Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Who is Undergoing the Tribulation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang City is suddenly engulfed in an apocalyptic storm of black clouds, violent winds, lightning, and thunder. Feng Jun jokingly wonders whether a Daoist cultivator is undergoing a heavenly tribulation.
• Feng Jun, a dual-degree graduate from Xiayang University, is dissatisfied with his life. Despite his education and abilities, he works as a low-level employee at Hongjie Fitness Club, handling reception, errands, and cleaning because he lacks the certification required to become a fitness coach.
• His frustration worsens when Coach Liu Shuming takes over a customer opportunity that Feng Jun was handling. Four young women visit the club, but two of them beat Liu after he ignores their refusal of assistance and touches them inappropriately.
• Manager Guo unfairly blames Feng Jun for failing to supervise the situation, while Liu also shifts responsibility onto him. Angry at their treatment and at the club’s workplace hierarchy, Feng Jun decides to resign.
• He returns to his dormitory, drinks heavily, and worries about his limited savings and uncertain future. He considers returning home but is reluctant to abandon his ambitions in the city.
• During the storm, lightning strikes the dormitory building. The resulting surge damages numerous televisions, telephones, routers, and other electronics.
• Feng Jun’s outdated smartphone, which was charging while he slept, survives the strike. When he checks it, he discovers that its battery has inexplicably jumped from three percent to one hundred percent.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun is introduced as intelligent, educated, physically capable, and proud, but also unemployed in spirit, financially insecure, and resentful of being undervalued. His confrontation with Manager Guo marks a decision to reject his current job, while the lightning strike and altered phone suggest the beginning of a major transformation in his life.
• Coach Liu Shuming is portrayed as aggressive, opportunistic, and entitled. He steals Feng Jun’s customers, disregards the women’s boundaries, and then attempts to blame Feng Jun after being beaten.
• Manager Guo demonstrates favoritism and poor leadership by protecting the coach and making Feng Jun the scapegoat instead of holding Liu accountable.
• The four young women establish themselves as unwilling to tolerate harassment; two are shown to be physically formidable.

Significant Themes

• Wasted potential and social frustration: Feng Jun’s prestigious education has not translated into a respectable career, highlighting the gap between qualifications and opportunity.
• Class and workplace hierarchy: The club values the status of fitness coaches over reception and service workers, enabling Feng Jun to be dismissed despite being better educated.
• Injustice and scapegoating: Feng Jun is blamed for an incident caused by Liu’s misconduct, reinforcing his resentment toward unfair systems.
• Poverty and insecurity: His modest savings, inadequate phone, and fear of unemployment emphasize the precariousness of working-class life.
• The supernatural and transformation: The storm is framed like a heavenly tribulation, foreshadowing unusual events. The phone’s impossible full charge after the lightning strike hints at the emergence of a mysterious power or opportunity.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun initially handles the four women’s reception, but Liu dismisses him and takes control.
• The women reject Liu’s assistance, and their conflict with him escalates into a physical fight.
• Manager Guo criticizes Feng Jun rather than Liu, leading to a heated exchange in which Feng Jun openly challenges both her authority and Liu’s behavior.
• After the lightning strike, Feng Jun’s relationship with the damaged-but-functioning smartphone becomes central, as its unexplained change suggests that the storm has affected it in extraordinary ways.

Chapter 2 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun discovers that his supposedly cheap, outdated phone now charges unusually quickly after the lightning incident, deepening his suspicion that he has experienced a “fortuitous encounter.”
• He calls his friend and colleague Wang Haifeng, complaining about being bullied by Liu Shuming and considering resigning from Hongjie Club. Wang promises to deal with Liu, though Feng Jun notices that Wang seems distracted by personal troubles.
• Feng Jun reflects on his workplace situation. Resigning would allow him to collect his wages, but he would need to find new accommodation and endure complaints from the finance employee, Sister Ren.
• He opens the mobile game Liaoliao Farm, which he originally installed to please his boss, Red Sister. Because Red Sister likes stealing crops for her ranch, Feng Jun routinely plants pasture grass for her and waits for her to steal it.
• When Feng Jun taps the mature pasture grass, he is transported into a physical version of the game’s farm. There are ten plots of land, a doghouse, and other game-like features, but no visible system or guide.
• He manually harvests the grass, discovering that the work is exhausting. After spending six hours clearing the fields, he becomes terrified that he may be trapped there permanently.
• Feng Jun eventually returns to reality, realizing he had been unable to leave because a tiny blade of grass remained unharvested. The farm follows its programmed rules exactly.
• He also discovers that time stops outside while he is inside the farm: although he spends roughly seven hours in the game space, it is still 8 p.m. in the real world.
• Feng Jun begins imagining how this supernatural opportunity could transform his life, but his roommate Zhao Qi returns and finds him exhausted. Feng jokingly—or truthfully—claims that he has spent the day “holding grass.”

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Changes from a frustrated employee worried about unemployment into someone who believes he has gained a supernatural advantage. He is excited and imaginative, but also cautious and fearful when the farm’s rules trap him. His experience teaches him that the opportunity has strict limitations and requires physical effort.
• Wang Haifeng: Demonstrates loyalty toward Feng Jun by offering to confront Liu Shuming, though his distracted mood suggests he has problems of his own.
• Red Sister: Her influence over Feng Jun is shown through his willingness to plant crops for her and tolerate having them stolen. She is practical and opportunistic, using employees’ farms to support her own ranch.
• Zhao Qi: Appears as Feng Jun’s roommate and a somewhat unreliable figure whom Feng suspects of stealing money. Their interaction reveals mutual irritation and limited trust.
• Liu Shuming: Is established as the coworker who bullied Feng Jun, though he does not appear directly in the chapter.

Significant Themes

• Fortune mixed with hardship: Feng Jun gains an extraordinary opportunity, but it initially gives him exhausting manual labor rather than immediate wealth.
• Rules and consequences: The farm operates according to rigid game mechanics; leaving requires harvesting every last blade of grass.
• Time and opportunity: The time-freezing effect makes the farm potentially invaluable, allowing Feng Jun to work or explore there without losing time in reality.
• Workplace hierarchy and compromise: Feng’s behavior toward Red Sister reflects how employees accommodate a superior’s hobbies to gain favor.
• Suspicion and uncertainty: Feng Jun does not yet understand the source or limits of his power, making the encounter both exciting and dangerous.
• Humor through absurdity: The contrast between a miraculous supernatural farm and the tiring reality of farming creates much of the chapter’s comedy.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng discuss Feng’s workplace conflict; Wang offers support but seems mentally preoccupied.
• Feng Jun’s relationship with Red Sister is indirect but shaped by workplace politics: he grows pasture grass so she can steal it.
• Feng Jun and Zhao Qi exchange sarcastic remarks about Feng’s exhaustion, highlighting their strained roommate relationship.
• Feng Jun’s internal dialogue with the nonexistent “system” emphasizes his confusion, excitement, and growing panic.

Chapter Summary: “An Encounter Is the Greatest Thing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After gaining access to the mysterious Liaoliao Farm through his phone, Feng Jun returns to Yang City and eats an unusually enormous meal, suggesting that the adventure may have dramatically increased his appetite or energy needs.
• When he leaves the restaurant, he discovers that he can no longer enter the farm through his phone. He begins investigating the cause of the phenomenon.
• Feng Jun notices that the cyan Stone Ring he has worn for three years has disappeared, leaving behind a faint cyan mark near his left wrist. He concludes that the ring may have merged into his body after he and his phone were struck by lightning.
• Believing the encounter was real rather than a hallucination, he searches for a private, surveillance-free place to test the ability again. He uses a locked restroom at Hongjie Club but fails to re-enter Liaoliao Farm.
• He makes numerous attempts with his phone, but nothing happens. He scatters forage seeds in the farm area, hoping that their growth might somehow allow him to access the space again.
• Feng Jun decides to remain at his job until he understands the cause of the phenomenon, reasoning that the club or his room might be connected to the adventure.
• The next morning, he performs his usual duties at Hongjie Club, buys breakfast, and notices that the phone battery has fallen to only twelve percent.
• While cleaning, he finds a green charger belonging to Coach Liu Shuming and connects it to his phone. The moment he plugs it into the wall, sparks erupt and the recently repaired transformer explodes again, strongly suggesting another supernatural or electrical connection.

Character Development

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly curious and methodical. Although the event is scientifically inexplicable, his dual-degree education gives him confidence in investigating it.
• He remains cautious and practical, avoiding public experimentation because he fears surveillance, unwanted attention, or having his opportunity taken from him.
• His priorities shift: ordinary workplace problems become insignificant compared with understanding and recovering his mysterious ability.
• His massive appetite and continued need for electrical energy hint that the adventure may have changed his body or created unusual energy demands.
• Zhang Weihong (“Red Sister”) is introduced as the powerful, aloof, and intimidating manager of Hongjie Club. Her refusal to acknowledge Feng Jun emphasizes her distant personality and authority.
• Little Li, the front-desk employee, interacts casually with Feng Jun, reflecting their relatively friendly workplace relationship.
• Coach Liu Shuming is mentioned humorously through his distinctive green charger, which becomes important to the chapter’s final event.

