Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng mock Harlan during a tense confrontation at a club. When Harlan angrily speaks in a foreign language, Shi pretends not to understand and uses a translation app, frustrating him further and earning Malice Points.
• Zhou Jingcheng deliberately provokes Harlan during a mahjong game, accusing him of being “unable to lose.” Harlan storms out after losing, completing Shi Jihan’s mission to ruin Zhou’s Texas Hold’em game and rewarding him with a large number of Malice Points.
• After the gathering disperses, Zhou invites Shi Jihan to dinner. Shi Bochuan joins them and contacts Shen Qinghuai, who reveals that he has prepared a secret birthday gift for him.
• The system assigns Shi Jihan a new mission: make Shi Bochuan unable to forget his “White Moonlight” during dinner. Learning that it is Shi Bochuan’s birthday, Shi plans to use a scarf he bought and recruits Zhou Zeyang to help.
• At the restaurant, Shen Qinghuai is accompanied by Zhou Zeyang, who has apparently been invited after running into him. This shocks both Zhou brothers, especially when Shen introduces Zhou Zeyang to his own brother as though they are strangers.
• Shi Bochuan opens Shen Qinghuai’s carefully designed platinum-and-sapphire brooch. Shen reveals that he made it specifically for Shi Bochuan’s birthday, creating an intimate and affectionate atmosphere.
• Shi Jihan and Zhou Zeyang leave the table to carry out their plan, leaving Zhou Jingcheng as the only outsider while Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai focus entirely on each other.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan continues to act as a mischievous, shamelessly provocative “cannon fodder,” deliberately antagonizing Harlan and exploiting social situations to gain Malice Points. He also takes his system missions seriously and schemes to interfere in Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai’s romantic moment.
• Zhou Jingcheng demonstrates confidence and strategic boldness by humiliating Harlan through mahjong. His increasingly informal attitude toward Shi Bochuan suggests that his relationship with the Shi family is becoming less guarded.
• Harlan loses control as his threats and anger fail to intimidate anyone. His humiliation and inability to provoke a serious response drive him into an angry retreat.
• Shi Bochuan remains embarrassed and weary over the chaos caused by Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng, but his guarded attitude softens into resignation. His closeness with Shen Qinghuai is emphasized by the birthday exchange.
• Shen Qinghuai displays deep affection and thoughtfulness by designing a meaningful birthday gift for Shi Bochuan. His open tenderness suggests that their relationship is emotionally significant.
• Zhou Zeyang becomes an unexpected participant in the dinner and awkwardly assists Shi Jihan, while his presence creates comic tension between the Zhou brothers.

Significant Themes

• Humor through social humiliation: Harlan’s anger becomes increasingly ridiculous as Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng refuse to treat him seriously.
• Strategic provocation and manipulation: Both Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng use teasing and calculated behavior to control situations and achieve their aims.
• Romantic intimacy and memory: Shen Qinghuai’s handmade gift represents care, devotion, and the importance of remembering meaningful personal occasions.
• Family and outsider dynamics: The dinner highlights the complicated overlap between the Shi and Zhou families, especially as Zhou Jingcheng discovers his brother has entered the Shi family’s social circle.
• System-driven relationships: Shi Jihan views interpersonal events partly through the lens of missions and Malice Points, turning emotional and social situations into opportunities for reward.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng cooperate seamlessly in ridiculing Harlan, with Shi providing feigned innocence and Zhou delivering the sharper insults.
• Shi Jihan and Shi Bochuan exchange familiar but exasperated banter, with Shi Bochuan repeatedly criticizing his younger brother’s inability to stop provoking people.
• Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai share the chapter’s most affectionate interaction, centered on Shen’s birthday gift and his reminder that the day is special.
• Zhou Jingcheng and Zhou Zeyang have an awkward, nearly surreal reunion when they encounter each other at the dinner. Their mutual shock is heightened when Shen Qinghuai formally introduces them.
• Shi Jihan and Zhou Zeyang secretly coordinate beneath the table, while Zhou Jingcheng notices their behavior and suspects another scheme.

Chapter 18 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Zeyang stage an extremely exaggerated public birthday celebration for Shi Bochuan in the restaurant. Six waiters bring out a huge cake while holographic signs, glow sticks, confetti, and a birthday song attract the attention of the entire dining room.
• Shi Bochuan is embarrassed and tries to retreat, but he is trapped between the table and Shen Qinghuai. Shi Jihan forces a flashing birthday crown onto him and makes him give a speech.
• Shen Qinghuai records the entire spectacle, encouraging Shi Bochuan to smile. Shi Bochuan eventually gives up resisting and mechanically smiles and waves at the surrounding diners.
• Shen Qinghuai’s recording fulfills the mission to make Shi Bochuan remember his “white moonlight” during dinner, rewarding him with Malice Points.
• Zhou Zeyang gives Shi Bochuan a supposedly hand-knitted scarf, only for Shen Qinghuai to discover its attached price tag: a cheap 9.9-yuan department-store scarf. The gift and its presentation cause further embarrassment.
• The group cuts the elaborate three-tier cake. Zhou Jingcheng, who had been ignored by Shi Jihan, pointedly presents himself as an outsider at the “family dinner.” Shi Jihan feels guilty and promises him the largest slice.
• The following day, Shi Bochuan tells his secretary that his birthday was terrible enough that he never wants to repeat it. He begins investigating employees with the character “Yang” in their names, apparently intending to identify and deal with Zhou Zeyang.
• Zhou Jingcheng sleeps late after the dinner, but Secretary Sun urgently informs him that Harlan has returned and is aggressively attacking the Zhou family’s stock price. Zhou quickly devises a strategy to counter Harlan by using another company against him.
• Zhou Jingcheng also learns that Zhou Zeyang has taken leave again and jokingly orders that his brother’s salary be withheld.
• The chapter ends with Zhou Zeyang nervously messaging his boss, unaware that his salary has been confiscated.

Character Developments

• Shi Bochuan: His dignity is repeatedly destroyed by the birthday prank. Though initially horrified and resistant, he eventually passively cooperates, smiling and waving like a public figure. His later investigation suggests he plans revenge against Zhou Zeyang.
• Shi Jihan: Reveals himself as an enthusiastic prankster and theatrical organizer. He enjoys embarrassing his older brother but feels guilty when Zhou Jingcheng implies he is excluded from the family.
• Shen Qinghuai: Actively participates in the humiliation by filming Shi Bochuan and encouraging him to perform for the camera. He appears amused and uninhibited, showing a playful side in his relationship with Shi Bochuan.
• Zhou Zeyang: Serves as the enthusiastic “atmosphere-maker,” contributing the ridiculous scarf and confetti. His careless presentation exposes the cheap gift and leaves him vulnerable to Shi Bochuan’s retaliation.
• Zhou Jingcheng: Initially isolates himself after the spectacle begins, then cleverly secures his own table. He uses guilt and self-pity to gain Shi Jihan’s attention and a promised large slice of cake. Despite just waking up, he demonstrates sharp business judgment when handling the stock crisis.
• Secretary Sun: Acts as the worried but efficient subordinate, taking Zhou Jingcheng’s business instructions seriously while enduring his boss’s dry jokes.

Significant Themes

• Humiliation as affection: The birthday prank is cruelly embarrassing but functions as a form of familial closeness and entertainment.
• Public image versus private relationships: Shi Bochuan’s polished executive persona collapses under the childish celebration, exposing his vulnerability around family and friends.
• Playful revenge and malicious humor: The chapter repeatedly turns embarrassment into a source of comedy, with Malice Points rewarding successful teasing.
• Family inclusion and emotional manipulation: Zhou Jingcheng’s “outsider” remark highlights the importance of belonging, while also showing how he uses emotional pressure to get what he wants.
• Competence beneath absurdity: Although the characters behave foolishly in social situations, Zhou Jingcheng remains highly capable in business, immediately responding to the attack on his family’s company.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Zeyang collaborate to embarrass Shi Bochuan through the public birthday performance.
• Shen Qinghuai joins the prank by recording Shi Bochuan and urging him to smile, increasing Shi Bochuan’s sense of betrayal.
• Shi Bochuan accepts Zhou Zeyang’s scarf politely despite recognizing its ridiculousness, then later begins searching for the responsible employee.
• Zhou Jingcheng confronts Shi Jihan’s failure to notice him, prompting Shi Jihan to apologize and promise him extra cake.
• Zhou Jingcheng and Secretary Sun shift from comic banter to serious business strategy, demonstrating their effective professional relationship.
• Zhou Zeyang remains unaware of the consequences of his actions, including Shi Bochuan’s investigation and Zhou Jingcheng’s decision to withhold his salary.

Chapter 19 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shi Jihan learns that Zhou Zeyang has been summoned to Shi Bochuan’s office after work. Believing this is a secret meeting with Shi Bochuan’s “White Moonlight,” he alerts Shen Qinghuai and rushes him back from a business trip.
• Shi Jihan and Shen Qinghuai burst into the office, only to discover that Shi Bochuan and Zhou Zeyang are studying workplace software tutorials, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
• The system nevertheless counts the misunderstanding as successful completion of the task requiring Shen Qinghuai to catch his husband meeting privately with his White Moonlight, awarding Shi Jihan 30 Malice Points.
• Shi Bochuan concludes that Zhou Zeyang is not scheming romantically but is an ambitious, neglected employee trying to prove himself. Impressed by Zhou’s supposed marketing talent, he offers him better opportunities, bonuses, commissions, and even potential company shares.
• Shen Qinghuai agrees that Zhou has talent and assigns him to work with Shi Jihan on promoting Shi Xiaohan’s new clothing collection.
• Shi Jihan is horrified that his plan to restore the original plot has instead made Zhou a valued employee and potential colleague. He blames Zero-Zero-Zero and worries that the story’s intended romance and “wife-chasing” arc are being erased.
• After a despairing weekend spent ordering excessive mala tang, Shi Jihan returns to work and finds Zhou seated across from him.
• The two collaborate on advertising Shi Jihan’s new collection, Going to Work Is Like Attending a Funeral, a satirical fashion line mocking corporate exploitation, empty workplace slogans, overtime culture, and managerial hypocrisy.
• Their promotional campaign becomes another online sensation. One advertisement humorously combines the clothing with an electric car, portraying coffee capsules and high heels as “overtime fuel” and using an absurd fast-charging slogan.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan becomes increasingly desperate and cynical as every attempt to manipulate the plot produces the opposite result. He remains convinced that any failure is the system’s fault, not his own.
• Zero-Zero-Zero is equally confused and distressed by the plot deviation. It insists it has functioned correctly but admits that the story may be heading toward administrative punishment.
• Shen Qinghuai initially reacts with jealousy and alarm when he sees two people apparently meeting in private, but quickly shifts into practical admiration for the workplace training material and Zhou’s abilities.
• Shi Bochuan interprets Zhou’s suspicious behavior generously, viewing him as a talented but overlooked employee rather than a romantic rival. His confidence in Zhou gives the younger man a new professional opportunity.
• Zhou Zeyang changes from an anxious, underpaid employee into an enthusiastic and motivated recruit. He eagerly accepts Shi Bochuan’s protection and promises of fair compensation, then bonds with Shi Jihan through their shared frustration with work.
• Zhou Jingcheng becomes suspicious after hearing repeated rumors about the campaign but cannot determine why others treat him as though he should already understand the joke.

