Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “A Little Extra Chapter”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin reveals that Cheng Cheng has finally awakened, explaining why he left early that morning.
• Lu Zhi becomes jealous, teasingly suggesting that Shen Ranxin hurried out to see Cheng Cheng. Their affectionate exchange highlights their growing intimacy.
• Believing Cheng Cheng may know more about Shen Ziqing and Wei Huizhi, Lu Zhi orders that Cheng Cheng be brought to the holding room for questioning.
• Lu Yeshan forcibly summons the still-weak Cheng Cheng over the central broadcast. Cheng Cheng protests that Lu Zhi is not his brother and cannot order him around, but Lu Yeshan carries him to the holding room despite his injuries.
• Lu Zhi immediately interrogates Cheng Cheng about Wei Huizhi. Their conversation quickly turns into a sarcastic argument, with both trading insults.
• Shen Ranxin interrupts and mediates before Lu Zhi manages to provoke Cheng Cheng further.
• Shen Ranxin asks Cheng Cheng to decide whose side he will support, emphasizing that locating Shen Ziqing is now their priority.
• Cheng Cheng explains that he knew little about Shen Ziqing because he was young when they worked together, but he remembers that Wei Huizhi suffered severe, inhuman abuse—far worse than his official sentence suggested. The Federation and military appeared to suppress information about the matter.
• Cheng Cheng privately signals a further suspicion to Shen Ranxin, away from the surveillance camera: Wei Huizhi may have concealed his gender to enter the military academy for a reason connected to Lu Yeshan.
• The chapter ends by setting up the final revelations of the main storyline and announcing that only a few sweet domestic chapters will follow before a new side story begins.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi: Their relationship is openly affectionate and comfortable. Lu Zhi’s jealousy is presented as playful rather than threatening, while Shen Ranxin naturally takes on the role of calming and managing him.
• Lu Zhi: He remains sharp-tongued, impatient, and confrontational, but his investigation shows his determination to uncover the truth about Shen Ziqing and Wei Huizhi.
• Cheng Cheng: Despite being physically weakened, he retains his rebellious, sarcastic personality. He begins cooperating with Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi, offering crucial information about Wei Huizhi.
• Lu Yeshan: He is forceful and intimidating, but also expresses a stern sense of responsibility toward Cheng Cheng, insisting that Cheng Cheng owes his life to Lu Zhi and should help him.
• Wei Huizhi: New details suggest that he was a victim of extreme abuse and may have hidden his gender to enter the military academy because of a secret connection to Lu Yeshan.

Significant Themes

• Trust and divided loyalties: Cheng Cheng must decide whether to cooperate with Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin, while his past association with Shen Ziqing complicates his position.
• Hidden identities and suppressed truths: Wei Huizhi’s concealed gender, mysterious military background, and possible connection to Lu Yeshan deepen the central mystery.
• Abuse of power and institutional secrecy: The Federation and military appear to have concealed the abuse Wei Huizhi endured, suggesting corruption or a deliberate cover-up.
• Affection expressed through conflict: Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin’s intimacy is shown through jealousy, teasing, and physical reassurance, while Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng use insults as a form of combative familiarity.
• Responsibility and indebtedness: Lu Yeshan’s claim that Cheng Cheng owes Lu Zhi his life reflects the chapter’s concern with obligation, loyalty, and whether past sacrifices create moral debts.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi: Flirtatious and affectionate; Shen Ranxin teases Lu Zhi’s jealousy and later covers his mouth to stop him from escalating the argument.
• Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng: Hostile and humorous, engaging in a rapid exchange of insults while pursuing serious information.
• Lu Yeshan and Cheng Cheng: A coercive, almost parental confrontation in which Lu Yeshan physically forces Cheng Cheng to obey.
• Shen Ranxin and Cheng Cheng: More sympathetic and diplomatic than Lu Zhi’s approach; Shen Ranxin encourages Cheng Cheng to cooperate and recognizes the importance of his information.
• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi: Their exchanged glance after Cheng Cheng’s secret signal shows their shared understanding and teamwork.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the detention room, injured Cheng Cheng teases Shen Ranxin by inviting him closer, provoking Lu Zhi.
• Lu Zhi releases overwhelming, aggressive pheromones. Cheng Cheng is terrified and becomes nearly incapable of moving.
• Shen Ranxin remains largely unaffected, realizing that his damaged gland has begun accepting Lu Zhi’s pheromones again and that his buried memories of Lu Zhi may be resurfacing.
• The director warns that Lu Zhi’s condition is unstable and that he may lose all reason. Before the warning is finished, Shen Ranxin kisses Lu Zhi in an attempt to calm him.
• Rather than immediately regaining composure, Lu Zhi pulls Shen Ranxin into his arms and continues guarding him while glaring at Cheng Cheng.
• Lu Zhi repeatedly smacks Shen Ranxin’s backside, alarming the observers but revealing that his behavior is more possessive and intimate than genuinely violent.
• Under the director’s orders, two Anomaly Control Bureau officers enter the room and safely carry Cheng Cheng away. Lu Zhi allows them to leave because they are removing a perceived threat from his territory.
• Sedatives and suppressants fail to calm Lu Zhi. Once he loosens his hold, Shen Ranxin angrily slaps him.
• Instead of attacking, Lu Zhi cages Shen Ranxin in his arms, nuzzles him, and licks his face. The observers are stunned that the normally dangerous “psycho” has become affectionate and submissive toward Shen Ranxin.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhi: His loss of control reveals an intensely possessive but surprisingly affectionate side. Even in an unstable state, he recognizes Shen Ranxin as someone safe and important, protects him, and responds to his aggression with intimacy rather than violence.
• Shen Ranxin: His gland’s renewed acceptance of Lu Zhi’s pheromones marks a significant development in their bond. He acts decisively by kissing Lu Zhi, then displays enough confidence—or recklessness—to slap him after being embarrassed.
• Cheng Cheng: Though injured and initially provocative, Cheng Cheng becomes helpless under Lu Zhi’s pheromone pressure and must be rescued. His teasing inadvertently triggers Lu Zhi’s jealousy.
• The director and Bureau officers: They attempt to manage the dangerous situation professionally, but repeatedly become bewildered by the couple’s unexpected romantic behavior.

Significant Themes

• Possessiveness and protection: Lu Zhi treats Shen Ranxin as his protected territory and reacts violently to perceived threats, yet his possessiveness manifests as physical closeness rather than harm toward Shen Ranxin.
• Instinct versus reason: Lu Zhi’s pheromones and behavior suggest that even when his rational mind is compromised, his instinctive attachment to Shen Ranxin remains intact.
• Reawakening bond: Shen Ranxin’s recovering gland and awakened memories suggest that his connection with Lu Zhi is returning on both a biological and emotional level.
• Comedy through contrast: The chapter turns a potentially deadly crisis into an absurd romantic scene, contrasting Lu Zhi’s terrifying reputation with his affectionate behavior toward Shen Ranxin.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Cheng flirts with Shen Ranxin, prompting Lu Zhi’s jealous pheromone release.
• Shen Ranxin kisses Lu Zhi to restrain or calm him, but instead becomes the focus of Lu Zhi’s possessive embrace.
• Lu Zhi disciplines and clings to Shen Ranxin while ignoring the departing officers.
• Shen Ranxin retaliates by slapping Lu Zhi, only for Lu Zhi to respond by nuzzling and licking him.
• The director and Bureau personnel observe the exchange with growing disbelief, concluding that Lu Zhi has effectively become an affectionate “simp” for Shen Ranxin.

Chapter Summary: Eternal Life

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhi loses control in the detention room, but unlike his usual violent episodes, he focuses on kissing, licking, and clinging to Shen Ranxin. The Bureau staff gradually realize that his behavior represents instinctive Alpha courtship rather than aggression.
• The director concludes that Shen Ranxin is currently the only person capable of restraining Lu Zhi emotionally, and the observation room’s glass is frosted to preserve their privacy.
• Lu Zhi’s pheromone levels remain dangerously high for three days. During the episode, he repeatedly claims that Shen Ranxin is “mine,” while also biting him, leaving Shen Ranxin physically exhausted and covered in marks.
• After Shen Ranxin emerges, Lu Zhi still has not fully stabilized. The director warns that Lu Zhi’s gland may eventually overpower his human rationality and suggests surgically removing it as the only possible solution.
• The Bureau still cannot capture Shen Ziqing, whose connection to Shen Ranxin makes him especially difficult to locate and whose plans appear to involve the Anomaly Management Center.
• After receiving medical treatment for Lu Zhi’s bite wounds, Shen Ranxin visits Cheng Cheng and demands information about Shen Ziqing.
• Cheng Cheng asks Shen Ranxin to spend one day with him every month. Shen Ranxin agrees, partly because Cheng Cheng reveals crucial information afterward.
• Cheng Cheng explains that Shen Ziqing deliberately arranged Shen Qi’s escape from the Shen family and placement within the Anomaly Management Center. Shen Qi was likely intended to obtain sensitive research data.
• Shen Ziqing’s true target is revealed to be a remaining gene sequence connected to the abuse of Wei Huizhi. Lu Yeshan allegedly used this sequence to create an immortal AI, an act that violates the Interstellar Ethics Act.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhi: His loss of control reveals a new side of him. Rather than simply becoming a violent “beast,” he instinctively courts and claims Shen Ranxin, showing that his feelings and bond with Shen Ranxin remain powerful even when his gland overwhelms his reason.
• Shen Ranxin: He remains calm and practical despite Lu Zhi’s dangerous episode and physical exhaustion. He accepts responsibility for stabilizing Lu Zhi, agrees to Cheng Cheng’s emotional request, and continues pursuing Shen Ziqing’s larger conspiracy.
• The director: He demonstrates deep understanding of Lu Zhi, recognizing that the episode is different from previous attacks. However, he becomes increasingly concerned that Lu Zhi’s gland may soon require removal.
• Cheng Cheng: Though sarcastic and resentful, he reveals vulnerability by admitting that he wants reassurance that he is not irrelevant. His information establishes that he knows more about Shen Ziqing and Lu Yeshan than previously revealed.
• Shen Ziqing: He emerges as a highly strategic figure who has manipulated events for years, using Shen Qi as a planted agent and targeting advanced genetic research.
• Lu Yeshan: He is portrayed as a scientist willing to violate major ethical laws, having used forbidden genetic material to create an immortal AI.

