Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Wilderness Survival”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhi prepares the campsite and decorates one tent with a colorful wild-chicken feather. Jiang Ye imitates him, plucking feathers to decorate his own tent.
• The group jokes about Cheng Cheng’s dirty shoes and an unpleasant incident in the wilderness. Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng trade insults, dragging Shen Ranxin into the argument.
• Shen Ranxin attempts to start a fire by rubbing sticks together, following survival instructions. After considerable effort, he succeeds—but immediately discovers that Jiang Ye had a blowtorch available.
• Lu Zhi checks Shen Ranxin’s hands for injuries, then makes an inappropriate joke, prompting Shen Ranxin to regret ever thinking Lu Zhi was cold and boring.
• The production crew decides to confiscate most of Lu Zhi’s fifty-three captured wild chickens, leaving only three for the group. The staff argues that the chickens belong to the show and that keeping so many would undermine the survival challenge.
• Shen Ranxin initially refuses to cooperate and threatens to confront Director Chen. Cheng Cheng privately suggests an elaborate revenge scheme involving using chickens to lure centipedes into the director’s tent.
• Although Shen Ranxin rejects the most extreme version of the prank, he agrees to surrender the chickens—while secretly planning to raid the production crew’s food supplies that night.
• The chapter ends with the group preparing to “survive properly” by infiltrating the production camp and taking its abundant food.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhi is shown as highly capable and industrious, successfully setting up camp and hunting an excessive number of chickens. His formerly aloof personality has become playful, teasing, and openly attentive toward Shen Ranxin.
• Shen Ranxin demonstrates determination and pride, especially in his insistence on mastering primitive fire-making. He is also resourceful and willing to challenge the production crew when he feels the group is being treated unfairly.
• Jiang Ye appears energetic, childish, and somewhat oblivious. His feather-decorating enthusiasm contrasts with the others’ judgment, while his casually revealed blowtorch undermines Shen Ranxin’s difficult fire-making effort.
• Cheng Cheng reveals a darker, more vindictive side beneath his cute and lively appearance. His centipede prank suggestion makes Gu Yifei realize that Cheng Cheng may be genuinely sinister.
• Gu Yifei remains curious and expressive but becomes increasingly wary of Cheng Cheng after recognizing his unsettling nature.
• Fang Yu acts as a reasonable voice, questioning the production crew’s right to take the chickens, though he is included in Shen Ranxin’s joking classification of the group’s “Alphas.”

3. Significant Themes

• Comedy from mismatched personalities: The chapter relies on teasing, misunderstandings, and contrasts between serious survival efforts and absurdly modern conveniences.
• Competition and resourcefulness: The group’s survival challenge becomes a contest against the production crew, with both sides using loopholes and strategy.
• Masculinity and display: The decorated tents and feather ornaments evoke animal mating and territorial instincts, while the characters jokingly debate what makes someone an “Alpha.”
• Hidden sides of people: Lu Zhi’s transformation from cold CEO to flirtatious provocateur and Cheng Cheng’s disturbing vindictiveness reveal that appearances can be misleading.
• Team solidarity versus authority: The group unites against the production crew’s attempt to confiscate their prey, turning an unfair restriction into a coordinated counterattack.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin: Their relationship is marked by constant innuendo and hostile-looking banter. Lu Zhi also shows genuine concern by checking Shen Ranxin’s hands after the fire-making attempt.
• Shen Ranxin and Jiang Ye: Shen Ranxin is frustrated by Jiang Ye’s accidental revelation that a blowtorch was available, especially after exhausting himself with primitive fire-making.
• Shen Ranxin and Cheng Cheng: Cheng Cheng proposes revenge, while Shen Ranxin recognizes the idea as excessively cruel but adopts a less direct version of Cheng Cheng’s strategy.
• Cheng Cheng and Gu Yifei: Gu Yifei’s opinion of Cheng Cheng shifts from seeing him as merely cute to recognizing a sinister, intimidating side.
• The group and the production crew: Their argument over the wild chickens establishes an adversarial dynamic. The guests outwardly surrender but secretly plan to raid the crew’s food, turning the conflict into a humorous battle of wits.

Chapter Summary: “All Eyes on Me”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The staff leave the group three wild chickens, which Cheng Cheng cleans and roasts on a portable grill assembled by Lu Zhi from supplies in their bags.
• The food is insufficient for six people, particularly because Lu Zhi has a large appetite. Shen Ranxin eats only a little and struggles with what to do with the leftovers.
• Lu Zhi casually eats from the chicken Shen Ranxin has already bitten, teasing that food touched by Shen Ranxin tastes sweeter.
• When Cheng Cheng worries that Shen Ranxin dislikes his cooking, Lu Zhi speaks for Shen Ranxin and criticizes the excessive seasoning. He then produces a chocolate bar, which immediately pleases Shen Ranxin.
• Shen Ranxin shares half the chocolate with Gu Yifei despite his reluctance. Lu Zhi reacts jealously and pointedly reminds Shen Ranxin that the chocolate was his gift.
• Feeling guilty, Shen Ranxin takes the chocolate back from Gu Yifei and follows Lu Zhi to a stream, attempting to soothe him.
• Lu Zhi interprets Shen Ranxin’s pursuit as a request for affection and kisses him. Shen Ranxin initially freezes and nearly slaps him but ultimately allows the kiss to continue for more than ten minutes.
• Lu Zhi tells Shen Ranxin that anything he gives him cannot be shared with anyone else, revealing his possessive feelings.
• Afterward, they exchange teasing and crude flirtation. Shen Ranxin jokes about Lu Zhi’s supposedly dignified public image, while Lu Zhi proudly embraces his shameless behavior.
• The Silver-Haired Kid draws everyone’s attention back to camp. Lu Zhi climbs onto a rock and publicly announces, with the cameras watching, “I’m Shen Ranxin’s dog,” humiliating Shen Ranxin.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: Shows a softer, more generous side by sharing his prized chocolate and worrying about Lu Zhi’s feelings. He remains embarrassed and defensive about their intimacy, but his willingness to tolerate the prolonged kiss and his flustered reactions suggest growing affection.
• Lu Zhi: Displays practical competence, emotional possessiveness, and a playful lack of restraint. He is easily jealous but can be quickly placated through intimacy. His public declaration shows both his devotion to Shen Ranxin and his enjoyment of embarrassing him.
• Cheng Cheng: Becomes briefly insecure when Shen Ranxin does not enjoy his cooking, though his irritation at Lu Zhi’s criticism remains evident.
• Gu Yifei: Interacts boldly with both Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi, challenging Lu Zhi’s possessiveness when he asks for chocolate.
• The Silver-Haired Kid: Acts as the catalyst for the chapter’s final public spectacle by calling everyone’s attention to Lu Zhi.

