Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Miao Qingran publicly confronts Wei Shaolin and accuses him of sabotaging her life for years:
  • He anonymously caused her exchange opportunity to be revoked.
  • He tampered with her Student Union election speech.
  • He drugged her water before the English college entrance exam, causing her to fail.
  • He was also implied to have interfered with her graduate entrance exams and possibly caused the car accident.
• Wei Shaolin’s frightened and guilty reactions effectively confirm her accusations. He claims he acted out of love and fear that she would leave him, but Miao Qingran rejects this justification.
• After slapping him, Miao Qingran throws water on him and kicks him in the groin when he continues trying to hold onto her.
• The livestream audience reacts furiously, and clips of the confrontation spread rapidly online. Hashtags about Miao Qingran’s failed exams and breakup with Wei Shaolin become major trending topics.
• The production team terminates Wei Shaolin’s contract and demands compensation. His reputation collapses, he loses his job, and he eventually leaves the city penniless.
• Miao Qingran also leaves the reality show. She thanks Chu Xiyue before departing and announces plans to retake the graduate entrance exams while continuing her self-media career.
• The director is left overwhelmed because multiple couples have broken up, disrupting the show’s filming schedule. He worries that the program is becoming more about couples attacking one another than marriage.

Character Developments

• Miao Qingran finally breaks free from Wei Shaolin’s manipulation and openly confronts him. Though deeply hurt and furious, she regains control of her future and resolves to pursue the university opportunity he stole from her.
• Wei Shaolin is exposed as a calculating and abusive manipulator who disguised jealousy and control as love. His public image, career, and social standing are destroyed.
• Chu Xiyue shows compassion and support toward Miao Qingran, encouraging her academic ambitions and offering emotional comfort.
• The director becomes increasingly anxious as the show’s unexpected scandals and breakups threaten production.

Significant Themes

• Abuse disguised as love: Wei Shaolin’s claim that he sabotaged Miao Qingran because he loved her highlights the difference between genuine affection and possessive control.
• Reclaiming agency: Miao Qingran refuses to remain defined by the damage Wei caused and chooses to rebuild her life on her own terms.
• Public accountability: The livestream and online backlash expose Wei’s behavior and lead to professional and social consequences.
• Consequences of manipulation: Although Wei cannot easily be prosecuted for all his past actions, public exposure causes him to lose his reputation, job, and financial security.
• Female solidarity: Chu Xiyue supports Miao Qingran, while the predominantly female audience strongly empathizes with her suffering.

Character Interactions

• Miao Qingran confronts Wei Shaolin in front of the other guests and the livestream audience, listing his past betrayals.
• Wei tries to excuse his actions as love and attempts to continue holding onto her, but she rejects him physically and verbally.
• Miao and Chu Xiyue share a heartfelt farewell, with Chu encouraging Miao to retake the exams.
• The director discusses the fallout with his assistant director, struggling to manage a reality show whose relationships are rapidly collapsing.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The variety show receives exciting news: former superstars Ning Shuixin and Wen Yan agree to join the program after previously ignoring the production team’s invitations.
• Their appearance is highly anticipated because Ning Shuixin was once known as the “national goddess,” while Wen Yan was a beloved historical-drama heartthrob. Their first joint variety-show appearance quickly draws public attention and overshadows the show’s earlier scandal involving He Jinyuan and Wan Zhen.
• Chu Xiyue oversleeps after staying up late reading online gossip. Since she no longer has a partner on the dating show, she feels invisible and believes no one cares whether she participates.
• Upon entering the living room, Chu meets Ning Shuixin and Wen Yan. Ning appears intrigued by Chu’s beauty, but Chu is tired and responds rather indifferently.
• Ning and Wen Yan display affectionate behavior, feeding each other fruit and calling each other endearments. Their loving interaction reassures viewers that their long marriage is genuine and delights the livestream audience.
• While sitting quietly, Chu chats internally with the system about the hidden conflict between Wan Zhen and Xu Wenchong.
• The system reveals that the couple has not divorced because both possess damaging evidence against the other:
  • Wan Zhen knows Xu embezzled company assets.
  • Xu has uncovered evidence that Wan Zhen tampered with her cousin’s medication, contributing to the woman’s death.
  • The cousin’s parents are also investigating and have found new evidence, meaning Wan Zhen and Xu’s downfall is approaching.
• Ning Shuixin unexpectedly offers Chu a business card and invites her to audition for a second female lead role in a film she and Wen Yan invested in.

Character Developments

• Chu Xiyue remains detached from the show and more interested in observing other people’s scandals than participating herself. However, her beauty attracts Ning Shuixin’s attention and may open a new opportunity in the entertainment industry.
• Ning Shuixin is introduced as warm, observant, and professionally influential. She notices Chu’s appearance and takes the initiative to recommend her for a film role.
• Wen Yan appears affectionate and considerate toward Ning Shuixin, reinforcing their image as a genuinely loving long-married couple.
• Wan Zhen and Xu Wenchong are revealed to be mutually manipulative and trapped in a destructive marriage based on blackmail, self-preservation, and competing secrets.
• The system continues to provide Chu with behind-the-scenes information, allowing her to understand scandals that are hidden from the public.

Significant Themes

• Public image versus private reality: Ning and Wen Yan’s private devotion contrasts with the damaging rumors surrounding them, while Wan Zhen and Xu present a marriage sustained by concealed crimes and mutual threats.
• The entertainment industry’s fascination with secrecy: The couple’s low profile makes the public more curious, demonstrating how scarcity and mystery increase celebrity attention.
• Revenge and moral corruption: Wan Zhen and Xu’s schemes reveal how greed, betrayal, and the pursuit of power have poisoned their relationship.
• Unexpected opportunity: Chu’s passive presence leads to a potentially important acting opportunity, suggesting that her fortunes may be changing despite her marginal status on the show.
• Gossip as both entertainment and revelation: Chu treats the system’s revelations as exciting drama, while the information exposes serious crimes beneath seemingly ordinary relationships.

Character Interactions

• Ning Shuixin warmly introduces herself to Chu, though Chu’s tired, distracted response creates a slightly awkward first impression.
• Wen Yan interrupts Ning’s interaction with Chu to offer her a sweet piece of apple, and Ning responds affectionately, emphasizing their intimacy.
• The livestream audience reacts enthusiastically to the couple’s public affection and interprets it as proof of their enduring love.
• Chu mentally discusses Wan Zhen and Xu Wenchong’s secrets with the system, reacting with shock and amusement to their escalating marital power struggle.
• Ning Shuixin later approaches Chu directly, gives her a business card, and offers her a chance to audition for a film role.

Summary

Ning Shuixin invites Chu Xiyue to play the second female lead in her film, presenting it as a major opportunity. The system warns Chu that Ning and her husband, Wen Yan, are deeply corrupt: they exploit artists through coercion and blackmail, arrange sexual favors for wealthy investors, broker sugar-daddy relationships, and use films to launder money. The system also reveals that their studio trained the boyfriend who manipulated Wu Taotao’s younger sister. Authorities suspect the couple of tax evasion, but have not found the hidden accounts.
Ning’s offer is a trap. She wants to recruit Chu, then use her beauty and career ambitions to bring her under control and potentially send her to investors. Believing Chu will accept the coveted role, Ning presses her to sign. Chu refuses, saying she is not interested in acting. Ning turns off their microphones and offers to double the pay, but Chu senses that Ning still intends to pursue her.

Character developments and interactions

• Chu Xiyue learns the extent of Ning and Wen Yan’s crimes, is briefly stunned, then firmly rejects the offer. She recognizes Ning’s predatory intentions and decides that taking the initiative may be safer than merely defending herself.
• Ning Shuixin maintains a gentle public image while privately revealing her ambition and willingness to exploit Chu. When Chu refuses, she tries to persuade her with more money and continues sizing her up as potential prey.
• The system supplies crucial background on the couple’s criminal operations and warns Chu not to accept.
• Chu and Ning move from a seemingly cordial casting conversation to a quiet contest of suspicion and pressure.

Significant themes

• Exploitation behind glamour: The promise of fame and lucrative roles hides coercion and abuse.
• Public image versus private corruption: Ning and Wen Yan appear respectable but conceal extensive wrongdoing.
• Agency and resistance: Chu’s refusal challenges Ning’s assumption that ambition makes people easy to control.

