Chapter Summaries

Yan Heqing and Lu Lin agreed to try being friends, then Yan Heqing spent the night completing his driving practice hours. At university, he turned down Zhou Wuyou’s invitation to join her experiment and prepared to compete with Gu Xingye for a place in an international exchange program.

• Lu Lin invited Yan Heqing to join him and his friends on a boat trip, and they agreed to try being friends despite both admitting they were good at lying.
• Yan Heqing practiced driving through the night, completed the required hours for tests two and three, and went home to sleep.
• Yan Heqing found Lu Lin’s messages the next day and told him he had finished practicing; Lu Lin said he could leave the car at Chu Ziyu’s training ground.
• Zhou Wuyou invited Yan Heqing to join her experiment, but he declined and left the classroom.
• Yan Heqing ran into Gu Xingye and continued preparing to compete with him for the single spot in an exchange program between Beijing University and an overseas university.

Yan Heqing visited the Lu family residence and finally reached Lu Muchi, who had been confined after throwing tantrums. He passed on Lin Fengzhi’s message, and Lu Muchi realized Lin Fengzhi liked his uncle, Lu Lin.

• Yan Heqing asked Lu Lin about retrieving his fishing bag, then went to the Lu family residence instead.
• Cheng Xinying recognized Yan Heqing at the gate and brought him to the villa, where Lu Han asked him to talk sense into Lu Muchi.
• Lu Muchi opened the door when Yan Heqing called his name and stopped himself from striking a bodyguard when Yan Heqing warned he would leave.
• Lu Muchi calmed down and arranged for Yan Heqing to meet him in the sitting room.
• Yan Heqing relayed Lin Fengzhi’s message that he only liked one person, and Lu Muchi identified that person as Lu Lin.

Lu Changcheng asked Yan Heqing to discourage Lu Muchi from pursuing Lin Fengzhi, but Yan Heqing refused to promise he could do so and argued that confining Lu Muchi would only intensify his feelings. Lu Changcheng lifted Lu Muchi’s confinement and sent him out to dinner with Yan Heqing.

• Lu Changcheng asked Yan Heqing to speak with him alone, but chose to talk in the living room and sent Lu Muchi to clean up his wrecked room.
• Lu Changcheng told Yan Heqing he knew Yan Heqing and Lin Fengzhi were twins, then asked him to talk Lu Muchi out of his feelings for Lin Fengzhi.
• Yan Heqing said he could not promise to change Lu Muchi’s mind, and argued that keeping Lu Muchi confined would make his feelings stronger.
• Lu Changcheng lifted Lu Muchi’s confinement and told Yan Heqing to take him out for dinner.
• Lu Muchi eavesdropped outside the door, toppled into the room when it opened, and heard Lu Changcheng tell him to change and take Yan Heqing to dinner.

Lu Muchi took Yan Heqing to the mountain villa where he had confined Xu Qiaoyin, and Yan Heqing reunited with her. As Lu Muchi went to make her congee, Yan Heqing secretly asked Xu Qiaoyin whether she wanted to leave forever.

• Lu Muchi drove Yan Heqing to find Xu Qiaoyin after Yan Heqing demanded to see her.
• The butler told Lu Muchi that Xu Qiaoyin had tried to jump from the building, and Lu Muchi rushed to her room.
• Yan Heqing called Xu Qiaoyin's confinement imprisonment and told Lu Muchi to make her sweet congee.
• Xu Qiaoyin recognized Yan Heqing, worried that Lu Muchi had hurt him, and learned that the children at the orphanage missed her.
• Yan Heqing secretly wrote on Xu Qiaoyin's palm, asking whether she wanted to leave forever.

Xu Qiaoyin decided to leave the capital and pursue her work with children in the southwest, asking Yan Heqing to visit again with a drawing. Lu Muchi tried to show Yan Heqing he would respect him, but overheard Lin Fengzhi urging Yan Heqing to give up on Lu Muchi.

• Yan Heqing told Xu Qiaoyin to consider leaving, and she asked whether she was still beautiful enough to pursue her dreams.
• Lu Muchi brought Xu Qiaoyin porridge, and she nodded to Yan Heqing, asking him to visit next week with the drawing.
• Lu Muchi offered to drive Yan Heqing, then backed away and called the butler when Yan Heqing said he did not trust him.
• Yan Heqing answered Lin Fengzhi's call in front of Lu Muchi, and Lin Fengzhi told him that Lu Muchi would never return his feelings.
• Lu Muchi held back from confronting Lin Fengzhi, and ordered the butler to take Yan Heqing home safely.

