Recaps

Dong Xuebin took a day off to search Qingluan Mountain for the ancient tomb that could speed up his promotion. After hours of fruitless searching, he kept digging around the mountain.

• Dong Xuebin reviewed the progress he had made in Jiaolin County and decided his work could proceed without him for a day.
• Dong Xuebin took a taxi alone to Qingluan Mountain to find the tomb before villagers discovered it months later.
• Dong Xuebin told Su Yan to handle routine matters during his break and contact him only about urgent issues.
• Dong Xuebin searched around the mountain’s lower slopes for two hours but found nothing.
• Dong Xuebin made makeshift shovels from branches and trunks and continued digging as he searched.

Dong Xuebin searched Qingluan Mountain for an ancient tomb, then stopped to avoid changing the future he had foreseen. As he tried to get home, Fang Wenping invited him to celebrate her birthday, and he agreed to visit her immediately.

• Dong Xuebin searched Qingluan Mountain for hours while talking with Xie Huilan, who teased him about the difficulties of becoming a county leader.
• Dong Xuebin realized he could not find the ancient tomb himself and feared that searching might disrupt the future, so he abandoned the hunt.
• Dong Xuebin struggled to find a taxi because he was covered in mud and headed toward a station to take a long-distance bus home.
• Fang Wenping called Dong Xuebin and told him to come to her home for her birthday because she knew few people after her transfer.
• Dong Xuebin called Fang Wenping back, agreed to come, and asked her to send him the address.

Dong Xuebin traveled from Qingluan Mountain to the provincial capital and stopped at an Omega boutique to buy a birthday gift for Fang Wenping. While he considered watches in his mud-covered clothes, he learned Huo Yibang’s appointment had been approved and helped arrange care for Huo’s child at 301 Hospital.

• Dong Xuebin bought a handwritten bus ticket and rode to the provincial capital, resting despite the other passengers’ stares at his muddy clothes.
• Dong Xuebin went into an Omega boutique to choose a watch for Fang Wenping’s birthday, while staff and customers judged his appearance.
• Huo Yibang called Dong Xuebin to thank him after his appointment as deputy county chief was approved.
• Huo Yibang told Dong Xuebin he had brought his child to 301 Hospital, and Dong instructed him to call Dean Liu for help.
• The boutique’s staff and customers overheard Dong Xuebin’s confident conversation and looked at him with surprise.

Huo Yibang brought his sick child to 301 Hospital, where Liu Xuemei arranged prompt treatment through Dong Xuebin’s connection. Meanwhile, Dong Xuebin bought watches for Fang Wenping and himself, astonishing the boutique’s customers with his wealth despite his muddy clothes.

• Huo Yibang called Liu Xuemei as Dong Xuebin had instructed, and she sent staff to receive his family at 301 Hospital.
• Liu Xuemei personally examined Huo Yibang’s child and arranged tests, admission to a private room, and a free stay at a partner hotel.
• Dong Xuebin chose a 100,800-yuan Omega watch as a gift for Fang Wenping and asked the saleswoman to size it to his wrist.
• The saleswoman recognized Dong Xuebin’s Patek Philippe as genuine, and customers watched him pay for the Omega watch without hesitation.
• Dong Xuebin also bought a 660,000-yuan Omega pocket watch for himself, leaving the boutique customers and staff stunned.

Dong Xuebin went to Fang Wenping’s home for her birthday after getting covered in mud, bringing groceries and stopping to shower. The chapter left him dressed in Fang Wenping’s oversized thermal underwear while his clothes washed.

• Fang Wenping called Dong Xuebin and told him to buy groceries on his way to her home.
• Dong Xuebin took a bus to the Provincial Party Committee Family Compound, where guards stopped him until he showed his Jiaolin County work ID.
• Fang Wenping let Dong Xuebin into her apartment and told him to shower after seeing how muddy he was.
• Fang Wenping gave Dong Xuebin a set of her thermal underwear to wear, and he put his dirty clothes in the washing machine.
• Dong Xuebin discovered he had washed Fang Wenping’s lace underwear with his clothes, then put on her loose thermal underwear.

