Recaps

After a waiter accidentally spilled drugged wine on Xin Hexue, he realized the substance was taking effect through his skin and exchanged system points for an antidote. Meanwhile, The Cutter fled through the estate’s ventilation ducts as guards searched for him.

• Xi Zhengqing told Xin Hexue to wait in the banquet hall while he changed out of Pei Guangji’s clothes, then warned him that guards had found an unconscious person near traces of a xenomorph.
• Xin Hexue recalled being locked in a room of venomous creatures in his previous life, which explained his fear of beetles and other insects.
• Kirk spilled drugged wine onto Xin Hexue and directed him to a washroom, believing he was Mr. Gerard’s lover.
• Xin Hexue recognized that the wine had poisoned him through skin contact, and K told him he had enough points to buy an antidote, which he exchanged for.
• The Cutter, assigned by the Spark Organization to kill Gerard, escaped through the ventilation ducts while guards searched the estate.

Xin Hexue fled Number One after the mutant’s appearance triggered his fear, losing the antidote and learning that the drug in his system could be fatal. As the guards searched for Number One, Xin Hexue sought protection from the drug while the guests continued their festivities, unaware of the danger around them.

• Number One found Xin Hexue in the washroom, but Xin Hexue’s fear made him vomit up the antidote, which washed down the drain.
• Xin Hexue threw a potted plant and aromatherapy jar at Number One, then escaped while Number One realized from his reflection why Xin Hexue might find him frightening.
• Xin Hexue alerted two guards to the mutant, and K explained that the drug was a deadly aphrodisiac whose effects were reduced because Xin Hexue was a Beta.
• Xin Hexue entered a guest lounge and spent his last three points to unlock the body protection program.
• The guards searched the manor and ventilation ducts for Number One while the guests moved the festivities to the lawn, where Qiu Yuan watched their distorted reflections in his vodka.

Qiu Yuan monitored the failed assassination attempt and learned that Xin Hexue had gone missing, while Xin Hexue, drugged and alone in a bathtub, decided to use his bionic android to satisfy the effects. The chapter left Xin Hexue opening the android’s remote connection app as Qiu Yuan’s tentacles moved toward him.

• Qiu Yuan watched Pei Ying and Xi Zhengqing argue over Xin Hexue’s disappearance and learned that a waiter had mistakenly taken Xin Hexue to the washroom after spilling a drugged drink meant for Gerard’s Omega lover.
• Xi Zhengqing ordered the waiter detained and continued searching, while Pei Ying hurried off to look for Xin Hexue.
• Qiu Yuan discovered that two of his arms had abandoned their posts and were secretly heading toward a place inside the estate, then lost contact with them.
• Xin Hexue, overwhelmed by the aphrodisiac’s repeated effects, decided to have sex with someone obedient and clean rather than choose Xi Zhengqing.
• Xin Hexue picked up his communicator and opened the remote connection app for Number One, the bionic android waiting on his hovercraft.

Gerard was killed by the Cutter as Number One hurried to answer Xin Hexue’s summons, while Xin Hexue was attacked by a tentacle in the bathtub and rescued by K. Afterward, Xin Hexue found family photographs in what appeared to be Pei Guangji’s room and asked K to identify the people in them.

• Gerard reflected on his support for the Prometheus Laboratory’s experiments and his dead son Cook before the Cutter killed him.
• The Cutter left the residence, and Number One detected Xin Hexue’s message and went to him.
• A tentacle grabbed Xin Hexue in the bathtub, but K shocked it and its companion with an electric attack.
• Xin Hexue cleaned up, washed the shrunken tentacles down the drain, and suffered a severe coughing fit that shattered a picture frame.
• Xin Hexue recognized the room as likely belonging to Pei Guangji and examined family photographs with help from K.
• K identified several people in a photograph, and Xin Hexue asked who the remaining person was as the drug’s effects began returning.

Xin Hexue recovered in the hospital after being drugged and left unconscious, while Xi Zhengqing and Pei Ying found him at the Pei residence. Xi Zhengqing remained outside Xin Hexue’s ward, consumed by regret, as Xin Hexue learned that his Affection Points had risen to 65.

