Chapter Summaries

Bai Chen, who had transmigrated into a novel as a college roommate, arrived at North District University and met his roommates. After witnessing the protagonists' accident and settling into the dorm, he met Gu Yun, who invited him to explore campus.

• Bai Chen saw a car hit Gu Yun outside the university, and Gu Yun refused the money offered by the passenger before leaving with his belongings.
• Bai Chen arrived at room 704 and met his roommate Lin Sen, while one of the protagonists' beds was already claimed.
• Bai Chen chose a bed opposite Lin Sen's and declined to explore campus with him after lunch.
• Gu Yun introduced himself to Bai Chen and invited him to explore campus together.
• Bai Chen stayed silent, so Gu Yun assumed he was unwelcome and left, embarrassed.

After Gu Yun injured his ankle, Bai Chen overcame his fear of interfering with the novel's plot and carried him to the campus clinic. They returned to dorm 704, where they encountered a roommate complaining about the cramped dorm.

• Bai Chen heard Gu Yun fall in the bathroom and hesitated before going to help him.
• Bai Chen supported Gu Yun, then carried him on his back to the campus clinic despite worrying he was taking another male lead's scene.
• The campus doctor diagnosed Gu Yun with a mild ankle sprain and prescribed medicine to apply three times a day.
• Bai Chen carried Gu Yun back to the dorm, reflecting on his life in the novel and his plan to complete the original owner's studies.
• At room 704, Bai Chen and Gu Yun heard a boy complain about the dorm while another roommate sharply answered him.

Bai Chen watched as Gu Yun and Gu Cheng became roommates, then left the dorm to give them time alone. Gu Cheng eventually spoke to Gu Yun, whose cold response frustrated him, and their new roommate Lin Sen arrived as the chapter ended.

• Li Ping introduced himself and Gu Cheng to Bai Chen and the others, while Gu Yun recognized Gu Cheng as the arrogant man who had bumped into him earlier.
• Bai Chen left for the cafeteria and bought pork rib congee, hoping Gu Yun and Gu Cheng would have a chance to talk alone.
• Gu Cheng demanded Gu Yun's name, and Gu Yun rebuked him for being disrespectful before answering; Gu Cheng became attracted to him while Gu Yun found his gaze disgusting.
• Lin Sen arrived, greeted the roommates, and introduced himself to Gu Yun and Gu Cheng.

Bai Chen brought Gu Yun pork rib congee, then spent the evening writing while Gu Yun studied. The next morning, Bai Chen woke to find Gu Yun already reading, while Gu Cheng and their other roommate were still asleep.

• Bai Chen gave Gu Yun congee and told him to take his medicine, and Gu Yun gratefully ate it.
• Bai Chen noticed Gu Cheng watching him with an unfriendly look but could not understand why.
• Bai Chen worked on his novel and reminded Gu Yun to go to bed before the first day of classes.
• Bai Chen woke the next morning and found Gu Yun reading while the other two roommates slept.

Bai Chen avoided Gu Yun’s invitation to eat together because he feared getting caught up in the novel’s dangerous plot. After Gu Cheng ordered him to stay away from Gu Yun, Bai Chen agreed, intent on keeping his distance from both men.

• Gu Yun invited Bai Chen to eat with him, though he had woken early just to wait for him.
• Bai Chen made an excuse to refuse, then waited for Gu Yun to leave before getting out of bed.
• Gu Cheng woke and angrily scolded Bai Chen, then ordered him to stay away from Gu Yun.
• Bai Chen swallowed his anger and agreed to Gu Cheng’s demand.

Bai Chen guessed that Gu Cheng was jealous of his conversation with Gu Yun and speculated that Gu Yun and Gu Cheng might be half-brothers. While eating lunch outside campus, he remembered raising his younger sister Bai Xi after their parents died and resolved to return to his own world so she would not be alone.

• Bai Chen inferred that Gu Cheng resented him for speaking with Gu Yun and guessed Gu Cheng had fallen for Gu Yun at first sight.
• Bai Chen left campus to avoid an awkward encounter with Gu Yun and ate seafood rice noodles at a small shop.
• Bai Chen wondered whether Gu Yun and Gu Cheng were half-brothers because they shared a surname.
• Bai Chen recalled that he had raised Bai Xi after their parents died and that she had grown quiet and self-reliant.
• Bai Chen resolved to return to his world because he and Bai Xi were each other's only family.

Bai Chen overheard a childhood friend confess that he loved Gu Yun and had saved him from a fire, but wanted Gu Yun to love him sincerely rather than out of gratitude. The conversation made Bai Chen question whether he should follow the original plot or help the young man pursue Gu Yun.

• Bai Chen sat back down when he overheard two young men discussing Gu Yun at the next table.
• The young man called Brother Li admitted that he loved only Gu Yun but had not confessed because he feared losing their friendship.
• Brother Li said he had saved Gu Yun from a fire but did not want Gu Yun to accept him out of gratitude.
• Bai Chen admired Brother Li's sincerity and began wondering whether he should help him and change the original plot.

