Chapter Summaries

After the welcome party, Su Can returned to his dorm amid a stream of curious visitors and exchanged good-night texts with Tang Wu. Meanwhile, Cheng Congcong warned Tang Wu about Su Can and invited their roommates to a mixer with prominent upperclassmen, but Tang Wu showed little interest.

• Su Can walked back through the rain after Tang Wu shared an umbrella with an older Student Union girl, then texted Tang Wu from his dorm.
• Bai Dajun visited room 602 to borrow hot water and tried to make friends with Su Can and his roommates.
• Zhang Xiaoqiao complained about the visitors and the proposed mixer, while Su Can went to bed after a long evening of conversation.
• Cheng Congcong told Tang Wu that Su Can had deliberately taken advantage of the welcome party to get close to her.
• Cheng Congcong announced that Fan Qiyi had invited the girls of room 518 to meet him and other prominent upperclassmen at a mixer the next day, while Tang Wu remained unimpressed.

Ruan Siou discussed Su Can and Tang Wu with her friend, while tensions grew among the women in Dorm Room 518 over an upcoming gathering. Su Can told his roommates he was skipping a singles mixer because he had a girlfriend, then revealed that she was Tang Wu, stunning them.

• Ruan Siou's friend told her she had learned Su Can's name and details, and Ruan Siou denied planning to pursue him while admitting she might kiss him.
• Ruan Siou and Tong Tong exchanged barbed remarks as Tong Tong changed outfits, and Tang Wu declined their invitation to go to a gathering.
• Cheng Congcong explained that freshmen had arranged a dorm dinner at an upscale restaurant and emphasized its connections to the Student Union and university establishment.
• Su Can told Xiao Xu, Zhang Xiaoqiao, and Li Han he would skip their singles mixer because he was not single.
• Su Can said he had given flowers to his girlfriend at the freshman gala, and Zhang Xiaoqiao fell from the bunk ladder in shock.

At a freshman dinner, Zheng Rong confronted Su Can on behalf of Qian Zhongyuan and challenged him to hit one of his pitches the next morning, with the loser apologizing. Su Can accepted, confident that his past baseball experience would help him, while his roommates worried about the challenge.

• Zhang Xiaoqiao, Li Han, and Xiao Xu decided that Su Can had been joking about dating Tang Wu, while Su Can stopped trying to convince them.
• Su Can invited Tang Wu to the freshman gathering, but she replied that she was going to play tennis with Mo Xue and told him not to drink too much.
• Tang Wu practiced tennis with Mo Xue and her senior friends while Su Can went to Little South Garden with his roommates.
• At the dinner, Su Can and his roommates spotted Qian Zhongyuan and several upperclassmen, including baseball captain Zheng Rong and Student Union president Fan Qiyi.
• Zheng Rong challenged Su Can to hit one pitch at morning exercises, saying the loser would apologize to Qian Zhongyuan.
• Su Can accepted the one-ball challenge, recalling his baseball experience at Exeter High School.

Su Can faced Zheng Rong’s challenge to hit a pitch during the freshmen’s first morning exercises, but Zheng Rong threw twice at his head despite Su Can making contact. Tang Wu intervened by kicking Zheng Rong and then took Su Can’s hand, leaving the crowd stunned.

• Su Can’s roommates and other students gathered in Room 602 to discuss his promised showdown with Zheng Rong, while the rumor spread across campus.
• At the crowded morning exercises, Su Can finished his laps and met Zheng Rong on the field as freshmen and baseball players watched.
• Zheng Rong threw a pitch toward Su Can’s forehead, and Su Can blocked it with the bat; Zheng Rong then claimed the pitch did not count and threw again.
• The second pitch struck the bat’s edge and grazed Su Can’s forehead, drawing anger from the crowd and protests from Su Can’s dormmates.
• Tang Wu stepped forward, kicked Zheng Rong’s foot, and took Su Can’s hand, telling him they should leave.

Tang Wu kicked Zheng Rong after he provoked Su Can, then took Su Can’s hand and left with him, stunning the freshmen at Nanjing University. As their roommates teased them and Tang Wu’s roommates planned to meet Su Can, Su Can invited Tang Wu to swim at a hotel that evening.

• Tang Wu stepped out of the crowd and kicked Zheng Rong, then took Su Can’s hand and walked away with him.
• Zhong Zhenliang remarked that Su Can’s flowers had been a remarkably worthwhile investment, while the watching freshmen reacted with amazement.
• Cheng Congcong, Tong Tong, and Ruan Si'ou discussed Tang Wu’s relationship with Su Can and planned to make him treat them to a meal.
• Su Can’s roommates caught up with him and Tang Wu, teased them as they walked together, and left after Su Can waved them off.
• Su Can pulled Tang Wu close for a kiss, but she gently pushed him away when she noticed people passing by.
• Su Can invited Tang Wu to go swimming with him at a hotel that evening.

