Chapter Summaries

Plot and events

• Lin Jingchen and Bai Chen share a meal Lin Jingchen has cooked. Bai Chen jokes about Lin Jingchen’s cooking, but this time the dishes turn out genuinely delicious, with help from Uncle Chen.
• Before they leave, Lin Jingchen gives Bai Chen a warm coat. As they walk, he explains that he feels more at home in his grandmother’s house than in his downtown residence.
• Bai Chen asks about Lin Jingchen’s childhood. Lin Jingchen explains that his parents’ marriage was arranged, his mother abused him and his sister before leaving with another man on his fifth birthday, and his father later blamed and beat him. His sister arranged for their grandmother to take him in.
• Moved by Lin Jingchen’s story, Bai Chen takes his hand and promises to stay with him for life, unless Lin Jingchen himself asks to end the relationship.

Character development

• Bai Chen shows growing emotional openness. Though awkward at expressing affection, he gives Lin Jingchen a sincere commitment and reassures him that he will not abandon him.
• Lin Jingchen shares painful memories he usually recounts calmly, allowing Bai Chen to see more of his past. He is attentive and caring, looking after Bai Chen’s comfort and inviting his questions.
• Lin Jingchen’s cooking has improved, adding a light, affectionate note to their domestic life.

Character interactions and themes

• Their relationship is marked by everyday tenderness: teasing about cooking, sharing a coat, walking together, and eating the meal Lin Jingchen prepared.
• Lin Jingchen’s invitation to ask anything encourages trust; Bai Chen responds to his painful disclosure not with eloquent comfort but with physical closeness and a heartfelt promise.
• Key themes include chosen family and belonging, healing through companionship, trust and vulnerability, and the contrast between loveless family arrangements and love freely chosen.

• Key events: Lin Jingchen cooks dinner for Bai Chen with guidance from Uncle Chen; Bai Chen praises the meal and offers a tip for improving the soup next time. Afterward, Lin Jingchen lends Bai Chen clothes and offers him his bedroom, choosing to sleep in the room next door. Bai Chen agrees to stay there. That night, he tells his friend Lin Sen that he and Lin Jingchen are officially together—and admits he was the one who confessed. Lin Jingchen works late into the night. The next morning, Bai Chen struggles with the ill-fitting clothes and worries after reading online speculation about how a couple’s physical differences might determine their roles.
• Character development: Lin Jingchen shows care through practical gestures, including cooking, lending clothes, and making Bai Chen comfortable. Bai Chen grows more open and confident: he accepts Lin Jingchen’s offer to share the room and tells Lin Sen about their relationship. Still, his curiosity and insecurity about their differences leave him flustered.
• Character interactions: Lin Jingchen and Bai Chen share a warm, domestic dinner and exchange considerate offers. Lin Sen teases Bai Chen and offers to vet his new boyfriend, while Bai Chen jokes back and promises they will meet.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes growing intimacy through everyday care, the vulnerability and excitement of a new relationship, and Bai Chen’s anxieties about physical differences and expectations—especially those drawn from online generalizations.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen wakes after violent nightmares but feels energetic. While Lin Jingchen is still asleep, he explores the Lin family residence and visits its flower garden.
• Delighted by the well-tended flowers, Bai Chen photographs them for his plant studies. Lin Jingchen finds him and explains that he cares for the garden using a notebook left by his grandmother. He offers to share it, believing she would be pleased that Bai Chen—his partner—also loves plants.
• Lin Jingchen shows Bai Chen around the ancestral home, explaining which courtyards are reserved for the immediate family and warning him that members of the branch family may try to intimidate him. He urges Bai Chen to stand up for himself and promises to handle any trouble.
• They head to breakfast, where Uncle Chen reports that the branch family has come to cause trouble again. Lin Jingchen orders them kept quietly in the front hall until he has finished eating, with anyone making a scene to be removed.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen’s enthusiasm for plants shines through in his careful photographs and curiosity about the garden. He gladly accepts the offer to study the grandmother’s notebook.
• Lin Jingchen shows both affection and protectiveness, encouraging Bai Chen to act according to his own wishes rather than endure mistreatment. Bai Chen is touched and promises to do so, while privately recognizing that he is more willing to retaliate than Lin Jingchen assumes.
• Bai Chen resolves to repay Lin Jingchen’s kindness by treating him even better.
• Their warm morning together contrasts with Lin Jingchen’s firm handling of the branch family’s recurring disruptions.

