Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• A-Deng plans to split into three versions when Suìsuì starts school: one to stay home, one to accompany Suìsuì, and one to remain on standby.
• Shen Baili still cannot recover her past-life memories and wonders what happened to her eighteen-year-old self and to Zhou Yu during their shared turning point.
• After a week of practice, Shen Baili becomes a better driver and enjoys taking Xie Zhiyu to and from work. Their conversations give her both entertainment and insight.
• Xie Zhiyu explains why employees choose the Xie Corporation: fair promotion, good benefits, and genuine opportunities—not simply higher pay. They discuss how meeting employees’ needs can encourage creativity and productivity.
• Shen Baili describes Suìsuì Studio’s flexible hours and employee-centered policies. Though the studio is small, its staff are motivated, and Xie Zhiyu praises her vision and judgment.
• Xie Tingsi receives a strong selection of new scripts after his status in the industry rises. His agent urges him to choose soon, while noting that his acting, distinctive personality, and influential connections sustain his popularity despite his limited public exposure.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili continues growing as a driver and as a business leader. Her discussions with Xie Zhiyu reinforce her confidence in the studio’s management approach, though her unresolved memories remain a source of curiosity.
• Xie Zhiyu acts as a supportive mentor and conversation partner, sharing workplace anecdotes and affirming Shen Baili’s leadership.
• Xie Tingsi remains selective about public appearances, preferring acting and private life, while his career prospects improve.
• Xie Tingsi’s agent recognizes how much his success has benefited her career and personal life.

Significant themes

• Employee well-being and motivation: Fairness, security, flexibility, and quality of life can foster stronger work and greater creativity.
• Leadership and innovation: Shen Baili’s unconventional policies are presented as effective rather than indulgent.
• Fame and opportunity: Xie Tingsi’s increased recognition brings him better scripts, underscoring the entertainment industry’s ties between status and access.
• Unresolved past: Shen Baili’s missing memories keep questions about her former life and Zhou Yu open.

Key plot points and events

• Xie Tingsi’s agent, Yan Qiaolan, worries that he has gone nearly six months without a project and gives him scripts to consider. He rejects most because the roles feel too familiar.
• The script Survivor catches his attention with its stark opening monologue. Despite its risky prospects and director Song Ran’s reputation for making poor films, Xie decides he wants the role and asks Yan to arrange a meeting with the director.
• Shen Baili and her friends receive their university placements. Shen chooses finance at Q University, where Lu Mingqian and Meng Jiu’an will also study finance. Ruan Mian and Sang Fang enter Q University’s medical school.
• Qiao Yi chooses a military academy, Zhu Zhitao follows her ambition to study journalism at B University, and Su Yan earns admission to a top university in the south. Zhu accepts being farther from her friends in order to pursue the program she wants; Su leaves to escape painful feelings and start over.
• As September begins, the new students arrive at university, looking toward the next stage of their lives.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie shows confidence in his artistic judgment and willingness to take a career risk. Yan supports his choice despite her anxiety about the project.
• Zhu chooses her own future over staying close to her boyfriend and friends, while still finding comfort in B University’s proximity to Q University.
• Su is pleased by her former friends’ success but cannot face Shen Baili. She keeps busy with two jobs as she tries to move on.
• The friends’ paths diverge, though several will remain classmates or live close enough to stay connected.

Significant themes

• Choice and ambition: Characters pursue the studies and careers they truly want, even when those choices involve risk or distance.
• Friendship and change: The group’s bonds persist as their lives scatter across different universities and countries.
• Second chances and destiny: Survivor appears to be the project that will eventually earn Xie a Best Actor award, suggesting fate may be circling him back toward a defining role—though the chapter leaves open whether events will unfold as before.

Plot points

• Shen Baili arrives at Q University and settles into Room 606, choosing a bed near the balcony. Her mother, Shen Wan, and elder brother, Xie Zhiyu, help clean and furnish her space.
• Shen Wan reassures Baili that she can move into her nearby property if dorm life doesn’t suit her.
• Baili meets her roommates, Jiang Zhu and Bi Yan. Jiang Zhu complains about the small room and initially wants to live off campus, but Bi Yan gently persuades her to stay for convenience during military training.
• As the day ends, Shen Wan and Xie Zhiyu prepare to leave. Baili struggles with the separation, and her mother comforts her and promises to visit.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili is excited to begin university and takes pride in her new dorm, but her reluctance to part from her family reveals how close and dependent she still feels to them. She promises to message her mother daily.
• Shen Wan is affectionate and reassuring, offering Baili practical options while acknowledging how hard the separation is for both of them.
• Xie Zhiyu quietly shows his care by cleaning Baili’s space and helping her settle in; Baili warmly praises him.
• Jiang Zhu comes across as demanding and accustomed to comfort, while Bi Yan is accommodating and attentive, routinely looking after her. Their childhood closeness is evident, though their relationship has an unequal, caretaker-like dynamic.

