Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into a novel as Cheng Lang, a malicious supporting character, Cheng Lang receives a mission to provoke the scumbag top and further the romance between Shen Huaiyu and Lu Chengxuan, but no useful system perks. He meets Shen Huaiyu at the club and recalls the tragedy that brought Shen to Cheng Lang’s university room.

• Cheng Lang nearly drops a tray of drinks at a club after transmigrating, then checks his mission in the restroom.
• The system tells Cheng Lang to play malicious cannon fodder and help Lu Chengxuan realize Shen Huaiyu is his true love.
• Cheng Lang asks for cheats and a System Shop, but the system says it has no such functions.
• Cheng Lang encounters Shen Huaiyu outside the restroom and asks if he is all right.
• Cheng Lang recalls that Shen Huaiyu’s parents died in a car accident, his younger brother was left in a vegetative state, and Shen was assigned to share Cheng Lang’s university room after missing registration.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Lang recalls the original owner’s history with Shen Huaiyu. Before Shen arrived, the original owner was the school’s most admired heartthrob, but Shen’s beauty immediately eclipsed him.
• Jealous of Shen, the original owner pretended to sympathize with him by emphasizing their similarly tragic pasts. He gained Shen’s trust and introduced him to the bar where he worked, intending for Shen’s appearance to attract unwanted attention.
• Shen’s first night at the bar went according to the original owner’s plan: the novel’s official male lead became interested in him. The original owner then insulted and provoked Shen, hoping to humiliate him while making the male lead view him as vain, vulgar, and manipulative.
• Cheng Lang, now occupying the original owner’s body, performs the required task but internally sympathizes with Shen. He advises Shen to take advantage of the male lead’s interest by securing money for his younger brother’s medical treatment and buying back his family home.
• Their conversation is interrupted by the shift supervisor, who threatens to dock Cheng Lang’s pay for slacking. Cheng Lang immediately abandons the discussion and returns to work, revealing his intense attachment to money.
• Back on the dance floor, Cheng Lang energetically serves customers and earns significant commissions by persuading them to purchase expensive wine.
• A disturbance erupts when Meng Tianye, the bar’s resident singer and one of the male lead’s favored “stand-ins,” refuses to perform. Cheng Lang remembers that Meng’s strike is supposed to anger the male lead and lead to harsh punishment.
• Feeling sorry for Meng, Cheng Lang intervenes. He takes the stage, claims Meng’s throat is sore, and offers to perform in his place.
• Although the crowd initially protests, Cheng Lang silences everyone with an impressive electric-guitar solo and begins singing.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang: Although he must imitate the original owner’s cruel behavior, Cheng’s inner thoughts reveal compassion, practical intelligence, and a tendency to interfere when others are about to suffer. His comic obsession with wages and commissions contrasts with his sympathy for Shen and Meng.
• Shen Huaiyu: He is portrayed as traumatized, financially desperate, and deeply humiliated by Cheng’s insinuations. His shock at Cheng’s unexpected advice suggests that he is unaccustomed to receiving practical concern.
• Meng Tianye: Introduced as a proud, temperamental “wild horse,” he is emotionally vulnerable because of his resemblance to the male lead’s deceased or absent beloved. His refusal to perform is motivated by jealousy and frustration.
• The official male lead: Though he does not directly appear in the scene, his influence dominates the characters’ actions. His possessiveness and cruel treatment of his lovers are established through Cheng’s recollection.
• The original owner: His jealousy and manipulative nature are contrasted with Cheng Lang’s more humane personality.

Significant Themes

• Appearance and exploitation: Shen and Meng are valued primarily for their resemblance to or possession of beauty associated with the male lead’s idealized lover.
• Manipulation and power: The original owner uses Shen’s vulnerability to place him in danger, while the male lead treats the people around him as possessions.
• Trauma and survival: Shen’s family tragedy, financial hardship, and humiliation highlight the limited choices available to him.
• Compassion versus assigned roles: Cheng Lang is forced to fulfill the original owner’s villainous role, yet repeatedly acts against its spirit by helping those he is supposed to harm.
• Money as security: Financial need drives Shen’s decisions, while Cheng’s comic fixation on pay and commissions provides both humor and a practical counterpoint to the characters’ emotional turmoil.
• Performance and identity: The bar functions as a stage where characters perform roles—lover, substitute, villain, waiter, and singer—to gain affection, money, or survival.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Lang deliberately provokes Shen, humiliating him in accordance with the task, but then privately offers surprisingly practical advice.
• The supervisor reprimands Cheng Lang for neglecting work, and Cheng immediately becomes obedient when his pay is threatened.
• Cheng banters with fellow waiters while efficiently working the crowded bar.
• Cheng interrupts Meng Tianye’s breakdown and takes over the performance despite Meng’s objections.
• The hostile crowd is won over when Cheng demonstrates his guitar skills, allowing him to seize control of the stage and redirect the night’s events.

