Chapter Summaries

Zhang Zhaomu organized Class Nine’s Teachers’ Day meeting after Chen Yongchao put him in charge and warned him to stop sleeping through lessons. After arranging performances and a homemade card, Zhang Zhaomu met Chen Zhenzhen, and they discussed what to tell her mother about staying over.

• Chen Yongchao assigned Zhang Zhaomu full responsibility for planning the Teachers’ Day meeting and warned him about sleeping in class and neglecting his studies.
• Zhang Zhaomu searched for meeting ideas, assigned classmates to arrange performances, hosting, a blackboard display, and invitations, and chose a homemade card for Chen Yongchao.
• Class Nine students volunteered a poetry recital and two gratitude songs, and Zhang Zhaomu completed the meeting plan during evening study.
• Zhang Zhaomu met Chen Zhenzhen after evening study, and she said her class had failed to cooperate with its monitor’s request for performances.
• Chen Zhenzhen reminded Zhang Zhaomu that he had told her mother his birthday was March seventh, not December, when they discussed an excuse for her to stay over.

Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu tried to explain why he was staying over by pretending he had menstrual cramps, but Auntie Wang invited Zhang Zaowan to dinner and began to suspect something was wrong. They searched for someone who could impersonate Zhang Zaowan at the meal, but had not found a solution by the chapter's end.

• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu decided to tell Auntie Wang that Zhang Zaowan had menstrual cramps and needed company.
• Zhang Zhaomu used a voice-changing app during Chen Zhenzhen's call with Auntie Wang, who invited Zhang Zaowan to dinner on Saturday.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu worried that Auntie Wang suspected the truth after she asked to see a photo of Zhang Zaowan and insisted on meeting her.
• Chen Zhenzhen suggested dressing Zhang Zhaomu as a woman, but he rejected the plan and proposed sending another girl in his place.
• Chen Zhenzhen ruled out Qianqian and their classmates because her mother might recognize them, and she looked for someone her mother rarely encountered.

Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen planned how to keep her mother from discovering that Zhang Zaowan was fictional, and decided Xiang Qing might convincingly play the part. After Chen Zhenzhen changed into Zhang Zhaomu’s T-shirt, their playful tussle ended with her crashing into his chest and leaving him stunned.

• Zhang Zhaomu told Chen Zhenzhen to eventually make her mother believe she and her supposed best friend had fallen out.
• Chen Zhenzhen explained that she had described Zhang Zaowan as a high-achieving, quiet girl who was much taller than her.
• Zhang Zhaomu suggested asking his deskmate Xiang Qing to impersonate Zhang Zaowan, and Chen Zhenzhen agreed that she fit the description.
• Zhang Zhaomu said he would ask Xiang Qing the next day, then he and Chen Zhenzhen prepared to go to the internet cafe.
• Chen Zhenzhen changed into Zhang Zhaomu’s T-shirt, and their playful tussle ended when she charged into his chest.

After an awkward accidental touch, Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu insisted they were just bros and spent the night gaming before heading back to school exhausted. Zhang Zhaomu organized a successful Teachers' Day class meeting, then tried to stay awake in class with painfully spicy konjac, which Xiang Qing asked to taste.

• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu played off their accidental contact by insisting they were bros, and Zhang Zhaomu promised to treat her to instant noodles.
• After gaming all night, Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu left the internet café exhausted, and Zhang Zhaomu bought spicy konjac to help them stay awake.
• Chen Zhenzhen asked Zhang Zhaomu to bring some konjac for Qianqian, while he decided not to bring any for Duan Chan'er.
• Zhang Zhaomu helped organize Class Nine's Teachers' Day meeting, whose performances and handmade cards impressed Chen Yongchao.
• After feeding Barbecue and September, Zhang Zhaomu returned to class and ate spicy konjac to stay awake; Xiang Qing offered him water and asked to try it.

Zhang Zhaomu asked Xiang Qing to pose as him at a dinner with Chen Zhenzhen’s family, and Xiang Qing agreed after proposing a way to get permission to stay away from home for the weekend. They planned to meet Chen Zhenzhen during evening break to coordinate their stories.

• Xiang Qing ate a piece of Zhang Zhaomu’s intensely spicy konjac, drank from his cup, and asked for more before he warned her not to overdo it.
• Zhang Zhaomu offered to bring Xiang Qing spicy duck necks another time, then asked whether she was free that weekend.
• Zhang Zhaomu explained that Chen Zhenzhen’s parent had mistaken him for a girl and asked Xiang Qing to take his place at dinner as Zhang Zaowan.
• Xiang Qing said she had to go home, but proposed having Chen Zhenzhen persuade her mother to let her stay out for the weekend.
• Xiang Qing asked to meet Chen Zhenzhen and prepare their stories, so Zhang Zhaomu suggested the evening break and reassured her about meeting Chen Zhenzhen.

