Chapter Summaries

Zhang Zhaomu reassured Xiang Qing that their friendship did not require repayment, then teased her about complimenting his appearance. The conversation left him flustered when she took his jokes seriously and pointed out that he was thin.

• Xiang Qing apologized for not bringing Zhang Zhaomu food, explaining that she saw the treats as repayment for his help and friendship.
• Zhang Zhaomu joked about charging a friendship fee, then seriously told Xiang Qing that he was friends with her for who she was.
• Xiang Qing asked what he liked about her, and Zhang Zhaomu said she was pretty before explaining that friendship came from getting along.
• Xiang Qing called Zhang Zhaomu pretty, then repeated his requested compliments but said he was too thin to be strong and powerful.
• Xiang Qing apologized and called him strong and powerful, leaving Zhang Zhaomu embarrassed by how earnestly she responded to his teasing.

Chen Yongchao summoned Zhang Zhaomu to question why he had been reading during class, and Zhang claimed he was memorizing Chinese texts. When Chen challenged him to prove it, Zhang recited several lengthy passages from memory, leaving Chen astonished.

• Chen Yongchao called Zhang Zhaomu to his office and asked why he had been keeping his head down during class.
• Zhang told Chen he had been studying the Chinese textbook and memorizing the texts in full.
• Chen doubted Zhang’s claim that he had memorized three long works in two periods and asked him to recite one.
• Zhang fluently recited all of “Homeward Bound” and “Memorial on My Circumstances,” then began “Letter to Ren An.”
• Chen stopped Zhang and stared at him, unable to reconcile his memorization with his poor past grades.

Zhang Zhaomu astonished Chen Yongchao by memorizing a long Song ci poem in under two minutes, and Chen Yongchao realized he had forgotten to ask him about arranging an image makeover for Teacher Zhu. The chapter ended with Teacher Zhu waiting for Zhang Zhaomu to contact him and complaining that the class monitor was putting on airs.

• Zhang Zhaomu memorized and recited Xin Qiji's "Eternal Joy: Nostalgia at Beigu Pavilion in Jingkou" after Chen Yongchao challenged him.
• Chen Yongchao praised Zhang Zhaomu's memory, while Zhang Zhaomu privately relished the change in his teacher's attitude.
• Chen Yongchao let Zhang Zhaomu leave for class and then realized he had forgotten to ask him about Teacher Zhu's image makeover.
• Chen Yongchao falsely told Teacher Zhu that Zhang Zhaomu had agreed to help, then said Teacher Zhu would have to wait for word.
• Teacher Zhu accepted the delay but complained that Zhang Zhaomu sure put on airs.

Chen Yongchao argued with Teacher Zhu that Zhang Zhaomu was a study genius, but Zhu doubted he could improve quickly. They made a bet on Zhang’s result in the upcoming monthly exam, leaving Chen worried about how to ask Zhang for help with Zhu’s makeover request.

• Teacher Zhu mocked Chen Yongchao for claiming that Zhang Zhaomu had changed and was a study genius.
• Chen insisted Zhang would eventually earn a college entrance exam honor banner, and Teacher Zhu challenged him to a bet on the next monthly exam.
• Teacher Zhu bet that Zhang would not reach the top thirty in Class 9, while Chen agreed to wager Zhu’s potted plant against his desk ornament.
• After Teacher Zhu left, Chen regretted accepting the bet and worried about how to approach Zhang about the makeover.

Zhang Zhaomu studied math on his own and planned to ask Chen Zhenzhen for help during dinner. After seeing her talk with Gong Xueqian, he left her confused by showing no jealousy and lamenting that he could never claim first place in the science track.

• Zhang Zhaomu worked through first-year math material during class and decided to ask Chen Zhenzhen about two difficult problems.
• Zhang Zhaomu saw Gong Xueqian speaking with Chen Zhenzhen, and Wang Qianzi teased that Chen Zhenzhen's boyfriend was waiting.
• Chen Zhenzhen explained that Gong Xueqian had asked about a math problem, while Zhang Zhaomu focused on becoming as good at math as she was.
• Chen Zhenzhen wondered why she felt flustered about explaining herself, and Zhang Zhaomu noticed she had not reacted angrily to his morning prank.
• At dinner, Chen Zhenzhen asked what Zhang Zhaomu thought of Gong Xueqian, and Zhang Zhaomu called him a coward before admitting he regretted being unable to rank first in the science track.
• Chen Zhenzhen scoffed at Zhang Zhaomu's ambition and told him he was more likely to finish last in the grade.

