Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin plunged into the icy river despite his injuries and rescued four people trapped beneath the ice. He dived back into the water again to search for more victims as officials and officers watched anxiously from shore.

• Dong Xuebin jumped through the broken ice, prompting officials and officers to fear for his life.
• Dong Xuebin found two struggling police officers underwater and dragged them to the surface, where officers pulled them to shore.
• Dong Xuebin dove back in and rescued a middle-aged man and an unconscious child, then pushed them across the ice to waiting rescuers.
• Zhong Zhengwei and He Suien praised Dong Xuebin as he plunged into the water once more to search for others.

Dong Xuebin was forced to let the Japanese delegation leave after its members hit and assaulted a young couple, despite his objections. After returning home, he learned that his mother had been struck by a car and rushed to the hospital, where he discovered the driver had fled.

• Dong Xuebin arranged compensation for the injured couple and asked the delegation to apologize, but Xiang Daofa ordered him to let them go immediately.
• Meng Xianglin pressured the couple to leave, and the Japanese delegation drove away without apologizing or facing further consequences.
• At home, Dong Xuebin complained to Liang Chengpeng about being assigned to protect the delegation, then spoke with Luan Xiaoping as she showed him a scarf pattern she planned to knit.
• Traffic police called to report that Luan Xiaoping had been hit by a car, and Dong Xuebin rushed to County People's Hospital.
• A doctor confirmed that Luan Xiaoping had no bone injuries, and Dong Xuebin learned the driver had fled and ordered the officers to check surveillance cameras.

Dong Xuebin rewound time to reach Shi Hai Auction House after Feng Yi uncovered Glassy Jadeite, then risked Yun De Auction Company’s funds to outbid him for the raw stone. The auction ended with Dong Xuebin winning the stone for 9.2 million, leaving the company’s fate dependent on what it contained.

• After ten days of searching, Dong Xuebin still had not found high-grade jadeite, and Qu Yunxuan worried that Yun De Auction Company would have to postpone its special auction.
• Qu Yunxuan told Dong Xuebin that Feng Yi had bought raw material at Shi Hai Auction House and uncovered enough green Glassy Jadeite for several pairs of bracelets.
• Dong Xuebin used B to rewind about fourteen or fifteen minutes, then hurried with Xiao Taoer to Shi Hai Auction House before the final stone was cut.
• Dong Xuebin told Qu Yunxuan that the Open Stone could yield Glassy Jadeite and persuaded her to let him bid, despite Teacher Wei’s objections.
• Dong Xuebin outbid Feng Yi and won the Open Stone for 9.2 million, committing nearly all of Yun De Auction Company’s funds.

Dong Xuebin was released from the Seoul police station after Chinese diplomatic intervention and prepared to return to the Capital City. He left Yu Meixia in the hospital to recover and learned that his challenge to Korean taekwondo gyms had made him a sensation.

• Dong Xuebin rebuked the Korean officers for unfairly handling the case and warned that he would return if Chinese people were bullied again.
• Yu Meixia, Li An, Chen Dahui, and other international students welcomed Dong Xuebin outside the station, where embassy staff picked him up.
• Vice Minister Qi told Dong Xuebin to return to China that day, and Dong Xuebin agreed after arranging Yu Meixia’s care and follow-up travel.
• Dong Xuebin spoke with Xie Huilan and received worried calls from colleagues and family as he headed to the airport.
• Xie Hao excitedly praised Dong Xuebin’s gym challenges and invited him to meet his classmates after he returned.

Dong Xuebin went back into the collapsing hospital to rescue Zhan Rourou and used STOP to carry her toward an exit. He threw her through a window before the building buried him, leaving Geng Yuehua and the others to order a rescue amid fears that he was dead.

• Wang Anshi and Xue Qingrong fled while Geng Yuehua, Wu Liang, and others rushed toward the hospital to save Dong Xuebin and Zhan Rourou.
• Dong Xuebin emerged from the hospital entrance but turned back inside to find Zhan Rourou, whose leg was pinned beneath a rock.
• Dong Xuebin freed Zhan Rourou and carried her toward the entrance, but found it blocked by rubble as the building collapsed around them.
• Dong Xuebin used STOP to halt the falling debris, then threw Zhan Rourou through a remaining window when his time ran out.
• Zhan Rourou survived and told Geng Yuehua and Wu Liang that Dong Xuebin had saved her, while the hospital collapsed over him.
• Geng Yuehua ordered the rescue team to dig through the rubble, then fainted as Wu Liang and others cried out for Dong Xuebin.

