Chapter Summaries

During the blackout, Bai Qingxia helped Lu Yuanqiu through his fear of the dark, and they talked about her father and their earlier quarrel. Lu Yuanqiu then pretended to be frightened again, prompting Bai Qingxia to comfort him in her arms.

• Su Miaomiao fled the classroom after someone touched her calf, while Zheng Yifeng woke to discover that someone had kissed his cheek.
• Lu Yuanqiu panicked in the dark, and Bai Qingxia found him, took his hand, and led him to the moonlit sports field.
• Bai Qingxia explained how she helped her father cope with nyctophobia, and Lu Yuanqiu asked whether she was still angry with him.
• When Bai Qingxia stayed silent, Lu Yuanqiu pretended to tremble in fear, and she hurriedly pulled him into her arms and told him to look at the moon.

During a school-field power outage, Lu Yuanqiu and Bai Qingxia escaped the grade administrators’ crackdown and returned to class without punishment. After self-study ended early, Lu Yuanqiu tried to reassure Bai Qingxia about her upcoming interview, but she hesitated to ride with him as they left school.

• Bai Qingxia shoved Lu Yuanqiu, and he grabbed her arm as he fell, pulling her onto his chest just as the sports-field lights came back on.
• Ge Ritian and the other grade administrators found hundreds of students on the field and ordered them to give their names, but Lu Yuanqiu led Bai Qingxia away with the fleeing crowd.
• Lu Yuanqiu and Bai Qingxia reached Senior Class 28, where Su Miaomiao and Liu Wei reprimanded the students and punished several of them, but not the two of them.
• Zheng Yifeng investigated who had kissed him, while Chen Fei claimed she had a fever and Liu Wei continued scolding the class.
• After self-study ended early, Bai Qingxia followed Lu Yuanqiu to the bike shed, where he joked about her interview and offered her a ride, but she nervously shook her head.

Lu Yuanqiu rode Bai Qingxia to his family’s supermarket and declared that he would work hard to get into a good university. When his father mistook Bai Qingxia for a girl Lu Yuanqiu had tricked into working, she became upset and tried to leave, and Lu Yuanqiu stopped her.

• Lu Yuanqiu kept his distance from Bai Qingxia near school before letting her ride on his bicycle once they were out of sight.
• As they rode, Lu Yuanqiu remembered he had been reborn and explained his plan to focus on enjoying his youth and studying before making money.
• Lu Yuanqiu announced at an intersection that he would work hard and get into a good university, and Bai Qingxia offered to tutor him.
• At the Four Seasons Fresh Supermarket, Lu Yuanqiu introduced Bai Qingxia to his father, Lu Tian.
• Lu Tian accused Lu Yuanqiu of tricking Bai Qingxia into working and kicked him outside, leaving Bai Qingxia embarrassed and heading home.
• Lu Yuanqiu caught Bai Qingxia by the arm as she said she had to leave before her father worried.

Lu Yuanqiu bargained with Lu Tian to let Bai Qingxia work at the supermarket, promising to reach the top thirty-five in class. Bai Qingxia began learning the job and showed her conscientiousness, while Lu Tian reminded Lu Yuanqiu that the deal still depended on his grades.

• Lu Yuanqiu promised to make the top forty in class if Lu Tian let Bai Qingxia work at the supermarket, and the two bargained until they settled on the top thirty-five.
• Lu Yuanqiu brought Bai Qingxia inside, and Lu Tian showed her the supermarket duties while she carefully took notes.
• Lu Tian told Lu Yuanqiu to clean a puddle of urine on the floor, and Lu Yuanqiu complained that his father had left it there for him.
• After Lu Tian briefly returned for his bag, he and Lu Yuanqiu found Bai Qingxia kneeling between the shelves and carefully cleaning the puddle.
• Lu Tian praised Bai Qingxia as a good hire but warned Lu Yuanqiu that she would be fired if he failed to reach the top thirty-five.

Lu Yuanqiu gave Bai Qingxia her first wages and teased her about earning a raise, then urged her to buy the class outfit for their final high school sports meet. Bai Qingxia planned to spend some of her money on meals and exam papers, but had not agreed to buy the outfit.

• Lu Yuanqiu found Bai Qingxia cleaning the floor by hand, told her to wash up, and brought her to the checkout.
• Lu Yuanqiu offered Bai Qingxia five hundred yuan in advance, but she accepted it only after he threatened to tell his father about what she had done on the thirtieth.
• Lu Yuanqiu teased Bai Qingxia about pleasing the boss to get a raise, then clarified that he meant smiling more and tutoring him.
• Bai Qingxia repaid Lu Yuanqiu a hundred yuan and collected her thirteen yuan fifty in change.
• Bai Qingxia said she planned to spend money on her meal card and past exam papers, but refused to buy the class outfit.
• Lu Yuanqiu told Bai Qingxia they were young only once and suggested she might regret missing the chance to wear a pretty skirt at their last high school sports meet.

