Recaps

Dong Xuebin learned that Wang Anshi had arranged his transfer to Party School and confronted the secretary’s office, but was turned away. Wang Anshi explained to Wang Yuling that he had sent Dong away to appease Xue Qingrong and protect his political interests.

• Dong Xuebin realized Wang Anshi had arranged his Party School transfer and went to demand an explanation.
• Secretary Zang blocked Dong Xuebin from entering Wang Anshi’s office, and Dong concluded that Wang Anshi had targeted him.
• Wang Yuling confronted her uncle, Wang Anshi, and argued that Dong Xuebin deserved gratitude for treating his appendicitis.
• Wang Anshi told Wang Yuling that Dong Xuebin had brought the transfer on himself by hitting someone and dismissed her objections.
• Wang Anshi reflected that sending Dong to Party School would ease Xue Qingrong’s resentment and benefit Geng Xinke and Wang Yuling.

Dong Xuebin learned that Wang Anshi had sent him to the Party School to appease Xue Qingrong, leaving Geng Xinke temporarily in charge of the Street Office. As Dong prepared to report the next day, he faced the loss of his authority and the credit for the Respect-the-Elderly Model Unit work.

• Madam Yan questioned Wang Anshi about sending Dong Xuebin to the Party School, but Wang defended the decision as a way to placate Xue Qingrong and avoid damaging his ties with Geng Yuehua's side.
• News spread through Guangming Street Office that Dong Xuebin would attend the Party School and Geng Xinke would temporarily oversee the office's work.
• Dong Xuebin returned to his office, realized Wang Anshi had sacrificed him to appease Xue Qingrong, and lamented that his efforts to build a relationship with Wang had been repaid with punishment.
• Wang Yuling apologized to Dong Xuebin and offered to hand the Respect-the-Elderly work to Director Zhou, but Dong told her to carry out her assigned duties.
• Geng Xinke came to discuss the handover, and Dong ordered him to submit the month's work summary before taking over; Geng privately welcomed the chance to gain authority and credit from Dong's predicament.

Dong Xuebin faced being sent to the Party School and, after Wang Anshi rejected his attempt to reconcile, decided to stop accommodating Nanshan District’s leaders. He called Yang Zhaode to explain the situation, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Qu Yiqiang, Zhou Yanru, and Wang Yuling left Dong Xuebin’s office after failing to find a way to prevent his Party School assignment, while Meng Senguo stayed away from work.
• Dong Xuebin considered asking Xie Huilan or her aunt for help, but decided those approaches could damage his position further.
• Dong Xuebin called Wang Anshi and tried to invite him to dinner, but Wang Anshi dismissed him and ended the call.
• Dong Xuebin decided to confront the district leaders rather than keep seeking their favor, then called Yang Zhaode for help.
• Yang Zhaode asked about the Party School assignment, and Dong Xuebin explained how the district had added him to the training class at the last minute.

Dong Xuebin returned to Guangming Street Office instead of reporting to the Party School, openly defying the district’s decision. The news spread across Nanshan District, leaving officials waiting to see how Wang Anshi would respond.

• Geng Xinke arrived at the Street Office expecting to take charge while Dong Xuebin attended the Party School.
• Dong Xuebin drove into the compound, greeted the staff, and settled into his office instead of going to the Party School.
• After learning Dong Xuebin had stayed at work, Zhou Yanru urged him to reconsider, but he calmly asked her for the community work report.
• Geng Xinke told an acquaintance in the district Organization Department that Dong Xuebin had ignored the order, while Yu Rongfeng and Peng Gang discussed the consequences.
• Xue Qingrong informed Wang Anshi that Dong Xuebin had not reported to the Party School, and Wang Anshi became furious.
• News of Dong Xuebin’s defiance spread throughout Nanshan District, and officials waited to see how Wang Anshi would deal with him.

The Municipal Party School rejected Dong Xuebin’s training-class application, preventing Nanshan District from punishing him for refusing to attend and revealing Yang Zhaode’s backing. Dong Xuebin declined Yang Zhaode’s offer to transfer him, choosing to remain at Guangming Street Office despite the district leaders’ resentment.

