Nie Chi saw Lin Ge pedaling a shared bike nearby, looking incredibly angry, as if the person was a terrible criminal. Nie Chi had no idea how he offended Lin Ge to the point that she ignored him for so many days. Determined to fix the situation, Nie Chi came up with a plan. He organized a birthday celebration for Lin Ge within the national team and, in front of his senior and junior teammates, presented Lin Ge with a cake and shared it with everyone. Lin Ge’s anger instantly disappeared.
Fang Chao, watching the two exchange glances, couldn’t help but feel jealous. However, some emotions are difficult to put into words. Nie Chi and Lin Ge shared the cake together, and it seemed like all the past unhappiness dissolved because of the cake. But Lin Ge still had unresolved feelings in her heart. After the birthday celebration, Lin Ge couldn’t hold back any longer and confronted Nie Chi, asking why he hadn’t told her about liking Wei Wei if he truly considered her a friend. Did that mean she wasn’t even considered a friend? Furthermore, the video circulating on the campus forum about them had gone viral, and it was hard to believe no one had seen it. To Lin Ge, Nie Chi’s silence felt like a roundabout way of confirming they were actually together.
Nie Chi was shocked when he saw the video and immediately explained that he didn’t like Wei Wei. Lin Ge felt that Nie Chi was making excuses and didn’t truly see her as a friend. She remarked that even though she had never experienced love herself, she had seen it happen. True feelings are hidden in a person’s gaze and cannot be disguised. Nie Chi directly clarified that he was looking at Lin Ge the whole time. Since Lin Ge was right in front of him, his eyes naturally focused on her. After explaining this, Nie Chi went further to express that he liked Lin Ge, leaving her surprised and excited as he asked if she liked him back, essentially confessing his feelings.
While Lin Ge was confronting Nie Chi, Fang Chao secretly practiced confessing his feelings to Lin Ge. However, he was a step too late and ended up losing the woman he liked to his good friend. Fang Chao could only suppress his sadness and frustration. Sometimes, he even felt he was too cowardly—liking someone but being afraid to express it. Eventually, he mustered the courage in the restroom to confess to Lin Ge, only to find that Lin Ge didn’t seem to notice him at all.
Heartbroken, Fang Chao left in disappointment, wiped his tears, and returned to the dorm. Just as Nie Chi opened the door, he noticed something was off about Fang Chao and looked at him in surprise as Fang Chao grabbed his things and left. After learning that Nie Chi liked her, Lin Ge’s emotions surged like the waves of the sea. Nie Chi felt that Fang Chao was acting strange that day, but he didn’t give it much thought.
Nie Chi officially became a member of the national team, a moment of joy for some and sorrow for others. Lin Ge called Fang Chao to practice together but noticed he was deliberately avoiding them. Fang Chao asked Lin Ge if she had ever been confessed to, and based on her reaction, he realized he had already lost and decided to step back. Lin Ge felt that Fang Chao was behaving oddly lately but couldn’t figure out exactly what was wrong.
Elsewhere, Gao Kai set up a plan to match Chen Mingyuan with a female reporter, trying to push him into the relationship. Lin Ge overheard her senior sister mention Chen Mingyuan’s passionate pursuit of another senior sister and found him almost heartless. Everyone anticipated an exciting event the next day, particularly during the female reporter’s return to campus for an interview. Gao Kai insisted that Chen Mingyuan appear at the live recording site.
Lin Ge thought about how her coach, Li Haifeng, subjected them to such intense and abnormal training that athletes didn’t have time for romance. She silently prayed that Li Haifeng wouldn’t catch them. Nie Chi and Lin Ge went out on a date, but Lin Ge stopped to see Fang Chao and pretended not to know Nie Chi. Fang Chao felt that the two were putting on an act in front of him. In truth, Coach Li had already noticed the subtle dynamics between them but chose not to expose it—for now.
