Chapter Summaries

Zhang Zhaomu encouraged Xiang Qing to communicate with him, then learned her mother had arranged nutritious meals for her at a restaurant. He ran into Chen Zhenzhen, whose attempt at revenge turned into a joking exchange, and the chapter ended with Zhang Zhaomu asking to tug on her jumper strap.

• Xiang Qing spoke aloud and began to smile after Zhang Zhaomu told her she could talk or write to him whenever she wanted.
• Xiang Qing wrote that her mother had arranged a long-term meal plan at a nearby restaurant, and she offered to bring Zhang Zhaomu takeout.
• Zhang Zhaomu tried to leave for lunch but found Chen Zhenzhen waiting by the classroom door to get even with him.
• Chen Zhenzhen threatened to embarrass Zhang Zhaomu with white silk, but his shameless reaction ruined her enjoyment of the revenge.
• Zhang Zhaomu asked Chen Zhenzhen to buy him lunch, then raised his hand toward her jumper strap and asked if he could tug it.

Chen Zhenzhen mistook Zhang Zhaomu’s teasing and furtive glances for signs that he wanted to confess, while Zhang Zhaomu worried that his [Cat] persona was making him act inappropriately around her. After they awkwardly parted, Xiang Qing offered him spare ribs and a note in the classroom.

• Chen Zhenzhen interpreted Zhang Zhaomu’s behavior as romantic interest and panicked about how a relationship might change their friendship.
• Zhang Zhaomu asked Chen Zhenzhen to treat him, but she misunderstood him until he clarified that he meant a meal and iced black tea.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu ate lunch in awkward silence, then parted at the stairwell after she said she would skip New Era to do homework.
• Zhang Zhaomu reflected that he might have gone too far because of the [Cat] persona and decided to spend less time around Chen Zhenzhen for the week.
• Xiang Qing offered Zhang Zhaomu spare ribs from her lunchbox and explained in a note that she had saved them for him.

Zhang Zhaomu shared ribs with Xiang Qing, endured the [Cat] persona’s restlessness through evening self-study, and went hunting for a mouse in the grove. Chen Zhenzhen finished class and found that Zhang Zhaomu had not waited for her.

• Xiang Qing shared her ribs with Zhang Zhaomu, and they took turns eating from the same chopsticks.
• Zhang Zhaomu helped a classmate with a makeover, then struggled to control [Cat]’s urge to cause trouble during evening self-study.
• After class, Zhang Zhaomu left without waiting for Chen Zhenzhen and went to the grove to hunt a mouse.
• Chen Zhenzhen left class with Wang Qianzi and looked toward the stairway, but Zhang Zhaomu was not there.

Chen Zhenzhen worried that Zhang Zhaomu had stopped waiting for her because she had rejected his advances, so she decided to confront him and accept dating him. When she found him, she learned he had simply been away and asked why he had acted strangely at noon, but Zhang Zhaomu denied having anything to say.

• Chen Zhenzhen realized Zhang Zhaomu had left school without waiting for her and feared he was giving up on her.
• Wang Qianzi walked Chen Zhenzhen to the school gate and encouraged her to talk about anything troubling her.
• Chen Zhenzhen decided she would agree to date Zhang Zhaomu and went to his apartment to confront him.
• Zhang Zhaomu returned while Chen Zhenzhen waited at his door, looking dirty from a cleanup in the school grove.
• Chen Zhenzhen admitted she thought Zhang Zhaomu no longer wanted to talk to her, and he denied having anything he wanted to say.

Chen Zhenzhen confronted Zhang Zhaomu about his feelings and asked whether he liked her, but he denied it and insisted they were just good bros. When she pressed him to explain his strange behavior at noon, Zhang Zhaomu finally admitted that he liked her.

• Chen Zhenzhen cornered Zhang Zhaomu at his door and demanded that they settle the tension between them.
• Chen Zhenzhen asked Zhang Zhaomu if he liked her, but he called her assumption a misconception and insisted they were good bros.
• Chen Zhenzhen accepted his denial at first, then questioned him about his unusual reaction at noon.
• Zhang Zhaomu tried to evade her questions, then admitted, "I like you!"

