Chapter Summaries

Yuan Su and Pu Yu traveled to Nanhua City to search its secondhand market for a rare copper gear. After they found and bought it, Yuan Su spotted a man bumping into Pu Yu and sprinted after him.

• Li Suhua agreed to let Yuan Su and Pu Yu search for parts together and gave Yuan Su money for Pu Yu's travel and meals.
• Yuan Su and Pu Yu rode the bus to Nanhua City, sharing breakfast and listening to music along the way.
• Yuan Su led Pu Yu through the secondhand market, buying parts and asking stallholders about an old copper gear.
• Yuan Su found the worn brass gear in the west section and bargained the stallholder down to fifteen yuan.
• A man in a gray jacket bumped into Pu Yu, and Yuan Su handed her the gear before dashing into the crowd after him.

After Yuan Su left Pu Yu alone at a market stall, Chen Jun and his thugs abducted her and dragged her into an alley. Yuan Su found and rescued her, and the chapter ended with Pu Yu clinging to him in fear and asking why he had left her alone.

• Pu Yu waited at the stall while Yuan Su went to get something, and Chen Jun recognized her and ordered his thugs to drag her away.
• The vendor stayed silent as Chen Jun's thugs pulled Pu Yu into a dead-end alley.
• Yuan Su returned, learned from the vendor that Chen Jun had taken Pu Yu, and rushed toward the alley with an iron pipe.
• Pu Yu struck Chen Jun with a brass gear, but Chen Jun overpowered her and began pulling open her jacket.
• Yuan Su struck Chen Jun with the pipe, beat the thugs, and led Pu Yu to an apartment stairwell.
• Pu Yu threw herself into Yuan Su's arms, sobbing that she had been scared he had left her.

After Yuan Su recovered Pu Yu’s purse, she clung to him in relief and explained that the red cord inside was the last keepsake her mother had left her. Because Pu Yu’s injuries would worry her grandmother, Yuan Su took her to stay overnight at an inn, where they discovered their birthdays fell on the last and first days of the same year.

• Yuan Su returned Pu Yu’s purse and comforted her as she cried over recovering her mother’s red-cord keepsake.
• Yuan Su noticed the marks on Pu Yu’s face and neck and decided they should stay near the station overnight before returning the next morning.
• Yuan Su and Pu Yu found an inn, but only a single room was available, so Yuan Su registered it under his own ID and said he was her brother.
• Pu Yu noticed that her birthday was December thirty-first and Yuan Su’s was January first, and she reflected that he had recovered what she had lost.

Yuan Su returned with food and ointment, treated Pu Yu’s injuries, and promised he would not lie to her. When noisy fighting in the hallway frightened Pu Yu, Yuan Su decided to stay in the room and sleep on the floor while she took the bed.

• Pu Yu waited anxiously for Yuan Su and pointed out that he had returned twelve minutes after promising to be gone for ten.
• Yuan Su brought back meals and ointment, treated Pu Yu’s face, and told her he would not lie to her.
• Yuan Su and Pu Yu ate together, then Yuan Su said he would spend the night at an internet café.
• Hallway noise frightened Pu Yu, who grabbed Yuan Su’s shirt and asked not to be left alone.
• Yuan Su moved the bed against the wall, told Pu Yu to sleep on it, and made space to sleep on the floor.

Pu Yu and Yuan Su spent the night together after Yuan Su protected her from Chen Jun and his men. Pu Yu explained why she had fled to live with her grandmother, and Yuan Su comforted her as she struggled with fear.

• Yuan Su arranged a mat and quilt on the floor and stayed in Pu Yu’s room when she admitted she was afraid to be alone.
• Pu Yu told Yuan Su that Chen Jun’s family had wanted her to marry him for business, and that she had fled after refusing and calling the police.
• Pu Yu explained that her mother had died in a workplace accident, while Yuan Su regretted not hurting Chen Jun more and said he should not have left Pu Yu alone.
• When Pu Yu became frightened by the men downstairs, Yuan Su offered her his hand, and she first clutched his sleeve before falling asleep holding his hand.