Significant themes

• Care and inheritance: The grandmother’s gardening knowledge lives on through her notebook and Lin Jingchen’s continued work.
• Support and self-respect: Lin Jingchen wants Bai Chen to feel safe asserting himself, while Bai Chen reflects on how their mutual care can deepen.
• Peace versus conflict: The quiet garden and breakfast are set against the branch family’s repeated attempts to stir up trouble.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen eats breakfast with Lin Jingchen, who explains that relatives from the Lin family’s Side Branch have been arguing over a plot of land. Lin Jingchen offers to bring Bai Chen to the front hall, but Bai Chen declines, choosing to explore the residence and wait for him.
• In the front hall, Uncle Chen struggles to keep the relatives in order as accusations and insults fly. The dispute centers on land originally left to a deceased family member’s wife and son.
• Lin Jingchen arrives after making the relatives wait. He gives them half an hour to explain the dispute and asks the woman to speak first.
• The woman claims the land belongs to her and her son and says Lin Sheng is trying to take it. Lin Sheng counters that her late husband sold the land to him and signed an IOU. She disputes his account, saying the sale was made when her husband was not thinking clearly and that Lin Sheng also owes her money. The argument escalates, and Lin Sheng rises angrily.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen shows consideration for Lin Jingchen, deciding not to involve himself in a family matter he cannot help resolve. He agrees to wait for Lin Jingchen afterward.
• Lin Jingchen remains calm and courteous in public, but his smile is described as insincere. He controls the meeting by setting a time limit and hearing each side, suggesting a disciplined approach to the relatives’ quarrel.
• Uncle Chen tries to enforce order and is saddened by how the younger relatives have become consumed by money and power.
• The relatives, especially Lin Sheng and the woman, distrust and accuse one another, each presenting a different account of the land’s ownership and debts.

Significant themes

• Family conflict and greed: Relatives turn against one another over property and money.
• Power and fairness: Lin Jingchen must hear competing claims and decide how to handle the dispute.
• Appearances versus reality: The woman’s performed tears and Lin Jingchen’s polite but unreadable manner contrast with the hostility beneath the meeting’s formalities.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Jingchen takes control of a tense family dispute over land that Lin Sheng wants to sell to pay his debts. He challenges the claim that the deed was signed improperly and forces Lin Sheng to reveal that he is counting on the land sale to repay creditors.
• Lin Jingchen gives Lin Sheng two options: if the deed was obtained while the landowner was not competent, it must be returned and the money repaid; otherwise, Lin Sheng must settle his debts or return the land to his aunt. He also warns the aunt not to exploit the land for her own gain.
• Meanwhile, Bai Chen studies an old gardening notebook belonging to Grandma Lin. It contains unusual planting methods, flower varieties she developed, and family photographs—including childhood pictures of Lin Jingchen.
• Lin Jingchen finds Bai Chen absorbed in the photographs. Their playful exchange turns flirtatious, leaving Bai Chen flustered and Lin Jingchen amused.

Character developments and interactions

• Lin Jingchen displays authority and sharp judgment in the family dispute, anticipating that both sides may have selfish motives. With Bai Chen, his commanding manner gives way to teasing affection; he discovers how easily his flirting unsettles Bai Chen.
• Bai Chen approaches the gardening notebook with care and curiosity, becoming deeply absorbed in its contents and especially in Lin Jingchen’s childhood photos. He openly admits finding Lin Jingchen attractive but is easily embarrassed by his teasing.
• Lin Sheng and the relatives are forced to comply with Lin Jingchen’s terms, aware that he can reclaim their family assets. The aunt’s startled reaction suggests she may have considered profiting from the land herself.

Significant themes

• Power and accountability: Lin Jingchen uses his authority to demand evidence and make the family face its debts and obligations.
• Trust and hidden motives: He cautions that even the apparent solution of returning the land could be abused.
• Family history and legacy: The gardening notebook connects Bai Chen to the Lin family’s past and reveals Grandma Lin’s work and the couple’s memories.
• Growing intimacy: Shared curiosity and playful flirting bring Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen closer, while highlighting their contrasting confidence.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen asks whether Lin Jingchen has finished handling his affairs. Lin brushes the matter aside, saying it is settled and not worth discussing.
• The two spend the morning studying Lin Jingchen’s grandmother Ci Qing’s handbook of plants. Lin explains the passages Bai Chen doesn’t understand.
• Bai Chen grows tired after the lesson, and Lin leaves him to nap while he reviews documents, promising to take him somewhere later.
• In a separate scene, a heavily made-up woman waits in a café. A middle-aged woman arrives with Milne, warns him not to cause trouble, and points out Xiao Li, who is reading nearby. Milne is struck by her beauty, and the pair approach her.

Character development

• Lin Jingchen reveals why he values mutual, freely given love. His grandparents’ relationship shaped his hopes, while his parents’ unhappy marriage—and his father’s coercive attitude toward romance—made him reject arranged marriage and manipulation.
• Bai Chen shows enthusiasm and curiosity as he studies the handbook, though the effort leaves him sleepy.
• Ci Qing emerges through Lin’s memories as an independent, passionate researcher who fought for an education and remained devoted to her love of plants despite the limits imposed on women of her era.
• Milne appears unhappy and reluctant, but is immediately captivated by Xiao Li.

Significant themes

• Mutual love and sacrifice: Ci Qing’s lesson is that sacrifice belongs on both sides; love should be freely shared, not imposed.
• Women’s independence and constraint: Ci Qing pursued education and scientific interests despite family opposition, then faced the restrictions of married household life.
• Legacy and memory: The handbook preserves knowledge—and the story of Ci Qing’s life—for later generations.
• Learning and intimacy: Lin and Bai Chen’s patient study session brings them closer through shared attention and care.

