Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Zhao Yuan and Zhao Huizhen visit a clinic recommended by Zhao Yuan’s former classmate, Doctor Zhang. The clinic’s unusually attractive staff and Doctor Zhang’s cold manner make them suspicious.
• Doctor Zhang secretly warns them through his phone’s contact name—“Leave now. You shouldn’t be here”—and tells them not to look back. They escape, believing he may be investigating something sinister inside the clinic.
• Zhao Huizhen receives a call from Lu Yanshi: Shen Anya has fainted and is in the hospital.
• Anya wakes from a nightmare in which her adoptive parents send her away. Lu Yanshi reassures her that they are coming to see her.
• Anya asks Lu Yanshi to find her biological parents before Shen Jingyao does.
• At the hospital, Anya apologizes to Zhao Huizhen and Shen Ting’an for lying, disobeying them, continuing to see Lu Yanshi, and resisting the marriage alliance. She promises to stop seeing Lu Yanshi if they will not send her away.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Yuan trusts her former classmate’s warning and protects Zhao Huizhen by hurrying her out of the clinic. Her suspicion about the clinic grows.
• Doctor Zhang appears brusque in public but covertly helps Zhao Yuan and Zhao Huizhen escape, suggesting he has a hidden purpose at the clinic.
• Zhao Huizhen is unsettled by the clinic and conflicted about Anya: she still feels maternal affection after raising her for years, but fears Anya’s manipulative behavior toward Luoluo.
• Shen Anya is frightened of being abandoned and seeks reassurance from Lu Yanshi. She wants her biological parents found before Shen Jingyao, then pleads with her adoptive parents to keep her.
• Lu Yanshi comforts Anya, arranges for her family to come, and agrees to help with her search.

Significant themes

• Hidden danger and investigation: The clinic’s strange atmosphere and Doctor Zhang’s warning introduce a mystery.
• Family, belonging, and abandonment: Anya’s nightmare and pleas reveal her fear of losing the family that raised her.
• Trust and manipulation: The chapter contrasts Anya’s remorseful apologies with Zhao Huizhen’s doubts about her past behavior.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Anya tearfully pleads with Zhao Huizhen not to send her away, promising to obey her parents and break up with her boyfriend if asked.
• Zhao Huizhen and Shen Ting’an insist they never intended to return Anya to her birth family. Shen Jingyao clarifies that he initiated the investigation himself, though he agrees to stop when Shen Ting’an orders him to.
• The next morning, Shen Luoluo and Shen Jiayan return home from the Villa while Shen Xiche and the others head back to the production crew.
• Anya greets Luoluo and Jiayan with unusual warmth and proposes that the whole family go on an outing together. Luoluo and Jiayan find her behavior suspicious.
• Zhao Huizhen prepares chicken soup for Jingyao. Luoluo volunteers to deliver it, then heads out while the family saves her a meal.

Character developments

• Shen Anya reveals her fear of losing her place in the family, but quickly shifts into an unusually friendly, conciliatory manner toward Luoluo.
• Shen Jingyao remains composed and firm about investigating Anya’s origins, suggesting he sees it as a responsibility rather than a way to cast her out.
• Zhao Huizhen shows protective affection toward Anya while also warmly supporting Luoluo’s wish to care for Jingyao.
• Shen Luoluo stays wary of Anya’s sudden friendliness and readily offers to help her brother.
• Shen Jiayan shares Luoluo’s distrust and finds Anya’s behavior awkward.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: Anya’s panic exposes her insecurity about whether she truly belongs in the Shen family.
• Misunderstandings and hidden motives: Anya assumes Jingyao’s investigation means he wants her gone, while his reasons remain distinct from her fears.
• Trust and sincerity: Luoluo and Jiayan question Anya’s sudden change in attitude.
• Care expressed through actions: Luoluo’s willingness to deliver soup demonstrates her affection for Jingyao.

