The story begins when Sang Mianmian comes to stay at He Wen’s home. Because she is the niece of her mother’s new husband, He Wen treats her coldly and constantly clashes with her at school. Sang Mianmian, however, always greets him with a smile and speaks to him gently, like a good-natured pushover who never gets angry. Everyone around them takes her side and speaks up for her, too. He Wen tries every possible way to expose her true nature, only to discover that she eats just one meal each day, in the morning, and often lets herself get so hungry that her stomach hurts rather than eating. She neatly lays out all the money she earns from her part-time jobs in a tin box. Though He Wen cannot understand her extreme frugality, he gradually begins to feel sorry for her, and his concern grows into forceful, meticulous care. Only later does he learn that Sang Mianmian’s father has terminal cancer and needs a great deal of money. At last, he sees the pain hidden beneath her nine-tenths smile, and she finally touches the burning heart hidden beneath his protestations…