Character interactions

• Lin gently dismisses Bai Chen’s concern about his affairs, then patiently teaches him from the handbook.
• He strokes Bai Chen’s head and looks after him when he becomes sleepy.
• Lin’s recollections of his grandparents explain his own romantic ideals and his decision to reject a politically advantageous betrothal.
• At the café, Milne’s mother cautions him against causing trouble as they approach Xiao Li; Milne silently admires her.

Plot and key events

• Xiao Zhao meets Jim Milne, her childhood-arranged fiancé, while Milne’s mother leaves them alone and urges them to get along.
• Xiao Zhao adopts an exaggeratedly coy, affectionate manner, calling him “Milne dear” and acting infatuated. Milne finds her behavior uncomfortable and repeatedly checks his phone to avoid the awkwardness.
• Milne tries to end the engagement, saying they do not like each other, that he is unreliable, and that he has slept with another woman and might cheat again. Xiao Zhao calmly accepts each objection and insists she will wait for him and give the relationship a chance.
• Unable to persuade her, Milne finally claims he is attracted to men and cannot respond to women. Xiao Zhao is visibly surprised; the chapter ends before she answers.

Character developments

• Xiao Zhao presents herself as sweetly devoted and remarkably tolerant, though her exaggerated performance leaves it unclear how sincere she is.
• Milne is awkward and increasingly desperate to escape the engagement. Though he describes himself as a womanizer, he also shows concern for Xiao Zhao, believing she deserves someone more dependable.

Character interactions

• Milne’s mother playfully pressures him to spend time with Xiao Zhao, then leaves them together.
• Xiao Zhao counters every attempt Milne makes to reject her, while he grows progressively more flustered and resorts to an extreme lie.

Significant themes

• The tension between family-arranged obligations and personal choice drives the meeting.
• Performances, honesty, and deception shape their conversation: Xiao Zhao acts infatuated, while Milne invents increasingly serious reasons to end the engagement.
• The chapter also uses awkward romantic comedy, built around their mismatched intentions and escalating excuses.

Plot points and events

• Xiao Zhao pretends to be heartbroken over Milne’s refusal to accept their engagement, then reveals he was joking: they have never met, and his interest is practical rather than romantic.
• He explains that the engagement is tied to an old arrangement between their grandfathers. Years earlier, Xiao Zhao’s grandfather helped resolve a crisis in Milne’s family, and Milne’s grandfather apparently agreed to repay the debt by binding Milne to the Xiao Family.
• Milne realizes that his family’s sudden change in fortunes was not due to his own grandfather’s renewed respect for him. He feels betrayed, believing his years of work and dangerous missions for the Kim Family amounted to being used.
• After receiving messages on his phone, Milne accepts the arrangement, provided his personal freedom is not restricted. Xiao Zhao agrees and proposes a one-year sham marriage: Milne will help him with a task, and Xiao Zhao will help him return to the Kim Family and secure a place there. They shake hands on a partnership.
• In a separate scene, Lin Jingchen takes Bai Chen to a peaceful seaside home he bought and designed years earlier. Bai Chen likes the setting, and Lin shares the story behind the house and recalls how he once read “domineering CEO” novels after Bai Chen jokingly labeled him one.

Character developments and interactions

• Milne shifts from rejecting the engagement to accepting it under pressure, though he insists on retaining his freedom. His discovery about his family deepens his resentment and insecurity.
• Xiao Zhao reveals himself as playful but calculating. He uses humor and charm to conceal the seriousness of the family bargain, while pursuing an arrangement he believes will benefit the Xiao Family.
• Their relationship moves from a supposed romantic dispute to a strategic partnership, with the terms of their one-year sham marriage still to come.
• Lin Jingchen shows a more personal, sentimental side by sharing a place important to him. His memories of trying to understand Bai Chen’s “domineering CEO” joke add warmth and humor to their interaction.
• Bai Chen responds to the seaside with visible calm and appreciation, while teasing Lin about the house.

Significant themes

• Family obligation and inherited debts: Decisions made by older generations shape the younger characters’ lives.
• Betrayal and personal agency: Milne questions whether his achievements and sacrifices were ever truly his own.
• Pragmatism over romance: Xiao Zhao frames marriage as a negotiated alliance, though the characters’ chemistry adds playful ambiguity.
• Intimacy through shared spaces and memories: Lin’s house becomes a way to reveal his private history and deepen his connection with Bai Chen.

