Chapter Summaries

After walking through the rain, Zhang Zhaomu lent Xiang Qing clothes and the three of them shared instant noodles while she stayed at his home. Duan Chan'er arrived with an offer of food, and the chapter ended with her agreeing to cook more for everyone.

• Zhang Zhaomu and Xiang Qing returned home soaked, and he found her clean clothes to change into.
• Chen Zhenzhen teased Zhang Zhaomu for taking off his shirt and later slapped him for staring at Xiang Qing in his clothes.
• Chen Zhenzhen warned Xiang Qing that Zhang Zhaomu might have improper intentions, but Xiang Qing defended the clothes he had lent her.
• Zhang Zhaomu, Xiang Qing, and Chen Zhenzhen sat down to eat instant noodles, and Zhang Zhaomu explained that the meaty aroma came from Duan Chan'er cooking nearby.
• Duan Chan'er came over with food because the rain made delivery difficult, then offered to cook more after seeing Xiang Qing and Chen Zhenzhen were there.

The author announced that the book would go premium the next day at noon after weak recommendation results and a failed Sanjiang PK. The author outlined the post-premium update and bonus-chapter schedule, explained the story’s slow-burn harem-romance direction, and teased Fitness Enthusiast as the next persona.

• The author said the book would go premium tomorrow at noon after its readership stayed around 1,000 and the Sanjiang PK failed.
• The author said they would try to update at least 6,000 characters a day, likely shortly after eleven at night, and set bonus chapters for monthly votes and tips.
• The author confirmed the story would remain a slow-paced harem romance with three female leads and no ship-betting.
• The author explained that personas would drive varied plots and character interactions rather than serve as the main storyline.
• The author teased Fitness Enthusiast as the protagonist’s next persona and thanked readers for following the story.

Duan Chan'er invited Zhang Zhaomu, Chen Zhenzhen, and Xiang Qing to share a meal, and the dinner brought out their teasing, awkwardness, and growing familiarity. The chapter ended with Zhang Zhaomu washing the dishes while Chen Zhenzhen wondered why he and Duan Chan'er acted like an old married couple.

• Duan Chan'er offered to cook for Zhang Zhaomu, Chen Zhenzhen, and Xiang Qing, and Zhang Zhaomu arranged for everyone to eat at his place.
• Zhang Zhaomu teased Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing until Chen Zhenzhen bit one of his arms and Xiang Qing bit the other.
• Duan Chan'er brought four dishes and chopsticks, and the group sat down to eat together.
• Zhang Zhaomu ate most of the food while Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing ate little, and Duan Chan'er offered to cook more.
• Zhang Zhaomu gathered the dishes to wash them, and Chen Zhenzhen noticed that Duan Chan'er treated his chores as completely natural.

Zhang Zhaomu returned from Duan Chan'er's apartment to spend the night with Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing, who had agreed to stay awake together. The girls teased Xiang Qing about her nickname, and Chen Zhenzhen struggled to explain why Zhang Zhaomu could not call her Qingqing.

• Duan Chan'er misunderstood Zhang Zhaomu's sleeping arrangements with Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing, then declined his invitation to join them.
• Zhang Zhaomu returned home, where Chen Zhenzhen sarcastically discussed his visit to Duan Chan'er and the lack of beds.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu insisted on calling Xiang Qing “Little Mute,” despite her protests and her argument that the nickname did not fit her around them.
• Chen Zhenzhen promised to call Xiang Qing Qingqing in front of others but objected when Xiang Qing said Zhang Zhaomu could use the same pet name.
• Xiang Qing suggested classmates might misunderstand her relationship with Zhang Zhaomu as being like his relationship with Duan Chan'er, leaving Chen Zhenzhen stunned.

Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing chose a horror movie to watch with Zhang Zhaomu, who pretended not to be scared but kept closing his eyes during frightening scenes. Chen Zhenzhen made him sit between herself and Xiang Qing on the sofa, where she could watch his reactions and make sure he kept his hands to himself.

