Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin tried to get Hou Qing away from Ma Wentao’s men by pretending he wanted her for himself. Ma Wentao made them settle who would take her with a dice game, and the contest was still underway when the chapter ended.

• Dong Xuebin heard Ma Wentao bring the injured, bound Hou Qing into the basement and order the men to guard her.
• Hou Qing broke free briefly and tried to crawl toward the stairs, but Ma Wentao’s men caught and beat her.
• Dong Xuebin asked Ma Wentao to give Hou Qing to him, claiming he preferred mature women.
• Ma Wentao proposed a dice game to decide who would take Hou Qing, and the men gathered around a table.
• The first two men rolled weak results, but the third rolled a three-four-five straight and turned toward Hou Qing, confident he had won.

After Dong Xuebin’s astonishing Mahjong wins, Zhou Hu challenged him to a two-player card game, prompting the gambling ship’s staff and guests to anticipate a showdown. Zhang Longjuan warned Dong Xuebin that Zhou Hu was a legendary card expert who might cheat, but Dong insisted he would not lose and accepted the challenge.

• Guests on the Gambling Ship speculated about Dong Xuebin’s Mahjong victories and wondered whether he could also play cards well.
• Old Zhou asked Song Yuhu about Dong Xuebin, then challenged him to a game of Zha Jin Hua.
• Casino staff and guests recognized Old Zhou as Zhou Hu, the retired Card God, and expected him to defeat Dong Xuebin.
• Zhang Longjuan stopped Dong Xuebin and warned him that Zhou Hu’s card skills were formidable and his methods might be impossible to detect.
• Dong Xuebin told Zhang Longjuan he would not lose, and she let him proceed with caution.

After Dong Xuebin resolved the confrontation with Director Meng’s family, he reunited with Geng Yuehua briefly before joining Luan Xiaoping and Yang Zhaode for dinner. The chapter ended with the family sharing a meal and Yang Zhaode approving Dong Xuebin’s willingness to fight back when challenged.

• Dong Xuebin let the Meng family’s apology stand, then invited Geng Yuehua, Ma Li, and Shen Fei to stay, but they left after Geng Yuehua declined.
• Dong Xuebin thanked Luan Xiaoping for handling the confrontation and learned that Yang Zhaode had advised her on what to say.
• Yang Zhaode welcomed Dong Xuebin home and served dinner while Luan Xiaoping and Dong Xuebin spent time with Qian Qian.
• At dinner, Luan Xiaoping criticized Dong Xuebin for provoking trouble, while Yang Zhaode defended his judgment and agreed that he sometimes had to fight back.

Dong Xuebin and Luo Haiting hurriedly dressed when Luan Xiaoping arrived at his new Courtyard House, narrowly concealing their intimate moment. Luan Xiaoping left Qu Qian with him because she and Uncle Yang were sick, and the chapter ended with Qian Qian happily calling Dong Xuebin “Daddy.”

• Dong Xuebin and Luo Haiting hurriedly got dressed when Luan Xiaoping called from outside.
• Luan Xiaoping entered and found Dong Xuebin with Luo Haiting, who he said had transferred to Capital City to help him.
• Luan Xiaoping explained that she had a cold and had brought Qu Qian because she and Uncle Yang were sick and Qu Yunxuan was away on a business trip.
• Dong Xuebin coaxed the shy Qu Qian into his arms by lifting her into the air.
• Qu Qian smiled and called Dong Xuebin “Daddy,” delighting him.

After clashing with Chen Kai'an over proposed personnel changes, Dong Xuebin returned to his department and discussed the new work assignments with Luo Haiting. Their private meeting ended with Luo Haiting massaging his shoulders, leaving Dong Xuebin looking forward to his new working environment.

• Chen Kai'an left the meeting furious after Dong Xuebin overwhelmed his objections, and Fang Wenping adjourned the meeting before Chen could respond.
• Dong Xuebin cooled off outside with an iced cola, then returned to find Zhang Lili and Han Fei criticizing Chen Kai'an while Li Hong asked whether personnel changes were coming.
• Dong Xuebin reassured his staff that he would discuss the assignments with Luo Haiting before distributing the work.
• Dong Xuebin and Luo Haiting reviewed the work assignments and agreed to focus on their duties without making mistakes others could use against them.
• Luo Haiting offered to massage Dong Xuebin's shoulders, then pressed his head back and massaged his scalp as he enjoyed the attention.

