Recaps

Bai Chen noticed Gu Yun returned late looking happy, while Lin Sen found himself captivated by Gu Yun’s beauty. Gu Yun invited Bai Chen to watch a meteor shower, and despite being sleepy, Bai Chen agreed to go with him.

• Bai Chen finished his assignments and wondered why Gu Yun had not returned to the dorm by almost ten.
• Gu Yun came back carrying bubble tea, and Bai Chen noticed his cheerful glow.
• Lin Sen stared at Gu Yun and admired his looks until Bai Chen’s cough snapped him out of it.
• Gu Yun gently woke Bai Chen and invited him to watch the meteor shower at the sports field.
• Bai Chen got out of bed and agreed to go with Gu Yun despite his exhaustion.

Gu Yun took Bai Chen to the park to watch the Geminid meteor shower, but left for the hospital after hearing that his childhood friend was in trouble. Bai Chen waited in the cold until he gave up and headed back with wontons for Gu Yun, while the chance they had planned to share passed.

• Gu Yun explained the meteor showers to Bai Chen as they waited in the park for the Geminids to begin.
• Gu Yun tried to give Bai Chen his scarf, but Bai Chen declined.
• Gu Yun received a call saying his friend was in the hospital, apologized to Bai Chen, and left for the hospital.
• Bai Chen waited until half past twelve without seeing any meteors, then left because he was too cold.
• Bai Chen bought two portions of wontons, one for himself and one for Gu Yun, and called for a cab.

After getting hopelessly lost while trying to return to campus, Bai Chen ran into Lin Jingchen, who gave him his jacket and drove him back to North District University. The ride ended with Bai Chen openly admiring Lin Jingchen until he caught him staring.

• Bai Chen failed to find a taxi and wandered between parks while following navigation apps that led him farther from campus.
• Bai Chen sat on a bench in the cold, ate his wontons, and decided to wait until morning for a taxi.
• Lin Jingchen found Bai Chen, lent him his suit jacket, and offered to drive him back to campus.
• Bai Chen rode in Lin Jingchen's Porsche and learned that Lin Jingchen was driving himself.
• Lin Jingchen drove Bai Chen through the gates of North District University, where Bai Chen stared at him until Lin Jingchen noticed.

Bai Chen watched the Geminid meteor shower with Lin Jingchen and wished to return to his own world, while Lin Jingchen began to realize how much Bai Chen’s genuine happiness affected him. Later, Gu Yun treated Li Xingzhu’s injury and asked Fang Yuan to explain the fight that had brought them to the hospital.

• Lin Jingchen pointed out the meteor shower to Bai Chen, who took photographs and wished to return to his own world.
• Bai Chen thanked Lin Jingchen, promised to give him pottery, and went back to his dorm before Lin Jingchen drove away.
• Lin Jingchen returned home at three in the morning and told his sister Lin Xiaoqian that he had dropped off a friend at school.
• Lin Xiaoqian pressed Lin Jingchen for details about his friend, but he refused to say more and went upstairs to bed.
• Lin Jingchen lay awake remembering Bai Chen’s bright, genuine happiness beneath the meteors.
• Gu Yun disinfected Li Xingzhu’s wound and asked Fang Yuan what had caused the fight.

Li Xingzhu concealed why he had been hurt and left the hospital with Fang Yuan, while Bai Chen returned to the dorm after curfew and encountered Gu Cheng. The next morning, Bai Chen found Gu Yun studying and dismissed his hint that he should ask where he had been.

• Gu Yun confronted Li Xingzhu about his injuries, but Li Xingzhu claimed he had hit Gu Cheng too and left with Fang Yuan.
• The dorm supervisor caught Bai Chen returning after curfew, made him sign the register, and warned him not to stay out late.
• Bai Chen returned to the dorm and found Gu Cheng fresh from the shower; Gu Cheng asked whether he knew where Gu Yun had gone.
• Bai Chen woke at eight and found Gu Yun studying after returning from wherever he had been.
• Gu Yun asked Bai Chen whether he wanted to know where he had gone, and Bai Chen replied that it was his private business.

Bai Chen met Xia Wangqiu, who invited him to join a pottery club and then asked to accompany him to class. As Bai Chen reflected on his homesickness and uncertainty about changing the book’s plot, Xia Wangqiu’s reason for wanting to attend class remained unclear.

