Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin hosted a dinner at Yao Cui’s home to bring his colleagues closer and show off his improved cooking. The meal ended with Jiang Fangfang and the others toasting together after Jiang’s faction’s victory over Meng’s faction at the Standing Committee meeting.

• Dong Xuebin prepared twelve dishes, carefully controlling the heat as he cooked for his guests.
• Jiang Fangfang, Pu An, Jian Xiangrong, Lu Zhi, and the others waited for Dong Xuebin before starting the meal.
• The guests praised Dong Xuebin’s cooking, and he discovered that the dishes tasted better than he had expected.
• Jiang Fangfang invited everyone to relax and eat as friends, and the group poured drinks together.
• Jiang Fangfang led a toast as the gathering celebrated the morale boost from Jiang’s faction’s sweeping victory over Meng’s faction.

At a dinner celebrating Dong Xuebin’s rescue efforts, his colleagues praised him while he drank until he felt unwell. Yao Cui took him to her room to recover, where an awkward discovery and her head massage left him privately enjoying the situation.

• Jiang Fangfang, Pu An, Jian Xiangrong, and the others praised Dong Xuebin for rescuing people from the burning Family Compound.
• Dong Xuebin drank several rounds, reached his limit, and left the dinner to wash his face.
• Yao Cui supported Dong Xuebin to her bedroom and helped him dry his face with a towel.
• Dong Xuebin found Yao Cui’s underwear on the bed, and Yao Cui hurriedly put it away as he apologized and teased her.
• Yao Cui massaged Dong Xuebin’s head while he lay down, and he secretly admired her neckline.

After Dong Xuebin recovered from his drinking, he joined Jiang Fangfang and the others as they discussed the damaged Dormitory Building and whether to hold Chu Peng responsible for the Fire Brigade's failures. As they prepared to leave, Jiang Fangfang learned that people were still trapped in the building and ordered everyone to the Public Security Bureau Family Compound.

• Yao Cui massaged Dong Xuebin's head until he felt better, and they returned to the others.
• Jiang Fangfang told the group that professionals would demolish the damaged Dormitory Building with explosives the next morning.
• Jian Xiangrong urged the group to hold Chu Peng responsible for the Fire Brigade's rescue failures, while Pu An argued against pushing him away.
• Jiang Fangfang stopped the discussion of politics and work, and the group finished their meal and prepared to leave.
• Jiang Fangfang received a call and told everyone to go to the Public Security Bureau Family Compound because people were still trapped in the building.

Dong Xuebin learned that Zeng Linghua had been overlooked inside the unstable dormitory and rushed to the rescue site. With her trapped beneath a heavy slab and the rescuers short of people strong enough to lift it, Dong volunteered despite his injuries, but Jiang Fangfang and Yao Cui tried to stop him.

• Jiang Fangfang revealed that Chu Peng's wife, Zeng Linghua, was still trapped in the Public Security Bureau dormitory after the earlier search missed her.
• Dong Xuebin realized the afternoon's Future Newspaper could not have reported an accident that happened later that evening and blamed himself for not checking a newer paper.
• Dong Xuebin and the county leaders hurried to the dormitory, where firefighters found Zeng alive but badly injured beneath a heavy slab.
• The rescue commander said the slab could not be moved with available machinery, the building was unstable, and more strong rescuers were needed.
• When no one else volunteered, Dong Xuebin offered to go inside, but Jiang Fangfang and Yao Cui objected because he was injured.

Dong Xuebin insisted on joining the rescue of Zeng Linghua, who was trapped beneath a massive slab, despite warnings that the dormitory building was unstable. When the floors began collapsing, he stayed behind and charged toward her as everyone urged him to escape.

• Dong Xuebin ignored County Chief Jiang, Yao Cui, and the others’ pleas and went up the aerial ladder with the firefighters to rescue Zeng Linghua.
• The floor collapsed beneath the Fire Brigade Captain and several firefighters, but Dong Xuebin pulled the captain to safety and helped the others escape onto the ladder.
• As the building’s exterior wall crumbled, Dong Xuebin refused to leave and stayed inside after spotting Zeng Linghua’s legs beneath the slab.
• Dong Xuebin dodged falling debris and charged toward Zeng Linghua while firefighters and officials shouted for him to get out.