Significant Themes

• The supernatural versus the scientific: Feng Jun tries to analyze the event logically while accepting that the Stone Ring’s transformation cannot be explained by ordinary science.
• The beginning of an adventure: The chapter establishes that extraordinary opportunities may arise through inexplicable accidents and that the true benefits of Feng Jun’s encounter remain unknown.
• Caution and secrecy: Feng Jun is aware that modern surveillance could expose his disappearance or lead others to exploit his discovery, so he carefully conceals his experiments.
• Persistence and investigation: Despite repeated failure, he does not dismiss the experience as a hallucination and continues searching for the trigger.
• Energy and transformation: His unusual hunger, low phone battery, lightning strikes, and destroyed transformer suggest that the encounter may involve the transfer or consumption of energy.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun has a brief, respectful exchange with Red Sister, but she ignores him completely, reinforcing her arrogance and social distance.
• Little Li asks Feng Jun to buy her breakfast, showing a familiar and informal dynamic between coworkers. Feng Jun agrees and brings her food back.
• Feng Jun thinks about borrowing a charger from the front desk but decides against it, demonstrating his independent and somewhat restrained nature.
• His use of Liu Shuming’s green charger indirectly connects the ordinary workplace to the supernatural mystery, ending the chapter with another explosive electrical incident and suggesting that Feng Jun’s adventure may be reactivating.

Chapter Summary: “Red Sister, the Real Deal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun’s phone charger suddenly explodes in a burst of sparks while charging. The phone remains unharmed, but his hand is blackened by the electric arc.
• After washing his hand, Feng Jun notices that the Stone Ring imprint on his wrist has darkened slightly. He suspects that his body may have absorbed the electrical current, possibly explaining why the city transformer exploded instead of the club’s circuit breaker.
• While waiting until lunch, Feng Jun sees a notification stating that “‘Red Sister, the Real Deal’ stole fifteen stalks of pasture grass,” suggesting that another player or account is interacting with the mysterious farm.
• During his lunch break, Feng Jun enters Liaoliao Farm again by using the giant hand icon. He realizes that charging himself with electricity may be the condition required to access the strange space.
• He discovers that he exists inside the farm as a form of data. His clothing is indistinct, and he cannot bring his cigarettes or lighter into the space.
• Feng Jun spends six exhausting hours harvesting grass from ten mature pasture plots. When he returns, he is disappointed to learn that the space cannot function as a storage area for objects from the real world.
• After leaving the farm, Feng Jun is confronted in the restroom by Coach Liu Shuming, who is angered by Feng Jun’s earlier remark. Liu tries to intimidate and grab him but backs down when Feng Jun refuses to show fear.
• Feng Jun later eats an enormous meal—three bowls of fried noodles, two plates of vegetables, and five chicken legs—because harvesting grass has once again left him abnormally hungry.
• The chapter ends with the restaurant owner warning Feng Jun that he smells strange, hinting at a new consequence of his supernatural activities.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes more aware of the Stone Ring’s connection to electricity and the farm. He begins forming theories about how his powers work, especially the possibility that charging himself enables entry into Liaoliao Farm. He remains cautious and practical, resisting the urge to test the farm immediately and trying to conserve money despite his huge appetite. His confidence also grows as he confronts Liu Shuming without fear.
• Liu Shuming: Is revealed as a cowardly bully who acts aggressively toward weaker people but hesitates when faced with Feng Jun’s calm resistance. His threats lose credibility when he releases Feng Jun without fighting.
• Little Li and Zhao Qi: Provide comic relief by speculating irresponsibly about the transformer explosion and blaming the power company.
• Smurf: Defends the power company’s professionalism and angrily challenges the club employees’ accusations.
• “Red Sister, the Real Deal”: Is introduced indirectly through the farm notification, implying that Feng Jun is not the only person connected to the game-like system.

Significant Themes

• Supernatural power and experimentation: Feng Jun gradually investigates the rules and costs of his mysterious ability, learning that electricity may fuel his access to the farm.
• Limits and disappointment: The farm offers extraordinary possibilities, but Feng Jun discovers practical restrictions: he cannot bring physical objects inside and must perform exhausting manual labor.
• Adaptation and cautious ambition: Feng Jun hopes to profit from the farm but remains careful about spending and avoids taking unnecessary risks before understanding the system.
• Appearance versus reality: Feng Jun appears overweight and ordinary, yet retains considerable physical strength and fighting ability. Likewise, the mundane phone and transformer incident conceal a supernatural cause.
• Bullying and quiet strength: Feng Jun’s calm response to Liu Shuming contrasts with the coach’s bluster, showing Feng Jun’s growing willingness to defend himself.

Character Interactions

• Little Li and Zhao Qi argue humorously over whether the transformer failure was caused by faulty equipment or excessive electricity use.
• Smurf confronts them and defends the exhausted power workers, turning the discussion into a heated dispute.
• Feng Jun observes the argument while privately connecting the transformer accident to the Stone Ring.
• Liu Shuming attempts to provoke and physically intimidate Feng Jun, but Feng Jun’s composure causes him to retreat. Their exchange ends with a sarcastic misunderstanding over Feng Jun’s statement that Liu should “eat shit.”
• The restaurant owner reacts uneasily to Feng Jun’s extreme appetite and strange odor, adding another unexplained consequence to his recent experiences.

Chapter Summary: The Grass Is Growing Nicely

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun realizes that the foul smell from his body is likely the result of the legendary Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Alteration, confirming that his extraordinary encounter is genuine.
• He showers repeatedly at Hongjie Club, discovering that the cleansing has expelled a thick layer of grime from his skin. The club’s free showers and soap further convince him to remain employed there for the time being.
• Feng Jun borrows Zhao Qi’s charger to recharge the mysterious old-fashioned phone connected to his extraordinary encounter. He later buys a cheap replacement charger and hides the phone under his bed for safety.
• After oversleeping, Feng Jun discovers that the phone has charged to 83 percent. Before he can experiment with it, Zhao Qi informs him that Manager Guo wants to see him regarding his absence from work the previous afternoon and his lateness that day.
• Manager Guo publicly reprimands Feng Jun, accusing him of arrogance, ingratitude, poor teamwork, skipping work, and relying too heavily on his academic qualifications.
• Feng Jun argues that he earned his food and lodging through labor and refuses to accept blame for Liu Shuming’s wrongdoing. The dispute escalates when he dismisses coaching certificates as worthless compared with being right or wrong.
• Just as the confrontation threatens to worsen, the club’s general manager, Red Sister, arrives. She investigates the situation, warns Liu Shuming not to harass customers again, and effectively ends the conflict.
• Red Sister recognizes Feng Jun’s online gaming identity, “When Flowers Fall,” creating an unexpectedly personal connection. She concludes the encounter with the cryptic remark, “The grass is growing nicely.”

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly confident that his transformation is real. His physical cleansing strengthens his belief that he has encountered something supernatural or extraordinary.
• He remains practical despite his excitement: he considers buying a new smartphone but restrains himself because he lacks money and fears theft in the dormitory.
• His patience with workplace injustice reaches its limit. Although he tries not to lose his temper or use violence, he openly challenges authority when blamed unfairly.
• Zhao Qi continues to act as Feng Jun’s roommate and informant, but his pleasure at Feng Jun’s trouble reveals a petty, somewhat malicious side.
• Manager Guo Yueling is shown as authoritarian and biased. She values hierarchy and professional credentials over fairness, using Feng Jun as an example to reinforce discipline.
• Liu Shuming is exposed as the coworker whose mistake or misconduct caused the original dispute. Despite acting confidently before, he becomes frightened and submissive when Red Sister confronts him.
• Red Sister demonstrates strong authority and influence within the club. Her intervention suggests that she protects customers and staff selectively but decisively, while her familiarity with Feng Jun’s online identity hints at future significance.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and rebirth: The expelled grime symbolizes Feng Jun’s physical and possibly spiritual transition into someone stronger or more extraordinary.
• Hidden power and secrecy: Feng Jun must conceal the old phone and carefully manage his newfound abilities while he learns how to profit from or understand them.
• Workplace hierarchy versus fairness: The conflict highlights how institutional status and certificates can matter more than truth, particularly when managers protect higher-ranking employees.
• Self-respect and resistance: Feng Jun refuses to accept humiliation or false accusations, even though challenging his superiors may cost him his job.
• Practicality amid opportunity: Although the extraordinary encounter tempts him to spend freely, Feng Jun remains cautious because his financial situation and living conditions have not yet changed.
• Authority and reputation: Red Sister’s presence reveals the importance of reputation and power at Hongjie Club; her warnings carry more weight than Manager Guo’s angry lecture.

Character Interactions

• A restaurant owner teases Feng Jun about his smell, unintentionally confirming that the cleansing has produced visible effects.
• Feng Jun and Zhao Qi interact as uneasy roommates: Feng Jun borrows his charger, while Zhao Qi relays the summons to Manager Guo with barely concealed amusement.
• Feng Jun and Manager Guo clash over responsibility, academic credentials, workplace status, and the unequal treatment of coaches and junior staff.
• Feng Jun’s argument with Guo also alienates the other coaches when he dismisses their certificates.
• Red Sister’s arrival shifts the balance of power. She questions the situation, recognizes Feng Jun’s gaming alias, protects the club’s customers by reprimanding Liu Shuming, and leaves Feng Jun with the mysterious statement that “the grass is growing nicely,” suggesting she may recognize or suspect something unusual about him.

