Recaps

After Su Can exposed the truth at Nanjing University's homecoming and helped Song Zhen escape, newspapers were ordered to suppress coverage while university officials debated whether to punish or expel him. The chapter ended with President Wang Xiaoyi poised to decide Su Can's fate amid pressure from forces outside the university.

• A Southeast Metropolis Daily employee read reports about Su Can exposing the smear campaign against the Senchuan Group and helping Song Zhen escape.
• The newspaper director ordered reporters to withdraw and coverage of the homecoming incident to be downplayed after major newspapers received notices from above.
• At an emergency meeting, Xue Rui called for Su Can's expulsion, while Lu Chuanming and others argued that his motives deserved recognition.
• The Student Affairs Office head condemned the violence and called Su Can's companion a hired thug, while officials debated whether Su Can's actions warranted severe punishment.
• President Wang Xiaoyi interrupted the debate, leaving the decision about Su Can's fate in his hands.

After Nanjing University’s administrators deferred a decision about Su Can and focused on keeping Homecoming stable, calls from Cai Guotao, Su Can’s parents, and Wang Bu revealed support and political risks surrounding his actions. On the fourth day of Homecoming, Song Zhen found Su Can after class and invited him to a dinner her mother had arranged.

• President Wang Xiaoyi urged the administrators to set Su Can’s case aside during Homecoming and prioritize stability, while Dean Zhang showed Lu Chuanming his support afterward.
• Cai Guotao called Lu Chuanming to ask whether Su Can would remain at Nanjing University and warned that the university should protect its academic integrity.
• Su Licheng and Zeng Ke called Su Can, and Zeng Ke assured him that his parents would support him despite worrying about the consequences of his actions.
• Wang Bu warned Su Can that intervening in Senchuan Enterprises’ troubles could expose him to political opponents, but agreed that Su Can could try to build alliances through the matter.
• On the fourth day of Homecoming, Song Zhen met Su Can outside Teaching Building 3 and invited him to dinner at the Radisson Hotel at her mother’s request.

Song Zhen brought Su Can to a dinner hosted by her mother, Tao Qing, and found Tang Wu accompanying him. After Su Can introduced Tang Wu as his wife, the group reached the Radisson Hotel, where Tao Qing was meeting several imposing guests.

• Song Zhen approached Su Can and his friends after class while Tang Wu was with him.
• Su Can introduced Tang Wu to Song Zhen as his wife and explained that Tao Qing had invited him to dinner.
• Song Zhen offered to drive ahead in her Z4, and Su Can arranged to take a taxi with Tang Wu and meet her at the hotel.
• Song Zhen led Su Can and Tang Wu to the Radisson Hotel, where Tao Qing was discussing a project with three men and another woman.
• Tao Qing looked briefly startled when Su Can entered with Tang Wu, then composed herself.

At a banquet, Tao Qing thanked Su Can for defending Song Zhen and discussed Facebook and possible business cooperation with him. Wei Yuanhu revealed his connection to the Lin family and praised Lin Luoran, while Tao Qing later acknowledged that she should have trusted Song Zhen's judgment of Su Can.

• Tao Qing thanked Su Can for speaking up for Song Zhen at Nanjing University and criticized Senchuan Enterprises' public relations team for failing to anticipate the media attack.
• Su Can discussed Facebook with the guests, and Tang Wu explained how the Dunbar number supported the six-degrees theory and cited Facebook users' average number of friends.
• Wei Yuanhu told Su Can that he knew Lin Zouwen and Lin Luoran, then praised Lin Luoran and said his own family admired her.
• The man surnamed Yan asked Su Can about Wang Bu and his father, Su Licheng, while Tao Qing offered him potential cooperation with Senchuan Enterprises.
• After Su Can and Tang Wu left, Tao Qing told Song Zhen that she had changed her view of Su Can and should have trusted her daughter's judgment.

As Nanjing University's Homecoming ended, Su Can faced growing criticism from university factions and reflected on why he would not submit to Zhan Hua's power. A call from Wang Bu brought news of progress on Rongcheng projects and the possibility that Su Licheng would become Huangcheng's deputy mayor, opening a new stage for the Su family.