As the Public Security Bureau dormitory collapsed, Dong Xuebin refused to abandon Zeng Linghua, who was trapped beneath a massive stone slab. He used slower to reduce the slab’s effective weight and finally lifted it with his bare hands, though the story left her rescue unfinished.

• The dormitory began collapsing while Dong Xuebin remained inside, and officials, firefighters, and Chu Peng urged him to escape.
• Dong Xuebin examined Zeng Linghua and tried to lift the slab, but reverse did not give him enough strength.
• Dong Xuebin realized slower might reduce the slab’s weight by slowing gravity’s effect on it.
• Dong Xuebin activated slower and strained against the slab as the building continued to collapse around him.
• Dong Xuebin lifted the slab two centimeters off Zeng Linghua, astonishing everyone watching.

Dong Xuebin lifted the stone wall trapping Zeng Linghua as the dormitory building continued collapsing, enduring repeated blows from falling debris. The chapter left him bloodied but still smiling as he raised the wall higher.

• Dong Xuebin slowly lifted the heavy stone wall, giving the crowd hope that Zeng Linghua could be rescued.
• A television fell through the hole above and struck Dong Xuebin on the head, but he kept holding up the wall.
• A chair, a TV cabinet, rocks, and other debris hit Dong Xuebin, leaving him bleeding while he continued lifting the slab.
• Chu Peng urged Dong Xuebin to let go and save himself, but Dong Xuebin refused to abandon Zeng Linghua.
• After a steel bar struck his back, Dong Xuebin summoned more strength and raised the stone wall another half meter, smiling as debris kept falling.

Dong Xuebin forced a massive stone wall away from Zeng Linghua while debris battered him, refusing to abandon her despite his injuries. He succeeded as she woke beneath the slab, but her severe abdominal wound left her in grave danger.

• Dong Xuebin lifted and tilted the stone wall while debris fell around him, enduring injuries as he struggled to free Zeng Linghua.
• People below cheered Dong Xuebin on, and even Meng Rui and other political rivals felt respect for his determination.
• Zeng Linghua regained consciousness and recognized Dong Xuebin, who discovered that rebar had pierced her abdomen.
• Zeng Linghua urged Dong Xuebin to leave, but he refused and kept lifting the wall.
• Dong Xuebin shoved the one-ton stone wall away, prompting the onlookers to cheer as Zeng Linghua was freed.

Dong Xuebin rescued Zeng Linghua as the Dormitory Building collapsed around them, shielding her from falling debris while carrying her through the rubble. He emerged from the dust with Zeng Linghua alive, and the crowd rejoiced.

• Dong Xuebin rushed to carry Zeng Linghua out when the third floor collapsed beneath them.
• Dong Xuebin jumped from the building with Zeng Linghua and changed their trajectory by kicking off falling slabs, landing on a pile of debris.
• As the entire Dormitory Building collapsed, Dong Xuebin shielded Zeng Linghua from a stove, rubble, a bookcase, and a stone while pushing toward the exit.
• Dong Xuebin staggered out of the dust carrying Zeng Linghua, and the crowd celebrated that they had survived.

Dong Xuebin rescued Zeng Linghua from the collapsing dormitory building, then stunned the officials and medical staff by remaining upright despite severe injuries. He refused hospital treatment at first and revealed that his rare Rh-negative blood type made a transfusion difficult to arrange.

• Dong Xuebin carried Zeng Linghua out of the collapsing building, having shielded her from falling debris, and told the medical personnel to treat her first.
• Doctors rushed Zeng Linghua to the hospital while Chu Peng followed the ambulance to be with his wife.
• Jiang Fangfang and the other officials insisted that medical staff examine Dong Xuebin, revealing seven or eight severe wounds that left everyone shocked.
• Dong Xuebin said the wounds had stopped bleeding and refused treatment, but Jiang Fangfang ordered the nurses to bandage him.
• The medical staff found that Dong Xuebin needed a transfusion but had Type B Rh-negative blood, which they could not supply quickly.

After rescuing a trapped resident, Dong Xuebin faced astonished praise for moving a massive stone slab and downplayed his strength. He explained to reporters why he had risked his life, then was urged to leave for medical treatment as attention shifted to the victim’s condition.

