Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin secured Liang Zeyuan’s investment by pretending to drink three jin of liquor, then sent his team back to finalize the contract. Liang signed a twenty-million-yuan deal that afternoon, and Dong rewarded Business Section One with generous bonuses, sparking enthusiasm across the bureau.

• Dong Xuebin pretended to be drunk after finishing the liquor, and Liang Zeyuan agreed to invest in Yantai County.
• Zhao Xinglong praised Dong Xuebin as the Mercedes drove away, and Dong revealed that he was sober and ordered his team back to the Investment Bureau.
• Dong Xuebin told Lin Pingping to check the project details and contact Liang Zeyuan immediately to secure the contract.
• Lin Pingping reported that Liang Zeyuan had signed a twenty-million-yuan contract and that the first payment would arrive the following week.
• Dong Xuebin gave Lin Pingping a 150,000-yuan bonus and arranged bonuses for Business Section One, inspiring other bureau staff to pursue investment deals.

After the county praised Dong Xuebin for securing a twenty-million-yuan project, he shifted the Investment Bureau’s focus toward aggressively pursuing new investors to meet its five-hundred-million-yuan target. He decided to personally help Lin Pingping pursue a chicken-manure treatment project, and they prepared to meet its investor that evening.

• Zhao Xinglong told Dong Xuebin that County Chief Xie and the county government praised the Investment Bureau for signing the twenty-million-yuan pork processing plant project.
• Dong Xuebin commended Lin Pingping and Business Section One at a staff meeting, while Sun Shuli and Jiang Hailiang responded by pursuing a project for Business Section Two.
• Dong Xuebin saw that his staff had become more motivated and resolved to focus on bringing investment into Yantai County.
• Lin Pingping told Dong Xuebin that most of her section’s tracked projects were unlikely to come to Yantai County, but one still had a small chance.
• Dong Xuebin urged Lin Pingping to keep fighting for investors and said he would personally help pursue deals of any size.
• Lin Pingping described a chicken-manure treatment project expected to bring in around ten million yuan, and Dong Xuebin arranged to meet its investor that evening.

Dong Xuebin visited investor Peng Kenong’s home with Lin Pingping to persuade him to invest in Yantai County. After using his rewind ability to upgrade Peng’s son Little Tiger’s game staff to +11, Dong Xuebin got Little Tiger to urge his father to reconsider, leaving Peng Kenong willing to think the investment over again.

• Dong Xuebin and Lin Pingping went to Peng Kenong’s apartment after learning he planned to invest in another county instead.
• Lin Pingping explained that Peng Kenong indulged his son, Little Tiger, and Dong Xuebin went to chat with him about his online game.
• Dong Xuebin used his rewind ability to undo a failed upgrade and raise Little Tiger’s staff from +10 to +11.
• Dong Xuebin asked Little Tiger to persuade his father to invest in Yantai County if he upgraded the staff to +13.
• Little Tiger urged Peng Kenong to invest locally, and Peng Kenong agreed to reconsider the proposal.

Dong Xuebin arranged for Luo Haiting to represent the Investment Bureau at the County Party Committee Dance, then decided he might attend after all because Xie Huilan would be there. Luo Haiting left for the dance while hiding her plans from her suspicious husband, and Dong Xuebin drove there afterward.

• Zhao Xinglong told Dong Xuebin that Xiang Daofa had revived the monthly County Party Committee Dance and urged him to attend.
• Lin Pingping reported that President Peng had reconsidered the chicken manure processing investment and wanted to revisit the proposed site.
• Dong Xuebin asked Lin Pingping to represent the Investment Bureau at the dance, but she declined because she had plans with her son.
• Dong Xuebin asked Luo Haiting to attend as the bureau’s representative, then reconsidered when he remembered Xie Huilan would be there.
• After arguing with her husband over his suspicions, Luo Haiting ignored his call and left for the dance without telling him.
• Dong Xuebin finished dinner and drove to the dance, determined not to leave Xie Huilan vulnerable to other men.

Dong Xuebin arrived at the County Party Committee Guest House dance party hoping to dance with Xie Huilan. When Ding Li invited her first, Dong cut in, and Xie chose Dong as her dance partner, honoring his earlier claim on her first dance.

• Dong Xuebin arrived late and found Xie Huilan watching the dancers from a sofa rather than dancing.
• Dong Xuebin watched Luo Haiting dance and noticed Ding Li behaving intimately with his partner from the Cultural Troupe.
• Ding Li invited Xie Huilan to dance as the other officials watched.
• Dong Xuebin stepped in with the same invitation, interrupting Ding Li and drawing attention from the guests.
• Xie Huilan told Ding Li that Dong Xuebin had reserved her first dance the day before and chose Dong as her partner.