• Zhang Xiaoqiao, Xiao Xu, and Li Han told Su Can that backlash over Homecoming was spreading online and among Nanjing University's leaders.
• Wang Dongjian joined the dorm gathering and worried about the university's response to the controversy.
• Su Can considered the consequences of resisting Zhan Hua and rejected the idea of surrendering his independence to an entrenched interest group.
• Wang Bu told Su Can that more than a dozen Rongcheng projects had advanced after contact with Yan Luwei, who was expected to visit the city.
• Wang Bu revealed that provincial officials were considering moving Su Licheng into the role of Huangcheng deputy mayor.

Dustin arrived in Shanghai with the contract for Facebook Chinese while Zack dealt with lawsuits and internal conflicts at the American Facebook. After welcoming Dustin and touring the company’s servers, Su Can joined Tang Wu and her roommates at the hotel, where he tried to catch a glimpse of Tang Wu in her swimsuit and she pushed him away.

• Dustin told Su Can that Zack was handling privacy lawsuits and funding concerns, and that he had fired Mike after their disagreements over Facebook’s direction.
• Dustin described Zack’s growing irritability and the strain it had caused Katherine, leaving Su Can silent.
• Dustin met Qiao Cunxin, Qiao Shuxin, Zhao Yifan, Kate, and the other Facebook Chinese executives, then toured their data center and attended a welcome reception.
• Tang Wu arrived with Cheng Congcong, Tong Tong, and Ruan Si'ou, and Dustin met her for the first time.
• At the hotel’s hot spring corridor, Su Can waited to see Tang Wu in her swimsuit, but she pushed him toward the men’s bathing area and fled to the women’s side.

At a hotel hot spring, Ruan Si'ou, Tong Tong, Cheng Congcong, and Tang Wu discussed Su Can’s public actions and the uncertain prospects of Facebook Chinese. Su Can outlined plans to grow the company and protect its technology before Dustin revealed a contract that would make Su Can co-president of Facebook alongside Mark Zuckerberg.

• Ruan Si'ou defended Su Can’s actions at Nanjing University’s Homecoming, while Cheng Congcong described the risks facing Facebook Chinese in China.
• Tang Wu recalled Su Can’s early idea of putting a student directory online and said she believed he could turn ordinary ideas into something extraordinary.
• Su Can told Dustin he planned to make Facebook Chinese more entertaining with browser minigames, seek patents, and build a technology incubator near Nanjing University.
• Dustin showed Su Can an investment agreement from Greylock and other firms that included demands for greater control and said Zack needed Su Can’s support.
• Dustin explained that the proposed co-president contract would give Su Can and Mark Zuckerberg equal authority with different responsibilities, replacing their existing roles.

Su Can signed a co-president contract that clarified his responsibilities at Facebook as the company restructured ahead of a funding round. Across the street from Facebook’s headquarters, Silicon Valley venture capitalists debated the company’s valuation and Breyer urged them to consider that Facebook might surpass Google.

• Su Can accepted the co-president role, taking responsibility for Facebook Chinese, technical reserves, the entertainment platform, and product marketing channels.
• Venture capitalists gathered near Facebook’s headquarters and discussed the company’s new valuation and co-president structure.
• David Shi warned the group that Facebook had five million US users, rapid growth, and two difficult-to-copy advantages: its social network model and founders.
• The investors argued over Facebook’s six-hundred-million-dollar internal valuation and the stake they should seek in the funding round.
• Breyer called for a ten-percent stake and argued that Facebook might become the next internet overlord, possibly surpassing Google.

Su Can and Tang Wu joined Dustin, Facebook Chinese executives, and Tang Wu’s roommates for a seafood dinner, where Dustin charmed the group with stories about Harvard and Facebook’s early days. As the evening ended by the river, Tang Wu told Su Can that what mattered to her was staying together and preserving their closeness through the years.

