Chapter Summaries

Chapter 110 Summary

Plot and major events

After learning that Lu Chengxuan had taken Shen Huaiyu to an isolated villa, Qin Mu immediately contacted Han Mingchen. Han Mingchen and Hu Li searched Lu’s usual locations and found Shen unconscious, injured, and suffering from a high fever. They brought him to the hospital, where doctors confirmed that his injuries were superficial and that he would recover once the fever subsided. Cheng Lang, Qin Mu, and the Zhao family rushed to the hospital and waited outside Shen’s ward.

Character developments

Cheng Lang’s anger toward Lu Chengxuan deepens as he sees Shen’s condition. His thoughts reveal his broader mission philosophy: he refuses to follow the original plot when it requires innocent characters to endure abuse, and he actively works to help victims escape their prescribed tragic fates. Although the System and World Consciousness disapprove of his methods—and his authority has been restricted—Cheng Lang remains determined to punish abusers and give the original victims happier, independent lives. Qin Mu continues to support him quietly and practically. Shen, after waking, is emotionally shattered by what happened and finally allows himself to show fear, pain, and dependence.

Character interactions

Qin Mu explains to Cheng Lang how Lu Chengxuan’s predictable habits made it possible to locate Shen. Han Mingchen and Hu Li act quickly to rescue him. Zhao Chenxu and the other members of the Zhao family follow Cheng Lang to the hospital and express concern. In the ward, Cheng Lang cares for Qin Mu by peeling and feeding him an apple while Qin Mu works, creating a warm contrast to Shen’s traumatic experience. When Shen wakes and begins crying, both men immediately notice. Cheng Lang approaches gently, asks about his condition, and Shen weakly hooks a finger around Cheng Lang’s sleeve, seeking reassurance and safety.

Significant themes

The chapter contrasts coercive, exploitative relationships with mutual care and respect. Cheng Lang condemns the idea that characters must suffer merely to preserve an assigned plot and emphasizes the right to love freely and live with dignity. It also explores trauma and delayed emotional release: Shen remains stoic during his abuse but breaks down once he knows he is safe. Finally, Cheng Lang’s conflict with the System and World Consciousness highlights the tension between predetermined narrative roles and the desire to protect individuals from unjust fates.

Chapter 202 Summary

Key plot points and events

Shen Huaiyu awakens in the hospital after being rescued from Lu Chengxuan. Doctors determine that he is no longer in immediate danger, though he must remain hospitalized until his fever subsides. Cheng Lang orders nourishing soup and congee because Shen has gone without food or water for an extended period. Jin Huaiyuan and his parents visit, bringing a carefully prepared fish and offering their support. Later, Hu Li and Han Mingchen come to stay with Shen in case Lu Chengxuan attempts to take him again.

Character developments

Shen remains physically weak, traumatized, ashamed, and worried about the consequences of Lu Chengxuan’s abuse, especially the photographs Lu may use to ruin his reputation. He feels that he has become a burden to Cheng Lang and fears his role as Forest Style Milk Tea’s founder and chief technical officer will be mocked. Cheng Lang acts as a protective and reassuring presence, promising to deal with Lu and encouraging Shen to focus on recovery and work. Qin Mu, usually reserved, directly tells Shen that he is the victim and has no reason to feel guilty. Shen regains some confidence when Cheng Lang reminds him of his professional abilities and an important business opportunity.

Character interactions

Cheng Lang patiently comforts, feeds, and reassures Shen, while Qin Mu supports him with blunt but meaningful encouragement. Jin Huaiyuan and his parents show familial concern through their visit and homemade food. Hu Li and Han Mingchen take responsibility for guarding Shen, with Han emphasizing that Lu’s arrogance makes further danger possible. Their care reinforces that Shen is surrounded by friends rather than facing the aftermath alone.

Significant themes

The chapter focuses on recovery after abuse, victim-blaming and self-worth, friendship, and protective solidarity. Shen’s shame and fear are gradually challenged by others’ insistence that Lu Chengxuan alone is responsible. The discussion of Ruyi House’s collaboration with Forest Style Milk Tea also introduces a theme of rebuilding: professional work becomes a way for Shen to regain confidence, purpose, and control over his life.

Chapter 111 Summary

Key plot points and events

• At the hospital, Han Mingchen quietly cares for the shaken Shen Huaiyu by giving him a peeled orange. Cheng Lang and Qin Mu prepare to leave, promising to return the next morning.
• Cheng Lang worries about Shen Huaiyu’s trauma and blames Lu Chengxuan for exploiting and endangering him. He resolves to help Shen break free from Lu’s influence and the forces of the Original-Work and World Consciousness.
• Cheng Lang refuses Qin Mu’s offer of help because he fears Lu Chengxuan or the World Consciousness may hurt Qin again. Instead, he plans to exploit a weakness within the Lu family: Lu Chengxuan’s father has an illegitimate son.
• Cheng Lang intends to find this illegitimate son and use him to destabilize the Lu Group’s internal power structure, especially because Lu Chengxuan’s parents’ marriage is based on business interests.
• Lu Chengxuan confronts Cheng Lang with photographs that could allegedly create a scandal for Forest Style Milk Tea during its promotional campaign. He encourages Cheng Lang to abandon Shen Huaiyu, remove him from the company, and take greater control for himself.
• Lu’s real goal is to make Qin Mu witness Cheng Lang supposedly choosing profit over loyalty, thereby damaging Qin Mu’s feelings for him.
• Cheng Lang immediately sees through the manipulation. He reveals that he has already reported Shen Huaiyu’s disappearance to the police and warns that publishing the photos could make Lu appear responsible for kidnapping, illegal detention, and unfair business competition.
• Rather than treating the matter as a personal scandal, Cheng Lang plans to frame any legal action as a business-related case, limiting public attention on Shen and Lu’s private relationship.

Character developments

• Shen Huaiyu remains deeply frightened and withdrawn after his ordeal, refusing to ask others for food or assistance because he feels guilty about troubling them.
• Cheng Lang demonstrates strong loyalty toward Shen and strategic confidence in dealing with Lu. He is willing to use calculated schemes, but unlike Lu, he uses them to protect others rather than exploit them.
• Qin Mu shows concern by offering to help Cheng Lang, but Cheng Lang’s refusal highlights his desire to protect Qin from further danger.
• Lu Chengxuan becomes increasingly vindictive and manipulative. He attempts to turn Cheng Lang’s business interests and Qin Mu’s trust against him, but his confidence collapses when Cheng Lang counters with the threat of legal action.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus self-interest: Lu assumes everyone will betray partners when profit is involved, while Cheng Lang proves his commitment to Shen Huaiyu.
• Manipulation and counter-manipulation: Lu tries to control Cheng Lang through blackmail, but Cheng Lang reverses the situation by exposing Lu’s legal vulnerability.
• Protection and sacrifice: Cheng Lang refuses Qin Mu’s assistance to keep him safe and shields Shen from becoming the focus of a public scandal.
• Power struggles and family politics: The Lu family’s hidden illegitimate son may disrupt the family’s existing balance and threaten Lu Chengxuan’s position.
• Justice through strategy: Cheng Lang avoids an emotional confrontation and instead prepares to use the law and Lu’s own actions against him.

Character interactions

• Han Mingchen offers quiet, practical comfort to Shen Huaiyu.
• Cheng Lang and Qin Mu discuss Shen’s situation, with Cheng Lang taking responsibility for dealing with Lu.
• Lu Chengxuan attempts to persuade Cheng Lang to betray Shen and exploit the company’s ownership structure.
• Cheng Lang responds with a calm but forceful warning, making it clear that Lu’s threats may become evidence of criminal and unfair business conduct.