Chen Zhenzhen confronted Zhang Zhaomu about his supposed confession, only to learn that he had been fantasizing about her. She left in mortification, determined to punish him by refusing to talk to him for a day.

• Chen Zhenzhen challenged Zhang Zhaomu to explain his confession and threatened to call her mother from his phone.
• Chen Zhenzhen unlocked Zhang Zhaomu's phone and started a call, prompting him to admit that he had secretly looked at her chest and fantasized about her.
• Chen Zhenzhen dismissed Zhang Zhaomu's protests, called him a pervert, and left his home.
• Outside, Chen Zhenzhen panicked over how to face Zhang Zhaomu and decided not to talk to him for a day.

Unable to sleep because the [Cat] persona kept him restless, Zhang Zhaomu went out for a walk and ran into Duan Chan'er, who invited him to get barbecue. Their outing took a turn when Zhang Zhaomu heard a sound in a dark alley and went to investigate.

• Zhang Zhaomu worried about the effects of his weekly personas and found that he could not sleep.
• Zhang Zhaomu went outside for a walk and met Duan Chan'er as she left her room.
• Duan Chan'er invited Zhang Zhaomu to get barbecue, and they walked together toward Crossroads Barbecue.
• Zhang Zhaomu heard a sound in a dark alley and started walking into it, leaving Duan Chan'er uneasy.

Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er found two newborn puppies abandoned in a trash bin and took them home to try to save them. Duan Chan'er said she had goat's milk at home, and the two headed there to feed the puppies.

• Zhang Zhaomu heard a whimper from a trash bin and searched through the garbage despite his disgust.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er found two weak, newborn puppies and decided to take them home.
• Zhang Zhaomu used his T-shirt to lift the puppies out of the bin, and Duan Chan'er offered to help care for them.
• On their way back, Duan Chan'er told Zhang Zhaomu about her childhood dog, and they discussed whether he liked dogs.
• Zhang Zhaomu asked what newborn puppies could drink, and Duan Chan'er said she had goat's milk at home.

Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er rescued two newborn puppies and worked together at Duan Chan'er's apartment to feed and clean them. They settled the puppies into a warm nest, but the pair knew they would need to stay up through the night to care for them.

• Zhang Zhaomu brought the dirty newborn puppies to his apartment, but Duan Chan'er warned him that bathing them could kill them.
• Duan Chan'er took Zhang Zhaomu and the puppies to her apartment, where she prepared warm goat's milk and supplies for their care.
• Zhang Zhaomu made a feeder from a kitchen glove and fed the puppies while Duan Chan'er gently cleaned them and dried them with a hair dryer.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er placed the puppies in a cardboard box lined with old clothes and watched them fall asleep.
• Duan Chan'er explained that the puppies needed feeding every two to three hours and manual help relieving themselves, so she refused to leave Zhang Zhaomu to care for them alone.

Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er found abandoned puppies, and Duan Chan'er later told her readers about them through her online identity, Bing Chan. Zhang Zhaomu recognized her genuine happiness at making a friend and resolved to make things right with Chen Zhenzhen the next day.

• Duan Chan'er told Zhang Zhaomu that his classmates respected him as class monitor, and he left her home near one in the morning.
• Duan Chan'er admired the two rescued puppies and decided to discuss names with Zhang Zhaomu before naming them.
• Duan Chan'er told her readers she was taking a day off because she had found abandoned puppies, and she sent a photo to Jasmine Meow.
• Zhang Zhaomu replied to Duan Chan'er as Jasmine Meow and learned how happy she was that her daughter had made a friend.
• Zhang Zhaomu worried that his argument with Chen Zhenzhen had crossed a line and decided to make it up to her the next day.

Zhang Zhaomu visited Duan Chan'er to check on the rescued puppies, and she asked to adopt them. He agreed to help care for them, and they named the puppies Barbecue and September before planning a vet visit.

• Duan Chan'er told Zhang Zhaomu that both puppies were doing well after she fed them through the night.
• Duan Chan'er asked Zhang Zhaomu to name the puppies and revealed that she wanted to adopt them.
• Zhang Zhaomu warned Duan Chan'er that raising dogs required long-term responsibility and would be difficult during school, then agreed to help her.
• Duan Chan'er named the white-furred puppy Barbecue, and Zhang Zhaomu named the black-furred puppy September.
• Duan Chan'er and Zhang Zhaomu agreed to take the puppies to a pet shop for a checkup at noon.

