Chapter Summaries

Jiang Nian trained intensely for the modern dance competition to help Tan Xuguang beat Canghai, while Song Jici struggled with whether to vote for Fu Zhenzhen. As the competition was about to begin, Song Jici had Wen Jincheng take his phone so he could avoid answering Fu Zhenzhen’s request for votes.

• Tan Xuguang gave Jiang Nian a flyer for the modern dance competition, and she decided to enter after reviewing the rules.
• Jiang Nian hired a dance teacher and spent the next few days practicing a jazz routine, exhausted by the demanding training.
• On competition day, Jiang Nian told Song Jici she had drawn number twenty, while Tong Chuhe had drawn number five and Fu Zhenzhen number six.
• Song Jici recalled Fu Zhenzhen’s past actions toward Jiang Nian and wrestled with his guilt about refusing to vote for her.
• Song Jici persuaded Wen Jincheng to take his phone, then pretended he had not seen Fu Zhenzhen’s messages asking for votes.

During the cheerleading tryouts, Tong Chuhe began a confident dance performance while Jiang Nian watched anxiously for Fu Zhenzhen to interfere. Tong Chuhe suddenly fell after glass shards appeared inside her shoes, leaving Jiang Nian and 88 alarmed.

• Fu Zhenzhen grew angry that Song Jici had not replied and used her system to obtain more buffs for the competition.
• Jiang Nian asked 88 to watch Fu Zhenzhen for any use of items or buffs.
• Tong Chuhe prepared to perform as Jiang Nian worried Fu Zhenzhen might target her.
• Tong Chuhe took the stage and impressed the audience with her dance to “Señorita.”
• Tong Chuhe's steps faltered and she fell backward after 88 detected glass shards inside her shoes.

Tong Chuhe finished her performance despite a cut foot, and Jiang Nian realized Fu Zhenzhen had planted glass in her shoe. Jiang Nian had 88 remove Fu Zhenzhen’s buffs and return the glass shards, leaving Fu Zhenzhen to fall and injure herself during her dance.

• Tong Chuhe turned her fall into part of her performance and earned an average score of 97 from the judges.
• Tan Zhuishi suspected Tong Chuhe was hurt but voted for her before heading backstage to find a first-aid kit.
• Jiang Nian saw that Tong Chuhe’s foot was bleeding and realized Fu Zhenzhen had put glass shards in her shoe.
• Tong Chuhe chose to watch Fu Zhenzhen perform, while Jiang Nian told 88 to remove Fu Zhenzhen’s buffs and return the glass shards.
• Fu Zhenzhen fell as she entered the stage, then stumbled through her dance without her buffs.
• Fu Zhenzhen screamed and collapsed when glass cut the sole of her foot during a spin.

Fu Zhenzhen’s foot was injured during the dance contest, while Jiang Nian prepared for her own performance. Jiang Nian began a graceful dance to “Fallin’ Out,” leaving the outcome of her performance unresolved.

• Fu Zhenzhen collapsed with a bleeding foot and claimed glass shards had been put in her shoe, but the judge found no glass and sent her to the infirmary.
• Jiang Nian praised 88 for removing Fu Zhenzhen’s buff auras, then chose to save them rather than use them for her performance.
• Tan Zhuishi took Tong Chuhe to the infirmary after she asked him to help, while Jiang Nian stayed behind to prepare for her turn.
• Tong Chuhe returned in time to watch Jiang Nian perform “Fallin’ Out.”
• Jiang Nian began her dance with fluid movements and expressive gestures as the song’s melancholy lyrics played.

After earning a score of 92 for her dance, Jiang Nian celebrated with Tong Chuhe and waited for the competition results. Tong Chuhe won first place, Jiang Nian came second, and Tong Chuhe quietly revealed that she had slapped Fu Zhenzhen.

• Jiang Nian scored 92 for her performance and rushed backstage to check on Tong Chuhe, who said her foot was only lightly injured.
• Jiang Nian told Tong Chuhe about her score, then exchanged messages with Tan Xuguang, Shen Hui, and Wen Jincheng.
• Fu Zhenzhen forfeited her chance to place after leaving for the infirmary before finishing her performance.
• The host announced Jiang Nian in second place and Tong Chuhe as the competition champion.
• Jiang Nian noticed Fu Zhenzhen's swollen cheek, while Tong Chuhe hid her reddened hand after slapping her.