• Number One hid in the ventilation duct when Xi Zhengqing arrived and found Xin Hexue unconscious and injured.
• Xi Zhengqing cleaned and wrapped Xin Hexue in a bathrobe, then ordered an ambulance from Saint Lan Hospital.
• Pei Ying accused Xi Zhengqing of hurting Xin Hexue, but Xi Zhengqing claimed responsibility and left him to deal with the Pei family’s chaos.
• The guard captain reported that Mr. Gerard had been killed by a xenomorph in the Pei residence’s lounge.
• At the hospital, Xin Hexue learned Xi Zhengqing had brought him there and that his Affection Points had reached 65.
• Xi Zhengqing stayed outside Xin Hexue’s ward, regretting that he had left him alone at the banquet.

Xi Zhengqing told Xin Hexue that he had slept with him while Xin Hexue was drugged, but Xin Hexue had no memory of the night. Xi Zhengqing proposed taking responsibility and pursuing a relationship, while Xin Hexue asked him to keep the incident secret from Pei Guangji.

• Xi Zhengqing learned from the doctor that Xin Hexue's memory loss might last for years after a severe psychological shock.
• Xi Zhengqing returned to Xin Hexue's room and confessed that he, not another heterospecies, had slept with him.
• Xi Zhengqing apologized, offered to take responsibility, and suggested engagement or dating.
• Xin Hexue rejected the proposal, reminded Xi Zhengqing that he and Pei Guangji were involved, and asked him to keep the incident secret.
• Xi Zhengqing criticized Pei Guangji and left when Xin Hexue said he needed to rest.

Xi Zhengqing courted Xin Hexue while Pei Ying visited him disguised as Pei Guangji, but Xin Hexue recognized Pei Ying and threw him out after he kissed him. The next morning, Xin Hexue left the hospital with Xi Zhengqing, who hid his own deception when Xin Hexue asked whether friends should be honest.

• Xi Zhengqing brought Xin Hexue changing meals and flowers each day and offered to pick him up after his discharge.
• After slipping in the bath, Xin Hexue was rescued by Pei Ying, who pretended to be Pei Guangji and stayed the night.
• Xin Hexue invited Pei Ying to kiss him, but stopped him when he noticed his ear piercings and recognized him.
• Xin Hexue slapped Pei Ying, told him he had disappointed him, and ordered him to leave.
• Xi Zhengqing found Xin Hexue outside Pei Guangji's hospital room and heard that Pei Ying had deceived him.
• Xin Hexue asked Xi Zhengqing whether he would lie to him, and Xi Zhengqing denied it despite his own deception.

Number One planted cosmos in the villa garden while Xin Hexue erased an embarrassing memory from the android’s chip. Xi Zhengqing grew closer to Xin Hexue during a spring outing, which ended with Xin Hexue choosing a gift for Xi Zhengqing’s nephew.

• Number One remembered meeting Xin Hexue in the Sixth District and planted cosmos after recalling Xin Hexue’s words about the flowers.
• Xin Hexue removed the android’s chip to delete records of his embarrassing collapse, while K watched without recording.
• Xi Zhengqing visited Xin Hexue, and Xin Hexue explained that past experiences made it difficult for him to form close friendships.
• Xin Hexue agreed to call Xi Zhengqing by his given name, earning him affection points as Xi Zhengqing grew more attached to him.
• Xi Zhengqing invited Xin Hexue to lunch and a walk around South City, then took him to a stationery center to buy supplies for Xi Xiaode.
• Xin Hexue offered to buy Xi Zhengqing’s nephew a set of oil pastels as a present.

Xi Zhengqing took Xin Hexue to a hot spring resort in North City to meet his childhood friends, and they stopped to practice archery before lunch. Xin Hexue’s affection for Xi Zhengqing continued to grow, while Xi Zhengqing drew closer to him as he taught him.

