Chapter Summaries

Wang Sanhe and Du Le teased Jin Ling'er after her disastrous date with an older man who drove a Mercedes-Benz. They talked her out of her anger, and she ended the call considering giving someone who drove a BMW a chance.

• Jin Ling'er called Wang Sanhe to ask about a date Cai Wen had arranged, and Wang Sanhe advised her to go without getting her hopes up.
• Jin Ling'er called again soon afterward, furious that her date had been an older man who arrived in a car she described as having three little sticks inside a circle.
• Wang Sanhe realized the car was a Mercedes-Benz and joked that Jin Ling'er had been warned not to expect much.
• Du Le and Sun Qirui tried to calm Jin Ling'er, and Sun Qirui pointed out that she had at least learned the car brand.
• Jin Ling'er was persuaded to consider dating someone who drove a BMW next time.

Li Guang arrived in Singapore and began work for Mr. Cai, who thanked Sanhe for his help and gave him a red envelope. Sanhe realized the 2008 global financial crisis made starting a company the wrong move for now, but he received two job offers that could help him secure a work visa and eventually permanent residency.

• Li Guang received his visa, arrived in Singapore, and Sanhe helped him settle near his company.
• Mr. Cai praised Li Guang, arranged his work permit card, and thanked Sanhe with a red envelope for his help.
• Sanhe realized that the subprime mortgage crisis and ensuing global economic downturn explained why the timing was wrong for starting a company.
• Sanhe submitted résumés through JOBDB and JOBSTREET and received offers for a purchasing executive job and an agency consultant position.
• Sanhe considered that changing to a work visa could help him apply for permanent residency before starting a company in the future.

After finding a purchasing job, the narrator celebrated with Naja by teaching him to swim at an outdoor pool in Farrer Park. Naja confessed his love, but the narrator rejected him, leaving their friendship in doubt.

• The narrator told Naja he had found a purchasing job, and Naja invited him to swim and barbecue at his brother’s apartment in Farrer Park.
• The narrator taught Naja to float by having him hold his breath and lie facedown in the water.
• Naja learned to float and stand upright, then practiced swimming on his own.
• Naja told the narrator he loved him and praised his intelligence and confidence.
• The narrator said he was an ordinary man who liked girls, then discouraged Naja from hoping for a relationship.
• Naja asked whether they could still be friends, and the narrator’s response ended their friendship.

Sanhe met landlord Chen Wenjie, who asked him to investigate why Chen’s sixteen-year-old daughter became sick whenever she left home. They arranged to meet the next morning, and Chen took Sanhe to try a Singaporean breakfast before visiting his daughter.

• Chen Wenjie introduced himself to Sanhe and asked for his help with his daughter’s unexplained vomiting whenever she left the house.
• Sanhe agreed to visit the next morning, after Chen mentioned that a psychologist would be giving his daughter tests.
• Chen met Sanhe early the next day and took him to Ya Kun for breakfast.
• Chen showed Sanhe how to eat soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce, and Sanhe enjoyed them with the toast.
• Sanhe admitted he could barely distinguish coffee beyond its sweetness, and Chen laughed at his bluntness.

The narrator visited President Chen’s home to investigate why Gula had become withdrawn and irritable. After finding no obvious problem in the house, the narrator spoke with Gula alone and tried to gain her trust, but she remained guarded.

• The narrator and President Chen arrived while a counselor questioned Gula, who snapped at him and left the living room.
• The narrator looked around the house with President Chen and found no major problems.
• President Chen introduced the narrator to Mrs. Chen and led the narrator upstairs to inspect the bedrooms.
• The narrator asked to speak with Gula alone and told her they could see things other people could not.
• Gula questioned the narrator about seeing ghosts, then turned away to read when the narrator asked to stay a little longer.

The narrator learned that Gula avoided going outside because she was repulsed by the thought of breathing air that had passed through other people. After making her nauseous with an even worse possibility, the narrator explained that everyone had some degree of mental illness, leaving Gula reassured that she was not alone.

• The narrator asked Gula why she refused to go outside, and she said she found it disgusting to imagine breathing air that had come from strangers' mouths.
• The narrator suggested the air could have come from a stranger's rear end, and Gula ran to the bathroom to vomit.
• The narrator laughed as Gula continued vomiting, while President Chen hesitated at the stairs with a plate of fruit and then went back downstairs.
• Gula returned to her chair, and the narrator told her she was thinking too much and explained that everyone had some mental issues because they could not fully control their thoughts.
• Gula laughed and said the explanation made sense, glad she was not the odd one out.

The narrator tried to help Gula overcome her aversion to the outside world by taking her for a short walk and guiding her to focus on colors or shapes. The chapter ended with the narrator practicing the Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art and reflecting on how attention was tied to vitality and money.

• Gula asked whether the narrator could cure her, then agreed to try a ten-minute stroll.
• Gula explained that she could not eat with others because their saliva contaminated shared food.
• The narrator and Gula went outside while President Chen and Mrs. Chen watched hopefully.
• Gula challenged the narrator to explain his treatment, and he told her to focus on colors or shapes as she walked.
• The narrator practiced the Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art and considered how attention shaped vitality and spending.

Sanhe helped Gula feel better by taking her outside and guiding her to focus on the real world around her. Gula grudgingly accepted his help and demanded that he keep visiting, while Mrs. Chen asked what had caused her condition.

• Sanhe followed Gula on a slow walk, and she became calmer as she took in the sunshine and scenery.
• Back at the house, Gula admitted that the walk had helped, though she praised Sanhe reluctantly.
• Sanhe told Gula to practice connecting with her surroundings and offered to guide her for a few more days.
• Gula insisted that Sanhe keep coming until she was completely better, then retreated to her bedroom.
• Sanhe advised Gula to open her curtains and air out her room, and Mrs. Chen asked whether the house's feng shui had caused Gula's condition.

The narrator explained to President Chen and Mrs. Chen that Gula’s clever, overactive mind and withdrawn habits had diminished her yang, but that she wanted to recover and needed encouragement rather than charms or feng shui objects. He advised helping her find peace through positive emotions and curiosity, leaving President Chen impressed by the explanation.

• The narrator reassured Mrs. Chen that the home’s feng shui was not seriously wrong and said Gula’s cleverness contributed to her overthinking.
• President Chen described Gula as mischievous when young, withdrawn in recent years, and able to remember things after seeing them once.
• The narrator explained that Gula’s thoughts and habit of staying in her darkened room had upset her yin-yang balance, but said she needed only a small nudge because she wanted to get better.
• The narrator argued that trying not to think used the brain to control itself, while using the heart and spirit could reduce reliance on the brain.
• The narrator pointed to babies’ happy, curious learning as an example and said positive emotions and a love of learning were important to mental health.
• President Chen praised the narrator’s explanation, and the narrator complimented President Chen’s fluent Chinese before President Chen joked that Gula had inherited her brains from him.

The narrator taught Gula how balancing yin and yang through action and engaging with the outside world could lift her spirits. After seeing her cheerful recovery, Gula asked to learn the complete Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art and proposed becoming the narrator’s disciple—or even marrying him, leaving him scrambling for an excuse.

• The narrator explained yin and yang to Gula, and she recognized that she had been thinking too much and acting too little.
• Gula began initiating conversations and practicing the narrator’s advice.
• On their third day together, Gula led a walk while happily chatting with flowers and greeting the trees, delighting President Chen and bringing Mrs. Chen to tears.
• Gula asked about the complete Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art, and the narrator explained its six senses and inner cultivation method.
• Gula insisted on learning the full art and offered to become the narrator’s disciple or marry him, so the narrator claimed they were different species.