Zhang Zhaomu asked Chen Zhenzhen to explain two math problems, while she mistook his request for a jealous attempt to claim her attention. As Chen Zhenzhen patiently tutored him in Science Class One, their classmates read the moment as romantic, leaving her flustered by Zhang Zhaomu leaning close.

• Zhang Zhaomu declared he intended to take first place in their grade and urged Chen Zhenzhen to claim the top spot in the science track, but she teased him about his ambition.
• Zhang Zhaomu showed Chen Zhenzhen two math problems he could not solve, and she assumed he was imitating Gong Xueqian to hint at jealousy.
• Chen Zhenzhen explained the first problem during dinner, and Zhang Zhaomu eagerly asked her to teach him the second.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen went to Science Class One, where Wang Qianzi offered Zhang Zhaomu her seat and teased Chen Zhenzhen about claiming her territory.
• Chen Zhenzhen worked through the second problem on scratch paper as Zhang Zhaomu listened closely and leaned toward her, making her worry that the class was watching.

Wang Qianzi teased Chen Zhenzhen that Zhang Zhaomu had started studying hard because he wanted to keep up with her, leaving Chen wondering if she might be right. After evening self-study, Zhang said he planned to study more, and Chen offered to play games with him instead.

• Wang Qianzi defended Chen Zhenzhen against a classmate who claimed she was unworthy of Zhang Zhaomu.
• Chen Zhenzhen told Wang Qianzi that she and Zhang Zhaomu were only friends and that he had seemed unusually interested in studying.
• Wang Qianzi suggested Zhang Zhaomu was studying hard because he liked Chen Zhenzhen and wanted to share a future with her.
• Chen Zhenzhen doubted that explanation but wondered if it was true as she waited for Zhang after evening self-study.
• Zhang Zhaomu said he planned to study more at home, and Chen Zhenzhen offered to play games with him.

Zhang Zhaomu invited Chen Zhenzhen upstairs to help him with difficult quadratic-equation problems, and she agreed despite her wariness about being alone with him. Their study session was interrupted when Duan Chan'er announced that September, one of Zhang Zhaomu's puppies, had opened his eyes.

• Zhang Zhaomu urged Chen Zhenzhen to study hard alongside him and joked that she might have to beg him to apply to the same college.
• At Zhang Zhaomu's apartment door, he asked Chen Zhenzhen to come upstairs and explain the math problems he could not solve.
• Chen Zhenzhen agreed and patiently taught Zhang Zhaomu how to approach the quadratic-equation problems from evening self-study.
• Duan Chan'er arrived and told Zhang Zhaomu that September's eyes had opened, then invited Chen Zhenzhen to see the puppies.

Chen Zhenzhen visited Duan Chan'er’s home with Zhang Zhaomu to see the puppies, but grew uncomfortable watching the two of them act familiar together. Outside, Zhang Zhaomu noticed her jealousy and challenged her explanation, leaving Chen Zhenzhen flustered.

• Chen Zhenzhen felt unsettled when Duan Chan'er casually invited Zhang Zhaomu inside and mentioned that he had named one of her puppies.
• Duan Chan'er welcomed Chen Zhenzhen and served drinks while Zhang Zhaomu played with September and Barbecue.
• Chen Zhenzhen grew sour as Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er joked together about the puppies, then said she wanted to leave.
• Zhang Zhaomu stopped Chen Zhenzhen outside and pointed out that she had seemed unhappy since Duan Chan'er arrived.
• Zhang Zhaomu said Chen Zhenzhen sounded jealous, and she denied it by claiming she disliked interruptions while studying.
• Zhang Zhaomu rejected her explanation and said he was observant enough to notice what was really going on.

Zhang Zhaomu accused Chen Zhenzhen of being jealous over his growing closeness with Duan Chan'er, but she denied liking him and turned the accusation back on him. The next morning, after Chen Zhenzhen failed to appear at Liu's Noodle Shop, Chen Yongchao stopped Zhang Zhaomu in the corridor to discuss a friend.

• Zhang Zhaomu concluded that Chen Zhenzhen was jealous of Duan Chan'er and asked if she liked him.
• Chen Zhenzhen denied liking Zhang Zhaomu, insisted her jealousy was between buddies, and challenged him to admit whether he liked her.
• Zhang Zhaomu emphatically denied liking Chen Zhenzhen, and she left before explaining the two problems he had asked about.
• The next morning, Zhang Zhaomu noticed Chen Zhenzhen was missing from Liu's Noodle Shop and planned to ask her about the problems after morning self-study.
• Chen Yongchao stopped Zhang Zhaomu outside the classroom and began explaining that he had a friend he wanted to discuss.