• Wang Anshi and Xue Qingrong agreed to suspend Dong Xuebin until Secretary Zang reported that the Municipal Party School had returned only Dong Xuebin’s name.
• Nanshan District leaders and cadres learned that the city had blocked Dong Xuebin’s Party School slot, and Geng Xinke realized Dong Xuebin could continue working at the Street Office and claim the upcoming award.
• Yang Zhaode told Dong Xuebin that he had arranged the rejection because he was the Municipal Party School’s principal, and warned him that his conflicts with district leaders would make his work difficult.
• Yang Zhaode offered to transfer Dong Xuebin to a Street Office position in Xiping District, but Dong Xuebin refused and insisted on staying at Guangming Street Office.

Wang Anshi grew angrier over Dong Xuebin’s challenge and resolved to deal with him later, but his appendicitis suddenly flared up. At the hospital, he insisted on Chinese massage, hoping to repeat the treatment he believed Dong Xuebin had given him.

• Wang Anshi called city leaders to learn who was protecting Dong Xuebin, then concluded the backing was probably too weak to arrange Dong Xuebin’s transfer.
• Wang Anshi vowed to punish Dong Xuebin in the future and became angry again while inspecting the District Committee building.
• Wang Anshi’s appendicitis attack left him doubled over in pain, and Secretary Zang and other staff rushed him to the First Hospital of Nanshan District.
• Wang Anshi refused surgery and an IV drip, demanding Chinese massage instead, so the hospital called Doctor Xu.
• Doctor Xu explained that appendicitis massage usually targeted foot reflex zones, and he massaged Wang Anshi’s feet and abdomen at Wang Anshi’s insistence.

Wang Anshi’s appendicitis flared up, and several doctors failed to ease his pain after he refused surgery and insisted on Chinese Massage. When Wang Anshi asked Dong Xuebin to treat him again, Dong refused and hung up.

• Doctor Xu and several visiting experts failed to relieve Wang Anshi’s pain, and they advised him to find the skilled massage doctor who had treated him before.
• Wang Yuling visited Wang Anshi but refused to ask Dong Xuebin for help because Wang Anshi had previously moved against him.
• Zhou Yanru told Dong Xuebin that Wang Anshi’s appendicitis had flared up and that he was hospitalized.
• Secretary Zang called Dong Xuebin on Wang Anshi’s behalf and asked him to provide another massage treatment.
• Dong Xuebin refused to treat Wang Anshi and hung up on Secretary Zang.

Dong Xuebin refused to treat Wang Anshi after the district secretary was hospitalized, deepening their conflict and leaving local officials guessing about his political plans. Over dinner, Dong asked Yang Zhaode whether the Party School still had an opening for him.

• Wang Yuling called Dong Xuebin to ask him to treat Wang Anshi, but he refused because Wang Anshi had previously turned against him after he helped.
• Dong Xuebin declined to join Wang Anshi's faction and went to dinner with Za Xiaoping and Yang Zhaode.
• Geng Xinke and Yu Rongfeng concluded that Dong Xuebin's connections only secured his Party School slot and speculated he would turn to Geng Yuehua's camp.
• Dong Xuebin asked Geng Xinke to represent their office in visiting Wang Anshi, but Geng Xinke refused and suggested sending Director Zhou instead.
• Dong Xuebin asked Yang Zhaode whether another person could be added to the Party School starting the next day.

Dong Xuebin returned to the Street Office after his clash with Wang Anshi, then arranged for Geng Xinke to attend the Municipal Party School in his place. The chapter ended with the news spreading through the office as staff wondered how many more people Dong Xuebin intended to offend.

• Dong Xuebin arrived at the Street Office and dismissed Meng Senguo's attempts to curry favor after he had avoided Dong during his troubles.
• Zhou Yanru told Dong Xuebin that Wang Anshi had undergone surgery, remained in intensive care, and taken a month of sick leave while District Governor Yuehua acted in his place.
• Dong Xuebin called a meeting and told Zhou Yanru not to notify Geng Xinke.
• Geng Xinke learned that Dong Xuebin had held a Party and Government Work Committee meeting without him, then received a Municipal Party School order to report for cadre training.
• The Street Office staff learned Geng Xinke was being sent to the Party School and reacted with shock at Dong Xuebin's escalating conflicts.

Dong Xuebin returned to Guangming Street Office with the Respect-the-Elderly Model Unit honor, but the fallout from his recent actions had strained his standing with district leaders. He arrived at the district government for an investment promotion meeting and found that everyone was avoiding him.

• Dong Xuebin offered to help Father Geng with his bicycle, but Father Geng and Mother Geng rejected him coldly.
• Dong Xuebin announced the award at a staff meeting and decided to display the trophy and certificate in a case in the Administrative Service Hall.
• Shen Fei praised Dong Xuebin briefly and summoned him to the district's Investment Promotion Work Conference.
• Dong Xuebin drove his Porsche Cayenne to the district government, where cadres and staff avoided him because they feared his reputation and the district leadership's reaction.

