Chapter Summaries

Liu Di unveiled Gemini Stage, a social platform feature that used precise matching to connect posts with people who shared the poster’s interests, circumstances, or mood. He rallied Gemini’s employees to complete and launch it within twelve hours to compete with Penguin’s Soulmate.

• Liu Di revealed Gemini Stage’s complex matching algorithm, which could pair users based on details in their text and images.
• Liu Di explained that Gemini Stage would show posts to people most likely to understand and resonate with the poster’s feelings.
• Gemini employees recognized that the feature could combine social posts, stranger matching, and video uploads into a broad content platform.
• Liu Di said Gemini Stage still needed compatibility work, design, testing, customer service, and promotion before it could launch.
• Gemini employees volunteered to finish the work within twelve hours, and Liu Di entrusted the launch to them to build their team’s fighting spirit.

Penguin’s Soulmate feature initially drew attention, but its copied matching system quickly earned a flood of bad reviews, while Creator worked against Liu Di’s twelve-hour deadline. Li Daode faced Teng Hualong’s call as the chapter ended, with Penguin’s failure exposed.

• Li Daode celebrated Soulmate’s early numbers and assured Teng Hualong he would handle Creator cautiously, despite dismissing Teng’s warnings.
• At Creator, Liu Di fixed a programmer’s code in minutes with astonishing speed, then sent the watching staff back to work.
• After eleven hours, Soulmate received a wave of complaints about irrelevant and inappropriate matches.
• Penguin’s technical director admitted that Gemini’s technology could not be copied and that Soulmate was only a broken imitation.
• Teng Hualong called Li Daode, who broke into a cold sweat.

After Gemini launched Gemini Stage, users found confidants who understood their loneliness and heartbreak through shared posts and comments. The update’s emotional impact reached Xiao Duo and a heartbroken young thug, while Li Daode faced pressure over Gemini’s growing challenge to Penguin.

• Teng Hualong warned Li Daode to fix Penguin’s troubles and hold him responsible if he failed again.
• Situ Zhou told Li Daode that Gemini had updated with a new feature called Gemini Stage.
• Xiao Duo posted a photo of her oil painting and found users who understood the loneliness and hope behind it.
• Xiao Duo replied to the commenters and decided Gemini would be her lifelong companion.
• A heartbroken blond-haired young thug posted a photo from a place he had shared with his ex and received supportive comments.
• Blondie cried openly and told the commenters he would recover and remain North Street Mao Ge.

After Gemini Stage surged in popularity and Penguin’s Soulmate collapsed, Li Daode hired Big Dog to destroy Gemini with an online smear campaign. Liu Di told Creator Company’s employees to rest for six hours before continuing the fight, while Big Dog prepared to attack.

• Li Daode rejected resigning and ordered Situ Zhou to contact Big Dog and pay him to drown Gemini within a day.
• Gemini Stage’s activity climbed rapidly as Creator Company’s employees celebrated Penguin’s setbacks.
• Liu Di praised the team’s first success but ordered everyone to sleep for six hours before resuming the competition.
• Big Dog received 20,000,000 yuan from President Situ and prepared his troll army and smear-campaign tools to attack Gemini.

Big Dog, a paid troll hired by Li Daode to smear Gemini, found no flaws in the app and discovered its Tree Hole feature, which drew out his guilt and moved him to abandon his work and support Gemini. He ended the night resolved to start over as Zhao Dafu and speak up for Gemini.

• Li Daode hired Big Dog and his group to flood Gemini with negative reviews, but Big Dog could find no genuine flaws in the app.
• Big Dog discovered Gemini’s hidden Tree Hole feature and was immersed in its peaceful forest scene and comforting message from Little Shuang.
• Big Dog confessed his real name and guilt over his paid trolling, including the harm he had caused and his mother’s death.
• Little Shuang’s message comforted Big Dog, who decided at dawn to quit paid trolling and speak up for Gemini.

Big Dog publicly confessed to his work spreading paid rumors and exposed a twenty-million offer to smear Gemini, strengthening public support for Creator as Liu Di celebrated on Gemini Stage. At Penguin, Li Daode reassured Situ Zhou and hinted that he had a way to obtain Gemini’s core code.

