Recaps

Dong Xuebin and Yu Meixia got drunk at the Dong Family home and were intimate while Yu Qianqian was hiding under the covers. After the awkward discovery, Dong Xuebin drove Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian back to the county, where Yu Qianqian accepted their relationship and promised to keep it secret.

• Dong Xuebin and Guo Panwei drank and talked at the Dong Family home until Guo Panwei left, while Yu Meixia became drunk after one glass.
• Dong Xuebin urged Yu Meixia to dance for him and then pressured her into being intimate with him.
• Dong Xuebin woke in the evening beside Yu Meixia, and they remembered that Yu Qianqian had been in the house.
• Dong Xuebin and Yu Meixia discovered Yu Qianqian under the covers and feared she had witnessed them together.
• Dong Xuebin drove Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian back to the county, where Yu Qianqian said she did not object to them being together and promised not to tell anyone.

Dong Xuebin prepared for his upcoming Investment Bureau post by studying investment promotion and English, then accidentally discovered that saying “nu” brought up a virtual clock and numbers connected to his BACK ability. He was left eager to investigate what else the ability could do.

• Dong Xuebin returned to work at the bureau and studied materials to prepare for his new Investment Bureau position.
• Yao Yi offered Dong Xuebin a home in the County Party Committee Family Compound, and Dong collected the keys but chose not to move in yet.
• Dong Xuebin reviewed English vocabulary and accidentally activated BACK by reading the word “back” aloud, reversing time by one minute.
• Dong Xuebin saw a virtual clock and a string of numbers appear in his vision, then watched them vanish.
• Dong Xuebin repeated “nu” and made the clock and numbers reappear, realizing that the word “menu” had triggered another function of his ability.

Dong Xuebin discovered that the menu displayed his remaining time-reversal allowance and, while searching a dictionary for new commands, accidentally found that “stop” froze time. He learned that stopping and rewinding time drew from the same daily reserve, and the chapter left him considering how his extra minute might have originated.

• Dong Xuebin used the menu to confirm that its numbers showed his remaining rewind time and that he gained one minute at midnight.
• Dong Xuebin searched an English-Chinese dictionary for more commands while Hu Silian told him County Chief Xie wanted to see him and discussed bringing Guo Panwei to the Investment Bureau.
• Dong Xuebin accidentally activated “stop,” freezing everything around him while his remaining time steadily decreased.
• Dong Xuebin shouted “Stop” to resume time and realized that stopping time shared the same reserve as rewind.
• Dong Xuebin tested the new command and speculated that his ability came from gaining an extra minute when he returned from death.

Dong Xuebin officially took over the Investment Bureau and prepared to leave the County Bureau. His colleagues, police officers, and residents he had helped gathered to see him off, leaving him deeply moved as he drove away.

• Zhao Xinglong told Dong Xuebin that Meng Xianglin had been hospitalized again and that Dong would officially assume office at the Investment Bureau that day.
• Dong Xuebin packed his belongings at the County Bureau, where Deputy Captain Feng and other colleagues gathered to help him move.
• Liu Dahai, Chen Fa, Chu Feng, and officers from Huitian Township Police Station arrived to see Dong Xuebin off and gave him gifts.
• More than thirty residents Dong Xuebin had helped brought gifts and thanked him as he prepared to leave.
• Dong Xuebin drove away from the Bureau Family Compound in tears while the residents continued watching him go.

Dong Xuebin moved into his new apartment in the County Party Committee Family Compound and spoke with Xie Huilan about his work as the new Investment Bureau Director. He went to the Cadre Spring Festival Gala and chose to sit with Qin Yong rather than take a seat with the senior leaders.

• Dong Xuebin used Director Yao’s key to inspect and move into a clean one-bedroom apartment in the County Party Committee Family Compound.
• Xie Huilan called Dong Xuebin, praised his past work, and advised him to adopt a new image in investment promotion instead of relying on his old combative style.
• Dong Xuebin drove to the County Party School for the crowded Cadre Spring Festival Gala and parked in a space a cadre pointed out.
• Dong Xuebin found Qin Yong in the packed auditorium and insisted on looking for seats with him in the back rows.