Chapter 2 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Lang unexpectedly takes the stage at White Jade Capital in place of the striking performer Meng Tianye, who is on strike after becoming upset over President Lu choosing another waiter.
• Wearing a waiter’s uniform, Cheng Lang performs flashy guitar solos and several popular, highly commercial songs. His appearance and performance immediately stun the wealthy patrons and turn the bar into a lively dance floor.
• After successfully creating a sensation, Cheng Lang leaves the stage, satisfied that he has completed the system’s assigned mission.
• The system criticizes him for helping another “cannon-fodder substitute” and warns that his actions may be out of character. Cheng Lang argues that his performance was sufficiently vain, tacky, and attention-seeking, and that he deliberately exploited Meng Tianye’s absence to seize the spotlight.
• The system checks the male lead’s opinion of Cheng Lang but becomes speechless when it realizes that Cheng Lang’s behavior has produced the intended impression.
• In the VIP room above the bar, manager Han Mingchen entertains Qin Mu and Qin Mu’s plump relative, Qin San.
• Qin San asks Qin Mu to overlook the behavior of someone favored by the Lu Family and urges him to stop distancing himself from the Qin main family. Qin Mu remains emotionally detached but agrees to give Qin San face.
• Qin San hints that the Lu Family’s favored “little lover” is causing trouble at Qin Mu’s establishment. Han Mingchen explains that Meng Tianye acted out because President Lu selected another waiter.
• Qin Mu shows little interest in the conflict and agrees to surrender the Lincheng project to the Qin main family. However, Secretary Lin reveals that an ancient tomb may lie beneath the land, suggesting Qin Mu is deliberately giving them a dangerous or worthless asset.
• After Cheng Lang’s successful performance, Han Mingchen questions whether he should truly be promoted to the bar’s star performer. Secretary Lin finds Cheng Lang amusing, while Qin Mu remains silent and unreadable.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang: Demonstrates intelligence, confidence, and an ability to manipulate the system’s rules. Although he helps Meng Tianye, he frames his actions as a calculated attempt to appear conceited and scheming. His performance also establishes him as a potentially popular new attraction at the bar.
• Qin Mu: Is introduced as the emotionally restrained owner of White Jade Capital. He appears powerful, detached, and strategically minded, especially in his decision to hand over the Lincheng project despite knowing it may contain an ancient tomb.
• Han Mingchen: Reveals himself to be an anxious but loyal manager who fears Qin Mu’s displeasure and tries to explain the bar’s internal conflict before he is blamed.
• Secretary Lin: Acts as a calm, observant adviser and hints that Qin Mu’s decisions are deliberate. He also recognizes Cheng Lang’s unusual appeal.
• Qin San: Presents himself as a conciliatory relative seeking reconciliation, but his remarks about the Lu Family suggest hidden motives and family tensions.
• Meng Tianye: Does not appear directly, but his strike and jealousy trigger Cheng Lang’s rise into the spotlight.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation of appearances: Cheng Lang intentionally behaves in ways that make him seem shallow and scheming, showing how easily actions can be interpreted according to preconceived roles.
• System versus individual agency: Cheng Lang follows the system’s objectives while exploiting loopholes in its logic, suggesting that he may be more independent and resourceful than the system expects.
• Family power struggles: The Qin family’s visit reveals old grievances, divisions between the main and collateral branches, and attempts to control Qin Mu through blood ties.
• Strategic deception: Qin Mu’s willingness to give away the Lincheng project conceals a calculated advantage, emphasizing that apparent concessions may be traps.
• Social performance and status: Cheng Lang’s transformation from waiter to potential star performer challenges the bar’s established hierarchy and shows how charisma can rapidly alter one’s position.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Lang and the system: Their exchange is humorous and argumentative. Cheng Lang successfully defends his actions by proving that he achieved the system’s desired result despite technically helping a rival.
• Cheng Lang and the bar patrons: His performance creates an immediate, enthusiastic connection with the audience, overturning their expectations of what entertainment the venue offers.
• Qin Mu and Qin San: Qin San presses for family reconciliation and influence, while Qin Mu responds with distant politeness rather than genuine warmth.
• Han Mingchen and Qin Mu: Han Mingchen is deferential and nervous, carefully explaining the bar’s problems and seeking Qin Mu’s approval.
• Secretary Lin and Qin Mu: Secretary Lin understands Qin Mu’s hidden strategy and calmly confirms that the apparent business loss is intentional.
• Qin Mu’s circle and Cheng Lang: Although Qin Mu does not directly react to Cheng Lang, Han Mingchen and Secretary Lin begin to recognize Cheng Lang as an intriguing and potentially valuable presence.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Lang, pleased with the attention he receives after singing at the bar, jokes that his charisma makes it impossible for him to keep a low profile.
• A wealthy young customer with blue hair invites Cheng Lang to drink. Cheng Lang initially cites the bar’s rules, then humorously explains that customers can pay extra for servers to drink with them.
• The customer offers 10,000 yuan per glass. Cheng Lang orders ten bottles of Rémy Martin, effectively making the customer pay a large sum while discouraging him from repeatedly requesting Cheng Lang’s company.
• Cheng Lang drinks one entire bottle directly, then pretends that his physical limits prevent him from drinking more. He cleverly frames the remaining bottles as part of the customer’s bill and earns a substantial commission.
• After going to the restroom, Cheng Lang encounters Shen Huaiyu, who gives him milk and cookies because he has not eaten and has consumed alcohol.
• Cheng Lang reassures Shen Huaiyu that his behavior is not vulgar or purely money-driven. He explains that Shen is not responsible for the abuse and mistreatment inflicted on him by others.
• Cheng Lang recalls Shen Huaiyu’s tragic fate in the original novel: after being condemned by his younger brother for becoming a kept lover, Shen suffers a mental breakdown and ultimately dies by suicide. Cheng Lang resolves to prevent this ending.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang: Demonstrates his wit, shameless charm, business instincts, and ability to manipulate an awkward situation to his advantage. Beneath his joking and money-minded exterior, he shows genuine concern for Shen Huaiyu and a strong desire to protect him.
• Shen Huaiyu: Appears gentle, attentive, and compassionate, caring for Cheng Lang’s health despite his own painful circumstances. He also shows perceptiveness by correctly understanding Cheng Lang’s strategy with the expensive alcohol.
• Blue-haired customer: Is introduced as wealthy, boastful, and prideful. Cheng Lang’s teasing causes him to spend heavily while making him feel flattered and respected.
• Cheng Lang’s coworker and the surrounding customers: React to the spectacle, emphasizing Cheng Lang’s ability to draw attention and entertain people.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Cheng Lang presents himself as vulgar, boastful, and money-hungry, but his actions reveal intelligence, restraint, and compassion.
• Self-worth and victim-blaming: Cheng Lang challenges Shen Huaiyu’s belief that he is tainted or guilty because of what others did to him.
• Protection and redemption: Cheng Lang’s mission becomes increasingly personal as he commits himself to saving Shen from the tragic fate written for him.
• Social performance and survival: Cheng Lang uses humor, charisma, and calculated behavior to navigate the bar’s power dynamics and protect himself from unwanted demands.

Character interactions

• Cheng Lang and the blue-haired customer engage in a playful but competitive exchange, with Cheng Lang using jokes and calculated drinking to control the situation.
• Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu share a more intimate and caring interaction. Shen tends to Cheng’s physical needs, while Cheng responds by offering emotional reassurance and defending Shen’s innocence.
• Cheng Lang’s statement that “some bad people did bad things” to Shen marks a significant moment of emotional support and foreshadows his determination to alter Shen’s future.

Chapter 3 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The floor manager finds Cheng Lang avoiding work and takes him to Han Mingchen, who relays the boss’s decision: Cheng Lang will become White Jade Capital’s new star performer, singing onstage every night from 9–11 p.m.
• Cheng Lang is more concerned about the financial consequences than the prestige. His current work selling drinks earns him roughly 3,000 yuan per night, while the performer position may pay less and settle wages monthly.
• Han Mingchen sends him to negotiate with Human Resources, but Cheng Lang postpones it so he can return to selling drinks during the profitable evening hours.
• The system reminds Cheng Lang of his mission, but he insists that earning money is also necessary and that he will follow the plot when the time is right.
• While passing the VIP restroom, Cheng Lang overhears Lu Chengxuan berating and slapping Meng Tianye after accusing him of interfering in Lu’s affairs. Lu cruelly calls Meng Tianye nothing more than a male escort he keeps.
• Lu catches Cheng Lang outside the restroom and warns him not to spread what he saw. Meng Tianye then confronts Cheng Lang, asking what he heard.
• Rather than gossiping, Cheng Lang points out Meng Tianye’s visible injury and fetches ice and a towel from the kitchen. Meng Tianye remains in the VIP lounge, partly because he does not want others to see him in his humiliated state and partly because he is curious about Cheng Lang’s intentions.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang is shown to be practical, money-minded, cheeky, and unconcerned with conventional ideas of fame. He values immediate income over the status of becoming a resident performer. Despite his playful attitude, he is observant and compassionate, helping Meng Tianye after witnessing his abuse.
• Han Mingchen acts as the intermediary between the boss and Cheng Lang. He is frustrated by Cheng Lang’s unexpected responses and lack of enthusiasm, eventually dismissing him to HR.
• Lu Chengxuan is revealed as domineering, arrogant, and emotionally cruel. He treats Meng Tianye as disposable and uses his power to intimidate both Meng and Cheng Lang.
• Meng Tianye appears proud and defiant but is deeply hurt and humiliated by Lu’s rejection and violence. His decision to stay suggests a reluctant willingness to accept Cheng Lang’s concern.
• Shen Huaiyu briefly reacts warmly to Cheng Lang at the beginning, though their interaction is interrupted before it develops further.