A Minor Setback — Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Red Sister, Hongjie’s boss, inspects the situation involving Feng Jun and Coach Liu Shuming. She reprimands Liu for mistreating temporary customers, emphasizing that all customers are important to the company.
• Her intervention overturns Manager Guo Yueling’s attempt to punish Feng Jun. Guo is forced to retract the accusation that Feng Jun skipped work, though she still marks him late.
• Feng Jun sarcastically threatens that a bad mood will prevent him from planting “forage grass” properly. Guo, irritated and wary of Red Sister’s interest in him, gives him the afternoon off.
• Employees become curious about why Red Sister protected Feng Jun. Little Li suggests the connection may be related to Guo’s cousin, who is Red Sister’s best friend.
• Feng Jun investigates the Stone Ring’s powers. He realizes the mark has faded after using it and believes he may be able to enter the farm space one more time.
• Hoping to avoid excessive labor, he intends to plant only one plot of forage grass. However, he accidentally enters the farm by using his left hand and ends up planting all ten plots.
• After returning, Feng Jun regrets failing to record what happens to his body while his consciousness is inside the farm. He attempts to borrow Little Li’s phone to observe himself during the next entry, but she refuses unless she can supervise him.
• The next morning, he tests using his right hand to open Liaoliao Farm and successfully remains in reality. However, he discovers that someone has harvested or removed the forage grass he planted.

Character developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes more confident and openly defiant toward Manager Guo. He remains determined to turn the supernatural farm ability into a source of money rather than merely using it to keep his job. His curiosity and impulsiveness lead him to plant all ten plots despite intending to minimize his workload.
• Red Sister: Establishes herself as a powerful and pragmatic leader. She protects the company’s customers and indirectly shields Feng Jun, though her motives remain unclear.
• Guo Yueling: Loses authority after Red Sister publicly undermines her handling of the incident. She becomes cautious around Feng Jun while trying to discover his relationship with Red Sister.
• Little Li: Acts as the office gossip and presses Feng Jun for information. Though skeptical, she is also intrigued by his connection to Red Sister and protective of her phone and private data.
• Zhao Qi: Quietly observes Feng Jun and begins tending his own Liaoliao Farm account, suggesting he may be experimenting with the game or imitating Feng Jun’s actions.

Significant themes

• Power and workplace hierarchy: The chapter shows that authority ultimately belongs to the person who controls wages and company decisions. Red Sister can overturn the lobby manager’s judgment instantly.
• Customer service versus internal status: Red Sister insists that temporary customers deserve respect because they are potential future members, placing the company’s long-term interests above favoritism toward employees.
• Mystery and hidden motives: Red Sister’s unusual protection of Feng Jun creates suspicion among the employees, while Feng Jun himself remains unsure why she favors him.
• Opportunity and exploitation: Feng Jun sees the miraculous farm as a potential path to wealth but resents having to perform exhausting labor without immediate financial reward.
• Curiosity and experimentation: Feng Jun continually tests the Stone Ring’s rules, including hand usage, consciousness transfer, and the physical consequences of entering the farm.

Character interactions

• Red Sister confronts Coach Liu and indirectly warns Manager Guo against sacrificing company interests to enforce authority.
• Guo and Feng Jun exchange hostile, sarcastic remarks, with Feng Jun using the forage grass as leverage and Guo retaliating by assigning him the afternoon off.
• Little Li repeatedly questions Feng Jun about Red Sister’s protection, while Feng Jun evades her questions and tries to borrow her phone.
• Zhao Qi silently watches Feng Jun and appears to imitate his farming behavior.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun’s discovery that his newly planted forage grass has been taken, creating a new mystery and setback.

Chapter Summary: “Mysterious Space”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun considers his two roommates, Zhao Qi and Qin Tao, potentially suspicious after discovering that the farm connected to his phone has been tampered with or emptied. Because both men are possible suspects, he cannot determine which one is responsible.
• After eating a large breakfast to prepare for the physical effort of using the farm, Feng Jun goes to work at Hongjie Club. He buys breakfast for Little Li and notices that his assigned area has already been cleaned.
• In the employee changing room, Liu Shuming angrily asks whether Feng Jun broke his phone charger and insults him by implying he is relying on his relationship with Red Sister. Feng Jun ignores him.
• While idly tapping a blank area of his phone screen with his left hand, Feng Jun unexpectedly enters a previously unknown space.
• The space is a vast, barren wilderness resembling the Gobi Desert. It contains gravel, intense cold winds, an unusually large sun, distant mountains, traces of greenery, and what appear to be buildings far away.
• Feng Jun spends several hours walking toward the buildings. He discovers that he has brought his clothing, cigarettes, and lighter into the space, leading him to realize that the ability may function as a powerful storage or transport capacity.
• He eventually reaches what turns out to be a ruined village of roughly seventy or eighty houses. The roofs and walls have largely collapsed, and the area appears abandoned, though Feng Jun remains wary of possible inhabitants or dangers.
• Because the cold is becoming unbearable and the energy or battery cost of entering the space is limited, Feng Jun returns to the real world rather than exploring further.
• He reappears in the changing room without Liu Shuming noticing anything unusual. Feng Jun realizes that time outside stops while he is inside the phone space, meaning other people cannot observe his disappearance or changes.
• After warming himself in a hot shower, Feng Jun studies the fading mark on his arm and estimates that he may be able to enter the space only once more before the mark’s energy is depleted.
• He decides to prepare more carefully before returning, intending to test the space’s storage properties and investigate the ruins.
• Later, while eating at a cheap restaurant, Feng Jun is told by the owner that he appears to have grown taller. Feng Jun recognizes that he may genuinely be undergoing physical changes.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more confident and curious about his supernatural ability, but he also recognizes the need for caution because entering the space consumes limited energy or battery power.
• He demonstrates practical thinking by eating heavily before exploring, carrying useful personal items, and considering how to maximize each future visit.
• His discovery that time stops outside greatly increases his sense of freedom and reduces the risk of being caught using the ability.
• Feng Jun also begins noticing possible physical enhancement, particularly increased height, suggesting that the mysterious power may be changing his body.
• Liu Shuming remains hostile and resentful toward Feng Jun, accusing him of damaging his property and mocking his relationship with Red Sister.
• Little Li continues to behave as a cooperative coworker, though his role in this chapter is minor.
• The roommates Zhao Qi and Qin Tao remain possible suspects but are not investigated further.

Significant Themes

• The risks of supernatural power: Feng Jun’s ability is useful but poorly understood, and careless experimentation immediately leads him into an unknown and dangerous environment.
• Resource management and preparation: Limited energy, battery life, food, warmth, and equipment force Feng Jun to think strategically.
• Curiosity versus caution: Although Feng Jun senses danger in the ruined village, his fear of wasting a rare opportunity pushes him to investigate.
• Transformation and personal advancement: The possible increase in Feng Jun’s height hints that the mysterious power may be improving or altering him physically.
• Distrust and survival: Feng Jun views both his roommates and the ruined settlement with suspicion, reflecting his belief that people may harm others for personal gain.
• The contrast between ordinary life and the extraordinary: Feng Jun continues working at a low-level job while secretly possessing access to a mysterious world with potentially enormous value.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun maintains a strained relationship with Zhao Qi and a neutral relationship with Qin Tao, while privately suspecting both of them.
• Liu Shuming confronts Feng Jun about the missing or broken charger and provokes him with insults. Feng Jun deliberately refuses to engage, strengthening the impression that he is becoming more emotionally controlled.
• Feng Jun shows consideration toward Little Li by buying him breakfast, though he later decides he no longer needs to borrow Little Li’s phone because the time-stopping effect protects his secret.
• The restaurant owner notices Feng Jun’s apparent growth and confirms Feng Jun’s suspicion that his body may be changing.

Chapter Summary: “Xiao Li’s Strange Reaction”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun prepares to explore the mysterious Gobi wasteland again, bringing warm clothing, food, water, a flashlight, and infrared binoculars in a suitcase.
• He briefly interacts with his roommate, Qin Tao, who notices him leaving but does not question him further.
• At Hongjie Club, Feng Jun borrows Xiao Li’s phone to photograph or record his transfer into the alternate space. Xiao Li misunderstands his request to use the phone in the restroom, assumes he might be viewing private photos, and quickly deletes dozens of pictures before returning it.
• Feng successfully transports himself and the suitcase into the wasteland. The mark on his wrist becomes extremely faint, suggesting that carrying supplies consumes a significant amount of energy.
• He spends several hours surveying the deserted village and finds no living creatures. Instead, he discovers human bones and a gnawed skull, which frighten him despite his generally bold personality.
• Forced to endure the freezing night with inadequate supplies, Feng consumes all his chocolate and struggles with the cold. He is deeply relieved when sunrise finally arrives.
• During a final search, he finds broken pottery, charcoal drawings of a person and a rabbit, and a damaged stone slab bearing unfamiliar writing. The clothing in the drawings resembles that of the Xia Dynasty, leading him to wonder whether he has traveled into an ancient historical period.
• Just as he prepares to return, the mark on his wrist begins heating up. He discovers that the heat comes from the stone stump he has been sitting on.
• After digging it free, Feng realizes the massive stone is too heavy to transport. When he kicks it over in frustration, he notices something unexpected, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more practical and methodical about exploiting the alternate space. He begins considering how much energy is required to transport supplies and recognizes the need to establish limits.
• His initial excitement about finding wealth gives way to caution after encountering the frozen wasteland, human remains, and the possibility of entering an ancient civilization.
• Despite fear and discomfort, Feng demonstrates persistence by enduring the night and thoroughly investigating the village.
• Xiao Li is shown as quick-tempered, suspicious, and somewhat imaginative. She confidently misinterprets Feng’s intentions and reacts dramatically, creating a humorous interaction.
• Qin Tao remains withdrawn and absorbed in his phone, offering only minimal acknowledgment of Feng’s departure.