Dong Xuebin faced isolation at a district investment meeting, where he cheerfully imposed himself on officials who avoided him. The meeting ended with Shen Fei criticizing Guangming Street Office’s poor investment figures, leaving others convinced that Geng Yuehua had begun targeting Dong Xuebin.

• Officials from both district factions avoided Dong Xuebin, but he sat beside Pan Zhengyi and Chu Qinghua and pushed them to have dinner with him.
• Ma Wu prepared meeting materials, and Shen Fei and Geng Yuehua arrived to begin the investment promotion conference.
• Shen Fei explained that a Japanese delegation from Tokyo would visit Nanshan District to inspect investment projects the next day.
• Geng Yuehua directed Street Offices to prepare for the delegation and offer appropriate preferential treatment to attract investment.
• Shen Fei singled out Guangming Street Office for attracting only fifteen million in investment in the first half of the year and receiving seven million in actual funds.
• Geng Yuehua left without acknowledging Dong Xuebin, who calmly gathered his things and left the meeting.

After being criticized by Geng Yuehua, Dong Xuebin decided to keep a low profile and focus on producing results, but a downpour left him sick and locked out of his home. Geng Yuehua found him collapsed outside his door and brought him to her home, where he began to see her as principled despite her hostility toward him.

• Dong Xuebin instructed the Street Office staff to prepare for the Japanese investment delegation’s visit and then left work to clear his head by the river.
• A sudden downpour soaked Dong Xuebin, and he decided to work carefully and build his record despite pressure from Wang Anshi and Geng Yuehua.
• Dong Xuebin caught a fever, lost his home keys while searching for his car, and collapsed outside his locked apartment door.
• Geng Yuehua found Dong Xuebin outside his door, brought him into her home, and left him a towel, quilt, and medicine.
• Dong Xuebin appreciated Geng Yuehua’s help and reconsidered his resentment toward her, but realized he had no water to take the medicine.

Dong Xuebin spent the night at Geng Yuehua’s home while sick and unable to leave, and she quietly cared for him despite their awkward silence. He fell asleep on the sofa beside her after eating the millet porridge she made.

• Dong Xuebin asked Geng Yuehua for water so he could take his fever medicine, and she brought him a cup.
• Dong Xuebin explained that he had nowhere else to go for the night, and Geng Yuehua agreed to let him stay.
• Geng Yuehua made Dong Xuebin millet porridge after hearing his stomach rumble and cleared his wet clothes away.
• Dong Xuebin tried to discuss the Japanese Delegation, but Geng Yuehua told him not to talk about work during rest time.
• Geng Yuehua sat at the end of the sofa beside Dong Xuebin, and he eventually drifted off to sleep.

Dong Xuebin recovered from his fever at Geng Yuehua’s apartment and offered to drive her to Dafeng County after learning its officials had intercepted Nanshan District’s Japanese investors. Geng Yuehua went to confront them, while Dong Xuebin headed to the county’s Investment Bureau to meet her staff.

• Dong Xuebin woke feeling better, thanked Geng Yuehua for caring for him, and borrowed her clothes while his own remained wet.
• Geng Yuehua’s secretary Ma Jian told her Dafeng County officials had taken the Japanese investors from the provincial capital airport.
• Geng Yuehua ordered Ma Jian and Director Pan to pursue the investors, then set out for Dafeng County after her driver failed to arrive on time.
• Dong Xuebin offered to drive Geng Yuehua in his Porsche Cayenne, and they reached Dafeng County in half an hour.
• Geng Yuehua entered the County Party Committee Compound as government office staff came out to greet her, while Dong Xuebin was told to meet Ma Fei and Pan Zhengyi at the Investment Bureau.

Dong Xuebin arrived at the Dafeng County Investment Bureau and confronted its staff for poaching investors from Nanshan District. After Wang Bo left without giving in, the Dafeng County employees scattered in alarm, revealing how widely Dong Xuebin’s notorious reputation had spread.