Key plot points and events

• Lin Jingchen brings Bai Chen to a secured room filled with rare medicinal herbs and original botanical research, including the late Professor Askoda’s notebook. He gives Bai Chen a key, calling access to the room a “token of love.” Bai Chen accepts it.
• Bai Chen receives a message from his roommate and close friend, Gu Yun, who is leaving the country that night and may be gone for years. Bai Chen asks Lin Jingchen to drive him back to campus so he can say goodbye.
• Lin Jingchen reveals that Gu Yun is the newly acknowledged illegitimate son of the Gu family, and that his departure may be tied to a dangerous family power struggle. He warns Bai Chen not to interfere, explaining that Gu Yun knows the risks and must endure them to secure his future.
• At the dorm, Bai Chen meets Gu Yun, who tells him he has found the person he was searching for—Li Xingzhu—and credits Bai Chen’s advice. Gu Yun also admits he once had feelings for Bai Chen, but asks whether Bai Chen would have accepted him. Bai Chen says no: his heart belongs only to Lin Jingchen.
• Bai Chen suggests that Gu Yun’s feelings for him were affection for a kindred spirit, not romantic love. By asking how Gu Yun would feel if Li Xingzhu gave his care to someone else, Bai Chen helps Gu Yun realize that he may actually be in love with Li Xingzhu.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen: Their relationship grows more intimate through playful teasing and the meaningful gift of the key. Bai Chen openly prioritizes his friend, while Lin Jingchen supports him but becomes alarmed at the possibility that he will endanger himself.
• Bai Chen: He struggles with guilt and the urge to save Gu Yun, but accepts Lin Jingchen’s warning and agrees not to interfere. He also shows clarity and honesty about his feelings for Lin Jingchen.
• Lin Jingchen: His protectiveness becomes unusually forceful when he fears Bai Chen will get involved in the Gu family’s conflict. He then softens and explains why stepping back may be the best way to help Gu Yun.
• Gu Yun: He leaves for a potentially dangerous period abroad, believing it is necessary for his future. He also reassesses his attachment to Bai Chen and begins to recognize deeper feelings for his childhood friend, Li Xingzhu.
• Bai Chen and Gu Yun: Their warm, candid goodbye lets them clarify the nature of their bond. Bai Chen’s questions help Gu Yun distinguish friendship and admiration from romantic love.

Significant themes

• Love and emotional honesty: Bai Chen refuses to offer false comfort and distinguishes romantic love from close friendship.
• Care versus helpless intervention: The chapter questions whether kindness is enough to justify intervening in dangerous situations; sometimes respecting someone’s informed choice may be the truest support.
• Self-discovery: Gu Yun begins to understand his own feelings through imagining jealousy and loss.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Both Bai Chen and Gu Yun face choices shaped by devotion—to friends, loved ones, and their own future.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yun confides in Bai Chen that he fears Li Xingzhu may not return his feelings, mistaking years of devotion for ordinary friendship. Bai Chen reassures him that Li won’t reject him, and Gu Yun decides to ask him directly once he returns.
• Gu Yun is leaving alone for a dangerous, long-term undertaking. He has deliberately kept Li Xingzhu from joining him and says goodbye to Bai Chen, who is visibly upset but wishes him a safe trip.
• After Gu Yun departs, Li Xingzhu reveals he intends to follow him. Lin Jingchen offers practical help—transport to the airport, directions, and contacts who may help Li get inside—despite the risk of losing Li as an employee.
• Lin Jingchen explains privately that Bai Chen’s certainty that he could love only Lin erased his jealousy. He helps because Bai Chen cares deeply about Gu Yun and would be devastated if anything happened to him.
• At the Xiao residence, Xiao Zhao jokes that the family is deeply in debt and that Milne’s marriage expenses are to blame. Milne believes the story and offers to help pay, only to discover his bank card has been frozen. Xiao Zhao then admits the debt tale was a prank.
• Milne is knocked over by Keke, Xiao Zhao’s large wolfdog. Though Keke is usually aggressive toward strangers, it quickly becomes affectionate with Milne, who pets it and earns its trust.

Character developments

• Gu Yun begins recognizing that his feelings for Li Xingzhu may be romantic and gains enough confidence to plan a confession. Still, he chooses to face danger alone, believing he is protecting Li.
• Li Xingzhu acts decisively once he learns Gu Yun has left, determined to catch up with him despite the risks.
• Bai Chen shows how much he values Gu Yun as a friend, even as he struggles to let him go. His devotion to Lin Jingchen is also made unmistakable.
• Lin Jingchen moves from jealousy to reassurance after hearing Bai Chen’s answer, then quietly helps protect Gu Yun for Bai Chen’s sake.
• Milne proves trusting and generous, taking Xiao Zhao’s fabricated financial crisis seriously and offering to help. His ease with Keke surprises both him and Xiao Zhao.
• Xiao Zhao teases Milne, revealing a playful side, while Keke’s unusual fondness for Milne hints at an immediate bond.

Significant themes

• Unspoken love and fear of rejection: Both Gu Yun and Li Xingzhu have hesitated because they fear that confessing could damage their bond.
• Friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice: Bai Chen supports Gu Yun despite his sadness; Li follows him; Lin helps because he understands what Gu Yun means to Bai Chen.
• Trust and emotional certainty: Bai Chen’s clear declaration of love reassures Lin and ends his jealousy.
• Humor and unexpected affection: Xiao Zhao’s prank and Keke’s instant attachment to Milne provide a light contrast to the danger and emotional strain of Gu Yun’s departure.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen comforts Gu Yun and encourages him to speak honestly to Li, then struggles to say goodbye.
• Lin Jingchen secretly overhears Bai Chen and Gu Yun, receives reassurance about Bai Chen’s feelings, and later gives Li the means to follow Gu Yun.
• Xiao Zhao teases Milne with a fake debt story; Milne’s sincere offer to help makes the joke work.
• Keke first bowls Milne over, then approaches him with Xiao Zhao’s permission and quickly welcomes his attention.