Dong Xuebin attended the county officials’ New Year gala and watched several entertaining performances. He was caught off guard when the host announced that he would perform a brick-breaking act, though he had never submitted a program.

• Dong Xuebin and Qin Yong took seats at the gala, where Xiang Daofa gave a speech and Xie Huilan urged everyone to start the show.
• The County Cultural Troupe opened with a dance, followed by an environmental protection skit and a retired Bureau of Culture official’s live painting.
• The Public Security Bureau’s criminal investigators performed martial arts feats, and Qin Yong praised Dong Xuebin’s own fighting ability.
• Dong Xuebin noticed missed calls from gala staff and learned they wanted him backstage because his program was coming up.
• Su Jia announced that Investment Bureau Director Dong Xuebin would perform “Single Hand Brick Breaking,” leaving him stunned.

Dong Xuebin discovered that Meng Xianglin had secretly signed him up to break bricks at the county evening party, leaving him caught between embarrassing himself and letting the Investment Bureau down. He went onstage and claimed he had been gathering his qi, having just thought of a way to handle the predicament.

• Su Jia announced that Dong Xuebin would perform Single Hand Brick Breaking, surprising the leaders and revealing that he had not known about the program.
• The evening party staff learned that the Investment Bureau had submitted Dong Xuebin's name the previous night and rushed to prepare five bricks.
• Dong Xuebin and Qin Yong concluded that Meng Xianglin had arranged the performance to make Dong Xuebin look foolish.
• Dong Xuebin weighed the risk of breaking bricks against refusing to perform, while the county leaders and his colleagues watched to see how he would respond.
• Dong Xuebin rose, walked onto the stage, and told the audience he had been gathering his qi before breaking bricks.

At the County Party School’s gala, Dong Xuebin turned his scheduled brick-breaking act into a card trick to handle an embarrassing setup. After winning over the audience, he announced that he would now perform Single Hand Brick Breaking, leaving the crowd waiting to see what he would do.

• Dong Xuebin took the stage amid uncertainty about his scheduled Single Hand Brick Breaking act and announced that he would perform a magic trick.
• Dong Xuebin had Su Jia distribute ordinary playing cards to the audience, including Huang Li, Geng Yuchao, Xie Huilan, and other officials.
• Dong Xuebin used BACK to rewind time and correctly named the cards people had drawn, earning applause from the audience.
• After the card trick, audience members demanded the promised brick-breaking act, while Qin Yong urged Dong Xuebin to leave the stage.
• Dong Xuebin announced that the card trick had been a warm-up and introduced his magic performance, Single Hand Brick Breaking.

Dong Xuebin turned the staged brick-breaking act into a magic performance by using Stop to secretly remove the bricks. He left the audience stunned as all ten bricks disappeared, with the hall erupting in applause and disbelief.

• Dong Xuebin claimed that single hand brick breaking was a magic trick and asked for a cloth and ten bricks.
• Su Jia and volunteers inspected the genuine bricks and podium table while Dong Xuebin stacked the bricks beneath the cloth.
• Dong Xuebin used Stop to remove two bricks and then resumed time, making it appear that they had vanished.
• Dong Xuebin repeated the trick, causing the remaining eight bricks to disappear before the astonished audience.
• Dozens of cadres and clerks stood up as the hall erupted in uproar.

Dong Xuebin turned the planned Single Hand Brick Breaking act into an astonishing magic performance, winning the officials’ applause and foiling Meng Xianglin’s attempt to embarrass him. The gala ended with Dong Xuebin’s standing improved, while Meng Xianglin’s condition relapsed.

• Dong Xuebin made all ten bricks disappear beneath an ordinary cloth-covered table, then convinced the audience that the table held no hidden mechanism.
• Xie Huilan led the applause, and the officials praised Dong Xuebin for turning the embarrassing act into a successful magic performance.
• Dong Xuebin declined requests to repeat the trick or reveal how it worked, then returned to his seat and thanked Qin Yong for his praise.
• Meng Xianglin learned that Dong Xuebin had succeeded and won the crowd’s approval, then suffered a relapse of his cerebral hemorrhage symptoms.
• After the gala, more officials greeted Dong Xuebin, Huang Li praised his performance, and Xie Huilan told him he was becoming more politically mature.