Significant Themes

• The collapse of predetermined narratives: The system expects a romantic misunderstanding, but ordinary workplace explanations completely derail the intended plot.
• Misinterpretation and projection: Shi Jihan and Shen Qinghuai assume romance, while the actual situation is mundane professional training.
• Workplace exploitation and corporate satire: The fashion collection ridicules overtime, empty promises, “wolf culture,” fake flexibility, unread messages, pointless meetings, and performative management.
• Ambition and recognition: Zhou Zeyang’s ambitions are reframed positively when Shi Bochuan recognizes his potential and gives him opportunities.
• Absurdity of systems and bureaucracy: The task system technically rewards Shi Jihan even though the real-world event bears little resemblance to the intended scenario, highlighting the gap between rigid system rules and lived reality.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Zero-Zero-Zero: They argue over the failed plot manipulation, with Shi Jihan accusing the system of malfunctioning and Zero-Zero-Zero helplessly defending itself.
• Shi Jihan and Shen Qinghuai: Shi Jihan summons Shen Qinghuai to witness the supposed affair, but Shen instead becomes interested in the office tutorial and supports Zhou’s promotion.
• Shi Bochuan and Zhou Zeyang: Shi Bochuan interprets Zhou’s actions as evidence of ambition and offers him a secure path within the company. Zhou responds with intense gratitude and enthusiasm.
• Shi Jihan and Zhou Zeyang: Initially horrified to work alongside him, Shi Jihan eventually collaborates with Zhou on the marketing campaign. Their shared dissatisfaction with corporate life creates an unexpected professional bond.
• Zhou Jingcheng and Secretary Sun: Secretary Sun shows Zhou Jingcheng the viral campaign, deepening his suspicion that something significant—and possibly embarrassing—is happening behind the scenes.

Chapter 20 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Jingcheng watches a series of bizarre promotional videos created for Shi Corporation’s new clothing collection. The advertisements include exaggerated workplace drama, absurd cultural imagery, strange ASMR “forgiveness” content, and a disastrous mukbang broadcast.
• Because Zhou previously collaborated successfully with Shi Jihan, online viewers assume he helped create these unconventional advertisements. The trending topic even includes #SpecialThanksToZhouJingcheng, alongside romantic speculation about his relationship with Shi Jihan.
• Annoyed at being associated with the campaign, Zhou decides to attend Shi Corporation’s product launch so he can identify the marketing employee responsible and publicly clarify that the advertisements have nothing to do with him.
• Shi Jihan jokingly claims that attending requires an expensive “entry fee.” Zhou responds by transferring 6,888 yuan in exchange for the central C-seat. Shi Jihan enthusiastically accepts and promises to reserve the “gold-plated holy seat” for him.
• At the launch, Shi Bochuan discovers that his expected center seat has been reassigned to Zhou and that he has instead been placed near the emergency exit. He suspects something is wrong with the company.
• Zhou arrives dressed stylishly and deliberately takes the C-seat, teasing Shi Jihan as he moves past him. Their brief physical contact causes Shi Jihan visible embarrassment.
• The two continue their childish but playful rivalry: Zhou repeatedly imitates Shi Jihan’s sarcastic “tsk,” while Shi Jihan secretly uses Malice Points to make the air conditioner blow directly on Zhou.
• Other attendees interpret their bickering as evidence of “mutual appreciation” between two elite designers, embarrassing Zhou and increasing his Malice Points.
• When the launch begins, Zhou learns that the bizarre advertisements are being presented as part of the new product campaign. He asks about the new marketing hire, intending to prevent the person from joining his own company.
• The marketing representative is revealed to be Zhou Zeyang, Zhou Jingcheng’s irritating and “punchable” relative. Shocked, Zhou wonders whether he has hallucinated from eating poisonous mushrooms.

Character Developments

• Zhou Jingcheng: His irritation at being associated with the advertisements reveals his pride and desire to control his professional reputation. Despite claiming to dislike Shi Jihan’s marketing, he willingly pays a large sum for the best seat and continues engaging in their flirtatious rivalry. His composed exterior contrasts with his internal embarrassment and frustration.
• Shi Jihan: He demonstrates a mischievous, vindictive side by charging Zhou an absurd “entry fee,” arranging the seat change, and manipulating the air conditioning. At the same time, he is easily flustered by Zhou’s appearance and physical closeness, suggesting growing attraction beneath their antagonistic banter.
• Shi Bochuan: He becomes the unwilling victim of Shi Jihan’s seating prank, ending up near the emergency exit while Zhou occupies the central seat. His serious suspicion that the company’s shares may have changed highlights his confusion and frustration.
• Zhou Zeyang: He is established as the eccentric marketing genius behind the bizarre campaign. His appearance at the launch shocks Zhou Jingcheng and creates a new source of conflict.

Significant Themes

• Absurdity and unconventional creativity: The advertisements deliberately reject normal marketing logic, using surreal humor and exaggerated performances to attract attention.
• Reputation and misattribution: Zhou’s frustration reflects the importance of professional image and the dangers of being associated with work one did not create.
• Rivalry as flirtation: Zhou and Shi Jihan’s arguments, teasing, physical proximity, and secret retaliation function as a form of mutual attraction.
• Public perception versus private reality: Outsiders interpret the pair’s bickering as artistic admiration or romance, while Zhou insists on denying any connection.
• Malice and playful revenge: The Malice Point system turns their petty conflicts into a recurring game, rewarding Shi Jihan’s schemes and intensifying their interactions.

Character Interactions

• Zhou and Secretary Sun discuss the public’s mistaken belief that Zhou created the advertisements.
• Zhou and Shi Jihan exchange sarcastic messages about the launch fee, culminating in Zhou’s expensive purchase of the C-seat.
• Shi Bochuan confronts the seating arrangement and realizes Shi Jihan has displaced him.
• Zhou and Shi Jihan spar verbally and physically over the C-seat, with Zhou teasing him and Shi Jihan retaliating through the air conditioning.
• Zhou asks Shi Jihan about the new marketing hire, only to discover that the person responsible is Zhou Zeyang, leaving him stunned.

Chapter 21 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Shi Corporation’s fashion-launch event, Zhou Jingcheng discovers that the young actor working for Shi Jihan is actually his younger brother, Zhou Zeyang.
• Zhou Zeyang is giving a promotional speech onstage when he spots Zhou Jingcheng and accidentally screams “Brother,” exposing their relationship to everyone.
• Zhou Jingcheng is horrified that his brother has joined Shi Jihan’s company, while Shi Jihan realizes that this family connection may explain why the plot has deviated so dramatically.
• Zhou Zeyang is dragged backstage and interrogated. He reveals that he originally joined Shi Jihan’s company as a “relationship resource consultant” to test the love between Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai.
• Shi Bochuan realizes that the various humiliations and supernatural incidents he has endured were all part of Shi Jihan’s schemes. He concludes that Zhou Zeyang was not merely testing his marriage—he was testing his ability to survive.
• Shen Qinghuai calmly confronts Shi Jihan, acknowledging that Shi Jihan has been tormenting Shi Bochuan. Shi Jihan tries to hide behind Zhou Jingcheng to avoid punishment.
• When Shi Jihan is due to go onstage to explain his clothing designs, Shen Qinghuai suggests that he personally model the new collection for a magazine shoot instead of hiring professional models.
• Shi Bochuan enthusiastically supports the idea and offers to use his industry connections to arrange a feature in NEXUS magazine, effectively trapping Shi Jihan in a humiliating promotional campaign.
• The fashion show becomes a major success, making Shi Group an overnight internet sensation and generating enormous public attention.

Character Developments

• Zhou Jingcheng is revealed to be Zhou Zeyang’s older brother. He reacts with disbelief and frustration but ultimately takes responsibility for dealing with Zhou Zeyang.
• Zhou Zeyang is exposed as Shi Jihan’s employee and admits that he helped test Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai’s relationship. His attempts to avoid Zhou Jingcheng’s anger highlight his playful but self-preserving personality.
• Shi Jihan becomes increasingly alarmed as the consequences of his schemes catch up with him. Despite his usual malicious confidence, he shows signs of guilt and desperation when Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai confront him.
• Shi Bochuan finally understands the extent of the torment he has suffered and responds with helpless resignation. He also joins Shen Qinghuai in turning the situation against Shi Jihan.
• Shen Qinghuai reveals a gentler but more intimidating side. His polite suggestion that Shi Jihan personally promote the clothing line serves as calculated revenge.
• Zero-Zero-Zero continues to encourage Shi Jihan’s malicious behavior, using comic logic to dismiss his growing conscience.