Plot points

• Milne arrives at the Xiao family residence after Xiao Zhao leaves, and discovers he has no money and no food. The fridge contains only beer.
• He explores the house with the dogs Keke and Duoduo, feeds them, and notices a family photograph. He mistakes Xiao Zhao for the deceased Xiao family heir, her twin brother, because they look so alike.
• In the backyard, Milne discovers a huge, fenced pond and is startled when a six-meter black caiman emerges. Xiao Zhao returns with food and explains that the caiman, Keduo, is hers.
• Xiao Zhao brings Milne a meal of Chinese dishes. He misunderstands “lion’s head” as an actual lion’s head, and Xiao Zhao explains the dish’s name and history. Milne also reflects on how difficult Chinese expressions can be for him.

Character developments and interactions

• Milne is frustrated by his loss of money and status, but accepts his dependence on Xiao Zhao for food and shelter. His humor and curiosity emerge as he bonds with the dogs, examines the house, and reacts nervously to the caiman.
• Xiao Zhao is affectionate and playful, but also considerate: she apologizes for leaving Milne without food and returns with a meal. Her unusual pet and imposing presence challenge Milne’s assumptions about her.
• Milne and Xiao Zhao interact warmly. He complains about being hungry, then softens when she apologizes; he admires her confidence and asks about Keduo.
• The dogs are friendly and responsive: Keke leads Milne around and signals that the dogs need feeding, while Duoduo follows calmly.

Significant themes

• Appearances and mistaken assumptions: Milne misreads the family photograph, the dish name, and Xiao Zhao’s personality and stature.
• Dependence and generosity: Though Milne feels powerless after losing his position and money, Xiao Zhao provides him shelter and food.
• Family and legacy: The photograph and Xiao Zhao’s remark that she raised Keduo with her brother introduce the significance of her deceased twin.
• Cultural and linguistic difference: Milne’s misunderstandings highlight the challenges of navigating Chinese language and customs.

Chapter Summary: “Choices”

Key events

• Months after Gu Yun, Li Xingzhu, and the others leave, their dormitory remains mostly empty. Bai Chen learns that Gu Cheng has also gone abroad, though Lin Sen knows little about the complicated family and relationship ties behind their departure.
• Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen’s relationship remains affectionate and stable. Lin Jingchen has been away on business for two weeks, and Bai Chen misses him.
• Bai Chen is selected for a university exchange program beginning after the next semester. Although he sees it as a valuable opportunity, he worries that going abroad so soon after beginning his relationship with Lin Jingchen could strain it.
• He calls Lin Jingchen to talk. Lin Jingchen says he will finish his business early and return in time for Valentine’s Day. Bai Chen is pleased but also reassures him not to rush or overwork himself.
• Bai Chen hesitates to mention the exchange opportunity, feeling torn between pursuing it and prioritizing his relationship. Lin Jingchen senses that something is wrong and asks what he needs to tell him.

Character development

• Bai Chen is excited by the exchange program but struggles to put his own ambitions ahead of the relationship. His instinct is to be considerate and avoid making demands, even when he misses Lin Jingchen or wants something.
• Lin Jingchen is attentive and deeply affectionate. He understands Bai Chen’s tendency to accommodate others and wishes Bai Chen would lean on him more, while remaining alert to his unspoken worries.
• Lin Sen remains largely uninformed about the circumstances surrounding the others’ departures; his limited knowledge highlights how private Gu Yun and Gu Cheng’s situation has been.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen share a warm video call, teasing and confessing that they miss each other. Lin Jingchen promises to return for Valentine’s Day, while Bai Chen urges him to put his health first.
• Their affectionate exchange is undercut by Bai Chen’s unspoken decision about the exchange program. Lin Jingchen notices his hesitation and invites him to speak openly.

Significant themes

• Love and ambition: Bai Chen must weigh a rare educational opportunity against the demands and uncertainty of a new relationship.
• Consideration versus self-advocacy: Bai Chen’s thoughtfulness is loving, but his habit of suppressing his own needs causes Lin Jingchen concern.
• Communication and trust: The chapter ends on a pending conversation, suggesting that the couple’s next challenge will be facing a difficult choice honestly together.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen tells Lin Jingchen he has been offered a place on an overseas exchange program. He wants to go to B Country to study its strong plant-science programs, but fears the distance could damage their relationship.
• Lin Jingchen encourages him to pursue the opportunity, reassuring him that they can stay in touch and visit each other. He suggests they travel to B Country during the New Year break to assess the environment together.
• On Valentine’s Day, Bai Chen visits the lab and transplants the flowers he has spent months growing. He plans to give them as a gift.
• Outside the lab, he runs into Xia Wangqiu, who continues pursuing him despite Bai Chen’s rejection and his knowledge that Bai Chen has a boyfriend. Bai Chen firmly tells Xia he will never choose him and warns him not to interfere with his relationship. Xia lowers his hand and backs off.