Significant Themes

• Possessiveness and exclusivity: Lu Zhi’s insistence that Shen Ranxin cannot share what he gives him reflects his jealousy and desire for a special, exclusive bond.
• Affection expressed through teasing: Their relationship relies on provocation, flirtation, physical play, and vulgar humor rather than direct emotional confession.
• Public image versus private behavior: Lu Zhi’s cold, ruthless CEO persona contrasts sharply with his shameless, affectionate conduct around Shen Ranxin.
• Vulnerability beneath hostility: Shen Ranxin’s stern exterior hides his fondness for sweets, generosity toward others, guilt over hurting Lu Zhi, and growing willingness to accept intimacy.
• Humiliation as intimacy: Lu Zhi deliberately turns their private dynamic into a public joke, while Shen Ranxin’s embarrassment highlights how emotionally affected he is by Lu Zhi.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin dominate the chapter through flirtatious arguments, food-sharing, jealousy, and kissing.
• Shen Ranxin and Gu Yifei share a brief act of generosity over the chocolate, which triggers Lu Zhi’s possessive response.
• Cheng Cheng’s cooking becomes a source of teasing and conflict, with Lu Zhi openly defending Shen Ranxin’s preferences.
• The chapter ends with Lu Zhi performing his attachment to Shen Ranxin before the entire group and cameras, leaving Shen Ranxin mortified.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin disciplines Lu Zhi after Lu Zhi behaves recklessly, throwing him into the tent and intimidating the others into staying out of the conflict.
• The group spends the afternoon organizing their campsite and making it livable.
• Hungry and lacking supplies, Shen Ranxin leads the group to the production crew’s larger base camp by following the trail left by staff members.
• Shen devises a plan to obtain food: he distracts Director Chen while Jiang Ye and the others raid the production crew’s supplies.
• Shen dramatically clings to Director Chen’s leg and begs for food, shocking everyone with the extreme “survival tactic.”
• While Director Chen is distracted, Lu Zhi steals a box of giant prawns, Cheng Cheng takes self-heating rice, and Fang Yu and Jiang Ye grab other supplies. Jiang Ye accidentally carries off Wangzai milk after Fang Yu picks it up at random.
• The guests return to their camp with enough preserved food to last through the rest of the wilderness challenge. The production crew is forced to relocate its camp.
• As the group heads back, Fang Yu realizes that Gu Yifei is missing.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin is established as both a strict leader and an unapologetically shameless strategist. He confidently frames the food raid as legitimate wilderness survival, despite using theatrical begging and distraction.
• Lu Zhi remains playful, fearless, and impulsive. He participates enthusiastically in the food theft, even taking the valuable giant prawns.
• Jiang Ye is eager to cooperate and treats the situation like a real-life game scenario, but he is easily embarrassed and not particularly directionally competent.
• Fang Yu demonstrates practical awareness and social confidence, though his random choice of Wangzai milk leads him to bluff that he intentionally chose it.
• Cheng Cheng continues to be teased about his earlier mishap involving stepping in shit, showing his irritation with the group’s running joke.
• Gu Yifei openly complains about the lack of food and helps motivate the supply raid, but his unexplained absence at the end creates a new concern.
• Director Chen is frustrated by the production difficulties and is completely overwhelmed by the guests’ chaotic raid.

Significant Themes

• Survival through teamwork and improvisation: The guests combine distraction, speed, and opportunism to secure supplies.
• Comedy through humiliation and chaos: Shen’s exaggerated performance and the group’s confused reactions turn a practical problem into an absurd spectacle.
• Leadership and trust: Although Shen’s methods are embarrassing, the others follow him because he is the most capable of handling Director Chen.
• Reality versus performance: The dating show’s staged environment becomes a genuine survival situation, while the guests’ behavior resembles both a game and a live comedy performance.
• Group camaraderie: Teasing, shared embarrassment, and cooperation reveal the group becoming more comfortable and coordinated with one another.

Character Interactions

• Shen physically restrains and scolds Lu Zhi, while the others avoid becoming involved.
• Shen assigns Jiang Ye the task of stealing food, encouraging him with exaggerated confidence.
• Jiang Ye depends on Fang Yu when he runs in the wrong direction, and Fang Yu hands him the accidentally collected Wangzai milk.
• Director Chen becomes the target of Shen’s dramatic pleading while the others raid the supplies.
• The chapter ends with the group’s triumphant mood abruptly shifting to concern when Fang Yu notices that Gu Yifei is gone.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After escaping with the supplies, the group realizes that Gu Yifei is missing. They debate whether to hide the goods and search for him or return them first.
• Shen Ranxin decides to go back to the production camp, with Lu Zhi accompanying him, while the others transport the supplies.
• At the camp, Director Chen reveals that Gu Yifei was never there. The production crew begins an urgent search, using drones with infrared scanning and combing through the forest.
• After hours of searching, Gu Yifei remains missing. Director Chen considers involving the Interstellar Police, but Lu Zhi stops him and claims he can find Gu through confidential professional contacts.
• Lu Zhi asks Shen Ranxin to release a large amount of pheromones. He uses a Bite Guard and Restraint Straps to deliberately trigger an apparent loss of control, drawing the attention of the Anomaly Management Center.
• Lu Zhi’s Alpha instincts become dangerously violent. The restraints break one by one, and he struggles between telling Shen Ranxin to flee and demanding that he stay as his “female.”
• Before Lu Zhi fully attacks, officers from the Anomaly Management Center intervene and release a powerful suppressant, knocking Shen Ranxin unconscious.
• Shen Ranxin dreams of a younger Lu Zhi wearing a Bite Guard and chained by the neck. In the dream, Lu Zhi tells him that only Shen Ranxin can control him, and Shen Ranxin kisses him.
• Shen Ranxin awakens at the Anomaly Management Center, where officers question his relationship with Lu Zhi. They explain that Lu Zhi is a high-risk individual under social monitoring and that Shen’s pheromones triggered his first recorded loss of control in five years.
• Lu Zhi arrives and openly identifies Shen Ranxin as his “lover” and partner. He argues with the officers, resisting their attempt to extract Shen’s glandular fluid for research.
• The officers confirm that Gu Yifei has been found alive after fainting and nearly drowning in a hot spring. They leave after placing Lu Zhi under temporary safety restrictions.
• Lu Zhi must wear the Bite Guard and consume only nutrient solution for three days. He then jokingly asks Shen Ranxin to join him in a hot spring afterward.

2. Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin shows strong responsibility and emotional concern for Gu Yifei, personally searching through dangerous brush despite injuring his hands. His willingness to trust Lu Zhi increases when no other method of finding Gu is available.
• Shen’s pheromones are revealed to have an unusually powerful effect on Lu Zhi. He is frightened by Lu’s beastlike loss of control but also displays instinctive concern and tenderness toward him.
• Lu Zhi is revealed to have a serious history of pheromone instability and prior monitoring by the Anomaly Management Center. His apparent breakdown is partly a calculated strategy to summon the Center’s specialists, who can track missing people more effectively.
• Lu also openly claims Shen Ranxin as his partner, demonstrating both possessiveness and a growing willingness to define their relationship publicly.
• Gu Yifei is ultimately shown to have been unharmed, having fainted near a hot spring rather than being abducted or attacked.
• Director Chen shifts from suspicion and defensiveness toward panic and cooperation, fearing both for Gu Yifei’s safety and the consequences of involving the authorities.

3. Significant Themes

• Trust and dependence: Shen must trust Lu’s dangerous plan despite not fully understanding it, while Lu’s stability depends heavily on Shen’s presence and pheromones.
• Control versus instinct: Lu’s transformation into a nearly feral Alpha raises questions about how much of his behavior is voluntary and how much is driven by biological compulsion.
• Hidden history and memory: Shen’s dream suggests a forgotten past between him and Lu, including an earlier incident involving Lu’s Bite Guard and the idea that Shen alone can control him.
• Public identity versus private intimacy: Lu’s straightforward declaration that Shen is his lover contrasts with Shen’s uncertainty and reluctance to name their relationship.
• Institutional surveillance: The Anomaly Management Center monitors and researches dangerous individuals, creating tension between public safety, personal freedom, and the exploitation of abnormal abilities.
• Love expressed through protection: Both men show care indirectly—Shen through relentless searching and concern, and Lu through devising a way to locate Gu while trying to keep Shen safe from his own loss of control.

4. Character Interactions

• Shen, Lu, Jiang Ye, Cheng Cheng, and Fang Yu disagree over whether to prioritize the supplies or search for Gu, but ultimately divide the task.
• Shen and Lu work together during the forest search, with Lu quietly allowing Shen to channel his distress through the physical act of searching.
• Lu asks Shen for pheromones, creating a tense and intimate confrontation in which Shen witnesses Lu’s frightening vulnerability.
• The Anomaly Management Center officers interrogate Shen about his relationship with Lu, forcing the issue of their undefined intimacy.
• Lu protects Shen from being treated as a research subject and provocatively announces that Shen is his partner.
• After the officers leave, Shen shows concern for Lu’s injuries and touches his Bite Guard, while Lu returns to teasing and flirtatious behavior by asking for a future hot-spring date.

