Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Sang Ya visits the Xie Residence to deliver sea cucumbers but keeps her distance from Xie Zhiyu. When Shen Wan invites her to stay for dinner, Sang Ya declines, claiming she has plans to shop for a violin with a friend.
• Instead, Sang Ya goes to Haicheng Department Store Center, tells her driver to leave, and meets a handsome man at a bookstore café. Her warm, affectionate reaction suggests a secret romantic interest.
• At home, Shen Wan admits she feels uncertain about how to occupy herself now that her etiquette lessons are nearly over. Shen Baili encourages her to pursue painting or fashion design, recalling the clothes her mother used to make. Shen Wan agrees to look for a teacher.
• Xie Zhiyu returns earlier than usual with takeaway desserts for Shen Wan and Shen Baili, though he claims he dislikes sweets. Shen Wan mentions that Sang Ya visited; Xie Zhiyu says he will contact her before going upstairs.

Character developments

• Sang Ya is evasive about her plans and appears to be managing separate obligations or relationships. Her secret meeting and sudden cheerfulness contrast with her careful distance from Xie Zhiyu.
• Shen Wan begins considering a pursuit of her own beyond family life, encouraged by her daughter’s confidence in her abilities.
• Shen Baili shows affection for her mother and actively supports her independence. She also becomes curious about Xie Zhiyu and Sang Ya’s relationship.
• Xie Zhiyu remains reserved, but bringing desserts home hints at a considerate side, even if Shen Baili assumes he is acting out of family duty.

Significant themes

• Independence and self-discovery: Shen Wan is encouraged to develop interests and goals of her own.
• Secrets and appearances: Sang Ya’s stated plans differ from where she actually goes, and Xie Zhiyu’s gestures may carry more warmth than he admits.
• Family affection: Shen Wan and Shen Baili’s playful closeness contrasts with Xie Zhiyu’s more restrained manner.

Character interactions

• Shen Baili gently persuades Shen Wan to explore creative pursuits, and the two share affectionate teasing and care.
• Shen Wan welcomes Sang Ya without pressuring her, then later informs Xie Zhiyu of her visit.
• Xie Zhiyu offers desserts to Shen Wan and Shen Baili, prompting Shen Baili to wonder whether the gesture was especially thoughtful.
• Sang Ya avoids Xie Zhiyu at the residence but secretly meets another man, raising questions about her engagement and motives.

Key plot points

• Xie Zhiyu tells Shen Baili that her durian mille crepe contains extra durian. She reacts with unspoken enthusiasm, which he somehow hears. Since her psychiatric exam was normal, he decides to consult an ear specialist.
• At dinner, Xie Chengyue asks about Shen Baili’s first day of school and encourages her to seek help if needed. Shen Wan serves her fish, and Shen Baili quietly places some in Xie Chengyue’s bowl too.
• Xie Tingsi leaves for Shacheng the next day to join a film crew. He hopes his acting will impress his father, while Xie Zhiyu teases him about carrots—a childhood fear that quickly distracts him from feeling left out of the family warmth.
• That night, Shen Baili reasons that one of her unresolved wishes is to attend university. She also considers whether Sang Ya, her grandfather, or an unknown male lead may be connected to the Xie Family’s future downfall. She records her theories, memorizes them, and destroys the notes.
• The system unlocks chapters about Sang Ya. In the newly revealed scene, Sang Ya secretly meets Gu Yeliang, who promises to seek her grandfather’s approval once he secures an important project.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Zhiyu becomes more suspicious of Shen Baili’s unusual inner voice, though he keeps his reaction hidden. He also shows familiar, teasing concern toward Xie Tingsi.
• Shen Baili settles on university as one of her life goals and continues investigating the story’s threats to the Xie family.
• Xie Tingsi wants to earn his father’s respect, but his brother’s carrot joke helps ease his momentary sense of exclusion.
• Sang Ya reveals that she feels overburdened and resentful of having to hide her relationship. Though she once wanted to end her engagement to Xie Zhiyu, Gu Yeliang persuaded her to wait.
• Gu Yeliang is affectionate and reassuring, but delays making their relationship public until his standing in the Gu family improves.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: The dinner’s small gestures reveal growing warmth between Shen Baili and the Xie household, alongside Tingsi’s insecurity.
• Secrets and hidden thoughts: Xie Zhiyu hears what Shen Baili does not say aloud, while Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang conceal their romance.
• Ambition and social status: Shen Baili’s hopes for education and Gu Yeliang’s pursuit of influence shape their choices.
• Uncertain danger: Shen Baili suspects the Xie family’s future ruin involves forces beyond Sang Ya alone.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yeliang tells Sang Ya he loves her and promises to make their relationship public after his current business project. Sang Ya agrees to persuade her grandfather to cancel her arranged engagement to Xie Zhiyu.
• Gu Yeliang is competing with the Xie family for a major project. When Sang Ya offers to ask her second uncle for help, Gu Yeliang cautions her to be careful around him, but she dismisses the concern because she trusts her uncle.
• Gu Yeliang hints that obtaining Xie Zhiyu’s bid proposal could help him win. Sang Ya volunteers to get it, despite her misgivings. He initially discourages her, but she resolves to do it, believing the project matters more to their future and that losing it would barely affect Zhiyu.
• At the Xie residence, Shen Baili reads the newly unlocked chapters and discusses Sang Ya’s behavior with the system. The chapters recount how Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang met, fell in love, and kept their relationship secret for years. After graduation, Gu Yeliang rose to become executive president of a Gu Corporation technology subsidiary.

