Song Jinnian

Biodata

Background / History

School Years and Friendship with Yuan Su

Song Jinnian and Yuan Su were once close friends who discussed everything, studied physics together, and competed for first place in their year. They worked through problems late into the night and secretly assembled experimental setups in an abandoned school laboratory. After Yuan Su’s family collapsed financially, Song Jinnian tried to persuade him not to abandon his studies. Their arguments ended in an estrangement, and they stopped speaking 47 144.

As Senior Class Two’s monitor, Song Jinnian consistently ranked first in his class and among the top three in his year. A seating change paired him with Xu Suiran, whom he supervised closely under the school’s academic peer-support arrangement. Although she complained about his strictness, Pu Yu recognized his patience when explaining problems 24 47.

At Xu Suiran’s request, he brought Pu Yu an organized collection of full-mark essay materials. His arrival at Yuan Su’s repair shop stirred Yuan Su’s jealousy and insecurity, despite Pu Yu explaining that she and Song Jinnian were not especially close 47.

Graduation and University

At the senior-year pledge rally, Song Jinnian gave Pu Yu an extra balloon after noticing that she wanted one for Yuan Su. He initially refused Xu Suiran’s request for more, but gave her every remaining balloon once distribution was finished 66.

During the graduation dinner, he corrected the longstanding rumor that he was dating Li Yunyi: she was his cousin and had lived with his family throughout high school. Her parents had instructed them to conceal their relationship to make it easier to catch students dating. Pu Yu also noticed his feelings for Xu Suiran, who remained unaware of them 83.

While attending an academic conference in Dongzhou, Song Jinnian visited Pu Yu with Xu Suiran. He had read the full version of “Rewind” and asked whether Pu Yu was still waiting for Yuan Su. She explained that she was moving forward while keeping a place for him in her heart 87.

The visitors delivered early birthday presents, including a telescope-shaped star projector presented as Song Jinnian’s gift. The narration subsequently reveals that Yuan Su had searched for the lamp and aged its casing by hand to resemble the telescope associated with their earlier stargazing 87 88.

Song Jinnian later traveled to Nanhua on Xu Suiran’s birthday to confess that he had liked her for a long time. According to Xu Suiran, he blushed and struggled to speak from nervousness; they became a couple 91.

Yuan Su’s Accident and Secret

A flashback shows Song Jinnian at Yuan Su’s hospital bedside after a nearly fatal mountain-road delivery accident. Furious that his friend had risked his life for a few thousand yuan, he offered to lend him money instead. Yuan Su insisted that he wanted to support Pu Yu with money he had earned himself 119.

Song Jinnian attempted to call Pu Yu, arguing that she had a right to know the truth. Yuan Su begged him not to, fearing that knowledge of his sacrifice would burden her university life with guilt, and threatened to disappear permanently if told. Song Jinnian reluctantly kept the secret but warned that discovering it later could devastate her 120.

Supporting Pu Yu and Rebuilding Yuan Su’s Future

When Pu Yu needed money, Song Jinnian transferred funds to Xu Suiran without asking why or who needed them. Together, they lent Pu Yu ten thousand yuan toward the eighty thousand she was gathering. By the time Yuan Su’s project work was underway, Pu Yu had repaid their loan 130 153.

After Pu Yu was hospitalized, Song Jinnian and Xu Suiran spent Lunar New Year’s Eve with her and Yuan Su. Song Jinnian offered to help with her discharge and journey home so Yuan Su could settle his legal and business affairs in Rinzhou. He urged Yuan Su to stop treating his life cheaply and reclaim the talent that could give him the means to protect Pu Yu 143.

He then invited Yuan Su to join a logistics automation project, specifically seeking his intuition for physics. After Yuan Su agreed to try, Song Jinnian introduced him to the modeling group and defended his abilities when university-trained members questioned his lack of higher education. Yuan Su vindicated that confidence by proposing a deformation coefficient that reduced their simulation’s deviation to 0.03% 144 148.

Song Jinnian arranged Yuan Su’s twenty-thousand-yuan payment from the project’s first phase and passed along further project offers. He also questioned why Yuan Su continued working so hard after Pu Yu’s debts had been cleared 149 153.

Appearance

• Build: Tall, with an upright bearing 87.
• Glasses: Wears glasses, which he adjusts while speaking to Li Suhua 146.
• Clothing: Appears in a simple white T-shirt at the graduation dinner and a black coat during his Dongzhou visit 83 87.
• Expression: Often wears a gentle smile; his usually composed manner becomes visibly furious after Yuan Su’s accident 83 87 119.

Personality

Song Jinnian is meticulous, dependable, and somewhat rigid. His concern for Xu Suiran’s studies makes him seem overbearing to her, but he explains problems patiently and repeatedly. Pu Yu describes his dependability as something that has not changed since high school 47 87.

His affection is often expressed through practical attention rather than declarations. He remembers that Xu Suiran dislikes scallions, rushes to help when she twists her ankle, and eventually confesses only after liking her for years 83 91.

Normally quiet and refined, he becomes unusually harsh when Yuan Su endangers himself. His anger does not prevent him from offering concrete help: loans, care for Pu Yu, and a route back into physics work 119 120 143 144.

Abilities & Skills

Academic Excellence and Tutoring

• Consistently places first in his class and among the top three in his year 24.
• Nearly earns full marks on the science examination 83.
• Patiently tutors Xu Suiran and occasionally explains problems to Pu Yu 47 83.
• Organizes material from full-mark essays into a reference notebook 47.

Physics and Project Coordination

• Studies physics competitively with Yuan Su and participates in hands-on experimental work during their school years 47 144.
• Identifies physical modeling as a central challenge in automated parcel sorting, including friction, trajectories, and robotic handling 144.
• Recruits Yuan Su, facilitates group video discussions, and advocates for him despite teammates’ doubts 144 148.
• Coordinates payment and subsequent work opportunities between Yuan Su and the project team 149.

Relationships

• Xu Suiran — Former deskmate and eventual girlfriend. His longstanding crush develops into an openly affectionate relationship; at Pu Yu’s first book signing, he holds her close to shield her from the cold 24 91 169.
• Yuan Su — Childhood friend, former academic rival, and later project teammate. Their estrangement gives way to renewed support, though Song Jinnian repeatedly challenges his self-sacrificing decisions 47 119 120 144 148.
• Pu Yu — Classmate and friend whom he supports through study materials, a loan, hospital visits, and transportation home. He also attends the celebration of Yuan Su’s entrance-exam results and her first book signing 47 130 143 146 157 169.
• Li Yunyi — Cousin who lived with his family for three years. Their concealed family connection led classmates to mistake them for a romantic couple 83.
• Li Suhua — Pu Yu’s grandmother. He helps reassure her with a rehearsed hiking-accident explanation for Pu Yu’s injury after bringing Pu Yu home 146.
• Ren Jia — Doctoral-student teammate who initially questions Yuan Su’s suitability for the modeling project; Song Jinnian repeatedly vouches for his friend 148.

Later Appearances

Notable Quotes

“She has a right to know the truth. She has a right to know that you nearly died in this godforsaken mountain valley just so she could have a good life.” 120

“Yuan Su, your life doesn’t belong only to you anymore. Pu Yu nearly lost hers getting it back for you.” 143

“Code is the skin. Physics is the bones.” 144

Trivia

• Despite his academic record, he admits that his sense of direction is poor 83.
• His family is financially better off than Xu Suiran’s; scholarships and other funds leave him with more money available than many fellow students 130.