Significant Themes

• Instinct versus humanity: Lu Zhi’s behavior raises the question of whether his gland makes him a dangerous animal or merely exposes primal emotions that civilized society suppresses.
• Love as restraint: Shen Ranxin functions as Lu Zhi’s emotional “chain,” suggesting that affection and trust may succeed where medication, suppressants, and force cannot.
• Possession and intimacy: Lu Zhi’s repeated declaration that Shen Ranxin is “mine” reflects both instinctive territoriality and the intensity of their relationship.
• Loneliness and emotional dependence: Cheng Cheng’s request to spend one day with Shen Ranxin shows his fear of being unnecessary and his need for recognition.
• Scientific ethics and immortality: The gene sequence and immortal AI introduce the danger of pursuing eternal life through abuse, experimentation, and violations of the Interstellar Ethics Act.
• Manipulation and long-term planning: Shen Ziqing’s schemes reveal how individuals and institutions can be used as pieces in a much larger strategy.

Important Character Interactions

• Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin: Their intimate encounter demonstrates Lu Zhi’s instinctive attachment and Shen Ranxin’s unique influence over him. Despite discomfort and exhaustion, Shen Ranxin remains concerned about Lu Zhi’s condition.
• Shen Ranxin and the director: The director informs him that Lu Zhi may need gland removal, making the urgency of finding Shen Ziqing clear.
• Shen Ranxin and Cheng Cheng: Their exchange begins as a negotiation but becomes emotionally revealing. Cheng Cheng asks for regular companionship, and Shen Ranxin agrees in return for information.
• Cheng Cheng and Shen Ziqing/Lu Yeshan: Cheng Cheng’s memories connect Shen Ziqing’s plans to Lu Yeshan’s illegal research and the creation of an immortal AI.
• The Bureau staff and Lu Zhi: Their shocked discussion reframes Lu Zhi’s usual “episodes,” revealing that what they interpreted solely as violence may also involve suppressed Alpha instincts and courtship behavior.

Summary of “Come Here, Hug Me”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhi suffers another prolonged episode of losing control after Shen Ranxin leaves Cheng Cheng’s hospital room. He becomes violent inside the holding room, destroying objects and attacking anything nearby.
• A young doctor warns Shen Ranxin that Lu Zhi may not recover this time. Without finding Shen Ziqing, Lu Zhi’s condition could worsen until he no longer recognizes Shen Ranxin.
• Shen Ranxin enters the holding room despite the danger. Lu Zhi initially reacts with murderous hostility, but Shen Ranxin calmly calls him over and asks him to hug him.
• Lu Zhi recognizes Shen Ranxin and immediately embraces him. Shen Ranxin comforts him until he calms down and falls asleep.
• In the observation room, the director and Lu Yeshan discuss Lu Zhi’s condition, Wei Huizhi’s death, and Shen Ziqing’s responsibility. They speculate that Shen Ranxin may be able to protect Lu Zhi because, unlike Shen Ziqing, his cruelty has limits and he genuinely values Lu Zhi.
• After putting Lu Zhi to sleep, Shen Ranxin secretly visits Cheng Cheng. He asks for the location of Wei Huizhi’s AI, intending to meet it.
• Shen Ranxin reveals that he has obtained iris-recognition contact lenses modeled on the director’s and Lu Yeshan’s eyes, allowing them to bypass the Anomaly Management Center’s security.
• Cheng Cheng agrees to join him, partly out of loyalty and partly because he plans to record the mission and use the footage to make Lu Zhi jealous.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhi: His condition is deteriorating, marked by violent episodes and impaired recognition. However, his instinctive response to Shen Ranxin shows that their emotional bond remains strong; Shen Ranxin can still calm and anchor him.
• Shen Ranxin: Demonstrates courage, composure, and a willingness to risk himself for Lu Zhi. His methods are manipulative and secretive, but his protective feelings are clear. He also takes the initiative to investigate Wei Huizhi’s AI and confront Shen Ziqing’s legacy.
• Cheng Cheng: Despite his injured state, he enthusiastically joins Shen Ranxin’s dangerous plan. His joking jealousy and desire to record the mission reveal his playful, immature side while also showing his loyalty.
• The director and Lu Yeshan: Both are burdened by regret over failing to save Wei Huizhi. They recognize Shen Ranxin as morally flawed but potentially more compassionate and reliable than Shen Ziqing.

Significant Themes

• Love as an anchor: Shen Ranxin’s voice and embrace temporarily restore Lu Zhi’s awareness, suggesting emotional connection can succeed where medical intervention may fail.
• Guilt and responsibility: The director and Lu Yeshan reflect on their failure to protect Wei Huizhi and their duty to protect Lu Zhi from suffering the same fate.
• Moral contrast: Shen Ranxin and Shen Ziqing are compared directly. Both may be cruel, but Shen Ranxin is portrayed as having boundaries and the capacity to care.
• Trust and secrecy: Shen Ranxin’s access to highly restricted biometric information shows the unusual trust placed in him, while his secret mission highlights the risks surrounding the AI and Shen Ziqing.
• Trauma repeating across generations: The adults’ past failures continue to shape Lu Zhi’s present condition, while Shen Ranxin may represent a chance to break that pattern.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin calms Lu Zhi through gentle commands and physical affection, turning a violent confrontation into a vulnerable reunion.
• The director and Lu Yeshan debate whether Shen Ranxin can protect Lu Zhi and whether Shen Ziqing’s actions could have been prevented.
• Shen Ranxin and Cheng Cheng exchange blunt, sarcastic dialogue while forming an alliance to infiltrate the Center.
• Cheng Cheng’s playful intention to provoke Lu Zhi contrasts with the seriousness of Shen Ranxin’s mission, adding humor to an otherwise tense chapter.

Chapter Summary: “Wei Huizhi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin and Cheng Cheng infiltrate the Anomaly Management Center using stolen director and Lu Yeshan iris data. Their goal is Room 7092, where Lu Yeshan stores the genetic sequences and AI associated with Wei Huizhi.
• The infiltration is difficult because of sensitive pheromone detectors, surveillance cameras, and patrolling Anomaly Control Bureau officers. Cheng Cheng creates a distraction while Shen Ranxin proceeds alone.
• Near Room 7092, Shen Ranxin encounters Lu Zhi, who has escaped from his holding room and is injured. Shen attacks him instinctively before recognizing him, then brings him into the room using Lu Yeshan’s iris data.
• Shen treats Lu Zhi’s wounds while the room’s AI warns him that Lu Zhi’s unstable pheromones may make him dangerous. Shen ignores the warning and continues caring for him.
• Lu Zhi, whose language and behavior have deteriorated because of his condition, tries to express that he came to “pick [Shen] up” and take him home. Shen reassures him and persuades him to stay until the mission is complete. Lu Zhi obediently holds Shen’s hand.
• The room’s AI reveals itself as Wei Huizhi. It appears as a young soldier on the central screen and explains that it is present throughout the room rather than existing in a physical body.
• Wei Huizhi recognizes Shen’s resemblance to Shen Ziqing and asks about Shen Ziqing’s life, revealing that he still believes he misses him. He also comments on Lu Zhi, assuming he is Shen Ranxin’s partner.
• Shen attempts to extract Wei Huizhi from the system but discovers that it is impossible. Instead, he searches the AI’s source code and copies code related to its stored memories onto his optical computer.
• Before leaving, Shen tells Wei Huizhi a deliberately absurd version of “The Ugly Duckling,” ending by saying the duckling was “quite tasty.” He then activates the AI’s self-destruct program and leaves Wei Huizhi behind.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin demonstrates resourcefulness, technical ability, physical courage, and emotional complexity. Although he treats Wei Huizhi coldly and skeptically as an artificial creation, he still takes the trouble to preserve Wei Huizhi’s memory data before destroying the system.
• Cheng Cheng serves as Shen’s infiltration partner but is also treated as expendable by Shen. Despite his complaints, he cooperates and risks himself by luring away the patrol officers.
• Lu Zhi shows continued physical and mental deterioration after losing control. He struggles to communicate, behaves instinctively, and remains intensely attached to Shen Ranxin. His injuries and escape also reveal his determination to find and protect Shen.
• Wei Huizhi appears emotionally convincing despite being an AI. He displays affection, confusion, curiosity, jealousy-like comparison, and longing for Shen Ziqing, raising questions about whether his feelings are genuine or merely programmed responses.
• Shen Ziqing, though absent, becomes central through Wei Huizhi’s memories and questions. The implication that Wei Huizhi was once connected to him adds emotional and familial tension to Shen Ranxin’s encounter with the AI.