Character interactions

• Zhao Huizhen catches Anya before she can kneel, and she and Shen Ting’an reassure her that she will not be sent away.
• Anya confronts Jingyao indirectly, but his stern response leaves her unable to continue.
• Anya tries to engage Luoluo in friendly conversation and suggest a family outing; Luoluo responds coolly, while Jiayan reacts with amusement and discomfort.
• Zhao Huizhen entrusts Luoluo with the soup for Jingyao, affirming the growing warmth between them.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Anya resents Shen Luoluo’s closeness with Shen Jingyao and suspects Luoluo may have influenced his investigation into Anya’s birth parents.
• Luoluo brings chicken soup to Shen Jingyao’s office, where staff readily recognize and welcome her. Jingyao invites her to lunch.
• His assistant, Jiang He, arrives with paperwork and news of a business trip to F City. Luoluo realizes through her thoughts that Jiang He’s boyfriend is cheating on her.
• Luoluo steers the group to the restaurant where the boyfriend is meeting his mistress. Jingyao encourages Jiang He to confront them.
• Jiang He throws wine on both of them, slaps her boyfriend, returns his necklace, and ends the relationship. Jingyao has the pair escorted out after the man tries to follow her.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Luoluo is eager to spend time with her brother and uses what she knows about the affair to help Jiang He, though she feels unsure how to comfort her afterward.
• Shen Jingyao is attentive to Luoluo, gently includes her in his workday, and supports Jiang He’s confrontation without forcing her to act.
• Jiang He moves from quietly enduring the betrayal to decisively ending the relationship.
• Shen Anya remains jealous and resentful of Luoluo’s bond with Jingyao.
• The lunch brings Luoluo, Jingyao, and Jiang He together: Luoluo guides events, Jingyao offers practical support, and Jiang He takes control of her own response.

Significant themes

• Family affection and belonging: Jingyao’s warmth makes Luoluo feel welcomed in his professional world.
• Betrayal and self-respect: Jiang He refuses to tolerate infidelity and ends the relationship cleanly.
• Support and agency: Luoluo and Jingyao create an opportunity for Jiang He to act, but she makes the decision herself.

Chapter 32 Summary

Key plot points and events

• At the office, Shen Jingyao awkwardly tries to comfort his tearful assistant by offering her paid leave. She quickly reassures him and returns to work, while Shen Luoluo silently admires her professionalism.
• Zhao Yuan returns to Song Lake Resort Villa with a partner to investigate the suspicious clinic. Pretending to be a married couple seeking infertility treatment, they request Doctor Zhang and claim the man is infertile, allowing them to avoid a much longer treatment stay.
• The clinic confiscates their communication devices, isolates them from other couples, and subjects them to a hot-spring “treatment” and medicine. The pair pretends to eat and drink everything but secretly avoids swallowing it.
• After the medicine, they detect a strange incense-like smell and put on gas masks they had hidden in their luggage. When someone enters their room, they prepare to fight—but discover it is Doctor Zhang.
• The doctor is revealed to be Xie Siheng, Zhao Yuan’s former high-school classmate and a member of the Xie family. He angrily asks why she has returned.

Character developments

• Shen Jingyao shows concern for his assistant but is socially awkward in expressing it. His assistant proves resilient and highly professional.
• Zhao Yuan is resourceful and composed under pressure, using a cover story and preparation to protect herself and her partner.
• Xie Siheng is introduced as a high-achieving student from Zhao Yuan’s past. His anger at her return suggests he knows the clinic’s danger and is worried about her.

Character interactions

• Shen Jingyao’s clumsy offer of paid leave contrasts with his assistant’s quick return to work; Shen Luoluo observes approvingly.
• Zhao Yuan and her partner coordinate silently, acting as a team throughout the clinic’s suspicious procedures.
• Zhao Yuan and Xie Siheng’s reunion is tense but personal: she says she came back because he was there, trusting him to be a good person.

Significant themes

• Trust and loyalty: Zhao Yuan’s decision to seek out Xie Siheng reflects her belief in his character despite the danger.
• Deception and suspicion: The clinic’s restrictions and unusual “treatments” suggest a hidden agenda, while Zhao Yuan’s disguise and evasions help her investigate.
• Professionalism and care: The opening scene pairs the assistant’s work ethic with Shen Jingyao’s awkward attempt to show concern.

Key plot points and events

• Undercover reporter Zhao Yuan and her companion confront Xie Siheng after he reveals that the clinic is running a criminal fertility scheme.
• He explains that hallucinogenic drugs in baths, medicine, incense, food, and drink make patients believe they are receiving treatment. When male infertility is blamed, staff secretly impregnate the woman; when female infertility is blamed, they use a surrogate and maintain the illusion of pregnancy through drugs and staged events.
• The clinic isolates patients during treatment, making the operation difficult to uncover.
• Zhao Yuan argues that she and her companion should help Xie investigate rather than leave. She reveals their hidden recording devices and says they can expose the story and bring public pressure. Xie agrees to partner with them.
• A week later, a news exposé reports that Song Lake Resort Villa is suspected of drug trafficking, illegal surrogacy, money laundering, and other crimes. Students realize the resort’s popular hotpot contained poppy husks, and many—including some in the class—had visited.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Yuan shows experience and composure as an undercover reporter: she prioritizes survival, quickly understands the scheme, and insists on assisting Xie despite the danger.
• Xie Siheng warns the reporters to leave and initially seems unaware of the resort’s drug trafficking. He is surprised by their preparation but ultimately accepts their help.
• Zhao Yuan and her companion reveal their trust and teamwork through their concealed cameras and willingness to expose the criminals while relying on Xie for protection.
• Qin Shiyue alerts Shen Luoluo to the exposé; Chen Jiashu joins the conversation, and the news spreads through the classroom.