• Plot and events: Shen Ranxin notices Lu Zhi’s damaged gland and suspects they may have known each other before. Lu Zhi persuades him to secretly remove the Bite Guard, leading to their first mutual, passionate kiss. Their intimacy is interrupted by officials from the Anomaly Management Center, who warn that another Bite Guard alert could force Lu Zhi into isolation monitoring because his gland is considered vital to the Empire. Lu Zhi refuses to submit to their authority, while Shen Ranxin firmly invokes Lu Zhi’s rights as a free citizen and prevents the officials from taking him away. The officials retreat after re-securing the Bite Guard and leave with the recovered Gu Yifei. Later, Gu Yifei emerges crying and explains that he became lost while carrying food, eventually fainting near a hot spring from hunger and exhaustion.
• Character development: Shen Ranxin becomes increasingly protective and assertive toward Lu Zhi. His memories or recognition of Lu Zhi begin to surface through dreams and emotional familiarity, and he responds to Lu Zhi’s kiss for the first time. Lu Zhi, usually powerful and defiant, reveals vulnerability through tears, his eagerness for Shen Ranxin’s affection, and his dependence on Shen Ranxin’s approval. He also humorously adopts a clingy, “delicate” demeanor in front of others. Gu Yifei’s fearful, tearful return shows his remorse and gratitude, while also emphasizing his comic helplessness and poor sense of direction.
• Themes: The chapter explores forbidden or concealed intimacy, emerging memory and recognition, vulnerability beneath outward strength, and the conflict between individual freedom and institutional control. It also contrasts the Empire’s attempts to treat Lu Zhi as a valuable anomaly with Lu Zhi’s insistence that he is a person with autonomy. Humor offsets the romantic and political tension, particularly through Lu Zhi’s exaggerated dependence on Shen Ranxin and Gu Yifei’s dramatic apology.
• Character interactions: Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi share a tender but urgent kiss, with Lu Zhi taking the lead and Shen Ranxin gradually responding. When officials arrive, Lu Zhi challenges them sarcastically, while Shen Ranxin openly defends him and establishes a united front. Their dynamic makes the officials uncomfortable, especially when Lu Zhi presents himself as Shen Ranxin’s subordinate or “master’s” dependent. Afterward, Gu Yifei apologizes emotionally to Lu Zhi for previously mistreating or insulting him, but stops short of embracing him when Lu Zhi threatens to kick him.

Chapter Summary: “Haunted Camp”

• After Gu Yifei is rescued, he breaks down apologizing to Lu Zhi, believing Lu was taken to the Anomaly Management Center and might be sent to prison because of him. Lu Zhi sarcastically frightens him by joking that people with “abnormal glands” might chop him up and make dumplings.
• Gu Yifei seeks protection first from Shen Ranxin and then Fang Yu. Fang defends him, admitting that he also failed to keep watch over Gu Yifei and that the accident was not entirely Gu’s fault.
• Shen Ranxin nevertheless reprimands Gu Yifei for acting immaturely and points out that he nearly drowned in the hot spring. Although Gu promises not to repeat his mistake, Shen’s anger is largely driven by concern over Lu Zhi’s injured gland.
• The production resumes filming after Director Chen restores the livestream. Lu Zhi remains off-camera while wearing a Bite Guard and stays with the production team for two days. Once the guard is removed, he returns to camp.
• The camp has become strangely silent. When Lu Zhi approaches the tent he shares with Shen Ranxin, Gu Yifei suddenly throws a basin of foul black liquid at him and charges out, chanting an exorcism-like command with an iron basin.
• Fang Yu, Jiang Ye, and Cheng Cheng emerge from the same tent. Fang stops Gu Yifei and explains that Lu Zhi is not a ghost. Lu Zhi realizes that something has happened to Shen Ranxin and rushes inside, finding him huddled fearfully in a corner.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Lu Zhi remains sarcastic and intimidating toward Gu Yifei, but his concern for Shen Ranxin is clear when he immediately rushes into the tent.
• Shen Ranxin becomes more protective and serious, especially because Lu Zhi was injured while rescuing Gu Yifei. His anger reveals deep concern for Lu.
• Gu Yifei is remorseful but still impulsive and childish. His fear of the Anomaly Management Center and his later attempt to ward off a supposed ghost show both his anxiety and his tendency toward dramatic overreaction.
• Fang Yu acts as a mediator, defending Gu Yifei and later correcting his mistaken exorcism.
• Jiang Ye begins to find Gu Yifei irritating, suggesting growing tension within the group.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and guilt: Gu Yifei blames himself for Lu Zhi’s injury, while Fang Yu emphasizes that the incident was an accident shared by several people.
• Protection and emotional attachment: Shen Ranxin’s anger and Lu Zhi’s immediate concern show how strongly they care for each other.
• Immaturity versus growth: Shen urges Gu Yifei to become more responsible, while Gu’s behavior demonstrates that he still has a long way to go.
• Fear and the supernatural: The eerie silence, black liquid, exorcism ritual, and Shen hiding in the tent introduce a possible haunting or supernatural threat, ending the chapter on a suspenseful cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhi returns to the camp before dawn and finds Shen Ranxin restrained to a steel frame with silk-wrapped hemp ropes because Shen has repeatedly lost control whenever he becomes frightened. Lu frees him, assuring him that he can keep Shen calm.
• The others explain that strange incidents have plagued the camp for days: food disappears despite alarm traps, and everyone hears a baby crying in the wilderness. Shen’s fear has caused his SAN value to fall dangerously, leading to repeated episodes of losing control.
• The group debates whether the production crew staged the disturbances or whether the camp is haunted. Lu concludes that it is probably not the production crew, though he doubts the culprit is a conventional ghost because it steals instant food.
• Gu Yifei reveals that he entered Shen’s tent during the night seeking an Alpha’s protection, only to frighten Shen further. Lu defends Shen, stating that fear is not determined by whether someone is an Alpha or omega.
• Lu contacts Director Chen and insists that the guests evacuate the mountain. Although Chen initially considers exploiting the supernatural incident for publicity, he ultimately sends an SUV after realizing the danger and Lu’s unstable reputation.
• During the drive, the SUV suddenly stalls in the darkness. The group suspects a supernatural “Ghost Wall” is preventing them from leaving. Jiang Ye recalls a childhood belief that one must loudly curse at the obstruction to make it retreat.
• To defend his pride as an Alpha, Shen climbs onto the hood and delivers an increasingly aggressive stream of insults and threats to the supposed ghost, culminating in a threat to dig up its bones and make soup from them.
• Immediately afterward, the engine starts, convincing everyone that Shen’s method worked. They speed down the mountain and return to the villa.
• The supposed haunting is humorously explained when staff discover that the SUV had simply run out of fuel. It had somehow driven several kilometers despite being empty, leaving the guests and viewers unsure whether the supernatural events were entirely false.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin remains deeply frightened by the strange occurrences but tries to preserve his dignity and Alpha status. His final outburst shows his willingness to confront fear when necessary, even if the confrontation is absurd.
• Lu Zhi demonstrates a protective and reassuring side. He frees Shen, holds his hand beneath a blanket to comfort him, defends him from stereotypes about Alphas, and immediately arranges the evacuation.
• Gu Yifei is revealed to be both frightened and dependent on others for protection. His attempt to seek Shen’s protection backfires, but he still volunteers to curse at the supposed supernatural obstruction.
• Jiang Ye contributes practical observations and recalls the folklore from his orphanage, while his difficult childhood becomes briefly apparent.
• Fang Yu and Cheng Cheng help investigate the disturbances and provide skeptical commentary. Cheng is especially blunt, while Fang reacts sympathetically to Jiang Ye’s past.
• Director Chen prioritizes entertainment value at first but becomes cautious once he realizes the danger and the potential consequences of dealing with Lu.
• The driver shifts from skepticism to genuine terror after witnessing the engine restart following Shen’s threats.