Significant Themes

• Consequences and revenge: Shi Jihan’s schemes rebound on him when the people he has tormented cooperate to punish him.
• Family and hidden connections: Zhou Zeyang’s unexpected relationship with Zhou Jingcheng creates both comedic chaos and a new link between the two companies.
• Public image and performance: The fashion show, promotional speeches, and planned magazine feature emphasize how personal identity and business success are shaped by public presentation.
• Power reversal: Shi Jihan, normally the instigator, loses control as others manipulate events around him.
• Comedy through humiliation: The chapter uses misunderstandings, exaggerated reactions, and escalating embarrassment to turn interpersonal conflict into farce.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Jingcheng and Shi Jihan argue physically and verbally over Zhou Zeyang’s employment.
• Zhou Jingcheng confronts Zhou Zeyang like an angry older brother, while Zhou Zeyang begs for forgiveness.
• Shi Jihan tries to silence Zhou Zeyang when he reveals the truth about the relationship test.
• Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai confront Shi Jihan about the suffering he caused, with Shen Qinghuai delivering the most effective retaliation.
• Shi Jihan hides behind Zhou Jingcheng, creating an ironic alliance between the two men.
• Zhou Jingcheng and Shi Bochuan cooperate in arranging Shi Jihan’s future fashion promotion, leaving Shi Jihan powerless to escape.

Chapter 22 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A video of Shi Jihan being forced to promote Shi Corporation’s upcoming fashion collaborations goes viral. His visibly miserable expression and sarcastic response lead netizens to joke that he is being threatened.
• NEXUS magazine’s editor-in-chief recognizes the publicity opportunity and quickly arranges a fashion shoot with Shi Jihan. The magazine announces the collaboration with preorder bonuses, causing presales to surge.
• Shi Jihan is furious about becoming the internet’s entertainment but agrees to participate because Zhou Jingcheng negotiated a payment of 120,000 per shoot.
• At the studio, Shi Jihan attacks Zhou Jingcheng by launching himself at him, but crashes into a pile of clothes instead. Their argument over Zhou’s failure to help him becomes comic physical banter, with Shi Jihan slapping Zhou’s hand and nearly dragging him down.
• The editor-in-chief interprets their hostile interactions as entertaining chemistry and films them for behind-the-scenes content.
• Shi Jihan models the funeral-themed collection, including a shroud-like suit and a crooked tie. His genuine despair is mistaken for exactly the “beautifully broken” emotional quality the photographer wants.
• Zhou deliberately exaggerates the pain from Shi Jihan’s slaps to provoke concern. Shi Jihan responds with sarcastic jokes about funeral vans and Qingming Festival promotions, though he privately wonders whether he may actually have hurt Zhou.
• 000 assigns Shi Jihan another task: use public opinion to humiliate Shen Qinghuai, who is supposedly at the stage where he has been abandoned by everyone. The reward is 18 Malice Points.
• Shi Jihan decides to use the customizable laser scrolling-screen suit for the main promotional image and plans to exploit the official website’s publicity.
• He searches online for explicit fanfiction about his older brother, Shi Bochuan, and Shen Qinghuai, hoping to find material that can help him manipulate public opinion. He selects a particularly lurid story, while 000 becomes embarrassed by his commentary.
• The editor-in-chief watches Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng standing together in the sunlight and imagines romantic tension between them, unaware that they are discussing fanfiction and schemes.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan: Becomes increasingly exasperated by his unwanted fame and humiliating fashion work, but remains motivated by money and his assigned missions. His theatrical anger, shameless humor, and willingness to exploit online trends reveal his adaptability and chaotic intelligence. He also shows a brief moment of concern when he wonders if Zhou’s injured hand really hurts.
• Zhou Jingcheng: Emerges as the creative force behind the shoot, intentionally designing a “broken” and distressed aesthetic for Shi Jihan. He enjoys provoking Shi Jihan and uses exaggerated complaints to draw out a reaction, suggesting growing familiarity and playful antagonism between them.
• 000: Continues to act as Shi Jihan’s anxious system assistant. It provides new missions but is frightened of the Main System and becomes flustered by Shi Jihan’s explicit reading choices.
• NEXUS editor-in-chief: Sees Shi Jihan’s embarrassment as a lucrative marketing opportunity. She is delighted by the shoot’s commercial potential and mistakes Shi Jihan and Zhou’s combative relationship for compelling romantic chemistry.
• Shen Qinghuai: Does not appear directly, but becomes the target of Shi Jihan’s next public-opinion mission. His social and emotional isolation is presented as a major plot development.

Significant Themes

• Publicity and exploitation: Shi Jihan’s humiliation becomes a profitable marketing tool, demonstrating how celebrity embarrassment can be converted into traffic and sales.
• Performance versus reality: Shi Jihan’s genuine misery is praised as excellent modeling, while the editor-in-chief interprets his arguments with Zhou as romantic tension rather than conflict.
• Money as motivation: Financial reward is Shi Jihan’s main reason for enduring the humiliating shoot and continuing his missions.
• Manipulation of public opinion: The chapter emphasizes how online trends, fan communities, promotional campaigns, and scandal can be deliberately engineered.
• Comedy through misunderstanding: Much of the humor comes from the gap between what characters are actually doing and what outsiders believe they are doing.
• System pressure and exploitation: Shi Jihan’s complaint about “a side job within a side job” highlights his growing exhaustion from being forced to complete endless missions.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng: Their relationship is marked by physical comedy, sarcasm, provocation, and reluctant cooperation. Shi Jihan attacks and insults Zhou, while Zhou calmly teases him and deliberately encourages the shoot’s humiliating concept.
• Shi Jihan and the editor-in-chief: She treats his distress as valuable artistic material, praising his emotional breakdown as perfect modeling.
• Shi Jihan and 000: Shi Jihan complains about the system’s endless tasks and orders 000 to help search fanfiction. 000 reacts nervously but continues assisting him.
• Shi Jihan and the online fandom: Though he resents becoming a viral joke, he deliberately enters the fandom space and prepares to weaponize its interests for his mission against Shen Qinghuai.
• The editor-in-chief’s perception of Shi Jihan and Zhou: She views their antagonism as romantic chemistry and imagines hidden attraction between them, creating another layer of comic misunderstanding.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng continue preparing provocative promotional clips for NEXUS. Although Zhou claims to be neutral and interested only in entertainment, he actively contributes ideas, including adding “beef” decorations to Shi Jihan’s humiliating instant-noodle costume.
• The magazine editor-in-chief reveals that Shi Jihan must model several ridiculous food-themed outfits, horrifying him despite his earlier success with the suggestive photos.
• Shen Qinghuai and Shi Bochuan receive the successful photos from the previous shoot and celebrate what they believe is a victory over Shi Jihan. However, when they view the new promotional cover, they discover that it contains an explicit fanfiction-style scenario depicting Shi Bochuan dominating Shen Qinghuai.
• The heat-sensitive company computer reads the obscene text aloud after Shi Bochuan sprays it with coffee. Shen Qinghuai becomes furious and embarrassed while trying unsuccessfully to shut it off.
• The incident sparks a viral social-media trend: #Shi Bochuan Shen Qinghuai Fanfic. Netizens mock the couple and praise Shi Jihan for creating entertaining chaos. The top comment points out that Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai brought the trouble upon themselves by provoking him.
• Shi Jihan gains a large number of Malice Points, completing his mission to publicly humiliate Shen Qinghuai. Pleased with his ability to earn rewards while doing little work, he asks 000 to find more missions before the system’s monthly database update.
• 000 identifies an upcoming mission at the company’s newcomer welcome party: Shi Jihan must insult Shen Qinghuai and pour red wine over his head in front of the employees, destroying his dignity and confidence.
• Although Shi Jihan worries that Shi Bochuan would seriously beat him for such an act, he accepts the mission because of the reward—and because he wants to taste expensive red wine.
• On the day of the welcome party, Shi Jihan begins an early-morning scheme. Wearing ugly fish pajamas and carrying a bell and peachwood sword, he sneaks into Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai’s bedroom.
• He separates the sleeping couple, inserts himself between them, and sets up reflective holographic paper aimed at Shen Qinghuai. He then prepares to awaken them with a loud bell, gong, and theatrical “soul-returning” ritual.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan remains shameless, opportunistic, and highly motivated by Malice Points and material benefits. His willingness to exploit embarrassing situations grows, but he also recognizes the real danger of provoking Shi Bochuan and plans around it.
• Zhou Jingcheng establishes himself as an amused provocateur rather than a true ally. He enjoys Shi Jihan’s antics and even suggests ways to make the humiliating costumes more elaborate.
• Shen Qinghuai shifts from confident celebration to extreme embarrassment and regret after seeing the fanfiction cover. His humiliation is intensified by the public reaction and the computer repeatedly broadcasting the explicit dialogue.
• Shi Bochuan initially enjoys the success of the photos and plans to celebrate, but the cover causes shock, panic, and deep regret. He becomes increasingly aware that provoking Shi Jihan has terrible consequences.
• 000 acts as Shi Jihan’s deadpan system assistant, pointing out the absurdity of their behavior while helping locate missions and prepare for the next scheme.

Significant Themes

• Humiliation as entertainment: Private embarrassment becomes public spectacle through advertising, social media, and online fandom.
• Chaotic revenge and escalation: Every attempt by Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai to retaliate against Shi Jihan leads to even greater humiliation.
• The performance of identity: Costumes, staged photographs, fanfiction, and theatrical rituals blur the line between reality and performance.
• Profit through mischief: Shi Jihan treats social conflict as a source of income, turning malice, gossip, and public outrage into rewards.
• Family conflict as spectacle: The wealthy family’s personal disputes become entertainment for employees, netizens, and industry observers.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng trade sarcastic remarks while collaborating on increasingly outrageous promotional material.
• The editor-in-chief enthusiastically exploits Shi Jihan’s willingness to model humiliating outfits.
• Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai share a brief moment of marital camaraderie before the viral cover destroys their good mood; afterward, they silently acknowledge that provoking Shi Jihan was a disastrous mistake.
• Shi Jihan and 000 discuss how to complete the red-wine mission, balancing the rewards against the danger of Shi Bochuan’s retaliation.
• The chapter ends with Shi Jihan invading Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai’s bedroom for a bizarre “wake-up service,” setting up another round of public and private chaos.

