Chapter Summaries

At the compound, Xie Huilan’s plan to stay at County Chief Dong’s home confused the Zhenshui County officials, who mistakenly thought she was his older sister. Dong Xuebin introduced her as his wife, leaving the officials stunned as they prepared to head out for inspection and relief work.

• Xie Huilan said she would stay at County Chief Dong’s home, and the Zhenshui County officials mistakenly assumed she was his relative.
• Dong Xuebin arrived late after leaving the hospital and changing at home, then apologized to Meng Rui before greeting the Fenzhou City officials.
• Lu Zhi asked whether Mayor Xie’s lodging should be arranged at the Guest House for Dong Xuebin’s older sister.
• Dong Xuebin clarified that Xie Huilan was his wife, shocking the officials who had gathered at the compound.
• Lu Zhi apologized for the misunderstanding and congratulated Xie Huilan and Dong Xuebin on their expected child.

Dong Xuebin brought his pregnant wife, Xie Huilan, along to visit victims of the housing collapse at the county hospital. Her sincere interaction with an injured girl and the girl’s grateful parents was filmed and broadcast, making her the focus of the evening news.

• Xie Huilan joined Dong Xuebin’s condolence visit, and Lu Zhi arranged for the visiting Fenzhou City officials to go to the guest house.
• Dong Xuebin introduced Xie Huilan to Ma Bin and Yao Cui as they drove to the county hospital, where Xie and Yao chatted along the way.
• At the hospital, Xie Huilan advised Dong Xuebin to maintain a solemn public image and linked arms with him as they visited injured families.
• Xie Huilan comforted an injured teenage girl and asked the doctor about her recovery; the girl’s parents thanked Dong Xuebin for rescuing their daughter from the rubble.
• The television news aired footage of the family thanking Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan, and viewers learned that his wife was strikingly beautiful.

Dong Xuebin and pregnant Xie Huilan returned home after a long day of inspections, and he refused a County Leaders’ dinner so she could rest and avoid being treated merely as his wife. They shared dinner and an intimate evening at home, leaving their relationship affectionate and playful.

• Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan returned home after visiting people and conducting inspections without eating.
• Dong Xuebin declined Secretary Meng and his wife’s dinner invitation so Xie Huilan could rest and avoid a subordinate place at the gathering.
• Dong Xuebin cooked five dishes and soup, and Xie Huilan praised his cooking and kissed him.
• After dinner, Dong Xuebin washed the dishes and found Xie Huilan changed into a nightgown and watching the news.
• Xie Huilan mentioned her pregnancy-related backaches, and Dong Xuebin carried her to bed, where they began an affectionate encounter.

Dong Xuebin struggled to find a dormitory project plan that would satisfy county employees’ families, but Xie Huilan proposed building a Small Family Compound to give everyone hope while postponing resettlement decisions. Xie Huilan planned to conduct research in Zhenshui County before possibly visiting other areas, leaving Dong Xuebin eager to spend more time with her.

• Dong Xuebin woke after kicking Xie Huilan’s high heel, then read dormitory project plans while she slept.
• Xie Huilan woke and told Dong Xuebin that she planned to conduct research in his county that morning and might visit other areas that afternoon.
• Dong Xuebin explained that limited funds made it difficult to decide which dormitories to rebuild or renovate first.
• Xie Huilan suggested planning a Small Family Compound to reassure employees’ families while postponing decisions about who would move there.
• Dong Xuebin praised Xie Huilan’s solution and decided to ask her for advice on similar problems in the future.

Dong Xuebin prepared a Family Compound proposal for County Chief Jiang Fangfang after his wife, Xie Huilan, advised him to leave room for his superior to contribute. Jiang approved the plan and added the sections he had deliberately removed, leaving them to finalize it for submission.

• Xie Huilan advised Dong Xuebin to make the proposal strong but leave room for Jiang Fangfang to add her own contributions.
• Xie Huilan left to conduct inspections, and Dong Xuebin happily felt their unborn baby kick before going to work.
• At the county government compound, Chen Xiaomei, Pu An, Jian Xiangrong, and Chu Peng greeted Dong Xuebin and discussed his influential wife and her schedule.
• Dong Xuebin drafted the Family Compound proposal, then removed several sections on Xie Huilan's advice.
• Dong Xuebin brought the proposal to Jiang Fangfang, who approved it and added the sections he had removed.