Significant Themes

• Money versus status: Cheng Lang prioritizes reliable wages and commissions over the supposedly prestigious opportunity to become a star performer.
• Survival and practicality: Cheng’s refusal to abandon his profitable job emphasizes his need to manage real-world necessities even while participating in a larger “plot.”
• Power and exploitation: Lu Chengxuan’s treatment of Meng Tianye exposes the unequal and transactional nature of their relationship.
• Unexpected compassion: Cheng Lang does not exploit Meng’s vulnerability or threaten to expose Lu. Instead, he offers practical help, contrasting with the cruelty surrounding Meng.
• Free will within a predetermined plot: Cheng Lang’s conversations with the system highlight his effort to balance the assigned mission with his own choices and priorities.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Lang and Han Mingchen: Their exchange is comedic and frustrating, with Cheng Lang responding to a career promotion by calculating lost wages rather than expressing gratitude.
• Cheng Lang and the system: Cheng jokingly defends his decision to keep working, showing that he does not blindly follow the system’s expectations.
• Lu Chengxuan and Meng Tianye: Their confrontation reveals a deeply abusive relationship. Lu humiliates Meng, while Meng angrily challenges him despite his vulnerable position.
• Lu Chengxuan and Cheng Lang: Lu intimidates Cheng Lang after catching him near the restroom, establishing tension and warning him to remain silent.
• Cheng Lang and Meng Tianye: Their relationship begins with suspicion but shifts toward reluctant trust when Cheng offers to treat Meng’s injury.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Lang gives Meng Tianye an ice towel after his humiliating incident and checks how resident singers’ wages and drink commissions are calculated.
• Meng Tianye discovers that Chen has chosen Cheng Lang to replace him as White Jade Capital’s mainstay performer. Furious, he accuses Cheng Lang of lacking the ability to sing and storms off.
• News of Cheng Lang’s “promotion” quickly spreads through the bar. When coworkers express jealousy, Cheng Lang bluntly tells them to seize opportunities rather than complain.
• The floor manager introduces Cheng Lang to Wang, the Entertainment Department manager, who warns him that becoming a mainstay is difficult and that resident singers may be noticed by the Qin Dynasty’s record company.
• Cheng Lang repeatedly redirects the conversation toward his wages and commissions, joking that his real ambition is to become a domineering CEO rather than a contracted entertainer.
• Wang challenges Cheng Lang to explain what qualifies him for the position. Cheng Lang finally responds that his greatest asset is his shamelessness, emphasizing that Chen—not he—made the decision.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates extreme confidence, thick skin, practicality, and a sharp instinct for self-preservation. He is more concerned with income and future financial security than fame, yet he refuses to surrender an opportunity once it is offered.
• Meng Tianye becomes increasingly jealous and humiliated after losing his position. His anger exposes his insecurity and inability to separate personal emotions from workplace responsibilities.
• Wang is introduced as a stern, protective manager who values genuine talent and professionalism. His attempts to intimidate or dissuade Cheng Lang fail because Cheng constantly jokes, changes the subject, and refuses to feel inferior.
• The floor manager acts as a supportive intermediary, recognizing Cheng Lang’s potential and guiding him toward the Entertainment Department.

Significant themes

• Opportunity and ambition: Cheng Lang believes opportunities must be seized rather than complained about, even when he feels unqualified.
• Confidence versus competence: The chapter contrasts Meng Tianye’s wounded pride and Wang’s emphasis on talent with Cheng Lang’s unconventional confidence and shameless persistence.
• Money versus fame: While others view the mainstay position as a path to stardom and a recording contract, Cheng Lang focuses mainly on wages, commissions, and eventually becoming wealthy.
• Workplace rivalry and emotional control: Meng Tianye’s personal resentment costs him professionally, while Cheng Lang survives by remaining adaptable and refusing to be embarrassed.

Character interactions

• Cheng Lang and Meng Tianye clash over the replacement decision, with Cheng calmly provoking Meng’s anger by treating the matter as practical rather than personal.
• Cheng spars verbally with jealous coworkers, shutting down their complaints.
• The floor manager encourages Cheng and introduces him to Wang.
• Wang and Cheng engage in a battle of authority: Wang tries to test Cheng’s qualifications, while Cheng uses humor, evasiveness, and blunt shamelessness to undermine the pressure and defend his position.

Chapter 4 Summary

Plot points and events

Cheng Lang negotiates his pay with Wang, boldly warning that if he abandons his dignity, he will show no consideration for anyone else’s reputation. Wang is impressed by his nerve. Cheng learns that resident singers at White Jade Capital earn 2,000 yuan per hour plus 20% of drink sales, confirming that the club pays exceptionally well but maintains demanding standards.
After work, Cheng and Shen Huaiyu eat corn and return to school by taxi. Cheng deliberately pays for the ride to repay Shen for buying him food, showing that his earlier insistence on being treated was partly to protect Shen’s pride. They arrive after the dormitory has locked its doors, but Cheng wins the dorm manager’s sympathy with a fabricated story about being an orphan supporting himself through college—and gives her corn as a bribe—allowing them inside.

Character developments

Cheng demonstrates confidence, shamelessness, quick thinking, and a growing willingness to protect Shen. Although he appears self-serving and provocative, he is considerate in practical ways, such as paying for the taxi and defending Shen from invasive questions. He also begins actively deviating from the original plot, despite the System’s repeated warnings that he is acting “out of character.”
Shen remains gentle, sensitive, and academically diligent. He recognizes Cheng’s effort to preserve his dignity and feels touched by it. However, questions about White Jade Capital trigger painful memories connected to his past there, revealing his vulnerability and trauma. Cheng is already gaining a strong reputation at the club, while Shen struggles to function in the same environment because of his emotional distress.

Character interactions

Cheng and Wang engage in a tense but respectful negotiation, with Wang admiring Cheng’s audacity. Cheng and Shen share a quieter, more supportive interaction over food and the taxi ride. At the dormitory, Cheng manipulates the dorm manager through an emotional story and uses humor and generosity to get them admitted.
The next morning, Cheng confronts their roommates when they complain about covering for them and begin questioning Shen about meeting wealthy older women at White Jade Capital. Before Shen can be humiliated, Cheng redirects attention to himself, boasting that he has become one of the club’s star performers. His intervention prevents the roommates from uncovering and spreading the scandal surrounding Shen’s first night at the club.

Significant themes

The chapter explores dignity versus shamelessness, as Cheng claims he can sacrifice his own pride but refuses to let others exploit or disgrace Shen. It also highlights class and economic pressure, with Cheng working to pay tuition and navigating the lucrative but exploitative entertainment industry. Another major theme is defying predetermined roles: Cheng knowingly rejects the original storyline and the System’s commands, choosing his own moral approach. Finally, the chapter develops the contrast between Cheng’s outwardly reckless persona and his underlying loyalty, resourcefulness, and protectiveness.

Chapter 8 Summary

Plot points and events

• The system criticizes Cheng Lang for deviating from the assigned script, but Cheng Lang dismisses the warnings. He argues that results matter more than strict adherence to procedure and encourages the system to stop monitoring him constantly and develop its own interests.
• After washing and changing, Cheng Lang takes Shen Huaiyu to breakfast. Shen thanks him for defending him, and Cheng jokingly asks Shen to compliment him instead.
• Cheng Lang reflects on Shen’s tragic fate in the original story. Shen’s excessive pride, shyness, moral rigidity, and inexperience made him vulnerable to manipulation, especially by Lu Chengxuan, who destroyed his confidence and caused him to lose his sense of purpose. Cheng Lang concludes that Shen needs an emotional anchor and a tangible way to recognize his own worth—specifically, financial success.
• Worried about his own limited savings, Cheng Lang begins thinking of ways to make money. He overhears two female students discussing the failing milk tea shop across from the school.
• Cheng Lang approaches the girls with his usual charm and learns that the shop’s owner is a former student who invested nearly a million in renovations but has poor-quality products, high prices, and a bad temper. Cheng Lang expresses interest in taking over the business as a way to earn tuition money.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang: Demonstrates confidence, cleverness, shameless charm, and an increasingly unconventional relationship with the system. Beneath his joking exterior, he is deeply concerned about Shen Huaiyu’s psychological well-being and is actively planning how to save him from his original fate. He also begins pursuing a concrete business opportunity.
• Shen Huaiyu: Shows gratitude toward Cheng Lang and admiration for his optimism and social confidence. He recognizes his own shortcomings and expresses a desire to learn from Cheng.
• The system: Is startled and confused by Cheng Lang’s unprecedentedly casual and assertive attitude, especially his suggestion that it should pursue hobbies.
• Lu Chengxuan: Though absent from the present events, his past abuse and manipulation are revealed as the primary cause of Shen’s eventual collapse in the original storyline.

