Chapter Summaries

At Nanjing University's Urban Development and Economics Forum, Song Zhen prepared to represent Senchuan Group as the company faced mounting pressure from rivals. As she began her speech, Su Can noticed Xie Si Gan's group's interest and suspected the forum would become the setting for an attack on Senchuan Group.

• Su Can, his friends, and Tang Wu's dormmates arrived at the packed forum, where Xie Si Gan entered through the VIP entrance with several companions.
• Lin Guangdong told Su Can that Ganghong Group was battling Senchuan Enterprises over hotel acquisitions and might be behind the pressure on Senchuan Group.
• Tao Qing greeted Su Can and his classmates before entering the auditorium, while privately worrying about the recent attacks on Senchuan China.
• Tao Qing received calls from Senchuan family members and a Beijing heavyweight as the group worked to protect the company and steady confidence.
• Song Zhen took the stage and began her report after declining to let her uncle replace her.
• Su Can noticed Xie Si Gan and his companions watching Song Zhen with excitement and suspected they planned a strike against Senchuan Group at the forum.

Song Zhen delivered a report on corporate integrity at the Nanjing University Economic Forum, but Xie Si Gan challenged her by alleging that Senchuan Group had misappropriated most of a charitable fundraising campaign’s donations. The accusation left Song Zhen facing a public scandal, while Su Can recognized it as a calculated attack.

• Su Can watched Song Zhen present her report and recalled their earlier meetings in California.
• After the report, Xie Si Gan stood up and questioned whether Senchuan Group truly upheld the integrity Song Zhen had praised.
• Song Zhen acknowledged that the company had shortcomings but insisted that, to her knowledge, it had never violated its principles of integrity.
• Xie Si Gan cited a Southern News article claiming that only one million dollars of more than ten million raised for village schools had reached the Teaching and Learning Awards Foundation.
• Xie Si Gan presented a document to support the allegation, provoking an uproar as Su Can recognized the attack as a deliberate attempt to ruin Song Zhen and Senchuan Group.

At Nanjing University's economics forum, Xie Si Gan accused Senchuan Group and Song Zhen of fraudulent fundraising, turning the audience against her. Su Can challenged the evidence, then led Song Zhen out through the chaos, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Xie Si Gan presented claims that Senchuan Group's promised overseas donations had gone missing, and Song Zhen struggled to answer as the audience turned hostile.
• Tao Qing shouted that the accusations were slander, while hired hecklers insulted Song Zhen and one struck Tang Wu.
• Su Can kicked the heckler who had hit Tang Wu, and Li Pengyu threw the man out of the crowd.
• Su Can went onstage and questioned whether Xie Si Gan could prove Senchuan Group had received the pledged donations.
• Su Can took Song Zhen offstage, and Li Pengyu cleared away men who tried to stop them.
• Su Can led Song Zhen out of the auditorium amid cheers and rising chaos.

After Su Can defended Song Zhen from accusations at Nanjing University's economic forum, she broke down outside the auditorium but thanked him before Senchuan Group employees took her away. The incident spread across campus and alarmed university leaders, while Su Can's friends praised his stand and questioned how he had known the accusations were false.

• Su Can led Song Zhen out of the auditorium, and she crouched down crying before thanking him for his support.
• Employees from Senchuan Group took Song Zhen away as the economic forum continued amid growing concern over the public accusation.
• Lu Chuanming heard about the uproar at Hongqiao Airport, questioned the School of Economics' handling of it, and hurried back to campus.
• Su Can's friends condemned the alleged scheme to use students against Senchuan Group and asked why he had been so certain in Song Zhen's defense.
• Cheng Congcong told Su Can that students were praising his speech, and Su Can thanked Li Pengyu for helping him and Tang Wu leave safely.

Su Can defended Song Zhen at Nanjing University's economic forum, drawing the attention of the university and provoking a warning from Zhan Hua. He resolved to build ties with Senchuan and ended the night talking with Tang Wu, while the university's response remained uncertain.

• Police took several men involved in the forum disturbance into custody, while Li Pengyu escaped detention after helping Su Can.
• Su Can told his roommates he had defended Song Zhen both because the attack was unjust and because Senchuan Enterprises could become an ally against their common enemies.
• Zhan Hua warned Su Can to stop interfering, but Su Can rejected his argument that friendship was only a matter of mutual benefit and said Song Zhen was his friend.
• Su Can's intervention became a public story, and Wang Dongjian told him the university president might already know about the incident.
• Unable to sleep, Su Can called Tang Wu to explain why he had helped Song Zhen, and Tang Wu told him he had done the right thing.

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.