• Su Can had Li Pengyu discreetly observe Facebook Chinese’s managers to learn about their loyalties and abilities.
• Cheng Congcong led Su Can, Dustin, Tang Wu, and the others to a seafood stall near Nanpu Bridge.
• Dustin entertained Tang Wu’s roommates with stories about Harvard and Facebook, while Qiao Shuxin later drew him into drinking and shared memories of Facebook’s early days.
• Su Can sat beside Tang Wu by the river and admitted that Dustin’s popularity had made him uneasy.
• Tang Wu said she hoped talented people would work for Su Can, then told him she cared about being with him and remaining close as they grew older.

Su Can and Qiao Shuxin discussed Facebook’s financing and the challenges facing its Chinese operation as they left the airport after Dustin returned to the United States. Qiao praised Su Can for intervening at Nanjing University’s Homecoming and admitted that seeing employees call Su their boss had made him feel proud.

• Su Can and Qiao Shuxin watched Dustin depart for the United States with the signed Co-President agreement and discussed the risks posed by Facebook’s prospective investors.
• Qiao Shuxin asked about the trouble Su Can faced after Nanjing University’s Homecoming and shared company gossip about Su and Song Zhen.
• Su Can urged Qiao Shuxin to focus Facebook Chinese on improving features, user experience, and platform development rather than spending more on public relations.
• Qiao Shuxin wondered how Song Zhen would react to Su Can’s actions and joked about the company’s interest in her.
• Su Can complained that people assumed his actions were calculated, and Qiao Shuxin told him he believed Su had acted impulsively.
• Qiao Shuxin said he was proud that Su had stood up at Homecoming, admitting he himself would have been too afraid to act.

As Nanjing University's Homecoming concluded, Su Can faced growing business and political pressures while waiting to see how the university would respond to his actions at the celebration. Tang Wu brought him breakfast, and he led her toward class as he waited for the administrators' decision.

• President Wang Xiaoyi saw off Yale President Richard Levin and Oxford Vice-Chancellor John Hood after discussing universities' missions and general education.
• The fallout from Su Can leading Song Zhen away at Homecoming continued, while Zhan Hua's side remained constrained by a larger conflict involving Song Zhen's Senchuan Enterprises.
• Su Can worried over delayed funds, the unsecured World of Warcraft stake, and the pressure on Lin Guangdong as he waited for Facebook's financing.
• Su Can left Dormitory Building No. 17 and met Tang Wu, who had brought him milk tea and egg pancakes.
• Su Can took Tang Wu's hand and walked with her toward the teaching building while awaiting the university administrators' response.

Su Can dealt with the attention caused by his actions at Nanjing University’s Homecoming and spent a lively afternoon with Tang Wu and their friends. The next day, he brought Tang Wu to the apartment he had bought in Manhattan First Residence, where their private moment was interrupted by the neighbors.

• Su Can noticed university staff and students watching him after the Homecoming incident, while Zhang Xiaoqiao joked about faculty members gossiping over Song Zhen.
• Su Can and his friends traded jokes over dinner, and Wang Dongjian introduced him to older students who wanted to meet the campus celebrity.
• Two friends of Ruan Si'ou asked Su Can to get Song Zhen’s autograph, but he told them he did not know her well.
• Su Can told Tang Wu he would take her somewhere special, then brought her to Manhattan First Residence and revealed the apartment he had bought for them to furnish together.
• Wang Yan and Gu Jun entered the apartment and found Su Can holding Tang Wu, leaving Gu Jun bitterly wondering whether there was any justice.

Su Can and Tang Wu met their neighbors, Wang Yan and Gu Jun, whose attitude toward Su Can changed after they realized he was no ordinary young man. Later, Lin Luoran called from Beijing and told Su Can she was preparing to study abroad, leaving him imagining her in Florence.