• Xi Zhengqing found an eraser in his coat pocket after dropping Xin Hexue off and saw that the name written on it was not his, while Xin Hexue wished him a safe trip from the villa balcony.
• Xi Zhengqing drove Xin Hexue to the resort and named Zuo Yongyan, Pei Guangji, and Qiu Yuan as the friends they would meet; Xin Hexue asked why Pei Guangji had stopped replying to his messages.
• Xi Zhengqing changed the radio after a gossip broadcast mentioned Young Master Hill, a movie star, and an unidentified Omega, then offered to take Xin Hexue to the archery range while they waited for their friends.
• At the archery range, Xi Zhengqing helped Xin Hexue with his equipment and offered to teach him; Xin Hexue accepted, gaining one Affection Point for Xi Zhengqing.
• Xi Zhengqing corrected Xin Hexue’s stance and coached him through his first shot, which landed near the outer edge of the target.

Xi Zhengqing struggled to restrain his desire for Xin Hexue while trying to maintain the appearance of friendship during their hot spring visit. After Xi Zhengqing left to meet Zuo Yongyan, Xin Hexue relaxed alone in the bath.

• Xin Hexue hit the archery bull's-eye, and Qiu Yuan watched him before leaving after Xin Hexue noticed him.
• Xi Zhengqing invited Xin Hexue to a private hot spring, where Xin Hexue removed his fogged glasses and stirred Xi Zhengqing's desire.
• Xi Zhengqing held Xin Hexue's wrist but stopped himself from confessing his feelings and claimed the hot spring was making him uncomfortable.
• Xi Zhengqing brought fruit to the bath and left to meet Zuo Yongyan, while Xin Hexue remained in the hot spring.

Xin Hexue encountered a hidden mutant in the hot spring, then faced reporters who Xi Zhengqing drove away before Qiu Yuan suggested they become allies. Qiu Yuan noticed his scent on Xin Hexue and recalled confronting The Cutter after Gerard's assassination.

• Two tentacles slipped into the hot spring, and one wrapped around Xin Hexue before he left the water and accidentally stepped on it.
• K told Xin Hexue that two tentacles had entered the courtyard, likely belonging to the mutant they had encountered before.
• Reporters surrounded Xin Hexue with questions about his relationship with Xi Zhengqing, and Xi ordered security to remove them before helping Xin Hexue recover.
• Qiu Yuan told Xin Hexue that Xi Zhengqing might have arranged the reporters to stage a rescue, then proposed they become friends if they both disliked Xi.
• Qiu Yuan noticed his scent on Xin Hexue and remembered confronting The Cutter after Gerard's assassination; The Cutter had refused to explain himself.

Qiu Yuan confronted The Cutter, discovered that Xin Hexue could distinguish Xi Zhengqing from Pei Guangji, and learned more about the secrets surrounding Xin Hexue. The chapter ended with Qiu Yuan seeking reports on Xin Hexue while Xi Zhengqing, reassured by their pleasant meal, invited him to another gathering.

• Qiu Yuan trapped The Cutter in an android body, read its memory chip, and recognized the xeno as his brother before sending him back to Xin Hexue.
• Qiu Yuan questioned Xin Hexue about telling Xi Zhengqing and Pei Guangji apart, then confirmed it by recalling what Xin Hexue had called Xi Zhengqing at Pei Ying's banquet.
• Xin Hexue warned Qiu Yuan to keep his tentacles polite, and one touched his fingers before Qiu Yuan's Affection Points rose.
• Zuo Yongyan arrived, and he, Qiu Yuan, Xin Hexue, and Xi Zhengqing shared lunch while Xin Hexue and Qiu Yuan concealed what they knew from each other.
• Qiu Yuan asked The Cutter to report Xin Hexue's movements, but The Cutter refused while serving as Xin Hexue's android butler.
• Xi Zhengqing felt reassured by Xin Hexue's response to their meal and invited him to their next gathering.

Xi Zhengqing tried to draw closer to Xin Hexue by giving him an expensive necklace and learning that acting was his favorite hobby. When No. 1’s bionic skin was repaired, the technician suspected the damage came from an attempt to hang himself and revealed that No. 1 was still an experimental model.

