Chapter Summaries

Shan Ye called Fan Jin after their chance meeting in Osmanthus City and asked him to meet again. They walked together, and Shan Ye tried to explain his trip with Yu Chuan while teasing Fan Jin about being nervous.

• After returning to the hotel with Yu Chuan, Shan Ye called Fan Jin to ask how his grandmother was doing.
• Shan Ye invited Fan Jin to meet outside his hotel, and Fan Jin agreed.
• Shan Ye met Fan Jin beneath the ginkgo tree and told him he had wanted to see him again.
• Shan Ye bought coffee and hot milk, noticed Fan Jin's unusually warm skin, and teased him about being nervous.
• When Fan Jin reacted coolly to Yu Chuan's jacket, Shan Ye explained that they were traveling together and said their meeting in Osmanthus City felt meant to be.
• Fan Jin nodded as Shan Ye talked about his trip and how much he liked the city.

Shan Ye visited Fan Jin with Yu Chuan and learned from Fan Jin’s grandmother that Fan Jin had become quiet and withdrawn after his mother died. As Grandma urged Fan Jin to marry and bring someone home for New Year, Shan Ye worried that he could never give Fan Jin the family she wanted.

• Fan Jin accepted Shan Ye’s WeChat request, though he admitted to himself that he had not meant to accept it.
• The next morning, Shan Ye and Yu Chuan followed Fan Jin’s address and visited his home, where Fan Jin and Grandma welcomed them.
• Grandma told Shan Ye and Yu Chuan that Fan Jin had barely smiled or talked since his mother died, and said she wanted him to marry so he would not be lonely.
• Shan Ye worried that being a man meant he could not build a family with Fan Jin, while Yu Chuan tried to reassure Grandma that many young people married later or not at all.
• Grandma pressed Fan Jin to marry and bring someone home for New Year, and Fan Jin replied that they would talk about it later.

Shan Ye and Fan Jin spent time with Fan Jin’s grandmother, whose worries about Fan Jin’s future left Shan Ye wondering whether he should let him go. While they prepared lunch together, Fan Jin shared that both his parents had died, and Shan Ye told him that he was the only thing he lacked.

• Fan Jin’s grandmother urged him to find someone to care for him, and Yu Chuan tactfully suggested that a partner did not have to be a woman.
• Fan Jin reassured his grandmother, and Shan Ye and Yu Chuan stayed for lunch after she invited them.
• Shan Ye joined Fan Jin in the kitchen, where Fan Jin complimented the flower-shaped scar on Shan Ye’s wrist.
• Shan Ye asked about Fan Jin’s parents, and Fan Jin revealed that his mother had died when he was eighteen and his father had also passed away.
• Fan Jin said he had nothing and that Shan Ye would not understand, but Shan Ye replied that Fan Jin was the only thing he was missing.

Shan Ye spent time with Fan Jin and Grandma before learning that he and Yu Chuan had to return to Muzhou the next day. Reluctant to leave Fan Jin, Shan Ye asked to see him again, while Fan Jin stayed behind with Grandma for two more weeks.

• Shan Ye praised Fan Jin's cooking and helped him clean up after dinner.
• Yu Chuan told Shan Ye they had to return to Muzhou the next day, and Shan Ye asked to stay longer because he did not want to leave Fan Jin.
• Fan Jin said he would remain with Grandma for two more weeks, while Shan Ye sulked and followed him around the house.
• Shan Ye asked Fan Jin if he could visit him in Muzhou and whether Fan Jin would miss him, but Fan Jin told him to leave.
• Shan Ye and Yu Chuan said goodbye to Grandma and Fan Jin, and Grandma told Fan Jin she liked Shan Ye and was glad he had such a cheerful friend.

Shan Ye arranged to meet Fan Jin before leaving Osmanthus City, using the ring he had deliberately left behind as an excuse. They shared an early breakfast together, and Shan Ye prepared to leave for Muzhou with their relationship still uncertain.

• Shan Ye told Fan Jin that he had left his ring at Fan Jin's place and arranged to collect it before leaving the next morning.
• Fan Jin waited outside Shan Ye's hotel before dawn with the ring carefully sealed in a bag.
• Shan Ye saw Fan Jin from his window, rushed downstairs, and thanked him for bringing the ring.
• Shan Ye and Fan Jin talked and smoked together, and Fan Jin turned cold when Shan Ye mentioned that someone else would probably drive him to Muzhou.
• Fan Jin accepted Shan Ye's invitation to breakfast, and they ate fried dough sticks, soy milk, and soup dumplings together.

