Chapter Summaries

Ren Ziling gathered Luo Qiu, You Ye, Lizi, and Lu Yiyun for a celebratory meal, ostensibly using a restaurant voucher to bring them together. As the city revolved outside the restaurant, Luo Qiu thought of others spending the evening with the people around them.

• Ren Ziling brought Luo Qiu and You Ye to an expensive revolving restaurant, claiming she had received a voucher as a reward.
• Ren Ziling told You Ye to be patient with Luo Qiu and promised to support her if he ever treated her badly; You Ye said she would always listen to him.
• Lizi joined them, and Ren Ziling waited for another guest before ordering.
• Lu Yiyun arrived, and Ren Ziling revealed the meal celebrated her university admission and the group gathering again.
• Luo Qiu reassured Lu Yiyun about her simple clothes, then watched the city and thought of Cheese and Iron Whistle, Hong Guan and his wife, Cheng Yiran's staff, San'er and Mark with Xiao Zhi, and Zhang Qingrui with the old woman.

Cheese continued visiting Iron Whistle and discovered how he hunted and what he ate. Meanwhile, after Ren Ziling got drunk at dinner, Luo Qiu arranged for Lu Yiyun to stay at the restaurant, and Lu Yiyun promised to treat him when he next visited the seaside.

• Cheese asked Iron Whistle about his life and offered him jerky, but Iron Whistle did not respond.
• Iron Whistle used his tail to snatch a wildcat and began eating it while Cheese watched.
• Cheese left the concrete pipe, promising to visit Iron Whistle again the next day.
• Ren Ziling got drunk at dinner, and Lizi told Luo Qiu that Ren Ziling had booked a room for him.
• Luo Qiu told Lu Yiyun to stay in the booked room because she could not return to her dormitory before curfew.
• As the elevator doors closed, Lu Yiyun promised Luo Qiu she would treat him well when he next visited the seaside, then felt her heart racing.

Ren Ziling tried to learn what happened after she got drunk, then was sent to cover a TV talent show. Meanwhile, Old Qin discovered that cells from the headless victim’s wound could devour pathogens and evolve, resembling a deceased doctor’s decades-old hypothesis.

• Ren Ziling asked Lizi how she had gotten home after drinking, but Lizi refused to reveal what had happened.
• The boss gave Ren Ziling and Lizi passes to cover the premiere of “Singer,” and Ren Ziling reluctantly headed to the TV station.
• Old Qin showed Ma Houde a simulation suggesting the victim’s neck had been severed in one continuous bite from an enormous serrated implement.
• Old Qin revealed that cells in strange mucus from the crime scene devoured pathogens, absorbed their traits, and evolved.
• Old Qin linked the cells to a thirty-year-old hypothesis by the deceased foreign doctor Carl Faust.

Ma Houde found no clear leads in the baffling murder investigation, while Hong Guan received tickets to Singer and wondered whether to attend. At the studio, Luo Qiu and You Ye appeared onstage, and Zhong Luochen arrived to watch Cheng Yiran perform.

• Ma Houde heard Old Qin describe calm, unfamiliar footprints and mixed animal wounds at the murder scene, then decided to begin with basic checks.
• Hong Guan received Singer tickets from an unexpected courier and suspected Cheng Yiran had sent them.
• Luo Qiu and You Ye entered the Singer studio unnoticed and sat in the front row before Luo Qiu led You Ye onto the stage for a photograph.
• Zhong Luochen took a private viewing seat and wondered whether Cheng Yiran could captivate the audience again.
• Hong Guan stood outside the television station, hesitating over whether to enter despite holding the tickets.

Zhang Qingrui visited the television station to see Feiyun Entertainment’s new singer and met Ren Ziling, who learned that Luo Qiu had left school without telling her. Meanwhile, Luo Qiu arrived with You Ye and found Taiyinzi at the studio, where he hinted that he knew Taiyinzi had summoned Hong Guan.

• Zhang Qingrui entered the television station with Cheng Yun and asked him to help Ren Ziling resolve a dispute with the production crew.
• Zhang Qingrui asked Ren Ziling how Luo Qiu was doing and discovered that Ren Ziling had not known he withdrew from school.
• Ren Ziling realized Luo Qiu had kept his withdrawal from her and silently vowed to confront him.
• Luo Qiu took photos of You Ye at the studio and asked Taiyinzi to sit with him for the performances.
• Luo Qiu noted that Taiyinzi had brought Hong Guan over, leaving Taiyinzi worried that his behind-the-scenes plans had been exposed.