Bai Chen watched Gu Cheng confront Gu Yun at the ceremony and later accompanied Gu Yun to lunch. Gu Yun apologized for drawing Gu Cheng’s attention and revealed that a man had tried to molest him when he was a child, leaving Bai Chen to offer quiet reassurance.

• Bai Chen decided not to favor either Gu Cheng or Gu Yun and to leave Gu Yun’s romantic choice to him.
• Gu Yun saved Bai Chen a seat at the ceremony and asked him to eat lunch together.
• Gu Cheng confronted Bai Chen over his confession-wall post, and Gu Yun angrily defended Bai Chen and rejected Gu Cheng.
• After the ceremony, Bai Chen led a distracted Gu Yun out to eat, and Gu Yun apologized for Gu Cheng targeting him.
• Gu Yun told Bai Chen that a man had tried to molest him as a child and that he had injured the man while fighting back.
• Bai Chen told Gu Yun that things would get better, and Gu Yun said he hoped so.

Bai Chen climbed seven flights of stairs with Gu Yun and tried to reassure him by explaining his unusual way of climbing. As Gu Yun’s mood lifted, Bai Chen remembered his childhood with Bai Xi and his late parents, leaving him lost in bittersweet thoughts.

• Bai Chen struggled up seven flights of stairs while Gu Yun followed behind, amused by his exhaustion.
• Bai Chen explained that his former deskmate had told him to climb stairs quickly, and Gu Yun agreed to try it next time.
• Bai Chen admired Gu Yun’s looks and felt relieved when Gu Yun seemed to be in a better mood.
• Bai Chen recalled fighting with Bai Xi over the television and giving up Animal World so she could watch Balala Little Fairy.
• Bai Chen remembered his parents watching him and Bai Xi together and wished he had been a better older brother.
• Gu Yun noticed Bai Chen’s retreating figure turn desolate and wondered what he was thinking.

Bai Chen decided to stop avoiding Gu Yun and openly accept his friendship, and the two began spending time together. Their bond grew closer over several days while Gu Cheng remained absent.

• Bai Chen realized he felt comfortable with Gu Yun and decided they could be friends.
• Bai Chen invited Gu Yun to eat with him, and Gu Yun changed into a white shirt before they went downstairs.
• Bai Chen praised Gu Yun's appearance, making Gu Yun blush and awkwardly tidy his desk.
• Bai Chen and Gu Yun ate together, chatted cheerfully, and continued sharing meals whenever they were free.
• Gu Cheng did not return over the following days.

Bai Chen received a call from the original owner's mother and agreed to inspect his father's teahouse the next day. He arrived at Morning Breeze Teahouse and was welcomed by an elderly staff member.

• Bai Chen answered a call from the original owner's mother, who reminded him to take care of his health.
• Bai Chen's mother told him that his father had opened Morning Breeze Teahouse on Winter Blossom Road and asked him to check on it.
• Bai Chen agreed to visit the teahouse and felt deeply moved after speaking with his mother.
• The next morning, Bai Chen traveled to Winter Blossom Teahouse and admired its quiet courtyard-style design.
• An elderly staff member greeted Bai Chen, and he introduced himself and asked her to call him Chen.

Bai Chen toured the Morning Breeze Teahouse with Grandma Wu Ting and discovered its pottery area, while resolving to earn success through his own abilities. Meanwhile, Lin Jingchen arrived at the teahouse to meet Chen Gang, leaving their business meeting about to begin.

• Grandma Wu Ting showed Bai Chen the teahouse's opera stage, pottery area, and luxurious upstairs rooms.
• Bai Chen asked to try pottery, and Grandma Wu Ting welcomed him and cautioned him to stay safe.
• Bai Chen admired the upstairs view and resolved to earn his own success rather than rely on the original owner's advantages.
• Chen Gang waited at the teahouse for Lin Jingchen, hoping their meeting would help his company increase its earnings.
• Lin Jingchen arrived, was led to the upstairs suite, and greeted Chen Gang as the man praised him.

Bai Chen visited a teahouse pottery room, where the masters praised his skill and eagerly offered to teach him. Lin Jingchen watched him from nearby, quietly captivated, while Chen Gang mistook Lin’s gaze for interest in himself.

• Chen Gang welcomed Lin Jingchen and wondered whether Lin had taken a liking to him.
• Lin Jingchen watched Bai Chen working with clay in the pottery room without Bai Chen noticing.
• Bai Chen finished a clay pot, and the pottery master praised his skill.
• The pottery masters competed to make Bai Chen their apprentice, but he suggested learning different crafts from each of them when he had time.
• Lin Jingchen watched Bai Chen’s cheerful interaction with the masters and smiled warmly.

Lin Jingchen met Chen Gang at a teahouse, where Chen Gang proposed partnering on a bid for land west of the city. Lin Jingchen rejected the offer for now and left disappointed when he could not find Bai Chen.

• Bai Chen hurried downstairs when the opera began, while Lin Jingchen watched him leave.
• Chen Gang asked Lin Jingchen to partner with the Lin Group in bidding for land west of the city, noting that the Gu Group would also bid.
• Lin Jingchen questioned Chen Gang’s sincerity, and Chen Gang offered the Lin Group a plot on the outskirts of Chenghua as a token of goodwill.
• Lin Jingchen accepted the contract for consideration but said the proposed partnership still needed discussion with the Lin Group’s shareholders.
• Lin Jingchen left the teahouse, searched for Bai Chen, and drove away after failing to find him.