Su Can persuaded Tang Wu to learn swimming, bought her a modest swimsuit, and spent the day with her before taking her to the Holiday Hotel pool. There, Tang Wu unexpectedly met her roommates and other freshman classmates, who noticed she and Su Can had come together.

• Su Can encouraged Tang Wu to learn swimming, and she agreed after admitting she did not have a swimsuit.
• Su Can took Tang Wu to the Oriental Department Store, where she chose a flower-patterned swimsuit and he paid for it.
• Tang Wu suggested they take the bus back to campus to save money, and they ate lunch before attending separate classes.
• Su Can reflected on his plans to strengthen his education and business knowledge for his future ambitions.
• Su Can and Tang Wu went to the Holiday Hotel pool, where they ran into Tong Tong, Ruan Si'ou, Cheng Congcong, and other freshman students.

Su Can and Tang Wu went swimming at a hotel pool, where he helped her practice and the two shared an intimate, playful moment. Their reunion with former No. 27 Middle School classmates left them chatting together, while Cheng Congcong watched from across the pool and felt jealous of their easy popularity.

• Su Can, Tang Wu, Cheng Congcong, and their companions entered the hotel swimming center while the university swimming club trained there.
• Tang Wu joined Su Can at the pool, and he taught her swimming while holding her waist as she tried to float and move through the water.
• Cheng Congcong flirted with swimming club leaders by pretending to be afraid of the water, drawing attention from them and resentment from other female members.
• Cai Long, Chen Jing, Ma Ronghua, and Xiao Nan recognized Su Can and Tang Wu as former No. 27 Middle School students and gathered to talk with them.
• Cheng Congcong noticed the classmates clustering around Su Can and Tang Wu and felt jealous while a club member invited her to a campus film screening.

At the swimming pool, Cheng Congcong endured unwanted attention and an embarrassing encounter before testing Su Can by asking what restaurant he would choose for a meal with Tang Wu’s roommates. Su Can left with Tang Wu to get drinks, and they unexpectedly came face-to-face with Tang Wu’s parents and their companions.

• Cheng Congcong escaped the swimming club’s attention, then caught a six-year-old boy staring at her in the restroom and scolded him.
• Su Can met Cheng Congcong outside the restroom, where she questioned how he and Tang Wu met and tested his willingness to spend money on a group meal.
• The boy returned and pulled Cheng Congcong’s bikini strap loose; Su Can passed her and went to join Tang Wu.
• Su Can and Tang Wu walked toward the bar with their arms linked, and Tang Wu’s parents arrived at the swimming center while looking for her.
• Tang Wu and Su Can emerged from the pool area in their swimwear and unexpectedly encountered Tang Wu’s parents.

Su Can and Tang Wu unexpectedly met Li Ying and her parents in Shanghai, where the families gathered for dinner. Li Yan explained that Su Can had saved Li Ying during her suicide attempt, and Li Ying reflected that she was grateful to be alive.

• Tang Wu's parents and Li Ying's family unexpectedly encountered Su Can and Tang Wu at the hotel.
• Su Can, Tang Wu, their parents, and Li Ying's family sat down to dinner with Tang Wu's father's assistant, Li Lan.
• Li Ying told Su Can she had wanted to say goodbye when she transferred from No. 27 Middle School.
• Li Yan thanked Su Can for saving Li Ying and explained that his family had moved her to Shanghai after her suicide attempt.
• Zhao Xiayu and Li Ying recalled the incident, and Li Ying recognized that being alive was a happy thing.

Su Can and Tang Wu shared a banquet with Tang Wu’s parents and Li Ying’s family, where the adults praised Su Can for saving Li Ying and Tang Wu and Li Ying traded pointed remarks. The meal ended with Zhao Xiayu offering Su Can a room in her home, prompting Mu Xuan to set down her teacup.

• Li Yan recounted how Su Can had saved Li Ying, earning Su Can renewed respect from Tang Wu’s father and praise from Zhao Xiayu.
• Tang Wu served Su Can the largest piece of hairy crab, then gave a piece to her father after he hinted for her attention.
• Li Ying served Su Can Five-Spice Kao Fu and invited him to visit Jiaotong University, while Tang Wu answered Li Ying’s teasing with veiled barbs.
• Zhao Xiayu offered Su Can a room in her home and invited him to stay on weekends, after which Mu Xuan set down her teacup.