Shan Ye hugged Fan Jin before they parted, then returned to Muzhou and realized how intensely he wanted him. The chapter ended with Shan Ye messaging Fan Jin to ask him to be a little nicer.

• Shan Ye asked Fan Jin for a hug, and Fan Jin let him hold him even though he did not hug back.
• Shan Ye teased Fan Jin about being inexperienced and told him to come back to Muzhou soon.
• Shan Ye drove home with Yu Chuan and told his mother he had met Fan Jin's grandmother.
• Shan Ye thought about Fan Jin in the bath and admitted to himself that he liked him deeply.
• At one in the morning, Shan Ye messaged Fan Jin, asking him to be a little nicer to him.

Shan Ye tried to make Fan Jin pursue him by holding back, but Tan Yi'an advised him to play it cool, and Shan Ye followed the advice by delaying his reply. Fan Jin worried that Shan Ye would eventually leave, though he began to wonder if Shan Ye’s feelings were sincere.

• Shan Ye told Fan Jin that he had missed him, then decided to stop initiating messages to make Fan Jin come to him first.
• After Fan Jin’s message went unnoticed, Shan Ye drank with Tan Yi'an, who told him to play it cool rather than immediately respond.
• Fan Jin noticed Shan Ye’s delayed reply and asked why it had taken so long.
• Shan Ye said he had stopped messaging because Fan Jin did not reply, and Fan Jin realized he had deliberately ignored Shan Ye’s earlier message.
• Fan Jin doubted he could offer Shan Ye a happy relationship and feared Shan Ye would leave, but wondered whether Shan Ye’s feelings might be genuine.

Fan Jin decided to stop hiding his feelings from Shan Ye and began replying more warmly, while Shan Ye continued teaching despite falling ill. The chapter left Shan Ye feverish at work as Yu Chuan arranged leave and offered to take him to the hospital.

• Fan Jin recalled his difficult past and admitted to himself that he wanted Shan Ye to stay, then messaged him that he would reply from then on.
• Shan Ye happily asked whether Fan Jin would answer if he said he missed him, and Fan Jin replied, “Okay.”
• Over the following days, Fan Jin and Shan Ye messaged more often, and Fan Jin listened to Shan Ye’s cheerful voice messages.
• Shan Ye woke up with cold symptoms on Friday, took medicine, and went to teach despite feeling increasingly weak.
• Yu Chuan noticed Shan Ye’s fever, arranged leave for him, and brought fever medicine and water before offering to take him to the hospital.

Shan Ye fell ill, and Yu Chuan stayed to care for him until Fan Jin rushed back from Osmanthus City. Fan Jin looked after Shan Ye through the night, and the chapter ended with Shan Ye embarrassed but pleased to have him there.

• Shan Ye refused to go to the hospital, so Yu Chuan took him home, gave him medicine, and stayed to watch over him.
• Yu Chuan answered Fan Jin's call and told him Shan Ye had a fever, prompting Fan Jin to arrange an early return to Muzhou.
• Fan Jin returned to Shan Ye's apartment, checked his fever, and told him Yu Chuan had left.
• Fan Jin cooked noodles for Shan Ye, who realized Fan Jin had changed his clothes while he was feverish.
• Shan Ye put on his pajama bottoms while Fan Jin waited for him to get up and eat.

Fan Jin returned from Osmanthus City to care for Shan Ye, and Shan Ye teased him about his jealousy and concern. After Shan Ye read to him and confessed how happy he was to have him back, Fan Jin admitted that he had fallen for him.

• Shan Ye asked Fan Jin why he had returned, and Fan Jin explained that he had found Shan Ye's address through his takeout orders and called after Shan Ye stopped messaging him.
• Shan Ye guessed that Fan Jin had come back because he was jealous of Yu Chuan and worried about Shan Ye, flustering Fan Jin into washing the dishes.
• Fan Jin warned Shan Ye not to shower while he still had a slight fever, then brought him a jacket and told him to dry his hair.
• Shan Ye read an English passage aloud to Fan Jin and told him he felt relaxed and happy with him.
• Fan Jin admitted he could not stay indifferent to Shan Ye and thought he had fallen for him.

