t understand.
• The guide says the house is empty but cleaned daily. He gives Bai Chen strict rules for the night: stay in one room, don’t leave or open any door or window, and ignore any knocks. If he hears something, he should ring the bell; if he smells anything other than bamboo, he should drink water or use the herbal sachet.
• The guide promises to take Bai Chen to Bai Xi at six the next morning, making Bai Chen willing to follow the rules.
• After the guide leaves, Bai Chen shuts the house and bathes. A strange fragrance makes him dizzy and causes buzzing in his ears; drinking water clears the symptoms.
• Bai Chen falls asleep, but is awakened by knocking at the door and window. The sounds escalate into forceful pounding that seems likely to break the door. He rings the bell repeatedly.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen is wary of the guide’s unexplained rituals and ominous instructions, but his determination to find Bai Xi outweighs his fear.
• The middle-aged guide is controlled and stern. He offers little explanation, but emphasizes that Bai Chen’s safety—and his chance of seeing Bai Xi—depends on obeying him.
• Bai Chen follows the guide’s advice when the strange scent affects him and later uses the bell when the unseen visitor becomes threatening.

Significant themes

• Obedience and survival: Bai Chen must follow unfamiliar rules to endure the night.
• Fear of the unseen: Rituals, strange sensations, and an unidentified presence build supernatural suspense.
• Hope and personal motivation: Bai Chen accepts the danger because he is determined to find Bai Xi.

Plot points

• A mysterious presence knocks on Bai Chen’s door during the night. He uses the bell and a scented pouch supplied by the middle-aged man to drive it away, staying awake until it leaves.
• At dawn, Bai Chen prepares to meet the girl who resembles Bai Xi. The middle-aged man refuses to explain the nocturnal visitor, warning Bai Chen to stay out of village affairs.
• The man knows Bai Chen has medicine in his backpack and says it will be useless against Miaojiang gu poison. Bai Chen hands it over, hoping to get it back after the encounter.
• Disguised in Miao clothing and a bamboo hat, Bai Chen follows the man by a secluded path to a heavily decorated, unsettling compound.
• The man identifies the person inside as the village’s High Priest. Bai Chen enters alone and is startled by what he sees beyond the curtain; the chapter ends before revealing it.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen is cautious but determined to pursue the mystery of the girl resembling Bai Xi. Though frightened by the night’s threat and the villagers’ apparent knowledge, he cooperates with the middle-aged man and proceeds to meet the High Priest.
• The middle-aged man remains secretive and controlling. He dismisses Bai Chen’s questions, confiscates his medicine, disguises him, and leads him to the High Priest while instructing him to show respect and avoid asking forbidden questions.
• Bai Chen and the villagers have a brief, uneventful encounter on the path; the middle-aged man conceals Bai Chen’s identity by claiming he is an ill relative.
• Bai Chen and the High Priest meet for the first time. Her cool, mysterious voice and the ominous setting establish a tense, formal encounter.

Significant themes

• Survival through caution: Bai Chen follows his own rule not to investigate dangerous sounds or ask forbidden questions.
• Secrecy and outsider status: The village keeps its customs and dangers hidden from Bai Chen, emphasizing his vulnerability as an outsider.
• Ritual and supernatural menace: The bell, scent, gu poison, religious statues, and High Priest suggest that village life is governed by forces beyond ordinary understanding.
• Suspense and concealed identity: Bai Chen’s disguise and the chapter’s final withheld reveal keep both his purpose and the High Priest’s significance uncertain.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Chen meets High Priest A Lingyi, who looks exactly like his sister, Bai Xi, but is not her. She tells him that he and the Bai Chen native to this world are the same person across different worlds.
• A Lingyi reveals that Bai Chen died in his original world and cannot return because his body was destroyed. The original owner of this body had also died before Bai Chen arrived.
• Bai Xi is alive, married, and has a child. Through A Lingyi, she urges Bai Chen to stop worrying about her and live for his own happiness. Bai Chen accepts her message, though he is deeply shaken.
• After Bai Chen leaves, A Lingyi casts divination and tells a hidden presence that its time is up. A dark butterfly flies into a fire and vanishes.
• On the way back, Bai Chen becomes dizzy and collapses. He glimpses Lin Jingchen, then experiences vivid memories of his life with his family—including childhood moments, conflict over his love for Fang Ye, and his sister’s encouragement.
• Bai Chen wakes at home in Miaojiang with Lin Jingchen beside him. He seems to have forgotten why he traveled there and asks why his head hurts. Lin Jingchen notes that he still has a fever and tells him to rest.