• Chen Zhenzhen asked Xiang Qing about Zhang Zhaomu and Duan Chan'er, then the three of them debated what to do on the rainy day.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing won a vote to watch a horror movie, and Chen Zhenzhen picked Malevolent Ghost Coming Soon because she expected it to scare Zhang Zhaomu.
• As the movie grew frightening, Xiang Qing clung to Chen Zhenzhen while Zhang Zhaomu insisted he was not scared.
• Chen Zhenzhen caught Zhang Zhaomu closing his eyes before scary scenes and demanded that he sit closer to the others.
• Chen Zhenzhen pulled Zhang Zhaomu onto the middle of the sofa between herself and Xiang Qing, warning him to watch the movie and keep his hands off Xiang Qing.

Zhang Zhaomu watched a horror movie with Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing, who both clung to him and left him overwhelmed. After a sudden scare made Xiang Qing leap onto his lap, the three sat in embarrassed silence as rain continued outside.

• Xiang Qing grabbed Zhang Zhaomu's arm during a frightening scene, and Chen Zhenzhen jealously wrapped herself around his other arm.
• Chen Zhenzhen held Zhang Zhaomu in place while the movie continued, leaving him distracted by the two girls rather than the screen.
• After the movie ended, Xiang Qing suggested watching another horror film, but a final scare made her jump onto Zhang Zhaomu's lap.
• Xiang Qing noticed what she felt against her and climbed off Zhang Zhaomu, while Chen Zhenzhen pointed out that his phone was on the table.
• Zhang Zhaomu, Chen Zhenzhen, and Xiang Qing sat in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts as the rain continued outside.

Xiang Qing’s mother interrupted an awkward moment with a video call, and Chen Zhenzhen helped explain why Xiang Qing was wearing her clothes. Afterward, the girls discussed their feelings for Zhang Zhaomu and reaffirmed their friendship before he came out of the bathroom.

• Xiang Qing’s mother called, and Zhang Zhaomu escaped to the bathroom while Xiang Qing and Chen Zhenzhen answered the video call.
• Chen Zhenzhen explained that Xiang Qing was wearing her clothes because she had stayed over unexpectedly, and Xiang Qing’s mother accepted the explanation.
• Xiang Qing worried that she had upset Zhang Zhaomu by grabbing him and sitting on him, but Chen Zhenzhen insisted he was only pretending to be angry.
• Chen Zhenzhen asked whether Xiang Qing liked Zhang Zhaomu, and Xiang Qing said she did not; when Xiang Qing asked whether Chen Zhenzhen liked him, Chen denied it.
• Xiang Qing said she liked sitting beside Zhang Zhaomu and wanted the three of them to remain friends, and Chen Zhenzhen promised they would.
• Zhang Zhaomu came out of the bathroom and awkwardly asked whether Xiang Qing had finished talking to her mother.

After the movie, Zhang Zhaomu, Chen Zhenzhen, and Xiang Qing decided how to spend the rest of the night and prepared for bed. Xiang Qing suggested that Zhang Zhaomu sleep on the bedroom floor so the three of them could chat together.

• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu rejected Xiang Qing's suggestion to watch another movie and agreed to stop staying up and go to sleep.
• Chen Zhenzhen asked Zhang Zhaomu for clothes to wear after her shower, and he gave her a T-shirt that reached halfway down her thighs.
• Xiang Qing worried that Chen Zhenzhen might see embarrassing things in Zhang Zhaomu's room, but he insisted he had nothing to hide.
• Zhang Zhaomu found that he was too tall to sleep comfortably on the couch and decided to make a bed on the floor.
• Xiang Qing suggested that Zhang Zhaomu sleep on the bedroom floor so the three of them could chat at night.