Chapter 23 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shi Jihan’s elaborate “wedding anniversary” prank successfully wakes Shen Qinghuai and Shi Bochuan. Dressed in an absurd fish costume, Jihan performs a loud ritual-like dance while dozens of holographic birdmen surround the bed.
• Shen Qinghuai immediately suspects Shi Jihan and tries to restrain him. Jihan responds by sticking a talisman to Shen’s forehead and continuing his chaotic performance.
• Jihan activates his decorations: the smoke alarm sprays red wine across the room, party poppers shower the bed with U.S. dollars, and the entire scene becomes an extravagant “red wine rain” celebration.
• The system confirms that Jihan has completed his task of publicly pouring red wine over Shen Qinghuai’s head and damaging his faith, rewarding him with 23 Malice Points.
• Shen Qinghuai becomes furious and chases Jihan through the house after he threatens to retrieve his retractable baton. Jihan escapes his pajamas and runs barefoot, while the bodyguards humorously interpret the chase as the couple exercising.
• Jihan is eventually forced to scrub the stained bedsheets by hand. He refuses to buy the system’s cleaning solution at first, but exhaustion finally makes him exchange 1.2 Malice Points for it.
• After cleaning the room, Jihan sleeps through the afternoon and skips lunch so he can eat heavily at the evening welcome party. He jokes that he will inherit the Shi family fortune after his brothers die, prompting a comedic cutaway to Shi Zhongye, who is filming in the mountains and struggling with mosquitoes.
• At the Shi Group’s newcomer welcome party, Jihan focuses on eating while Zhou Zeyang enthusiastically discusses his desire to remain with the company despite not actually being an employee.
• Shen Qinghuai notices the scratches on Zhou Zeyang’s neck. Zhou claims they came from a Beagle, while the conversation strongly implies a more complicated connection involving his brother, Zhou Jingcheng.
• Zhou Zeyang and Shi Jihan bond over complaints about Zhou Jingcheng, whom they characterize as cold, unreasonable, and “a dog.” They share alcohol while mocking him, including an anecdote about Zhou Jingcheng mistaking a subordinate’s romantic confession for a request related to work targets and overtime pay.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan remains mischievous, shameless, and extravagantly chaotic, but he also shows practical greed and reluctance to waste Malice Points. His confidence collapses when Shen Qinghuai retaliates, revealing that he is bold mainly when he has a plan or system support.
• Shen Qinghuai maintains his normally elegant and controlled demeanor but displays a rare, openly vengeful side after being soaked in red wine. His authority over Jihan is reinforced when he makes him clean the bedsheets manually.
• Shi Bochuan is startled and overwhelmed by the prank, reacting physically to the sudden noise and spectacle. He remains largely a passive observer of the chaos.
• Zhou Zeyang grows more comfortable with Shi Jihan and Shen Qinghuai, eagerly sharing personal grievances and treating them as sympathetic allies. His scratches and comments suggest that his relationship with Zhou Jingcheng may be more complicated than he admits.
• Zhou Jingcheng, though absent, is characterized through others’ stories as extremely literal, work-focused, emotionally insensitive, and difficult to approach romantically.
• Shi Zhongye receives a brief comedic introduction as a hard-working but isolated filmmaker, unaware that Jihan is casually discussing inheriting his wealth.

Significant Themes

• Revenge and power reversal: Jihan attempts to humiliate Shen, but Shen quickly reasserts control by forcing him to clean up the consequences.
• Comedy through contrast: Jihan’s outrageous behavior clashes with Shen’s refined appearance and normally restrained personality, producing much of the chapter’s humor.
• Materialism and exploitation: Money is used as both spectacle and a source of comedy. Jihan’s prank spends family funds, while the system profits from his every mistake through paid add-ons.
• Miscommunication in relationships: Zhou Jingcheng’s inability to recognize romantic interest highlights the chapter’s recurring gap between intention and interpretation.
• Family wealth and inheritance: Jihan’s casual fantasies about his brothers’ deaths underscore his opportunistic attitude and the complicated financial dynamics within the Shi family.
• Public image and reputation: The bodyguards’ absurdly favorable interpretation of the chase shows how staff protect and embellish the reputations of wealthy employers.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Shen Qinghuai: Their antagonistic but increasingly familiar relationship dominates the chapter. Jihan provokes Shen with the prank, while Shen responds with physical pursuit, threats, and punishment.
• Shi Jihan and Shi Bochuan: Bochuan is an unwilling participant and witness to Jihan’s anniversary stunt, reacting with shock while Jihan treats the event as a successful celebration.
• Shi Jihan and Zero-Zero-Zero: Their exchange highlights the system’s exploitative monetization and Jihan’s constant frustration with its hidden costs.
• Shi Jihan, Shen Qinghuai, and Zhou Zeyang: At the party, the three form a temporary social circle, with Shen offering attentive sympathy and Jihan joining Zhou in gleeful gossip.
• Zhou Zeyang and Zhou Jingcheng: Their relationship is presented through complaints and embarrassing anecdotes, suggesting that Zhou Zeyang both resents and depends on his powerful brother.

Chapter 24 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the welcome party, Zhou Zeyang and Shi Jihan bond over insulting Zhou Zeyang’s unpleasant personality and poisonous remarks. Their shared mockery leads them to drink heavily while making drunken promises of secrecy.
• Shen Qinghuai returns to find both men unconscious on the sofa. Since neither Shen Qinghuai nor Shi Bochuan can leave the party, Zhou Jingcheng is called to take both drunk men home.
• Shi Bochuan takes satisfaction in making Zhou Jingcheng responsible for transporting and caring for his intoxicated brother, especially because Zhou Jingcheng has previously taken advantage of Shi Bochuan’s hospitality and overshadowed him publicly.
• During the drive, Zhou Jingcheng tries to give Shi Jihan water. Shi Jihan misinterprets Zhou Jingcheng’s teasing threat to “feed” him “another way,” producing an awkward and suggestive exchange.
• Shi Jihan attempts to perform a “human sprinkler” by spraying water from his mouth, but Zhou Jingcheng quickly stops him and forces him to swallow the water instead. This earns Zhou Jingcheng several “Malice Points.”
• Shi Jihan refuses further water, accuses Zhou Jingcheng of poisoning it, and drunkenly orders him around as though Zhou Jingcheng were a rebellious favored concubine. He also reveals that he has been reading ridiculous fanfiction.
• Upon reaching the Shi family villa, Zhou Jingcheng finds Shi Jihan asleep while hugging the water bottle. He carries him inside after warning him not to accuse him of taking advantage of him later.
• Shi Jihan wakes during the facial-recognition entry process and clings tightly to Zhou Jingcheng, claiming he cannot walk because he is a mermaid without feet. Zhou Jingcheng is forced to humor his absurd drunken logic while internally cursing Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan becomes increasingly uninhibited and childish while drunk, showing his playful imagination, lack of restraint, and tendency to turn ordinary situations into dramatic performances. His physical clinginess toward Zhou Jingcheng also hints at growing comfort or unconscious dependence on him.
• Zhou Jingcheng remains sarcastic and easily irritated, but his actions reveal patience and care. Despite complaining constantly, he gives Shi Jihan water, prevents him from choking, drives him home, carries him inside, and accommodates his drunken behavior.
• Zhou Zeyang is established as loud, abrasive, and easily incapacitated by alcohol, though his mutual teasing with Shi Jihan suggests they have quickly formed a playful rapport.
• Shi Bochuan takes visible pleasure in inconveniencing Zhou Jingcheng, using the situation to retaliate for Zhou’s past behavior.

Significant Themes

• Comedic intimacy and reluctant caretaking: Zhou Jingcheng’s irritated but attentive treatment of Shi Jihan creates humor while revealing emotional closeness.
• Alcohol lowering inhibitions: Shi Jihan’s drunken behavior exposes his mischievous, imaginative side and allows him to act more openly affectionate and demanding.
• Teasing as a form of connection: Insults, threats, and mock-authority roles serve as the characters’ primary way of bonding.
• Public rivalry versus private concern: Although Zhou Jingcheng and Shi Bochuan antagonize one another, Zhou Jingcheng quietly takes responsibility for Shi Jihan’s safety.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Zeyang become “kindred spirits” through their shared criticism of Zhou Zeyang’s personality.
• Shi Bochuan deliberately dumps the responsibility for both drunk men onto Zhou Jingcheng, enjoying the reversal of power.
• Zhou Jingcheng and Shi Jihan engage in a flirtatious, chaotic exchange involving feeding, wet clothes, fanfiction, and drunken role-play.
• Their final interaction—Shi Jihan clinging to Zhou Jingcheng and insisting he is a mermaid—emphasizes their growing physical familiarity and Zhou Jingcheng’s reluctant willingness to indulge him.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After transforming into a human-legged form, Shi Jihan awkwardly walks upstairs while Zhou Jingcheng follows him home to make sure he gets to bed.
• Zhou observes Shi Jihan’s bedroom, which contrasts a neglected study area with a warm, cluttered gaming setup that reveals Shi Jihan’s childish, comfortable personality.
• Shi Jihan drunkenly demands chips, complains about their sogginess, and invents absurd explanations involving his “mermaid body.” Zhou finds his behavior amusing and eventually gets him settled in bed.
• The following morning, Shi Jihan suffers a severe hangover and has no memory of the previous night. Ghost 000 reveals that his Malice Points rose dramatically because of Zhou Jingcheng.
• A note and messages from Zhou trigger Shi Jihan’s memories: while drunk, he clung to Zhou like an octopus, called himself a mermaid, forced Zhou to carry him, and made him take a melodramatic “mermaid” photograph.
• Zhou teases him by sending edited versions of the photograph, transforming the scene into a dish of spicy pickled-fish soup. He also sends a candid image of Shi Jihan struggling in his blanket “tail.”
• Horrified and embarrassed, Shi Jihan threatens revenge, exercises furiously, and declares war on Zhou in childish frustration.
• Shi Jihan takes the day off because of his hangover and orders pizza. Later, Yan Bo informs him that President Shi Bochuan has thrown an unusually violent tantrum at work.
• Intrigued by the mysterious incident, Shi Jihan rushes to the company to discover what could have provoked his normally composed brother.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan: His drunken behavior exposes his childishness, dramatic imagination, laziness, and deep embarrassment once sober. Although humiliated by Zhou’s teasing, he becomes increasingly motivated to exercise and improve himself, partly because he wants to face rivals such as Shen Qinghuai.
• Zhou Jingcheng: He demonstrates patience by taking care of Shi Jihan, but also reveals a mischievous, teasing side. Rather than judging Shi Jihan, he enjoys documenting and playfully humiliating his drunken antics.
• Zhou Zeyang: He appears briefly as a confused passenger in Zhou Jingcheng’s car and interprets Zhou’s strange “mermaid rescue” explanation as evidence that he may be drunk.
• Ghost 000: The system-like companion acts as an amused observer, exposing what happened during Shi Jihan’s blackout and recognizing that Zhou is deliberately exploiting Shi Jihan’s lack of memory.
• Shi Bochuan: Though absent from most of the chapter, his unexpected anger creates suspense and suggests that a serious conflict has emerged at the company.