Chapter Summary

Plot and key events

Lu Chengxuan attempts to blackmail Cheng Lang into sleeping with him, offering to delete the intimate photos of Shen Huaiyu and promising not to trouble them afterward. Privately, however, Lu plans to use the encounter to destroy Cheng Lang’s relationship with Qin Mu. Cheng Lang immediately sees through the manipulation and mocks Lu’s stupidity.
When Lu threatens to spread Shen Huaiyu’s photos and suggests that Shen might commit suicide, Cheng Lang calmly lists Lu’s potential crimes, including kidnapping, unlawful detention, assault, extortion, and the distribution of intimate images. Lu tries to protect himself by claiming that he and Shen were lovers and that any publication of the photos could be blamed on an irresponsible phone repairman.
Cheng Lang reveals that he has recorded Lu’s confession. He also reveals that Shen’s disappearance has already been reported to the police. Two officers are waiting outside the private room, and Lu is taken to the police station to answer for his actions and help locate and delete the photos.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang remains composed, strategic, and morally firm. Rather than being intimidated by Lu’s threats, he turns Lu’s arrogance and overconfidence against him. His preparation—a recording and police involvement—shows his resourcefulness and determination to protect Shen.
• Lu Chengxuan is exposed as manipulative, vindictive, and increasingly cruel. His attempt to coerce Cheng Lang reveals both his obsession with control and his desire to hurt Qin Mu emotionally. His boastful monologue ultimately causes his own downfall.
• Shen Huaiyu does not appear directly, but his vulnerability and emotional distress remain central. Lu weaponizes concern for Shen’s safety, while Cheng Lang acts to defend him.

Significant themes

• Blackmail and abuse of power: Lu treats private images and Shen’s trauma as tools for coercion.
• Justice versus manipulation: Cheng Lang counters Lu’s threats through legal knowledge, evidence, and police intervention rather than compromising himself.
• Overconfidence and self-incrimination: Lu’s need to boast about his plans provides Cheng Lang with the evidence needed to expose him.
• Loyalty and protection: Cheng Lang’s refusal to sacrifice himself and his active defense of Shen demonstrate genuine friendship, contrasting with Lu’s possessive and destructive version of love.

Character interactions

The chapter centers on a tense psychological confrontation between Cheng Lang and Lu Chengxuan. Lu tries to dominate the conversation through sexual coercion and threats, but Cheng Lang steadily reverses the power dynamic. Their exchange ends with Cheng Lang revealing that the police have been listening and that Lu must now face the consequences of his actions.

Chapter 112 Summary

Plot and major events

Cheng Lang reveals that his report to the police implicated Lu Group as a possible competitor attempting to steal Forest Style Milk Tea’s trade secrets and sabotage its promotions. Because Shen Huaiyu was rescued from Lu Chengxuan’s villa, online users connect the incidents and begin accusing Lu Group of unfair competition and illegal detention. Cheng Lang warns Lu Chengxuan that releasing Shen’s photos would make the accusations appear credible and could cause a major scandal for Lu Group. He sarcastically reminds Lu that, even if he goes to prison, his father’s illegitimate son could inherit the family business.
Soon afterward, news spreads that Lu Chengxuan has been taken to the police station. Lu Group’s stock price falls sharply, while Cheng Lang—having anticipated the crisis—profits by short-selling the company’s shares. Lu Group urgently calls a shareholders’ meeting to arrange Lu Chengxuan’s bail and raise money to stabilize the stock, but the situation worsens when a young man in his twenties arrives and claims to be Chairman Lu’s son.

Character developments

Cheng Lang demonstrates strategic intelligence, confidence, and ruthlessness. He has carefully engineered public suspicion against Lu Group and is willing to exploit both media attention and the stock market for financial and personal advantage. He also taunts Lu Chengxuan by exposing the family’s hidden heir, showing that he understands Lu’s vulnerabilities.
Lu Chengxuan is left stunned and increasingly cornered, facing legal trouble, reputational damage, and a threat to his position as the Lu family’s presumed successor. Chairman Lu’s carefully maintained image as a devoted husband collapses, revealing a long-hidden affair and illegitimate child. Madam Lu shifts from controlled endurance to open fury as she confronts her husband and demands that he rescue their son.

Character interactions

Cheng Lang and Lu Chengxuan engage in a tense verbal confrontation, with Cheng Lang using polite, apparently sympathetic language to threaten and humiliate him. At Lu Group, shareholders become hesitant to support the company after learning about Chairman Lu’s illegitimate son. Madam Lu bitterly accuses Chairman Lu of deceiving her and possibly plotting to place the illegitimate son in control of the company. Chairman Lu denies having such intentions and insists that Lu Chengxuan has always been his chosen successor, but Madam Lu remains focused on the immediate crisis and demands that their son be released from police custody.

Significant themes

The chapter explores the power of public opinion, corporate scandal, and reputation in determining business success. It also highlights Cheng Lang’s ability to weaponize rumors and financial markets, especially within a world where executives’ private lives directly affect company stock prices. Family hypocrisy and inheritance politics are central themes: Chairman Lu’s public image of marital devotion is destroyed by his secret family, while Lu Chengxuan’s privileged position is threatened by the sudden appearance of a rival heir.

Chapter 206 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chairman Lu struggles to rescue Lu Chengxuan after Cheng Lang records their negotiation and formally files a lawsuit. Because the evidence is conclusive and the scandal has attracted widespread online attention, the Lu family can no longer easily manipulate the situation.
• Mrs. Lu suspects Chairman Lu is deliberately sacrificing Lu Chengxuan to make way for his illegitimate son.
• Cheng Lang meets privately with the illegitimate son, who asks for help defeating Lu Chengxuan. He wants Lu Chengxuan imprisoned so that he will be removed as Lu Group’s executive president, allowing the illegitimate son to compete for control of the company.
• Cheng Lang questions whether Mrs. Lu would ever accept him, since his existence proves Chairman Lu’s infidelity. The illegitimate son insists that if Lu Chengxuan is gone, the Lu family will have no alternative heir.
• Cheng Lang recalls the original storyline: the illegitimate son once attempted to use Shen Huaiyu to expose Lu Chengxuan’s weaknesses, but Lu Chengxuan ultimately defeated him, ruined him, and sent him to prison, while also causing Shen Huaiyu severe suffering.
• Cheng Lang intends to use the illegitimate son as a pawn to create internal conflict within the Lu family, damage Lu Group’s reputation, and discourage investors from supporting it.
• He recognizes that Lu Chengxuan’s conviction would likely force the shareholders to remove him as executive president. Chairman Lu might then appoint his illegitimate son, intensifying the conflict between Chairman Lu, Mrs. Lu, and Lu Chengxuan.
• Cheng Lang’s ultimate goal is to dismantle Lu Group from within and protect Shen Huaiyu. He begins proposing a strategy to help the illegitimate son become Chairman Lu’s successor.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang is shown as calculating and strategic. He is not merely seeking Lu Chengxuan’s punishment; he wants to destroy Lu Group’s internal structure and eliminate the threat Lu Chengxuan poses to Shen Huaiyu.
• The illegitimate son reveals his ambition, insecurity, and resentment. He wants recognition and power but is still naive about the Lu family’s willingness to accept him. His difficult upbringing explains his mixture of arrogance, cowardice, and inferiority.
• Chairman Lu appears increasingly pressured and caught between protecting Lu Chengxuan and managing the consequences of his past affair.
• Mrs. Lu becomes distrustful of Chairman Lu, believing he may be using the crisis to promote his illegitimate son.
• Lu Chengxuan, though absent from the chapter, remains the central target of both the legal case and the succession struggle.

Significant Themes

• Family betrayal and illegitimacy: The illegitimate son’s existence exposes Chairman Lu’s betrayal of Mrs. Lu and destabilizes the entire family.
• Power and succession: Lu Chengxuan’s legal troubles create an opening for a rival heir and threaten the established order within Lu Group.
• Manipulation and revenge: Cheng Lang exploits the illegitimate son’s resentment to weaken the Lu family from inside.
• Nature versus upbringing: The illegitimate son’s personality is shaped by growing up without acknowledgment, yet his ambition and methods mirror the ruthless environment he seeks to enter.
• Protection through destruction: Cheng Lang believes the safest way to protect Shen Huaiyu is not simply to punish Lu Chengxuan, but to dismantle the company and power structure that enabled his abuse.

Character Interactions

• Chairman Lu and Mrs. Lu argue over whether Lu Chengxuan is genuinely being protected, with Mrs. Lu accusing her husband of favoring the illegitimate son.
• Cheng Lang confronts the illegitimate son about his disadvantages and deliberately inflames his resentment toward Lu Chengxuan.
• The illegitimate son openly asks Cheng Lang for assistance in sending Lu Chengxuan to prison.
• Cheng Lang challenges his assumptions about becoming the heir, then begins offering him a plan to exploit the Lu family’s succession crisis.

