Chapter Summaries

After setting boundaries with Zhong Mohan, Wen Chengze learned that the Wen Household’s partnership with him could make the family a target amid turmoil in the Zhong Household. Wen Chengze proposed entering the entertainment industry to draw attention away from his family, and his father and brother agreed, but Mother Wen refused.

• Wen Chengze told Zhong Mohan not to flirt with him, and Zhong Mohan apologized before driving him home.
• Wen Chengze asked Father Wen about the partnership, and Father Wen explained that Zhong Mohan faced threats from rivals inside and outside the Zhong Household.
• Wen Chengze proposed entering the entertainment industry to make the Wen Household seem less threatening, and Father Wen and Wen Chenglin reluctantly agreed.
• Mother Wen learned of Wen Chengze’s plan and strongly objected.

Wen Chengze persuaded Mother Wen to let him enter the entertainment industry, then went to Phoenix Dynasty Entertainment to sign with Cheng Liang's company. After Cheng Liang offered him unusually favorable terms, Wen Chengze signed the contract and prepared to begin his new venture.

• Wen Chengze sweet-talked Mother Wen until she agreed to let him enter the entertainment industry.
• Wen Chengze told Mother Wen he would sign with Cheng Liang's company, and she offered to support his decision.
• Wen Chengze arrived at Phoenix Dynasty Entertainment, where Cheng Liang greeted him and brought him to his office.
• Wen Chengze explained that he wanted to try the entertainment industry for fun, and Cheng Liang handed him a contract with favorable terms.
• Wen Chengze signed the contract, joking that he might be Grandpa Cheng's real grandson.

Cheng Liang showed Wen Chengze around Phoenix Dynasty, where Wen Chengze unexpectedly encountered Zhong Mohan and felt angry when Zhong ignored him. After returning home, Wen Chengze consulted Doctor Xize about his increasingly intense emotions and admitted that seeing the man he had slept with stirred inexplicable feelings in him.

• Cheng Liang showed Wen Chengze around Phoenix Dynasty and discussed choosing an agent and assistant for him.
• Wen Chengze encountered Zhong Mohan at the company and felt uncomfortable and angry when Zhong ignored him.
• After dinner, Wen Chengze drove home, pulled over to message his doctor, and later reassured Mother Wen that he was fine.
• Wen Chengze told Doctor Xize that his emotions had become harder to control around family and that seeing the man he had slept with stirred inexplicable feelings.

Wen Chengze learned from Dr. Xize that his emotional fluctuations toward the man he slept with were likely a normal response to his first partner, and decided to stop suppressing his feelings around his family. Meanwhile, Zhong Mohan wondered about Wen Chengze’s connection to Cheng Liang, while Wen Chengze planned to cultivate an arrogant reputation in the entertainment industry.

• Dr. Xize told Wen Chengze that his emotional changes were likely imprinting on his first sexual partner and advised him not to suppress his feelings around family.
• Wen Chengze accepted the explanation and decided to let his emotions emerge around his family, while excluding the man who caused them from consideration.
• At a gathering with entertainment industry figures, Zhong Mohan asked Chairman Cheng whether Cheng Liang was his son.
• Chairman Cheng worried that Cheng Liang had offended Zhong Mohan and later kept a stricter watch on him.
• Wen Chengze planned to become known as spoiled and overbearing by taking roles, flaunting his wealth, and speaking sharply.

Wen Chengze struggled to find a manager willing to work with him, so Cheng Liang introduced him to Zhuo Wenyu, a well-regarded manager who agreed to represent him. After signing the contract, Wen Chengze wondered why Zhuo Wenyu had been so accommodating, while Zhuo Wenyu revealed that Zhong Mohan had sent him to look after the young master without restricting his choices.

• Wen Chengze and Cheng Liang discussed the difficulty of finding a manager willing to represent Wen Chengze.
• Cheng Liang asked Wen Chengze whether he had dated anyone abroad, and Wen Chengze said he was not interested.
• Wen Chengze met Zhuo Wenyu, and they signed a management contract on favorable terms for Wen Chengze.
• Wen Chengze asked Cheng Liang about Zhuo Wenyu's background but kept his suspicions to himself.
• Zhuo Wenyu called Zhong Mohan and confirmed that he had signed Wen Chengze, then promised to look after him.

Wen Chengze accepted Zhuo Wenyu’s plan to join Phoenix Dynasty’s actor-training variety show, hoping to gain attention quickly without causing too much trouble. Before filming began, Cheng Liang invited him to a bar, intending to help him understand the entertainment industry and make his feelings known.

