Chapter Summaries

Jiang Linyuan considered starting a business and learned that Mother Su planned to invite him to an elite Shanghai banquet as a test. Su Muzhi told him to stay by her side, while she questioned why her mother was testing him when her father had never faced the same test.

• Jiang Linyuan told Shen Wanyu he wanted to become a big shot and asked about the banquet Mother Su was organizing.
• Shen Wanyu explained that the banquet would gather exclusionary Shanghai elites and warned that Mother Su might want to teach Jiang Linyuan a lesson.
• Jiang Linyuan asked Su Muzhi what to expect, and Su Muzhi told him to stand by her side.
• Mother Su explained to Su Muzhi that the banquet would make her happy whether Jiang Linyuan succeeded or embarrassed himself.
• Su Muzhi asked whether Mother Su had tested her father the same way, then ended the conversation and went to rest.

Jiang Linyuan prepared for a banquet where he would be the center of attention, learning etiquette and dance from Yun Qiao. As the banquet approached, he learned more about Su’s strict childhood under her mother’s demanding upbringing and questioned whether her story had a happy ending.

• Vice Principal Chen summoned Jiang Linyuan and introduced Yun Qiao, who would teach him banquet etiquette and dancing.
• Jiang Linyuan agreed to attend the banquet as its star and memorized the dining rules with [Overclocked Brain].
• Yun Qiao taught Jiang Linyuan several dances and said she expected Miss Su to make things difficult for him.
• Jiang Linyuan asked Yun Qiao about Miss Su’s childhood and learned that Ms. Su had strictly supervised her etiquette lessons and education.
• After several days of practice, Jiang Linyuan rejected Yun Qiao’s claim that Miss Su’s story had a happy ending and wondered why Ms. Su had raised her so harshly.

Jiang Linyuan rode with Su Muzhi to a Shanghai banquet, where she arranged formal clothes for him and dressed up herself. After Su Muzhi helped fix his suit, the two prepared to leave for the banquet together.

• Su Muzhi picked Jiang Linyuan up at the school gates and teased him during the drive about whether his heart had skipped a beat.
• Jiang Linyuan complained that he was hungry and joked about eating, while Su Muzhi mocked his casual clothes and said the banquet required formal attire.
• Su Muzhi directed Auntie Yun to take them to a clothing store because she wanted to see Jiang Linyuan dressed up.
• At the store, Su Muzhi revealed she had arranged an outfit for Jiang Linyuan using Teacher Yun’s help with his measurements.
• Jiang Linyuan changed into a suit, while Su Muzhi changed into a burgundy blouse and black skirt, then straightened his cuffs and collar before suggesting they leave.

Jiang Linyuan attended the Su Family banquet with Su Muzhi, prompting her parents to discuss their relationship and his rumored pursuit of a Shen Family girl. After meeting Gu Lian and Qian Yan, Jiang Linyuan went off to eat while Su Muzhi warned Gu Lian away from him, and Qian Yan provocatively asked if she could buy him for a night.

• Jiang Linyuan arrived at the banquet with Su Muzhi, and guests assumed he might become her husband despite their calling each other friends.
• Mother Su and the vice principal watched them from upstairs, argued over Jiang Linyuan’s rumored interest in a Shen Family girl, and Mother Su told her husband to greet Shen Pingyan.
• Gu Lian and Qian Yan approached Su Muzhi and met Jiang Linyuan, while Su Muzhi failed to remember them from high school.
• Jiang Linyuan asked Su Muzhi when they could eat, then hurried off to find the banquet’s giant lobster.
• Su Muzhi warned Gu Lian and Qian Yan not to make a move on Jiang Linyuan, and Qian Yan asked whether she could buy him for a night.
• Su Muzhi laughed and told Qian Yan that the price would be enough to buy her life.

At the banquet, Su Muzhi had Qian Yan removed after she offered to trade men, while Shen Wanyu and Su Muzhi traded sharp remarks about Jiang Linyuan. Jiang Linyuan met Shen Guoguo at the buffet, but he left her disappointed when he said he would dance with his first dance partner.

• Su Muzhi ordered a server to remove Qian Yan, and Gu Lian dragged Qian Yan out before the bodyguards could escort them both away.
• Gu Lian blamed Qian Yan for provoking Su Muzhi, ended their friendship and business ties, and returned to apologize.
• Qian Yan angrily vowed to make Jiang Linyuan come to her, while Shen Wanyu and Su Muzhi joked about whether Su Muzhi could keep him under control.
• Jiang Linyuan met Shen Guoguo at the buffet, complimented her dress, and shared lobster with her.
• Shen Guoguo asked Jiang Linyuan to stay and eat with her, but he said he would dance with his first dance partner.

