Chapter Summaries

Shen Ranxin tried to follow the novel’s plot by threatening Lu Zhi into leaving a dating show, but their confrontation turned unexpectedly flirtatious. He left the bathroom believing he had handled the encounter, then found revealing items among Lu Zhi’s spilled luggage.

• Shen Ranxin pinned Lu Zhi against the bathroom wall and warned him to stay away from Cheng Cheng.
• Lu Zhi grabbed Shen Ranxin’s wrist and ankle during their scuffle, making Shen Ranxin increasingly flustered before he reclaimed his shoe and fled.
• Shen Ranxin recalled that he had transmigrated into a villain and was following a system’s demand to recreate the novel’s plot for a ten-billion prize.
• Shen Ranxin kicked Lu Zhi’s suitcase away from the bathroom door, spilling its contents across the floor.
• Shen Ranxin spotted a magazine bearing his face and several little red square foil packets among Lu Zhi’s belongings.

Shen Ranxin sabotaged Lu Zhi’s supplies before joining the dating show, where Cheng Cheng criticized his pheromone scent. After Shen Ranxin returned from applying suppressant patches, Lu Zhi pulled him into his arms and demanded to know what he had put on.

• Lu Zhi discovered that Shen Ranxin had injected wasabi into every pink square in his suitcase.
• Shen Ranxin reviewed the other guests’ profiles as he arrived at the villa for Instant Heartbeat.
• Cheng Cheng greeted Shen Ranxin, then complained that his pheromones smelled awful and touched his gland.
• Shen Ranxin applied suppressant patches and returned to find Lu Zhi and the other guests gathered in the living room.
• Lu Zhi grabbed Shen Ranxin’s wrist, pulled him into his arms, and pressed his knuckles against Shen Ranxin’s gland through the patch.

Shen Ranxin slapped Lu Zhi on the livestream after Lu Zhi touched his gland, sparking a wave of online attention. As the six guests introduced themselves on Instant Heart, Shen Ranxin clashed with singer Gu Yifei over his terrible singing, while Lu Zhi also bluntly criticized the song.

• Shen Ranxin slapped Lu Zhi and told him not to touch him, but Lu Zhi apologized instead of retaliating.
• Viewers reacted to the slap, and related topics about Shen Ranxin, Lu Zhi, and Cheng Cheng began trending.
• Director Chen welcomed the six guests, and Fang Yu and Jiang Ye explained that they had joined the show to relax and earn money, respectively.
• Gu Yifei introduced himself as a singer and played one of his songs, prompting Shen Ranxin to criticize his singing.
• Gu Yifei asked Lu Zhi for his opinion, and Lu Zhi compared the song to one of the Ten Cruel Tortures of the Qing Dynasty.

Shen Ranxin joined Instant Heart to pursue Cheng Cheng, but his clashes with Lu Zhi drew the livestream’s attention. After the guests’ first dinner, the production team announced that they would have to share rooms, and Shen Ranxin blurted out that he had dated three people.

• Shen Ranxin unplugged Gu Yifei’s speaker, then told viewers he had joined the show for the person he loved and looked tenderly at Cheng Cheng.
• Cheng Cheng introduced himself, and Lu Zhi said he had come to take his lover home, fueling viewers’ excitement about their relationship.
• At dinner, Shen Ranxin fed Lu Zhi shrimp coated in chili oil and wasabi, then poured salt water into his mouth when he choked.
• Lu Zhi held Shen Ranxin’s wrist and teasingly asked him to spare him, leaving Shen Ranxin flustered when Lu Zhi pointed out he was drinking from Lu Zhi’s cup.
• Director Chen announced that the six guests would have to share four rooms, prompting Shen Ranxin to suddenly insist that he was not a virgin and had dated three people.

The cast played hide-and-seek, with Fang Yu choosing Jiang Ye and Gu Yifei choosing Shen Ranxin as their targets. When Cheng Cheng tied the red string around Shen Ranxin's wrist, Lu Zhi dragged him into a wardrobe and pinned him there, leaving them trapped together in the dark.

• Director Chen explained that the cast would take turns seeking, and the fastest seekers would get first choice of rooms for their teams.
• Fang Yu tied the red string around Jiang Ye's wrist, then found him almost immediately when the game began.
• Shen Ranxin tried to hide while Cheng Cheng and Lu Zhi followed him, and Gu Yifei found him in the stairwell corner within half a minute.
• Cheng Cheng tied the red string around Shen Ranxin's wrist and wished it were a real red string connecting them.
• Lu Zhi seized Shen Ranxin, shoved him into a wardrobe, pinned his hands above his head, and shut the door.

