Recaps

At a gathering at Weian International Clubhouse, Fan Zhiliang tried to use Liu Xiaojing to draw Su Can into signing an advertising contract. Su Can recognized the setup, refused the deal, and left, while Liu Xiaojing became increasingly interested in him.

• Fan Zhiliang introduced Liu Xiaojing to Su Can and encouraged her to flirt with him.
• Su Can found Liu Xiaojing crying near the restroom, where she claimed Fan Zhiliang had promised to forgive her mother's hospital debt if she spent the evening with him.
• Su Can returned to the sitting room with Liu Xiaojing on his arm, prompting the guests to assume he had taken an interest in her.
• Fan Zhiliang presented Su Can with an advertising contract, but Su Can changed his mind and argued that his magazine should uphold its standards.
• Su Can left the clubhouse with Lin Guangdong, explaining that he had seen through Fan Zhiliang's honey trap.
• Fan Zhiliang watched Su Can's Bentley depart, and Liu Xiaojing said she was becoming more and more interested in him.

As Christmas approached, Su Can returned his attention to class duties and tried to make up for neglecting his role as monitor. He began planning Class Four’s Christmas party, but the shortage of venues and his strained standing among class officers left the location unresolved.

• Su Can resumed studying with Tang Wu and felt guilty about neglecting his coursework and responsibilities as class monitor.
• Counselor Su Yiyi expected Su Can to arrange a venue for Class Four’s Christmas activities after his earlier absence had forced others to handle class duties.
• Su Can gathered the class officers to discuss the Christmas party, and they explained that the major auditoriums were already reserved.
• Su Can suggested borrowing a multimedia classroom, but the officers said demand was high and securing one without connections would be difficult.
• Deputy monitor Yang Lei mocked the suggestion that Su Can might be invited to the Future Entrepreneurs Club, while Su Can focused on finding a way to make the party memorable.

Su Can struggled to secure a venue for Class Four’s Christmas party while Class Three’s Jiang Shaohua enjoyed the advantage of having booked the university Lawn. The chapter left Su Can with a possible alternative when Lin Luoran invited him and Tang Wu to the AIESEC Club’s Christmas party at the Crowne Plaza.

• Su Can cycled across campus seeking approval to borrow a classroom, but staff rejected his applications or offered unsuitable rooms.
• Jiang Shaohua’s Class Three secured the university Lawn for its Christmas party, making him more confident as Su Can’s class still had no venue.
• Zhang Xiaoqiao asked his father to help find a classroom, but his father refused to intervene and urged him to focus on his studies.
• Lin Luoran called Su Can about Christmas gifts and invited him and Tang Wu to the AIESEC Club’s party at the Crowne Plaza.
• Zhang Xiaoqiao explained that AIESEC was a large international student organization with a branch at Shanghai International Studies University.

Su Can struggled to find a venue for his class’s Christmas party until Tang Wu’s news about AIESEC’s gathering at the Crowne Plaza gave him an idea. He secured a conference room there for December 24, leaving his class committee stunned.

• Su Can told Tang Wu that Lin Luoran had invited them to AIESEC’s Christmas Party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
• Tang Wu revealed that FEEC had invited her to join, and Su Can said she should decide for herself.
• Su Can realized the Crowne Plaza could solve his class’s venue problem and called a meeting of Freshman Class Four’s committee.
• The committee members objected that the class could not afford a five-star hotel, but Su Can announced that he had already booked the Crowne Plaza conference room with Lin Luoran’s help.

Su Can organized a Christmas party for Class Four at the Crowne Plaza, paying for it himself and inviting university leaders to attend. As campus buzzed about the event, FEEC members learned that Class Four’s party conflicted with their joint Christmas party with AIESEC and considered making the freshmen change venues.