• Su Can and Tang Wu spoke with Wang Yan and Gu Jun about the apartment renovation, and Gu Jun later remarked that Su Can seemed unusually shrewd.
• Su Can took Lin Luoran's call while attending an economics elective with Li Han, Xiao Xu, and the others at Nanjing University.
• Wang Weiwei took the phone and asked Su Can about Facebook's financing and prospects, then invited him to meet friends if he came to Beijing.
• Lin Luoran told Su Can she was handling paperwork to study abroad and was considering Paris, Hokkaido, or Florence.
• After the call, Su Can stood outside the aging Teaching Building 3 and imagined Lin Luoran in a lavender field in Florence, knowing he would not be able to tell her she looked beautiful.

Su Can was summoned from class and met Nanjing University president Wang Xiaoyi as the university weighed how to handle the Homecoming incident. He recognized that outside political pressure had reached the university, and the chapter ended with Wang Xiaoyi facing him without revealing what he would decide.

• Su Yiyi called Su Can out of his Political Economy class, prompting classmates to speculate that the university was preparing to punish him over Homecoming.
• Li Han rejected a classmate’s claim that Su Can was powerless against the university and said Su Can had little to fear.
• Su Can met President Wang Xiaoyi in Bi Garden alongside Su Yiyi, Lu Chuanming, and university staff and professors.
• Su Can concluded that powerful figures connected to Zhan Hua were pressuring Nanjing University, as well as Lin Guangdong’s Pineapple Media.
• Wang Xiaoyi introduced himself to Su Can while concealing how he planned to handle the controversy.

After the economics forum uproar, Su Can expected Nanjing University to punish him, but Wang Xiaoyi defended his right to remain a student and urged him to balance his studies with his business. As Su Can sat reflecting on their conversation, the woman he thought had left his life returned from Beijing and confronted him.

• Wang Xiaoyi asked Lu Chuanming and Su Yiyi to speak with Professor Zhang about rehiring him, then took Su Can for a walk.
• Su Can considered the university's likely response to the forum incident and worried that legal pressure could affect his companies.
• Wang Xiaoyi explained Nanjing University's responsibility to society and the constraints facing universities, then refused to accept Su Can's withdrawal application.
• Wang Xiaoyi told Su Can to focus on his studies and business, insisting that Nanjing University remain his alma mater.
• After Wang Xiaoyi left, Su Can sat alone until a woman returned from Beijing and angrily demanded to know why he had been unavailable.

Lin Luoran returned to Shanghai instead of going abroad, reassured Su Can after Nanjing University decided not to punish him, and invited him to dinner at her apartment. As Su Can prepared to spend less time on campus and visited Lin Luoran in December, Wei Yuanhu arrived unexpectedly at her apartment.

• Lin Luoran told Su Can she had considered studying abroad but decided to stay, then supported his plans to focus on his businesses and future.
• Lin Luoran said Nanjing University had demanded a public apology from Xie Si Gan while sparing Su Can further consequences, and Su Can's dormmates celebrated with him that night.
• Zhang Xiaoqiao recognized that Su Can would be spending less time at the university and promised Room 602 would always keep a bed for him.
• In December, Su Can and Li Pengyu drove to Lin Luoran's apartment, where she and her roommate An Wan began preparing dinner.
• Wei Yuanhu arrived at Lin Luoran's apartment, surprising Su Can when he opened the door.

Su Can and Li Pengyu visited Lin Luoran, where Wei Yuanhu joined them and impressed everyone with his social ease and cooking. Wei’s elaborate dishes overshadowed Su Can’s simple cooking until Lin Luoran finished Su Can’s tomato-and-egg sauce with rice, leaving Wei watching him with an unreadable smile.

• Lin Luoran welcomed Wei Yuanhu, who connected Li Pengyu to his university classmate Zhang Jingfan and smoothly drew both men into conversation.
• Wei Yuanhu praised Lin Luoran and spoke to Su Can about the rare women he could imagine building a life with, naming Lin among them.
• Wei Yuanhu cooked an elaborate meal and displayed his chef credentials, while Li Pengyu pushed Su Can into the kitchen to cook as well.
• An Wan praised Wei Yuanhu’s dishes, and Lin Luoran complimented his cooking while giving Su Can’s home-style dishes little attention.
• As the meal ended, Lin Luoran mixed the remaining tomato-and-egg sauce into her rice and said it tasted best that way, while Wei Yuanhu watched Su Can with a faint smile.