• Dong Xuebin accepted thanks from the Fire Brigade and residents after pulling the trapped person free and helping the captain avoid falling.
• Dong Xuebin claimed the stone slab had been loosened by the firefighters and the shifting ground, leaving them unconvinced about his strength.
• A County TV Station reporter asked Dong Xuebin why he had shielded the victim and entered the dangerous building instead of retreating.
• Dong Xuebin said that as an official and Party member, he could not abandon the people or let them remember him fleeing in a crisis.
• Li Xiaona and Yao Cui stopped the interview and urged Dong Xuebin to get medical treatment, while he said he was more concerned about the victim.

Dong Xuebin learned that Zeng Linghua was dying from her severe abdominal injury and rushed to help when doctors could not save her. He struck several acupoints, and her blood pressure and heart rate began to rise.

• Dong Xuebin was treated in an ambulance while Yao Cui and the medical staff prepared to take him to the hospital.
• Doctors said Zeng Linghua had less than ten minutes to live because her injuries required urgent surgery, but no qualified surgeon could reach her in time.
• Jiang Fangfang sent Li Xiaona in Dong Xuebin's Land Rover to meet the surgeons, while Zeng Linghua's blood pressure and heart rate continued to fall.
• Dong Xuebin left his ambulance, entered Zeng Linghua's, and struck several acupoints on her body.
• Zeng Linghua's blood pressure and heart rate rose after Dong Xuebin intervened.

Dong Xuebin kept Zeng Linghua alive with acupuncture while her family arrived and feared she would die before the surgeon could reach them. He then announced that he knew surgery and would operate himself, leaving the story at the start of the emergency operation.

• Dong Xuebin used acupuncture to raise Zeng Linghua's blood pressure and heartbeat, but said she had no more than eight minutes.
• Chu Peng's elderly in-laws arrived, blamed him for failing to protect Zeng Linghua, and tried to reach her in the ambulance.
• When Zeng Linghua's vital signs dropped again, Dong Xuebin used acupuncture to stabilize her once more.
• Dong Xuebin put on a white coat and gloves, ordered everyone to clear the ambulance, and announced that he would perform the operation.

Dong Xuebin stunned the ambulance crew by rapidly suturing Zeng Linghua’s bleeding vessels and organ, stabilizing her condition. With three more places needing stitches, he continued the emergency operation as her blood pressure fluctuated.

• Dong Xuebin removed the hemostatic forceps, and the doctors tried to clamp them back on until the nurse noticed Zeng Linghua’s blood pressure rising.
• Doctor Qian examined the bleeding vessel with a magnifying glass and discovered Dong Xuebin had sutured it, along with two others.
• Dong Xuebin sutured another bleeding organ and used hemostatic cotton while Zeng Linghua’s blood pressure rose further.
• Doctor Wang cleaned the wound as Doctor Qian assessed the remaining injuries and prepared to help.
• Dong Xuebin resumed suturing the three remaining places while the nurse reported Zeng Linghua’s blood pressure every five seconds.

Dong Xuebin performed surgery on Zeng Linghua in the ambulance while County Hospital doctors rushed to the scene. When Director Feng arrived and questioned his operation, Dong Xuebin confronted him, then the medical staff’s respectful treatment of Dong left the crowd wondering how the surgery had gone.

• As the crowd waited anxiously, Li Xiaona returned with Director Feng, two doctors, and a medical staffer carrying equipment.
• Director Feng learned that Dong Xuebin was operating without a medical microscope and ordered the ambulance doors opened so he could take over.
• Dong Xuebin emerged in bloodstained gloves and scolded Director Feng for arriving late and shouting outside the ambulance.
• Pu An and Jian Xiangrong tried to calm the confrontation, and Dong stopped arguing when Jiang Fangfang addressed him.
• Doctor Qian, Doctor Wang, and the nurse treated Dong Xuebin with unusual care, leaving the crowd uncertain about Zeng Linghua’s condition.

Dong Xuebin’s emergency surgery saved Zeng Linghua, and the ambulance took her to the hospital for further treatment. The doctors and onlookers were left astonished by his speed and skill.