Significant Themes

• Exploration and discovery: Feng investigates an unknown world while trying to determine its historical period and hidden secrets.
• Risk versus reward: The possibility of gaining wealth or supernatural advantages is balanced against danger, exhaustion, cold, and uncertainty.
• Limits of supernatural power: The fading wrist mark establishes that transporting people and objects consumes finite energy.
• Isolation and survival: The abandoned village, human bones, freezing night, and lack of supplies emphasize Feng’s vulnerability in the alternate space.
• Humor amid danger: Xiao Li’s misunderstanding provides comic relief before the chapter shifts back to mystery and suspense.
• The past and historical mystery: The clothing, drawings, and writing suggest Feng may have accessed a prehistoric or ancient Chinese setting.

Character Interactions

• Feng and Qin Tao have a brief, distant exchange, highlighting Qin Tao’s introverted nature and Feng’s casual secrecy.
• Feng and Xiao Li engage in a humorous confrontation over the use of her phone. Xiao Li assumes he wants to look at inappropriate photos, deletes them preemptively, and urges him to find a proper girlfriend.
• Feng denies her assumption but remains embarrassed and frustrated, then uses the phone anyway to record his entry into the mysterious space.

Chapter Summary: “Is This a Spirit Stone?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun discovers a large, brilliant ruby hidden beneath a stone pedestal in the ruined village. Suspecting it may be connected to the Stone Ring Mark on his wrist, he touches it with his little finger.
• A violent energy surges into his body, causing intense pain. Over the next half hour, the ruby loses its color, crumbles into white powder, and appears to have been absorbed by the Stone Ring Mark.
• Feng Jun concludes that the ruby may be a “spirit stone” containing energy. The mark becomes more vivid, allowing him to enter and leave his mysterious storage space with less concern about energy consumption.
• He buries the remaining fragments, returns to reality, and checks Xiao Li’s recording. The video shows that his body remains almost unchanged while his suitcase mysteriously disappears and reappears several centimeters away.
• After returning, Feng Jun showers repeatedly and deals with an overwhelming stench produced by his time in the alternate space. He sends his clothes to a laundry, buys new summer clothing, rents a hotel room, and purchases supplies and tools—including food, thick clothes, a kerosene stove, and a sharpened rebar pry bar—for future exploration.
• He spends what seems like only an hour in the hotel room, but actually remains in the alternate world for four days and three nights, thoroughly searching the village for more energy sources. He finds nothing else.
• By measuring his energy consumption, Feng Jun estimates that the spirit stone provided roughly one hundred energy units, of which he has already used more than ten. Although he still has over eighty units, he realizes that continued exploration will require better equipment and more money.
• Returning to work at Hongjie Club, Feng Jun discovers that his body has changed dramatically: he is now about 1.76 meters tall and weighs roughly 140 jin. His clothes no longer fit properly, and coworkers notice that he looks taller and thinner.
• Despite intending to leave ordinary employment behind, Feng Jun accepts that he must continue working to fund his investigations. That afternoon, he signs up an overweight woman as a new gym member.

Character Development

• Feng Jun becomes more systematic and practical. Rather than treating the ruby as ordinary treasure, he prioritizes investigating its connection to the Stone Ring and his mysterious powers.
• His business-minded nature emerges as he begins quantifying energy consumption, tracking the spirit stone’s apparent energy capacity, and planning his future resources.
• He shifts from excitement about immediate wealth and freedom to a more realistic understanding that exploration requires money, equipment, preparation, and patience.
• His physical transformation—gaining height and losing weight—suggests that the alternate world or spirit-stone energy is affecting his body in significant ways.
• Feng Jun also becomes more cautious, hiding evidence, deleting recordings, concealing the true cause of his changes, and avoiding suspicion from coworkers and hotel staff.

Significant Themes

• Mystery and supernatural discovery: The ruby’s absorption into the Stone Ring raises the possibility that Feng Jun has entered a cultivation or immortal world rather than merely traveling to the past.
• Resource management and experimentation: Feng Jun treats his extraordinary abilities almost like a business project, measuring energy, testing limits, and planning supplies.
• Reality versus ambition: His dream of abandoning work and living freely is tempered by the practical need to earn money and prepare properly.
• Transformation: Both the Stone Ring and Feng Jun’s physical body are changing, hinting that his journey will gradually reshape him.
• Secrecy and adaptation: Feng Jun must conceal his powers while learning how to function in ordinary society.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Xiao Li: Xiao Li notices Feng Jun’s unusual behavior and later remarks on his sudden weight loss. Feng Jun gives her a joking, evasive explanation, successfully hiding the truth.
• Feng Jun and the laundry-shop owner: The owner is disgusted by the smell of his clothes but accepts them for the sake of business.
• Feng Jun and the hotel staff: His unusual purchases, especially the sharpened rebar, make the staff suspicious. The supervisor prepares to question him.
• Feng Jun and the hotel supervisor: When Feng Jun emerges, exhausted and frustrated after four days of fruitless exploration, he tells the supervisor to discard most of his purchases, keeping only the suitcase.
• Feng Jun and Zhao Qi: Zhao Qi notices the terrible smell in the changing area and opens the windows, unaware of its supernatural cause.
• Feng Jun and Qin Tao: Qin Tao is the first coworker to comment directly on Feng Jun’s increased height.
• Feng Jun and the new female member: Their interaction is brief, but her registration marks Feng Jun’s return to ordinary work and provides a small practical success after his disappointing exploration.

Chapter Summary: “Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun successfully sells an older woman a 30,000-yuan gym membership, earning a 2,400-yuan commission. She is also interested in personal training, but Feng cannot provide it because he lacks a coaching certificate.
• His successful sale makes the other coaches jealous, though they avoid challenging him after his earlier confrontation with Liu Shuming.
• Feng notices that his appearance and overall bearing have improved through his training: he is taller, slimmer, and more confident.
• His coworkers ask him to treat them to a meal. Feng refuses mainly because Zhao Qi joins in, reminding Feng of the money he lost in the dormitory. His indirect accusation embarrasses Zhao Qi, who becomes furious but cannot openly retaliate.
• Feng returns to the dorm, packs his belongings, and prepares to leave. He buys a new Maolin smartphone to test whether his unusual luck and fortune-related abilities work on devices other than his old customized phone.
• On his way back to the hotel through a deserted alley, Feng discovers Liu Shuming and three accomplices ambushing a young woman who has chased after a thief.
• The woman, one of the skilled fighters Feng encountered previously, bravely fights several attackers but is eventually overwhelmed when the thief grabs her leg.
• Feng intervenes, mocking the attackers as though they are filming a movie. When Liu threatens him, Feng attacks with half a brick, seriously injuring Liu and kicking another man aside.
• The attackers flee once the woman breaks free. Feng stops her from chasing them and helps her retrieve her stolen bag.
• The woman thanks Feng but then begins to suspect that she has seen him before.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun grows more confident and assertive. His physical training has visibly transformed him, and he is increasingly willing to confront people who threaten or insult him.
• He remains financially cautious but is prepared to spend money on practical improvements, such as a new phone, now that his prospects are improving.
• Feng also shows a stronger sense of justice. Although he initially tries to avoid trouble in the alley, he immediately acts when he sees the woman being attacked.
• Zhao Qi becomes increasingly hostile toward Feng. Feng’s veiled reference to the missing dormitory money exposes Zhao’s guilt or insecurity, leaving Zhao angry and humiliated.
• Liu Shuming continues to behave violently and vindictively after his earlier defeat by Feng. He escalates from workplace hostility to organizing a criminal ambush, but Feng defeats him again.
• The young woman is established as courageous, physically capable, and unwilling to back down even when outnumbered. Her renewed interaction with Feng suggests she may become important in future events.

Significant Themes

• Transformation and self-confidence: Feng’s changing appearance reflects his broader personal growth and increasing confidence.
• Justice and courage: Feng intervenes against Liu despite the danger, while the woman also demonstrates unusual bravery by pursuing her stolen property and resisting multiple attackers.
• Conflict between enemies: Feng and Liu’s rivalry intensifies, moving from personal hostility to direct physical confrontation.
• Money and suspicion: The gym commission improves Feng’s financial situation, while the unresolved dormitory theft continues to strain his relationship with Zhao Qi.
• Testing newfound abilities: Buying a new phone allows Feng to investigate whether his strange fortune is tied to his old device or is a broader personal power.