Character developments and interactions

• Sang Ya is devoted to Gu Yeliang and increasingly willing to endanger her engagement and betray Xie Zhiyu’s trust for their relationship. Her sheltered outlook also makes her dismiss Gu Yeliang’s warning about her second uncle.
• Gu Yeliang presents himself as loving and self-sacrificing, but his suggestion about accessing Zhiyu’s proposal—and his eventual acceptance of Sang Ya’s offer—casts doubt on his motives. He contrasts his humble status with Zhiyu’s power while emphasizing his own vulnerability.
• Shen Baili and the system share a humorous critique of Sang Ya’s poor time management. Shen sees her neglecting rehearsal and work responsibilities while expecting others to accommodate her.
• The flashback explains Sang Ya’s sympathy for Gu Yeliang: she helped him when he was bullied by his half-brother, Gu Yi, and became his confidante. Their bond formed around shared hardship and Sang Ya’s resentment of her arranged engagement.

Significant themes

• Love versus obligation: Sang Ya wants to escape the engagement arranged by her family and choose Gu Yeliang instead.
• Manipulation and self-justification: Sang Ya rationalizes obtaining confidential business information as a sacrifice for their future, while Gu Yeliang’s gentle appeals help reinforce that choice.
• Privilege and power: The rivalry between the Gu and Xie families shapes the couple’s choices, and Sang Ya’s sheltered position limits her understanding of the risks.
• Appearance versus reality: Gu Yeliang’s tender, self-effacing manner sits uneasily beside his willingness to benefit from Sang Ya’s risky offer.

Key plot points and events

• Gu Yeliang’s company wins a major project from the Xie Group using confidential bid documents supplied by Xie Zhiyu’s fiancée, Sang Ya. The success boosts Gu’s standing with shareholders and earns him more support in the Gu Corporation’s succession struggle.
• Shen Baili questions the protagonists’ morality and suspects Gu Yeliang may have deliberately engineered his meeting with Sang Ya, rather than meeting her by chance.
• Sang Ya returns home late and finds her grandfather waiting. He asks about her date with Xie Zhiyu and whether she likes someone else. She claims she behaved properly and says Zhiyu is wonderful.
• Elder Sang explains why he supports the engagement: he trusts Zhiyu, hopes the Xie family will protect Sang Ya, and wants her to gain influence in her own company. He has also arranged other safeguards for her.
• Sang Ya privately intends to reveal her relationship with Gu Yeliang in a month, once he has taken control of the Gu family. She believes her grandfather will then accept her choice.

Character developments

• Shen Baili grows increasingly skeptical of the central couple, recognizing Gu Yeliang as manipulative and Sang Ya as naïve and vulnerable to his influence.
• Sang Ya feels torn between loyalty to her grandfather and her love for Gu Yeliang. She hides the truth while reassuring herself that her decision will eventually be approved.
• Elder Sang is shown as deeply devoted and protective. His plans for Sang Ya reflect both affection and concern that she could be exploited after he is gone.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and ambition: Gu Yeliang’s business success depends on stolen information and Sang Ya’s breach of trust.
• Love versus responsibility: Sang Ya’s feelings conflict with her family obligations and arranged engagement.
• Power and protection: Elder Sang seeks to give Sang Ya both a reliable alliance and the ability to defend her own interests.
• Naïveté and manipulation: Shen Baili suspects Sang Ya has been drawn into Gu Yeliang’s schemes without fully understanding their consequences.

Character interactions

• Shen Baili judges Gu Yeliang’s tactics and questions Sang Ya’s attraction to him.
• Elder Sang gently but firmly questions Sang Ya, urges her to work and learn, and offers emotional and financial support.
• Sang Ya tries to reassure her grandfather while concealing her plans; their warm, affectionate exchange underscores how much she risks disappointing him.

Key plot points and events

• Sang Ya promises her grandfather that she will not let anyone mistreat her. Though she considers contacting Xie Zhiyu, she cannot bring herself to do it. Gu Yeliang’s affectionate good-night message comforts her.
• The next morning, Sang Ya repeatedly calls Xie Zhiyu, who does not answer because he is in a meeting. She arranges to meet him through his assistant and reflects that an engagement requiring communication through staff sounds bleak. By contrast, Gu Yeliang makes her feel consistently valued.
• Shen Baili spends a week without seeing Xie Zhiyu, who is consumed by a major work project. Worried about a warning she wants to give him, she finally calls. Unable to explain the danger without evidence—or risk appearing suspicious—she says she needs his help.
• Xie Zhiyu tells her he is working late but will be home the next day. When they meet, Shen Baili invents a reason for seeking him out: she needs a chemistry tutor. He agrees to arrange one.
• Shen Baili and the system discuss the stagnant Energy Bar and the system’s unresolved bug. Shen continues trying to fulfill the original host’s lingering wishes, though neither she nor the system understands why the Energy Bar has not changed.

