Chapter Summaries

The narrator and Zhang Xiaotong launched Sun Red Tea and expanded the company’s beverage and chicken bouillon businesses as demand surged. Zhang Xiaotong accepted guaranteed admission to an experimental class at No. 1 High School, and the chapter ended with the narrator inviting her for a Christmas walk.

• Zhang Xiaotong’s suggestion of tea beverages prompted the narrator to develop a tea drink, while Dong Qinghua helped connect them with Yu Chunrong, who joined the company.
• The narrator tested recipes with his friends and, with help from a former soda-factory engineer, developed Sun Red Tea.
• The narrator showed Guo Zhen, Yang Yuanzhe, and Ge Jinqiu the production line, inspiring them to enroll in extracurricular classes.
• Yu Chunrong launched Sun Red Tea, which received a strong response, while Zhang Xiaotong and Xu Jun revived the MSG business and introduced chicken bouillon promotions.
• Yu Chunrong reported that Sun Red Tea could not meet demand, and Zhang Xiaotong ordered another production line.
• Zhang Xiaotong accepted guaranteed admission to an experimental class at No. 1 High School, then went for a Christmas walk with the narrator’s invitation.

On Christmas Eve 1993, Xingwen took Zhang Xiaotong to church, gave her birthday earrings, and shared a tender moment that brought their relationship closer. He returned home to find his parents fighting again, leaving him reflecting on both relationships and uncertain how to help.

• Xingwen and Zhang Xiaotong attended a Christmas Eve service at the new church, where they discussed faith and shared communion wafers.
• Xingwen gave Zhang Xiaotong silver-and-crystal earrings for her birthday, and she hugged him and kissed his cheek.
• Xingwen told Zhang Xiaotong that they had plenty of time to figure out their relationship, and she rested against him.
• Xingwen returned home and found his parents in the aftermath of another argument, then went to bed thinking about Zhang Xiaotong and how to help them.

Sun Electronics expanded its recruitment, tea-drink promotion, and computer business while its leaders planned a push into Hong Kong and reassessed the company’s marketing. Zhang Xiaotong arranged television promotion for Crimson Youth, and she stopped the narrator from finishing a teasing reference to Christmas Eve.

• The narrator told Liu Mingyao to gather talent and open a new front in Hong Kong despite Liu’s concern that Sun Electronics was spreading itself too thin.
• Sun Electronics launched a nationwide recruitment drive as Sun Red Tea sales began rising during the year-end sales season.
• The narrator assigned Lu Wei, Liu Mingyao, and Cai Qing to write company reports, redirected staff and promotion toward Sun Red Tea, and ordered the company to reclaim Young Dreamer distribution rights where possible.
• Liu Mingyao told the narrator that he was assembling a technical team to diversify Sun Electronics’ branded computers.
• Zhang Xiaotong gave Dong Qinghua a red envelope and asked him to arrange television appearances for Crimson Youth’s editors.
• The narrator teased Zhang Xiaotong about Christmas Eve, and she covered his mouth before he could finish.

The narrator and Zhang Xiaotong held a private meeting to address their senior staff’s curiosity about the narrator’s abilities and build trust. The meeting eased some doubts, and the narrator decided the team would need more proof over the next two years to become fully loyal.

• The narrator received powerful binoculars from his aunt and discussed with Zhang Xiaotong how the company’s senior staff might be curious about them.
• The narrator arranged a private year-end meeting with Liu Mingyao, Lu Wei, Cai Qing, Yu Chunrong, and Xu Jun to answer their questions.
• The narrator offered a fabricated explanation for his unusual memory and abilities, while Lu Wei and Cai Qing joked with him about his designs.
• Yu Chunrong asked how the narrator had thought of tea drinks, and the narrator urged the group to prepare for competition from Ting Hsin International and Uni-President.
• Xu Jun asked whether they would stay in the seasonings business, and the narrator promised to continue expanding and agreed to acquire the MSG Factory.
• After the meeting, the narrator told Zhang Xiaotong that their staff would become a loyal core team in two years if they could prove more of their abilities.