At the banquet, Jiang Linyuan endured a crowd of well-wishers until Su Muzhi pulled him away to dance, while Shen Wanyu arrived and reunited with Shen Guoguo. The vice principal and Shen Pingyan discussed their daughters’ romantic prospects and agreed not to interfere.

• Jiang Linyuan greeted the banquet guests while Shen Guoguo tugged at his pants, urging him to go eat.
• Su Muzhi teased Jiang Linyuan, then linked arms with him and told him that having her was enough.
• Shen Guoguo ran to Shen Wanyu, and Jiang Linyuan asked the Department Head for a hug.
• Su Muzhi stopped Jiang Linyuan from hugging Shen Wanyu and led him onto the dance floor, leaving Shen Guoguo upset.
• The vice principal asked Shen Pingyan whether Shen Wanyu had suitors, and Shen Pingyan said he approved of Jiang Linyuan but would not interfere.

Su Muzhi and Jiang Linyuan shared a charged tango at the ball, where Su Muzhi kissed him and challenged him to make her fall in love with him—or to fall in love with her. They slipped away before the partner-swapping dance, teasing each other as they left.

• Su Muzhi revealed she had requested that everyone else wear white so her black gown would stand out, then danced tango with Jiang Linyuan.
• As they danced, Su Muzhi asked what his presence at the ball meant, and Jiang Linyuan said he had come to dance with a beautiful friend.
• Su Muzhi invited Jiang Linyuan to kiss her, but he only held her; after the dance ended, she pulled him close and kissed him, drawing blood from his lip.
• Su Muzhi told Jiang Linyuan to try to make her fall in love with him, or to make him fall in love with her.
• Su Muzhi and Jiang Linyuan left before the partner-swapping dance and teased each other about whether their kiss counted as a first kiss.

Jiang Linyuan reassured Shen Guoguo about his relationship with Shen Wanyu after she saw him kiss Su Muzhi, while Shen Wanyu warned him to take responsibility for the consequences of his entanglement with Su Muzhi. The three left the conversation on affectionate terms, as Shen Guoguo held both their hands and recalled that the Little Prince left the fox to find his rose.

• Shen Guoguo confronted Jiang Linyuan about kissing Su Muzhi, and he reassured her that he loved Shen Wanyu.
• Shen Wanyu warned Jiang Linyuan that he and Su Muzhi would have to face the outcome of their relationship and alluded to the risks surrounding Yu Songsong.
• Jiang Linyuan joked about being understood by a girl who could read his mind, then made a crude boast after covering Shen Guoguo's ears.
• Shen Wanyu told Jiang Linyuan to consider how he would deal with Su Muzhi's parents, while he insisted he would remain himself.
• Jiang Linyuan shared cake with Shen Guoguo, who held his and Shen Wanyu's hands and said the Little Prince left the fox to find his rose.

Jiang Linyuan, Shen Wanyu, and Shen Guoguo met Shen Pingyan and Su Muzhi’s family, where the adults argued over the younger generation’s relationships. The adults left the four young people together, and Jiang Linyuan ended the exchange with a joke about love and money.

• A server brought Jiang Linyuan, Shen Wanyu, and Shen Guoguo upstairs to meet Shen Pingyan and Su Muzhi’s family.
• Shen Guoguo resisted her mother’s summons until Shen Wanyu led her over to sit with her.
• Shen Pingyan said he would not interfere with the young people but challenged Su Muzhi not to pressure them either.
• Su Muzhi and Shen Pingyan left with the vice principal and Guoguo's Mother, leaving Jiang Linyuan, Shen Wanyu, Shen Guoguo, and Su Muzhi together.
• Su Muzhi teased Jiang Linyuan about Shen Wanyu competing for him, and Shen Wanyu denied it.
• Jiang Linyuan weighed Shen Pingyan’s advice about desire and marriage, then joked that love with money could get someone arrested.

After the banquet, Jiang Linyuan accompanied Shen Wanyu from Shanghai back to Jinling, teasing her while she traveled. He agreed to see her home, and she accepted his company as they parted from the station.

• Su Muzhi told Jiang Linyuan to keep Shen Wanyu company and win her over, while warning him not to fall for anyone else before her.
• Jiang Linyuan joined Shen Wanyu on her midnight train to Jinling after learning she had come to the banquet partly for him.
• On the ride, Shen Wanyu said she preferred plain rice and lighter food, then fell asleep against Jiang Linyuan's shoulder.
• After they reached Jinling the next day, Jiang Linyuan offered Shen Wanyu his coat and asked to see her home.
• Shen Wanyu agreed to let Jiang Linyuan accompany her, joking that having a wild man beside her would make her feel safer.