Zhang Zhaomu tried to make amends with Chen Zhenzhen but found her already at school and unable to approach her before class. He teased Xiang Qing about speaking to boys, then offered to help her practice.

• Duan Chan'er invited Zhang Zhaomu to eat breakfast, and he declined by claiming he had plans with Chen Zhenzhen.
• Zhang Zhaomu accidentally told Duan Chan'er he could be her dad too, then left her home in embarrassment.
• Zhang Zhaomu waited for Chen Zhenzhen at Liu's Noodle Shop, but she did not show up; at school, she ignored his greeting while Wang Qianzi teased her.
• The Class One homeroom teacher ordered Zhang Zhaomu away from the classroom doorway, and Chen Zhenzhen smiled at his misfortune.
• Zhang Zhaomu teased Xiang Qing for speaking little, and she wrote that she felt strange talking to boys and warned him not to call her Little Mute.
• Zhang Zhaomu stopped teasing Xiang Qing and offered to practice talking with her.

Zhang Zhaomu offered to feed Duan Chan'er’s pets during school breaks, and she agreed while warning him not to enter her bedroom. Later, he played with Xiang Qing’s hair and claimed he was giving her desensitization training before offering to style it to suit her school uniform.

• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er agreed that he would feed Barbecue and September during breaks so she would not have to run home from school.
• Duan Chan'er offered Zhang Zhaomu a spare key but warned him not to enter her bedroom, and he suggested keeping the pets at his home instead.
• Zhang Zhaomu woke from another nap and began playing with Xiang Qing’s hair while she studied.
• Zhang Zhaomu told Xiang Qing he was helping her get used to being around boys, and she accepted his explanation.
• Zhang Zhaomu offered to braid Xiang Qing’s hair for free and asked what clothes she had besides her school uniform.

Zhang Zhaomu styled Xiang Qing’s hair, and their conversation helped her speak more comfortably. At lunch, he left with Duan Chan'er, prompting Xue Jingshu to suspect the two had a special relationship.

• Zhang Zhaomu gave Xiang Qing a classical hairstyle and showed her a photo of it.
• Xiang Qing laughed with Zhang Zhaomu over his joke usernames and realized she had spoken a long sentence without feeling anxious.
• Zhang Zhaomu told Xiang Qing that talking with him was helping her, then left when the lunch bell rang.
• Zhang Zhaomu told Xue Jingshu that her makeover would come later, while Duan Chan'er woke up and remembered their noon plans.
• Duan Chan'er left with Zhang Zhaomu to go home, and Xue Jingshu wondered whether something was going on between them.

Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er took Barbecue and September to a pet store, where Duan Chan'er prepared to raise them and stocked up on supplies. Chen Zhenzhen grew jealous after seeing them together, but Zhang Zhaomu failed to understand why she was upset.

• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er discussed travel and food as they headed to a nearby pet store.
• Chen Zhenzhen saw Zhang Zhaomu walking with Duan Chan'er, felt jealous, and ignored his attempts to talk to her.
• Duan Chan'er suggested Zhang Zhaomu explain to Chen Zhenzhen that they were only friends, but he insisted he knew why Chen Zhenzhen was angry.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er brought Barbecue and September to the pet store, where the manager arranged for a veterinarian to examine them.
• Duan Chan'er started buying supplies for the puppies and asked Zhang Zhaomu to help choose cute clothes, leaving him overwhelmed.

At lunch, Chen Zhenzhen raged over Zhang Zhaomu eating with Duan Chan'er but insisted she was only upset about their friendship. After Wang Qianzi urged her to take the initiative, Chen Zhenzhen decided to talk things out with Zhang Zhaomu, though she planned to resume ignoring him later.