Chen Zhenzhen, Zhang Zhaomu, and Xiang Qing spent a rainy night together after Zhang Zhaomu set up a bed on his bedroom floor. As they talked about their dreams and plans, Chen Zhenzhen noticed how much Zhang Zhaomu had changed from the boy she remembered.

• Xiang Qing convinced Zhang Zhaomu to sleep on the bedroom floor so the three of them could chat, and Zhang Zhaomu defended the arrangement as a way to save electricity.
• Xiang Qing climbed onto Zhang Zhaomu's bed, admired its green pomelo scent, and settled in beside him and Chen Zhenzhen for the night.
• Xiang Qing asked about their dreams; Zhang Zhaomu said he focused on the present, Chen Zhenzhen wanted to enter a good university, and Xiang Qing hoped to become a successful career woman who could support her mother.
• Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen suggested Xiang Qing make a bucket list, and she named activities she wanted to try with them, including dyeing her hair and bungee jumping.
• Xiang Qing accidentally embarrassed Chen Zhenzhen with a comment about her size, and Zhang Zhaomu pretended to snore to help end the awkward conversation.
• Unable to sleep, Chen Zhenzhen noticed Zhang Zhaomu's fresh green pomelo scent and remembered the cigarette smoke, instant noodles, and sweat that had once marked him.

After Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing left, Zhang Zhaomu spent the day studying and ordered computer parts before waking to a new weekly persona: [Fitness Expert]. He unloaded [Academic Ace], reconsidered his cheap graphics card, and decided to return it so his computer could run games.

• Zhang Zhaomu photographed Xiang Qing sleeping, and Chen Zhenzhen teased him before they discussed the previous night's rain and lack of sleep.
• After breakfast, Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing left Zhang Zhaomu's home, and Xiang Qing asked to stay over again sometime.
• Zhang Zhaomu studied all day and ordered computer parts, choosing a cheap graphics card because he expected to spend less time gaming.
• Zhang Zhaomu woke with the [Fitness Expert] persona and considered adding workouts to his schedule.
• Zhang Zhaomu unloaded the [Academic Ace] persona, loaded [Refined], and decided to return the graphics card so his computer could play games.

Zhang Zhaomu began following the [Fitness Expert] persona’s workout plan and discovered that it gave him enough stamina to run farther than expected. After returning to school, he spoke with Duan Chan'er about her pets and indulged Xiang Qing’s request to call her by her pet name, potentially sparking rumors.

• Zhang Zhaomu questioned the [Fitness Expert] persona’s simple workout plan, recognized it as the routine associated with One-Punch Man, and worried it might make him bald.
• Zhang Zhaomu went to the school track before class and started the ten-kilometer run, while Xu Xiujie and Kang Hao watched and discussed his recent efforts to improve.
• Zhang Zhaomu found that the [Fitness Expert] persona helped him keep running, completed ten laps, then went home to shower before the flag-raising ceremony.
• Duan Chan'er asked Zhang Zhaomu about his bet and told him that Barbecue had finally opened his eyes.
• Xiang Qing asked Zhang Zhaomu to call her Qingqing, and a nearby classmate seemed to eavesdrop as he did.

Zhang Zhaomu balanced his renewed studies with exercise and gaming, joking with Chen Zhenzhen about training to save the world and earn an eight-pack. He reassured her that he had not abandoned studying, and their lunch conversation ended when his game distracted him.

• Zhang Zhaomu equipped the Academic Ace persona for morning study, then exercised between classes by doing push-ups and squats.
• Xiang Qing asked why Zhang Zhaomu was doing push-ups, and he claimed twenty repetitions made a complete set before taking a break.
• Zhang Zhaomu told Chen Zhenzhen he had gone running and joked that he was training to fight monsters and save the world.
• Zhang Zhaomu reminded Chen Zhenzhen of their bet about him getting an eight-pack, and she warned him that genetics affected how many abs he could develop.
• At lunch, Zhang Zhaomu started playing Timi, then explained to Chen Zhenzhen that he still planned to study during class while keeping his free time for things he enjoyed.
• Chen Zhenzhen admitted she preferred him as he was before his study binge, and Zhang Zhaomu turned his attention to scolding his jungler.