Jiang Nian and Tong Chuhe headed to Pluto Stadium for the friendly match, but two Canghai boys harassed them before they went inside. Jiang Nian stopped Liu Wei’s sneak attack with a kick and left Tong Chuhe stunned as the group finally headed toward the match.

• Jiang Nian and Tong Chuhe changed into Pluto’s cheerleading uniforms and walked toward the stadium with their teammates.
• Jiang Nian and Tong Chuhe stopped at a vending machine, where Liu Wei and a bespectacled boy made unwanted advances toward them.
• Feng Xing intervened and confronted Liu Wei, but Jiang Nian told them not to fight on Pluto’s campus before the match.
• Liu Wei lunged at Feng Xing from behind, and Jiang Nian kicked him below the belt.
• The bespectacled boy dragged the injured Liu Wei away, and Jiang Nian proudly asked Tong Chuhe whether she had been impressive.

Jiang Nian watched Pluto and Vast Sea battle through a close first half, with Pluto trailing by four at halftime. To replace Fu Zhenzhen’s confidence-boosting role, Jiang Nian had 88 apply Fu Zhenzhen’s buffs to Tan Xuguang.

• Tan Xuguang won the opening tip and scored Pluto’s first basket, while Feng Xing answered with a three-pointer for Vast Sea.
• Pluto and Vast Sea traded baskets, and the first quarter ended tied at 12–12.
• Vast Sea focused its defense on Tan Xuguang and built a lead, but Li Fei helped him score just before halftime, leaving Pluto behind 32–28.
• Jiang Nian remembered that Fu Zhenzhen had inspired Pluto in the original story and asked 88 what her buffs did.
• Jiang Nian told 88 to apply every buff except Advanced Dancer to Tan Xuguang, and 88 did so.

Tan Xuguang rallied Pluto Academy at halftime, and both teams returned to a close, fiercely contested game. Tan Xuguang sank a last-second three-pointer to secure Pluto Academy’s 67–68 victory over Canghai Academy.

• Li Fei asked Tan Xuguang for his thoughts, and Tan Xuguang assured Pluto’s players they would win and crush Canghai Academy in the second half.
• Jiang Nian watched the players regain their confidence, then joined the halftime cheerleading show with Tong Chuhe and the squads from both academies.
• Tan Xuguang and Feng Xing traded baskets as the exhausted teams battled through the second half.
• With a minute and thirty seconds left, Feng Xing stole a pass and put Canghai Academy two points ahead.
• Pluto’s center stole the ball and passed it to Tan Xuguang, who sank a three-pointer just before the final whistle to win 67–68.

After Pluto's victory, Jiang Nian declined Feng Xing's invitation to lunch and joined Tan Xuguang's group instead. Feng Xing discovered that the others could hear Jiang Nian's thoughts, and the chapter ended with him introducing himself in her classroom the next day.

• Li Fei and Chen Dan exchanged familiar post-match banter as the teams shook hands, while Feng Xing asked Tan Xuguang about Jiang Nian.
• Jiang Nian chose Tan Xuguang's restaurant invitation over lunch with Feng Xing, but Feng Xing persuaded Tan Xuguang to let him join.
• At lunch, Song Jici suspected that the people gathered were major characters who could hear Jiang Nian's thoughts, and Feng Xing confirmed he could hear them too.
• Feng Xing decided to stay involved after learning that the match's changed events had removed his original reason to transfer to Pluto for Fu Zhenzhen.
• The next day, Jiang Nian was stunned when Feng Xing introduced himself at the front of her classroom.

Feng Xing transferred from Vast Sea to Pluto and joined Class 2, leaving Jiang Nian baffled by his arrival. When she asked why he came, he claimed it was for Fu Zhenzhen, and Jiang Nian feared she could no longer predict the story’s future.

• Feng Xing introduced himself as a new Pluto student and took the only open seat beside Tan Xuguang.
• Jiang Nian suspected her heroine aura had drawn Feng Xing to Tan Xuguang, while Tan Xuguang and the others reacted to her thoughts.
• Tan Zhuishi hit Jiang Nian with a piece of chalk and told her to pay attention to the lesson.
• After class, Jiang Nian asked Feng Xing why he had transferred, and he said he had come for Fu Zhenzhen.
• Jiang Nian told 88 she could no longer see the world's future, and 88 replied that she should be able to see the ending at a glance.