After the Nanjing University Homecoming incident sparked wider debate about China’s charity system, Wang Xiaoyi invited Su Can to advise the university on its charitable work. Su Can argued that lasting change required transparent, accountable institutions, and the chapter ended with Nanjing University considering reforms that could influence policy beyond the campus.

• Lin Luoran invited Su Can and friends to dinner after his close call at Nanjing University, then focused on preparing for finals.
• Zhang Xiaoqiao read new commentary on charity reform and reflected on Su Can’s role in bringing the issue to public attention.
• Wang Xiaoyi invited Su Can to discuss Nanjing University’s charitable projects and asked for his views on the university’s charity work.
• Su Can argued that charity needed broader participation, transparent accounting, and mechanisms that let donors trust their contributions would reach recipients.
• Yang Yiming outlined proposals for independent financial authority, public disclosure, and a clear legal trust relationship between donors and the university’s charity organization.
• Su Can concluded that institutional reform could strengthen responses to disasters and poverty, and believed he had shifted the course of history.

Su Can urged Tang Wu to join Facebook Chinese and explained why he had delayed involving her in his businesses. Tang Wu chose to join him, saying she had only one road to follow with him.

• Tang Wu and Su Can shared breakfast while discussing Nanjing University's charity work and its possible influence on the Charity Law.
• Su Can asked Tang Wu to consider joining Facebook Chinese, but worried he was planning her future without asking what she wanted.
• Tang Wu asked why Su Can had not raised the idea earlier and wondered whether she truly understood his ambitions and businesses.
• Su Can explained that he had wanted to preserve the peaceful lives of those around him and promised to support Tang Wu's choices.
• Tang Wu told Su Can she had never wanted another choice and would follow the road with him to the end.

Su Can spent a quiet weekend with Tang Wu before bringing her to Facebook Chinese and introducing her as his special assistant, beginning her gradual entry into the business. He explained the company’s plans to grow its membership and develop applications, while his father discussed Su Licheng’s impending transfer to Huangcheng.

• Su Can and Tang Wu spent the weekend at Xuehai Yiju, where he studied from her notes and planned how she could gradually take on business responsibilities.
• Su Licheng questioned Su Can about his appointment as a charity adviser and the donations it might require, and Su Can explained his investment in Nanjing University's Entrepreneurship Base.
• Su Can and Tang Wu arrived at Facebook Chinese's headquarters, where he introduced her to employees as his special assistant to the president.
• Su Can told company staff that user experience came first and described how a large membership base could support profitable services and products.
• Tang Wu questioned the company's goal of reaching two million members by next March, and Su Can said Facebook Chinese would exceed that target through applications and games.

Su Can and Lin Guangdong faced growing pressure from Tan Wen’s distribution alliances in Shanghai, but Shushan Culture Supplies chose their Shangdao Hezong as its principal partner, abruptly shifting the balance of power. The chapter ended with Lin Guangdong refusing to entertain Zhao Wei’s belated overtures and Su Can receiving a reminder from Lin Luoran about the books he had promised her.

• Lin Guangdong explained to Su Can how Tan Wen’s Lianshang Culture had expanded its distribution network and excluded Pineapple Media from a new industry initiative.
• Su Can and Lin Guangdong attended the Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou book-industry gathering, where Lin identified Tan Wen and described the political and business forces behind Pineapple Media’s Shanghai expansion.
• Tan Wen told Zhan Hua that he expected Lianshang Culture to win a partnership with Shushan Culture Supplies, while Zhan Hua warned him not to underestimate Su Can and Pineapple Media.
• Zhao Mingnong announced that Shushan Culture Supplies had selected Shangdao Hezong, jointly established with Pineapple Media, as its principal partner, shocking Tan Wen and the other distributors.
• Zhao Wei approached Lin Guangdong to seek a partnership, but Lin asked him coldly who he was instead of accepting his greeting.
• Su Can stepped outside and received a text from Lin Luoran asking when he would bring her the reference books he had promised.