Dong Xuebin spent Fang Wenping’s birthday at her home, where she gave him her laundry to wash and expected him to cook dinner. He gave her an Omega watch, which she tried on and kept wearing, then went to the kitchen to prepare a meal.

• Dong Xuebin hung up the clothes he had washed with Fang Wenping’s laundry and watched her take her underwear upstairs to dry.
• Dong Xuebin gave Fang Wenping an Omega watch for her birthday, and she tried it on and said it was alright.
• Fang Wenping told Dong Xuebin to cook dinner because she could not cook and did not want to go out.
• Dong Xuebin asked what food she liked, got no preference from her, and went to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients.

Dong Xuebin spent Fang Wenping’s birthday cooking dinner at her home, then waited with her for his soaked clothes to dry. When they still were not dry late at night, Fang Wenping told him he could stay in a guest room, leaving him to decide whether to spend the night.

• Fang Wenping made Dong Xuebin clean and cook fish while she watched TV and gave him orders from the living room.
• Fang Wenping spoke warmly with her niece Fang Shuiling on the phone, and Dong Xuebin reflected that she had invited only him for her birthday.
• Dong Xuebin served dinner, toasted Fang Wenping, and ate and drank while she gave his cooking only lukewarm praise.
• Dong Xuebin checked his clothes on the balcony and found them still soaked, so he hung them near the radiator and watched TV with Fang Wenping.
• When his clothes remained wet at nine o’clock, Fang Wenping told Dong Xuebin he could stay in a guest room and went upstairs to bed.

Dong Xuebin stayed overnight at Fang Wenping's house because his clothes were soaked and it was too late to travel. After she called him upstairs to bring her a pillow, he stood by her bed, unsure whether she wanted him to leave or lie down.

• Dong Xuebin decided to sleep in a guest room at Fang Wenping's house rather than leave in his wet clothes.
• Dong Xuebin tried to fall asleep but stayed awake, thinking about Fang Wenping.
• Fang Wenping called and asked Dong Xuebin to bring her a buckwheat-hull pillow from downstairs.
• Dong Xuebin took his own pillow upstairs and set it on Fang Wenping's bed.
• Fang Wenping replaced her pillow and lay back down, leaving Dong Xuebin uncertain what to do.

Dong Xuebin climbed into bed beside Fang Wenping and cautiously touched her while she lay still. After a call from her secretary interrupted him, Fang Wenping sat up and began drinking, leaving him unsure what she intended to do.

• Dong Xuebin decided to stay in Fang Wenping's bedroom and slipped naked beneath her covers.
• Dong Xuebin reached toward Fang Wenping, but her phone rang before he could touch her.
• Fang Wenping scolded her secretary for calling about a visiting English delegation during her rest and said they would discuss it on Monday.
• Dong Xuebin took Fang Wenping's stillness as permission, wrapped an arm around her waist, and squeezed her buttocks.
• Fang Wenping sat up, smoothed her hair, fetched a drink, and began drinking while Dong Xuebin waited beneath the covers.

Dong Xuebin pursued Fang Wenping after she drank heavily, and the two had sex. He prolonged the encounter by using Reverse to turn back his body's time.

• Dong Xuebin watched Fang Wenping drink about half a bottle of baijiu despite her earlier complaint that her stomach hurt.
• Dong Xuebin touched and kissed Fang Wenping, who initially responded with silence and resistance.
• Fang Wenping undressed, and Dong Xuebin began having sex with her.
• Dong Xuebin continued for hours and used Reverse to turn back the time of his own body.

Dong Xuebin woke beside Fang Wenping to news that an English delegation would visit Jiaolin County, but he declined to return to the office and prepare immediately. After Fang Wenping rejected a gift-bearing visitor, Dong Xuebin massaged her while she checked work messages, and they remained together at her home.

• Su Yan told Dong Xuebin that an English delegation would visit Jiaolin County on Monday and asked him to return to oversee preparations.
• Dong Xuebin said he could not come back that day and told Su Yan they could discuss the visit on Monday.
• Fang Wenping rejected Lao Zhou's attempt to visit with gifts and complained about the local culture of gift-giving.
• Dong Xuebin offered to make breakfast and then massaged Fang Wenping's shoulders and waist as she read messages on her phone.

