Chapter Summaries

Song Ning decided to take the college entrance exam that year, but learned she might have to return to Hunan Province to register. After arriving in Rong City, she heard that Lu Changqing had spoken to reporters on her behalf and learned he had received only a verbal warning for his actions during disaster relief.

• Song Ning asked Gu Zheng to find her textbooks so she could prepare for the entrance exam, and a fellow passenger explained that candidates had to register where their household registration was held.
• Song Ning borrowed the passenger's textbook and began studying, then exchanged contact information with him when they arrived in Rong City.
• A young soldier told Song Ning that Lu Changqing had given reporters an interview on her behalf about her disaster-relief rescue.
• Song Ning asked Gu Zheng to let her stay at the Military District Guesthouse because she might need to return to Hunan Province to register for the exam.
• Gu Zheng said Song Ning could transfer her household registration to Rong City if she and Lu Changqing obtained a marriage certificate, and he told her Lu Changqing had received only a verbal warning.

Song Ning told Lu Changqing she wanted to end their engagement, explaining the hardships she had endured and refusing to marry him even though she would help him where she could. Lu Changqing asked for five more minutes and began recounting how he had changed after accepting his mission, including how he secured a place on a training trip to Capital City.

• Song Ning visited Lu Changqing in the hospital and wheeled him to a quiet grove to discuss his case and their engagement.
• Song Ning told Lu Changqing she had escaped a forced marriage, survived trafficking and illness, and decided to end their engagement peacefully.
• Lu Changqing asked Song Ning to consider marrying him, but she firmly refused and said she was independent and had her own plans.
• When Lu Changqing asked whether Song Ning liked someone else, she said she wanted to put their engagement behind her and focus on her own affairs.
• Lu Changqing asked for five more minutes and described his difficult upbringing, his mission, and how he had reported a rule-breaking comrade to gain a place on the Capital City training trip.

Song Ning rejected Lu Changqing’s request to remain engaged but agreed to help him pursue his mission after learning that Blue Tears was linked to mysterious Unit 331. After Song Ning returned the engagement token and asked for her grandfather’s fountain pen back, Gu Zheng briefed Commander Jiang on a new discovery.

• Lu Changqing revealed that he had pursued promotions to advance his mission and asked Song Ning to stay his fiancée so her influence could help him.
• Lu Changqing told Song Ning that Blue Tears had appeared in Unit 331 and that the Military District would hold a selection for the unit later that year.
• Song Ning recognized Unit 331 from her grandfather’s case files and agreed to help Lu Changqing, while firmly canceling their engagement and returning his portrait badge.
• Lu Changqing promised to return Song Ning’s grandfather’s fountain pen, and Song Ning took him back to his ward.
• Gu Zheng met with Commander Jiang and reported that he had made a new discovery.

Song Ning treated Elder Zhou and arranged his care before returning to Hunan Province to prepare for the college entrance exam. She learned that Gu Zheng had assigned a soldier to protect her, and Gu Zheng asked whether she had bought her train ticket.

• Song Ning noticed a skilled young man following her to the Military District Guesthouse and suspected he was there to protect her.
• Song Ning examined Elder Zhou, adjusted his prescriptions, and told him and Professor Yang that she planned to take the college entrance exam.
• Professor Yang advised Song Ning to consider the First or Third Military Medical University, and she said she wanted to attend a military medical university.
• Song Ning found Gu Zheng waiting for her at the hospital and gave him acupuncture in Room 208.
• Gu Zheng introduced Yang Qi, the soldier who had followed Song Ning, and said the unresolved case meant she needed protection.
• Gu Zheng declined Song Ning's offer of a prescription and asked whether she had bought her train ticket to Hunan Province.

Song Ning prepared to return to Hunan Province and retrieved Grandpa Song’s fountain pen from Lu Changqing. At the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, a salesclerk named Du Mei accused her of stealing a fountain pen, and the chapter ended as Song Ning noticed Du Mei repeatedly glancing toward one spot during the search.

• Song Ning told Lu Changqing she was leaving for Hunan Province and got Grandpa Song’s fountain pen back.
• Song Ning bought stationery and two fountain pens at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
• Du Mei accused Song Ning of stealing a third fountain pen, and Song Ning asked Yang Qi to call the police.
• The public security officers searched Song Ning and the shop but did not find the missing pen.
• Song Ning noticed Du Mei furtively looking toward the same spot and stopped a tall salesclerk with a broom.

