Chapter Summaries

Pu Yu refused to let Yuan Su push her away because of his debts and the red paint on his shop. After she covered the hateful words with white paint and promised to stay by his side, Yuan Su pulled her into an embrace and accepted that she would not leave him.

• Yuan Su told Pu Yu to stop visiting his shop and called it dirty, trying to drive her away.
• Pu Yu left briefly, then returned with white paint and covered the red words on the shop shutter.
• Pu Yu told Yuan Su about the success of her story about Roundy the Puppy and said she would write an ending where the puppy and his kind friend stayed together.
• Yuan Su answered that he still wanted to send her away, then grabbed Pu Yu and held her tightly.
• Pu Yu embraced Yuan Su back and told him she could not leave someone behind; Yuan Su felt determined not to sink as long as she kept coming to him.

Yuan Su turned down a lucrative job offer so he could stay near his family, then helped Pu Yu and Li Suhua prepare for the New Year. He gave Pu Yu a secondhand smartphone, where she discovered he had saved his number as “AAA,” and teased him until he called himself a puppy.

• Yuan Su repaired a textile mill machine and declined Boss Zhao’s offer to move to Dongzhou, choosing to stay in school and care for his family.
• Pu Yu wrote New Year couplets while Li Suhua struggled with back pain, and Yuan Su gave Li Suhua an 800-yuan advance toward repaying their debt.
• Yuan Su and Pu Yu decorated the repair shop with her couplets.
• Pu Yu asked Yuan Su for a secondhand phone, and he gave her a tested smartphone with a SIM card and credit.
• Pu Yu found “AAA” as the phone’s only contact and pretended she would delete the number, prompting Yuan Su to say it belonged to “a puppy.”

Yuan Su promised Pu Yu she could contact him whenever she needed, and he brought his mother, Lu Zhen, home from the hospital to celebrate New Year’s Eve with both families. After the celebrations, Pu Yu asked Yuan Su to join her on North Mountain to look at the stars, and he agreed to meet her at the alley entrance.

• Yuan Su told Pu Yu she could call or text him at any time, and Pu Yu invited him to New Year’s Eve dinner.
• Yuan Su agreed to ask the doctor whether Lu Zhen could come home for the holiday.
• After the doctor approved, Yuan Su brought Lu Zhen home to Wind Chime Alley, where she was glad to be back.
• Pu Yu and Yuan Su celebrated New Year’s Eve with Lu Zhen, Li Suhua, and their families, sharing a meal and watching fireworks.
• Pu Yu messaged Yuan Su and asked him to go to North Mountain to look at the stars, and he told her he would wait at the alley entrance.

Pu Yu and Yuan Su climbed North Mountain to watch the sunrise, where Pu Yu asked about attending university in the same city and nearly confessed her feelings. Yuan Su avoided her confession, but the sunrise filled him with hope for a future together before an ominous storm threatened to follow.

• Pu Yu insisted on climbing North Mountain herself, and Yuan Su followed close behind, ready to catch her if she stumbled.
• At the summit, Pu Yu asked Yuan Su where he wanted to attend university and suggested they go to the same city, but he could not promise that his debts and family troubles would let him leave.
• Pu Yu began to confess her feelings, but Yuan Su interrupted her and suggested they wait to watch the sunrise.
• Pu Yu fell asleep against Yuan Su's shoulder, and he stopped himself from touching her as he worried he could not offer her a future.
• Yuan Su woke Pu Yu to watch the sunrise, and its light left him hopeful that he could one day take her hand.

At the start of senior year’s final hundred-day sprint, Pu Yu was chosen to speak at the school’s pledge rally and hoped her grandmother would attend the parent meeting afterward. After Pu Yu bought Li Suhua a new jacket, Li Suhua agreed to come.

• Cheng Siyi announced the hundred-day pledge rally and parent meeting, and named Pu Yu as the class’s student representative.
• Pu Yu told Li Suhua about the rally and parent meeting, but Li Suhua initially refused to attend.
• Pu Yu found Li Suhua searching for presentable clothes and decided to buy her a new outfit.
• Pu Yu and Xu Suiran shopped at the town’s clothing market, where Pu Yu chose a deep purple Chinese-style padded jacket for Li Suhua.
• Li Suhua tried on the jacket, praised it while pretending to scold Pu Yu for spending money, and agreed to attend the Friday event.