Chapter 113 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Lang encourages Chairman Lu’s illegitimate son to investigate Madam Lu for compromising information. Although the illegitimate son believes this will help him control her, Cheng Lang’s real goal is to provoke conflict between Madam Lu and Chairman Lu.
• Cheng Lang anticipates that Madam Lu will fiercely oppose her husband if he abandons her imprisoned biological son, Lu Chengxuan, in favor of his illegitimate son.
• He begins meeting Lu Group shareholders privately, urging them to sell their shares before the company’s scandals and Lu Chengxuan’s legal troubles cause further losses.
• Cheng Lang argues that Chairman Lu is likely to place his illegitimate son in the CEO position rather than hire an outside professional, despite the son’s lack of ability. He warns that this would damage the company and provoke Madam Lu.
• Cheng Lang shamelessly promotes Forest Style Milk Tea as a better investment, using the shareholder meetings to weaken Lu Group, disrupt its morale, and build goodwill with potential investors.
• News of Cheng Lang’s campaign reaches Chairman Lu, who becomes furious but avoids directly retaliating because he fears Qin Mu’s reaction.
• Unable to confront Cheng Lang openly, Chairman Lu turns to persuasion. Madam Lu contacts Qin Mu, hoping to use him to appeal to Cheng Lang.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates his strategic, manipulative nature. He exploits the illegitimate son’s greed and incompetence while deliberately intensifying divisions within the Lu family.
• The illegitimate son reveals himself to be ambitious but foolish and dependent on underhanded tactics. He eagerly accepts Cheng Lang’s suggestion to search for Madam Lu’s weaknesses.
• Madam Lu is framed as a capable and formidable woman whose loyalty to her son and pride may bring her into direct conflict with Chairman Lu.
• Chairman Lu is shown to be deeply biased toward his family members and unwilling to prioritize the company’s interests over blood ties. His fear of Qin Mu restrains him from using harsher methods against Cheng Lang.
• Lu Chengxuan’s past success is explained: although initially appointed through nepotism, his education and experience eventually proved him capable, unlike the illegitimate son.
• Qin Mu becomes an important intermediary, as Madam Lu seeks his help in dealing with Cheng Lang.

Significant Themes

• Family conflict and betrayal: The Lu family’s hidden illegitimate child and the possible replacement of Lu Chengxuan threaten to tear the household apart.
• Nepotism versus competence: Chairman Lu’s preference for relatives risks destroying Lu Group, while shareholders question whether family loyalty should outweigh professional ability.
• Manipulation and corporate power struggles: Cheng Lang uses rumors, fear, shareholder pressure, and internal family tensions to weaken Lu Group.
• The consequences of hidden secrets: The illegitimate son’s existence and the attempt to weaponize Madam Lu’s weaknesses threaten both the family and the company.
• Strategic opportunism: Cheng Lang turns Lu Group’s crisis into an opportunity to promote Forest Style Milk Tea and expand his influence.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Lang encourages the illegitimate son to target Madam Lu, secretly intending to trigger a marital and family confrontation.
• Cheng Lang repeatedly pressures Lu Group shareholders to abandon the company and invest in Forest Style Milk Tea.
• Shareholders begin reconsidering their loyalty to Lu Group after hearing Cheng Lang’s predictions about Chairman Lu’s likely decisions.
• Chairman Lu reacts angrily to Cheng Lang’s interference but refrains from direct retaliation because of Qin Mu.
• Madam Lu reaches out to Qin Mu, asking him to persuade Cheng Lang, setting up a new confrontation between Cheng Lang and the Lu family.

Chapter 114 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Madam Lu asks Qin Mu to persuade Cheng Lang to spare her son, Lu Chengxuan, from prison. She appeals to their families’ long relationship and Qin Mu’s connection to her late mother.
• She also reveals that the Lu family’s illegitimate son has hired a private investigator to investigate her, fearing that he will threaten her position if he inherits power in the family.
• Qin Mu refuses to intervene. He reminds Madam Lu that Cheng Lang already gave Lu Chengxuan a chance, which Chengxuan repeatedly wasted by committing illegal and indecent acts against Shen Huaiyu. Qin Mu insists that Chengxuan did not merely make a mistake—he broke the law.
• Back home, Qin Mu finds Cheng Lang helping Shen Huaiyu search for an apartment because Huaiyu, recently discharged from the hospital, can no longer comfortably live in the dormitory. Snow Leopard suggests that Han Mingchen handle the arrangements so Cheng Lang can spend his rare free weekend with him.
• Cheng Lang continues pursuing legal and financial pressure against the Lu family. He shorts Lu Group’s stock, while Chairman Lu borrows heavily, mortgages valuable assets, and injects money into the market to prop up the company’s share price.
• Lu Group’s worsening cash flow alarms its banks, which demand repayment and halt approval of new projects. Shareholders begin withdrawing their investments, deepening the company’s crisis.
• The illegitimate son obtains evidence of Madam Lu entering a hotel with another man and attempts to blackmail her into supporting his claim to Lu Group’s inheritance.
• Madam Lu refuses to be intimidated. In front of Chairman Lu and the illegitimate son, she openly admits that her marriage has long been dysfunctional and says they can divorce if he wishes.
• Chairman Lu cannot afford a divorce and is forced to placate Madam Lu. Humiliated before his illegitimate son, he becomes even more resentful toward the son for creating trouble at a critical moment.

Character Developments

• Qin Mu demonstrates firm moral principles and loyalty to Cheng Lang. Although he respects Madam Lu as his mother’s friend, he refuses to protect Lu Chengxuan from legal consequences and makes clear that personal relationships cannot excuse criminal behavior.
• Madam Lu shifts from pleading emotionally to acting defiantly. Her fear of the illegitimate son’s growing influence remains, but she proves unwilling to let him control or blackmail her.
• Cheng Lang remains calm and focused on both caring for Shen Huaiyu and dismantling Lu Group financially. He also respects Qin Mu’s judgment and accepts Snow Leopard’s suggestion to delegate the apartment search.
• Qin Mu and Cheng Lang’s relationship is shown as affectionate and comfortable, with Qin Mu embracing Cheng Lang and the two casually planning dinner together.
• Shen Huaiyu is gradually becoming more comfortable around Cheng Lang’s friends, Han Mingchen and Hu Li, indicating his recovery and growing sense of security.
• The Lu family members become increasingly divided and distrustful. Chairman Lu resents his illegitimate son, while Madam Lu openly challenges both him and the son.

Significant Themes

• Justice versus family loyalty: Qin Mu rejects the idea that blood ties or old friendships should shield Lu Chengxuan from punishment.
• Consequences of unchecked privilege: Lu Chengxuan’s reliance on the Lu family’s influence fails once his crimes are formally pursued.
• Power struggles and family betrayal: The Lu family’s internal conflicts over inheritance and control worsen its external financial crisis.
• Collapse of appearances: Madam Lu exposes the hypocrisy of her marriage, refusing to preserve a respectable façade while Chairman Lu maintains an illegitimate family.
• Emotional support and partnership: Qin Mu and Cheng Lang’s relationship provides stability amid the legal and financial battles surrounding them.

Chapter 209 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Madam Lu confronts Chairman Lu over their son, Lu Chengxuan’s, legal troubles and insists that he must neither go to prison nor lose his position as executive president of Lu Group. She threatens divorce if Chairman Lu cannot protect him and refuses to let the illegitimate son inherit the Lu family’s estate.
• Madam Lu openly insults the illegitimate son, calling him incompetent, narrow-minded, and unfit to lead Lu Group. Chairman Lu, angered by the conflict, slaps the illegitimate son and orders him to apologize.
• The illegitimate son realizes that Madam Lu occupies a far more powerful position in the family than he and his mother ever did. While his mother and he have always depended on Chairman Lu’s money and obeyed him out of fear, Chairman Lu is unwilling to challenge his legal wife—even after discovering her infidelity.
• Chairman Lu reassures Madam Lu that his lawyers may be able to secure Lu Chengxuan’s acquittal, arguing that Shen Huaiyu recovered and that the charges may not meet the sentencing threshold. Madam Lu remains focused only on the result and repeats her threat to divorce him if Chengxuan is imprisoned.
• Several months later, Lu Chengxuan is convicted of unlawful detention, intentional injury, and photographing-related offenses. He receives a six-month sentence, suspended for one year through the Lu family’s influence.
• The verdict causes Lu Group’s already-falling stock price to collapse further. Several shareholders withdraw their investments, and ordinary investors begin selling their shares.
• Zhao Corporation unexpectedly decides to acquire Lu Group shares. Mrs. Zhao explains that she and her husband intend to move the company’s business focus from Y City to X City, where their biological son, Cheng Lang, studies and is likely to work.