Zhang Zhaomu agreed to help Chen Yongchao with an image makeover, then learned Chen had originally been asking on behalf of Teacher Zhu, who had a blind date that weekend. The chapter left Zhang Zhaomu planning to meet Teacher Zhu while Chen hoped to get his own makeover too.

• Chen Yongchao asked Zhang Zhaomu whether he could design an image makeover for a middle-aged man, claiming he was asking for a friend.
• Zhang Zhaomu agreed to squeeze Chen Yongchao in and gave him advice about his hair, clothes, and posture.
• Chen Yongchao praised Zhang Zhaomu, then realized he had been following a makeover plan intended for himself rather than his friend.
• Chen Yongchao explained that Teacher Zhu needed the makeover for a blind date that weekend and asked Zhang Zhaomu to give Zhu the available appointment.
• Zhang Zhaomu agreed to speak with Teacher Zhu, while Chen Yongchao hesitated to ask how long he would have to wait for his own turn.

During morning self-study, Zhang Zhaomu and Xiang Qing teased each other about friendship, attraction, and who was afraid of whom. Xiang Qing startled Zhang Zhaomu by leaning close, then called him a paper tiger, leaving him to study while she secretly enjoyed having flustered him.

• Xiang Qing told Zhang Zhaomu that she felt no psychological pressure when talking with him because he had called them friends.
• Zhang Zhaomu teased Xiang Qing about being attracted to her beauty and tried to scare her by suggesting he might do bad things to her.
• Xiang Qing said she could tell he was sincere, then insisted girls could do bad things to boys too.
• Xiang Qing leaned close to prove she was not afraid, and Zhang Zhaomu backed down and admitted he believed her.
• Xiang Qing called Zhang Zhaomu a paper tiger, and he turned to his English textbook while she giggled over how he had reacted.

Zhang Zhaomu teased the exhausted Chen Zhenzhen, then left her breakfast before joining Duan Chan'er for lunch. Their classmates joked about his popularity and his relationship with Duan Chan'er, while the two treated the rumors casually.

• Zhang Zhaomu visited Chen Zhenzhen in class one, teased her awake, and escaped when she tried to bite and chase him.
• Chen Zhenzhen discovered that Zhang Zhaomu had brought her soy milk and soup dumplings, and Wang Qianzi teased her about his caring gesture.
• At lunch, Xue Jingshu invited Zhang Zhaomu to visit her family and joked that he would spend the weekend on a date with Duan Chan'er.
• Duan Chan'er said she and Zhang Zhaomu were just friends, then teased Xue Jingshu about confessing to him until Xue Jingshu blushed and fled.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er shrugged off the rumors about them as they headed to lunch together.

Zhang Zhaomu visited Duan Chan'er for lunch and discussed how the novel she secretly wrote could reach a harem ending. They found no easy way for the protagonist to persuade any of the three heroines to share him.

• Zhang Zhaomu arrived at Duan Chan'er's house, joked about a last supper, and agreed to help feed her pets while she cooked.
• Duan Chan'er asked Zhang Zhaomu about the latest chapter of the novel she claimed her father had written, and he teased her about its slow updates.
• Duan Chan'er asked how the story could reach a harem ending, and Zhang Zhaomu suggested using one heroine's acceptance to gradually persuade the others.
• Zhang Zhaomu proposed the third heroine as a starting point, but Duan Chan'er said her extreme jealousy would likely lead to a tragic ending.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er agreed that the first and second heroines also seemed unlikely to accept sharing the protagonist, and Duan Chan'er lamented how hard starting a harem was.

Zhang Zhaomu continued studying and gave Teacher Zhu a makeover before his blind date. Teacher Zhu returned looking so polished that Chen Yongchao worried he had lost his title as the most handsome male teacher at Xinxi No. 1 High School.

• Zhang Zhaomu made progress studying the first-year curriculum and worked with Chen Zhenzhen to build his math foundation.
• Xiang Qing asked Zhang Zhaomu about their Saturday plans, and he told her to wait with Chen Zhen while he went to the teachers' office.
• Zhang Zhaomu cut and styled Teacher Zhu's hair for his blind date.
• Chen Yongchao praised Zhang Zhaomu's recent studying and asked how much he expected to improve in the upcoming monthly exam.
• Teacher Zhu returned in a polished outfit, and Chen Yongchao grew jealous of his transformed appearance.