Significant Themes

• Embarrassment and vulnerability: Shi Jihan’s drunken antics reveal a side of him he normally conceals, while his panic the next morning reflects his fear of being judged.
• Playful intimacy: Zhou’s willingness to care for and tease Shi Jihan suggests growing familiarity and a comfortable, potentially romantic dynamic.
• Identity and imagination: Shi Jihan’s insistence that he is a tragic mermaid blurs his fantasy persona with his ordinary self, creating much of the chapter’s comedy.
• Contrast between public and private selves: Shi Jihan’s cluttered, cozy bedroom and childish behavior reveal a far softer personality than his outward image suggests.
• Suspense beneath comedy: The chapter ends by shifting from lighthearted embarrassment to a mystery involving Shi Bochuan’s unprecedented rage.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Jingcheng patiently assists Shi Jihan while mocking his ridiculous explanations and drunken demands.
• Shi Jihan’s intimate physical clinginess and theatrical behavior create an embarrassing but affectionate dynamic with Zhou.
• Zhou retaliates through edited photographs and teasing messages, while Shi Jihan responds with outrage, threats, and frantic exercise.
• Ghost 000 provides commentary on their interaction, highlighting that Zhou is intentionally provoking Shi Jihan.
• Yan Bo alerts Shi Jihan to the crisis at work, prompting him to abandon his recovery and investigate.

Chapter 31 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shi Jihan enters CEO Shi Bochuan’s office to find his brother theatrically playing the Great Compassion Mantra, tapping a self-designed “Merit Fish-Drum Hat,” and praying to a printed image of a Sad Frog on a lotus.
• Shen Qinghuai explains that Pei Mingxuan, a top celebrity from Zhou Jingcheng’s company, has publicly insulted the custom formalwear Shen designed for him, comparing it to his grandmother’s old curtain fabric.
• Pei Mingxuan’s fans escalate the incident by viciously attacking Shen Qinghuai, Shi Bochuan, Shi Jihan, and Zhou Jingcheng online with crude insults, body-shaming, and grotesque funeral-themed Photoshop images.
• The scandal harms both Shi Corporation and Zhou Jingcheng’s Universe Culture. The fans portray their idols as victims of cruel capitalists, turning fandom into something resembling a religious cult.
• Shi Jihan receives a system mission: exploit the scandal to discredit both Shen Qinghuai’s clothing and Pei Mingxuan’s reputation, earning 28 Malice Points. He jokingly asks for a raise, but he and his system companion panic at the thought of contacting the Main System.
• While Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai meet with upper management, Shi Jihan contacts Zhou Jingcheng to check on him.
• Zhou Jingcheng claims to be fine and jokes that he is writing to the Education Bureau to increase students’ homework as punishment for the immature fans.
• Shi Jihan passionately defends Zhou Jingcheng and Shen Qinghuai, promising to attack Pei Mingxuan online and telling Zhou to “retreat behind” him.
• Zhou Jingcheng is unexpectedly moved by Shi Jihan’s sincere concern, although he is also amused by Jihan’s furious, nonstop ranting.
• Zhou’s PR, operations, and legal teams prepare for a crisis meeting. He asks Secretary Sun to finish drafting the Education Bureau proposal, leaving Sun dismayed.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan demonstrates his impulsive but genuine loyalty. He is outraged by the online abuse and instinctively protects both Shen Qinghuai and Zhou Jingcheng.
• Shi Bochuan becomes comically overprotective of Shen Qinghuai, reacting to the insults with unusual anger despite his normally controlled demeanor.
• Shen Qinghuai remains comparatively calm and practical, though his visible frustration shows how deeply the attacks affect him.
• Zhou Jingcheng maintains his composed, sarcastic attitude during the crisis, but Shi Jihan’s words clearly touch him. His teasing relationship with Jihan becomes more emotionally significant.
• Secretary Sun views Zhou’s revengeful “homework proposal” with confusion and resignation.

Significant Themes

• Fandom as extremism: The fans’ blind loyalty transforms ordinary celebrity support into mob mentality and religious devotion.
• Public image and online violence: A celebrity’s impulsive remarks trigger widespread harassment, showing how quickly social media can amplify cruelty.
• Protective loyalty: Shi Jihan’s anger reveals his growing emotional attachment to Zhou Jingcheng and his willingness to defend those he cares about.
• Comedy amid crisis: The chapter uses absurd Buddhist imagery, system mechanics, exaggerated insults, and Zhou’s childish revenge plan to satirize corporate and celebrity culture.
• Sincerity beneath teasing: Zhou and Shi Jihan’s banter masks genuine concern and affection, especially when Jihan openly says he feels sorry for Zhou.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Shi Bochuan: Their exchange highlights their shared eccentricity, with Jihan bewildered by Bochuan’s bizarre spiritual performance.
• Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai: Bochuan’s anger shows his devotion to Qinghuai, while Qinghuai tries to keep him from overreacting.
• Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng: Their chat shifts from playful teasing to sincere emotional support. Jihan fiercely defends Zhou, while Zhou is delighted and touched by Jihan’s concern.
• Zhou Jingcheng and Secretary Sun: Their interaction emphasizes Zhou’s mischievous revenge and Sun’s helpless acceptance of his employer’s eccentric plans.

Chapter 25 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhou Jingcheng faces continued public backlash after Pei Mingxuan publicly turns against his company. During a strategy meeting, Zhou unexpectedly decides not to respond immediately, revealing that Shi Jihan has offered to handle the situation.
• Shi Jihan investigates Pei Mingxuan’s current schedule and learns that he is filming a rural reality show intended to improve his public image and prepare him for charity and agricultural-related endorsements.
• Rather than helping Pei Mingxuan directly, Shi Jihan plans to use the show to fulfill his mission: making Pei Mingxuan’s clothing and image appear ridiculous while damaging Zhou Jingcheng’s company.
• He commissions pattern maker Yan Bo to create deliberately outrageous costumes based on a “Rural Stage” theme. The outfits are made from curtain fabric and resemble northeastern floral padded jackets.
• Shi Jihan invests in the reality show, charging the expense to his older brother, and arrives at the filming site. He is delighted to see that the director has followed his instructions and prepared a rural performance stage.
• Pei Mingxuan, unaware of Shi Jihan’s plan, is pleased with his rising search rankings and assumes his public defiance will pressure Zhou Jingcheng into giving him a favorable contract termination and severance package.
• Pei expects to wear a sexy, stylish outfit for his performance, but the production team refuses to let him use it, insisting that a special costume has been prepared for him.
• Shi Jihan appears backstage disguised with sunglasses and takes command as “stage manager,” enthusiastically organizing the staff and performers for the livestream.
• When Pei Mingxuan arrives and mistakes Shi Jihan for a stagehand, Shi Jihan greets him energetically. Pei’s fans and the watching netizens immediately realize that Pei is about to become Shi Jihan’s next target.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan continues to demonstrate his unconventional intelligence and chaotic creativity. He interprets his villainous mission literally but uses it in a way that may accidentally benefit the protagonists and derail the original plot.
• Zhou Jingcheng appears unusually calm and even somewhat eager to let Pei Mingxuan leave, suggesting that he may not value the artist as much as the system assumes.
• Pei Mingxuan is revealed to be self-important and opportunistic. He believes his popularity makes him indispensable, underestimates Shi Jihan, and focuses more on personal luxury and contract benefits than on the show’s rural or charitable purpose.
• Yan Bo becomes increasingly horrified by Shi Jihan’s “artistic” ideas but remains involved in producing them.
• Zero-Zero-Zero grows increasingly confused by how far the story has diverged from its intended plot and questions whether Shi Jihan is truly harming the designated targets.

Significant Themes

• Chaotic subversion of expectations: Shi Jihan repeatedly turns supposedly malicious missions into elaborate schemes that disrupt the original narrative.
• Public image and celebrity culture: Trending searches, fan reactions, and online speculation influence the characters’ actions and determine their perceived power.
• Overconfidence and misjudgment: Pei Mingxuan mistakes online popularity for real authority and fails to recognize the danger posed by Shi Jihan.
• Performance versus reality: Pei wants to present himself as a glamorous “sizzling” star, while Shi Jihan deliberately places him in an absurd rural costume and setting.
• Systemic incompetence and plot deviation: Zero-Zero-Zero’s confusion highlights the widening gap between the assigned mission and what actually happens.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Jingcheng’s executives are confused when he entrusts the crisis to Shi Jihan, especially given Shi Jihan’s history of humiliating prominent figures.
• Shi Jihan and Zero-Zero-Zero argue over whether his actions count as helping the protagonists; Shi Jihan mocks the system’s simplistic understanding of Zhou Jingcheng’s financial interests.
• Shi Jihan gives Yan Bo another bizarre clothing assignment, while Yan Bo responds with exhausted resistance.
• Shi Jihan wins the reality-show director’s cooperation through investment and imposes his “Rural Stage” concept.
• Shi Jihan and Pei Mingxuan meet backstage. Pei treats him as an insignificant worker, while the audience and fans understand that Shi Jihan is deliberately setting a trap for him.