Significant Themes

• Humanity versus artificial intelligence: Wei Huizhi behaves as though he possesses memories and emotions, while Shen insists that an AI cannot truly miss someone. The chapter leaves ambiguous whether identity and feeling depend on biology, memory, or behavior.
• Memory and identity: Shen searches for Wei Huizhi’s stored memories, suggesting that fragments of the original person may survive within the artificial construct. The use of Wei Huizhi’s genes also raises questions about whether genetic material can preserve a person’s selfhood.
• Love, attachment, and recognition: Lu Zhi’s simple desire to take Shen home contrasts with Wei Huizhi’s longing for Shen Ziqing. Both relationships are expressed through imperfect communication and persistent attachment.
• Exploitation of the dead: Shen criticizes the use of Wei Huizhi’s DNA to create the AI, implying that Lu Yeshan has reduced a former human being to experimental material.
• Cruelty and compassion: Shen can be ruthless—he plans to use Wei Huizhi as leverage and ultimately destroys him—but he also bandages Lu Zhi, preserves Wei Huizhi’s memories, and gives the AI one final story before its death.
• Absurdity as a human quality: Shen’s nonsensical “ugly duckling” story serves as a final assertion that human behavior is unpredictable and irrational in ways AI cannot fully reproduce.

Important Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Cheng Cheng: Their tense partnership is marked by distrust, sarcasm, and practical cooperation. Shen openly admits Cheng may be used as a decoy or scapegoat.
• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi: Their interaction reveals deep intimacy. Shen cares for Lu’s injuries and accommodates his impaired communication, while Lu seeks physical closeness and reassurance by holding Shen’s hand.
• Shen Ranxin and Wei Huizhi: Their conversation is confrontational but significant. Shen questions Wei’s authenticity, while Wei responds with childlike warmth and longing. Shen ultimately preserves his memories before initiating self-destruction.
• Wei Huizhi and Shen Ziqing: Their relationship is revealed indirectly through Wei’s affectionate memories and concern. Wei’s continued desire to know whether Shen Ziqing misses him suggests a past romantic bond that remains emotionally unresolved.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wei Huizhi’s AI avatar is revealed to have been destroyed, while the genetic material it left behind has disappeared. Shen Ranxin secretly possesses both the genetic sample and a USB drive containing Wei Huizhi’s memories.
• The Anomaly Control Bureau searches unsuccessfully for Lu Zhi after he escapes detention by smashing through the door and disappearing from surveillance. Officials speculate that his uncontrolled state has developed unusual intelligence.
• Cheng Cheng is captured instead of Lu Zhi. He has been beaten and restrained after wandering into the Core Zone, but denies taking Lu Zhi or explaining his activities.
• Lu Zhi eventually returns with Shen Ranxin, relieving the Bureau’s immediate fear that he has attacked civilians.
• Shen Ranxin brings Lu Zhi back to the detention room. Exhausted from searching all night, Lu Zhi falls asleep beside him and becomes unusually dependent and trusting, asking to sleep while holding Shen Ranxin.
• Shen Ranxin begins examining Wei Huizhi’s stored memories, hoping to use them and the genetic material as leverage against Shen Ziqing.
• The director confronts Shen Ranxin about breaking into the Core Zone, destroying Wei Huizhi’s AI, and taking the genetic material. Shen Ranxin admits to entering the zone but refuses to surrender what he took.
• The chapter ends with Shen Ranxin firmly rejecting the idea of replacing a loved one with an AI replica. He insists that Lu Zhi is irreplaceable and would exist nowhere beyond his memories if he died.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin demonstrates cleverness, defiance, and emotional resolve. He manipulates the Bureau’s questioning, protects the genetic material, and shows compassion toward Lu Zhi while maintaining control of the situation.
• Lu Zhi remains in an unstable, instinct-driven state, but his behavior toward Shen Ranxin shows deep attachment and trust. He recognizes Shen Ranxin as someone who makes him feel safe and willingly follows his direction.
• Cheng Cheng appears reckless and rebellious, entering the Core Zone despite the danger. His injuries and refusal to cooperate highlight his confrontational relationship with authority and possibly with his father, Lu Yeshan.
• The director is frustrated and overwhelmed by the powerful families and anomalies under his supervision. Despite his anger, he is cautious around Lu Zhi and understands the emotional reasons behind Lu Yeshan’s actions.
• Lu Yeshan is characterized indirectly as someone desperate to preserve Wei Huizhi, even resorting to turning him into an AI. His attachment is presented as obsessive and ethically troubling.
• Wei Huizhi remains physically absent, but his AI, memories, and genetic material continue to drive the conflict.

Significant Themes

• Love versus substitution: The chapter questions whether an artificial copy can truly replace a deceased person.
• Memory and identity: Shen Ranxin argues that a person’s identity cannot be reduced to data, genetic material, or behavioral imitation.
• Ethics of artificial resurrection: The creation and confinement of Wei Huizhi’s AI raises questions about consent, dignity, and whether preserving someone artificially can become another form of imprisonment.
• Possessive grief and obsession: The director suggests that Shen Ranxin might one day cling to an imitation of Lu Zhi, but Shen Ranxin distinguishes genuine remembrance from creating a substitute.
• Trust and protection: Lu Zhi’s instinctive dependence on Shen Ranxin contrasts with Shen Ranxin’s deliberate, protective care for him.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi share a tender, intimate moment: Shen Ranxin wakes Lu Zhi with a kiss, reassures him, and allows him to sleep against his leg.
• Lu Zhi instinctively seeks Shen Ranxin’s physical presence and protection, while Shen Ranxin gently manages his vulnerable state.
• Shen Ranxin and the director engage in a tense but restrained confrontation. The director demands answers, while Shen Ranxin remains sarcastic and refuses to surrender Wei Huizhi’s remains.
• The director’s argument that grief might drive Shen Ranxin to create an AI version of Lu Zhi prompts Shen Ranxin’s central declaration: Lu Zhi cannot be replaced, and only his memories should remain if he is gone.

Chapter Summary: “Youthful Spirit”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The director reflects on Shen Ranxin’s relationship with Lu Zhi. Although Lu Zhi escaped his holding cell, he did not attack anyone; he only sought Shen Ranxin and willingly returned with him to the place where he had been imprisoned for years.
• Shen Ranxin asks the director to arrange equipment capable of reading the memories stored on a USB drive. Because Shen Ranxin cannot leave the holding cell, the director agrees to bring the equipment to him.
• The director realizes that Shen Ranxin’s treatment of Lu Zhi reveals his true nature. Shen Ranxin is not weak or dependent despite being an omega; he is exceptionally strong-willed and gives the small amount of tenderness he possesses entirely to those he loves.
• The director reconsiders his earlier judgment of Shen Ranxin’s treatment of Shen Qi. He once believed Shen Ranxin’s harshness had helped drive Shen Qi toward betrayal and self-destruction, but now understands that Shen Ranxin does not reclaim relationships once they are broken.
• After the director leaves, Lu Zhi reveals that he was awake during the conversation. He carries Shen Ranxin to bed and insists that they sleep together, showing his attachment and protectiveness.
• The director then speaks privately with Lu Yeshan. They discuss Shen Ranxin’s motivations, Lu Yeshan’s deliberate role in allowing him access to the restricted area, and the destruction of the AI Lu Yeshan spent much of his life developing.
• Lu Yeshan admits that he cannot bear to lose the AI, but believes Shen Ranxin must destroy it so that their long-standing “dream” can finally end.
• The chapter closes with the two old friends watching the sunset and joking about the afterlife. Their shadows seem to restore them to the youthful, spirited men they once were.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: His strength, decisiveness, and emotional finality are emphasized. He is capable of tenderness, but reserves it completely for those he has chosen, especially Lu Zhi. He is also determined to uncover the memories on the USB drive.
• Lu Zhi: Though powerful and potentially dangerous, he demonstrates restraint and loyalty. His escape is motivated solely by his desire to find Shen Ranxin. His insistence on caring for Shen Ranxin reveals a deeply affectionate, almost childlike dependence.
• The director: He gains a clearer understanding of Shen Ranxin and acknowledges that his earlier interpretation of Shen Ranxin’s relationship with Shen Qi was mistaken. His banter with Lu Yeshan also reveals their long history and close friendship.
• Lu Yeshan: He is shown to have deliberately guided events, including giving Shen Ranxin his iris and permitting access to the restricted area. Despite his sarcasm and composure, he is deeply conflicted about sacrificing the AI and ending the dream tied to his past.
• Shen Qi and Wei Huizhi: Though absent, both remain important emotional reference points. Shen Qi represents a relationship Shen Ranxin has permanently rejected, while Wei Huizhi represents a lost figure whose memory still weighs heavily on Lu Yeshan.

Significant Themes

• Strength beyond social roles: The chapter challenges assumptions about omegas as fragile or dependent, presenting Shen Ranxin as emotionally and morally formidable.
• Selective tenderness and irreversible loss: Shen Ranxin’s kindness is limited but profound. Once someone betrays or loses his trust, he does not return to them.
• Responsibility and sacrifice: Lu Yeshan accepts that the AI and the dream he devoted his life to must be destroyed, even though he cannot emotionally bear the loss.
• Memory and the past: The USB drive and memory-reading equipment suggest that hidden memories may reveal the truth behind earlier events.
• Friendship and enduring youth: The director and Lu Yeshan’s teasing, loyalty, and shared history show that genuine companionship can preserve a sense of youth despite age, illness, and regret.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi: Their relationship is intimate and protective. Lu Zhi obeys Shen Ranxin, seeks him out above all others, and physically cares for him, while Shen Ranxin accepts and quietly returns his affection.
• Shen Ranxin and the director: Shen Ranxin treats the director directly and pragmatically, requesting help with the memory-reading equipment. The director responds with growing respect and understanding.
• The director and Lu Yeshan: Their exchange is filled with sarcasm, familiarity, and affection. They argue like old companions but clearly trust one another.
• Lu Yeshan and Wei Huizhi: Even in Wei Huizhi’s absence, Lu Yeshan’s guilt and affection remain central. His jokes about being beaten in the afterlife reveal unresolved grief and regret.