After feeling exhausted by his responsibilities, Xingwen decided to reduce his guidance of the Sun Group and spend time reclaiming his childhood, while drafting plans for the company’s next steps. He played through the winter break, then tried to persuade his parents to let him skip ahead to junior high; Zhang Xiaotong helped them reconsider, and the new semester began.

• After a lonely moment at the Sun Group executives’ gathering, Xingwen told Zhang Xiaotong he would gradually step back from guiding the group and laid out plans for its investments, management, and expansion.
• Xingwen spent nearly a week drafting business plans, then resolved to lie low for two years and seek out the childhood he had missed.
• On February 14, 1994, Xingwen gave Zhang Xiaotong a flower basket and spent the rest of winter break playing with Guo Zhen and his friends.
• Near the end of February, Xingwen asked his parents to let him go straight to junior high, citing his test results and Zhang Xiaotong’s support.
• Zhang Xiaotong advised Xingwen’s parents to let him finish the junior high curriculum before deciding, and they dropped the idea of sending him straight to junior high.
• After Xingwen and Zhang Xiaotong discussed his parents’ relationship, the new semester began.

Zhou Xingwen reunited with his classmates under a new homeroom teacher and helped Guo Zhen borrow money, while offering him a computer for his birthday. The chapter ended with Zhang Xin calling after Zhou as he left school, stirring memories of his old feelings for her.

• Zhou Xingwen joked with Xu Jiajia and Zhang Xin before they hurried into class and met their new homeroom teacher, Li Ping.
• Zhou Xingwen found Guo Zhen waiting at the school gate, and Guo asked to borrow fifty thousand yuan by the next afternoon.
• Zhang Xiaotong brought Zhou Xingwen sixty thousand yuan, and Guo Zhen explained he wanted to study machine repair and computers.
• Zhou Xingwen offered Guo Zhen a computer as a birthday present and reassured him that he trusted him with the loan.
• Xu Jiajia questioned Zhou Xingwen about Guo Zhen, but he distracted her from learning why Guo had needed the money.
• Zhang Xin called after Zhou Xingwen as he left school, and he reflected on his long-held feelings for her.

Xingwen helped Guo Zhen arrange heart surgery for Third Brother at Beijing 301 General Hospital, bringing Guo Zhen and his chosen family closer. After Third Brother was taken for treatment, Xingwen asked Lu Wei to seek out people at Stanford working on internet development, while he and Guo Zhen spent their days roaming the city.

• Zhang Xin told Xingwen that Guo Zhen had come to borrow money because Third Brother needed heart surgery, and warned him to be careful.
• Xingwen found Guo Zhen at City Hospital and persuaded him to take Third Brother to Beijing for treatment, offering help through Zhang Xiaotong and Lu Wei.
• Lu Wei arranged a hospital appointment and an escort, and Xingwen and Guo Zhen persuaded Third Brother to accept the trip.
• Xingwen asked Lu Wei to find English speakers to visit Stanford University and contact anyone interested in developing something on the internet.
• Two days later, Third Brother left for treatment, and Xingwen and Guo Zhen spent their time exploring the city and joking about becoming CEOs.

Zhou met with Zhang Xiaotong, Lu Wei, and Cai Qing to discuss Sun Electronics’ strategy, approve investments in Stanford ventures, and plan a chip-processing factory in Sichuan. He also asked Cai Qing to find Fu Xiaofei for a future game project, then ended the meeting listening to Wong Jim’s theme song and sensing that he was nearing a turning point.

• Zhou went to Lu Wei’s office after Zhang Xiaotong called him, where he found Cai Qing back from Stanford with investment materials.
• Zhou told Zhang Xiaotong and Lu Wei to focus Sun Electronics on manufacturing and wholesaling, and approved venture funding for the Stanford projects.
• Cai Qing reported that she had bought an abandoned military factory in Sichuan for nine million; Zhou directed her to convert it into a chip-processing plant and seek cooperation with Intel.
• Zhou asked Cai Qing to find Fu Xiaofei in Mianyang and establish long-term contact with him so they could make games.
• Cai Qing said Japanese representatives were challenging the Sunsoft name, while Lu Wei explained that the company was registered as TaiYangElectric.
• Zhou played Wong Jim’s theme song from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, and he and the women listened quietly.