Chapter Summary: First Variety Show Behind-the-Scenes

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ning Shuixin persuades Chu Xiyue to accept the role of the second female lead in Immortal Tribulation by offering double pay. Chu agrees, but requests the money upfront.
• After signing the contract, Chu secretly plans to exploit the agreement: if filming cannot begin, the contract will become void while she keeps the payment.
• Chu orders the system to report Wen-Ning Studio for tax evasion and provide authorities with the location of its hidden account books. The report quickly gives investigators a breakthrough in their money-laundering case.
• Chu contacts paparazzo Wu Taotao and reveals that Ning Shuixin and Wen Yan have been coercing artists into sexual transactions and operating a broader illegal scheme.
• Wu initially fears the danger of exposing such powerful figures, but Chu points out that the studio’s connection to Feng Xiuzhuo could help Wu take revenge for her sister’s suicide.
• Wu accepts the information, motivated by her desire to bring Feng Xiuzhuo down.
• Meanwhile, online scandals involving Wan Zhen and Xu Wenchong escalate. Both expose one another’s alleged crimes, infidelity, and misconduct, creating further entertainment-industry chaos.
• Chu follows the scandal enthusiastically, though she is humorously disappointed when the supposed incriminating photos of Wan Zhen turn out to show only ordinary activities such as shopping and holding hands.

Character Developments

• Chu Xiyue reveals herself as calculating, financially opportunistic, and highly proactive. She accepts Ning Shuixin’s offer not out of trust, but because she intends to profit from it and undermine the studio.
• Chu also shows a strong willingness to protect coerced artists and punish those who abuse their power, using evidence and strategic alliances rather than confronting her enemies directly.
• Ning Shuixin continues to manipulate events behind a friendly exterior, unaware that Chu has already begun plotting against her.
• Wu Taotao is shown to be cautious but determined. Her fear of retaliation is overcome by her longing to avenge her sister and expose Feng Xiuzhuo.
• The system is startled by Chu’s ruthless strategy but obediently carries out her instructions.
• Wan Zhen and Xu Wenchong become locked in a mutually destructive public battle, each attempting to portray themselves as the victim while exposing the other’s wrongdoing.

Significant Themes

• Revenge through strategy: Chu turns her enemies’ schemes against them instead of reacting emotionally.
• Abuse of power in the entertainment industry: The chapter highlights exploitation, coercion, corruption, money laundering, and the vulnerability of artists under influential managers.
• Greed and manipulation: Chu recognizes that Ning Shuixin’s greed can be used against her, while Chu herself openly exploits financial opportunities.
• Justice and personal vengeance: Wu’s desire to expose Feng Xiuzhuo blends moral justice with personal revenge.
• Public scandal as a weapon: Reputation, leaked information, and online exposure become tools for destroying powerful figures.
• Gossip and spectacle: Despite the serious crimes involved, the chapter maintains a comedic tone through Chu’s delight in celebrity scandals.

Character Interactions

• Chu Xiyue and Ning Shuixin: They publicly present their agreement as friendly cooperation, while privately treating each other as enemies.
• Chu Xiyue and the system: Chu explains her plan to exploit the contract and directs the system to report the studio and contact Wu Taotao.
• Chu Xiyue and Wu Taotao: Chu offers Wu damaging information about Ning Shuixin, Wen Yan, and their connection to Feng Xiuzhuo. Wu accepts despite recognizing Chu’s ulterior motives.
• Wan Zhen and Xu Wenchong: Their relationship collapses into reciprocal accusations involving murder, corruption, infidelity, and public humiliation.
• Chu Xiyue and online spectators: Chu joins netizens in enjoying the unfolding scandals, reinforcing her role as both participant in and observer of the entertainment-industry chaos.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• He Jinyuan is officially condemned by the media as a disgraced artist and blacklisted because of his affair with Wan Zhen and his chaotic private life.
• Additional revelations accuse Wan Zhen of seducing her cousin-in-law while her cousin was seriously ill, becoming his mistress, and contributing to the original wife’s death. The scandal dominates online discussion.
• The director is relieved that He Jinyuan filmed only two days, making it easy to remove his scenes from the variety show.
• Authorities act on Chu Xiyue’s report and discover the hidden account books belonging to Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin’s studio. After spending a week compiling evidence, they go to the filming location to arrest the couple for suspected tax evasion.
• The first episode of The One She Loves Most airs. He Jinyuan, Wan Zhen, and Xu Wenchong’s scenes have been cut, leaving parts of the episode disjointed and reducing audience interest.
• Viewers remain interested in Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin because of their popularity, while Wei Shaolin receives widespread criticism due to his previous mistreatment of a girl.
• Just as the livestream is ending, tax bureau officials arrive and publicly announce that Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin must accompany them over tax issues.
• The livestream cuts off immediately afterward, causing viewers to flood the comments with shock and speculation under the trending topic “Wen-Ning Couple Arrested for Tax Evasion.”

2. Character Developments

• He Jinyuan: His career is effectively destroyed as he becomes officially blacklisted and publicly exposed as an adulterer.
• Wan Zhen: Her reputation collapses further as allegations portray her as manipulative, immoral, and responsible for the breakdown of her cousin’s marriage and death.
• Chu Xiyue: Her report successfully leads authorities to Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin’s hidden financial records, demonstrating her effectiveness and strategic planning.
• Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin: Their confident public image is shattered when officials arrive to arrest them. Both visibly panic under the scrutiny of the other guests and the livestream audience.
• Li Fan’er and Zhao Xizhou: Their interactions suggest a potentially entertaining romantic dynamic. Li Fan’er appears irritated by Zhao Xizhou, while his relaxed attention toward her hints at mutual attraction.
• Wei Shaolin: He is condemned by viewers, who remember how his selfish actions nearly ruined another girl’s life.
• Miao Qingran: She maintains a sweet, hopeful public image, contrasting with the negative attention surrounding several other guests.

3. Significant Themes

• Public scandal and moral judgment: Online audiences rapidly condemn celebrities whose private behavior becomes public.
• The collapse of false reputations: He Jinyuan, Wan Zhen, Wen Yan, and Ning Shuixin can no longer control the images they present to the public.
• Justice and consequences: Chu Xiyue’s report leads to official action, showing that wrongdoing eventually produces tangible consequences.
• Media spectacle: Personal disasters become entertainment, with viewers eagerly watching scandals unfold in real time.
• Irony and exposure: The tax arrests occur during a livestream designed to promote the show, turning the broadcast into an unexpected public takedown.
• Romantic contrast: The apparent tension between Li Fan’er and Zhao Xizhou provides a lighter, more playful counterpoint to the surrounding scandals.

4. Character Interactions

• Li Fan’er openly expresses displeasure toward Zhao Xizhou, while he responds with an ambiguous smile and watches her affectionately. Chu Xiyue privately interprets their behavior as romantic chemistry.
• Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin sit together during the watchalong, presenting themselves as a united couple until the tax bureau officials arrive.
• The other guests silently watch Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin after the arrest announcement, their surprise and suspicion intensifying the couple’s humiliation.
• The tax officer directly identifies Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin and orders them to accompany the authorities, creating the chapter’s climactic confrontation.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After the livestream camera is switched off, Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin relax, believing they can privately handle the visiting tax officials.
• Wen Yan attempts to appease the stern lead official with cigarettes and claims that their studio has always paid its taxes properly. The official rejects his efforts and states that the authorities already possess conclusive evidence.
• Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin are taken away for investigation, initially causing everyone to wonder whether Chu Xiyue might also be implicated.
• The lead official is revealed to be Chu Chengyun, Chu Xiyue’s older brother, rather than an investigator targeting her.
• Chu Chengyun gives Chu Xiyue a bank card containing approximately twenty million yuan, tells her to take care of herself, and asks her to return home because their parents miss her. He also assures her that her family will not force her into an unspecified matter if she refuses.
• News of Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin’s arrest quickly becomes the top trending topic. The next day, an official announcement confirms that they are suspected of evading nearly 500 million yuan in taxes and committing other economic crimes involving almost 2 billion yuan.
• Wu Taotao then publicly accuses Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin’s studio of exploiting vulnerable newcomers through coercive contracts, psychological manipulation, labor exploitation, forced drinking companionship, and sexual transactions. The statement includes evidence and claims that multiple artists suffered severe depression or attempted suicide.

2. Character Developments

• Chu Xiyue: Finally receives the original owner’s memories and learns the identity of her powerful older brother. Her initial awkwardness shifts into genuine warmth when Chu Chengyun treats her protectively. She is delighted by the financial support and begins to feel emotionally connected to the Chu family.
• Chu Chengyun: Although stern and intimidating in his official role, he is revealed to be a caring and protective brother. His gift of the bank card and concern for Chu Xiyue show that he worries about her welfare despite their estrangement.
• Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin: Their composed public image collapses. Their arrest exposes them as alleged perpetrators of extensive tax evasion, money laundering, fraudulent invoicing, and exploitation within the entertainment industry.
• Wu Taotao: Establishes herself as a bold whistleblower willing to confront the Wen-Ning studio publicly and defend abused artists.
• Program staff and the public: The staff’s view of Chu Xiyue changes once they discover her family connections, while online opinion becomes divided between those defending Wen and Ning and those convinced of their guilt.