Chapter Summary: “The Old Madman”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin wakes beside Lu Zhi, who is unusually clingy and reluctant to let him get up.
• Lu Zhi communicates in short, cryptic phrases and becomes playfully upset when Shen Ranxin says he has something important to do.
• After teasing and physical affection—including Lu Zhi biting Shen Ranxin’s collarbone—Shen Ranxin reassures him and prepares to use the memory-extraction device.
• Shen Ranxin inserts the USB drive containing Wei Huizhi’s memory and enters the recorded dream.
• He finds himself experiencing the past through Wei Huizhi’s perspective, unable to control the body or actions.
• The memory shows a younger, mentally stable Shen Ziqing waking Wei Huizhi for university classes and an upcoming military theory assessment.
• Wei Huizhi jokes about avoiding an eight a.m. class and tries to find someone from whom he can copy the exam.
• Shen Ziqing responds with dry, sarcastic remarks, revealing their familiar and teasing friendship.
• Shen Ranxin reflects sadly on how handsome and normal his father once appeared before eventually becoming “the old madman.”

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin is affectionate and patient with Lu Zhi, balancing playful intimacy with his determination to investigate the past.
• Lu Zhi displays a childlike, possessive side. His clipped speech, clinginess, and playful biting suggest both dependence and difficulty expressing himself.
• Shen Ziqing appears in his younger years as composed, handsome, disciplined, and mentally healthy, contrasting sharply with the obsessive madness he develops later.
• Wei Huizhi is portrayed as lazy, humorous, and mischievous, but comfortable enough with Shen Ziqing to joke openly and rely on him.
• Shen Ranxin experiences emotional conflict as he sees his father’s former normality, recognizing the tragic distance between Shen Ziqing’s past and future.

Significant Themes

• The contrast between past and present: The memory emphasizes how drastically Shen Ziqing changes from a normal young man into a disturbed, obsessive figure.
• Memory and inherited pain: Shen Ranxin must confront his father’s history indirectly through Wei Huizhi’s perspective.
• Intimacy and dependence: Lu Zhi’s clinginess and Shen Ranxin’s patient coaxing establish their close but playful relationship.
• Friendship and ordinary life: The university scene presents Shen Ziqing and Wei Huizhi sharing mundane jokes and responsibilities, making their later tragedy more poignant.
• Unavoidable fate: Details such as Pei Zhao’s predicted injury hint at the strange, predetermined nature of the memory or world Shen Ranxin is entering.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi engage in affectionate teasing, with Lu Zhi sulking when Shen Ranxin tries to leave and eventually expressing himself through playful physical affection.
• Shen Ziqing and Wei Huizhi interact like familiar classmates or close friends: Shen Ziqing pushes Wei Huizhi to attend class, while Wei Huizhi attempts to bargain, joke, and find a way around studying.
• Shen Ranxin observes this past friendship from within Wei Huizhi’s consciousness, creating an emotional link between the present investigation and his father’s forgotten history.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter begins with an apparently ordinary day at the military academy. Shen Ziqing brings Wei Huizhi bread and hot cocoa because Huizhi often skips breakfast and suffers from stomachaches.
• Wei Huizhi meets Pei Zhao, whose friend Lu Yeshan secretly woke early and ran several kilometers to buy Huizhi breakfast. Although Lu pretends indifference, his concern is obvious.
• The four students—Wei Huizhi, Shen Ziqing, Lu Yeshan, and Pei Zhao—interact casually, study together, tease one another, and prepare for a military theory assessment. Their relationships appear close and affectionate.
• During mecha operation class, a malfunctioning simulator severely damages Wei Huizhi’s mental state. He wakes in a military interrogation room rather than a hospital.
• His identity as an omega is exposed. The military also discovers evidence linking him to an extraterritorial star-pirate organization, revealing that he had infiltrated the Federation’s military academy.
• The military repeatedly tortures and interrogates him for information about the star pirates. Wei refuses to reveal anything, responding only, “I don’t know.”
• The Royal Family orders his release and deportation within three days, but senior military officials decide to exploit his omega status instead. They plan to use Alpha pheromones and sexual coercion to force him to submit and disclose military secrets.
• Shen Ranxin is expelled from Wei’s memory before witnessing the full assault, but later sees the aftermath: Wei is covered in blood and barely alive.
• Thirteen military officials defend their actions by claiming Wei’s connection to the star pirates makes him dangerous and accusing the Lu and Shen families of treason for protecting him.
• Shen Ziqing and Lu Yeshan arrive too late. Lu covers Wei with his clothing and desperately tries to comfort him, while Shen Ziqing, overcome with rage, shoots all thirteen officials.
• Wei asks Shen Ziqing to leave one bullet for him. Unable to endure what happened, he uses Shen’s gun to end his own life in Shen’s arms.

Character Developments

• Wei Huizhi: Initially shown as playful, sociable, and dependent on the care of his friends, he is revealed to be a highly loyal and resilient undercover member of a powerful star-pirate organization. Despite torture, interrogation, and horrific abuse, he refuses to betray his people. His final decision reflects both despair and a desire to avoid further suffering.
• Shen Ziqing: His normally composed, academically gifted personality is paired with deep affection for Wei. His tenderness appears in small gestures, such as preparing notes and breakfast-related care. When he sees Wei’s condition, his restraint collapses, and he kills the responsible officials before ultimately granting Wei’s request for death.
• Lu Yeshan: Though outwardly aloof and easily embarrassed, he shows strong concern for Wei by secretly obtaining breakfast and running three kilometers to do so. His inability to protect Wei from the military’s abuse leaves him devastated.
• Pei Zhao: Provides comic relief through his teasing and childish behavior, but his friendship with the others helps establish the warmth and normalcy of their earlier lives.
• Shen Ranxin: His understanding of the past changes dramatically. He begins by viewing the memories as mundane, then becomes horrified as he realizes the depth of the Federation’s cruelty and the reason Shen Ziqing eventually comes to hate it.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal and political corruption: The Federation’s authorities abuse their power, prioritizing military intelligence and political fear over justice or human dignity.
• Dehumanization of omegas: The officials reduce Wei to his biological status and treat omega pheromones as a tool for coercion, exposing the misogynistic and exploitative structures of their society.
• Loyalty and sacrifice: Wei endures torture without betraying the star pirates, while Shen Ziqing and Lu Yeshan remain devoted to him despite the political consequences.
• The destruction of innocence: The chapter contrasts the friends’ cheerful academy life with the brutality of the detention room, showing how quickly ordinary life can be destroyed by institutional violence.
• Helplessness before the past: Shen Ranxin’s inability to intervene emphasizes that memories preserve trauma but cannot undo it.
• Love amid tragedy: Shen Ziqing’s final act is both an expression of love and a devastating acknowledgment that Wei’s suffering has become unbearable.

Important Character Interactions

• Shen Ziqing and Wei share affectionate, teasing exchanges that reveal Shen’s restrained romantic feelings and Wei’s casual trust.
• Lu Yeshan’s secret effort to buy Wei breakfast exposes his quiet affection, even though he refuses to admit it openly.
• Pei Zhao’s joking and provocative behavior highlights the group’s close friendship while also bringing Lu and Wei into frequent interaction.
• During the final scene, Lu attempts to comfort Wei physically, while Shen Ziqing apologizes repeatedly and promises to save him. Wei’s calm acceptance and request for the final bullet transform their relationship from youthful affection into tragic, irreversible devotion.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin wakes from a traumatic memory of Wei Huizhi’s suffering and immediately vomits. Lu Zhi comforts him, misunderstanding the nightmare as something he caused.
• Shen Ranxin reflects on Wei Huizhi, recognizing that the cheerful, beautiful omega likely could not have accepted the cruelty inflicted upon him.
• The dean summons Shen Ranxin to meet with him and Lu Yeshan. They discuss Shen Ziqing’s past:
  • Shen Ziqing killed thirteen high-ranking Federation generals after they committed horrific crimes against Wei Huizhi.
  • Because the killings challenged the authority of the Federation military and Royal Family, Shen Ziqing was sentenced to death.
  • He survived only by marrying Liang Mei and obtaining the Star Science Institute’s support.
• Shen Ranxin acknowledges that Shen Ziqing’s rage and actions are understandable, but refuses to excuse them or accept responsibility for Wei Huizhi’s death. His only concern is protecting Lu Zhi.
• Revealing that he possesses an important genetic sequence connected to Shen Ziqing, Shen Ranxin threatens to destroy it unless Shen Ziqing appears within three days.
• Shen Ranxin leaves to buy breakfast for Lu Zhi, while Lu Yeshan and the dean recognize how ruthless and determined he has become.

2. Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: His trauma deepens after witnessing Wei Huizhi’s memories, but rather than becoming passive or self-destructive, he channels his anger into a clear plan. He openly admits that his motivation is personal: he wants Shen Ziqing dead because Shen Ziqing harmed him and Lu Zhi. His willingness to “go mad” for his lover mirrors Shen Ziqing while also demonstrating his own fierce resolve.
• Lu Zhi: He remains devoted and protective despite his limited speech and weakened language skills. He comforts Shen Ranxin, anxiously releases him when summoned, and blames himself for Shen Ranxin’s exhaustion. His vulnerability contrasts with his usual strength.
• Lu Yeshan: He understands and admires Shen Ranxin’s ruthless personality. He recognizes that Shen Ranxin may become even more dangerous than Shen Ziqing if Lu Zhi dies.
• The dean: He is shocked by Shen Ranxin’s lack of interest in moral or political arguments and begins to appreciate the seriousness of his determination.
• Shen Ziqing: Though absent, he is characterized as a man driven mad by love, grief, and revenge. His past choices establish him as Shen Ranxin’s ideological and personal opponent.

3. Significant Themes

• Moral ambiguity: Shen Ranxin rejects simple judgments of right and wrong. Shen Ziqing’s actions may have been understandable, but understanding does not erase consequences.
• Love as both devotion and madness: Both Shen Ziqing and Shen Ranxin are willing to cross moral boundaries for their lovers. The chapter questions whether love justifies extreme violence.
• Personal justice versus collective responsibility: Shen Ranxin refuses to sacrifice himself for the Federation or innocent civilians; his loyalty is directed primarily toward Lu Zhi.
• Trauma and inherited madness: The chapter suggests that Shen Ranxin may resemble his father, yet his focused, protective ruthlessness could make him even more dangerous.
• Power through emotional leverage: Shen Ranxin uses the genetic sequence as bait, turning Shen Ziqing’s attachment to the past into a weapon against him.

4. Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi: Their relationship is tender and intimate. Lu Zhi physically comforts Shen Ranxin, while Shen Ranxin reassures him and affectionately calls him “Good boy, Zhi Zhi.” Despite Lu Zhi’s inability to communicate fluently, their mutual attachment is clear.
• Shen Ranxin and Lu Yeshan/the dean: Their conversation reveals Shen Ranxin’s blunt philosophy and his determination to act according to his own interests rather than accepted morality. He directly challenges their attempt to frame Shen Ziqing’s actions as right or wrong.
• Lu Yeshan and the dean: They discuss Shen Ranxin’s dangerous potential and agree that Lu Zhi must be protected, since his death could push Shen Ranxin into becoming an even more extreme version of Shen Ziqing.

Chapter Summary: “Animal Behavior and Analysis”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin observes that Lu Zhi eats any food without complaint, contrasting this with Shen’s own picky preferences and recalling Lu’s willingness to consume even Jiang Captain’s terrible soup.
• Reflecting on Lu Zhi’s harsh childhood in the underground black market, Shen realizes his past joke comparing Lu to a “fully automated upright mobile garbage can” was insensitive.
• Shen buys seafood congee for Lu and returns to the detention room. Lu excitedly clings to him, then becomes distressed when Shen says they need to discuss Lu’s food preferences once he recovers.
• Lu retreats beneath the curtains, visibly upset and eventually crying. Shen struggles to comfort him, finding beastified Lu even more emotionally difficult than usual.
• Shen consults the Dean, initially joking that Lu is sick and needs “Chun Aphrodisiac,” then asking for books on comforting a childlike boyfriend and child psychology.
• The Dean analyzes Lu’s pheromone levels and explains that Lu interpreted Shen’s act of bringing him breakfast as evidence that Shen had gone hunting for him because Lu was incapable of providing food himself.
• In Lu’s animalistic worldview, a male dependent on a female for food would be considered useless and eliminated. Lu therefore felt ashamed and emasculated rather than cared for.
• Shen reluctantly requests a book titled Animal Behavior and Analysis to better understand Lu.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: Becomes more sensitive to Lu Zhi’s traumatic past and recognizes that seemingly kind actions can unintentionally hurt him. His teasing, exasperation, and affection remain prominent, but he begins actively seeking knowledge to care for Lu properly.
• Lu Zhi: Beastified and emotionally regressed, he displays intense attachment, insecurity, shame, and sensitivity. His reaction reveals that animal instincts and past survival experiences strongly influence his interpretation of human behavior.
• The Dean: Serves as a practical, scientifically minded adviser, though he is increasingly overwhelmed by Shen’s excessive displays of affection and chaotic questions.

Significant Themes

• Trauma and survival instincts: Lu’s childhood in the black market has shaped his relationship with food, dependence, and self-worth.
• Miscommunication: Shen sees bringing food as an act of love, while Lu interprets it as proof of his own uselessness.
• Human versus animal behavior: Lu’s beastified instincts create an alternate social logic that Shen must learn to understand.
• Care and emotional vulnerability: The chapter humorously portrays Shen learning that affection requires more than good intentions—it requires understanding the recipient’s fears and worldview.
• Gendered and societal expectations: Lu’s distress reflects the idea that a male who cannot provide for himself is weak or disposable within animal social structures.

Character Interactions

• Shen and Lu share a physically affectionate but emotionally confusing relationship: Lu clings to Shen, becomes jealous or ashamed, and seeks reassurance, while Shen alternates between teasing and tenderly comforting him.
• Shen’s messages and phone call with the Dean provide comic relief while also advancing the explanation of Lu’s behavior.
• The Dean translates Lu’s animal instincts for Shen, allowing Shen to recognize why his attempt to care for Lu produced the opposite emotional response.

Chapter Summary: “Negotiation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhi, upset and brooding, seeks comfort from Shen Ranxin. He falls asleep trustfully in Shen’s arms, prompting Shen to reflect on their bond.
• After reading a questionable animal-behavior book, Shen mischievously pats Lu Zhi’s butt, unknowingly making a sexual gesture. Lu Zhi reacts immediately and overwhelms Shen, leaving him exhausted.
• The director teases Shen afterward, explaining the gesture’s meaning. Embarrassed and vengeful, Shen declares that he will “hunt” food to throw at Lu Zhi, then returns with an entire restaurant’s worth of packed meals.
• On the way back, Shen Ziqing unexpectedly joins Shen’s taxi. Despite being a dangerous fugitive, he enters the Anomaly Management Center openly rather than sneaking in.
• The director recognizes Shen Ziqing and orders that he be restrained, but Shen Ranxin intervenes. He explains that Shen Ziqing possesses Wei Huizhi’s genes and has come because he needs to negotiate.
• In a private room, Shen Ranxin confronts his father. Shen Ziqing demands Wei Huizhi’s genetic material, while Shen Ranxin offers it only in exchange for saving Lu Zhi.
• Shen Ziqing refuses to help unless the entire Federation is destroyed in retaliation for Wei Huizhi’s death. Shen Ranxin rejects the demand and tells him to leave, ending the apparent negotiation at an impasse.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin displays both playful cruelty and deep attachment. His prank on Lu Zhi backfires, but his care for Lu is unmistakable: he is willing to bargain with his father and risk destroying irreplaceable genetic material to protect him.
• Lu Zhi becomes more openly dependent and trusting toward Shen Ranxin. His willingness to sleep defenselessly beside Shen emphasizes the intimacy between them, while his later retaliation reveals their playful but physically intense dynamic.
• Shen Ziqing initially behaves with characteristic arrogance and composure, but his façade collapses when Wei Huizhi is mentioned. His grief and obsession are revealed to be the driving forces behind his demand to punish the Federation.
• The director provides comic relief through his teasing of Shen Ranxin, but he remains alert and suspicious of Shen Ziqing’s presence.

Significant Themes

• Trust and intimacy: Lu Zhi’s vulnerable sleep and his closeness with Shen Ranxin symbolize profound trust, even amid their chaotic relationship.
• Love versus revenge: Shen Ranxin prioritizes saving Lu Zhi, while Shen Ziqing values vengeance for Wei Huizhi above any individual life.
• Moral indifference and inherited traits: Shen Ziqing accuses Shen Ranxin of being even more ruthless than himself, raising questions about whether Shen’s cold pragmatism is inherited or chosen.
• Negotiation and power: The bargaining centers on which loss each character is willing to accept. Shen Ranxin uses Wei Huizhi’s genes as leverage, while Shen Ziqing insists that only the Federation’s destruction can satisfy him.
• Family conflict: The encounter exposes the strained father-son relationship between Shen Ziqing and Shen Ranxin, with both recognizing their similarities while opposing each other’s priorities.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi share a tender yet mischievous domestic moment that turns into a comic power struggle.
• The director mocks Shen Ranxin while also reacting decisively to Shen Ziqing’s arrival.
• Shen Ranxin and Shen Ziqing maintain a calm, sarcastic exchange during the taxi ride, revealing their familiarity and antagonistic affection.
• Their private negotiation becomes increasingly hostile: Shen Ranxin threatens to destroy Wei Huizhi’s genes, while Shen Ziqing threatens to let Lu Zhi die unless the entire Federation is sacrificed.

Chapter Summary: “Replicants”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Yeshan arrives at the Anomaly Management Center while Shen Ziqing is negotiating privately with Shen Ranxin.
• The director notes that, despite the passage of many years, Shen Ziqing looks exactly as he did before, suggesting he has preserved his appearance through illegal means.
• Shen Ziqing reveals that he has created complete human replicants from his own cells. Unlike the Federation’s legal organ-cultivation technology, this violates the Interstellar Ethics Act, which prohibits cloned humans.
• He offers a way to save Lu Zhi, whose exceptionally powerful gland is damaging his body: transfer Lu Zhi’s gland into a replica body, effectively replacing his current body with a new one.
• However, each replica could survive for at most twenty-seven years, and the lifespan would become even shorter if Lu Zhi’s gland regained its strength.
• Shen Ranxin struggles with the implications of the proposal, knowing that Pei Zhao, Lu Yeshan, Lu Zhi, and the Federation would likely reject it.
• After roughly an hour, Lu Yeshan enters and orders Shen Ziqing arrested. Shen Ziqing submits peacefully, appearing confident that his revelation has created a serious moral dilemma.
• Shen Ranxin emerges and admits that he needs time to think. Lu Yeshan and the director immediately condemn the replicant solution.
• Lu Yeshan acknowledges that the method would technically work but questions whether the resulting person would truly still be Lu Zhi.