Character developments

• Bai Chen is anxious about balancing his ambitions with his relationship, but Lin’s support helps him feel more confident about going abroad. He also stands his ground against Xia’s unwanted advances.
• Lin Jingchen shows that he values Bai Chen’s independence and future, even though the prospect of separation saddens him. He responds with practical, caring support.
• Xia Wangqiu remains persistent and dismissive of Bai Chen’s boundaries, arguing that he still has a chance. He retreats only after Bai Chen’s warning.

Significant themes

• Love and independence: A committed relationship should support, not restrict, personal growth.
• Trust across distance: Lin and Bai Chen believe communication and effort can sustain their relationship while apart.
• Consent and boundaries: Bai Chen makes clear that Xia’s feelings do not entitle him to reciprocation.
• Care expressed through action: Lin proposes visiting B Country, while Bai Chen’s painstakingly grown flowers serve as a personal Valentine’s gift.

Character interactions

• Lin gently draws Bai Chen out about the exchange program, then reassures and encourages him rather than asking him to sacrifice the opportunity.
• Bai Chen and his labmates share lighthearted teasing about his flowers and Valentine’s plans.
• Bai Chen confronts Xia directly, rejects his persistence, and warns him to stay away from Lin and their relationship.

Key plot points and events

• On Valentine’s Day, Bai Chen takes his finished handmade tea set from the Morning Breeze Teahouse. He has made it as a gift for his partner, Lin Jingchen, and carefully packs it in a blue gift box.
• Lin Jingchen cannot collect Bai Chen himself, so Assistant Wang drives him to the seaside villa. Bai Chen assumes Lin is genuinely busy, unaware that the explanation is partly a cover.
• At the villa, Bai Chen hears piano music and finds Lin playing. Lin remembers Bai Chen’s casual wish to hear him play and has composed a piece especially for him. Bai Chen records it and names it “New Life.”
• The intimate moment becomes awkward when Bai Chen notices Lin’s involuntary physical reaction. Lin goes to the bathroom, and Bai Chen gently teases him afterward to ease the embarrassment.
• Bai Chen gives Lin the tea set, asking him to open it later. Lin accepts it lovingly and says he will value anything Bai Chen gives him.
• The couple then head to a private-kitchen restaurant in a scenic mountain estate for lunch.

Character developments

• Bai Chen is affectionate and thoughtful, expressing his feelings through the handmade tea set. Yet, amid the warmth of the day, he privately feels undeserving of his happiness and fears it may be unreal. He wonders whether his upcoming exchange-student trip is making him uneasy.
• Lin Jingchen shows how closely he listens to Bai Chen by remembering his wish to hear him play and composing music for him. His tenderness is matched by a shy, vulnerable side when Bai Chen witnesses his embarrassment.
• Assistant Wang quietly helps arrange the meeting while keeping Lin’s actual schedule from Bai Chen; his thoughts reveal that he is balancing work with plans to spend time with his wife.
• The pottery instructors’ friendly affection for Bai Chen reinforces that he has built warm connections outside his romantic relationship.

Significant themes

• Love expressed through attention and effort: Bai Chen’s crafted gift and Lin’s specially composed music show care through personal, meaningful gestures.
• Happiness and insecurity: Bai Chen’s lingering sense that his good life is “stolen” contrasts with the genuine affection surrounding him.
• New beginnings: The title Bai Chen gives Lin’s composition reflects renewal and the hope the music gives him.
• Everyday intimacy: Playful teasing and shared awkwardness make the couple’s relationship feel close and comfortable.

Character interactions

• Bai Chen exchanges warm, respectful greetings with the teahouse staff and shares lighthearted conversation with the pottery instructors, whose talk of their spouses prompts his reflection on happiness.
• He and Assistant Wang speak politely during the drive; Bai Chen asks about Lin’s workload, while Wang gives a carefully worded answer.
• At the villa, Lin and Bai Chen share a tender exchange over the piano performance and the gifts, then laugh off an embarrassing moment.
• The chapter ends with Lin taking Bai Chen to a restaurant he has long wanted to share with him.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen are approached at a mountain resort by Xiao Li and her fiancé, Jim Milne. They introduce themselves and end up sharing a table because the restaurant is crowded.
• The first dishes are too spicy for Xiao Li, Milne, and Lin Jingchen—or so Xiao Li believes. Lin Jingchen surprises her by eating the spicy food, while encouraging Bai Chen to eat too.
• Over the meal, Xiao Li acts sweet and affectionate toward Milne, asking him to serve her. When Milne leaves and Bai Chen steps away to take a call, she drops the act and admits to Lin Jingchen that she is not serious about Milne and is keeping him interested because he is useful to her.
• Lin Jingchen questions whether she likes Milne and warns her she may regret using him. Xiao Li insists she does not regret her choices, but offers Lin Jingchen her best wishes on finding someone he genuinely likes.
• Bai Chen returns from his call and tells Lin Jingchen that his parents want to meet him over New Year.

