Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin attended a New Year family gathering at the Xie villa, where he met more of Xie Huilan’s family and struggled to make a favorable impression on Old Master Xie. The dinner began with Dong Xuebin drinking to the elders as Xie Hao enthusiastically recounted his martial-arts exploits.

• Xie Guobang asked Dong Xuebin about moving from the Public Security System to the Investment Bureau, and Dong gave an earnest speech about serving the county’s economy.
• Xie Huilan and Dong Xuebin greeted Old Master Xie, who ignored Dong’s gift of Wild Ginseng and went to speak with Xie Guobang and Han Jing.
• Xie Huilan introduced Dong Xuebin to Xie Ran and Xie Jing, then told him the family hoped to support Xie Ran’s future career.
• Xie Hao arrived, hugged Dong Xuebin, and excitedly told Xie Jing about Dong’s challenge to Korean Taekwondo schools.
• At dinner, Dong Xuebin toasted the elders and drank several cups of Baijiu despite his poor alcohol tolerance.

Dong Xuebin, drunk after dinner, was summoned by Old Master Xie for chess and ended up speaking frankly with him. Their conversation left Old Master Xie laughing and listening as Dong Xuebin criticized his handling of Xie Huilan’s engagement.

• Xie Huilan went upstairs with Xie Ran, leaving Dong Xuebin downstairs with Old Master Xie and the younger generation.
• Old Master Xie invited Dong Xuebin upstairs to play chess, then made the loser drink Moutai; Dong lost several games and became thoroughly drunk.
• Dong Xuebin accused Old Master Xie of trying to get him drunk, then sat in the old man’s chair and asked why he always looked stern.
• Old Master Xie explained that he had spent decades smiling in public before retirement and had grown tired of it.
• Dong Xuebin praised Old Master Xie for enduring a difficult life and defended his own impulsive actions as necessary to protect ordinary people and his conscience.
• Old Master Xie laughed and encouraged Dong Xuebin to keep talking, while Dong criticized him for arranging Xie Huilan’s engagement badly.

After waking at Xishan Villa, Dong Xuebin learned that he had drunkenly called Old Master Xie “Old Xie,” lectured him, and sung the national anthem with him. The morning ended with Old Master Xie giving Dong a personally signed inscription reading “A Clear Conscience.”

• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin that he had gotten drunk playing chess with Old Master Xie and had called him “Old Xie,” criticized him, and sung the national anthem with him.
• Xie Huilan reassured Dong Xuebin that Old Master Xie had not been angry and had laughed and chatted with him.
• Old Master Xie practiced calligraphy and wrote inscriptions for Xie Ran, Xie Hao, Xie Jing, and Xie Huilan.
• Dong Xuebin apologized to Old Master Xie for his drunken behavior the night before.
• Old Master Xie wrote and signed an inscription reading “A Clear Conscience” for Dong Xuebin, surprising the family.

Grandpa Xie gave Dong Xuebin a signed calligraphy piece reading “A Clear Conscience,” then presented him and Xie Huilan with “Match Made in Heaven,” formally approving their relationship. Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan left with the Xie Family’s acceptance.

• Grandpa Xie gave Dong Xuebin the signed calligraphy “A Clear Conscience,” which Xie Huilan explained was a rare honor and a sign that Grandpa Xie liked him.
• Xie Huilan and Dong Xuebin prepared to leave the Xie Family villa and went to say goodbye to Grandpa Xie.
• Grandpa Xie presented Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan with a calligraphy piece reading “Match Made in Heaven,” signaling his approval of their relationship.
• Xie Ran congratulated the couple, while Xie Jing and Xie Hao began treating Dong Xuebin as their brother-in-law.
• Xie Huilan accepted the calligraphy, and she and Dong Xuebin left the villa.

After returning from the Xie Family, Dong Xuebin reunited with his former subordinate Guo Panwei, who described his stalled career at the State Security Bureau. Guo asked to work under Dong at the grassroots level, and Dong agreed to look into arranging it after he returned.

• Dong Xuebin returned home and found Yu Meixia and Yu Qianqian there after their bus to Yantai County had broken down.
• Guo Panwei visited Dong Xuebin, thanked him for his past support, and explained that a new General Office director had sidelined him and stalled his promotion.
• Dong Xuebin told Guo Panwei that he would become the head of the Investment Bureau after the New Year, impressing Guo with his latest promotion.
• Dong Xuebin hosted Guo Panwei, Yu Meixia, and Yu Qianqian for lunch, and Guo toasted them while flattering his former leader.
• Guo Panwei asked Dong Xuebin to help him transfer to the grassroots level and work under him, and Dong agreed to look into it after returning.

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.