Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ling and Roccia spent an outing at the mall, where they ate together and watched Coco. Roccia fell asleep on Xiao Ling’s shoulder during the movie, and afterward he offered to take her home.

• Roccia asked Xiao Ling to treat her to food, and they ate at a Cantonese restaurant after he chose their meal.
• Xiao Ling recommended Coco when Roccia asked for a relaxing movie, and they watched it together with popcorn and cola.
• Roccia teased Xiao Ling by taking popcorn from his fingers and joked that they were on a date.
• Roccia grew bored and fell asleep against Hajiling's left shoulder while the movie played.
• Roccia woke when the movie ended, asked how long she had slept, and Xiao Ling offered to take her home.

When Xiao Ling’s summer illness worsened into the flu, Aemeath and the others cared for him at home after Doctor Lu said he did not need to go to the hospital. By evening he was feeling better, and Dania stayed beside him and fell asleep in his arms.

• Dania gave Xiao Ling cold medicine after he began sneezing, but his condition worsened by Saturday morning.
• Aemeath found Xiao Ling feverish in bed, and Sigrika suspected he had the flu; the girls contacted Doctor Lu, who advised rest, fluids, and medicine instead of a hospital visit.
• Lynae went to buy fever medicine while Chisa and Sigrika prepared steamed egg custard, and Aemeath stayed with Xiao Ling and fed him.
• Dania took over from Aemeath in the afternoon, checked Xiao Ling’s fever, and helped him wipe down and change into dry clothes.
• Xiao Ling pulled Dania onto the bed and fell asleep holding her, and Dania eventually fell asleep in his arms.

After Aemeath and Lynae won their badminton match, Xiao Ling joked with his friends and discussed Rover’s impressions of this world. Rover said she still needed to return to the Black Shores, while Xiao Ling encouraged her to enjoy her vacation as they searched for a way back.

• Aemeath and Lynae won their badminton match, and Xiao Ling praised Lynae for supporting Aemeath’s powerful offense.
• Dania teased Xiao Ling about his night with Principal Roccia, then dragged Sigrika away after twisting his waist.
• Rover tried to threaten Xiao Ling with telling Little Ai he had secretly met Principal Roccia, but he persuaded her not to send the message.
• Xiao Ling and Rover discussed finding a birthday gift for Yaya and agreed that thought mattered more than the gift itself.
• Rover said she admired the peaceful world but still needed to return to the Black Shores, and Xiao Ling told her to enjoy her vacation while Roccia and the others searched for a way back.

Dania secretly entered the women’s 800-meter race, surprising her friends when she appeared on the track. She won her preliminary heat and advanced, encouraged by the support of the people around her.

• Rover returned with drinks as Aemeath and Xiao Ling waited for Lupa’s 3,000-meter event, and Xiao Ling messaged Dania to ask where she was.
• Dania hinted that Xiao Ling would discover her surprise later, then watched her friends from the athletes’ waiting area and prepared to race.
• Dania’s friends spotted her in the last lane, and Xiao Ling admitted that he had guessed she would compete.
• Lynae and Sigrika cheered Dania on as she passed them during the race, while Dania maintained a lead without exhausting herself.
• Dania crossed the finish line in first place, and the crowd cheered as she advanced from the preliminary round.

After Dania won the race, Rover spotted Phrolova watching from the stands and pursued her. Xiao Ling followed, but just as Rover confronted Phrolova, he accidentally knocked Rover down with a drink bottle, leaving Phrolova bewildered as the two argued and fought.

• Dania celebrated her race win with Sigrika, Lynae, Xiao Ling, Aemeath, Rover, and Lupa.
• Phrolova watched Dania and her friends from the stands, then slipped away with a gift box decorated with a red spider lily.
• Rover detected Phrolova's frequency and chased her, while Xiao Ling followed after realizing Rover had noticed something.
• Rover confronted Phrolova and prepared to attack, but Xiao Ling's thrown drink bottle struck Rover and knocked her down.
• Rover accused Xiao Ling of helping Phrolova, and the two began fighting while Phrolova watched in confusion.

