Chapter Summaries

After a matchmaking call left him regretting his career choices, Chen Zhu crashed his car and woke up in his high school classroom in 2007, ninety-nine days before the college entrance exam. He realized he had been reborn and discovered that his years of government work had left him with an instinct for official-sounding reassurance.

• Chen Zhu refused to use his connections to get his matchmaking partner’s brother a government job, and she ended their relationship over the phone.
• As Chen Zhu drove around a bend, an oncoming light blinded him and he crashed, losing consciousness.
• Chen Zhu woke in his senior-year classroom and saw a blackboard message saying there were ninety-nine days until the college entrance exam.
• Chen Zhu recognized his deskmate Huang Bohan and confirmed from his school uniform and the familiar surroundings that he had returned to 2007.
• Chen Zhu reassured two teachers that a dead money tree meant the owner would keep the money and might even make a fortune, then realized his government-worker instincts had survived rebirth.

After returning to high school, Chen Zhu watched Li Jianming try to win Song Shiwei’s sympathy and discovered that he still retained his academic abilities. He realized his improved language skills might let him reach his old goal of attending Sun Yat-sen University.

• Chen Zhu told Huang Bohan that he had dreamed about their futures and asked him what had happened at school recently.
• Huang Bohan told Chen Zhu that Song Shiwei had fallen ill and Li Jianming had repeatedly visited her.
• Chen Zhu watched Li Jianming bring Song Shiwei cold medicine and plead with her, but Song Shiwei refused it.
• Chen Zhu tried problems in his math workbook and found that he could still solve math, physics, and chemistry questions.
• Chen Zhu realized that his stronger writing and language skills might help him improve his exam results and get into Sun Yat-sen University.

Chen Zhu decided that the civil service exam would not be his first choice after his rebirth, and planned to pursue entrepreneurship while preparing for selected-graduate recruitment as a backup. As he revisited high school life with Huang Bohan, he felt the weight of the years he had lived and left his friend startled by his changed demeanor.

• Chen Zhu reconsidered his old reasons for becoming a civil servant and decided to prioritize starting a business, while preparing for selected-graduate recruitment as a fallback.
• Chen Zhu reviewed his old exam papers and was embarrassed by his mistakes in Chinese; Huang Bohan offered to guide his revision before the mock exam.
• Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan walked home beneath the moonlight as the campus radio played Jay Chou's "Hair Like Snow," prompting Chen Zhu to reflect on his return to 2007.
• On the bus, Huang Bohan teased Chen Zhu about his former crush, Yu Xian, and Chen Zhu told him he had realized something involving him.
• As he got off the bus, Chen Zhu slapped Huang Bohan and called him an idiot; Huang Bohan shouted after him and sensed that Chen Zhu had changed.

After returning home in 2007, Chen Zhu reunited with his mother and settled into the familiar routines of his teenage life. He fell asleep peacefully, comforted by his parents watching over him.

• Chen Zhu returned to his family home and reunited with Mao Xiaoqin, who served him milk and bread.
• Mao Xiaoqin encouraged Chen Zhu to join the student council at university to gain experience.
• Chen Zhu explored his old bedroom, reread his high school diary, and fiddled with his cassette player.
• Chen Zhu told Mao Xiaoqin he would wash his own underwear, but she said he should focus on his college entrance exams.
• Chen Zhu fell asleep quickly, and Chen Peisong came home late and quietly checked on him.

Chen Zhu resumed his final year of high school and prepared for the first province-wide mock exam, while thinking about his friend Huang Bohan’s future and wondering how well he would score after being reborn. The chapter left him eager to test his improved Chinese ability in the exam the next day.

• Chen Zhu ate breakfast with Huang Bohan and warned him to seek his friends’ advice about dating and marriage.
• Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan went to Zhixin Middle School, where Chen Zhu saw Song Shiwei in their classroom.
• Yin Yanqiu announced the upcoming exam rally and told Class 11 to take the province-wide mock exam seriously.
• Chen Zhu recalled scoring 612 on his first mock exam in his previous life and wondered what he would score this time.

Chen Zhu encountered Yu Xian during the exercise break, but his old crush no longer stirred him, and she mistook his greeting for another attempt to chat her up. Back in class, he accepted Huang Bohan’s apology and joked about what it would take to date Yu Xian.