Zhou Xingwen helped Zhang Xiaotong support his parents after their factory suspended production, while she completed her entrance exams and Third Brother prepared for surgery in Beijing. At the testing site, Xingwen met Snow Fate manager Sun Changlu, shared ideas about business and popular culture, and left him a contact number before leaving with Xiaotong.

• Zhang Xiaotong quietly gave Zhou Xingwen money twice a month, and he passed it to his parents as their factory suspended production.
• Zhang Xiaotong urged the family to care for Third Brother before his scheduled operation in Beijing, while Zhou Xinglu avoided Zhou Xingwen after Xingwen scared him off with a group of older boys.
• Zhang Xiaotong finished her entrance exams, and Zhou Xingwen took her to a Snow Fate shop for ice cream.
• Zhou Xingwen's casual suggestion about selling frozen desserts outside testing sites inspired manager Sun Changlu to set up stalls near the exam venues.
• Zhou Xingwen discussed books and business with Sun Changlu, then gave him the editorial office number for Crimson Youth.
• Zhang Xiaotong finished her exams and left with Zhou Xingwen and his friends, telling him quietly that she would follow him too.

After exams, Zhou Xingwen turned down Xu Jiajia and Zhang Xin’s summer English class invitation because he had business plans to handle. He helped Zhang Xiaotong take over Snow Fate and entrusted its expansion to Sun Changlu, then urged Liu Mingyao to focus Sun Electronics on networking and computer games.

• Zhou Xingwen finished his exam early and declined Xu Jiajia and Zhang Xin’s invitation to attend summer English classes, citing work for his cousin’s magazine.
• Zhou Xingwen arranged publicity for Sun Homeland and learned that Sui Yunfei’s businesses had been defrauded, so Zhang Xiaotong bought Snow Fate back from him.
• Zhou Xingwen and Zhang Xiaotong persuaded Sun Changlu to manage Snow Fate’s expansion with a five-million budget and a ten-percent share of annual profits.
• Zhou Xingwen visited Liu Mingyao, learned that Sun Electronics’ research and development had made little progress, and encouraged him to prioritize networking and recruit programmers.
• Zhou Xingwen proposed bundling trial computer games with computers for sale, and Liu Mingyao embraced the chance to build a legacy in Chinese game development.

The narrator and Zhang Xiaotong advised Yu Chunrong to expand Sun Red Tea production, prepare for future competition, and plan a shift toward fruit juice exports. After enjoying childhood snacks outside a school, they learned that Third Brother would arrive that afternoon.

• The narrator and Zhang Xiaotong visited Yu Chunrong, who was overwhelmed by sales representatives seeking stock.
• The narrator advised Yu Chunrong to launch more tea flavors, increase production, and prepare for competition from Taiwanese brands.
• The narrator told Yu Chunrong to hire ten workers, build ties with local fruit growers, and prepare to export natural fruit juice.
• The narrator and Zhang Xiaotong left the factory and bought spicy tofu-skin and ham-sausage skewers outside a school.
• Zhang Xiaotong received a call and told the narrator that Third Brother would arrive at four thirty that afternoon.

The narrator reunited with Guo Zhen and the others, then joined them at the train station to welcome Third Brother home after his successful operation. As Third Brother arrived, the narrator reflected on his past and the responsibility that came with his newfound power, while a crowd of fierce-looking people gathered behind them.

• The narrator found Guo Zhen, Yang Yuanzhe, and Ge Jinqiu at the pool hall and told Guo Zhen that Third Brother was returning after a successful operation.
• Guo Zhen dressed carefully for the reunion, and the group headed to the station while the narrator distracted him with talk about games.
• The narrator met Zhang Xiaotong and Lu Wei at the station, and they waited together for Third Brother's train.
• The narrator reflected on his regrets and responsibilities as the train arrived, while Guo Zhen wept and Third Brother comforted him.
• Third Brother greeted the group and offered to treat them to dinner, then noticed dozens of fierce-looking people gathered behind them.