Significant Themes

• Fear versus identity: The chapter challenges the idea that Alphas must be fearless and omegas must be timid. Lu explicitly argues that gender roles do not determine emotional responses.
• Protection and intimacy: Lu’s quiet physical comfort—holding Shen’s hand beneath the blanket—reveals growing emotional closeness despite Shen’s embarrassment and resistance.
• Reason versus superstition: The characters attempt to explain the events rationally, but the eerie details and the engine’s mysterious restart keep the supernatural possibility alive.
• Humor in terrifying situations: Horror is repeatedly undercut by absurdity, especially Shen’s dramatic insults and the eventual discovery that the car was simply out of fuel.
• Public performance and reality: The livestream audience interprets the incident as thrilling entertainment, while the guests experience genuine fear and confusion behind the show’s cameras.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu and Shen share the chapter’s central emotional interaction: Lu unties Shen, touches his injured wrists, comforts him physically, and protects him from ridicule.
• Shen initially resists Lu’s help but eventually accepts his handholding, showing growing trust.
• Gu Yifei’s attempt to rely on Shen for Alpha protection highlights Shen’s vulnerability and creates comic tension.
• Lu openly defends Shen in front of the group, strengthening their bond while embarrassing Shen.
• The entire group participates in the evacuation and folklore discussion, eventually turning to Shen as the person most capable of delivering the necessary curses.
• The guests’ collective shock at the car restarting reinforces the possibility that something supernatural may have occurred—until the fuel shortage provides a mundane explanation.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After completing the amusement-park challenge, Shen Ranxin regains his composure, while Lu Zhi’s shirt is left wrinkled and soaked with sweat.
• Lu Zhi unexpectedly kisses Shen Ranxin in front of the cameras. Embarrassed and acting on habit, Shen slaps him, though he immediately regrets it.
• Lu Zhi teases Shen about being embarrassed and asks him to buy water from the Points Mall because he has no points. Despite pretending to be annoyed, Shen willingly goes.
• While returning from the mall, Shen discovers two disguised members of the Anomaly Management Center. They flee when he mentions Lu Zhi, arousing his suspicion.
• Shen catches them and interrogates them privately. They confess that Lu Zhi ordered them to secretly attach a propeller to the car so that Shen would believe he was stronger than ghosts rather than fear them.
• The men also reveal that Lu Zhi continues to receive covert assistance from the Anomaly Management Center and explain the reason for his long-term monitoring.
• Lu Zhi’s pheromone concentration is abnormally high—over six times that of a normal Alpha—because Shen Ranxin’s father used his glands in illegal experiments. The resulting damage increased Lu Zhi’s aggressive pheromone index, making him potentially dangerous and causing authorities to regard him as an unstable “bomb.”
• Shen learns that Lu Zhi was considered dangerous enough to be isolated permanently, despite now living under continued surveillance.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: Maintains his outwardly straight-laced, resistant persona, instinctively slapping Lu Zhi after being kissed, but his actions reveal growing concern and consideration. He compensates Lu Zhi for ruining his shirt, investigates suspicious activity, and begins confronting the disturbing truth about Lu Zhi’s past.
• Lu Zhi: Becomes increasingly open and affectionate toward Shen, kissing him publicly and teasing him constantly. At the same time, he secretly arranges elaborate measures to protect Shen from fear and manipulate the supernatural situation in his favor.
• Anomaly Management Center agents: Their fear of Lu Zhi demonstrates his authority and dangerous reputation. They are willing to reveal sensitive information to avoid being punished for disappointing him.

Significant Themes

• Affection beneath denial: Shen’s verbal resistance contrasts with his instinctive willingness to care for Lu Zhi, suggesting his feelings are stronger than he admits.
• Public image versus private intimacy: Their flirtation and physical contact occur under cameras, while their more serious investigation and revelations happen privately.
• Power and danger: Lu Zhi’s extreme pheromone level makes him uniquely powerful but also feared and controlled by institutions.
• Abuse and exploitation: The revelation that Shen’s father used Lu Zhi for illegal experiments adds a darker history to their relationship and raises questions about guilt, responsibility, and the consequences of scientific abuse.
• Protection disguised as manipulation: Lu Zhi’s seemingly mischievous schemes are intended to strengthen Shen’s confidence and shield him from fear.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhi publicly kisses Shen, and Shen responds with a reflexive slap; Lu Zhi playfully bites Shen’s wrist and continues teasing him.
• Shen reluctantly buys Lu Zhi water, while Lu Zhi carries his luggage and jokes about warming his bed.
• Shen confronts and interrogates the disguised agents, using Lu Zhi’s name to frighten them into confessing.
• The agents’ testimony forces Shen to reconsider Lu Zhi—not merely as an arrogant, troublesome figure, but as someone traumatized, monitored, and potentially dangerous because of past abuse.

Chapter Summary: “Soaking in Hot Springs”

Key plot points and events

• Shen Ranxin learns more about his forgotten past from two members of the Anomaly Management Center. Five years earlier, Lu Zhi escaped an injured quarantine zone and appeared at the filming site during a fire. He was found holding a woman in the flames.
• Shen discovers that the two people who died in the fire were his parents, both confidential researchers at the Imperial Research Institute. Their deaths were never reported publicly, suggesting the fire may have been deliberately concealed—or deliberately caused.
• Shen begins questioning Lu Zhi’s connection to the fire and whether Lu Zhi was involved. Instead of finding answers, he becomes even more confused by the gaps in his memory and the hidden circumstances surrounding his parents’ deaths.
• Back at the villa, Lu Zhi acts playfully and flirtatiously, lying on Shen’s bed and smelling his pillow. Their banter is interrupted when Gu Yifei arrives to announce that the production crew has arranged mugwort hot springs for everyone.
• The cast gathers at the hot spring facility. Fang Yu and Jiang Ye share a teasing, intimate exchange underwater, while Gu Yifei causes his usual chaotic disruption.
• Shen and Lu Zhi are separated from the others because Lu Zhi deliberately—or deceptively—takes Shen to the wrong pool. The others wait at pool nineteen, while Shen and Lu Zhi sit at pool sixty-one, unaware that they have been misdirected.

Character developments

• Shen Ranxin confronts a major revelation about his parents and begins to suspect that his past has been intentionally hidden. His physical reactions suggest that his lost memories may still be buried within him.
• Lu Zhi remains mischievous and affectionate toward Shen, using teasing and flirtation to avoid seriousness. His unexplained presence at the old fire continues to make him suspicious, even as he behaves protectively and familiarly.
• Fang Yu and Jiang Ye display increasing romantic tension. Jiang Ye openly asks for a kiss, while Fang Yu rejects him teasingly rather than completely shutting down the interaction.
• Gu Yifei continues to provide comic relief through his loud, impulsive behavior.
• Cheng Cheng appears more cautious and observant, sensing that Shen and Lu Zhi’s absence is suspicious.

Significant themes

• Hidden memories and buried trauma: Shen’s body remembers the fire even though his conscious mind does not.
• Secrets and institutional concealment: His parents’ confidential identities explain why the deaths were erased from public records, raising questions about government or research-related cover-ups.
• Uncertain guilt and trust: Lu Zhi’s role in the fire remains ambiguous, making Shen question whether he is a protector, a perpetrator, or both.
• Romantic teasing and intimacy: The hot spring setting highlights the playful tension between several characters, especially Fang Yu and Jiang Ye.
• Comedy amid danger: Lighthearted banter and physical comedy contrast with the disturbing revelations about Shen’s past.

Character interactions

• Shen interrogates the Anomaly Management Center members about the fire and reacts angrily to learning that his parents died in it.
• Shen and Lu Zhi exchange flirtatious insults and playful domestic teasing at the villa.
• Gu Yifei interrupts them and brings news of the group hot spring outing.
• Jiang Ye tries to initiate intimacy with Fang Yu by writing “Kiss?” in his palm; Fang Yu responds by teasingly writing “get lost” on his back and pushing him away.
• Gu Yifei disrupts the pair’s private moment by jumping into the pool.
• Lu Zhi misleads Shen about the pool number, leaving them alone together while the rest of the cast waits elsewhere.