• Chen Zhu deliberately fell half a beat behind during the body turns so he could look at Yu Xian, the art student in Class 1.
• Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan ran into Yu Xian on the way to the school shop, and Huang Bohan loudly called Chen Zhu’s attention to her.
• Yu Xian turned around, mistook Chen Zhu’s greeting for an attempt to chat her up, and scolded him before walking away.
• Yu Xian’s friend apologized, while Chen Zhu chose not to explain the misunderstanding.
• Huang Bohan apologized in class, and Chen Zhu forgave him after he agreed not to tease him about Yu Xian again.
• Chen Zhu said he would be willing to live in a mansion and drive a luxury car if he could date Yu Xian, making Huang Bohan spit in disgust.

After getting a haircut, Chen Zhu decided to intervene when Li Jianming publicly pressured Song Shiwei during evening self-study. The chapter ended with Chen Zhu standing up and invoking his cleaning-duty role as the “director of the Public Sanitation Management Committee of Senior Year Class 11” as his authority to act.

• Chen Zhu took Huang Bohan to a barbershop, where his short haircut revealed a confident, handsome appearance.
• Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan noticed that Li Jianming had arrived at Class 11 with cake and roses to invite Song Shiwei to his eighteenth birthday celebration.
• Song Shiwei told Li Jianming not to call her “Weiwei,” while their classmates watched and Kang Liangsong failed to intervene.
• Chen Zhu told Huang Bohan that he would drive Li Jianming away, drawing on his past experience facing dangerous villagers during a poverty-alleviation assignment.
• When Huang Bohan questioned whether anyone would listen to a student on cleaning duty, Chen Zhu stood up and described his role with an official-sounding title.

Chen Zhu confronted Li Jianming and his lackeys when they harassed Song Shiwei, using his self-appointed class title and a threat to bring in Yin Yanqiu to make them leave. Back in class, Mou Jiawen concluded that Chen Zhu liked Song Shiwei, who dismissed the idea.

• Chen Zhu introduced himself to Li Jianming as a class committee director and told him to leave the classroom corridor.
• When one of Li Jianming's lackeys insulted Yin Yanqiu, Chen Zhu grabbed him and threatened to take him to her office.
• Chen Zhu grabbed Li Jianming as well, and their struggle tore off Li Jianming's suit sleeve, leaving him humiliated.
• Li Jianming threatened Chen Zhu as he left, but Chen Zhu calmly advised him to stop pursuing a girl who did not like him.
• Chen Zhu returned to class with the torn sleeve and scattered flowers, and Mou Jiawen speculated that he liked Song Shiwei.
• Song Shiwei rejected Mou Jiawen's claim and opened her workbook.

Chen Zhu took the first mock exam after his rebirth and found the Chinese and math papers manageable. After the math exam, he compared answers with Wang Changhua, while the remaining subjects of the day-and-a-half exam were still ahead.

• Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan discussed Chen Zhu's recent changes on the way home, then worried about the upcoming mock exam.
• Chen Zhu returned home to find Mao Xiaoqin waiting with milk and bread, while Chen Peisong was still working late.
• Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan went to school Saturday morning and were assigned to different exam rooms.
• Chen Zhu confidently completed the Chinese paper and then took the difficult math exam.
• Wang Changhua checked his math answers with Chen Zhu, celebrating one answer and regretting changing another.

Chen Zhu completed the First Mock Exam and reunited with his parents at home, while students anxiously awaited their results. That evening, homeroom teacher Yin Yanqiu arrived carrying stacks of exam papers, leaving the class wondering whether the results would be announced that night.

• Chen Zhu found the physics exam difficult, compared answers with classmates, and exchanged a nod with Song Shiwei before taking the English exam.
• Chen Zhu sat the final chemistry exam the next morning and went home for lunch, where he reunited with his father, Chen Peisong, and spoke with his parents about the tests.
• Chen Zhu told Mao Xiaoqin that he had probably performed about as usual, easing his parents' concerns about his chances of entering South China University of Technology.
• Chen Zhu returned to school with Huang Bohan for evening self-study, where students repeatedly looked up at sounds in the corridor, hoping their results had arrived.
• Yin Yanqiu entered the classroom carrying several thick stacks of exam papers, and the students wondered whether the results were coming out that night.

Yin Yanqiu returned Class 11’s exam papers, and Chen Zhu’s unexpected 136 in Chinese pushed his total to 654. The score matched Peking University’s 2007 admissions cutoff in Eastern Guangdong, leaving Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan stunned.