Character Interactions

• Feng persuades the older woman to buy a membership and maintains a professional, confident attitude when discussing personal training.
• His coworkers tease him about his growing charm and pressure him to provide a celebratory meal.
• Feng and Zhao Qi exchange hostile remarks over the lost dormitory money, with Feng provoking Zhao Qi without making a direct accusation.
• Feng confronts Liu Shuming in the alley, using humor and mockery before physically defeating him and one of his accomplices.
• After the fight, Feng assists the young woman, who thanks him and begins trying to identify where she has met him before.

Chapter Summary: “No Escape”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The unnamed young woman recognizes Feng Jun as the attendant who served her at Hongjie Club, despite his altered appearance after his mysterious encounter with the grass.
• Feng Jun denies knowing her and refuses to accompany her to the police station as a witness after he rescues her from an attempted bag robbery. He jokes that the stolen contents may not meet the legal reporting threshold.
• The woman reveals that her phone, bank card, and other belongings are worth more than two thousand yuan. Offended by Feng Jun’s dismissive attitude, she decides to find him herself.
• The next morning, she arrives at Hongjie Club with two police officers and confronts Feng Jun while he is exercising. She accuses him of deliberately refusing to help and suggests that he may have collaborated with Liu Shuming to stage the robbery.
• Feng Jun admits that he knows Liu Shuming but explains that they are merely colleagues. He also reveals that Liu is injured and unable to come to work because Feng Jun previously struck him in the head.
• A policewoman warns Feng Jun that concealing Liu’s identity could amount to harboring a criminal. Feng Jun defends himself by claiming he wanted to protect the club’s reputation and notes that Liu’s offense was only attempted robbery.
• General manager Zhang Weihong arrives and challenges the police for coming in uniform, emphasizing the damage such an appearance could do to the club’s reputation.
• Zhang has Liu Shuming brought out. He is badly injured, bandaged, and visibly defeated. She tells the police that the club has already detained him but refuses to accept responsibility for anything beyond the club’s actions.
• The police prepare to take Liu away, while Zhang requests that the circumstances be clarified publicly so the club’s responsibility is clearly established.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains cautious, evasive, and somewhat cynical. He refuses involvement with the police despite having done the right thing, primarily because he wants to avoid trouble and protect his livelihood. His poverty and practical mindset are evident in his thoughts about money and the cost of the woman’s handbag.
• The young woman is revealed to be proud, persistent, and sharp-minded. Though grateful to Feng Jun for saving her, she is easily irritated by his dismissive manner and actively tracks him down. Her suspicions show that she is perceptive, though her theories about Feng Jun and Liu are exaggerated.
• Liu Shuming suffers the consequences of his attempted robbery and assault. Previously arrogant and aggressive, he now appears physically weakened and humiliated.
• Zhang Weihong demonstrates authority and social intelligence. She cooperates with the police but firmly protects Hongjie Club’s reputation and limits the company’s legal exposure.
• The police officers represent contrasting approaches: the policewoman is stern and suspicious of Feng Jun, while the male officer is more diplomatic and cooperative toward Zhang.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus identity: Feng Jun’s physical transformation makes him difficult to recognize, but the woman identifies him through his manner and general appearance.
• Self-protection and moral ambiguity: Feng Jun helped the woman but refuses to testify, showing that doing the right thing does not necessarily mean accepting personal risk or inconvenience.
• Poverty and social status: Feng Jun’s attitude toward the woman’s expensive belongings highlights the gap between them and his lingering sensitivity about money.
• Reputation and institutional responsibility: Zhang’s confrontation with the police emphasizes how businesses in the service industry fear the public consequences of police involvement.
• Suspicion and misunderstanding: The woman interprets Feng Jun’s reluctance as evidence of guilt, while Feng Jun views her accusations as absurd and burdensome.
• Power and consequences: Liu’s injuries demonstrate that his earlier abuse of others has finally brought serious consequences upon him.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and the young woman: Their exchanges are marked by gratitude, irritation, sarcasm, and mutual suspicion. She wants his cooperation; he repeatedly tries to distance himself from her and the case.
• Feng Jun and the police: Feng Jun gives technically truthful but evasive answers, while the policewoman presses him about his relationship with Liu and his failure to report him.
• Zhang Weihong and the police: Zhang maintains a controlled but assertive relationship with the officers, supporting law enforcement while insisting on protecting the club’s image and legal standing.
• Zhang Weihong and Liu Shuming: By having Liu brought out and turned over, Zhang makes clear that the club will punish misconduct while denying responsibility for Liu’s independent crimes.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Police question Liu Shuming at the fitness club about his attack on the girl. He admits that he and his friends followed her, stole her bag, and intended to beat her, though he denies planning rape or murder.
• The girl contradicts him, stating that he threatened to rape and kill her. Feng Jun confirms her account, leaving Liu Shuming unable to dismiss the accusation as a misunderstanding.
• The girl reveals that she obtained surveillance footage through influential connections, making it clear that the case has powerful backing despite being legally a minor attempted offense.
• Liu Shuming begs the girl and Feng Jun for leniency, but Feng Jun refuses to defend him and openly supports a harsher punishment.
• Sister Hong fires Liu Shuming and tells the police to deal with him without considering the club’s reputation. The officers arrest and handcuff him.
• Afterward, Sister Hong summons Feng Jun and Manager Guo to her office. She explains that the girl’s companion—particularly the girl in yellow from a previous visit—is someone the club must treat with exceptional respect.
• Sister Hong criticizes Manager Guo for previously mishandling Feng Jun and using him merely as an intimidation tool. She praises Feng Jun for protecting the club and rewards him with a promotion to security team leader and a personal bonus of 2,000 yuan.
• Sister Hong privately emphasizes that the club was in the wrong and might have been forced to close temporarily if Feng Jun had not resolved the crisis. She orders Manager Guo to follow Feng Jun’s authority in security matters.

Character Developments

• Liu Shuming is exposed as reckless, vindictive, and morally evasive. His attempts to minimize his actions collapse when the girl and Feng Jun confirm his threats. His pleading reveals his fear once he realizes the victim has powerful support.
• Feng Jun demonstrates loyalty to the club but refuses to protect Liu Shuming, whom he dislikes. He acts pragmatically, supports the victim, and gains Sister Hong’s trust and respect. His promotion gives him greater authority despite his lack of ambition toward the club.
• Sister Hong shows herself to be decisive, politically cautious, and protective of the club’s long-term interests. She rewards competence but also makes clear that Feng Jun’s position must not be undermined.
• Manager Guo Yueling recognizes that she has underestimated Feng Jun and mishandled him. She becomes more respectful and submissive after Sister Hong reprimands her.
• The girl appears determined and influential. She refuses to excuse Liu Shuming and uses her connections to ensure the authorities take the case seriously.

Significant Themes

• Justice and accountability: Liu Shuming attempts to distinguish between an attempted crime and a completed one, but the chapter stresses that intent and danger still matter.
• Power and influence: Access to surveillance footage and the seriousness of the police response depend partly on the girl’s connections and her companion’s status.
• Pragmatism over misplaced loyalty: Feng Jun and Sister Hong protect the club by condemning Liu Shuming rather than shielding an employee who endangered it.
• Authority and recognition: Feng Jun’s actions earn him formal status, showing how competence can shift workplace power dynamics.
• Reputation and consequences: The club’s survival depends on distancing itself from Liu Shuming’s behavior and demonstrating that it will not tolerate such conduct.

Character Interactions

• The officers challenge Liu Shuming’s excuses while the girl confronts him directly and exposes his threats.
• Liu Shuming repeatedly appeals to Feng Jun for help, but Feng Jun remains cold and refuses to intervene.
• Sister Hong dismisses Liu Shuming as an employee and warns him that his punishment is the result of his own actions.
• In the office, Sister Hong reprimands Manager Guo, praises Feng Jun, and establishes Feng Jun’s new authority.
• Sister Hong and Feng Jun share a lightly humorous exchange about his earlier “grass-planting” excuse and his use of a phone during work, revealing growing familiarity beneath their formal relationship.