• Su Can arranged a Crowne Plaza Christmas party for Class Four, and the posters drew astonished and envious attention across campus.
• Su Yiyi questioned Su Can about the cost, then agreed to attend after Su Can explained that he was paying and invited college and department leaders.
• Ruan Si'ou told Tang Wu and their roommates about Class Four’s party, and Tang Wu began thinking about a Christmas present for Su Can.
• Liu Menghui, Mo Xue, and Liang Qinghe learned that Class Four’s party conflicted with the FEEC and AIESEC event at the Crowne Plaza, and Liu Menghui suggested getting the freshmen to switch venues.
• Su Can continued planning the party unaware of the conflict, while students began calling him the most awesome freshman class president.

Su Can’s plans for a Christmas class party stirred discussion at Nanjing University, while classmates and old friends reflected on his growing influence and their own futures. Lin Zouwen warned Su Can to protect Lin Luoran at the upcoming party, threatening to shoot him if she got drunk and woke up in someone else’s bed.

• Su Can organized an off-campus Christmas gathering for his class, earning the nickname “reckless rookie” and drawing praise from Su Yiyi.
• Jiang Shaohua complained that Su Can’s latest plans had eclipsed his own class gathering, while Yang Lei distanced himself from Jiang and remembered Tang Wu standing up for Su Can.
• Wang Weiwei told Su Can he wanted to travel the world with a camera instead of following his parents’ plans for his future.
• Lin Zouwen reminisced with Su Can about their past adventures and said his sister and he both liked being around Su Can.
• Lin Zouwen told Su Can to watch over Lin Luoran at the Christmas party and threatened to shoot him if she got drunk and woke up in someone else’s bed.

Su Can prepared Class Four’s Christmas party while an elaborate AIESEC event took place elsewhere in the hotel, and he encountered Lin Luoran and Liu Xiaojing there. The party began when Tang Wu arrived and entered hand in hand with Su Can, drawing the class’s attention and teasing.

• Su Can and Class Four decorated their banquet hall, then he learned from Zack that Facebook was growing while Zack continued working toward Harvard.
• On Christmas Eve, AIESEC members from Shanghai International Studies University arrived at the hotel for their joint event with Nanjing University’s Bi Club.
• Su Can met Lin Luoran at the entrance, and they rode the elevator with Liu Xiaojing, who avoided acknowledging him.
• Tang Wu arrived dressed for the party, and Su Can welcomed her before leading her into the hall by the hand.
• Class Four fell briefly silent at their entrance, then cheered and teased them as Tang Wu blushed.

At the class Christmas party, Su Can gave Tang Wu a jade zodiac bracelet before heading alone to the elite gathering hosted by Lin Luoran’s club. As Lin Luoran introduced him to the assembled students, she admitted that he felt both close to her and far away.

• Su Yiyi welcomed the college and department leaders at the Christmas party, and the class’s comic performances entertained the guests.
• Su Can gave Tang Wu a Hetian jade zodiac bracelet, and the two teased each other as they watched the show.
• Su Can went to the Holiday Inn’s top-floor gathering without Tang Wu, who stayed downstairs with Ruan Si'ou and Tong Tong.
• Lin Luoran helped Su Can enter and introduced him to members of the AIESEC and FEEC clubs, where he quickly attracted attention.
• On the terrace, Lin Luoran told Su Can that he felt so close to her and yet so far away.

At a Christmas party, Su Can’s closeness with Lin Luoran was tested when Liu Xiaojing staged an intimate gesture to provoke her, then Wei Ding Ding and Li Du confronted him. Su Can left the International Presidents Club after throwing a wine bottle at Li Du, while Lin Luoran watched with unspoken feelings.

• Lin Luoran told Su Can that he seemed close yet distant, then they joked about her hopes for a future husband and son.
• Liu Xiaojing invited Su Can to a booth where Liu Menghui, Mo Qinghe, and Liu Yangchao discussed building a Chinese social-networking site modeled on Facebook.
• Liu Xiaojing clung to Su Can to repel a pursuer and test his relationship with Lin Luoran, who saw them and turned away.
• Wei Ding Ding and Li Du blocked Su Can from reaching Lin Luoran, and Li Du insulted her, prompting Su Can to throw a wine bottle at him.
• Su Can accidentally kicked Wei Ding Ding while trying to strike Li Du, and Lin Luoran stopped him as security separated them.
• The AIESEC president ordered Su Can to leave, and Su Can apologized before walking out while Lin Luoran struggled to respond.