Significant themes

• Results versus rules: Cheng Lang challenges the system’s insistence on following the script, claiming that achieving the correct outcome matters more than using approved methods.
• Self-worth and recovery: The chapter emphasizes how psychological abuse can destroy a person’s sense of identity and purpose. Cheng Lang hopes to rebuild Shen’s confidence by proving his abilities through measurable financial success.
• Money as security and validation: Financial independence is presented as both a practical necessity and a means of restoring Shen’s belief in his own value.
• Optimism and social adaptability: Cheng Lang’s outgoing personality contrasts sharply with Shen’s reserved nature, suggesting that interpersonal confidence can protect someone from exploitation.
• Turning crises into opportunities: Cheng Lang transforms overheard gossip about a failing business into a possible path toward financial independence.

Character interactions

• Cheng Lang directly challenges and teases the system, treating it less like an authority and more like a companion.
• He reassures and encourages Shen while playfully teasing him about being too shy and thin-skinned.
• Cheng Lang charms two female students into sharing information about the milk tea shop, using humor and flattery to make them sympathetic and cooperative.

Chapter 5 Summary

Plot and events

The milk tea shop closes less than two months into the semester, prompting Cheng Lang to consider taking over the business. After discussing the opportunity with two female students, he proposes opening a milk tea shop with Shen Huaiyu as his partner. Cheng Lang believes the shop could succeed with good management and a distinctive attraction, though he keeps his planned “killer weapon” secret.
Shen Huaiyu offers to lend Cheng Lang half of his remaining one million yuan, despite needing the money for his younger brother’s medical treatment. This leads Cheng Lang to discover that Shen’s downtown family home—worth far more—was sold for less than three million yuan by Shen’s uncle. Most of the money has already been spent on funerals, burial plots, hospital bills, and emergency medical treatment. Cheng realizes that Shen’s uncle exploited the family financially.

Character development

Cheng Lang shows himself to be practical, entrepreneurial, and protective of Shen. He wants to create another source of income rather than spend through their savings, and he becomes increasingly angry at the injustice done to Shen’s family. His instinct is to confront Shen’s uncle and recover what was unfairly taken.
Shen Huaiyu is revealed to be generous, trusting, and financially vulnerable. Despite having little money left and needing it for his brother’s treatment, he readily offers to help Cheng. However, he is passive about his uncle’s exploitation and reluctant to retaliate, partly because he feels powerless and partly because he does not want Cheng Lang to become involved or suffer consequences.

Character interactions

Cheng treats the female students courteously by giving them drinks while gathering information about the failed shop. He then invites Shen to become his business partner, reassuring him that they can hire employees and focus on investment and management. Their conversation exposes Shen’s financial hardship and Cheng’s growing concern for him. When Cheng criticizes Shen for allowing his uncle to take advantage of him, Shen warns him not to act recklessly, emphasizing that his uncle’s social influence could cause trouble.

Significant themes

The chapter explores financial survival, exploitation, trust, and mutual support. Cheng’s business proposal represents an attempt to build a more stable future, while Shen’s family history highlights how grief and desperation can leave people vulnerable to manipulation. Their contrasting personalities—Cheng’s assertiveness versus Shen’s helplessness and self-sacrifice—strengthen their partnership and suggest that Cheng may become Shen’s protector and advocate.

Chapter 6 Summary

Plot points and events

Cheng Lang convinces Shen Huaiyu to let him pursue the four-million-yuan debt owed by Shen’s uncle. He disguises his willingness to help as a business arrangement, suggesting they sign a contract and split any recovered money fifty-fifty. Cheng Lang emphasizes Shen’s family financial crisis, especially his younger brother’s expensive medical care, leaving Shen unable to refuse. Cheng also assures Shen that he has experience dealing with difficult debtors and will handle everything himself. After signing the contract, they part for class, with Cheng promising to contact Shen at noon.
Instead of going to lunch, Cheng visits a milk tea shop near the school that is being considered for transfer. The owner explains that she invested more than a million yuan in the business but has struggled because students dislike her products. She insists that the shop’s attractive décor, prime location, and expensive tea leaves should make it successful. Cheng samples her Da Hong Pao milk tea and finds it almost unbearably bad, despite the high-quality ingredients. He then offers only 200,000 yuan for the transfer, shocking and enraging the owner, who believes the shop is worth far more.

Character developments

Cheng Lang demonstrates his resourcefulness, confidence, and willingness to manipulate situations for Shen Huaiyu’s sake. He hides his genuine concern behind jokes, fabricated business logic, and talk of profit. His internal exchange with the system shows that he is intentionally deviating from the expected plot, though he believes the detour will not cause serious consequences. Shen Huaiyu remains cautious and grateful but is ultimately persuaded because of his family’s financial desperation and his concern for his hospitalized brother. The milk tea owner is revealed to be emotionally attached to her failed business and unable to recognize that poor product quality, rather than merely bad luck or ignorant customers, is the main reason for its failure.

Significant themes

The chapter explores loyalty, financial desperation, and the lengths people will go to protect family. It also emphasizes the difference between appearance and substance: the milk tea shop looks attractive and uses expensive ingredients, but the actual product is terrible. The business negotiation highlights the importance of practical judgment over emotional investment. Cheng Lang’s actions also reflect the theme of opportunism, as he turns unexpected circumstances into potential profit while secretly helping someone he cares about.

Character interactions

Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu’s conversation develops their trust and partnership. Cheng uses Shen’s concern for his brother to overcome his resistance, while Shen’s worry about Cheng’s safety reveals his growing concern for him. Cheng’s interaction with the shop owner is more comedic and confrontational: she proudly defends her shop and products, while Cheng’s honest reaction exposes their failure. The chapter ends with the owner angrily objecting to Cheng’s extremely low transfer offer, setting up a further negotiation.