Character developments and interactions

• Sang Ya feels reassured by her grandfather and increasingly contrasts Xie Zhiyu’s unavailability with Gu Yeliang’s attentiveness. Her growing preference for Gu is clear.
• Shen Baili feels indebted to Xie Zhiyu for his past kindness and is determined to warn him, despite lacking a safe, convincing way to do so. She uses a chemistry-tutoring request as a pretext to speak with him.
• Xie Zhiyu remains hardworking and considerate. Though busy and tired, he makes time to hear Shen Baili out, responds patiently, and accepts her request without questioning why she came to him rather than Shen Wan.
• The system remains puzzled by its missing bug and the Energy Bar’s lack of movement, while its increasingly human, playful manner shows through its joking imitation of Shen Baili.
• Shen Baili and Xie Zhiyu share a warm, trusting sibling-like exchange; her delight at seeing him contrasts with her unease about how to deliver her warning.

Significant themes

• Attention and emotional security: Sang Ya values Gu Yeliang’s steady responsiveness over Xie Zhiyu’s work-driven absence.
• Gratitude and conscience: Shen Baili feels she must act because Xie Zhiyu has treated her with genuine care.
• Honesty versus discretion: She wants to warn him but worries that speaking without proof could backfire.
• Uncertainty and perseverance: The unresolved wishes, stagnant Energy Bar, and unexplained system bug remain unanswered, so Shen Baili focuses on what she can do next.

Key plot points and events

• Xie Zhiyu tutors Shen Baili in chemistry. His clear explanations help her understand difficult material and build confidence.
• After the session, Xie Zhiyu says he will find her a chemistry tutor by the following week.
• Shen gives him Wuthering Heights, stressing its themes of betrayal in the hope that he will suspect his fiancée, Sang Ya, of conspiring against him. Xie Zhiyu thanks her and says he will read it, but Shen doubts he has understood her warning.
• Shen resolves to find another way to raise Xie’s suspicions. She knows Sang Ya’s success in the original story depended on Xie trusting her and letting his guard down.
• The next morning, heavy rain and a series of mishaps leave Shen without a ride to school. Xie spots her in the rain and offers to drive her. As she approaches the car, he opens the door for her.

Character developments

• Shen Baili discovers she learns well with Xie’s help and becomes genuinely absorbed in studying. She is also strategic and cautious: rather than directly accuse Sang Ya, she tries to plant a subtle warning.
• Xie Zhiyu shows patience and consideration as a tutor, and his time with Shen eases his work-related tension. His concern for her is also evident when he notices her struggling in the rain.
• Shen’s system remains baffled by her thought process, providing a dry contrast to her anxious scheming.

Character interactions

• Xie patiently guides Shen through chemistry, praises her ability, and promises to arrange further tutoring.
• Shen tries to communicate her suspicions about Sang Ya through the book; Xie appears intrigued by the story but gives no clear sign that he understands the hint.
• Xie notices Shen in the storm, asks what happened, and offers her a ride.

Significant themes

• Trust and betrayal: Shen hopes to prevent Xie’s downfall by making him question the person he trusts most.
• Indirect communication: She relies on a literary hint rather than a direct accusation, leaving her unsure whether her message got through.
• Growing care and connection: Tutoring and Xie’s practical kindness bring the two closer.

Key events

• Xie Zhiyu drives his stepsister, Shen Baili, to school. During the ride, he receives a call from his fiancée, Sang Ya, who arranges to visit his office and have dinner with him.
• Shen Baili silently panics after realizing Sang Ya will soon steal company trade secrets and pass them to a rival bidder—who is secretly her boyfriend, Gu Yeliang.
• Xie Zhiyu unexpectedly hears Shen Baili’s thoughts, though she never speaks aloud. Assistant Liu hears nothing, and Xie privately questions whether he can trust what he heard.
• At school, Shen asks Xie to bring her a very green matcha cake, planning to use a story chapter about “Betrayal” as a subtle way to warn him.
• Xie checks his medical records, then decides to investigate rather than dismiss her warning. He orders a discreet inquiry into Sang Ya and Gu Yeliang, especially whether they have met privately.
• That evening, he returns with the cake, which Shen accepts happily.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili is anxious to protect Xie but fears he will think her warning is unbelievable. She devises an indirect approach, using the matcha cake as a signal.
• Xie Zhiyu shifts from skepticism and disbelief at hearing her inner voice to cautious trust in his instincts. He remains composed while quietly taking her warning seriously.
• Sang Ya is eager to secure time with Xie, presenting herself as his attentive fiancée; her apparent betrayal contrasts with her affectionate manner on the call.
• Xie and Shen show understated care: he gives her a towel, arranges her ride, and fulfills her cake request, while she worries about his safety.

