Chapter Summaries

Gu Bai recovered while Chu Zeshen cared for him, and the two shared a quiet moment before Xie Wen and Lu Shengfan returned. The group finished their seven-day holiday and flew home, where Chu Zeshen immediately resumed working.

• Mocha failed to win back his treats from Chu Zeshen, then curled up beside Gu Bai as they both fell asleep on the sofa.
• Chu Zeshen covered Gu Bai and Mocha with a blanket, and Gu Bai later woke to see Chu Zeshen working in the sunset light and called him good-looking.
• Xie Wen and Lu Shengfan returned and joined Chu Zeshen and Gu Bai for dinner, while Xie Wen teased Chu Zeshen for looking after Gu Bai overnight.
• Gu Bai recovered enough to go out, and the group spent the remaining days of their holiday on restful activities such as tea, fishing, and stargazing.
• Xie Wen reluctantly left the island after the seven-day holiday, while Chu Zeshen began handling business on the plane.

After returning from vacation, Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen settled back at home, where Elder Chu confronted Chu Zeshen over a photo that seemed to show him with another man. Gu Bai recognized the bar and the occasion, but the chapter ended before Chu Zeshen explained the picture.

• Xie Wen realized Chu Zeshen would still see Gu Bai every day after the vacation, and the friends parted ways when they arrived home.
• Uncle Li welcomed Gu Bai, Chu Zeshen, and Mocha back, then arranged a restorative soup and a feast for the dog.
• The next morning, Elder Chu chased Chu Zeshen with his cane, while Mocha ran off with it and Uncle Li pursued the dog.
• Elder Chu accused Chu Zeshen of wronging Gu Bai and showed him a photo of him speaking with a young man at a bar.
• Gu Bai recognized the location and remembered that he and Chu Zeshen had gone there to retrieve Mocha.

Chu Zeshen cleared up a misleading bar photo with Elder Chu, then sent him a picture of himself, Gu Bai, and Mocha that Elder Chu eagerly shared with his friends. Later, Gu Bai caught up with his former university roommates in a group chat and said he was living in S City.

• Chu Zeshen explained that the bar photo came from the night he and Gu Bai went to find Mocha, and Gu Bai confirmed the story to Elder Chu.
• Gu Bai showed Elder Chu photos of Mocha dancing, and Chu Zeshen gave him a sunset photo of himself, Gu Bai, and Mocha to share with his friends.
• Elder Chu sent the photo to his friends and hinted that he would send invitations when the time came.
• Gu Bai searched for Elder Chu's missing cane, found Mocha's long-lost ball, and played with him outside.
• Gu Bai replied to messages from his university dorm group and told his roommates that he was in S City, while giving a rented address instead of his home address.

Gu Bai agreed to join his former dormmates for a get-together, but Mocha refused to stay behind, so Gu Bai took him to Chu Group before meeting his friends. Chu Zeshen welcomed them, leaving Manager Su puzzled by how much attention Chu Zeshen gave the dog.

• Gu Bai agreed to his dormmates’ plan to meet in pairs and video-call each other.
• Mocha refused to get out of the car, so Gu Bai agreed to bring him to Chu Zeshen’s office instead of leaving him behind.
• Chu Zeshen went downstairs with Assistant Feng to meet Gu Bai, while Manager Su followed, assuming they were greeting an important client.
• Mocha leaped out of the car and startled Manager Su, but Gu Bai held his leash and kept him under control.
• Chu Zeshen took Mocha’s leash, and Assistant Feng carried the pet carrier as Gu Bai left to meet his friends.
• Manager Su questioned the fuss over Mocha, and Assistant Feng warned him that Chu Zeshen liked the dog more than him and might summon him back to work.

Chu Zeshen brought Mocha to his office and revealed to Assistant Feng that he had married last month. Meanwhile, Gu Bai met his former university roommate Lin Li for coffee and heard about the pressures of working life, leaving Lin Li impressed by Gu Bai’s genuine love of literature.

• Manager Su hurried away when he realized Chu Zeshen might catch him slacking, and Chu Zeshen entered the company with Mocha.
• Chu Zeshen told Assistant Feng that Gu Bai was his husband and that they had registered their marriage last month.
• Gu Bai arrived at the café, where Lin Li greeted him and remarked that he seemed more open than he had at university.
• Gu Bai ordered a mocha and listened as Lin Li complained about the competitive job market and overtime.
• Gu Bai asked whether someone could regret something they loved, and Lin Li concluded that Gu Bai truly loved literature.

