Chapter Summaries

Qin An and Junzi confronted Tu Ji after beating Tu Gang, and Qin An used his family’s influence and Tu Ji’s past ties to Zhu Hongzhi to keep the dispute from escalating. Tu Ji let them leave and warned Tu Gang to behave.

• Qin An and Junzi brought Tu Gang to Tu Ji’s repair shop, where Tu Ji demanded an explanation and threatened them.
• Qin An explained that Tu Gang had been harassing Li Xinlan and had attacked him outside the school gates.
• Tu Ji tried to slap Qin An, but Junzi stopped him and held him at knifepoint until Qin An asked him to let Tu Ji go.
• Qin An reminded Tu Ji that Zhu Hongzhi had been arrested after Qin An’s uncle spoke to Secretary Tang, and warned that officials could investigate Tu Ji’s past conduct.
• Qin An and Junzi left without being stopped, and Tu Ji scolded Tu Gang for risking his own arrest.

Qin An explained to Junzi why Tu Ji would hesitate to retaliate, then spent time with Junzi and returned to school. When Liu Changqing sent him to Liao Yu’s room with homework, Qin An walked in on her breastfeeding.

• Qin An argued that a crackdown could make Tu Ji wary of intervening, and Junzi acknowledged that Qin An understood how to leverage momentum.
• Qin An took Junzi to play pool, then spent some time at an arcade after Junzi left.
• Qin An found Sun Pao waiting outside Liu Changqing’s room and learned that Sun Pao had upset a classmate by asking whether girls grew body hair.
• Liu Changqing sent Qin An to deliver homework to Liao Yu, and Qin An entered her room without waiting for a response.
• Qin An found Liao Yu bare above the waist while she was breastfeeding and joked, “Taking them out to get some air?”

Qin An walked in on Liao Yu while she was dealing with painful breast engorgement, offered advice, then left to pick up Li Xinlan. The next morning, the exam results revealed his perfect scores in four subjects, and he called in his bet with Li Hao.

• Qin An found Liao Yu partially undressed and realized her breasts were engorged; after he stepped outside, he advised her to use hot water to ease the pain.
• Qin An rode his bicycle to pick up Li Xinlan and enjoyed their gentle closeness on the ride.
• The school posted the exam results, showing Qin An had scored 100 in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and English, while Sun Sun remained first overall.
• Qin An stopped Li Hao from avoiding their bet and told him to sing a line to Qin An whenever they met each day.
• Qin An sang, “Just like that, you conquered me,” to show Li Hao what his daily penalty would be.

Qin An teased Li Hao and flirted with Sun Sun before meeting Ye Zhulan, who celebrated his perfect exam scores and discovered the hidden declaration of love in his poem. The chapter left Qin An and Ye Zhulan sharing a joyful, intimate moment in the tea garden.

• Qin An returned to class after Li Hao refused to sing “Conquest,” then joked that he was a rooster defending Sun Sun from rivals.
• Sun Sun laughed at Qin An’s teasing, asked about the song, and agreed she would like to hear him sing “Conquest.”
• Ye Zhulan met Qin An in the tea garden and praised his exam results and the poem that had impressed Class 70’s Chinese teacher.
• Ye Zhulan realized Qin An had encoded “Ye Zhulan, I like you” in his poem, and Qin An loudly declared that he would love her all his life.
• Ye Zhulan covered Qin An’s mouth as the two shared a happy moment in the afternoon sunlight.

Liao Yu worried that Qin An’s improving grades would force her to ask Qin Huai to transfer him back to Class 68. At dinner with county Education Commission deputy director Mo Wendi, Qin An guessed that Qin Xiangshan was preparing to make a move involving County No. 2 Middle School.

• Liao Yu fretted over Qin An’s essay and feared he would enter the top ten, making her lose face and seek his return to Class 68.
• Qin Xiangshan hosted Mo Wendi, Huang Yaohua, Qin Huai, and Qin An at Qi Mei’s restaurant after donating teaching equipment to County No. 2 Middle School.
• Mo Wendi praised Qin An’s English and discussed Qin Huai’s teaching ability, while Qin Huai concealed his delight at Qin An’s results.
• Qin An followed Qin Xiangshan away from the table and asked whether he planned to make a move on County No. 2 Middle School.
• Qin Xiangshan questioned how Qin An had guessed his intentions, and Qin An replied that he thought his uncle was up to no good.