Character Developments

• Shen Ziqing is revealed as both scientifically advanced and morally reckless. His unchanged appearance implies that he may already be using replicant bodies or similar technology. He remains calm and manipulative, taking pleasure in Shen Ranxin’s distress.
• Shen Ranxin is placed in a profound emotional and ethical conflict. His desire to save Lu Zhi clashes with the possibility that replacing Lu Zhi’s body could destroy or alter his identity.
• Lu Yeshan remains fiercely protective of Lu Zhi and firmly opposed to Shen Ziqing’s methods. His anger also reflects a deep personal history with Shen Ziqing.
• The director supports Lu Yeshan’s position, reacting with outrage once he understands that replicants are involved.
• Pei Zhao is shown to be concerned for Lu Zhi and immediately seeks to know whether Shen Ziqing has offered a cure.

Significant Themes

• Identity and personhood: The chapter questions whether a person remains the same individual when placed in a genetically identical body.
• Ethics of cloning: Replicants challenge existing laws, social structures, and the definition of a human being.
• The cost of survival: Saving Lu Zhi may require sacrificing the continuity or authenticity of his identity.
• Science versus morality: Shen Ziqing’s solution is technically effective but ethically unacceptable to the others.
• Manipulation and power: Shen Ziqing uses Lu Zhi’s condition to pressure Shen Ranxin and expose divisions among those trying to save him.

Character Interactions

• The director and Lu Yeshan discuss Shen Ziqing’s unchanged appearance, evoking their shared history and suspicion that he has “gone mad.”
• Shen Ziqing and Shen Ranxin clash during the negotiation, with Shen Ziqing presenting the replicant solution in a detached, provocative manner.
• Lu Yeshan confronts and arrests Shen Ziqing, treating him as a dangerous criminal rather than a legitimate negotiator.
• Pei Zhao, Lu Yeshan, and the director press Shen Ranxin for answers, while Shen Ranxin hesitates under the weight of the decision.
• Lu Yeshan delivers the chapter’s central challenge: even if the procedure saves Lu Zhi’s life, it may not save Lu Zhi himself.

Chapter Summary

Shen Ranxin is overwhelmed after learning that using Shen Ziqing’s method to stabilize Lu Zhi would make Lu Zhi a rejected, hunted enemy of society and the Federation. Pei Zhao urges him not to give up, while Lu Yeshan reminds him that Lu Zhi has remained imprisoned at the Anomaly Management Center for nearly ten years—not because he could not escape, but because his love for Shen Ranxin and his desire to protect him kept him there.
Desperate to see Lu Zhi, Shen Ranxin rushes to the holding cell. Lu Zhi greets him affectionately as usual, but quickly senses that something is wrong. When Shen Ranxin asks whether he would be blamed, Lu Zhi cannot understand the question and instead embraces him, offering the comfort Shen Ranxin has so often given him. Their mutual dependence and emotional bond are emphasized as they cling to one another for reassurance.
Shen Ranxin remains with Lu Zhi for more than ten days, delaying his return to work because Lu Zhi’s condition is deteriorating. While watching Lu Zhi sleep, he reflects on their shared history: Lu Zhi’s unwavering promises, his repeated attempts to return to Shen Ranxin despite rejection, their painful reunion after six years, and the red strings from the dating show that now symbolize their memories and relationship.
Finally, Shen Ranxin calls Director Pei Zhao and asks to take Lu Zhi out of containment. He offers extreme safeguards—including tracking devices or explosives—to ensure Lu Zhi can be stopped if he loses control. Horrified by the inhumanity of these conditions, Pei Zhao challenges him. Shen Ranxin breaks down, apologizing and crying that he promised Lu Zhi he would take him home but cannot find a way to save him. He desperately asks why Lu Zhi must suffer and what he should do.
Lu Zhi awakens during Shen Ranxin’s collapse and touches one of his tears, tasting it. Its cold bitterness makes clear that he does not want Shen Ranxin to suffer, even though neither of them has found a solution.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: Becomes increasingly desperate, guilt-ridden, and emotionally shattered by the impossible choice between saving Lu Zhi and condemning him to persecution. His promise to take Lu Zhi home becomes both a source of hope and painful guilt.
• Lu Zhi: Remains deeply devoted and emotionally dependent on Shen Ranxin. Though increasingly unstable, he instinctively comforts Shen Ranxin and reacts sensitively to his distress.
• Pei Zhao: Acts as a practical but compassionate authority figure, pushing Shen Ranxin to seek alternatives while condemning the dehumanizing measures Shen Ranxin considers.
• Lu Yeshan: Offers a clear explanation of Lu Zhi’s imprisonment, emphasizing that love—not physical incapacity—has kept him confined.
• Sister Zhao: Shows understanding and concern by allowing Shen Ranxin additional leave rather than pressuring him to return to work.

Significant Themes

• Love as both freedom and imprisonment: Lu Zhi remains confined because of his devotion to Shen Ranxin, while Shen Ranxin’s love drives him to consider dangerous and morally painful choices.
• The cost of survival: Saving Lu Zhi may require turning him into someone society will reject and hunt.
• Promises and guilt: Lu Zhi has fulfilled every promise he made, while Shen Ranxin fears he cannot fulfill his promise to take Lu Zhi home.
• Humanity versus institutional control: The possibility of tracking or detonating Lu Zhi highlights how the authorities view him as a threat rather than a person.
• Mutual comfort and emotional dependence: Both men rely on physical closeness to regulate their emotions, revealing the depth of their bond.
• Inevitability and helplessness: Despite their love and efforts, Shen Ranxin feels trapped by circumstances that offer no painless solution.

Chapter Summary: “Ring”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin comforts the deteriorating Lu Zhi in the Anomaly Control Bureau’s holding room, wiping away his tears and promising to take him outside.
• Under the Bureau director’s orders, Shen Ranxin places an electric shock restraint bracelet on Lu Zhi. Although the bracelet is harmful to a sensitive Alpha, Lu Zhi accepts it without resistance because Shen Ranxin is the one who puts it on him.
• Shen Ranxin brings Lu Zhi to the abandoned Shen family estate, where Lu Zhi breaks the smart lock to get them inside.
• He takes Lu Zhi through places connected to their past:
  • The garden swing Lu Zhi built for Shen Ranxin when he was confined to the estate.
  • Their old room, where Lu Zhi once planted roses so Shen Ranxin would wake to something full of life.
  • The basement, where Shen Ranxin’s mother, Liang Mei, once lived.
• In the basement, Shen Ranxin gives Lu Zhi a jade ring he handmade from the same piece of stone as his own. He explains that he chose jade and avoided diamonds because Lu Zhi might be jealous of the diamond ring he had previously made for Shen Qi.
• When Shen Ranxin tries to remove Lu Zhi’s oversized ring, it falls and breaks. Lu Zhi becomes distraught, crying and desperately clutching the remaining piece.
• While searching beneath the bed for the broken half, Shen Ranxin discovers an old smart terminal. It activates and projects recordings of his mother, Liang Mei.
• The recordings reveal Liang Mei’s history with Shen Ziqing, her pregnancy, the research into curing anomalous glands, the abuse and human experimentation connected to that research, and the eventual collapse of her marriage and mental state.
• The chapter ends with Liang Mei declaring that she no longer wants to love Shen Ziqing.

Character Development

• Shen Ranxin is torn between tenderness, guilt, and desperation. He tries to revive Lu Zhi’s memories by returning him to meaningful places from their shared past, while recognizing that Lu Zhi’s mental deterioration has become severe. His handmade ring represents both his love and his attempt to create a new bond with Lu Zhi.
• Lu Zhi has lost much of his memory and cannot fully understand Shen Ranxin’s explanations, yet he remains instinctively attached to him. He obeys Shen Ranxin, protects him in the dark basement, responds warmly to the ring, and reacts intensely when it breaks, showing that his emotional connection survives even when his conscious memories do not.
• Liang Mei is revealed through the recordings as someone who began as lively, intelligent, and hopeful but became increasingly isolated, desperate, and psychologically damaged by Shen Ziqing’s obsession and unethical research.
• Shen Ziqing does not appear directly, but the recordings portray him as brilliant and obsessive, increasingly consumed by research and the pursuit of clones or gland-related cures, ultimately resorting to human experimentation and murder.

