Chapter Summaries

After Xiang Daofa stripped Dong Xuebin of authority over the Investment Conference, Dong feigned illness and discussed the political situation with Xie Huilan, who planned to challenge Xiang without trying to remove him. Dong decided to retaliate in his own way, and seeing Xiang Renjie’s unleashed dog at the Family Compound gave him an idea.

• Dong Xuebin called Xie Huilan from the hospital, and she explained why removing Xiang Daofa would create political risks while promising to fight him over the county government’s interests.
• Dong Xuebin told Luo Haiting, Guo Panwei, and others to stay focused on work, then called Hu Silian to ask where Xiang Daofa was.
• Hu Silian grew worried that Dong Xuebin would act recklessly and hurried toward the Family Compound to watch him.
• Dong Xuebin drove to the Family Compound and saw Xiang Renjie arrive with Big Yellow Dog and friends, who joked that the dog could bite people without consequences because Xiang Daofa was County Party Secretary.
• Dong Xuebin became furious at Xiang Renjie’s unleashed dog and came up with an idea to make the Xiang family suffer.

Dong Xuebin was assigned to protect a Japanese investment delegation despite resenting the political maneuvering around its visit. After a traffic collision and fight left a local couple injured, he tried to arrange compensation and an apology, but the driver had not yet agreed.

• Xiang Daofa welcomed Sakamoto and the Japanese delegation while Xie Huilan stayed away, and Meng Xianglin told Dong Xuebin to ensure their visit went smoothly.
• Dong Xuebin arranged security for the delegation, then visited his mother, Luan Xiaoping, who gave him a sweater she had knitted.
• That evening, a traffic officer reported that the delegation's Toyota had hit a Citroen and that a fight had broken out; Dong Xuebin rushed to the scene.
• Dong Xuebin learned that the delegation's driver had caused the collision and that witnesses said the delegation members attacked the Citroen couple first.
• Dong Xuebin proposed that the delegation pay the couple thirty thousand yuan, and the injured man agreed on condition that the driver apologize to him and his wife.

Chen Ying took off her clothes in Dong Xuebin's bedroom, hoping he would help get her company's film released, and Dong Xuebin realized she had misunderstood his intentions. After promising to help, he learned she had willingly prepared to submit to what she thought were unspoken rules because she wanted to repay President Zhou's kindness.

• Chen Ying undressed in front of Dong Xuebin, startling him, and explained that she thought it was the only way to persuade him to help.
• Dong Xuebin realized Chen Ying wanted him to let her company's film, in which she was the lead, be released and promised to make the call.
• Dong Xuebin left the bedroom while Chen Ying dressed, then reassured her that he had never intended to exploit her.
• Dong Xuebin asked whether President Zhou or the company had pressured Chen Ying, but she said she had come willingly and praised President Zhou for treating her well.
• Chen Ying told Dong Xuebin that this was the first time she had prepared to submit to unspoken rules, and that she had done so to repay President Zhou's kindness.

At the Standing Committee meeting, Dong Xuebin secured approval for his proposed Investment Bureau staffing changes after Secretary Meng and Jiang Fangfang backed his recommendations. The meeting ended with Dong preparing to bring his former colleague from State Security to Zhenshui County, while the investment promotion team’s new appointments were set in motion.

• Dong Xuebin asked to settle the Investment Bureau transfers and promotions before the Saturday City Investment Conference, and Jiang Fangfang approved lateral transfers for a driver and a staffer.
• Meng Rui and Jiang Fangfang agreed to Dong Xuebin’s recommendation of Chen Yunsong as Business Section Chief.
• After Zhang Wanshui and Cheng Fuguang objected, Meng Rui approved Cheng Yujie as office director and ordered Liao Haiwei to arrange an assessment.
• Dong Xuebin recommended a former colleague from the Capital City State Security Bureau for deputy bureau chief, claiming she could help secure investment.
• Meng Rui and Jiang Fangfang approved the candidate and ordered her transfer to Zhenshui County to begin promptly.

Pu Tao complained that her wedding procession had an unimpressive lead car, while Pu An’s family faced a stark contrast with Zhang Wanshui’s lavishly supported wedding. County Chief Jiang Fangfang joined Pu An’s procession, and the chapter ended with Secretary Meng Rui joining Zhang Wanshui’s.