Dong Xuebin stayed at Fang Wenping’s home after they spent the night together, and their flirtation led to them having sex again. The chapter ended with Dong Xuebin holding Fang Wenping by the hair as she stopped resisting.

• Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping got up late, showered, and ate a simple breakfast he had cooked.
• Dong Xuebin asked when he should leave, and Fang Wenping told him he could stay or go as he pleased.
• While they watched television, Dong Xuebin stroked Fang Wenping’s thigh and asked whether he had finished inside her the night before; she said it was her safe period.
• Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping began having sex again on the sofa.
• When Fang Wenping tried to change positions, Dong Xuebin grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, and she stopped struggling.

Dong Xuebin worried that Fang Wenping would punish him for grabbing her hair during their encounter, but he apologized and helped her rest. As they watched the news, Fang Wenping warned him to keep his county cautious while the Baohong City investigation’s impact continued.

• After showering, Dong Xuebin returned downstairs and apologized to Fang Wenping for grabbing her hair.
• Fang Wenping’s legs gave way when she tried to stand, so Dong Xuebin carried her upstairs and settled her in bed.
• Dong Xuebin waited on Fang Wenping and asked her for political advice while they watched news about the Baohong City investigation.
• Fang Wenping told Dong Xuebin that his county should keep its heads down until the investigation’s impact had passed.
• Dong Xuebin continued touching Fang Wenping as they talked and privately guessed that she had a hidden masochistic streak.

Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping spent the morning together, then ate lunch before Fang Wenping learned that the English delegation had arrived early. As she left to meet them, she reminded Dong Xuebin to keep their encounter secret.

• Dong Xuebin quietly left Fang Wenping to sleep and prepared food while she rested.
• Fang Wenping woke around midday, asked Dong Xuebin to cook more, and ordered him to wash the sofa cushions and her bedroom sheets.
• Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping ate the meal he prepared, finishing all three dishes and the soup.
• Fang Wenping received a call saying the English delegation had arrived early and learned that they might stay in Dong Xuebin's county on Monday.
• Fang Wenping dressed to leave and told Dong Xuebin not to answer the house phone, touch anything, or open the curtains.
• Before leaving, Fang Wenping used Dong Xuebin's promised favor to make him swear not to tell anyone about their encounter.

Dong Xuebin returned to work in good spirits and learned that the England Exchange Group would arrive that evening, requiring a rushed, high-standard reception. He assigned preparations to Meng Hanmei and Zhang Dongfang, and agreed to welcome the group with the county leaders.

• Dong Xuebin arrived early and reviewed the documents Su Yan had organized, while Su Yan reported that the Provincial Investigation Team was withdrawing and that the county had largely escaped punishment.
• Meng Hanmei asked Dong Xuebin about the Old County Party Committee Compound renovation, and he gave her full authority to manage the work and secure funding.
• Zhang Dongfang informed Dong Xuebin and Meng Hanmei that the England Exchange Group would arrive that evening and that the city expected a high-standard reception and a forum with local entrepreneurs.
• Dong Xuebin tasked Zhang Dongfang with gathering entrepreneurs and Meng Hanmei with arranging hotel rooms, meals, English banners, and vehicles.
• Dong Xuebin agreed to join Zhang Dongfang and other county leaders in welcoming the exchange group that night.

Dong Xuebin and Jiaolin County officials scrambled to change the reception plans for the England exchange delegation, then waited outside a restaurant as the delegation failed to appear. They learned the delegation had changed its dinner plans again and would arrive in the county later that night.

• Meng Hanmei told Dong Xuebin that the England delegation wanted Republic cuisine instead of the planned Western meal, forcing the county to find a new restaurant at short notice.
• Dong Xuebin informed Zhang Dongfang and Wei Zhixuan of the change, and Zhang Dongfang recalled the staff who had put up the original banners.
• Meng Hanmei secured a banquet hall, and Jiaolin County officials and invited entrepreneurs gathered outside to welcome the delegation.
• After the delegation failed to arrive, Dong Xuebin told Meng Hanmei to call and ask about the delay.
• Meng Hanmei learned that the delegation had decided to dine with the city instead, though it would still stay in Jiaolin County and arrive before eight.