• Zhuo Wenyu recommended an upcoming actor-training variety show as the fastest way for Wen Chengze to gain fame, and Wen Chengze agreed after learning Phoenix Dynasty was producing it.
• Wen Chengze told Zhuo Wenyu that he wanted to reach his goal quickly and be eliminated without dragging the show down.
• Cheng Liang explained to Wen Chengze that Phoenix Dynasty and Zhong Mohan had selected a hundred contestants and assembled eight mentors for the show.
• Cheng Liang teased Wen Chengze about his childhood appearance, and Wen Chengze threatened to visit Grandpa Cheng with him.
• Cheng Liang persuaded Wen Chengze to join him at a bar, secretly planning to broaden Wen Chengze’s horizons and make his feelings clear.

Cheng Liang brought Wen Chengze to a popular club and tried to find out whether he might be open to a relationship with a man. As Cheng Liang began to confess, a stranger interrupted them by asking if Wen Chengze was looking for a new partner.

• Cheng Liang took Wen Chengze to a club and introduced him to his friends.
• Wen Chengze joked with the group and said he was not opposed to homosexuality, though he had turned down men who asked for his contact information.
• Cheng Liang walked with Wen Chengze to the restroom and asked whether he was opposed to homosexuality.
• Cheng Liang began to speak, but a low, hoarse voice interrupted him with, “New partner?”

Wen Chengze joined Zhong Mohan and his friends for a night out, where his friends quickly revealed their family backgrounds and Wen Chengze struggled with his attraction to Zhong Mohan. Their teasing ended with Zhong Mohan reminding Wen Chengze that he had been his first sexual partner.

• Zhong Mohan encountered Wen Chengze and Cheng Liang, then invited them to join him and his friends upstairs.
• Wen Chengze followed Zhong Mohan to a private room, where Zhong Mohan's friends charmed his companions into sharing their family backgrounds.
• Wen Chengze watched Zhong Mohan drink and recalled their intimate night together.
• Zhong Mohan teased Wen Chengze for wanting alcohol and called him a child because he had brought him into the adult world.
• Wen Chengze challenged Zhong Mohan's assumption that their encounter had been his first time, and Zhong Mohan replied that Wen Chengze had been too tight for it to have happened many times.

Wen Chengze confronted Zhong Mohan over his crude teasing, and Zhong Mohan apologized and revealed that their night together had also been his first time. At a card game with their friends, Zhong Mohan looked after Wen Chengze and drank for him when he lost, while the others assumed he was simply being considerate.

• Wen Chengze told Zhong Mohan to show him respect after Zhong made a crude joke, and Zhong apologized and said their night together had been his first time too.
• Lu Wen invited the two men to join the card game, and Zhong Mohan ordered drinks for everyone along with hot milk for Wen Chengze.
• Wen Chengze asked for alcohol, but Zhong Mohan refused because he thought Wen Chengze was too weak to drink.
• Yu Zixu and Lu Wen asked how Wen Chengze and Zhong Mohan had met, and Wen Chengze said they met at a banquet after he had recently returned to the country.
• When Wen Chengze lost a round, Zhong Mohan took his wineglass and drank for him, then told his friends to keep playing.

After drinking with Zhong Mohan and his friends, Wen Chengze accepted Zhong Mohan’s unexpected invitation to go home, assuming they would discuss cooperation between their households. They arrived at Zhong Mohan’s apartment, where Wen Chengze told him to shower first.

• Wen Chengze assessed Zhong Mohan’s friends and grew more wary of Zhong Mohan, whose connections he had not uncovered in his research.
• Zhong Mohan ended the gathering and walked beside Wen Chengze, realizing he wanted to stay close to him.
• At the club entrance, Zhong Mohan impulsively asked Wen Chengze to come home with him, and Wen Chengze agreed, expecting a serious discussion about cooperation.
• Zhong Mohan’s friends left the two alone, and Wen Chengze and Zhong Mohan rode together to Zhong Mohan’s apartment.
• After they entered the apartment, Wen Chengze told Zhong Mohan to take a shower first.

Zhong Mohan brought Wen Chengze to his apartment after a night of drinking, but struggled to explain why he wanted him there. Wen Chengze challenged his motives and demanded assurance that the Wen Household would remain safe, then decided to stay the night.

