In this chapter, Bai Ling tells Mr. Manette that she is worried because she feels so far away from him. She tells him that she often sees his name in the news when she watches the news, and that she just realized that he is an amazing person, yet she is wrong. She says that she wants to protect her mother, but that she does not deserve to be the first in the world. She also says that the other wolf families are taking the exam very seriously, and she tells him to relax, but she says that he must make sure that he does not get the first place again. He tells her that he cannot blame himself for being selfish, because he knows that his mother will be sad, and he will blame himself again when she is sad. He says that if she were to stop blaming herself, she would stop being sad only when she was sad, because she cares so much for him. He adds that even if he is perfect, he is not perfect enough, and his imperfections are the "flowers wither" of life.