Chapter Summaries

Cheng Lang performed crosstalk at Old Master Qin’s birthday banquet, using jokes to answer Qin Mi’s taunts and win the audience’s interest. He began telling the story of how White Jade Capital assigned him to perform for the crosstalk-loving birthday star.

• Cheng Lang opened by joking that he envied Yao Qixian and Xu Rujun for having partners while he had to perform alone.
• Qin Mi criticized Cheng Lang for coming without a partner, but Cheng Lang mocked Qin Mi as a “professional” grandson, prompting Old Master Qin to let him continue.
• Cheng Lang introduced himself as White Jade Capital’s new headliner and joked that guests would pay twenty percent more if they asked him to drink and sing.
• Cheng Lang explained that a White Jade Capital leader had assigned him to perform for an esteemed old gentleman’s eightieth birthday, then joked that his usual work involved only singing and chatting.

At Old Master Qin’s birthday celebration, Cheng Lang used his crosstalk performance to tease the Qin family and shamelessly offered to become Old Master Qin’s son or grandson. Old Master Qin praised Cheng Lang’s quick wit, leaving the performance on a friendly note.

• Cheng Lang joked about being forced to perform for a wealthy family, and Xu Rujun supplied a line that Cheng Lang turned into a punchline at Qin Mi’s expense.
• Cheng Lang mocked Third Uncle Qin’s praise of him, then told Old Master Qin that he reminded him of the father he had imagined growing up in an orphanage.
• Cheng Lang suggested that he and Old Master Qin could cultivate their fate by becoming father and son, angering Third Uncle Qin and Qin Mi.
• Qin Mu asked whether Cheng Lang wanted to be a dutiful son or a worthy grandson, and Cheng Lang deferred the choice to Old Master Qin.
• Old Master Qin praised Cheng Lang’s improvisation to Yao Qixian and Xu Rujun, while Cheng Lang joked that the praise would raise his fee.

At Old Master Qin’s birthday banquet, Cheng Lang entertained the guests with crosstalk and nearly convinced the old man to take him as a godson. Afterward, Cheng Lang enjoyed the feast while Qin Mu reflected on his seemingly easygoing but potentially dangerous nature.

• Cheng Lang joked with Old Master Qin, who praised his wit and nearly offered to take him in as a godson, while Qin Third and Qin Mi fell silent.
• Cheng Lang returned to his seat and bickered with Assistant Hu about his shameless attempt to gain a father.
• Yao Qixian and Xu Rujun praised Cheng Lang’s crosstalk, exchanged pleasantries, and invited him to visit Grand View Stage.
• Cheng Lang ate two bowls of shark fin rice, keeping his promise to Old Master Qin, who praised him to Qin Mu as smart and obedient.
• Qin Mu told Old Master Qin that keeping one’s word did not make Cheng Lang obedient, and privately considered him dangerous beneath his easygoing appearance.
• At the outer tables, Assistant Hu focused on his phone while the assistants and secretaries exchanged business cards and praised Cheng Lang.

At Qin Wenyu’s announcement that Manyi was pregnant, Old Master Qin angrily rebuked his family, and Qin Mu left the banquet in a foul mood. As Cheng Lang rode with Qin Mu down the winding mountain road, the car’s brakes failed, leaving Cheng Lang and the system fearing a fatal crash.

• Qin Mi accused Cheng Lang of being ruthless, but Old Master Qin praised his apparent chivalry after watching the debt-collection video.
• Qin Wenyu announced that Manyi was pregnant, and Old Master Qin slammed his chopsticks down in anger.
• Cheng Lang returned from the restroom to find most guests had left, then followed Assistant Hu to the car, where Qin Mu was already waiting.
• Cheng Lang rode with Qin Mu and Assistant Hu down the mountain road, and the driver announced that the brakes had failed.
• Cheng Lang realized the crash might explain Qin Mu’s disappearance from the original novel, while the system panicked that his death would fail their mission.

When the car Qin Mu and his companions were riding in was sabotaged on a snowy mountain road, Cheng Lang took the wheel and relied on the system to race them to safety. The car ran out of fuel at the bottom of the mountain, leaving them alive but stranded.

• The driver discovered the car’s brakes had failed, and Qin Mu realized the snowy mountain road made their situation even more dangerous.
• Cheng Lang pulled the driver from his seat and took control of the car despite Assistant Hu’s protests.
• Cheng Lang persuaded the system to scan the road and show him its conditions.
• Cheng Lang sped down the mountain, dodged trucks and other vehicles, and drove out of danger.
• The system warned Cheng Lang there would be no next time, and the car stopped by the roadside after running out of fuel.

