Chapter summaries If You Could See the Sun Ann Liang

Chapter 7: The Heist and Its Aftermath

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Alice, still invisible, coordinates a team operation with Chanel and Henry to access Jake Nguyen's dorm room while he is distracted. Chanel lures Peter out of the room under the pretense of needing DJ recommendations, and Henry stages a coffee spill on Jake to send him to the bathroom. Alone inside, Alice struggles to guess Jake’s new passcode but succeeds on her last attempt using "6969." She deletes the nudes of Rainie and two other girls from Jake's phone, then goes a step further: she emails a drunken video of Jake making vulgar comments to their teacher, Mr. Chen. The video is played in class, humiliating Jake and leading to daily detention for a month. Later, Alice awkwardly thanks Henry for his help, and he surprises her by saying he doesn't hate her—he sees their rivalry as a "fun competition." Rainie sends Alice a grateful message via Beijing Ghost, calling her a hero.

Key Events

  • Chanel flirts with Peter to get him out of the dorm, while Henry spills coffee on Jake to send him to the bathroom.
  • Alice uses her invisibility to search Jake's room, finds his phone, and guesses the passcode "6969" after multiple failures.
  • She deletes Rainie’s nudes and photos of two other girls from the phone, then empties the Recently Deleted folder.
  • Instead of leaving immediately, Alice decides to escalate retaliation: she locates a drunken video of Jake making lewd comments and emails it to Mr. Chen using a scheduled send.
  • In English class, Mr. Chen opens the email and plays the video on the projector, horrifying Jake and entertaining the class.
  • Jake is given detention every day for the rest of the month for violating school values.
  • Alice thanks Henry for his acting during the heist; Henry admits he doesn't hate her, which confuses Alice.
  • Rainie sends the Beijing Ghost account a message: "i don't know how u did it but...thank u. you're my hero."

Character Development

  • Alice Sun: Makes a deliberate moral choice to go beyond simply deleting the nudes. She decides to publicly humiliate Jake to teach him a lesson, showing a growing willingness to use her power for vigilante justice. She also struggles to express gratitude to Henry, revealing her discomfort with vulnerability.
  • Henry Li: Steps into the role of an active ally, not just a passive observer. His line about not hating Alice signals a shift in their dynamic—he sees their four-year rivalry as a game rather than animosity, and his confessed lack of hatred hints at deeper feelings.
  • Chanel: Demonstrates skill in manipulation and social performance, using flirtation to achieve their goal without hesitation.
  • Jake Nguyen: Exposed as a repeat offender (photos of three girls) and as someone who makes crass, objectifying comments about women. His punishment is both institutional (detention) and social (public embarrassment).

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Justice versus revenge: Alice wrestles with whether her actions are morally right, but ultimately decides Jake deserves public shaming because girls often bear the blame in such situations.
  • Power and invisibility: Physical invisibility grants Alice access, but she also uses anonymity (the Beijing Ghost account) and institutional authority (the teacher's email) to amplify her power.
  • Class and privilege: Alice contrasts her own financial insecurity with Henry's wealth, emphasizing that their rivalry is not equal: for Henry, failure is a game; for Alice, it has real consequences.
  • Gendered double standards: The chapter explicitly critiques how girls are slut-shamed while boys like Jake are rarely held accountable for revenge porn.

Why This Chapter Matters

This is a turning point where Alice fully embraces the Beijing Ghost identity as a tool for activism, not just personal gain. It also deepens her relationship with Henry, moving from rivalry toward mutual respect and possible romantic tension. The chapter resolves the immediate threat to Rainie while raising questions about the ethics of using private information to punish someone. Alice’s decision to escalate from deleting the photos to sending the video marks her willingness to cross lines, suggesting future moral conflicts.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Alice decide to send the video after she has already deleted the nudes?
    Alice feels angry on behalf of Rainie and other girls who get blamed for revenge porn. She wants to teach Jake a lesson and believes the public humiliation will deter him and others from similar behavior. She also views the video as a way to make Jake face consequences that go beyond group.

  2. How does Henry's statement "I don't hate you" affect the power dynamic between him and Alice?
    It disrupts Alice’s assumption that their relationship is purely adversarial. Henry frames their rivalry as a "fun competition," implying he values her as an equal and enjoys their interactions. This confuses Alice and hints at potential romantic or collaborative feelings, softening the hostility that defined their past.

  3. What does Rainie’s message to Beijing Ghost reveal about Alice's new role in the school hierarchy?
    Rainie, one of the wealthiest and most popular students, now acknowledges Alice (as Beijing Ghost) as a hero. This reverses the usual power structure: the invisible scholarship student is now the one who can protect and help the elite. It validates Alice's decision to use her powers for others and solidifies her secret influence at Airington.

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