Character developments

• Lin Jingchen shows unusual consideration for Bai Chen, serving him food and tolerating the spicy dishes despite his usual dislike of heat. His relationship with Bai Chen is becoming serious enough to meet his family.
• Bai Chen is comfortable and happy beside Lin Jingchen, and takes the initiative to tell him about the invitation to meet his parents.
• Xiao Li reveals a calculating, emotionally detached side beneath her cheerful performance. She views Milne as useful rather than as someone she loves.
• Milne appears devoted and attentive to Xiao Li, unaware that her affection is an act.

Significant themes

• Genuine affection versus performance: Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen’s quiet closeness contrasts with Xiao Li’s deliberately sugary display for Milne.
• Manipulation and self-interest: Xiao Li openly treats her relationship as a means to an end.
• Growing commitment: The prospect of meeting Bai Chen’s parents marks a meaningful step forward for him and Lin Jingchen.

Character interactions

• Lin Jingchen introduces Bai Chen as his boyfriend, and Bai Chen and Xiao Li exchange a polite greeting; Milne relaxes once he understands they are a couple.
• Xiao Li performs affection for Milne in public, while Lin Jingchen privately challenges her about her motives.
• Bai Chen’s invitation for Lin Jingchen to meet his parents shifts the focus from the meal’s awkward contrasts to the future of their relationship.

• Plot and events: Over dinner, Bai Chen recognizes Milne as the doctor who once saved a passenger suffering from a collapsed lung on their flight. He tells Lin Jingchen and Xiao Zhao the story, and Milne modestly explains that he studied medicine in secret because his family expected him to pursue finance. After the meal, Xiao Zhao and Milne head to a movie, while Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen walk through a nearby park. They watch a young boy’s tantrum lose force when his mother refuses to react, then notice a ring-toss stall. Lin Jingchen offers to win Bai Chen a prize, and the two join the game.
• Character developments: Milne’s past shows both his medical ability and his independence: though constrained by family expectations, he continued learning medicine privately. Lin Jingchen recalls being used as his sister’s unpaid helper at amusement parks, adding a rueful glimpse of his childhood. Bai Chen reveals his playful jealousy and enjoys teasing Lin Jingchen.
• Character interactions: Bai Chen warmly reconnects Milne with the group by recounting the plane incident, while Xiao Zhao praises Milne’s lifesaving act. Later, Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen share an easy, flirtatious exchange: Bai Chen jokes that Lin Jingchen attracts too much attention, and Lin responds that Bai Chen should keep a close eye on him. Their banter escalates into jokes about using a rope or chain to “tether” him.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts youthful stubbornness with experienced parenting, presenting the mother’s calm refusal to indulge the boy as “fighting magic with magic.” It also touches on family pressure and personal interests through Milne’s secret medical studies, and builds the romance between Bai Chen and Lin Jingchen through shared leisure, jealousy, and playful teasing.

Plot points and events

• Bai Chen tells Lin Jingchen that he was first drawn to Lin’s mature, worldly good looks, initially admiring him as someone he wanted to become.
• At a park ring-toss stall, Bai Chen wins several nearby plush toys. Lin Jingchen becomes determined to win a distant bear holding a heart, despite repeated misses and having to buy more rings.
• Lin finally wins the bear and gives it to Bai Chen. Bai Chen accepts it warmly, calling the effort romantic rather than childish.
• After their walk, Lin drives Bai Chen back to his university dorm. At home, he opens Bai Chen’s gift: carefully made pottery, followed by a glass vessel containing dark red roses and pale blue baby blue eyes, flowers that should be difficult to grow locally at that time of year.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Chen is candid about his early attraction to Lin and shows a practical, low-pressure attitude toward the game: he prefers achievable wins over risking money and disappointment.
• Lin reveals a more stubborn, single-minded side when he decides he wants the heart-bear, but his persistence is motivated by wanting to give it to Bai Chen.
• Their exchange is affectionate and reassuring: Lin is tender and slightly self-conscious about the gesture, while Bai Chen makes him feel appreciated. Lin, in turn, is visibly moved by Bai Chen’s thoughtful, handmade gift.

Significant themes

• Romance expressed through gifts and effort: Lin’s hard-won bear and Bai Chen’s carefully prepared pottery and flowers convey affection more strongly than words.
• Different approaches to desire: Bai Chen favors realistic expectations, while Lin pursues what he wants with determination.
• Mutual admiration and belonging: Their conversation and public hand-holding emphasize their growing closeness and commitment.

Chapter summary

• Lin Jingchen’s gifts: Lin Jingchen is delighted by the gifts he received, repeatedly murmuring “Baby blue eyes” and smiling as he looks through them. A message from his sister, Lin Xiaoqian, interrupts him: their estranged mother has returned and is at the Lin family’s old residence, where their father is also present. Though Jingchen wants nothing to do with her, he decides to go there and carefully locks the gifts away before leaving.
• Lin Xiaoqian’s memories: The chapter shifts to Xiaoqian, who had been celebrating Valentine’s Day with her husband when their mother called. The call brings back memories of a childhood marked by abuse. Their mother repeatedly beat and insulted Xiaoqian, blaming her for being a girl; their father knew about the injuries but did not protect her or her younger brother.
• Their father’s desperation: After their mother left with another man, their father became increasingly violent and often beat the children, especially Jingchen. Xiaoqian learned that he planned to use Jingchen as leverage to force their mother to return—a dangerous gamble with her brother’s life.
• Xiaoqian protects Jingchen: Refusing to let their father treat them as bargaining chips, Xiaoqian secretly escaped with her brother in mind and went to their grandparents’ home. She pleaded with them to take Jingchen in, believing they were the only people who could save him. They eventually agreed.