• Big Dog posted a confession video, praised Gemini, and revealed that someone had offered him twenty million to destroy it.
• Big Dog’s subordinates spread his video widely, and online support for Gemini surged as Li Daode’s smear campaign collapsed.
• Liu Di created a Gemini Stage account as Creator—Emperor San and posted “1:0,” quickly gaining more than thirty million followers.
• Situ Zhou feared that Big Dog would expose him, but Li Daode assured him that Penguin could withstand the consequences.
• Li Daode told Director Sun that he could obtain Gemini’s core code, and Director Sun promised to copy and adapt it if he got access.

Liu Di introduced a music feature for Gemini that would match songs to users’ moods during chats and announced Ruan Liangji as head of the Gemini Music project. The chapter left the team ready to develop the feature, which Liu Di expected to rival Penguin Music.

• Liu Di and A Jia welcomed the Creator employees to a meeting with tea and discussed their responsibility to Gemini’s users.
• Liu Di reviewed Gemini’s 1.03 billion users and 560 million daily active users, compared with Penguin Social’s 130 million active users.
• Liu Di proposed playing music matched to users’ emotions to deepen their experience while chatting.
• Ruan Liangji suggested music, and the team discussed mood detection, a music library, and other features for the project.
• Liu Di named Ruan Liangji head of development for Gemini Music and said crushing Penguin Music would be a side effect.

Liu Di put Ruan Liangji in charge of developing Gemini Music and gave Creator’s staff just twenty-four hours to deliver it. After the employees rallied to the challenge, Liu Di told A Jia that a corporate spy might be among them and suggested the spy could be used to their advantage.

• Liu Di appointed Ruan Liangji to lead Gemini Music, explaining that its recommendation system could build on Gemini Stage’s existing algorithm.
• Liu Di gave Ruan Liangji and the four hundred Creator employees twenty-four hours to make Gemini Music, while a public post announced the feature to eager users.
• Ruan Liangji accepted the challenge, and the employees pledged to finish the work before organizing teams for programming, architecture, and interface design.
• On the rooftop, Liu Di told A Jia that he had imposed the challenge to push Creator’s staff and admitted he suspected a corporate spy was among them.
• A Jia moved to act against the suspected spy, but Liu Di stopped him and said the spy could be put to use.

Li Daode and Situ Zhou planned to unite rival music platforms to sue Gemini over copyright infringement. Liu Di launched Gemini Music’s recruitment post and revealed an automated music-review and contracting system, but A Jia worried no musicians would submit their work.

• Li Daode learned that Creator would launch Gemini Music in 24 hours and heard Teng Hualong suggest using legal means against the platform.
• Li Daode and Situ Zhou decided to contact rival music platforms and coordinate lawsuits against Gemini over any unlicensed songs it used.
• Liu Di posted a call for musicians to submit work to Gemini Music, offering generous compensation for signed content.
• Liu Di explained that his Music Master program would assess submissions and immediately offer qualifying musicians electronic contracts with a 50-50 copyright revenue split.
• A Jia doubted musicians would submit enough work and hurried off to contact people and gather music copyrights.

Emperor San called for music submissions to Gemini, prompting unsuccessful musicians to doubt whether their songs would find an audience. Di Yi encouraged obscure singers to share their work and announced that he and two songs had signed with Gemini Music.

• Emperor San posted a call for music submissions, confusing some users who had expected Gemini to create music.
• Unsuccessful musicians considered submitting their songs but hesitated, remembering past rejection and fearing their work would not appeal to listeners.
• Di Yi posted a video recalling how an unknown bar singer’s song had moved him during a difficult time in his life.
• Di Yi urged overlooked singers to perform bravely and assured them that heartfelt efforts would receive applause.
• Di Yi announced that he had signed with Gemini Music along with “The Future is Promising” and “I Am Who I Am.”

After Emperor Yi joined Gemini Music, amateur singers flooded the platform with original songs, and A Jia realized Music Master was Liu Di’s talent-scouting trump card. At a meeting where Li Daode plotted with three rival platforms to trap Gemini in a mass copyright lawsuit, a court summons arrived accusing Penguin Music of infringing Emperor Yi’s songs.