After leaving the elite clubs’ Christmas party, Su Can reflected on the trouble his actions might cause before Tang Wu comforted him and agreed to let him hold her. Lin Luoran went looking for him but left without calling, and Christmas Eve passed as 2002 and the approaching winter break arrived.

• Su Can left the International Presidents Club after confronting Wei Ding Ding and Li Du, while Lin Luoran and Liu Xiaojing remained behind in the hall.
• Su Can sat alone at the bar, worrying about the gossip and consequences of hitting Wei Ding Ding and wondering how the incident might affect his relationships.
• Tang Wu found Su Can, reminded him to follow his own path, and let him embrace her as they stood together in the candlelit bar.
• Lin Luoran went to Su Can's Class Four Christmas Party to look for him, but left without calling after learning he had not returned.
• Lin Luoran boarded the coach without contacting Su Can, and Christmas Eve ended as 2002 arrived and winter break approached.

As Nanjing University students prepared for final exams, Tang Wu’s roommates discussed Su Can’s Christmas party and the fallout from his clash with the university clubs. Su Yiyi defended Su Can’s position as class monitor but warned him to handle any future confrontation more discreetly.

• Cheng Congcong rushed to class to avoid being marked late by her strict Financial Economics instructor, while Tong Tong and Ruan Si'ou talked about winter break plans.
• Ruan Si'ou and Tong Tong praised Su Can’s Christmas party and said the clubs were shortsighted to look down on him.
• Students and club insiders speculated that Su Can’s clash with the clubs had damaged his prospects and could even cost him his class monitor position.
• Su Yiyi summoned Su Can, criticized him for leaving his class party early, and asked about the incident at the other party.
• Su Can admitted he had hit someone, and Su Yiyi said some people deserved a beating while urging him to remain class monitor and be more discreet next time.

Su Can discussed Dunhuang Group’s expansion and Wang Yue’s life and business plans, then traveled with Tang Wu to a family dinner at her newly finished Shanghai home. The chapter left Su Can at Tang Wu’s door, remembering the matching Winnie the Pooh pajamas she had given him.

• Wang Yue proposed opening an office in Shanghai, but Su Can rejected a dedicated office and urged her to bring her mother from Xiahai to live with her in Rongcheng.
• Wang Yue reported Dunhuang Mall’s projected sales and profits, and she and Su Can discussed its plans to expand into Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
• Tang Wu invited Su Can to a family dinner at her new home and told him that her parents would no longer interfere with their relationship.
• Su Can and Tang Wu traveled by bus and subway to Xuehai Yiju, where Mu Kaizhu greeted them at the villa building.
• As they entered Tang Wu’s private elevator, Su Can remembered the Winnie the Pooh pajamas she had given him and her note that they were a matching couple’s set.

Su Can attended a family meal at Tang Wu’s new home, where relatives compared him with Song Pengcheng and scrutinized his place in the family circle. After drinking far beyond his limit to prove himself, Su Can collapsed onto the dining table.

• Tang Wu brought Su Can to her Shanghai home, where Mu Xuan welcomed them and relatives and family associates watched Su Can closely.
• Su Can reunited with Li Ying, who thanked him through her warm greeting, while Song Pengcheng remained seated and treated him coolly.
• At dinner, Li Yan invited Su Can to drink, and Su Can accepted despite Tang Wu’s warning and Old Master Qian’s advice to stop.
• Su Can and Zhang Chaoyang drank together, and Zhang Chaoyang praised Su Can’s magazine despite their earlier conflict.
• Mu Kaizhu revealed that Su Can had been expelled from the FEEC Club, and Song Pengcheng confirmed he knew about the incident.
• After several rounds of drinking, Mu Kaizhu patted Su Can on the shoulder, and he toppled forward onto the Rosewood Dining Table.