Lin Li and Gu Bai reconnected as friends in S City, and Lin Li forgot Zhang Wenzhen’s assignment to contact Gu Bai. During a video call with their former classmates, Gu Bai received a photo of Mocha sitting in Chu Zeshen’s office chair, then rebuffed Chen Mushuang’s probing about his finances and dating life.

• Gu Bai reminded Lin Li of the love of literature he had felt in college, and the two agreed to become local friends in S City.
• Lin Li realized he had forgotten Zhang Wenzhen’s task when Zhang Wenzhen and the others called, then answered the video call with Gu Bai beside him.
• Chen Mushuang greeted Gu Bai and chatted with Lin Li while Gu Bai remained mostly quiet.
• Chu Zeshen sent Gu Bai a photo of Mocha sitting in his office chair, and Gu Bai joked that Mocha was on a trial run as CEO.
• Chen Mushuang probed Gu Bai about dating and money, and Gu Bai challenged his casual attitude toward relationships.

Gu Bai learned more about why his college dormmates had lost touch with him and left their reunion with Lin Li. Chu Zeshen picked him up with Mocha, who had sneaked into the car despite being bribed to stay home.

• Chen Mushuang and Zhang Wenzhen stopped probing Gu Bai, and Chen Mushuang ended the video call early because of work.
• Lin Li told Gu Bai that the graduate recommendation he had given up had gone to Zhang Wenzhen, who had celebrated with their dormmates.
• Gu Bai and Lin Li ate dinner together, and Lin Li offered to drive Gu Bai home.
• Gu Bai spotted Chu Zeshen's car and Mocha waiting across the street, then said goodbye to Lin Li and joined them.
• Chu Zeshen explained that Mocha had sneaked into the car after accepting a treat to stay home, then dashed inside anyway when Chu Zeshen left to pick up Gu Bai.

Gu Bai told Chu Zeshen that his college roommates had suddenly arranged a reunion after barely contacting him for four years, leaving Chu Zeshen concerned about how the meeting had gone. At home, Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen tried to keep Mocha on his diet, but Gu Bai let him sleep in his room; Mocha then disappeared from the doorway.

• Chu Zeshen told Gu Bai that Mocha had spent the day being walked around the office and given afternoon tea by the assistants.
• Chu Zeshen asked about Gu Bai's reunion with his college roommates, and Gu Bai explained that they had barely contacted him during college before suddenly arranging to meet.
• Chu Zeshen worried the roommates might have upset Gu Bai, but Gu Bai brushed off his concern.
• At home, Uncle Li refused to give Mocha extra food before his upcoming checkup, while Chu Zeshen concealed that he had given Mocha a snack.
• Gu Bai let Mocha sleep in his room after Mocha begged for food, then waited as Mocha stood at the stairs with his bed but failed to appear at the bedroom door.

Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen settled Mocha in for the night, where Chu Zeshen discovered it had secretly saved a treat. The next morning, they took Mocha to its scheduled checkup, and Mocha grew reluctant as they approached the veterinary hospital.

• Gu Bai went to his room while Mocha stayed with Chu Zeshen, who let it sleep in his room.
• Chu Zeshen found Mocha eating a hidden crunchy bone and told it to finish without leaving crumbs.
• Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen drove Mocha to its scheduled checkup, and Mocha grew wary when they neared the hospital.
• Chu Zeshen carried Mocha into the hospital, where Gu Bai calmed it with freeze-dried chicken while they waited.
• A young Border Collie tried to approach Mocha, but Mocha only sniffed it before settling beside Gu Bai again.

Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen took Mocha to the vet for a checkup, where Mocha was anxious but completed the examination with their support. After they returned home, Uncle Li worried over Mocha’s shaved belly, and Mocha was rewarded with extra food.

• Mocha nervously stepped onto the scale and endured a two-hour checkup while Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen stayed beside him.
• The vet said Mocha’s teeth, paws, and skin looked healthy, while the blood and ultrasound results were still pending.
• Gu Bai noticed Mocha often followed Chu Zeshen upstairs, and Chu Zeshen claimed Mocha was drawn by the smell of afternoon tea.
• Uncle Li saw Mocha’s Elizabethan collar and shaved belly, then decided to ask Xiao Yu to sew him clothes.
• Gu Bai let Uncle Li give Mocha extra food, which Mocha happily ate despite wearing the collar.

Gu Bai watched Mocha recover from his checkup and then witnessed Chu Zeshen confront Chu Peiwen, who had secretly returned to S City despite Elder Chu’s orders. Chu Zeshen sent his uncle away and left to handle the matter, while Gu Bai noticed a trace of sadness in his eyes.