Dong Xuebin went to Fang Wenping’s home for her birthday after getting covered in mud, bringing groceries and stopping to shower. The chapter left him dressed in Fang Wenping’s oversized thermal underwear while his clothes washed.

• Fang Wenping called Dong Xuebin and told him to buy groceries on his way to her home.
• Dong Xuebin took a bus to the Provincial Party Committee Family Compound, where guards stopped him until he showed his Jiaolin County work ID.
• Fang Wenping let Dong Xuebin into her apartment and told him to shower after seeing how muddy he was.
• Fang Wenping gave Dong Xuebin a set of her thermal underwear to wear, and he put his dirty clothes in the washing machine.
• Dong Xuebin discovered he had washed Fang Wenping’s lace underwear with his clothes, then put on her loose thermal underwear.

Dong Xuebin plunged back into the freezing water to search for the last missing boy, despite being exhausted and badly injured. After he remained underwater for ten minutes, the crowd and officials feared he had drowned as the rescue team finally arrived.

• Dong Xuebin learned that one boy was still missing and, despite pleas from the officials and his wife, dived back into the water to save him.
• As his strength and oxygen ran low, Dong Xuebin used Reverse on his lungs to keep searching underwater.
• The last girl he had rescued recovered on shore, and the ambulances carried the other victims to the hospital.
• Dong Xuebin failed to surface after two minutes, and the crowd began to fear that he had died.
• Ten minutes passed without Dong Xuebin emerging, and the Fire Truck and Rescue Vehicle arrived to find everyone grieving.

Dong Xuebin learned that Xie Huilan and Qu Yunxuan had agreed to a five-year marriage arrangement: he would marry Xie Huilan first, then Qu Yunxuan, with the future left open. The two women reaffirmed their compromise, leaving Dong Xuebin relieved and deeply moved.

• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin that she and Qu Yunxuan had privately discussed their relationship and reached a decision.
• Dong Xuebin called Qu Yunxuan, who explained that he would marry Xie Huilan for five years and then marry her for five years.
• Qu Yunxuan said she and Xie Huilan had agreed to the arrangement after each made compromises and won a bet over a lottery number.
• Xie Huilan and Qu Yunxuan confirmed that the agreement could change if Dong Xuebin's feelings or circumstances changed.
• Dong Xuebin thanked both women, and they teased each other while reassuring him he did not need to apologize.

Dong Xuebin and Jiaolin County officials scrambled to change the reception plans for the England exchange delegation, then waited outside a restaurant as the delegation failed to appear. They learned the delegation had changed its dinner plans again and would arrive in the county later that night.

• Meng Hanmei told Dong Xuebin that the England delegation wanted Republic cuisine instead of the planned Western meal, forcing the county to find a new restaurant at short notice.
• Dong Xuebin informed Zhang Dongfang and Wei Zhixuan of the change, and Zhang Dongfang recalled the staff who had put up the original banners.
• Meng Hanmei secured a banquet hall, and Jiaolin County officials and invited entrepreneurs gathered outside to welcome the delegation.
• After the delegation failed to arrive, Dong Xuebin told Meng Hanmei to call and ask about the delay.
• Meng Hanmei learned that the delegation had decided to dine with the city instead, though it would still stay in Jiaolin County and arrive before eight.

Dong Xuebin returned to the Capital City to help Xie Ran and Fang Shuiling discuss their marriage with the Fang family. After the Xie family entrusted him to represent them, he prepared to find out whether the Fang family would accept the engagement.

• Dong Xuebin flew to the Capital City after Xie Huilan's family asked him to help with Xie Ran and Fang Shuiling's marriage.
• Dong Xuebin called Fang Wenping, but she did not answer, then went to Old Master's villa and met Xie Ran, Fang Shuiling, and the others.
• Xie Ran and Fang Shuiling told Dong Xuebin that the Fang family had not discussed their relationship with them, while Xie Ran's parents had reluctantly accepted it.
• Dong Xuebin joined the elders inside, where Xie Guoliang and Xia Yanzhen explained that they wanted him to speak to the Fang family on their behalf.
• Dong Xuebin agreed to visit the Fang family and handle the engagement discussions and related arrangements.