At dinner, Mu Xuan made clear that she accepted Su Can and Tang Wu’s relationship, while Zhao Xiayu tried to draw Su Can closer to Li Ying. The evening ended with Su Can reaffirming his commitment to Tang Wu as they held hands beneath the table.

• Su Can declined Zhao Xiayu’s offer to stay with Li Ying’s family, and Mu Xuan asked how he had earned guaranteed admission to Nanjing University.
• Su Can explained that he had qualified during an exchange program with Tang Wu, prompting Zhao Xiayu and Li Ying to praise his abilities.
• Mu Xuan spoke of Su Can and Tang Wu studying abroad together and entering Nanjing University, indirectly recognizing their closeness and urging them to focus on their studies.
• Zhao Xiayu asked Su Can to help Li Ying improve her English, and he reluctantly agreed.
• Mu Xuan invited Su Can and Tang Wu to use the family’s Shanghai home and washing machine, while Li Ying said she was glad to see them again.
• Su Can felt grateful to Li Ying’s parents but remained committed to Tang Wu, whose hand held his tightly beneath the table.

After Tang Wu’s parents left Nanjing, Mu Xuan and her husband discussed whether Tang Wu and Su Can’s relationship would endure, deciding not to interfere and to let the young couple find their own way. Su Can returned to his dorm, where his fellow students greeted him as the rival who had won Tang Wu’s attention.

• Li Lan told Su Can how Tang Wu’s father had personally paid the debts of a failing company and offered to help Su Can in the future.
• Tang Wu’s parents discussed their daughter’s feelings for Su Can and agreed to watch their relationship without either encouraging or stopping it.
• Tang Wu’s parents left the city after spending their final night in Shanghai, and Tang Wu’s dormmates gossiped about her and Su Can being caught together at the Swimming Center.
• Su Can returned to his dorm, where Wang Dongjian and the other students surrounded him and accused him of winning Tang Wu, making him the enemy of his fellow students.

Su Can balanced the rapid expansion of Shushan Stationery with his demanding university studies, then joined his freshman class’s election for class monitor. After a brief speech, he received thunderous support, leaving the vote’s outcome unresolved.

• Su Can assessed the scale of Tang Wu's father's business success and directed funding toward Shushan Stationery's national expansion, despite delays to Ren Ying's and Lin Guangdong's plans.
• Su Can selected a heavy course load at Nanjing University and attended the first class meeting for Class Four of the 2001 intake.
• Su Yiyi organized an open election for class committee positions, and Li Han and Xiao Xu lost their bids after facing opposition from Qin Lu's circle.
• Qin Lu gave an inspirational speech in the class monitor election, and Zhang Xiaoqiao and the others urged Su Can to run.
• Su Can wrote his name on the blackboard, gave a short speech about getting to know his classmates, and received thunderous applause.

Su Can became the monitor of his Nanjing University class and settled into dorm life, while Tang Wu reflected on how he had remained beside her through the years. Her unusually bold reply to his late-night text left Su Can too excited to sleep.

• Su Can won the class monitor election with overwhelming support and told his roommates he would leave much of the work to deputy monitor Qin Lu.
• Wang Dongjian sent the visitors away, and the roommates spent the evening studying, exercising, and drawing; Su Can noticed clues to Zhang Xiaoqiao's private connection with a girl and Qian Zhongyuan.
• Tang Wu remembered Su Can's tactful support when they met her parents and felt grateful that he had never disappeared from her life.
• Tang Wu replied to Su Can's teasing message by describing her pajamas and saying she would let him see them if he were beside her.
• Su Can sprang out of bed and asked his roommates to go downstairs for drinks because he could not sleep.

Su Can drew attention at Nanjing University, where students speculated about his ordinary family background and campus connections. Fan Qiyi invited him to a Student Union event, but Su Can remained uninterested in pursuing status and preferred spending his time as he pleased, including with Tang Wu.

• Freshmen investigated Su Can's background and concluded that his family was comparatively ordinary, while others found him approachable and wanted to know him.
• Su Can met Fan Qiyi, Zheng Rong, and Yang Yang near the campus entrance, where Fan Qiyi offered him tickets to a Student Union speech and debate event.
• Su Can accepted the tickets and later explained the encounter to Li Han, Zhang Xiaoqiao, and Xiao Xu, who wondered whether the invitation had an ulterior motive.
• Zhang Xiaoqiao described Yang Yang's famous Golf and the influence of his wealthy family, and explained how Fan Qiyi had gained prominence through his connections and fundraising.
• Su Can decided that he would attend the event only if he wanted to, preferring ordinary pleasures such as reading, sleeping, and spending time with Tang Wu.

