In a Reforged letter to Yun, Meng states she isn’t angry with her and hasn’t been for a long time. She reveals she met Edward about 10 years ago in Shanghai when he arrived lost and struggling. Though he resembled Yun’s father, whom Meng always disliked, she decided to help him.

Meng had kept Yun’s father’s pencil, which Yun had thrown in anger. When Edward told her he never met his grandfather, Meng decided to Reforge a pencil for the first time in decades despite having sworn off the practice after burning down the company. Through the Reforging, she came to understand Yun’s father’s love and hope even though he hurt Yun’s mother irreparably by forcing her to continue Reforging even though it harmed her health. She gave the Reforged message to Edward, claiming it was written by his grandfather for his grandmother. Edward cried in her arms, and Meng experienced the connection that drives people to share stories. Witnessing Edward’s transformation helped her see that Reforging might not be entirely a curse.

When Louise arrived, Meng told her the secret because the young woman was desperate to connect with her family history in a way that reminded Meng of a young Yun. When Louise later said Yun’s granddaughter had contacted her, Meng saw it as fate. She hopes these young people can help Yun see that the world is less cruel now.

Yun writes that Monica has Reforged Meng’s pencil and brought the words to her, which she copied into a notebook. Yun notices the bandage on Monica’s arm and realizes she cut herself to Reforge. Monica appears deeply sad, and when asked if Meng’s words or Louise hurt her, she only says she will always love Yun, then changes the subject. Yun feels helpless.

The narrative moves back to Yun’s arrival in Boston. At mahjong gatherings in Chinatown, she meets Linda, a Shanghai native who runs a restaurant. When Yun mentions the Phoenix Pencil Company, Linda reveals her father was killed and blamed Yun’s aunt’s surveillance system. Linda initially rejects Yun’s request for help but relents, helps her find lodging, and gives her a job at her restaurant.

One day, Torou visits the restaurant and appears unsurprised to see Yun. He reveals his parents tried to find her in Taiwan but learned that she’d gone to America and that her mother had passed. He explains that while he was initially drawn to her mystery, he’s come to see a profound sadness in her. Trying to push him away, Yun confesses she slept with a man and burned his house down to reach America. Torou responds that he’s jealous of the man. Despite her feelings of guilt and inner conflict, Yun agrees to see him again.

Monica writes that her grandmother is fading rapidly even though her surgery went well. When lucid, her grandmother explains she writes to reframe her story and to begin forgiving herself. This makes Monica reconsider her own journaling.

Troubled by her fight with Louise, Monica digs through Professor Logan’s documents, confirming what she long suspected: EMBRS’s business model is to sell users’ journal data. She writes a final entry revealing that Professor Logan misrepresented her story to sell his work and hard-codes it to reach all investors. Logan calls, furious. He argues that selling data is the only viable business model and accuses her of ingratitude. Comparing herself to Meng burning down the Phoenix Pencil Company, Monica recognizes the pain of destruction. Logan revokes her EMBRS access and tells her not to sign up for his classes even as he acknowledges that part of him agrees with her ethical qualms.

That night, Monica calls her father. Edward invites her to visit Shanghai and claims he met Meng at a mahjong hall but lost her contact information. The next day, Yun comes home. They attempt virtual mahjong, but her grandparents struggle with the technology. Monica begins crying as she thinks about her limited time with her grandparents. Yun suggests inviting Louise back, simply saying she forgives her. Torou reveals they want Monica to go to Shanghai to meet Meng and deliver Yun’s pencil. That night, Monica packs the pencil and looks up flights.

Yun continues her letter to Meng, recounting a recent moment during her hospitalization when she gave Torou 10 minutes to share his thoughts. He spoke of Monica’s preparations for her trip to Shanghai, and Edward’s return. He also spoke of his hope of finding Yun in their next life and joked that the only change he would make would be choosing a house without stairs.

The narrative flashes back to the moment Yun told Torou the full truth about the pencils. In his dorm, during a sexual encounter, she has him write with a Phoenix pencil and then press its heart into her wrist. She experiences a pleasurable Reforging, feeling his thoughts and love without pain. She then tells him everything about her past, including Reforging, the surveillance network, and her actions in California. Torou, fascinated, promises never to exploit her ability, and she feels safe for the first time since Shanghai.

The Nationalists find her. A man gives her a pencil from Mr. Gao, which contains a message ordering her back to Taiwan. She decides to create a pencil that can’t be Reforged. Working with Torou, she experiments until they find a formula her body won’t absorb. When Mr. Gao confronts her in Boston, she lies, claiming that she was pregnant with his child, that Reforging led her to lose the child, and that her power was destroyed when the infant died. To back up her story, she stabs her wrist with an un-Reforgeable pencil, drawing only blood. Convinced, Mr. Gao lets her go. Yun concludes her message by stating she’s asked Monica to bring this final pencil to Meng in Shanghai.

In a Reforged letter to Monica, Louise struggles to apologize. She explains that she believes people are composed of stories and has spent her life searching for her own. Monica’s family history was something Louise desperately wanted.

Louise reveals how she obtained the pencil she’s writing with. After Thanksgiving, feeling lost, she called Meng and confessed everything about how she and Monica met and how she almost kissed Monica in the classroom but stopped, fearing she would break her heart. She admitted she wanted to know where she belonged and thought Monica’s grandparents’ story could help. Meng advised her to humble herself and be fully honest and then mailed her a second pencil.

Louise has decided to take next semester off and go to Shanghai with her brother’s emotional and financial support. She’s given up on the grant she was considering and resolves to find her own path. She recalls Monica explaining that their generation may leave the least data behind because it can be deleted, and now she understands that what matters is how she treats people in the present. She writes that her weekend in Cambridge was one of the happiest of her life and that she wants to be entwined in Monica’s story. She concludes by saying that she’ll be in Shanghai and hopes to see Monica there.

On December 29, 2018, Monica writes from Shanghai about the events that led her there. Louise’s pencil arrived before Christmas. After Reforging it, Monica called her that night. They shared that they missed each other. Monica revealed she quit EMBRS, and Louise drew a parallel between their destructive actions. Monica forgave her and invited her to Shanghai.

In Shanghai, Monica’s father takes her to the former Phoenix Pencil Company site, now a convenience store. Using contact information from Louise, Monica calls Meng but struggles with the language barrier. Meng texts in Chinese, and they arrange to meet at a park. There, Monica gives Meng the pencil from Yun. Through a translation app, Meng says that Monica is proof that Yun finally succeeded in giving someone a home. Meng explains that Reforging has two phases so that the Reforger can choose whether to share the story or keep it private. She insists Monica Reforge the pencil immediately, promising that Monica will have more time with her grandmother.

Through the Reforging, Monica experiences her grandmother’s entire life through wars, separation, and reunion. Overwhelmed, she cries as Meng comforts her. Monica then bleeds Yun’s story into a notebook for Meng but stops when Louise’s story begins to bleed out, keeping the latter inside. Meng says both she and Yun wrote their stories for Monica.

That night, Monica meets Louise and gives her a scarf Yun knit for her. In return, Louise gives Monica a secure, anonymous internet account. Monica sends her grandmother a message declaring she will never forget her love. Then she kisses Louise, who says she’s been waiting, and kisses her back. Monica closes by writing that she’ll keep Louise’s other words just between the two of them.