Recaps

Su Can pursued his “Sponge Plan,” systematically reviewing high school subjects and broadening his knowledge through books and reading at his eldest uncle’s house. He learned that the municipal government would select approved procurement suppliers, giving his family’s shop an opportunity to grow.

• Su Can rose early each day to review his high school subjects and planned to master his first-year material over three months.
• Su Can bought textbooks, reference materials, novels, and books on subjects ranging from finance to world affairs to expand his knowledge.
• Su Can borrowed classics from Zeng Qu anming’s bookcases and began reading authors including Keats, Dante, and Nietzsche.
• Su Can heard from his older cousin that the municipal government would choose its first approved procurement suppliers and form inspection teams to review them.
• Su Can recognized that the new municipal procurement system could give his family’s shop a chance to grow.

Su Can urged his hesitant parents to enter the municipal tender for office and cultural supplies, arguing that relying on his uncle’s referrals left their new shop vulnerable. He persuaded them that bidding could open a path beyond their small business, and hinted that the event would bring a memorable result.

• Zeng Ke and Su Licheng worried that their shop could not compete with established suppliers at the tender meeting, despite Zeng Qu anming securing them a place.
• Su Can recalled how much their family’s circumstances had changed in five months and warned that their business depended too heavily on his uncle’s connections.
• Su Can argued that the family needed to attend the tender rather than remain confined to their small shop, which might eventually be demolished.
• Su Can cited Mayor Hong Xiaotian’s plans to support private businesses and suggested using some of the shop’s earnings for the bid.
• Su Can told his parents that the tender day would make former colleagues and neighbors look up to their family’s achievement.

Mayor Hong Xiaotian used the municipal bidding event to challenge Xiahai City’s entrenched local networks, but influential cadres and businessmen treated it as another chance to trade connections. The arrival of Su Can and his parents drew everyone’s attention, and Zeng Qu anming dropped his glasses when he recognized a resemblance in the woman.

• Hong Xiaotian watched the bidding preparations and hoped the event would curb local protectionism despite his weak influence in the city.
• Businessmen and state-owned enterprise cadres pressed their connections and favored outcomes, while Jiang Chaoyang gathered admirers and Zeng Qu anming searched for Su Licheng and Zeng Ke.
• A well-dressed man, his elegant wife, and their son entered the hotel, prompting guests to speculate that the man was connected to the provincial Party committee.
• Su Can walked in holding his parents’ hands and reminded them to keep their smiles natural.
• Zeng Qu anming looked closely at the woman, thought she resembled his younger sister, and dropped his glasses.

Su Can dressed Zeng Ke and Su Licheng to make a strong impression at Xiahai’s municipal bidding meeting, where their polished appearance drew speculation about their identity. The family entered the bidding hall without greeting Zeng Qu anming, while Mayor Hong Xiaotian reviewed their office-supply bid and found its documents clear and complete.

• Su Can chose a Goldlion suit for Su Licheng and a dark dress with accessories for Zeng Ke, persuading his parents to spend 3,500 yuan on their clothes.
• Su Can walked into the Kailai Hotel bidding hall with his parents, and their composed appearance made the crowd wonder who they were.
• Zeng Qu anming was stunned when Su Can’s family passed him without greeting him, while Mayor Hong Xiaotian felt relieved that they had no visible connection to Jiang Chaoming.
• Chen Jun recognized Zeng Ke’s family but kept their identity to himself.
• Hong Xiaotian identified their bid as an office-supply proposal, reviewed its detailed and complete documents, and recognized that the family ran a local office-supply shop.

Su Can’s family competed for a municipal office-supplies contract, and Hong Xiaotian announced that Xiahai City's Cultural Supplies Specialty Store had won one of four supplier positions. The decision triggered a confrontation between Hong Xiaotian and Jiang Chaoming, while Chen Lingshan recognized Zeng Ke’s family as they left.

• Su Licheng defended the family’s higher bid by describing its detailed service plan and willingness to accept financial oversight.
• Hong Xiaotian announced Tenglong Sports, Office Office Chain, and Xinhua Bookstore as the first three successful bidders, leaving Su Can’s family and Jiang Chaoming’s Xiahai Department Store awaiting the final result.
• Hong Xiaotian named Xiahai City's Cultural Supplies Specialty Store as the fourth successful bidder, and Su Licheng rose to thank the committee as his family celebrated.
• Jiang Chaoming questioned the store’s eligibility, but Hong Xiaotian defended the evaluation and warned that the store had met the requirements.
• Chen Jun watched Zeng Ke’s family leave in a taxi, and Chen Lingshan quietly asked her father whether they had seen Auntie Zeng.