Chapter Summary: “Only You Could Control Me”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin enters a hot spring while waiting for the others, only to discover that Lu Zhi has secretly submerged himself in the water.
• Lu Zhi playfully ambushes Shen Ranxin, restraining and kissing him despite Shen’s protests. Their teasing struggle gradually becomes a more intimate exchange.
• Shen notices Lu Zhi’s silver earring, which was imposed on him by the Anomaly Management Center to monitor and control his unstable condition.
• Lu Zhi reveals that his gland has become increasingly volatile and that he may eventually transform into a dangerous entity driven by attack pheromones.
• He tells Shen that as long as Shen remains beside him, Shen alone can control him. Lu also implies that Shen taught him how to resist becoming a “ghost.”
• Disturbed by Lu Zhi’s fatalistic comments, Shen kisses him and tells him never to speak that way again.
• Shen then agrees to Lu Zhi’s implied request for a deeper relationship, though Lu recognizes that Shen is nervous and continues teasing him.
• The scene ends with Lu pulling Shen back into the spring, creating an intimate moment while they worry that someone might arrive.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: Though initially defensive and irritated by Lu Zhi’s advances, Shen’s concern for Lu becomes clear. He is deeply affected by Lu’s dependence on him and responds with unexpected tenderness, even taking the initiative to kiss him and accept greater intimacy.
• Lu Zhi: Lu remains mischievous and provocative, but reveals a vulnerable side beneath his teasing. His fear of losing control and his reliance on Shen become explicit, showing how emotionally dependent he is on Shen’s presence.
• Their relationship shifts from playful antagonism toward mutual acknowledgment of affection and trust.

Significant Themes

• Control and dependence: Lu’s unstable nature contrasts with his belief that Shen is the only person capable of controlling or grounding him.
• Fear of losing oneself: Lu’s possible transformation into a violent “ghost” reflects his anxiety about becoming a danger to others.
• Intimacy and trust: Shen’s willingness to comfort Lu and accept him despite his instability marks a significant deepening of their bond.
• Hidden history: Lu’s use of the title “young master” and his statement that he taught Shen to be strong hint at a shared past that Shen does not yet remember.
• Vulnerability beneath teasing: Their flirtatious conflict serves as a cover for genuine fear, longing, and emotional attachment.

Character Interactions

• Shen and Lu engage in playful physical sparring, with Shen resisting Lu’s advances while being unable to fully escape him.
• Lu openly expresses his dependence on Shen, placing Shen’s hand over his heart and asking him to remain by his side.
• Shen responds to Lu’s vulnerability with a kiss and a rare verbal acceptance of their relationship.
• Their interaction ends in affectionate but still teasing intimacy, reinforcing the unusual balance of resistance, trust, and emotional reliance between them.

Chapter Summary: The Iron Tree Blossoms

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin is carried out of a hot spring by Lu Zhi, exhausted and barely able to speak.
• Shen realizes they have accidentally ended up in private hot spring room 61 and insults Lu Zhi for taking advantage of the situation.
• Lu Zhi jokingly compares himself to a “mad dog,” showing no remorse for their intimate encounter.
• Their companions—Gu Yifei, Cheng Cheng, Fang Yu, and Jiang Ye—search for them, assuming they may have gone to the wrong location or wandered off to the Points Mall.
• Shen struggles to stand and walk normally but hides what happened, claiming that he and Lu Zhi simply used the wrong hot spring.
• His awkward walking and inconsistent explanation—especially the sudden appearance of his pants—make the others suspicious.
• Lu Zhi shamelessly asks Cheng Cheng for points to buy ointment for Shen’s injured leg, indirectly revealing that the two were intimate.
• The chapter ends with the onlookers and bullet comments teasing Lu Zhi for “conquering” the usually aloof Shen Ranxin.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: Despite his usual composure and pride, he is physically drained and embarrassed. He tries to preserve his dignity by concealing the encounter and acting as though nothing happened, though his condition exposes him.
• Lu Zhi: Becomes even more openly provocative and shameless. He teases Shen, carries him when necessary, and shows concern for his injury while deliberately embarrassing him in front of the others.
• Cheng Cheng: Displays suspicion and irritation, particularly toward Lu Zhi. His concern for Shen is evident, but he is unable to compete with Lu Zhi’s boldness.
• Gu Yifei: Is shown as careless and somewhat foolish after accidentally allowing Lu Zhi to learn the hot spring location.
• Fang Yu and Jiang Ye: Provide comic commentary. Fang Yu quickly understands the situation, while Jiang Ye innocently repeats the audience’s suggestive comments.

Significant Themes

• Embarrassment versus dignity: Shen attempts to maintain his image, but his physical state and Lu Zhi’s teasing make concealment impossible.
• Boldness and emotional pursuit: Lu Zhi’s direct, unapologetic behavior contrasts with Shen’s restraint and denial.
• Comic exposure of intimacy: The group’s suspicions, Jiang Ye’s innocent questions, and the bullet comments turn a private encounter into a source of public amusement.
• Romantic rivalry: Lu Zhi’s confidence places him ahead of Cheng Cheng, who cares for Shen but cannot match Lu Zhi’s aggressive flirtation.

Character Interactions

• Shen and Lu Zhi exchange teasing insults, with Lu Zhi combining mockery and genuine care.
• Shen tries to distance himself from Lu Zhi in front of the group, while Lu Zhi openly continues to draw attention to their relationship.
• Cheng Cheng questions Shen and later reacts suspiciously to Lu Zhi’s request for points.
• Fang Yu recognizes the implication of Shen’s condition and quietly comments on the pair’s intimacy.
• Jiang Ye innocently exposes the absurdity of the situation by asking about the suggestive bullet comments, intensifying the chapter’s comedic tone.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shen Ranxin returns to the dormitory injured and embarrassed after Lu Zhi’s overly aggressive intimate behavior, rushing to the bathroom to inspect and treat his swollen lips and painful leg.
• Lu Zhi returns and teases Shen about “seducing” him after finding him half-dressed. Shen responds angrily, throwing the cold compress at him and punching him.
• Lu reveals that he bought ointment from the Points Mall using borrowed points. When Shen learns that Cheng Cheng, Fang Yu, Jiang Ye, and Gu Yifei may have witnessed the purchase, he becomes mortified and furious.
• Despite Shen’s protests, Lu insists on applying the medicine himself, arguing that Shen cannot treat the injury properly alone. His careful attention eases Shen’s pain.
• Lu apologizes and promises not to repeat his behavior, though he immediately undermines the apology by asking for Shen’s worn underwear and continuing to flirt.
• Lu explains that the Anomaly Management Center told him sexual release could help stabilize his abnormal glands. Shen, remembering Lu’s traumatic history and apparent suffering, softens and checks Lu’s body himself.
• Shen notices that Lu’s usually overheated body temperature has returned closer to normal, suggesting the encounter genuinely helped stabilize him.
• Feeling sympathy for Lu, Shen gives him two pairs of underwear he has worn. Lu places them beneath his pillow and climbs into Shen’s bed, ending the chapter by jokingly offering him “nighttime services.”

Character developments

• Shen Ranxin: Although angry and embarrassed by Lu’s behavior, Shen’s concern for him is growing. He begins questioning whether his compassion comes from his own feelings or from the original owner’s influence, especially after learning about Lu’s escape, injuries, and devotion. His decision to give Lu his underwear shows reluctant acceptance and emotional softening.
• Lu Zhi: Lu remains shameless, flirtatious, and physically clingy, but he also demonstrates genuine concern by obtaining medicine and carefully treating Shen’s injury. His apology and vulnerability reveal that beneath his teasing behavior, he depends emotionally and physically on Shen.
• Their relationship: Their dynamic shifts between bickering, physical intimacy, embarrassment, and mutual care. Shen continues to resist verbally, but his actions increasingly show concern and willingness to accommodate Lu.

Significant themes

• Care beneath conflict: Arguments and insults conceal genuine worry and tenderness between the two men.
• Trauma and memory: Shen’s lack of memories about the fire contrasts with Lu’s strong emotional connection to their shared past, creating uncertainty about their relationship and Shen’s identity.
• Consent and boundaries: Shen repeatedly protests Lu’s teasing and advances, while Lu’s persistence creates tension; however, Lu also pauses to care for Shen and seeks reassurance regarding his condition.
• Dependency and healing: Lu’s gland instability ties his physical condition to emotional and intimate contact, while Shen’s sympathy gradually draws him closer to Lu.
• Embarrassment versus intimacy: Shen is deeply self-conscious, especially about others knowing about their relationship, while Lu openly embraces their closeness.