• Dong Xuebin saw Pan Zhengyi, Ma Qi, and other Nanshan District staff arguing with Wang Bo and Dafeng County officials over investors inspecting Dafeng County.
• Wang Bo claimed Dafeng County had not solicited the investors and said it would escort them to Nanshan District after their inspection.
• Dong Xuebin accused Wang Bo and County Chief Li of poaching investors, then berated the Dafeng County officials for taking advantage of Nanshan District.
• Wang Bo left with several officials, and Dong Xuebin told the Nanshan District staff that cursing them out was better than expecting them to give up the investors.
• Dafeng County employees recognized Dong Xuebin, feared the trouble he might cause, and hurried back inside, leaving the Nanshan District staff stunned by his reputation.

Dong Xuebin accompanied the Nanshan District delegation to Dafeng County to retrieve investors, where his history with local officials and the hotel drew wary attention. After Li Feng agreed to let the investors go, the delegation waited for Geng Yuehua’s instructions and headed to Ruihe Hotel, where staff recognized Dong Xuebin and went on alert.

• Dong Xuebin met Deputy Director Sun Pengpeng at a restaurant and taunted him about trying to take investors from Nanshan District.
• Ma Li and the Nanshan District delegation ate while Dong Xuebin stayed quiet, and Wang Bo reported his arrival to County Chief Li Feng.
• Li Feng recalled Dong Xuebin’s earlier actions at the Investment Conference and told Wang Bo to take Geng Yuehua to pick up the investors.
• As rain fell, Ma Li and the delegation waited until Geng Yuehua called them to Ruihe Hotel.
• Hotel staff recognized Dong Xuebin as he entered Ruihe Hotel and alerted the manager, leaving the Nanshan District group stunned by his notoriety.

Dong Xuebin accompanied Geng Yuehua to Dafeng County for a dinner with Japanese investors, then argued with her on the drive back. After he lost control of the Cayenne on a muddy road, they crashed into a grove and became stranded in the heavy rain.

• Geng Yuehua told Dong Xuebin to stay behind after the investors left, and he waited with her in Dafeng County.
• After meeting with County Chief Li Feng, Geng Yuehua left with Dong Xuebin driving her back to the district.
• Geng Yuehua reprimanded Dong Xuebin for cursing at Secretary Wang Bo and ordered him to submit a written self-criticism.
• Dong Xuebin argued that his harsh words had helped recover the investors, then drove too fast along a muddy back road.
• The Cayenne skidded down a slope into a small grove, stalled, and would not restart, leaving Dong Xuebin and Geng Yuehua stranded in the rain.

Dong Xuebin stayed behind with Geng Yuehua in Dafeng County after the Japanese investors returned to Nanshan District, then argued with her over his confrontation with Secretary Wang Bo. Their drive back ended with the Cayenne skidding down a slope into a remote wood and breaking down in heavy rain.

• Geng Yuehua told Dong Xuebin and the others to meet the Japanese investors at Ruihe Hotel and accompany them through dinner and an inspection.
• Dong Xuebin asked to leave early, but Geng Yuehua ordered him to stay and later had him drive her back to the district.
• After meeting County Chief Li Feng and Wang Bo, Geng Yuehua questioned Dong Xuebin about berating Wang Bo at the Investment Bureau and ordered him to write a self-criticism.
• Dong Xuebin defended his harsh words as necessary to get Dafeng County to return the investors, and he and Geng Yuehua argued during the drive.
• Dong Xuebin braked too late at a foggy fork, and the Cayenne skidded down a slope into a small wood.
• The Cayenne stalled and would not restart, leaving Dong Xuebin and Geng Yuehua stranded in the remote woods as the rain fell harder.

Dong Xuebin and Geng Yuehua waited out the storm in their broken-down car, but when she went into the woods to relieve herself, a snake bit her. They returned to the car, where Dong Xuebin realized the bite was near the edge of her underwear.

• Dong Xuebin wrung out his clothes and Geng Yuehua's wet clothes while they shivered in the car.
• Geng Yuehua went into the woods to relieve herself, and Dong Xuebin waited for her to return.
• Dong Xuebin heard Geng Yuehua cry out and found her leaning against a tree with a bleeding bite on her leg.
• Geng Yuehua told Dong Xuebin that a snake had bitten her, though she had not seen what kind it was.
• Dong Xuebin helped the limping Geng Yuehua back to the car and saw that the bite was near the edge of her underwear.

After Geng Yuehua was bitten by a snake, Dong Xuebin sucked at the wound despite her protests, then realized his own mouth had gone numb. Geng Yuehua tried to draw the venom from his lips and tongue, leaving them in the car as she treated him.