Su Can helped his family prepare their shop after they became a municipal procurement supplier, while his relatives teased him about romance and Zeng Na dismissed his chances at school. Struggling with City First Middle School’s demanding coursework, he refocused on exam preparation, and the chapter ended with news that Tang Wu had a prominent suitor.

• Su Can helped clean and organize his family’s shop, which became a regular stop for Zeng Qu anming and Yin Shuying.
• Zeng Ke asked Zeng Na whether Su Can was popular or had a girlfriend, and Zeng Na said she knew of no one who liked him.
• Su Can struggled with advanced problems and fell outside the top dozen in his class, so he reduced his extracurricular reading and focused on exam-oriented books.
• A new school rumor stirred up the year: Tang Wu had an openly declared suitor who was well known at City First Middle School.

Su Can learned that Tang Wu had agreed to be friends with Yue Zijiang, a popular and well-connected senior, and realized Yue might be the boyfriend who would kill her in the future. Though he feared he was powerless to alter the tragedy, he resolved to stop it.

• Students at City First Middle School spread rumors about Tang Wu and watched as Yue Zijiang began pursuing her.
• Yue Zijiang confessed to Tang Wu, then persuaded her to agree to get to know him as an ordinary friend.
• Su Can remembered reports that Tang Wu’s future boyfriend would kill her after their relationship ended, and feared Yue Zijiang was that person.
• Su Can saw Tang Wu warming to Yue Zijiang while other students praised him, and resolved to prevent her future death despite his doubts about his ability.

Yue Zijiang remained undeterred after Tang Wu turned down his offer, while Chen Lingshan exchanged phone numbers with Su Can and tried to encourage their friendship. Su Can used a note to invite Tang Wu to walk with him after school, and their unexpected appearance together left Yue Zijiang, Chen Lingshan, and Xue Yiyang stunned.

• Yue Zijiang accepted Tang Wu's refusal to let him take her home and told Zhang Xi he would keep trying.
• Chen Lingshan got Su Can's phone number through Xue Yiyang and suggested that they meet up with their friends during the holidays.
• Tang Wu received Su Can's note asking to borrow her science materials and wait for him after school.
• Su Can and Tang Wu walked around City First Middle School together, talking about their current school and City No. 3 Middle School.
• Yue Zijiang, Chen Lingshan, and Xue Yiyang separately saw Su Can walking beside Tang Wu after school and were shocked.

Su Can walked home with Tang Wu and calmly faced Yue Zijiang and his friends, drawing the attention of Chen Lingshan’s circle. The confrontation ended without violence, but Xue Yiyang worried that Su Can had made enemies in the second-year crowd.

• Su Can and Tang Wu passed Yue Zijiang’s group, prompting Li Lumei and the others with Chen Lingshan to react in disbelief.
• Gao Tian stopped one of Yue Zijiang’s hotheaded friends from advancing toward Su Can.
• Yue Zijiang greeted Tang Wu, introduced himself to Su Can, and shook his hand while trying to maintain a composed front.
• Yue Zijiang ended the encounter and returned to his group, while Xue Yiyang worried that Su Can would face trouble for crossing them.
• A girl from Su Can’s class called out to remind him about homework, and Chen Lingshan exchanged a superficial smile with Tang Wu.
• After Su Can and Tang Wu walked away, Chen Lingshan’s friends speculated about Su Can’s interest in Tang Wu and questioned whether his composure had been an illusion.

Su Can feared Tang Wu would resent his interference with Yue Zijiang, but she calmly promised not to get closer to him, leaving Su Can unexpectedly happy. Back at the family shop, he saw how much business had grown and suggested hiring help.

• Su Can admitted to himself that Tang Wu might have guessed why he invited her out, then stumbled when she pointed out that the biology practice questions had no page five.
• Tang Wu asked whether he wanted her to avoid getting closer to Yue Zijiang, and promised she would after he admitted it.
• Tang Wu patted Su Can's shoulder and boarded the bus, leaving him feeling unexpectedly happy.
• Su Can considered how Yue Zijiang's circle gained influence and concluded that Liu Rui might help him handle the group, though involving him could worsen matters.
• Su Can's family received a municipal designated-procurement banner, and their shop's daily sales had risen to 3,597 yuan.
• After seeing his parents struggle to serve the growing stream of customers, Su Can suggested hiring people to help run the shop.