Significant themes

• Exploitation and deception: The clinic preys on couples’ hopes for children and their embarrassment about infertility.
• Truth versus concealment: Drugs, isolation, and staged performances help the criminals hide their crimes, while investigative journalism seeks to expose them.
• Courage balanced with caution: Zhao Yuan believes survival matters, but she also accepts calculated risks to help uncover wrongdoing.
• Public awareness and accountability: The exposé shocks the students and shows how reporting can draw attention to crimes affecting the wider community.

Key plot points and events

• A news exposé reveals that Song Lake Resort Villa was a front for a criminal operation involving drug production and sales, illegal surrogacy, prostitution, and money laundering. The resort’s poppy-based hotpot broth helped hook customers, some of whom were then targeted for drug sales.
• The report causes public outrage. Meanwhile, police have already arrested several main suspects after two days and nights of surveillance and are continuing to gather evidence and pursue others involved.
• Reporter Zhao Yuan and police captain Xie Siheng acknowledge that Zhao’s tip about the hotpot’s poppy shells helped redirect the investigation and bring down the resort quickly.
• Zhao and Xie formally introduce themselves. She also asks Xie how many infertility patients he has treated; he says she is his third, and the first whose case he personally handled.
• At school, Shen Luoluo recognizes Zhao Yuan’s name among the report’s bylines and realizes Zhao’s earlier visit to the resort led her to investigate and expose its crimes.
• Shen is then asked to sign up for next month’s school sports meet. Since the remaining events are mostly running races, Qin Shiyue suggests they enter the girls’ 400-meter relay together.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Yuan takes pride in her role in the investigation and her reporting, while her teasing question about Xie’s patients brings out a playful, familiar side to their exchange.
• Xie Siheng openly credits Zhao and her partner for their help, recognizing how crucial her observation was to the police work.
• Shen Luoluo connects Zhao’s reporting to her earlier actions and broadens her understanding of how wrongdoing can be exposed.
• Qin Shiyue notices Shen is distracted, draws her back into the conversation, and encourages her to participate in the sports meet.
• The sports representative anxiously appeals to Shen because the class still needs students for several unpopular events.

Significant themes

• Exposure and accountability: Investigative journalism and police work combine to uncover hidden crimes.
• Appearances versus reality: The resort’s tranquil, luxurious image concealed exploitation and criminal activity.
• The value of small clues: Zhao’s observation about the hotpot’s ingredients gave investigators a key new lead.
• Community participation: Even ordinary school activities depend on people stepping forward to help.

Plot points

• Chen Jiashu recruits Qi Yang and two classmates, including Shen Luoluo and Shen Jiayan, for school sports events; Qi Yang agrees to take either basketball or the 400-meter race.
• On the ride home, Shen Anya tries to chat with Luoluo and Jiayan. Jiayan tells her bluntly to stop talking and admits he hates her. Her attempt to gain sympathy by crying only makes him more irritated.
• Shen Anya believes crying and spending time with her family can improve how they treat her, perhaps because of her “Koi Luck.” But Jiayan’s rejection leaves her confused.
• At home, Zhao Yuan enthusiastically welcomes Luoluo and thanks her for agreeing to visit Songhu Villa on her birthday. The visit let Zhao Yuan uncover and report on a criminal gang.
• Luoluo asks whether Zhao Yuan was afraid to investigate. Zhao Yuan admits she was frightened at times but felt she had to expose what she had discovered.
• The family discusses Xie Siheng, the undercover officer who posed as “Doctor Zhang.” Zhao Huizhen teases Zhao Yuan about blushing when she says his name, but Zhao Yuan denies having feelings for him and hastily changes the subject.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Jiayan openly rejects Shen Anya, no longer responding to her as he once did. His teasing, affectionate attention toward Luoluo shows their closeness.
• Shen Anya tries to use conversation and tears to regain acceptance, but her efforts fail with Jiayan. She is left awkwardly watching the family welcome Luoluo.
• Shen Luoluo remains cool toward Anya but admires Zhao Yuan’s courage and enjoys her affectionate welcome.
• Zhao Yuan is grateful to Luoluo and proud of her investigative work, though her embarrassment when Xie Siheng is mentioned hints at possible feelings.
• Zhao Huizhen gently teases Zhao Yuan and appreciates the warm bond between her and Luoluo.