Pu Yu gave a speech at the senior-year pledge rally, then tied her and Yuan Su’s dream balloons together before they released them. As the balloons flew off side by side, Yuan Su silently wished for Pu Yu to have a bright future.

• Pu Yu spotted Yuan Su in the crowd before her speech and gained confidence as she spoke about uncertainty, perseverance, and waiting for sunrise.
• After Pu Yu finished speaking, her grandmother clapped proudly but looked away when Pu Yu noticed her.
• Pu Yu asked Song Jinnian for a second balloon, then brought the dark blue one to Yuan Su and urged him to write down a dream.
• When Yuan Su refused, Pu Yu wrote “Pursuing Light” on his balloon and “Sunshine and Rain” on her own, then tied their strings together.
• Pu Yu and Yuan Su released the linked balloons together, and Yuan Su watched them rise as he wished for Pu Yu’s skies to stay clear.

At Pu Yu’s parent meeting, Li Suhua defended Yuan Su against parents who insulted him and blamed him for his family’s troubles. Yuan Su overheard her defense, while Li Suhua hid her worsening back pain until she collapsed outside the classroom building.

• At the parent meeting, Cheng Siyi praised Pu Yu’s academic improvement and praised Yuan Su’s progress.
• A woman in a mink coat and other parents criticized Yuan Su, prompting Li Suhua to stand up and defend him.
• Xu Suiran’s mother supported Li Suhua and said Yuan Su and Pu Yu had helped her daughter study.
• Yuan Su overheard Li Suhua defending him from the corridor.
• After the meeting, Li Suhua walked out with Pu Yu despite severe back pain and collapsed outside the classroom building.

Yuan Su rushed Pu Yu’s collapsed grandmother, Li Suhua, to the hospital, where doctors said her severe spinal condition required risky surgery to prevent paralysis. After waking, Li Suhua refused treatment and harshly ordered Pu Yu to leave, insisting they were not family.

• Yuan Su stopped Pu Yu from taking Li Suhua to the nurse’s office and carried her to the hospital.
• A doctor diagnosed Li Suhua with a severely herniated disc and recommended urgent surgery at a better-equipped hospital, warning she could become paralyzed without it.
• Pu Yu blamed herself for overlooking Li Suhua’s worsening back pain, while Yuan Su comforted her.
• After waking in the hospital, Li Suhua learned she needed surgery and told Pu Yu to return to her parents.
• Li Suhua denied being Pu Yu’s grandmother and ordered her out, saying neither of them could afford the treatment.

Pu Yu begged Li Suhua to accept treatment, and Yuan Su helped convince the grandmother not to send her away. Li Suhua agreed to wait for county hospital tests, leaving Yuan Su and Pu Yu to prepare for the trip.

• Pu Yu knelt beside Li Suhua’s hospital bed and pleaded with her not to abandon her or refuse treatment.
• Yuan Su entered and warned Li Suhua that sending Pu Yu away could leave her homeless or force her into marriage for bride money.
• Pu Yu told Li Suhua that she was family, not a burden, and begged her to accept surgery.
• Yuan Su offered to cover the initial tests and hospital stay, claiming he could use money owed to him by the factory.
• Li Suhua relented and agreed to wait for the county hospital’s test results and estimate, then sent Yuan Su and Pu Yu out to let her rest.

Yuan Su comforted Pu Yu after Grandma Li urged her not to sacrifice her future for the cost of surgery, then promised to find the money so Pu Yu could focus on her entrance exam. He left Pu Yu reassured that he chose to carry her burdens and would not let her fall.

• Yuan Su led a tearful Pu Yu from Grandma Li's hospital room and gave her tissues as she explained her grandmother feared being a burden.
• Yuan Su took Pu Yu to a noodle shop and urged her to eat, transferring the beef from his bowl to hers.
• Pu Yu worried about paying for Grandma Li's surgery, and Yuan Su said he would use repair shop advances or six months of wages from Uncle Zhao to cover the fees.
• Pu Yu refused to let Yuan Su take on more burdens and regretted tying their balloons together, fearing she had made his life harder.
• Yuan Su told Pu Yu he had chosen to stay tied to her, promised he would not let her fall, and gently wiped away her tears.