Dong Xuebin drove Fang Wenping from the airport, then deliberately took her to a deserted forest road to confront her over her cold, demanding behavior. He restrained her with his belt and began spanking her, leaving Fang Wenping struggling against him in the car.

• Dong Xuebin carried Fang Wenping's suitcase from the plane and drove her to her new home while she slept in the passenger seat.
• Dong Xuebin drove Fang Wenping into a remote wooded area and refused to take her back, prompting an argument between them.
• After Fang Wenping ignored him and tried to sleep, Dong Xuebin bound her wrists with his belt and grabbed her hair.
• Dong Xuebin said he would teach Fang Wenping a lesson, then struck her butt twice as she cried out.

After Sun Kai recovered enough to be transferred to a hospital room, Dong Xuebin prepared to return to the county. At Han Jing’s request, he visited the ill Zhong Lizhen, who refused treatment and rest, and left the chapter carrying her toward her bedroom.

• Dong Xuebin said goodbye to Sun Kai and his family after Sun Kai’s condition stabilized and he was transferred to the hospital.
• Dong Xuebin called Han Jing and learned that Zhong Lizhen had a cold and fever but refused to go to the hospital.
• Dong Xuebin drove to Zhong Lizhen’s home in the Chinese Academy of Sciences compound and brought medicine for her.
• Dong Xuebin found Zhong Lizhen working among research equipment and documents, and she refused to take medicine or rest.
• Dong Xuebin shut Zhong Lizhen’s keyboard, scooped her up, and carried her toward the bedroom.

At Jiaolin County’s live cultural gala, Dong Xuebin amused the crowd by cutting his speech short and pretending to hide beneath a table. He then reappeared hundreds of meters away on an artificial rockery, stunning the audience with a magic trick.

• Zhang Dongfang delivered a nervous, stiffly read speech before leaving the stage.
• Dong Xuebin spoke without notes, joked about the audience wanting him to hurry up, and declared his speech finished.
• The female host revealed that the program list included a magic performance by Dong Xuebin, and he joked about being caught off guard.
• Dong Xuebin ducked beneath the dais’s tablecloth, then appeared on an artificial rockery at the back of the venue, astonishing the audience.

Dong Xuebin sent Zhao Zibang away after he had pursued Fang Shuiling, then joined Fang Shuiling in discussing Fang Ping’s love life. Fang Ping agreed to consider a suitable man, leaving Dong Xuebin privately jealous of the possibility.

• Dong Xuebin told Zhao Zibang to stop bothering Fang Shuiling, and Fang Shuiling saw that he had left.
• Fang Ping objected when Dong Xuebin called Fang Shuiling part of his family, but Fang Shuiling softened the argument by pampering her aunt.
• Dong Xuebin revealed that a Provincial Chemical Department Director was pursuing Fang Ping, and Fang Shuiling eagerly asked about him.
• Fang Shuiling urged Fang Ping to find a partner, while Dong Xuebin dismissed the suitor as unreliable and offered to look after Fang Ping himself.
• Fang Ping promised Fang Shuiling that she would consider a suitable man, and Dong Xuebin privately grumbled about her agreement.

Dong Xuebin returned home after persuading Fang Shuiling’s family to agree to her engagement with Xie Ran, and the family learned how he had endured their hostility and used his antics to win them over. With a private meal between the families arranged for the next day, the chapter ended with Xie Ran and Fang Shuiling promising to honor Dong Xuebin’s help and treat Xie Guoliang and Xia Yanzhen well.

• Dong Xuebin told the family that a private meal with Fang Shuiling’s parents had been arranged for the next day, and Xie Guoliang and Xia Yanzhen confirmed they could attend.
• Fang Shuiling explained that her family had agreed after Dong Xuebin endured her Second Aunt’s hostility and made a pie fall from the sky.
• Fang Shuiling described Dong Xuebin’s shameless efforts to stay at her family’s home, prompting Xie Jing and Xie Hao to laugh.
• Xia Yanzhen apologized for Dong Xuebin’s treatment, while Fang Shuiling apologized on behalf of her family and he reassured them.
• Xie Ran and Fang Shuiling bowed to Dong Xuebin to thank him, and he urged them to be filial to Xie Guoliang and Xia Yanzhen.