Chapter Summary: “Cheap iPhone for Sale”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After leaving the boss’s office, Feng Jun is promoted to team leader and given his own small office beside the surveillance room. He cleans it himself and considers moving out of the dormitory.
• Although pleased with the improvement in his living conditions, Feng Jun reflects that he may be becoming too easily satisfied despite having experienced a miraculous change in fortune.
• At the fitness hall, coworkers react with surprise and curiosity to his promotion. Xiao Li jokingly asks to sleep in his office, prompting teasing from the other receptionists.
• Feng Jun notices that Xiao Li is acting more openly and shyly toward him than before, suggesting that her feelings may be changing.
• Wang Haifeng returns to work and casually jokes with Feng Jun. Their conversation turns serious when Wang warns him that Liu Shuming, whom Feng Jun injured and helped get into trouble, may retaliate.
• Wang explains that Liu Shuming is connected to local criminal figures, including the violent hoodlum Gongji. He advises Feng Jun to ask Sister Hong for protection, but Feng Jun refuses to seek help unless absolutely necessary.
• Wang then tries to sell Feng Jun an expensive phone and SIM card at a very low price. Feng Jun suspects the offer is connected to some hidden problem and initially refuses.
• Wang finally reveals that his wife wants to inspect the phone’s Liaoliao transfer records because he has been spending money supporting female livestreamers on Douniu Live.
• The phone is therefore not simply a bargain but a way for Wang to conceal evidence of his questionable spending and possibly avoid a marital crisis.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Gains status and independence through his promotion but remains humble and wary of relying on others. He is proud, cautious, and unwilling to accept gifts or favors that may carry hidden obligations. He also recognizes the potential romantic implications of Xiao Li’s behavior.
• Wang Haifeng: Demonstrates genuine concern for Feng Jun by warning him about Liu Shuming. Despite his respectable appearance and wealthy background, he is revealed to have a flirtatious, pleasure-seeking side and is currently desperate to hide his livestreaming expenditures from his wife.
• Xiao Li: Becomes more relaxed and suggestive around Feng Jun, unlike her previously guarded behavior, hinting at growing affection or romantic interest.
• Liu Shuming: Does not appear directly, but his reputation as a vengeful local gangster and his threats establish him as a continuing danger.
• Wang Haifeng’s wife: Though absent, she is characterized as devoted and considerate but extremely suspicious and intolerant of infidelity, creating pressure in Wang’s marriage.

Significant Themes

• Pride and self-reliance: Both Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng dislike asking others for help, even when facing serious problems.
• Appearances versus reality: Feng Jun’s promotion gives him authority in name more than in practice, while Wang’s respectable image conceals his indulgent lifestyle.
• Trust and hidden motives: Feng Jun values friendship but refuses to accept suspicious benefits, correctly sensing that Wang’s cheap phone offer conceals trouble.
• Power and bullying: Liu Shuming’s willingness to target Feng Jun while avoiding more powerful figures reflects the chapter’s cynical view of social power structures.
• Marriage, loyalty, and surveillance: Wang’s fear of his wife discovering his transactions highlights the tension between marital devotion and personal temptation.
• Improving living conditions: Feng Jun’s new office represents a small but meaningful step toward independence, stability, and a closer relationship with Xiao Li.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Manager Guo: Manager Guo personally gives Feng Jun the office key, signaling the company’s trust in him.
• Feng Jun and Xiao Li: Their playful exchange is witnessed by coworkers and carries romantic undertones.
• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng: Their friendly teasing develops into a serious warning about Liu Shuming, reinforcing their genuine friendship.
• Feng Jun and Liu Shuming: Though they do not meet, Feng Jun’s earlier confrontation with Liu drives the chapter’s conflict and creates the threat of retaliation.
• Feng Jun and Wang Haifeng’s marital problem: Feng Jun quickly understands that Wang is trying to use him to dispose of incriminating evidence, while Wang struggles between his desire for entertainment and his loyalty to his wife.

Chapter Summary: “The Change Details That Wouldn’t Delete”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Haifeng panics because his wife may discover that he spent more than 20,000 yuan tipping livestreamers and used Liaoliao to make several large payments to Douniu Entertainment.
• He tries to sell Feng Jun his phone and SIM card cheaply, hoping to claim that Feng Jun had been using the phone and that the suspicious spending belonged to him.
• Feng Jun points out that uninstalling and reinstalling Liaoliao would likely restore the transaction details from the server, making the deception ineffective.
• Feng Jun reveals that he may be able to alter or delete the displayed change details because of his mysterious ability to manipulate certain data.
• This ability originated from experiments with the virtual farm connected to the Stone Ring. Feng Jun discovered that he could alter some data displayed on his personal webpage and, unusually, even affect synchronized server data.
• His experiments included stealing crops from another farm, being painfully bitten by a virtual dog, losing gold coins, and burying additional coins to test how the system responded.
• Feng Jun agrees to attempt deleting Wang Haifeng’s Liaoliao records, though he warns that the changes may only affect the phone locally and could reappear if the app reconnects to the server.
• Wang Haifeng accepts that Feng Jun should charge him if the operation succeeds.

Character Developments

• Wang Haifeng is shown as impulsive, vain, and willing to manipulate his friend to conceal his spending, but he is also practical and generous when genuine work is involved. His lack of confidence in his wife’s reaction reveals that he knows his excuses are weak.
• Feng Jun remains sarcastic and skeptical of Wang Haifeng’s schemes, but he is curious and increasingly confident in his ability to experiment with the mysterious data-manipulation power.
• Feng Jun’s recent testing demonstrates that he is beginning to treat the Stone Ring’s virtual space systematically rather than merely as a strange supernatural phenomenon.

Significant Themes

• Deception and accountability: Wang Haifeng wants to erase evidence rather than admit to irresponsible spending, while the persistent change details symbolize records that cannot easily be hidden.
• Friendship and exploitation: Their banter shows a close but transactional friendship, with Wang trying to use Feng Jun as a scapegoat and Feng demanding fair compensation.
• Technology versus supernatural power: Feng Jun’s ability appears to operate through digital data, but its rules remain mysterious and inconsistent.
• Consequences of curiosity: Feng Jun’s experiments produce both useful discoveries and painful setbacks, emphasizing that the virtual world is not harmless.
• Masculinity and double standards: Wang believes his wife might tolerate questionable behavior from another man more readily than from him, exposing his insecurity and rationalizations.

Character Interactions

• Wang repeatedly tries to persuade Feng Jun to take responsibility for the suspicious phone records, while Feng Jun mocks the plan and questions whether Wang’s wife would believe it.
• Their argument shifts from bargaining over the phone’s price to negotiating Feng Jun’s help with deleting the records.
• Despite insulting one another, both recognize the value of their relationship: Wang trusts Feng’s unusual abilities, and Feng acknowledges that the phone and number are genuinely worth the discounted price.
• Their exchange ends with a practical agreement: Feng Jun will attempt to modify the records, and Wang Haifeng will pay him if the effort succeeds.

Summary of “Madam Wang’s Soft Voice”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun uses his mysterious phone-related ability to delete one of Wang Haifeng’s money-transfer records from a brand-name phone. He insists on working alone because the technique is secret and potentially illegal.
• After verifying that one ¥5,000 transfer has disappeared perfectly from the transaction history, Wang Haifeng discovers that three larger transfers remain. Feng explains that deleting larger transactions is more difficult and consumes more energy.
• The two argue over payment. Wang initially offers ¥5,000, then raises it to ¥50,000, but Feng settles on charging ¥30,000—the amount Wang had deposited into Douniu Live. Feng warns that the account balance may become inconsistent and advises Wang not to make transactions for several days.
• Wang offers Feng additional virtual currency, but Feng refuses, irritated by Wang’s casual spending.
• Later, Wang’s jealous wife, Wang Furen, arrives at Hongjie Club. Wang deliberately acts especially professional and attentive toward a female customer to avoid arousing suspicion, though his wife’s presence makes the situation awkward.
• Wang lies that he has been absent from the club because his older brother assigned him a confidential task. His wife accepts the explanation due to family and professional sensitivities.
• She then asks for Wang’s spare phone—the very phone Feng is using to alter the records. Wang claims he lent it to Feng, who is asleep in the office. His wife’s suspicious remark leaves Wang anxiously hoping Feng has erased everything.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates greater confidence in the value of his unusual ability. Though poor and in need of energy, he refuses to price his work according to his ordinary club salary and insists that rare skills deserve a higher payment.
• Wang Haifeng is shown as wealthy, impulsive, and accustomed to solving problems with money. Although initially offended by Feng’s price, he quickly accepts the ¥30,000 fee once he realizes no ordinary repairman can help him.
• Wang Furen is established as highly jealous and perceptive. She maintains dignity in public but carefully observes her husband and notices inconsistencies in his behavior.
• Wang’s background is clarified: despite being a rich second-generation heir, he prefers fitness to business and works as a coach rather than immediately entering the family company.

Significant Themes

• The value of rare abilities: Feng argues that extraordinary skills should not be measured by ordinary wages or the time required to perform them.
• Money versus irreplaceable expertise: Wang can afford expensive solutions, but money cannot easily buy access to Feng’s unique ability.
• Secrecy and risk: Feng’s technique may be illegal, and both men understand that discovery could create serious consequences.
• Marriage, jealousy, and deception: Wang’s fear of his wife drives the entire scheme, while her careful observation creates ongoing tension.
• Class differences: Feng views money practically because of his limited resources, whereas Wang treats large sums casually because of his wealthy background.

Character Interactions

• Feng and Wang’s negotiation shifts from mutual suspicion to reluctant respect. Wang recognizes Feng’s power, while Feng remains irritated by Wang’s attempts to bargain.
• Feng repeatedly maintains emotional control, while Wang becomes frustrated, then submissive once he accepts that Feng has no real competition.
• Wang and his wife interact through concealment and suspicion: Wang lies smoothly about his absence and the phone, while Wang Furen politely suppresses her doubts but clearly suspects something unusual.
• Wang Furen’s arrival forces Wang to balance his professional conduct, marital fears, and the secret arrangement with Feng, ending the chapter on suspense over whether the phone’s records have truly been erased.