After the foreign guests canceled their dinner at the last minute without notifying Jiaolin County, Dong Xuebin furiously berated Deputy Director Niu over the phone and led the officials and entrepreneurs into the restaurant to eat without them. He and Zhang Dongfang apologized to the entrepreneurs, who reassured them that they did not blame the county.

• Meng Hanmei learned from Deputy Director Niu that the foreign guests would skip dinner in Jiaolin County and only come later to stay overnight.
• Dong Xuebin took Meng Hanmei's phone and angrily cursed Deputy Director Niu for leaving county leaders and invited entrepreneurs waiting without notice.
• Deputy Director Niu threatened to report Dong Xuebin to the City Discipline Inspection Committee, but Dong Xuebin dared him to report higher and ended the call.
• Dong Xuebin told everyone to eat without the foreign guests, and the county officials and entrepreneurs followed him into the restaurant.
• Dong Xuebin and Zhang Dongfang apologized to the entrepreneurs for the wasted wait, and the entrepreneurs said they understood and blamed the foreign guests instead.

After the Foreign Guests failed to arrive as expected, Dong Xuebin ordered the county to cancel their hotel rooms and bill the city for the dinner. The chapter left Meng Hanmei and the other officials stunned as Dong Xuebin refused to arrange any accommodations for the guests.

• County officials and entrepreneurs discussed Dong Xuebin's earlier outburst and complained about the Foreign Guests and the city officials accompanying them.
• After dinner, Meng Hanmei prepared to check the hotel rooms reserved for the Foreign Guests.
• Dong Xuebin ordered Meng Hanmei to cancel every reserved room and said the county would not pay for the guests' accommodations.
• Dong Xuebin told Meng Hanmei to send the dinner bill to the city and demand reimbursement from Deputy Director Niu.
• Meng Hanmei hesitated, but Dong Xuebin insisted that she carry out his orders.

Dong Xuebin left the reception after canceling the hotel arrangements, while Deputy Director Niu and the England exchange delegation arrived late to find most of Jiaolin County’s investors and officials gone. Deputy Director Niu berated the remaining county officials, but Zhang Dongfang and Meng Hanmei pushed back, leaving the conflict over the delegation’s treatment unresolved.

• Dong Xuebin returned to the Family Compound, where he drank tea on the terrace to calm his anger.
• Meng Hanmei refused a staffer’s suggestion to enlarge the reception lineup, saying Dong Xuebin’s anger had already made his position clear.
• Deputy Director Niu’s convoy arrived nearly half an hour late, after Zhang Dongfang and the Jiaolin County officials had waited in the cold.
• Deputy Director Niu criticized the small reception team and demanded to know why Dong Xuebin was absent.
• When the interpreter asked for the investors, Deputy Director Niu learned they had left, and Meng Hanmei reproached him for making them wait for hours without notice.

Jiaolin County’s leaders confronted Deputy Director Niu over the Foreign Guests’ repeated delays and his refusal to acknowledge the county’s grievances. The English delegation left without meeting local investors, and Meng Hanmei demanded reimbursement for the wasted dinner while refusing to arrange their hotel.

• Deputy Director Niu demanded that Jiaolin County contact its entrepreneurs and arrange a meeting with the Foreign Guests.
• Wei Zhixuan told Niu that the entrepreneurs would not come because the foreigners had broken their appointment and damaged their trust.
• Zhang Dongfang, Wei Zhixuan, Meng Hanmei, and Dong Xuebin’s side united in refusing to accommodate Niu’s demands.
• The Englishmen heard the dispute, climbed into their vehicles, and told the interpreter they would skip the investor meeting and rest at a hotel.
• Meng Hanmei said the county had canceled the hotel booking and handed Niu the dinner bill, demanding that his side reimburse it.

After the municipal government office and foreign guests mistreated Jiaolin County’s delegation, Dong Xuebin learned what had happened and prepared a retaliatory move. He sent Su Yan to reserve every vacant room at the county’s best hotels, leaving the city’s visitors with nowhere to stay.