Song Ning exposed Du Mei for framing a salesclerk and learned why Du Mei resented Lu Changqing. She began her journey home to Zhucheng with Gu Zheng, who surprised her by accompanying her for protection, and a new passenger arrived in their sleeper compartment.

• Song Ning found the stolen fountain pen in a young woman’s pocket and learned that Du Mei had borrowed the woman’s ink pad, revealing that Du Mei had planted the pen.
• Song Ning refused mediation, asked the police to punish Du Mei, and learned from Yang Qi that Du Mei might be related to Du Zhiguo, whom Lu Changqing had reported.
• Song Ning packed for her trip to Zhucheng and worried about making registration by June 1 after a three-day journey with multiple transfers.
• Gu Zheng accompanied Song Ning onto the train and revealed that he would travel with her to keep her safe until the case was solved.
• A young woman named Chunmei entered Song Ning and Gu Zheng’s sleeper compartment after her companion left.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng helped a grandmother find her wandering grandson, then Song Ning studied mathematics with Teacher Fang during the train ride. The chapter ended when someone screamed that a passenger had died.

• Song Ning rescued a toddler near the dangerous Boiler Room, and she and Gu Zheng found his grandmother in another carriage.
• The grateful grandmother gave Song Ning and Gu Zheng two cans of Coca-Cola, and Gu Zheng gave his can to Song Ning.
• Song Ning reviewed her mathematics textbook and asked Gu Zheng and Teacher Fang about the entrance examination; Teacher Fang began tutoring her.
• Chunmei accepted a can of cola, then left the compartment while Song Ning studied with Teacher Fang.
• About twenty minutes later, Gu Zheng opened the compartment door after hearing a scream that someone had died inside.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng investigated Chunmei’s death aboard the train and determined that she had likely been poisoned by a left-handed killer. At the next station, Chunmei’s husband went with the police while officers tried to catch the killer, whose identity remained unknown.

• After Chunmei was found dead, Song Ning and Teacher Fang answered the railway police’s questions and identified her traveling companion as a possible source of information.
• Song Ning examined Chunmei’s body and concluded that cyanide poisoning, a needle puncture, and the wound’s position indicated a taller, left-handed killer.
• Song Ning noticed that Chunmei still clutched an unopened Coca-Cola, and Gu Zheng warned that the killer might escape at the next station.
• Train attendants brought Chunmei’s husband to identify her, and he collapsed in grief when he saw her body.
• The police learned that Chunmei had married the factory worker two months earlier and found no obvious motive among their family relationships or recent grudges.
• At the station, local police took Chunmei’s body and case statements, while officers waited at the exit in hopes of intercepting the killer.

Song Ning concluded that Chunmei had been killed by mistake while the assassin was targeting her, and she and Gu Zheng agreed to search the train for the killer. The chapter ended with Song Ning leaving their compartment to fetch hot water, despite the danger that the killer might still be aboard.

• Song Ning explained to Gu Zheng how the killer may have mistaken Chunmei for her and poisoned her from behind.
• Gu Zheng reflected on Song Ning’s unusual skills and questioned her connection to K and the motive behind the attempted killing.
• Song Ning reasoned that the killer must still be on the train and proposed finding him before it reached Yu City.
• Song Ning said she wanted to catch the killer to avenge Chunmei, and Gu Zheng agreed to help while warning her of the danger.
• Song Ning and Gu Zheng made a plan, returned to their compartment, and Song Ning later went into the corridor to fetch hot water.

Song Ning tried to draw the killer out by walking through the hard-seat carriages while Gu Zheng was distracted at dinner. In a washroom, a tall, unshaven man approached her suspiciously, and she prepared to strike if he came closer.

• Song Ning argued that the killer might be hiding in the hard-seat carriages, but Gu Zheng insisted on staying close and suggested they eat first.
• At the dining car, the conductor and train police chief kept Gu Zheng talking while Song Ning slipped away alone.
• Song Ning searched all six hard-seat carriages, then waited in the washroom at the front of carriage one with a silver needle concealed in her hand.
• A middle-aged woman and her granddaughter entered, but Song Ning decided they were not the killer.
• A tall, unshaven man lingered at the washbasin, moved close to Song Ning, and asked whether she was traveling alone and where she was headed.

Song Ning searched the train for the killer but found no suspicious evidence on a man who had tried to approach her, while Gu Zheng dealt with him. As they ate in the dining car, Song Ning detected something unusual in the soup and knocked Gu Zheng’s spoon away just as he was about to eat.