Taiyinzi reflected on the jianghu of five hundred years ago while Cheng Yiran prepared to perform alone at a televised music competition. He began an unfinished song tied to a girl from his past, and Hong Guan recognized it as Xiao Meng’s song.

• Luo Qiu asked Taiyinzi to remember the jianghu from five hundred years ago, and Taiyinzi fell into thought.
• Li Zifeng encouraged Cheng Yiran backstage and told him Zhong Luochen had come, but Cheng Yiran asked to be alone before performing.
• Hong Guan remembered the band’s early performances as he waited in the audience for Cheng Yiran to appear.
• Cheng Yiran sent away the accompanying musicians and took the stage alone, surprising Li Zifeng and the production team.
• Zhang Qingrui briefly thought she spotted Luo Qiu in the front row, then watched Cheng Yiran introduce an unfinished song called “Again.”
• Cheng Yiran began the song, and Hong Guan stood up, recognizing it as Xiao Meng’s song.

Cheng Yiran’s song brought back the story of Again, the band he formed with Xiao Meng and Hong Guan before her sudden death and the group’s disbandment. As the audience fell under the song’s strange influence, Zhong Luochen began considering whether he could gather people with extraordinary abilities and change the era.

• Cheng Yiran and Hong Guan met Xiao Meng while busking in the snow, and she invited them to join her band.
• Xiao Meng and the other members named their band Again, then struggled to draw an audience at a bar in the capital.
• Xiao Meng died in a car accident, and Cheng Yiran, Hong Guan, and another member were arrested a month later; Again disbanded after eleven months and seven days.
• Cheng Yiran sang about Again onstage, moving nearly everyone watching to tears through an uncanny influence.
• Lizi sensed something strange about Cheng Yiran’s effect but found it harmless, while Zhong Luochen remained unaffected.
• Zhong Luochen considered gathering people with strange abilities and wondered whether he could change an era.

Cheng Yiran’s live performance captivated the audience and stirred memories for Hong Guan, while Luo Qiu praised Taiyinzi for arranging the delivery that led Hong Guan to the show. After the broadcast, Feiyun Entertainment resolved to support Cheng Yiran, and Ren Ziling returned home and asked Luo Qiu why he had dropped out of school.

• Cheng Yiran finished his song to an audience chanting for him to perform again, then left with Li Zifeng despite the crowd’s pleas.
• Hong Guan left the television station for the hospital, reflecting on his promise to Xiao Meng and deciding he no longer hated Cheng Yiran.
• Luo Qiu praised Taiyinzi for handling the delivery well, then took You Ye on a bus ride to see the old city district at night.
• The next singer stumbled under the pressure after Cheng Yiran’s performance, while Zhong Luochen and Cheng Yun agreed that Feiyun Entertainment should fully support Cheng Yiran.
• Zhang Qingrui left after watching the show, and Ren Ziling came home and asked Luo Qiu why he had dropped out of school.

Luo Qiu told Ren Ziling he was transferring to St. Andrews University in the UK, and she immediately began worrying about how to support him before learning his tuition would be covered. Meanwhile, Cheng Yiran faced a flood of online criticism after winning the music competition, and Cheng Yun summoned him to meet Mr. Zhong.

• Luo Qiu told Ren Ziling he planned to transfer to St. Andrews University after the New Year, and she began calculating how to pay for his studies abroad.
• Luo Qiu assured Ren Ziling that the school would cover his tuition, then reflected on his fading emotions and wondered whether he should investigate the future.
• Ren Ziling stayed awake planning how to get Luo Qiu married before he left, then learned that online commenters were attacking Cheng Yiran's competition win.
• Cheng Yun dismissed the online backlash and urged Cheng Yiran to keep winning, while Li Zifeng worried about the scale of the criticism.
• Cheng Yun received a call and told Cheng Yiran that Mr. Zhong wanted to see him again.

Cheng Yiran visited Zhong Luochen’s home and grew uneasy as Zhong Luochen showed an unusual interest in his guitar and hinted that he knew about Cheng Yiran’s secret. Zhong Luochen asked whether they might be the same kind of person, leaving Cheng Yiran uncertain what he meant.