Character developments

• Bai Chen confronts the truth of his death and his permanent separation from his former life. He finds comfort in knowing Bai Xi is safe and promises to live for himself, but his collapse and apparent memory loss suggest the revelation has had a profound effect.
• A Lingyi proves to be a powerful and enigmatic High Priest, using divination and Gu Poison knowledge to guide Bai Chen and address a mysterious threat.
• Bai Xi, though absent, becomes a source of emotional reassurance through her message: she wants Bai Chen to release his guilt and pursue happiness.
• Lin Jingchen shows concern and practical care when Bai Chen wakes sick and confused.

Significant themes

• Death, identity, and new beginnings: Bai Chen must accept that his former life has ended and reconcile himself with the life he now inhabits.
• Family, guilt, and letting go: Bai Chen’s memories show his deep devotion to his sister and the pain of family rejection, while Bai Xi urges him to stop defining his life through responsibility for her.
• Memory and continuity: The memories surfacing during Bai Chen’s collapse connect his past relationships to his present, even as his conscious recollection seems to falter.
• Mystery and supernatural power: A Lingyi’s divination, Gu Poison practices, and the vanishing butterfly hint at forces and events beyond Bai Chen’s understanding.

Character interactions

• A Lingyi makes Bai Chen drink water before revealing the truth, then delivers Bai Xi’s message with a gentleness that contrasts with her eerie manner.
• Bai Chen responds with disbelief, grief, and concern for his sister, but ultimately promises to live without regret.
• The middle-aged guide escorts Bai Chen back and provides context about A Lingyi’s authority and the limits of her power.
• Lin Jingchen tends to Bai Chen after his collapse, offering reassurance and food while Bai Chen struggles to recognize the circumstances of his arrival.

Key plot points and events

• Bai Chen wakes from a recurring fever with gaps in his memory and a persistent sense that something important is missing. He wonders why he rejected Lin Jingchen and believes Lin has feelings for him.
• Lin leaves to get medicine, then goes to the site of Bai Chen’s earlier collapse, suspecting it caused Bai Chen’s memory loss.
• The High Priest, A Lingyi, confirms she knows about Bai Chen’s condition and offers Lin a way to learn the truth: a bite from her Golden Cicada Gu.
• Lin accepts. The Gu puts him into a vision of Bai Chen’s life, including his grief after his parents’ deaths and his death in a fire.
• Lin learns that Bai Chen came from another world and died there before arriving in this one. A Lingyi admits she erased his memories, arguing that he could not adjust to this world and suffered from severe depression.
• Lin condemns her for making that decision on Bai Chen’s behalf: he believes Bai Chen should be allowed to choose what happens to his own memories and life.

Character developments

• Bai Chen is cheerful and receptive to Lin’s care, but his confusion over his past and missing memories remains unresolved.
• Lin Jingchen moves from quiet concern to determined investigation. After witnessing Bai Chen’s painful history, his protectiveness becomes moral outrage at A Lingyi’s intervention.
• A Lingyi reveals her power and ambition: she has cultivated the Golden Cicada Gu and insists she must become High Priest. Her explanation for altering Bai Chen’s memories is framed as concern for his wellbeing, though she admits she acted at someone else’s request.

Significant themes

• Autonomy and consent: Lin challenges the idea that protecting someone justifies deciding their memories and identity for them.
• Memory and identity: Bai Chen’s missing past raises questions about whether he can truly live as himself without it.
• Care versus control: A Lingyi claims memory erasure was meant to spare Bai Chen suffering, while Lin sees it as an unacceptable violation.
• Grief and mental health: Lin’s vision reveals the losses and depression underlying Bai Chen’s detachment.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen responds warmly to Lin’s attentive care and privately reflects on his attraction to him.
• Lin questions A Lingyi about Bai Chen’s memory loss and origin, accepting the dangerous Gu ritual to obtain answers.
• Their confrontation centers on A Lingyi’s justification for erasing Bai Chen’s memories and Lin’s insistence that the choice belongs to Bai Chen.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• A Lingyi explains to Lin Jingchen that Bai Chen had severe depression before arriving in this world. Feeling like an outsider, enduring unfairness, and remaining unable to let go of his sister made him deeply unhappy. His memories were erased at Bai Xi’s request so he could belong in his new life and live for himself.
• Lin Jingchen decides to keep the truth from Bai Chen. When he returns, Bai Chen greets him warmly; Lin Jingchen promises to take him out the next day and brings him medicine and chicken. Their easy closeness is evident when Lin Jingchen takes Bai Chen’s hand and Bai Chen feels unexpectedly happy rather than resistant.
• A Lingyi’s assistant reports that the medicine has helped the villagers. A Lingyi is visibly weakened by the effort and insists that her role in making the medicine remain secret. She reflects that every new life and every attempt to change fate carries a price.
• A flashback reveals that, after losing her parents, Bai Xi met an old diviner who trained her in shamanic arts. The teacher foretold her own death and instructed Bai Xi never to alter fate. Bai Xi followed that rule until she foresaw that Bai Chen would die in a fire.
• Determined to save her brother, Bai Xi defied fate. She sent his soul to the parallel world, where he could live as another Bai Chen, and bargained with A Lingyi: A Lingyi would erase his memories, while Bai Xi would provide the means to cure the poisonous gu threatening A Lingyi’s village.
• In a final scene, Bai Xi visits her brother before the fire consumes them both. She apologizes for taking away his choice and hopes that, in another life, they can live together as an ordinary, happy family.