After the discipline inspection investigation ended, Dong Xuebin worried that the incident might cause trouble for Fang Wenping. Fang Wenping told Secretary Chen to relay to her family that Dong Xuebin was her responsibility and that no one else should interfere.

• Dong Xuebin left his office after the city investigators had departed and carried on as usual.
• Dong Xuebin worried about how Fang Wenping would handle the political fallout from helping him.
• Fang Wenping told Brother Chen she had canceled the exchange activities with the Foreign Guests because they had disrespected her people.
• Brother Chen asked Fang Wenping about her connection to Dong Xuebin and warned that her family and others in the province disapproved.
• Fang Wenping told Secretary Chen that Dong Xuebin was her person and that she would deal with him herself if he made a mistake.
• Secretary Chen agreed to pass Fang Wenping's message to her family.

Dong Xuebin demanded that Huang Tingting and the students who bullied Yu Qianqian apologize and face school discipline, then eased his demand from expulsion to probation after Duan Zheng'an urged him to settle the matter. Huang Shizhong rejected the compromise and reported Dong for intentional injury, leaving the conflict poised to escalate.

• Dong Xuebin told the principal that Huang Tingting's group must apologize to Yu Qianqian and initially demanded that they be expelled.
• Duan Zheng'an called Dong Xuebin and urged him to stop escalating the dispute, so Dong agreed to accept probationary discipline instead of expulsion.
• Huang Tingting, Lei Zi, Xiao Fan, and their parents blamed Yu Qianqian and demanded that the police arrest Dong Xuebin.
• Qian Dong explained the proposed settlement to Huang Shizhong, including apologies and probation for the students who assaulted Yu Qianqian.
• Huang Shizhong rejected the terms, called the County Public Security Bureau to report Dong Xuebin for intentional injury, and vowed to use his connections against him.

Dong Xuebin arranged a lavish celebration banquet for Jiaolin County’s investment promotion success, paying for it himself to avoid using public funds. The officials and their families gathered at Longde Hotel, where Dong joked with them while they waited for his wife, Xie Huilan, to arrive.

• Zhang Dongfang offered to help transfer Xie Huilan to Jiaolin County, but Dong Xuebin avoided explaining why it was impractical.
• Zhang Dongfang worried that a large banquet could attract criticism for lavish spending, so Dong Xuebin said he would pay personally.
• More than a hundred Jiaolin County officials and family members arrived by chartered buses at Longde Hotel for the celebration banquet.
• Dong Xuebin joked that he had said exactly two words, prompting laughter from the guests.
• Zhang Dongfang told everyone Dong Xuebin was paying for the banquet and buses, and Dong encouraged them to enjoy the meal while joking about explaining the expense to his wife.

After recovering and leaving the hospital, Dong Xuebin returned to work and attended a city commendation meeting honoring his recent meritorious service. With Xie Huilan away on provincial business, Xu Yan invited him to dinner at her home, and he agreed to come.

• Liu Hanqing picked up Dong Xuebin from the hospital and drove him to the Municipal Party Committee Courtyard, where colleagues welcomed him back.
• Dong Xuebin called family, colleagues, and Xie Huilan to tell them he had recovered; Xie Huilan said she would be away for two days attending meetings in the province.
• Dong Xuebin attended the Commendation Meeting, where Wan Fanglei and Zhong Zhengwei spoke before he delivered his prepared remarks and received recognition.
• Dong Xuebin returned to the Discipline Inspection Commission and spent the day catching up on work before heading home.
• Xu Yan invited Dong Xuebin to dinner at her home to celebrate his discharge and award, and he accepted after learning Xie Huilan was away.

Dong Xuebin toured the County Party Committee offices with Meng Hanmei, who showed him respect and made clear she wanted his support. She briefed him on the county and its facilities, leaving him pleased to have gained a potentially valuable ally.

• Meng Hanmei led Dong Xuebin through the County Party Committee building, introducing him to cadres who greeted him as the new County Party Secretary.
• Meng Hanmei brought Dong Xuebin to his office, gave him the labeled keys to his home, office, and assigned car, and offered to help him whenever needed.
• Dong Xuebin recognized that Meng Hanmei was signaling her desire to join his side and considered her Standing Committee vote an important source of support.
• Meng Hanmei briefed Dong Xuebin on the county's population, economy, towns, Family Compound, and transportation while he listened attentively.