Chapter Summaries

Pei Ying returned to the villa and grew suspicious of another alpha’s presence around Xin Hexue, while Xi Zhengqing arrived pretending to be Pei Guangji’s friend. The chapter ended with Pei Ying attacking Xi Zhengqing outside Xin Hexue’s sight.

• Pei Ying returned to the villa and found Xin Hexue playing with the mechanical cat.
• Pei Ying noticed a red mark on Xin Hexue’s neck and a painful bruise on his foot, then searched the villa for signs that another alpha had visited.
• Pei Ying found unfamiliar clothes in the laundry and asked Xin Hexue whether anyone else had come by before the doorbell rang.
• Xi Zhengqing arrived, introduced himself as Pei Guangji’s childhood friend, and exchanged contact information with Xin Hexue.
• Pei Ying recognized clues linking Xi Zhengqing to the other alpha and punched him after they stepped outside.

Xi Zhengqing pressured Pei Ying into keeping Xin Hexue’s identity secret in exchange for help securing the Pei Corporation inheritance. At a gathering with Zuo Yongyan and Qiu Yuan, Xi Zhengqing concealed what he knew about Pei Guangji’s villa, while Qiu Yuan asked about the Thirteenth District and an aberrant’s assassination of Cook.

• Xi Zhengqing warned Pei Ying not to tell Xin Hexue the truth and offered to help him inherit the Pei Corporation if he stayed out of Xi’s way; Pei Ying reluctantly agreed.
• Xi Zhengqing, Zuo Yongyan, and Qiu Yuan met at a themed restaurant, where Xi received Xin Hexue’s message asking him to arrange a new housekeeper for Pei Guangji’s villa.
• Xi Zhengqing told Zuo Yongyan that the villa held a white cat that liked keeping dogs, then denied seeing anyone there.
• Qiu Yuan described the Thirteenth District as a ruined, dangerous place overrun by crime and aberrants.
• Qiu Yuan asked about Cook’s assassination, and Zuo Yongyan said authorities had captured an aberrant that did not match the fatal wound but had publicly named it the killer.

Xin Hexue examined the new android butler Xi Zhengqing had sent and curbed his curiosity after K warned him about hygiene. As the android slowly dressed, an inexplicable ripping sound interrupted them.

• Xin Hexue decided not to remove the android’s external genitalia after K warned that it might not have been disinfected.
• Xin Hexue ordered the android to put its butler uniform back on.
• Xin Hexue began to suspect Xi Zhengqing had sent him a defective model when a sudden ripping sound rang out.

Xin Hexue named the newly activated android Number One and left him learning to knit, while Xi Zhengqing struggled with his feelings and was rejected when he asked Xin Hexue out. Xin Hexue then used Pei Ying’s upcoming coming-of-age banquet to ask “Pei Guangji” to take him and help him find an outfit.

• Xin Hexue sent the android to wash and change, named him Number One, and showed him a tutorial so he could learn to knit.
• Number One watched Xin Hexue leave, reflected on receiving a name, and startled the mechanical cat with his enormous shadow.
• Xi Zhengqing invited Xin Hexue to a romantic restaurant, but Xin Hexue rebuked him and left, prompting Xi Zhengqing’s heartbreak value to rise.
• Xin Hexue watched the film he had made as a teenager and received Pei Ying’s invitation to a coming-of-age banquet.
• Xin Hexue asked “Pei Guangji” to take him to the banquet and help him find an appropriate outfit, then fell asleep while waiting for a reply.

Xi Zhengqing took Xin Hexue to the Pei family banquet under the guise of Pei Guangji, intending to keep his deception intact while courting him. The chapter ended with Qiu Yuan noticing Xi Zhengqing’s closeness to Xin Hexue and questioning him by communicator.

• Xi Zhengqing arranged for Xin Hexue to get a bespoke suit and wore cologne, earning three affection points after Xin Hexue recognized his courtship.
• Xi Zhengqing planned to attend Pei Ying’s coming-of-age banquet as Pei Guangji, then switch identities before entering the crowded hall.
• Xi Zhengqing was struck by Xin Hexue’s black formal suit when he arrived for the banquet.
• Pei Ying greeted Xin Hexue at the estate gate, then called Xi Zhengqing “Brother” under pressure.
• Xi Zhengqing gave Xin Hexue a silver collar chain and overcoat, then shooed away a beetle after noticing Xin Hexue was frightened of it.
• Xi Zhengqing tried to kiss Xin Hexue in the garden, but Xin Hexue stopped him when someone approached; Qiu Yuan then messaged Xi Zhengqing about his behavior.

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.