Jiang Nian made Feng Xing swear never to become a lovesick fool, and thunder answered his oath. Later, she heard someone crying in a restroom marked under repair and found Liu Fan inside.

• Feng Xing told Jiang Nian he had only glanced at Fu Zhenzhen's name, and Jiang Nian hit him for alarming her.
• Jiang Nian made Feng Xing repeat an oath against becoming a gullible, lovesick fool, and thunderclaps followed when he finished.
• A torrential downpour sent Class 2 and Class 7 to the indoor gym for PE.
• Jiang Nian and Tong Chuhe went looking for a restroom, found the western one marked under repair, and heard faint crying inside.
• Jiang Nian opened the restroom door and saw Liu Fan.

Jiang Nian and Tong Chuhe stopped Liu Fan and her group from bullying Lin Xi and learned that Lin Lin was Lin Xi’s half sister. Jiang Nian confronted Liu Fan and urged Lin Xi to strike back before the bullies faced legal punishment.

• Jiang Nian and Tong Chuhe entered the restroom and found Liu Fan watching as Lin Lin and others assaulted Lin Xi.
• Tong Chuhe covered Lin Xi with her jacket, and Lin Xi told them she was in Class Seven and had been bullied repeatedly.
• Lin Xi explained that Lin Lin was her half sister and had harassed her and her mother for years.
• Jiang Nian comforted Lin Xi, then confronted Liu Fan, who begged to be forgiven.
• Tong Chuhe locked the restroom door, and Jiang Nian helped Lin Xi up and told her to hit the bullies back.

Jiang Nian learned that Liu Fan and her accomplices had faced legal consequences, then prepared tiramisu for the Pastry Club’s exhibition. As she explained why she had chosen her late older brother’s favorite dessert, she remembered him and resolved to carry him in her heart.

• At the Pastry Club, Jiang Nian confirmed that Liu Fan had been taken into custody and that her accomplices had also been punished.
• Chen Mi announced the club’s upcoming pastry exhibition, and Liao Ruge explained its purpose to Jiang Nian.
• Three days later, Jiang Nian made tiramisu for the exhibition and shared it with Liao Ruge and the other club members.
• When 88 asked why she had chosen tiramisu, Jiang Nian recalled that it had been her older brother’s favorite dessert and said she would always remember him.

Jiang Nian recalled how Jiang Wang had taken her in, raised her, and later recovered from a mysterious illness before suddenly becoming gravely ill again. As he lay dying, Jiang Wang asked Jiang Nian to keep living and not forget him.

• Jiang Nian remembered waking with no memories and accepting the name Jiang Nian from Jiang Wang, who had adopted her as his little sister.
• Jiang Wang became mysteriously ill after visiting an orphanage, and Jiang Nian begged him to recover and made him promise with a pinky swear.
• Jiang Wang suddenly regained his health and took Jiang Nian to the amusement park, where they spent a joyful day together.
• The next morning, Jiang Nian found Jiang Wang unconscious with blood at his mouth and cried as he struggled to speak to her.
• Jiang Wang told Jiang Nian to keep living well and asked her not to forget him.

Jiang Nian and Liao Ruge prepared desserts for the Pastry Club exhibition, which drew crowds of students looking for a break before midterms. Jiang Nian's friends came to support her stall, where Feng Xing and Tan Xuguang bickered over a plate of cake.

• Jiang Nian hid her tears from Liao Ruge, who ate her portion of tiramisu, while 88 secretly took and saved Jiang Nian's last spoonful.
• Pluto students headed to the central square for the Pastry Club exhibition, where more than a dozen stalls displayed desserts for visitors.
• Jiang Nian served tiramisu and mousse cakes at her stall as Tan Xuguang, Feng Xing, Shen Hui, Wen Jincheng, and the others arrived to support her.
• Feng Xing and Tan Xuguang fought over a plate of desserts, and Jiang Nian handed it to Wen Jincheng instead.
• Jiang Nian called Feng Xing and Tan Xuguang kindergarteners, but Tan Xuguang muttered that Feng Xing could not beat him at throwing mud.

Jiang Nian watched Gao Wen and Liu Chaoshu grow closer while she considered how to ease Liu Chaoshu’s burdens, but Li Qing interrupted the post-midterm math class by announcing his score. The chapter ended with Li Qing telling Liu Chaoshu he had scored zero.