• Doctor Qian and Doctor Wang confirmed that Zeng Linghua had passed the critical stage after Dong Xuebin operated on her.
• Doctor Feng examined Zeng Linghua and confirmed that the surgery had succeeded and she was out of danger.
• Chu Peng and Zeng Linghua’s parents thanked Dong Xuebin, who urged them to take her to the hospital.
• Doctor Qian and Doctor Wang told Doctor Feng that Dong Xuebin had sutured three blood vessels in ten seconds using only a magnifying glass.
• The ambulance took Zeng Linghua away as the county leaders, reporters, medical staff, and onlookers stared at Dong Xuebin in disbelief.

After being hospitalized for his injuries, Dong Xuebin was ordered by Jiang Fangfang to rest and recover. Jiang Fangfang left to bring him clothes, while Dong Xuebin understood that saving Zeng Linghua could help strengthen her faction’s ties with Chu Peng.

• Dong Xuebin argued with a nurse about his IV until Jiang Fangfang told him to follow the medical staff’s instructions.
• Jiang Fangfang arranged half a month of leave for Dong Xuebin and said the county would report his rescue efforts and hold a commendation meeting.
• Dong Xuebin felt relieved that he would remain Deputy Commander and told Jiang Fangfang he did not need anyone to stay with him overnight.
• Jiang Fangfang fed Dong Xuebin an orange, then took his house keys so she could bring him clean clothes the next day.
• Jiang Fangfang said Zeng Linghua’s condition was stable and asked Dong Xuebin to stay in touch with Chu Peng, and Dong Xuebin understood the political significance of saving her.

Dong Xuebin recovered in the hospital after risking his life to save Zeng Linghua, while Jiang Fangfang looked after him and brought him clean clothes. After learning Zeng Linghua had awakened and was stable, he visited her and her family; Jiang Fangfang then left for breakfast with Chu Peng, leaving Dong Xuebin confident that Chu Peng would join the Jiang faction.

• Dong Xuebin accidentally threw a head nurse to the floor when she injected him while he was asleep, then apologized after realizing she was a nurse.
• Jiang Fangfang brought Dong Xuebin clothes, helped him put on his socks, and told him to stay in bed.
• A nurse reported that Zeng Linghua had awakened and was out of danger, so Dong Xuebin went with Jiang Fangfang to visit her.
• Zeng Linghua and her family thanked Dong Xuebin for saving her, and he advised them to watch for infection and fever during her recovery.
• Jiang Fangfang invited Chu Peng to breakfast, and Dong Xuebin concluded that Chu Peng would soon become a key member of the Jiang faction.

After being discharged, Dong Xuebin attended a county commendation meeting for his rescues during the dormitory collapse. The chapter ended with officials recognizing his deeds and the political balance in Zhenshui County shifting toward Jiang Fangfang’s faction.

• Dong Xuebin left the hospital and told pregnant Xie Huilan that he was well, while she teased him about a surprise she had planned.
• Jiang Fangfang welcomed Dong Xuebin at the county compound, asked him to prepare a speech, and offered to cook and do his laundry; she also said Chu Peng and his family were grateful to him.
• Dong Xuebin asked Yao Cui to have the Secretarial Section prepare his commendation speech and received visits from county officials.
• At the commendation meeting, speakers praised the firefighters, volunteer rescuers, and families affected by the dormitory collapse before the deputy director introduced Dong Xuebin’s rescues.
• Dong Xuebin took the stage to thunderous applause as attendees reflected on his deeds and on the growing influence of Jiang Fangfang’s faction.

Dong Xuebin reviewed the dormitory renovation plans and agreed to represent the County Government on a politically important visit to injured and resettled families. He then saw that a delegation from Fenzhou City was coming to inspect Meihe City's schools and wondered whether Xie Huilan would be with it.

• Yao Cui brought Dong Xuebin lunch, and he asked her to have the dormitory renovation proposal revised with a lower budget and a better construction order.
• Jiang Fangfang told Dong Xuebin to settle on a general renovation plan himself and asked him to attend the afternoon visit to injured and resettled families on behalf of the County Government.
• Dong Xuebin agreed to attend the visit after Zhang Feng called with the same request.
• Dong Xuebin read a news report that Fenzhou City was sending an educational inspection delegation to Meihe City and suspected that Xie Huilan might be leading it.