Zhang Zhaomu helped Teacher Zhu prepare for a blind date, then left school with Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing. After teasing and chasing Chen Zhenzhen, he invited the girls to his home, promising to build a computer so she could play games.

• Zhang Zhaomu advised Teacher Zhu on his outfit and appearance for the blind date, and Teacher Zhu eagerly thanked him.
• Teacher Zhu and Chen Yongchao walked Zhang Zhaomu downstairs, where he met Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing.
• Chen Zhenzhen realized Zhang Zhaomu's makeover had impressed the teachers, then chased him after he teased her.
• Zhang Zhaomu asked what the girls wanted to do, and Chen Zhenzhen said they could not visit many places because Xiang Qing's aunt might call.
• Zhang Zhaomu offered to build a computer at home so Chen Zhenzhen could play games, and the three decided to go to his place.

Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing plotted to use an incoming rainstorm as an excuse to stay over, while Zhang Zhaomu questioned whether Xiang Qing would join them for an all-nighter. They decided to ask their families first, leaving their plans for the day unsettled.

• Chen Zhenzhen squeezed onto the sofa with Xiang Qing and Zhang Zhaomu, then teased Zhang Zhaomu about his browsing history.
• Xiang Qing asked about their birthdays and eagerly arranged to celebrate Chen Zhenzhen's birthday next month.
• Thunder sounded, and Chen Zhenzhen found a yellow rainstorm alert on her phone.
• Chen Zhenzhen proposed telling her mother she needed to stay over because of the rain, and Xiang Qing asked to stay over too.
• Zhang Zhaomu asked whether Xiang Qing would join them for an all-nighter, and Chen Zhenzhen suggested they convince their families before deciding what to do.

As rain began pouring down, Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen joked about a story premise involving ten years of rain before helping Xiang Qing arrange to stay at Chen Zhenzhen’s home. Xiang Qing’s mother agreed, though Xiang Qing admitted she would have been in trouble if her mother had found Zhang Zhaomu there.

• Chen Zhenzhen imagined rain lasting ten years, but Zhang Zhaomu argued that it would not flood Mount Everest and cited the Carnian Pluvial Event.
• Chen Zhenzhen called her mother, then helped Xiang Qing prepare to contact Xiang Qing’s mother about the worsening weather.
• Xiang Qing’s mother offered to take a taxi and bring Xiang Qing home, but Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing persuaded her that Xiang Qing should stay the night.
• After the call, Xiang Qing celebrated, and Chen Zhenzhen warned that her mother might call again to check on her.
• Zhang Zhaomu came out of the bathroom and asked what Xiang Qing meant by matters of principle, and Xiang Qing said studying and him.

Zhang Zhaomu, Chen Zhenzhen, and Xiang Qing realized that the girls might have to stay at Zhang Zaowan’s one-bedroom apartment overnight, leaving them to argue over where everyone could sleep. They agreed that nobody would sleep, then turned to ordering food as the storm continued.

• Chen Zhenzhen explained that the internet café was off-limits because Xiang Qing’s mother might check on her, so they needed to stay at Zhang Zaowan’s place.
• Zhang Zhaomu realized the girls might have to spend the night there and pointed out that his apartment had only one bedroom.
• Chen Zhenzhen, Xiang Qing, and Zhang Zhaomu argued over who should sleep on the couch and whether anyone could share the bed.
• Chen Zhenzhen declared that nobody would sleep, and Xiang Qing eagerly agreed.
• Chen Zhenzhen said she was hungry, and Zhang Zhaomu suggested ordering delivery despite the storm.

When the storm prevented food delivery, Zhang Zhaomu and Xiang Qing went out in the rain to buy instant noodles and snacks. They returned soaked, and Xiang Qing insisted on saving up to repay Zhang Zhaomu for the food.

• Chen Zhenzhen asked Zhang Zhaomu for food, but he had none, so he offered to go to the convenience store while Xiang Qing eagerly joined him.
• At the flooded ground-floor entrance, Zhang Zhaomu recalled a childhood flood and the painful memory of searching for help after his parents fought.
• Xiang Qing took off her shoes before going into the rain, and Zhang Zhaomu kept glancing at her feet despite insisting he was not a foot fetishist.
• Zhang Zhaomu tilted their small umbrella toward Xiang Qing, but she stepped out into the rain so they would both get wet.
• They bought instant noodles and snacks, and Xiang Qing promised to save up to treat Zhang Zhaomu to a feast after he paid for their purchases.