• Bai Chen enjoyed pan-fried buns with chili in the cafeteria, where Xia Wangqiu approached him and offered soy milk.
• Xia Wangqiu asked whether Bai Chen shared a dorm with Gu Yun, then revealed he wanted Bai Chen’s contact details to invite him to a pottery club.
• Bai Chen agreed to join the club, and Xia Wangqiu excitedly held his hand before letting go and giving him soy milk.
• Bai Chen remembered his former roommates’ kindness and thought about how much he wanted to go home and whether the story’s outcomes could be changed.
• Xia Wangqiu asked to accompany Bai Chen to class, and Bai Chen pointed out that his class was in plant research and Ms. Lin Xiaoqian was on leave.

Bai Chen went to class with Xia Wangqiu, who drew attention as a handsome campus celebrity. Professor Chen began an unusually strict attendance check, and he caught a student pretending to be Tao Liang.

• Xia Wangqiu followed Bai Chen to class and peppered him with questions on the way.
• Two girls behind them recognized Xia Wangqiu and discussed how handsome he and Bai Chen were.
• Bai Chen openly told Xia Wangqiu that he was handsome, then agreed that Gu Yun was better-looking.
• Professor Chen arrived and announced that students had to raise their hands when he called their names.
• Students sent frantic messages to classmates who were absent as Professor Chen started taking attendance.
• Professor Chen challenged a student who answered for Tao Liang, saying the voice and appearance did not match.

Bai Chen attended class with Xia Wangqiu, then returned to the dorm and woke with a mild fever. Gu Yun worried over him and Lin Sen reminded them that the freshman mixer dance was that night, leaving Bai Chen with the prospect of meeting someone there.

• Professor Chen finished taking attendance and caught Xia Wangqiu sleeping, so Xia stayed awake for the rest of class.
• Xia Wangqiu followed Bai Chen after class, invited him to lunch and asked about the weekend, but Bai Chen declined and agreed to visit the Pottery Club.
• Bai Chen returned to the dorm and slept until four, then woke feeling weak and slightly feverish.
• Gu Yun checked on Bai Chen and apologized for taking him to watch the meteor shower, while Bai Chen offered to send him the photos and videos he had taken.
• Lin Sen told Bai Chen and Gu Yun to get ready for the freshman mixer dance and teased Bai Chen that he might not be single much longer.

Bai Chen reluctantly agreed to attend the university dance, but while searching his suitcase for formal clothes, he uncovered a rare racing helmet that Lin Sen recognized as belonging to the famous racer Cool. Bai Chen pretended to be Cool’s devoted fan and kept quiet about how he had the helmet, leaving Lin Sen eager to know more.

• Bai Chen learned that freshmen had to attend the dance and agreed to go, planning to spend the evening at the food area.
• Gu Yun declined to attend because he was volunteering, while Lin Sen offered to lend Bai Chen a suit if needed.
• Bai Chen opened his suitcase, and his clothes spilled out in a messy heap that made Lin Sen and Gu Yun laugh.
• Lin Sen spotted a signed racing helmet in the suitcase and recognized it as the one-of-a-kind helmet Cool had worn in his races.
• Bai Chen pretended that Cool was his idol and refused to explain how he had obtained the helmet.

Bai Chen attended the university ball with Lin Sen despite feeling very ill, then fell asleep alone in a corner. As the ball began, someone sat down beside him.

• Bai Chen sorted through the original owner's clothes and chose a navy-blue suit for the ball.
• Bai Chen and Lin Sen walked to the northwest campus ball while Gu Yun stayed behind to volunteer.
• Bai Chen sat in a corner because he felt feverish, and Lin Sen left to enjoy the ball after offering to help him.
• Girls at the ball discussed Senior Lin's appearance and the upcoming bids involving the Lin Group and Gu Group.
• Bai Chen fell asleep on a bench, and someone sat down beside him.

At a university mixer, feverish Bai Chen reunited with Lin Jingchen, who insisted on taking him to the hospital after his speech. Lin Jingchen dazzled the students with his speech, then left backstage while Bai Chen remained captivated.