Significant Themes

• Love surviving memory loss: Lu Zhi no longer understands much of Shen Ranxin’s speech, but his instincts and emotional responses still draw him toward Shen Ranxin.
• Memory and place: The estate, swing, roses, and basement serve as physical containers for the characters’ shared history and buried trauma.
• Control versus trust: The restraint bracelet symbolizes institutional fear and control, contrasting with Lu Zhi’s voluntary obedience to Shen Ranxin.
• Fragile promises: The jade ring represents commitment and a future, but its sudden break reflects the instability of their relationship and Lu Zhi’s condition.
• Scientific obsession and moral corruption: Liang Mei’s recordings expose how research intended to cure anomalous glands became entangled with secrecy, human experimentation, obsession, and violence.
• Cycles of confinement: Shen Ranxin’s childhood imprisonment, Liang Mei’s trapped marriage, and Lu Zhi’s restraint all echo one another.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin repeatedly comforts Lu Zhi physically and verbally, while Lu Zhi responds through obedience, affection, and protective gestures rather than coherent speech.
• Lu Zhi instinctively stays close to Shen Ranxin in the basement and searches for the light switch to protect him from the darkness.
• Shen Ranxin gives Lu Zhi the ring as an intimate declaration of love; Lu Zhi kisses Shen Ranxin’s ring in response.
• When the ring breaks, Shen Ranxin tries to calm Lu Zhi and promises to repair or replace it, demonstrating his willingness to accommodate Lu Zhi’s emotional needs.
• Through Liang Mei’s recordings, Shen Ranxin indirectly confronts his parents’ tragic relationship and learns more about the origins and consequences of the research that shaped his family.

Chapter Summary: “But Sometimes I’m Not Very Reasonable Either”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi search the abandoned basement beneath Shen Ziqing’s manor. Ranxin finds a fragment of the brain-computer containing records of a past experiment, while Lu Zhi discovers a broken jade pendant.
• Ranxin brings the brain-computer evidence to the Anomaly Management Center and shows it to the director and Lu Yeshan.
• Lu Yeshan confirms that the Star Science Institute once conducted similar research under Teacher Xiao, with Shen Ziqing working in the laboratory. The experiment was supposedly destroyed after Xiao’s suicide, but the recovered recording proves that some data survived.
• Ranxin reveals that his mother, Liang Mei, claimed Shen Ziqing killed Teacher Xiao, though she never explained the circumstances.
• Pei Zhao examines the research and concludes that it may provide a way to save Lu Zhi. Although the procedure is untested and dangerous, he estimates an eighty percent chance of success.
• Because Lu Zhi is highly tense and reacts aggressively to unfamiliar people—especially Pei Zhao—Ranxin personally injects him with anesthetic. Lu Zhi suppresses his instincts long enough to let Ranxin do it, then falls asleep.
• Lu Zhi is placed in a medical pod and taken away for surgery.
• Lu Yeshan explains that Shen Ziqing is destined to die because neither the Federation nor the Military District will spare him. Ranxin asks whether he can personally beat Shen Ziqing to death; after initially refusing, Lu Yeshan cryptically permits it, admitting that he is not always reasonable either.

Character Development

• Shen Ranxin: Becomes more proactive and emotionally invested in saving Lu Zhi. Despite his fear during the injection, he forces himself to remain calm and act decisively. His questions about Shen Ziqing also reveal a growing desire for revenge and justice.
• Lu Zhi: Continues to show intense distrust and protective aggression toward strangers, particularly Pei Zhao. However, he demonstrates profound trust in Ranxin by controlling his instincts and allowing himself to be anesthetized.
• Lu Yeshan: Shows both strategic composure and a softer, more personal side. He manages the dangerous situation around Lu Zhi carefully, protects Pei Zhao from provoking him, and quietly supports Ranxin’s desire to confront Shen Ziqing.
• Pei Zhao: Displays professional confidence and scientific enthusiasm. He is willing to attempt a risky, untested operation because the potential to save Lu Zhi outweighs the dangers.
• Shen Ziqing: His past crimes become increasingly clear. His involvement in the forbidden experiment and the death of Teacher Xiao further establish him as someone who has irreversibly crossed moral boundaries.

Significant Themes

• Trust and devotion: Lu Zhi’s willingness to endure fear and pain for Ranxin demonstrates the strength of their bond.
• Science versus morality: The recovered experiment represents both the possibility of salvation and the abuses committed in the name of scientific progress.
• Fate and hope: The chapter suggests that love and attachment can prevent people from being completely trapped by their circumstances.
• Justice and revenge: Shen Ziqing’s inevitable punishment is framed as both institutional justice and a deeply personal matter for Ranxin.
• Humanity within authority: Lu Yeshan’s final remark shows that even someone known for rationality and political calculation has personal limits and emotions.

Important Character Interactions

• Ranxin teasingly scolds Lu Zhi after finding him searching beneath the bed, then reassures him that he will repair the broken jade pendant.
• Ranxin presents the brain-computer evidence to the director and Lu Yeshan, linking Shen Ziqing to the vanished experiment.
• Lu Zhi reacts threateningly whenever Pei Zhao moves, forcing Lu Yeshan to control the situation and prevent further provocation.
• Ranxin anesthetizes Lu Zhi himself, with Lu Zhi trusting him despite his fear and physical tension.
• Ranxin and Lu Yeshan discuss Shen Ziqing’s fate, ending with Lu Yeshan’s tacit approval of Ranxin taking personal revenge.

Chapter Summary: “Caught Up with Something This Good”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Ranxin visits his imprisoned father, Shen Ziqing, intending to kill him but instead brutally beats him.
• He condemns Shen Ziqing for allowing his obsession with the deceased Wei Huizhi to destroy his family, including Shen Ranxin’s mother, Shen Ranxin himself, Lu Zhi, and numerous victims of his human experiments.
• Shen Ziqing’s tragic past is revealed: after Wei Huizhi’s death, he abandoned all other hopes and devoted himself to cloning and gland-transplant research in an attempt to revive him.
• Shen Ranxin gives Shen Ziqing a bottle supposedly containing Wei Huizhi’s genetic material. He then reveals that it is only synthesized material containing hundreds of billions of sequences, making Wei Huizhi’s actual sequence impossible to identify. This permanently destroys Shen Ziqing’s hope of resurrection.
• Shen Ranxin leaves Shen Ziqing in despair and goes to wait outside Lu Zhi’s operating room.
• Lu Zhi undergoes a dangerous seven-day, seven-night surgery. Shen Ranxin refuses to leave and becomes exhausted while waiting.
• Lu Zhi finally awakens. Shen Ranxin struggles to find the right words, eventually saying only “Good morning.”
• Lu Zhi, apparently confused after the operation, asks, “Buddy, who are you?” The chapter ends with the others reacting in stunned disbelief and Cheng Cheng finding the situation hilarious.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin embraces the cruelty he learned from his father, deliberately causing Shen Ziqing emotional pain as revenge for years of abuse and neglect. However, his anxiety over Lu Zhi’s condition reveals that he is capable of deep attachment and vulnerability.
• Shen Ziqing loses his remaining composure. His identity as a brilliant, self-controlled researcher collapses as his obsession with Wei Huizhi is exposed as destructive, selfish, and delusional.
• Lu Zhi survives his surgery but awakens seemingly unable to recognize Shen Ranxin, creating an unexpected comic and emotionally tense turn.
• Lu Yeshan remains practical and responsible, managing the situation while recognizing Shen Ranxin’s exhaustion and emotional investment.
• Cheng Cheng provides irreverent comic relief, joking about the family’s violence and reacting gleefully to Lu Zhi’s apparent memory loss.
• Wei Huizhi, though deceased, continues to dominate Shen Ziqing’s life and decisions, functioning as the central source of both his grief and his crimes.

Significant Themes

• Destructive obsession: Shen Ziqing’s inability to accept Wei Huizhi’s death turns grief into experimentation, cruelty, and generational trauma.
• The consequences of parental abuse: Shen Ranxin recognizes that his father’s emotional neglect and manipulation shaped him, even as he rejects Shen Ziqing’s worldview.
• Revenge and inherited cruelty: By tormenting Shen Ziqing, Shen Ranxin becomes “crueler than” his father, suggesting that revenge may perpetuate rather than end the cycle of harm.
• Love versus selfish possession: Shen Ziqing claims devotion to Wei Huizhi, but his actions show that his love is centered on his own desire to reclaim the dead rather than respecting the living.
• Emotional contrast and dark humor: Brutal violence and despair are repeatedly undercut by sarcastic dialogue, especially in the waiting-room scenes and Lu Zhi’s final bewildered response.

Character Interactions

• Shen Ranxin and Shen Ziqing clash violently, with Ranxin confronting his father over his treatment of the family and his victims.
• Shen Ranxin weaponizes Wei Huizhi’s genetic material to punish Shen Ziqing psychologically.
• Lu Yeshan attempts to restrain Cheng Cheng and later reassures Shen Ranxin that he will be the first person to see Lu Zhi after surgery.
• Cheng Cheng jokes with Shen Ranxin about their dysfunctional families and possible future violence, but immediately backs down when Shen Ranxin glares at him.
• After Lu Zhi wakes, Shen Ranxin’s awkward attempt at tenderness contrasts with Lu Zhi’s apparent amnesia, ending the chapter on an absurd and suspenseful note.