Yuan Su and Pu Yu left the city after he cared for her injuries and asked her to conceal why they had stayed an extra day. On the bus back to Whitebank Town, Pu Yu leaned on his shoulder, and Yuan Su let her stay there as their closeness deepened.

• Yuan Su woke beside Pu Yu, gently released her hand, and told her to wait while he bought breakfast.
• Yuan Su returned on time, applied ointment to Pu Yu’s face, and asked her to tell Granny Li they had stayed an extra day because he needed to buy something.
• Yuan Su and Pu Yu boarded the earliest bus back to Whitebank Town, and Pu Yu fell asleep against his shoulder.
• When Pu Yu tried to sit upright after Yuan Su teased her for taking liberties, he caught her arm and pulled her back onto his shoulder.
• Pu Yu softly repeated Yuan Su’s name, and he relaxed his shoulder so she could rest more comfortably.

Pu Yu tried to ease Li Suhua’s financial burden by writing for publication, while Yuan Su grew jealous of her connection with Song Jinnian. After Pu Yu reassured him, Yuan Su offered to help her with any problems, not just physics.

• Yuan Su repaired Li Suhua’s sewing machine, and Pu Yu decided to look for ways to earn money to help her grandmother.
• Xu Suiran showed Pu Yu a magazine’s submission notice, so Pu Yu called the editorial office and began writing stories and essays.
• Cheng Siyi praised Pu Yu’s writing and offered to recommend it to other publications.
• Song Jinnian brought Pu Yu a collection of high-scoring essays, prompting Yuan Su to ask whether she had been spending time with him.
• Pu Yu said she had gone home to write and reassured Yuan Su that she wanted him to explain problems to her.
• On the walk home, Yuan Su offered to help Pu Yu with physics or anything else.

Pu Yu learned that her essay had been accepted for the Nanhua Daily supplement, and she celebrated her birthday with warmth from her grandmother and a thoughtful surprise from Xu Suiran. The chapter ended with Xu Suiran encouraging Pu Yu to become a famous writer and promising to ask for her autograph.

• Cheng Siyi told Pu Yu that her essay had been accepted for the Nanhua Daily supplement and would earn her payment.
• Pu Yu returned to class crying happy tears, and Yuan Su worried that someone had upset her.
• Li Suhua made Pu Yu longevity noodles for her birthday on December 31, and Pu Yu reflected on her mother and grandmother in her diary.
• Xu Suiran took Pu Yu to collect a birthday tiramisu cake and gave her a fountain pen and notebook.
• Xu Suiran told Pu Yu she would wait until Pu Yu became a famous writer to get her autograph.

Pu Yu celebrated her birthday with Grandma and Xu Suiran, then met Yuan Su outside late that night. He took her up North Mountain, where he offered to carry her after she became exhausted, saying they would miss the dawn if they dawdled.

• Pu Yu celebrated her birthday with Grandma and Xu Suiran, and Grandma secretly put twenty yuan in Sui Sui's schoolbag to help pay for the cake.
• Pu Yu saved two slices of cake for Yuan Su and his mother, then slipped out late at night to bring them over.
• Yuan Su appeared outside Pu Yu's gate, claimed he was passing by, and pulled her along with him.
• Yuan Su led Pu Yu up North Mountain, where she ran out of strength halfway up the steep path.
• Yuan Su crouched down and told Pu Yu to get on his back so they could reach the summit before dawn.

Yuan Su carried Pu Yu to the summit of North Mountain for her birthday and showed her the stars through a repaired telescope. After he told her he wanted her to see the star that might be her mother, Pu Yu made wishes for the moment to last and for Yuan Su to stay safe.

• Yuan Su carried Pu Yu up the mountain path to the summit of North Mountain.
• Yuan Su showed Pu Yu the nighttime view of Whitebank Town and brought out a telescope he had repaired.
• Yuan Su wished Pu Yu a happy birthday and said he had brought her there so she could see her mother, whom she had said became a star.
• Yuan Su helped Pu Yu identify constellations and suggested that an unnamed twinkling star might be her mother.
• Yuan Su urged Pu Yu to make a wish, and she wished for the moment to linger and for Yuan Su to be safe.