Dong Xuebin secured Meng Rui and County Chief Jiang’s full support to keep Zhang Longjuan’s foreign investor delegation in Zhenshui County. He arranged their lodging and lunch, leaving his colleagues to continue courting domestic investors as the delegation prepared to rest before inspections the next day.

• Dong Xuebin told Meng Rui that Zhang Longjuan’s delegation had arrived, and Meng Rui put him in charge of keeping the investors for Zhenshui County.
• Zhang Longjuan asked to eat and rest before discussing inspections, and Dong Xuebin offered six Presidential Suites for the delegation.
• Dong Xuebin told Zheng Dayou and Chen Yunsong to keep pursuing domestic investors while he accompanied Zhang Longjuan’s group to lunch.
• Zheng Dayou realized Dong Xuebin had arranged the delegation long before the Investment Conference and had used his confidence to secure authority and funding.

Dong Xuebin began his first day as director of Second Office and met with his new supervisor, Fang Wenping, to discuss staffing. He nominated Han Fei and Luo Haiting for the department’s remaining positions, then left as Fang Wenping considered the requests.

• Dong Xuebin arrived at his new office and celebrated his promotion before Fang Wenping summoned him.
• Fang Wenping explained that personnel assignments were being arranged and asked Dong Xuebin to nominate capable colleagues.
• Dong Xuebin nominated Han Fei from Eighth Office, suggesting she be considered for promotion.
• Dong Xuebin nominated Luo Haiting, a discipline inspection official from Fenzhou, to join Second Office as deputy director.
• Fang Wenping recorded the nominations and told Dong Xuebin to return to work.

Dong Xuebin and Jiang Fangfang cared for Mother Jiang while pretending to be a married couple, but the old woman insisted they stay the night together. Jiang Fangfang agreed, leaving them to face the awkward problem of sharing her one-bedroom apartment.

• Dong Xuebin prepared vegetables and helped Jiang Fangfang with chores while Mother Jiang slept.
• When Mother Jiang woke, Jiang Fangfang held Dong Xuebin's hand so her mother would believe they were affectionate spouses.
• Dong Xuebin and Jiang Fangfang cooked and ate with Mother Jiang, who treated him as her son-in-law.
• Mother Jiang insisted that Dong Xuebin and Jiang Fangfang stay overnight because of the heavy rain and her wish to keep them company.
• Jiang Fangfang reluctantly told Dong Xuebin not to leave, and Mother Jiang was satisfied.

Dong Xuebin kicked Yang Zhen into his Audi after Yang Zhen laid hands on him, escalating the dispute between the Second Office and the General Affairs Department. Senior officials stopped the departments from fighting again, and Dong Xuebin left with his staff while Yang Zhen remained furious.

• Dong Xuebin kicked Yang Zhen into his Audi, and the General Affairs Department staff rushed to help their injured director.
• Han Fei, Sun Zhaobang, He Zhou, and Zhang Dongliang backed Dong Xuebin by arguing that Yang Zhen had struck first.
• Yang Zhen accused Dong Xuebin of causing trouble and charged at him again with the General Affairs Department staff.
• Dong Xuebin and the Second Office staff faced Yang Zhen's group until veteran discipline inspection officials intervened and separated them.
• Dong Xuebin told the others he would let the matter go and returned to work with the Second Office staff, leaving Yang Zhen enraged.

Dong Xuebin visited Jiang Fangfang’s mother and pretended to be her son Liu Tao to keep the elderly woman calm. After agreeing to help Jiang Fangfang visit her mother, he helped bring in the laundry as rain began, where he noticed Jiang Fangfang’s revealing outfit.

• Mother Jiang urged Jiang Fangfang and Dong Xuebin, whom she mistook for Liu Tao, to spend time together before going to nap.
• Dong Xuebin and Jiang Fangfang agreed to keep pretending he was Liu Tao and to continue visiting Mother Jiang together.
• Dong Xuebin and Jiang Fangfang hurried to bring in the balcony laundry as thunder and rain approached.
• Dong Xuebin struggled to carry Jiang Fangfang’s clothes and shoes inside, dropping several items as she helped him pick them up.
• Dong Xuebin noticed Jiang Fangfang was not wearing a bra beneath her shirt and tried to steal glances while they sorted the laundry.