Dong Xuebin met with Jiang Fangfang to review official business, and she arranged for him to visit neighboring Chenggang County so he could spend more time with Xie Huilan. Their conversation turned to the lingerie Jiang had borrowed, and she kept it after Dong confirmed that he had given it to her.

• Dong Xuebin and Jiang Fangfang reviewed their proposal and then chatted over tea.
• Jiang Fangfang assigned Dong to inspect Chenggang County’s new compound, giving him time to see Xie Huilan, who was visiting there.
• Dong recalled the road robbery in Chenggang County and said he still held a grudge against them.
• Jiang returned the lingerie she had taken from Dong, explaining that she had thought it was meant for Xie Huilan.
• Dong told Jiang the lingerie had been for her, and Jiang put it away and asked whether she could keep wearing it.

Dong Xuebin drove to Chenggang County and found villagers still blocking the road, renewing his anger at the county leaders who had allowed it. On the way, he learned that Xie Huilan had fallen and was bleeding heavily, and he raced toward the hospital.

• Dong Xuebin told Yao Cui he was going to Chenggang County and called Xie Huilan, who said she was already heading there for an inspection.
• Dong Xuebin drove into Chenggang County and recognized a scarred villager as one of the men involved in the earlier road attack.
• Dong Xuebin stopped his Land Rover, causing the villagers to scatter, and blamed Chenggang County's leaders for letting them continue blocking the road.
• Liao Yimin called Dong Xuebin and told him Xie Huilan had fallen, was bleeding heavily, and might lose the baby.
• Dong Xuebin asked for the hospital's address and floored the accelerator toward it.

Dong Xuebin rushed to the hospital after learning Xie Huilan had fallen and feared their baby might not survive. Doctors temporarily saved both mother and child, and Dong used reverse before Xie Huilan woke up; the baby’s condition still needed observation.

• Dong Xuebin arrived at Chenggang County First People's Hospital and pushed through county officials to reach the Emergency Room.
• Liao Yimin told Dong Xuebin that Xie Huilan had lost a lot of blood, while County Chief Li Zhixin tried to make him sit and wait.
• The doctors told Dong Xuebin that Xie Huilan was out of danger and the baby had been temporarily saved, though the situation remained uncertain.
• Dong Xuebin followed Xie Huilan to a hospital room and used reverse to ensure she and the baby were safe.
• Xie Huilan woke up and asked about the baby, and Dong Xuebin reassured her that their child had been saved.

After learning that Chenggang County officials had knocked down his pregnant wife, Xie Huilan, during a construction-site accident and then tried to deny responsibility, Dong Xuebin left the hospital room determined to confront them. Xie Huilan and the baby remained safe, but Dong Xuebin promised to settle this incident along with an old grievance.

• Dong Xuebin heard from Liao Yimin that falling construction materials had sent Chenggang County officials fleeing and that they had knocked Xie Huilan down in the gale.
• Liao Yimin said Chenggang County County Chief Li Zhixin's secretary had claimed Xie Huilan slipped, while the Fenzhou City officials believed she had been struck or pushed.
• The Fenzhou City officials demanded that Chenggang County answer for Xie Huilan's injuries, and Dong Xuebin told them he would handle it.
• When a nurse told Dong Xuebin that Xie Huilan had awakened and was asking for him, he left to settle the new and old scores with Chenggang County.

After Xie Huilan and their unborn child survived the construction-site accident, Dong Xuebin vowed to retaliate against Li Zhixin and the Chenggang County officials he believed had knocked her down. He learned that Li Zhixin had reported the incident as a fall, and the chapter ended with Dong Xuebin declaring that none of them would escape.

• Dong Xuebin visited Xie Huilan in the hospital, learned she could not identify who had knocked her down, and promised to deal with those responsible.
• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin that Li Zhixin, his secretary, other county officials, and a construction company representative had been at the site.
• Jiang Fangfang called Dong Xuebin and told him that Li Zhixin had reported Xie Huilan's injury as an accidental fall.
• Dong Xuebin told Jiang Fangfang that construction materials had blown down and the fleeing officials had knocked Xie Huilan aside, while Fenzhou City witnesses had seen what happened.
• Dong Xuebin ended calls from others who had heard of the accident and vowed revenge against Li Zhixin and Chenggang County.

After learning that Chenggang County cadres had pushed his pregnant wife, Xie Huilan, during the accident, Dong Xuebin demanded accountability from Meihe City Vice Mayor Hua Li. Hua dismissed her account as an accident, and Dong hung up on him, determined to find evidence and make Chenggang County answer.