3. Significant Themes

• Justice and the collapse of false appearances: The chapter contrasts Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin’s polished celebrity image with the serious crimes allegedly concealed behind it.
• Power and social connections: Chu Xiyue’s relationship with Chu Chengyun demonstrates that she has powerful family backing, altering how others perceive and treat her.
• Family care and belonging: Chu Chengyun’s practical support and gentle concern help Chu Xiyue experience a sense of family warmth she had not previously felt.
• Exploitation in the entertainment industry: Wu Taotao’s accusation expands the scandal from financial wrongdoing to systemic abuse of inexperienced and powerless artists.
• Changes caused by transmigration: Chu Xiyue’s altered actions have dramatically disrupted the original plot, producing earlier arrests, greater public attention, and revelations that never occurred in the original storyline.

4. Character Interactions

• Wen Yan tries to flatter and bribe the lead official, but the official responds with authority and threatens compulsory measures.
• Chu Xiyue and Chu Chengyun have an awkward reunion because she has only just inherited the original owner’s memories. His stern demeanor softens as he gives her money, pats her head, and encourages her to come home.
• Chu Xiyue’s reaction to the card changes her attitude toward Chu Chengyun from confusion to affectionate acceptance.
• The program staff silently reassess Chu Xiyue after witnessing her connection to a high-ranking official.
• Wu Taotao directly challenges Wen Yan, Ning Shuixin, and their studio through a public social-media statement, shifting the scandal toward the mistreatment of artists.

Chapter Summary: “Ask for Proof, Get Proof” (Revised)

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wu Taotao’s Weibo post goes viral after she publishes nine sets of censored chat logs allegedly showing Ning Shuixin abusing and coercing artists under her management.
• The messages portray Ning as cruel and authoritarian, repeatedly ordering artists to entertain wealthy and powerful men, sometimes threatening them with blackmail, leaked videos, or harm if they refused.
• The chat records span five years and suggest that at least nine victims were forced into such transactions repeatedly. Three former artists later died from severe depression.
• Wu Taotao states that the evidence came from former Wen-Ning Studio artists or their relatives and promises to accept legal responsibility for the accusations while asking the public not to expose the victims’ identities.
• Public outrage intensifies because Ning Shuixin is a beloved “national goddess,” while her husband, Wen Yan, was once a famous actor. Their combined reputation and fanbase make the scandal a major entertainment-industry crisis.
• Since Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin have already been detained for financial crimes, their studio is unable to mount an immediate public-relations defense. Brands quickly terminate their endorsement contracts, and additional victims come forward.
• Wen-Ning Studio denies Wu Taotao’s accusations and threatens legal action, but authorities soon issue an official notice confirming that reports of forced sexual and financial transactions were substantiated. Wen and Ning are formally criminally detained while the investigation continues.
• The investigation expands beyond the couple. Police uncover celebrities who helped them launder money or evade taxes, as well as men implicated in the coercive transactions described in the chat logs.
• Wu Taotao later publishes another exposé naming the Wen-Ning couple’s close industry associates. Feng Xiuzhuo is prominently featured, despite having hurried to repay taxes after the couple’s arrest.

Character Developments

• Wu Taotao strengthens her image as a determined investigative figure. She not only releases damaging evidence but also emphasizes protecting the victims and accepting responsibility for her claims.
• Ning Shuixin’s public persona collapses. Her image as a gentle, virtuous celebrity is replaced by evidence depicting her as threatening, exploitative, and abusive toward artists.
• Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin shift from disgraced celebrities facing financial-crime charges to central suspects in a broader network of exploitation, coercion, and corruption.
• Feng Xiuzhuo is revealed to have had unusually close ties to the couple. His attempt to pay back taxes suggests fear and possible guilt, while his anxiety foreshadows further consequences.
• Chu Xiyue follows the scandal closely and feels relieved only after the authorities officially confirm the accusations, showing how seriously she views the victims’ plight and the need for legal accountability.

Significant Themes

• The collapse of celebrity facades: The chapter contrasts Ning Shuixin’s carefully cultivated public image with her alleged private cruelty.
• Abuse of power in the entertainment industry: Managers and wealthy industry figures exploit vulnerable artists through coercion, threats, blackmail, and transactional relationships.
• The importance of evidence and institutional confirmation: Wu Taotao’s documentation gains overwhelming credibility when authorities officially verify the allegations.
• Justice for silenced victims: The suffering and deaths of former artists emphasize the human cost hidden behind celebrity success.
• Corruption as a network: The scandal reveals that financial crimes and sexual exploitation are not isolated acts but part of a wider system involving celebrities, managers, and powerful businessmen.
• Public accountability: Brands, fans, authorities, and the media all react as the couple’s influence collapses.

Character Interactions

• Ning Shuixin’s abusive interactions with artists dominate the leaked chat logs, showing her issuing orders, arranging exploitative encounters, and threatening victims who resisted.
• Wu Taotao directly challenges Wen-Ning Studio and its supporters by publishing evidence and publicly defending the victims.
• Wen-Ning Studio attempts to retaliate by denying the accusations and threatening lawsuits, but the official police statement immediately undermines that defense.
• Police investigations connect Wen Yan and Ning Shuixin to the businessmen and celebrities involved in their financial and sexual exploitation schemes.
• Feng Xiuzhuo’s past closeness to the couple becomes a central focus of Wu Taotao’s next exposé, placing him under intense public suspicion.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wu Taotao exposes Feng Xiuzhuo’s involvement in Wen-Ning and Wen Yan’s money-laundering and tax-evasion schemes, revealing exact financial details that match his previous back-tax payments.
• She also releases recovered chat records between Feng Xiuzhuo and her deceased younger sister. Because Feng’s reputation has already been damaged by his association with Wen-Ning and Wen Yan, the evidence is now credible and devastating.
• Feng Xiuzhuo is officially blacklisted. Wu Taotao visits her sister’s grave, burns the day’s news reports, and declares that Feng has finally received his punishment.
• The reality show’s livestream is suspended for two days because of the scandal. The director mourns the loss of already-filmed footage and begins worrying that every guest he selects will eventually be disgraced.
• Netizens notice that multiple scandals have erupted during the filming of The One She Loves Most. They begin rewatching old footage and conclude that Chu Xiyue seemed to know about several scandals before they became public.
• Online speculation escalates into the absurd trending theory that Chu Xiyue is an undercover government agent sent to cleanse the entertainment industry.
• The director privately asks Chu Xiyue whether she has joined the show for a secret mission and whether the remaining guests have committed crimes. Although she denies being an undercover agent, he does not believe her.
• Taking her supposed “mission” seriously, the director returns Chu Xiyue’s phone and rewrites her role, making her the show’s sole relationship observer with unusual freedom.
• After two days of adjustments, the livestream resumes. A new, highly famous guest couple is scheduled to join the show.

Character Developments

• Wu Taotao moves from exposing Feng Xiuzhuo publicly to achieving personal closure at her sister’s grave. Her actions demonstrate grief transformed into determination and justice.
• Feng Xiuzhuo suffers the complete collapse of his carefully constructed celebrity image. His connections to criminal figures, financial crimes, and the recovered messages lead to his blacklisting.
• Chu Xiyue becomes increasingly mysterious in the eyes of the public. Although she insists she is not an undercover agent, her calm reactions and apparent foreknowledge make both viewers and the director suspicious.
• The director becomes anxious and superstitious about his casting choices, fearing that every guest will bring another scandal. He ultimately adapts by trusting Chu Xiyue and giving her a central role.
• Li Fan’er and Zhao Xizhou are briefly suspected by the director and netizens but are confirmed by Chu Xiyue to be safe from immediate scandal.

Significant Themes

• Public image versus hidden truth: Feng Xiuzhuo’s polished persona collapses once private evidence and financial records expose his crimes.
• Justice and closure: Wu Taotao’s public revelations and visit to her sister’s grave connect legal punishment with emotional revenge and mourning.
• Surveillance and interpretation: Viewers scrutinize reality-show footage, turning small expressions and remarks into clues about hidden relationships and secrets.
• Rumor and conspiracy: Chu Xiyue’s suspicious behavior inspires an exaggerated online theory, showing how quickly audiences convert coincidence into elaborate narratives.
• Reality television as exposure: The show becomes a setting where relationships unravel and scandals surface, blurring the line between entertainment and investigation.