Yan Heqing passed his driving tests and accepted Lu Lin’s invitation to go out to sea, while keeping his distance from Gu Xingye at school. On the drive to the port, Lu Lin told him that Chu Ziyu and Xie Yunjie would join them.

• Yan Heqing sent Lu Lin the second installment and a medical bill payment, then told him he had passed both remaining parts of his driving test; Lu Lin praised him and said he would pick him up Friday.
• Yan Heqing worked on his lab application in class, where Gu Xingye sat beside him and tried to start a conversation.
• Yan Heqing left campus at three on Friday with clothes and bait packed, and Lu Lin picked him up for the four-hour drive to the port.
• Yan Heqing asked whether only he and Lu Lin were going out to sea, and Lu Lin told him Chu Ziyu and Xie Yunjie were coming too.

Yan Heqing joined Lu Lin, Chu Ziyu, and Xie Yunjie on Lu Lin’s yacht for a sea-fishing trip, while Lu Lin’s friends noticed how differently he treated Yan Heqing. Yan Heqing became seasick during the voyage, and the group went to rest before their early fishing start.

• Yan Heqing learned that Chu Ziyu and Xie Yunjie planned to dive, while Lu Lin offered to teach him to swim.
• The group arrived at Golden Bay Port and boarded Lu Lin’s yacht, where he described the tuna fishing grounds he planned to visit.
• Chu Ziyu asked Xie Yunjie whether Lu Lin was serious about Yan Heqing, and Xie Yunjie said Yan Heqing was the only person Lu Lin treated differently.
• Yan Heqing felt seasick as the yacht traveled farther out to sea, while Chu Ziyu told stories about Lu Lin and his own heartbreaks over dinner.
• Lu Lin suggested that everyone get some rest before they got up early to fish.

Yan Heqing recovered from seasickness aboard Lu Lin’s boat and spent the day enjoying its abundant seafood and fishing. That night, Lu Lin sat with him on deck and offered to play the harmonica.

• Yan Heqing became seasick, and Lu Lin took him to the bathroom, gave him candy, and showed him to a private room.
• Lu Lin returned to the dining room, drank beer while thinking about Yan Heqing, then went diving.
• Yan Heqing woke to find the boat stopped in a beautiful stretch of sea and joined the others on deck, where Lu Lin had caught a huge tuna and other seafood.
• Lu Lin cooked shrimp dumplings for lunch, and Yan Heqing went fishing and caught several large Boston lobsters.
• After dinner, Yan Heqing continued fishing at night, and Lu Lin joined him and asked what else he liked.
• Lu Lin took out a harmonica and asked Yan Heqing if he wanted to listen.

Yan Heqing and Lu Lin watched a beluga swim beside their boat, and Lu Lin caught Yan Heqing when the boat rocked, briefly holding him close. The next day, they returned from sea, and Yan Heqing told Chu Ziyu that he had passed his driving tests and would get his license the following week.

• Lu Lin played the harmonica as Yan Heqing spotted a beluga beside the boat.
• When the boat rocked, Lu Lin caught Yan Heqing around the waist, and Yan Heqing caught the coin that flew from Lu Lin's pocket.
• Yan Heqing returned Lu Lin's coin and harmonica, and Lu Lin lent him a padded coat before going to his room and making a night dive.
• The group spent the following morning at sea, and Chu Ziyu complained that he had missed seeing the beluga.
• Yan Heqing confirmed that Lu Lin had taken him to practice driving and said he had completed his tests and would get his license the next week.

Yan Heqing and Lu Lin made plans to meet the following Friday after Yan Heqing’s driving test, while Lu Lin quietly worried about the attention Yan Heqing received at university. Later, Lu Muchi tried to thank Yan Heqing with a surprise and bought him palmiers, which Yan Heqing saved for next weekend.

• Chu Ziyu revealed that he had been taking the second driving test for three years, then nearly exposed Lu Lin and Yan Heqing’s plans before arranging to ride back with Lu Lin.
• Lu Lin agreed to meet Yan Heqing around eight the following Friday, and Chu Ziyu teased him about Yan Heqing’s admirers as Lu Lin recalled seeing students confess to him.
• Xie Yunjie drove Yan Heqing to the subway station and messaged Lu Lin that Yan Heqing had politely declined a ride home.
• Lu Muchi arranged for a little girl to offer Yan Heqing a flower, but Yan Heqing saw through the surprise and asked what Lu Muchi wanted.
• Lu Muchi ran across the city to buy Yan Heqing a box of palmiers, and Yan Heqing ate one despite disliking them, saving the rest for next weekend.