Jiang Linyuan accompanied Shen Wanyu home and met her playful mother, learning more about the complicated feelings between Shen Wanyu’s mother and Uncle Da Yue. The chapter ended with Jiang Linyuan dancing with Shen Wanyu in the villa.

• Shen Wanyu invited Jiang Linyuan inside to wait while she looked for the car keys, and her mother mistook him for a burglar.
• Shen Wanyu introduced Jiang Linyuan to her mother, who recognized him and teased him before Shen Wanyu handed him the keys and told him to leave.
• Jiang Linyuan stayed for hot water, and Shen Wanyu explained that her mother still loved Uncle Da Yue despite his divorce and remarriage.
• Shen Wanyu let Jiang Linyuan keep the car, and he offered to teach her to drive and dance.
• Jiang Linyuan took Shen Wanyu’s hand and danced with her, and they joked about each other looking like kelp.

Jiang Linyuan agreed to consider funding Zhang Shuo’s voice-cloning AI project and then sought help managing Yu Songsong’s attention. His little sister Jiang Zhiyao refused to get involved, leaving him to handle the situation himself.

• Jiang Linyuan recognized his childhood friend Zhang Shuo, who asked him to help fund a voice-cloning AI project stalled by a lack of departmental funding.
• Jiang Linyuan asked Zhang Shuo for his professor’s contact information and decided to evaluate the project as a potential private investment.
• Jiang Linyuan read Yu Songsong’s many unanswered messages and decided to spend time with her while keeping a third person present.
• Jiang Linyuan asked Jiang Zhiyao to join them, but she told him that Yu Songsong was his problem.

Jiang Zhiyao remembered how Jiang Linyuan had become her brother and helped her feel special, then reflected on how painful it was to watch him grow close to other women. With no reply from Jiang Linyuan, she turned off her phone and felt as lost as the child whose kite string had snapped.

• When Jiang Zhiyao lost her summer homework, Jiang Linyuan gave her his own and took the blame for not submitting it.
• Jiang Zhiyao called Jiang Linyuan her brother for the first time, and he told her to come to him whenever she needed help.
• Jiang Zhiyao tried to imitate Jiang Linyuan so adults would praise her, but he told her she was special as herself and carried her after she fell.
• Jiang Zhiyao remembered seeing Jiang Linyuan grow close to Yu Songsong, Su Muzhi, and Lin Yilin, and realized she could not keep them away.
• After Jiang Linyuan did not reply, Jiang Zhiyao turned off her phone and felt lost.

Jiang Zhiyao worried that she was drifting away from Jiang Linyuan and feared losing the boy she had grown up with. After he came to find her, they talked and joked together, leaving her holding his hand and willing to wait for the future.

• Jiang Linyuan went to the classroom to find Jiang Zhiyao after she gave him a troubling reply on WeChat.
• Jiang Linyuan teased Jiang Zhiyao about bodily functions, and she scolded him as they walked together.
• Jiang Zhiyao explained that she feared losing Jiang Linyuan, recalling how frightened she had been when he came home bruised after a fight.
• Jiang Linyuan reassured Jiang Zhiyao through their familiar banter, and they continued walking hand in hand.
• Jiang Zhiyao decided she could wait, hoping the closeness between them would remain part of her future.

Jiang Linyuan took Jiang Zhiyao out with Yu Songsong, hoping to manage the Saint of Thieves’s advances while keeping his sister company. After Yu Songsong secretly flirted with him during their walk, they encountered Qian Yan at the school gate, who recognized Jiang Linyuan from a banquet.

• Jiang Linyuan invited Yu Songsong to go out with him and Jiang Zhiyao, and Yu Songsong eagerly agreed despite realizing that Jiang Zhiyao might be there to discourage her.
• Jiang Linyuan, Jiang Zhiyao, and Yu Songsong met at the school gate and walked out together.
• Yu Songsong opened her down jacket and pressed Jiang Linyuan’s hand against herself, but he pulled away when Jiang Zhiyao turned around.
• Jiang Zhiyao noticed a scent on Jiang Linyuan and brought him to walk beside her, while Yu Songsong zipped up her jacket and kept quiet.
• The trio came upon a crowd gathered around a luxury sports car, where the owner, Qian Yan, recognized Jiang Linyuan from a banquet in Shanghai.

Jiang Linyuan rejected Qian Yan’s persistent sexual advances, and she offered to buy him anything in exchange for being her boyfriend. Little Su arrived and opposed Qian Yan, leaving Jiang Linyuan wary of her smile.