• Pu Tao argued with Pu An over the Audi leading her wedding procession, and Pu An explained that better cars were unavailable or unaffordable.
• Jian Xiangrong visited Pu An and heard why the family had struggled to arrange a more impressive convoy.
• Pu An and Zhang Wanshui’s families left the compound for their weddings, and Zhang Wanshui’s larger convoy and crowd of officials overshadowed Pu An’s.
• Jiang Fangfang congratulated both families, then joined Pu An’s procession, prompting several officials, including Yao Cui and Ma Bin, to follow her.
• Meng Rui arrived, congratulated Pu An and Zhang Wanshui, and got into Zhang Wanshui’s car.

After Zhang Dongfang failed to meet the official handling Jiaolin County’s application to become a county-level city, Dong Xuebin contacted Fang Shuiling for help. Fang Shuiling called Zhang Dongfang and said she would come meet him, leaving him unsure what a young woman could do.

• Sun Lihan warned Zhang Dongfang and Xu Zhuang that they could not wait outside Zhongnanhai and offered to treat them to lunch while she sought another way to help.
• Zhang Dongfang told Dong Xuebin that he had spent two days trying to meet Director Li without success and feared the application would not be accepted.
• Dong Xuebin considered his contacts, remembered the Fang Family’s ties to the State Council, and asked Fang Shuiling to help arrange a meeting.
• Fang Shuiling agreed to contact Zhang Dongfang, who gave her his address and waited for her to arrive.

Dong Xuebin learned that district leaders might punish him over a hostile Nanqi Morning News report and suspected Peng Kun had arranged the story to shift blame. Rather than confront the newspaper directly, he asked Su Jia to handle the matter and waited for the City Daily to publish, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Zhou Yanru, Qu Yiqiang, and Wang Yuling voiced concern about the district's possible punishment, but Dong Xuebin sent them back to work and refused Wang Yuling's offer to seek help from her uncle.
• Dong Xuebin suspected Peng Kun had used the Nanqi Morning News to redirect attention from his own trouble with the Discipline Inspection Committee.
• Dong Xuebin called Su Jia and explained the report and the district's unclear response; Su Jia agreed to handle the matter.
• Dong Xuebin asked Zhou Yanru to bring him a copy of the afternoon's City Daily.
• Rumors that the district would punish Dong Xuebin spread through Guangming Street Office, and the City Daily was published at five o'clock.

Dong Xuebin visited Jiang Fangfang in Zhenshui County and offered to bring her to his area as its top leader. Jiang agreed to the transfer, and Dong also promised to arrange medical care for her mother.

• Dong Xuebin returned to the County Party Committee compound, where many former colleagues greeted him warmly.
• Dong Xuebin visited Jiang Fangfang and offered to arrange treatment for her mother in the Capital City.
• Dong Xuebin told Jiang Fangfang that he wanted her to lead the county in his area after its upgrade and promised to support her governing decisions.
• Jiang Fangfang agreed to go with Dong Xuebin.

Dong Xuebin arrived at Qingluan Mountain and confronted Yanbei County officers who had smashed Jiaolin County’s equipment while claiming the site as their own. After the officers could not produce identification, Dong attacked them, and Jiaolin County’s people joined the brawl.

• Jiaolin County staff told Dong Xuebin that Yanbei County officers had beaten them, smashed their equipment, and claimed the cultural relics and land.
• Dong helped a fallen Jiaolin County officer, then challenged Sun Chenggong over the damage and the officers’ claim to the site.
• Dong secretly stole the Yanbei County officers’ work IDs, leaving them unable to prove they were police officers.
• Dong kicked Sun Chenggong and struck other Yanbei County officers when they insisted on taking over the site.
• Jiaolin County officers and Bureau of Culture staff joined Dong in beating the Yanbei County group.

Dong Xuebin fielded congratulations over rumors of his promotion while discussing his future at the Investment Bureau with Guo Panwei. At dinner with Luan Xiaoping and Xie Huilan, they agreed to hold their wedding early next year, and Dong Xuebin toasted the two celebrations.

• Luo Haiting called Dong Xuebin to congratulate him on the rumored promotion, and he said no transfer had been finalized.
• Guo Panwei pledged to follow Dong Xuebin, but Dong Xuebin encouraged him to stay at the Investment Bureau and work toward becoming Office Director.
• Luan Xiaoping asked Dong Xuebin whether he would ask Yang Zhaode for help with his transfer, and Dong Xuebin refused.
• Xie Huilan arrived for dinner and told Luan Xiaoping that her mother had begun making wedding arrangements.
• Luan Xiaoping suggested they marry early next year, and Xie Huilan agreed to make plans with Dong Xuebin.
• Dong Xuebin raised a glass with Luan Xiaoping and Xie Huilan to celebrate his rumored promotion and their upcoming marriage.