Dong Xuebin spent New Year's Eve preparing gifts and exchanging greetings before joining Xie Huilan at her home to celebrate. After sharing dumplings, drinks, and the Spring Festival Gala, they agreed to play cards with the loser taking off an item of clothing.

• Dong Xuebin told his uncle he would celebrate New Year's in the county and visit Huitian Township the next day.
• Dong Xuebin bought gifts, exchanged New Year's greetings with colleagues and leaders, and called Xie Huilan when she did not answer.
• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that Xie Huilan was attending a previously recorded county Spring Festival Gala, so he let himself into her home and prepared chive dumplings.
• Xie Huilan returned, welcomed Dong Xuebin's company, and made a cucumber salad while he cooked the dumplings.
• Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan ate, drank, and watched the Spring Festival Gala together.
• Xie Huilan suggested playing cards, and she accepted Dong Xuebin's joking proposal that the loser remove an item of clothing.

Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan played a card game in which the loser had to remove clothing, and Xie Huilan used her memory and teasing to gain the upper hand. After trading wins, Dong Xuebin ended up in long underwear and vowed to win the next round.

• Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan agreed to play Pulling the Big Cart, with the loser taking off clothing.
• Xie Huilan won the first round, and Dong Xuebin removed his jacket after arguing that shoes and socks did not count.
• Dong Xuebin won the second round and chose Xie Huilan's blouse, which she removed to reveal a thin undershirt beneath it.
• Xie Huilan won the third round and demanded that Dong Xuebin remove his pants.
• Dong Xuebin refused to strip completely, so he removed his outer shirt and pants, leaving himself in long underwear.

Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan played a memory card game on New Year’s Eve, and after he won, she stripped down to her underwear before persuading him to let her keep her dignity. They kissed and held hands through the countdown, ending the chapter together as the new year began.

• Dong Xuebin won a round, but Xie Huilan removed only her suit jacket because the clothing rules had not been settled.
• Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan agreed that the next loser would remove four pieces of clothing, and Dong Xuebin won after using a risky card strategy.
• Xie Huilan removed her slacks and thermal layers, then convinced Dong Xuebin to let her leave her bra and panties on.
• Xie Huilan returned wearing a low-cut shirt, pantyhose, and heels, and Dong Xuebin kissed her while she let him.
• Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan held hands through the New Year countdown, and she teased him for touching her thigh.

On New Year’s Eve, Dong Xuebin celebrated with Xie Huilan and learned that her family would arrange their marriage once he was promoted to Fuchu Level. He was thrilled by the prospect but remained torn because he also wanted to marry Qu Yunxuan.

• Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan set off sparklers together and spent the night in affectionate conversation.
• Dong Xuebin called Han Jing to wish her a happy New Year, and she told him the family planned to arrange his marriage to Xie Huilan after he reached Fuchu Level.
• Xie Huilan confirmed she had agreed to marry Dong Xuebin and urged him to build achievements at the Investment Bureau to advance his career.
• Dong Xuebin celebrated the prospect of marrying Xie Huilan, then worried that he also wanted to marry Qu Yunxuan.

Dong Xuebin learned that Xie Huilan and Qu Yunxuan had agreed to a five-year marriage arrangement: he would marry Xie Huilan first, then Qu Yunxuan, with the future left open. The two women reaffirmed their compromise, leaving Dong Xuebin relieved and deeply moved.

• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin that she and Qu Yunxuan had privately discussed their relationship and reached a decision.
• Dong Xuebin called Qu Yunxuan, who explained that he would marry Xie Huilan for five years and then marry her for five years.
• Qu Yunxuan said she and Xie Huilan had agreed to the arrangement after each made compromises and won a bet over a lottery number.
• Xie Huilan and Qu Yunxuan confirmed that the agreement could change if Dong Xuebin's feelings or circumstances changed.
• Dong Xuebin thanked both women, and they teased each other while reassuring him he did not need to apologize.

After Xie Huilan and Qu Yunxuan agreed to a five-year marriage arrangement, Xie Huilan revealed that both women still hoped to win Dong Xuebin for themselves. She warned that the arrangement depended on Dong Xuebin reaching deputy division level first, leaving him determined to advance quickly so he could marry her before circumstances changed.