Significant themes

• Family affection and independence: Baili’s move to university marks a step toward adulthood, but her strong attachment to her family makes the transition bittersweet.
• Care expressed through practical acts: Cleaning, arranging bedding, and offering comfort show affection as much as words do.
• Different kinds of companionship: The new roommates’ contrasting personalities suggest potential friendships shaped by patience and mutual adjustment.

Chapter 284 Summary

• Farewell: Shen Wan reminds Shen Baili to eat and rest well at school, and Baili promises to take care of herself. Xie Zhiyu reassures her that he will manage things at home and tells her to look after herself, making their parting tender and affectionate.
• Meeting her roommates: Back in Room 606, Baili reconnects with Jiang Zhu and Bi Yan. They praise her appearance and recognize her as the widely admired “Most Beautiful Campus Belle” and Haicheng’s top entrance-exam scorer. Baili responds modestly and compliments them in return.
• Zhu Peng arrives: The final roommate, Zhu Peng from Liucheng, enters quietly and introduces herself. Though reserved, she is polite and efficient as she settles in. Baili warmly welcomes her and offers her a bun when she learns Zhu Peng has not eaten. Zhu Peng shares homemade chili sauce from her mother, and the roommates begin exchanging hometown specialties.
• Roommate bonding: Bi Yan helps Zhu Peng by explaining where to get her military-training uniform altered. The four women start building a friendly, cooperative atmosphere in the dorm.

Character Development and Interactions

Baili shows thoughtfulness and social ease, welcoming the new roommate and offering food. Zhu Peng appears self-reliant and initially quiet, but responds to kindness by sharing something personal from home. Bi Yan is sociable and considerate, smoothing introductions and offering practical advice. Jiang Zhu is more openly proud and particular, while still participating in the group.

Themes

The chapter emphasizes family affection during separation, kindness between strangers, and the early formation of friendship and community through small acts of care and sharing.

Plot points and events

• On her first night away from home, Shen Baili feels lonely. Her roommates admit they miss home too: Bi Yan cries, Zhu Peng misses her mother, and Jiang Zhu quietly says she wants to go home.
• The next morning, Jiang Zhu worries about her swollen eyes, while the others get ready for their first day of military training.
• The freshmen attend orientation and the opening ceremony. Shen Baili, a finance student, is chosen as the freshman representative and gives a speech reflecting on the long road that brought her to university and her determination to keep going.
• The roommates discover they are in different majors and training classes, though some are assigned nearby.
• During afternoon training, students introduce themselves. Zhu Peng confidently presents herself and her ambitions, earning warm applause. Shen Baili encourages her with a thumbs-up.
• Training continues under the hot sun. Jiang Zhu struggles with the exercises and considers pretending to faint, but her dislike of the dirty ground keeps her going—until she decides she can endure no longer.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili misses home but steadies herself and embraces her new life. Her speech shows resolve, and she offers Zhu Peng supportive encouragement.
• Zhu Peng reveals a bold, optimistic side in her introduction, speaking proudly of her origins and aspirations. Shen Baili’s approval visibly boosts her confidence.
• Bi Yan takes a practical, caring role, organizing the morning and advising Jiang Zhu on her swollen eyes.
• Jiang Zhu is vulnerable and homesick, but also comic and stubborn: despite feeling physically weak, she keeps training partly because the ground is too dirty to lie on.
• Meng Jiu’an watches Shen Baili’s speech with admiration. Zhu Peng is also deeply moved by seeing her speak.

Significant themes

• Homesickness and friendship: The girls’ shared longing for home helps them feel less alone.
• Perseverance and new beginnings: Shen Baili’s speech and Zhu Peng’s introduction express determination to pursue a future despite difficult journeys.
• Courage and mutual support: Each girl faces the unfamiliar first day in her own way, while small gestures—especially Shen Baili’s encouragement—strengthen their bonds.

Plot points and events

• During military training, Jiang Zhu prepares to fake fainting to escape the heat, but another student’s real collapse interrupts her. When the instructor calls a break, Bi Yan checks on her and gives her water with a few drops of Huoxiang Zhengqi Water to ward off heatstroke.
• Shen Baili shares chilled watermelon and snacks with Jiang Zhu, Bi Yan, Lu Mingqian, and Meng Jiu’an. The group rests together before the whistle sends them back to training.
• Jiang Zhu complains about being forced into military training but refuses to quit. Her strict grandfather has made her promise to finish, with the threat of cutting her allowance if she gives up.
• Back at the dorm, Bi Yan treats Jiang Zhu’s sore injury. Jiang Zhu insists her tears are only a reflex, while Shen Baili praises her toughness.
• The group notes that Zhu Peng has gone to her part-time job. Shen Baili reflects on Zhu Peng’s independence and freedom.