Xiao Ling stopped Rover and Phrolova from fighting at school, then learned Phrolova had brought a homemade birthday gift for Dania. Phrolova refused to join the party and left, while Xiao Ling and Rover headed back with her gift.

• Xiao Ling calmed Rover and Phrolova by reminding them that fighting could damage the school and disrupt its events.
• Phrolova gave Xiao Ling a wrapped gift for Dania and clarified that it was ordinary food she had made herself.
• Xiao Ling invited Phrolova to give Dania the gift in person and attend her birthday party, but Phrolova declined, saying Dania belonged to the world of light.
• Phrolova thanked Xiao Ling for the drink and left, and Xiao Ling and Rover discussed the gift before heading back.

Xiao Ling helped Sigrika make a set of vouchers as a birthday gift for Dania, then left her with a personal voucher of his own. Sigrika found it and blushed as she admitted it was becoming harder to let go of her senior.

• Lupa scolded Xiao Ling for missing her match, and he promised to attend the next one.
• Xiao Ling found Sigrika awake and making handwritten vouchers for Dania, then brought her noodles and offered to help.
• Sigrika explained that the thirteen vouchers were meant to reassure Dania that she would always be by her side, and Xiao Ling helped her finish them.
• After Xiao Ling left, Sigrika sealed the vouchers in envelopes and placed them in a tin box.
• Sigrika found an extra voucher from Xiao Ling, granting her one request he could never refuse, and blushed at its message.

Dania spent the morning of the school festival on a date with Xiao Ling, then joined his friends to watch Lupa win her race. Xiao Ling prepared for his own race after Dania promised him white stockings if he came in first.

• Dania gave a classmate the crystal ball she won at ring toss, and Xiao Ling joined her after earning free milk tea from the classmate.
• Dania insisted Xiao Ling spend the next morning with her, and he agreed after she threatened to complain to Xiao Yue.
• Dania and Xiao Ling spent the morning visiting game booths, then she promised to come cheer him on in his afternoon race.
• Lupa won her race by a wide margin and celebrated with Xiao Ling and the others.
• Dania promised to wear white stockings for Xiao Ling if he crossed the finish line first, and he headed to his lane determined to win.

Aemeath and Lynae defeated Augusta and Iuno in the badminton final, while Dania won the 800-meter race despite the dangerous heat and collapsed into Xiao Ling’s arms. Xiao Ling praised Dania as their pride as he helped her off the track.

• Aemeath and Augusta led their teams through an exhausting badminton final, and Aemeath’s team won two games to one by a single point.
• Aemeath celebrated her gold medal because Xiao Ling had promised to grant her one wish if she won.
• Roccia prepared extra shade, cooling supplies, doctors, and volunteers for the track events as the temperature climbed.
• Sigrika brought Dania water and encouraged her to stop if she felt unwell before the 800-meter race.
• Dania overtook the leading runner in the final stretch, crossed the finish line in first place, and nearly collapsed before Xiao Ling caught her.
• Xiao Ling told Dania she had won by half a step and praised her as their pride.

After the sports meet, Xiao Ling and his friends celebrated their victories and took a group photo with Dania at the center. Once Dania went to bed, they secretly planned her birthday party for the following evening and divided up the jobs.

• Aemeath hurried Xiao Ling and Rover to join the others for a group photo after the sports meet.
• Dania reunited with her friends, who praised her race and gently scolded her for pushing herself too hard.
• The group placed Dania in the center of their photo, and Xiao Ling promised to cook them a celebratory feast.
• After Dania fell asleep, Aemeath confirmed she was resting while Xiao Ling began a secret birthday-party planning meeting.
• Xiao Ling and the others scheduled the party for seven the next evening and assigned an outdoor team to take Dania out while the rest decorated.
• Xiao Ling reminded everyone to keep the party secret, warning that anyone who spoiled it would get a faceful of cream.