Lu Yuanqiu helped Bai Qingxia afford an outfit for sports day and agreed to attend his little sister Lu Yidong’s parent-teacher meeting in her place. While waiting outside No. 65 Middle School, he reunited with Overalls Uncle and learned that the man had once been a wealthy businessman.

• Lu Yuanqiu suggested Bai Qingxia buy her sports-day outfit and sell it to him at a discount afterward, but she later told him she would not sell it.
• Lu Tian warned Lu Yuanqiu that Bai Qingxia would have to leave if he failed to place in his class’s top thirty-five, while Su Xiaoya said she wanted to meet the girl.
• Lu Yidong admitted she had lied about making the top twenty and persuaded Lu Yuanqiu to attend her parent-teacher meeting at No. 65 Middle School.
• Bai Qingxia paid Wang Haoran for her sports-day outfit, and Lu Yuanqiu noticed she was joining the march.
• Lu Yuanqiu skipped class to attend Lu Yidong’s parent-teacher meeting and met Overalls Uncle outside the school gates.
• An elderly sanitation worker told Lu Yuanqiu that Overalls Uncle was waiting for his daughter Xiaxia and had once been a successful, wealthy businessman.

Lu Yuanqiu learned about Overalls Uncle’s tragic past, then attended Lu Yidong’s parent-teacher meeting and returned to evening study hall. He focused on improving his grades, but noticed Bai Qingxia had left school with her bag.

• Lu Yuanqiu heard from the elderly street cleaner that Overalls Uncle had lost his company, wife, and son, and that his daughter cared for him after he lost his mind.
• Lu Yuanqiu bought Overalls Uncle a large bag of bread, then went to Lu Yidong’s parent-teacher meeting and learned she was tenth from the bottom in her class.
• Lu Yuanqiu returned to Lucheng No. 7 Middle School and exchanged questions with Bai Qingxia, who gave no explanation for being in the office.
• Lu Yuanqiu studied mathematics during evening study hall and considered how he could reach the top thirty-five in his class.
• Lu Yuanqiu returned from the restroom and learned Bai Qingxia had left with her schoolbag.

Lu Yuanqiu confronted Bai Qingxia about working extra hours at his supermarket and told her not to let the job interfere with her studies. He arranged to tutor her at his apartment the next afternoon, falsely assuring her that someone else would be there.

• Lu Yuanqiu found Bai Qingxia cleaning at Lu Tian’s supermarket and scolded his father for making her do too much work.
• Lu Yuanqiu pulled Bai Qingxia aside and questioned her about leaving evening self-study early to work, but she insisted her five-hundred-yuan wage was already too high.
• Lu Yuanqiu told Bai Qingxia not to let work interfere with her studies, and she happily returned to cleaning.
• Hu Caiwei invited Lu Yuanqiu to Wang Haoran’s house, but he refused, and Zheng Yifeng bumped into Wang Haoran in the corridor.
• After closing the supermarket, Lu Yuanqiu gave Bai Qingxia his apartment address and arranged to tutor her there the next afternoon, while lying that someone else would be home.

Bai Qingxia visited Lu Yuanqiu’s home to help him study, where his teasing and their close quarters made her increasingly flustered. The study session ended with Bai Qingxia accidentally spraying water into Lu Yuanqiu’s face after drinking from his glass.

• Bai Qingxia found Happiness Court and slipped into the residential complex to reach Lu Yuanqiu’s home.
• Lu Yuanqiu welcomed Bai Qingxia and told her that nobody else was home, making her accuse him of lying before agreeing to study.
• Lu Yuanqiu teased Bai Qingxia about being barefoot and called her cute when she got angry.
• Bai Qingxia entered Lu Yuanqiu’s messy bedroom, and they sat close together at his desk as she explained his math problems.
• Bai Qingxia drank from Lu Yuanqiu’s glass, and she sprayed water into his face when he told her he had used it.

Lu Yuanqiu tutored Bai Qingxia, teasing her and offering her food and gifts, while she remained shy and cautious around him. On Monday, their class learned that the girls would have to wear knee-high socks with their sports-day uniforms and that Bai Qingxia would carry the class sign.

• Bai Qingxia accidentally sprayed Lu Yuanqiu with water and awkwardly tried to wipe him dry before they resumed studying.
• Lu Yuanqiu asked Bai Qingxia whether they had known each other before, but she denied it.
• Lu Yuanqiu shared mandarin segments with Bai Qingxia while she explained physics problems, then stopped teasing when she threatened to leave.
• Lu Yuanqiu offered Bai Qingxia a bag of tutoring snacks and supplies, but she left it outside his door.
• Liu Wei announced that the girls had to wear knee-high socks with their sports-day skirts and named Bai Qingxia as the class sign-bearer.
• Liu Wei announced that monthly exams would begin the day after sports day, leaving the class gloomy.