Su Can’s parents hired two assistants for their shop while he focused on his studies and tried to prepare for trouble from Yue Zijiang’s allies. At school, Tang Wu’s playful wink left Su Can flustered, while Chen Lingshan’s friend Li Lumei began trying to bring Su Can and Chen closer.

• Su Can’s parents hired Li Yulian and Wang Yue to help at the shop, while they watched over Su Can’s studies as midterms approached.
• Su Can told Liu Rui about his troubles with Yue Zijiang, and Liu Rui promised to come help if Wang Haoran’s group caused trouble.
• Yue Zijiang sent a messenger to invite Tang Wu out, but Tang Wu declined, then winked at Su Can as she returned from the restroom.
• During PE, Chen Lingshan joined Su Can and his friends, while Li Lumei hoped Su Can would grow closer to Chen and upset Tang Wu.

Su Can and Chen Lingshan shared an awkwardly intimate moment before separating, while Li Lumei worried about how close they were becoming and how Tang Wu fit into the situation. Later, Su Can found two attackers beating a student in an alley and tricked them into fleeing, then returned to help the battered boy.

• Chen Lingshan took Su Can by the wrist to lead him away from the girls' teasing, then invited him to join a gathering after midterms; he agreed.
• Li Lumei stopped the girls' romantic gossip and privately worried about Su Can and Chen Lingshan's growing closeness, especially in relation to Tang Wu.
• Su Can entered the alleys near City First Middle School and found two males beating a student with chair legs.
• Su Can shouted that help was coming, frightening the attackers into fleeing with their clubs.
• Su Can returned to the injured student, who recognized the ruse and praised him.

Su Can learned why Wang Yue had joined his family’s shop and offered to help her build a business rather than dismissing her. He promised to help her reach a bigger world, leaving Wang Yue stunned by his confidence.

• Su Can left the injured boy after advising him to get checked and stop getting into fights.
• At his family’s shop, Su Can recognized Wang Yue, who had previously worked at a store near City No. 3 Middle School.
• Su Can confronted Wang Yue about hiding her real reasons for applying to work at the shop.
• Wang Yue admitted she wanted to learn how to run a business and escape a life spent tending her mother’s shop.
• Su Can proposed that Wang Yue’s family join his family’s business as a branch and promised to help her go farther in life.

Su Can discussed opening a branch of his parents’ shop, hoping to give them a new direction beyond relying on secure work-unit contracts. His parents were cautious but began considering the risks and possibilities, leaving the expansion undecided.

• Wang Yue laughed off Su Can’s claims about the future, though she still seemed hopeful that his mother might help expand her family’s shop.
• Su Can recalled his mother’s enduring care as she served him peeled walnuts and fruit at home.
• Su Can proposed opening a branch, but his parents initially urged him to focus on studying and questioned whether the shop needed to expand.
• Zeng Ke noted that the shop’s designated-supplier contract lasted only a year, while Su Licheng said retail mattered too and any branch should be near schools.
• Su Can agreed to revisit the idea later and returned to his room, recognizing that his promise to Wang Yue had been premature.

As midterms approached, Xiao Rihua learned that Su Can and Tang Wu were rumored to be close, unsettling him after his earlier conflict with Su Can. Meanwhile, a dispute over a basketball court drew first-year Class Five into a looming confrontation with Wang Haoran’s allies, who arrived at the classroom door.

• Xiao Rihua overheard Yin Xiaotian and Zhou Wu discussing rumors that Su Can and Tang Wu often left school together, and he was shocked.
• Mao Xiaoshi and Zheng Dong took a basketball court from junior-high students and learned that one boy was Wang Haoran’s cousin.
• Mao Xiaoshi and Zheng Dong sought help from Li Ai, who became alarmed when he heard whom they had offended.
• Zhang Xi told the worried Class Five students to wait, while the class rallied around Mao Xiaoshi.
• A group of second-year boys gathered outside Class Five, and Wang Haoran’s cousin identified Mao Xiaoshi to Brother Chen.

Zhang Xi failed to stop Chen Chong’s group from summoning Mao Xiaoshi to the school gate, while Gao Fan promised Chen Lingshan he would try to intervene. Mao Xiaoshi was then brutally beaten by Wang Haoran, Zheng Zhichao, and their group as Li Lumei and Chen Lingshan watched in distress.