Character developments and themes

• Lin Jingchen remains deeply resentful of his mother and sees her return as an unwelcome intrusion into the family’s past.
• Lin Xiaoqian emerges as a fiercely protective sister who took decisive risks to save Jingchen when they were children.
• Their father is portrayed as controlling and increasingly cruel, while their mother’s abandonment and abuse left lasting trauma.
• Key themes: childhood trauma, parental neglect and abuse, sibling loyalty, abandonment, and the struggle to reclaim control over one’s own life.

Plot points and events

• A message from Tan Xin, Lin Xiaoqian and Lin Jingchen’s estranged mother, brings back Xiaoqian’s childhood trauma. Her boyfriend insists on accompanying her to the Lin ancestral home; paparazzi follow them as they leave.
• Jingchen arrives first and finds Tan Xin with his father, Lin Tai, and Tan Xin’s son from another man. Tan Xin pleads for forgiveness, while Tai berates Jingchen for rejecting her.
• Jingchen refuses to accept Tan Xin or her son into the Lin home, confronts his parents over the abuse and manipulation he and Xiaoqian endured, and warns them to leave.
• Xiaoqian arrives and openly denounces Tan Xin, slapping her twice for the abuse she inflicted. Jingchen stops Tan Xin’s son when he tries to intervene. Xiaoqian also tells Tai that Tan Xin has returned only because she has nowhere else to turn.
• Jingchen explains the Lin family rule: a member who associates with someone who betrayed the family can lose their place and assets. Tai chooses Tan Xin anyway, agreeing to leave the family. Jingchen has him removed from the family register, retaining only his home and 30,000 yuan; Tai is allowed to pay respects to his father before departing.
• Afterward, Xiaoqian feels both relieved and unresolved. She tells Jingchen her boyfriend is waiting outside, then learns that Jingchen and Bai Chen have recently begun dating. She teases Jingchen and warns him to treat Bai Chen well.

Character developments and interactions

• Jingchen remains controlled and resolute, distinguishing personal hatred from his duty to enforce family rules. He protects Xiaoqian and refuses to excuse his parents’ past.
• Xiaoqian faces Tan Xin despite her fear, turning years of pain into anger and confrontation. Her fierce loyalty to Jingchen is clear.
• Tai chooses Tan Xin over his place in the Lin family, though he is left confronting the painful truth that she may be using him.
• Tan Xin performs remorse and affection but privately views Tai as a last resort, revealing the self-interest behind her return.
• Jingchen and Xiaoqian support one another throughout the confrontation. Xiaoqian’s boyfriend supports her by coming along, while Jingchen’s relationship with Bai Chen brings him visible happiness.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty versus family duty: Jingchen enforces the Lin family’s rules even as he deals with his father.
• Abuse and its lasting effects: Xiaoqian’s childhood suffering resurfaces, and the siblings’ different responses reflect the unequal burdens they endured.
• Manipulation and self-deception: Tan Xin relies on Tai’s devotion, while Tai clings to the hope that she has returned out of love.
• Confrontation and partial healing: The siblings finally confront their mother, but Xiaoqian’s relief does not erase the damage.

Plot points and events

• Months after receiving his visa and exchange approval, Bai Chen prepares to leave for a year of study abroad. Lin Jingchen spends one day helping him shop and another accompanying him to the airport.
• As they wait for Bai Chen’s flight, they trade practical reminders and promise to miss each other. They share a laugh at saying the same thing at once, then part emotionally. Lin Jingchen remains at the airport until the plane takes off.
• In B Country, Bai Chen is met by students sent by his professor, led by Andy Jonah. Because Bai Chen’s language skills are limited, he uses a translation earbud to follow conversations.
• Bai Chen tells the group he has a boyfriend, which they accept without concern. He then arrives at his shared dorm room and meets his friendly, sports-loving roommate.

Character development and interactions

• Lin Jingchen struggles to hide how much he will miss Bai Chen, but puts Bai Chen’s ambitions first and supports his departure. His growing fondness for tea is also linked to Bai Chen.
• Bai Chen openly shows his anxiety about separating from Lin Jingchen, fussing over his health and habits. He clarifies that his concern is uniquely reserved for Lin Jingchen.
• Their affectionate, teasing exchange at the airport reinforces their closeness and mutual devotion.
• Bai Chen begins adjusting to life abroad: he responds politely to his new acquaintances, navigates the language barrier, and speaks candidly about his relationship.

Significant themes

• Love and separation: Parting is painful, but their affection sustains them across distance.
• Support and sacrifice: Lin Jingchen lets Bai Chen pursue a long-held dream despite wanting him to stay.
• New beginnings: Bai Chen’s arrival abroad marks the start of an unfamiliar academic and social life.
• Acceptance: The students treat Bai Chen’s same-sex relationship as ordinary.