Chapter Summaries

Ding Ding took Bai Congming to the Matchmaker Shrine, where they hung a red cord and ate a temple meal. A white-haired woman named Zheng Xixi approached them, wished them happiness, and left after Bai Congming said he did not know her.

• Ding Ding and Bai Congming visited the crowded Matchmaker Shrine and hung a red cord on a tree.
• Ding Ding suggested a temple meal after Bai Congming wanted ice cream, and Zheng Xixi told him the meal was ordinary food.
• Bai Congming noticed Zheng Xixi watching them as they ate, and she eventually came over and asked whether they were a couple.
• Zheng Xixi introduced herself and asked to call him Little Bai, but Bai Congming said he did not know her.
• Zheng Xixi said they would get to know each other and left, while Ding Ding wondered what was wrong with her.

Ding Ding took Bai Congming to a hot spring hotel, where he comforted Bai Congming’s longing for his mother with a dried bougainvillea blossom and entertained him through the evening. As they returned to their room, Ding Ding kissed Bai Congming and asked if he was ready.

• Ding Ding fed Gouzai and gave Bai Congming a dried bougainvillea blossom, cheering him after he missed his mother.
• Ding Ding drove Bai Congming and Gouzai to a mountain hot spring hotel booked by Ding Shu for three days and two nights.
• Ding Ding and Bai Congming explored the private courtyard and hot spring, then went upstairs to eat seafood, which Bai Congming enjoyed.
• Ding Ding took Bai Congming through the hotel’s entertainment facilities and pulled him out of a movie before it ended.
• Ding Ding reassured Bai Congming that Gouzai had been fed, then kissed him at their room door and asked if he was ready.

Ding Ding tried to confess to Bai Congming with a ring, but Bai Congming’s misunderstanding of kneeling turned the moment into an awkward, heartfelt exchange. After they promised to stay together, Gouzai interrupted them, and the couple later woke up late and resumed their intimacy.

• Ding Ding brought Bai Congming into a brightly decorated room and was relieved when Bai Congming admired the decorations.
• Ding Ding knelt to offer Bai Congming a ring, but Bai Congming knelt too because he associated kneeling with punishment.
• Bai Congming reassured Ding Ding that he could fix his mistakes, and Ding Ding put a gold ring on Bai Congming’s middle finger and asked him to stay together.
• Bai Congming made a pinky promise and said he only wanted Ding Ding, but Gouzai knocked over a flowerpot and disrupted them.
• Ding Ding rescued Gouzai, and he and Bai Congming showered and fell asleep before waking close to one o’clock.
• Ding Ding slipped back into bed with minty breath and teased Bai Congming.

After Bai Congming made peace with Ding Ding, the two returned home in a little green electric car that Bai Congming adored. Ding Shu revealed she had bought the car for him, then told Ding Ding their father was gravely ill; Ding Ding decided to go back and asked her to look after Bai Congming.

• Ding Ding coaxed Bai Congming into forgiving him, and they left the hotel after learning Ding Shu had taken her car.
• Ding Ding drove Sun Chang'an's small green electric car home, and Bai Congming delighted in the ride.
• When the nursery reopened, Bai Congming eagerly climbed into the electric car, and Ding Ding went to a dealership considering buying one for him.
• Ding Shu told Ding Ding she had bought the electric car because she knew Bai Congming would like it.
• Ding Shu told Ding Ding their father was gravely ill, and Ding Ding said he would return to see him and asked her to watch Bai Congming.

Ding Ding struggled to tell Bai Congming he had to leave for a few days to face his past, then arranged for others to look after him. As Ding Ding departed for his trip, Bai Congming asked him to come back.

• Ding Ding decided he owed his family an explanation, but delayed telling Bai Congming because he worried about leaving him alone.
• Ding Ding told Bai Congming he would be away for at most five days and could not take him; Bai Congming agreed, though his eyes were swollen the next morning.
• Ding Ding called Ding Shu and arranged for Sun Chang'an to have dinner with Bai Congming, sending detailed instructions and 8,888 yuan.
• Ding Ding reminded Bai Congming and Auntie Zhou to look after him, and messaged Sun Xiangxiang to ask her to keep him company.
• Ding Ding left for his trip after Bai Congming asked him to come back and they shared a goodbye kiss.

