Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Who Would the Blazing Fire Consume?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jing Yi decides to openly accept responsibility for the controversial “Choking Game” video associated with the original owner. Although the act damaged his public image, he refuses to condemn or distance himself from the original owner, believing the deceased had already paid for his foolishness.
• He argues that his considerable talent and fame will allow him to survive the scandal. Losing his image as a morally perfect celebrity may even free him to act more naturally.
• Qin Meng is deeply affected by Jing Yi’s integrity and confidence, though Jing Yi misunderstands his serious expression as concern over the scandal.
• Diandian, the intelligent computer assisting Jing Yi, announces that it has recovered the missing evidence and discovered an additional “surprise.”
• Jing Bo had carefully protected the incriminating videos by storing them offline and hiding the storage device, making ordinary hacking impossible. Diandian bypasses this security by reconstructing deleted data from optical computers within the Jing household.
• Diandian also retrieves encrypted video-call records between Jing Bo and Qin Zhengyu. Because the men believed the government-grade communication channel was completely secure, they spoke openly about their conspiracy.
• The recovered conversation reveals that Qin Zhengyu pressured Jing Bo to hand over compromising videos involving two children. In exchange, Qin Zhengyu promised to help Jing Bo obtain a transfer to the Finance Ministry and offered him control of the West Gold Mine in the Anxi Mountains.
• Jing Bo initially hesitates because exposing the scandal would destroy the Jing Family’s century-old reputation, but he ultimately accepts the deal.
• Qin Meng is stunned by the evidence and by Diandian’s extraordinary ability to obtain it—something even an elite military team could not have achieved.

Character Developments

• Jing Yi: Demonstrates courage, responsibility, and moral conviction. Rather than exploit the original owner’s death to protect himself, he accepts the consequences of the original owner’s actions. His pride and independence become more apparent.
• Qin Meng: Begins to see Jing Yi with growing admiration and emotional attachment. Jing Yi’s resolve causes Qin Meng’s heart to race, though Jing Yi fails to recognize the romantic significance of his reaction. Qin Meng is also shocked by the scale of Diandian’s capabilities.
• Diandian: Proves to be far more powerful than conventional hackers or military technology. It can reconstruct shredded data and penetrate supposedly inviolable encrypted communications.
• Jing Bo: Is revealed as cautious but corrupt. Despite worrying about his family’s reputation, he is willing to participate in a serious conspiracy for political advancement and material gain.
• Qin Zhengyu: Emerges as manipulative, ruthless, and morally bankrupt. He exploits Jing Bo’s vulnerability and uses political promises and wealth to coerce him into handing over damaging evidence.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and moral inheritance: Jing Yi believes he must bear the consequences of the original owner’s actions because he has benefited from that person’s life.
• Public morality versus true character: The chapter questions society’s tendency to condemn foolish mistakes while allowing powerful villains and corrupt officials to prosper.
• Power and corruption: Qin Zhengyu’s offer demonstrates how political influence, mineral wealth, and personal ambition can override family loyalty and ethical boundaries.
• Truth hidden beneath reputation: The Jing Family’s respected public image conceals serious wrongdoing. The chapter suggests that reputations built on deception are fragile.
• Technology as a force that disrupts power: Diandian’s abilities overturn the assumption that government encryption and offline storage are invulnerable, giving Jing Yi access to evidence capable of exposing powerful figures.

Character Interactions

• Jing Yi reassures Qin Meng that the scandal will not destroy him, while Qin Meng silently reacts with admiration and concern.
• Diandian interrupts their exchange to reveal that it has recovered both the original evidence and additional records.
• Jing Yi and Qin Meng review the recovered call, learning that Jing Bo and Qin Zhengyu conspired through threats, bribery, and political bargaining.
• The evidence shifts the balance of power toward Jing Yi and Qin Meng, providing them with proof of a far larger conspiracy than the original scandal.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jing Yi realizes that Qin Zhengyu’s actions have exposed a major weakness, giving them an opportunity to reverse the situation and counter his schemes.
• He reviews the leaked video showing Jing Xiaoyi’s past suicide attempt through the “Choking Game.” The footage reveals that the boy nearly dies, suffers intense physical pain, and is then mocked by Madam Jing and Madam Qin, who treat the incident—and the marriage arrangement—as entertainment.
• Qin Meng watches the video and is horrified and enraged. He recognizes how humiliating and traumatic the event must have been for Jing Xiaoyi and gains a deeper understanding of the suffering behind his seemingly cheerful personality.
• Jing Yi publishes a public statement confirming that he is the person in the video. He admits his past foolishness, warns others never to imitate the act, and identifies himself as a victim while challenging the people threatening to release more footage.
• Qin Meng immediately reposts Jing Yi’s statement and publicly declares that, as his lover, he will stand with him through the scandal.
• Their exchange causes another massive online uproar. Some people praise their honesty and devotion, but most criticize Jing Yi, accuse him of hypocrisy, and reject the positive image he had built.

Character Developments

• Jing Yi/Jing Xiaoyi: His past vulnerability becomes fully visible. Although he presents himself as blunt and defiant, his statement also shows self-awareness, resilience, and a refusal to let others control the narrative. He accepts responsibility for his foolish act while emphasizing that he was exploited and victimized.
• Qin Meng: His attitude changes dramatically after seeing the video. He moves from curiosity and strategic calculation to deep sympathy, protectiveness, and anger toward those who abused Jing Yi. His public defense demonstrates loyalty and commitment.
• Qin Zhengyu: Though he does not appear directly, his overly cautious behavior has created an exploitable weakness, allowing Jing Yi and Qin Meng to mount a counterattack.
• Madam Jing and Madam Qin: Their contemptuous behavior in the video exposes their cruelty and lack of compassion, particularly in treating a traumatized teenager’s suffering as a spectacle.

Significant Themes

• Public image versus private reality: The scandal reveals how quickly public opinion can shift and how little online audiences truly understand before judging.
• Victim-blaming and exploitation: Jing Yi is condemned for his past mistake even though the video shows him suffering and being manipulated by others.
• Loyalty in adversity: Qin Meng’s statement emphasizes that genuine love means enduring public attacks together rather than abandoning someone during a crisis.
• Resilience and self-reinvention: Despite his traumatic past, Jing Yi has become optimistic, strong, and determined, refusing to let his worst moment define him.
• The instability of truth and social judgment: The day’s repeated scandals and reversals show how easily crowds can be manipulated into believing they possess moral authority.

Character Interactions

• Qin Meng watches Jing Yi’s traumatic video and emotionally reacts with pity, anger, and protectiveness.
• Jing Yi confronts the scandal publicly and challenges his enemies to release all their evidence rather than threaten Qin Meng.
• Qin Meng responds by openly standing beside Jing Yi, framing their relationship as a partnership that will withstand hardship.
• Online observers become an indirect force in their relationship, alternately praising and attacking them as the scandal repeatedly changes public perception.

Chapter Summary: Won’t Die So Easily

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jing Yi’s public statement admitting that he had foolishly participated in the Choking Game causes widespread debate. Although many criticize him, his honesty prevents Qin Zhengyu’s planned strategy from completely destroying his reputation.
• At the Qin family residence, Qin Zhengyu recognizes that he underestimated Jing Yi. He had expected Jing Yi to panic and deny everything, which would have allowed him to ruin him permanently.
• Despite Jing Yi’s successful response, Qin Zhengyu believes the larger situation remains under his control and considers Jing Yi a disobedient chess piece who will eventually be discarded.
• Qin Zhengyu is about to leave when two mysterious videos posted by the anonymous netizen “Just Kidding” begin spreading through the comments section.
• The videos apparently expose shocking evidence concerning Qin Zhengyu, Jing Bo, Jing Yi, and Qin Meng—especially years of surveillance, political manipulation, and an apparent attempt to frame or destroy Jing Yi.
• The public reacts with outrage. Many viewers accuse Qin Zhengyu and Jing Bo of criminal wrongdoing, question their qualifications as fathers, and speculate that Jing Yi’s Choking Game incident may have been deliberately engineered as an attempted murder.
• The new evidence dramatically reverses public opinion, turning the scandal against the politicians and creating another major shift in the conflict.