Character developments

• Jiang Zhu is pampered and struggles with the physical demands, but her pride and determination keep her from quitting. She reveals a more resilient side beneath her complaints.
• Bi Yan is attentive and practical, caring for Jiang Zhu during both the training break and after an injury.
• Shen Baili is generous and comfortable among her friends, sharing food and joining their conversation.
• Lu Mingqian and Meng Jiu’an show warmth and familiarity with Shen Baili but remain polite and reserved toward her roommates.
• Zhu Peng is absent, but her part-time work and Shen Baili’s thoughts present her as energetic and independent.

Significant themes

• Perseverance and growing up: Jiang Zhu’s training tests her comfort and resolve, pushing her toward greater toughness.
• Care and friendship: Small gestures—water, food, shade, and tending an injury—show the group looking after one another.
• Independence and freedom: Zhu Peng’s work and Shen Baili’s reflection on her evoke the appeal of choosing one’s own path.

Character interactions

• Bi Yan looks after Jiang Zhu, while Jiang Zhu alternates between complaining and insisting she can endure.
• Shen Baili shares refreshments with the group; Lu Mingqian and Meng Jiu’an sit close to her and fan her, highlighting their special closeness.
• Bi Yan introduces herself and Jiang Zhu to the two boys, who respond courteously but keep their distance.
• Shen Baili and Jiang Zhu briefly discuss Zhu Peng’s demanding work schedule.

Key events

• Zhu Peng finishes a long shift at the cafeteria stall, where the owner appreciates her help and quietly sends her back to the dorm with extra snacks and fruit. The job is manageable and provides both wages and meals.
• The twenty-day military training concludes with a parade. Shen Baili and Meng Jiu’an lead their formation, standing shoulder to shoulder while Meng Jiu’an is flustered by her closeness. Lu Mingqian watches them from behind.
• The freshmen then stage a mock counterterrorism exercise. Shen Baili leads the “terrorist” team, with Lu Mingqian as her second-in-command, doctor, and strategist. The team makes a dramatic entrance through smoke and quickly overwhelms many opponents. Meng Jiu’an and Ruan Mian watch from the opposing side, both openly envious of the people beside Shen Baili.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Peng is hardworking and reserved, but notices and deeply values the cafeteria owner’s generosity. Her quiet return to the dorm contrasts with the bustle of military training.
• The cafeteria owner shows her care through practical gestures—meals, snacks, and fruit—rather than grand declarations.
• Shen Baili takes command confidently and enjoys the theatrical role, fighting skillfully during the exercise.
• Meng Jiu’an is visibly drawn to Shen Baili and envies Lu Mingqian’s position beside her, though he insists his team will win.
• Lu Mingqian remains close to Shen Baili during the exercise and watches her and Meng Jiu’an during the parade; his thoughts are left unstated.
• Ruan Mian also wishes she could stand beside Shen Baili, while Sang Fang teases Meng Jiu’an about his jealousy.

Significant themes

• Everyday kindness and gratitude: Zhu Peng recognizes the care behind the owner’s repeated acts of generosity.
• Competition and collective pride: The parade and exercise turn military training into a contest of teamwork and honor.
• Attraction and jealousy: Meng Jiu’an’s feelings show in his nervousness and envy, while Lu Mingqian’s gaze adds unspoken tension.
• Performance and release: The students’ exaggerated costumes and enthusiasm let them shed their restraint and embrace playful, chaotic roles.

Key plot points and events

• During the counterterrorism exercise, Shen Baili eliminates Meng Jiu’an while he is fighting Lu Mingqian. Lu Mingqian thanks her and jokingly bids his friend farewell, while the eliminated Meng protests that he cannot “rest in peace.”
• The exercise ends without a decisive winner. The Business School earns first prize, and Shen Baili is thrilled to have collected five credits.
• After military training, Shen and her roommates celebrate their break. Zhu Peng will stay in Capital City because traveling home is too expensive; Shen plans to fly home that day.
• Shen spots her eldest brother, Xie Zhiyu, and tries to surprise him in her clown mask. He recognizes her as Suìsuì anyway. They compliment each other before she fetches her luggage.
• On the flight, Shen chatters about college while Xie listens. She falls asleep mid-conversation; he covers them both with blankets and rests.
• Shen’s sleep leads into a memory of her past life: at eighteen, Zhou Yu was abducted and trafficked on the day of the college entrance exam after stopping to help a girl who claimed a dog was blocking her way.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen’s confidence and playful side are on display: she is proud of her strength, enjoys her teammates’ admiration, and eagerly looks forward to going home.
• Bi Yan openly praises Shen’s strength and asks to feel her muscles; Jiang Zhu and Zhu Peng join their friendly, joking group. The roommates share a warm, comfortable bond.
• Shen and Xie Zhiyu show easy affection. She talks freely and praises him; he attentively listens, recognizes her despite her disguise, and quietly looks after her.
• The flashback introduces the traumatic event behind Zhou Yu’s past, setting up a contrast with Shen’s cheerful present.