Lu Zhi restrained Shen Ranxin in a wardrobe, forced him to retrieve a packet of wasabi, and kissed him before Cheng Cheng discovered them. During the next round of hide-and-seek, Lu Zhi tightened a red cord around Shen Ranxin’s neck, then forfeited and left the crew stunned by his intense gaze.

• Lu Zhi pinned Shen Ranxin down, tied his hands, and made him bite a packet from Lu Zhi’s pocket.
• Lu Zhi kissed Shen Ranxin after the packet’s contents turned out to be wasabi, and Cheng Cheng opened the wardrobe when he heard them crash into it.
• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi pretended to be fine in front of the cameras, and Cheng Cheng gave Shen Ranxin a replacement inhibitor patch.
• Cheng Cheng kept Lu Zhi away from Shen Ranxin during the next hide-and-seek round, but Lu Zhi approached Shen Ranxin with the red cord.
• Lu Zhi tightened the cord around Shen Ranxin’s neck, loosened it, and forfeited, leaving Director Chen and the cameraman stunned.

Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi’s rivalry over the final game turned flirtatious and ended with Shen Ranxin accidentally striking Lu Zhi near the eye. After they were assigned to share a room, Lu Zhi covered the camera to shower, then called for Shen Ranxin’s help, claiming he felt dizzy.

• Lu Zhi claimed his arm hurt and distracted Shen Ranxin from tying the red cord on Cheng Cheng, prompting Shen to throw the cord at Lu and withdraw from the game.
• The cord left a pink mark near Lu Zhi’s eye, and Shen Ranxin worried after the production crew checked that Lu was unharmed.
• Fang Yu won the omega single room, while Jiang Ye took the Alpha single room after Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin withdrew.
• Shen Ranxin entered the shared room with Lu Zhi and objected to its translucent-glass bathroom.
• Lu Zhi covered the room camera before showering, and Shen Ranxin tried to ignore his silhouette and voice.
• Lu Zhi called to Shen Ranxin from the bathroom and said he felt dizzy, asking him to come help.

Lu Zhi tried to get close to Shen Ranxin by borrowing toiletries and hinting at sharing a bed, but Cheng Cheng arrived with supplies to block his advances. The chapter ended with Cheng Cheng giving Shen Ranxin a spray specially designed to knock Lu Zhi unconscious.

• Lu Zhi teased Shen Ranxin through the bathroom door and asked to borrow shampoo, a bathrobe, and other items.
• Cheng Cheng brought Shen Ranxin toiletries and made the bathroom glass opaque after spotting Lu Zhi showering inside.
• Cheng Cheng repeatedly supplied Lu Zhi with new necessities so he would not need to borrow anything from Shen Ranxin.
• Cheng Cheng gave Shen Ranxin wolf-repellent spray that he said was formulated to affect only Lu Zhi.
• Shen Ranxin realized Cheng Cheng had come prepared to stop Lu Zhi from getting close to him.

Shen Ranxin misread Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng’s behavior as romantic tension, then got dragged into a hair-drying scuffle with Lu Zhi that caused the dating show’s livestream to be banned. The show went viral after Director Chen restored the broadcast and warned viewers to keep their comments appropriate.

• Shen Ranxin tried to leave Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng alone, but they dragged him back and sent him to shower.
• Shen Ranxin returned to find Cheng Cheng gone, and Lu Zhi asked him to dry his hair.
• The livestream chat interpreted Lu Zhi’s request suggestively, and the platform banned the broadcast for inappropriate content.
• Director Chen entered the room and found Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi wrestling over Lu Zhi’s hair.
• Shen Ranxin resumed drying Lu Zhi’s hair, while Director Chen posted a warning that the show was a normal variety program.
• Instant Heart went viral after the livestream ban and the trending topics about Lu Zhi’s request.

After Gu Yifei’s late-night electric guitar performance woke the villa, Shen Ranxin chased him with a basin and spatula until Lu Zhi calmed him down. The next morning, Shen Ranxin acted as if nothing had happened and cheerfully asked Gu Yifei what he wanted for breakfast.

• Jiang Ye quietly streamed games for two hours, while Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin covered their camera and went to sleep.
• Gu Yifei played electric guitar and sang loudly in his room despite Cheng Cheng warning him that it was too late.
• Shen Ranxin stormed into Gu Yifei’s room and chased him with a metal basin and spatula for disturbing his sleep.
• Lu Zhi pulled Shen Ranxin away, and Cheng Cheng explained that disturbing Shen Ranxin’s sleep had serious consequences.
• Gu Yifei went to bed after promising to stop singing, then met a cheerful Shen Ranxin the next morning.