Lu Yuanqiu was forced to enter five sports meet events and embarrassed himself during high jump practice, while Bai Qingxia watched from the steps. Near the end of PE class, he caught a girl trying to shove Bai Qingxia and knocked her down with a basketball.

• Liu Wei warned Lu Yuanqiu to take his exams seriously and urged him to get out of the bottom ten.
• Lu Yuanqiu learned that Liu Wei had entered him in five sports meet events, then went to practice the high jump.
• Lu Yuanqiu's cargo pants snagged on the high-jump upright, leaving him upside down until classmates freed him.
• Lu Yuanqiu tossed his torn pants into a trash can and playfully wiggled his butt toward Bai Qingxia as she watched from the steps.
• Lu Yuanqiu spotted a girl approaching Bai Qingxia from behind and struck her with a basketball as she tried to shove Bai Qingxia.

Lu Yuanqiu stopped Xu Yan from pushing Bai Qingxia down the steps again, and the school expelled Xu Yan while publicly commending him. The next evening, Bai Qingxia thanked Lu Yuanqiu and gave him his repaired pants, leaving him touched by her quiet concern.

• Lu Yuanqiu caught Xu Yan trying to hurt Bai Qingxia, confronted her, and took her to grade director Ge Ritian's office with PE teacher Wang Ping and witnesses following.
• Ge Ritian announced that Xu Yan of Senior Class 15 had been expelled for repeatedly harming a fellow student and publicly commended Lu Yuanqiu for preventing a serious incident.
• Lu Yuanqiu's classmates applauded his commendation, while he joked about doing good deeds and returned to his book as Bai Qingxia continued studying.
• At the Four Seasons Fresh Supermarket the next evening, Bai Qingxia gave Lu Yuanqiu his torn cargo pants, which she had washed and mended with an embroidered patch.
• Bai Qingxia thanked Lu Yuanqiu and asked him not to act so impulsively for her sake, then hurried away as he stood holding the repaired pants.

Lu Yuanqiu treasured the pants Bai Qingxia had mended and decided to protect her, while planning a birthday gift for her. He secretly took her shoes at the supermarket, hoping to learn her shoe size.

• Lu Yuanqiu vowed to become Bai Qingxia's protective shell after learning that Xu Yan had bullied her and tried to keep her from carrying the class placard.
• Lu Yuanqiu showed his parents the embroidered pants Bai Qingxia had mended, and Lu Tian reminded him that her birthday was eleven days away.
• When the class outfits arrived, Bai Qingxia kept her distance from Lu Yuanqiu, who decided to buy her black leather shoes but realized he did not know her size.
• At the supermarket, Lu Yuanqiu pretended to spill water on Bai Qingxia's canvas shoes, then removed them and ran off with them.

Lu Yuanqiu secretly prepared a birthday celebration for Bai Qingxia after learning her shoe size, while she remembered her mother’s final birthday and wished she could have one happy birthday again. He and the supermarket staff surprised her with a cake and a song, leaving Bai Qingxia in tears as she felt her wish had come true.

• Lu Yuanqiu measured Bai Qingxia’s foot under the pretense of reading her fortune, then measured Lu Yidong’s foot at home to estimate Bai Qingxia’s shoe size.
• Lu Yuanqiu asked Lu Tian to help him prepare something for the night after tomorrow.
• On September nineteenth, Bai Qingxia remembered her mother’s last birthday and crossed out the birthday greeting she had written for herself.
• Bai Qingxia arrived at the dark, open supermarket and found the doors shut behind her as Lu Yuanqiu emerged with a cake and flashlights.
• Lu Tian and the evening-shift workers joined Lu Yuanqiu in singing to Bai Qingxia for her seventeenth birthday, and she cried with happiness.

Lu Yuanqiu and Lu Tian threw Bai Qingxia a surprise birthday celebration at the supermarket, and Lu Yuanqiu gave her a pair of shoes as a present. At the intersection, he teased her after noticing she had nearly hugged him, and she nervously backed away.

• Lu Tian surprised Bai Qingxia with a birthday hat and cake, and she cried as Lu Yuanqiu urged her to make a wish and blow out the candles with him.
• Lu Yuanqiu served Bai Qingxia cake and claimed it had been free, while Lu Tian quietly kept the real story to himself.
• Lu Tian sent Bai Qingxia home early, and Lu Yuanqiu walked her to the intersection carrying the leftover cake for her father.
• Lu Yuanqiu gave Bai Qingxia a pair of black leather shoes, and she cried while asking how much they had cost.
• Lu Yuanqiu noticed Bai Qingxia had almost raised her arms to hug him, then spread his arms and teased her as she backed away.