Chapter 33 Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Shi Jihan unveils Pei Mingxuan’s performance costume: a garish red-and-green floral jacket based on Shen Qinghuai’s haute couture design. Pei is horrified and refuses to wear it.
• Shi Jihan and five stagehands forcibly dress Pei while the livestream audience watches his struggle and compares it to a pig being slaughtered. The incident generates a huge number of Malice Points.
• Pei is pushed onto the stage in the ridiculous outfit to perform an errenzhuan-style number and promote his new song.
• Although he vows not to cooperate, Pei’s muscle memory takes over once the music begins. He performs an energetic, sensual dance while wearing the absurd floral costume, producing an even bigger comedic disaster.
• Online viewers flood the livestream and Weibo with jokes, memes, and criticism. Pei’s fans are overwhelmed trying to manage the reaction.
• Shi Jihan deliberately provokes Pei, encouraging him to keep cursing because every outburst earns more Malice Points. He even gives Pei water so he can continue insulting him.
• The “Killing Two Birds with One Arrow” mission is completed, rewarding Shi Jihan with additional Malice Points. However, Shi remains dissatisfied because he needs more points, especially with Zero-Zero-Zero’s upcoming report and the threat of further penalties.
• After the performance, local elderly audience members sincerely praise Pei’s dancing and costume. One even suggests making the same outfit for her dog, Little Yellow, causing Pei further outrage.
• Pei tries to remove the costume immediately, but the director stops him and reminds him that promotional photos still need to be taken.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan displays his talent for manipulation and his shameless, mischievous personality. He treats Pei’s humiliation as both entertainment and a profitable source of Malice Points, while pretending that everything is meant to help Pei promote his song.
• Pei Mingxuan loses control of his public image and becomes increasingly furious and humiliated. Despite his resistance, his professionalism and ingrained performance habits force him to dance enthusiastically. His desperation eventually turns into open, unrestrained cursing.
• Zero-Zero-Zero actively helps Shi Jihan torment Pei and celebrates the large Malice Point harvest, showing increasing cooperation with Shi’s schemes.
• Shen Qinghuai recognizes that his haute couture design has been transformed into something absurd but admits that, under Shi Jihan’s influence, almost anything can be altered into anything.
• Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai enjoy watching Shi Jihan torment someone else, revealing their shared amusement and fondness for his chaotic behavior.

Significant Themes

• Humiliation as entertainment: Pei’s embarrassment becomes the central spectacle, amplified by the livestream audience, online memes, and the cast’s restrained laughter.
• The clash between high fashion and folk/comic aesthetics: A supposedly elegant haute couture design is transformed into a flamboyant Northeast-style padded jacket, showing how context can completely change meaning.
• Loss of control and public image: Pei’s attempts to protect his dignity fail as his costume, dancing, and angry outbursts become viral content.
• Emotional value through absurdity: Shi Jihan’s goal is to create laughter and amusement, and the rural audience genuinely receives joy from Pei’s exaggerated performance.
• Greed and survival: Shi Jihan’s desire for more Malice Points reflects his growing concern about poverty, system penalties, and the consequences of failing to return to the main plot.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan physically forces Pei into the costume and repeatedly teases him about being “sexy” and promoting his song.
• Pei curses Shi Jihan and challenges him, but Shi responds with calm encouragement and water, making Pei even more furious.
• Fellow performers encourage Pei to be confident while secretly struggling not to laugh.
• The livestream audience mocks Pei’s outfit and performance, while Pei’s fans attempt unsuccessfully to control the backlash.
• Elderly spectators sincerely compliment Pei’s dancing and suggest copying the costume for Little Yellow, deepening his humiliation.
• The director prevents Pei from changing and insists that he complete the required promotional photos.

Chapter 26 Summary

Key plot points and events

• Shi Jihan and Pei Mingxuan clash during the reality-show shoot. Pei attempts to exploit the contract’s wording, but Shi responds with mocking “cornfield” promotional photos that portray Pei in an absurd floral outfit.
• Shi sends the photos to Zhou Jingcheng, leading to a playful video call. Zhou is working late because brands are rapidly terminating Pei Mingxuan’s endorsements and accepting contract penalties rather than continuing to work with him.
• Zhou warns Shi to avoid Pei, joking that Pei likes “cute boys.” Shi takes the warning seriously enough to leave immediately on an overnight flight.
• Before leaving, Shi gives the guesthouse leftover floral fabric. The material is used as bedding and even clothes for every goose in the courtyard, worsening Pei’s humiliation and triggering more Malice Points.
• Once the reality show airs, Pei’s awkward floral-jacket dance becomes a viral meme. His reputation and commercial value collapse further, and brands begin withdrawing from potential collaborations.
• Kian finds Pei in a complete breakdown, traumatized by the floral jackets everywhere.
• The Main System reprimands Shi and Zero-Zero-Zero for completing mission objectives while causing the original plot to collapse. It issues a final mission: Shi must create and deliver a tragic divorce declaration to Shi Bochuan within three minutes. Failure will activate an unknown punishment.
• Unable to write the declaration himself, Shi pressures Zhou Jingcheng to compose it. Zhou refuses at first because he is unmarried, but Shi uses the threat of making him trend again to force his cooperation.
• Shi rushes to Zhou’s office to supervise the writing. Zhou, completely unfamiliar with divorce documents, asks Secretary Sun whether he has ever been divorced or written one.

Character developments

• Shi Jihan remains shameless, opportunistic, and theatrically self-confident, turning Pei’s attempted humiliation into a lucrative revenge scheme. Despite his apparent laziness, he becomes highly determined when the mission threatens his money and system rewards.
• Zhou Jingcheng shows increasing concern for Shi’s safety, warning him about Pei and making sure he avoids staying near him. His normally controlled demeanor cracks during their flirtatious, passive-aggressive exchanges.
• Pei Mingxuan suffers a major public-relations collapse. His failed stunt becomes a viral humiliation, and the floral outfit develops into a source of genuine psychological trauma.
• Zero-Zero-Zero demonstrates growing awareness and initiative, though it continues to humorously misunderstand situations and share responsibility for Shi’s schemes.
• Kian becomes increasingly frustrated as Pei’s career and brand relationships deteriorate.

Significant themes

• Revenge through public image: Shi defeats Pei not through direct confrontation, but by transforming Pei’s attempted insult into viral entertainment.
• The absurdity of celebrity culture: Public opinion, memes, and promotional images rapidly determine a celebrity’s commercial value.
• Passive-aggressive intimacy: Shi and Zhou’s banter disguises mutual concern and growing familiarity.
• Conflict between systems and reality: Although Shi technically completes his missions, his actions destabilize the intended plot, forcing the Main System to intervene.
• Money versus responsibility: Shi’s determination to preserve his rewards motivates him more strongly than the danger posed by the system’s punishment.

Character interactions

• Shi Jihan and Pei Mingxuan: Their antagonism escalates, with Shi’s floral-fabric prank aggravating Pei’s humiliation and trauma.
• Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng: Their video call and subsequent messages are filled with teasing, concern, threats, and reluctant cooperation. Zhou’s warning about Pei reveals protectiveness, while Shi exploits their familiarity to enlist him.
• Zhou Jingcheng and Secretary Sun: Zhou unexpectedly asks Secretary Sun for advice about divorce documents, creating an awkward workplace exchange and highlighting how unprepared Zhou is for Shi’s bizarre request.
• Shi Jihan and Zero-Zero-Zero: Their partnership remains comedic and mutually dependent, particularly as they scramble to satisfy the Main System’s final mission.

Chapter Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Secretary Sun misunderstands Zhou Jingcheng’s mention of “divorce,” assuming Zhou is secretly married and getting divorced. He concludes that Zhou must have a hidden ex-husband and proudly decides to guard the secret.
• Zhou investigates how to write a formal divorce declaration, only to realize there is no standard public “divorce announcement.” His thoughts humorously suggest that the supposed ex-husband is simply “dead”—discarded in a trash can.
• Shi Jihan visits Zhou’s office with ice cream as payment for his help. The two bicker over the dessert, each taking bites from the other’s portion to prevent Zhou from getting more.
• Their interaction becomes briefly intimate when Zhou eats from the spot Shi Jihan has bitten. Zhou dismisses the significance by comparing it to sharing food with family, though his reaction reveals some embarrassment and awareness of their physical closeness.
• Zhou asks Shi Jihan for an outline for the divorce declaration. Instead, Shi Jihan improvises melodramatic, tortured-romance lines about a relationship ending and someone failing to come home.
• Zhou criticizes the overdramatic writing. Prompted by Zero-Zero-Zero, Shi Jihan asks Zhou to write it himself, citing Zhou’s excellent academic record.
• Zhou writes an extremely blunt declaration: “Get lost!!” When Shi Jihan complains that it lacks emotion, Zhou adds three more exclamation marks, producing “Get lost!!!!!”
• Furious, Shi Jihan eats the remaining ice cream in one gulp and declares that Zhou will never be allowed to eat his ice cream again.
• Meanwhile, Secretary Sun hears the argument and begins imagining that Zhou and Shi Jihan’s relationship may be more significant than it appears.
• Pei Mingxuan arrives at the company disguised in a hat, sunglasses, and mask. He demands to see Zhou, claiming he needs help handling the damaging online public opinion surrounding him and protecting his many endorsements.

Character Developments

• Zhou Jingcheng remains controlled, sarcastic, and highly competent, but his reactions to sharing ice cream and physical proximity reveal growing emotional sensitivity toward Shi Jihan.
• Shi Jihan is shown to be impulsive, childish, greedy about food, and highly dramatic. His playful arguments with Zhou also suggest increasing comfort and familiarity between them.
• Secretary Sun becomes convinced that he possesses an important secret about his boss. His misunderstanding adds comic tension and shows how easily he interprets Zhou and Shi Jihan’s behavior romantically.
• Pei Mingxuan appears anxious and entitled, relying on Zhou to solve the public-relations crisis threatening his career and endorsements.
• Zero-Zero-Zero continues to provide commentary and strategic suggestions, particularly by pointing out Zhou’s impressive writing qualifications.