Character Interactions

• Wu Taotao confronts Feng Xiuzhuo indirectly through her evidence and speaks to her deceased sister while celebrating his downfall.
• The director questions Li Fan’er and Zhao Xizhou about possible wrongdoing, then privately interrogates Chu Xiyue about the supposed government mission.
• Chu Xiyue reassures the director that Li Fan’er and Zhao Xizhou are not in immediate danger, though he interprets her denial as coded confirmation.
• Netizens connect Chu Xiyue to He Jinyuan, Wan Zhen, Xu Wenchong, Miao Qingran, Wei Shaolin, Wen-Ning, and Wen Yan, believing she influenced or anticipated each scandal.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Beinian and Chen Yi, a famously beloved married celebrity couple known as the “Year Couple,” arrive at the villa as the final pair of real married guests on the reality show.
• Their public interactions—Jiang’s chivalrous behavior and affectionate teasing—delight viewers and generate a flood of enthusiastic CP-fan comments.
• The production team collects their phones, but Jiang asks to make one final call to his mother. While outside, he speaks affectionately to someone he calls “darling,” claiming he is leaving on a business trip and will return in half a month.
• Chu Xiyue hears the call but assumes it belongs to a staff member and remains focused on online scandals involving entertainment-industry executives coercing artists.
• When filming is about to start, Chu meets the newly arrived couple. Chen Yi praises Chu’s beauty, while Jiang gives her a polite greeting.
• Chu recognizes Jiang’s voice as the man who made the suspicious call. The system reveals shocking hidden information: Jiang and Chen Yi are secretly preparing to divorce, despite their public image as the entertainment industry’s sweetest couple.
• The system further exposes Jiang as a spoiled mama’s boy and habitual flirt. The “innocent female college student” he has been pursuing is actually a burly man running a scam involving a tea-selling persona.
• Chu becomes intrigued by the scandal and wonders whether Jiang intends to marry his supposed affair partner after divorcing Chen Yi.

2. Character Developments

• Jiang Beinian: Publicly appears refined, affectionate, and devoted to Chen Yi, but is revealed to be unfaithful, emotionally immature, and dependent on his mother. His secret phone call exposes a major contradiction between his public persona and private conduct.
• Chen Yi: Maintains a composed, affectionate public image, but the system reveals that she has discovered Jiang’s infidelity and is determined to divorce him after the show.
• Chu Xiyue: Continues to act polite and obedient in front of the other guests, while privately using the system to uncover hidden secrets. Her interest shifts toward Jiang and Chen Yi’s concealed marital crisis.
• The System: Provides crucial behind-the-scenes information and heightens the chapter’s comedic and scandalous tone by revealing the identity of Jiang’s catfishing target.

3. Significant Themes

• Public image versus private reality: The couple celebrated as a model of true love is secretly falling apart.
• Celebrity culture and manufactured romance: Their popularity depends heavily on fans’ belief in their perfect relationship.
• Infidelity and deception: Jiang’s dishonest behavior contrasts sharply with his affectionate public performance.
• Gossip and hidden truths: Chu’s fascination with scandals allows readers to see the secrets concealed beneath the entertainment industry’s polished surface.
• Comedic reversal: Jiang believes he is flirting with a young woman, but the supposed woman is actually a large man, creating an ironic and humiliating twist.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang treats Chen Yi with exaggerated tenderness, opening doors, bowing, embracing her, and calling it natural to serve his wife.
• Chen Yi responds with mock embarrassment, reinforcing their convincing “sweet couple” performance.
• Fans interpret their teasing and physical familiarity as proof of genuine love.
• Jiang speaks affectionately to his hidden romantic contact while pretending to be updating his mother, unaware that his behavior may soon be exposed.
• Chen Yi warmly compliments Chu Xiyue, while Jiang offers her only restrained politeness.
• Chu remains outwardly respectful toward the couple but internally observes Jiang with suspicion after recognizing his voice and learning the truth about his secret affair.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Beinian’s scheme is revealed: he plans to abandon his wife, Chen Yi, for a supposedly sheltered heiress who could revive his declining career.
• To destroy Chen Yi’s reputation, he intends to act like a devoted husband on the reality show while secretly spreading rumors that she cheated on him. Since the guests’ phones will be confiscated, Chen Yi would be unable to respond quickly, allowing Jiang’s story to spread before she could clarify the truth.
• Chu Xiyue condemns Jiang as another “scumbag” and sympathizes with the couple’s fans, who expected romantic fanservice but are instead witnessing the collapse of the relationship.
• Chen Yi arrives and befriends Chu Xiyue, asking about her age, agency, and acting experience.
• Chu Xiyue explains that her previous film project was canceled after its producer and lead actor, Ning Shuixin and Wen Yan, were arrested and the investors withdrew.
• Livestream viewers speculate that Ning Shuixin originally offered Chu Xiyue a role in order to manipulate or exploit her. They increasingly believe the rumor that Chu Xiyue was the whistleblower who exposed Ning and Wen, even imagining that she had acted as an undercover agent.
• Chen Yi comforts Chu Xiyue over losing the role, but Chu points out that she was paid in advance, so the failed project still benefited her financially.
• Feeling protective toward Chu, Chen Yi offers to recommend her for an audition in an upcoming film with a director she knows.

Character Developments

• Jiang Beinian is exposed as calculating and ambitious. He views his marriage and fans mainly as tools for career advancement and is willing to frame Chen Yi as unfaithful to preserve his own popularity.
• Chu Xiyue remains blunt, practical, and unusually calm. Rather than lamenting the lost film opportunity, she focuses on the fact that she received payment without having to work. Her honesty unintentionally fuels public theories about her involvement in Ning Shuixin’s downfall.
• Chen Yi appears warm, friendly, and considerate. She quickly takes an interest in Chu Xiyue, sympathizes with her setbacks, and begins treating her with the affection of an older sister or mentor.
• Ning Shuixin and Wen Yan are further associated with manipulation and corruption through viewers’ recollections of their alleged methods.
• Chu Xiyue and Chen Yi’s relationship begins developing from a casual introduction into a potentially beneficial friendship and professional alliance.

Significant Themes

• Deception and betrayal: Jiang Beinian’s plan highlights how personal relationships can be exploited for fame and career advancement.
• The dangers of celebrity culture: Public image, shipping fandoms, rumors, and social-media timing all become weapons in the entertainment industry.
• Manipulation of vulnerable newcomers: Ning Shuixin’s alleged pattern of offering opportunities before controlling artists contrasts with Chen Yi’s sincere offer of help.
• Unexpected benefits and resilience: Chu Xiyue’s practical attitude shows her ability to remain positive despite losing a major opportunity.
• Public speculation and constructed narratives: Livestream viewers create increasingly elaborate theories about Chu Xiyue, demonstrating how quickly audiences reshape incomplete information into sensational stories.

Important Character Interactions

• Chu Xiyue and Chen Yi: Chen Yi questions Chu about her career, sympathizes with her canceled film, and offers to help her audition for another role. Chu responds honestly and pragmatically, surprising Chen.
• Chu Xiyue and the audience: Chu’s casual explanation of the canceled production causes viewers to connect her with the arrests of Ning Shuixin and Wen Yan.
• Jiang Beinian and Chen Yi: Although he is not interacting with her directly in the scene, his hidden plan establishes the central conflict threatening Chen Yi’s reputation and marriage.

Chapter Summary: “Chen Yi Cheated”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chu Xiyue, sympathetic to Chen Yi and convinced that Chen Yi is being framed, deliberately changes the subject and pretends to read Chen Yi’s palm.
• While “reading” Chen Yi’s palm, Chu Xiyue reveals several accurate details about her life:
  • Chen Yi lost both parents as a child.
  • She endured an unstable childhood before her life improved after age ten.
  • She and Jiang Beinian struggled together before becoming a couple.
  • Their marriage has involved frequent arguments, conflict with Jiang’s mother, and Jiang habitually siding with his mother.
• Jiang Beinian becomes visibly defensive and denies that Chen Yi has problems with either him or his mother.
• Chu Xiyue publicly predicts that Jiang Beinian will suffer a financial loss within the month, further angering him.
• She then secretly tells Chen Yi that Jiang Beinian is preparing to divorce her and intends to frame her for marital infidelity in order to protect his carefully cultivated celebrity-couple image and appease their CP fans.
• Chen Yi immediately believes Chu Xiyue, recognizing that the accusation matches Jiang Beinian’s personality and past behavior. She angrily confronts him in front of the livestream audience.
• The sudden confrontation shocks everyone. Viewers, staff, and the cameramen eagerly anticipate another dramatic couple conflict, while fans worry that the long-standing Chen Yi–Jiang Beinian pairing is collapsing.
• Jiang Beinian panics internally, realizing Chen Yi may have uncovered his scheme. He reassures himself that the fabricated evidence should not be exposed until the following day and assumes Chen Yi would never publicly reveal his past betrayal because of her pride.