Tang Wu joined Nanjing University's Student Union while her roommates discussed the coveted tickets to its guest debate. Su Can and his dormmates waited for Tang Wu and her roommates before the packed Friday event, which had not yet begun.

• Tong Tong asked Tang Wu about joining the Student Union, and Tang Wu confirmed it while texting Su Can.
• Cheng Congcong brought home four tickets to the guest debate and suggested Tang Wu ask Su Can to treat the roommates to a meal.
• Ruan Si'ou steered the dorm conversation toward Tang Wu's Student Union selection, which displeased Cheng Congcong.
• Su Can and his dormmates waited near the multipurpose hall, where Xiao Xu nervously anticipated meeting Tang Wu's roommates.
• A group of men and women came into view as the dormmates waited for the debate to begin.

Su Can joined Tang Wu and their friends for Nanjing University’s debate competition, where Liu Yang impressed the group with his argument about wealth and freedom. At the crowded venue, Liu Yang rushed off to the toilet and left Su Can holding his debate materials, while the others entered through a staff passage.

• Su Can met Tang Wu, her roommates, and their friends, and agreed to take Cheng Congcong’s group out for a meal on Monday.
• Cheng Congcong introduced Liu Yang, who explained the debate topic and argued that wealth did not necessarily bring greater freedom.
• Liu Yang warned the group that Shanghai International Studies University’s lead debater, Dong Xiaojia, was a formidable opponent.
• Liu Yang arrived late at the venue without his pass, but Zeng Chao gave him his materials and let the group enter.
• Mo Xue led Tang Wu and the others through a staff passage, while Liu Yang handed his materials to Su Can and hurried to the toilet.

Su Can was unexpectedly pulled into Nanjing University's debate team after Liu Yang abandoned his place, just as Shanghai International Studies University's Lin Luoran arrived to compete. The debate was about to begin, leaving Su Can at the table as Nanjing University's closing debater while his teammates wondered who he was.

• Liu Yang told Su Can that he could not compete because of an upset stomach and asked him to find a replacement.
• Su Can rejoined Tang Wu and their friends in the multipurpose hall, where they noticed the opposing team arriving.
• Lin Luoran appeared with Shanghai International Studies University's debaters and texted Su Can, teasing him to come see her compete.
• A Student Union officer mistook Su Can for Nanjing University's missing debater and pulled him into the competition area.
• Su Can explained that Liu Yang had withdrawn and suggested other replacements, but the officers assigned him to compete after he admitted he had debated before.
• Su Can took his place as Nanjing University's closing debater, and his three teammates looked at him without recognizing him.

Su Can unexpectedly joined Nanjing University's debate team against Shanghai International Studies University and faced Lin Luoran in a debate about whether wealth increased or decreased freedom. His confident opening argument backfired when Lin Luoran exposed that he had cited a crewed Shenzhou mission that had not happened yet.

• Su Can took the stage for Nanjing University, startling Tang Wu and his classmates, while Lin Luoran recognized him and taunted him from the opposing team.
• The debaters introduced themselves, and Fan Qiyi announced the topic: whether freedom was directly or inversely proportional to wealth.
• Nanjing University's first speaker argued that wealth expanded people's choices, and Dong Xiaojia criticized the argument for ignoring the constraints of pursuing and possessing wealth.
• Su Can answered by arguing that wealth was the foundation of freedom and cited scientific and technological progress, including Shenzhou 7's successful crewed spaceflight.
• Lin Luoran challenged Su Can's reference to Shenzhou 7, pointing out that the year was 2001 and that China had not yet completed a crewed spaceflight.

Su Can turned the opposition’s challenge about China’s space program into support for his case, then traded sharp arguments with Dong Xiaojia and Lin Luoran over whether wealth could be defined to include technology and spiritual values. Zhao Zhidong followed with a personal story and survey statistics arguing that wealth often came at the cost of freedom, leaving Su Can’s team to answer his strongest attack yet.

• Lin Luoran challenged Su Can’s claim about China’s progress in crewed spaceflight, and Su Can drew Zhao Zhidong into describing Shenzhou 2’s experiments as evidence of major advances.
• Su Can argued that future crewed spaceflight would inspire national pride and represent the pursuit of freedom, while the Nanjing University team recognized his trap.
• Dong Xiaojia questioned whether wealth or technology drove progress, and Su Can defended a broad definition of wealth that included technology.
• Lin Luoran challenged Su Can’s inclusion of spiritual wealth, and he answered with a joking compliment that made the audience laugh and left her blushing.
• Shi Guomin urged the debaters to relax, while Zhao Zhidong described traveling without his father and cited surveys of workplace stress to argue that wealth could restrict freedom.