Episode Summary
A book exchange causes romantic misunderstandings and secret delight among the students. Jing Qichi deliberately fails his exam to avoid outperforming Qi Qi. Parent-teacher conferences highlight academic achievements and create tension. Jing Qichi uses Chen Huan'er to avoid his mother's anger. Qi Qi faces pressure from her mother regarding subject selection and a forced change of birthday plans, but a surprise video from her classmates makes her birthday special.
Spoiler Alert
Chen Huan'er, after a late night of studying, demonstrates the "set effect" to Jing Qichi while clutching her psychology textbook. Meanwhile, the school's book exchange program has everyone buzzing with anticipation. The girls, including Qi Qi, are hoping to have their books end up with their crushes. Jing Qichi, ever the schemer, wants Qi Qi's book and tries to follow her discreetly, only to be thwarted by the class monitor, who also has eyes for him. In a twist of fate, the monitor ends up with Song Cong's copy of "The Catcher in the Rye," leaving Qi Qi visibly disappointed. She spends the entire class observing the monitor's longing glances towards the back of the room, completely misinterpreting the situation. Jing Qichi, noticing Qi Qi's frequent glances backward, is secretly delighted.
Song Cong, however, didn't even participate in the book exchange, as he saw nothing of interest. As the exchange concludes, Jing Qichi successfully gets Qi Qi's book and asks Song Cong to write a message in the preface. Later, while helping Chen Huan'er choose a book, Qi Qi spots the monitor's message in Song Cong's "The Catcher in the Rye," and her heart sinks. However, Chen Huan'er quickly points out that the handwriting in Qi Qi's book belongs to Song Cong. Qi Qi's face lights up with a radiant smile, a sight that makes Jing Qichi, who's been secretly watching, incredibly smug. Chen Huan'er is the only one left completely clueless about the romantic undercurrents.
Chen Huan'er and Jing Qichi are scheduled for a tutoring session with Song Cong, and Qi Qi invites herself along. Jing Qichi buys chicken wings for Qi Qi, but she declines, having made significant academic progress. Chen Huan'er ends up eating them instead. Jing Qichi, once again, ranks last in the exam, but this time it's different – parent-teacher conferences are coming up. During the conference, the teacher praises Song Cong's consistent performance and Chen Huan'er's rapid improvement, much to the dismay of Lin Yifan (Jing Qichi's mother). When the teacher calls on Lin Yifan to speak, Li Tian's mother quickly steps in to help her out.
Before heading home, Jing Qichi begs Chen Huan'er for help, claiming his life is in her hands. He needs her to come home with him. Lin Yifan, prepared for a furious outburst, is disarmed when Jing Qichi uses Chen Huan'er as a shield. Chen Huan'er discovers that Jing Qichi understands the material but deliberately leaves questions blank. He admits he doesn't want to score higher than Qi Qi and makes Chen Huan'er promise to keep it a secret. Chen Huan'er agrees, but the dynamics of their relationships suddenly become more complex, weighing heavily on her mind.
With subject selection for specialized classes approaching, Qi Qi plans to choose science alongside Chen Huan'er. However, her mother has already signed her up for humanities at the teacher's office and threatens to send her abroad if she doesn't comply. Qi Qi is forced to compromise. She then suggests inviting everyone to her house for her birthday, but her mother informs her that she has tutoring on that day and must reschedule. Disheartened, Qi Qi messages Chen Huan'er about her mother's decision. The next day, Qi Qi feels a pang of jealousy seeing Chen Huan'er chatting with the class monitor. When asked about her birthday, Qi Qi snaps that she's not celebrating it. However, during class, the monitor plays a surprise birthday video for Qi Qi, featuring messages from Chen Huan'er, Song Cong, Jing Qichi, and even classmates she rarely interacts with. Overwhelmed with emotion, Qi Qi sheds tears, realizing this is the most meaningful birthday she's ever had.