Yan Heqing deliberately caused a power outage when Lu Lin arrived, then used the darkness and candlelight to spend time with him. As they prepared dinner together, Yan Heqing wondered about Lu Lin’s feelings and wanted to understand his own.

• Yan Heqing told Lu Muchi not to visit for now, then bought a flight south using Xu Qiaoyin’s ID number.
• Yan Heqing received his driver’s license, bought ingredients, and prepared for Lu Lin’s visit.
• When Lu Lin arrived, the power went out because Yan Heqing had loosened a screw in the meter box.
• Yan Heqing suggested they eat out, but Lu Lin pointed out that the kitchen used bottled gas.
• Yan Heqing lit a candle and began cooking while Lu Lin watched him closely in the candlelight.

Yan Heqing and Lu Lin talked about relationships while cooking, but Lu Lin left before they could eat together. At the hillside villa, Lu Lin told Lu Changcheng that he liked men and would marry only one person, then went to visit Lu Ruchan.

• Lu Lin asked Yan Heqing whether he had dated anyone, and Yan Heqing said he had never dated because he did not like Fu Helang and enjoyed being friends with Lu Lin.
• Lu Lin left before eating after receiving a call from Lu Ruchan's caregiver, and Yan Heqing ate both bowls of noodles alone.
• At the villa, Lu Lin reassured Lu Ruchan that he would stay with her that night.
• Lu Lin told Lu Changcheng and Lu Han that he liked men and would marry only one person, leaving both men shocked.
• Lu Changcheng became short of breath and recovered after the doctor treated him, and Lu Lin later went to Lu Ruchan's room.

Yan Heqing visited Xu Qiaoyin with a drawing from the orphanage, while Lu Muchi tried to win him over with breakfast and his attention. The chapter ended with Lu Muchi realizing Yan Heqing had liked the palmiers he previously bought for him.

• Lu Ruchan asked Lu Lin whether he was getting married, and Lu Lin said it depended on whether Yan Heqing was willing.
• Lu Muchi dressed up and made congee before Yan Heqing arrived at the villa.
• Yan Heqing entered Xu Qiaoyin's room and gave her the drawing made by the orphanage children, reassuring her as she studied it.
• Lu Muchi brought Yan Heqing congee, but Yan Heqing refused it and said he liked palmiers.
• Yan Heqing said the palmiers Lu Muchi had bought before were quite good, and Lu Muchi remembered having them specially made.

Yan Heqing helped Xu Qiaoyin escape Lu Muchi’s villa and sent her away by plane. He then returned to the villa, intending to confront Lu Muchi on his own turf.

• Yan Heqing persuaded Lu Muchi to let him take Xu Qiaoyin into the yard, then hid her in his car and told the servants she was resting in her room.
• Yan Heqing drove Xu Qiaoyin to the airport, where she obtained temporary identification and prepared to board a flight with her painting and belongings.
• Xu Qiaoyin thanked Yan Heqing for helping her and asked him to tell Auntie Zhang at the orphanage that she was doing well; Yan Heqing agreed.
• After Xu Qiaoyin’s plane took off, Yan Heqing decided to wait for Lu Muchi at the villa instead of going home.
• Yan Heqing returned to the villa before Lu Muchi and went upstairs carrying an empty bag.

Yan Heqing helped Xu Qiaoyin escape while Lu Muchi was away, then calmly faced Lu Muchi’s fury when he discovered she was gone. Lu Muchi pinned Yan Heqing against the sofa and threatened to kill him as the butler called Lu Lin for help.

• Gu Xingye sent Yan Heqing a friend request, but Yan Heqing ignored it and joined a fieldwork group with a boy and Zhan Pingting.
• Yan Heqing chose plants for the fieldwork, then saw Lu Muchi return with hot palmiers.
• Yan Heqing told Lu Muchi that Teacher Xu was gone, and Lu Muchi found that Xu Qiaoyin had disappeared from her room.
• Lu Muchi accused Yan Heqing of helping Xu Qiaoyin escape, grabbed his shoulder, and shoved him against the sofa.
• Lu Muchi ordered the servants out, and the butler called for Lu Lin’s contact information while Yan Heqing recalled Lu Muchi’s past cruelty.

Yan Heqing confronted Lu Muchi, warned him not to pursue Xu Qiaoyin, and left unharmed. He told Auntie Zhang that Xu Qiaoyin had gone to volunteer, then learned Lu Group had sponsored an elevator for the orphanage.