• Wang Qianzi tried to cheer Chen Zhenzhen up by feeding her lunch, while Chen Zhenzhen complained that Zhang Zhaomu had eaten with Duan Chan'er and left her at school.
• Chen Zhenzhen defended Zhang Zhaomu's character and insisted her anger came from their friendship as buddies, not jealousy or romantic feelings.
• Wang Qianzi suggested ways Chen Zhenzhen could respond, including making a new friend or confronting Duan Chan'er, but Chen Zhenzhen rejected them.
• Chen Zhenzhen decided to go speak with Zhang Zhaomu and clear up their conflict, postponing the rest of her planned silent treatment.

Duan Chan'er brought Barbecue and September home after learning they were healthy border collie and Chinese rural dog mixes, and Zhang Zhaomu stayed for lunch. While he dozed on her sofa, he dreamed he was a cat in a happy family, then sprang into the ceiling and barely concealed what happened from Duan Chan'er.

• The pet shop manager told Duan Chan'er that Barbecue and September were healthy mixed-breed puppies, and she bought them supplies despite their uncertain breed status.
• Duan Chan'er invited Zhang Zhaomu to lunch and asked him to put away the puppies' supplies while she cooked.
• Watching Duan Chan'er in the kitchen, Zhang Zhaomu imagined a domestic future with her, then dismissed the fantasy and fell asleep on the sofa.
• Zhang Zhaomu dreamed he was a cat in a peaceful family and woke after leaping from the sofa into the ceiling.
• Zhang Zhaomu landed back on the sofa before Duan Chan'er saw him and blamed the noise on bumping himself because her cooking smelled so good.

Zhang Zhaomu shared lunch with Duan Chan'er, and they agreed she would cook for him while he helped care for her puppies. After they walked to school together, Chen Zhenzhen pulled him aside and demanded to know what was going on between him and Duan Chan'er.

• Zhang Zhaomu worried that keeping the [Cat] persona equipped might affect his sense of self, then joined Duan Chan'er for lunch.
• Zhang Zhaomu praised Duan Chan'er's cooking and washed the dishes after they ate.
• Duan Chan'er offered to cook Zhang Zhaomu lunch for the week in return for his help feeding Barbecue and September, and he eagerly accepted her offer of braised pork trotter.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er walked to school together, where Chen Zhenzhen was waiting for him.
• Chen Zhenzhen led Zhang Zhaomu to the stairwell and asked what was going on between him and Duan Chan'er.

Chen Zhenzhen questioned Zhang Zhaomu about his growing closeness with Duan Chan'er and asked whether he liked her. Zhang Zhaomu clarified that he only liked Duan Chan'er’s looks, and Chen Zhenzhen ended the conversation by inviting him to stay up gaming with her.

• Chen Zhaomu explained that he had gone for barbecue with Duan Chan'er after Chen Zhenzhen left, then helped her take two abandoned puppies to a pet store.
• Chen Zhenzhen hid her frustration about Zhang Zhaomu spending time with Duan Chan'er and pretended she was still angry about his remarks the previous night.
• Zhang Zhaomu apologized and said Chen Zhenzhen was his only best friend, prompting her to bring up Duan Chan'er again.
• Chen Zhenzhen asked Zhang Zhaomu whether he liked Duan Chan'er, and he said he liked her looks but did not want to date her.
• Chen Zhenzhen smiled through her tears, brushed off Zhang Zhaomu’s concern, and suggested they stay up all night gaming as usual.

Zhang Zhaomu shared lunch with Xiang Qing, accepted her WeChat request, and secretly visited Duan Chan'er’s home to feed her pets. His classroom nap ended when Chen Yongchao woke him and assigned him to organize the class meeting for Teachers’ Day.

• Zhang Zhaomu returned to find Xiang Qing’s beer-braised duck and learned she had packed it to repay him for doing her hair; they ate together, and she confirmed she had accepted his WeChat request.
• Zhang Zhaomu added Xiang Qing as “Little Mute” on WeChat.
• Zhang Zhaomu used his secret route to reach Duan Chan’er’s home, fed Barbecue and September, and resisted the urge to enter her bedroom.
• Duan Chan’er messaged Zhang Zhaomu about how quickly he had returned and warned that she had placed a strand of hair on her bedroom door handle to detect anyone entering.
• Chen Yongchao woke Zhang Zhaomu in Chinese class and told him to organize the class meeting for Teachers’ Day, asking him to come to the office after class to discuss the schedule.