Chapter Summary

• Plot and events: Cheng Lang negotiates with the emotionally volatile owner of an unsuccessful milk tea shop. When she rejects his initial offer as insulting, he uses an exaggerated, tragic story about being an orphan and his business partner Shen Huaiyu’s family tragedy to gain her sympathy. Moved to tears, the owner lowers her price and agrees to transfer the shop for 150,000, while waiving one month’s rent. Cheng Lang also offers 30,000 for the shop’s remaining tea leaves, fruit, milk, and other supplies after inspecting their quality.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates his shrewdness, emotional manipulation, and ability to read people. Rather than argue market prices with the owner, he appeals to her emotions and wounded pride. At the same time, his instinctive kindness emerges when he comforts her over her failed relationship.
• The female owner is revealed to be wealthy, impulsive, proud, and deeply insecure. She invested heavily in the shop without researching the market, and her business failure has become tied to her belief that others cannot recognize her “quality.” Her bitterness is intensified by an ex-boyfriend who cheated on her and rejected marriage with her.
• Shen Huaiyu, though absent, becomes part of Cheng Lang’s fabricated emotional appeal through a photograph and the story of his family’s accident.
• The system recognizes Cheng Lang’s familiar habit of comforting and indulging distressed women, adding a humorous observation about his behavior.
• Character interactions: Cheng Lang and the owner begin in conflict over the shop’s value. He gradually shifts the conversation from business to sympathy, reassuring her that her shop and personal qualities were undervalued. She responds by reducing the price and asking to remain involved in the shop so she can prove its worth and find someone who appreciates her. Cheng Lang hesitates, fearing her poor drink-making skills could harm customers, but ultimately secures the transfer and inventory deal.
• Significant themes: The chapter explores emotional manipulation versus sincere compassion, the danger of confusing personal pride with objective value, and the consequences of impulsive decisions without proper planning. It also uses comedy to contrast Cheng Lang’s calculating business sense with the owner’s dramatic emotionalism and insecurity.

Chapter 7 Summary

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Lang negotiates with the landlady over the milk tea shop lease. Although the market rent is 180,000 yuan per year, she offers him a four-year contract with reduced rent if the shop loses money.
• Cheng Lang modifies the agreement: if the shop becomes profitable, he insists on paying the full market rate, refusing to let the landlady suffer because she helped him while he was broke.
• After signing the lease and completing the transfer, Cheng Lang realizes he has not eaten lunch. While eating mala tang, he calls Shen Huaiyu and asks him to come over.
• Cheng Lang tells Shen that they are business partners, claiming he used Shen’s presence and appearance to persuade the landlady to agree to the deal.
• He then recruits Shen for an unusual promotional strategy. He has Shen sit by the window with a book and fruit tea while Cheng Lang secretly photographs him in the warm autumn light.
• Cheng Lang creates alternate accounts on the campus forum and Weibo, adopting the persona of a girl secretly in love with her “dream guy.” He posts romantic, carefully staged photographs of Shen to attract attention to the milk tea shop.
• That evening, Cheng Lang arrives for his shift at White Jade Capital but repeatedly checks his phone. When questioned by his supervisor, he insists that his situation is much more serious than a romantic breakup, creating a humorous cliffhanger.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates both business intelligence and strong personal ethics. Despite his reputation for being calculating, he is grateful for the landlady’s kindness and deliberately protects her interests.
• He also shows creativity and shameless resourcefulness in marketing the shop, exploiting Shen Huaiyu’s attractiveness and cultivating a mysterious online image around him.
• Shen Huaiyu remains good-natured and cooperative. Although confused by Cheng Lang’s plans, he obediently participates and allows himself to be presented as the shop’s attractive “mystery customer.”
• The landlady’s view of Cheng Lang changes: she initially suspects he may be manipulative, but his honesty and generosity convince her that he is trustworthy.
• Cheng Lang’s intense concern over the online promotion suggests that he is becoming deeply invested in the shop’s success.

Significant themes

• Trust and reciprocity: Cheng Lang repays the landlady’s kindness by refusing to exploit the favorable rent arrangement.
• Entrepreneurship and ingenuity: With limited money and resources, Cheng Lang relies on clever negotiation, unconventional advertising, and strategic use of social media.
• Appearance and reputation: Shen’s looks become a marketing tool, while Cheng Lang carefully constructs a romantic online persona to influence public perception.
• Friendship and partnership: Cheng Lang treats Shen as a partner even before Shen fully accepts responsibility for the business.
• Humor through deception: Cheng Lang’s elaborate fake admirer posts and Shen’s oblivious cooperation create a lighthearted contrast with Cheng Lang’s serious business ambitions.

Character interactions

• Cheng Lang and the landlady move from wary negotiation to mutual respect, with Cheng showing that he values fairness.
• Cheng and Shen share a teasing, familiar dynamic. Cheng jokingly credits Shen’s face for the favorable lease and pressures him into helping with the shop’s advertising.
• Cheng’s supervisor notices his unusual distraction at work and tries to identify the cause, but Cheng’s solemn response exaggerates the situation and ends the chapter on a comedic note.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Lang’s promotional posts praising Shen Huaiyu receive little attention online, disappointing his plan to attract customers to the milk tea shop. He creates alternate accounts and buys proxy IPs to boost the posts, but the effort remains ineffective.
• While working at White Jade Capital, Cheng Lang is reminded by the shift supervisor that he will perform as the evening’s headliner.
• Wang from the Entertainment Department criticizes Cheng Lang for being unprepared. Cheng Lang refuses makeup, a costume change, or rehearsal, confidently claiming he can sing in any key.
• At nine o’clock, Cheng Lang takes the stage in his server uniform despite the staff’s doubts. When customers complain that their usual singer, Tianye, is absent, Cheng Lang casually explains that he is filling in.
• He begins with a guitar performance of “Hotel California.” His skillful playing, deep voice, striking appearance, and relaxed sensuality silence the bar and then earn thunderous applause, cheers, and drink orders.
• Cheng Lang performs several more classic songs before inviting requests—but bluntly informs the audience that requests cost extra.
• Wang is both impressed by Cheng Lang’s talent and irritated by his shameless focus on money. After learning that Cheng Lang grew up in an orphanage, Wang’s prejudice softens somewhat.
• The customers enjoy Cheng Lang’s frank, unconventional personality. One jokingly asks whether he would sing Peking opera for an additional fee, prompting Cheng Lang to suspect that the customer has ulterior motives.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang: His online marketing attempt fails, revealing his impatience and practical, money-oriented nature. However, his confidence proves justified when he delivers an outstanding performance. His musical ability and physical charisma win over the audience, while his unabashed greed remains both comic and off-putting.
• Wang: Initially hostile toward Cheng Lang as an outsider who was brought in unexpectedly, Wang becomes grudgingly impressed by his singing and guitar skills. Learning about Cheng Lang’s difficult upbringing causes him to judge him less harshly.
• Shift supervisor: Shows a supportive attitude toward Cheng Lang, recognizing both his sales ability and his importance to the bar’s business.
• White Jade Capital’s customers: They shift from skepticism and annoyance to admiration and excitement after witnessing Cheng Lang perform.
• The band: Although initially uncertain, the musicians quickly recognize Cheng Lang’s ability and spontaneously join his performance.

Significant Themes

• Talent overcoming prejudice: Cheng Lang is dismissed because of his attitude and lack of preparation, but his performance forces both staff and customers to acknowledge his talent.
• Appearance and charisma: His handsome appearance, relaxed confidence, and sensual stage presence amplify the impact of his music.
• Money and survival: Cheng Lang openly treats his performance as a business transaction. His fixation on earning money is partly contextualized by his orphanage upbringing and possible past hardship.
• Authenticity versus performance: Though Cheng Lang performs classic songs skillfully, his irreverent personality—especially his insistence on charging extra—makes him memorable and distinguishes him from conventional singers.
• Unexpected beginnings: His failed social-media campaign contrasts with his immediate success onstage, suggesting that his most effective appeal comes from direct personal talent rather than manufactured promotion.

Character Interactions

• The supervisor encourages Cheng Lang and tries to improve his mood before the performance.
• Wang confronts Cheng Lang about his lack of preparation, but Cheng Lang’s confidence and eventual success undermine Wang’s initial criticism.
• Cheng Lang’s performance transforms the band from hesitant collaborators into eager participants.
• His blunt exchange with the audience—particularly his demand for extra payment and suspicion of the Peking-opera request—establishes a playful, provocative relationship with the customers.