Character developments

• Lin Jingchen moves from disbelief and uncertainty to accepting that concealing Bai Chen’s past may be the kindest choice. His tenderness toward Bai Chen is clear.
• Bai Chen appears content and affectionate in his new life, though his brief confusion about why he once resisted Lin Jingchen’s touch hints at feelings or memories he cannot fully explain.
• A Lingyi is revealed as flawed rather than simply powerful: her ambition led to a dangerous mistake, and saving the villagers exacts a physical toll. She nevertheless accepts the painful bargain to protect them.
• Bai Xi is shown as a grieving, devoted sister who grows into a formidable diviner. Though she once obeyed the rule against changing fate, love for Bai Chen leads her to sacrifice herself and his memories to give him a chance at happiness.

Significant themes

• Fate versus free will: Bai Xi breaks the principle her teacher taught her, choosing action over obedience when her brother’s life is at stake.
• Sacrifice and its cost: Bai Xi gives up her life and her brother’s memories; A Lingyi risks her health and reputation to save her villagers.
• Memory, identity, and belonging: Forgetting the past is presented as painful, but potentially necessary for Bai Chen to feel at home and live more freely.
• Love and moral ambiguity: Bai Xi’s decision is loving but also denies Bai Chen the right to choose; the chapter leaves that tension intact.
• Every action has consequences: A Lingyi’s ambition nearly destroys her village, while efforts to alter fate demand severe personal costs.

Character interactions

• Lin Jingchen and A Lingyi discuss whether Bai Chen should know the truth; Lin ultimately agrees to protect his happiness by keeping silent.
• Lin Jingchen and Bai Chen share a warm domestic moment, with Bai Chen’s positive response to Lin’s touch suggesting growing trust or affection.
• Bai Xi’s bond with her teacher shapes her beliefs about fate, while the teacher’s death becomes the first major test of those beliefs.
• Bai Xi confronts A Lingyi, harshly challenging her motives before forcing a bargain that links Bai Chen’s memory to the villagers’ survival.
• Bai Xi’s final words to Bai Chen express both profound love and guilt over making an irreversible choice on his behalf.

Key plot points and events

• A Miao girl acknowledges High Priest A Lingyi’s warning that changing the future through divination carries a severe price. A Lingyi sends her away and privately wonders whether using her power could injure or kill her.
• In the kitchen, Lin Jingchen starts boiling medicinal herbs and prepares to cook a chicken he bought from a villager.
• Unfamiliar with slaughtering it, Lin hands the chicken to Bai Chen, who kills and cleans it while Lin washes vegetables.
• While pouring the medicine, Bai Chen recognizes the herbs despite having no memory of studying traditional medicine. He wonders if his recent fever affected his memory; Lin reacts uneasily and suggests he may simply have remembered them or encountered a similar prescription before.

Character developments

• A Lingyi is troubled by the limits and possible cost of her divination ability. She doubts its value if it only lets her foresee suffering without preventing it.
• Lin Jingchen is hesitant and inexperienced at killing a chicken, but careful in his other kitchen tasks. His reaction to Bai Chen’s unexpected knowledge hints that he may know more about Bai Chen’s past than he admits.
• Bai Chen is practical and confident, taking over the slaughtering without hesitation. His unexplained familiarity with medicinal herbs raises questions about his memories or abilities.

Significant themes

• Power and its price: A Lingyi’s divination may demand a life-changing or even fatal sacrifice.
• Helplessness before fate: Seeing tragedy coming is painful if one cannot alter it.
• Hidden knowledge and memory: Bai Chen’s recognition of the herbs suggests something about his past remains concealed.
• Everyday tradition: The villagers’ continued use of wood fires reflects the persistence of inherited customs.

Character interactions

• A Lingyi sternly warns the Miao girl against trying to change events, then sends her away so she can be alone with her fears.
• Bai Chen gently teases Lin Jingchen about his uncertainty and offers to handle the chicken; Lin accepts and turns to the vegetables.
• Lin and Bai Chen share the kitchen work, but Bai Chen’s discovery about the herbs makes Lin visibly uneasy, even as he offers a harmless explanation.