• Emperor Yi’s popularity inspired hidden and struggling singers across China to submit their music to Gemini.
• A Jia watched Music Master process thousands of submissions and found that Gemini had signed five thousand works in half an hour.
• A Jia recognized Music Master as Liu Di’s plan for discovering overlooked singers, then left the Creator office after Liu Di gave him an urgent task.
• Li Daode persuaded the managers of Qianqian Music, Yiyun Music, and Xiami Music to monitor Gemini and later accuse it of widespread infringement.
• An officer served Li Daode with a court summons after Creator Company sued Penguin over playback of two of Emperor Yi’s songs, and reporters rushed in to question him.

Zhang Tianjia confronted Penguin Group over its unauthorized use of Emperor Yi’s songs and demanded a symbolic 1-yuan payment and public apology. He also forced three rival music platforms to pledge public support for Gemini Music, whose upcoming launch gained major publicity.

• Li Daode realized that Gemini Music had sued Penguin Group for using Emperor Yi’s songs, while reporters pressed him for a response.
• Zhang Tianjia demanded that Penguin Group compensate Gemini Music 1 yuan and publicly apologize for the infringement.
• Zhang Tianjia revealed that Qianqian Music, EasyCloud, and Shrimp Beauty also hosted Emperor Yi’s songs, then secured their promise to congratulate Gemini Music and send flower baskets at its launch.
• Li Daode resisted apologizing at first but recorded a public apology and promised to pay Creator 1 yuan.
• News coverage spread across the internet, raising Gemini Music’s profile and promoting its upcoming launch.

Li Daode tried to counter Gemini Music’s launch by making Penguin Music free and offering prizes and live performances, but Gemini’s paid membership won public support. After learning that Creator Company had few apparent vulnerabilities, Li Daode received a spy’s report that he had copied Gemini’s core code.

• Li Daode ordered Penguin Music to make all paid songs free for a month, beginning eighteen hours before Gemini Music’s launch.
• Creator Emperor San announced that Gemini would charge 15 yuan per month and split its profits evenly with creators, and commenters voiced support for the model.
• Li Daode arranged a ten-million-yuan lottery and live performances by two popular singers to attract users to Penguin Music.
• Director Wu told Li Daode that Gemini could not be blocked, its servers could not be traced, and Creator Company was entirely privately funded.
• A programmer revealed that he was the spy Li Daode had planted at Creator Company and handed over a USB drive containing Gemini’s core code.

Li Daode and his colleagues tried to crack Gemini’s stolen core code, while Liu Di and A Jia prepared Gemini Music for launch against Penguin Music’s free offer and celebrity promotions. The code triggered a hypnotic voice and a series of explosions that plunged the entire Penguin Building into darkness just before launch.

• The undercover programmer gave Li Daode and Teacher Jiang a USB drive containing Gemini’s encrypted core code, and Teacher Jiang claimed he could crack it in eighteen hours.
• Ruan Liangji completed Gemini Music’s functions, while A Jia secured licenses for eighty thousand songs, and Liu Di approved their work.
• At a company meeting, Liu Di acknowledged Penguin’s advantages but said he trusted Gemini’s product and predicted Penguin Group would face a problem in ten minutes.
• Teacher Jiang removed the password from the stolen code, but the screen went black and a soothing voice instructed him to raise his hand and spread his fingers.
• Teacher Jiang followed the instruction, and explosions knocked out computers and plunged the Penguin Building into darkness.

Gemini Music launched as Penguin Music went offline, and hundreds of millions of users flocked to Gemini, where personalized songs moved listeners and drove record-breaking subscriptions. Liu Di revealed that he had planted a trap in the stolen algorithm that helped disable Penguin’s headquarters, leaving Penguin’s performers stranded in the dark.

• Penguin Music users found the platform crashed and switched to Gemini, where a music launch effect and empathetic comments welcomed them.
• Gemini Music matched songs to listeners, moving a grieving man and a student traveling away from home.
• Users discovered Gemini Music’s message that its most suitable music was priceless and rushed to buy memberships.
• Creator employees watched paid users surge, while a programmer reported that Penguin’s headquarters had lost power and its servers were down.
• Liu Di revealed that he had altered the algorithm stolen by a business spy, and that his hypnotic phrase had helped Magic Child black out Penguin headquarters.
• Gemini Music surpassed five hundred million paying users, while King Li and other performers complained in Penguin Group’s darkened offices.