Chapter 8 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Lang performs at the bar for two hours, accepting customers’ requests and even joking that he would sing a duet if the price were high enough. His performance is a success, and the customers enthusiastically cheer for him.
• His growing popularity is reflected on his social-media accounts, where followers use his alternate account to share personal feelings, discuss crushes, and ask about the handsome man in one of his photos.
• The floor manager praises Cheng Lang’s singing and suggests that he should have applied to be a resident singer instead of a waiter. Cheng Lang dismisses the distinction between jobs and jokes about being paid ten thousand yuan per drink.
• In search of water after singing, Cheng Lang goes to the VIP area and encounters Meng Tianye drinking heavily.
• Cheng Lang takes the alcohol away from Meng Tianye and warns him not to damage his voice. Their conversation reveals that Meng Tianye is bitter because Cheng Lang has replaced him as White Jade Capital’s top act, jeopardizing his chance to be signed by Qin Dynasty Records.
• Cheng Lang advises Meng Tianye to consider talent shows as an alternative route into the entertainment industry and reminds him that protecting his voice is essential to achieving his dream.
• As Cheng Lang leaves, Lu Chengxuan confronts him in the stairwell, sarcastically accusing him of showing unusual concern for “his people,” referring first to Shen Huaiyu and now to Meng Tianye.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang: Gains confidence and popularity through his singing, while continuing to treat the job casually and pragmatically. Despite his teasing and apparent indifference, he shows genuine concern for Meng Tianye’s well-being and future. He also demonstrates awareness of the original story’s tragic outcome for Meng Tianye and appears determined to prevent it.
• Meng Tianye: Becomes increasingly resentful and insecure after losing his position as the bar’s top act. His drinking suggests emotional instability and possible self-destructive tendencies. However, Cheng Lang’s advice forces him to reconsider his options and exposes how deeply he values his dream of becoming a singer.
• Lu Chengxuan: Appears observant, possessive, and suspicious of Cheng Lang’s interactions with people connected to him. His sarcastic remark suggests jealousy or discomfort with Cheng Lang’s growing influence over others.

Significant Themes

• No hierarchy in honest work: Cheng Lang rejects the idea that singing is more respectable than waiting tables, emphasizing that all honest labor has value.
• Ambition versus practicality: Meng Tianye is fixated on debuting through the “proper” route, while Cheng Lang encourages him to use any opportunity available rather than wait for an ideal path.
• Self-preservation and talent: The chapter stresses that a performer’s voice is their essential resource, and neglecting it can destroy their career.
• Unexpected kindness and emotional deprivation: Meng Tianye is surprised by Cheng Lang’s concern, suggesting that he is unaccustomed to sincere care. Cheng Lang’s blunt but protective behavior contrasts with his dismissive manner.
• Jealousy and possessiveness: Lu Chengxuan’s final accusation introduces tension over Cheng Lang’s relationships with Shen Huaiyu and Meng Tianye.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Lang and the floor manager: The manager praises Cheng Lang’s singing and jokes about his willingness to drink for customers, while Cheng Lang responds with his usual irreverence.
• Cheng Lang and Meng Tianye: Their hostile exchange gradually becomes a moment of reluctant concern. Cheng Lang mocks Meng Tianye’s stubbornness but prevents him from drinking himself into damaging his voice. Meng Tianye interprets this intervention as kindness.
• Cheng Lang and Lu Chengxuan: Their brief encounter ends the chapter on a confrontational note, with Lu Chengxuan implying that Cheng Lang is deliberately becoming involved with the people under his influence or control.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

Lu Chengxuan confronts Cheng Lang about his relationships with Shen Huaiyu and Qin Mu, specifically questioning Cheng Lang’s partnership with Shen Huaiyu in opening a milk tea shop. He then orders Cheng Lang to stop soliciting song requests and accepting drinks from customers at White Jade Capital, claiming that Cheng Lang’s conduct is damaging the venue’s standards.
Cheng Lang counters that these activities earned him 300,000 yuan in one night—including twenty-five drinks and five requested songs—and argues that Lu must compensate him if he expects him to give up potentially millions in monthly commissions. Lu is unable and unwilling to pay, leaving him internally shaken by the absurd contrast between Cheng Lang’s easy earnings and his own exhausting work as a CEO.
After returning to the bar, Cheng Lang discusses his sudden popularity with bartender Kevin, though he believes the trend will soon fade. The floor manager then summons him to meet Han Mingchen. Han questions Cheng Lang about his drinking and customer interactions, while Cheng Lang calmly justifies his actions as fulfilling his duties and helping create a lively atmosphere. He even offers to split half his tips with the company, but Han clarifies that excessive drinking—not the money—is the problem.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang remains composed, clever, and shamelessly pragmatic. He uses the enormous income generated by his performances to challenge Lu Chengxuan’s authority and later flatters Han Mingchen while presenting himself as a loyal employee. His ability to drink vast quantities of alcohol without showing any effects becomes increasingly important and mysterious.
• Lu Chengxuan is revealed as controlling and judgmental, but Cheng Lang’s financial argument leaves him helpless. He becomes privately envious and begins questioning whether his own demanding CEO lifestyle is actually profitable compared with Cheng Lang’s effortless earnings.
• Han Mingchen develops from surprise to serious concern. Although he recognizes that Cheng Lang’s prices are reasonable and that his performance benefits the venue, he is troubled by Cheng Lang’s ability to accept an excessive number of drinks in a single night.
• Kevin admires Cheng Lang’s sudden success, while Cheng Lang remains more cautious and doubts that his popularity can last.

Significant themes

• Money and power: Cheng Lang uses his earnings to undermine Lu Chengxuan’s authority, showing that financial value can outweigh social status or executive power.
• Workplace exploitation and profit: The chapter questions who truly benefits from Cheng Lang’s performances and whether his dangerous workload is worth the money he generates.
• Appearances versus reality: Cheng Lang appears polite and compliant, but his calm remarks expose and challenge the hypocrisy of those trying to control him.
• Unexpected talent and absurd success: His extraordinary tolerance and ability to earn millions through singing and drinking create a humorous contrast with conventional business success.

Character interactions

Cheng Lang and Lu Chengxuan clash over Cheng Lang’s personal associations and performance practices, with Cheng Lang effectively turning Lu’s order into a financial liability. Cheng Lang and Kevin exchange views on his sudden popularity. In the manager’s office, Cheng Lang and Han Mingchen engage in a restrained but tense conversation: Cheng Lang offers polished explanations and even a generous revenue-sharing proposal, while Han struggles to explain that his real concern is Cheng Lang’s alarming capacity for alcohol rather than the revenue itself.