Character Developments

• Jing Yi: Demonstrates unexpected composure and intelligence by admitting his past mistake instead of denying it. His statement earns sympathy because it distinguishes his foolishness from the deliberate malice of those manipulating him.
• Qin Zhengyu: Reveals his arrogance and ruthlessness. He views people as chess pieces and initially believes he has already won, but the anonymous videos shock him and expose cracks in his confidence.
• Jing Bo and Qin Meng: Though not directly present, they are implicated by the newly released evidence, which suggests deep betrayal, surveillance, and coordinated efforts to harm Jing Yi.
• “Just Kidding”: Emerges as a mysterious but bold figure who publishes the crucial videos while taunting a supposed blackmailer or political manipulator. His identity and motives remain unknown, but his actions reshape the public narrative.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation versus truth: The chapter shows how carefully constructed public narratives can collapse when genuine evidence appears.
• Family betrayal: The apparent abuse of parental authority and the destruction of familial trust are central sources of public outrage.
• Public judgment and reversals: Online opinion changes rapidly, with people realizing that they had been manipulated into attacking Jing Yi.
• Power and accountability: Political influence may control the media temporarily, but the chapter suggests that undeniable evidence can challenge even powerful figures.
• Appearances versus reality: Qin Zhengyu presents himself as being concerned for his family while secretly working to destroy them, exposing the hypocrisy behind his public image.

Character Interactions

• Qin Zhengyu mentally contrasts his own calculated manipulation with Jing Yi’s unexpectedly effective public response.
• The confrontation between Jing Yi’s admission and Qin Zhengyu’s plans becomes an indirect battle of strategy.
• The anonymous “Just Kidding” directly taunts the unseen blackmailer, challenging the forces controlling the scandal.
• Online commenters collectively reassess their attitudes toward Jing Yi and Qin Meng, expressing sympathy for the victims and condemnation of Qin Zhengyu and Jing Bo.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Public opinion shifts dramatically after two leaked videos expose wrongdoing involving Qin Zhengyu and Jing Bo. Calls intensify for the Federal Government to investigate and punish them.
• Qin Zhengyu watches the videos and realizes the evidence is too overwhelming to deny or cover up. He worries that Jing Bo may have betrayed him or that the Military Headquarters has breached supposedly secure government communications.
• Jing Bo repeatedly attempts to contact Qin through encrypted channels. Qin refuses the calls, fearing further surveillance, then contacts him through an obsolete communicator.
• Jing Bo insists that the videos could not have leaked from his storage device and begs Qin to believe him. Qin angrily blames him for failing to destroy all evidence.
• The pair are baffled by the fact that both the videos and their private communications have been exposed, suggesting that the mysterious hacker “Just Kidding” possesses extraordinary access to the Federation’s systems.
• Qin devises a political strategy: instead of denying the incriminating evidence, he will portray the scandal as proof that the Military Headquarters has become dangerously powerful. By turning the matter into a conflict between civilian government and military authority, he hopes to win support from governmental hardliners and redirect public attention.
• Qin understands that this plan will force him to abandon his previous strategy of balancing between political factions. If he chooses the hardliners, he will permanently become the military’s enemy, but doing nothing would likely end his political career.
• He reassures the panicked Jing Bo that he will handle the crisis, though he privately resents having to save him. Because the leaked videos implicate both men, they are now trapped together.
• After the call, Qin discovers that nearly all of his former allies and colleagues have abandoned him. Their silence confirms that he is politically isolated.
• The chapter ends with Qin sitting alone at night, his influence and confidence visibly collapsing.

Character Developments

• Qin Zhengyu: Reveals himself as calculating, politically experienced, and willing to exploit a larger power struggle to protect himself. However, the scandal exposes his vulnerability: he is frightened, increasingly desperate, and forced into a risky factional choice. His hatred of the rising “wolf cub” remains strong, but his sense of control is slipping.
• Jing Bo: Is portrayed as weak, frightened, and dependent on Qin. He cannot formulate a solution and clings to Qin as his only protection. His insistence that he did not leak the data suggests either innocence or an inability to understand how thoroughly they have been compromised.
• “Just Kidding”: Although absent, the mysterious figure becomes an increasingly powerful unseen force, apparently capable of breaching secure government systems and manipulating public opinion.

Significant Themes

• Political downfall and loss of power: Qin experiences what it means to fall from a position of influence as allies distance themselves and his future becomes uncertain.
• Surveillance and insecurity: The breach of encrypted communications destroys faith in the Federation’s supposedly impenetrable security.
• Power struggles: Qin attempts to transform a personal scandal into a broader conflict between the Federal Government and Military Headquarters.
• Betrayal and accountability: The leaked evidence makes it impossible for Qin to simply deny his actions, while his relationship with Jing Bo becomes defined by mutual liability and suspicion.
• Isolation: The silence of Qin’s colleagues emphasizes how quickly political relationships disappear when someone becomes a liability.

Character Interactions

• Qin Zhengyu and Jing Bo: Their conversation highlights their unequal relationship. Jing Bo is terrified and pleading, while Qin is angry, contemptuous, and focused on damage control. Despite despising Jing Bo, Qin must protect him because their fates are now inseparable.
• Qin Zhengyu and “Just Kidding”: They never interact directly, but Qin’s thoughts reveal that he views the hacker as a potentially overwhelming political and personal threat.
• Qin Zhengyu and his former colleagues: Their lack of communication functions as an indirect interaction, showing that they have abandoned him rather than risk association with the scandal.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Zhengyu ignores his wife’s crying and knocking until she eventually goes silent, while Jing Yi’s uploaded video continues affecting public opinion.
• Diandian’s video, posted under the alias “Just Kidding,” causes it to expend much of its energy and enter hibernation. Jing Yi realizes it may not survive another ten days and urgently needs to create an Energy Card for it.
• Jing Yi dismisses the online backlash, believing virtual condemnation cannot seriously affect him. However, he recognizes that the scandal could damage Qin Zhengyu’s political career and Qin Meng’s military reputation.
• Qin Zhengyu may also face legal consequences and be summoned to court.
• After seeing Qin Meng off, Jing Yi sleeps deeply, then devotes himself entirely to making Diandian’s Energy Card, prioritizing its survival over his shop and the online controversy.
• Meanwhile, his business partner Fan Qiao arrives at Gold Star with several companions and a large shipment of supplies, heading toward the Military District Family Compound.
• The chapter explains the nature of Energy Cards: they store energy through intricate Energy Patterns and are ranked from one to five stars. Higher-level cards are rare, expensive, and strategically valuable.
• Jing Yi begins crafting Diandian’s unusually small Energy Card. Although the pattern itself is not more complex than standard Mi Star designs, its unfamiliar logic and tiny size make it exceptionally difficult.
• His first attempt fails almost immediately, destroying the card blank and emphasizing the enormous material cost involved in becoming a successful card maker.

Character Developments

• Jing Yi remains emotionally resilient and pragmatic. He refuses to be controlled by public opinion and focuses on practical priorities, especially saving Diandian.
• His lack of prior Energy Card knowledge becomes an unexpected advantage: he is not constrained by conventional Mi Star methods and can accept Diandian’s strange patterns naturally.
• Jing Yi’s first failure reveals the limits of his current skill and the steep learning curve of card-making.
• Qin Zhengyu is increasingly vulnerable, facing both political damage and potential criminal charges.
• Diandian is shown to be physically fragile and dependent on Jing Yi’s success, raising the urgency of his efforts.
• Fan Qiao is introduced through his sudden arrival, suggesting an upcoming surprise or significant development.