Pu Yu celebrated the New Year and Yuan Su’s birthday on a mountaintop, giving him her precious red cord and the tiramisu she had carried for him. Yuan Su accepted the gifts and promised not to remove the cord, while Pu Yu pressed him to make a wish as the chapter ended.

• Pu Yu borrowed Yuan Su’s phone to watch the time reach midnight and welcome the New Year.
• Pu Yu tied her treasured red cord around Yuan Su’s wrist and wished him a happy birthday and lasting safety.
• When Yuan Su offered to return the cord after Pu Yu joked about missing it, she covered the knot and insisted he keep the gift.
• Pu Yu offered Yuan Su the misshapen tiramisu she had carried up the mountain, and he ate it and said it was sweet.
• Pu Yu urged Yuan Su to make a wish on the stars, and he began packing the telescope instead.
• Pu Yu stared at Yuan Su without giving up until he slowed and met her gaze.

Yuan Su and Pu Yu returned to Whitebank Town after stargazing, sharing a quiet walk and promising to use the telescope again. Near Wind Chime Alley, Yuan Su spotted armed men waiting for his father and hid Pu Yu before revealing who had entered the alley.

• Yuan Su teased Pu Yu with talk of snakes, then walked her down the dark hill as she held his sleeve.
• Yuan Su told Pu Yu he had made a good wish and agreed to return with her to look through the telescope.
• At the entrance to Wind Chime Alley, Yuan Su spotted several men with motorcycles and a switchblade as a middle-aged man hurried into the alley.
• Yuan Su pulled Pu Yu into a concealed gap between houses and ordered her to stay quiet and hidden.
• Yuan Su told Pu Yu that the man in the alley was his father and that the men were looking for money.

Yuan Su tried to protect the money set aside for his mother’s medical care from his gambling-addicted father, Yuan Hongzheng. After Yuan Hongzheng summoned the casino enforcers, Yuan Su faced a fight to keep the money.

• Yuan Su hid Pu Yu in an alley and told her to run to the police station if he failed to return.
• Yuan Su climbed over the wall and entered his home, where Yuan Hongzheng searched for money.
• Yuan Hongzheng found Yuan Su’s hidden three thousand yuan and took it despite Yuan Su’s warnings.
• Yuan Hongzheng tried to flee with the money, but Yuan Su caught and beat him.
• Yuan Hongzheng screamed for Brother Dao and the enforcers to come help him.

Yuan Hongzheng took the money meant for Yuan Su’s mother’s medicine and left after Brother Dao’s men beat Yuan Su. Pu Yu found Yuan Su in the wrecked courtyard and held him as he broke down over his father’s betrayal.

• Brother Dao and his men entered the courtyard, and Yuan Su charged them to stop Yuan Hongzheng from taking the money.
• The thugs beat and pinned Yuan Su, who begged Yuan Hongzheng to leave money for his mother’s medicine.
• Brother Dao urged Yuan Hongzheng to take the money for a gambling game, and Yuan Hongzheng left without looking back.
• Pu Yu arrived after the men departed and found Yuan Su bleeding among the wreckage.
• Yuan Su said he could not save his mother or himself, and Pu Yu embraced him and told him his father’s actions were not his fault.

After Yuan Su was beaten and his home was ransacked, Pu Yu helped him inside and tended to his wounds. Though Yuan Su tried to send her away, Pu Yu returned and held him, insisting that her birthday had still been unforgettable.

• Pu Yu helped the injured Yuan Su into the wrecked main room and refused to leave him alone.
• Yuan Su tried to return the bloodstained red cord, but Pu Yu stopped him and said it had protected him.
• Pu Yu cleaned Yuan Su's wounds, and he apologized for letting her see his misery.
• Yuan Su told Pu Yu to go home, and she reluctantly left after urging him to rest and stay safe.
• Pu Yu turned back, ran to Yuan Su, and held him as she told him that her birthday had not been awful.

Li Suhua used money she had saved for Pu Yu’s college tuition to help Yuan Su pay for his mother’s medical care. She left Yuan Su with food and money, insisting he accept it as a debt and warning him not to ruin his future.