Zhang Zhaomu went to Duan Chan'er’s home for lunch and slept on her sofa while she cooked. Their classmates speculated about their relationship, while Duan Chan'er reflected on Zhang Zhaomu’s appearance and innocence before the two returned to school.

• Duan Chan'er brought an exhausted Zhang Zhaomu home, prompting classmates to speculate that they were living together and dating.
• Xu Xiujie denied that Duan Chan'er liked Zhang Zhaomu, while Kang Hao pointed out Zhang Zhaomu’s closeness with Xiang Qing.
• Zhang Zhaomu fell asleep on Duan Chan'er’s sofa as she fed Barbecue and September and admired his looks and relaxed manner.
• Duan Chan'er woke Zhang Zhaomu for lunch, and he startled her by springing upright from the sofa.
• Zhang Zhaomu praised Duan Chan'er’s cooking but said he would eat more cafeteria food to keep from getting used to it, leaving her amused by his innocence.

Zhang Zhaomu encouraged Xiang Qing to be less isolated, then introduced her to Chen Zhenzhen, who discussed how Xiang Qing could meet Chen Zhenzhen’s mother. The conversation ended when Xiang Qing showed she had noticed Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen silently reacting to her notebook.

• Xiang Qing asked Zhang Zhaomu whether she looked okay, and he reassured her before explaining that people’s dislike of her was not caused by her height.
• Zhang Zhaomu encouraged Xiang Qing to make room for friendships instead of focusing only on her studies.
• Wang Qianzi mistook Xiang Qing for a love rival, but Chen Zhenzhen clarified that she had asked Zhang Zhaomu to introduce them so she could ask Xiang Qing for a favor.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu accompanied Xiang Qing to the cafeteria, where Chen Zhenzhen explained how to meet her mother and offered to help with Xiang Qing’s family.
• Xiang Qing wrote that her mother would verify any excuse about staying at school, then revealed she had noticed Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu silently discussing her.

Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen helped Xiang Qing find a way to stay out later by claiming she needed tutoring, and Xiang Qing began to feel at ease with her new friends. As evening self-study approached, Zhang Zhaomu joked that Chen Zhenzhen should call him Dad, leaving Xiang Qing wondering if she had to call him that too.

• Xiang Qing explained that Zhang Zhaomu had warned her Chen Zhenzhen might complain about her communicating by writing.
• Zhang Zhaomu suggested Xiang Qing tell her mother that Chen Zhenzhen was tutoring her, and Xiang Qing thought her mother might accept the excuse.
• Chen Zhenzhen offered to help Xiang Qing study, and Xiang Qing was delighted when Chen Zhenzhen called them friends.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu bickered while Xiang Qing watched, gradually feeling comfortable around them.
• As Zhang Zhaomu walked Xiang Qing back before evening self-study, he told her to stop thanking him and joked that Chen Zhenzhen called him Dad.
• Xiang Qing asked Zhang Zhaomu if she had to call him Dad too.

Zhang Zhaomu, Chen Zhenzhen, and Xiang Qing spent Saturday afternoon studying at Zhang Zhaomu’s apartment after their plans to visit an internet café fell through. Xiang Qing saw how naturally Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen expected to stay close after high school, and wondered if that was what true friends were like.

• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu took Xiang Qing to Zhang Zhaomu’s apartment to study because the other locations were unsuitable.
• Xiang Qing looked around Zhang Zhaomu’s tidy apartment while Chen Zhenzhen settled in and asked for a drink.
• Chen Zhenzhen asked Zhang Zhaomu about his homework and explained that he had once studied hard enough to get into No. 1 High School.
• Xiang Qing offered to let Zhang Zhaomu copy her homework, while Chen Zhenzhen criticized him for giving up on school.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen joked about staying near each other after graduation, and Xiang Qing wondered if their closeness was true friendship.

Zhang Zhaomu reflected on his friends’ views of studying and spent the weekend gaming with Chen Zhenzhen, who successfully used Xiang Qing to fool her mother. On Monday, Zhang Zhaomu unexpectedly developed an [Academic Ace] persona that teamed up with his [Refined] persona instead of being suppressed.