• Zheng Zhichao demanded that Mao Xiaoshi come out, and Chen Chong told Zhang Xi to have him wait at the main gate after school.
• Yue Zijiang spoke with Tang Wu, while Gao Fan told Chen Lingshan he would try to dissuade Chen Chong and Wang Haoran from fighting Mao Xiaoshi.
• Gao Fan teased Chen Lingshan about Su Can, and Su Can kept working at his desk as the disturbance ended.
• Wang Haoran’s group attacked Mao Xiaoshi in an open space outside the school, knocking him down and leaving him bloodied.
• Zheng Zhichao kicked Mao Xiaoshi as Li Lumei cried, while Gao Fan held Chen Lingshan back from intervening.

Su Can stepped into Wang Haoran's gang's beating of Mao Xiaoshi and endured Chen Chong's taunts and physical abuse. When Zheng Zhichao patted his head and the others dismissed him, Su Can picked up a brick and struck Chen Chong from behind.

• Su Can stopped Xue Yiyang from leading him away and walked toward Wang Haoran's group as they beat Mao Xiaoshi.
• Su Can reminded Wang Haoran that he had helped him before, and Wang Haoran acknowledged knowing him but watched as Chen Chong and the others jeered.
• Chen Chong jabbed Su Can in the face and struck his collarbone, leaving bloody scratches before Wang Haoran stopped him.
• Zheng Zhichao patted Su Can's head, and Su Can bent down, picked up a brick, and brought it down on the back of Chen Chong's head.

Su Can struck Chen Chong with a brick and tried to rally Mao Xiaoshi and the others against Wang Haoran’s group, but Mao Xiaoshi lost his nerve and stayed down. Su Can fought the second-years alone until Xue Yiyang joined him with a brick, and the clash escalated into a chaotic brawl.

• Su Can hit Chen Chong in the back and then struck him in the face with a brick, knocking him down and shocking Wang Haoran’s group.
• Su Can challenged Mao Xiaoshi to stand up and fight, hoping to draw him and his basketball teammates into the confrontation.
• Mao Xiaoshi looked at Wang Haoran and lowered his head, while Li Lumei’s hopes of seeing him stand up faded.
• The second-years attacked Su Can, who fought back with his brick despite being outnumbered.
• Xue Yiyang grabbed a brick and charged in to help Su Can, spreading the melee as the second-years fought back and Wang Haoran’s calls to stop went unheard.

Wang Weiwei and his companions arrived as Su Can and Xue Yiyang fought Wang Haoran’s group, and they watched from a nearby snack stall. Wang Haoran stopped the brawl and recognized Wang Weiwei’s powerful connections, leaving him wary of provoking the newcomer.

• Wang Weiwei’s group arrived and sat at a snack stall to watch the fight, while Lin Luoran praised Su Can’s fighting spirit.
• Wang Haoran separated the fighters, and Su Can dropped his brick as he and Xue Yiyang faced the shaken group.
• Xue Yiyang challenged the others again, while Su Can noticed Wang Weiwei smiling at him and giving him a thumbs-up.
• Wang Haoran silenced his companions when they threatened Wang Weiwei’s group.
• Wang Haoran recalled Wang Weiwei’s standing among the city’s powerful families and decided that provoking him could bring severe consequences.

After Wang Weiwei stopped Wang Haoran’s group from escalating their clash with Su Can, Wang Weiwei and Lin Luoran transferred to City First Middle School. Su Can wondered whether his actions had changed the future, while rumors of the fight spread and the anticipated retaliation never came.

• Wang Haoran called off his confrontation with Su Can after Wang Weiwei intervened, and Wang Weiwei checked that Su Can was all right.
• Su Can declined Wang Weiwei’s invitation to join the beer stall, then left with Xue Yiyang.
• Wang Weiwei, Lin Zouwen, and Lin Luoran enrolled at City First Middle School in separate classes.
• Xue Yiyang told Su Can that Wang Weiwei and Lin Luoran had transferred to their school, and Su Can wondered whether his choices had caused the change.
• Rumors about Su Can’s fight with Wang Haoran spread, but Wang Haoran’s group did not retaliate.
• Yue Zijiang’s class challenged Class Five to a ball game, while Li Lumei teased Chen Lingshan about Su Can.