Chapter 9 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Han Mingchen worries that Cheng Lang’s enormous earnings from drinking with customers and accepting song requests will discourage wealthy patrons. If customers realize the resident singer can make around ten million yuan a month while working only two hours a day, they may feel embarrassed and stop spending at White Jade Capital.
• Han asks Cheng Lang to stop encouraging song requests and drinking during his performances in order to preserve customers’ self-esteem. Cheng agrees but points out that some customers may insist on offering drinks or demanding songs, creating a conflict with White Jade Capital’s “customer is God” service philosophy.
• Unable to create a strict rule, Han tells Cheng to keep a low profile and use his own judgment, effectively leaving the problem to him.
• Cheng clarifies that he still works an additional three-hour shift promoting drinks outside his singing hours. Han, feeling guilty about limiting Cheng’s income, offers to pay him for those hours so he will not need to work them.
• Cheng refuses because his goal is not merely to earn money: he wants to meet wealthy and influential customers, build connections, and expand future business opportunities.
• Han offers to help with any work-related difficulties. Cheng instead asks to consult White Jade Capital’s purchasing department about supplying alcohol and beverages for his milk tea shop across from a school.
• Cheng presents the shop as a way to let students experience the atmosphere and products associated with White Jade Capital, potentially cultivating future customers. Han understands the plan but points out that the bar’s alcohol and beverages are ordinary products available through distributors.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates flexibility, social intelligence, and entrepreneurial ambition. He readily cooperates with company policies but carefully negotiates exceptions and uses workplace relationships to advance his milk tea business.
• He reveals that his employment at White Jade Capital is partly about networking rather than income alone, showing a long-term, strategic approach to business.
• Han Mingchen appears considerate but inexperienced in managing Cheng’s unusual success. He is concerned about both customer psychology and Cheng’s welfare, repeatedly trying to compensate Cheng for restrictions that reduce his earnings.
• Han also becomes impressed—and slightly bewildered—by Cheng’s ambition and resourcefulness.

Significant Themes

• Balancing customer satisfaction and employee interests: White Jade Capital must protect wealthy customers’ pride without unfairly limiting Cheng’s income.
• Service-industry hypocrisy and class performance: Employees must appear subordinate to wealthy patrons even when they may personally earn more or possess greater competence.
• Entrepreneurship and networking: Cheng views every job and customer interaction as a chance to create future opportunities.
• Marketing through aspiration: Cheng hopes to associate his affordable milk tea shop with White Jade Capital’s luxury image, allowing students to participate symbolically in an elite lifestyle.
• Pragmatism and negotiation: Both characters try to reconcile company policy, customer expectations, and personal benefit rather than applying rigid rules.

Character Interactions

• Han and Cheng have a humorous, cooperative negotiation over Cheng’s singing, drinking, and customer requests. Cheng’s reasonable objections repeatedly expose flaws in Han’s proposed policy.
• Han attempts to protect customers’ self-esteem and later compensate Cheng financially, while Cheng insists that his broader ambitions matter more than immediate wages.
• Cheng then turns Han’s offer of assistance into an opportunity to request access to White Jade Capital’s purchasing network, highlighting their growing trust and Cheng’s ability to leverage their relationship.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Lang explains to Han Mingchen that White Jade Capital has access to cheaper, more reliable purchasing channels, while Cheng Lang’s own status would only allow him to buy through unstable, low-level distributors.
• He asks to use White Jade Capital’s purchasing department to supply his milk tea shop. Han initially points out that the arrangement benefits White Jade Capital in no way and could even damage its image.
• Cheng Lang jokingly—or perhaps half-seriously—admits that he once hoped to use White Jade Capital and his position there to earn his first 100 million. Amused and exasperated, Han agrees to let him negotiate privately with the purchasing manager, though Cheng Lang cannot sell products under White Jade Capital’s name.
• After work, Cheng Lang discovers that Shen Huaiyu has been summoned by Lu Chengxuan. A coworker mocks Cheng Lang for appearing concerned about Shen, asking if he likes him. Cheng openly says that of course he likes Shen as a friend, praising his looks, intelligence, innocence, and kindness.
• Cheng Lang returns late to the dormitory, shares the dumplings given to him by the dorm manager with his roommates, and strengthens his bond with them through this small act of generosity.
• The next morning, Shen Huaiyu returns and brings breakfast for the roommates as thanks for previously helping him avoid trouble during dorm inspections.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates ambition and business practicality in negotiating a supply arrangement for his milk tea shop, while his humorous honesty wins Han Mingchen’s reluctant support. He also proves warm-hearted and socially generous by sharing food with both the dorm manager and his roommates.
• Han Mingchen remains skeptical of Cheng Lang’s schemes but is entertained by his shameless sincerity. Though he refuses official corporate involvement, he gives Cheng Lang an opportunity to pursue the arrangement himself.
• Shen Huaiyu shows the first signs of becoming more considerate and socially engaged. His decision to bring breakfast suggests gratitude and a willingness to connect with his roommates, despite his usual withdrawn demeanor.
• The roommates begin responding more positively to Shen after receiving his thanks, while their earlier resentment reflects how isolated and misunderstood he has been.
• The coworker and shift supervisor reveal that Cheng Lang’s obvious concern for Shen has already attracted gossip and speculation.

Significant themes

• Ambition and resourcefulness: Cheng Lang seeks practical ways to build his business despite lacking status and connections.
• Friendship and social connection: Food-sharing and small gestures gradually create bonds among Cheng Lang, his roommates, and the dorm manager.
• Misunderstanding and appearances: Shen’s quiet, attractive image causes others to see him as arrogant, while Cheng Lang’s concern for him is interpreted romantically.
• Generosity and reciprocity: Cheng Lang shares what he receives, while Shen repays his roommates’ past help with breakfast.
• Humor amid workplace tension: Cheng Lang’s bluntness and exaggerated declarations contrast with Han Mingchen’s restrained, exasperated reactions.

Important character interactions

• Cheng Lang and Han Mingchen negotiate the milk tea supply arrangement, establishing a playful but transactional relationship.
• Cheng Lang’s praise of Shen Huaiyu provokes jealousy or irritation from a coworker and fuels workplace gossip.
• The dorm manager shows maternal kindness by giving Cheng Lang homemade dumplings, which he later shares with his roommates.
• Cheng Lang’s roommates respond warmly to his generosity.
• Shen Huaiyu attempts to repair his distant relationship with the roommates by bringing them breakfast, prompting them to reconsider their negative opinion of him.

Chapter 10 Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Shen Huaiyu unexpectedly brings breakfast for his roommates as an attempt to make peace after earlier tensions.
• Cheng Lang and the other roommates insist on paying him, separating the favor of bringing food from the financial transaction. This acknowledges Shen Huaiyu’s difficult family circumstances while preserving his dignity.
• After the roommates leave for class, Shen Huaiyu reveals that Lu Chengxuan summoned him the previous night.
• Lu has purchased Shen’s family home from his uncle for 7.8 million yuan and offered to use the house and medical treatment for Shen’s unconscious younger brother, Wojin, as leverage to make Shen stay with him.
• Shen refused Lu’s demand but learned that his uncle had originally bought the house for less than three million yuan, claiming no one could pay more. Shen realizes his uncle profited enormously from the family’s desperation.
• Devastated by this betrayal, Shen decides to confront his uncle and recover the money, which he considers essential for Wojin’s survival.
• When Shen asks whether Cheng Lang will help him, Cheng promises that he will.

Character Development

• Shen Huaiyu makes an important change from passive endurance to active resistance. Although deeply hurt by his uncle’s betrayal and overwhelmed by grief, he resolves to fight for his family’s money and his brother’s life.
• Cheng Lang continues to act as Shen’s protector and emotional support. He recognizes that his earlier encouragement has awakened Shen’s fighting spirit and becomes more sympathetic to Shen’s vulnerable situation.
• The roommates begin to accept Shen’s attempt at reconciliation. By insisting on paying for breakfast, they show consideration for his financial hardship without treating him with pity.
• Lu Chengxuan is revealed as increasingly calculating and aggressive, exploiting Shen’s financial crisis and family responsibilities to pressure him into a relationship.
• Shen’s uncle is exposed as greedy and disloyal, taking advantage of the family’s emergency to acquire the house cheaply and resell it for a large profit.