After a gas leak forced Geng Yuehua from her apartment, Dong Xuebin helped her identify the cause and offered her a place to wait. When the airflow slammed her apartment door shut with her keys inside, she had to return to Dong Xuebin’s home in her bathrobe.

• After watching a comedy and returning home, Dong Xuebin noticed Geng Yuehua arrive at the Family Building late at night.
• Dong Xuebin smelled gas coming from Geng Yuehua’s apartment and rushed in as she shut off the main valve.
• Dong Xuebin realized the low gas stove had burned through the hose and urged Geng Yuehua to air out the apartment.
• Geng Yuehua waited at Dong Xuebin’s home while her apartment aired out, then tried to go to her brother’s place to wash her hair.
• The airflow slammed Geng Yuehua’s apartment door shut, trapping her keys inside, and Dong Xuebin invited her back into his home to wash her hair.

Dong Xuebin admitted to hitting Huang Tingting and two other students, while the police questioned him over the school incident. County leaders pressured County No. 1 Middle School to expel the three students, and the police withdrew before Huang Shizhong learned what had happened.

• Dong Xuebin admitted to Xiao Wang and the other officers that he had hit Huang Tingting, Sun Lei, and Meng Fan, then invited the officers to eat with him.
• Huang Shizhong called Pang Dabing to ask about Dong Xuebin and felt reassured when Pang described Dong as unpopular in Nanshan District.
• The County No. 1 Middle School principal convened a committee meeting and proposed expelling Huang Tingting, Sun Lei, and Meng Fan.
• The school committee unanimously approved the expulsions, and the principal issued and signed the documents while Huang Shizhong remained unaware.
• Xiao Wang received a call from the bureau, informed Dong Xuebin, and withdrew the officers from the restaurant.

Chen Family's Sixth Child and his group left the clubhouse after recognizing Dong Xuebin and avoiding a confrontation. A young man explained that Dong was as dangerous to provoke as Fang Wenping and Xie Huilan, and that they would soon be connected to Fang Shuiling through marriage.

• Chen Family's Sixth Child left the clubhouse with his group and angrily discarded his tea-stained shirt.
• A teenager questioned why the group had backed down from Dong Xuebin, and Chen Family's Sixth Child rebuked him for not knowing who Dong was.
• An older young man revealed that Dong Xuebin was Xie Huilan's husband, leaving the teenager surprised.
• The older young man compared Dong's reputation to Fang Wenping's and Xie Huilan's and warned that provoking him meant provoking all three.
• The older young man said Fang Shuiling was expected to marry the Xie Family's eldest son, which would bring the families together.

Dong Xuebin caught up on work at the Discipline Inspection Committee and learned from Xie Huilan that he would accompany her to a charitable fundraising gala for earthquake relief. He and his mother also discovered that she and Old Yang would attend, while Dong Xuebin went home to cook and wondered how much he should donate.

• Dong Xuebin ate with Zhan Guiping, surprising Discipline Inspection Committee staff with their friendly rapport.
• Dong Xuebin spent the afternoon signing documents and reviewing meeting papers before Xie Huilan called and insisted he attend the gala as her escort.
• Luan Xiaoping told Dong Xuebin that she and Old Yang had also been invited to the gala and planned to check on Xie Huilan afterward.
• Dong Xuebin bought groceries, cooked dishes for Xie Huilan, and weighed how much to donate given his publicly declared assets.

Dong Xuebin recovered in the hospital while Qu Yunxuan came to care for him after learning how badly he had been injured. She stayed overnight with him, and he persuaded her to be intimate despite his broken leg.

• Dong Xuebin urged Luan Xiaoping to return to Yantai County and rest, then Qu Yunxuan arrived after Luan Xiaoping called her.
• Qu Yunxuan cried over Dong Xuebin’s injuries, then cleaned and cared for him while he flirted with her and asked for a cigarette.
• Qu Yunxuan pushed Dong Xuebin downstairs for examinations and X-rays, then agreed to stay with him at the hospital overnight.
• Dong Xuebin persuaded Qu Yunxuan to share his bed and coaxed her into intimacy, though she warned him to recover before trying again.
• Qu Yunxuan cuddled Dong Xuebin and called him her dear brother before they fell asleep together.