Significant themes

• Camaraderie and youthful energy: The exercise and post-training celebrations bring students together.
• Strength and confidence: Shen’s physical abilities earn admiration and reinforce her growing self-assurance.
• Family care and belonging: Shen’s reunion with Xie Zhiyu offers warmth and security.
• Past trauma beneath a happy present: The transition into the abduction memory hints that Shen’s current life is shadowed by a painful history.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Baili remains trapped in Zhou Yu’s memories, witnessing the hardships of Zhou Yu’s life: she is abducted after trusting a girl who uses her as bait, escapes the traffickers, and helps police capture a wanted criminal. The police reward becomes the first money she invests in a business.
• Zhou Yu builds a clothing business through years of setbacks, eventually expanding one shop into ten. Though she becomes financially secure, she still regrets missing out on education and supports girls from poor families so they can study.
• Just as Zhou Yu plans a peaceful, independent life, her estranged parents arrive with reporters, threatening to disrupt the stability she fought for. Overwhelmed by these memories, Shen Baili struggles to wake.
• Xie Zhiyu comforts Shen Baili when she wakes from the nightmare. After taking calming medicine, she rests and recovers during the flight home to Haicheng.
• Back home, Shen Baili reunites warmly with her mother, Shen Wan, and spends the evening close to her. The next morning, she finds her mother, Xie Zhiyu, and an unfamiliar middle-aged couple in the living room.

Character developments

• Zhou Yu transforms from a wary, impoverished girl into a tough, resourceful business owner. Her experiences make her distrustful, but she uses her success to help other girls access the education she missed.
• Shen Baili is deeply affected by Zhou Yu’s painful memories, but finds comfort in her family and quickly regains her energy after returning home.
• Xie Zhiyu shows steady concern and tenderness, reassuring Shen Baili and accommodating her wishes.
• Shen Wan welcomes and cares for Shen Baili, responding to her need for closeness with warmth and food.

Significant themes

• Resilience and self-reliance: Zhou Yu survives repeated exploitation and hardship by adapting and persevering.
• Education and opportunity: Her regret over being denied schooling motivates her to support girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Trauma and trust: Betrayal leaves Zhou Yu wary of others, while Shen Baili’s emotional reaction shows how powerfully the memories affect her.
• Family as comfort: Shen Baili’s reunion with her mother and Xie Zhiyu’s reassurance provide a safe counterpoint to the memories’ distress.

Character interactions

• Xie Zhiyu comforts Shen Baili after her nightmare, staying with her until she can rest.
• Shen Baili eagerly returns to Shen Wan, clings to her, and asks to sleep beside her.
• Shen Wan welcomes her and fusses over her well-being.
• At the chapter’s end, Shen Baili observes the unfamiliar couple with her mother and Xie Zhiyu, setting up a new encounter.

Key events

• Xie Tingsi returns home, expecting Shen Baili—whom he affectionately calls Little Pear Blossom—but is surprised to find his mother, Guo Rao, visiting with her husband, Song Xi.
• Guo Rao says she missed her sons, but Tingsi remembers that at fifteen he traveled alone to see her and was sent back without her. He doubts her sincerity and needles her about leaving his half-brother, Song Tianci, behind.
• Xie Zhiyu politely but pointedly questions Guo Rao’s visit. Song Xi smooths over the tension, explaining that Tianci is unwell and that Guo Rao wanted to see her sons.
• Guo Rao invites Zhiyu and Tingsi to their grandmother’s birthday banquet next month. Zhiyu agrees, recognizing that the visit has a purpose. As Guo Rao leaves, she praises his success, but he makes clear he expects nothing from her.
• In the car, Guo Rao complains about the Xie family and claims her pressure helped Zhiyu take control of the family. She also says the Xie assets should go to Zhiyu and Tingsi.
• Later, Shen Baili finds an agreement between her mother, Shen Wan, and Xie Chengyue. It says Shen Wan and Baili will live at the Xie residence as Chengyue’s family, but the couple will not marry; it also specifies their obligations and Shen Wan’s financial protection if they separate.

Character developments and interactions

• Tingsi shows lingering hurt beneath his sarcasm. Guo Rao’s visit stirs anger and disappointment, though he eventually falls silent rather than escalating.
• Zhiyu remains composed and pragmatic. He quickly sees through Guo Rao’s visit and keeps emotional distance from her.
• Guo Rao presents herself as a caring mother, but her comments reveal resentment and concern about family power and inheritance.
• Song Xi acts as a gentle mediator, easing the strained reunion and treating Shen Wan and Baili courteously.
• Shen Baili discovers the formal arrangement governing her mother’s relationship with Xie Chengyue, adding a new perspective on their household.