Su Can reflected on his business ventures and heard Li Pengyu’s warning that Wei Yuanhu was pursuing Lin Luoran as a potential match. After delivering Lin Luoran’s books, Su Can joined her at a campus lecture, where an exercise in opening one’s heart left them embracing as rain fell outside.

• Su Can discussed Lin Guangdong’s success and Zhao Mingnong’s sense of responsibility, then learned that Facebook Chinese still needed funding to complete its proposed World of Warcraft deal.
• Li Pengyu warned Su Can that Wei Yuanhu and his family had long been courting Lin Luoran, and that Wei Yuanhu likely saw Su Can as a rival.
• Su Can learned that Su Licheng would take up a new post in Huangcheng after New Year’s Day, while Facebook’s financing and Blizzard negotiations continued.
• Su Can carried books and journals to Lin Luoran at Shanghai International Studies University and found her directing a Shakespeare play rehearsal.
• Lin Luoran took Su Can for ice cream, then brought him into a lecture hall to escape the rain.
• At the speaker’s urging, Su Can embraced Lin Luoran, and the chapter ended with them together in the dim hall as rain fell outside.

At the Shanghai International Studies University New Year's gala, Su Can reunited with Dong Xiaojia and learned she planned to become an overseas correspondent, while Lin Luoran's memories of their intimate rainy-day embrace resurfaced. The evening ended with Lin Luoran accepting an award and teasing Su Can by text about the hand he had placed on her breast during that hug.

• Su Can, Tang Wu, and their friends attended the Shanghai International Studies University New Year's gala at Lin Luoran's invitation and ran into Dong Xiaojia.
• Dong Xiaojia told the group that she had passed CCTV's recruitment process and was training to become an overseas correspondent, then rebuked a student who attributed her career to family connections.
• Dong Xiaojia joked with Su Can about his business prospects and suggested she might interview him in the future; Su Can confidently welcomed the idea.
• Lin Luoran's class won first prize for its play, Othello, and Lin Luoran went onstage to accept the award.
• Lin Luoran texted Su Can that his hug had not been innocent because his wandering hand had rested on her breast.

In January 2003, Su Can negotiated Facebook’s third financing round with Accel, Merritech Capital, and other investors as they arrived in Shanghai. Facebook secured $63 million for a 10% stake at a $600 million valuation, leaving Su Can with more resources and a stronger position against Zhan Hua and the Gao faction.

• Su Can received advance financing and legal documents from Facebook’s American headquarters, then welcomed Wilde, Stephen Chen, and Dustin to Shanghai.
• Accel’s Luo Wenxin met Su Can and discussed venture capital in China while gauging Su Can’s interest in Accel and Facebook Chinese.
• Luo Wenxin offered to buy equity in Facebook Chinese, but Su Can said the company did not need the money.
• Facebook signed a financing agreement in Shanghai on January 11, selling 10% of the company for $63 million at a $600 million valuation.
• Su Can’s stake fell from about 42% to 37.9%, while the new funding gave him room to expand the business and challenge Zhan Hua and the Gao faction.

Su Can continued balancing his business and studies while Sequoia Capital sought to invest in Facebook and exploit tensions between its co-presidents. At a Shanghai pitch, Mark Zuckerberg delivered a deliberately provocative presentation listing ten reasons not to invest, ending by affirming that Su Can was his friend.

• Su Can's roommates watched Tang Wu bring food to his dorm and envied how he managed business, studying, and leisure.
• Zhan Hua invited Mark Zuckerberg to pitch Facebook to Sequoia Capital during his China trip, hoping the investment would give Sequoia influence over the company.
• Zhan Hua told Gao Heng that Facebook's two co-presidents would eventually clash and that Mark had agreed to present in Shanghai.
• Mark arrived late to Sequoia's meeting at the Jin Mao Hyatt Grand Hotel wearing a bathrobe, stained T-shirt, and shorts.
• Mark presented ten reasons not to invest in Facebook, ending by saying that Su Can was his co-president and his friend.