After watching Yue Zijiang openly pursue Tang Wu, Su Can decided he had to court her rather than interfere from the sidelines. He later encouraged Mao Xiaoshi to stop fearing Yue Zijiang and give everything on the basketball court.

• Yue Zijiang invited Tang Wu to watch him play in next month's basketball tournament, and she answered, "We'll see."
• Su Can reflected on Tang Wu's growing choices and decided to pursue her so he could legitimately stand by her.
• Mao Xiaoshi told Su Can that he knew Su looked down on him for freezing during their past confrontation.
• Su Can reassured Mao Xiaoshi that fear was a normal response, then told him he could not beat Yue Zijiang while he remained afraid of him.
• Su Can urged Mao Xiaoshi to give everything he had, and Mao Xiaoshi recalled Su facing danger with a brick.

Su Can asked Mao Xiaoshi to teach him basketball as he began revealing his abilities ahead of the midterms. When Lin Luoran arrived at the court, she stunned Su Can and the others by demonstrating extraordinary basketball skills and teasing him about his reason for learning.

• Su Can analyzed Mao Xiaoshi and Yue Zijiang's contrasting play, then asked Mao Xiaoshi to coach him in basketball.
• As midterms approached, Su Can began showing his academic ability and decided he had to stop keeping a low profile.
• While practicing with Mao Xiaoshi and the others, Su Can was struck in the face by a basketball and injured his fingers.
• Lin Luoran watched Su Can practice, mocked his skill, and took the ball from the tall center.
• Lin Luoran dribbled past the boys and made a striking shot, then teased Su Can about learning basketball to chase girls.

During the midterms, Xiao Rihua learned that Su Can had clashed with the influential Wang Haoran and feared the trouble it would bring him. After the exams, Su Can spent time with Lin Luoran on the basketball court, where she revealed that she no longer needed to guess why he was practicing.

• Xiao Rihua overheard Yin Xiaotian and another teacher discuss Su Can's fight with Wang Haoran, then realized the other homeroom teachers knew about it too.
• Xiao Rihua worried that Su Can's family background and relationship with Tang Wu would make the incident a problem for him, and he tore through his lesson-plan paper with his pen.
• Mao Xiaoshi and the other boys compared answers to the midterm exams while Su Can reflected that the hardest questions had taken him only fifteen minutes to solve.
• Lin Luoran joined the boys on the basketball court, dismissed questions about her exam results, and later sat beside Su Can while they watched the others play.
• Su Can asked Lin Luoran how she had known he was practicing basketball for a girl, and she said she had guessed before adding that she no longer had to guess.

Su Can spoke with Lin Zouwen, who asked him to keep an eye on Lin Luoran, and grew curious about the group’s backgrounds. Two days after his midterms, Su Can learned that his father was being targeted at work over a city construction project that had begun years ahead of schedule, leaving him to wonder whether his rebirth had changed events.

• Lin Zouwen approached Su Can with beer, admitted he had followed Lin Luoran to see who she was spending time with, and introduced himself.
• Lin Zouwen probed whether Su Can was interested in his circle’s backgrounds, but Su Can said their shared enjoyment of basketball mattered more than their origins.
• Lin Zouwen asked Su Can to watch over Lin Luoran and alert him if anyone tried to pursue her.
• Su Licheng came home angry after Zhao Chengrong criticized his work and withheld his performance bonus following Su Licheng’s public disagreement with the company chief.
• Su Can learned that construction on Xinghai Square had begun years earlier than expected and wondered whether his rebirth had caused the change.

Su Can encouraged his parents to modernize their busy shop and supported Su Licheng as he pursued evidence against Zhao Chengrong. Mao Nan examined Su Licheng’s case files at home, his ambition stirred by Zhao’s contemptuous look.

• Su Can saw that his family’s shop was thriving and advised Zeng Ke to replace its hazardous glass shelves and buy a cash register.
• Su Licheng told Zeng Ke and Su Can that he had given Mao Nan documents about suspicious Linnan and Airport projects involving Zhao Chengrong and Accountant Shen.
• Su Can praised his father for standing up to Zhao Chengrong, giving Su Licheng renewed confidence to keep fighting.
• Rumors spread that Mao Nan was cooperating with the investigation team and held evidence against Zhao Chengrong.
• Mao Nan read the two case files from Su Licheng under his desk lamp and gripped them, driven by Zhao Chengrong’s earlier contempt.