• Meng Hanmei explained that Dong Xuebin had paid the 13,000-yuan meal bill himself, and Deputy Director Niu angrily rejected the receipt.
• Deputy Director Niu apologized to the foreign guests while criticizing Jiaolin County, so Zhang Dongfang, Wei Zhixuan, and the county delegation left.
• Meng Hanmei reported the incident to Dong Xuebin, who told the county officials to return to work as usual the next day.
• Dong Xuebin summoned Su Yan and ordered him to reserve every vacant room at six or seven decent hotels, using Dong’s bank card to pay.

Dong Xuebin ordered Su Yan to book every room in the county’s better hotels with his own money, hoping to force Deputy Director Niu and the Foreign Guests to leave. By the time they tried several hotels, every room was gone, leaving them furious and without accommodation.

• Dong Xuebin decided to reserve the county’s hotel rooms himself so Deputy Director Niu and the Foreign Guests would be forced to leave.
• Su Yan instructed Director Wang to contact the hotels and arrange the bookings, promising to pay the full bill.
• Deputy Director Niu arrived at a hotel and tried to book ten suites, but the receptionist said all the rooms had just been taken.
• Deputy Director Niu apologized to the dissatisfied Englishmen and moved them to another hotel.
• Deputy Director Niu and the Foreign Guests tried several hotels, but none had any rooms left.

Dong Xuebin arranged for Jiaolin County’s hotels to deny lodging to the Foreign Guests, forcing them and Deputy Director Niu’s city delegation to return to the city. The County Leaders learned that Dong had booked the remaining rooms with his own money and were stunned by the likely cost.

• Su Yan told Dong Xuebin that one hotel refused to accept payment, and Dong understood that the owner was supporting his plan.
• General Manager Sun called Dong Xuebin and said she would not charge for the rooms at her hotel, citing solidarity against the Foreign Guests.
• Deputy Director Niu failed to find the Foreign Guests suitable lodging in Jiaolin County, and they refused to stay at a small inn.
• Deputy Director Niu took the Foreign Guests and city officials back to the city after they threatened to report the failed exchange.
• Zhang Dongfang, Meng Hanmei, and Wei Zhixuan learned that Dong Xuebin had booked all the remaining rooms in the county’s sizable hotels and wondered how much he had spent.

Dong Xuebin’s costly move to drive away the Foreign Guests caused an uproar across Jiaolin County and prompted an angry call from Vice Mayor Wang Cheng. Dong defended himself by recounting the municipal team’s failures and inventing an explanation for booking the hotels, leaving Wang with little room to answer.

• Zhang Dongfang, Wei Zhixuan, and Meng Hanmei were stunned that Dong Xuebin had spent several hundred thousand to book every major hotel and drive off the Foreign Guests.
• News of Dong’s actions spread through Jiaolin County, where cadres and Civil Servants reacted with a mix of approval and concern.
• At home, Dong relaxed while expecting the city to punish him for the incident.
• Vice Mayor Wang Cheng called and berated Dong after the Foreign Guests complained to the Municipal Party Secretary.
• Dong argued that Deputy Director Niu had mishandled the visit, describing how county entrepreneurs and veteran comrades had been left waiting and then scolded.
• Dong claimed he had canceled the hotel bookings to save public funds and had booked rooms for private investors who could not arrive; Wang recognized that Dong was lying but could not match his verbal skill.

Dong Xuebin refused to contact the foreign guests after they skipped their planned exchange forum, while they complained to the city and province about his treatment of them. Municipal Party Secretary Qian Litao ordered an investigation into Dong and said he should receive at least a Party warning, leaving Dong facing disciplinary action.

• Dong Xuebin told the County Party Committee Office deputy director to focus on Jiaolin County’s work and not contact the foreign guests unless they reached out first.
• The foreign guests and City Government Office staff stayed away from Jiaolin County and reported their complaints to the city and province.
• Qian Litao learned that the foreign guests were still in the city and had no plans to leave until their complaints were resolved.
• Qian Litao spoke with Director Yan, who told him to handle the matter as he saw fit.
• Qian Litao ordered the City Discipline Inspection Committee to investigate Dong Xuebin and set a minimum punishment of a Party warning, with removal from office possible if further issues emerged.