Significant themes

• Trust and uncertainty: Xie must decide whether to believe an extraordinary message he alone can hear.
• Hidden truths and betrayal: Sang Ya’s outwardly familiar relationship with Xie may conceal a scheme against him.
• Indirect communication and protection: Shen tries to warn Xie without exposing how she knows the future.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Baili casually asks Xie Zhiyu how far he has read the novel she gave him. He has reached a scene where the heroine is betrayed by her fiancé. Baili uses the discussion to warn that trust does not guarantee loyalty.
• Shen Wan returns home and is pleased to see Baili and Zhiyu getting along. They share the matcha cake Zhiyu brought back.
• Zhiyu receives photographs and videos from a private detective showing his fiancée, Sang Ya, acting intimately with Gu Yeliang, president of Gu Technology. He buys the evidence outright.
• Zhiyu reflects on his long history with Sang Ya and realizes she has secretly dated Gu for at least two years without telling him. He feels hurt and disappointed, though he would not have forced her to marry him.
• Baili’s earlier prediction that Sang Ya would betray Zhiyu is confirmed; her separate suspicion that Sang Ya may steal trade secrets has not yet been tested. Zhiyu also confirms with doctors that Baili is physically and mentally well, despite his ability to hear her thoughts.
• Sang Ya calls Zhiyu and asks for help with a work problem. He invites her to visit his company the next day and tells her to contact his assistant on arrival. Sang Ya is delighted, apparently seeing the visit as an opportunity.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Zhiyu moves from uncertainty about Baili’s warnings to accepting that Sang Ya has betrayed his trust. He remains composed, but his coldness during the call hints at a change in how he sees her.
• Shen Baili deliberately steers their conversation toward betrayal, while maintaining a warm, ordinary rapport with Zhiyu and her mother.
• Sang Ya acts confident that Zhiyu will help her, unaware of how much he has learned. Her eagerness to visit his office suggests she may have an ulterior motive.
• Zhiyu and Baili bond over the book and dessert; Zhiyu and Sang Ya, by contrast, have a tense undercurrent beneath her familiar request.

Significant themes

• Trust and betrayal: Zhiyu’s faith in Sang Ya as family is shaken by her secrecy.
• Truth versus appearances: Sang Ya’s casual, affectionate manner contrasts with the evidence of her hidden relationship.
• Foreshadowing and suspicion: Baili’s warnings and Zhiyu’s unusual mind-reading ability set up further revelations, especially around the possible theft of company secrets.

• Sang Ya and Xie Zhiyu: Sang Ya visits Xie Group to speak with Xie Zhiyu, but he is in a meeting. While alone in his office, she notices his file cabinet. Xie later drives her home and watches until she enters safely, privately hoping she will not disappoint him again. They arrange to meet another time, leaving the nature of her intentions unclear.
• The bidding contest: At a technology tender, Xie meets Gu Yeliang, the president of Gu Technology and Gu Zheng’s illegitimate son. Gu introduces himself with practiced confidence, while Xie’s cool response needles him. Gu resents Xie’s privileged status and believes beating him will bring the power, wealth, prestige, and love he desires. Although Gu thinks his proposal is superior, the review panel awards the project to Xie Group.
• Gu’s suspicions and Sang Ya’s reaction: Humiliated by the loss, Gu wonders whether Sang Ya betrayed him by passing along Xie Group’s proposal. He nearly accuses her, but instead apologizes and tells her he failed. Sang Ya is shocked and angry, insisting she gave him the proposal and asking whether he is joking.
  Character developments and interactions: Xie remains composed and courteous in public, while his private thoughts reveal mistrust of Sang Ya. Gu’s polished manner conceals deep resentment and insecurity about his illegitimate status; losing the bid intensifies both. Sang Ya’s response suggests she expected the proposal to secure Gu’s victory, but the chapter leaves their relationship and the missing information behind the result unresolved.
  Themes: The chapter explores class and legitimacy, especially Gu’s bitterness at being disadvantaged by his birth; ambition and envy, as he longs to surpass Xie; and trust and betrayal, with both Xie and Gu uncertain whether Sang Ya can be relied upon.

• Sang Ya confronts Gu Yeliang after his team loses the project, accusing him of failing on purpose to keep their relationship secret. He insists that he and his team worked for months and that he wants their relationship known. Sang Ya accepts his reassurance, though she remains troubled.
• Gu Yeliang tries to undermine Sang Ya’s trust in Xie Zhiyu. He suggests Xie may have planted a decoy proposal or learned about their affair, but Sang Ya rejects the idea, believing Xie would have ended their engagement if he knew. Gu Yeliang agrees to investigate and urges her to test Xie’s reaction.
• Gu Yeliang is punished at home. His father, Gu Zheng, orders him to kneel overnight for failing to prove himself. Gu Yi mocks and insults him, then kicks him; Gu Yeliang finally retaliates with a punch, but Gu Yi beats him down. Gu Zheng intervenes only to protect Gu Yi’s face and later invites Gu Yi—not Gu Yeliang—to a banquet.
• Gu Yeliang’s resentment deepens. He silently endures the humiliation, recognizing that Gu Zheng sees him as a useful weapon rather than a son. Hurt and angry, he vows to repay them someday.
• Sang Ya reconsiders her own choices. She feels disappointed by Gu Yeliang’s failure but less guilty about stealing Xie’s proposal, since Xie apparently suffered no loss. She resolves to tell her grandfather the truth and end her engagement to Xie before graduation.
  Character developments and themes: Gu Yeliang’s outward submission conceals growing rage and ambitions for revenge. Sang Ya remains emotionally attached to him but is increasingly burdened by secrecy and guilt. The chapter emphasizes manipulation and mistrust in her relationship with Xie, as well as family cruelty, humiliation, and the unequal power dynamics shaping Gu Yeliang’s life.