Character Developments

• Madam Lu reveals herself as forceful, calculating, and fiercely protective of Chengxuan’s status. She uses the threat of divorce to pressure Chairman Lu and openly asserts her authority over the family.
• Chairman Lu appears powerful in public but is submissive toward Madam Lu, especially when faced with the possibility of losing her. His willingness to protect Chengxuan demonstrates his prioritization of the legitimate heir and the family’s reputation.
• The illegitimate son experiences a humiliating realization about his position. He understands that he and his mother have never truly possessed security or influence within the Lu family, leaving him ashamed, resentful, and powerless.
• Lu Chengxuan suffers a legal and financial setback despite his family’s efforts. Although his sentence is suspended, his conviction damages both his future and Lu Group’s stability.
• Cheng Lang becomes the central reason for the Zhao family’s strategic shift to X City, showing how important his return has become to his biological parents.
• The Zhao couple demonstrate strong attachment to Cheng Lang and a willingness to reshape their business and lives around him.

Significant Themes

• Family hierarchy and legitimacy: The chapter contrasts the power of the legal wife and legitimate heir with the vulnerability of an illegitimate child.
• Power, dependence, and control: The illegitimate son recognizes that financial dependence has kept him and his mother obedient, while Madam Lu’s position gives her the freedom to challenge Chairman Lu.
• Privilege and justice: Lu Chengxuan’s family uses its influence to reduce his punishment, though they cannot fully prevent a conviction.
• Corporate decline and opportunity: Lu Group’s scandal causes its stock and shareholder confidence to collapse, creating an opening for Zhao Corporation’s expansion.
• Family reunion and changing priorities: The Zhao family’s decision to relocate their business reflects their desire to remain close to Cheng Lang after years of separation.

Character Interactions

• Madam Lu and Chairman Lu clash over Chengxuan’s future, with Madam Lu issuing an ultimatum and Chairman Lu attempting to reassure her.
• Chairman Lu physically and verbally disciplines the illegitimate son, forcing him to apologize to Madam Lu.
• Madam Lu humiliates the illegitimate son by explaining why she considers him unfit to inherit Lu Group.
• The illegitimate son silently compares his family’s treatment with Madam Lu’s privileged position and realizes the depth of the family’s inequality.
• Mrs. Zhao explains the acquisition plan to Cheng Lang, emphasizing that the Zhao family’s business expansion is motivated not only by economic advantages but also by their desire to stay near him.

Chapter 115 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhao reveals that one of Lu Group’s shareholders originally approached Cheng Lang, prompting Cheng Lang to target Lu Group. Zhao supported him by shorting the company’s stock and openly announcing Cheng Lang’s connection to the Zhao Family.
• Zhao raises substantial funds from relatives, friends, and business allies, who trust Cheng Lang’s reputation in finance. Together, they entrust approximately two billion yuan to Cheng Lang.
• Although Qin Mu honors his promise not to participate personally, Third Uncle Qin invests on behalf of the Qin Family, carrying Old Master Qin’s message that Cheng Lang is considered family. The Qin Family will not tolerate outsiders attacking one of their own.
• The Qin Family’s involvement intimidates other investors who had planned to support Lu Group. As outside capital withdraws, Lu Group becomes increasingly defenseless against Cheng Lang’s financial attack.
• Lu Group’s shareholders begin seeking ways to escape the failing company. Many approach Zhao about purchasing their shares.
• Zhao realizes that acquiring Lu Group would help him expand Zhao Corporation into X City and make use of Lu Group’s remaining resources. However, because Lu Group has mortgaged valuable assets and suffered major market losses, he must commission experts to evaluate its reduced value.
• Cheng Lang had intended to destroy Lu Group entirely, but he finds Zhao’s potential acquisition an unexpectedly entertaining alternative.
• The acquisition takes nearly six months. The Lu Family repeatedly attempts to delay or stop the deal, but the company’s other shareholders refuse to continue supporting them.
• Lu Chengxuan’s scandal, subsequent scandals involving the Lu Family, and their arrogant management style severely damage Lu Group’s reputation and stock price. Long-suppressed shareholder resentment finally erupts.
• Because the Lu Family lacks the funds to exercise its right of first refusal, shareholders freely negotiate with Zhao Corporation.
• Zhao initially plans to gain more than fifty percent of the shares, remove the Lu Family from management, and allow Cheng Lang to gradually dilute their remaining holdings until they are left with nothing.
• Lu Chengxuan recognizes that losing majority control to Zhao Corporation would permanently strip the Lu Family of its power over Lu Group.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates his financial influence and strategic skill. He successfully mobilizes support from the Zhao and Qin Families while manipulating market pressure against Lu Group.
• Zhao shifts from merely supporting Cheng Lang to pursuing a major independent business opportunity. He sees the acquisition as a way to expand Zhao Corporation and elevate its status.
• Old Master Qin and the Qin Family publicly affirm Cheng Lang’s position as family, showing that family loyalty outweighs their internal disagreements.
• Lu Chengxuan shows greater awareness of the seriousness of the crisis. Although disgraced, he understands the business consequences and realizes that the Lu Family’s control is in immediate danger.
• The Lu Family is portrayed as increasingly isolated, weakened by scandal, poor leadership, and the loss of shareholder loyalty.

Significant Themes

• Family loyalty and solidarity: The Qin Family’s intervention shows that internal conflicts may be tolerated, but outsiders threatening a family member will be opposed collectively.
• Power and influence in business: The Qin Family’s reputation alone is enough to frighten away potential supporters of Lu Group.
• Consequences of arrogance and misconduct: The Lu Family’s scandals and long-standing dismissive management style eventually destroy shareholder trust.
• Financial warfare and control: Stock manipulation, acquisition strategies, and share dilution become tools for both revenge and corporate takeover.
• Opportunity amid collapse: Zhao transforms Lu Group’s downfall into a chance to expand his own corporation.

Character Interactions

• Zhao and Cheng Lang: Zhao supports Cheng Lang financially and politically, while Cheng Lang recognizes that Zhao’s attempted acquisition may serve as an unexpected extension of his own campaign against the Lu Family.
• Third Uncle Qin and Cheng Lang: Third Uncle Qin delivers the Qin Family’s investment and message of support. Cheng Lang accepts despite disliking him because refusing would reject the family’s goodwill.
• Qin Mu and Cheng Lang: Qin Mu personally stays out of the financial conflict, honoring his agreement, but his family’s actions still make its support for Cheng Lang clear.
• Zhao and Lu Group’s shareholders: As Lu Group weakens, shareholders approach Zhao to sell their holdings, effectively abandoning the Lu Family.
• Lu Chengxuan and the Lu Family: Lu Chengxuan understands that Zhao’s acquisition would destroy their control, placing him in opposition to the shareholders’ decision and the family’s inability to stop it.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Lu Family is forced to sell Lu Group to Zhao Corporation after the shareholders decide to withdraw their investment. Chairman Lu initially resists, repeatedly reconsidering the deal, but ultimately accepts when Zhao threatens to acquire the other shares and dilute the family’s holdings.
• The family plans to use the proceeds to establish a New Lu Company and rebuild their business empire.
• After Lu Group changes ownership and is renamed, Chairman Lu regrets the sale and blames Lu Chengxuan’s reckless behavior—particularly his provocation of Shen Huaiyu—for triggering Cheng Lang’s retaliation, the unfair-competition accusations, and the collapse of the company’s reputation.
• Lu Chengxuan launches New Lu Company but quickly discovers that his former status and connections cannot be recreated. His trusted subordinates refuse to join him, and some openly mock him for overestimating his abilities.
• Former business partners also distance themselves. Some ignore him because of his enemies’ influence, while others exploit his desperation by demanding gifts, meals, and favors without offering real contracts.
• After one partner attempts to take advantage of him, Lu Chengxuan beats him, further damaging his reputation.
• The new company’s employees prove unreliable, demanding excessive overtime pay while producing little work. Lu Chengxuan repeatedly fires staff, but rumors spread that he is abusive and ungrateful, making recruitment nearly impossible.