• At a charity gala, Xi Zhengqing gave Xin Hexue the Heart of Eternity, and Xin Hexue accepted it only to keep it safe for him.
• Xi Zhengqing asked Xin Hexue about his hobbies, and Xin Hexue explained how acting had helped him feel at ease despite his face blindness.
• Xi Zhengqing told Xin Hexue that director Yun Ziming had died and that his student Qiu Yuan might help him return to acting.
• Xin Hexue asked Xi Zhengqing to arrange a repair for No. 1 after noticing electrical leaks and discoloration on the bionic butler’s neck.
• A technician repaired No. 1 and said the damage suggested a powerful force, possibly an attempt to hang himself, then explained that No. 1 was an experimental model with an emotion-simulating chip.

Xin Hexue questioned Number One about his wellbeing, reviewed the old messages he had sent Pei Guangji, and considered how to raise several men’s affection and heartbreak values. He attended Qiu Yuan’s lavish birthday party aboard a private cruise ship but stayed out of the pool.

• After a technician suggested Young Master Xi had arranged for Number One to be sent over, Xin Hexue asked Number One if he was feeling all right and decided to avoid provoking him.
• Xi Zhengqing told Xin Hexue that Qiu Yuan would hold his birthday party on a cruise ship and had invited them both.
• Xin Hexue reread his old messages to Pei Guangji, which showed his distress while Pei Guangji was absent and his later acceptance of Pei Guangji’s changed behavior.
• Xin Hexue checked the affection and heartbreak values with K and planned to raise the heartbreak values of Pei Guangji, Xi Zhengqing, and Qiu Yuan.
• At Qiu Yuan’s birthday party on a private cruise ship, Xin Hexue avoided the pool because he disliked getting wet and worried the cold water would make him sick.

Xin Hexue spoke with Qiu Yuan about auditioning for his film, while Xi Zhengqing offered to support his acting career and openly admitted he was pursuing him. At the evening ball, Qiu Yuan approached Xin Hexue and offered him a glass of liqueur, which Xin Hexue only tasted cautiously.

• Qiu Yuan intervened when an alpha approached Xin Hexue by the pool, then discussed the film and sent Xin Hexue the script and his contact information.
• Xi Zhengqing offered Xin Hexue a place at a future Xi Family entertainment company, but Xin Hexue said he needed time to consider his work plans.
• President Chen mistook Xi Zhengqing and Xin Hexue for a couple, and Xi Zhengqing said he was still trying to pursue Xin Hexue.
• At the evening ball, Qiu Yuan offered Xin Hexue liqueur and drank his own glass to assure him it was safe.
• Xin Hexue cautiously touched his tongue to the drink, then set the glass down after only a small taste.

At a cruise-ship banquet, Xin Hexue manipulated Qiu Yuan into believing they were alike, then faced an interrupted proposal from Xi Zhengqing when Pei Guangji arrived and asked whether they had met before. Pei Guangji’s question left Xin Hexue and the watching guests stunned as they noticed Xi Zhengqing’s promise rings.

• Xin Hexue danced with Qiu Yuan, teased him about his suspicions, and used K’s electric shock to confirm Qiu Yuan’s connection to the tentacles.
• Xin Hexue planned to make Qiu Yuan believe they were both nonhuman outsiders so Qiu Yuan would take him under his protection.
• Xi Zhengqing led Xin Hexue to the darkened top deck, showed him promise rings, and asked him to accept them.
• Qiu Yuan interrupted Xi Zhengqing’s proposal by bringing the banquet guests onto the deck, where Pei Guangji appeared.
• Pei Guangji approached Xin Hexue with a drink and asked whether they had met before, then asked if Xin Hexue knew him.

At Qiu Yuan’s birthday party, Pei Guangji met Xin Hexue but could not remember their past, and Xi Zhengqing took Xin away while claiming to be his boyfriend. Pei Guangji investigated his memory loss and searched for Xin as Xi Zhengqing continued hiding his own deception from him.