• Wen Chengze told Zhong Mohan to shower before they talked, and Zhong Mohan returned in a bathrobe with warm water.
• Zhong Mohan could not explain what he wanted to discuss, so Wen Chengze accused him of bringing him home to talk about their past intimacy.
• Wen Chengze confronted Zhong Mohan over repeatedly drawing him into the Zhong Household's affairs and offered to satisfy him if he would end his cooperation with the Wen Household.
• Zhong Mohan stopped Wen Chengze and promised that the Wen Household would not be harmed, explaining that he needed its support rather than seeking physical compensation.
• Wen Chengze asked why Zhong Mohan had brought him home, and Zhong Mohan said he had not wanted him to travel alone so late; Wen Chengze decided to sleep there.

After a charged night with Wen Chengze, Zhong Mohan found himself unusually preoccupied with him and woke to discover he had already gone home. Lu Wen arrived hoping to catch gossip and began questioning Zhong Mohan about their relationship.

• Wen Chengze lay awake, doubted Zhong Mohan’s motives for helping the Wen Household, and decided to warn his father to be careful.
• Zhong Mohan took cold showers to cool himself after remembering Wen Chengze sitting on his lap, then wondered what the young man had been through and why he cared so much about him.
• Zhong Mohan woke late and found Wen Chengze’s bedroom empty, then heard Lu Wen in the kitchen making breakfast.
• Lu Wen told Zhong Mohan that Wen Chengze had already left and had left a note saying, “I went home.”
• Lu Wen teased Zhong Mohan about dating Wen Chengze, while Zhong Mohan insisted that he did not care about love.

Zhong Mohan admitted to Lu Wen that he was interested in Wen Chengze but insisted he would not treat him as a bargaining chip, and he confirmed he would still pursue his overseas business plans. Wen Chengze returned to the Wen Household, slept until noon, and prepared to meet acting instructors after his family worried over his night away.

• Lu Wen teased Zhong Mohan about Wen Chengze, and Zhong Mohan admitted that he liked him and had been thinking about him.
• Lu Wen warned Zhong Mohan to be careful and suggested Wen Chengze's family could benefit his ambitions, but Zhong Mohan said he did not treat Wen Chengze as a bargaining chip.
• Zhong Mohan told Lu Wen he would still go abroad to oversee business despite his feelings for Wen Chengze.
• Wen Chengze returned to the Wen Household and slept until noon after failing to sleep at Zhong Mohan's house.
• Wen Chengze's manager arranged for him to meet acting instructors at the company, and his family explained they had stayed home because they were worried about him.

Wen Chengze reassured his family after staying out all night, then began training for an upcoming variety show with teachers arranged by Zhuo Wenyu. After class, Cheng Liang checked on him and asked whether he had gone home after Cheng Liang got drunk the previous night; Wen Chengze said yes, hiding that he had stayed at Zhong Mohan’s home.

• Mother Wen scolded Wen Chenglin and another family member for not worrying about Wen Chengze, then checked him over when he came downstairs.
• Wen Chengze told his family he was fine and persuaded them to stop treating him like a fragile child before heading to the company.
• Zhuo Wenyu introduced Wen Chengze to acting teachers Chen and Wang, who explained their training plan and began coaching him on variety-show appearances.
• The teachers analyzed popular variety shows for Wen Chengze, while Zhuo Wenyu watched him listen attentively.
• Cheng Liang found Wen Chengze after class, asked how he was adapting, and wondered whether he had gone home after Cheng Liang got drunk.
• Wen Chengze told Cheng Liang he had gone home, concealing that he had stayed at Zhong Mohan’s home.

Wen Chengze prepared for his variety-show debut by choosing and rehearsing a short play, impressing his acting teachers with his rapid improvement. After taking promotional photos as the young master from the play, he drew Lu Wen’s interest, and Lu Wen arranged to attend the filming.

• Cheng Liang discussed Wen Chengze’s variety-show debut with Zhuo Wenyu and offered several scripts for his first performance.
• Wen Chengze and Zhuo Wenyu chose Stare, a story about a young manor heir investigating his parents’ deaths, and Cheng Liang arranged the cast, costumes, and props.
• Wen Chengze studied acting and quickly improved enough to astonish his teachers, though they sensed he had little interest in pursuing acting.
• The teachers encouraged Wen Chengze to watch Zhong Mohan’s performances, but Wen Chengze agreed without much enthusiasm because of his bias against Zhong Mohan.
• Wen Chengze took promotional photos in costume, and Zhuo Wenyu asked Zhong Mohan whether he wanted to see them; Zhong Mohan declined.
• Lu Wen saw Wen Chengze’s photos, asked Zhong Mohan for a staff pass, and planned to attend the filming in person.

