In this chapter, we are introduced to the assistant of the novel, who is the protagonist of the story. He is a dashing young man who has just completed his studies at the prestigious Renmin University of China and is eager to embark on his first assignment as a ship's assistant. He asks the owner of a nearby boat to take him and his friend to a nearby island, but the owner refuses, saying that the two of them must first join the crew of the ship. The two men agree to go to the island, and the assistant is delighted to be on board. He tells the owner that he has to write his first book, which he is very eager to do, and that he hopes to make it a success.