Fan Jin told Shan Ye about his painful past and his fear that he could not offer him a good life, but Shan Ye insisted he would keep loving him. Fan Jin stayed overnight, and the next day Shan Ye’s parents returned and warmly approved of him.

• Fan Jin told Shan Ye about his abusive childhood, his parents’ deaths, and his doubts about being able to love him.
• Shan Ye said he would keep liking Fan Jin and asked him to let Shan Ye love him, while Fan Jin asked for more time.
• Fan Jin gave Shan Ye his medicine and stayed the night in Shan Ye’s bed after Shan Ye asked him not to leave.
• Shan Ye woke to find Fan Jin reading the newspaper, then noticed Fan Jin had used an extra toothbrush.
• Shan Ye and Fan Jin cooked together until Shan Ye’s parents returned home and found them in the kitchen.
• Mother Shan asked Shan Ye whether he and Fan Jin were together, and she said she approved of the man he had chosen.

Shan Ye brought Fan Jin home to meet his parents, who welcomed him warmly and learned about his military service and coffee shop. Fan Jin returned to Osmanthus City the next morning to visit his grandmother, while Shan Ye and Zhang Nan discussed Shan Ye’s feelings for him.

• Shan Ye told Fan Jin that his parents knew he liked him, then introduced Fan Jin to them over tea.
• Shan Ye’s parents chatted with Fan Jin, and his father praised Fan Jin’s military service and knowledge of coffee.
• Fan Jin told Shan Ye he would return to Osmanthus City the next morning, and they shared a tight embrace before parting.
• Fan Jin visited his coffee shop and told Zhang Nan he would soon return to Osmanthus City for his grandmother.
• Shan Ye told Zhang Nan that he and Fan Jin were not together yet but that he liked him, and Zhang Nan said he had noticed long ago.

Fan Jin admitted to his grandmother that he liked Shan Ye, and she accepted him choosing Shan Ye as his partner. When Shan Ye left on a three-day work trip with Yu Chuan, Fan Jin's jealousy showed, though the chapter ended with him telling Shan Ye he missed him too.

• Zhang Nan told Shan Ye that Fan Jin had once scolded a friend for breaking Shan Ye's roses.
• Fan Jin asked his grandmother what she thought of Shan Ye as his partner and confessed that Shan Ye was the only person he could imagine sharing his life with.
• Fan Jin's grandmother accepted Shan Ye and asked Fan Jin to bring him for a visit.
• Shan Ye told Fan Jin he was leaving for a three-day exchange visit with Yu Chuan, and Fan Jin grew quiet and displeased.
• Shan Ye realized Fan Jin was jealous of Yu Chuan and messaged that he would call when he arrived.
• Fan Jin admitted to himself that he liked Shan Ye, asked when his flight was, and texted that he missed him too.

Shan Ye attended an exchange conference with Yu Chuan, impressed fellow educators, and exchanged WeChat details with Chen Ting, while Fan Jin waited for his calls and showed his jealousy. On the night before Shan Ye's return, Shan Ye called Fan Jin from his hotel, feeling a growing heat as they spoke.

• Fan Jin waited anxiously for Shan Ye's flight to land, then told him to get a room to himself when he heard Yu Chuan nearby.
• Shan Ye attended the conference opening and group discussions, messaging Fan Jin when he grew bored during the speeches.
• At the main forum and workshop, Shan Ye took notes, earned praise for his translation paper, and gave a presentation in fluent English.
• Chen Ting approached Shan Ye after the workshop, added him on WeChat, and walked out with him while Yu Chuan teased him about attracting her attention.
• After showering at the hotel, Shan Ye felt increasingly hot and called Fan Jin, telling him he would see him every day once he returned.

Shan Ye spent a restless night thinking about Fan Jin, then hurried to meet him when Fan Jin surprised him at Muzhou Airport. Fan Jin drove Shan Ye away with his luggage and gave him his jacket against the cold.