Key plot points and events

• Sang Ya decides she will act without asking Gu Yeliang’s permission, then returns home to find Xie Zhiyu speaking with her grandfather, Elder Sang.
• Xie came to end his engagement to Sang Ya after learning she was involved with another man. He had once intended to hear her explanation and help protect her, since their engagement also shielded her from trouble within the Sang family.
• Xie shows Elder Sang photographs and a video proving Sang Ya’s relationship with another man. Elder Sang, who had believed she was spending time with Xie, is shocked and ashamed.
• Xie formally asks to cancel the engagement. Elder Sang accepts and offers major compensation, including ten percent of the family’s profits and relinquishing its controlling say, to preserve relations between the families.
• Xie then reveals video of Sang Ya stealing documents from his office. The stolen material concerned a technology project for which Gu Yeliang submitted a bid, making clear Sang Ya had taken the information for him.
• Elder Sang realizes the seriousness of her actions and begs Xie to keep her out of prison. Xie refuses to treat Sang Ya as a child, while Elder Sang promises she will be made to face consequences.

Character developments

• Xie Zhiyu shifts from giving Sang Ya a chance to explain to decisively ending the engagement. Though hurt, he remains controlled and directs Elder Sang to breathe when anger overwhelms him.
• Elder Sang moves from hopeful anticipation of the marriage to shock, guilt, and desperation. He accepts the breakup but tries to protect his beloved granddaughter from prison.
• Sang Ya is not yet confronted in this scene, but the evidence reveals the extent of her betrayal: she has pursued another man and stolen confidential business documents for him.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and consequences: Sang Ya’s romantic choices have escalated into professional misconduct with potentially criminal consequences.
• Love versus responsibility: Elder Sang’s affection makes him plead for Sang Ya, while Xie insists she must be held accountable as an adult.
• Protection and independence: The engagement was intended to safeguard Sang Ya, but her actions undermine that protection and the alliance supporting her.
• Family honor and reconciliation: Elder Sang offers substantial compensation to repair the damage and prevent the families from becoming enemies.

Character interactions

• Xie presents the evidence directly to Elder Sang rather than confronting Sang Ya first, explaining both the affair and the theft.
• Elder Sang apologizes on Sang Ya’s behalf, accepts the engagement’s cancellation, offers compensation, and pleads for leniency.
• Xie remains firm about ending the engagement and emphasizes that Sang Ya must face adult consequences.

Plot points and events

• Xie Zhiyu agrees to buy the Sang family’s West City land at its original price in exchange for the video proving Sang Ya’s betrayal. The deal marks the end of his personal relationship with her and of the Sang–Xie families’ preferential business ties.
• Sang Ya arrives home and discovers that her grandfather has learned about her secret relationship with Gu Yeliang. Photos of the couple fall from the files Elder Sang throws at her.
• Xie Zhiyu formally ends the engagement, returns the Sang family’s token, and asks Sang Ya to return the Xie family’s emerald bracelet. He warns her that the law will not excuse her conduct because of her age, then leaves.
• Elder Sang orders Sang Ya to kneel and disciplines her with the family rod. She admits she should not have dated someone in secret, but cannot identify what else she did wrong.

Character developments

• Xie Zhiyu remains composed and resolute. He settles the land deal fairly out of respect for the families’ history, but shows no willingness to forgive Sang Ya or continue their ties.
• Elder Sang shifts from protecting and indulging his granddaughter to holding her accountable. Though visibly disappointed, he believes strict discipline is necessary to prevent her from causing further harm.
• Sang Ya is shocked by the consequences of her secrecy. She apologizes and submits to punishment, but her inability to recognize the full extent of her wrongdoing suggests she has not yet fully understood it.

Significant themes

• Betrayal can permanently end trust and relationships.
• Family loyalty does not erase personal responsibility; accountability may require painful consequences.
• Respect for the past can coexist with decisive separation in the present.

Character interactions

• Xie Zhiyu and Elder Sang conduct a restrained but final negotiation, balancing business terms with the end of their families’ alliance.
• Sang Ya looks to Xie Zhiyu for help, but he refuses to intervene and leaves after ending the engagement.
• Elder Sang confronts and punishes Sang Ya, while she pleads with him and eventually accepts the first blow.

Plot points and events

• Elder Sang severely disciplines Sang Ya for breaking her engagement, hiding the truth, and helping steal trade secrets. Sang Ya protests that she trusted A Ye’s promise to marry her once he secured the project. Elder Sang is furious and disappointed; he faints, and Sang Ya soon passes out as well, throwing the Sang household into chaos.
• Xie Zhiyu returns home for dinner and announces that he and Sang Ya have ended their engagement. He explains that Sang Ya has a boyfriend and tells the family they no longer need to send the Sang family holiday gifts.
• At dinner, Xie Zhiyu quietly shows affection toward his father, Xie Chengyue, by placing chicken in his bowl. His father accepts it with a faint smile. Xie Zhiyu also serves Shen Wan and Shen Baili.

Character developments

• Sang Ya is revealed as naïve and deeply infatuated with A Ye, trusting his promise despite the illegal scheme. She is overwhelmed by the punishment and unable to articulate her wrongdoing.
• Elder Sang punishes Sang Ya out of anger and concern, but his disappointment and agitation become so intense that he collapses.
• Xie Zhiyu handles the broken engagement calmly and firmly. His small gestures at dinner show that he cares for his family, even if he rarely expresses it openly.
• Shen Baili is startled because the breakup differs from what she remembers of the original story. She also recognizes the unspoken affection between Xie Zhiyu and his father and silently praises Xie Zhiyu.