Fang Shuiling brought Li Xiao to meet Zhang Dongfang and his colleagues about Jiaolin County’s application to become a county-level city. After Li Xiao gave cautious assurances, Fang Shuiling threatened to ask her grandfather, Premier Fang, to intervene, prompting Li Xiao to guarantee the approval.

• Li Xiao arrived at the dinner, and Zhang Dongfang recognized him as the official who had declined their earlier invitations.
• Boss Chen welcomed Fang Shuiling and added dishes to the meal at no charge.
• Fang Shuiling introduced Li Xiao to Zhang Dongfang, who explained that Jiaolin County wanted an update on its application to establish a city.
• Li Xiao said the application looked promising but would need to pass through several levels of review and could take one to two months.
• Fang Shuiling said she would ask her grandfather, Premier Fang, to intervene if the outcome was uncertain.
• Li Xiao hurriedly promised to personally oversee the process and guaranteed that Jiaolin County’s application would be approved.

At Jiaolin County’s Investment Promotion Festival gala, Dong Xuebin skipped a formal speech and joked with the audience before being surprised by a program listing him as a magician. The chapter ended with him vanishing beneath the podium tablecloth and reappearing hundreds of meters away on a rockery.

• Zhang Dongfang delivered a nervous, paper-bound speech at the start of the gala.
• Dong Xuebin gave an improvised welcome, joked about the audience wanting him to hurry, and ended his speech with a punchline about omitting two hundred thousand words.
• The female host revealed that the program listed Dong Xuebin’s performance as a magic show, and he joked about crawling under the podium table.
• Dong Xuebin disappeared beneath the tablecloth and appeared on a rockery at the back of the venue, astonishing the audience and cameras.

Meng Hanmei brought Su Yan to meet County Party Secretary Dong Xuebin, who had reviewed his unimpressive personnel file but valued his character. Dong asked Su Yan whether he wanted to become his secretary, leaving Su Yan stunned.

• Meng Hanmei summoned Su Yan and reassured him that the earlier incident in which he hit someone was not his fault.
• Meng Hanmei led Su Yan to Dong Xuebin's office after telling him that Dong wanted to see him.
• Dong Xuebin reviewed Su Yan's ordinary personnel file and decided that his character mattered more than his record.
• Dong Xuebin offered Su Yan the position of his secretary, and Su Yan was so shocked that he nearly spat out his water.

Dong Xuebin chose a secretary for his new post as County Party Secretary in Jiaolin County. After reviewing Meng Hanmei’s candidates, he asked her to arrange a meeting with Su Yan, whom he had met before.

• Dong Xuebin trusted Meng Hanmei to choose his driver and asked her to recommend candidates for his secretary.
• Meng Hanmei handed Dong Xuebin files for candidates she had screened and said she knew them well.
• Dong Xuebin eliminated candidates based on their age, gender, and his impressions of their photographs.
• Dong Xuebin told Meng Hanmei he already had someone in mind: Su Yan, a deputy section chief in the County Party Committee Office’s Secretarial Section.
• Meng Hanmei reacted with surprise, and Dong Xuebin asked her to arrange a meeting with Su Yan.

Dong Xuebin traveled with Ma Wei to Jiaolin County to take office as County Party Secretary, sensing that Ma Wei and the city authorities did not take him seriously. He arrived at the shabby county compound without a welcome, and when county officials finally came out, he suspected Zhang Dongfang and Ma Wei had arranged a show of force.

• Dong Xuebin told Ma Wei he was ready to serve the people of Jiaolin County despite its poor conditions, while privately resenting Ma Wei’s condescending attitude.
• Ma Wei failed to notify Jiaolin County that they were arriving, and Dong Xuebin noticed the driver’s hesitation but said nothing.
• Dong Xuebin and Ma Wei arrived at Jiaolin County’s dilapidated Party Committee compound, where Ma Wei claimed he had forgotten to arrange a welcome.
• Dong Xuebin pointedly told Ma Wei that a welcome was unnecessary and made clear he would not tolerate being treated as a pushover.
• Zhang Dongfang and more than twenty county officials hurried out to greet Dong Xuebin after his car arrived, and Dong Xuebin wondered whether Zhang and Ma Wei had deliberately staged the delay as a show of force.

Dong Xuebin learned that Vice-Governor Jia had rejected his and several other family members’ plane tickets for an upcoming Macau delegation trip, which Xie Huilan suspected was a political warning. After Dong brought Xie her forgotten phone at the Municipal Party Committee, she introduced him to the cadres as her husband.