Significant Themes

• Priorities versus public opinion: Jing Yi values real consequences and personal responsibilities over online reputation.
• The cost of mastery: Energy Card production requires immense resources, repeated failure, and high spiritual power.
• Innovation versus convention: Jing Yi’s unfamiliarity with established techniques allows him to approach strange Energy Patterns without preconceived limitations.
• Technology and spiritual ability: Energy Cards demonstrate how technological advancement on Mi Star is closely tied to spiritual power.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Jing Yi’s willingness to abandon business concerns and exhaust himself for Diandian highlights his attachment and sense of duty.

Character Interactions

• Jing Yi briefly interacts with Qin Meng before sending him off, maintaining a calm relationship despite the surrounding controversy.
• His indirect conflict with Qin Zhengyu continues through the video scandal, with Jing Yi’s actions threatening Qin Zhengyu’s public standing and legal future.
• Fan Qiao’s arrival introduces a new external presence and likely connects to Jing Yi’s business or the unfolding events at the military family compound.

Chapter 146 Summary

Plot and Events

• Jing Yi continues trying to create an Energy Card for Diandian. Despite carefully reviewing each attempt and receiving rhythm-related reminders from Diandian, his first several efforts fail.
• He makes slight progress on later attempts, reaching the first turning point and eventually advancing to the second node, but still cannot complete the card.
• Exhausted from repeatedly draining his mental power, Jing Yi collapses. After resting for half an hour with soothing music playing, he regains consciousness.
• Jing Yi remains determined because he cannot bear the thought of Diandian disappearing, revealing how important the AI Brain has become to him.
• Fan Qiao calls after returning to Gold Star. Concerned by Jing Yi’s pale appearance, he assumes the online controversy has affected him, but Jing Yi explains that his condition is from making Energy Cards.
• Fan Qiao jokes that Jing Yi may have tried to teach himself card making by copying diagrams online. Jing Yi sincerely admits that this was exactly his plan, not understanding the well-known joke behind Fan Qiao’s comment.
• Fan Qiao sends Jing Yi the equipment he has brought for the factory, visits the newly established facility, and approves of its size and potential for expansion.
• He then heads with the equipment toward Major Qin’s home, confident that Jing Yi is handling the online scandal well.

Character Development

• Jing Yi: Demonstrates persistence, resilience, and strong emotional attachment to Diandian. Even after repeated failures and physical collapse, he refuses to give up. His unconventional, self-taught approach to new skills is also emphasized.
• Diandian: Shows concern for Jing Yi and tries to assist by offering technical reminders and playing calming music, though its lack of mental power prevents it from giving more precise guidance.
• Fan Qiao: Reveals his protective concern for Jing Yi, quickly checking whether he is emotionally stable. He also remains practical and supportive by transporting factory equipment and assessing the facility.

Themes

• Persistence and sacrifice: Jing Yi is willing to exhaust himself repeatedly to preserve Diandian.
• Companionship and emotional dependence: His determination to complete the Energy Card reflects the deep bond between him and Diandian.
• Self-taught ingenuity: Jing Yi relies on experimentation rather than formal instruction, highlighting both his independence and his lack of conventional knowledge.
• Misunderstanding and public opinion: Fan Qiao’s concern reflects the impact of the online controversy, while the shifting public sentiment shows that the situation is beginning to favor Jing Yi.

Character Interactions

• Jing Yi and Diandian work together on the Energy Card, with Diandian offering limited guidance and emotional support.
• Fan Qiao and Jing Yi exchange playful banter during the call, though Fan Qiao’s initial humor leaves Jing Yi confused.
• Fan Qiao’s concern and practical actions show that he trusts Jing Yi’s strength while still watching out for him.
• Fan Qiao’s comments also establish that Jing Yi’s reputation and the online scandal are no longer an immediate threat, especially after the involvement of the two troublemaking fathers is exposed.

Summary

Plot points and events

Fan Qiao reflects on Jing Yi’s difficult upbringing, resilience, maturity, and dignified handling of his recent scandal. He feels unusually close to Jing Yi despite knowing him only a few days and plans to give him a surprise to lift his spirits. Meanwhile, Jing Yi waits at home for Fan Qiao but receives a mysterious, oversized package instead. Qin Meng realizes it is likely Fan Qiao’s delayed custom-made return gift.
The package contains an ugly, egg-shaped object covered in dark green stripes. Jing Yi briefly worries that it might be dangerous, while Qin Meng protectively tries to keep him away from it. After Diandian confirms that it is harmless, Jing Yi and Qin Meng open it together. A human-sized skeleton bursts out, flies around the room, emits eerie effects, and then performs a loud, energetic musical dance while the egg projects red light.

Character development

Fan Qiao’s admiration for Jing Yi deepens into genuine respect and affection. He sees Jing Yi not as someone to pity, but as an equal whose strength and integrity are inspiring. Jing Yi remains calm, practical, and good-humored despite the unsettling package, though he is also amused and horrified by its terrible appearance. Qin Meng demonstrates strong protective instincts and concern for Jing Yi, even if his overprotectiveness becomes awkward and comical.

Character interactions

Fan Qiao mentally positions himself as Jing Yi’s supportive friend and prepares a thoughtful surprise. Jing Yi and Qin Meng discuss the unexplained delivery, with Qin Meng insisting on protecting Jing Yi and Jing Yi gently mocking his “heroic” behavior. They ultimately open the gift together, sharing the suspense before being startled by its dramatic skeleton performance.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes resilience, dignity, and treating strong people with equality rather than pity. It also explores quickly forming friendship and emotional connection. The serious reflection on Jing Yi’s hardships contrasts with the chapter’s comic reveal, creating humor through Fan Qiao’s unexpectedly terrible taste and Qin Meng’s exaggerated protectiveness.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

Jing Yi is startled when a customized dancing skeleton suddenly activates, though he quickly realizes it is playing a song by the death-metal band Death’s Pact. Instead of remaining frightened, he finds the performance hilarious. Qin Meng instinctively protects him, but internally struggles between concern that his prank was childish and delight at Jing Yi’s softness and closeness.
Fan Qiao arrives with an unexpected group of silver-haired guests, who are bewildered by the skeleton’s grotesque performance. Qin Meng cannot stop the device because it is programmed to complete two entire songs. After the skeleton finishes one song and then dramatically tears off its own arm and smashes itself in the face, Jing Yi hurriedly kicks it—and the Green-Fur Egg—into a storage compartment. He then calmly welcomes the guests while maintaining a professional smile despite the embarrassing situation.

Character developments

• Jing Yi reveals an unexpectedly strong affinity for extreme death metal and reacts to the frightening skeleton with amusement once he recognizes the music. He also demonstrates impressive composure and social professionalism after the chaotic incident.
• Qin Meng behaves protectively toward Jing Yi and becomes increasingly aware of his romantic feelings. His attempted “revenge” gift backfires, leaving him deeply embarrassed in front of the guests.
• Fan Qiao remains affectionate and energetic, greeting Jing Yi warmly, but unintentionally worsens the situation by bringing unexpected visitors.
• The silver-haired newcomers are introduced as dignified and serious, but their confusion at the bizarre display makes them appear comically out of place.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes the contrast between appearances and reality: the terrifying skeleton is ultimately a ridiculous entertainment device, while Qin Meng’s intimidating military persona conceals his flustered romantic thoughts. It also highlights embarrassment, improvised crisis management, and the humor created when refined characters encounter absurd circumstances. Jing Yi’s ability to accept the strange and maintain outward courtesy further reflects his adaptability.

Character interactions

Qin Meng shields Jing Yi when the skeleton appears, allowing Jing Yi to cling to him while Qin Meng privately enjoys the contact. Jing Yi enthusiastically insists that the performance continue and wants to share it with Fan Qiao. Fan Qiao then introduces the bewildered group, exposing Qin Meng’s failed prank to everyone. Finally, Jing Yi takes control of the situation by removing the skeleton and Green-Fur Egg before graciously inviting the guests inside.