Significant themes

• Estranged family and unresolved hurt: Guo Rao’s long absence has left Tingsi distrustful and Zhiyu detached.
• Power and inheritance: The visit is tied not only to family reunion but also to influence within the Xie family.
• Love, obligation, and security: Shen Wan and Chengyue’s agreement formalizes their relationship while protecting Shen Wan financially.

Chapter 115 Summary

• Shen Wan explains her relationship with Xie Chengyue: She and Xie are not legally married; they have chosen to live together. Shen Baili worries that her mother made this choice or gave up her freedom because of her, but Shen Wan reassures her that it was her own decision—and that having Baili in her life makes her happy.
• Mother and daughter reaffirm their bond: Shen Wan says she loves herself and Baili most, and urges Baili to put herself first, too. She admits she still believes in love despite a painful past marriage, though she no longer believes in marriage. Baili shares her feelings and tells her mother she loves her most.
• The family’s arrangement is clarified: Shen Wan does love Xie Chengyue, who also loves his two sons. He is willing to share his own life with Shen Wan but will not give up anything that belongs to his children. Shen Wan says the agreement does not lessen their family’s love for one another. Baili accepts this, and the misunderstanding about the marriage certificate is resolved.
• Baili falls ill: She develops a recurring low fever, and Shen Wan stays beside her. When Baili reaches for her in the night, Shen Wan holds her and asks if she can raise her as a little baby all over again. Baili happily agrees, showing how safe and cherished she feels with her mother.
• A year of achievement and enjoyment follows: Baili thrives at university, ranking first academically and in overall evaluation and earning a major scholarship. She buys Shen Wan a gold bracelet engraved with “Peace for Suìsuì.” She also excels in sports, music, hosting, and public speaking.
• The family studio succeeds: Baili and Shen Wan’s Suìsuì Studio launches Empress Development Plan, which becomes one of the most downloaded games. Its heroine, Shen Huang, becomes a major hit. Baili’s roommates Jiang Zhu and Bi Yan are enthusiastic fans, though they disagree over whether the romance or the heroine’s rise to power is the best part.
  Character development and themes: Shen Wan’s conversation with Baili reflects her recovery from a painful marriage and her commitment to self-worth, choice, and love. Baili moves from guilt and anxiety toward security, gratitude, and a full, independent life. The chapter emphasizes maternal devotion, chosen family, mutual care, and the idea that emotional commitment matters more than legal status.

Plot points and events

• Empress Development Plan becomes a hit, boosting Suìsuì Studio’s growth and accelerating its plans to go public. Shen Baili excels in school and work, but the system’s energy progress remains frozen at 97%; she suspects the Xie family’s crisis may be related and continues preparing.
• During vacation, Shen reunites with her high-school classmates and teacher. They joke about studying abroad and make plans for an amusement-park outing, with Deng Mianmian invited and Ruan Mian bringing Quan Yu.
• Quan Yu receives confirmation that an unnamed person has agreed to do business with him. He hopes the arrangement will let him return to a normal life and be with the girl he likes. Xie Zhiyu has chosen to work with Quan Yu despite not trusting him, because he trusts Suìsuì.
• Hong Congshuang, a senior schoolmate and online-video producer, asks Shen for help. A guest has abruptly dropped out of her upcoming mystery reality show, Crime Scene Investigation, and filming begins in three days. Hong thinks Shen is an ideal replacement.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen remains successful and patient despite the stalled system progress, and eagerly reconnects with her friends, coordinating their outing.
• The classmates’ banter shows their close, teasing friendships; Ruan Mian and Zhu Zhitao playfully suggest that Ruan and Quan Yu may be more than childhood friends.
• Quan Yu’s warmth toward Ruan Mian becomes visible in his reaction to her message, while his deal offers hope for a future with her.
• Xie Zhiyu shows confidence in Shen’s judgment even while remaining wary of Quan Yu.
• Hong’s career success and high standards are established, as is her admiration for Shen’s abilities.

Significant themes

• Friendship and shared history, expressed through the classmates’ reunion and plans.
• Trust and strategic cooperation: Xie Zhiyu works with someone he distrusts because he trusts Shen.
• Ambition and opportunity, as Shen’s business success grows and a new media project comes her way.
• Romantic hope, especially in Quan Yu’s desire to regain an ordinary life with the person he loves.