Character Developments

• Chu Xiyue: Shows compassion, intelligence, and initiative. Although she lacks genuine palm-reading ability, she uses the performance to investigate Chen Yi’s situation and discreetly warn her about Jiang Beinian’s plot.
• Chen Yi: Initially responds warmly to Chu Xiyue’s kindness, but her attitude changes sharply after learning the truth. Her trust in Chu Xiyue and familiarity with Jiang Beinian allow her to recognize that the warning is credible.
• Jiang Beinian: His defensive reaction to the discussion of his marriage exposes his discomfort. His private thoughts reveal that he has deliberately prepared false evidence to frame Chen Yi and is primarily concerned with protecting his public image and CP popularity.
• Livestream viewers and staff: They serve as an increasingly excited audience, interpreting the confrontation as entertainment while slowly noticing that the conflict may involve a genuine marital crisis.

Significant Themes

• Public image versus private reality: Chen Yi and Jiang Beinian appear to be a beloved couple, but their marriage is troubled and possibly nearing divorce.
• Manipulation and betrayal: Jiang Beinian plans to destroy Chen Yi’s reputation by falsely accusing her of cheating, prioritizing his career and fanbase over their relationship.
• Truth concealed beneath performance: Chu Xiyue’s fake palm reading becomes a way to expose hidden facts, while the livestream setting turns real emotional pain into public spectacle.
• Female solidarity and protection: Chu Xiyue recognizes Chen Yi’s vulnerability and risks provoking Jiang Beinian in order to protect her from being framed.
• Pride and silence: Jiang Beinian assumes Chen Yi will remain silent about his betrayal because she values her dignity, revealing how he exploits her personality.

Important Character Interactions

• Chu Xiyue and Chen Yi bond when Chu Xiyue takes Chen Yi’s hand and reassures her through the palm-reading act.
• Chu Xiyue indirectly confronts Jiang Beinian by accurately describing marital problems he tries to deny.
• Chu Xiyue privately warns Chen Yi that Jiang Beinian is preparing to frame her for cheating.
• Chen Yi responds by openly accusing Jiang Beinian, transforming the lighthearted livestream into a tense public confrontation.
• Jiang Beinian’s outward denial and inward panic contrast sharply, showing that he knows the accusation is close to the truth.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Beinian notices Chen Yi’s anger and deliberately acts remorseful, apologizing and promising to change. His performance convinces some viewers that there may have been a misunderstanding.
• Chu Xiyue and the system recognize that Jiang is acting. The system reveals that Jiang has a history of mediocre acting despite promoting himself as the leading actor in a film he made with Chen Yi.
• Chen Yi identifies Jiang’s tell—clenching his fists when he feels guilty—and realizes he is likely hiding something. Although Chu Xiyue has warned her about Jiang’s intentions, Chen decides not to expose him without evidence.
• To protect herself and gain proof, Chen pretends that her anger came from an earlier argument with Jiang’s mother. She allows Jiang to believe that his scheme is still safe.
• Jiang accepts her explanation and promises to side with her against his mother in the future. The director is relieved that the couple does not appear to be breaking up, though some viewers remain suspicious of Chen’s explanation and Chu Xiyue’s reaction.
• The day’s filming concludes with the couples preparing lunch and recording interviews.
• That night, a gossip account announces an impending cheating scandal involving a post-1990 actress with a two-character name. Speculation spreads online, with Chen Yi eventually becoming one of the suspected celebrities.
• The next morning, the paparazzi releases photos showing Chen Yi embracing another man and entering a hotel with him. The alleged cheating scandal immediately becomes a major trending topic.
• As the dating show’s livestream begins, viewers flood in because of the scandal, and the director discovers that #ChenYiCheating# is among the top trending searches.

2. Character Developments

• Chen Yi shifts from emotional hurt to calculated rationality. No longer blinded by love, she suppresses her anger and deliberately manipulates Jiang’s assumptions so she can wait for more convincing evidence.
• Jiang Beinian demonstrates his skill at performing innocence and vulnerability, but his guilt is betrayed by his clenched fists. He remains confident enough in his own plan to accept Chen Yi’s explanation without investigating further.
• Chu Xiyue continues observing events quietly and understands more about Jiang’s behavior than she reveals. Her knowledge and suspicious expression hint that she may play an important role in exposing him.
• The system provides Chu Xiyue with background information about Jiang’s poor acting ability and inflated public image.
• The director remains focused on keeping the dating show from collapsing into a series of public breakups, but the new scandal threatens the program’s stability.

3. Significant Themes

• Deception and performance: Jiang’s false remorse and Chen Yi’s counter-performance show how relationships and reality television can become staged battles of acting.
• Reason overcoming emotion: Chen Yi’s decision to conceal her suspicions reflects her recovery from emotional dependence and her newfound commitment to protecting herself.
• Public image versus reality: Jiang and Chen Yi are widely regarded as a loving couple, yet their private relationship is filled with betrayal and manipulation.
• Evidence and strategic patience: Chen understands that accusations without proof would fail, so she chooses to wait until Jiang’s scheme exposes itself.
• The power of media and public opinion: A vague paparazzi teaser rapidly fuels speculation, while a few photographs transform an unverified rumor into a national scandal.

4. Character Interactions

• Jiang approaches Chen with an apologetic, vulnerable façade, while Chen calmly redirects the conversation toward his conflict with his mother.
• Chen and Jiang exchange reassuring words, but both are concealing their true thoughts: Jiang is hiding his plans, while Chen is concealing her suspicions.
• Chu Xiyue and the system privately analyze Jiang’s performance and expose the gap between his manufactured celebrity image and his actual abilities.
• Viewers and the director interpret the couple’s interaction differently: the director believes the conflict has been resolved, while some viewers sense that Chen’s explanation and Chu Xiyue’s reaction are suspicious.
• The paparazzi’s revelations abruptly shift attention away from the couple’s on-screen reconciliation and place Chen Yi at the center of a public cheating scandal, ending the chapter on a major cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: Chen Yi Takes on the Scumbag Head-On

Key Plot Points and Events

• During breakfast on a reality dating show, Director Qian notices alarming developments online and hesitates to inform Chen Yi.
• Chen Yi realizes that the staff and Jiang Beinian are acting strangely. When she asks for her phone, Jiang Beinian tries to stop her, claiming she should follow the show’s rules.
• Chen Yi exposes him by revealing that she knows he and his agent have accused her of cheating on Weibo.
• Jiang Beinian pretends to be confused and denies the accusations, privately panicking that Chen Yi has discovered the scandal.
• Chen Yi’s confrontation causes tension among the guests, while online viewers continue attacking her and portraying Jiang Beinian as the victimized husband.
• Chu Xiyue hints that Chen Yi and Jiang Beinian’s marriage already has serious problems. Before she can explain further, the director cuts the livestream to prevent an uncontrolled scandal or possible conflict.
• Although the livestream ends, the cameras continue recording. The director decides the explosive footage will generate excellent ratings when broadcast later.
• When Li Fan’er asks what she meant, Chu Xiyue openly reveals that Jiang Beinian is a submissive “mama’s boy” who always sides with his mother against Chen Yi.
• Chu Xiyue also reveals that Jiang Beinian had been flirting with other women online, was caught by Chen Yi, and is currently going through divorce proceedings with her.
• Zhao Xizhou condemns Jiang Beinian as a disgrace, while Li Fan’er begins comparing him unfavorably with Zhao.

Character Developments

• Chen Yi: Demonstrates sharp awareness and confidence. Rather than being intimidated by the online accusations, she directly confronts Jiang Beinian and exposes the truth behind their marriage.
• Jiang Beinian: His public image as a hardworking, wronged husband begins to collapse. He reveals his panic and dishonesty through evasive behavior, denial, and attempts to prevent Chen Yi from accessing her phone.
• Chu Xiyue: Acts as the person willing to expose Jiang Beinian’s hidden behavior. Her bluntness and clear perception make her an important ally to Chen Yi, even though she delivers the information in a provocative manner.
• Li Fan’er: Becomes increasingly curious about the scandal and starts reassessing the men around her, particularly comparing Jiang Beinian with Zhao Xizhou.
• Zhao Xizhou: Distances himself from Jiang Beinian and publicly condemns his conduct, improving his image by contrast.
• Director Qian/Director: The director recognizes the value of the scandal as entertainment. He prioritizes future ratings over the show’s reputation and turns the crisis into a planned cliffhanger.