Themes

• The consequences of broken promises, deception, and illegal conduct.
• The danger of trusting someone blindly for love.
• Family affection expressed through quiet gestures rather than words.
• The uncertainty of Shen Baili’s knowledge of the original story as events diverge from its expected course.

Character interactions

• Elder Sang demands that Sang Ya admit her faults, while Sang Ya begs him to stop and tries to explain her trust in A Ye.
• Xie Zhiyu tells his family the engagement is over; Shen Wan accepts his decision, and Xie Chengyue tacitly approves.
• Shen Baili asks why the engagement ended, prompting Xie Zhiyu to explain. She privately admires him, and he gently diverts her attention from her silent praise by offering her fish.

Key plot points and events

• A warm family dinner at the Xie residence leaves Xie Zhiyu feeling unexpectedly cherished. Shen Wan and Shen Baili encourage him to eat more, and the usually quiet household feels lively.
• That night, Shen Baili notices the system’s Energy Bar has risen by one percent. She suspects it is connected to changing the story’s plot, since it increased after Xie Zhiyu and Sang Ya ended their engagement. She decides to test the theory later.
• On the way to school, Shen Baili receives a newly unlocked chapter revealing that Gu Yeliang allegedly engineered a scandal at Old Master Meng’s birthday banquet: Xie Zhiyu was framed for assaulting a server, arrested, and publicly disgraced. Sang Ya then ended their engagement, while the server disappeared abroad. Shen Baili concludes that Gu and Sang conspired to ruin Xie.
• At school, Shen Baili is exhausted by what she has read and goes to sleep before class. Her classmates Zhu Zhitao and Qiao Yi show concern for Sang Fang, whose grandfather has been hospitalized; Sang Fang says he is out of danger but keeps the family circumstances private.
• After waking, Shen Baili focuses on her lessons. Later, while heading to a teacher’s office, she hears the name Meng Jiu’an and realizes he is Old Master Meng’s grandson.

Character developments

• Shen Baili grows more certain that altering the plot may fulfill her lingering wish and affect the Energy Bar. She also reacts strongly to the newly revealed injustice against Xie Zhiyu.
• Xie Zhiyu experiences a rare sense of warmth and belonging at dinner, contrasting with the future humiliation and isolation described in the chapter.
• A-Deng shares Shen Baili’s excitement about the Energy Bar and new chapters, while continuing to ask questions about how the system works.
• Sang Fang shows concern for her hospitalized grandfather but chooses not to disclose the family conflict behind his illness.

Significant themes

• Family warmth and belonging: The shared meal gives Xie Zhiyu a glimpse of comfort in a normally quiet home.
• Plot, fate, and agency: Shen Baili suspects that changing the story’s events can alter the system’s Energy Bar and perhaps her own fate.
• Betrayal and injustice: The new chapter depicts how manipulation and a scandal can destroy Xie Zhiyu’s reputation and relationships.
• Private hardship and discretion: Sang Fang’s family troubles remain hidden from her classmates despite their concern.

Character interactions

• Shen Wan and Shen Baili lovingly urge Xie Zhiyu to eat, and his quiet response suggests their care affects him deeply.
• Shen Baili and A-Deng discuss the Energy Bar, the possible meaning of her lingering wish, and the newly unlocked story chapters.
• Zhu Zhitao and Qiao Yi gently check on Sang Fang and respect her decision not to explain the family matter.
• Shen Baili’s discovery of Meng Jiu’an links the school setting to the birthday banquet and the unfolding scandal.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Baili comes home and meets her stepfather’s younger sister, pianist Xie Liuzheng, and Liuzheng’s husband, Duan Xing.
• After greeting them, Baili does homework, reflecting on how she relies on persistence rather than exceptional talent to succeed at school.
• At dinner, Xie Zhiyu sits beside Baili and serves her food, a gesture that surprises Liuzheng. Duan and Xie Chengyue also quietly care for their wives, making the family meal feel warm and comfortable.
• Shen Wan tells Liuzheng that Xie Zhiyu’s engagement has been called off. Liuzheng is angered by Sang Ya’s conduct and goes to offer her nephew support.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Baili remains diligent and self-reliant, working hard despite the increased demands of high school. She is polite with her new relatives and appears increasingly at ease within the family.
• Xie Liuzheng is reserved toward Baili, though she does not dislike her. Learning of Zhiyu’s broken engagement brings out her protective side, even if she struggles to express comfort.
• Duan Xing is warm and considerate, gently guiding conversation and showing affection through small acts of care. His supportive relationship with Liuzheng contrasts with her cooler manner.
• Xie Zhiyu shows Baili a familiar, understated kindness by serving her food. He quickly realizes Liuzheng has heard about his canceled engagement.
• Shen Wan and Xie Chengyue appear comfortable in their relationship, quietly exchanging gestures of care.

Significant themes

• Family affection expressed through actions: Serving food, making room at the table, and offering company convey feelings that the family finds difficult to put into words.
• Effort and perseverance: Baili’s academic progress comes from steady work rather than effortless brilliance.
• Support through disappointment: Liuzheng tries to stand by Zhiyu after the engagement ends, despite her awkwardness with emotional conversations.