• Mocha returned from his checkup full of energy, but he settled down when Chu Zeshen told him to.
• Chu Peiwen asked Chu Zeshen to transfer him back to S City, and Chu Zeshen questioned whether he had told Elder Chu about his return.
• Chu Zeshen confronted Chu Peiwen about continuing to send money to the woman he had supposedly left and told him to return to T City.
• Chu Peiwen insulted Chu Zeshen’s family, and Chu Zeshen ordered bodyguards to take him away while sending birthday wishes to his cousin.
• Gu Bai watched the confrontation from inside, then accepted Chu Zeshen’s wine and noticed sadness in his eyes as Chu Zeshen left to handle the matter.

Uncle Li told Gu Bai about Chu Zeshen’s childhood and the family conflict behind Chu Zeshen’s troubled mood. Gu Bai learned that Chu Zeshen was dealing with his second uncle, then reflected on their evening gaming routine.

• Chu Zeshen changed clothes and left the villa to handle an urgent matter.
• Uncle Li told Gu Bai that Chu Zeshen had been cheerful as a child but became reserved after his parents died in an accident when he was seven.
• Uncle Li explained that Chu Zeshen’s second uncle had tried to seize control of Chu Corporation and was again coveting power now that his children were grown.
• Gu Bai realized that Chu Zeshen’s afternoon visitor had been his second uncle and that the urgent matter involved the Chu family dispute.
• Uncle Li urged Gu Bai to talk privately with Chu Zeshen, but Gu Bai thought about their usual routine of playing games together before bed.

Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen shared a quiet drink in the yard, and Chu Zeshen began explaining the family dispute that had weighed on him. He revealed that his grandfather had transferred his second uncle to T City to end an affair, while the rest of the family misunderstood Chu Zeshen’s actions.

• Gu Bai walked Mocha in the yard, then rested in a chair and reflected on how much he enjoyed his new, leisurely life.
• Chu Zeshen returned and plucked a blade of grass from Gu Bai’s forehead; he said Mocha had taken their grandfather’s cane to the backyard.
• Gu Bai asked whether Chu Zeshen’s family troubles had been settled and offered to listen, bringing the two of them closer.
• Chu Zeshen brought out liquor, and Gu Bai fetched ice so they could share the drink in the yard.
• Chu Zeshen explained that his second uncle had been transferred to T City after an affair, and that his grandfather had kept the truth from his second aunt while the family blamed Chu Zeshen.

Gu Bai learned that Chu Peiwen had tried to use his affair to threaten Chu Zeshen and the Chu Corporation, and Chu Zeshen had sent him and his family to T City. As Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen shared wine, talked about their lives, and spent Sunday gaming together, their marriage alliance grew closer, and they declined Xie Wen’s invitation to go out.

• Gu Bai asked why Chu Peiwen had openly approached Chu Zeshen, and Chu Zeshen explained that Peiwen had hoped to gain leverage before the Chu Corporation’s product launch.
• Chu Zeshen said he had sent Chu Peiwen home and arranged for his family to go to T City for Gu Bai’s younger cousin’s birthday.
• Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen discussed their hobbies over wine, agreed to spend their days off at home together, and stopped drinking at midnight.
• On Sunday, Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen stayed home and finished their games together, consulting walkthroughs when they got stuck.
• Xie Wen called to invite the couple out, but Gu Bai told him to ask again in a few days.

Xie Wen visited Chu Zeshen and Gu Bai, interrupting an accidental intimate moment caused by Mocha. After Chu Zeshen invited Lu Shengfan over, the four men spent the afternoon gaming and teasing one another about their ages.

• Xie Wen arrived uninvited at Chu Zeshen's house and found Chu Zeshen toppled onto Gu Bai after Mocha bumped into him.
• Xie Wen joined Gu Bai on the sofa to play a game, while Chu Zeshen left to invite Lu Shengfan over.
• Lu Shengfan arrived and joined the group, surprising Xie Wen, who had told him the gathering was for young people.
• Gu Bai joked that everyone but himself would be nearly forty in seven years, and Xie Wen and Chu Zeshen traded remarks about their ages.

Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen visited the Chu Family Old Residence for the Mid-Autumn Festival, where Elder Chu welcomed Gu Bai and Mocha warmly. As Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen shared pastries, Elder Chu noticed a new closeness between them.