Character developments

• Chairman Lu becomes resigned and bitter. Though he understands that selling Lu Group is necessary to preserve the family’s future, he remains emotionally attached to the company and privately blames his son for its downfall.
• Lu Chengxuan experiences a sharp collapse in status. Previously sheltered by wealth, family influence, and authority, he is forced to confront his lack of practical experience, humility, and leadership ability. He begins to understand the instability of business relationships and the harsh treatment employees can face, though he responds to frustration with anger and violence.
• Madam Lu, though not directly active in the present events, is presented as someone who helped build the original company through hard work and personal sacrifice—qualities Lu Chengxuan lacks.

Significant themes

• The fragility of wealth and status: Lu Chengxuan learns that respect based on family power disappears once that power is gone.
• Inherited privilege versus earned ability: His confidence comes from growing up in an established business dynasty, but he lacks his parents’ willingness to endure hardship and build relationships from nothing.
• Business survival and sacrifice: Chairman Lu must abandon the company he spent decades creating to protect what remains of the family’s future.
• Consequences of arrogance: Lu Chengxuan’s earlier behavior contributes to Lu Group’s downfall, while his continued pride prevents him from adapting to his new circumstances.
• The fickleness of human relationships: Former allies, employees, and business partners change their attitudes once the Lu Family loses influence.
• Workplace exploitation and reputation: Lu Chengxuan recognizes the ugliness of harassment and exploitation, but his own mistreatment of employees and violent conduct causes his reputation to deteriorate further.

Character interactions

• Chairman Lu pleads with shareholders and negotiates painfully with Zhao, who eventually pressures him into selling.
• Chairman Lu privately condemns Lu Chengxuan for provoking Shen Huaiyu and causing the crisis.
• Lu Chengxuan asks former subordinates to abandon their secure jobs, but they refuse; one directly insults him and exposes his dependence on privilege.
• Business partners manipulate Lu Chengxuan during negotiations, accepting his hospitality and gifts without committing to cooperation.
• Lu Chengxuan violently confronts one partner who attempts to exploit him, worsening his standing in the business world.
• His new employees challenge his authority, demand excessive compensation, and criticize his leadership, leaving him increasingly isolated and overwhelmed.

Chapter 116 Summary

Plot and Major Events

• Lu Chengxuan’s startup, New Lu Company, struggles to attract worthwhile clients. Chairman Lu helps secure several small contracts but urges his son to accept modest work, build credibility, and grow gradually. Lu Chengxuan rejects this advice, believing the orders are beneath him.
• Tensions rise within the Lu family when Chairman Lu secretly gives money to his mistress and illegitimate son, even establishing a company for the latter. Madam Lu and Lu Chengxuan object because the family is already living off the money gained from selling their Lu Group shares.
• During a bitter argument, Chairman Lu agrees to divorce Madam Lu and exposes her own secret: she has been supporting a younger lover. He contrasts the ten million she spent establishing a company for their child with the six million she spent buying her lover a car.
• The Lu family’s collapse becomes increasingly severe. Madam Lu secretly invests over one billion yuan in fraudulent P2P platforms. When the platforms collapse, the organizers flee, leaving her with enormous losses and debts. Her lover also disappears after maxing out credit cards and taking high-interest loans in her name.
• Madam Lu is hospitalized under the pressure, while debt collectors pursue the family. The illegitimate son and his relatives move into the Lu estate, provoking Lu Chengxuan. Chairman Lu, resentful of Madam Lu’s financial scandal, sides with the mistress and illegitimate son.
• Lu Chengxuan leaves home after a major confrontation with his father. Chairman Lu continues funding the illegitimate son, whose incompetence causes repeated business failures and nearly leads to a lawsuit over a construction accident.
• More than half of the Lu family’s remaining fortune is squandered. Chairman and Madam Lu’s marriage deteriorates into mutual hatred, with both constantly accusing the other of wasting money.

Character Development

• Lu Chengxuan: His arrogance and unwillingness to begin modestly hinder his business. Once privileged as the presumed heir, he becomes frustrated, humiliated, and disillusioned as his family loses status and wealth. His sense of entitlement prevents him from adapting to his changed circumstances.
• Chairman Lu: Initially tries to guide his son toward practical business methods, but his resentment, favoritism, and wounded pride lead him to support his mistress and illegitimate son. He becomes increasingly vindictive and indifferent to his wife and eldest son.
• Madam Lu: Protects and sympathizes with Lu Chengxuan, but her own hypocrisy and reckless financial behavior contribute heavily to the family’s downfall. Her secret relationship and disastrous P2P investment destroy much of the family’s remaining wealth.
• The illegitimate son: Presented as ambitious but incapable. Despite receiving substantial financial support, he repeatedly loses money and nearly causes legal trouble.
• Shen Huaiyu: Learns about the Lu family’s collapse through a business associate. His reaction is one of surprise and disbelief, as he had assumed the family still possessed enough wealth to live comfortably for generations.

Themes

• Collapse of privilege: The Lu family’s former status cannot protect them once their fortune and influence are gone.
• Pride and entitlement: Lu Chengxuan’s refusal to accept small opportunities reflects his inability to adjust to life outside the family’s former power.
• Family hypocrisy and betrayal: The parents condemn each other while concealing equally damaging secrets, and Chairman Lu’s favoritism deepens the family conflict.
• Wealth and waste: Both parents squander the family’s remaining resources through emotional decisions, infidelity, reckless investment, and support of incompetent relatives.
• Consequences of poor judgment: Every member of the family contributes to its decline through arrogance, dishonesty, or irresponsible financial choices.

Character Interactions

• Chairman Lu and Lu Chengxuan clash over whether the startup should accept small contracts.
• Madam Lu defends Lu Chengxuan, creating further tension with her husband.
• Chairman Lu and Madam Lu trade accusations during their divorce conflict, revealing both of their affairs and financial misconduct.
• Lu Chengxuan confronts his father over the mistress and illegitimate son but is dismissed and compared unfavorably with his half-brother.
• The mistress and illegitimate son exploit Chairman Lu’s resentment and manipulate him into providing more money.
• Shen Huaiyu receives an outside account of the family’s breakdown, emphasizing how dramatically their fortunes have changed in less than a year.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

The Lu family’s marriage and finances continue to deteriorate. Chairman Lu and Madam Lu remain together mainly because neither is willing to divide the family fortune through divorce. Both secretly attempt to transfer their assets, creating an increasingly shameless and hostile family atmosphere. Madam Lu repeatedly blames Lu Chengxuan for the loss of over a billion yuan in a fraudulent P2P investment, claiming she made the investment to secure money for his struggling business. Her constant complaints eventually provoke a fierce argument with Lu Chengxuan. He says several cruel things in anger, causing her to suffer a heart attack and require emergency surgery.
While waiting outside the operating room, Lu Chengxuan receives news that Chairman Lu has collapsed at an airport. He learns that Chairman Lu had secretly transferred his wealth to his mistress and illegitimate son, intending to divorce Madam Lu afterward. However, the illegitimate son emptied the company’s accounts, failed to pay employees, and fled overseas with his mother. Chairman Lu discovers the betrayal at the airport, loudly exposing the Lu family’s scandals before collapsing.

Character developments

• Lu Chengxuan becomes increasingly exhausted, frustrated, and emotionally unstable as his business fails, his parents’ marriage disintegrates, and his family’s scandals damage his reputation. Although he resents Madam Lu’s blame, he still feels responsible for her and initially treats her patiently. His inability to control his temper marks a serious breakdown in his relationship with her.
• Madam Lu is shown as bitter, regretful, and deeply humiliated by the financial scam and public ridicule. She redirects her shame and anger toward her son, believing her actions were motivated by concern for his future.
• Chairman Lu is revealed to be equally manipulative and self-serving. His attempts to conceal assets and abandon his wife ultimately leave him betrayed and publicly disgraced.
• The mistress and illegitimate son emerge as opportunists who exploit Chairman Lu’s desire to transfer his wealth, then escape overseas with the money.

Significant themes

The chapter explores the destructive effects of greed, financial insecurity, betrayal, and family resentment. It also emphasizes how shame and public reputation can intensify private conflicts. The Lu family’s obsession with money causes emotional estrangement, while attempts to protect wealth ultimately lead to loss, humiliation, and collapse. Another major theme is misplaced blame: Madam Lu blames Lu Chengxuan for her scam, while Chairman Lu’s own greed makes him vulnerable to betrayal.