After getting drunk at Tang Wu’s housewarming dinner, Su Can woke up in her family’s new home and shared a quiet breakfast with Tang Wu before they returned to university to prepare for finals. As winter break approached, Lin Luoran told him she would not be returning to Rongcheng and that he should wait for her brother and Wang Weiwei instead.

• Su Can drank heavily at Tang Wu’s housewarming dinner and was helped to the guest room, where Tang Wu covered him with one of Mu Xuan’s treasured wedding quilts.
• Tang Wu reflected on her family’s reactions to Su Can and dismissed Song Pengcheng’s offer to introduce her to the Beijing University Elite Association.
• Su Can woke in the guest room, met Tang Wu in the hallway, and ate breakfast with her and her parents before returning to university.
• Su Can and Tang Wu began reviewing for Nanjing University’s finals as the Christmas Party’s tensions faded into the background.
• Su Can asked Lin Luoran whether she was returning to Rongcheng for winter break, and she replied that he should wait for her brother and Wang Weiwei because she was not going back.

Su Can balanced his exams with his growing businesses, while Lin Zouwen and Wang Weiwei affirmed their support after his conflict with Wei Ding Ding. After finishing finals, Su Can and Tang Wu flew from Shanghai to Rongcheng together, leaving him to wonder whether they were bringing their love home.

• Lin Guangdong invited Su Can to a business gathering aboard the Holiday, but Su Can declined because the organizers mainly wanted to uncover the magazine's owner.
• Lin Zouwen and Wang Weiwei told Su Can they supported him despite Lin Luoran's displeasure and the conflict with Wei Ding Ding.
• Su Can completed his final exams after an intensive period of systematic study, while his parents checked on his preparations to return home.
• Su Can and Zack agreed to postpone selling Facebook shares as Su Can planned to use future investment to raise the site's value and strengthen it against rivals.
• Li Lan drove Su Can and Tang Wu to the airport, and they flew from Shanghai to Rongcheng together.

Su Can returned to Rongcheng with Tang Wu, reunited with his parents, and showed them the documents for his magazine business. As family and company acquaintances grew eager to meet him, he faced a busy homecoming filled with calls and invitations.

• Tang Wu and Su Can arrived in Rongcheng after a long flight delay, and Tang Wu's father drove them to Su Can's residential compound.
• Su Can reunited with Su Licheng, who explained how his role at Big Banyan Construction and his driver Wang Zhuo's prospects had changed.
• Su Can returned home, where Zeng Ke welcomed him with food and questions, and Su Licheng asked about his magazine.
• Su Can showed his parents the magazine's registration and tax documents, dispelling their doubts about his business.
• Zeng Qu anming arranged a family banquet, while Yin Shuying told Zeng Ke that people wanted to meet Su Can and were considering setting him up with a young woman.
• Su Can fielded calls from Wang Yue, Lin Guangdong, and others as his mother discussed his growing reputation with his aunt.

At a family dinner hosted by Zeng Qu anming, Su Can met Lu Zhonghua and gained useful advice about policies affecting his magazine. The gathering was interrupted by the arrival of two men in a Ferrari, one of whom recognized Zeng Qu anming’s car and reacted darkly to his name.

• Zeng Qu anming hosted a banquet at the Ginkgo Restaurant, where Su Can arrived after speaking with Tang Wu.
• Zeng Qu anming introduced Su Can to Lu Zhonghua, a Municipal Press and Publication Bureau director, and Lu discussed regulatory issues with him.
• Lu Zhonghua left before dinner, and government officials began stopping by the restaurant to see Zeng Qu anming.
• Zeng Qu anming’s family began their meal after Yin Shuying urged everyone to start eating.
• Two men arrived in a silver-white Ferrari; the older man recognized Zeng Qu anming’s Buick, and the younger man responded grimly to his name.