• Pei Guangji asked Xin Hexue if they had met before, but Xi Zhengqing claimed Xin was his boyfriend and led him away; Pei Guangji admitted he had lost important memories and watched them leave.
• Qiu Yuan explained that Pei Guangji had taken control of the Pei Corporation after waking from his coma, then exchanged teasing messages with Xin Hexue and gained affection points.
• Xi Zhengqing told Xin Hexue that Pei Guangji’s memory loss resulted from an injury in the aircraft accident, while concealing that he had once used Pei Guangji’s identity to approach him.
• Pei Guangji’s doctors said the accident may have damaged his temporal lobe, and he became convinced his missing memories involved Xin Hexue.
• Pei Guangji learned that his former special assistant, Jiang Jing, could not be reached and had gone traveling with his family.

Xin Hexue moved out of the South City villa, leaving Pei Guangji to find remnants of their former life as his memories returned. He settled into a new home with Xi Zhengqing and prepared to audition for a dark sequel in which he would play Yi Si.

• Pei Guangji returned to the villa and found Xi Zhengqing collecting Xin Hexue, who left with his mechanical cat and android butler.
• Xin Hexue settled into the Yangnan Bay apartment with Xi Zhengqing and planned to let Pei Guangji recover their past gradually through the belongings left behind.
• Xi Zhengqing promised to pick Xin Hexue up for his audition the next morning, and the two parted as an affectionate couple.
• Xin Hexue read Qiu Yuan's script for a sequel to Yun Ziming's film, in which Yi Si endured abuse at an academy, was manipulated by the Carter brothers, and ultimately took revenge on their family.

Xin Hexue won the role of Yi Si after a powerful audition and impressed Qiu Yuan during a private test, then filming began under Qiu Yuan’s direction. As the crew prepared to shoot a swimming-class scene, Xin Hexue removed his coat and remembered to take off his ring.

• Yi Si returned to his cramped Lower City home, listened to Moonlight Variations, and ended his life with the revolver his lover had given him.
• Xin Hexue’s audition moved the observers, and Qiu Yuan praised his performance before telling him to wait for the result.
• Will introduced himself to Xin Hexue, who explained that he recognized him from a radio report about a supposed love triangle.
• Qiu Yuan tested Xin Hexue’s suitability for Yi Si by asking about his drinking and fighting, and Xin Hexue slapped him at his request, earning ten Affection Points.
• Xin Hexue was cast, and the crew began filming; he learned Qiu Yuan controlled the production and discovered the director arguing with netizens through alternate accounts.
• Before filming the swimming-class scene, Xin Hexue took off his coat and removed the silver ring on his left hand after his assistant reminded him.

Xin Hexue met Xi Zhengqing’s mother, who welcomed their relationship and gave him a supplementary card while discussing a possible wedding. Xi Zhengqing claimed their families supported their relationship in front of Pei Guangji, whose painful memories of an unknown promised marriage resurfaced.

• Qiu Yuan warned Xin Hexue not to get too involved with Xi Zhengqing and suggested finding a backup plan, earning affection points.
• Xin Hexue met Mrs. Xi for lunch, and she gave him Xi Zhengqing’s supplementary card and said she hoped they would marry soon.
• Pei Guangji saw Xin Hexue dining with Mrs. Xi and hurried over, fearing the Xi family would pressure him to end the relationship.
• Xi Zhengqing arrived and announced that their relationship had their parents’ blessing, then invited Pei Guangji to be a groomsman.
• Pei Guangji remembered promising to marry someone and arranging a proposal ring, but could not recall who the intended person was.

Xin Hexue filmed Yi Si’s reunion with the Carter Brothers at a hotel reception, while Pei Guangji’s rut and a call to Xin Hexue left him devastated after he heard Xin Hexue with Xi Zhengqing. After filming wrapped, Xin Hexue stayed behind when he spotted Director Qiu, leaving their next conversation to follow.

• Xin Hexue accepted Xi Zhengqing’s marriage proposal and kissed him as Pei Guangji’s rut began at the villa.
• Pei Guangji found Xin Hexue’s contact and called; he heard Xin Hexue and Xi Zhengqing being intimate, raising Pei Guangji’s Heartbreak Value by 30.
• Xin Hexue ended the call and told Xi Zhengqing that nobody had called.
• Xin Hexue reshot Yi Si’s hotel-reception scene five times before Director Qiu ended filming for the night.
• Xin Hexue told his assistant to wait in the car after he and Qiu Yuan exchanged looks outside the filming location.