Character interactions

Madam Lu repeatedly lectures Lu Chengxuan about the P2P investment, insisting she sacrificed herself for him. Lu Chengxuan alternates between comforting her and silently enduring his frustration until he finally lashes out. Their argument causes Madam Lu’s heart attack and exposes the fragility of their mother-son bond. Meanwhile, Chairman Lu’s conflict with Madam Lu remains largely financial and adversarial, while his trust in his mistress and illegitimate son ends in betrayal. His public outburst at the airport reveals the family’s secrets to outsiders and further damages the Lu family’s dignity.

Chapter 117 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chairman Lu publicly loses his temper over the family scandal at the airport. Realizing that strangers are watching and recording the confrontation, he becomes humiliated and faints from anger.
• Lu Chengxuan hears about the incident over the phone and is left stunned.
• Cheng Lang explains that Lu Chengxuan’s recent failures stem from losing the “protagonist’s fortune” that once protected him. As the domineering CEO of the original tragic romance, Lu Chengxuan had enjoyed unnatural success and effortless decision-making.
• After Cheng Lang and Zhao Corporation acquired Lu Group, Lu Chengxuan lost both his CEO identity and the protagonist halo supporting him. Unable to accept his fall from power, he became irritable and made increasingly poor business decisions, causing New Lu Company to stagnate.
• In contrast, Shen Huaiyu has steadily grown Forest Style Milk Tea with Cheng Lang’s assistance. The novel’s supernatural “Original-Work Consciousness” begins transferring Lu Chengxuan’s former protagonist fortune to Shen Huaiyu, while Shen’s original misfortune shifts onto Lu Chengxuan.
• Cheng Lang realizes that Shen Huaiyu is effectively becoming the story’s new domineering CEO, while Lu Chengxuan is taking on the role of the unlucky, disgraced lover.
• The System reminds Cheng Lang that he must still preserve the original ending: Shen Huaiyu and Lu Chengxuan must remain the central characters, and Lu Chengxuan must eventually become Shen’s lover.
• To complete this altered version of the plot, Cheng Lang decides to help Forest Style Milk Tea go public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as quickly as possible, giving Shen the business success and status required to be recognized as the new domineering CEO.
• Cheng Lang discusses the IPO plan with Qin Mu, who questions the urgency. Cheng Lang explains that listing would provide capital for expansion and allow the company to seize more market share.

Character Developments

• Lu Chengxuan: His collapse becomes increasingly apparent. Without his former status and supernatural fortune, his arrogance, poor emotional control, and inability to adapt leave him vulnerable to failure and humiliation.
• Chairman Lu: His public outburst and fainting show the Lu family’s loss of dignity and control.
• Shen Huaiyu: He is developing from the original unlucky, dependent character into a capable and increasingly powerful entrepreneur. His success now attracts the fortune once attached to Lu Chengxuan.
• Cheng Lang: He demonstrates a clear understanding of the novel’s mechanics and deliberately manipulates the transfer of fortune. His immediate goal is to secure Shen’s transformation into the new CEO protagonist while maintaining the required ending.
• Qin Mu: He continues supporting Cheng Lang and displays strong adaptability and talent, easily learning new roles and professions. Their intimate domestic relationship is also emphasized.
• Cheng Lang and Qin Mu: Their affectionate relationship appears stable and playful. Cheng Lang privately worries about Qin Mu’s intense role-playing and jokes about needing goji berries to compensate for the physical strain.

Significant Themes

• Fortune and identity: Success is tied not only to ability but also to the supernatural “protagonist halo.” Once Lu Chengxuan loses it, his supposed brilliance is revealed as dependence on narrative privilege.
• Rise and downfall: Shen Huaiyu’s growing success directly mirrors Lu Chengxuan’s decline, emphasizing the exchange of their narrative roles.
• Adaptability versus entitlement: Shen succeeds through steady effort, while Lu fails because he cannot accept losing power or being treated as an ordinary person.
• Narrative control and fate: Cheng Lang and the System treat the novel’s plot as something that can be redirected, provided its essential relationships and ending remain intact.
• Capital and power: The planned IPO represents both practical business expansion and Shen Huaiyu’s symbolic transformation into the powerful CEO figure demanded by the original story.

Character Interactions

• Chairman Lu’s public confrontation indirectly reaches Lu Chengxuan through a phone call, highlighting the family’s shared humiliation.
• Cheng Lang analyzes Lu Chengxuan’s downfall with the System and expresses satisfaction at the reversal of fortune.
• Cheng Lang and Qin Mu share a domestic conversation about Forest Style Milk Tea’s future. Qin Mu offers a more measured view of the company’s growth, while Cheng Lang insists that rapid expansion and an IPO are necessary.
• Cheng Lang remains physically affectionate with Qin Mu, leaning against him while explaining his business strategy, blending his mission-driven urgency with their intimate relationship.

Chapter 118 Summary

Plot and Events

• Cheng Lang tells Qin Mu that he plans to invest in a web drama through Forest Style Milk Tea, partnering with Qin Dynasty Entertainment.
• Qin Dynasty Entertainment is expanding beyond music into film, television, and variety shows because the music industry has stagnated.
• The drama is adapted from Jin Huaiyuan’s popular archaeological novel. Jin originally began writing such stories after sharing excavation experiences and strange incidents with others; his work later gained attention after Meng Tianye wrote a hit song inspired by one of his stories.
• Qin Dynasty Entertainment acquires the novel’s rights through Cheng Lang’s connection to Jin. Forest Style Milk Tea and Qin Dynasty Entertainment then collaborate on a high-quality web drama, incorporating brand advertising and promoting traditional cultural products.
• With support from X City’s Culture and Tourism Bureau, the production also becomes part of a local tourism and cultural-promotion campaign.
• The drama is based on a real artifact-theft case: an archaeologist discovers that tomb raiders are using his family’s food-processing plant as a base. He cooperates with the police, infiltrates the criminal group, and helps authorities arrest the thieves as they emerge from a tomb.
• The production attracts attention because the story resembles a recent artifact-theft case in X City and benefits from Cheng Lang’s and Forest Style Milk Tea’s popularity.
• During summer vacation, Shen Huaiyu invites Cheng Lang to visit the set. Jin Huaiyuan is working as a screenwriter, while Meng Tianye’s viral song has become the ending theme.
• Meng Tianye is also acting in a supporting role, despite having no real interest in acting. He complains to Cheng Lang that he repeatedly forgets his lines, does not understand acting terminology such as “blocking,” and causes numerous retakes.

Character Developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates strong business foresight by using the drama to expand Forest Style Milk Tea’s influence, support cultural promotion, and create commercial value from personal experiences and creative work.
• Qin Dynasty Entertainment begins transforming from a music-focused company into a broader entertainment enterprise.
• Jin Huaiyuan develops from an amateur online writer into a commercially successful novelist and screenwriter. He feels that the drama’s story is strangely familiar, suggesting that he may have unconsciously drawn on forgotten personal experiences.
• Meng Tianye gains increased exposure through his song and acting opportunity, but remains committed to music rather than becoming an actor or variety-show celebrity. He is conscientious about inconveniencing the crew.
• Cheng Lang views people’s experiences as potential sources of value, even when the people themselves no longer remember those experiences.