Dong Xuebin used his BACK ability to get through a dance with Xie Huilan without embarrassing himself, impressing the officials watching. Afterward, Xie Huilan declined further invitations, while Dong Xuebin danced with Hu Silian and then Luo Haiting.

• Dong Xuebin asked Xie Huilan to dance so Ding Li could not invite her, then used BACK to correct his mistakes and keep up with her steps.
• Xie Huilan and Dong Xuebin finished the dance to applause, and Ding Li left the room’s dance floor area in displeasure.
• Xie Huilan turned down an invitation from a young official from the Sports Bureau, and Dong Xuebin stopped worrying that another man would dance with her.
• Hu Silian invited Dong Xuebin to dance, and he used BACK only to correct a few awkward mistakes before they finished.
• Luo Haiting invited Dong Xuebin to dance and carefully led him through simple steps, while he suppressed his growing desire.

Dong Xuebin performed a magic trick at the county dance, making a marked coin vanish and reappear in Xiang Daofa’s pocket. As the crowd applauded, Luo Haiting abruptly left the dance floor in anger, leaving Dong Xuebin wondering what had upset her.

• Dong Xuebin danced with several women throughout the evening and became the dance’s most popular partner.
• Xie Huilan asked Dong Xuebin to perform a magic trick as the dance’s finale, and he agreed.
• Dong Xuebin invited Zhao Xinglong to inspect a one-yuan coin and mark it with the character “Zhao.”
• Dong Xuebin covered the coin with a cloth, made it disappear, and revealed it in Xiang Daofa’s pocket; Zhao Xinglong confirmed it was the same coin.
• Luo Haiting stopped dancing with Ding Li and walked away angrily, leaving Dong Xuebin confused.

After Ding Li groped Luo Haiting during a dance, Dong Xuebin retaliated by making Ding Li’s leather coat disappear during a supposed magic trick. Dong Xuebin left the gathering after standing up for Luo Haiting, while Ding Li vowed to remember the humiliation.

• Ding Li touched Luo Haiting while they danced, and she cried out before retreating to a sofa.
• Dong Xuebin noticed Luo Haiting’s distress and, recalling how protective he was of his staff, announced another magic trick.
• Dong Xuebin borrowed Ding Li’s leather coat, covered it with a red cloth, and made it disappear, then pretended the trick had failed.
• Ding Li and his associates searched the stage but could not find the coat, while the guests recognized Dong Xuebin’s deliberate retaliation.
• Xie Huilan ended the dance, and Ding Li watched Dong Xuebin leave while promising himself he would remember the slight.
• Dong Xuebin offered Luo Haiting a ride home, and she thanked him as they left the County Committee Guest House.

After a late night at a dance, Dong Xuebin learned that Luo Haiting had been arguing with her husband, though she concealed the real cause. While reviewing office documents, Luo Haiting flirted with Dong Xuebin, leaving their relationship ambiguously charged as she returned to work.

• Dong Xuebin arrived late after the dance and heard office staff say Luo Haiting had been in a bad mood and argued with someone by phone.
• Luo Haiting told Dong Xuebin she had argued with her husband, while privately reflecting that her husband suspected her of having an affair with Dong Xuebin.
• Luo Haiting brought documents to Dong Xuebin, who approved them and admired her appearance.
• Luo Haiting touched Dong Xuebin's hand, leaned against him while discussing work, and brushed against him as she gathered the documents.
• Dong Xuebin told Luo Haiting to keep using the existing regulations and to follow up on the county's promised three million yuan in funding for vehicles.
• Luo Haiting left the office, privately chiding herself for flirting with Dong Xuebin but feeling encouraged that he had not reacted angrily.

Dong Xuebin learned from Qu Yunxuan’s parents that she was pregnant and had kept the news from him. Unable to reach her and fearing the child was not his, he left Yantai County for Beijing to confront her and learn the truth.

• Luo Haiting flirted subtly with Dong Xuebin while reporting on work, and he let their ambiguous interaction continue within limits.
• Dong Xuebin failed to reach Qu Yunxuan and called her parents, whose unusual questions made him suspect something was wrong.
• Father Qu told Dong Xuebin that Qu Yunxuan was pregnant and had refused to say whether the child was his.
• Dong Xuebin told Luo Haiting and Guo Panwei he was returning to Beijing, then rushed out to find Qu Yunxuan.

Dong Xuebin rushed to Qu Yunxuan’s parents’ home after hearing she was pregnant with someone else’s child, but a medical report revealed the pregnancy was less than three months along and the baby was his. Qu Yunxuan agreed to have the baby and planned to wait until Dong Xuebin’s Five-Year Agreement with Xie Huilan ended before they married and lived together as a family.