• Bai Chen recognized Lin Jingchen's familiar pear-blossom scent and found him sitting beside him at the mixer.
• Lin Jingchen noticed Bai Chen's fever and arranged to take him to the hospital after giving his speech.
• Bai Chen realized Lin Jingchen had made up an excuse about his home being near the hospital to help him, and he felt happy and indebted.
• The dean loosened the students' awkwardness at the mixer with jokes, while Bai Chen ate a cupcake and watched.
• Lin Jingchen gave his speech to an enthusiastic audience, leaving Bai Chen dazzled, then left through the backstage area.

At the school ball, Bai Chen was humiliated by Gu Cheng and the Campus F4 after his suit was stained, but Lin Jingchen arrived and confronted them. The chapter ended with Lin Jingchen standing up for Bai Chen.

• Lin Sen successfully invited a girl to dance, and Bai Chen received a message from Lin Jingchen saying he was waiting outside the hall.
• Bai Chen left the ball and collided with Gu Cheng and the other members of the Campus F4, staining his borrowed suit with wine.
• Gu Cheng blamed Bai Chen for the collision, and Shi Long threw money on the floor to mock him.
• Bai Chen picked up the money and thanked Shi Long, leaving the four men confused.
• Lin Jingchen arrived, draped his jacket over Bai Chen, reassured him, and coldly rebuked Gu Cheng and his companions.

Lin Jingchen rescued Bai Chen from Gu Cheng and the Campus F4, then took him to the hospital for treatment. As they waited, Bai Chen warned Lin Jingchen not to trust him unconditionally, admitting that when pushed too far, he could do anything.

• Lin Jingchen confronted Gu Cheng and implied that the Gu Group might lose the bid, then took Bai Chen away from the lobby.
• Bai Chen thanked Lin Jingchen, and Lin Jingchen asked him to treat them as friends rather than address him so formally.
• Lin Jingchen drove the feverish Bai Chen to the hospital and insisted on accompanying him and taking him back afterward.
• While they waited at the emergency department, Bai Chen asked why Lin Jingchen had trusted him without asking what happened.
• Lin Jingchen said he believed Bai Chen would not start trouble, so Bai Chen cautioned him that his temper could make him capable of anything when pushed too far.

Bai Chen waited at the hospital while Lin Jingchen accompanied him, and Lin Jingchen affirmed Bai Chen’s decision to accept compensation. After Bai Chen learned his fever had reached forty degrees and returned for an IV, he saw a nurse try to get Lin Jingchen’s contact information and reflected on how often handsome people attracted attention.

• Lin Jingchen told Bai Chen that accepting compensation for his soiled clothes was reasonable, and Bai Chen was delighted to find someone who shared his values.
• Bai Chen went into the consultation room alone, where the doctor measured his temperature at forty degrees and prescribed an IV drip.
• Bai Chen paid for the treatment and returned upstairs, where he saw a nurse offer Lin Jingchen her phone and Lin Jingchen politely refuse.
• A nurse started Bai Chen’s IV and admired Lin Jingchen, prompting Bai Chen to recall the attention Gu Yun’s looks drew at the cafeteria.

Bai Chen stayed at the hospital with Lin Jingchen while receiving an IV, then returned to his dorm late at night. Gu Yun asked whether he had gone to the hospital with Lin Jingchen, leaving Bai Chen to answer.

• Bai Chen described how classmates kept leaving gifts and snacks to get Gu Yun's contact, and how he returned or refused them.
• Lin Jingchen went out while Bai Chen slept, then returned with a jacket and hot milk to warm and comfort him.
• Bai Chen woke from a nightmare about Bai Xi jumping from a balcony, and Lin Jingchen asked whether she was his younger sister.
• After Bai Chen's IV finished at one in the morning, Lin Jingchen drove him back to the dormitory entrance.
• Bai Chen returned to his room and set down his medicine, but Gu Yun asked whether he had gone to the hospital with Lin Jingchen.

Bai Chen learned about the Campus F4’s family connections so he could avoid further trouble, then visited the Pottery Club. The club members welcomed him, surprised that someone so cheerful had chosen pottery.

• Gu Yun questioned Bai Chen about his evening with Lin Sen, then tried to reassure himself that they were only friends.
• Lin Sen told Bai Chen that he had danced with a senior girl before spending the night eating barbecue with friends, and warned him to avoid the four men who had targeted him.
• Lin Sen explained the family backgrounds of Gu Cheng, Shi Long, Mu Congnan, and Yu Wen, and Bai Chen memorized their connections.
• Bai Chen went to the Hongde Building to attend the Pottery Club’s activities and found Xia Wangqiu working with clay.
• Bai Chen introduced himself at the studio door, and the club members welcomed him while marveling that he had joined the pottery club.