Significant Themes

• Miscommunication and mistaken assumptions: Secretary Sun misreads the divorce discussion, while Zhou and Shi Jihan repeatedly misunderstand each other’s gestures and intentions.
• Comedic intimacy: Sharing food, sitting closely, and bickering create a sense of domestic familiarity despite the characters’ refusal to acknowledge it directly.
• Contrast between melodrama and blunt realism: Shi Jihan wants an emotionally extravagant divorce declaration, while Zhou reduces the entire statement to a forceful “Get lost!!!!!”
• Public image and reputation: Zhou worries about how divorce rumors might affect him, while Pei Mingxuan is desperate to repair his public standing and preserve his endorsements.
• Food as a symbol of affection and conflict: The ice cream becomes both “payment” and a source of playful possessiveness, highlighting the pair’s growing familiarity.

Character Interactions

• Zhou Jingcheng and Secretary Sun: Sun misunderstands Zhou’s words and secretly decides to protect what he thinks is Zhou’s marital secret.
• Zhou Jingcheng and Shi Jihan: They trade teasing remarks, compete over ice cream, share indirect physical intimacy, and collaborate unsuccessfully on the divorce declaration. Their quarrel is affectionate beneath the surface.
• Shi Jihan and Zero-Zero-Zero: The system challenges Shi Jihan’s confidence and persuades him to let Zhou write the declaration.
• Secretary Sun and Pei Mingxuan: Sun mocks Pei’s disguise and appearance while blocking his access to Zhou. Pei ignores the teasing and insists that Zhou must help resolve his public-relations crisis.

Chapter 27 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Secretary Sun tries to prevent Pei Mingxuan from entering a meeting at Universe Culture, knowing Shi Jihan is inside. Pei ignores him and forces his way in, only to come face-to-face with Shi Jihan.
• Shi Jihan is at the company collecting an eight-thousand-word assignment from Zhou Jingcheng. Their interaction makes Pei conclude that the two men have secretly conspired to ruin his reputation and keep him trending online.
• Pei accuses Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng of orchestrating his public scandal. The two mock him by giving nearly identical “Where’s the evidence?” responses, infuriating him further.
• When Pei grabs Shi Jihan, Shi loses his balance. Zhou Jingcheng catches him and pulls him into his arms, then intimidates Pei into backing down and leaving.
• After Pei departs, Shi praises Zhou for being “cool.” He accidentally strikes Zhou’s chin while turning around, reopening a cut. Zhou jokingly treats it as a workplace injury and demands compensation; Shi offers to buy him ice cream, which Zhou accepts.
• Pei later uploads a video accusing Shi and Zhou of setting him up, hoping netizens will support him. Instead, viewers focus on the video’s apparent romantic chemistry between Shi and Zhou and begin enthusiastically shipping them as the “Wu Bai CP.” Pei is branded the couple’s chief promoter rather than being vindicated.

Character Developments

• Shi Jihan remains playful, shameless, and largely oblivious to the romantic implications of his interactions with Zhou. He enjoys provoking Pei and casually treats Zhou’s protective behavior as repayment for favors.
• Zhou Jingcheng displays a strongly possessive and protective side. His anger when Pei grabs Shi reveals how seriously he reacts to threats against Shi. He also becomes increasingly comfortable with teasing and indulging Shi, agreeing to eat ice cream despite previously disliking it.
• Pei Mingxuan grows more paranoid and furious after interpreting Shi and Zhou’s coordinated teasing as proof of a conspiracy. His attempt to retaliate publicly backfires spectacularly, turning him into an accidental promoter of their relationship.
• Secretary Sun demonstrates that he understands the danger of Pei confronting Shi, but his warning is ignored. He wisely disappears once Zhou becomes angry.
• The employees become silent witnesses to Zhou’s intimidating authority, immediately pretending not to listen to the confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Misunderstanding and dramatic irony: Pei believes he is exposing a conspiracy, while everyone else interprets the evidence as romantic chemistry.
• Accidental romance and public perception: Zhou’s rescue of Shi is intended as protection, but online observers read it as an intimate moment and intensify the shipping.
• Power and intimidation: Zhou’s normally controlled demeanor gives way to a commanding presence that instantly silences Pei and the entire office.
• Backfiring revenge: Pei’s attempt to defend himself only worsens his situation by increasing attention on the Shi-Zhou pairing.
• Playful emotional tension: Teasing, physical proximity, and small acts of compensation—such as the promised ice cream—develop the relationship between Shi and Zhou.

Important Character Interactions

• Pei and Secretary Sun: Secretary Sun attempts to stop Pei from entering; Pei disregards him.
• Pei, Shi, and Zhou: Pei accuses them of collusion, but their synchronized mockery drives him into greater outrage.
• Zhou and Shi: Zhou catches Shi, holds him protectively, and threatens Pei. Their physical closeness and easy banter strongly suggest growing intimacy.
• Shi and Zhou after the confrontation: Shi compliments Zhou’s intimidating behavior, accidentally injures him, and offers ice cream as an apology.
• Pei and the online audience: Pei expects support after posting his video, but netizens instead celebrate the perceived romance between Shi and Zhou and appoint him their accidental “lead shipper.”

Chapter Summary

• Pei Mingxuan’s jealousy intensifies: Angry that the public is praising Shi Jihan and another man’s sexy dance video instead of noticing his own feelings, Pei Mingxuan deletes the video, only to discover others saved it. He decides to hire internet trolls to spread rumors about the pair.
• Shi Jihan completes the divorce-related task: After leisurely eating ice cream, Shi Jihan rushes home and delivers an eight-thousand-word “divorce declaration” supposedly written by Dianjia Bro for Shi Bochuan. He barely meets the deadline, prompting Zero-Zero-Zero to criticize his extreme procrastination.
• The divorce declaration is misunderstood: Shi Bochuan reads the bizarre, academic-sounding title—“Exploring Resource Games in the Dissolution of Marital Relations”—but interprets the document as a proposal for bedroom roleplay rather than an actual divorce declaration. He becomes absorbed in imagining a “make-up wedding” and wedding outfits for his wife.
• The main plot veers dramatically off course: Shi Jihan desperately tries to make Shi Bochuan reread the words “dissolution of marital relations,” but his brother remains convinced it is merely bedroom fun. The system declares that the task “Final Struggle” has failed and warns repeatedly that the original novel’s plot has severely deviated. Shi Jihan’s attempt to correct the misunderstanding only makes the situation more chaotic.
• System penalties and financial panic: The Main System conducts an emergency review and threatens to deduct money based on Shi Jihan’s savings. Shi Jihan transfers his Malice Points to Zero-Zero-Zero to avoid losing them, but the system calculates that he still has 0.78 points and deducts half. He plans to demand compensation from Shi Bochuan.
• The system’s correction plan: Zero-Zero-Zero later reveals that the Main System will prevent Shi Bochuan’s planned wedding. Wedding invitations will trigger the return of Shi Zhongye, the Shi family’s estranged second brother, who is expected to oppose Shi Bochuan’s happiness. Shi Jihan is instructed to cooperate with him to restore the original plot.
• Background on Shi Zhongye: Shi Zhongye is an irritable perfectionist and the protagonist of another novel, Burning Bones. He has been away for years working with film crews because of the family’s past mistreatment. The original Shi Jihan used to exclude him, blame him for mistakes, and compete for their parents’ and Shi Bochuan’s attention, contributing to Shi Zhongye’s alienation.

Character interactions and development

• Shi Jihan remains clever, self-interested, and comically desperate to survive the system’s missions, but he also begins taking the family’s tangled relationships more seriously.
• Shi Bochuan is revealed to be hopelessly romantic and completely blinded by his love for his wife, turning an attempted divorce into fantasies about a grand wedding and bedroom roleplay.
• Zero-Zero-Three functions as Shi Jihan’s anxious but increasingly wealthy system companion, while the Main System acts as an antagonistic force enforcing the original narrative.
• Shi Jihan’s hostile, sarcastic exchange with Shi Zhongye’s old messages foreshadows their difficult reunion.
• Major themes: The chapter emphasizes comedic misunderstandings, the conflict between predetermined plot and personal choices, family resentment caused by favoritism and neglect, and Shi Jihan’s pragmatic attempts to manipulate the system while avoiding responsibility. It also highlights how love and miscommunication can completely derail the intended narrative.

Chapter 28 Summary

Plot Points and Events

• Shi Jihan messages the anonymous netizen “707,” later revealed to be Zhou Jingcheng, asking about his second brother, Shi Zhongye, so he can plan a grand welcome party.
• Zhou Jingcheng, eager to see Shi Zhongye embarrassed, gives Shi Jihan detailed information about Zhongye’s extreme narcissism, including the claim that Zhongye insured his face.
• Shi Jihan jokes about Zhongye’s vanity and disfigurement. Zhou warns him that Zhongye would beat him badly if he heard it.
• The system reminds Shi Jihan that he must keep Shi Zhongye’s storyline on track or he may never return to his original world. It also introduces daily mini-tasks requiring him to “ruin” various characters.
• Shi Jihan decides to invite Zhou Jingcheng to the welcome party and use the event to gather and disrupt multiple important characters at once.
• Shi Bochuan arranges a hurried wedding after his contractual marriage develops into genuine love. He sends invitations widely, including to Shi Zhongye, who is filming in the mountains.
• Zhongye pretends he will not attend, dismissing the wedding as another scheme by Shi Jihan, but secretly arranges a flight back to City A. He is due to arrive the next afternoon, only five days before the wedding.
• Shi Jihan enthusiastically begins preparing the welcome party, viewing Zhongye’s return as an opportunity to bring his “friendly forces” together.
• Shi Bochuan suspects the party may be less welcoming than threatening and considers warning Zhongye, but Shen Qinghuai refuses because it would spoil the surprise.
• Shi Jihan recruits household staff and the Zhou brothers to help decorate. Zhou Jingcheng and Zhou Zeyang arrive at the Shi residence, with Jingcheng behaving as though he owns the place.
• Shi Jihan immediately assigns the Zhou brothers to inflate a huge pile of balloons. Zhou Jingcheng cooperates readily, while Zhou Zeyang is horrified by the amount of work.