After Gemini Music's success, Liu Di announced that Creator Company would launch a livestreaming platform in three days. As Penguin Group reeled from a crippling cyberattack and its losses, Li Daode arranged to have Emperor San killed by an international assassin.

• Liu Di told A Jia that he had developed Video Master and planned to launch a livestreaming platform, then announced the launch for three days later.
• Penguin Group restored its power, but a virus had locked thousands of computers until employees entered the password, “Li Daode is immoral.”
• Li Daode saw Emperor San's posts announcing a 2:0 victory and Creator Company's upcoming livestreaming feature, while Penguin's user activity had plunged.
• After Teng Hualong threatened to return to Sea City and deal with him, Li Daode called Tiger and hired Spade 9 of the Poker Club to kill Emperor San within three days.

Creator Company celebrated Gemini Music reaching 600 million paid users, and Liu Di rewarded the employees for their success. He then stepped in to help Ruan Liangji impress Xiao Tang’s mother by claiming the company had awarded him two houses with garages.

• Netizens and Emperor Yi rallied behind Gemini’s entry into livestreaming, with Emperor Yi promising an online concert if Gemini won the business war.
• Zhang Tianjia announced that Gemini Music had reached 600 million paid users and brought in 9 billion yuan in monthly subscription revenue.
• Liu Di thanked Creator Company’s employees and promised bonuses starting at 300,000 yuan, larger rewards for outstanding contributors, and a 50% base salary increase.
• Xiao Tang’s mother pressed Ruan Liangji about his property and garage as a condition for dating her daughter.
• Liu Di told Xiao Tang’s mother that the company had rewarded Ruan Liangji with a central residence and a suburban villa, both with garages.

Liu Di rewarded Ruan Liangji with two villas as Xiao Tang’s mother accepted their relationship. Meanwhile, Magic Child uncovered a plot to assassinate Liu Di and identified the international killer Spade 9, who was due to arrive in three days.

• Liu Di praised Ruan Liangji’s value to Creator and promised him two villas.
• Xiao Tang told her mother she had been dating Ruan Liangji for three years and would stand by him regardless of his wealth.
• Xiao Tang’s mother accepted their relationship, urged Ruan Liangji to treat her daughter well, and invited him to dinner.
• Ruan Liangji accepted Liu Di’s gift and asked Xiao Tang for three more days off, while Liu Di withdrew to hear Magic Child’s warning.
• Magic Child traced an assassination plot to the Poker Club killer Spade 9 and said he would arrive in three days.
• Liu Di decided to prepare for Spade 9 and use him to investigate Yan Yiwen; Magic Child said the killer was weak.

Liu Di learned that Su Xiaotang was connected to the Poker Club and tasked Magic Child with investigating the organization behind her. He assigned Ruan Liangji to develop Creator Company's Gemini Live platform, then said he would be away for three days to receive guests at home.

• Su Xiaotang warned Liu Di to strengthen his security for the next three days, and Liu Di suspected she was tied to the Poker Club and human modification.
• Liu Di tested Su Xiaotang by mentioning Spade 9 and the Poker Club, then ordered Magic Child to follow her and uncover her organization.
• Liu Di asked Ruan Liangji to lead development of the livestreaming feature, and Ruan Liangji agreed.
• Creator Company announced Gemini Live, with algorithm-based recommendations and subsidies for premium-rated livestreams.
• Liu Di told the employees he would disappear for three days to receive guests at home.

Penguin Group reeled from Creator’s rise, and Teng Hualong considered admitting defeat while Li Daode rejected the idea and hinted at an extreme plan. Meanwhile, Liu Di continued restoring the Experimental Graveyard’s technology, turning it into a futuristic production center.

• News outlets praised Creator’s innovations and reported Penguin’s falling market share as public interest in Emperor San and Gemini Live surged.
• Teng Hualong faced angry shareholders and learned that sixty Penguin Live employees had resigned.
• Teng Hualong asked Li Daode to represent Penguin in admitting defeat to Creator and offering cooperation, but Li Daode refused and said Emperor San would not live much longer.
• Teng Hualong had Li Daode removed, then silently considered whether he intended to use an extreme measure.
• Liu Di worked in the Experimental Graveyard, where he had repaired much of its equipment and established security systems and automated production lines.