Pu Yu sought help from Pu Zhiming to pay for Li Suhua’s urgent surgery, but he refused and struck her. She grabbed his infant son and demanded the money back, leaving the confrontation on the brink of violence.

• Yuan Su and Pu Yu took Li Suhua to the county hospital, where a doctor warned that her severe spinal condition required surgery and at least ten thousand yuan upfront.
• Yuan Su agreed to arrange the surgery, while Pu Yu requested an extended leave from Cheng Siyi and worried that her savings were far short of the cost.
• Yuan Su told Pu Yu he had a way to get the money and asked her to wait at the hospital, but she secretly traveled to South Hua City the next morning.
• Pu Zhiming refused to help with Li Suhua’s surgery, blamed her for keeping him from his birth parents, and slapped Pu Yu when she raised her claim to the apartment.
• Pu Yu demanded the two thousand yuan of high school tuition that Pu Zhiming had given her in counterfeit bills, then rushed into the kitchen and returned with a fruit knife.
• Pu Yu scooped He Shuowan and Pu Zhiming’s baby from the stroller, prompting them to scream at her to put him down.

Pu Yu threatened her family with a knife to reclaim the money Pu Zhiming owed her, then escaped after leaving her baby brother safely downstairs. Back in Tingyuan County, she ran into Yuan Su, who confronted her about disappearing and demanded that she remove her mask.

• Pu Yu held her baby brother at knifepoint and demanded that Pu Zhiming return the two thousand yuan he had given her in counterfeit bills.
• He Shuowan threw real cash onto the floor, and Pu Yu made Pu Zhiming pick up each bill before she checked and pocketed it.
• Pu Yu ordered Pu Zhiming and He Shuowan to stand at the balcony, then carried the baby downstairs and left him safely on a bench before running away.
• Pu Yu hid in a crowded mall before returning to Tingyuan County, where she spotted Yuan Su at the bus station.
• Yuan Su confronted Pu Yu about her phone being off, caught her wrist when she tried to leave, and trapped her against his chest behind a pillar.

Yuan Su discovered that Pu Yu had been slapped while collecting two thousand yuan owed for her grandmother’s hospital bill, and he treated her injury. Pu Yu explained why she went alone, then reached for Yuan Su’s hand and nuzzled against his palm.

• Yuan Su removed Pu Yu’s mask and saw the five finger marks on her swollen cheek.
• Yuan Su bought ice and ointment, then treated Pu Yu’s injury at a bus stop.
• Pu Yu admitted she had gone into the city to collect two thousand yuan for her grandmother’s hospital bill.
• Pu Yu explained she wanted to help pay for the surgery and ease Yuan Su’s burden.
• Pu Yu took Yuan Su’s hand and gently nuzzled her uninjured cheek into his palm.

Yuan Su and Pu Yu reconciled after he worried over her dangerous attempt to get money, and he gave her the funds for Li Suhua’s surgery. The chapter ended with Yuan Su writing an IOU that required Pu Yu to send him one message every day as interest.

• Yuan Su admitted he was worried about Pu Yu and promised to go with her if she insisted on doing something dangerous.
• Pu Yu told Yuan Su she had returned safely with money, and he handed her a bulging envelope for Li Suhua’s surgery.
• Pu Yu feared Yuan Su had signed himself away, but he said he had gathered money from friends and sold saved parts.
• Yuan Su urged Pu Yu to prioritize Li Suhua’s surgery and wrote her an IOU for ten thousand yuan, with one daily message as interest.

Pu Yu accepted Yuan Su’s money for Li Suhua’s surgery and promised to work for him for the rest of her life if she could not repay him. As the operation approached, Li Suhua entrusted Pu Yu with her savings and house deed and warned her not to trust anyone claiming to be her biological grandparents.

• Yuan Su gave Pu Yu money for Li Suhua’s surgery, and Pu Yu accepted it as a loan, agreeing to work for him for the rest of her life if she could not repay him.
• Pu Yu stayed by Li Suhua in the hospital as they waited for the surgery scheduled for the following Thursday.
• Li Suhua asked Pu Yu how she had obtained the money, and Pu Yu said she had borrowed it from a wealthy former classmate.
• Li Suhua gave Pu Yu her house deed and funeral savings, telling her to keep the house unless she had no other choice.
• Li Suhua asked Yuan Su to care for Pu Yu if she died, but he said he had to look after his mother and could not take responsibility.
• Li Suhua warned Pu Yu not to go with anyone claiming to be her biological grandparents, and Pu Yu promised to refuse them.