Bai Congming struggled with loneliness and doubts after Ding Ding left, but Ding Ding reassured him by phone before flying back to his hometown. There, Ding Ding reunited with Ding Pan Di, who introduced him to a hostile child as his older brother.

• Bai Congming worried that his differences made him difficult to love, then felt comforted when Ding Ding called and promised to return.
• Ding Ding called Bai Congming from the airport and plane, reassuring him and asking him to wait for his return.
• After a long journey, Ding Ding reached his childhood home and hesitated before knocking on the door.
• Ding Pan Di recognized Ding Ding as Yaozu, and the siblings tearfully reunited.
• The child accused Ding Ding of returning to claim their dying father's inheritance and tried to make Ding Pan Di shut the door on him.

Ding Ding visited his family and learned more about how Ding Changyuan had controlled Ding Pan Di’s life. While waiting to visit his father in the hospital, Ding Ding called Bai Congming, helped him get ready and eat breakfast, and promised to return in four days.

• Ding Ding went to Ding Pan Di’s home, but left without eating after learning their mother was at the hospital with their father.
• Ding Ding recalled how Ding Changyuan had arranged Ding Pan Di’s marriages and taken the money she received after her divorce.
• Ding Ding called Bai Congming while eating wontons and watched him get dressed, joking when he pretended to put on air instead of long johns.
• Ding Ding guided Bai Congming through making breakfast and watched him heat and eat dumplings.
• Ding Ding told Bai Congming he missed him, and promised to come back in four days.

Ding Ding traveled to the hospital town and called Bai Congming before visiting his estranged parents. He gave Ding Changyuan money for Xiao Xianzong’s education, while his mother worried that he might later demand it back.

• After arriving in town, Ding Ding called Bai Congming and watched him eat lunch and prepare for his nap.
• Ding Ding bought fruit and nutritional supplements, then went to see Ding Changyuan in the hospital’s oncology ward.
• Ding Ding greeted his mother and told his parents he had come to see them.
• Ding Ding offered his parents a thick stack of cash, but his mother refused because they were no longer on the same household register.
• Ding Changyuan told Ding Ding to leave the money for Xiao Xianzong’s college expenses, and Ding Ding offered to put in writing that he would not ask for it back.

Ding Ding confronted his parents, gave them money, and invited them to his wedding abroad, then left without looking back. As he prepared to leave F City, a call from his second sister brought an apology and a resigned answer about the resentment between them.

• Ding Ding signed a gift agreement for his parents and asked whether they had been right to reject him for liking men; they denied he was their son.
• Ding Ding told his parents he planned to marry his male partner abroad and left the hospital after taunting them about their treatment of him.
• Ding Ding tried to change his ticket but could only waitlist for a direct flight because of the Lunar New Year travel rush.
• Ding Nian Di called Ding Ding and asked why he was not coming home; he said he was leaving the next day.
• Ding Ding asked whether Ding Nian Di resented him, and after she replied that it was all fate, he apologized.

Ding Nian Di and Ding Ding reconnected, and she agreed to welcome him home despite his having a male partner. Meanwhile, Bai Congming shared dinner with Ding Shu and Sun Chang'an, who began to treat him more like family.

• Ding Nian Di and Ding Ding spoke by phone, and she invited him home and agreed to make chestnut cake for him and his partner.
• Ding Ding called Bai Congming after work and learned that Ding Shu had taken him to dinner with Sun Chang'an.
• Ding Ding objected to the meal and told Bai Congming to eat more before ending the call.
• Sun Chang'an reflected on the cruel things people had said about Bai Congming, then offered him stuffed lotus root and a free pulse check.

Ding Ding reunited with his sisters and happily told them about Little Bai, but the visit stirred up old hurt and left him exhausted. He asked Ding Pan Di to leave the fishing village with him, but she refused, choosing to stay and care for their parents and younger brother.