Xingwen revealed to Third Brother that he was the force behind Sun Electric Appliance City and other successful products, then planned to discuss recruiting him to help balance power within Sun Group. At Third Brother’s home, Third Brother began explaining his conflict with Old Master.

• Third Brother turned away the men who had come to welcome him, but relented when Old Cannon and Xiaobai explained how they had tried to help during his illness.
• Lu Wei arranged a welcome dinner at Mountain Wild Home, where Third Brother publicly declared Xingwen, Zhang Xiaotong, Yang Yuanzhe, and Ge Jinqiu to be his friends and family.
• In the car, Third Brother asked Xingwen who he was, and Xingwen admitted he had created Sun Electric Appliance City, Sun Red Tea, and the popular Chicken Essence.
• Xingwen told Third Brother he wanted to discuss a plan after dinner, and Third Brother agreed.
• After the dinner, Xingwen, Zhang Xiaotong, Guo Zhen, and Third Brother went to Third Brother’s home, where Third Brother began explaining why he had rejected Old Master’s associates.

Xingwen offered Third Brother ten million to start a business, and Third Brother agreed to explore controlling the South Korean smuggling route. Xingwen explained that he wanted to use profits to expand his influence while opening industries to competition, and he and Zhang Xiaotong headed home after arranging next steps.

• Third Brother revealed that his father was a powerful gang leader in Yulin County and that he had left home after his father killed his mother and later remarried.
• Xingwen offered to invest up to ten million in Third Brother within a year, asking for no returns for five years, and Third Brother agreed to join him.
• Xingwen suggested that Third Brother investigate trade through Dalian Port or the local port, including smuggling South Korean goods.
• Xingwen explained that he wanted to launch industries, withdraw once they matured, and make room for competition and wider economic growth.
• Third Brother understood that Xingwen wanted to control the South Korean smuggling route and agreed to handle the initial arrangements without taking money yet.
• Xingwen asked Third Brother to register a company and inform Lu Wei and the others about him before leaving with Zhang Xiaotong.

In the summer of 1994, the narrator’s investments in coffee futures and Malaysian plywood brought Sun Group enormous profits, and he used the windfall to plan overseas investments and launch two schools. The chapter leaves Liu Mingyao with a game proposal for a bundled home electronic pet as the group moves into gaming.

• The narrator directed the trading team to cash out quickly, and coffee futures and Malaysian plywood investments earned the company close to US$170 million and another ninety million yuan.
• The narrator gathered Lu Wei, Cai Qing, Liu Mingyao, Xu Jun, Yu Chunrong, Sun Changlu, Third Brother, and Zhang Xiaotong, then proposed opening a profitable private school and a free charitable school.
• Sun Changlu, Liu Mingyao, Lu Wei, Cai Qing, Yu Chunrong, and Xu Jun supported the school plan and offered to help; the group decided to convert old factories in Sichuan and Anhui.
• The group chose to keep publicity for the schools low-key, while Liu Mingyao asked the narrator for a game design proposal.
• The narrator gave Liu Mingyao a proposal for a home electronic pet to bundle with computers.

Zhou Xingwen oversaw the development of portable electronic pets while collecting memories with his classmates and refusing a place in Experimental Middle School. The chapter ended with him planning how to enroll in No. 13 Middle School and aim for No. 1 High School.

• The R&D team delivered a portable electronic pet, and Zhou Xingwen gave it to Zhang Xiaotong after discussing its design and taking a photo together.
• Zhou Xingwen decided to add computer connectivity and RPG features to the electronic pets while the development team continued its work.
• Zhou Xingwen asked Xu Jiajia and Zhang Xin to write in his class memory book, and he recorded a reflection about the summer of 1994.
• Teacher Li offered Zhou Xingwen a place in Experimental Middle School’s accelerated class, but he said his parents wanted him to attend No. 13 Middle School.
• Zhou Xingwen told Teacher Li he also wanted No. 13 Middle School so he could pursue admission to No. 1 High School, then began planning how to get there.