• Xiang Qing asked Zhang Zhaomu whether he worried about his future if he did not study, and he described life as an open wilderness with many possible paths.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu invited Xiang Qing to play games, while Xiang Qing wondered whether Zhang Zhaomu’s outlook on life was right.
• After Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing left, Zhang Zhaomu thought about his distant relationship with his family and his upcoming visit to his father’s place.
• Chen Zhenzhen told Zhang Zhaomu that she had successfully passed her mother’s questioning by presenting Xiang Qing as Zhang Zaowan, then headed to New Era to game with him.
• On Monday morning, Zhang Zhaomu’s [Academic Ace] persona made him reconsider his attitude toward studying, but his [Refined] persona joined forces with it instead of suppressing it.

Zhang Zhaomu equipped the [Academic Ace] persona and resolved to surpass Chen Zhenzhen in grades, but he still could not understand a math problem. He began his attempt to study after the flag-raising ceremony, only to discover that his new persona had not made the subject any easier.

• Zhang Zhaomu tried to equip the [Cat] persona, then removed it because it made him too sleepy and re-equipped the [Refined] persona.
• Zhang Zhaomu met Chen Zhenzhen at Liu's Noodle Shop and declared that he would surpass her grades.
• Zhang Zhaomu listened to Gong Xueqian give a speech at the flag-raising ceremony and decided he could become a student representative too.
• Zhang Zhaomu rushed back to class, activated the [Academic Ace] perspective, and failed to understand the math problem in his textbook.

Zhang Zhaomu discovered that he could memorize Chinese texts with ease and began studying in earnest, making his classmates wonder what had changed. Xiang Qing watched him study, wanting to talk but afraid to interrupt him.

• Zhang Zhaomu realized the [Academic Ace] persona could not teach him material he had never understood, so he set math aside and opened his Chinese textbook.
• Zhang Zhaomu memorized a passage from the textbook quickly and felt motivated to improve his grades through steady study.
• Zhang Zhaomu made a study plan that included reviewing older textbooks and asking Chen Zhen for tutoring if necessary.
• His classmates speculated about why he had started studying, while Kang Hao, Xu Xiujie, and other sports students bet on how long he would keep it up.
• Morning self-study ended while Zhang Zhaomu remained absorbed in his books, and Xiang Qing held back from speaking to him because she did not want to interrupt.

Zhang Zhaomu tried to explain studying through game rankings while Xiang Qing struggled to hold in her need to use the bathroom. After Zhang alerted their teacher, Xiang Qing headed into the girls' bathroom, leaving him outside.

• Zhang Zhaomu told Xiang Qing he had started studying because he found it interesting, comparing schoolwork to gaining experience and climbing ranks in a game.
• Xiang Qing hid her urgent need to use the bathroom while Zhang Zhaomu noticed she seemed unwell.
• Zhang Zhaomu alerted the English teacher, who asked him to take Xiang Qing to the school infirmary.
• Xiang Qing left the classroom and went into the nearby girls' bathroom, then worried that Zhang Zhaomu might think her rude.

After Xiang Qing recovered from her urgent need to use the restroom, she and Zhang Zhaomu wandered the school to hide their absence from class. Zhang Zhaomu suggested they call Chen Zhenzhen out of class, and he left Xiang Qing to knock on the classroom door.

• Xiang Qing came out of the restroom, and Zhang Zhaomu agreed to wander with her until enough time had passed to return to class.
• Xiang Qing enjoyed her first experience of skipping class and asked Zhang Zhaomu what he usually did when he skipped.
• Zhang Zhaomu suggested they visit Chen Zhenzhen, and they watched her attending a math lesson in Science Class One.
• Zhang Zhaomu proposed calling Chen Zhenzhen out of class and persuaded Xiang Qing to knock on the classroom door.

Xiang Qing nervously followed Zhang Zhaomu’s encouragement to interrupt Class 1 and call Chen Zhenzhen out. After the prank left Chen Zhenzhen angry, Xiang Qing admitted she had enjoyed it and hinted she might join Zhang Zhaomu in future mischief.

• Zhang Zhaomu urged Xiang Qing to knock on Class 1’s door while he waited near the stairwell.
• Xiang Qing struggled to speak to Teacher Luo until Chen Zhenzhen volunteered to come outside.
• Zhang Zhaomu startled Chen Zhenzhen on the stairs and admitted he had encouraged Xiang Qing to interrupt class.
• Chen Zhenzhen warned Xiang Qing that Zhang Zhaomu was full of bad ideas, but Xiang Qing said the prank had been exciting.
• Zhang Zhaomu claimed he had only reminded Chen Zhenzhen to pay attention in class, making her leave angrily.
• Xiang Qing considered apologizing, then hinted she might join Zhang Zhaomu in another prank before he teased her about dropping her persona.