Tao Chuhong, heir to the Nanning Group, targeted Zeng Qu anming over his opposition to the group’s Fuhe Road land deal. He confronted Zeng at a family dinner and hinted that someone had damaged a Buick belonging to Zeng’s commission, leaving the room stunned and angry.

• Liu Ping explained that Zeng Qu anming’s commission had challenged the Land Reserve Center’s forced demolition and its commercial land deal, which supported the Nanning Group’s expansion.
• Tao Chuhong blamed Zeng for obstructing his family’s plans and suggested stopping to meet him.
• At dinner, Zeng Qu anming told his family that the land deal used equity transfers to evade taxes and hand public land to the Nanning Group for profit.
• Liu Ping arrived at the restaurant with Tao Chuhong and introduced him to Zeng Qu anming.
• Tao Chuhong shook Zeng’s hand and asked whether the Buick with a sun-cracked window downstairs belonged to his commission, provoking the gathering.

Tao Chuhong smashed Zeng Qu anming’s car during a politically charged dinner, and the incident spread through Rongcheng’s official circles as a warning against Zeng’s investigation of the Land Reserve Center. As pressure mounted on Zeng and Su Licheng’s business interests, Su Can’s family stood by one another, and Su Can learned that Wang Weiwei, Lin Zouwen, and Lin Luoran had returned to Rongcheng.

• Tao Chuhong announced that Zeng Qu anming’s car window had been smashed, then left after exchanging polite but hostile remarks with Zeng and Su Licheng.
• Zeng Qu anming’s family saw the shattered window, and Su Licheng had him leave before the incident drew further attention at the restaurant.
• News of the car-smashing spread through Rongcheng’s official circles, where people viewed it as a warning tied to Zeng Qu anming’s conflict with the Land Reserve Center.
• At home, Zeng Ke condemned Tao Chuhong while Su Licheng discussed Tao Changping’s opposition to Big Banyan Construction’s planned stake in Sichuan Airlines, and Su Can encouraged his father.
• Reports circulated that Zhang Zhaowei had submitted accusations against Zeng Qu anming to the higher-level Supervisory Department, while the Discipline Inspection and Procuratorial Department had not acted.
• Su Can received a call saying Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwen had returned to Rongcheng with Lin Luoran.

Su Can studied business and considered how the political dispute involving Zeng Qu anming and the Tao family might unfold, while reflecting on his own limits in influencing it. When Lin Zouwen and Lin Luoran returned to Rongcheng, Lin Luoran avoided meeting Su Can and privately dwelled on their missed chances and her jealousy over his relationship with Tang Wu.

• Su Can spent his time at home studying economics and organizing business documents instead of joining his friends' gatherings.
• Su Can reviewed the Nanning Group and considered how Wang Bu might manage the Development and Planning Commission's dispute with Tao Changping's interests.
• Wang Weiwei, Lin Zouwen, and Lin Luoran arrived in Rongcheng after spending time in Beijing.
• Lin Luoran stopped Lin Zouwen from telling Su Can she was there, and Lin Zouwen declined Su Can's invitation to meet.
• Lin Luoran recalled seeing Liu Xiaojing with Su Can and imagined how their lives might have differed if past events had gone another way.
• Lin Luoran resolved to make Su Can regret overlooking her and to leave him with a lasting impression.

Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwen declined Lu Peng’s dinner invitation and later visited Su Can, while Lin Luoran went on outings around Rongcheng with Tao Chuhong. The chapter left Wang Weiwei urging Su Can to attend a gathering on the fifth, where he might have a chance to address the distance between himself and Lin Luoran.

• Lu Peng called Wang Weiwei to invite him and his friends to dinner, but Wang Weiwei turned him down because Lin Luoran did not want to go.
• Lin Luoran rejected Wang Weiwei’s complaints about her invitations and left to join Tao Chuhong’s outing around Rongcheng.
• Tao Chuhong led a convoy of off-road vehicles to local attractions, while Lin Luoran kept her distance from him and took photographs.
• Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwen visited Su Can’s home and discussed Lin Luoran avoiding him, though they did not know the full story behind their misunderstanding.
• Wang Weiwei invited Su Can to a gathering on the fifth with Zhang Feifei, Zhang Xian, Zhuang Zhiyu, and their friends.