Crimson Youth was suspended after rival writers complained, while Zhang Xiaotong and the narrator worked to secure its registration and Third Brother built a smuggling distribution network. With You launched successfully, and the chapter ended with Liu Mingyao arranging a meeting with Sony’s Ken Kutaragi.

• Crimson Youth was ordered to suspend publication after veteran children's writers sent a complaint to the Ministry of Culture, and Dong Qinghua worked to secure a registration number.
• The narrator learned that the magazine's suspension stemmed from competitors' interests and decided to use the break and the public attacks as publicity.
• Guo Zhen told the narrator that Third Brother was building sales channels with underworld contacts, and the narrator urged him to establish the operation gradually.
• Teacher Li visited to recruit the narrator for Experimental Middle School, but his parents refused and said he would attend No. 13 Middle School.
• The narrator launched six versions of the With You electronic pet, which sold extremely well despite the spread of imitations.
• Liu Mingyao told Zhang Xiaotong and the narrator that Sony's Ken Kutaragi wanted to meet them.

Zhou met Ken Kutaragi to discuss bringing With You to the PlayStation, then prepared a cautious cooperation proposal that avoided an exclusive deal. The chapter ended with Liu Mingyao reporting that Ting Hsin and Uni-President were entering China's tea beverage market.

• Liu Mingyao told Zhou that Ken Kutaragi wanted to meet him and With You’s creator.
• Zhou met Kutaragi at a restaurant, where they discussed the game and a possible PlayStation port.
• Zhou declined to make With You exclusive, and Liu Mingyao offered Sony third-party development and a portable version linked to the PlayStation.
• Zhou gave Liu Mingyao a draft cooperation agreement and told him to negotiate with Sony for development kits and technology.
• Liu Mingyao reported that Ting Hsin and Uni-President had paused their instant noodle rivalry and decided to enter China's tea beverage market.

Zhou Xingwen responded to Taiwanese beverage companies entering the market by advising Yu Chunrong on pricing, distribution, and a foreign-invested company front, while recruiting Third Brother to gather business intelligence. As Christmas approached, he worked on the WithYou console port and staged a threatening-looking intervention to help Zhang Xiaotong deal with Wang Bin.

• Zhou Xingwen and Zhang Xiaotong split their duties, and he advised Yu Chunrong to lower wholesale prices, expand distribution, and present the beverage factory as a foreign-invested enterprise.
• Zhou Xingwen asked Third Brother to build an intelligence network and investigate the Taiwanese brands entering the domestic market.
• Zhou Xingwen helped Liu Mingyao and Japanese developers port WithYou for the PS, aiming to release it as a major Christmas title.
• Zhang Xiaotong asked Zhou Xingwen to stop Wang Bin from pestering her with love letters, so he and Guo Zhen assembled a group outside No. 1 High School.
• Zhou Xingwen's group surrounded Wang Bin after evening study, and Guo Zhen announced they would take him aside for a heart-to-heart.

The narrator and Guo Zhen used a forged IOU and intimidation to drive Wang Bin away from Zhang Xiaotong. As Christmas Eve arrived, the narrator waited for Zhang Xiaotong after school, brought her home, and kissed her before she came upstairs.

• The narrator, Zhang Xiaotong, and Guo Zhen used forged evidence to accuse Wang Bin of owing money, while Guo Zhen and his men threatened him and ordered him to leave No. 1 High School and stop pursuing Zhang Xiaotong.
• The narrator called Zhang Xiaotong, then treated Guo Zhen and the others to seafood; Wang Bin transferred to No. 2 High School within a week and stopped harassing Zhang Xiaotong.
• As Christmas approached, the narrator’s businesses and the promotion of "WithYou" continued to grow, while an animation company discussed adapting the game.
• On Christmas Eve, the narrator waited for Zhang Xiaotong outside school, walked home with her, kissed her earlobe, and waited as she came upstairs, blushing.