Zhang Zhaomu invited Chen Zhenzhen to run with him after school, and Xiang Qing and Wang Qianzi joined them at the track. As Zhang Zhaomu and Xiang Qing chatted while running, Wang Qianzi questioned whether Chen Zhenzhen was comfortable with them spending time together, and Chen Zhenzhen declared Zhang Zhaomu was not a normal man.

• Chen Zhenzhen teased Zhang Zhaomu about his gameplay, and he quit the match and told her he planned to run that evening.
• Zhang Zhaomu finished reviewing his first-year school material, then agreed when Xiang Qing asked to join his night run.
• Chen Zhenzhen changed into running clothes and joined Zhang Zhaomu, Xiang Qing, and Wang Qianzi at the track.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Wang Qianzi ran ahead while Zhang Zhaomu and Xiang Qing talked about making night runs a regular activity.
• Wang Qianzi asked Chen Zhenzhen whether she was comfortable with Zhang Zhaomu spending time with Xiang Qing, and Chen Zhenzhen insisted Zhang Zhaomu was not a normal man.

Chen Zhenzhen grew jealous watching Zhang Zhaomu run and talk with Xiang Qing, though she denied having feelings for him. After the others stopped, Zhang Zhaomu continued his Saitama Training Method challenge, and Chen Zhenzhen finally intervened when she feared he was pushing himself too hard.

• Wang Qianzi warned Chen Zhenzhen that Zhang Zhaomu and Xiang Qing might grow close, and urged her to make a move.
• Chen Zhenzhen noticed Zhang Zhaomu and Xiang Qing running together and briefly thought they looked well matched, before focusing on their endurance contest.
• After five or six laps, Wang Qianzi quit, and Chen Zhenzhen eventually stopped running while Zhang Zhaomu continued toward his goal.
• Xiang Qing and Chen Zhenzhen rested as Zhang Zhaomu ran on, with his [Fitness Expert] ability helping him keep going.
• Worried that Zhang Zhaomu was harming himself, Chen Zhenzhen stopped him, and he reassured her with a joke about being an athletic genius.

After finishing his exhausting run, Zhang Zhaomu was ravenous and suggested getting barbecue with Chen Zhenzhen and Xiang Qing. Xiang Qing decided to sneak out of her dorm to join them, and Chen Zhenzhen came along to keep an eye on the pair.

• Chen Zhenzhen told Wang Qianzi that Zhang Zaowan had claimed he awakened ten-thousandfold stamina recovery, while the two friends discussed his determination and their habit of bickering.
• Zhang Zhaomu finished his laps feeling drained and hungry, then proposed going out for barbecue and fried rice.
• Xiang Qing eagerly asked to join Zhang Zhaomu and resolved to sneak out of her dorm, despite Chen Zhenzhen warning her about the consequences if she was caught.
• Zhang Zhaomu called Song Xuanxuan, who agreed to keep the dorm supervisor from discovering Xiang Qing was gone.
• Chen Zhenzhen changed her mind about going home and joined Zhang Zhaomu and Xiang Qing, worried about leaving them alone together.

Chen Zhenzhen, Zhang Zhaomu, and Xiang Qing went out for barbecue, where Xiang Qing asked to drink beer and stay at Zhang Zhaomu’s place. Chen Zhaomu refused to host her alone and offered to arrange a hotel, while Chen Zhenzhen’s mother insisted she come home after eating; the three began their meal with beer.