Bai Chen returned to the dorm and interrupted Gu Cheng as he was restraining Gu Yun, then got Gu Yun out safely by pretending someone was calling for him. The two reached a pavilion, where Gu Yun thanked Bai Chen, who reflected that his unheroic ruse had prevented a fight and kept everyone safe.

• Bai Chen left Grandma Wu’s teahouse with pastries and returned to campus after listening to the opera.
• Bai Chen saw Gu Cheng restraining Gu Yun in the dorm and realized Gu Yun was not consenting.
• Bai Chen entered the room pretending to have a phone call for Gu Yun, causing Gu Cheng to release him.
• Bai Chen led Gu Yun to a pavilion, where Gu Yun thanked him.
• Bai Chen recalled choosing a quiet diversion rather than fighting Gu Cheng to protect Gu Yun and avoid trouble for his family.

Gu Yun confided that his life felt predetermined, and Bai Chen tried to tell him that his story could change. When Bai Chen was mysteriously prevented from revealing who had saved Gu Yun from a fire, he used his phone—but its message was altered into a confession that he liked guys, and he found himself unable to explain.

• Gu Yun told Bai Chen that he felt trapped in a predetermined fate and that people were drawn to something about him.
• Bai Chen comforted Gu Yun by saying he could change his story if he wanted to.
• Bai Chen tried to reveal that Gu Yun's childhood friend had saved him from a fire, but an unseen force caused him pain whenever he tried to say it.
• Bai Chen typed that Brother Li had saved Gu Yun, and Gu Yun reacted with shock and happiness.
• Bai Chen discovered that his phone displayed a confession that he liked guys, and he could no longer speak to correct the misunderstanding.

Bai Chen nudged Gu Yun toward finding the childhood benefactor who saved him, while keeping the benefactor’s identity unsaid. Gu Yun wondered who it was, and the chapter ended with Lin Jingchen working late before an important bidding war against the Gu Group.

• Bai Chen told Gu Yun that someone close to him only had eyes for him, then clarified that the person was not Bai Chen and was someone Gu Yun already knew.
• Bai Chen advised Gu Yun to search among people important to him, and Gu Yun explained that his childhood benefactor had been struck on the shoulder while saving him.
• Bai Chen suggested that Gu Yun ask familiar people to remove their shirts so he could look for the benefactor’s shoulder injury, and Gu Yun said he would try it.
• Bai Chen and Gu Yun booked separate rooms at an inn; Bai Chen fell asleep while Gu Yun stayed awake wondering about his benefactor.
• Lin Jingchen continued reviewing documents late at night as Assistant Wang reminded him to rest, with the Lin Group’s bidding against the Gu Group scheduled for the next day.

Bai Chen attended class with the formidable botany instructor Lin Xiaoqian, then was assigned to organize groups for an upcoming fieldwork class. He finished arranging them quickly and had free time left.

• Bai Chen and Gu Yun ate breakfast together before separating at the campus gate for classes on different campuses.
• Lin Xiaoqian taught Bai Chen’s botany class, earning the students’ admiration for her accomplishments and strict standards in lab work.
• Lin Xiaoqian gave Bai Chen the roster for the fieldwork class and asked him to divide the students into groups.
• Bai Chen asked classmates about their preferences in the group chat and finished organizing the groups in under an hour.

Bai Chen brought a report to Lin Xiaoqian at the faculty office, where he admired a famous painting and learned that her younger brother also liked pottery. After agreeing to meet and share pottery advice with him, Bai Chen went to the teahouse to practice his skills.

• Bai Chen arrived early at the faculty office with the report Lin Xiaoqian had requested and admired the painting Years of Youth.
• Lin Xiaoqian apologized for having him come early, and Bai Chen assured her that he had no classes that day.
• Lin Xiaoqian told Bai Chen that her younger brother had recently taken up pottery and asked him to teach the brother some techniques.
• Bai Chen declined payment and agreed to meet Lin Xiaoqian's brother to exchange ideas about pottery.
• Bai Chen went to the teahouse after lunch to practice pottery techniques and followed the familiar route without getting lost.

Bai Chen saw Manager Wang threaten to fire a young waitress and intervened, asking him to give her another chance. Afterward, Bai Chen went upstairs to apologize to the guest whose tea had been spilled and met Mr. Lin, whose appearance and presence left him stunned.

• Bai Chen watched Manager Wang scold the waitress and learned she might lose her job after spilling tea on a guest.
• Bai Chen remembered being fired from a restaurant after an accident while working to support himself and Bai Xi.
• Bai Chen gave the waitress a tissue and asked Manager Wang to give her another chance, offering to apologize to the guest himself.
• Bai Chen went upstairs to find the guest and encountered Mr. Lin by a window in a private room.
• Mr. Lin reassured Bai Chen that he had not been discussing secrets, while Bai Chen admired his elegance.