Significant Themes

• Public image versus reality: Jiang Beinian has been presented online as a devoted husband, but the truth suggests he is unfaithful, controlled by his mother, and responsible for marital conflict.
• Manipulation through social media: The online narrative has been deliberately shaped to vilify Chen Yi and make Jiang Beinian appear innocent.
• Female resistance and truth-telling: Chen Yi refuses to accept the role of the unfaithful wife assigned to her, while Chu Xiyue helps expose the hypocrisy behind Jiang Beinian’s image.
• Entertainment exploiting scandal: The director treats the guests’ personal crisis as valuable content, showing how reality television turns private suffering into spectacle.
• Judgment and shifting loyalties: As new information emerges, the other guests and viewers begin reconsidering who is truly at fault.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yi confronts Jiang Beinian during breakfast, forcing him to react publicly to the cheating accusations.
• Jiang Beinian suspects Chu Xiyue of informing Chen Yi and avoids meeting her gaze.
• Chu Xiyue mocks Jiang Beinian’s claim that someone needs to interfere in his relationship, then reveals his history to Li Fan’er.
• Li Fan’er and Zhao Xizhou quietly observe the confrontation, with Zhao openly rejecting Jiang Beinian after learning the truth.
• The director monitors the escalating conflict, cuts the livestream, and preserves the recorded footage as a future ratings hook.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jiang Beinian attempts to portray himself as a betrayed husband and pressures Chen Yi to admit that she is the woman shown in a controversial photo.
• Chu Xiyue disrupts his dramatic performance by casually eating sunflower seeds and encouraging him to continue, turning the confrontation into entertainment for herself and Li Fan’er.
• Jiang shows the photo, claiming a paparazzo sent it to him as evidence of Chen Yi’s alleged affair. He deliberately ignores the second photo, which proves Chen Yi left the hotel alone.
• Chen Yi calmly admits that the woman is indeed her but reveals that the man beside her is her cousin, not a lover. His wife was also present, and Chen Yi left after escorting them to the hotel.
• Jiang is forced to retreat and apologize, pretending that he merely misunderstood her. However, Chu Xiyue recognizes that Chen Yi has not finished retaliating.
• Chen Yi posts a public statement clarifying the photo and announcing that she will pursue legal action against those spreading rumors.
• In the same statement, she reveals that she and Jiang have been married for five years, that he repeatedly maintained ambiguous relationships with other women, and that their marriage is ending in divorce.
• Chen Yi also apologizes for concealing the impending divorce from the public, fans, and the reality-show production team.

Character Developments

• Chen Yi shifts from being placed on the defensive to taking control of the situation. Her calmness, confidence, and strategic public statement expose Jiang’s behavior and establish her innocence.
• Jiang Beinian is revealed as manipulative and calculating. Although he knows Chen Yi did not cheat, he tries to use the photo to force her into an incriminating admission. His scheme fails when the man is identified as her cousin.
• Chu Xiyue acts as an amused observer but also understands the hidden truth through the system. She recognizes that Chen Yi’s public response will be more damaging to Jiang than the confrontation itself.
• Li Fan’er initially hesitates but joins Chu Xiyue in watching the conflict, adding to the mocking atmosphere around Jiang.
• The Director is concerned with preserving the show and relieved that the confrontation does not become a physical fight, though he regrets that the scandal may affect viewership.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and false victimhood: Jiang attempts to cast himself as the injured spouse while deliberately concealing evidence that would clear Chen Yi.
• Public image and media control: The photo and Weibo rumors demonstrate how easily reputations can be damaged, while Chen Yi counters them through an official statement and legal threats.
• Truth versus performance: Jiang stages an emotional display for the cameras, but his fabricated grief contrasts with Chen Yi’s factual and controlled response.
• Marital betrayal and accountability: Chen Yi reveals that Jiang—not she—has violated the expectations of their marriage through repeated ambiguous relationships.
• Female agency: Chen Yi refuses to accept Jiang’s framing of events and publicly determines the next step in their relationship by announcing the divorce.

Character Interactions

• Jiang confronts Chen Yi under the watch of the Director and the cameras, attempting to force an admission of infidelity.
• Chu Xiyue mocks Jiang’s melodrama by eating sunflower seeds and treating the argument like a spectacle; Li Fan’er eventually joins her.
• Chen Yi directly challenges Jiang’s accusations, identifies the man in the photo as her cousin, and later exposes Jiang’s marital misconduct in her online statement.
• The confrontation ends with Jiang publicly backing down, but Chen Yi’s announcement ensures that the conflict—and their marriage—is far from over.

Chapter Summary: “Classic Anti-Fraud Publicity Case”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yi’s public statement overturns the previous narrative: she was not the one who cheated during the marriage—her ex-husband, Jiang Beinian, was.
• Netizens begin questioning the sudden wave of attacks against Chen Yi, suspecting that Jiang Beinian’s manager manipulated CP fans and hired people to spread the cheating rumors.
• Wu Taotao publishes decisive evidence:
  • Photos of Jiang Beinian’s WeChat conversations with multiple women, including an unpublished selfie that confirms the account’s authenticity.
  • A video showing Jiang Beinian’s manager meeting and apparently giving documents to Old Wang, the paparazzo who exposed the false allegations against Chen Yi.
• The evidence convinces the public that the cheating scandal was deliberately fabricated to damage Chen Yi and protect Jiang Beinian’s image.
• Jiang Beinian confronts Chen Yi, accusing her of being ruthless and claiming that his manager acted independently. He begs her to delete her post, but Chen Yi refuses, explaining that he tried to use her as a stepping stone and nearly destroyed her career.
• Although Jiang Beinian initially panics over the collapse of his career, he regains confidence after receiving a message from his supposed wealthy girlfriend, Xiaoya. He plans to invest his entire fortune in what is actually an obvious scam, believing it will make him rich enough to leave the entertainment industry.
• The production team officially terminates Jiang Beinian’s contract, forcing him to withdraw from the variety show.

Character Developments

• Chen Yi becomes decisive and emotionally detached. Rather than quietly tolerate Jiang Beinian’s betrayal, she exposes the truth and retaliates proportionately, protecting her reputation and career.
• Jiang Beinian is revealed as manipulative, cowardly, and self-deluded. He refuses responsibility, blames his manager, and remains convinced that his imagined future with Xiaoya will save him, despite overwhelming evidence of his downfall.
• Chu Xiyue continues acting as Chen Yi’s informed ally. She helps interpret the situation, exposes Jiang Beinian’s foolish plans through her conversations with the system, and supports Chen Yi’s response.
• Wu Taotao plays a crucial role as the whistleblower, supplying concrete evidence that destroys the false scandal.
• Jiang Beinian’s manager is implicated in orchestrating the smear campaign against Chen Yi by collaborating with the paparazzo.
• Xiaoya is presented as a likely scammer who maintains Jiang Beinian’s mistaken belief that she is a wealthy, innocent heiress.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus manufactured public opinion: The chapter shows how rumors, paid commenters, and manipulated trending topics can distort public perception, but also how concrete evidence can expose the deception.
• Reputation and survival in the entertainment industry: A false scandal could permanently damage Chen Yi’s career, emphasizing the vulnerability of celebrities whose livelihoods depend on public approval.
• Consequences and retaliation: Chen Yi does not seek revenge without cause; she responds after Jiang Beinian attempts to ruin her and uses his own misconduct against him.
• Self-deception and greed: Jiang Beinian’s refusal to recognize reality leads him from career collapse toward financial ruin, as he blindly trusts the image of Xiaoya as a rich beauty.
• The danger of parasocial loyalty: CP fans initially attack Chen Yi based on speculation, illustrating how emotional investment in celebrity relationships can override reason.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yi and Jiang Beinian: Their confrontation exposes the collapse of their former marriage. Chen Yi condemns his betrayal and manipulation, while Jiang Beinian pleads for mercy and tries to shift blame to his manager.
• Chu Xiyue and the system: Their sarcastic discussion highlights Jiang Beinian’s foolishness and reveals his plan to invest all his money in Xiaoya’s fraudulent project.
• Chu Xiyue and Chen Yi: Chu Xiyue informs Chen Yi about Jiang Beinian’s delusions, allowing Chen Yi to finally find some amusement in the situation after enduring the scandal.
• Jiang Beinian’s manager and Old Wang: Their suspicious meeting strongly links them to the fabricated cheating allegations against Chen Yi.
• Netizens and the scandal: Public opinion rapidly shifts from condemning Chen Yi to recognizing her as the victim, transforming the incident into a widely discussed example of online deception and anti-fraud awareness.