Character interactions

• Shen and Lu engage in constant sarcastic banter, with Shen attacking or insulting Lu and Lu responding with affectionate teasing.
• Lu shifts from joking about Shen’s exposed body to seriously treating his injury, showing both his provocative personality and protective side.
• Shen confronts Lu about ignoring his protests, while Lu claims Shen’s behavior suggested otherwise, intensifying their unresolved boundary conflict.
• Shen’s memories of Lu’s suffering cause him to soften, and he voluntarily gives Lu personal clothing as a sign of reluctant affection.
• The chapter closes with Lu invading Shen’s bed and continuing their playful, intimate exchange.

Chapter Summary: “Nighttime Services”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi engage in flirtatious banter about Lu Zhi’s so-called “nighttime services.” Lu Zhi humorously describes Shen’s exact appearance and personality as his ideal “client,” making his affection obvious.
• Although Shen initially resists Lu Zhi’s advances, he allows himself to remain in Lu Zhi’s embrace and finds comfort in his warmth and sense of security.
• Shen struggles to sleep because of conflicting feelings: one part of him warns that he cannot love Lu Zhi due to the strange world they inhabit and their complicated circumstances, while another acknowledges that he enjoys Lu Zhi’s affection and may genuinely be falling for him.
• Lu Zhi notices Shen’s restlessness and offers to sing him a lullaby. His gentle humming successfully calms Shen and helps him fall asleep.
• Shen dreams of a garden swing and a graceful woman he instinctively recognizes as his mother. She calls him “the prettiest omega” and sings the same lullaby Lu Zhi used earlier.
• Upon waking, Shen is disturbed by the dream’s implication that he may be an omega, firmly insisting that he is an Alpha. He also becomes embarrassed at the possibility that his feelings for Lu Zhi influenced the dream.
• Irritated by his own thoughts, Shen kicks Lu Zhi out of bed. Lu Zhi instinctively reacts with anger and crushes a wooden vase, but immediately softens when he realizes Shen was responsible. He cheerfully thanks Shen for waking him.

2. Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: Becomes increasingly aware of his emotional dependence on Lu Zhi, though he remains defensive and denies being in love. His internal conflict deepens as he experiences comfort, attraction, and possible memories connected to his identity and past.
• Lu Zhi: Demonstrates both playful flirtation and genuine tenderness. He respects Shen’s boundaries when Shen wants to sleep, comforts him with music, and reacts with amusing restraint after being kicked out of bed.

3. Significant Themes

• Emotional conflict and denial: Shen struggles between rational resistance and his growing affection for Lu Zhi.
• Comfort and intimacy: Physical closeness and the lullaby reveal a developing sense of safety between them.
• Identity and hidden memories: The dream raises questions about Shen’s true gender, childhood, mother, and whether his past has been altered or concealed.
• Humor amid tension: Sexual teasing, exaggerated banter, and the morning kick provide comic relief while highlighting their intimate dynamic.

4. Character Interactions

• Shen and Lu Zhi exchange flirtatious, suggestive jokes, with Lu openly declaring his preference for Shen.
• Lu holds Shen protectively, kisses his forehead, and sings to him, while Shen alternates between tolerating, resisting, and secretly enjoying the attention.
• After the dream, Shen lashes out physically by kicking Lu from the bed, but Lu chooses to overlook it and responds warmly, reinforcing their affectionate yet combative relationship.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the bathroom, Shen Ranxin questions Lu Zhi about whether he has ever marked an omega, prompted by Lu Zhi’s apparent familiarity with biting glands.
• Lu Zhi admits that he once marked an omega he loved, but later lost him. When he found him again, the omega no longer remembered him. He says he will respect that person’s choices and wait for his memories to return, even if remembering causes pain.
• Shen Ranxin privately concludes that Lu Zhi is deeply devoted, but remains distrustful because both Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng have given him conflicting accounts of his past.
• In the kitchen, Cheng Cheng tries to reestablish emotional and physical closeness with Shen Ranxin, insisting that they belong together and warning him not to trust Lu Zhi.
• Cheng Cheng claims that Lu Zhi was placed in the Shen family because of his unusually powerful pheromones and special glands, and that Lu Zhi replaced Cheng Cheng at Shen Ranxin’s side.
• Cheng Cheng further alleges that Lu Zhi caused the deaths of Shen Ranxin’s parents in the fire five years earlier and that Lu Zhi approached Shen Ranxin for ulterior motives.
• Lu Zhi interrupts, aggressively defending Shen Ranxin and provoking Cheng Cheng into a heated verbal fight. Shen Ranxin eventually slaps Lu Zhi and kicks him out of the kitchen, partly to force Cheng Cheng to speak privately.
• Cheng Cheng admits that he hypnotized Shen Ranxin and manipulated or altered aspects of his memories. He explains that he could influence certain memories but could not fully control the logic Shen Ranxin constructed afterward; the “system” was Shen Ranxin’s own attempt to make sense of the inconsistencies.
• Shen Ranxin presses Cheng Cheng about the fire. Cheng Cheng claims he does not know what caused it, saying he arrived after it had already begun and found Shen Ranxin unconscious outside. He deliberately omits Lu Zhi’s possible involvement.
• Shen Ranxin realizes that Cheng Cheng’s unwillingness to restore his memories suggests Cheng Cheng may also have something to hide. He refuses to let either man dictate whom he should trust or love.
• After leaving the kitchen, Shen Ranxin is questioned by the other guests. He deflects their curiosity with a joke about stealing the Krabby Patty secret formula.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: Becomes increasingly determined to uncover the truth independently. Although he lacks his memories, he refuses to accept either man’s version blindly and asserts that his present self has the right to make his own choices. His sharp reasoning allows him to identify Cheng Cheng’s contradictions and possible guilt.
• Lu Zhi: Reveals sincere, patient devotion toward the person Shen Ranxin once was. He is protective and jealous, quickly intervening when Cheng Cheng pressures Shen Ranxin, though his aggressive banter also exposes his impulsive and antagonistic side.
• Cheng Cheng: Shifts from affectionate and manipulative to openly desperate. He admits to hypnotizing Shen Ranxin and altering his memories, confirming that his attempts to control Shen Ranxin were deliberate. His possessiveness and fear of Shen Ranxin recovering the truth become increasingly apparent.
• The relationship triangle: Shen Ranxin gains more power within the conflict. Rather than passively accepting either Lu Zhi’s protection or Cheng Cheng’s emotional manipulation, he challenges both men and insists on investigating the past himself.

Significant Themes

• Memory and identity: The chapter questions whether Shen Ranxin’s current personality and decisions can be trusted after hypnosis and memory manipulation.
• Truth versus constructed narratives: Both men present selective versions of the past, forcing Shen Ranxin to distinguish facts from lies, omissions, and self-serving interpretations.
• Autonomy and consent: Cheng Cheng’s manipulation of Shen Ranxin’s memories directly violates his agency, while Lu Zhi claims to respect his choices—even if Shen Ranxin ultimately rejects him.
• Love, possession, and protection: Lu Zhi’s devotion appears patient and self-sacrificing, while Cheng Cheng’s love is increasingly shown as controlling and possessive.
• The burden of the past: The unexplained fire and the deaths of Shen Ranxin’s parents remain the central mystery. Recovering the truth may bring emotional pain, but Shen Ranxin is willing to face it.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi: Their bathroom exchange is teasing and intimate, with Shen Ranxin probing Lu Zhi’s romantic history. Lu Zhi’s confession adds emotional depth to their relationship, while their playful physical conflict shows their growing familiarity.
• Shen Ranxin and Cheng Cheng: Cheng Cheng attempts to win Shen Ranxin back through affection, guilt, and accusations against Lu Zhi. Shen Ranxin rejects this manipulation, forces him to admit the hypnosis, and challenges his claims about the fire.
• Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng: Their rivalry erupts into sarcastic insults and physical interference. Lu Zhi interrupts Cheng Cheng’s manipulation, while Cheng Cheng attacks Lu Zhi’s origins and claims that Lu Zhi was merely a replacement.
• Shen Ranxin and the other guests: After the tense confrontation, Shen Ranxin uses humor to conceal the truth, maintaining control over the situation and preventing the others from learning what happened.