• Dong Xuebin hurried to the Qu Family home and confronted Qu Yunxuan about her pregnancy.
• Qu Yunxuan left a medical report on the table and went into a bedroom without explaining herself.
• Mother Qu read the report and realized Qu Yunxuan was less than three months pregnant, so Dong Xuebin understood the child was his.
• Dong Xuebin apologized to Qu Yunxuan, and she forgave him for believing the misunderstanding.
• Dong Xuebin insisted that Qu Yunxuan have the baby, and she agreed to wait until his Five-Year Agreement with Xie Huilan ended before they married.

Dong Xuebin and Qu Yunxuan celebrated the pregnancy with her parents, who welcomed Dong as family and fussed over their daughter. After the couple went to bed, they began making love, but Mother Qu overheard them and scolded them through the door.

• Dong Xuebin called Qu Yunxuan's parents Mom and Dad and happily listened to her belly, imagining their child calling him Daddy.
• Mother Qu invited Dong Xuebin and Qu Yunxuan to stay the night and urged them to rest for the pregnancy.
• Dong Xuebin warmed the bed for Qu Yunxuan, and the couple affectionately teased each other before becoming intimate.
• Someone knocked on the bedroom door, briefly interrupting the couple, but they soon resumed.
• Mother Qu overheard Dong Xuebin and Qu Yunxuan's intimate banter and told them to stop and go to sleep.

Dong Xuebin spent a playful morning with his pregnant partner Qu Yunxuan at her parents’ home, then took her out for a drive and a movie. They discussed her pregnancy and plans to hand off day-to-day work at Yun De Auction Company, while Dong Xuebin remained eager to stay by her side.

• Dong Xuebin woke beside Qu Yunxuan and fussed over her belly, but she stopped him from being too physical because of the pregnancy.
• Qu Yunxuan made breakfast while Dong Xuebin clung to her, and they awkwardly endured Mother Qu’s repeated advice about pregnancy and limiting sex.
• Qu Yunxuan led Dong Xuebin out of her parents’ home, and they decided to take her Mercedes to the movie theater.
• Qu Yunxuan told Dong Xuebin that Yun De Auction Company’s assets had grown to about fifty million and that she planned to hand its general manager duties to a deputy.
• Qu Yunxuan said she would step back from the auction house’s daily affairs and focus on having the baby, while Dong Xuebin joked about the child’s future and appearance.

After returning to Yantai County from three happy days with Qu Yunxuan, Dong Xuebin learned that the Finance Department had withheld the Investment Bureau’s approved allocation, preventing it from paying bonuses. He decided to confront Director Ding Li himself.

• Dong Xuebin returned to the Investment Bureau in high spirits after spending several days with Qu Yunxuan, and kept his impending fatherhood a secret.
• Lin Pingping and Jiang Hailiang told Dong Xuebin that the county allocation had not arrived and that delayed bonuses were hurting staff morale.
• Luo Haiting explained that the Finance Department had postponed the bureau’s three-million allocation, leaving it without enough money to pay bonuses.
• Sun Shuli reported that the Finance Department had again refused to release the funds, and Dong Xuebin told the section chiefs to assure staff that bonuses would be paid that week.
• Dong Xuebin complained to Zhao Xinglong, who explained that funds had been diverted to emergency relief while some departments had still received allocations.
• Dong Xuebin suspected Ding Li was retaliating over their earlier conflict, declined to ask Xie Huilan for help, and decided to visit the Finance Department himself.

Dong Xuebin went to the Finance Bureau to demand funding for the Investment Bureau, which had received none despite other departments getting appropriations. After Ding Li refused to release money, Dong Xuebin said he would wait in the office until the funds were transferred.

• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that county finances were tight and the Investment Bureau should manage without its appropriation for now.
• Dong Xuebin took Luo Haiting to the Finance Bureau, where they met Health Bureau Director Xu Xu, who was also seeking money.
• Finance Bureau office director Tang Xiaojun claimed Ding Li was away at a meeting, but Dong Xuebin searched the offices and found him hiding in another room.
• Xu Xu asked Ding Li for another million for the Health Bureau, while Dong Xuebin challenged Ding Li over the Investment Bureau receiving nothing.
• Ding Li refused to release funds, so Dong Xuebin announced he would wait in the office until the money was transferred.

Dong Xuebin waited at the Finance Bureau for the Investment Bureau’s funds and used his strange powers to trigger a string of malfunctions in the office. After the staff blamed him, Tang Xiaojun urged Ding Li to release the money, but Ding Li grew angry and the funds remained unresolved.