• Xie Huilan’s secretary told her that Vice-Governor Jia’s office had returned four late ticket requests, including Dong Xuebin’s, and Xie arranged for the tickets to be booked separately.
• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin she suspected Jia was displeased that she had been appointed Xiaxing City’s Municipal Party Secretary instead of his trusted subordinate.
• Dong Xuebin found the breakfast Xie Huilan had left for him and realized the milk was hers, then drank it and ate the egg.
• Dong Xuebin brought Xie Huilan’s forgotten phone to the Municipal Party Committee courtyard, where she was preparing to receive the visiting Vice Governor.
• Xie Huilan introduced Dong Xuebin to the gathered cadres as her husband, leaving many of them astonished.

Dong Xuebin learned that Jia Yan would take charge of the Investment Conference, overriding him and claiming credit for the Investment Bureau’s work. Xie Huilan told him to go to the hospital, hinting that he should fake an illness and withdraw from the conference.

• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that Jia Yan would take office that day and that the Standing Committee had given Jia Yan’s decisions priority during the Investment Conference.
• Dong Xuebin called Xie Huilan and complained that Jia Yan was taking over the conference despite Dong’s work securing a nearly hundred-million project.
• Xie Huilan said the Investment Bureau’s achievements had made others eager to claim credit, though they had avoided the conference when it was an unpopular assignment.
• Xie Huilan suggested Dong Xuebin go to the hospital for a checkup because his health had always been poor, hinting that he should feign illness and step away.

Dong Xuebin recovered from his fever at Geng Yuehua’s apartment and offered to drive her to Dafeng County after learning its officials had intercepted Nanshan District’s Japanese investors. Geng Yuehua went to confront them, while Dong Xuebin headed to the county’s Investment Bureau to meet her staff.

• Dong Xuebin woke feeling better, thanked Geng Yuehua for caring for him, and borrowed her clothes while his own remained wet.
• Geng Yuehua’s secretary Ma Jian told her Dafeng County officials had taken the Japanese investors from the provincial capital airport.
• Geng Yuehua ordered Ma Jian and Director Pan to pursue the investors, then set out for Dafeng County after her driver failed to arrive on time.
• Dong Xuebin offered to drive Geng Yuehua in his Porsche Cayenne, and they reached Dafeng County in half an hour.
• Geng Yuehua entered the County Party Committee Compound as government office staff came out to greet her, while Dong Xuebin was told to meet Ma Fei and Pan Zhengyi at the Investment Bureau.

Dong Xuebin let an enraged crowd beat him in the Municipal Party Committee Courtyard rather than fight back, while city officials struggled to save him. After the police arrived and the crowd fled, he showed no serious injury and checked on the officials who had tried to help him.

• Protesters surrounded Dong Xuebin and beat him as Xie Huilan, Zhong Zhengwei, Wan Fanglei, and other officials called for the police and tried to stop the attack.
• Dong Xuebin used a reverse to recover from his injuries and continued standing silently as the crowd struck him with bricks, rods, and other objects.
• Xie Huilan tried to rush into the crowd, but Zhan Guiping held her back, while Liu Hanqing and Discipline Inspection Committee Staff were beaten back when they tried to reach Dong Xuebin.
• The protesters gradually stopped attacking Dong Xuebin in alarm, and they scattered when the police sirens arrived.
• Xie Huilan, Zhong Zhengwei, and the others rushed to Dong Xuebin, who brushed off the blood and walked over to check whether Liu Hanqing and the staff were hurt.

After Secretary Xie left the airport, officials faced consequences for their treatment of Dong Xuebin and Zheng Fei. Xu Xianglin and Deputy Director Zhou were suspended from their duties pending investigation, while Zheng Fei remained under questioning.

• Deputy Director Zhou had officers escort Zheng Fei to the airport police office for questioning after Secretary Xie ordered the matter handled impartially.
• Xu Xianglin and Xu Dong resented Dong Xuebin, but Xu Xianglin warned his son not to threaten him in public.
• An airport official told Xu Xianglin an investigation team would arrive and suspended him from duty pending investigation.
• Director Zhang told Deputy Director Zhou to go home and await word, taking him off the airport Police Station case.
• Deputy Director Zhou realized his career might be over as Zheng Fei received similarly bad news by phone.