Chapter Summary: “High-End Male Rivalry”

• Key events: Shen Ranxin waters the guests’ Paperbush trees, paying special attention to Lu Zhi’s struggling tree, Little Green. He discovers that Jiang Ye’s red name strings have disappeared from his tree and now hang on Fang Yu’s, hinting at shifting affections. Lu Zhi finds Shen Ranxin alone and attempts to kiss him, apparently jealous of Shen’s long conversation with Cheng Cheng, but Shen pushes him away.
• Paperbush rivalry: Gu Yifei arrives with a bucket of boiling water, intending to damage Lu Zhi’s tree. Lu Zhi catches him and learns that Gu has been scalding Little Green once a week, explaining why the tree has continued to wither despite his care. In retaliation, Lu pours the boiling water over Gu Yifei’s own Paperbush tree. Both trees are left badly damaged, while Gu cries over the tree Shen helped him plant. The other guests criticize Gu for provoking Lu, and Cheng Cheng mockingly observes that the trees are innocent victims of the men’s rivalry.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Ranxin continues to act detached and sharp-tongued, but he shows concern for the trees—especially Little Green—and becomes the center of Lu Zhi and Gu Yifei’s competition.
• Lu Zhi reveals strong jealousy toward Shen’s interactions with others and demonstrates his vindictive, possessive nature by retaliating against Gu.
• Gu Yifei is portrayed as impulsive, unintelligent, and emotionally dependent on Shen, hiding behind him when Lu becomes angry.
• Jiang Ye and Fang Yu are connected through the red strings, suggesting a possible change in Jiang Ye’s romantic interest.
• The group treats the incident as both ridiculous and predictable, reinforcing the chaotic relationships among the cast.
• Public reaction and themes: The audience labels the feud “high-end male rivalry,” joking that the men compete not through talent or status but by trying to kill each other’s symbolic love trees. Online viewers sympathize with the trees, especially Little Green, and create the absurd trending hashtag #GuYifeiKillsHisChildForLove. The episode satirizes dating-show drama, exaggerated possessiveness, and the way romance turns the contestants into irrational, destructive rivals.
• Closing event: Shen learns that the mysterious “crying baby” haunting the camp was actually a White-browed Gibbon that had been stealing their food. As staff prepare to send the protected monkey to a zoo, Shen jokingly threatens to eat it, frightening the animal and ending the chapter on another darkly comic note.

Chapter Summary: “Filial Piety to Parents”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin threatens to eat the intelligent white-furred monkey that previously stole his food and frightened him at the mountain camp. He jokingly—or seemingly seriously—argues that his rights as a human citizen override the monkey’s protected status.
• Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng play along, discussing how to cook the monkey, terrifying the staff and forcing Director Chen to intervene.
• Shen Ranxin, Lu Zhi, and Cheng Cheng use the situation to pressure the production crew into compensating them with points now that the survival portion of the show has ended.
• Director Chen gives Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi 600 points each, while Cheng Cheng receives 300. Lu Zhi shamelessly takes an extra 200 points from Cheng Cheng under the excuse that younger people should show “filial piety” to their elders.
• Meanwhile, Gu Yifei breaks down over his attempt to destroy Lu Zhi’s Paperbush. He had acted out of jealousy after Cheng Cheng convinced him that Lu Zhi only saved him to prevent Shen Ranxin from feeling guilty.
• Gu Yifei realizes that the tree was deeply meaningful because Shen Ranxin planted it for Lu Zhi; replacing it would not restore the original. His regret and grief leave him crying, while Fang Yu and Jiang Ye stay behind to comfort him and miss the opportunity to obtain compensation.
• The chapter ends with Cheng Cheng angrily crushing his points coin after Lu Zhi mocks him for being “green” with envy and compares him to the struggling Paperbush.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin reveals his mischievous, shameless, and highly calculating side. His apparent fury at the monkey becomes an elaborate scheme to extort points from the production team.
• Lu Zhi continues to humor and support Shen Ranxin while displaying his own cunning. He joins the extortion attempt and deliberately takes points from Cheng Cheng, reinforcing their close alliance.
• Cheng Cheng reluctantly cooperates with Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi but becomes increasingly irritated by their manipulation. His final violent reaction suggests that his jealousy and hostility toward Lu Zhi are intensifying.
• Gu Yifei experiences genuine emotional growth. His jealousy initially leads him to sabotage Lu Zhi’s beloved tree, but seeing Lu Zhi sacrifice himself to save it forces him to understand the depth of its sentimental value and confront his own wrongdoing.
• Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin’s relationship is shown to be increasingly intimate and mutually protective. Lu Zhi’s concern for anything connected to Shen Ranxin, especially the Paperbush, is obvious to the viewers.
• Fang Yu and Jiang Ye act as sympathetic friends to Gu Yifei, choosing to comfort him instead of pursuing their own advantage.

Significant Themes

• Jealousy and emotional immaturity: Gu Yifei’s insecurity over Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin causes him to make a destructive decision he later regrets.
• The value of sentimental objects: The Paperbush represents Shen Ranxin’s feelings for Lu Zhi; its uniqueness cannot be replaced simply by buying another tree.
• Manipulation and playful exploitation: Shen Ranxin, Lu Zhi, and Cheng Cheng turn a crisis into an opportunity to gain points, highlighting their clever but unscrupulous teamwork.
• Love, attention, and insecurity: Gu Yifei struggles because he has always been admired but cannot obtain Shen Ranxin’s attention. His frustration exposes the difference between being noticed and being genuinely loved.
• Public perception: The livestream viewers openly criticize Gu Yifei’s behavior and debate whether his youth and spoiled upbringing excuse his actions.

Important Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi collaborate seamlessly to frighten the staff and pressure Director Chen.
• Cheng Cheng becomes an unwilling accomplice, though he condemns their behavior and resents Lu Zhi’s theft of his points.
• Cheng Cheng’s earlier provocation deeply influences Gu Yifei, pushing him toward sabotaging the Paperbush.
• Lu Zhi’s efforts to save the tree reveal his emotional attachment to Shen Ranxin and indirectly make Gu Yifei recognize the seriousness of what he did.
• The chapter closes on open hostility between Cheng Cheng and Lu Zhi, with Cheng Cheng’s anger suggesting further conflict.

Chapter Summary: “Everything of Yours, I Like”

Plot and events

After Gu Yifei loses control while clinging to the paperbush and crying, Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin contact the Anomaly Management Center for help. Lu Zhi worries that Gu Yifei’s presence keeps causing trouble and decides to remove him from the situation. Gu Yifei then receives a call from his manager informing him that the dating show has been suspended and that he must return to prepare for a suddenly arranged world-tour concert. Although reluctant to leave Shen Ranxin, Gu Yifei is persuaded that the tour could improve his status and help him stand beside Shen Ranxin in the future. His manager’s silence when Gu asks whether Shen will wait for him forces Gu to confront the possibility that Shen may not return his feelings.

Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin’s actions

Lu Zhi brings Shen Ranxin upstairs and retrieves the restraint equipment they previously used, intending to help control the paperbush-related crisis. Shen jokes that Lu Zhi is unusually kind for wanting to save both Gu Yifei and the plant. Lu Zhi insists that he does not care about Gu Yifei, but considers the paperbush his own because he planted it and because Shen’s red string is attached to it, calling it a symbol of their relationship.

Character development

Gu Yifei begins to recognize that love and companionship cannot simply be obtained through tears, charm, or acting spoiled. His uncertainty over whether Shen Ranxin will wait for him reveals his growing awareness of emotional insecurity and the limits of his previously sheltered life. Lu Zhi’s possessive but caring attachment becomes clearer: beneath his cold attitude, he deeply treasures anything connected to Shen Ranxin. Shen, meanwhile, gains a stronger understanding of the depth of Lu Zhi’s feelings.