Wen Chengze discussed his uncertain future with Wen Chenglin, then continued filming the show while his teammates grew more comfortable around him. His performance onstage impressed Lu Wen, who sent a clip to Zhong Mohan, prompting an immediate reaction from him.

• Wen Chenglin urged Wen Chengze to try acting seriously, but Wen Chengze kept his plans to build a public image and pursue his own agenda.
• Zhuo Wenyu drove Wen Chengze to the villa, where his four teammates greeted him nervously and later wondered how to get closer to him.
• Wen Chengze settled into the villa, discovered the baby-faced youth could cook well, and gave his anxious teammates chocolates before filming.
• Wen Chengze performed as a young master onstage, delivering the line, "What the hell are you?" while Lu Wen watched from the shadows.
• Lu Wen sent Zhong Mohan a clip of Wen Chengze's performance, and Zhong Mohan reacted as soon as he saw it.

Wen Chengze's group impressed the judges with their short drama, and Wen Chengze rebuked Qiao Siyu when she tried to turn his teammates against him. After Zhong Mohan returned and deleted Lu Wen's photos of Wen Chengze, Lu Wen told him that Wen Chengze had been bullied.

• Wen Chengze and the other four trainees presented their suspense drama and received the event's highest evaluation from the judges.
• Qiao Siyu accused Wen Chengze of making his teammates into supporting leaves, but Kong Feimiao defended the drama and Wen Chengze challenged her about her own group's debut showcase.
• Wen Chengze's teammates worried that his confrontation with Qiao Siyu might cause trouble, but he told them not to be naive about the entertainment industry.
• Lu Wen could not reach Zhong Mohan, who returned in the middle of the night, deleted Lu Wen's photos and videos of Wen Chengze, and forbade him from visiting the production set.
• Lu Wen called Zhong Mohan a dog of a man, then told him that Wen Chengze had been bullied.

Wen Chengze and his group chose Teacher Kong as their mentor, then watched Zhong Mohan’s breakout film, which stirred Wen Chengze’s confusing feelings about the actor. When the movie ended, the group discovered Zhong Mohan standing at their door.

• Song Ai proposed choosing Teacher Kong as their mentor, and Wen Chengze agreed.
• Song Ai suggested watching a movie, and the group chose Zhong Mohan’s breakout film.
• Wen Chengze wondered whether he was sulking because he did not want to watch Zhong Mohan’s movies, then watched the film with the others.
• The film revealed how twin brothers were connected to murders and ended with the younger brother taking the blame while the older brother’s darker personality surfaced.
• A scream interrupted the group, and the boys saw Zhong Mohan standing in the doorway.

Zhong Mohan visited the trainees and fussed over Wen Chengze, who tried to act indifferent despite enjoying the attention. As Zhong Mohan left, he admitted he had come specifically to see Wen Chengze and said he worried the entertainment industry might treat him badly.

• Zhong Mohan surveyed the four young men, brought snacks for everyone, and tried to draw Wen Chengze's attention away from his phone.
• Wen Chengze denied throwing a tantrum, then accepted Zhong Mohan's cream cake and ate it while the four young men suspected Zhong Mohan was backing him.
• The four trainees told Zhong Mohan they planned to choose Teacher Kong as their mentor, and Zhong Mohan rewarded Wen Chengze's praise with another cake.
• Wen Chengze asked why Zhong Mohan had come, and Zhong Mohan teased him before asking him to walk him out.
• The four trainees made an excuse to leave, and Zhong Mohan told Wen Chengze he had come specifically to see him and was worried he might be bullied.
• Wen Chengze frowned when Zhong Mohan said the entertainment industry was not simple, wondering if Zhong Mohan looked down on him.

After Zhong Mohan’s visit stirred up the trainees, Wen Chengze joined Kong Feimiao’s mentor group and was asked whether he truly wanted to act. Seeing Zhong Mohan with Qiao Siyu and mistaking their conversation for an industry “unspoken rule,” Wen Chengze declared that he would stay in the industry and keep acting.

• Zhong Mohan left after visiting Wen Chengze, and the trainees excitedly discussed his visit while Wen Chengze’s four friends privately noted how differently he had treated Wen Chengze.
• The trainees began filming their mentor selections, and Kong Feimiao accepted Wen Chengze’s group before offering them scripts to choose from.
• Kong Feimiao noticed Wen Chengze’s lack of interest in choosing a script and asked him privately whether he wanted to act.
• Wen Chengze overheard Qiao Siyu urging Zhong Mohan to stay with her and, mistaking the exchange for an industry unspoken rule, told Kong Feimiao that he liked acting and would keep pursuing it.