• After afternoon tea, Xie Wen left the Chu Family home with Lu Shengfan after getting a guide from Gu Bai, and Lu Shengfan warned him to avoid Chu Zeshen for a few days.
• Gu Bai returned to the Chu Family Old Residence with Chu Zeshen for the Mid-Autumn Festival and admired its traditional architecture and peaceful courtyard.
• Chu Zeshen explained that Elder Chu made offerings to his late wife each Mid-Autumn Festival using incense from her favorite temple.
• Elder Chu welcomed Gu Bai and Mocha, then sent Chu Zeshen to fetch traditional pastries while he chatted with Gu Bai.
• Chu Zeshen and Gu Bai chose pastries for each other, and Elder Chu observed that their feelings seemed to be changing.

Gu Bai visited the Chu Family Old Residence with Chu Zeshen and saw how thoughtfully Elder Chu had prepared for him and Mocha. Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen played Chinese chess, while Elder Chu’s history of being indulged by his late wife came to light before the ancestral rites.

• Elder Chu showed Gu Bai the pile of toys he had prepared for Mocha, and Gu Bai let Mocha choose one while asking that the rest be saved for a later visit.
• Elder Chu sent Chu Zeshen to take Gu Bai inside to rest, where Gu Bai found soft blankets and pastries prepared for him and a bed set aside for Mocha.
• Gu Bai invited Chu Zeshen to play Chinese chess and beat him in their first game after Chu Zeshen underestimated his skill.
• Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen discussed how Chu Zeshen’s grandmother used to let Elder Chu win at chess, and Elder Chu entered to insist that Chu Zeshen still could not beat him.
• Chu Zeshen recalled that his grandmother had told him to let Elder Chu win out of respect, so he did so through elementary school before largely stopping in middle school.

Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival at the Chu Family residence, where they paid respects to Chu Zeshen’s late grandmother. Afterward, Chu Zeshen explained how he and Elder Chu remembered her and brought Gu Bai to his room to rest.

• Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen secretly worked together to let Elder Chu win a chess game, and Elder Chu praised Gu Bai’s skill.
• Gu Bai accompanied Chu Zeshen and Elder Chu to offer incense and wine at the family memorial tablets, where Elder Chu spoke to his late wife.
• While waiting outside, Gu Bai learned from Chu Zeshen that the other Chu Family members visited for the holiday but did not stay for a meal.
• Chu Zeshen told his grandmother that he was married, while Gu Bai introduced himself by name and stayed quiet as Chu Zeshen reflected.
• After lunch, Chu Zeshen explained that Elder Chu spent the holiday remembering his wife, and that he himself practiced calligraphy in her memory.
• Chu Zeshen took Gu Bai to his modern bedroom and explained that his grandmother had chosen its design, while Elder Chu had only added the folding screen.

Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen practiced calligraphy together, and Chu Zeshen guided Gu Bai’s hand as they grew increasingly aware of their closeness. The lesson ended with an accidental cheek-to-lip brush, leaving both frozen until Gu Bai said he was tired.

• Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen joked about Chu Zeshen’s childhood studies before finding his calligraphy supplies.
• Chu Zeshen wrote a piece of calligraphy, then offered to teach Gu Bai after Gu Bai admitted he had forgotten how to write.
• Chu Zeshen held Gu Bai’s hand and stood behind him to teach him brush grips and stroke techniques, while Gu Bai became distracted by their closeness.
• Gu Bai’s inked brush left a blot on the paper, and Chu Zeshen pinched his earlobe to ask whether he remembered the lesson.
• Gu Bai accidentally brushed his cheek against Chu Zeshen’s lips, and Mocha bit Chu Zeshen’s trouser leg before Gu Bai said he was tired.

Gu Bai rested in Chu Zeshen’s room while Chu Zeshen practiced calligraphy, then the two spent the afternoon reading comics and drinking fruit tea. Elder Chu’s guest asked where Chu Zeshen was, leaving his whereabouts about to become a topic of conversation.

• Gu Bai fell asleep on Chu Zeshen’s bed while Chu Zeshen repeatedly practiced the calligraphy strokes he had guided Gu Bai through.
• After Gu Bai woke, Chu Zeshen teased him about slacking off, then left to speak with Elder Chu.
• Gu Bai searched Chu Zeshen’s calligraphy sheets for the page they had written together, then read comics until Chu Zeshen returned.
• Chu Zeshen told Gu Bai that his eldest sister and second brother had visited, and that he had declined to visit the Gu Family because of the ancestral rites.
• Chu Zeshen brought Gu Bai fruit tea and comics, and they read together in the living room.
• A guest asked Elder Chu why Chu Zeshen was not there.