Significant discovery and character interaction

While Lu Zhi is away seeking new restraints, Shen discovers that the box beneath the bed contains items Lu Zhi secretly collected—including discarded bottles, cartons, underwear, and wrappers that still carry Shen’s scent. This behavior resembles an instinctive attempt to comfort himself during a susceptible period. Shen realizes that Lu Zhi’s statement, “I like everything of yours,” is literal and emotionally significant. The chapter ends with Shen taking out his communicator, suggesting that he is about to respond to or act on this revelation.

Themes

The chapter explores possessive devotion, emotional insecurity, and the difference between childish attachment and genuine love. It also contrasts Gu Yifei’s gradual realization that love cannot be guaranteed with Lu Zhi’s intense, instinctive, and almost private worship of Shen Ranxin.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

Shen Ranxin contacts the Anomaly Management Center using the private communicator he kept from his previous encounter with them. He asks for a botanical expert to help stabilize Lu Zhi’s glands after the paperbush incident. He also secretly asks whether the Center has specialists in neurology or hypnosis, revealing that he is the one suffering from altered or missing memories. The director explains that Lu Zhi previously sought help for him, but the Center cannot restore his memories directly; only a powerful stimulus might break the hypnosis. Shen ends the call when Lu Zhi approaches.

Character developments

Shen remains wary of Lu Zhi and deliberately hides his contact with the Center, showing that he does not yet fully trust him. At the same time, he confidently teases and provokes Lu Zhi, maintaining control of their interaction despite the danger. Lu Zhi appears deeply dependent and emotionally unstable, admitting that he uses Shen’s scent to cope with missing him. He gives Shen a powerful silver pistol in case he loses control, demonstrating both his fear of hurting Shen and his willingness to place Shen’s safety above his own life.

Character interactions

The director lightly teases Shen about whether his “friend” is actually himself, while confirming Lu Zhi’s prior efforts to help him. When Lu Zhi returns with restraint equipment, he anxiously tries to explain himself and promises not to hurt Shen. Shen responds with dark humor, mocking Lu Zhi’s perverse behavior and the possibility of restraining him with straps and a Bite Guard. Their exchange becomes intimate and dangerous when Shen points the pistol at Lu Zhi’s chest and throat, sarcastically questioning whether Lu Zhi’s extreme reaction is worth one paperbush tree. Lu Zhi answers that anything Shen gives him matters more than his life, revealing the intensity of his obsession. Shen then cuts him off by gripping his chin and ordering him to be quiet.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes obsessive love, unequal devotion, trust, and control. Lu Zhi’s willingness to risk his life for Shen contrasts with Shen’s guarded skepticism and attempts to retain power over him. The mystery of Shen’s hypnotically suppressed memories introduces the possibility that their relationship has a hidden past, while the Anomaly Management Center represents an outside force capable of exposing or destabilizing that past.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shen Ranxin physically dominates and teases Lu Zhi, restraining him and leaving him visibly flustered and disheveled.
• He retrieves a silver pistol, wipes it against Lu Zhi’s clothing, and puts it back in a suitcase, suggesting that a more serious or dangerous situation may be involved.
• Shen checks the time and reveals that a botany expert arranged through the Anomaly Management Center is about to arrive.
• Concerned that Lu Zhi cannot meet the expert in his current state, Shen gives him roughly half an hour to compose himself and points out that the bathroom ventilation is already running.
• Shen leaves the room after deliberately provoking Lu Zhi further.

Character developments

• Shen Ranxin is shown as confident, controlling, and highly amused by Lu Zhi’s reactions. He maintains composure while deliberately pushing Lu Zhi’s limits, combining mock concern with provocative teasing.
• Lu Zhi is portrayed as vulnerable and overwhelmed despite his status as “President Lu.” He alternates between pleading, flirtatious resistance, irritation, and humor, revealing a softer and more emotionally exposed side in Shen’s presence.
• Their behavior suggests an established intimacy in which both understand the boundaries of their provocative exchanges.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Shen clearly dictates the pace and circumstances of the encounter, while Lu Zhi struggles to regain composure.
• Teasing as intimacy: Their provocative banter functions as a form of flirtation and emotional connection rather than straightforward hostility.
• Contrast between public status and private vulnerability: Lu Zhi’s authoritative identity is undercut by his helpless state with Shen.
• Underlying danger and duty: The pistol and reference to the Anomaly Management Center introduce a serious, possibly supernatural or investigative context beneath the intimate scene.

Character interactions

• Shen repeatedly taunts Lu Zhi with pet names and sarcastic remarks, while Lu Zhi responds with pleas, curses, jokes, and flirtatious threats.
• Lu Zhi calls Shen “Teacher Shen” and asks him to spare him, emphasizing the playful teacher-student dynamic.
• Shen ultimately ends the interaction on his own terms, reminding Lu Zhi to prepare for the incoming expert before leaving him alone to recover.

Chapter Summary: “New Guest Appears”

Key plot points and events

• The livestream audience becomes intensely interested in the private, sexually charged interactions between Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi. Viewers also speculate about Shen’s past, particularly a mysterious fire five years earlier, and debate whether his calm, gentle persona is genuine.
• Public opinion begins shifting in Shen Ranxin’s favor as more viewers defend him against accusations related to the fire and praise his composure while dealing with Lu Zhi and Gu Yifei.
• Gu Yifei prepares to leave the villa unexpectedly because of a last-minute concert. He rushes into Shen Ranxin’s arms, says goodbye dramatically, and asks Shen to remember him.
• Gu reveals that he is leaving partly because of something he privately tells Shen. Shen responds affectionately but teases Gu about his immaturity, leading to their usual playful bickering.
• Gu’s agent arrives to collect him. Before departing, Gu records a tearful apology video for Lu Zhi, apologizing for damaging or mishandling Lu’s Paperbush and offering him all his points in exchange for forgiveness.
• Lu Zhi does not come to see Gu off because he is privately occupied with a suggestive activity involving the underwear Shen gave him. Shen avoids explaining this to Gu.
• Director Chen struggles to find a replacement or new participant for the show. His mood changes when he notices the botanist sent by the Anomaly Management Center, suggesting that this person may become the next guest.

Character developments

• Shen Ranxin: Continues to display patience, emotional stability, and a dry sense of humor. His interactions with Gu show a caring, almost familial bond, while his relationship with Lu is becoming increasingly intimate and sexually charged. The growing support from viewers also begins to counter the negative public image surrounding him.
• Gu Yifei: Reveals his childish, affectionate side but also shows signs of emotional dependence on Shen and Lu. His farewell is melodramatic, yet his apology to Lu indicates genuine remorse and a desire to repair their relationship.
• Lu Zhi: Although mostly off-screen, his fixation on Shen is made clear through his private behavior. His absence from Gu’s farewell is not due to anger but because he is preoccupied with thoughts of Shen.
• Jiang Ye and Fang Yu: Continue to provide practical support and comic commentary, helping with Gu’s departure and filming his farewell message.
• Director Chen: Remains focused on maintaining the show and finding a new participant, ultimately becoming interested in the botanist.

Significant themes

• Changing public perception: Viewers begin reassessing Shen Ranxin, moving from suspicion and mockery toward sympathy and admiration.
• Hidden pasts and unresolved mysteries: The repeated references to the fire five years earlier suggest an important secret connected to Shen.
• Affection beneath comedy: The characters express genuine attachment through exaggerated jokes, teasing, and dramatic behavior.
• Public image versus private reality: The livestream audience speculates about relationships and personalities while lacking access to the characters’ private actions and motives.
• Transition and new beginnings: Gu’s departure marks the end of one phase of the show, while the arrival of a new guest promises fresh conflict and relationship dynamics.

Character interactions

• Shen and Gu share a warm but teasing farewell, with Shen treating Gu like an immature younger friend while still comforting him.
• Gu’s emotional attachment to Shen is evident in his hugging, whining, and insistence that Shen remember him.
• Gu tries to reconcile with Lu through a recorded apology, while Lu is unknowingly preoccupied with Shen.
• Jiang Ye and Fang Yu balance Gu’s melodrama with sarcasm and practical assistance.
• Director Chen’s discovery of the botanist closes the chapter by setting up the next major development.