Chapter 36 Summary

• Jiang Beinian’s downfall: The day after leaving the reality show, Chen Yi posted her divorce certificate, confirming the end of her marriage to Jiang Beinian. Although the public had become desensitized to celebrity scandals, netizens still condemned Jiang for cheating, with his former CP fans abandoning him and promoting the hashtag #JiangBeinianCheatingScumbag.
• The online romance scam revelation: Chen Yi then liked a police notice about a man surnamed Jiang who had been defrauded of more than eight million yuan by a supposedly wealthy online girlfriend. Netizens connected the details to previously exposed messages between Jiang Beinian and another woman about investments and buying a house. Chen Yi further endorsed the speculation by liking a comment identifying him as the victim. The story went viral under #JiangBeinianVictimOfOnlineRomanceScam, turning Jiang into a national example of both infidelity and gullibility. He was not formally blacklisted, but his public reputation was effectively destroyed. The system gleefully celebrated his humiliation as karmic justice.
• Impact on the reality show: The program The One She Loves Most benefited from the scandals, with its first episode repeatedly trending as viewers rewatched it and discovered new details. However, the production itself was collapsing. Chen Yi had paid her breach-of-contract fee and left to rebuild her acting career through supporting roles after divorcing Jiang. With only Li Fan’er, Zhao Xizhou, and Chu Xiyue remaining, the show could no longer proceed normally. Sponsors withdrew their products and funding, investors began pulling out, and the director planned to finish one final episode before disbanding the crew.
• Chu Xiyue’s intervention: Having grown attached to the show—and wanting to continue observing its gossip—Chu Xiyue asked how much money was needed to complete it. Learning that the production required a massive, nine-figure investment, she casually contacted her father and solved the funding crisis. The director was shocked to discover that her father was Chu Lingyun, chairman of the powerful Lingyun Group.
• Proposed reforms: Chu Xiyue explained that her father would invest on the condition that the show be revamped. She proposed inviting divorced or recently separated celebrities and pairing them randomly for competitions, featuring married and celebrity couples in compatibility tests, and bringing in microexpression experts to analyze their behavior.
• Character development and interactions: Chen Yi shifts from betrayed wife to an independent figure who publicly exposes or mocks Jiang through carefully chosen social-media actions, then leaves the entertainment program to rebuild her career. Jiang Beinian suffers public disgrace and financial loss, becoming the object of nationwide ridicule. Chu Xiyue reveals her hidden wealth and family influence, moving from passive participant and gossip observer to the person capable of saving and reshaping the entire production. Her conversation with the director highlights her confidence, resources, and strategic thinking, while the director’s shock emphasizes how completely he underestimated her.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes instant karma, public accountability, and the absurdity of celebrity scandals. It also explores the power of social media to punish public figures, the collapse and reinvention of entertainment programs, and Chu Xiyue’s growing agency as she uses her privileged background to control the direction of the story.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chu Xiyue proposes an exciting new reality-show rule in which participants will exchange their privileged and impoverished lifestyles—the “Prince and Pauper Swap.” The director initially suspects she invented the rule herself, but agrees that it will make the program more entertaining.
• Because the production team needs time to rewrite the rules, recruit guests, and prepare the venue, Chu Xiyue, Li Fan’er, and Zhao Xizhou receive half a month off.
• Chu Xiyue returns unexpectedly to the Chu Family’s mountainside villa in Shenzhen.
• She finds her mother, Shao Suqiu, playing mahjong with several wealthy women. Shao Suqiu immediately abandons the game to welcome her daughter warmly.
• Shao Suqiu notices that Chu Xiyue has lost weight and promises to cook for her, emphasizing the family’s affection and hospitality.
• Mrs. Ji, the wife of the Chu Family’s business rival, provokes Chu Xiyue by criticizing her broken engagement and career in entertainment.
• Rather than allowing her mother to defend her, Chu Xiyue responds with a pointed comparison involving Mrs. Ji’s married daughter, exposing the hypocrisy of Mrs. Ji’s opinions. Mrs. Ji is left embarrassed and furious.

Character Developments

• Chu Xiyue: Demonstrates initiative and a taste for dramatic conflict through her proposed show concept. She is increasingly comfortable accepting the Chu Family as her own, openly calling Shao Suqiu “Mom.” She also shows confidence, wit, and emotional resilience when confronting Mrs. Ji.
• Shao Suqiu: Displays deep maternal affection toward Chu Xiyue, eagerly welcoming her home and offering to cook for her. She is protective of Chu Xiyue and becomes visibly angry when Mrs. Ji insults her, though she allows Chu Xiyue to handle the confrontation herself.
• Mrs. Ji: Continues her longstanding rivalry with Shao Suqiu and reveals her jealousy and class-based prejudice by belittling Chu Xiyue’s entertainment career. Her attempt to shame Chu Xiyue backfires.
• Chu Family: Their background is established as newly wealthy rather than old-money aristocracy. Despite their wealth, they maintain a warm, close-knit family life in a spacious mountain villa.

Significant Themes

• Found family and belonging: Chu Xiyue has fully accepted the Chu Family as her true home, and her emotional response to being called “sweetheart” highlights the importance of familial affection.
• Class and social prejudice: Mrs. Ji’s description of entertainers as socially inferior reflects entrenched elitism, which Chu Xiyue challenges directly.
• Female independence: Chu Xiyue defends her right to choose entertainment as a career rather than follow expectations to marry and obey her family.
• Hypocrisy and retaliation: Mrs. Ji condemns Chu Xiyue’s choices while expecting her own daughter’s life choices to remain unquestioned. Chu Xiyue turns this double standard back on her.
• Entertainment as spectacle: The proposed lifestyle-swap show promises conflict and drama by forcing privileged participants to experience hardship and unfamiliar circumstances.

Character Interactions

• Chu Xiyue and Shao Suqiu share a warm mother-daughter reunion, with Shao Suqiu fussing over her health and Chu Xiyue responding affectionately.
• Chu Xiyue and Mrs. Ji engage in a verbal duel over career, marriage, and social status. Chu Xiyue remains calm and smiling while delivering a deliberately mirrored insult.
• Shao Suqiu initially prepares to defend her daughter but ultimately lets Chu Xiyue win the confrontation herself, then lightly pretends to mediate.
• The mahjong gathering establishes the ongoing social rivalry between the Chu and Ji families, with Mrs. Ji repeatedly attempting—and failing—to gain the upper hand over Shao Suqiu.

Chapter Summary — Page 38

Key Plot Points and Events

• At a social gathering, Mrs. Ji harshly criticizes her daughter-in-law, Mo Xiang, accusing her of being silent, useless to her husband’s career, and unable to bear children.
• Chu Xiyue notices Mo Xiang’s meek and refined demeanor and treats her more kindly than Mrs. Ji does.
• Through the system, Chu Xiyue learns that Mo Xiang was an orphan whom Ji Peng deliberately pursued and married despite his mother’s objections.
• Ji Peng’s courtship was a deception: he hid his severe sexual dysfunction and infertility from Mo Xiang, using their lack of premarital intimacy to conceal the truth.
• After marriage, Mo Xiang became trapped in an unhappy relationship, effectively living as a widow while being blamed for the couple’s childlessness.
• The system then reveals a much larger secret: Ji Peng is not Mrs. Ji’s biological son. Thirty-three years earlier, Mrs. Ji’s husband and his mistress arranged for their newborn babies to be switched because he wanted a male heir.
• Mrs. Ji’s biological daughter was abandoned—and that daughter is actually Mo Xiang.
• The apparent possibility of incest is dismissed when the system explains that Ji Peng is not the mistress’s biological child either. He is the son of the mistress and another man, meaning both Ji Peng and Mo Xiang were unknowingly raised under false identities.

Character Developments

• Chu Xiyue: Remains outwardly composed but is increasingly shocked and entertained by the family’s secrets. She sympathizes with Mo Xiang and internally condemns Ji Peng’s manipulation, imagining much more rebellious ways Mo Xiang could retaliate.
• Mo Xiang: Is presented as gentle, introverted, and long-suffering. Her vulnerable personality made her an easy target for Ji Peng’s deception and Mrs. Ji’s abuse.
• Mrs. Ji: Appears cruel, judgmental, and obsessed with family status, grandchildren, and male heirs. Her hostility toward Mo Xiang is especially ironic because she is unknowingly insulting her own biological daughter.
• Ji Peng: Is exposed as manipulative and deceitful. He married Mo Xiang to control someone without family support while preserving his reputation as a devoted husband.
• The system: Provides increasingly scandalous revelations, functioning as Chu Xiyue’s source of hidden information and comic commentary.