Significant themes

• Trust and rejection: Jiayan’s direct hostility shows how strained his relationship with Anya has become.
• Courage and responsibility: Zhao Yuan accepts danger because she believes wrongdoing must be exposed.
• Family affection and belonging: The affectionate, harmonious welcome Luoluo receives contrasts with Anya’s isolation.
• Romantic hints: Zhao Yuan’s blush and evasiveness suggest an emerging connection with Xie Siheng.

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Yuan tells Zhao Huizhen that the Lu Family is pursuing a marriage alliance with the Chen Family, pairing Lu Li’s eldest son with the Chen Family’s second daughter. Huizhen criticizes Lu Li for treating his sons as tools for political marriages.
• Shen Luoluo recalls noticing an unusually close connection between Lu Li’s eldest son and his new wife at a birthday banquet.
• At school, teacher Lin Xue praises the class for signing up for the sports meet and announces a treat afterward. She tells Luoluo she is entered in the 800-meter race, though Luoluo and her friends thought they had signed up for a mixed 400-meter relay.
• The registration form confirms someone added the 800 meters beside Luoluo’s name. The sports representative denies doing it, and Luoluo concludes an unnamed classmate changed the form. Though her friends ask to cancel the event, she decides to run and train rather than back down.
• After school, Luoluo goes to the track to practice. Shen Jiayan arrives with Qi Yang and Chen Jiashu. The boys had teased him by claiming Luoluo invited them to run, making him jealous that she had not invited him.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Huizhen openly reveals her dislike of the Lu Family and sympathizes with the Chen daughter who will marry into it.
• Shen Luoluo responds to the unauthorized race entry with confidence, choosing to prove herself rather than complain. She also gently reprimands Qi Yang and Chen Jiashu for teasing Jiayan.
• Shen Jiayan shows a clingy, possessive affection for Luoluo, disguising his hurt as a complaint that she invited others but not him.
• Qin Shiyue and Chen Jiashu defend Luoluo and challenge the apparent registration error; Lin Xue takes the issue seriously and calls for the culprit to apologize.

Significant themes

• Marriage as strategy: The Lu Family’s alliance-making treats family members as bargaining pieces, raising questions about agency and happiness.
• Fairness and accountability: Someone secretly assigns Luoluo a demanding event, prompting the teacher to insist on an apology.
• Self-reliance and perseverance: Luoluo meets the unexpected challenge by choosing to train and compete.
• Affection expressed through teasing: Jiayan’s jealousy becomes apparent through his sulky reaction, while his friends playfully expose it.

Chapter 33 Summary

• Key events: After Shen Luoluo finishes training for the 800-meter run, Qi Yang and Chen Jiashu invite her and her brother, Shen Jiayan, to barbecue as an apology for making Jiayan feel left out. On the way, the group sees Lu Yanxing arguing with his stepmother: she accuses him of pursuing her and then abandoning her, while he tells her to return to her role as Mrs. Lu. The sight suggests a secret affair and unsettles the group. At dinner, Chen Jiashu explains that his family’s proposed marriage alliance with the Lu family involves his cousin, not his immediate family, and he doubts the arrangement will survive the scandal. Jiayan insists that Luoluo get a drink she likes, and Qi Yang patiently fetches her orange juice.
• Character developments: Qi Yang’s attentiveness to Luoluo—including bringing her water and accommodating her drink preference—hints at romantic interest. Jiayan is protective and proud, but his blunt demands also show how unaware he is of Qi Yang’s intimidating reputation. Chen Jiashu notices Qi Yang’s unusual patience and teases him about his feelings. Luoluo remains considerate of Jiayan while quietly worrying about how dangerous Qi Yang can be.
• Character interactions: Jiayan’s jealousy makes him hostile toward Qi Yang, who tries to smooth things over by treating him to dinner. Chen Jiashu playfully calls Qi Yang out for offending his “future brother-in-law.” At the restaurant, Jiayan’s protective behavior contrasts with Luoluo’s attempts to keep him from provoking the others; Qi Yang responds calmly, while Chen Jiashu remarks that Jiayan owes his restraint to his sister.
• Themes: Romantic interest expressed through everyday acts of care; sibling loyalty and overprotectiveness; pride and social awkwardness; and the way powerful families treat marriage as a political or business arrangement, potentially at the expense of personal happiness.