Key plot points and events

• Hong Congshuang persuades Shen Baili to join the university-student variety show Crime Scene Investigation. Baili agrees, partly because she owes Hong a favor, and asks to have a lawyer review the contract.
• The show’s six guests film four role-playing mystery cases over several weeks. The cases explore real-world issues, and the guests must solve intricate scenarios while staying in character. Exhaustion and scheduling delays push the fifth and final case to the National Day holiday.
• After filming the “Escape from the Orphanage” case, the group celebrates. Baili drinks a little and becomes tipsy.
• Outside the restaurant, she runs into her eldest brother, Xie Zhiyu. He takes her home, leaving his companions behind.
• At their apartment, Baili is more drunk than she appears: she wanders as though opening an imaginary door, then falls asleep on the sofa. Zhiyu wakes her to drink warm hangover soup. She drinks it but insists she cannot sleep, and makes him swear that going to her room will help.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili shows trust and affection toward Hong by accepting the invitation, while remaining practical about the contract. Her playful, stubborn side emerges when she is drunk.
• Hong Congshuang is devoted to recruiting Baili and grateful when she agrees. She likes Baili for herself, not because of her family connections, and reflects that Baili seems uninterested in romance.
• Xie Zhiyu is protective and attentive: he notices Baili’s drinking, escorts her home, shields her as she gets into the car, and patiently cares for her afterward.
• The other guests are impressed by Zhiyu’s presence, wealth, and tenderness toward Baili, and realize she comes from a very affluent family.

Significant themes

• Friendship and obligation: Baili’s decision is influenced by gratitude toward Hong.
• Family care: Zhiyu’s quiet, practical concern highlights his close bond with Baili.
• Status and social distance: The guests’ reaction to Baili’s family wealth contrasts their ordinary work lives.
• Performance and analysis: The show’s role-playing cases require participants to balance immersion with clear reasoning.

Chapter 117 Summary

• After Shen Baili gets drunk, Xie Zhiyu catches her when she nearly falls and carries her to bed. When she says she cannot sleep, she asks for a lullaby “from Mommy.” Xie Zhiyu sings the song Shen Wan used to sing to Suìsuì, staying beside her until she falls asleep. Their hands remain clasped for a while, and Xie is quietly flustered by the intimacy.
• The next morning, Shen wakes refreshed but remembers little of the night. Xie explains that he found her tipsy at a restaurant and brought her home. He advises her not to drink alone and to have someone accompany her. Shen worries she behaved oddly; Xie briefly teases her by claiming she called him “Mommy,” then admits he was joking.
• Xie drives Shen back to school. Her roommates lament the end of vacation and prepare for the new semester. As Shen drifts off, she faintly hears a familiar man humming, apparently recalling the lullaby.
• The scene then shifts to filming: Xie Tingsi completes the final shot of Survivor, which is actually the story’s opening scene. Though the scene has no dialogue or close-up, he is deeply absorbed in its emotions and struggles to shake them off after the director calls “cut.”

Character Developments and Interactions

Xie Zhiyu shows a gentle, attentive side, caring for Shen while she is vulnerable and singing to comfort her. His flustered reaction to their hand-holding suggests growing emotional attachment. Shen is trusting and affectionate while drunk, then embarrassed but receptive to Xie’s concern the next morning. Xie Tingsi’s intense immersion in his role reveals his dedication as an actor.

Significant Themes

The chapter highlights care and intimacy expressed through small gestures, the vulnerability and risks of intoxication, and the emotional boundary between performance and reality.

Plot points and events

• Xie Tingsi reflects on a battle in which he was the sole survivor, then returns to his trailer and asks to be left alone.
• He reads a note from Guo Rao, his mother, and drinks the ginger tea she sent. Though he finds it overly sweet, he recognizes that he has grown more accepting of her efforts to reconnect.
• Guo Rao has spent the past year sending him homemade gifts as an attempt to make up for the affection he missed as a child. Xie Tingsi saves her note and replies that he wants strawberry cookies.
• When Xie says he is returning to Haicheng, Guo Rao is delighted that he has not refused her offer to pick him up.
• At college, Shen Baili helps her roommates Jiang Zhu and Bi Yan by logging their required morning runs. In return, they promise to collect her packages, and Jiang Zhu offers afternoon tea.
• After a draining advanced-math class, Shen asks Lu Mingqian for his notes. Meng Jiu’an invites Shen to lunch, and the group agrees to include her roommates and Zhu Peng. They head to the cafeteria together.

Character developments

• Xie Tingsi remains guarded but is beginning to accept Guo Rao’s care: he drinks the tea, answers her warmly, and keeps her note.
• Guo Rao is eager to rebuild their relationship and is encouraged by even small signs of acceptance.
• Shen Baili is considerate and dependable, helping her roommates with their running requirement while balancing her own commitments.
• Jiang Zhu and Bi Yan show affectionate gratitude toward Shen and eagerly join the lunch plans.

Significant themes

• Healing family relationships: Guo Rao’s steady, patient gestures gradually soften Xie Tingsi’s resistance.
• Regret and missed childhood affection: The chapter emphasizes that care denied in childhood can leave lasting emotional wounds.
• Everyday friendship and mutual support: Shen and her roommates help one another with school obligations and make room for each other socially.