• Yin Yanqiu warned Class 11 about the exam results and handed out the math, physics, and chemistry papers, where Chen Zhu scored highly.
• Chen Zhu scored 92 in English, while Huang Bohan scored 115 and took comfort in closing some of the gap between them.
• Yin Yanqiu announced Chen Zhu’s Chinese score of 136, surprising the class and explaining that the marking team had awarded his essay 58 out of 60.
• Chen Zhu added his subject scores and realized his total was 654, one point above Peking University’s 2007 admissions cutoff in Eastern Guangdong.

After scoring 654 on the First Mock Exam and placing eighth in the grade, Chen Zhu was asked to speak at the school’s review meeting about improving his Chinese. Back in class, he defended his paper and embarrassed Liu Han and Huang Bohan with a deliberately suggestive idiom quiz.

• Yin Yanqiu questioned Chen Zhu about his dramatic Chinese improvement and asked him to share his study experience at the Mobilization Rally.
• Chen Zhu saw that he ranked fourth in his class and eighth in the grade with a total score of 654.
• Yin Yanqiu asked whether Chen Zhu could improve his English, but he said he only had time to maintain his other subjects and work on Chinese.
• Liu Han challenged Chen Zhu’s Chinese score, and he argued that Chinese interpretations did not always have exact answers.
• Chen Zhu wrote Liu Han three idioms with missing characters, causing her to blush and turn away.
• Huang Bohan read the same idioms and accused Chen Zhu of being a pervert, but Chen Zhu told him not to have naughty thoughts.

Chen Zhu’s improved First Mock Exam results brought him praise at home and earned him a place speaking at the school rally, while his classmates speculated about his feelings for Song Shiwei. The rally began with a long speech, ending when a girl asked Yu Xian whether a boy in the next class looked familiar.

• Chen Zhu told Huang Bohan that he had been asked to share his Chinese study tips at the pledge rally, and Huang Bohan felt envious.
• Mao Xiaoqin discovered Chen Zhu had scored 136 in Chinese, and Chen Peisong celebrated his results before Mao called another parent to share the news.
• Yin Yanqiu announced that Deng Qian would lead the graduating class pledge and Chen Zhu would speak about studying Chinese, prompting Mou Jiawen to suggest Chen Zhu was changing for Song Shiwei.
• More than five hundred final-year students gathered on Sunday afternoon for the rally, and principal He Yong delivered his opening speech.
• A girl from Class 1 tapped Yu Xian and asked whether a boy in the next class looked familiar.

Yu Xian recognized Chen Zhu, the class 11 student she had once rejected, and wondered about his academic standing. The school announced that Chen Zhu had ranked eighth in the year with 654 points, and he went onstage to speak about exam preparation.

• Wu Yu told Yu Xian she had seen Chen Zhu in class 11, and Yu Xian recalled turning him away because she thought he was not academically impressive.
• Yu Xian insisted she admired only top students with scores high enough for Tsinghua and Peking Universities.
• Cao Jingjun announced that Chen Zhu scored 654 on the First Mock Exam and ranked eighth in the year.
• Chen Zhu walked onstage and introduced himself to the gathered students and staff.
• Wu Yu teased Yu Xian about her wishes coming true, while Yu Xian wondered why Chen Zhu had brought no speech script.

Chen Zhu surprised the school with a confident, improvised speech at the assembly, prompting Principal He Yong to add him to Zhixin’s list for a university event. Afterward, Yu Xian planned to work at a convenience store to save for university, and Wu Yu decided to accompany her.

• Chen Zhu delivered a long, polished speech without a script, astonishing Yin Yanqiu and Cao Jingjun.
• Principal He Yong praised Chen Zhu and decided to add him to Zhixin’s delegation for Appointment with Prestigious Universities, despite the list already being submitted.
• Chen Zhu noticed his classmates’ reactions, including Song Shiwei’s composure and Yu Xian’s attention, and cut his speech short so he would not keep students waiting.
• After the assembly, Yu Xian told Wu Yu she was going to work at a convenience store to save for university tuition.
• Wu Yu chose to accompany Yu Xian, and Yu Xian promised to buy her dinner.

Chen Zhu arranged to play arcade games with Huang Bohan after school and attended a family meal with his parents and Zhao Yuanyuan’s family. When Zhao Yuanyuan joined the outing, Chen Zhu lured Huang Bohan over by describing her as a “170 pure high school girl,” then revealed that 170 referred to her weight, not her height.

