The novel opens with a flashback to the previous day, when the narrator is rummaging through his belongings. He realizes that he has lost his notebook, and wonders where he has gone. He is shocked to learn that the notebook was confiscated by the professor, who had seen him the day before. The narrator tries to explain that the novel is not bad, but that the story is too long, and that there is still much work to be done before it can be considered a masterpiece. He tells the professor that he will keep the notebook in exchange for the professor's forgiveness. The professor tells the narrator that he is very harsh with his students, and is miserable to see them in his sights. He says that he would like to go to a writers' seminar in Beijing, where great writers will be coming. He invites the narrator to bring his student, Shensheng, who is a freshman in the literature department.