• At a barbecue, Shen Jiayan gets worked up about someone arranging Shen Luoluo’s extra 800-meter race. Luoluo says she can deal with it herself, and the others respect her choice. On the way home, she warns Jiayan not to underestimate Qi Yang.
• Curious about Qi Yang’s intimidating reputation, Jiayan searches the school forum and reads claims that Qi Yang’s mother died by suicide when he was nine, after intimate photos of her were leaked and her husband blamed rather than supported her. The posts leave Jiayan shaken and more sympathetic toward Qi Yang, though he cannot confirm whether they are true.
• Luoluo continues training after school, often accompanied by Jiayan, Qi Yang, and Chen Jiashu; Qin Shiyue sometimes joins them. Jiayan and Qi Yang gradually stop clashing, and within days they are friendly enough to play games together.
• Chen Jiashu teases Qi Yang about winning over his “future brother-in-law” with a barbecue. Qi Yang objects, not wanting jokes about a relationship that has not yet begun or anything that might embarrass Luoluo.
  Character developments and interactions: Jiayan’s hostility toward Qi Yang softens into curiosity and compassion after learning about his alleged childhood trauma. Qi Yang shows consideration for Luoluo by asking Chen not to tease her about them. Luoluo remains independent and calmly manages both her race and her brother’s protectiveness.
  Themes: The chapter explores how painful past experiences can shape someone’s reputation and behavior, the harm caused by public shaming and family betrayal, and the gradual growth of trust through everyday companionship.

Key plot points

• Shen Luoluo returns from running practice and spots a couple kissing by the sports-field fence. Qi Yang covers her eyes, joking that it is “not for kids.”
• At home, Zhao Huizhen fusses over Luoluo’s training and serves her another restorative soup. The family notices Shen Anya is absent; Anya has said she went to a bookstore, but her parents privately suspect she went to see Lu Yanshi.
• Anya secretly meets Lu Yanshi at a secluded café. Tired of their secrecy, he asks how long they must keep hiding. Anya explains that she was born with “Koi Luck” and believes improving her relationship with her adoptive parents will eventually let them accept the couple and permit a marriage alliance.
• To demonstrate her luck, Anya has Lu Yanshi buy ten prize-cap drinks. None of his five bottles wins, while four of hers do, convincing him.
• Lu Yanshi then gives Anya the address of her birth parents, which his brother helped find. Anya is grateful and pleased that she has located them before Shen Jingyao.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhao Huizhen shows growing, practical affection for Luoluo, preparing nightly soups to help her build strength. Seeing Luoluo healthier and fuller-faced moves her to tears.
• Luoluo and Qi Yang share a light, protective moment when he shields her from witnessing the couple’s kiss.
• Anya reassures a frustrated Lu Yanshi with her claim of Koi Luck and a concrete demonstration. He shifts from skepticism to belief, then helps her move closer to finding her birth family.
• Anya’s parents quietly worry about her secret meeting but do not confront her.

Significant themes

• Family care and belonging: Luoluo’s parents’ concern is expressed through everyday acts, while Anya hopes to earn acceptance from the family that raised her.
• Secrecy and trust: Anya and Lu Yanshi’s hidden relationship strains him, and she tries to restore his confidence.
• Luck and proof: Anya uses her unusual fortune to persuade Lu Yanshi and advance her goals.
• Identity and origins: Finding her birth parents may reshape Anya’s understanding of family and her future.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Anya decides to visit the people identified as her biological parents, asking Lu Yanshi to book her a flight for the next day. She plans to go alone so her family and classmates won’t notice.
• Separately, Shen Jingyao receives information about Shen Anya’s biological parents and books a flight to visit them himself, postponing a meeting.
• At the school sports meet, Shen Luoluo competes in the mixed 400-meter relay and is scheduled to run the 800 meters later. Qin Shiyue, Chen Jiashu, and Qi Yang are her relay teammates, and their classmates cheer them on.
• While the relay is underway, Shen Anya leaves school and flies to Y City. After a long, uncomfortable taxi ride to a rural village, she knocks on the door of the address Lu Yanshi gave her. A woman in inexpensive pajamas answers and looks her over.

Character developments

• Shen Anya is determined to reach her biological parents before Shen Jingyao does, but her disgust at the rural setting reveals how strongly she values comfort and status.
• Shen Jingyao takes personal responsibility for investigating the matter, suggesting he considers it important.
• Shen Luoluo remains composed and encouraging despite the excitement of the sports meet.
• Qin Shiyue admits her nervousness and desire to win, while Chen Jiashu and Qi Yang respond with bold confidence.

Significant themes

• Identity and belonging: Shen Anya’s search for her biological parents raises questions about her origins and place in the Shen family.
• Ambition and competition: Both Shen Anya and Shen Jingyao act quickly to reach the same people, while the students prepare to compete at the sports meet.
• Teamwork and encouragement: Luoluo supports her teammates, and the class rallies behind the relay team.