• Jiang Nian served desserts to Gao Wen, Nie Xuzhi, and Liu Chaoshu at the exhibition.
• Gao Wen urged Liu Chaoshu to rest instead of overworking himself for a scholarship, and the others teased the pair about their feelings.
• Gao Wen fled in embarrassment, while Liu Chaoshu asked Jiang Nian to pack mousse cake for them to share with Gao Wen’s grandma.
• Jiang Nian reflected that Gao Wen and Liu Chaoshu had escaped the original novel’s tragic outcomes and planned to help Liu Chaoshu with a Jiang Family student sponsorship.
• During math class after the midterms, Li Qing told Liu Chaoshu that he had scored zero.

Li Qing accused Liu Chaoshu of cheating after presenting classroom surveillance footage of him viewing files on her computer and copying them to a USB drive. Liu Chaoshu’s classmates defended him, but the chapter ended before he explained what he had taken.

• Li Qing pressured Fu Zhenzhen to act or lose her place in a competition, privately deciding to use her as long as she remained useful.
• Li Qing announced that Liu Chaoshu had received a zero for cheating, prompting Gao Wen and Jiang Nian to question the accusation.
• The Director of Academic Affairs questioned Liu Chaoshu in class, and he denied ever seeing the midterm exam paper.
• Li Qing showed a video of Liu Chaoshu opening files on her computer and copying them to a USB drive, claiming he had stolen exam questions.
• Jiang Nian challenged the video as insufficient proof, while Liu Chaoshu’s deskmate offered a panicked alternative explanation.

Liu Chaoshu revealed that he had downloaded a file called “Gift List” from Li Qing’s computer, but the flash drive he offered contained only the exam paper. Jiang Nian found the real drive hidden in Fu Zhenzhen’s bag, and after 88 removed the damage buff that had corrupted it, Jiang Nian fixed it by smacking the computer, leaving the data restored and the computer cracked.

• Liu Chaoshu told the dean that he had downloaded the “Gift List,” but the flash drive he handed over contained only the midterm exam paper.
• Fu Zhenzhen testified that Liu Chaoshu had printed the exam paper before the test, while Li Qing claimed she had both physical evidence and a witness.
• Jiang Nian had Tong Chuhe search Fu Zhenzhen’s schoolbag and retrieve the real flash drive.
• The dean found that the real flash drive was corrupted, but Jiang Nian asked 88 to remove the damage buff.
• Jiang Nian smacked the computer, restoring the flash drive’s data while cracking the computer.

Jiang Nian and the Director of Academic Affairs exposed Li Qing’s scheme to frame Liu Chaoshu using recovered evidence of bribery and admissions fraud. Li Qing was taken away by the police, while Fu Zhenzhen faced discipline for her false testimony, and Class 2 was assigned a mental health lecture.

• Jiang Nian recovered the data on Li Qing’s flash drive, and Li Qing tried to seize it before the Director of Academic Affairs opened the evidence.
• The Director saw the detailed gift-and-cash list, while Liu Chaoshu recalled how he had found and copied the file after Jiang Nian suspected Li Qing had set him up.
• The Director called the police to handle Li Qing’s case and questioned Fu Zhenzhen about her false claim that Liu Chaoshu had printed exam papers in advance.
• Fu Zhenzhen admitted she had lied and blamed Li Qing, but Li Qing said Fu Zhenzhen had agreed in exchange for a competition spot.
• The Director took Li Qing and Fu Zhenzhen away, then announced a special adolescent mental health lecture for Class 2.

Jiang Nian learned that Fu Zhenzhen only needed to remain alive for the story’s plot to continue, while 88 planned to kill her after it ended. At a class meeting, Class 2 chose a gender-swapped maid café for the Snow-Welcoming Festival, leaving the boys stunned that they would have to wear maid outfits.

• Jiang Nian worried that Fu Zhenzhen’s troublemaking might disrupt the story, and 88 told her Fu Zhenzhen only needed to stay alive until the plot ended.
• Tong Chuhe and Wen Jincheng announced that Class 2 had to choose a themed activity for the Snow-Welcoming Festival.
• Jiang Nian voted for a maid café and encouraged Song Jici to vote for it too.
• Tong Chuhe counted the votes and announced that the maid café had won by a wide margin.
• Tong Chuhe revealed that the class had chosen a gender-swapped maid café, meaning the boys would wear the maid outfits.