Chapter Summary: “A Woman’s Powers of Observation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun leaves work after using Wang Haifeng’s phone and returns it before showering.
• Mrs. Wang notices that Feng Jun seems different—especially that he appears taller—though neither she nor her husband initially understands why.
• While Wang Haifeng is away, Mrs. Wang checks his phone, including his ChatChat messages, Moments, and transaction records. She confirms that he has not been unfaithful and that nothing suspicious appears on the device.
• Wang Haifeng explains that Feng Jun has recently been “promoted,” though Feng clarifies that he merely received a raise and a private office.
• The couple invites Feng Jun to dinner at an upscale restaurant. Wang Haifeng’s real intention is to find an opportunity to give Feng Jun thirty thousand yuan, but Mrs. Wang’s presence prevents him from doing so.
• During dinner, Feng Jun asks Wang Haifeng about buying a generator, claiming it is for his parents. He also hints that he may resign soon because his current salary and position offer little future.
• Feng Jun discusses possible gray-market businesses, such as importing branded phones or cosmetics. Mrs. Wang demonstrates considerable knowledge of these markets and offers to help sell imported cosmetics, potentially earning him a thirty-percent profit.
• Wang Haifeng offers to lend Feng Jun 100,000–200,000 yuan if he seriously wants to start a business. Mrs. Wang’s restrained reaction suggests she does not fully trust Feng Jun or approve of lending him money.
• After Feng Jun leaves, Wang Haifeng asks whether her hesitation comes from distrust. Mrs. Wang reveals that her real conclusion is more perceptive: Feng Jun was not wearing height-increasing insoles, implying that his body has genuinely changed.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes increasingly strategic and cautious. He conceals the true source of his recent changes, prepares plausible explanations, and subtly tests how much financial support Wang Haifeng might offer. His plans to resign and pursue profitable trade show growing ambition and independence.
• Wang Haifeng: Remains grateful and protective toward Feng Jun because of Feng Jun’s valuable skills. He wants to repay or placate him with money and sincerely hopes to keep him as an employee, but he is also wary of his questionable business ideas.
• Mrs. Wang: Displays strong observational ability, practical intelligence, and financial awareness. Though initially suspicious and jealous of her husband’s absence, she carefully investigates the situation and quickly notices Feng Jun’s physical transformation. Her reluctance to lend money reflects caution rather than simple stinginess.
• Relationship between the Wangs: Their marriage is affectionate but marked by tension and contrasting personalities. Wang Haifeng is anxious to avoid conflict, while Mrs. Wang is forceful when suspicious but softer and more vulnerable in ordinary domestic matters.

Significant Themes

• Observation versus concealment: Feng Jun tries to hide his transformation, but Mrs. Wang’s careful scrutiny begins to expose it.
• Money, trust, and obligation: Wang Haifeng feels indebted to Feng Jun, while Mrs. Wang questions whether a colleague deserves substantial financial assistance.
• Ambition and social mobility: Feng Jun believes employment cannot provide him with a future and considers risky commercial ventures to accumulate wealth.
• Morality in business: The discussion of smuggling and gray-market trade raises the idea that early wealth accumulation often involves ethically questionable behavior.
• Domestic relationships and gendered perception: Mrs. Wang notices details her husband overlooks, reinforcing the chapter’s title and emphasizing her sharper powers of observation.

Character Interactions

• Mrs. Wang and Wang Haifeng banter about Feng Jun’s apparent height increase, with Haifeng trying to divert the conversation.
• Mrs. Wang checks her husband’s phone, creating a quiet but significant test of trust within their marriage.
• Wang Haifeng attempts to balance his loyalty to Feng Jun with his need to reassure his wife.
• Feng Jun engages both spouses socially while carefully probing Wang Haifeng’s willingness to help fund his future plans.
• Mrs. Wang offers practical business advice and possible cooperation but maintains an underlying distance, ending the chapter by privately identifying that Feng Jun’s height change is genuine.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Wang Haifeng quickly helps Feng Jun purchase a reliable 50-kilowatt generator for 16,000 yuan, leaving Feng with 14,000 yuan from the original 30,000.
• Feng searches for a place to house the noisy generator. He rejects an expensive self-built rental after arguing with the landlord over the large deposit.
• The landlord instead introduces him to a nearly abandoned factory owned by a bankrupt neighborhood enterprise. The factory is cheap—200 yuan per month with free utilities—and Feng becomes its only resident besides the elderly watchman.
• The watchman repairs the doors and windows, while Feng clears the overgrown weeds around the entrance to prevent a generator-related fire. He plans to move his belongings there after receiving his final paycheck from Hongjie Club.
• Before payday, lobby manager Guo Yueling summons Feng and informs him that Red Sister has decided to dismiss him. The firing shocks and humiliates him, especially since he had been promoted less than ten days earlier.
• Guo claims Feng is no longer suitable for the company and says his current salary, bonus, and commission will be paid in full. Feng demands to know why and asks to speak with Red Sister, but Guo refuses.
• Feng angrily declares that he had planned to resign anyway and warns that the company will regret dismissing him. Guo then sarcastically suggests that he might have received an additional month’s salary as compensation, but implies that his defiance has cost him that benefit.
• Realizing the offer was mainly intended to humiliate him, Feng refuses to back down. His calm, pointed remark—“You’re quite something”—finally unsettles Guo.
• After Feng leaves, Guo reports to Red Sister that he accepted the dismissal. Red Sister asks whether he received the extra month’s salary; Guo says he rejected their “pity.” Red Sister sighs, while Guo privately resumes her smug attitude and concludes that women should never be offended.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly independent and practical. He uses his new income and resources to secure a private base for his generator and future plans.
• His college education proves unexpectedly useful, helping him gain the watchman’s trust and rent the abandoned factory.
• Feng shows strong self-respect. Though financially strained and furious at being fired, he struggles to preserve his dignity rather than accept compensation under humiliating circumstances.
• His composure develops under pressure: he initially loses control, but eventually suppresses his anger and leaves Guo with a restrained yet intimidating response.
• Guo Yueling is portrayed as manipulative and vindictive. She takes pleasure in Feng’s embarrassment, uses the potential compensation as a psychological weapon, and interprets his refusal as youthful stubbornness.
• Red Sister remains distant and powerful. Her decision to dismiss Feng is unexplained, but her later concern about the extra month’s salary suggests she may have intended to soften the blow more than Guo did.
• Wang Haifeng continues to act as a dependable intermediary, helping Feng obtain the generator.

Significant Themes

• Dignity versus financial necessity: Feng desperately needs money, yet refuses to accept compensation when it is offered in a humiliating manner.
• Independence and transformation: The generator and factory represent Feng’s attempt to build a private life and move beyond his stagnant job.
• Social status and credentials: Feng’s college diploma, though seemingly useless in his ordinary work, gives him credibility and access to better opportunities.
• Power and workplace humiliation: The company exercises authority abruptly, while Guo uses politeness, sarcasm, and withheld compensation to assert dominance.
• Gendered resentment and foreshadowing: The title and final line frame the conflict as a warning about offending women, though the chapter more broadly portrays the dangers of underestimating powerful people and provoking resentment.

Character Interactions

• Feng and Wang Haifeng interact cooperatively, with Wang providing practical assistance in purchasing the generator.
• Feng negotiates firmly with the landlord, refusing unreasonable rental terms before accepting the abandoned factory.
• Feng develops a cordial relationship with the old watchman, paying him for repairs and earning his trust through his status as a college graduate.
• The confrontation between Feng and Guo is the chapter’s central interaction: Guo attempts to belittle him, while Feng struggles to maintain his pride and ultimately regains some control.
• Guo’s later phone call with Red Sister reveals that the dismissal was deliberate and that Guo’s handling of it may have been harsher than Red Sister intended.

Chapter Summary: “Scavenge, Scavenge, Scavenge”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun reflects on being forced to resign from Hongjie Club. He believes Guo Yueling deliberately targeted him, while the real cause was pressure from the Municipal Sports Bureau connected to the Liu Shuming incident.
• Sister Ren, the finance supervisor, privately reveals that someone in the Sports Bureau specifically demanded Feng Jun’s punishment. She speculates that Liu Shuming’s local connections may have been responsible.
• Sister Ren suggests Feng Jun ask the young woman involved in the incident to speak on his behalf, since she apparently has considerable influence. Feng Jun refuses, having lost his goodwill toward Hongjie Club and already deciding to move on.
• Feng leaves the company with only two suitcases. Wang Haifeng returns, angrily confronts Guo Yueling, and then questions Hongjie about the dismissal.
• Hongjie explains that officials wanted to curry favor by claiming Feng should also be punished for failing to provide proper service when Liu Shuming harassed the four girls. She admits the reasoning was vague and difficult to challenge.
• Hongjie tells Wang Haifeng that Feng could potentially reverse the situation himself by approaching the girl, but society requires people to recognize such opportunities on their own. She praises Wang for showing more thoughtfulness than his reputation suggests.
• Meanwhile, Feng focuses on experimenting with his strange ability to absorb electricity. Using a low-amperage fuse and phone chargers, he safely tests drawing power from the electrical system.
• His contact causes chargers to burn out and fuses to blow, confirming that the current passing through him is extremely high. The precautions prevent damage to the larger municipal transformer.
• Feng successfully discovers that both an old-fashioned phone and his expensive Maolin smartphone can act as charging mediums without being damaged.
• The gatekeeper notices the unstable electricity and angrily accuses someone of stealing power, forcing Feng to stop experimenting.
• Feng calculates that his remaining energy is enough for roughly ten more entries into the phone’s mysterious space. Because he is cautious and unwilling to waste his limited reserve, he decides to spend his time shopping online for potentially useful goods.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more independent and guarded. Rather than beg Hongjie or seek help from influential people, he accepts his dismissal and begins planning a new path based on his unusual abilities.
• His cautious, practical nature is emphasized by his use of cheap fuses, reluctance to risk the generator, and concern over preserving his remaining energy.
• Hongjie is shown to have some regret and helplessness over Feng’s departure, though she does not openly intervene. She understands the political pressures surrounding the club and believes survival depends on social awareness.
• Wang Haifeng demonstrates loyalty by defending Feng after learning of his dismissal. Hongjie also recognizes that he is more perceptive and restrained than others believe.
• Sister Ren, despite usually irritating Feng with her constant muttering, unexpectedly acts kindly by warning him about the real reason for his firing.