After Cheng Lang saved Qin Mu and the others from a dangerous truck, Qin Mu promised to repay him and exchanged contact information with him. Cheng Lang returned to school, where his roommates asked when they could start promoting Milk Tea Paste.

• Cheng Lang told Qin Mu that the truck’s suspicious actions might mean someone had tried to kill them, and Qin Mu promised to give him an explanation.
• Qin Mu and Cheng Lang exchanged WeChat and phone contact information, and Qin Mu told Cheng Lang he could call even when nothing was wrong.
• Han Mingchen and Chu Suiyi thanked Cheng Lang for saving Qin Mu and offered to help him; Cheng Lang asked to be taken back to school and reminded them to transfer the promised hundred thousand yuan.
• Cheng Lang returned to his dorm, where his roommates said they had lost money trading stocks and asked when he would promote Milk Tea Paste.

Cheng Lang agreed to accompany Meng Tianye to a contract meeting after learning the talent-show contestant was unsure whether to sign. Back at the milk tea shop, Shen Huaiyu showed Cheng Lang his finished Milk Tea Paste and Milk Tea Powder, leaving their new drinks ready for customers.

• Cheng Lang left the school to meet Meng Tianye at the milk tea shop, where a crowd had gathered to see the celebrity.
• Meng Tianye told Cheng Lang that the talent-show organizers wanted him to sign with their company and asked Cheng Lang to join him at a contract meeting the next day.
• Cheng Lang agreed to meet Meng Tianye at Xingyuan Café at twelve thirty the following afternoon.
• Shen Huaiyu told Cheng Lang that he had finished developing Milk Tea Paste, and Cheng Lang praised the drink after tasting it.
• Shen Huaiyu prepared a second drink using Milk Tea Powder and explained that it was sweeter, more convenient for takeout, and could be made less sweet for customers.

Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu filed patent applications for their milk tea formulas, then Cheng Lang met with Meng Tianye to discuss promoting the shop and review a talent agency’s offer. The chapter left Cheng Lang confronting the late-arriving agent and asking to see the contract.

• Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu went to the patent office and filed applications for the Milk Tea Paste and Milk Tea Powder formulas.
• Cheng Lang met Meng Tianye at Star Edge Café, bought him food, and asked him to promote the milk tea shop.
• Cheng Lang and Meng Tianye discussed Meng Tianye’s limited screen time and prospects as a singer.
• Brother Zhang from Star Entertainment Media arrived late and claimed traffic had delayed him.
• Cheng Lang challenged Brother Zhang about keeping them waiting and asked to see the contract for signing Meng Tianye.

Cheng Lang examined Star Entertainment Media’s contract for Meng Tianye and exposed its exploitative terms and vague business-entertainment clause. Meng Tianye confronted Brother Zhang, who tried to defend the company and angrily dismissed a waiter.

• Brother Zhang presented Star Entertainment Media’s contract, and Cheng Lang took charge of reviewing it with Meng Tianye.
• Cheng Lang criticized the ten-year term, the eighty-twenty revenue split, and the company’s control over Meng Tianye’s songs.
• Cheng Lang challenged Brother Zhang to explain the company’s promised work and resources, prompting Brother Zhang to describe Star Entertainment Media’s connections.
• Cheng Lang questioned a clause requiring Meng Tianye to attend company-designated business engagements and asked whether it meant dinner and drinking parties.
• Meng Tianye grabbed Brother Zhang by the tie and accused him of trying to exploit him.
• Brother Zhang denied that the company arranged improper parties, then snapped at a waiter who reminded him he had not ordered.

Cheng Lang negotiated with Brother Zhang over a contract for Meng Tianye, rejecting increasingly favorable terms because they lacked clear guarantees of resources and gave the company too much control. Brother Zhang explained that the company would prioritize established stars and could not promise Meng Tianye major promotion.

• Meng Tianye refused to sign the first contract and urged Cheng Lang to leave, but Cheng Lang stayed to review a revised offer.
• Cheng Lang argued that Meng Tianye’s talent-show following, music training, and former status as White Jade Capital’s star performer warranted better terms.
• Brother Zhang offered a contract with a sixty-forty revenue split and warned that Meng Tianye might be kept out of the show’s national top ten if he refused to sign.
• Cheng Lang demanded specific commitments about album production, music videos, acting roles, and other resources, while Meng Tianye insisted he did not want to sign.
• Brother Zhang said the company’s top resources would go first to Fan Lin and Su Minghan, and that it could not heavily promote an unproven newcomer.