• Wang Qianzi warned Chen Zhenzhen to keep an eye on Xiang Qing and Zhang Zhaomu, and Chen Zhenzhen said she would not let them be alone together again.
• The three went to Crossroads Barbecue, where Xiang Qing proposed drinking beer and Chen Zhenzhen agreed to start with three bottles.
• Chen Zhenzhen called her mother to ask to stay out, but her mother ordered her to come home by midnight.
• Chen Zhenzhen asked whether Zhang Zhaomu could sleep at her home, but her mother refused.
• Xiang Qing asked to stay at Zhang Zhaomu’s place, but he refused and offered to book her a hotel; Chen Zhenzhen volunteered to pay for it.
• The food and beer arrived, and Chen Zhenzhen poured three glasses and raised a toast.

Zhang Zhaomu, Chen Zhenzhen, and Xiang Qing ate barbecue and drank beer, while Xiang Qing insisted she could handle alcohol. After they checked Xiang Qing into a nearby hotel, Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen left her there for the night.

• Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen warned Xiang Qing to drink slowly, but she finished her beer quickly and asked to try stronger alcohol.
• Xiang Qing drank most of the three bottles of beer while Zhang Zhaomu ate two large bowls of egg fried rice.
• Zhang Zhaomu refused to let Xiang Qing buy stronger alcohol and booked her a room at a nearby chain hotel.
• Chen Zhenzhen paid for the meal, and she and Zhang Zhaomu accompanied Xiang Qing to the hotel.
• Xiang Qing started to undress in front of Zhang Zhaomu, then remembered he was a boy and assured Chen Zhenzhen she was safety-conscious.
• Chen Zhenzhen and Zhang Zhaomu told Xiang Qing to stay in the room and call them if anything happened, then left.

Zhang Zhaomu and Chen Zhenzhen argued over his thoughts about Little Mute, but their teasing left Chen Zhenzhen confronting feelings she could not explain. She walked home needing time to think, while Zhang Zhaomu waited for her to meet him at Liu's Noodle Shop the next morning.

• Zhang Zhaomu admitted he had regretted missing the chance to see Little Mute undressed, and Chen Zhenzhen scolded him for it.
• Chen Zhenzhen said she was protecting Little Mute, and she and Zhang Zhaomu pinched each other while joking and arguing.
• Chen Zhenzhen wondered why Zhang Zhaomu's behavior now upset her and realized their friendship had changed, then began to cry.
• Zhang Zhaomu tried to cheer Chen Zhenzhen up, but she said she needed to think things through by herself.
• Chen Zhenzhen walked home, and Zhang Zhaomu told her he would wait for her at Liu's Noodle Shop the next morning.

Zhang Zhaomu went to help a drunk Xiang Qing at her hotel, bringing medicine and water and trying to keep his composure as she behaved affectionately. After she took the medicine and yogurt, Xiang Qing insisted she had only dared to drink because she trusted him.

• Xiang Qing called Zhang Zhaomu, crying and feeling sick after drinking, and he learned she had checked into a hotel outside her dorm.
• Zhang Zhaomu bought sobering medicine, yogurt, and water, then hurried to Xiang Qing's hotel room.
• Xiang Qing opened the door only after checking the peephole, and Zhang Zhaomu realized she was wearing only underwear beneath the blanket.
• Zhang Zhaomu entered after Xiang Qing covered herself, resisted touching her, and gave her the medicine and yogurt.
• Zhang Zhaomu warned Xiang Qing not to drink with others, and she said she had only dared to drink because she trusted him.

After a difficult night keeping his distance from a drunken Xiang Qing, Zhang Zhaomu met Chen Zhenzhen and asked what had troubled her. Chen Zhenzhen confessed that her feelings for him had become romantic, leaving him facing an unexpected change in their friendship.

• Zhang Zhaomu persuaded the drunken Xiang Qing to sleep, then went home and completed his exercise routine before falling asleep.
• Zhang Zhaomu woke early, exercised, and went to Liu's Noodle Shop to meet Chen Zhenzhen.
• Chen Zhenzhen explained that she had been jealous when Zhang Zhaomu was close to Duan Chan'er or Xiang Qing.
• Chen Zhenzhen told Zhang Zhaomu that she could no longer deny her feelings and confessed, "I like you!"