Significant Themes

• Social power and unfairness: Feng is punished despite helping the victims, illustrating how institutions may sacrifice individuals to satisfy influential people.
• Networking and local connections: Liu Shuming’s influence and the Sports Bureau’s political maneuvering show that personal connections often matter more than justice.
• Self-reliance versus asking for help: Feng refuses to seek assistance from the young woman, while Hongjie suggests that success depends on recognizing when and how to use available relationships.
• Caution and resource management: Feng treats his energy, money, equipment, and opportunities as limited resources, reflecting his strong survival instinct.
• Discovery and experimentation: His electrical tests gradually clarify the nature of his power while introducing risks that he must carefully control.

Character Interactions

• Sister Ren privately advises Feng and speculates about Liu Shuming’s involvement, creating an unexpected moment of sympathy between them.
• Wang Haifeng confronts Guo Yueling and later questions Hongjie, defending Feng and challenging the fairness of the dismissal.
• Hongjie explains the political situation to Wang and discusses Feng’s possible solution, while also evaluating Wang’s character.
• Feng’s interaction with the gatekeeper remains indirect: his experiments disrupt the electricity, prompting the old man to angrily investigate and forcing Feng to withdraw.

Chapter Summary: “Two Hundred Twenty Is Nothing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun develops a plan to become wealthy by exploring a suspected immortal-cultivation space, where he hopes to find spirit stones, cultivation techniques, or valuable resources. Since the space may be dangerous, he decides to prepare extensively.
• He shops online for wilderness and self-defense equipment, using rescue ropes as a cover to privately purchase restricted items such as powerful crossbows and combat-grade kukri knives.
• His purchases exceed 10,000 yuan, alarming him because of how quickly money disappears, but he accepts the expense as necessary for survival.
• At the factory where he lives, the gatekeeper begins cracking down on residents who illegally tap into the electrical lines. Feng ignores the argument and spends the day buying fuses, chargers, and other equipment.
• Heavy rain prevents Feng from safely testing his generator. He therefore secretly reconnects a charger to the factory’s municipal electricity while the gatekeeper and village electrician are distracted.
• Because the charger has become wet, Feng receives a powerful electric shock when he handles it. The resulting short circuit blows the fuse, cutting power to the factory.
• After realizing that he has been shocked by 220-volt electricity and survived with comparatively little discomfort, Feng concludes that direct electrical charging may be possible.
• He starts his generator and prepares an even more dangerous experiment, exposing wires and connecting them to the generator’s output in an attempt to charge himself directly.

Character Development

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly resourceful and practical. He carefully plans for danger, invests heavily in equipment, and accepts financial hardship in pursuit of his larger ambitions.
• His curiosity and ambition begin to outweigh his caution. Although he recognizes the risks of the cultivation space and electrical experiments, he repeatedly takes increasingly dangerous shortcuts.
• The accidental electric shock changes his attitude toward electricity. A former childhood trauma is weakened, and he becomes convinced that 220 volts is survivable and therefore usable.
• The gatekeeper is portrayed as frugal, irritable, and somewhat petty. He wants illegal power connections removed and deliberately accepts a weaker fuse because it will inconvenience heavy electricity users more than himself.
• The village electrician acts as a humorous foil to the gatekeeper, understanding the electrical situation and joking about the old man’s stinginess.

Significant Themes

• Ambition versus safety: Feng understands that preparation is essential, yet his desire for wealth and discovery pushes him toward reckless experiments.
• The cost of opportunity: His spending reflects the sacrifices required to pursue extraordinary goals, especially for someone with limited financial resources.
• Ingenuity and improvisation: Feng repeatedly finds unconventional ways to obtain equipment, electricity, and access to resources.
• Poverty and material hardship: The chapter emphasizes the realities of low-income urban life—protecting purchased goods from rain, worrying about electrical access, and carefully managing basic necessities.
• Dangerous misunderstanding: Feng interprets surviving one electric shock as evidence that direct charging is relatively safe, setting up a potentially fatal escalation.
• Modern technology as a gateway to the supernatural: Ordinary equipment such as generators, chargers, and electrical lines may enable Feng to access or exploit extraordinary powers.

Character Interactions

• Feng has little direct engagement with the gatekeeper, deliberately avoiding the man’s complaints about illegal power connections.
• The gatekeeper and village electrician interact through teasing and disagreement over the blown fuse, with the electrician mocking the old man’s stinginess.
• The gatekeeper explains Feng’s generator as equipment for mobile-phone testing, showing that Feng’s activities remain only partly understood by those around him.
• Feng’s most important “interaction” is with electricity itself: the accidental shock transforms his fear into dangerous confidence and motivates the final experiment with exposed generator wires.

Chapter Summary: “Seeking a Workaround”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun experiments with charging the Stone Ring’s energy through exposed 220-volt wires rather than through his phone.
• He cautiously touches the wires with the backs of his hands to avoid involuntary gripping and confirms that the electricity causes only tolerable numbness and tingling.
• By lightly touching the wire with his left pinky, he discovers the same heat-and-cool sensation associated with the Spirit Stone, proving that the ring is absorbing electrical energy.
• The harder and closer he presses against the wire, the greater the generator’s output. However, the charging rate remains extremely slow.
• After nearly a full day of charging, Feng Jun gains less than one Energy Point. He calculates that charging enough energy for a five-point round trip into the storage space would require roughly five days of continuous charging and thousands of kilowatt-hours of electricity.
• The cost of diesel becomes a major concern. Feng Jun has less than twenty thousand yuan in available funds, much of which is needed for equipment and future smuggling operations.
• His frustration and fatigue cause him to accidentally exceed the current limit, tripping the generator’s breaker for the second time.
• Feng Jun considers using dangerous 380-volt electricity but rejects the idea as an unjustifiable risk.
• He begins searching for alternative ways to obtain cheap, possibly municipal, electricity.
• He visits the Li Dafu jewelry store to test rubies and jade, hoping ordinary gemstones might trigger the Stone Ring’s energy response. None of the jewelry produces any reaction.
• A saleswoman recommends an antique shop selling inexpensive “Black Dragon Jade,” which captures Feng Jun’s interest because of jade’s supposed supernatural properties in fiction.

Character Development

• Feng Jun’s caution and ingenuity are emphasized through his careful method of testing live wires and his attempts to understand how contact affects energy absorption.
• He remains persistent and goal-oriented, willing to endure days of charging despite the low return, but the impracticality of the process begins to discourage him.
• His financial limitations become increasingly clear. Although he has discovered a potentially profitable smuggling opportunity, he lacks the capital to support repeated trips.
• Feng Jun also displays self-reliance and pride: he is reluctant to borrow from Wang Haifeng and refuses to ask his parents for financial help.
• His attitude toward danger is clarified. He is willing to take calculated risks, but he rejects reckless experimentation with 380 volts because the possible reward does not justify the danger.
• His disappointment at the jewelry store reveals his growing dependence on the Stone Ring and his hope that other materials might provide a more efficient energy source.

Significant Themes

• Resource limitations and practicality: Feng Jun’s extraordinary opportunity is constrained by electricity, money, time, and physical endurance.
• Risk versus reward: He must balance the benefits of faster charging against the possibility of severe injury or damage to his equipment.
• Ingenuity and experimentation: Feng Jun applies ordinary knowledge and trial-and-error reasoning to understand the ring’s mysterious abilities.
• Ambition versus quality of life: Although he wants to build wealth through smuggling, he worries that constant charging will consume his youth and prevent him from enjoying normal life.
• Mystery and supernatural power: The ring’s energy system remains unexplained, while gemstones and jade may offer another possible connection to its abilities.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun has no direct interaction with Wang Haifeng in the chapter, but he considers asking him for money and feels uncomfortable because he no longer works for him.
• He reflects on his relationship with his parents, choosing not to seek their financial support because he feels responsible for becoming independent.
• At Li Dafu, a friendly saleswoman treats him respectfully despite his modest appearance. After noticing his interest in gemstones, she recommends the neighboring antique shop and its Black Dragon Jade pendants.
• The saleswoman’s suggestion gives Feng Jun a new lead and ends the chapter with him considering whether jade might provide a better energy source than electricity.