Bai Chen joined the pottery club and impressed its members with his practiced skill. After turning down a senior girl's request for paid lessons, he agreed to exchange techniques with her and began pointing out flaws in her work.

• Bai Chen introduced himself to the pottery club, and Xia Wangqiu invited him to sit beside him.
• Bai Chen questioned how Xia Wangqiu knew about his pottery, and Xia explained that he had seen Bai Chen's work at the Morning Breeze Teahouse.
• Bai Chen explained that he avoided using his family's influence when responding to Gu Cheng and the others, then skillfully shaped a clay pot.
• A senior girl praised Bai Chen's pot and asked him to teach her, but Bai Chen declined because his coursework kept him busy.
• Bai Chen suggested that he and the girl learn from each other, then examined her piece and pointed out its problems.

Lin Jingchen attended a land-bidding event, where he concealed his resentment toward three businessmen who had once betrayed the Lin Group. He spoke with Xiao Li about the Gu Family’s recent troubles, leaving their shared concerns over the Gu Family unresolved.

• Lin Jingchen arrived at the bidding venue and turned down three businessmen’s eager attempts to ally with him.
• Lin Jingchen recalled that the three men had backed the Gu Group during the Lin Group’s crisis, contributing to his grandfather’s decline, and resolved to wait for evidence before settling the grudge.
• Lin Jingchen took his place in the front row, where Xiao Li joined him and asked whether he expected to win the bid.
• Lin Jingchen and Xiao Li discussed the Gu Family’s difficulties and expressed hope that the family would get through them safely.
• The chapter revealed that Xiao Li had taken over the Xiao Group after her twin brother Xiao Zhao was assassinated and had eliminated relatives who plotted against her.

Lin Jingchen won the prime plot in the west of the city, while Gu Zhengde returned home furious after Gu Cheng’s flawed proposal damaged the Gu Family. Xiao Muling stopped Gu Zhengde from striking her by threatening to expose his past, and Gu Cheng was left wondering which woman his mother meant.

• Lin Jingchen won the west-city plot for the Lin Group, and Gu Zhengde watched the result in fury.
• Gu Zhengde returned home and blamed Gu Cheng for the failed proposal and the report against the company.
• Gu Zhengde threw scalding tea at Gu Cheng and ordered a stick, while Xiao Muling tried to protect their son.
• Gu Zhengde shoved Xiao Muling, and Gu Cheng and Xiao Muling each told him to hit them instead.
• Xiao Muling threatened to reveal Gu Zhengde’s past if he struck her, so he stopped and left the house.
• Xiao Muling cried and said Gu Zhengde still could not forget another woman, leaving Gu Cheng wondering who she was.

After learning how his father had treated Xiao Muling, Gu Cheng blamed Lin Jingchen for ruining his chances in a bid and went to confront him at the Lin Family Ancestral Home. Lin Jingchen said Gu Cheng would never beat him and revealed that he had targeted him because Gu Cheng hurt someone he cared about, leaving Gu Cheng terrified and wondering who it was.

• Xiao Muling comforted Gu Cheng and urged him to inherit the Gu Family, while Gu Cheng resolved to protect her by becoming its head.
• Gu Cheng found the documents his father had left, concluded Lin Jingchen had sabotaged him, and drove to the Lin Family Ancestral Home.
• The butler and security guards stopped Gu Cheng from forcing his way inside, but Lin Jingchen ordered them to bring him in.
• Gu Cheng accused Lin Jingchen of using dirty tricks to ruin his bid, and Lin Jingchen said he would have won even if he had played fair.
• Lin Jingchen said he had targeted Gu Cheng because Gu Cheng hurt someone he cared about, and Gu Cheng asked who it was.

Bai Chen helped a pottery student improve her technique, then threw Xia Wangqiu after he grabbed him during an argument with his ex. At lunch, Shi Long confronted Bai Chen and accused him of interfering with his family's company and speaking to Lin Jingchen.