After Lu Zhi woke Shen Ranxin inappropriately and got slapped, the guests began filming under new rules and a points-based meal system. Shen Ranxin exploited a loophole to get delivered snacks, leaving the others in debt while he ended the morning with ten points saved.

• Lu Zhi emerged with a slap mark and scratches, and he and Shen Ranxin argued over how he had woken Shen Ranxin.
• Director Chen announced a rule banning guests from sneaking into one another’s rooms at night, and Lu Zhi reported Cheng Cheng for the previous night’s violation.
• The guests chose breakfast using points, while Shen Ranxin cooked braised beef noodles he had ordered by delivery.
• Lu Zhi distracted Director Chen while Shen Ranxin retrieved his delivery, and the production team confiscated the guests’ phones afterward.
• The production team bought Shen Ranxin’s snacks for 130 points, leaving him with ten points saved while the other guests remained in debt.

The guests planted Paperbush trees for a dating-show task, while Jiang Ye endured Gu Yifei’s demands until Fang Yu stepped in to help. After the group found a buried jar, Shen Ranxin’s ominous teasing frightened Gu Yifei into fainting.

• Director Chen assigned the guests to plant six Paperbush trees and tie daily red strings to the trees of people they liked.
• Gu Yifei repeatedly made Jiang Ye dig holes for him, and Jiang Ye reluctantly complied while Gu Yifei promised to pay for his team’s equipment.
• Fang Yu took over digging for Gu Yifei and told Jiang Ye to finish planting his own tree, but Jiang Ye returned to offer to help Fang Yu.
• Shen Ranxin, Lu Zhi, and Cheng Cheng accidentally dug one large pit and planted their three trees side by side.
• Gu Yifei struck a buried black jar, and the guests returned to inspect it.
• Shen Ranxin ominously teased Gu Yifei before revealing he meant an advertising joke, but Gu Yifei screamed and fainted.

After Gu Yifei fainted from Shen Ranxin’s scare, Shen Ranxin planted the tree Gu Yifei had chosen and rejected Lu Zhi’s familiar care. When the production team tried to reclaim Shen Ranxin’s points by making the guests cook, he and Lu Zhi threatened Director Chen with dirt, a knife, and an excavator.

• Gu Yifei recovered on the sofa and refused to see Shen Ranxin, who admitted he had no memory of frightening him the night before.
• Shen Ranxin planted Gu Yifei’s Paperbush tree while Lu Zhi gave him soda and wiped his mouth; Shen Ranxin slapped his hand away and told him to stay away.
• The production team replaced the guests’ point-based lunches with ingredients, hoping to claw back the points Shen Ranxin had won.
• Shen Ranxin told Director Chen to cover himself with dirt and stabbed a watermelon while lamenting that they had not saved a grave-sized hole for him.
• Lu Zhi offered to dig Director Chen a bigger hole, noting that he had an excavator license.

Shen Ranxin got Cheng Cheng to cook lunch for the guests by charging them points, while Lu Zhi repeatedly disrupted Cheng Cheng’s attempts to flirt with him. After lunch, Lu Zhi pulled Shen Ranxin upstairs under the pretext of checking a clogged drain.

• Shen Ranxin proposed that the guests pay Cheng Cheng to cook, then collected points from them and charged Lu Zhi extra.
• The guests paid Shen Ranxin, who used some of the money to settle their debt to the production team and buy ingredients.
• The production team planned to damage Shen Ranxin’s belongings so he would have to spend more points.
• Cheng Cheng cooked a meal of sweet-and-sour dishes for the guests, explaining that he had learned to make them because Shen Ranxin liked them.
• Cheng Cheng asked Shen Ranxin to check his suppressant patch, but Lu Zhi redirected Fang Yu to help and pulled Shen Ranxin upstairs.

Lu Zhi lost control over his jealousy and forcibly injected his pheromones into Shen Ranxin, then returned to treat his injuries. Shen Ranxin retaliated by beating Lu Zhi in front of the crew, while Lu Zhi calmly claimed he had offended Shen Ranxin and called the experience sweet as honey.

• Lu Zhi covered the room camera, dragged Shen Ranxin into the bathroom, and forcefully injected his pheromones after admitting he was jealous of Shen Ranxin's closeness with Cheng Cheng.
• Lu Zhi realized he had badly hurt Shen Ranxin, left to get a medical kit, and apologized while treating the wound on Shen Ranxin's lip.
• Shen Ranxin kicked Lu Zhi in the abdomen, then attacked him as the crew rushed upstairs after hearing the commotion.
• Jiang Ye stopped Shen Ranxin from striking Lu Zhi with a piece of equipment, and Shen Ranxin stormed out after kicking Lu Zhi again.
• Lu Zhi told Director Chen he had offended Shen Ranxin and said the experience was sweet as honey.

After Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi recovered from their fight, the guests prepared for the show’s first Red Thread Pairing, where they would tie strings to the Paperbushes of the people they liked. Shen Ranxin expected the pairing to make him cannon fodder for the protagonists’ romance.

• The doctor found that Lu Zhi had two broken ribs, but Lu Zhi asked for Alpha sedatives and concealed the severity of his injuries.
• Fang Yu, Jiang Ye, Gu Yifei, and Cheng Cheng returned from filming, and Director Zheng awarded them 150 points each before announcing the Red Thread Pairing.
• Fang Yu told Gu Yifei that Shen Ranxin had planted his Paperbush, and Gu Yifei visited Shen Ranxin, who traded barbs with him.
• Lu Zhi peeled shrimp for Shen Ranxin at dinner despite his broken ribs, while Shen Ranxin decided their fight had evened things out.
• The production team gave each guest a red string and instructed them to tie it to the Paperbush of the person they liked to compete for a sweet gift package.

Shen Ranxin and the other guests tied red strings to Paperbush trees, turning the ritual into a display of how many guests had become focused on him. Lu Zhi went to Cheng Cheng’s tree last, but instead of tying on a string, he removed Shen Ranxin’s ribbon, leaving the production team’s hopes for a romantic twist in tatters.

• Shen Ranxin tied his red string to Cheng Cheng’s tree and wondered why Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng were competing over him.
• Cheng Cheng saw Shen Ranxin’s ribbon and tied his own string to Shen Ranxin’s tree.
• Gu Yifei hesitated, then hung his red string on Shen Ranxin’s tree.
• Jiang Ye and Fang Yu each followed the others and tied their strings to Shen Ranxin’s tree.
• Lu Zhi went to Cheng Cheng’s tree and pulled down Shen Ranxin’s red ribbon instead of adding his own.

Lu Zhi sabotaged the guests’ ribbon pairings and warned Cheng Cheng to stay away from Shen Ranxin, who was currently in love with Cheng Cheng. Back in their room, Lu Zhi treated Shen Ranxin’s neck wound, struggled to control himself, and accused him of flirting.

• Lu Zhi removed Cheng Cheng’s ribbon, rearranged several guests’ ribbons, and tied his own ribbon to Shen Ranxin’s Paperbush.
• Cheng Cheng confronted Lu Zhi about the ribbons, and Director Chen declared the rule-breaking arrangement to be fate after noticing Lu Zhi’s displeasure.
• Cheng Cheng picked up his muddy ribbon and told Lu Zhi that Shen Ranxin liked him, while warning Lu Zhi that Shen Ranxin might regain his memories.
• Lu Zhi threatened Cheng Cheng and accused him of exploiting Shen Ranxin during a vulnerable moment, then left without answering Cheng Cheng’s warning.
• Lu Zhi entered Shen Ranxin’s room, helped apply medicine to his neck wound, and injected himself with a tranquilizer to avoid losing control.
• Lu Zhi accused Shen Ranxin of coming on to him, and Shen Ranxin angrily denied it.

Shen Ranxin discovered Lu Zhi had used a sedative, then wrongly accused him of soaking his bed before the livestream replay revealed a masked intruder had done it. With too few points to buy two bedding sets, Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi were forced to share a bed, leaving Shen Ranxin to cover the camera and warn Lu Zhi not to touch him.

• Shen Ranxin found sedatives in the medical kit and realized Lu Zhi had injected one instead of an inhibitor.
• Shen Ranxin discovered his bedding was soaked and accused Lu Zhi of doing it so they would have to share a bed.
• Lu Zhi showed Shen Ranxin the livestream replay, which revealed a masked person had entered and soaked the bedding.
• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi went to the convenience supermarket but had enough points to buy only one bedding set.
• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi returned with one set, prepared to share a bed, and Shen Ranxin covered the camera and told Lu Zhi not to touch him.

Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi lay together after Shen Ranxin made sure the room’s cameras were covered. Lu Zhi asked why Shen Ranxin had not used Cheng Cheng’s gene toxin when Lu Zhi marked him, leaving Shen Ranxin unable to explain his reluctance.

• Shen Ranxin crawled under the covers, and Lu Zhi pulled him back from the edge of the bed and held him.
• Shen Ranxin questioned Lu Zhi about injecting a sedative, and Lu Zhi said inhibitors did not work on him.
• Lu Zhi asked Shen Ranxin to turn around and then questioned why he had not used Cheng Cheng’s gene toxin during the marking.
• Shen Ranxin recalled that he had distrusted the toxin and suspected it might harm Lu Zhi, though the bite had caused him severe pain.