Character interactions

• Lu Yanshi agrees to arrange Shen Anya’s flight, though she declines his offer to accompany her.
• Zhao Huizhen fusses over Shen Luoluo’s safety and supplies medicine; Shen Jiayan teases her for worrying too much.
• Qin Shiyue confides her anxiety to Luoluo, and Chen Jiashu and Qi Yang try to reassure her with their confidence.
• Shen Anya’s journey ends with her first encounter with the woman at the address, whose identity has not yet been confirmed.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Anya’s presumed birth mother recognizes her and reveals that she and Shen Anya’s father deliberately switched Shen Anya and Shen Luoluo as babies.
• Fearing the Shen family will discover the truth and cast her out, Anya denies being the woman’s daughter and offers her 500,000 yuan to leave and keep the secret.
• The woman’s son, Qian Yong, takes the bank card and demands another 500,000. Anya agrees, on the condition that the family leave immediately; she plans to pay the rest once she confirms they are gone.
• Qian Yong persuades his mother to pack, privately intending to keep Anya’s secret—and her access to wealth—as a source of future money.
• Shen Jingyao arrives at the family’s home, but it is empty. A neighbor says a young woman visited shortly before they hurriedly moved out. He realizes Anya’s visit explains both their departure and the delays he encountered.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Anya is frightened and desperate to protect her place in the Shen family. She tries to manage the revelation through money, but Qian Yong’s greed forces her into a larger bargain.
• Qian Yong proves manipulative and opportunistic: he pressures Anya for more money, overrides his mother, and privately sees her as a “cash cow.”
• The mother is emotionally eager to reclaim Anya, but her son controls the negotiation and persuades her to leave.
• Shen Jingyao follows Anya’s trail and quickly pieces together what happened from the neighbor’s account.

Significant themes

• Identity and belonging: Anya’s biological origins threaten the family identity and security she has known.
• Secrecy and fear: She believes exposure of the deliberate baby switch could cost her home and family.
• Greed and exploitation: Qian Yong turns a reunion into blackmail, treating Anya’s fear as an opportunity.
• Manipulation and control: Anya attempts to control the situation with money, while Qian Yong secretly plans to exploit her further.

Chapter 35 Summary

• The Shen family’s investigation advances: After confirming his suspicions about Shen Anya, a family member decides there is no reason to keep investigating at that moment. He now has evidence and doubts that Shen Ting’an and Zhao Huizhen will excuse Shen Anya simply because she was a baby when her biological parents caused harm.
• Shen Luoluo wins the 800-meter race: At Jingbei International School’s sports meet, Shen Luoluo takes first place in the Girls’ 800-Meter Race, giving Rocket Class its second win of the day after Qi Yang secured first in the 400-meter relay. Her classmates celebrate her, impressed by her academic success and the effort she puts into training.
• Jiang Nian admits she sabotaged Luoluo: Jiang Nian confesses that she entered Luoluo in the demanding race out of jealousy. She felt inferior because both had transferred from smaller towns, yet Luoluo excelled in class and quickly made friends with Qi Yang and Qin Shiyue. Seeing Luoluo win makes Jiang recognize that her success comes from dedication and character, not luck.
• Luoluo responds with compassion: Jiang offers to leave Rocket Class and make a public apology, but Luoluo accepts her apology and asks her to stay and study with the class—provided she does not repeat the behavior. The classmates admire Luoluo’s generosity and composure; Qi Yang and Chen Jiashu also find her response impressive.
• The chapter ends with a family pickup: After the sports meet, Shen Luoluo and Shen Jiayan receive a message from their eldest brother, Shen Jingyao, and get into his car at the school gate.

Character Developments and Themes

Luoluo’s victory confirms her perseverance, while her forgiveness of Jiang Nian shows that she is both confident and kind. Jiang moves from resentment toward self-awareness and sincere remorse. The chapter emphasizes hard work over envy, accountability, forgiveness, and the value of belonging. Their classmates’ celebration and support also strengthen Luoluo’s place in Rocket Class.

Plot points and events

• Shen Jingyao drives Shen Jiayan and Shen Luoluo away from school, leaving Shen Anya behind; his cold response suggests he is angry with her.
• Shen Anya, believing she has successfully restored the story’s original plot, contacts Lu Yanshi. She is then pressured by her biological brother for money and angrily tells him she will pay when she can.
• Back at the Shen villa, Shen Anya lies that she spent the day studying at school and the library. Shen Jingyao watches her closely, but she assumes he believes her.
• A call from Lu Li invites the Shen family to his eldest son’s engagement banquet with a Chen family daughter. Zhao Huizhen suspects the invitation is meant to provoke the Shens and decides they should attend.
• Through Shen Luoluo’s thoughts, Zhao Huizhen and Shen Ting’an learn that the engaged man may be having an affair with his stepmother—and that the stepmother might disrupt the engagement.
• Shen Jingyao’s assistant arrives with a stack of documents, while Shen Anya grows increasingly nervous at the sound of phones ringing.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Jingyao is unusually openly displeased with Shen Anya and appears to be quietly investigating her, though he gives nothing away.
• Shen Anya swings from confidence to irritation and anxiety. Her dependence on money from her biological family remains a source of stress, and her lies at dinner reveal her fear of being discovered.
• Zhao Huizhen and Shen Ting’an respond to Lu Li’s provocation with composed interest, choosing to attend the banquet after hearing Luoluo’s insight.
• Shen Jiayan needles Shen Anya, while Shen Luoluo eagerly anticipates the potential scandal.