Significant Themes

• Deception and false identities: The entire Ji family’s relationships are built on concealed parentage, exchanged babies, infidelity, and manipulation.
• Patriarchal values: The baby swap occurred because a son was considered more valuable than a daughter, highlighting the destructive consequences of valuing male heirs and family succession.
• Abuse within marriage: Mo Xiang is deceived into marriage, denied honesty and intimacy, and then blamed for her husband’s infertility.
• Irony and poetic justice: Mrs. Ji condemns the very daughter she abandoned, while proudly defending a man who is neither her biological son nor a legitimate heir.
• Hidden truth beneath appearances: The family’s respectable public image conceals betrayal, infertility, fraud, and illegitimate identities.

Character Interactions

• Mrs. Ji verbally attacks Mo Xiang in front of others, while Mo Xiang responds quietly and politely.
• Chu Xiyue offers Mo Xiang a warmer greeting, distinguishing her from Mrs. Ji’s hostility.
• Chu Xiyue internally reacts to the system’s revelations, contrasting with the characters’ ignorance of the truth.
• The revelations expose a tangled relationship between Mrs. Ji, her husband, the mistress, Ji Peng, and Mo Xiang, transforming what appears to be a conventional wealthy-family conflict into a complex story of switched identities and betrayal.

Chapter Summary: Swapping the Heir 2

Key plot points and events

• Chu Xiyue realizes that Mrs. Ji and Mo Xiang are the only people unaware of the true family-swapping situation. Ji Peng knows he is an illegitimate child and has secretly maintained contact with his biological mother while pretending to be Mrs. Ji’s obedient son.
• Chu Xiyue reflects on the injustice Mo Xiang has suffered: she was kidnapped as a child, lost her wealthy family, endured life in an orphanage, and eventually married the very man connected to the loss of her original life.
• When Mrs. Ji again blames Mo Xiang for the couple’s childlessness, Chu Xiyue uses a deliberately provocative story about a woman who conceived twins after changing husbands. She suggests that the fertility problem may lie with Ji Peng rather than Mo Xiang.
• Mrs. Ji is shocked and defensive, but Chu Xiyue’s implication plants doubt in her mind.
• Before Mrs. Ji and Mo Xiang leave, Chu Xiyue gives Mo Xiang a rose and encourages her to be happier. The gesture gives Mo Xiang emotional strength.
• Outside the Chu residence, Mrs. Ji directly questions Mo Xiang about who is responsible for their infertility. Under pressure, Mo Xiang finally reveals that Ji Peng was the one who ordered her not to tell Mrs. Ji.

Character developments

• Chu Xiyue shows growing sympathy for Mo Xiang and actively seeks to expose the injustice surrounding her. She uses intelligence, indirect criticism, and emotional support rather than confronting Ji Peng openly.
• Mrs. Ji begins the chapter convinced that Mo Xiang is at fault, but Chu Xiyue’s story forces her to consider that her own son may have fertility problems. Her confidence in Ji Peng starts to weaken.
• Mo Xiang remains timid and submissive at first, accustomed to being blamed and silenced. However, Chu Xiyue’s kindness gives her courage, allowing her to contradict Ji Peng and disclose his deception.
• Ji Peng is revealed as manipulative and self-serving. He hides his biological background, preserves his position as Mrs. Ji’s legitimate son, and shifts blame for the couple’s childlessness onto Mo Xiang.

Significant themes

• Hidden identities and family deception: Ji Peng’s secret origins and carefully maintained false image continue to drive the conflict.
• Victim-blaming and injustice: Mo Xiang is punished for circumstances caused by others, while Ji Peng benefits from stolen wealth and status.
• Female solidarity and empowerment: Chu Xiyue recognizes Mo Xiang’s suffering and supports her through both truth-telling and a simple act of kindness.
• The power of truth: A small suggestion from Chu Xiyue begins to undermine years of manipulation and encourages Mo Xiang to speak honestly.
• Appearance versus reality: Ji Peng appears to be a healthy, respectable heir, but his concealed history and possible infertility reveal the gap between his public image and reality.

Character interactions

• Chu Xiyue challenges Mrs. Ji’s assumptions through pointed gossip disguised as friendly conversation.
• Mrs. Ji’s harsh questioning initially intimidates Mo Xiang, but Chu Xiyue’s gift of the rose helps Mo Xiang regain confidence.
• The chapter ends with Mo Xiang taking her first meaningful step against Ji Peng by telling Mrs. Ji that he deliberately concealed the truth.

Chapter Summary: “The Big Scoop at the Cocktail Party”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mrs. Ji returns home deeply shaken after realizing that her son, Ji Peng, may be responsible for the family’s infertility concerns.
• At the Chu family home, Chu Xiyue shares gossip with her mother, Shao Suqiu, about the scandal involving Chen Yi and Jiang Beinian on the variety show. Both women are avid followers of the livestream drama.
• Chu Xiyue reunites with her second brother, Chu Chenghao, who is generous and affectionate toward her. The family enjoys a warm dinner prepared by Shao Suqiu.
• At the Ji family dinner, Mrs. Ji repeatedly asks Ji Peng about his medical examination and when he and Mo Xiang plan to have children. Ji Peng insists they are still young and that there is no need to rush.
• Ji Peng’s unusual attentiveness toward his mother convinces her that he is hiding something. She begins to suspect that his fertility, rather than Mo Xiang’s, may be the problem.
• Later, Ji Peng privately asks Father Ji whether Mrs. Ji has discovered the truth about his parentage. Because his blood type does not match Mrs. Ji’s, he fears she may uncover that he is not her biological son.
• The system reports that Ji Peng is arranging for a doctor to falsify his blood-type examination results, while Mrs. Ji anxiously searches online for information about infertility and becomes increasingly unable to sleep.
• Chu Xiyue observes these developments from the nearby Chu home through the system. The system also notes that Mo Xiang carefully preserves the flower Chu Xiyue gave her, hinting at Mo Xiang’s growing emotional attachment to her.

Character Developments

• Mrs. Ji shifts from assuming Mo Xiang is responsible for the lack of children to suspecting Ji Peng. Her intuition and anxiety begin pushing her toward the truth about his identity.
• Ji Peng becomes increasingly nervous and defensive. His concern over the blood-type discrepancy reveals his fear that his adopted or concealed parentage will be exposed.
• Mo Xiang remains quiet and emotionally isolated within the Ji household, but her careful preservation of Chu Xiyue’s flower suggests that Chu Xiyue has become personally significant to her.
• Chu Xiyue continues to enjoy the advantages of her loving biological family while secretly monitoring the Ji family’s turmoil through the system. She acts as both observer and gossip enthusiast.
• Shao Suqiu and Chu Chenghao demonstrate the Chu family’s warmth and affection toward Chu Xiyue, contrasting sharply with the Ji family’s secrecy and tension.

Significant Themes

• Family secrets and hidden parentage: Ji Peng’s blood type and fear of exposure suggest a major concealed truth about his origins.
• Guilt and suspicion: Ji Peng’s behavior unintentionally heightens Mrs. Ji’s suspicions, while his guilt makes ordinary interactions appear incriminating.
• Contrasting family environments: The Chu household is lively, affectionate, and open, whereas the Ji family is wealthy but emotionally distant and burdened by secrets.
• The power of gossip and observation: Chu Xiyue’s enjoyment of livestream scandals mirrors the system’s surveillance of the Ji family, turning private crises into entertainment.
• Emerging emotional bonds: Mo Xiang’s attachment to Chu Xiyue is subtly emphasized through her treatment of the flower.

Character Interactions

• Chu Xiyue and Shao Suqiu bond over gossip about the variety show, strengthening their mother-daughter relationship.
• Chu Xiyue warmly reunites with Chu Chenghao, whose financial generosity reflects their close sibling bond.
• Mrs. Ji repeatedly questions Ji Peng about his health and plans for children, while Ji Peng attempts to calm and distract her.
• Ji Peng and Father Ji privately discuss the danger that Mrs. Ji may uncover his true parentage.
• Mo Xiang’s silent presence during dinner highlights her marginal position in the Ji household, while her preservation of Chu Xiyue’s flower suggests feelings she has not openly expressed.