It was raining, so Qian Jiayue’s mom, Chen Xiue’e, took shelter at Carmen’s mother’s restaurant, where both Carmen’s mom and Chen Mo’s mom were present. Chen Xiue’e, wanting to show off, kept calling her husband to pick her up—but after seven or eight calls, he never appeared. Instead, Xiao Han arrived to deliver an umbrella to his own mom, who had to rush off to her second job. After chatting with Chen Mo’s mom for a while, Chen Xiue’e gradually changed her initial opinion and ended up happily talking with both women.
Early the next day, Qian Jiayue rode her bike to meet her two friends. She specifically asked them to wait a bit longer—she wanted to wait for Xiao Han. But Xiao Han bluntly said he needed to rush ahead to prepare for the flag-raising ceremony and took off. Chen Mo disliked his cold attitude and grumbled a bit; Xiao Han recognized her from the welcome party—she was the one who’d sneaked out with Carmen. Before leaving, Xiao Han warned Qian Jiayue, hinting she should be wary of mixing with certain people (“you become who you hang out with”).
Chen Mo was annoyed by Xiao Han’s behavior. During break, Carmen quietly told her that Xiao Han’s father had died young while saving someone from drowning, and since then, Xiao Han had been living with his mother. He might not talk much, but he’s always willing to help others. Hearing that Xiao Han had gone through such hardship, Chen Mo, who grew up pampered, was taken aback.
Because he’s in his senior year, Xiao Han has been studying hard. A classmate recommended a workbook with past competition questions, which cost 180 yuan—money Xiao Han really wanted to spare, but he hesitated. After his mom got home from work, she immediately started doing laundry. Seeing her so exhausted, Xiao Han was reluctant to use the 200 yuan she’d given him. He secretly slipped the money back into her pocket so she could fix their broken washing machine instead.
With the upcoming class committee election, Qian Jiayue had carefully prepared and showed her draft speech to Xiao Han. He skimmed it and said it was fine, telling her to have confidence. Qian Jiayue felt a bit let down by his brief response. That night, she went online to do more research; a friendly online contact offered to send her election materials. Qian Jiayue wondered who this mystery person was—every time she needed help, they always came through.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo scored only 40-something on her politics exam, and the teacher asked for a parent’s signature. Afraid of her strict father’s reaction, Chen Mo forged his signature instead. When the election results came out, Qian Jiayue lost, feeling down the entire day. Carmen and Chen Mo, however, were both elected. Chen Mo tried to give up her position, saying she had only been running to keep Carmen company and didn’t really want any role.
Xiao Han’s mother, Guan Aiping, brought up a side job tutoring a client’s child. Xiao Han went along to help, but the kid insulted him, calling him “the nanny’s son” and refusing his help. Xiao Han felt awful seeing his mom ordered around by the client’s child.
In the neighborhood, a poster announced a “Five-Good Family” competition, with a prize trip to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Eager to win, Chen Xiue’e decided to join, hoping to travel with her family. Carmen’s dad, Zhang Qiming, also encouraged Guan Aiping (Xiao Han’s mom) to participate and even volunteered to drive her home from her job. Since Zhang Qiming was friends with the client family, Xiao Han reluctantly agreed for the sake of his mom.
Chen Mo’s father eventually discovered her forged signature and scolded her harshly, causing Chen Mo to run out in tears.