Significant themes

• Deception and suspicion: Shen Anya’s explanations seem to satisfy her, but Shen Jingyao’s scrutiny and the arriving documents suggest her secrets may not stay hidden.
• Hidden family ties and financial pressure: Shen Anya’s biological family continues to demand money, complicating her place in the Shen household.
• Social rivalry and public appearances: Lu Li’s invitation is framed as a status challenge, but the Shen family may have the advantage if the suspected affair becomes public.
• Mind-reading as leverage: Luoluo’s unspoken thoughts give Zhao Huizhen and Shen Ting’an information that can change how they respond to events.

Key plot points and events

• Shen Jingyao presents evidence that Shen Anya secretly traveled to Y City to meet her biological parents and urge them to leave before the truth could be uncovered.
• The documents also include travel records, photos, bank-card evidence, hospital records, and a paternity test confirming Shen Anya’s biological connection to the people involved in the switch.
• Shen Jingyao accuses Anya of knowing that her parents deliberately switched her with Shen Luoluo and trying to conceal the crime. Anya denies it, but the evidence leaves her little room to argue.
• Zhao Huizhen confronts Anya, realizing she had unknowingly continued to shelter the child of the people who harmed Luoluo. When Anya calls her “Mom,” Zhao slaps her and rejects her.
• Anya kneels and apologizes, insisting she acted out of fear and love for the family. Shen Jiayan dismisses her tears as self-interest, and Zhao insists that her apology belongs to Luoluo.
• Anya apologizes to Luoluo but argues that she was only a baby when the switch happened and is also a victim.

Character developments

• Shen Anya shifts from denial to desperate pleading when the evidence exposes her attempt to protect her position in the Shen family. She remains focused on not being sent away and tries to separate herself from her parents’ crime.
• Zhao Huizhen moves from shock and grief to furious rejection of Anya, while recognizing her own role in allowing Luoluo to be hurt.
• Shen Jingyao acts decisively, presenting a thorough case and confronting Anya with the alleged motive behind her trip.
• Shen Ting’an and Shen Jiayan show no sympathy for Anya; Jiayan openly suggests she is motivated by the family’s wealth and status.
• Shen Luoluo becomes the person the family says Anya must answer to, though she remains largely silent in the scene.

Significant themes

• Truth and accountability: Evidence dismantles Anya’s denials and makes concealment difficult.
• Family, betrayal, and belonging: The revelations recast Anya’s place in the household and sharpen the family’s commitment to Luoluo.
• Guilt versus responsibility: Anya distinguishes her infancy during the original switch from her later actions, while the family holds her responsible for concealing what she learned.
• Trust and manipulation: Anya’s tears and appeals fail to restore trust, as the family interprets them as attempts to preserve her status.

Character interactions

• Shen Jingyao confronts Anya with evidence; Shen Ting’an demands the truth and loses his temper.
• Zhao Huizhen turns her anger on Anya, rejects her claim to be her mother, and forces her to apologize to Luoluo.
• Shen Jiayan challenges Anya’s stated affection, framing it as attachment to the family’s money and position.
• Anya pleads with Zhao and bows to Luoluo, but her apology is mixed with self-defense.

• Shen Anya is expelled: Shen Jiayan condemns Shen Anya for helping conceal the truth about the girls’ switch and for harming Shen Luoluo. Zhao Huizhen orders security to remove her from the house. Shen Anya begs to stay, but her pleas are ignored; the rain soon swallows her cries.
• Luoluo considers accepting her family: Though largely unmoved by Shen Anya’s downfall, Luoluo wonders whether she can still leave after the college entrance exams now that events have changed. Zhao Huizhen apologizes for failing to protect her and asks for a chance to make amends. Jiayan tentatively invites Luoluo to play with him, and Jingyao promises to hold the responsible people accountable. Their gestures lead Luoluo to consider accepting them as her family.
• A tentative return to family life: The next morning, Zhao Huizhen clears Shen Anya’s belongings from her room and warmly welcomes Luoluo, preparing her favorite pork rib soup. The family’s familiar breakfast banter—including Zhao’s fussing over both Luoluo and Jiayan—makes things feel almost as they used to.
• School gossip spreads: At the sports meet, students discuss Shen Anya’s expulsion and rumors that she and Lu Yanshi were thrown out by his father and had to stay in a hotel. Luoluo doubts how much of the gossip is true and reflects on the turmoil involving Lu Li’s sons.
• A new scandal looms: The chapter ends with a preview of the eldest Lu son’s engagement banquet. He publicly brings a girl in white onto the stage, declares her his true love, and rejects the planned marriage alliance with the Chen Family.
  Character developments and themes: Shen Anya’s scheming has left her isolated, while Luoluo begins cautiously opening herself to the family that failed to protect her. Zhao Huizhen’s remorse is expressed through apologies and everyday care; Jiayan and Jingyao show support in their own ways. The chapter emphasizes accountability, betrayal, maternal responsibility, and the slow rebuilding of trust.