• Pu Yu woke before dawn and told Li Suhua that Yuan Su’s father had taken all the money, leaving Auntie Lu’s medical bills unpaid.
• Li Suhua took more than a thousand yuan from her savings, though the money had been intended for Pu Yu’s college tuition.
• Pu Yu and Li Suhua crossed to Yuan Su’s courtyard, where they found he had cleaned up the wreckage and was preparing to go to work.
• Li Suhua brought Yuan Su porridge and buns, then pressed the money into his hand despite his refusal.
• Li Suhua warned Yuan Su not to turn to loan sharks or sell his blood, and said he and Pu Yu would repay her by buying her a house and sewing machine and cooking her braised pork.

After Yuan Su borrowed money to pay for Lu Zhen’s hospitalization, he worked himself into exhaustion while Pu Yu focused on writing and her grades slipped. Though Yuan Su scolded her for neglecting her studies, he left detailed solutions to her exam paper at her doorstep, and Pu Yu recognized his awkward care.

• Yuan Su gave Li Suhua an IOU for the money she lent him to pay for Lu Zhen’s hospitalization.
• Pu Yu received her published article and a payment of 160 yuan, then devoted much of her free time to writing.
• Yuan Su worked long hours and returned to school for final exams looking exhausted.
• Yuan Su confronted Pu Yu about ranking sixteenth in her year and third in her class, then scolded her for putting writing ahead of studying.
• Pu Yu wrote an article comparing Yuan Su to a wary stray dog that wanted kindness but kept people away.
• Yuan Su left detailed solutions to Pu Yu’s combined science exam outside her gate, and she called him an awkward little puppy.

Pu Yu discovered that a story she had written in a burst of frustration, featuring a fierce puppy named Yuanyuan, had been published in the Nanhua Daily. Xu Suiran’s questions about the puppy made Yuan Su suspect that the story was about him, and the chapter ended with him repeating the name Yuanyuan while looking at Pu Yu.

• Xu Suiran brought Pu Yu the latest Nanhua Daily and showed her that her story, “Yuanyuan the Puppy,” had been published.
• Pu Yu realized that her hastily written story about a fierce puppy inspired by Yuan Su had been selected instead of her carefully revised piece.
• Xu Suiran praised the story and brought sausages, hoping to meet and feed Yuanyuan.
• Pu Yu tried to convince Xu Suiran that the puppy had disappeared and steered her toward doing homework.
• Xu Suiran asked Yuan Su whether he had seen a puppy named Yuanyuan, and he stopped working and questioned Pu Yu about the name.

Yuan Su discovered Pu Yu’s essay about a fierce, scruffy puppy was really about him, and Pu Yu admitted she had written it because he had hurt her by pushing her away. He bent down and let her pet his hair, leaving them in a moment of quiet trust.

• Yuan Su took Xu Suiran’s newspaper and recognized himself in Pu Yu’s essay about a stray puppy.
• After Xu Suiran left, Yuan Su asked Pu Yu about the essay, and she confessed that she had written it because he had been mean and ignored her.
• Yuan Su explained that he had been overwhelmed at the time, and Pu Yu said that was why she had written the essay.
• Yuan Su asked Pu Yu what she had written in the last paragraph, then bent down and invited her to pet him.
• Pu Yu gently stroked Yuan Su’s hair as he relaxed, and he told her she had touched it.

Pu Yu protected Yuan Su from debt collectors who harassed him and tried to force him to repair a rice cooker for his father’s debt. She made Two Pockmarks pay for the repair, while the red paint and unpaid debts still left Yuan Su’s shop in disarray.

• Pu Yu and Yuan Su shared an awkward, tender moment while she studied and he repaired an electric motor.
• During winter break, Yuan Su faced mounting pressure as creditors came to his repair shop demanding repayment for Yuan Hongzheng’s debts.
• A man splashed red paint on Yuan Su’s shop shutter and Two Pockmarks demanded that Yuan Su repair his rice cooker against the debt.
• Pu Yu arrived and challenged Two Pockmarks to put the debt arrangement in writing or take the dispute to the police.
• Two Pockmarks threw down five yuan for the repair and left, while the crowd dispersed and the shop remained covered in paint.