Zhang Zhaomu talked Xiang Qing out of skipping history by arguing that becoming a master at skipping class required studying hard first. As they studied together, Xiang Qing wondered whether she had inspired his change and found herself focusing on the lesson with a calmer mind.

• Xiang Qing suggested skipping history, but Zhang Zhaomu questioned whether she was becoming addicted to skipping class.
• Zhang Zhaomu explained that they should skip only with a purpose and that studying well would let them miss class without falling behind.
• Xiang Qing realized Zhang Zhaomu's reasoning was twisted, but agreed to study with him.
• Xiang Qing watched Zhang Zhaomu concentrate on his English vocabulary and wondered whether she had prompted him to study.
• Xiang Qing dismissed the thought that he had changed because of her, then focused on the lesson and decided they should study hard together.

Zhang Zhaomu used the [Academic Ace] persona to study intensely and planned how to catch up with his high-school courses. After studying through lunch, he joined Duan Chan'er for a meal and explained that he was studying for himself, though he also wanted to attend the same university as Chen Zhenzhen.

• Zhang Zhaomu focused on studying and made a plan to catch up with his subjects, including asking Chen Zhen for help with math.
• Zhang Zhaomu continued memorizing geography during lunch break while Duan Chan'er waited for him.
• Duan Chan'er reminded Zhang Zhaomu that he had not yet used up the week of meals she had promised him, and they left together for lunch.
• Duan Chan'er asked why Zhang Zhaomu had suddenly begun studying so hard and guessed that he wanted to attend the same university as Chen Zhenzhen.
• Zhang Zhaomu said he was studying for himself but would like to attend the same university as Chen Zhenzhen, leaving Duan Chan'er confused.

Zhang Zhaomu discovered that Duan Chan'er wrote online under the pen name Bing Chan when a commemorative package arrived at her apartment. Duan Chan'er panicked after learning he had read Bing Chan's novels, and began considering how to keep him from revealing her secret.

• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er talked about their university plans on the way to her apartment, then checked on September and Barbecue.
• Duan Chan'er prepared lunch while Zhang Zhaomu opened packages she had ordered for the puppies.
• Zhang Zhaomu found a card congratulating Bing Chan on being named one of the year's top 100 online literature writers.
• Duan Chan'er denied being Bing Chan, but Zhang Zhaomu said he had read and liked the pen name's books.
• Duan Chan'er panicked at the thought that Zhang Zhaomu had read her racy novels and considered hitting him to make him forget.

Zhang Zhaomu defused Duan Chan'er's anger by pretending to deduce that her father was the webnovelist Bing Chan, and she accepted his explanation. Their conversation ended with Duan Chan'er burning the shrimp she had been cooking and promising to make Zhang Zhaomu a meal tomorrow.

• Zhang Zhaomu noticed Duan Chan'er growing dangerous and claimed that Bing Chan's pen name seemed connected to her name.
• Duan Chan'er abandoned her plan to knock Zhang Zhaomu out and admitted that he had guessed correctly.
• Zhang Zhaomu explained that Bing Chan was Duan Chan'er's father, and she agreed with his mistaken deduction rather than reveal her own secret.
• Duan Chan'er asked Zhang Zhaomu to keep her father's webnovel writing private, and he promised not to tell anyone.
• Zhang Zhaomu noticed something burning, and Duan Chan'er discovered that she had ruined the shrimp.
• Duan Chan'er offered to cook for Zhang Zhaomu the next day after he said the remaining dishes were enough.

Duan Chan'er used the medal for her online novel as an excuse to discuss it with Zhang Zhaomu, who believed her father had written it. As they talked about the novel's appeal, Zhang Zhaomu pointed out that its protagonist resembled him, leaving Duan Chan'er wondering whether her male lead had materialized in real life.

• Duan Chan'er cooked a loofah dish for Zhang Zhaomu, and he ate it before washing the dishes.
• Duan Chan'er recalled her years as an online author and felt proud of her Top 100 authors medal.
• Zhang Zhaomu told Duan Chan'er he had caught up with her supposed father's novel and loved it.
• Duan Chan'er claimed she had read the novel and asked Zhang Zhaomu to discuss its genre, plot, and appeal.
• Zhang Zhaomu said he identified with the protagonist because the character's appearance sounded like his own.
• Duan Chan'er looked closely at Zhang Zhaomu and realized he resembled the male lead she had written.