• A woman dragged a harassing man out of the washroom, and Song Ning returned toward the dining car after finding nothing unusual.
• A glasses-wearing man stopped Song Ning and followed her into the passage, where she subdued him and searched his clothes for poison or other evidence.
• Gu Zheng punched the man for attempting to molest Song Ning, then warned him that he could hand him over to the police.
• Song Ning and Gu Zheng ate in the dining car and considered that the killer might have left the train, though they expected further danger.
• Song Ning smelled something unusual in the tomato and egg soup and knocked the spoon from Gu Zheng’s hand before he could eat.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng caught He Kui, who had murdered Chunmei and planned to poison Gu Zheng, before Gu Zheng got off the train to handle the case. Song Ning continued studying with Teacher Fang, then noticed a familiar person arguing with railway staff at a later station.

• Song Ning recognized the chef who had killed Chunmei, and she and Gu Zheng restrained He Kui and found syringes and poisoned liquid in the kitchen.
• Gu Zheng explained that He Kui was seeking revenge for his brother, then got off the train with He Kui and the evidence while Song Ning continued to Yu City.
• Song Ning warned the conductor that the soup contained cyanide and explained how its smell and the killer's build led her to suspect the chef.
• Song Ning returned to Teacher Fang, told him the killer had been caught, and continued their mathematics lesson.
• At a later station, Song Ning and Teacher Fang prepared to board after stretching their legs, and Song Ning noticed a familiar person arguing with an attendant.

Song Ning recognized Jiang Chengshi and paid his fare so he could board the train with her. When she claimed she knew him through Professor Qi Shiyuan, Jiang Chengshi was touched but questioned how she could have seen his photo.

• Song Ning saw Jiang Chengshi pleading with the conductor to let him board and offered to pay his fare.
• The conductor issued Jiang Chengshi a hard-seat ticket, and Song Ning invited him to use Gu Zheng's empty berth in her compartment.
• Song Ning introduced Jiang Chengshi to Teacher Fang, and Jiang Chengshi was surprised that she knew his name.
• Song Ning said she had seen Jiang Chengshi's photo and knew about him from Professor Qi Shiyuan.
• Jiang Chengshi said he had left school before graduation and never appeared in a graduation photo, leaving Song Ning struggling to explain how Professor Qi could have photographed him.

Song Ning persuaded Jiang Chengshi that she was a student of Qi Rui, then asked him to help with her physics and chemistry preparation for the National College Entrance Examination. After Jiang Chengshi shared a detailed revision list, he was astonished when Song Ning knew he disliked mandarin oranges.

• Song Ning soothed Jiang Chengshi's suspicions by telling him stories about his namesake and the tale of Ye Xian.
• Jiang Chengshi became emotional hearing that Qi Rui had shared a story Jiang Chengshi once told him, and promised to help Song Ning with anything she needed.
• Song Ning asked Jiang Chengshi to help her prepare for physics and chemistry, and he organized the key topics for both subjects in forty minutes.
• Teacher Fang explained that Jiang Chengshi's predicted score above eighty in each subject would be excellent, boosting Song Ning's confidence.
• Song Ning served pastries and canned fruit, then chose pear preserves for Jiang Chengshi because he disliked mandarin oranges, leaving him surprised that she knew.

Song Ning traveled from Yu City toward Zhu City for the National College Entrance Examination, helping an elderly passenger who collapsed on the train. She was stunned when Zheng Zhenguo described glowing coastal plankton as “Blue Tears,” a name she had already encountered twice since arriving in this era.

• Song Ning persuaded Jiang Chengshi to count himself among her teachers, received mathematics study materials from Teacher Fang, and gave Jiang money before parting with him in Yu City.
• Song Ning met Gu Zheng the next morning, and they traveled by train through Gui City toward Zhu City.
• Song Ning read and studied during the journey until the elderly woman sharing their compartment fell unconscious.
• Song Ning revived the elderly woman with acupuncture, declined her son Zheng Zhenguo’s offer of a consultation fee, and briefly spoke with him.
• Zheng Zhenguo described glowing plankton along the eastern coast as “Blue Tears,” leaving Song Ning stunned.

Song Ning questioned Zheng Zhenguo about “Blue Tears” and asked Gu Zheng to investigate him, while keeping Lu Changqing’s mission secret. After reaching Zhu City, she thanked Gu Zheng for escorting her and asked whether his case involved a serious threat to her.