Significant Themes

• Betrayal within family: Shen struggles to accept that his biological uncle valued money over family loyalty.
• Dignity and financial boundaries: The breakfast exchange emphasizes the importance of keeping financial matters clear, even among friends, so that assistance does not become humiliation or dependence.
• Exploitation versus genuine help: Lu offers material aid as a means of control, while Cheng Lang helps Shen without demanding anything in return.
• Growth through adversity: Shen begins to reject the passive, resigned role he followed in the original story and develops the will to defend himself and Wojin.
• Grief and survival: After losing his parents, home, and sense of security, Shen’s determination to save his brother becomes his remaining source of purpose.

Character Interactions

• Shen’s roommates warmly accept his breakfast and help him preserve his dignity by offering payment.
• Cheng Lang notices Shen’s troubled mood, listens to his confession, comforts him physically, and agrees to help him confront his uncle.
• Shen’s conversation with Cheng reveals his emotional dependence on Cheng as the first person willing to support him without exploiting his vulnerability.
• Lu Chengxuan’s interaction with Shen contrasts sharply with Cheng Lang’s: Lu uses the house and Wojin’s treatment as bargaining chips, while Cheng Lang offers unconditional assistance.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Lang decides that Shen Huaiyu deserves a future beyond the tragic fate prescribed by the original story, signaling his intention to alter the plot for Shen’s benefit.
• He helps Shen investigate his uncle’s suspected embezzlement and resale of the family home. Since Shen lacks funeral receipts, Cheng Lang instructs him to:
  • Reconstruct an itemized list of funeral expenses.
  • Obtain bank transaction records.
  • Compare the expenses with market prices to build evidence of financial fraud.
• Cheng Lang asks about Lu Chengxuan’s reaction to Shen’s rejection. Shen confirms that Lu did not threaten or force him, unlike in the original novel, where Lu imprisoned and coerced him. This suggests the plot has already changed and that Lu may still be negotiable.
• Cheng Lang plans to expose that Lu bought Shen’s family home from the uncle for 7.8 million, despite its much lower value. He hopes the uncle’s relatives and acquaintances will learn of the suspicious transaction.
• Shen identifies Professor Tan, a respected archaeologist and close friend of his uncle, as a potential source of influence. Cheng suspects the uncle may have damaged Shen’s reputation by portraying him as immoral or disgraceful.
• Cheng advises Shen to mention the house sale to Professor Tan, planting doubt about the uncle’s conduct and possibly encouraging Professor Tan to spread the information.
• The conversation shifts toward the milk tea shop. Cheng asks whether Shen knows Tea Whisking, intending to use Shen’s skill as a promotional gimmick and emphasizing that their priority is earning money rather than pursuing revenge.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang: Demonstrates strategic thinking, compassion, and a growing desire to protect Shen from the original plot’s tragic outcome. He approaches the family dispute pragmatically, focusing on evidence and financial recovery rather than emotional revenge.
• Shen Huaiyu: Moves from helplessness and shame toward active participation. He agrees to reconstruct the funeral expenses, obtain bank records, speak with Professor Tan, and contribute to the milk tea shop. He also begins recognizing that his uncle may have manipulated others against him.
• Lu Chengxuan: Though absent, his characterization changes through comparison with the original novel. His failure to force Shen into submission suggests that his behavior may be less extreme in the altered storyline.
• Professor Tan: His recent coldness toward Shen is reinterpreted as potentially resulting from the uncle’s slander rather than Shen’s work at White Jade Capital.

Significant Themes

• Changing fate and resisting predetermined narratives: Cheng Lang seeks to give the male lead a happy ending beyond the original tragic plot.
• Justice through evidence: The chapter emphasizes careful documentation, financial records, and strategic exposure rather than impulsive confrontation.
• Reputation and social influence: The uncle’s status and possible manipulation of respected figures show how easily public perception can be controlled.
• Money versus revenge: Cheng Lang insists that recovering Shen’s money is the true objective, not allowing anger to distract them.
• Trust and protection: Cheng Lang supports Shen emotionally while helping him regain control over his circumstances.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Lang reassures and coaches Shen, encouraging him to take practical steps against his uncle.
• Shen responds openly about his lack of records, his trauma during the funeral, and his concerns about Professor Tan.
• Cheng checks whether Lu has harmed or coerced Shen, revealing his protective concern and awareness of the original plot.
• Cheng and Shen collaborate on both exposing the uncle’s wrongdoing and developing the milk tea business, strengthening their partnership.

Chapter 11 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Lang encourages Shen Huaiyu not to focus on how cruel his enemies are, but to surpass them by living a better and more successful life.
• Shen receives financial records and an itemized account of the expenses surrounding his parents’ funerals. Cheng investigates the costs and discovers that the funeral and burial should have cost no more than roughly 400,000 yuan.
• By posing as a cemetery customer, Cheng learns that Shen’s uncle charged far more than the normal price for the burial plot, confirming that he exploited Shen during the family crisis.
• Cheng decides that he and Shen should attend the uncle’s calligraphy and painting exhibition that weekend to confront the matter.
• Shen reports that he told Professor Tan about his uncle coercing him into selling the family house cheaply and then reselling it to President Lu at a much higher price. Professor Tan asks detailed questions, suggesting that he intends to investigate.
• Cheng and Shen hurry to White Jade Capital for work. Cheng arrives late and meets Procurement Manager Chen, who is annoyed because Cheng failed to contact him earlier about a favor involving procurement.
• Cheng explains Shen’s situation, framing the uncle’s actions as profiting from tragedy. Manager Chen becomes sympathetic and offers to send people to protect Cheng and Shen at the upcoming exhibition.
• Cheng declines the offer for now, while emphasizing Shen’s financial burdens, including the medical expenses for his younger brother, who is in a vegetative state.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates strategic thinking, initiative, and strong loyalty toward Shen. He carefully gathers evidence rather than acting impulsively and is skilled at using persuasion and social relationships to gain support.
• Shen Huaiyu begins to rely increasingly on Cheng for guidance. He follows Cheng’s advice, speaks to Professor Tan, and appears emotionally inspired by Cheng’s encouragement, even if he does not fully understand it yet.
• Professor Tan is positioned as a potential ally. His careful questioning indicates that he may investigate the family scandal and refuse to tolerate being deceived.
• Manager Chen initially resents Cheng for keeping him waiting, but Cheng’s explanation and flattery quickly turn him into a sympathetic supporter willing to help.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus exploitation: The chapter exposes how Shen’s uncle profited from death, grief, and Shen’s vulnerability.
• Self-improvement as revenge: Cheng argues that the strongest way to defeat an enemy is to rise beyond their reach rather than destroy them directly.
• Loyalty and chosen support: Shen cannot depend on his relatives, but Cheng, Professor Tan, and Manager Chen begin forming a network of people willing to help him.
• Manipulation and social strategy: Cheng uses evidence, emotional appeals, and tactful flattery to advance Shen’s interests and secure allies.
• Moral opposition to profiteering: Although Cheng is highly concerned with money, he distinguishes legitimate profit from exploiting desperate people.

Character Interactions

• Cheng gives Shen motivational advice and pushes him toward studying and improving his tea-whisking skills.
• Cheng and Shen review the financial evidence together and plan to confront Shen’s uncle at the exhibition.
• Shen reports his conversation with Professor Tan, strengthening the possibility of an outside investigation.
• Cheng smooths over his conflict with Manager Chen by apologizing and explaining Shen’s circumstances.
• Manager Chen responds with anger at the uncle’s behavior and offers practical protection, while Cheng maintains control by politely declining the assistance.