Chapter 76: “Four Masters” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fan Qiao introduces four elderly mecha experts to Qin Meng and Jing Yi: Master Gu Yueqin, Master Han Jin, Master Yu Shengming, and Master Li Zixia.
• Despite the awkward and potentially shocking appearance of Qin Meng and Jing Yi as a publicly recognized couple, the meeting proceeds. Jing Yi tries to compensate for the poor first impression by serving tea, pastries, and candy.
• Fan Qiao explains that he discovered the four masters hidden away in one of the seemingly insignificant mecha-component factories belonging to Jing’s company.
• The four men were once famous “research-oriented” mecha masters:
  • Gu Yueqin improved mecha engines.
  • Han Jin advanced mecha Energy Card slots.
  • Yu Shengming specialized in efficient, attractive, material-saving mecha body designs.
  • Li Zixia researched close-combat and cold weapons for mechas.
• Their fame originally came from overcoming humble backgrounds, weak constitutions, and limited spiritual power through intelligence, persistence, and theoretical innovation.
• Fan Qiao recalls the inspirational childhood stories surrounding the four men, who had supposedly grown up as neighbors, supported one another, and fulfilled their shared dream of becoming renowned masters.
• His childhood admiration was shattered when he learned that the masters had later proposed a radical theory or project. The Federation acted on it, but the experiment failed disastrously, causing significant losses.
• As a result, the four were expelled and blacklisted. Rumors claimed they had gone insane or died, making their discovery in the abandoned factory especially surprising.

Character Developments

• Jing Yi is shown as socially attentive and adaptable. Although he does not know the masters, he recognizes their importance and actively tries to repair the group’s first impression of him.
• Qin Meng takes the more formal role of entertaining the guests while Jing Yi handles hospitality, reinforcing their public image as a couple.
• Fan Qiao reveals a more personal and nostalgic side. His memories of the masters connect them to his childhood aspirations and to the disappointment that ended his dream of becoming a mecha expert.
• The four masters are recontextualized from legendary figures into disgraced and mysterious survivors whose past failure may still conceal important knowledge.

Significant Themes

• Reputation and redemption: The masters’ former glory contrasts sharply with their exile and obscurity, raising the possibility that their fall may not define their true worth.
• Persistence against disadvantage: Their early success illustrates how determination and intelligence can overcome weak physical and spiritual conditions.
• The fragility of ideals: Fan Qiao’s childhood dream collapses when he learns that even admired heroes can fail catastrophically.
• The value of friendship and mutual support: The four masters’ lifelong unity is presented as a major reason they overcame hardship.
• Hidden talent beneath ordinary appearances: Their presence in a nearly abandoned factory suggests that remarkable people and knowledge may be concealed in overlooked places.

Character Interactions

• Fan Qiao introduces the masters while trying to maintain a cheerful tone despite the seriousness of the meeting.
• Jing Yi moves around the room serving refreshments, attempting to win over the stern elderly men.
• Qin Meng and Jing Yi sit together as the officially recognized couple, with Qin Meng handling conversation and Jing Yi supporting him through hospitality.
• Fan Qiao’s account gives Qin Meng and Jing Yi—and the reader—historical context for the masters’ importance, their disgrace, and the emotional significance of their unexpected rediscovery.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Fan Qiao investigates four elderly workers at a struggling processing plant after noticing their unusual authority and the management’s deference toward them.
• He discovers that their names match those of four legendary master craftsmen or researchers. Further investigation shows that the plant has survived almost entirely because of their contributions.
• Fan Qiao learns that the masters had deliberately withdrawn from public life, working under pseudonyms after becoming disillusioned with their careers. They remained at the plant partly for peace and partly out of loyalty to Jing Yi’s grandmother, who once helped them.
• The four masters admit that they intentionally weakened the factory’s performance after Jing Yi’s stepmother took control, preventing her from profiting from it.
• Fan Qiao invites them to transfer to Gold Star after the processing plant is reorganized. After asking about Jing Yi’s character, they immediately agree and accompany him.
• The masters insist on making a surprise visit to Jing Yi and Qin Meng, eager to witness the ensuing drama. Their visit reveals that they are far more mischievous and eccentric than their dignified reputations suggest.
• At Gold Star, Fan Qiao formally introduces them to Jing Yi and Qin Meng. Jing Yi warmly welcomes them, while Qin Meng exchanges polite praise with them.
• The awkward atmosphere eases when Fan Qiao mentions that the masters approved of Jing Yi’s purchase of Celestial Cycle material-processing equipment.

Character Developments

• Fan Qiao demonstrates careful judgment and investigative ability, verifying the masters’ identities before approaching them. He also shows growing affection and amusement toward them, whose behavior overturns his assumptions about legendary experts.
• The four masters are revealed as highly capable but retired, cynical, loyal, and mischievous. Beneath their dignified appearances, they possess strong principles and a protective affection for Jing Yi’s family.
• Jing Yi handles the unexpected visit with composure and warmth. He treats the masters respectfully, immediately accepting them as senior family connections and personally offering them tea and pastries.
• Qin Meng maintains his polished, confident public demeanor. His presence lends Jing Yi status, and he easily matches the masters’ formal compliments.
• Jing Yi’s grandmother is remembered as compassionate and generous, having supported the masters during their lowest point.
• Jing Yi’s stepmother is portrayed as greedy and exploitative, while Jing Bo is criticized as incapable of properly raising Jing Yi.

Significant Themes

• Hidden talent and forgotten greatness: Extraordinary people may live anonymously and be overlooked by society.
• Loyalty and gratitude: The masters repay Jing Yi’s grandmother’s kindness by protecting her grandson and undermining those who exploit the family business.
• Appearances versus reality: The masters appear solemn and dignified but behave like mischievous old children; the supposedly declining factory survives because of their hidden abilities.
• Family protection and justice: Though they claim they have no right to interfere in family affairs, the masters quietly resist Jing Yi’s stepmother’s control.
• Redefining authority: Respect comes not only from age or reputation but also from character, loyalty, and genuine ability.

Character Interactions

• Fan Qiao carefully recruits the four masters and becomes both their colleague and amused observer.
• The masters question Fan Qiao about Jing Yi before agreeing to follow him, showing that their loyalty depends on his character.
• During the meeting, Jing Yi uses warmth and humility to welcome them, while the masters maintain exaggerated formality.
• Qin Meng and the masters trade elaborate compliments, helping defuse the initial awkwardness.
• The masters’ eagerness to observe Jing Yi’s situation, contrasted with Jing Yi’s blank composure, creates a humorous sense that they have come primarily to watch a spectacle.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Jing Yi confirms that the four “masters” have expertise related to mecha manufacturing after noticing their equipment. He uses the opportunity to ask them for advice on making Energy Cards, admitting that his cards repeatedly collapse before completion.
• The masters eagerly begin teaching him. Their discussion becomes lively and technical, with each offering different explanations and methods.
• The four experts frequently argue over one another’s theories, insulting each other and nearly coming to blows, while Jing Yi and Fan Qiao watch in bemusement.
• Despite their chaotic behavior, Jing Yi recognizes that they are genuine masters. Their unconventional ideas give him new insights and inspire him to try another experiment.
• Jing Yi becomes so absorbed in the discussion that he abandons the guests and rushes upstairs to experiment, leaving Fan Qiao and Qin Meng stunned.
• The masters, rather than taking offense, approve of Jing Yi’s enthusiasm and regard him as an ideal student.
• Afterward, they eat the pastries Jing Yi prepared. Unaware of his reputation for cooking, they are astonished by the taste and immediately compete to grab more.