• Song Ning pressed Zheng Zhenguo about where he had seen “Blue Tears,” but he only said it was in a small fishing village and did not reveal its location.
• Song Ning treated Zheng Zhenguo’s mother and gave him her prescription, prompting him to leave his address so she could contact him.
• After they reached Zhu City, Song Ning gave Gu Zheng Zheng Zhenguo’s address and asked him to investigate the man’s background.
• Gu Zheng agreed to investigate Zheng Zhenguo but felt uneasy about Song Ning wanting to befriend him.
• The next morning, Song Ning told Gu Zheng he could return home, then asked whether his case was serious or someone had targeted her.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng were caught in a car crash on their way to Yanling County, and Song Ning suspected it was an attempt on her life. The evidence pointed to an ordinary accident, but Song Ning called Gu Zheng her “cousin” when he came to find her, leaving him baffled.

• Gu Zheng and Song Ning headed to the bus stop, where a car driven against traffic crashed toward them; Gu Zheng pulled Song Ning to safety and restrained the driver, Li Qiaoling.
• A traffic officer investigated the crash, and Song Ning went to the hospital with the injured people to learn more about the driver and her companions.
• Song Ning questioned Li Qiaoling and checked her pulse, finding her too weak and cooperative to seem like an assassin; Li Qiaoling asked whether Gu Zheng was Song Ning’s relative.
• Song Ning told Li Qiaoling that Gu Zheng was her distant cousin, and Li Qiaoling happily offered to look after her.
• Gu Zheng learned that Li Qiaoling’s family and car had legitimate backgrounds and that she had followed the rules for driving with a learner’s permit.
• When Gu Zheng came to find her, Song Ning called him “Cousin,” surprising him.

After the accident, Song Ning and Gu Zheng grew suspicious of Li Qiaoling and her brother’s insistence on helping them, but accepted a ride to Yanling County to test their intentions. On the remote road, armed men stopped their jeep, and Song Ning hid with Li Qiaoling to see what would happen.

• Song Ning and Gu Zheng compared what they had learned about the accident, and Song Ning told Gu Zheng she had called him her cousin to reassure Li Qiaoling.
• Li Qiaoling insisted on paying Song Ning compensation, then offered to have her brother Li Zekun drive Song Ning and Gu Zheng to Yanling County.
• Li Zekun brought a jeep borrowed from his father’s factory, and Li Qiaoling rode along while probing for information about Gu Zheng.
• After two hours on the road, Song Ning asked Li Zekun to stop near a parked truck and went down into a dry riverbed with Li Qiaoling.
• Song Ning saw armed men emerge from the truck and block the jeep, then pulled Li Qiaoling into cover and told her to wait and watch.

Song Ning and Gu Zheng escaped a guesthouse fire after changing rooms, but Li Qiaoling and Li Zekun died in the blaze. With Gu Zheng occupied at the county bureau, Song Ning went to Luyuan Town to obtain household registration proof and approached a police officer for help.

• Li Zekun paid road bullies to move their truck, and Gu Zheng drove Song Ning and Li Qiaoling away from the suspicious encounter.
• The group stayed at the Textile Factory guesthouse, where Song Ning and Gu Zheng moved from rooms beside the electrical room to the rear building.
• A fire engulfed the guesthouse's front building, and Gu Zheng found that Li Qiaoling and Li Zekun had died in their rooms.
• Gu Zheng told Song Ning he had to stay in contact with Mike's side, while Song Ning planned to register for the college entrance examination on her own.
• Song Ning traveled to Luyuan Town to seek household registration proof and asked a young police officer for help.

Song Ning tried to obtain a marriage certificate but learned Mayor Yao had borrowed her household registration file and it was now marked lost. After hearing the mayor was away for several days, she changed course and headed toward the eastern end of town.

• Song Ning persuaded a young public security officer to go to the town government and help her get a certificate.
• The officer returned and told Song Ning that her household registration file was missing, and the mayor had borrowed it.
• The officer warned Song Ning that Mayor Yao resented her for fleeing his younger brother’s arranged marriage and that replacing her records could take a long time.
• Song Ning asked whether she could report the arranged marriage, but the officer said the mayor had followed the formal procedures and a complaint was unlikely to help.
• The officer told Song Ning that Mayor Yao and the station chief were away at a county meeting for several days, and Song Ning headed toward the eastern end of town.