• Dong Xuebin sat with Luo Haiting in the Finance Bureau and told her to wait while he put his plan into action.
• A clerk lost a budget report, a computer failed, and the office’s air conditioner, water dispenser, and phone lines stopped working.
• The power went out and a computer caught fire, convincing the staff that Dong Xuebin had caused the chaos despite never leaving the sofa.
• Dong Xuebin asked Tang Xiaojun whether the Investment Bureau’s money could be transferred, and Tang Xiaojun went to speak with Ding Li.
• Tang Xiaojun told Ding Li to release the money because of the bizarre incidents, but Ding Li reacted angrily and rejected his explanation.

Dong Xuebin forced the Finance Bureau to release three million yuan to the Investment Bureau by sitting in its office as a string of inexplicable breakdowns disrupted work. After he left, Xie Huilan heard what happened and approved of his success.

• The Finance Bureau suffered repeated equipment failures and power outages while Dong Xuebin waited for funds, and Zhao Xinglong advised him to know when to stop while quietly supporting him.
• When the power failed again and the County Party Committee demanded overdue Financial Statements, Tang Xiaojun urged Ding Li to resolve the Investment Bureau’s request.
• Ding Li ordered Tang Xiaojun to give Dong Xuebin the money and make him leave, so Tang promised to transfer three million yuan within an hour.
• Dong Xuebin accepted the funds and left the Finance Bureau with Luo Haiting.
• Hu Silian told Xie Huilan about the chaos and the transfer, and Xie Huilan laughed and said Dong Xuebin had shown his ability.

Dong Xuebin welcomed the Investment Bureau’s new cars and reviewed the bureau’s recent investment results. He then asked Luo Haiting how the bureau could raise its own funds, but learned that sponsorships had been rare and potentially improper.

• Dong Xuebin arrived to find three new Camrys and a Buick Business, and let the cadres test-drive them.
• Dong Xuebin lent Luo Haiting the keys to his Mercedes and said she could manage it for bureau use when he was not driving it.
• At a Director's Office Meeting, Sun Shuli, Jiang Hailiang, and Lin Pingping reported their sections’ projects, including a newly secured deal and a promising chicken manure treatment project.
• Dong Xuebin praised the bureau’s progress, noting that its signed projects totaled around thirty million.
• Dong Xuebin asked Luo Haiting how the bureau could generate revenue, and she explained that sponsorships had brought little money and could violate discipline if tied to improper requests.

Dong Xuebin discussed the Investment Bureau’s lack of funds with Luo Haiting before Wang Shaoyan barged in demanding an unpaid bonus that Meng Xianglin had allegedly promised him. Dong Xuebin refused to make the payment without documentation, and Wang Shaoyan left after Dong called the Criminal Investigation Team.

• Dong Xuebin and Luo Haiting discussed ways to find money for the Investment Bureau, but came up with no solution.
• Luo Haiting explained that the bureau was united and work had been progressing smoothly, while she and Dong shared a quiet, ambiguous moment on the sofa.
• Guo Panwei warned Dong that Wang Shaoyan had arrived and was causing a disturbance, so Dong ordered him brought upstairs.
• Luo Haiting explained that Wang had already received a one-percent bonus for bringing in a ten-million investment, but claimed Meng Xianglin had separately promised him another fifty thousand.
• Wang Shaoyan demanded the fifty thousand from Dong, who refused to pay without a contract or other documentation and told him to seek payment from Meng Xianglin.
• Wang sat in the office and refused to leave, but walked out after Dong called the Criminal Investigation Team.

Dong Xuebin dealt with Wang Shaoyan’s disruption at the Investment Bureau compound, then learned that Xinhua News Agency reporters were coming to inspect Yantai County’s investment projects. He organized preparations for their visit and approved larger red envelopes, while the bureau braced for the reporters’ arrival the next day.

• Dong Xuebin saw Wang Shaoyan drive away a prospective investor by warning him not to invest in Yantai County, then ordered security to remove Wang if he returned.
• Guo Panwei told Dong Xuebin that Wang Shaoyan had come again, and Dong complained that Meng Xianglin had left the bureau with an unpaid bonus problem.
• Zhao Xinglong told Dong Xuebin that Xinhua News Agency reporters, including someone from its headquarters, would arrive the next day, and instructed him to prepare for their visit.
• Cao Xupeng separately reminded Dong Xuebin to treat the interview as a political task and ensure that nothing went wrong.
• Dong Xuebin convened the bureau leaders, assigned them to prepare the office and project sites, and told Luo Haiting to arrange one-thousand-yuan red envelopes for each reporter.