• Cheng Yun brought Cheng Yiran to Zhong Luochen’s house, where Cheng Yiran sensed a strange familiarity in Zhong Luochen’s presence.
• Cheng Yun left to buy food after Zhong Luochen sent him away, then secretly reported to Third Miss that the two men were alone together.
• Zhong Luochen took Cheng Yiran to the locked wine cellar and asked to see his guitar.
• Cheng Yiran realized that carrying the guitar constantly might draw suspicion, but he could not bear to let it out of his sight.
• Zhong Luochen hinted that their conversation could be overheard by someone unusual and asked Cheng Yiran whether they were the same kind of person.

Zhong Luochen confronted Cheng Yiran about the guitar’s power and revealed that they were both customers of That Place. Meanwhile, Luo Qiu reflected on Zhong Luochen’s past transaction and left Professor Qin Fang’s old house, accepting that the club would simply watch what came next.

• Zhong Luochen questioned Cheng Yiran about why his singing captivated live audiences but not online viewers, suggesting the guitar’s power might be insufficient.
• Cheng Yiran attacked Zhong Luochen with the guitar, but Zhong Luochen disarmed and subdued him using his combat training.
• Zhong Luochen threatened to smash the guitar and revealed that he, like Cheng Yiran, had bought something from That Place.
• Luo Qiu visited Professor Qin Fang’s old house and discussed with You Ye how Zhong Luochen’s presence in the city might connect to his transaction.
• Luo Qiu reflected that Zhong Luochen might gather other customers but said the club would continue handling transactions, then regretted not buying the house earlier.

Cheng Yiran returned to the mysterious shop to accuse Luo Qiu of deceiving him about the guitar’s power. He learned its range and other limitations, then was sent back to the roadside where Cheng Yun had dropped him off.

• Cheng Yun told Zhong Luochen that the other singers had publicly supported Cheng Yiran, and Zhong Luochen told him to pack Cheng Yiran’s things so he could stay at the villa.
• Cheng Yiran asked Cheng Yun to let him out by the roadside and used the guitar to find the mysterious shop.
• Cheng Yiran accused Luo Qiu of selling him an inferior product after online criticism called him a fraud.
• Luo Qiu explained that the guitar’s effect reached about a hundred meters, lingered in listeners’ memories, and depended on Cheng Yiran’s song remaining unchanged.
• Luo Qiu reminded Cheng Yiran that he had not asked about the guitar’s limits before buying it, then ended the consultation and invited Zhong Luochen to inquire in person.
• Cheng Yiran suddenly returned to the roadside where Cheng Yun had dropped him off.

Cheng Yiran told Zhong Luochen about the guitar’s limits, and Zhong arranged to expand the next show to a huge arena. Nero arrived in Rushui Town looking for Cook, while San'er endured the town’s gossip about the man staying behind her tofu shop.

• Cheng Yiran told Zhong Luochen what the mysterious merchant had said, and Zhong planned to maximize the guitar’s range for the next show.
• Cheng Yun called the television station and secured sponsorship to hold the next program at Lotus Arena, despite the program director’s objections.
• Nero got off the bus in Rushui Town, asked whether Cook was hiding there, and went to look for food.
• Women gossiping by the riverside spread rumors about San'er and the foreign man staying behind her shop.
• San'er hated the townspeople’s scrutiny and remembered how she had hated Rushui Town since her husband left.

While San'er was sick in bed, she was overwhelmed by an intimate impulse and was interrupted by Xiao Zhi and Mark. Outside the room, Mark stayed with the crying Xiao Zhi and caught a piece of candy thrown at him.

• San'er lay ill and wondered about Mark's identity while he cared for her by preparing White Porridge.
• As her feverish thoughts grew confused, San'er touched herself beneath the quilt and gave voice to her desire.
• Xiao Zhi heard San'er and brought Mark to her room, but San'er angrily ordered her daughter out.
• Mark carried the frightened Xiao Zhi outside, where she cried on the stone steps while he stayed beside her.
• Mark suddenly lifted Xiao Zhi and caught a piece of bubble-blowing candy that flew toward them.

Mark followed his instincts through the alleys and confronted Nero, a white-haired woman who knew him as Cook, but he had no memory of her or his identity. Nero decided to cover for him with The Twenty-Six Seats and left him to recover in Jiangnan.

• Mark comforted Xiao Zhi, sent her back inside, and followed the direction from which the bubble candy had come.
• Xiao Zhi reunited with San'er, who asked her to stay and keep her company.
• Mark followed his instincts into an alley and attacked Nero when she approached him from behind.
• Nero tested Mark, asked about his Thousand Thorn Stinger, and realized he was suffering from amnesia.
• Nero told Mark she would cover for him with The Twenty-Six Seats, said he owed her a favor, and left.