Character interactions

• Xie’s restrained replies and saved note show a quiet shift in his relationship with Guo Rao, while her mother encourages her optimism.
• Shen’s practical help earns playful gratitude from Jiang Zhu and Bi Yan, who reciprocate with an offer of afternoon tea.
• Shen, Lu Mingqian, Meng Jiu’an, and the roommates coordinate an inclusive lunch outing after class.

Plot points

• Shen Baili declines her friends’ National Day travel plans because she has other commitments.
• During the holiday, she and Hong Congshuang travel to Cloud City to film a mystery variety show, “The Seventh Pawnshop.” Six guests play people who once traded something precious for a wish; when the devil who arranged the deals is found dead, they must determine who killed him.
• Shen plays a king who traded away her compassionate heart for strength. The other guests portray a movie star, general, merchant, scientist, and cashier, each with a story shaped by a costly bargain.
• The cashier is revealed as the killer, though the devil’s real downfall is his own arrogance. The group’s layered deductions and dramatic performances make Hong Congshuang think the show will be a hit.
• After the holiday, Shen and her roommate Zhu Peng return to campus noticeably tanned. Shen says filming is over; Zhu Peng explains that she earned good money tutoring a child and taking the student on outings. She shares her extra snacks with the others.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen is enthusiastic about the filming experience and feels relieved and genuinely happy once it is finished.
• Zhu Peng is pleased with her tutoring job and generous with her snacks. Her roommates tease her about her tan and ask about the work.
• Li Bai playfully embraces his role as the “beautiful” movie star, while Hong Congshuang encourages the casting as a rejection of gender stereotypes.
• Shen’s friends invite her on a trip, but accept her refusal; the group’s easy conversations and later snack-sharing highlight their warm, familiar friendship.

Significant themes

• The pawnshop stories examine greed, desire, and the unintended costs of getting what one wants: power, beauty, victory, wealth, or genius can bring cruelty, loss, exploitation, or regret.
• The king’s transformation from victim to tyrant reflects how someone resisting oppression can become an oppressor.
• The devil’s death underscores the limits of blaming human weakness on temptation: ultimately, the devil is undone by his own arrogance.
• Alongside the dark fictional plot, the students’ ordinary friendships and shared routines are presented as precious parts of youth.

Key plot points

• Zhu Peng gives each of her roommates an angel charm to thank them for treating her with kindness and protecting her dignity. Her heartfelt explanation—that they are all “angels”—turns into a playful dorm-room joke.
• After filming Crime Scene Investigation ends, Shen Baili returns to ordinary campus life and looks forward to seeing the finished show.
• Shen Wan tells Shen Baili that Song Tianci injured a classmate in a fight, then fainted at the sight of blood. Guo Rao asks Xie Zhiyu to intervene rather than apologize herself. Xie Zhiyu secures an apology but gives up business interests that had gone to the Guo Family, prompting Guo Rao to favor her more accommodating son, Xie Tingsi.
• The Lunar New Year passes, and Crime Scene Investigation premieres on Qingming Festival. Despite expectations that its time slot would doom it, the show becomes a major hit.
• On Qingming, Shen Baili and Shen Wan accompany Xie Chengyue to the Xie ancestral home. He tells them about Xie Ying, a former female family leader who held the clan together during wartime, led resistance against the enemy, and later improved the community’s fortunes. He also explains that her reforms changed life for the Xie family’s girls.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Peng’s gratitude deepens the warmth among the roommates. Jiang Zhu’s blunt question is met without offense, showing Zhu Peng understands her manner; the group’s teasing turns the exchange into shared laughter.
• Guo Rao’s reliance on Xie Zhiyu exposes the strain in their relationship. He helps, but his pointed question about Song Tianci’s surname makes clear that he resents being used through family ties. Guo Rao subsequently contacts Xie Tingsi more often, preferring his softer nature.
• Xie Chengyue shares his family history with Shen Wan and Shen Baili, while Shen Wan recognizes Xie Ying’s unusual place in the genealogy.

Significant themes

• Chosen-family kindness: The roommates’ respect for Zhu Peng matters more than their wealth or status.
• Pride and family obligation: Guo Rao’s refusal to apologize herself leads to conflict and a costly compromise.
• Women’s leadership and resilience: Xie Ying’s courage and reforms preserve the family and improve women’s lives.
• Unexpected success: The show’s breakout performance overturns expectations based on its supposedly poor premiere slot.