• Yan Heqing challenged Lu Muchi over his cruelty and compared him to his grandfather, then warned him that pursuing Xu Qiaoyin would put her at risk.
• Yan Heqing left the villa unharmed, and the butler deleted Lu Lin's number without calling him.
• Lu Lin learned that the anxious caller had been Lu Muchi's private butler and asked when the university fieldwork would begin.
• Yan Heqing visited the orphanage and told Auntie Zhang that Xu Qiaoyin had left to volunteer as a teacher in the west.
• Auntie Zhang told Yan Heqing that Lu Group had sponsored the orphanage's elevator.

Yan Heqing realized Lu Lin had known about the fire that destroyed his family and spent the night confronting the help he could never repay. He reconnected with Lu Lin over WeChat, who had left him household supplies, and their quiet conversation ended with plans to share instant noodles another time.

• Yan Heqing called Lin Manfeng twice and realized she had blocked him, making him suspect Lu Lin had arranged for her to bring him photographs of his mother.
• Yan Heqing held Yan Qiushuang's framed photograph and reflected that he could neither return nor repay what he had received.
• Yan Heqing messaged Lu Lin to ask about the favor Lu Lin had mentioned, and Lu Lin said they would discuss it when they met.
• Lu Lin told Yan Heqing that bags of laundry pods, shower gel, and shampoo were waiting by his door, and Yan Heqing said he wanted to keep them.
• Yan Heqing told Lu Lin he had done something good for himself but bad for someone else, and Lu Lin joked about his business talent while making instant noodles.
• Lu Lin failed to make soft-boiled eggs and ended the call after promising to wait for Yan Heqing to share noodles with him another time.

Lin Fengzhi confronted Gu Xingye after learning that Yan Heqing had told him about their relationship, then learned Yan Heqing's class was leaving for weeklong fieldwork. On the coach, Yan Heqing avoided Zhou Wuyou's attention and ended up seated beside Gu Xingye.

• Lin Fengzhi answered Gu Xingye's call and admitted that Yan Heqing was his biological twin brother, while Gu Xingye told him about the upcoming fieldwork.
• Lin Fengzhi asked Gu Xingye to look out for Yan Heqing, then snapped at Lin Fengyi when he asked about Yan Heqing and the fieldwork.
• Lin Fengyi returned to his room and made a call after hearing that Yan Heqing would be away for a week.
• Zhou Wuyou told Zhan Pingting she liked Yan Heqing, and Zhan Pingting offered to help her get an opportunity to spend time with him.
• Yan Heqing boarded the coach and took a seat near the back; Gu Xingye sat beside him, while Yan Heqing put on headphones and read.

On the bus to Beijing University’s Mount Huai field practicum, Gu Xingye tried to befriend the reserved Yan Heqing, who refused. After the students reached the campsite, Yan Heqing noticed Lin Fengyi was there, while Lin Fengyi watched him with displeasure as he stood beside Gu Xingye.

• Gu Xingye saw Yan Heqing reading an Agatha Christie novel and asked about his relationship with Lin Fengzhi, but Yan Heqing told him to ask Lin Fengzhi himself.
• Gu Xingye asked Yan Heqing to be friends, but Yan Heqing said he did not make friends.
• After the five-hour trip, Yan Heqing eased his motion sickness with an orange candy from the bag Lu Lin had given him.
• At the campsite, Sun Tingzhou arrived with Lin Fengyi, and Gu Xingye suspected Lin Fengyi had come for Yan Heqing.
• Gu Xingye told Yan Heqing that Lin Fengyi was there, but Yan Heqing showed no reaction; Lin Fengyi watched him standing with Gu Xingye and felt displeased.

Yan Heqing joined his classmates for mountain fieldwork and shared a photo of water crowfoot with Lu Lin, who was also heading out into the wild. As the group ventured deeper into the forest, Yan Heqing lost signal and could not receive Lu Lin’s reply.

• Lin Fengyi hugged Gu Xingye to watch Yan Heqing’s reaction, then asked whether Gu Xingye was close with him.
• Yan Heqing helped Zhou Wuyou pitch her tent and agreed to join the group’s seven o’clock mountain outing.
• Yan Heqing’s six-person group set off along the western route to observe wild plants and stopped at a lake covered in water crowfoot.
• Yan Heqing sent Lu Lin a photo of the flowers, and Lu Lin replied that he was going fishing in the wild too.
• Yan Heqing did not receive Lu Lin’s message because his phone lost its signal as the group entered the dark, densely wooded mountains.