In February 2002, Zhan Hua offered Facebook sixteen million dollars for a twenty-five percent stake, but Su Can rejected the terms and demanded only five percent. Su Can then asked Zack to present the same terms to American investors, prepared to wait rather than give up more equity.

• Zhan Hua called Su Can after investigating Facebook and proposed investing sixteen million dollars for a twenty-five percent stake.
• Su Can refused Zhan Hua’s offer and countered that sixteen million dollars would buy only five percent of Facebook.
• Zhan Hua questioned whether American VCs would accept Su Can’s terms and suggested discussing the matter in person.
• Su Can asked Zack to present the stringent terms to Sequoia Capital and other American investors.
• Zack was excited by the possibility of becoming multimillionaires but worried that venture capitalists would reject the deal, while Su Can said they should trust his judgment.

Zhan Hua planned to use Sean Parker to influence Mark Zuckerberg and force Su Can to accept his investment, while Su Can spent the winter holidays in Rongcheng amid family business and New Year preparations. The chapter ended with Su Can looking ahead to his gathering with friends and wondering whether he would see Lin Luoran.

• Zhan Hua decided to recruit Sean Parker as a go-between to persuade Mark Zuckerberg to accept his investment offer and undermine Su Can’s control.
• Zhan Hua ordered Ye Shuiquan to arrange a trip to San Francisco after the New Year and to deal with Pei Fengshan.
• Su Can returned to Rongcheng for the winter holidays as Zeng He and Su Licheng prepared their businesses and workers for the Spring Festival.
• Su Can saw Old Master Xu at a company gala, where Xu Zheng encouraged him to keep going and later discussed business matters with Su Licheng.
• Su Can followed news about the Beijing Olympics and Yao Ming while thinking about the growth of his American internet venture.
• Su Can anticipated his February 5 gathering with Wang Weiwei, Lin Zouwen, and the others, and wondered if Lin Luoran would be there.

Tang Wu helped Su Can choose clothes before he went to meet Wang Weiwei and their circle at a prestigious restaurant near Rongcheng University. As Su Can approached the gathering, a young woman in a luxury car dismissed him as belonging to a different world, while her companion described the powerful guests expected that night.

• Tang Wu met Su Can at his residential complex and took him shopping for clothes before his gathering with Wang Weiwei and the others.
• Tang Wu explained that she would not attend because she had her own plans and wanted Su Can to choose his own path.
• Su Can arrived near Guojin Road and watched a line of luxury cars head toward the restaurant hosting the gathering.
• A woman in a BMW exchanged looks with Su Can, then teased him with a glance as the car drove away.
• The woman's companion told her that Tao Chuhong and Municipal Party Committee Secretary Wang Bu's son would attend, and urged her to drink if he asked.

Su Can arrived at No. 19 Guojin Road to meet Wang Weiwei and the others, hoping to mend things with Lin Luoran. As Lin Luoran approached with Tao Chuhong’s ostentatious motorcade following her, the gathering was left stunned, and Lin Zouwen revealed that she was his sister.

• Su Can joined Wang Weiwei, Lin Zouwen, and Zeng Zhiyuan at No. 19 Guojin Road, where friends and acquaintances gathered around them.
• Zhuang Zhiyu and Zhang Xian arrived and told Su Can that students at Nanjing University had heard of him.
• Wang Weiwei told Su Can that Lin Luoran had gone shopping with Zhang Feifei and was expected to join them.
• Tao Chuhong appeared with a motorcade of luxury cars and offered Lin Luoran a ride, but she refused and continued walking while the cars followed.
• Lin Luoran smiled when she spotted Su Can and the others, and Lin Zouwen told a man who had praised her that she was his sister.