Dania joined Lupa for an early-morning trip to watch the sunrise, where they shared stories about family and friendship and Lupa gave Dania her old combat boots. After breakfast, Dania agreed to meet Aemeath and Rover at the arcade despite wanting to go home and sleep.

• Unable to sleep, Dania accepted Lupa's invitation to ride to a mountain and watch the sunrise.
• At the mountain, Lupa lent Dania her old combat boots and encouraged her to climb the steps.
• During a rest, Lupa told Dania that her birth parents had sold her, while Dania described finding a sense of family with Ling.
• Lupa carried the exhausted Dania to the summit, where they watched the sunrise and took a photo together.
• Lupa gave Dania the combat boots, and the two headed down the mountain for breakfast.
• After Aemeath invited Dania to the arcade with Rover, Dania agreed to go despite wanting to sleep.

Xiao Ling brought his mother, Xiao Yue, to help prepare Yaya’s birthday party, while Roccia worried about making a good impression on her potential future mother-in-law. Xiao Yue warmly met the party planners and gave them gifts, including Roccia a jar of homemade osmanthus honey.

• Roccia repeatedly fixed her appearance at the airport after realizing Xiao Yue might someday become her mother-in-law.
• Xiao Ling and Roccia met Xiao Yue at the airport, where Xiao Yue teased Roccia before they headed home to prepare the party venue.
• Morning welcomed Xiao Yue, and the girls greeted her as she joined the party preparations.
• Xiao Yue gave Lupa medicated oil and handed gifts to the girls, including a cookbook for Chisa and gold jewelry for Iuno.
• Xiao Yue gave Roccia a jar of osmanthus honey from her family, and Roccia accepted it with heartfelt gratitude.

Rover, Aemeath, and Dania spent the morning at an arcade, where Dania struggled against Aemeath at several games before winning a close match of Tetris. Aemeath invited Dania to come play whenever she wanted, and Dania happily agreed.

• Aemeath welcomed the overheated Dania under her parasol and hurried her into the air-conditioned arcade while Rover followed.
• Aemeath urged Dania to choose a game for herself, and Dania picked The King of Fighters to challenge her.
• Aemeath defeated Dania in five matches, then beat her at several other games as Dania refused offers to go easy on her.
• Dania chose Tetris, where she narrowly beat Aemeath and revealed that Lahai-Roi Blocks had been the only game she could play in the past.
• Aemeath hugged Dania and promised she could come play games with her anytime, and Dania agreed.

As Dania spent the day with Gabriela, Lynae, and Sigrika, she enjoyed new experiences and made happy memories before heading home for her birthday. Xiao Ling and their friends finished preparing a surprise party, where he planned to give Dania the long-overdue coming-of-age celebration she had wished for.

• Aemeath arranged for Dania to join Gabriela, who took her to a shooting range and taught her to fire a gun by reminding her that she chose whether and whom to shoot.
• Dania hit every target after thinking of the Fractsidus president, and Gabriela gave her a toy gun before sending her off with Lynae.
• Dania, Lynae, and Sigrika explored the beach, played in the waves, and watched the sunset before Dania messaged Xiao Ling and agreed to return home for his cooking.
• Xiao Ling and their friends completed the birthday decorations, cake, and dinner while waiting for Dania to arrive.

Xiao Ling and Dania’s friends surprised her with an eighteenth birthday party, and Dania was moved by their gifts and affection. The celebration ended in a playful cake fight, with Dania and Sigrika joining in.

• Dania arrived home to find a candlelit birthday cake and her friends singing to her, and she made a wish to stay with them forever.
• Dania received gifts from her friends, including a daisy crown, handmade plushie, jewelry, and a Septimont coin engraved with her name.
• Xiao Ling gave Dania a custom pink-and-blue hanfu, and Xiao Yue tied a longevity lock around her wrist.
• Dania cut the cake and enjoyed her first birthday cake before Xiao Ling smeared cream on her face, sparking a cake fight.
• Dania chased Xiao Ling and later smeared cream on Sigrika after Sigrika tricked her, and the party ended amid laughter and playful chaos.