• Qian Yan approached Jiang Linyuan and asked to exchange contact information, but Yu Songsong stepped in to block her.
• Qian Yan tried to provoke Yu Songsong by claiming Jiang Linyuan was close to a rich young lady, but Yu Songsong dismissed her and left with Jiang Linyuan and Jiang Zhiyao.
• Qian Yan offered Jiang Linyuan her sports car for one night together, and Jiang Linyuan refused and slapped her when she continued insulting him.
• Qian Yan offered to buy Jiang Linyuan anything if he would be her boyfriend for a month and satisfy her needs, but he rejected her again.
• Little Su arrived and said she disagreed with Qian Yan, while Jiang Linyuan saw her smile as a poisonous scorpion’s warning.

Su Muzhi visited Jiang Linyuan and traded barbs with Qian Yan before probing the tense relationships between Jiang Zhiyao and Yu Songsong. After Su Muzhi left, Jiang Zhiyao claimed her period had started and excused herself, while Yu Songsong eagerly agreed to go out with Jiang Linyuan.

• Su Muzhi arrived to see Jiang Linyuan and taunted Qian Yan, who left after Su hinted that she would soon have bigger problems.
• Jiang Zhiyao asked whether Qian Yan had approached Jiang Linyuan because of Su Muzhi, and Jiang Linyuan brushed off the question.
• Su Muzhi teased Yu Songsong about their past encounter and suggested that she and Jiang Linyuan go out alone another time.
• Jiang Zhiyao said her period had started and left, prompting Jiang Linyuan to tell her to drink hot water.
• Yu Songsong eagerly said she was ready to go out, and Jiang Linyuan joked that he was not on his period either.

Jiang Linyuan and Yu Songsong spent the day together, where she kissed him and asked whether he would ever hate her. Their conversation ended with Jiang Linyuan proposing a game in which he confessed to her and she rejected him.

• Jiang Linyuan wandered through the shopping district with Yu Songsong after Jiang Zhiyao left with Su Muzhi.
• At a dessert shop, Jiang Linyuan told Yu Songsong to value herself rather than keep accommodating someone she loved.
• Yu Songsong took the cherry from Jiang Linyuan's cake, then kissed him to make his heart flutter.
• Jiang Linyuan said Yu Songsong was one of a kind, and she told him she would study hard to become an amazing doctor.
• Jiang Linyuan proposed that he confess his feelings to Yu Songsong and she reject him, but she refused.

Jiang Zhiyao questioned Su Muzhi about her feelings for Jiang Linyuan, and Su Muzhi offered to introduce her to Shen Wanyu. As winter break approached, Jiang Linyuan learned that officials wanted to partner with his AI venture, while Shen Wanyu planned to visit her mother's hometown and Jiang prepared to spend New Year with his sister.

• Jiang Zhiyao confronted Su Muzhi, who admitted she liked Jiang Linyuan and offered to arrange a meeting between Jiang Zhiyao and Shen Wanyu.
• As finals approached, Jiang Linyuan focused on studying and considered investing in Zhang Shuo's unfinished AI model.
• After the External Relations Department meeting, Shen Wanyu told Jiang Linyuan that Su Muzhi had brought Jiang Zhiyao to meet her and that they had discussed their relationship.
• Shen Wanyu relayed Shen Pingyan's message that the government planned to regulate voice-cloning AI and wanted Jiang Linyuan's company to partner with them.
• Shen Wanyu said she would visit her mother's hometown over winter break, while Jiang Linyuan planned to spend New Year in his hometown with Ha Jiyao.

Jiang Linyuan and Jiang Zhiyao aired their blankets and drove to the supermarket, joking about a fox spirit and discussing Shen Wanyu and Jiang Linyuan’s relationships. The chapter ended with Jiang Zhiyao privately reminding herself that Jiang Linyuan was not her real brother.

• Jiang Zhiyao woke Jiang Linyuan and told him to take the blankets downstairs to air.
• Jiang Linyuan teased Jiang Zhiyao with a story about a male fox repaying a farmer with porridge, and she chased him in anger.
• Jiang Linyuan took the car keys Department Head had given him, and he and Jiang Zhiyao drove to the supermarket.
• Jiang Zhiyao said Shen Wanyu had told her that she and Jiang Linyuan were close friends with no interest in becoming more than friends.
• Jiang Zhiyao said Su Muzhi had claimed to like Jiang Linyuan, and he dismissed her as a liar before boasting that many people liked him.
• Jiang Zhiyao muttered that Jiang Linyuan was not her real brother.