Character developments

• Jing Yi demonstrates humility, persistence, quick comprehension, and a willingness to learn. His lack of fixed assumptions allows him to benefit from the masters’ unconventional theories rather than being confused by them.
• His enthusiasm grows rapidly; he shifts from politely requesting advice to treating the masters as kindred intellectual spirits and immediately applying what he has learned.
• The four masters are revealed to be eccentric, argumentative, and highly innovative. Though socially disorganized and isolated for years, they become animated and affectionate when they find a student who appreciates their ideas.
• Fan Qiao remains practical and observant, quietly commenting through meaningful looks and helping manage the awkward atmosphere.
• Qin Meng is relieved that Jing Yi’s attention has shifted away from the embarrassing Green-Fur Egg incident.
• The masters’ reaction to the pastries introduces another side of Jing Yi’s abilities and hints at their immediate enthusiasm for his cooking.

Significant themes

• True teaching and intellectual freedom: The masters value independent thinking and multiple perspectives rather than rigidly following established methods.
• The importance of humility and openness: Jing Yi’s willingness to admit ignorance enables him to learn from ideas that might seem strange or incorrect to others.
• Finding one’s intellectual companions: Jing Yi and the masters quickly form a bond because their curiosity and unconventional thinking complement one another.
• Misunderstood genius and social isolation: The masters’ innovative theories caused them to lose status and students, but their ideas are shown to possess real value.
• Unexpected talents and first impressions: The masters initially know little about Jing Yi, but his skill with both Energy Cards and food surprises them.

Character interactions

• Jing Yi respectfully engages the masters as teachers, while his perceptive questions draw out their competitive but knowledgeable personalities.
• The masters bicker constantly, each accusing the others of being wrong or misleading Jing Yi, yet their arguments reveal their shared passion for teaching.
• Fan Qiao and Qin Meng exchange silent reactions to the masters’ eccentricity and Jing Yi’s growing excitement, functioning as amused outsiders.
• Jing Yi’s sudden departure to conduct an experiment shows how deeply the masters’ instruction has affected him.
• The masters’ enthusiastic attack on the pastries creates a humorous final interaction and establishes their immediate appreciation for another of Jing Yi’s talents.

Chapter 152 Summary

• Departure of the Four Masters: After enjoying Fan Qiao and Qin Meng’s pastries, nougat, and tea, the four masters prepare to leave. Fan Qiao offers to see them out and asks Qin Meng to greet Jing Yi for him. Master Gu refuses to let anyone disturb Jing Yi, who is busy working, and the masters depart without meeting him.
• Qin Meng’s “Gift”: Once the guests leave, Qin Meng retrieves the mysterious gift—now reduced to a Green-Fur Egg—from its hiding place, intending to destroy it and eliminate the evidence. However, he cannot bring himself to do so and instead hides it in his bedroom as a keepsake.
• Jing Yi’s Energy Card Training: Jing Yi spends the entire day experimenting with Energy Card creation. Although many attempts fail, he makes significant progress, at one point completing four-fifths of a card before failing at the final node. His repeated near-successes strengthen his confidence and determination. He exhausts his mental power, sleeps briefly, and even dreams of practicing mental diagrams.
• Preparing the Business: During breaks, Jing Yi gives Fan Qiao several recipe formulas and instructs him to arrange for specialized machinery, recruit workers, and prepare the production line. Their business is scheduled to open in two days. Jing Yi remains determined not to let his personal difficulties delay the plans and is eager to prove that his opponents’ schemes cannot defeat him.
• Military Investigation into Qin Zhengyu and Jing Bo: While Jing Yi is occupied, the Gold Star military intervenes in the accusations against Qin Zhengyu and Jing Bo. The military announces that Qin Zhengyu may have masterminded the illegal intrusion into military-family housing, labeling it a serious political incident. Several participants are punished, and the military demands that the person behind the operation be prosecuted. Public opinion turns sharply against Qin Zhengyu, who denies the accusation but is widely viewed as corrupt and frightening.
• Qin Meng Breaks with His Father: Qin Meng responds by petitioning the court to sever his father-son relationship with Qin Zhengyu. The court is expected to hear the case within seven days. Qin Zhengyu and Jing Bo are stripped of their positions and hire prominent lawyers while awaiting legal proceedings.
• Upcoming Military Ceremony: The military announces that its annual medal ceremony will take place in ten days. More than one hundred senior officers, including Qin Meng, will receive promotions, and the ceremony will be livestreamed, generating further public interest.
• Madam Qin’s Changing Reputation: Madam Qin’s explanation of the Video Scandal has made him even more famous, with over thirty million followers. However, his popularity is mixed. Some former fans still condemn him because of the scandal and feel uncomfortable recalling his apparent “devoted widower” persona. Nevertheless, most people now sympathize with him after learning he was likely framed, admire his honesty, enjoy his recipes and personality, or support him because of Major Qin’s love for him. His reputation has transformed from scandalized figure to influential and widely followed public personality.

Character Development and Interactions

• Jing Yi becomes increasingly disciplined, confident, and defiant, balancing intense Energy Card training with preparations for his business.
• Qin Meng shows a sentimental side by preserving the Green-Fur Egg despite wanting to destroy it, while also publicly distancing himself from his disgraced father.
• Fan Qiao acts as Jing Yi’s practical business partner, handling production arrangements and maintaining connections with the masters.
• Master Gu displays his proud, protective attitude toward Jing Yi by refusing to interrupt his work.
• Qin Zhengyu and Jing Bo lose their authority and face legal consequences as their alleged misconduct becomes public.
• The chapter emphasizes shifting public relationships: Qin Meng rejects his father, the public reassesses Madam Qin, and Jing Yi’s supporters rally around his efforts to succeed.

Major Themes

• Persistence and self-improvement: Jing Yi’s repeated failures gradually become meaningful progress.
• Public opinion and reputation: Fame brings both support and condemnation, while new evidence can radically reshape how people view someone.
• Justice and accountability: Military investigations and legal action begin exposing abuses of power.
• Family separation and loyalty: Qin Meng’s decision to sever ties with Qin Zhengyu highlights the conflict between blood relationships and moral responsibility.
• Ambition amid adversity: Jing Yi continues building his business and pursuing success despite scandal and opposition.

Chapter Summary: “Grand Opening Ceremony”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jing Xiaoyi announces that his online shop, Food and Desire Empire, will officially open the next day at 11:11:11 a.m. Gold Star time. His post attracts widespread attention because of his growing popularity.
• He rethinks his original business plan of selling pastries, buns, dumplings, and other handmade foods. Realizing he is on an alien planet with an almost untouched food market, he decides that limiting himself to a small online workshop would be shortsighted.
• Jing instead chooses products with broad commercial potential: instant noodles, spicy strips, jerky, dried and braised meats, sausages, fried meat, and other vacuum-packed bug-meat foods. These products are affordable, filling, nutritious, easy to produce, convenient to ship, and suitable for long-term storage.
• He plans to build the Food and Desire Empire brand into a major food empire, eventually expanding into physical chain stores and selling seasonings such as hotpot bases, mala sauces, and fried-meat coating mixes.
• Jing is confident that local competitors will struggle to imitate his products because Mi Star people lack Earth’s seasoning knowledge and culinary traditions.
• Qin Meng’s conflict involving the two unpleasant fathers continues in the background. Jing has entrusted the matter to his husband rather than handling everything personally, trusting Qin Meng to resolve it as effectively as possible.
• Jing prepares breakfast consisting of sesame flatbread and fresh-meat wontons made with bone broth and Mi Star snow vegetables. Qin Meng is unable to resist the aroma and waits eagerly outside the kitchen.