• Bai Chen identified a flaw in the girl's pottery technique and helped her get past it.
• Xia Wangqiu clung to Bai Chen, and when his ex confronted them, Bai Chen denied any involvement and tried to leave.
• Xia Wangqiu grabbed Bai Chen, so Bai Chen threw him over his shoulder and warned him not to touch him again.
• Xia Wangqiu rejected his ex, Xiao Shu, when he asked to get back together.
• Shi Long and two others approached Bai Chen at lunch, and Shi Long threw his meal tray to the floor.
• Shi Long dragged Bai Chen from his chair and accused him of causing trouble for his family's company and talking to Lin Jingchen.

Bai Chen fought back against Shi Long and Mu Congnan after they demanded he make Lin Jingchen spare their families, while Lin Jingchen punished Gu Cheng for threatening Bai Chen. As Bai Chen prepared for a two-day field study near his family’s home in S City, his sister Bai Chichi learned he would soon be nearby.

• Shi Long confronted Bai Chen in the cafeteria and demanded he make Lin Jingchen withdraw his plan to bankrupt their families, then tried to punch him.
• Bai Chen overpowered Shi Long and kicked Mu Congnan to the floor, warning the two bullies before leaving the cafeteria.
• A bodyguard reported Bai Chen’s safety to Lin Jingchen, who ordered him to continue watching Bai Chen until the threats were gone.
• Lin Jingchen had Gu Cheng’s legs broken and stabbed his palm after Gu Cheng threatened to assault Bai Chen, then warned him to keep away from Bai Chen.
• Bai Chen studied for Professor Lin’s upcoming fieldwork in Longquan Ancient Town and told Bai Chichi he expected to return to S City in about three days.

Lin Jingchen agreed to join Lin Xiaoqian and her students on a trip to Longquan Ancient Town after learning Bai Chen would be there. Bai Chen prepared for the fieldwork and explained that the students would trek to a village whose crops had been damaged by prolonged rain.

• Lin Jingchen watched a video of Bai Chen fighting three men, then spoke with Lin Xiaoqian about her upcoming field trip.
• Lin Xiaoqian offered to introduce Lin Jingchen to her student Bai Chen, and Lin Jingchen agreed to visit Longquan Ancient Town with them.
• Bai Chen packed for the two-day field trip and told Gu Yun and Lin Sen that his class was going to Longquan Ancient Town.
• Lin Sen asked to join Bai Chen, but balked when he heard he would need to carry heavy equipment and walk more than ten kilometers on mountain trails.
• Bai Chen explained that Professor Lin had chosen a remote village where prolonged rain had damaged the villagers' crops.

Gu Cheng demanded revenge after Lin Jingchen injured him, but Gu Zhengde ordered him to apologize or leave the Gu Family. Xiao Muling went to seek help from her sister Xiao Li, where a photograph of Xiao Zhao’s family stopped her in her tracks.

• Gu Cheng cursed Lin Jingchen in the hospital, and Xiao Muling promised to seek help from the Xiao Family.
• Gu Zhengde scolded Gu Cheng for trespassing on Lin property and ordered him to apologize or be disowned.
• Xiao Muling agreed to go to the Xiao Family Old Residence and ask her younger sister for help.
• Xiao Muling arrived at the old residence and saw a photograph of Xiao Li, Xiao Zhao, and the old patriarch hanging in the main hall.
• Xiao Muling called the photograph unlucky, and Xiao Li asked whether she also thought her brother’s death was unlucky.

Xiao Li confronted Xiao Muling over her role in Xiao Li’s death and refused to help the Gu Family. After Xiao Muling fled, Xiao Zhao visited Xiao Li’s grave and revealed that he had lived under her identity to avenge her.

• Xiao Li rebuked Xiao Muling for seeking help against the Lin Family and accused her of choosing the Gu Family over her brother.
• Xiao Muling denied killing Xiao Li, but Xiao Li accused her of knowing Gu Zhengde would attack and of staying silent.
• Xiao Li declared that she wanted Gu Zhengde and Gu Cheng dead, then told Xiao Muling the Gu Group was near collapse and warned her not to reveal the Xiao Family’s role.
• Xiao Muling scrambled out of the hall, and Xiao Li went alone to a cemetery carrying Flower Cakes and flowers.
• At Xiao Li’s grave, Xiao Zhao spoke in a man’s voice and explained that Xiao Li had died in his place, while he had lived as her to avenge her and purge the Xiao Family.
• Xiao Zhao said he was close to destroying the Gu Family and would soon be able to restore Xiao Li’s identity.