Themes

• The commercialization of art and personal experience.
• The interaction between entertainment, advertising, and cultural promotion.
• The preservation and popularization of traditional Chinese history and archaeology.
• The tension between personal artistic ambitions and corporate efforts to promote talent.
• Memory, forgotten experiences, and the possibility that lived events can reappear through fiction.
• The difficulties of adapting creative work across mediums, particularly from music and novels to television.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Lang and Qin Mu discuss the investment and the strategic partnership with Qin Dynasty Entertainment.
• Cheng Lang acts as a bridge between Jin Huaiyuan and Qin Dynasty Entertainment, helping the novelist navigate the entertainment industry.
• Jin Huaiyuan expresses his uneasy familiarity with the drama’s plot, but Cheng Lang keeps the possible truth behind it to himself.
• Cheng Lang visits the set after Shen Huaiyu invites him.
• Meng Tianye vents to Cheng Lang about his struggles with acting, while Cheng Lang compares his difficulties with Meng’s previous music-video experience.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

Meng Tianye continues struggling with his acting role. Although he memorizes his lines every night, he forgets them whenever he faces the camera, delaying the entire production. Feeling guilty, he treats the crew to Forest Style Milk Tea afternoon tea every day. He also takes private acting lessons after work, but the experience leaves him frustrated and convinced he may not be suited for acting.
Cheng Lang speaks with the director, who reassures him that Meng Tianye is talented, eager to learn, and has strong potential. Cheng then visits Jin Huaiyuan, who is working with the screenwriters on adapting Archaeology Diary for the screen. Jin, an archaeology graduate student with little formal writing training, has become interested in learning more about screenwriting.
Shen Huaiyu introduces the screenwriters to a new Osmanthus Oolong Tea flavor. During the casual conversation that follows, the group discusses the recently uncovered relic-smuggling ring connected to Forest Style Milk Tea’s first processing plant. They also discuss how the case inspired Jin’s novel and how many of its plot ideas came from Cheng Lang.

Character developments

Meng Tianye’s proud, temperamental nature is balanced by his kindness and sense of responsibility. Rather than abandoning the production, he works hard to improve and tries to compensate for the inconvenience he causes the crew. The director’s praise suggests that Meng’s apparent incompetence may conceal genuine acting ability.
Jin Huaiyuan grows more interested in writing and screen adaptation, despite lacking formal literary knowledge. His novel is revealed to be closely based on painful personal experiences. Cheng Lang recognizes both Jin’s potential and the emotional danger of forcing him to revisit those events.
Cheng Lang is shown to be protective and compassionate toward Jin. He wants Jin to turn his experiences into a meaningful story, but he conceals the true reason for encouraging the project.

Significant themes

The chapter explores perseverance, professional responsibility, and the gap between outward confidence and private insecurity. It also emphasizes transforming trauma into art and the moral ambiguity of drawing creative material from painful real-life events. Another important theme is the contrast between fiction and reality: Jin’s novel dramatizes events based on his own experiences, but gives its protagonist a more hopeful outcome than Jin originally received.

Character interactions

Meng confides his frustrations to Cheng Lang, who responds with quiet amusement and support. Cheng consults the director about Meng’s performance and later joins Jin and the screenwriters. Shen Huaiyu builds goodwill with the writing team by sharing a new milk tea flavor, which leads to a relaxed discussion of the relic-smuggling case. The screenwriters are curious about Cheng’s unusual ideas, but he avoids revealing the true connection between the story and Jin’s past, simply claiming the plot occurred to him spontaneously.

Chapter 119 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shen Huaiyu offers Jin Huaiyuan a new drink, Rose-Mint-Lemon Honey Tea, impressing him with both its flavor and appearance.
• Jin Huaiyuan suggests creating tea ware inspired by the Qianlong-era Furong-Stone Pan-Chi Eared Covered Censer. Shen enthusiastically agrees, and they plan to visit Liulichang together to develop matching cups.
• Cheng Lang offers to purchase Jin Huaiyuan’s tea-cup patent and hire him part-time to design custom tea ware for Forest Style Milk Tea. Jin readily accepts because the arrangement supports his artistic interests while providing income and royalties.
• Cheng Lang considers establishing a dedicated porcelain factory for the company. When Meng Tianye questions the scale of the investment, Cheng Lang reveals that he intends to delegate the project to Shen Huaiyu.
• Shen is surprised and unsure whether he can manage the factory, but Cheng encourages him. Cheng intends to gradually transfer more authority to Shen and train him to manage the company independently.
• Cheng then returns his attention to Forest Style Milk Tea’s planned Hong Kong IPO. The company is still awaiting the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s review of its initial application, with several additional stages—hearing, roadshows, public subscription, allotment, gray-market trading, and official listing—still ahead.
• Cheng has publicly set the goal of completing the IPO before the end of the year. The announcement attracts widespread media and public interest, but most industry insiders believe the schedule is unrealistic for a brand only a little over a year old.
• The Zhao family’s wealthy parents also advise Cheng not to rush, assuring him that Forest Style Milk Tea is already highly successful and could go public within three years through steady development.
• Cheng understands their concern but cannot afford to wait three years. With less than two years remaining before the original novel’s conclusion, he must help Shen Huaiyu become a powerful CEO and secure his protagonist status before time runs out.

Character Developments

• Shen Huaiyu continues growing beyond his quiet, artistic interests. Cheng begins deliberately preparing him for corporate leadership by assigning him responsibility for the new porcelain factory.
• Jin Huaiyuan gains a new creative and commercial opportunity. His passion for cultural merchandise and tea ware is recognized, allowing him to work with Forest Style Milk Tea while retaining creative freedom.
• Cheng Lang demonstrates confidence in delegation and long-term planning. Although others see his IPO deadline as reckless, he is motivated by the hidden time limit imposed by the novel’s plot and is determined to accelerate Shen Huaiyu’s growth.
• Meng Tianye acts as a practical voice of caution, questioning whether Cheng Lang can handle expanding the business so quickly.
• The Zhao family provides supportive but conservative business advice, emphasizing Cheng Lang’s existing achievements and warning against overextension.

Significant Themes

• Delegation and leadership development: Cheng’s decision to entrust Shen with the factory marks an important step in transforming him into a capable executive.
• Balancing creativity and commerce: Jin’s artistic talents are incorporated into Forest Style Milk Tea’s business strategy through custom-designed tea ware and cultural branding.
• Ambition versus caution: Cheng’s rapid IPO plan contrasts with the advice of investors and industry veterans who favor gradual, stable growth.
• Time pressure and hidden motives: Cheng’s urgency is driven not by ordinary business ambition but by the approaching end of the original novel and his need to secure Shen’s future.
• Expansion and risk: The company’s rapid growth creates both opportunities and dangers, raising concerns that Cheng may be spreading the business—and himself—too thin.

Character Interactions

• Shen and Jin bond over tea, design, and traditional craftsmanship, with Jin offering to help create matching tea ware.
• Cheng recruits Jin into Forest Style Milk Tea’s creative and commercial plans, while Jin accepts enthusiastically.
• Cheng assigns Shen responsibility for the porcelain factory, encouraging him despite his self-doubt.
• Meng questions Cheng’s aggressive expansion strategy, prompting Cheng to clarify his intention to delegate.
• The Zhao family offers Cheng paternal encouragement and business advice, but their recommendation to wait conflicts with Cheng’s urgent personal mission.

Chapter Summary

Plot points and events

• Despite outside doubts, Cheng Lang pushes ahead with Forest Style Milk Tea’s Hong Kong IPO. Co-founder Shen Huaiyu fully supports him, while the company’s executives cooperate based on trust in Cheng Lang’s past success.
• Qin Mu provides decisive practical support by lending his elite underwriting, sponsorship, and financial public-relations teams. Their expertise allows the young brand to complete the IPO unusually quickly—within two years of its founding.
• Forest Style Milk Tea lists at HK$1.88 per share. Its price rises dramatically, closing at HK$6.88 on the first day, later surpassing HK$10 and peaking at HK$10.69. The success shocks the beverage industry and attracts extensive media coverage.
• Cheng Lang purchases a prominent trending-topic slot to publicize the listing. Shareholders and employees who hold stock or dividends become extremely wealthy.
• At a lavish celebration banquet, Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu praise everyone’s collective contributions, especially Qin Mu’s financial support and professional teams.
• Investors who had backed the IPO—including former White Jade Capital clients familiar with Cheng Lang’s abilities—make substantial profits. They celebrate alongside the company and the underwriting team.
• Cheng Lang ends the evening slightly drunk and clings closely to Qin Mu.

Character developments

• Cheng Lang demonstrates persistence, strategic confidence, and strong leadership. His reputation, financial experience, and persuasive personality enable him to attract investors and overcome skepticism. He remains shamelessly witty, turning teasing into an opportunity to promote future support for the company.
• Qin Mu proves his commitment to Cheng Lang through concrete assistance rather than words. His gentle attitude at the banquet, and his lack of irritation at public teasing, reveal his emotional investment in their relationship.
• Shen Huaiyu becomes openly admiring and emotional about Cheng Lang’s achievement, embracing him and enthusiastically celebrating their success.
• The executives and shareholders gain greater trust in Cheng Lang, while investors recognize that his business ability extends far beyond his earlier public image as a singer and quick-witted entertainer.