Cheng Lang used his analysis of the talent-show contestants to argue that Meng Tianye deserved strong support from Qin Dynasty, then rejected the company’s offer when Brother Zhang refused his demands. Brother Zhang left to ask the company again, while Meng Tianye refused to sign a contract he felt would sell him off.

• Cheng Lang presented Brother Zhang with comparative data showing that Meng Tianye had the most genuine users and strong audience recognition.
• Cheng Lang asked what top-tier treatment Qin Dynasty would offer Meng Tianye and proposed collaborations with Fan Lin and Su Minghan, concert appearances, and a new album.
• Brother Zhang rejected Cheng Lang’s requests as unrealistic and warned that Meng Tianye’s talent-show run would end if he did not sign.
• Meng Tianye said he would rather be eliminated than sign a contract that sold him off, and Cheng Lang told Brother Zhang to ask the company again.
• Brother Zhang agreed to seek another answer, though he doubted Fan Lin’s and Su Minghan’s management teams would approve.

Cheng Lang helped Meng Tianye assess Star Entertainment Media’s offer, and Meng Tianye refused to sign after learning the terms were unfavorable. As they ate on Meng Tianye’s birthday, Cheng Lang reassured him after the failed negotiations left him doubting his worth.

• Cheng Lang exchanged contact information with Brother Zhang and parted with him on friendly terms without signing a contract.
• Meng Tianye confronted Cheng Lang for negotiating with Brother Zhang, and Cheng Lang explained that he was comparing offers and helping raise Meng Tianye’s market value.
• Cheng Lang learned that Meng Tianye had made no friends on the talent show because Meng Tianye saw the other contestants as rivals and disliked their on-camera friendliness.
• Cheng Lang had the café pack up the cakes and pastries so Meng Tianye could share them with the contestants and production staff for his birthday.
• At a restaurant, Meng Tianye admitted he had planned to celebrate his birthday by signing a contract and said the failed offers made him question his ability.
• Cheng Lang told Meng Tianye that price did not determine his value and reassured him that he had real ability.

Cheng Lang encouraged Meng Tianye to write a promotional song for the milk tea shop and gave him a birthday cake to share with the crew. When Cheng Lang returned to the shop, he found it packed with customers after online posts had made it popular, and he helped the exhausted staff manage the rush.

• Cheng Lang offered to fund an MV and promote a sweet song Meng Tianye wrote for the milk tea shop, prompting Meng Tianye to regain his confidence.
• Cheng Lang insisted their collaboration was a business deal, then gave Meng Tianye a cake so the production crew could celebrate his birthday too.
• Cheng Lang returned to the shop and found a long queue, as photos and recommendations online had drawn a surge of customers.
• Cheng Lang checked the shop's growing online following and told Liang Yanyan to ensure the employees took turns eating dinner.
• After all the employees had eaten, Cheng Lang handed the shop over to Liang Yanyan and left for work at White Jade Capital with an exhausted Shen Huaiyu.

Cheng Lang visited Qin Mu, who offered him lavish gifts and a job to repay him for saving his life. Cheng Lang accepted the offers in principle but postponed transferring the house and car, leaving Qin Mu’s gifts unused for now.

• Cheng Lang took Shen Huaiyu to work and was summoned to Qin Mu’s private room at White Jade Capital.
• Qin Mu thanked Cheng Lang for saving his life and gave him a black card, a property transfer agreement, and a car key.
• Qin Mu offered Cheng Lang a position at one of his companies and promised to help with any request he could fulfill.
• Cheng Lang joked that he wanted a stunningly beautiful and handsome spouse, and Qin Mu told him he would have to find one himself.
• Cheng Lang said he did not need a job and asked to delay transferring the house and car to preserve his first-home loan benefits.
• Qin Mu agreed to leave the property and car in Hu Li’s name, while Cheng Lang declined to take the car because he had nowhere safe to park it at school.

Cheng Lang accepted Qin Mu’s black card while declining the villa and car, and Qin Mu’s companions interpreted his response as a way to ease the burden of being repaid for saving Qin Mu. After Cheng Lang boasted to Lu Chengxuan about his rewards and Qin Mu’s favor, Qin Mu warned Lu not to provoke him, leaving Lu stunned that Qin Mu might like Cheng Lang.

• Cheng Lang asked for Assistant Hu to drive the car to his villa, kept Qin Mu’s black card, and left to perform.
• Assistant Hu and Chu Suiyi explained to Han Mingchen that Cheng Lang was delaying accepting Qin Mu’s gifts so his life-saving favor would not become a burden.
• Lu Chengxuan cornered Cheng Lang at the stairway and demanded to know why Qin Mu had arranged gifts for him.
• Cheng Lang claimed Qin Mu had rewarded his passionate performance and promised to fulfill his requests, then realized Qin Mu and the others had overheard him.
• Qin Mu warned Lu Chengxuan not to provoke Cheng Lang, and Lu asked in disbelief whether Qin Mu liked him.