After Dania’s birthday party, she joined Xiao Ling in his room, where they shared cake, watched anime, and talked about the care he had put into making her happy. Dania confessed her feelings, and the two spent the night together, falling asleep as dawn arrived.

• After the party ended, Xiao Ling rewatched an anime in his room while eating leftover birthday cake.
• Dania entered in a revealing nightgown, and she and Xiao Ling watched several episodes together as he shared the cake with her.
• Dania asked how long Xiao Ling had planned her surprise birthday, and he showed her a list of things he had done for her, including a suggestive final item.
• Dania thanked Xiao Ling for treating her like family, then kissed him and confessed that she liked him.
• Xiao Ling and Dania spent the night together, and he wished her good night as dawn broke.

Roccia helped Xiao Ling prepare breakfast before driving him and Xiao Yue to the airport. As Xiao Yue entrusted her with looking after Xiao Ling, Roccia privately struggled with her growing attraction to him.

• Roccia woke early and found Xiao Ling cooking while Xiao Yue worried about making her flight, so she joined in to help.
• Roccia and Xiao Ling worked smoothly together, and she noticed his skin looked healthier as he concealed the physical changes he had experienced after spending the night with Dania.
• After breakfast, Roccia drove Xiao Ling and Xiao Yue toward the airport, and Xiao Ling stopped to buy flowers for his mother.
• While Xiao Ling chose flowers, Xiao Yue told Roccia about her family and asked her to take good care of Xiao Ling.
• Roccia agreed professionally while privately wondering how well she could maintain her image as his dependable elder and teacher.

Dania woke sore and bruised after spending the night with Xiao Ling, then tried to hide what happened from Sigrika and Aemeath. Aemeath grew curious after Dania explained their intimacy, while Sigrika silently overwhelmed herself imagining their conversation.

• Dania struggled out of bed, showered, and covered her bruises with clothes before heading downstairs for food.
• Sigrika noticed the hickeys and Dania’s limp, blushed, and promised not to tell anyone; Dania realized their secret was obvious.
• Rover saw Dania’s hickeys and worried that Xiao Ling would soon pursue Aemeath as well.
• Aemeath noticed Dania’s red marks, teased her about them, and privately asked what intimacy felt like.
• Dania explained the experience to Aemeath, leaving her newly curious, while Sigrika listened nearby and became overwhelmed by her thoughts.

As summer vacation approached, Xiao Ling organized a group discussion to plan a long trip with the girls, covering transportation, expenses, lodging, and destinations. They agreed on an itinerary and planned to leave at the end of July, though old acquaintances might await Hajiling on the journey.

• Xiao Ling gathered the girls to discuss traveling together during summer vacation and explained that his family would arrange funding, lodging, and transportation.
• Aemeath asked whether they could try driving, trains, and planes, and Xiao Ling confirmed that his mother would arrange the options.
• Roccia identified their current location as Guangdong Province, and Dania chose Guangzhou as the first stop after Xiao Ling revealed KG Games was headquartered there.
• The girls named places they wanted to visit, and Xiao Ling marked their agreed itinerary on the map.
• Xiao Ling set their departure for the end of July, and the girls eagerly agreed to prepare for the trip.

Roccia invited Xiao Ling to afternoon tea in her office, but their playful teasing turned into an intimate encounter. Xiao Ling left the office disheveled, while Roccia was left embarrassed by how far she had let things go.

• Roccia invited Xiao Ling to share cake and osmanthus nectar while they watched a tokusatsu series.
• Roccia draped her legs across Xiao Ling's thighs, and he began massaging them before teasing her by tickling her foot and wandering his hands.
• Roccia tried to pull away, but she and Xiao Ling tussled over control of her legs until she pinned him on the sofa.
• Xiao Ling challenged Roccia to let herself be a girl for once, and Roccia gave in to an intimate encounter with him.
• Xiao Ling left the office with disheveled clothes and lip marks on his neck, while Roccia sat behind the door blushing and regretting her loss of composure.