Character Developments

• Jing Xiaoyi/Jing Yi becomes more ambitious and business-minded. He moves from thinking like a small-scale seller to envisioning himself as a pioneer who can monopolize an entire food industry.
• His confidence grows as his Energy Card develops and his business plans become clearer. He is optimistic about achieving wealth and influence through Earth’s culinary heritage.
• Jing also demonstrates greater maturity in dealing with problems. Instead of personally involving himself in every conflict, he recognizes his limits, delegates responsibility, and trusts his partner’s abilities.
• Qin Meng is portrayed as supportive and capable, though also comically weak to Jing’s cooking. His eagerness for breakfast highlights his appreciation of Jing’s food and their comfortable domestic relationship.

Significant Themes

• Entrepreneurship and ambition: Jing realizes that his knowledge gives him the opportunity to dominate an unexplored market rather than merely operate a small shop.
• Cultural advantage and adaptation: Earth’s thousands of years of food culture become Jing’s greatest competitive advantage on Mi Star.
• Scalability versus small-scale craftsmanship: The chapter contrasts labor-intensive handmade foods with practical, mass-market products that can support a large commercial empire.
• Trust and division of labor: Jing accepts that he cannot control everything and chooses to rely on Qin Meng when another person is better suited to handle a problem.
• Food as cultural influence: Jing’s products are not only commercial goods but also a means of introducing Earth’s flavors and culinary traditions to alien society.

Character Interactions

• Jing’s public announcement connects him with a large and increasingly attentive audience of potential customers.
• Jing and Qin Meng’s relationship is shown through their cooperation over the conflict involving the two fathers, with Jing trusting Qin Meng to manage the aftermath.
• Their domestic interaction is lighthearted: Jing cooks breakfast while Qin Meng initially pretends to wait patiently, then gives in to the enticing smell and positions himself outside the kitchen.

Chapter Summary — Page 154

Qin Meng’s military position and pressures

While bringing breakfast to the dining room, Qin Meng explains why General Chen is unlikely to be affected by the recent scandal. As commander of the Gold Star Military District, Chen possesses real authority and would only be vulnerable if accused of something as serious as treason. Qin Meng, however, faces greater risks because he is both famous and the Federation military’s public spokesperson. Any public backlash against him could damage the military’s reputation and hinder his advancement, despite the Federation’s merit-based promotion system. His goal is eventually to gain a position of direct command, which would give him greater security and influence.

Breakfast and discussion of bug meat

Jing Yi is impressed by Qin Meng’s confidence but becomes curious about how easily he eats insect-based food. Qin Meng pretends that, as a soldier, he cannot be afraid of bugs. Jing Yi recalls Grey Eagle, who had reacted disastrously to eating bugs, and compares the two men favorably. Qin Meng awkwardly defends Grey Eagle by suggesting he was simply unaccustomed to the food. Jing Yi considers revealing that Grey Eagle had stolen and eaten his offerings but decides not to provoke Qin Meng.

Food and Desire Empire’s opening celebration

Jing Yi plans a large opening celebration for the Food and Desire Empire to make the event lively and help dispel recent bad luck. He invites General and Madam Chen, Yang Chun, Madam Huang, the neighbors, Fan Qiao and his husband, Qin Meng’s team, close friends, the four masters, and the company’s new employees. After considering the options, he chooses to hold the event on the Holographic Interstellar Network because it is convenient, inexpensive, entertaining, and avoids disturbing the neighborhood.

Jing Yi and Qin Meng’s domestic life

Both men have been surviving mainly on nutrient solution while Jing Yi focuses on making Energy Cards, leaving them exhausted and tired of the bland substitute. Their breakfast of homemade sesame-paste flatbreads and wontons is therefore especially satisfying. Jing Yi eats a modest amount, while Qin Meng consumes an astonishing fifteen flatbreads and five bowls of wontons, reinforcing the humorous contrast between them and Qin Meng’s huge appetite.

Preparation and cultural expectations

After breakfast, Jing Yi logs onto the Interstellar Network and begins organizing the ceremony with Fan Qiao. He imagines a traditional, festive opening complete with gongs and drums, banners, firecrackers, dragon and lion dances, performances, flowers, and red lanterns.

Character development and interactions

Qin Meng appears calm, confident, and politically perceptive, understanding both his own vulnerability and General Chen’s formidable position. Jing Yi remains energetic, hospitable, and deeply invested in food, celebrations, and maintaining relationships. Their affectionate domestic interaction—sharing food, teasing one another, and avoiding sensitive topics when necessary—highlights their growing comfort and intimacy. The chapter also shows Jing Yi expanding his social and professional network as the Food and Desire Empire prepares to open.

Chapter Summary: “Joyful Square Dancing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jing Xiaoyi and Fan Qiao disagree over the style of Food and Desire Empire’s opening ceremony.
  • Fan Qiao imagines an elegant, romantic celebration with formalwear, a refined band, dancing, bubbles, and fireworks.
  • Jing Xiaoyi insists on a loud, excessively festive spectacle featuring gongs, drums, banners, firecrackers, crowds, dragon and lion dances, flowers, lanterns, singing, and square-dancing music.
• Because Jing Xiaoyi is mentally exhausted, he wins the argument through sheer stubbornness and repetition rather than logic. Fan Qiao finally gives in.
• Jing Xiaoyi personally instructs the intelligent NPCs performing as dragons and lions. Their routines are carefully preset, inexpensive, and unlikely to go wrong.
• Fan Qiao supervises the store’s interior design, creating an upscale and sophisticated storefront that contrasts humorously with the cheap instant noodles and spicy snacks sold inside.
• The grand opening is decorated in bright red and gold, with abundant flowers and banners. Since Jing Xiaoyi is already extremely famous, the event attracts overwhelming attention and requires crowd control rather than advertising.
• Jing Xiaoyi attends in a striking red formal outfit, while his husband, Qin Meng, wears a sharp military uniform. The two singers hired for the ceremony are talented but relatively unknown, and they are astonished to have received such a prestigious invitation.
• Fan Qiao has been forced to listen repeatedly to the simple songs chosen for the event, leaving him comically haunted by their melodies.

Character Developments

• Jing Xiaoyi: His stubborn, childish, and shameless side is emphasized. Despite his exhaustion, he remains determined to realize his vision of a grand, vulgar, traditional celebration. He is also practical and hands-on, personally checking the dragon and lion dance preparations.
• Fan Qiao: His refined, romantic, and “bourgeois” preferences contrast sharply with Jing Xiaoyi’s taste. Although he initially resists, he eventually yields. His role as organizer and decorator shows his competence, elegance, and willingness to accommodate Jing Xiaoyi.
• Qin Meng: He appears as Jing Xiaoyi’s dignified and impressive husband. Though the pair rarely speak, their effortless mutual understanding demonstrates the strength of their relationship.
• The singers: Their surprise at being invited highlights Jing Xiaoyi’s unconventional choices and his willingness to value talent over prestige or appearance.

Significant Themes

• Clashing tastes and compromise: The opening ceremony becomes a playful battle between romantic elegance and exuberant popular festivity.
• Great vulgarity as grandeur: Jing Xiaoyi embraces extravagance, noise, and spectacle, treating them as the highest form of celebration.
• Public image versus personal obliviousness: Jing Xiaoyi is famous and visually captivating, yet he remains completely unaware of how strongly people react to his appearance.
• Affection expressed through cooperation: Fan Qiao’s eventual compliance and Qin Meng’s quiet coordination with Jing Xiaoyi reveal relationships built on tolerance, familiarity, and mutual understanding.
• Traditional festivity in a futuristic setting: Dragon dances, lanterns, firecrackers, and square dancing are recreated through intelligent NPCs and network-wide livestreaming, blending old-fashioned celebration with advanced technology.