• Chen Zhu met Wang Changhua on the stairs, heard him boast about his mock exam scores, and arranged to play arcade games with Huang Bohan.
• During the following week, Chen Zhu continued preparing for exams while his English teacher tutored him individually.
• Chen Zhu arrived at lunch with his parents and met Zhao Donghua, Lu Chunlan, and Zhao Yuanyuan, who praised his appearance and chatted with him.
• Zhao Donghua joked that Chen Zhu and Zhao Yuanyuan seemed like childhood sweethearts, but Mao Xiaoqin interrupted and Chen Zhu soon left to meet Huang Bohan.
• Zhao Yuanyuan joined Chen Zhu for the arcade outing, so Chen Zhu called Huang Bohan and described her as a “170 pure high school girl.”
• Huang Bohan hurried over, and Chen Zhu revealed that Zhao Yuanyuan’s 170 referred to her weight rather than her height.

Chen Zhu, Huang Bohan, and Zhao Yuanyuan spent their outing on Shangxiajiu Street, where Chen Zhu repeatedly bought food for the demanding Yuanyuan and encountered his schoolmate Yu Xian working at a convenience store. As they ate the extra bowl Yu Xian gave them, a tall Zhixin Middle School sports student appeared at the entrance.

• Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan agreed to follow Zhao Yuanyuan's suggestion and visit Shangxiajiu, where Chen Zhu bought her ice cream and lamb skewers while Huang Bohan went to fetch the skewers.
• Zhao Yuanyuan asked for fish ball noodles, so Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan followed her to a busy convenience store and found Yu Xian working as the cashier.
• Chen Zhu ordered three bowls of noodles and a cola, but Zhao Yuanyuan claimed she wanted two bowls and Yu Xian brought them four bowls, saying the extra one was on the house.
• Chen Zhu, Huang Bohan, and Zhao Yuanyuan ate while a tall student wearing Zhixin Middle School shorts arrived at the convenience store.

Zhang Chao confronted Yu Xian at the convenience store over her earlier slap, but Chen Zhu intervened to prevent a fight. When Zhang Chao grabbed Chen Zhu and refused to settle things peacefully, Chen Zhu moved out of the security camera's view and said he would just lie down.

• Zhang Chao blocked customers at Yu Xian's register and demanded an explanation for the slap she had given him.
• Yu Xian mocked Zhang Chao, and he charged at her in anger.
• Chen Zhu and Huang Bohan stopped Zhang Chao, and Chen Zhu tried to defuse the dispute by urging both sides to calm down.
• Zhang Chao demanded that Yu Xian kiss him, and she refused; when Chen Zhu blocked him again, Zhang Chao grabbed Chen Zhu by the collar.
• Chen Zhu warned Zhang Chao about the consequences, moved outside the security camera's view, and said, "Then I'll just lie down."

After protecting Yu Xian from Zhang Chao, Chen Zhu helped ensure the police treated the incident as a formal case and went with Zhang Chao for an injury examination. Yu Xian tried to follow him, then set out to find him while Zhao Yuanyuan took over the store.

• Chen Zhu reassured Yu Xian, took the pen she had been clutching, and told her and his classmates to let him handle the police.
• When the police arrived, Chen Zhu laid out his account, requested an injury assessment, and asked for a receipt confirming his report.
• After reviewing the surveillance footage, the inspector opened formal proceedings and ordered Zhang Chao to go to the station for a statement and Chen Zhu to the hospital.
• Zhang Chao was taken aback when he was put in the police car, and Chen Zhu rode along with an auxiliary officer between them.
• Yu Xian tried to squeeze into the police car, then asked Huang Bohan to watch the store and left to find Chen Zhu while Zhao Yuanyuan handled the checkout.

After Yu Xian followed Chen Zhu to the police station, Chen Zhu used medical records and a handwritten undertaking to make Zhang Chao promise not to harass her again. Zhang Chao’s mother reluctantly agreed to the terms and was left paying Chen Zhu’s MRI bill.

• Yu Xian ran after the police car and waited for Chen Zhu at the station while he gave his statement.
• Chen Zhu underwent an MRI, then explained to the inspector how he planned to document Zhang Chao’s assault and hold him accountable through the school.
• Zhang Chao’s mother tried to downplay her son’s behavior and pressure Chen Zhu, but he insisted that Zhang Chao write an apology and promise not to bother Yu Xian again.
• Chen Zhu drafted the undertaking, and Zhang Chao copied and signed it while Yu Xian watched Chen Zhu admiringly.
• Chen Zhu asked Zhang Chao’s mother to pay the 460-yuan MRI fee before she left.