After Li Suhua’s successful surgery, Pu Yu balanced caring for her grandmother with studying and earned a strong mock-exam ranking, then learned she might receive a university scholarship. She hurried to share the news with Yuan Su but found his repair shop wrecked and him badly beaten by debt collectors.

• Li Suhua recovered from surgery while Pu Yu cared for her and studied, with Yuan Su helping whenever he could.
• Pu Yu returned to school for the first mock exam and placed seventh in her year and second in her class.
• Cheng Siyi told Pu Yu that the school would recommend her for a student aid program covering university tuition and living expenses.
• Pu Yu rushed to Yuan Su’s repair shop to share the good news but found it ransacked and learned debt collectors had attacked him.
• Pu Yu found Yuan Su lying unconscious in a pool of blood at the end of the alley and begged him to wake up.

After Yuan Su was beaten over his debts, Pu Yu urged him to leave town with her after they got into college, and he agreed despite hiding his own grim resolve. With Li Suhua recovering at home, Pu Yu studied hard and rose to second in her year while she and Yuan Su prepared for the entrance exam together.

• Pu Yu treated Yuan Su's injuries, learned the beating involved his debts, and begged him to get into college and leave town with her.
• Yuan Su agreed to leave with Pu Yu, though he concealed his bitterness and resolve.
• Li Suhua returned home to recover, and Cheng Siyi arranged for Pu Yu to leave school as needed to care for her grandmother.
• Pu Yu studied intensely while caring for Li Suhua, and her mock exam results rose to second in her year and first in her class.
• Pu Yu brought her results to Yuan Su's repair shop and asked him to help her review a missed question.

With the college entrance exam approaching, Pu Yu chose Dongzhou University and encouraged Yuan Su to study nearby, imagining a future together. Yuan Su agreed but secretly believed his debts meant he would have to leave her behind, and confessed his love while she slept.

• Cheng Siyi gave the students forms to list their university and major preferences before the break.
• Pu Yu told Yuan Su she wanted to attend Dongzhou University and suggested he apply to the Dongzhou Polytechnic Institute so they could stay close.
• Yuan Su worried that his debts would bring danger to Pu Yu, but he agreed to choose Dongzhou after seeing her hopeful expression.
• Pu Yu fell asleep while studying, and Yuan Su watched her tenderly without touching her.
• Yuan Su quietly told the sleeping Pu Yu that he liked her and urged her to fly higher and never look back.

On the night before the college entrance exams, Yuan Su gave Pu Yu no real promise about their future, then left town before the exams ended. Pu Yu found a letter addressed to her at their North Mountain hideout, but the chapter ended before she read it.

• Pu Yu visited Yuan Su because she felt panicked about the exams, and they hooked pinkies after she asked him not to lie about their plans to attend college together.
• Pu Yu finished the exams and waited for Yuan Su beneath the camphor tree, but he did not arrive and his phone was switched off.
• Pu Yu ran to Yuan Su's repair shop and learned from the workers and the hardware shop owner that he had sold it and left town with his sick mother that afternoon.
• Pu Yu went to North Mountain in the rain, found the telescope case hidden in the grass, and discovered a letter addressed to her inside.

Pu Yu read Yuan Su’s farewell letter and learned that he had left to keep his debts from harming her and Li Suhua. As Yuan Su rode away by train, Pu Yu was left behind grieving and feverish.

• Pu Yu opened Yuan Su’s letter and learned that he had sold the repair shop, cut off contact, and left so his father’s debts would not threaten her and Li Suhua.
• Pu Yu realized Yuan Su had pushed her away so she could pursue a brighter future, and she wept alone in the rain.
• Pu Yu returned home and broke down in Li Suhua’s arms when her grandmother asked where Yuan Su was.
• Pu Yu developed a high fever that night and repeatedly called Yuan Su’s name while Li Suhua cared for her.
• Yuan Su rode a green train away from town, holding the red cord on his wrist and silently grieving his separation from Pu Yu.