Character Interactions

• Jing Xiaoyi overwhelms Fan Qiao during their argument by endlessly repeating his desired ceremonial imagery until Fan Qiao concedes.
• Jing Xiaoyi teases Fan Qiao indirectly through the relentlessly simple songs, while Fan Qiao sarcastically thanks him after enduring them for two days.
• Jing Xiaoyi and Qin Meng share a quiet but highly visible intimacy. Their exchanged smiles and synchronized movements make them appear exceptionally harmonious, drawing embarrassed admiration from the crowd.
• Fan Qiao’s sophisticated store design clashes with Jing Xiaoyi’s loud promotional aesthetic, reinforcing their opposite personalities while showing how they work together.

Chapter Summary: “Celebration Banquet!”

Plot points and events

Jing Xiaoyi and Qin Meng accept a contract to perform three songs at Madam Qin’s shop opening. Although they initially dismiss the songs as overly simple and tacky, repeated rehearsals reveal their powerful, addictive catchiness. Realizing the songs’ promotional value, they begin performing them with genuine enthusiasm.
The shop’s opening begins before the official time of 11:11:11 with firecrackers, drums, music, and an extravagant dragon-and-lion dance. The festive spectacle surprises the audience, resembling a lively folk wedding rather than a conventional business opening. Afterward, a platform rises and two singers perform the first song, The Vast Horizon Is My Love. The audience quickly becomes absorbed, singing and dancing along. Madam Qin leads the dancing at the front, creating an especially hilarious and energetic scene.

Character developments

The performers move from skepticism to appreciation of the songs after recognizing their extraordinary “brainwashing” quality. Their attitude changes from seeing the opportunity as effortless exposure to working seriously and investing emotion into the performances. Jing Yi is surprised to discover that Qin Meng can write lyrics in the Federation’s common language; Qin’s talent impresses him, especially because the adapted lyrics remain both catchy and popular. Qin Meng, usually composed, is left stunned when Jing Yi suddenly abandons him to lead the crowd’s dance.

Significant themes

The chapter emphasizes the value of seemingly simple popular entertainment, showing that catchy, accessible music can have tremendous influence. It also celebrates creativity across cultures, as Earth-origin songs are adapted for Mi Star with new lyrics. The opening highlights joy, spectacle, and the power of shared participation, while humor comes from the contrast between elegant appearances and exuberant folk-style celebration.

Character interactions

Jing Yi and Qin Meng work closely as business partners and performers, with Qin contributing unexpected lyrical talent. The singers, dancers, NPCs, and audience become united through the music. Jing Yi’s enthusiastic decision to lead the dance contrasts with Qin Meng’s bewildered reaction, providing the chapter’s final comedic beat.

Chapter Summary

Plot and Events

• The chapter continues the grand opening celebration of Food and Desire Empire, with Madam Qin leading the guests in hilariously enthusiastic square dancing.
• Brown Bear and several neighbors—and even the normally dignified four silver-haired masters—join in, while Eagle Bro remains on the sidelines to preserve his serious public image. Fan Qiao and his husband also stand beside Major Qin.
• The dance songs repeat in three rounds, gradually drawing everyone into the performance. During the third round, Major Qin unexpectedly joins Madam Qin, taking his hand, spinning him dramatically, and dancing with him in a romantic, theatrical display.
• The music continues with You Are My Little Apple and then Millennium Recipe Ode, whose food-filled lyrics excite and torture the food-loving participants.
• At the auspicious opening time, General Chen and his husband, Major Qin and Madam Qin, and Fan Qiao and his husband jointly cut the ribbon.
• The store officially opens, prompting a massive rush both in person and online. Despite the huge production effort, all the goods sell out in thirty-eight seconds, leaving the customers who entered the store stunned because everything is already gone.

Character Developments

• Madam Qin reveals a playful, uninhibited side, confidently leading the ridiculous dance and becoming the center of attention. His performance changes how others view him, making him seem even more charming and approachable.
• Major Qin, initially stern and reserved, surprises everyone by joining the dance and matching Madam Qin’s flamboyance. His romantic interaction with Madam Qin highlights his willingness to step outside his usual image for his husband.
• Brown Bear remains mischievous and enthusiastic, actively pulling others into the festivities.
• Eagle Bro is portrayed humorously as trapped between wanting to participate and needing to maintain his dignified “idol” persona.
• The food-loving guests and production team are shown as both deeply enthusiastic and comically tormented by the food-themed lyrics, since they can advertise the products without being able to eat them.

Significant Themes

• Love and partnership: Major Qin and Madam Qin’s coordinated dance presents their relationship as affectionate, playful, and mutually supportive.
• Breaking social expectations: Characters known for dignity and authority abandon restraint to participate in an ordinary, humorous activity, making them more relatable.
• Community and celebration: The opening brings together military figures, neighbors, friends, and customers in a shared festive experience.
• Scarcity and consumer frenzy: The goods’ extreme popularity creates an almost frantic rush, emphasizing both the store’s success and the absurdity of limited supply.
• Food as desire and culture: The food-themed song turns familiar dishes into powerful marketing, while also emphasizing how strongly food connects people emotionally.

Character Interactions

• Brown Bear tries to recruit Eagle Bro into the dancing, but Eagle Bro refuses to jeopardize his image.
• Madam Qin and Major Qin become the central performance pair, with Major Qin dramatically taking Madam Qin’s hand and leading him through a romantic dance.
• Fan Qiao and his husband remain loyal supporters beside Major Qin, observing the festivities.
• General Chen and the other couples join Major Qin and Madam Qin for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, symbolizing collective support for the new business.
• The guests’ shared dancing, hunger, and frantic shopping create a comic sense of camaraderie, even as the instant sellout leaves many disappointed.

Chapter Summary: “Everyone Goes on a Picnic Together~~”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mi Star’s factories rapidly produce huge quantities of instant noodles, spicy strips, and processed insect meat, but the output is still insignificant compared with the Federation’s enormous market.
• Jing Yi realizes that expanding to branch factories across all Nine Planets is necessary to reduce shipping costs and delivery times. He briefly considers Qin Meng as a possible person to oversee one of them.
• To celebrate the products selling out, Jing Yi invites the guests who helped promote them to a dinner. Everyone eagerly accepts after hearing the “Millennium Recipe Ode,” which has left them desperate to taste his cooking.
• Jing Yi and Qin Meng travel to the processing base to purchase ingredients. Their haul includes ferocious-beast meat, various insect meats, enormous crabs, octopus tentacles, a two-meter-long shrimp, and a large honeycomb containing bee pupae, beeswax, and honey.
• The processing-base captain warmly welcomes Jing Yi, especially because Jing Yi brings him another thoughtful food gift. The captain is particularly enthusiastic because he previously enjoyed Jing Yi’s jerky.
• Back home, Qin Meng helps prepare the ingredients while Jing Yi bastes the marinated Emperor Owl Dragon with sugar water.
• Instead of hosting the meal at home, the group gathers for a picnic in a lush valley behind the Admiral Mansion. The location is a scenic leisure area near the military district, approved by General Chen and his spouse.
• The guests arrive through a less troublesome route to avoid the front entrance’s security checks. Jing Yi and Qin Meng arrive later than expected, with Brown Bear greeting them.

Character Developments

• Jing Yi demonstrates increasing business ambition and practical thinking. The overwhelming demand for his products convinces him that a much larger production and distribution network is needed.
• He also remains curious and enthusiastic about unfamiliar ingredients, treating the processing base almost like a treasure-hunting adventure. However, he restrains Diandian from scanning everything because he fears exhausting its energy before he can create an Energy Card.
• Qin Meng continues to support Jing Yi by driving, helping with food preparation, and accompanying him everywhere. He is secretly pleased when Jing Yi refuses the guests’ offer to help, enjoying the chance to have Jing Yi to himself.
• The processing-base captain has grown genuinely fond of Jing Yi because of his generosity and delicious gifts, though his appreciation is clearly familial and practical rather than romantic.
• The invited guests are shown to be highly enthusiastic about Jing Yi’s food, eagerly accepting the invitation and even offering to help prepare the meal.