• Ding Ding excitedly told his three sisters how wonderful Little Bai was and invited them to eat out, but his sisters urged him to save his money after hearing he had gone bankrupt.
• Ding Ding went to his untouched childhood room and found an old exam paper, which crumbled in his hands as he showed the room to Bai Congming over a video call.
• Bai Congming noticed Ding Ding was unhappy, and Ding Ding admitted he was tired before finding comfort in Bai Congming's encouragement to rest.
• Ding Ding returned downstairs and asked Ding Pan Di why she had kept his room untouched, and she said she had always expected him to come back.
• Ding Ding asked Ding Pan Di to leave for M City with him, but she refused, saying caring for their parents and younger brother was the path she wanted to follow.

Ding Ding missed Bai Congming while celebrating New Year with his sisters and nieces and nephews, while Bai Congming accepted Sun Xiangxiang’s invitation to a barbecue and asked to bring two others. Sun Xiangxiang and Sun Chang'an waited outside the flower nursery to pick people up, but the people they were waiting for had not yet appeared.

• Ding Ding realized he missed home when he saw Bai Congming getting ready, then sent him a voice message reminding him to dress warmly and eat.
• Sun Xiangxiang invited Bai Congming to a barbecue, and he asked permission to bring two more people.
• Auntie Zhou encouraged Bai Congming to stop working and get ready, but said she would only visit later because she had to feed Little Moon and Uncle Liu.
• Bai Congming learned that the lisianthus blooms were being selected for wedding invitations and compared each one with the sample.
• Sun Xiangxiang and Sun Chang'an waited in her car outside the flower nursery, trading remarks as they waited for the people they had come to pick up.

Bai Congming invited Ding Shu and Sun Chang'an to a barbecue, accidentally setting off a misunderstanding when Sun Xiangxiang mistook Ding Shu’s offer of money for a serious attempt to separate them. The gathering ended happily, and Ding Ding saw Bai Congming surrounded by familiar people on a video call.

• Sun Chang'an and Sun Xiangxiang waited anxiously for Bai Congming, who apologized for coming out late and explained that he had something to do.
• Bai Congming invited Sun Chang'an and Ding Shu to dinner with handmade invitations, and Sun Chang'an told Ding Shu that Bai Congming might be getting married.
• Ding Shu arrived at Bai Congming’s home and offered Sun Xiangxiang five hundred thousand to leave him, misunderstanding the situation.
• Bai Congming clarified that he had invited everyone for barbecue, and Sun Chang'an introduced Sun Xiangxiang to Ding Shu as his niece.
• Bai Congming introduced his guests and happily declared that he and everyone else were well.
• Ding Ding panicked when Bai Congming was missing from their room, then saw him safe and cheerful with the group during a video call.

Bai Congming saved a pomelo for Ding Ding and explained how a fruit-shop owner had once tricked him into buying a coconut instead. After Auntie Zhou confronted the shop owner, Bai Congming called Ding Ding and showed him the pomelo, then admitted the barbecue had been less enjoyable without him.

• Bai Congming refused to share Auntie Zhou's pomelo because he wanted to save it for Ding Ding.
• Bai Congming explained that he had once tried to buy Ding Ding a pomelo but came home with a coconut after the fruit-shop owner confirmed the wrong fruit.
• Auntie Zhou reassured Bai Congming that he had done nothing wrong, then returned to the shop and urged the owner to run his business honestly.
• After everyone left, Bai Congming showered and video-called Ding Ding to show him the pomelo.
• Bai Congming told Ding Ding the barbecue had been good but was not as enjoyable without him.

Bai Congming prepared round tangyuan to bring home for Ding Ding while the nursery workers worried about Granny Sun’s upcoming surgery. Ding Ding left his sisters and their children, flew back to M City, and secretly returned money to Eldest Older Sister, leaving the family to discover thirty thousand yuan in Third Older Sister’s car.

• Auntie Zhou invited Bai Congming to make tangyuan, and he chose the roundest ones to save for Ding Ding.
• Bai Congming spoke with Ding Ding by phone, then went to bed looking forward to seeing him the next day.
• Ding Ding said goodbye to his sisters and their children at the airport, and Eldest Older Sister gave him ten thousand yuan for his new life with Zhaodi.
• Ding Ding texted Eldest Older Sister that he had returned her money and hidden extra cash in Third Older Sister’s car.
• Eldest Older Sister found an envelope containing thirty thousand yuan under the car seat, and Third Older Sister suggested they divide it among the three sisters.