Qiu Yuan criticized Xin Hexue’s portrayal of Yi Si as too confident and took him on a motorcycle ride to give him a taste of losing control. Afterward, they discussed Xin Hexue’s uncertain future as rumors spread that he would soon get engaged to Xi Zhengqing.

• Qiu Yuan told Xin Hexue that his performance lacked Yi Si’s desperation and explained how Yi Si’s Lower City upbringing shaped him.
• Qiu Yuan took Xin Hexue on a fast motorcycle ride along the coast, and Xin Hexue clung to him as the bike rounded a bend.
• When Xin Hexue began coughing, Qiu Yuan slowed down and gave him warm water at their seaside destination.
• Xin Hexue admitted that his unhealthy body kept him from taking risks or doing things he could not control.
• Qiu Yuan asked what Xin Hexue had decided about finding a way out and warned that people in the Core District already knew he might get engaged to Xi Zhengqing early next month.

Xin Hexue learned that the Gong Group had hired an assassin and decided he wanted to make his enemies go crazy rather than fake his death. After Qiu Yuan brought him home, Xi Zhengqing heard him murmur Pei Guangji’s name in his sleep and grew alarmed.

• Qiu Yuan told Xin Hexue that the Gong Group had hired a killer through Black Snake and Spark, and offered to help him fake his death before the engagement banquet.
• Xin Hexue tricked Qiu Yuan into smoking the cigarette he had pretended to want, then fell asleep on a bench while Qiu Yuan watched over him.
• Qiu Yuan found messages from Pei Guangji on Xin Hexue’s unlocked communicator and carried the sleeping Xin Hexue home to Xi Zhengqing.
• Xi Zhengqing took Xin Hexue inside, warned Qiu Yuan to keep his distance, and threw Qiu Yuan’s jacket back out the door.
• Xin Hexue reflected that Qiu Yuan’s snooping could help push Pei Guangji to recover their chat history before the engagement banquet.
• Xi Zhengqing heard Xin Hexue murmur Pei Guangji’s name in his sleep and became suspicious.

Xin Hexue met Pei Guangji and let him believe he had forced his way between Xin Hexue and Xi Zhengqing, then arranged for photos of their meeting to spark a breakup rumor. Pei Guangji had the rumors suppressed but was left grieving in the villa, while Xin Hexue still needed thirty-five more Heartbreak Value.

• Xin Hexue rejected Pei Guangji’s questions about their past and told him to throw away the matching belongings in the villa, leading Pei Guangji to believe he had interfered in Xin Hexue and Xi Zhengqing’s relationship.
• Pei Guangji tried to stop Xin Hexue from leaving and asked if their relationship could be salvaged, but Xin Hexue told him to let go and left.
• A hidden camera captured their meeting, and the photos appeared on the Star Network with a rumor that Pei Guangji had broken up with his first love.
• Xin Hexue reassured Xi Zhengqing that he would meet him after work, then asked Pei Guangji to clear up the rumor; Pei Guangji removed the posts and apologized.
• Xin Hexue paid the paparazzo with Xi Zhengqing’s money, while Pei Guangji drank alone in the villa and mourned Xin Hexue.

Pei Guangji received the backup-server key from Jiang Jing and discovered Xin Hexue’s missed messages from the previous November as Xi Zhengqing and Xin Hexue’s engagement festivities began. At the Xi Residence, Xin Hexue found the hidden entrance to Xi Zhengqing’s collection room, but Xi Zhengqing stopped him and claimed the room was abandoned.

• Qiu Yuan brought Jiang Jing to Pei Guangji, and Jiang Jing gave him the backup-server key.
• Pei Guangji transferred the data and found old messages from Xin Hexue, then dropped his bottle as dawn fireworks marked the engagement festivities.
• Xi Zhengqing and Xin Hexue woke together at the Xi Residence and prepared for their engagement banquet.
• Xin Hexue continued searching the residence for Xi Zhengqing’s collection room, suspecting it held the collar he had given Pei Guangji.
• Xin Hexue turned a vase in the study and opened a concealed entrance, but Xi Zhengqing yanked him away and closed it.