Lu Yuanqiu gave Bai Qingxia leather shoes for her birthday and agreed to pick her up for the school sports day. At school, Bai Qingxia arrived without wearing her class outfit, carrying the placard she had practiced with the Homeroom Teacher.

• Lu Yuanqiu moved in to hug Bai Qingxia, but a man on an electric scooter mistook the scene for harassment and challenged him to fight; Bai Qingxia shielded Lu Yuanqiu, and the man rode away.
• Lu Yuanqiu gave Bai Qingxia leather shoes and asked her to give him a birthday present in return; when he realized she knew his birthday, she denied it.
• Bai Qingxia asked Lu Yuanqiu to pick her up at the entrance to Osmanthus Lane the next morning, and he agreed.
• Lu Yuanqiu dressed in his class outfit, impressed Lu Tian by tying his own tie, and picked up Bai Qingxia, who had her outfit under her school uniform and her leather shoes in her backpack.
• At school, Lu Yuanqiu overheard girls praising his appearance in the uniform, while Bai Qingxia arrived in her school uniform and picked up the class placard she had practiced carrying.

As Class 28 prepared for the school opening ceremony, Lu Yuanqiu watched Bai Qingxia step out of her usual reserve and encouraged her to take part. The chapter ended with Liu Wei naming her the class’s representative as the music began and everyone turned to look at her.

• Bai Qingxia practiced carrying the class placard while Lu Yuanqiu observed the classmates’ glances and guessed at their crushes.
• Hu Caiwei entered the classroom and tried to draw Lu Yuanqiu’s attention, but he ignored her.
• Liu Wei told the class to change into their uniforms and prepare to assemble for the opening ceremony.
• Bai Qingxia changed into her class uniform while Lu Yuanqiu held her clothes, and she agreed to meet him at the finish line of his 3000-meter race.
• Bai Qingxia let down her hair and told Lu Yuanqiu she wanted to try harder so she would not regret missing out on her youth.
• Liu Wei called Bai Qingxia to take the placard and represent Senior Class 28, drawing the attention of the class.

Bai Qingxia drew attention at the school sports event after changing her appearance, and Lu Yuanqiu encouraged her to face the crowd. When the class lined up, she pulled him from the back to stand beside her at the front and refused to let him leave.

• Bai Qingxia surprised her classmates with her new hairstyle and outfit as she carried the class sign downstairs with Lu Yuanqiu following her.
• Lu Yuanqiu encouraged Bai Qingxia to treat the march as an exam and find courage in the birthday gift he had given her.
• The classes gathered on the sports field in costumes, and Bai Qingxia repeatedly looked back to find Lu Yuanqiu in the back row.
• Bai Qingxia walked through the formation, grabbed Lu Yuanqiu's wrist, and pulled him to the front beside her.
• When Liu Wei ordered Lu Yuanqiu to return to the back, Bai Qingxia grabbed his arm again and refused to let him go.

Liu Wei placed Lu Yuanqiu in the front row after Bai Qingxia silently insisted he stand beside her for the school sports-day march. Class 28 completed its procession to applause, and Lu Yuanqiu faced Liu Wei’s warning as he reminded her he had a three-thousand-meter race that morning.

• Bai Qingxia held on to Lu Yuanqiu’s wrist until Liu Wei ordered him to join the first row.
• Hu Caiwei objected to Lu Yuanqiu standing among the girls, while Wang Haoran watched Bai Qingxia in silence.
• Class 27 performed a wand routine during its march before Class 28 took its place at the starting line.
• Bai Qingxia carried Class 28’s sign as the crowd stared at her, and Lu Yuanqiu’s shout helped her steady it.
• Lu Yuanqiu joked with the crowd and drew applause for Class 28’s march, then Liu Wei warned him she would deal with him afterward.
• Lu Yuanqiu told Liu Wei he had the three-thousand-meter race that morning and asked her not to pressure him.

Bai Qingxia became the center of attention at the school sports day, while Lu Yuanqiu prepared to run the 3,000-meter race. As the race began, Bai Qingxia arrived with two bottles of water for him, leaving Tan Le stunned.

• Liu Wei switched from threatening Lu Yuanqiu to encouraging him after learning he had a race that morning.
• Bai Qingxia attracted attention on her way to the convenience store, declined a boy's request to add her on QQ, and bought two bottles of water.
• Lu Yuanqiu warmed up for the 3,000-meter race alongside Wang Haoran and reunited with his former classmate Tan Le.
• Tan Le asked Lu Yuanqiu for Bai Qingxia's contact information, then tripped when he spotted her approaching with water.
• The 3,000-meter race began, and Bai Qingxia smiled and waved the bottles to show Lu Yuanqiu she had brought them for him.