Chapter Summary: “Baby, I Missed You”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhi wakes after treatment with severe temporary memory loss and fails to recognize Shen Ranxin, despite calling him beautiful and comparing him to his fiancée.
• The director explains that the blocking agent used to suppress Lu Zhi’s gland isolated it from his body but caused neurological side effects. Because Lu Zhi’s nervous system had already been damaged by sedatives and prolonged gland-related suffering, the treatment temporarily blocked parts of his memory.
• Lu Zhi’s memories are expected to return gradually, beginning with his childhood, and should fully recover within about a week.
• Shen Ranxin, exhausted after staying by Lu Zhi’s side for eight days, leaves angrily and returns to the detention room to sleep.
• After a long, restorative sleep, Shen Ranxin wakes to find Lu Zhi beside him, apparently recovered enough to remember their relationship.
• Lu Zhi affectionately calls him “Wife” and admits that he missed him. Shen Ranxin, still angry over being forgotten, responds by throwing him off the bed and sarcastically mocking his earlier confusion.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin: His concern and devotion are evident in the eight days he spends waiting for Lu Zhi’s condition to stabilize. However, Lu Zhi’s failure to recognize him deeply hurts and frustrates him. Once Lu Zhi remembers him, Shen Ranxin’s relief is masked by anger, sarcasm, and physical retaliation.
• Lu Zhi: His memory loss leaves him disoriented and instinctively hostile toward Cheng Cheng, while still showing an inexplicable attraction to Shen Ranxin. Once his memories return, his familiar shameless, flirtatious behavior immediately reappears, along with his strong emotional attachment to Shen Ranxin.
• The Director: He acts as a mediator, repeatedly preventing Shen Ranxin from attacking Lu Zhi or Cheng Cheng. He also provides the medical explanation and reassures Shen Ranxin that Lu Zhi’s condition is temporary.
• Cheng Cheng: He teases Shen Ranxin about having to win Lu Zhi back after the memory loss, but Lu Zhi’s instinctive urge to attack him suggests their antagonistic dynamic remains intact even without explicit memories.
• Lu Yeshan: She offers practical advice, encouraging Shen Ranxin to rest while Lu Zhi’s memories recover.

Significant Themes

• Memory and identity: The chapter explores whether emotional and physical instincts can survive when conscious memories disappear. Lu Zhi cannot remember Shen Ranxin, yet he still reacts to him with attraction and familiarity.
• Devotion and emotional vulnerability: Shen Ranxin’s exhaustion and hurt reveal how deeply invested he is in Lu Zhi, even though he expresses affection through irritation and violence.
• Recovery and healing: Lu Zhi’s treatment marks progress, but his recovery is complicated by previous neurological damage and long-term suffering.
• Humor amid trauma: Medical danger and emotional pain are balanced with exaggerated banter, teasing, and slapstick violence, particularly through Shen Ranxin and Lu Zhi’s combative romance.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhi innocently flirts with Shen Ranxin while failing to recognize him, provoking Shen Ranxin’s anger.
• The director repeatedly intervenes to stop Shen Ranxin from attacking Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng.
• Cheng Cheng mocks Lu Zhi’s future need to “win back” Shen Ranxin, while Lu Zhi instinctively dislikes him.
• After recovering his memories, Lu Zhi approaches Shen Ranxin intimately, calls him “Wife,” and says he missed him.
• Shen Ranxin responds with sarcastic resentment and kicks Lu Zhi off the bed, though his reaction also reveals relief that Lu Zhi has remembered him.

Chapter Summary: “Welcome Home”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At 2:50 a.m., Shen Ranxin wakes Lu Zhi, who has only just regained his memories after previously suffering from illness and inhibitor interference.
• Shen teases and punishes Lu for forgetting him when he first woke up, reminding him that he waited eight sleepless days during Lu’s recovery.
• Their playful quarrel turns intimate, with Shen maintaining a dominant, teasing attitude while Lu apologizes and begs for affection.
• Lu repeatedly calls Shen “Shen-ge” and asks about the ring Shen promised to give him once it was repaired. Since Shen never had time to fix it, he jokingly gives Lu a ring-shaped set of teeth marks by biting his finger.
• Lu happily accepts the marks and declares that he will have the ring tattooed, treating the gesture as a meaningful symbol of their relationship.
• As they lie together with their fingers interlocked, Shen kisses Lu’s marked finger and finally tells him, “Welcome home.”
• The chapter suggests the main storyline has ended, though the author announces plans for bonus chapters and everyday romance scenes.

Character Developments

• Shen Ranxin remains sharp-tongued, possessive, and outwardly cold, but his actions reveal deep affection and relief at having Lu back. His anger over Lu’s memory loss masks how deeply hurt and worried he was.
• Lu Zhi is affectionate, playful, and openly devoted. Despite having forgotten Shen temporarily, he remembers his love and tries to reassure Shen through apologies, persistent affection, and his desire for a symbolic ring.
• Their relationship has developed into one of mutual intimacy and trust: Shen expresses love through teasing and physical gestures, while Lu responds with direct verbal declarations and emotional persistence.

Significant Themes

• Homecoming and reunion: The title culminates in Shen welcoming Lu back after his illness and memory loss, framing their reunion as a return home.
• Love expressed through teasing and intimacy: Their mock conflict and physical play serve as a shared language of affection.
• Memory and emotional permanence: Although Lu temporarily forgot Shen, their bond remains strong, suggesting that love is deeper than memory alone.
• Commitment and symbolism: The improvised “ring” of teeth marks humorously substitutes for a formal promise while still representing devotion and belonging.
• Transition and closure: The chapter functions as an emotional ending to the main story, while leaving room for lighter domestic and romantic episodes.

Character Interactions

• Shen dominates the exchange, teasing, stepping on, and playfully punishing Lu, while Lu responds with apologies, flirtation, and affectionate pleading.
• Their banter shows familiarity and comfort, especially when Lu calls Shen “Shen-ge” and Shen dismisses him as a “stupid dog.”
• The emotional balance shifts at the end: Shen’s tenderness becomes more apparent when he kisses Lu’s finger and welcomes him home, transforming their playful encounter into a sincere declaration of love.

Bonus Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After his gland stabilizes, Lu Zhi is released from the Anomaly Management Center but must remain under observation for three years. He is given back the silver earring that helps regulate him.
• Shen Ranxin is away filming a highly confidential production, so Lu Zhi can only contact him through one daily video call. Lu Zhi struggles with the separation and complains constantly about being left alone.
• Shen Ziqing’s health deteriorates after Shen Ranxin confronts and beats him, but his scientific achievements in gland research and transplants lead the Federation to spare him and offer him a position continuing his research under legal supervision.
• Shen Ziqing agrees only if the truth about the past is made public and Wei Huizhi is cleared of the false label of stardust-pirate spy. With Lu Yeshan, the Lu family, Pei Zhao, and major Federation institutions supporting him, the Federation accepts his terms.
• The revelations also clear Shen Ranxin’s name regarding the old film-set fire. Public opinion dramatically reverses, and he becomes even more famous and admired.
• Lu Zhi returns to managing the Lu Group but remains comically lovesick. He spends his workday watching Shen Ranxin’s videos and showering him with extravagant livestream gifts through accounts named things like “Shen Ranxin, Come Home Quickly” and “Teacher Shen, Sleep with Me.”
• During a reality-show recording, Shen Ranxin is forced to call the first person in his contacts—Lu Zhi. Lu immediately turns the innocent game into a suggestive conversation, openly whining about missing Shen Ranxin and asking when he will come home.
• Shen Ranxin initially says he will return the following month, but Lu Zhi’s clingy, flirtatious pleading softens him. He reveals he has already arranged six months off after the current filming period.
• When Lu Zhi reveals that he is already waiting downstairs, Shen Ranxin realizes he came immediately after answering the call. Lu begins counting down while proposing increasingly outrageous activities, prompting Shen Ranxin to obtain the afternoon off from filming and go meet him.
• The chapter ends with the entertainment industry jokingly adopting the rule that “staying away from Lu Zhi is everyone’s responsibility,” since contact with him inevitably leads to chaos and inappropriate situations.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhi: His gland is now stable and controllable, but he remains intensely possessive, dependent, and openly affectionate toward Shen Ranxin. He balances his powerful corporate role with exaggerated loneliness and shameless romantic behavior.
• Shen Ranxin: His reputation is restored, and he becomes widely celebrated after years of enduring false accusations. Although more composed and practical than Lu Zhi, he is deeply indulgent toward him and cannot resist Lu Zhi’s vulnerable, affectionate appeals.
• Shen Ziqing: Despite his crimes and failing health, he is given a chance to use his expertise constructively. His demand to expose the truth shows a desire to correct the historical injustice involving Wei Huizhi and Shen Ranxin.
• Lu Yeshan and Pei Zhao: Their political and institutional influence proves decisive in forcing the Federation to acknowledge the truth and protect Shen Ziqing’s conditions.

Significant Themes

• Reputation and truth: Hidden evidence finally comes to light, allowing Shen Ranxin and Wei Huizhi to be cleared of false accusations.
• Justice versus institutional power: The Federation only concedes because influential families and organizations unite behind the truth, highlighting the political nature of justice.
• Love expressed through possessiveness and dependence: Lu Zhi’s exaggerated jealousy, public displays, and constant need for Shen Ranxin contrast with Shen Ranxin’s restrained but genuine devotion.
• Comic domesticity: Despite their dramatic pasts, the couple’s relationship is portrayed through everyday bickering, missed visits, livestream gifts, and shameless flirting.
• Public image versus private intimacy: Shen Ranxin becomes a public symbol of beauty, strength, and suffering, while privately he is simply Lu Zhi’s indulgent partner.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhi and Shen Ranxin’s relationship remains the emotional center of the chapter. Lu acts like a neglected spouse, while Shen Ranxin pretends to be exasperated but repeatedly gives in to him.
• Lu Zhi’s possessive habits include pinning himself to the top of Shen Ranxin’s contacts, marking him with matching tattoos, sending excessive gifts, and demanding attention.
• Their phone call demonstrates their dynamic: Lu Zhi turns ordinary conversation into provocative teasing, while Shen Ranxin attempts to maintain control but ultimately rushes to see him.
• The assistant and Shen Ranxin’s agent serve as comic observers, viewing Lu Zhi as an extravagant nuisance or “calamity” because of the trouble his obsession causes.