After warning Lu Chengxuan not to make Auntie Pei beg for mercy again, Qin Mu left Cheng Lang to return to the stage and entertain the guests. After his performance, Wang asked Cheng Lang to persuade Meng Tianye to sign with the Qin Dynasty, and Cheng Lang praised Wang for being a good person.

• Qin Mu warned Lu Chengxuan that he did not want Auntie Pei crying and begging him for mercy because of Lu Chengxuan again.
• Cheng Lang joked with the floor manager that Qin Mu had promised he could use the boss's money, villa, and cars as he pleased.
• Cheng Lang went onstage, traded jokes with the guests, and sang and performed for two hours.
• Wang gave Cheng Lang water and asked whether Meng Tianye had visited him.
• Wang asked Cheng Lang to persuade Meng Tianye to sign with the Qin Dynasty, saying Meng Tianye would listen to him.
• Cheng Lang called Wang a good person, leaving Wang suspicious that he was setting him up for another joke.

Wang Liu'an apologized to Cheng Lang for misjudging him and asked him to keep looking out for Meng Tianye. Later, Cheng Lang drove Shen Huaiyu toward school, evaded two cars following them by driving into a police station, and reported the incident, but the lack of evidence kept the officers from opening a case.

• Wang Liu'an told Cheng Lang that Meng Tianye had few friends and asked him to advise and look after Tianye.
• Wang Liu'an apologized for his earlier remarks about Cheng Lang, and they agreed to have a drink together sometime.
• After Cheng Lang left, Wang Liu'an told his assistant that Cheng Lang had gained powerful backing and was better befriended than offended.
• Cheng Lang realized two cars were following him as he drove Shen Huaiyu back to school and accelerated to shake them off.
• Cheng Lang drove into a police station, causing the two cars to flee, then reported the pursuit to the night-duty officer.
• Cheng Lang recounted the chase to the officer, but the police could not open a case without crucial evidence.

After two cars followed Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu, Cheng Lang used the police to avoid traffic penalties, while Lu Chengxuan blamed his failed subordinates. Qin Mu then promised to protect Cheng Lang, who wondered if Qin might repay him by offering himself.

• Cheng Lang told the police that he and Shen Huaiyu had been followed, and the officers said they lacked grounds to open a case without evidence.
• After reviewing surveillance footage, the traffic police waived Cheng Lang’s points for speeding and running red lights but warned him to obey traffic laws.
• Cheng Lang laughed that the pursuers had lost their licenses, while Shen Huaiyu worried about who had followed them.
• Lu Chengxuan smashed his phone after learning his subordinates had failed and drawn attention from the traffic department.
• Qin Mu called Cheng Lang and promised to protect him, and Cheng Lang reassured him that the pursuit might not have been related to him.
• Cheng Lang told the system he liked men who repaid kindness and joked that Qin Mu could offer himself to him.

After returning to school, Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu thanked the police officers who had helped them by bringing them milk tea and breakfast. Cheng Lang was warned about missing class and given a bundle said to concern his background, which he tossed into his suitcase without interest.

• Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu spent the night in their milk tea shop after returning to school too late to enter the dormitory quietly.
• Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu made 102 cups of milk tea, ordered breakfast, and delivered them to the police station and traffic police brigade.
• Cheng Lang teased a police officer about his apparent interest in a policewoman, making the officers laugh.
• An instructor scolded Cheng Lang for arriving late to class, and counselor Meng Haiyang warned him that missed classes could hurt his grades.
• Meng Haiyang gave Cheng Lang a bundle connected to his background and suggested he leave a DNA sample, but Cheng Lang put the bundle in his suitcase without much concern.

Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu decided to build their own Milk Tea Paste production line so their busy shop could meet demand and expand. They went to Xuanpu Tea House to meet Luo Pu, whose help they needed to make the plan possible.

• Liang Yanyan told Cheng Lang that the shop was running low on Milk Tea Paste and Milk Tea Powder as customer demand surged.
• Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu agreed to build a production line and eventually open more branches, and Cheng Lang planned to persuade Luo Pu to work with them.
• Shen Huaiyu worried that Lu Chengxuan had sent people to follow them, but Cheng Lang reassured him that the trouble was probably because of Cheng Lang himself.
• Cheng Lang and Shen Huaiyu arranged to meet Luo Pu the next afternoon and arrived at his Xuanpu Tea House in the old city alley.