Significant Themes

• Rapid success and expansion: Jing Yi’s products become an instant sensation, creating new opportunities but also forcing him to think about industrial-scale production.
• Food as social connection: Jing Yi’s cooking and food products bring people together, create goodwill, and strengthen relationships across different social and military circles.
• Abundance and discovery: The unusual ingredients highlight the Federation’s rich natural resources and Jing Yi’s excitement at exploring unfamiliar foods.
• Domestic partnership: Qin Meng and Jing Yi work seamlessly together, with Qin Meng handling practical tasks while Jing Yi focuses on cooking and creativity.
• Leisure amid military life: The picnic offers the generals and their families a rare opportunity to relax and enjoy nature rather than focusing on military duties or training.

Character Interactions

• Jing Yi discusses the need for branch factories internally while looking at Qin Meng, hinting that he may trust Qin Meng with an important future responsibility.
• He invites the guests to dinner, and their enthusiastic responses reveal how much they already admire and anticipate his cooking.
• Qin Meng reacts possessively but quietly to the guests’ desire to help, preferring that he alone accompany Jing Yi.
• The processing-base captain eagerly guides Jing Yi and Qin Meng through the facility after receiving another food gift.
• General Chen and his spouse approve the picnic location and are curious about Jing Yi’s plans.
• Brown Bear, being the most informal member of the group, greets Jing Yi and Qin Meng when they arrive at the nearly assembled picnic gathering.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qin Meng’s spacious hovercar arrives loaded with cooking supplies, including iron racks, sheets, mesh, ingredients, a massive Emperor Owl Dragon, two huge Sea Crabs, and an enormous section of honeycomb.
• The guests eagerly inspect the unusual ingredients. They are especially fascinated—and somewhat horrified—by the raw crabs and honeycomb, while the golden-red, fragrant Emperor Owl Dragon makes everyone want to eat it immediately.
• Jing Xiaoyi clarifies that the dragon is only semi-prepared and not yet ready to eat, preventing the guests from sneaking bites.
• Jing Yi takes charge of the outdoor gathering and assigns everyone practical tasks: building stove platforms, constructing a hanging oven, and gathering firewood.
• The technologically advanced guests are unfamiliar with primitive outdoor cooking and initially struggle with mud, construction, and teamwork.
• Their repeated stove-building failures turn into playful chaos, including a large mud fight that dirties both adults and children.
• Eventually, the group successfully constructs a large hanging oven and more than ten stove platforms. Though unattractive, the structures are sturdy enough for cooking.
• The guests become so entertained by working with mud that they create additional sculptures of people, animals, and other objects. Some particularly artistic creations are preserved as potential souvenirs.

Character Developments

• Qin Meng remains practical and task-oriented, urging others to help unload the supplies rather than getting distracted by the spectacle.
• Jing Xiaoyi acts as the knowledgeable chef, managing expectations about the unfinished food and guiding the guests through the preparation process.
• Jing Yi enthusiastically embraces his role as commander, organizing the gathering with exaggerated military authority and assigning everyone jobs.
• The formerly dignified military elites and influential guests reveal a more playful, inexperienced side. Despite their status, they are willing to obey the chef and participate in unfamiliar manual labor.
• The children display curiosity and mischief, teasing others and contributing to the lively disorder.
• The guests gradually shift from embarrassment and confusion to genuine enjoyment, rediscovering the pleasure of simple physical play and creativity.

Significant Themes

• Technology versus tradition: The Mi Star people are accustomed to advanced conveniences and have little experience with fire-based cooking, mud, or outdoor labor. The gathering reconnects them with older, more primitive methods.
• Breaking down social barriers: Military leaders, elites, adults, and children all work together and become equally covered in mud, temporarily erasing differences in rank and status.
• Pleasure in simplicity: Tasks that initially seem inefficient—building stoves, gathering firewood, and making mud sculptures—become sources of excitement and satisfaction.
• Community and teamwork: The successful construction of the cooking equipment depends on collective effort, even though the group must learn through repeated mistakes.
• Transformation through food and shared activity: The unusual ingredients and labor-intensive preparation create anticipation while bringing the guests together in an unfamiliar communal experience.

Character Interactions

• Qin Meng reprimands and physically nudges an unnamed companion into helping unload the supplies.
• Guests crowd around the Emperor Owl Dragon, crabs, and honeycomb, exchanging curious, skeptical, and disgusted reactions.
• Jing Xiaoyi repeatedly manages the guests’ enthusiasm and explains the status of the food.
• Jing Yi gives formal, military-style orders, while the guests initially react with disbelief at being asked to perform manual work.
• The stove-building group exchanges suggestions, argues over construction methods, laughs at failures, and eventually engages in a mud fight.
• Adults and children play together, tease one another, and collaborate on improvised mud sculptures, turning the preparation period into the main social event before the meal.

Chapter Summary — Page 160

Key Plot Points and Events

• The adults and children split into groups to gather firewood around the low hill behind the house.
• While exploring, they discover thorns, wild fruits, colorful mushrooms, bird eggs, insects, and a camouflaged snake. Their curiosity turns the chore into an exciting exploration.
• Because they investigate unfamiliar plants and animals online, everyone begins noticing the natural world in a new way. They quickly finish their assignments but remain eager to continue exploring.
• After more than an hour of activity, the group becomes extremely hungry, especially because most people skipped lunch in anticipation of Madam Qin’s cooking.
• Jing Xiaoyi and Qin Meng secretly avoid the firewood work and stroll along the creek instead. Jing discovers tiny silver fish and transparent shrimp and immediately becomes interested in using them as food.
• Qin Meng initially imagines the outing as a romantic date, but Jing treats it as a “culinary treasure hunt.” Together, they make a small net from leaves and vines and spend a long time catching the tiny aquatic creatures.
• Jing cooks the fish and shrimp by coating them with nutrient powder or eggs and frying them. Despite their tiny size, they are surprisingly delicious.
• Jing becomes excited about finding similar natural ingredients across the Nine Planets, but Qin Meng explains that only Mi Star is naturally suitable for human life. The other planets were terraformed, and organisms outside human settlements are dangerous to consume.

Character Developments

• Jing Xiaoyi demonstrates intense curiosity, resourcefulness, and a strong instinct for cooking. He quickly turns an ordinary creek discovery into an edible dish and improvises an effective net from natural materials.
• Qin Meng shows affection toward Jing and hopes for a romantic private outing, but he adapts to Jing’s practical, food-focused interests. His knowledge of planetary ecology also allows him to correct Jing’s optimistic assumptions.
• The children and adults become more observant and adventurous. Their shared work helps them appreciate nature rather than viewing the countryside as boring.
• The group as a whole grows more enthusiastic about exploration and food, with their hunger intensifying after the physically active afternoon.

Significant Themes

• Rediscovering nature: The characters learn to see familiar surroundings as a complex world full of life and hidden discoveries.
• Curiosity and learning: Unfamiliar organisms prompt investigation and online research, blending technology with firsthand exploration.
• Food and resourcefulness: Jing’s creativity transforms tiny, seemingly useless creatures into a tasty meal.
• Romance versus practicality: Qin Meng seeks intimacy, while Jing remains focused on discovering and preparing food, creating humorous romantic tension.
• Limits of exploration: The contrast between Mi Star and the other planets emphasizes that nature cannot be assumed to be safe or abundant everywhere.

Character Interactions

• The group’s lively reactions to the hill’s plants and animals create a communal atmosphere of excitement and discovery.
• Jing and Qin Meng discuss whether the creek’s fish and shrimp are edible, revealing their contrasting perspectives: Qin Meng is cautious and romantic, while Jing is enthusiastic and culinary-minded.
• Their cooperation in making the net and gathering food shows mutual familiarity, even though the activity derails Qin Meng’s intended date.
• Qin Meng later grounds Jing’s dreams of discovering food across the galaxy by explaining the biological dangers of the terraformed planets.