• Dong Xuebin thanked Xie Huilan for agreeing to the Five-Year Agreement, but she explained that she and Qu Yunxuan each had their own plans to keep him for themselves.
• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin she would try to make him devoted to her during their five years of marriage, while Qu Yunxuan would likely try to claim him afterward.
• Dong Xuebin privately resolved to keep the agreement and win both women over, though he recognized that his ambitions might be unrealistic.
• Xie Huilan reminded Dong Xuebin that he could marry her only after reaching deputy division level, and that her family might not wait if he took too long.
• Dong Xuebin concluded that reaching deputy division level was a test from the Xie Family and resolved to advance quickly so he could marry Xie Huilan.

Dong Xuebin took office as director of the Yantai County Investment Bureau and found the bureau in a shabby, disorganized state. He resolved to get the staff under control so he could improve its results and advance in rank.

• Xie Huilan advised Dong Xuebin to take charge of the bureau’s internal management and guide his staff rather than trying to handle every investment personally.
• Dong Xuebin arrived at the Investment Bureau on his first day and inspected its cramped compound and rundown office building.
• The reception clerks recognized Dong Xuebin and respectfully greeted him as Director Dong.
• Dong Xuebin walked through the bureau and found staff across its offices and business sections chatting, reading, or sitting idle.
• Dong Xuebin grew angry at the bureau’s lax atmosphere and worried that its poor performance would keep him from advancing and marrying Xie Huilan and Qu Yunxuan.

Dong Xuebin began his first day as director of the County Investment Bureau, meeting department leaders and assessing their attitudes toward him. Deputy Director Lu Dafa failed to attend the introductory meeting, and Dong Xuebin decided to use him as the target for his first move to establish authority.

• Luo Haiting welcomed Dong Xuebin, showed him deference, and arranged a brief meeting for him with the bureau staff.
• Sun Shuli briefly met Dong Xuebin, whose behavior suggested that he resented an outsider taking the director's post.
• Pu Yang and Guo Junbao also paid their respects before nearly all the bureau's department heads gathered for the meeting.
• Dong Xuebin noticed that Lu Dafa had not appeared and concluded that the bureau's internal tensions could obstruct his work.
• Dong Xuebin resolved to make Lu Dafa an example as he established his authority, while remembering the grievances he held against Lu Dafa and his family.

Dong Xuebin officially took charge of the Investment Bureau, urged its staff to improve the county’s poor investment results, and began reshaping the bureau’s leadership structure. He ended his first meeting by placing Luo Haiting’s office directly under him, openly stripping Lu Dafa of authority and escalating their conflict.

• Dong Xuebin delivered his first speech as director, criticized the bureau’s weak investment performance, and challenged the staff to attract major investments.
• After the staff began to leave, Dong Xuebin called the bureau leaders back for a meeting to learn about their departments.
• Dong Xuebin skipped Lu Dafa and asked Luo Haiting to report first, then ordered her to report the office’s work directly to him.
• Lu Dafa reacted with anger as Dong Xuebin’s order removed the office from his supervision and made Luo Haiting report to the new director.

Dong Xuebin tried to establish his authority as the new Investment Bureau director, but Lu Dafa undermined him by spreading a rumor that he planned to cut bonuses and commissions. Dong Xuebin resolved to strike back against Lu, facing his first political test in the bureau.

• Dong Xuebin saw staff working more diligently after his swift move against Lu Dafa and his visit to Business Section One.
• Dong Xuebin overheard Lu Dafa reassuring office staff and continuing to assign work, then recognized that Lu intended to resist him behind the scenes.
• Luo Haiting brought Dong Xuebin files for potential secretaries, but he postponed choosing one because the candidates were unsuitable for him.
• Luo Haiting told Dong Xuebin that staff believed he planned to reduce bonuses and commissions, and he ordered her to investigate the rumor.
• Dong Xuebin concluded that Lu Dafa was behind the rumor and decided he needed to damage Lu's influence, though he had not yet chosen how.

Dong Xuebin searched for a way to weaken Lu Dafa’s influence at the Investment Bureau while its staff watched to see which man would prevail. Guo Panwei arrived from Beijing and was appointed deputy director of the Office to serve as Dong Xuebin’s secretary, giving Dong a trusted aide as his struggle with Lu continued.