Significant themes

• Ambition and perseverance: Cheng Lang succeeds by continuing forward despite external criticism and internal uncertainty.
• Trust and collaboration: The IPO is presented as a collective achievement, combining Cheng Lang’s vision, Shen Huaiyu’s support, Qin Mu’s resources, employee cooperation, and investor confidence.
• Love expressed through action: Qin Mu’s support of Cheng Lang’s career and his protective, gentle behavior demonstrate devotion more powerfully than verbal declarations.
• Public image versus reality: Investors initially know Cheng Lang as an entertainer, but gradually discover his intelligence, integrity, and financial acumen.
• Success and shared prosperity: The IPO enriches shareholders, employees, and investors, reinforcing the idea that business success can strengthen personal bonds and mutual loyalty.

Character interactions

• Shen Huaiyu hugs Cheng Lang and praises him passionately, but Qin Mu steps between them and subtly separates them, displaying a restrainedly possessive, protective attitude.
• Cheng Lang quietly holds Qin Mu’s hand and scratches his palm beneath the table, signaling their intimacy while maintaining a formal public demeanor.
• Cheng Lang publicly thanks Qin Mu and jokingly describes the shareholders as “providers” and the company as their “children,” using humor to encourage continued investment.
• The guests tease Cheng Lang and Qin Mu about acting like a married couple. Qin Mu responds with a gentle look rather than annoyance, confirming the authenticity of their relationship.
• After drinking, Cheng Lang instinctively stays close to Qin Mu, emphasizing his dependence and comfort around him.

Chapter 120 Summary

Key plot points and events

After Forest Style Milk Tea’s successful Hong Kong stock-market listing, Cheng Lang and the others finish celebrating at a hotel. As they wait for designated drivers, they witness several bodyguards violently beating a man outside the entrance. The victim is revealed to be Lu Chengxuan, formerly the powerful head of Lu Group. A wealthy, heavyset man named Wang Liang appears to be responsible, accusing Lu of ingratitude and ordering his men to break Lu’s arm and leg. When Cheng Lang moves to call the police, Wang hurriedly intervenes and introduces himself as the general manager of Dongliang Trading.

Character developments

• Lu Chengxuan is shown to have fallen dramatically from his former position of power. Once feared as a domineering corporate leader, he is now financially and socially weakened, reduced to begging for help and being publicly assaulted. His humiliation and hatred toward Cheng Lang are intense.
• Cheng Lang displays confidence, sarcasm, and a strong awareness of how completely circumstances have changed. He deliberately taunts Lu by announcing Forest Style Milk Tea’s success and reminding him that he is no longer powerful. He also presents himself as calm and principled by invoking the law and attempting to call the police.
• Shen Huaiyu remains mostly silent, but her presence heightens Lu’s humiliation. Her successful partnership with Cheng Lang contrasts sharply with Lu’s downfall.
• Wang Liang is established as an arrogant nouveau riche figure with enough influence to have Lu beaten publicly, though he becomes cautious once Cheng Lang threatens police involvement.
• Qin Mu is present with a large medicinal plaster, and Cheng Lang stays physically close to him, suggesting their growing intimacy or closeness.

Significant themes

• Reversal of fortune: The chapter emphasizes the dramatic shift from Lu Chengxuan’s former dominance to his current degradation, while Shen Huaiyu and Cheng Lang rise to success.
• Consequences and justice: Cheng Lang suggests that Lu’s downfall stems partly from failing to understand or respect the law. The possibility of police intervention introduces the theme of legal accountability.
• Public humiliation and social power: Lu’s beating occurs before former acquaintances and business associates, making his loss of status especially painful.
• Vindication and schadenfreude: The onlookers, aware of Lu’s past mistreatment of Shen Huaiyu, secretly enjoy seeing him suffer.

Character interactions

Cheng Lang openly mocks Lu while pretending to offer friendly concern, proudly informing him of Forest Style Milk Tea’s listing and advising him to behave humbly when working for others. Lu reacts with uncontrollable rage and hatred, clearly blaming Cheng Lang for his downfall. When Cheng Lang tries to call the police, Wang Liang quickly approaches and attempts to establish a more diplomatic relationship, ending the chapter with an introduction.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Cheng Lang recognizes Wang Liang as a minor character from the original story. Originally, Wang Liang was a wealthy, lecherous Lu Group supplier who targeted Shen Huaiyu and was later ruined by Lu Chengxuan. Because Cheng Lang altered the plot, Wang Liang instead targets Lu Chengxuan.
• During a business negotiation, Wang Liang behaves inappropriately toward Lu Chengxuan. Lu punches him, prompting Wang Liang’s bodyguards to beat Lu outside a restaurant.
• Cheng Lang and the others witness the assault. Cheng Lang calls the police and openly refuses to treat Wang Liang as a business “friend.” Shen Huaiyu also condemns Wang Liang.
• Both Wang Liang and Lu Chengxuan refuse to pursue the matter, so they settle in front of the police and avoid going to the station.
• Later, Qin Mu gives Cheng Lang an investigative report on Lu Chengxuan’s situation. Lu’s father has been financially ruined by his mistress and illegitimate son and has suffered a stroke. Lu must care for his parents while struggling to keep New Lu Company alive.
• Desperate for suppliers, Lu approaches smaller businesses and encounters Wang Liang. The assault and humiliation lead to another major conflict between Lu and his parents.
• Cheng Lang decides not to intervene further in Lu’s downfall. He believes Lu still has a year before the original story’s ending and intends to use that time to prepare Shen Huaiyu to lead Forest Style Milk Tea.
• Shen Huaiyu becomes uneasy about Cheng Lang’s intensive, accelerated teaching, suspecting Cheng Lang may eventually leave. Cheng Lang does not disclose his mission but encourages Shen to become capable of protecting their business.
• Shen vows to preserve and expand Forest Style Milk Tea. Cheng Lang focuses on teaching him capital operations, business strategy, reading people’s motives, and handling competitors.

Character Development

• Cheng Lang: Acts decisively and pragmatically by reporting Wang Liang, while remaining detached from Lu Chengxuan’s misfortunes. His priority is preparing Shen Huaiyu for independence before his own possible departure.
• Shen Huaiyu: Shows increasing emotional attachment to Cheng Lang and anxiety about being abandoned. Despite his insecurity, he responds with determination and commits to protecting their shared business.
• Lu Chengxuan: Suffers a sharp reversal of fortune, losing wealth, dignity, and stability. His desperate attempts to save New Lu Company expose his vulnerability and force him into humiliating situations.
• Wang Liang: Revealed as predatory, arrogant, and vindictive. His attempt to exploit Lu Chengxuan results in public disgrace, though he avoids formal punishment through a settlement.
• Qin Mu: Quietly supports Cheng Lang by investigating Lu Chengxuan’s circumstances and providing useful information.

Significant Themes

• Power and reversal: Formerly dominant figures such as Lu Chengxuan can quickly become vulnerable when their wealth and status collapse.
• Consequences of altered fate: Cheng Lang’s interference changes Wang Liang’s target and disrupts the original plot, demonstrating the continuing effects of the butterfly effect.
• Preparation for independence: Cheng Lang’s teaching reflects his belief that Shen must be able to survive and lead without relying on him.
• Emotional dependence and fear of separation: Shen’s concern that Cheng Lang may leave reveals the growing depth of their relationship and his fear of losing both Cheng Lang and their shared future.
• Business as a contest of human motives: Cheng Lang emphasizes that success depends not only on capital or formal qualifications but also on understanding what partners and rivals truly want.

Character Interactions

• Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu jointly reject Wang Liang’s behavior, with Shen openly expressing disgust and standing beside Cheng Lang.
• Cheng Lang protects Lu by calling the police but does not otherwise comfort or assist him, maintaining emotional distance.
• Qin Mu communicates his concern through practical action rather than words, investigating Lu’s circumstances for Cheng Lang.
• Cheng Lang and Shen have a serious discussion about the possibility of Cheng Lang leaving. Cheng disguises his intentions as ordinary instruction, while Shen interprets the lessons as possible preparation for abandonment.
• Their teacher-student dynamic deepens their bond: Cheng Lang pushes Shen toward competence, while Shen’s determination demonstrates his commitment to their shared enterprise.