Key plot points

• Xie Zhiyu congratulates his aunt, Xie Liuzheng, on completing her world tour and tells her he is proud of her. She misreads his unusual warmth as heartbreak over Sang Ya and offers to introduce him to someone.
• Zhiyu explains that he is fine; he wants contact information for a chemistry tutor so he can help his new stepsister, Baili, with her studies. Liuzheng is surprised he is personally taking responsibility for Baili, but agrees to send the tutor’s details.
• On the drive home, Liuzheng and her husband, Duan Xing, discuss Zhiyu’s sense of responsibility and their favorable impressions of Baili.
• After parking, Liuzheng tells Duan Xing she agrees to adopt a child from a welfare institute. She apologizes for the years of difficulty conceiving and the strain he has borne from his parents’ expectations.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Zhiyu shows rare emotional openness by praising his aunt, then demonstrates his growing care for Baili by seeking a tutor for her himself.
• Xie Liuzheng is affectionate and perceptive, though she misunderstands Zhiyu’s behavior at first. She likes Baili’s quietness and beauty, and makes a major decision about parenthood.
• Duan Xing supports Liuzheng and values her above having a biological child. He jokes warmly with her, then is startled—but presumably moved—by her decision to adopt.
• The couple share an easy, loving relationship, marked by teasing and mutual reassurance.

Significant themes

• Family responsibility and belonging: Zhiyu takes an active role in caring for his new stepsister.
• Love beyond biological ties: Liuzheng and Duan Xing consider adoption after years of infertility.
• Affection and emotional expression: Zhiyu tries to express pride directly, while Liuzheng and Duan Xing openly show their love.
• Misunderstanding and change: Liuzheng senses that the family has changed during her absence, though Zhiyu reveals little about it.

Key events

• Duan Xing and Xie Liuzheng discuss having children. Xie says she wants them to raise an adopted child together, despite Duan’s concern that she might be giving something up. He gratefully embraces her, and they agree to visit an orphanage.
• Sang Ya remains hospitalized with severe back injuries, which make movement and sleep painful. She has refused help from staff who suspect abuse, explaining that the injuries were accidental. She has also refused visits from Gu Yeliang, fearing that seeing him would further anger her grandfather.
• Sang Zhi visits Sang Ya and confronts her about ending her engagement to Xie Zhiyu for Gu Yeliang. Sang Ya defends Gu, insists he is a good man, and reveals that she is still in contact with him despite Elder Sang’s anger.
• Sang Zhi agrees to keep this secret—but only in exchange for a designer bag. Privately, she is pleased Sang Ya and Xie Zhiyu have separated and hopes to claim the engagement for herself.
• Sang Zhi outwardly acts caring, helping Sang Ya drink milk tea, but inwardly wishes the drink will do nothing to help her wounds and hopes they will scar. Sang Ya later tries to sit up and cries out in pain.

Character developments and interactions

• Xie Liuzheng and Duan Xing show renewed mutual affection and trust. Duan reassures her that their life together is enough; Xie makes clear that she wants to share the experience of raising a child with him.
• Sang Ya remains devoted to Gu Yeliang and dismisses criticism of him, even as her choice has caused conflict with her grandfather. She is vulnerable and relies on Sang Zhi’s apparent support.
• Sang Zhi conceals jealousy and ambition behind cousinly warmth. She exploits Sang Ya’s trust for a gift and secretly hopes to benefit from the broken engagement.

Significant themes

• Marriage, family, and choice: The opening contrasts pressure to have children with a couple deciding together what family should mean to them.
• Loyalty and consequences: Sang Ya’s attachment to Gu Yeliang persists despite the damage her decision has caused within her family.
• Betrayal beneath affection: Sang Zhi’s sweet behavior masks envy and malice, showing how family closeness can conceal self-interest.
• Vulnerability and concealment: Sang Ya’s injuries raise concerns about abuse, but she withholds the truth and remains isolated.

• At the hospital, Sang Yue catches Sang Ya and Sang Zhi sharing milk tea, reports them, and causes a commotion. Both girls are scolded and lose part of their allowances; Sang Yue is also reprimanded and spanked by his father. Sang Fang, caught in the noisy aftermath, longs to go home.
• Sang Ya is privately pleased to see her cousin in disarray, but worries about how to accompany her parents when they visit to apologize the next day.
• Meanwhile, Shen Baili attends a combined PE class. Zhu Zhitao sneaks out of the warm-up run, while Shen Baili, Qiao Yi, and Sang Fang take part.
• During free time, the girls watch Class One and Class Two play basketball. Class Two wins, with Meng Jiu’an making an impressive dunk. Zhu Zhitao enthusiastically praises him and Lu Mingqian as the school’s most handsome boys, while her friends respond with teasing skepticism.
• Lu Mingqian notices Shen Baili and waves; she acknowledges him calmly. She also briefly meets the gaze of Meng Jiu’an, then looks away.
  Character developments and interactions: Sang Yue’s impulsiveness brings consequences for everyone, while Sang Ya’s secret satisfaction contrasts with her concern about the impending apology visit. At school, Zhu Zhitao is openly captivated by the boys, and Qiao Yi and Shen Baili gently tease her. Shen Baili remains composed around the attention-grabbing Meng Jiu’an and Lu Mingqian; Lu Mingqian’s familiar greeting suggests an easy acquaintance, while Meng Jiu’an’s challenging look hints at tension or interest.
  Themes: The hospital scene highlights family discipline, sibling rivalry, and everyday chaos. The school scene contrasts academic routine with youthful energy and celebrity-like fascination, while showing how different students respond to attraction and attention.