Character Development

• Shi Jihan remains energetic, mischievous, and strategically chaotic. He sincerely wants to improve his relationship with Shi Zhongye, but his methods—especially the planned welcome party—are likely to create further trouble.
• Zhou Jingcheng reveals his vindictive and opportunistic side. He dislikes Shi Zhongye and deliberately provides embarrassing information to Shi Jihan, hoping to witness Zhongye’s humiliation. At the same time, he becomes increasingly comfortable engaging with Shi Jihan and even eagerly joins the party preparations.
• Shi Zhongye is portrayed as fiercely proud, suspicious, and highly sensitive about his appearance. Though he claims the wedding is a trap and refuses to attend, his secret return shows that he is emotionally invested in his family despite his hostility.
• Shi Bochuan has become genuinely attached to Shen Qinghuai, demonstrating how far his relationship has progressed from its contractual beginnings. He also shows concern for Zhongye, though he is too intimidated by Shen Qinghuai’s amusement to intervene.
• Shen Qinghuai displays a playful, calculating streak. He recognizes the likely danger of the welcome party but chooses not to warn Zhongye because he wants to preserve the surprise.
• Zhou Zeyang is practical and reluctant, immediately regretting his involvement in the exhausting preparations, while Zhou Jingcheng embraces the opportunity to participate in the chaos.

Significant Themes

• Family reconciliation through chaos: Shi Jihan attempts to welcome Zhongye and repair family bonds, but his unconventional approach turns reconciliation into a potential prank or ambush.
• Hidden affection and denial: Zhongye insists he distrusts his family, yet secretly returns for the wedding. Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai’s relationship similarly demonstrates how genuine feelings can grow beneath a formal arrangement.
• Manipulation and strategic alliances: Characters continually use one another’s weaknesses, secrets, and relationships to gain advantage or create humorous situations.
• Systemic control versus personal agency: Shi Jihan’s actions are shaped by the system’s demand that he preserve Zhongye’s storyline, turning his relationships into both emotional connections and assigned objectives.
• Comedy through social disruption: The chapter relies on misunderstandings, exaggerated personalities, and the contrast between Shi Jihan’s sincere enthusiasm and everyone else’s suspicion.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng communicate anonymously, forming an amusing alliance based on gossip about Shi Zhongye.
• Zhou Jingcheng’s hostility toward Zhongye motivates him to betray personal information, while Shi Jihan eagerly turns that information into party-planning material.
• Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai discuss whether to warn Zhongye, revealing their differing attitudes toward the impending chaos.
• Shi Bochuan is irritated by Zhou Jingcheng’s familiarity with the Shi residence, while Zhou Jingcheng acts completely at ease.
• Shi Jihan enthusiastically commands the Zhou brothers during the preparations, contrasting with Zhou Zeyang’s reluctance and Zhou Jingcheng’s unexpected willingness to work.

Chapter Summary

• Prank preparations: Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng decorate the Shi family home for Shi Zhongye’s return. Shi Jihan uses expensive custom balloons printed with his brother’s face. Zhou Jingcheng initially does not realize this and enthusiastically inflates them, then takes pleasure in launching the balloon “heads” around the room. Shi Jihan objects because of the cost, but ultimately lets him continue when the system rewards the resulting harassment with Malice Points.
• Forced decorating labor: Shi Jihan puts Zhou Jingcheng and Zhou Zeyang to work decorating the house. He repeatedly changes his mind about where a banner should hang, deliberately trapping Zhou Jingcheng on a ladder until the system announces that the task of “Randomly Ruining Zhou Jingcheng” is complete. Zhou Jingcheng retaliates verbally, joking that he has suddenly developed a fear of heights, while Zhou Zeyang is left bewildered by the brothers’ shared cruelty and absurdity.
• Flirtatious physical interaction: After removing his suit jacket and loosening his clothing because of the heat, Zhou Jingcheng attracts Shi Jihan’s attention. Shi Jihan touches and comments on his muscular chest, openly teasing him about being embarrassed. Zhou Jingcheng denies feeling shy but becomes visibly flustered, loses his composure, and begins overinflating balloons until they burst. Zhou Zeyang interprets the encounter as his brother being taken advantage of, while Shi Jihan continues enjoying the Malice Points generated by his teasing.
• Unequal treatment of Zhou Zeyang: Shi Jihan brings water only for Zhou Jingcheng and dismisses Zhou Zeyang when he reaches for a cup, leaving Zhou Zeyang to jokingly view himself as the neglected “little cabbage.” This reinforces the playful but lopsided dynamic among the three men.
• Shi Zhongye’s arrival: Shi Zhongye returns to City A after six months away, remembering that his previous visit involved asking Zhou Jingcheng for money. He assumes Shi Jihan’s welcome party is merely a manipulative performance intended to fake sibling affection and use him as a prop. Already irritated, he arrives at the Shi family home and aggressively opens the door.
• Cliffhanger welcome: Instead of a conventional greeting, party poppers blast Shi Zhongye with paper strips displaying huge photos of his own face. The chapter ends with Shi Jihan’s grand announcement: “The global ceiling of good looks is here.”

Character Development and Interactions

• Shi Jihan is mischievous, shameless, and increasingly confident in provoking Zhou Jingcheng. His pranks are partly motivated by earning Malice Points, though he also shows a hint of guilt after pushing Zhou Jingcheng too far.
• Zhou Jingcheng shifts from a dignified, serious businessman into an enthusiastic participant in Shi Jihan’s pranks. He becomes emotionally flustered by Shi Jihan’s physical teasing but attempts to preserve his pride through denial and sarcastic retaliation.
• Zhou Zeyang serves as the exasperated observer, repeatedly shocked by the pair’s behavior and increasingly aware that he receives less attention than his brother.
• Shi Zhongye arrives already resentful and suspicious of Shi Jihan’s motives, setting up the confrontation between his expectations of a false family reunion and the deliberately humiliating welcome he receives.

Significant Themes

• Playful humiliation and revenge: The chapter turns family tension into elaborate comedy, with Shi Jihan using public-style praise and personalized props to mock Shi Zhongye.
• Hidden embarrassment and attraction: Zhou Jingcheng’s outward composure contrasts with his physical and emotional reactions to Shi Jihan’s teasing, suggesting growing romantic or personal tension.
• Power through performance: Shi Jihan controls the atmosphere by staging the welcome party, manipulating everyone’s reactions, and transforming social expectations into a prank.
• Found or chosen companionship: Despite the cruelty of their jokes, Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng develop a strangely cooperative bond, while Zhou Zeyang remains the excluded third party.

Chapter 29 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Shi Zhongye returns to the Shi family villa and is immediately ambushed by an elaborate, humiliating welcome-home prank.
• The villa has been decorated with enormous posters, balloons, and a cake—all featuring Shi Zhongye’s own face. One poster even includes an embarrassing childhood photo of him wearing crotchless pants.
• Shi Jihan enthusiastically welcomes him with exaggerated affection, while the family sings a distorted version of “Come Home to Visit.”
• Shi Zhongye is forced to cut a cake decorated with his face. The cake contains a voice recording of his own voice protesting whenever it is cut, causing him increasing mental and emotional distress.
• When Shi Jihan takes over cutting the cake, he accidentally—and then repeatedly—distorts the icing portrait, turning Shi Zhongye bald and giving him an absurdly stretched smile.
• Furious, Shi Zhongye searches for a weapon and asks Zhou Jingcheng to restrain Shi Jihan. Instead, Zhou smears cake onto Shi Zhongye’s face under the pretense of offering him dessert.
• Shi Zhongye finally loses control, punches Shi Jihan twice, and declares that Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng can “die together.”
• He storms upstairs, retrieves his forgotten suitcases, and struggles up the stairs despite being reminded that an elevator is available. He insists that he simply enjoys exercising.
• At his bedroom door, he suddenly realizes that he never confirmed whether he still lives in the villa.

Character Developments

• Shi Zhongye is portrayed as intensely narcissistic and proud of his appearance, but also extremely easy to provoke when that image is mocked. His embarrassment quickly escalates into rage, though his reactions are largely comedic rather than genuinely threatening.
• Shi Jihan demonstrates a mischievous, prank-loving personality. He claims he is trying to improve his relationship with his second brother, but his attempts repeatedly make matters worse and earn him Malice Points.
• Zhou Jingcheng proves to be an especially deadpan accomplice. He calmly escalates the prank, using Shi Zhongye’s anger and sensitivity against him while pretending to be helpful.
• Shi Bochuan is revealed as one of the prank’s planners, though he becomes embarrassed by the cruelty of the execution and avoids confronting Shi Zhongye.
• The rest of the family and Zhou Zeyang quietly participate or observe, showing a shared willingness to tease Shi Zhongye and a strong sense of familial familiarity.

Significant Themes

• Familial affection expressed through teasing: The family’s bizarre welcome is intended as a form of love, but it manifests as relentless humiliation.
• Narcissism and self-image: Shi Zhongye’s obsession with his own face becomes the central target of the prank, exposing how vulnerable he is when that image is altered or mocked.
• Escalating comedy and revenge: Each attempt to calm the situation only intensifies the chaos, creating a cycle of provocation, anger, and retaliation.
• Family intimacy and dysfunction: The family is comfortable enough to torment one another openly, suggesting closeness beneath their absurd and antagonistic behavior.

Character Interactions

• Shi Jihan repeatedly provokes Shi Zhongye while insisting that he is welcoming him home.
• Zhou Jingcheng works with Shi Jihan to undermine Shi Zhongye, then becomes a target when Shi Zhongye demands help against his brother.
• Shi Zhongye and Shi Jihan’s sibling relationship is openly combative, culminating in Shi Zhongye punching him.
• Shi Bochuan and the others remain mostly passive observers, silently enjoying—or at least enduring—the spectacle.
• The chapter ends with Shi Zhongye physically and emotionally overwhelmed, uncertain whether the villa is still his home despite the family’s enthusiastic “welcome.”