• Geng Yuehua was bitten on the thigh, and Dong Xuebin worried that the snake might have been venomous.
• Dong Xuebin insisted on sucking blood from Geng Yuehua’s wound while she warned that he could be poisoned too.
• After several minutes, Geng Yuehua’s numbness eased, and Dong Xuebin bandaged her thigh with torn seat fabric.
• Dong Xuebin’s mouth became numb and he admitted he felt slightly dizzy, prompting Geng Yuehua to order him beside her.
• Geng Yuehua sucked at Dong Xuebin’s lips and then his tongue in an attempt to draw out the venom.

After sucking snake venom from Dong Xuebin, Geng Yuehua shared the car’s only dry cover with him during the storm. When Dong Xuebin said his mouth was still numb, Geng Yuehua kissed him again, leaving their relationship at an uncertain turning point.

• Geng Yuehua sucked venom from Dong Xuebin’s mouth, and he told her he felt better.
• Geng Yuehua urged Dong Xuebin to take off his wet clothes and share the cushion with her in the cramped car.
• Dong Xuebin lay beside Geng Yuehua, struggling to keep his distance as they repeatedly brushed against each other.
• Dong Xuebin said his mouth and tongue were still numb, and Geng Yuehua asked what he meant.
• Geng Yuehua told Dong Xuebin to open his mouth and kissed him again.

In the car after a snakebite, Dong Xuebin treated Geng Yuehua’s wound and repeatedly took liberties while she remained difficult to read. The chapter ended when he moved her panties aside and Geng Yuehua opened her eyes to stare at him.

• Geng Yuehua kissed Dong Xuebin to help with the venom, then told him to sleep.
• Dong Xuebin secretly touched Geng Yuehua’s thigh while she appeared to be asleep, but she opened her eyes and questioned him.
• Dong Xuebin claimed he was checking her bite, and Geng Yuehua closed her eyes without moving her legs.
• Dong Xuebin used his phone to inspect the wound and found it inflamed and oozing pus.
• Geng Yuehua refused further treatment, but Dong Xuebin sucked the wound clean anyway.
• Dong Xuebin pulled Geng Yuehua’s red lace panties aside, and she opened her eyes and stared at him.

Dong Xuebin took advantage of Geng Yuehua’s silence in the dark car and had sex with her. Geng Yuehua remained unresponsive, and the chapter ended with them lying together after she caught her breath.

• Dong Xuebin exposed Geng Yuehua and tended to her wound while kissing and touching her, but she did not respond.
• Dong Xuebin stopped himself and tried to sleep, then changed his mind and asked Geng Yuehua whether he could continue.
• Geng Yuehua gave no clear answer, so Dong Xuebin put on a condom and proceeded while she remained silent.
• Afterward, Geng Yuehua’s breathing became rapid before gradually calming, and Dong Xuebin held her as he fell asleep.

Dong Xuebin woke beside Geng Yuehua after they had slept together in the car and struggled to understand her reaction, especially after realizing it had been her first time. He left the woods to find a signal and arrange help while Geng Yuehua stayed behind and resumed handling district business.

• Dong Xuebin woke up beside Geng Yuehua and regretted their impulsive night together.
• Geng Yuehua dressed and ordered Dong Xuebin to mind his own business when he noticed blood on the seat.
• Dong Xuebin realized Geng Yuehua had been a virgin and wondered why she had chosen to sleep with him.
• Dong Xuebin tried to call for help but could not get a signal, while Geng Yuehua remained silent.
• Geng Yuehua told Dong Xuebin to contact Xiao Ma and have District Governor Ying accompany the Japanese Investors, then Dong Xuebin left to find a signal and help.

After leaving Geng Yuehua in the car, Dong Xuebin learned from Zhou Yanru that several potential matches had abruptly ended their attempts to court the district governor. He returned to Geng Yuehua, who remained distant and focused on work, while he continued wondering what secret explained her unusual marriage history.

• Dong Xuebin reached a village with phone reception, called for repairs, and told Secretary Ma that Geng Yuehua would return that afternoon.
• Dong Xuebin told Zhou Yanru he could not return to accompany the Japanese investors and asked whether Geng Yuehua had a partner.
• Zhou Yanru said Geng Yuehua's parents had arranged several potential matches, but none had progressed; she also mentioned a city leader's son whose courtship had stopped after a few days.
• Dong Xuebin puzzled over why the men had all withdrawn so quickly, then returned to the small woods and found Geng Yuehua reading in the car.
• Geng Yuehua rejected Dong Xuebin's attempts to chat and moved outside when he lit a cigarette, wincing as she leaned against the car and continued reading.