Mark stayed in San'er’s tofu shop, waiting for his memories to return, while Nero returned to the club after finding him. Nero bought a three-week delay to Cook’s memories and then asked Luo Qiu whether she could buy him.

• Mark returned to his room at San’er’s tofu shop, read her note of thanks, and waited quietly for his memories to return.
• Nero left the town that night and reached the club the next morning, where You Ye served her rice porridge.
• After eating four bowls and drinking a bottle of beer, Nero told Luo Qiu that she had found Cook.
• Nero paid for a three-week delay to Cook’s recovered memories, with the transaction fee due when the three weeks ended.
• Nero flirted with Luo Qiu and asked if she could buy him.

Nero tested Boss Luo by pretending to buy him, but he overwhelmed her with detailed pricing before she paid to be sent to Jeju Island for two weeks. Meanwhile, Cheese and Iron Whistle set out to disrupt the noisy stadium, leaving their destination unclear.

• Nero teased Boss Luo about buying him, and he flooded her mind with prices for every possible duration until she begged him to stop.
• Nero paid Boss Luo to send her to Jeju Island and return her two weeks later, then appeared stranded on a reef several nautical miles from shore.
• You Ye cleaned the table after Nero vanished, and Boss Luo suspected that the club had overlooked the seed he had secretly planted in her.
• Unable to sleep because of the stadium's late-night noise, Cheese summoned Iron Whistle and decided to go mess with the people there.
• Iron Whistle leaped from the roof with cicada-like wings emerging beneath its armpits as Cheese rode on its back.

The Wind Chasers gathered at Lotus Arena as workers rushed to build a stage, and Zhui Feng planned to prank the humans. Cheese joined the group, but their preparations were interrupted by a huge shadow at the window that Cheese identified as his friend Iron Whistle.

• Workers at Lotus Arena worked overnight for high overtime pay to meet the tight construction schedule.
• Zhui Feng rallied Nini and Xiao Jiang to punish the human workers for entering their territory, while Cheese arrived at their base.
• Xiao Jiang suggested cutting the workers' power cables, and Zhui Feng agreed to the plan.
• Nini spotted a huge shadow stuck in the window, and Cheese reassured the others that it was his friend Iron Whistle.

Cheese and the Wind Chasers befriended Iron Whistle, but their outing turned grim when Zhui Feng found a human worker’s corpse and fled after injuring Cheese. The demons returned to their hideout unsure whether Zhui Feng had killed the worker, while police approached the arena.

• Cheese showed Nini and Xiao Jiang that Iron Whistle obeyed him, and they cautiously examined the creature.
• Zhui Feng left to sabotage the humans’ power cables, and Cheese and the others followed him.
• Zhui Feng found a worker’s body split apart on the framework, then lashed out and cut Cheese’s arm as a searchlight swept over them.
• Cheese, Nini, and Xiao Jiang returned to their base, worried that Zhui Feng might have killed the worker, and discovered Iron Whistle clinging to the ceiling.
• Xiao Jiang spotted police cars nearing the arena, and Cheese suggested that they leave.

Ma Houde investigated a construction worker’s unusually severe death at the Sports Academy gymnasium but found no clear leads. Cheese and Nini worried that the police would connect the killing to Zhui Feng, until Xiao Jiang brought them to Long Xiruo, who comforted Cheese as he insisted Zhui Feng was innocent.

• Ma Houde examined the worker’s body and learned that a clean, deep wound had split it from shoulder to waist, while forensic technician Xiao Bao reported faint footprints and fresh scrape marks at the scene.
• Ma Houde and the other officers questioned the construction workers and searched the area, but found no weapon or other decisive evidence before the victim’s family arrived.
• Ma Houde spoke with a boy and girl outside the gymnasium, then returned to the investigation without knowing they were Nini and Cheese in disguise.
• Nini worried that the police would discover Zhui Feng had killed someone, but Cheese insisted they had only seen him at the scene and had not witnessed him act.
• Long Xiruo arrived with Xiao Jiang, who admitted telling her what happened, and reprimanded Cheese and Nini for sneaking out at night.
• Cheese defended Zhui Feng, and Long Xiruo embraced him after telling him she knew about his family’s hardships; Cheese sobbed but insisted he had not suffered.