• Dong Xuebin left the hospital corridor, furious over Hui Lan and their child nearly being killed by Chenggang County's cadres.
• A Fenzhou City education cadre passed Dong a call from Meihe City Vice Mayor Hua Li, who offered to visit the hospital.
• Dong told Hua that Li Zhixin and other Chenggang County officials had pushed Hui Lan, rather than her simply slipping.
• Hua questioned Hui Lan's account and called the incident an accident, while Dong argued that witnesses had seen what happened and demanded an explanation.
• Hua told Dong to find evidence, and Dong angrily hung up on the vice mayor.

After Xie Huilan and her unborn child survived emergency treatment, Dong Xuebin confronted the officials who had shoved her and found them denying responsibility. He decided to punish the Chenggang County group regardless of who had pushed her.

• Hua Li called Li Zhixin, urged him to keep the incident under control, and accepted his claim that Xie Huilan had slipped.
• Dong Xuebin learned that Li Zhixin had left and that five Chenggang County officials remained at the hospital.
• Dong Xuebin went downstairs and found Liao Yimin and Fenzhou City officials arguing with the Chenggang County group, who insisted Xie Huilan had fallen on her own.
• Zhou Wei challenged Dong Xuebin and continued denying that anyone had pushed Xie Huilan.
• Dong Xuebin calmly decided to deal with all five officials, whether or not they admitted what they had done.

Dong Xuebin took the Chenggang County officials to the construction site where Xie Huilan had been injured and found signs that evidence had been removed. As a strong gust swept over the group, he prepared to make the six people he blamed pay for what had happened to his wife.

• Dong Xuebin left Liao Yimin at the hospital to watch over Xie Huilan and brought Zhou Wei and the others to inspect the New County Party Committee Compound.
• At the site, General Manager Sun claimed the falling materials had resulted from an accident caused by the wind and a snapped rope.
• Dong Xuebin found blood beneath the sand but no footprints, and he challenged the officers and General Manager Sun over the suspiciously cleared ground.
• The Chenggang County clerks and construction workers left after Zhou Wei ordered them away, leaving Dong Xuebin with the six people he blamed and two officers.
• As a sudden gust made the group turn away and shield themselves, Dong Xuebin seized the moment to begin his retaliation.

Dong Xuebin used Stop to arrange construction materials above the Chenggang County officials, then resumed time and made the falling debris appear to be an accident. Several officials were gravely injured, and Zhou Wei, General Manager Sun, and another man were left beneath the descending steel plate.

• Dong Xuebin froze time, climbed onto the building’s roof, and arranged boards, machinery, and a steel plate above the officials.
• Dong Xuebin resumed time as the officials turned to leave, and the staged debris began falling during the gale.
• Two officers collided with Dong Xuebin, and he knocked them into the path of a falling board that crushed their lower bodies.
• Falling machinery and boards badly injured the two Planning Bureau officials, while Zhou Wei used a County Government Office official as a shield, leaving the man with a crushed neck.
• Dong Xuebin tripped General Manager Sun and knocked Zhou Wei’s knee so the steel plate struck the group, slicing off Zhou Wei’s legs, another official’s left foot, and Sun’s right hand.

Dong Xuebin crippled Zhou Wei, General Manager Sun, and six others in the collapsing courtyard after they had endangered his wife and refused to take responsibility. He helped carry out the injured and directed rescue efforts, while the Chenggang County clerks suspected the terrible coincidence was retribution.

• Falling steel and debris severed the limbs of Zhou Wei, General Manager Sun, and six others, leaving all eight severely injured.
• Dong Xuebin deliberately crushed Zhou Wei’s severed legs while pretending to help him, destroying any chance of reattachment.
• Dong Xuebin dragged Zhou Wei to the courtyard entrance and directed the clerks and residents to provide aid.
• As the storm eased, Dong Xuebin secretly further mangled the other injured men’s limbs, then helped rescue five people.
• Rescuers pulled all eight men out alive, and the Chenggang County clerks feared Dong Xuebin’s survival amid the disasters was more than coincidence.

After construction materials fell at the New County Party Committee Compound, Dong Xuebin’s Chenggang County targets were severely injured, and he returned to Xie Huilan’s hospital room. Xie Huilan recovered while Dong Xuebin vowed to deal with Li Zhixin next.