While Dong Xuebin idled at home, colleagues told him rumors that the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection would add or adjust departments, potentially reshaping its inspectorate offices. He called Han Jing for reliable information, and she said she would explain when she arrived with her sisters to visit his courtyard house.

• Han Fei called Dong Xuebin and told him colleagues were discussing possible new departments and adjustments at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
• Lan Xuewen called Dong Xuebin to ask whether the rumored changes might affect the Letters and Visits Office, and Dong promised to share any information he found.
• Dong Xuebin called Han Jing to ask about the rumored departmental changes.
• Han Jing told Dong Xuebin that she and his First Aunt and Second Aunt were coming to his courtyard house for mahjong and lunch, and promised to explain the changes when they arrived.

Dong Xuebin and Zhenshui County’s investment team struggled through the conference after Lu Weiguo’s interference, while rival districts and counties announced new investment deals. The first day ended with Zhenshui County the only delegation without a single investor or letter of intent.

• Dong Xuebin added Lu Weiguo to his Blacklist and told the team to continue soliciting investors despite their anger.
• Chen Mingming and Ma Yanfen taunted Zheng Dayou about Zhenshui County’s poor results and compared them with their own districts’ investment figures.
• The first day of the Investment Conference ended, and Lu Weiguo announced that Meiyang District had signed an eight-million investment letter of intent.
• Lu Weiguo announced additional investment intentions from several counties and districts, including Yangli County and Chenggang County.
• The crowd noticed that Zhenshui County had secured nothing, and Zheng Dayou and his team felt humiliated while blaming the unfair treatment they had faced.

Jiang Fangfang cooked for Dong Xuebin and washed his clothes, leaving him baffled about why she was treating him so well. She left without asking for his support, and Dong Xuebin remained unsure what her intentions were.

• Jiang Fangfang continued washing Dong Xuebin’s underwear and socks despite his protests.
• Dong Xuebin called Yao Cui to ask what she knew about Jiang Fangfang, and Yao Cui said Jiang Fangfang did not try to win officials over.
• Dong Xuebin concluded Jiang Fangfang’s behavior must have an explanation he could not understand.
• Dong Xuebin watched Jiang Fangfang finish washing and hang up his clothes, while he became distracted by her appearance.
• Jiang Fangfang accepted wood ear mushrooms and regular mushrooms, then left without asking Dong Xuebin to support her.

After Zhang Longjuan and her companions lost their money, Dong Xuebin refused to let the casino’s setup go unanswered and decided to keep gambling. He pooled their scraps of cash and coins, calculated that they had about US$1,000, and took the mixed money to a counter to exchange for a chip.

• Dong Xuebin insisted that he meant to win back more than US$100 million from Song and would not wait for another chance.
• Zhang Longjuan told Dong Xuebin that she had run out of money, so he proposed pooling whatever cash they had left.
• Shen Xiaoyan, Shen Xiaomei, and Zhang Longjuan emptied their wallets, giving Dong Xuebin a mixture of renminbi, Hong Kong dollars, US dollars, and coins.
• Dong Xuebin calculated that their pooled money was just enough for one US$1,000 chip using the previous day's exchange rate.
• Dong Xuebin brought the mixed money to counter No. 5 and asked the attendant to exchange it for one chip.

Dong Xuebin exposed the plot behind Yu Meixia’s attempted abduction and rescued the victims, but Hu Yiguo stole public credit for the case through Qian Sen’s influence. After Dong appealed to Xie Huilan, the Provincial Newspaper published the same report with Dong’s name in place of Hu’s, forcing Qian Sen to reverse course and leaving Hu furious.

• Dong Xuebin learned from Da Ba that a man nicknamed Da Tou had directed him to abduct Yu Meixia, and he suspected Jin Di Mountain Villa was behind the plot.
• Dong Xuebin brought the rescued victims and suspects back to Yantai County, where Yu Meixia reunited with Yu Qianqian.
• Hu Yiguo and Qian Fei arranged for the county morning paper to credit Hu Yiguo with solving the trafficking case while omitting Dong Xuebin.
• Dong Xuebin told Xie Huilan that Hu had stolen his credit, and she took action on his behalf.
• The Provincial Newspaper ran an identical story naming Dong Xuebin as the case leader, forcing Qian Sen to promote Dong’s role in the evening paper.
• Hu Yiguo tore up the newspapers in anger, while Dong Xuebin realized Xie Huilan had used her influence to secure the provincial report.