Ding Ding returned to M City ahead of schedule and reunited with Bai Congming, who welcomed him home with affection. After sharing their longing and falling asleep together, Ding Ding woke before dawn and confirmed that their bond remained as intense as ever.

• Ding Ding rushed from the airport to his home, eager to see Bai Congming.
• Bai Congming opened the door and threw himself into Ding Ding’s arms, then told him he had missed him like a sour fruit.
• Ding Ding held and kissed Bai Congming as they talked about his time away and Bai Congming’s daily life.
• Bai Congming let Ding Ding sleep, quietly wiped him clean, and nestled back into his arms.
• Ding Ding woke before dawn, drew Bai Congming close, and sought to reassure himself that their relationship was unchanged.

On the Lantern Festival, Ding Ding spent the morning with Bai Congming, then took him and Ding Shu out for beef noodles at the shop Bai visited once a year. Ding Ding secretly left money to thank the owner for his quiet kindness, but the owner threw it back, and Bai Congming picked it up, thinking Ding Ding had dropped it.

• Ding Ding woke beside Bai Congming, put away the items from F City, and called Ding Shu to arrange for her to collect her things.
• Ding Shu arrived, and she joined Ding Ding and Bai Congming for lunch after Bai chose beef noodles.
• Bai Congming guided them to a small shop where the owner served three bowls of beef noodles for ten yuan each and gave Bai a piece of candy after he thanked him.
• Ding Ding noticed that Bai's bowl contained far more beef than the others and secretly left money under his bowl as thanks.
• The owner chased after them and threw the banknotes onto the pavement, and Bai Congming picked them up, telling Ding Ding he had dropped his money.

Ding Ding bought holiday food with Bai Congming and promised to move them into a bigger home by autumn, while Bai Congming said he only wanted Ding Ding to treat him well. Their playful meal was interrupted by a stranger who recognized them and said he had something to give them if they were lovers.

• Ding Ding told Ding Shu that the others were doing well, but she brushed him off and drove away.
• Ding Ding bought food at the market with Bai Congming and promised they would move into a bigger home in autumn.
• Bai Congming told Ding Ding he did not want a big house and only wanted Ding Ding to be good to him.
• Bai Congming cooked tangyuan and gave most of them to Ding Ding, and they laughed together in the courtyard.
• A stranger arrived, identified Ding Ding and Bai Congming from a photograph, asked if they were lovers, and said he had something to give them.

Zheng Wang brought Ding Ding a fortune in assets from Zheng Xixi, who was going to search for someone dead, and Ding Ding feared she intended to die herself. He called the police to check on her, burned the documents, and turned back to caring for Bai Congming, leaving Zheng Xixi’s fate unknown.

• Zheng Wang delivered Zheng Xixi’s documents and assets to Ding Ding, explaining that she had gone to find someone who was dead.
• Ding Ding realized Zheng Xixi might be planning to end her life and urged Zheng Wang to call her and contact the police.
• Unable to reach Zheng Xixi, Ding Ding called the police and gave them her details so they could investigate.
• Ding Ding told Zheng Wang to leave and burned the documents rather than accept the assets.
• Bai Congming scolded Ding Ding for playing with fire, and Ding Ding apologized before asking what he wanted for dinner.

After Zheng Xixi was found unconscious, Bai Congming revealed that he knew she was going to die, and Ding Ding comforted him while they visited Gouzai. On their walk home, Ding Ding asked what Bai Congming would do if he died, leaving Bai Congming in tears and accusing him of lying.

• A police officer told Ding Ding that Zheng Xixi had been found unconscious after burning charcoal and was receiving emergency treatment.
• Bai Congming said the white-haired sister was going to die, and Ding Ding praised him before they ate together.
• Ding Ding took Bai Congming to visit Gouzai at the veterinary hospital, where the kitten seemed lively and Bai Congming promised to bring it fish.
• Ding Ding asked what Bai Congming would do if he died, then tried to reassure him that he would not die before Bai Congming.
• Bai Congming silently cried on Ding Ding's shoulder and told him, "Brother Ding lied."