• Shan Ye flirted with Fan Jin over the phone, admitted he liked his voice, and asked whether Fan Jin had missed him; Fan Jin said yes.
• Shan Ye boarded a flight to Muzhou with Yu Chuan and messaged Fan Jin that he would arrive in three hours.
• After landing, Shan Ye saw Fan Jin's photo of the airport arrivals hall and rushed out, leaving Yu Chuan to collect his luggage.
• Shan Ye found Fan Jin waiting at the arrivals exit, then went back to meet Yu Chuan and retrieve his suitcase.
• Fan Jin took Shan Ye's suitcase, and when Shan Ye shivered in the cold outside, Fan Jin placed his jacket over Shan Ye's shoulders.

Fan Jin picked Shan Ye up from the airport and kept their relationship undefined, while Shan Ye got drunk at a work dinner and Fan Jin brought him home. Yu Chuan challenged Fan Jin to let him pursue Shan Ye, and Fan Jin insisted that Shan Ye’s choice was not Yu Chuan’s concern.

• Fan Jin picked Shan Ye up at the airport, gave him his jacket, and drove him home without coming inside.
• Shan Ye attended a dinner with his colleagues, drank too much, and messaged Fan Jin that he would finish around nine.
• Fan Jin arrived early and took the drunken Shan Ye from Yu Chuan, who offered to pursue Shan Ye if Fan Jin did not truly like him.
• Fan Jin told Yu Chuan that Shan Ye’s choice of whom to be with was not something he needed to explain, then drove Shan Ye to Spring Breeze Alley.
• As Fan Jin unfastened Shan Ye’s seat belt, Shan Ye woke and brushed his lips against Fan Jin’s cheek.

Fan Jin and Shan Ye admitted their feelings and became boyfriends after sharing their first kiss. They ended the night cuddling in bed, with Fan Jin trying to resist Shan Ye’s teasing.

• Fan Jin brought the drunk Shan Ye home, helped him upstairs, and gave him clean clothes after he showered.
• Shan Ye asked Fan Jin whether he had kissed anyone, and Fan Jin kissed him for the first time.
• Fan Jin told Shan Ye that Yu Chuan wanted to pursue him, then admitted he could not give Yu Chuan a chance.
• Fan Jin asked Shan Ye to be his boyfriend, and Shan Ye happily accepted.
• Shan Ye cuddled and teased Fan Jin in bed, but stopped when Fan Jin warned he would sleep outside.

Shan Ye spent his first day as Fan Jin’s boyfriend visiting him at the café, buying groceries, and joining him at home to make dinner. As Fan Jin unpacked the shopping bags, he found a blue box of ultra-thin condoms.

• Shan Ye woke to Fan Jin’s note and enjoyed the congee Fan Jin had prepared for him.
• Shan Ye visited Fan Jin at the café, where he teased him by message and asked to have dinner together.
• Shan Ye bought a large assortment of groceries and brought them to Fan Jin’s apartment.
• Shan Ye asked whether Fan Jin’s request for him to be his boyfriend still counted, and Fan Jin confirmed it before kissing him.
• Fan Jin found a box of ultra-thin condoms among Shan Ye’s groceries.

Shan Ye worried Fan Jin would be angry after finding the box he had bought, but Fan Jin treated him kindly and agreed to let him stay the night. As they lay in bed together, Shan Ye admitted that his heart was pounding and he could not sleep.

• Fan Jin found the box Shan Ye had bought, and Shan Ye nervously tried to explain that he had not bought it for them to use soon.
• Shan Ye hid the box under his pillow, then relaxed when Fan Jin acted normally through dinner.
• Fan Jin gave Shan Ye a dry shirt after he got wet washing the dishes.
• Shan Ye asked to stay the night, and Fan Jin agreed despite Shan Ye's initial worry that he would be refused.
• Shan Ye showered and climbed into bed beside Fan Jin, then confessed that he could not sleep because his heart kept pounding.

Shan Ye and Fan Jin shared an intimate night but chose to take their relationship slowly. As Shan Ye spent more time at Fan Jin’s home, he gained a key and began making himself at home there.

• Shan Ye asked to kiss Fan Jin, and Fan Jin deepened their kiss as they grew increasingly intimate.
• Shan Ye suggested going further, but Fan Jin paused, and they agreed not to rush into sex.
• Fan Jin gradually made room for Shan Ye at his home, adding his belongings and clearing half the wardrobe for his clothes.
• Mother Shan teased Shan Ye about visiting Fan Jin and encouraged him to stay longer.
• Shan Ye arrived at Fan Jin’s home with his key and showed it off to Tan Yi'an, who complained about Shan Ye flaunting their relationship.