Key plot points

• The chapter explains the Xie Family’s tradition of giving its children equal opportunities and expecting talent and ambition to determine who rises. The family’s success is presented as a partnership between the clan and its accomplished members.
• Xie Chengyue recounts how his grandmother, Xie Zhao, took charge of the family, then raised him after the designated heir was injured and his father proved uninterested in responsibility. Chengyue later married into the Guo Family, consolidated control of the company, and led it to prominence—though his ruthless methods left problems still to resolve.
• Chengyue encourages Shen Wan and Shen Baili to pursue their ambitions without limiting themselves, especially as the company prepares to go public. Later, he comforts Shen Wan and praises the courage and strength she and Baili have shown.
• The next morning, Shen Baili is delighted when Xie Zhiyu arrives. The family then visits the cemetery to honor their elders. Xie Liuzheng breaks down in grief, and Zhiyu quietly comforts her.
• After the family returns to the Ancestral Residence and shares lunch, Baili checks her phone and learns that Crime Scene Investigation has exceeded expectations: its first two episodes average more than seven million views, with viewership still rising.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Chengyue reflects on the demanding legacy that shaped him and offers Shen Wan and Baili genuine encouragement. His tender care for Shen Wan contrasts with his reputation for forceful leadership.
• Shen Wan recognizes that Chengyue deliberately shared his family history to inspire her and Baili. She accepts his praise confidently, affirming their strengths.
• Shen Baili feels restored by the peaceful setting and excitedly greets Xie Zhiyu; her show’s strong performance is a promising development in her career.
• Xie Liuzheng is overwhelmed by memories of her late family. Xie Zhiyu supports her with quiet affection, while Shen Wan stays close to Chengyue during the cemetery visit.

Significant themes

• Ambition and opportunity: The Xie family prizes ability and encourages its members to compete and excel.
• Legacy and responsibility: The family’s prosperity depends on both inherited support and the achievements of individuals, while past leadership choices can leave lasting consequences.
• Grief, love, and family care: The cemetery visit shows how enduring affection makes loss painful, and how relatives help one another bear it.
• Mutual encouragement: Chengyue’s belief in Shen Wan and Baili reinforces their confidence as they pursue demanding goals.

• Plot points: Crime Scene Investigation, a mystery variety show featuring unknown but highly accomplished cast members, is gaining a strong reputation despite modest viewership. College student Yu Lingshan, still furious over the disastrous ending of another mystery drama, gives it a chance and becomes an enthusiastic fan. She loves the first case, “The Battle of the Heirs,” especially the two disadvantaged women who secretly cooperate and win together. She joins the show’s online fan community, researches Shen Baili, and becomes especially captivated by her. After spending the Qingming holiday watching the show and recommending it to others, Yu returns to school. At the airport, she collides with Shen Baili, who catches her and stops her suitcase from rolling away.
• Character development: Yu shifts from a jaded, angry viewer into an engrossed fan who actively seeks out the show and its cast. Shen Baili is presented through both her memorable on-screen heiress persona and Yu’s research into her real-life achievements; she also makes a quick, considerate impression in person.
• Character interactions: On the show, Baili and Wushuang appear to dislike each other but have secretly allied, winning through mutual understanding rather than betrayal. In the chapter’s closing encounter, Baili steadies Yu and her suitcase, while Yu realizes she has met her favorite cast member.
• Themes: The appeal of well-crafted mysteries and vivid ensemble chemistry; the contrast between formulaic, disappointing storytelling and satisfying collaboration; and the way media performances and online fandom can turn an unknown person into someone’s admired public figure.

Key events

• Yu Lingshan recognizes Shen Baili from Crime Scene Investigation and excitedly praises her. Shen responds warmly, making Yu feel accepted rather than embarrassed.
• The show’s promotional campaign succeeds: after its first story airs, it trends online and becomes a major hit despite its amateur cast.
• Shen’s new fame draws attention on campus, but students and staff mostly respect her space. Her roommates and bodyguard stay close to her.
• Shen speaks with her brother Xie Tingsi, who checks that fame hasn’t made campus life difficult. He invites her to the summer premiere of his film, Survivor, and she happily agrees.
• Back in the dorm, Shen’s roommates briefly mistake her phone call for one with a boyfriend. She clarifies it was her brother.
• Zhu Peng reveals that she has advanced to the finals of an English speech competition and invites her roommates to attend.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili handles newfound attention graciously, reassures her brother that she feels safe, and enthusiastically supports her friends.
• Yu Lingshan shows her admiration openly; Shen’s kind response puts her at ease.
• Xie Tingsi is protective of Shen and advises her to stay cautious, while their affectionate sibling bond is clear.
• Zhu Peng demonstrates growing confidence and independence. Although she is getting to know Zhong Feng, she prefers to form her own judgment rather than rely on gossip.
• Bi Yan and Jiang Zhu show curiosity about Zhu Peng’s possible romance but quickly shift to celebrating her achievement. The roommates’ close, supportive friendship is emphasized.

Significant themes

• Fame and its consequences: Success brings attention and concern, but sensible boundaries and support help Shen maintain normal life.
• Kindness and mutual encouragement: Shen treats a nervous fan warmly, and her friends respond to Zhu Peng’s success with genuine pride.
• Independence and personal growth: Zhu Peng chooses to judge people for herself and pursues a public-speaking achievement, reflecting her increasing confidence.