Key plot points and events

• At the sports field, the boys praise Shen Baili as the school’s most beautiful girl. Meng Jiu’an overhears and recalls her gaze, while his friends tease him about his red ears. Their banter turns to the upcoming November 9 birthday banquet for Meng’s grandfather; Meng is still searching for an appropriate gift, rejecting Ji Qi’s suggestion of limited-edition sneakers.
• A few days later, Shen Baili picks cherry tomatoes with Shen Wan. Shen Wan reveals that Xie Liuzheng and her husband, Duan Xing, are planning to adopt a child from a welfare institute. Liuzheng has asked Shen Wan to find out how her brother, Xie Chengyue, feels about it. Shen Baili’s system announces that this is a key plot point.
• The narrative shifts to Xie Liuzheng on a rare day off. A loving note from Duan Xing shows their affectionate relationship. After breakfast and Pilates, she goes to the Xie residence to meet Shen Wan.
• Liuzheng reflects that spending time with Shen Wan has changed her view of her sister-in-law. She now understands why Xie Chengyue chose to marry Shen Wan: being with her feels comfortable and happy.
• Liuzheng finds Shen Wan painting in the courtyard and watches without interrupting. After Shen Wan finishes, she discovers Liuzheng asleep on a sofa; the butler explains Liuzheng had arrived over an hour earlier and waited quietly.

Character developments

• Meng Jiu’an appears flustered by Shen Baili’s attention, though he dismisses his red ears as the heat.
• Shen Wan is pursuing drawing and design studies now that she has the opportunity, and has grown closer to Xie Liuzheng.
• Xie Liuzheng moves from judging Shen Wan mainly by her appearance to genuinely appreciating her warmth and companionship. Her marriage with Duan Xing is shown as affectionate and considerate.
• Shen Baili is positioned as an observer of the unfolding story and recognizes the adoption question as a significant plot development.

Significant themes

• Affection and intimacy in ordinary life, shown through Duan Xing’s note and the ease of Liuzheng and Shen Wan’s time together.
• Personal growth and new opportunities, reflected in Shen Wan’s studies and painting.
• Changing perceptions and family connection, as Liuzheng comes to understand her brother’s choice of partner.
• Romantic attraction and social admiration, seen in the boys’ praise of Shen Baili and Meng Jiu’an’s reaction.

Character interactions

• Ji Qi and Lu Mingqian tease Meng Jiu’an about his reaction to Shen Baili, then joke with him about choosing a gift for his grandfather.
• Shen Wan confides in Shen Baili about Liuzheng’s request regarding adoption.
• Liuzheng and Shen Wan share a quiet, comfortable visit: Liuzheng admires Shen Wan’s painting and waits rather than interrupting her.
• Duan Xing’s thoughtful note conveys his affection for Liuzheng even while he is away at work.

• Shen Wan and Xie Liuzheng: While waiting for lunch, Shen Wan gently covers her sleeping sister-in-law with a blanket. Xie Liuzheng wakes and seems nervous when her brother returns. Shen Wan hints that the two of them have something to tell him.
• Duan Xing and Qiao Yun: Duan Xing visits the apartment where Qiao Yun and their young son, Duan Sheng, live. He tells Qiao Yun that Xie Liuzheng has agreed to adopt a child and that he plans to send Duan Sheng to the welfare institute so the Xie family can adopt him. Qiao Yun protests, saying she cannot bear to give up the boy, but Duan Xing insists and argues that adoption could secure Duan Sheng a future and inheritance. Qiao Yun relents, then shifts to asking Duan Xing to buy her jewelry; he agrees, and they resume their affectionate relationship. Their exchange reveals that both view the child largely as a means to secure wealth and advantage. Duan Sheng overhears them from the partly open bedroom door and reacts with disgust.
• Xie Liuzheng and Xie Chengyue: In the study, Liuzheng tells her brother that she wants to adopt a child, explaining that she and Duan Xing hope to raise one as their own because she may not be able to conceive. Chengyue briefly asks whether this is truly her wish or Duan Xing’s, then agrees without resistance. Surprised and delighted, Liuzheng thanks him. He advises her to bring a lawyer from Xie Corporation when signing the adoption papers.
  Character developments and interactions: Shen Wan shows quiet tenderness toward Liuzheng. Liuzheng moves from hesitation to openly expressing her desire to adopt, while Chengyue’s ready support reassures her and highlights his protective, practical concern. Duan Xing is controlling and manipulative, alternating harsh pressure with affection and gifts to influence Qiao Yun; Qiao Yun is possessive of Duan Sheng but ultimately gives in. Duan Sheng’s overheard reaction hints at a growing awareness of his parents’ motives.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts genuine care and family support with relationships shaped by money and self-interest. Adoption is presented both as a hope for Liuzheng’s family and, in Duan Xing’s plan, as a strategy for inheritance. The episode also emphasizes children’s vulnerability when adults treat them as bargaining pieces.