• Dong Xuebin considered how to undermine Lu Dafa, while bureau leaders and staff withheld their support and waited to see who would win their power struggle.
• Dong Xuebin asked Luo Haiting about the bureau and learned that Lu Dafa appeared to have no financial or personal-conduct weaknesses to exploit.
• Dong Xuebin told Luo Haiting to ensure the promotional brochure was completed that day for County Chief Zhao to review the next morning.
• Guo Panwei arrived from Beijing, and Dong Xuebin introduced him to Luo Haiting as the new deputy director of the Investment Bureau Office.
• Dong Xuebin clarified that Guo Panwei would handle his office work as his secretary, easing Luo Haiting’s concern that Guo had been brought in to replace her.

Dong Xuebin stayed in a hotel after insecticide made his home uninhabitable, where Xie Huilan warned him that county officials were backing opposition at his bureau to undermine her. As he reviewed Luo Haiting’s promotional materials in his room, someone pounded on the door, claiming police had received a prostitution report.

• Dong Xuebin booked a hotel room because insecticide had made his home too unpleasant to stay in.
• Xie Huilan warned Dong Xuebin that county officials planned to embarrass him through opposition at the Investment Bureau, and he vowed to protect them both.
• Luo Haiting brought Dong Xuebin the completed promotional materials, and he approved the first version for printing.
• Luo Haiting mistook Dong Xuebin’s hotel invitation for a sexual advance but relaxed when he focused on reviewing the documents.
• Someone pounded on Dong Xuebin’s door and shouted that prostitution had been reported at the hotel.

Dong Xuebin used Time Stop to escape a staged police raid intended to disgrace him and Luo Haiting. After the officers searched the room, he confronted the man who had tipped them off and discovered he was Lu Dafa’s brother, Lu Dacai.

• Dong Xuebin realized the police raid on Room 603 was a deliberate attempt to ruin his and Luo Haiting’s reputations, and he sent Luo Haiting into the bathroom.
• Dong Xuebin stopped time, left the hotel, and took the three officers’ wallets and identification before hiding them in a storm drain.
• Dong Xuebin resumed time from a dark patch beside a flower shop as the police burst into the room and found it empty.
• Dong Xuebin recognized Lu Dacai watching the hotel from a Honda and realized he had alerted Lu Dafa to the pair’s arrival.
• Dong Xuebin struck Lu Dacai’s shoulder, making him turn around in shock.

Dong Xuebin turned the failed hotel raid against the three officers who had targeted him, getting Deputy Captain Feng to arrest them as fake police. He returned to Room 603 and reassured Luo Haiting that they could proceed with their publicity document, leaving her baffled about how he had escaped.

• Dong Xuebin confronted Lu Dacai, forced him to drive to a smoke shop, and called Deputy Captain Feng to report a case at Jiade Hotel.
• The three officers left Room 603 without finding Dong Xuebin, and Dong made them search for their missing IDs in front of bystanders.
• Dong accused the officers of impersonating police, and Deputy Captain Feng arrived and ordered them arrested.
• Dong returned to Room 603, where Luo Haiting had been waiting for him, and told her they could proceed with the publicity document as planned.
• Luo Haiting wondered how Dong had appeared behind her after she had searched beneath the bed.

Dong Xuebin broke into Lu Dafa’s home while time was stopped, hoping to find evidence against him, but his search turned up nothing. As he prepared to leave, he discovered Lu Dacai embracing Li Hong and realized he might have found leverage against Lu Dafa.

• Dong Xuebin used Time Stop to enter Lu Dafa’s apartment and search for evidence while Lu Dafa, Li Hong, and Lu Dacai remained frozen.
• Dong Xuebin searched Lu Dafa and Li Hong’s bedroom but found no secrets or suspicious finances.
• Lu Dafa told Li Hong and Lu Dacai that an investigation would find nothing wrong with his finances or private life.
• Lu Dafa left to meet a leader, and Dong Xuebin stopped considering a plan to expose him with compromising photographs.
• Dong Xuebin ended Time Stop and saw Lu Dacai embracing Li Hong in the living room, then realized the scene might give him leverage against Lu Dafa.