Qin An recognized that Qin Xiangshan was considering taking over County No. 2 Middle School and warned him about the financial and political obstacles. He proposed keeping teachers employed through the county Education Commission under a labor dispatch agreement, giving Qin Xiangshan a possible way forward.

• Qin An challenged Qin Xiangshan's motives for involving Mo Wendi and moving Qin An's father to County No. 2 Middle School.
• Qin Xiangshan explained that Secretary Tang had sounded him out about taking over the struggling school as a private-contract pilot.
• Qin An outlined the need for sufficient funding and a larger enrollment area to cover the school's salaries and operating costs.
• Qin An warned that teachers might resist becoming private employees, recalling that a strike had derailed the school's restructuring in his memories.
• Qin Xiangshan admitted the project was risky, and Qin An suggested a labor dispatch agreement that would keep teachers formally employed by the county Education Commission.

Qin An advised Qin Xiangshan on education reform, then faced the death of his older male cousin in a mine collapse. As An Shui comforted him, Qin An resolved to stop blaming himself for the past and focus on building a happy future with the people he loved.

• Qin An proposed a contract-based approach to education jobs, impressing Qin Xiangshan, who decided to send Qin Xiaotian back to study with him.
• Qin An joked with Qi Mei about Secretary Tang, and she teased him about a girl he had charmed with his words.
• A heavy autumn rain struck while Li Qin took Qin An home from painting class, and news arrived that his older male cousin and several miners had died in a mine collapse.
• Qin An's family held a seven-day funeral, while his grandfather Qin Jude fell ill and his cousin's wife and children grieved.
• Qin An visited An Shui as she packed to leave, and she comforted him when he blamed himself for failing to prevent his cousin's death.
• Qin An resolved to let go of the pain of his old memories and pursue a radiant future with Sun Sun, Ye Zhulan, and An Shui.

Qin An helped Qin Xiaotian entertain Qin Jude and ease his grief, then returned home to find his family had installed a telephone. The phone rang just after Li Qin gave Qin An a key, leaving the family wondering who was calling.

• Qin Xiaotian showed Qin An the hoop he had traded for three days of Game Boy use, and Qin An performed several tricks for him and Qin Jude.
• Qin An felt relieved when he saw Qin Jude smile as he watched Qin Xiaotian play.
• Li Qin had a telephone installed and locked it in an iron box, while Qin Huai gave Qin An the key after persuading her to let him use it.
• Qin An thought about calling Ye Zhulan and getting Sun Sun's number.
• The newly installed telephone rang, and Li Qin urged Qin Huai to answer it.

After Tang Qianxing called to invite Qin An to dinner, Qin An joined him and Qi Mei at her restaurant and learned Tang was transferring to the county Party committee. Seeing Qi Mei troubled by the prospect of separation, Qin An invented a romantic story about Starbucks that inspired her to imagine spending her life with Tang.

• Tang Qianxing called Qin Huai’s new landline and invited Qin An to dinner, while neighbor Liu Mingqing mocked the family and Qin An rebuffed him.
• At Qi Mei’s restaurant, Tang praised Qin An for proposing a dispatch contract with the County Education Commission, and Qin An joked to avoid explaining his insight.
• Qin An sensed Tang was leaving Qingshan Town, and Tang confirmed his transfer to the county Party committee.
• Qi Mei lamented that she could not transfer with Tang because she was not his wife.
• Qin An told Tang and Qi Mei a fabricated story about Frandi and Yulina’s coffee shops, leaving Qi Mei wishing she could share a lifetime with Tang.

Qin An reassured Qi Jun that Tang Qianxing would look after Qi Mei and help Qi Jun find a future as Tang prepared to move to the county. Back at school, Qin An noticed Sun Sun acting distant and teased her, prompting him to recall the secret she had once confided while drunk: touching her neck would mean they could no longer be friends.

• Qi Jun worried that Qi Mei would remain lonely, and Qin An told him she seemed happy with Tang Qianxing and that Tang would treat them well.
• Qi Jun said he might help Qi Mei run a shop rather than take an official driving job, and Qin An predicted Tang would arrange a good livelihood for him.
• Qin An returned to the junior high after a week away and found Qin Xiaotian seated beside his desk, while Sun Sun made room for him and urged him to focus on his studies.
• Qin An teased Sun Sun about acting like a stranger, and she blushed when he threatened to tickle her neck.
• Qin An remembered Sun Sun telling him after a concert that he must not touch her neck or they could no longer be friends, then crying because he had not touched it.