• Li Zhixin learned that Zhou Wei, Director Wang, Director Li, Sun, and two officers had been injured by falling construction materials, while Dong Xuebin escaped unharmed.
• Li Zhixin ordered the scene sealed off and hurried to investigate the incident.
• Dong Xuebin returned to the hospital, where Liao Yimin and Fenzhou City officials waited outside Xie Huilan’s room.
• Dong Xuebin told Xie Huilan that the people who had pushed her were crippled, and she suspected he had caused it.
• Dong Xuebin said six of the seven people involved had been dealt with and planned to target Li Zhixin, who had not been at the scene.

Dong Xuebin arranged for Hui Lan and the Fenzhou City delegation to return home while he stayed in Chenggang County to settle matters. After learning the injured cadres would be severely disabled, he confronted Deputy County Chief Wang, who blamed him for the accident, and warned that the matter was not over.

• Dong Xuebin arranged flights for Hui Lan and the Fenzhou City delegation to return the next morning while he remained in Chenggang County.
• A nurse told Dong Xuebin that the injured cadres had survived but would be severely disabled, and he later checked on them in the Intensive Care Unit.
• Dong Xuebin spoke with Jiang Fangfang, then went to the Intensive Care Unit and encountered two Chenggang County cadres who treated him coldly.
• Deputy County Chief Wang arrived, saw the injured people, and accused Dong Xuebin of bringing them to the dangerous construction site.
• Dong Xuebin cursed at Deputy County Chief Wang, defended his actions and the people he had rescued, and demanded an explanation for Hui Lan being pushed down.

Dong Xuebin confronted Chenggang County officials at the hospital over their treatment of Xie Huilan and planned to teach them a lesson. Afterward, he cared for his recovering wife, who ate dinner and joked affectionately with him.

• Dong Xuebin argued with Deputy County Chief Wang and the Chenggang County officials until Wang left to check on Secretary Zhou.
• Dong Xuebin returned to Xie Huilan's room, learned she was feeling better, and told her he had arranged for her to fly back with the Fenzhou City comrades the next morning.
• Xie Huilan asked for braised pork, so Dong Xuebin drove to a restaurant to buy food and then fed her despite the nurse's concern that it was greasy.
• After Xie Huilan finished eating, Dong Xuebin ate the leftovers, cleaned her hair and face, fed her apple, and scratched her itchy leg.
• Xie Huilan kissed and teased Dong Xuebin, then promised to help with the housework occasionally after they began living together.

Dong Xuebin sent Xie Huilan and the Fenzhou City delegation home, then returned to Chenggang County intending to retaliate against the officials he blamed for the incident. Meanwhile, Li Zhixin and Deputy County Chief Wang pressured injured witnesses to accuse Dong of causing the construction accident, while a clerk defended him as the man who had rescued them.

• Dong Xuebin saw Xie Huilan and the Fenzhou City officials through airport security, then drove back to Chenggang County determined to settle scores with its officials.
• Dong Xuebin checked into a hotel across from the unfinished New County Party Committee Compound and considered how severely to strike back.
• Li Zhixin and Deputy County Chief Wang questioned injured Zhou Wei and General Manager Sun, steering them toward blaming Dong Xuebin for the falling construction materials.
• Zhou Wei accused Dong Xuebin of blocking him and crushing his severed legs, while General Manager Sun claimed someone had tampered with the materials; police recorded their statements.
• A clerk told the officials that the incident might have been an accident and that Dong Xuebin had rescued the injured, but Li Zhixin, Deputy County Chief Wang, and the police ignored or omitted the defense.

At the hospital, Li Zhixin and Deputy County Chief Wang backed accounts that blamed Dong Xuebin for the injuries at the New County Party Committee Compound, despite witnesses knowing he had rescued people. Brother Zhang privately told the young clerk that Li Zhixin had pushed Mayor Xie down during the earlier incident.

• The young clerk recounted how Zhou Wei and others had shifted blame after debris fell, but Li Zhixin and Deputy County Chief Wang dismissed his account.
• Several injured officials accused Dong Xuebin of deliberately pushing them, and Li Zhixin ordered officers to record their claims.
• Li Zhixin instructed the officers to collect Dong Xuebin's fingerprints and footprints and search the compound for evidence.
• Brother Zhang warned the young clerk to stay quiet and revealed that Li Zhixin had pushed Mayor Xie down.