Key plot points

• On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Shen family discusses severing ties with Shen Anya. Her biological parents have not yet been contacted, but the court process has begun.
• Shen Jiayan suggests Zhao Huizhen visit Xi Che, who is away competing on a talent show. She decides to take him nourishing soup.
• Shen Anya wakes in a hotel surrounded by belongings the Shen family sent her. She sees this as proof they intend to cast her out.
• Her biological brother, Qian Yong, blames her for exposing her origins and demands 500,000 yuan. Fearing he will appear before the Lu family and jeopardize her relationship with Lu Yanshi, she agrees to pay.
• Shen Luoluo, Shen Ting’an, and their companions arrive at the Lu family’s eldest son’s engagement banquet, where Lu Li is greeting guests at the entrance.

Character developments and interactions

• Shen Luoluo stays composed around her family’s discussion of Shen Anya, recognizing that they avoid the subject to spare her feelings. She remains focused on the day’s banquet.
• Zhao Huizhen is satisfied that the family is moving toward a clean break with Shen Anya, but worries about Xi Che’s absence and resolves to visit him.
• Shen Anya is isolated and distressed, yet still tries to protect her relationship with Lu Yanshi. Her call with Qian Yong reveals how vulnerable she is to her biological family’s pressure.
• Qian Yong uses guilt and the threat of disrupting Shen Anya’s romance to extort money, while presenting his demand as a family debt.
• Shen Jiayan understands Zhao Huizhen’s concern and offers a practical way for her to see Xi Che.

Significant themes

• Family and belonging: The chapter contrasts the Shen family’s impending rejection of Anya with her biological relatives’ exploitative claims.
• Coercion and insecurity: Anya’s fear of losing Lu Yanshi makes her susceptible to blackmail.
• Appearance versus reality: Anya’s former status as the Shen family’s “little princess” has collapsed, leaving her with little stability or support.

Key plot points and events

• At Lu Li’s family banquet, he and Shen Ting’an exchange polite but pointed barbs, hinting at their antagonistic relationship.
• Shen Luoluo arrives and catches up with Qin Shiyue and Chen Jiashu. Qin shows her online gossip about Shen Anya selling belongings after being expelled from the Shen family. Luoluo is untroubled: her parents gave Shen Anya the items as a final gesture, not as forgiveness.
• The banquet takes a shocking turn when Lu Yanxing announces that he is canceling his engagement to Chen Yiyi. He says he loves the young woman beside him and refuses to enter a marriage alliance.
• Lu Li threatens to disown Yanxing and remove him as CEO, but Yanxing appears ready to leave anyway.
• Luoluo’s inner thoughts reveal that Lu Li’s young wife, Song Wei, is also in love with Yanxing. Song Wei stops him publicly and declares that they are together.
• Yanxing denies their relationship. Song Wei insists they have slept together repeatedly, leaving the guests—and Lu Li—stunned by the apparent affair between a father’s wife and his son.

Character developments

• Shen Luoluo remains calm about Shen Anya’s possessions and continues to use her unusual “Intelligence System” to uncover hidden information.
• Lu Yanxing openly defies his father’s plans, choosing love over the engagement and his position in the family company. He also rejects Song Wei’s claim that they are a couple.
• Song Wei abandons discretion and publicly declares her feelings for Yanxing, revealing a secret that threatens to shatter the family.
• Lu Li is exposed as a controlling father who treats his son as a means to secure business alliances; his authority is challenged in front of the guests.
• Qin Shiyue shows loyalty to Luoluo by objecting to Shen Anya keeping the family-funded goods, though she accepts Luoluo’s explanation.

Significant themes

• Love versus arranged alliances: Yanxing rejects a strategic engagement imposed for business reasons.
• Family power and control: Lu Li’s attempt to dictate his son’s future backfires publicly.
• Secrets and scandal: Luoluo’s information system exposes a hidden relationship, turning a formal celebration into a family crisis.
• Public image and humiliation: The banquet’s polished appearance collapses as private conflicts become public.

Character interactions

• Shen Ting’an and Lu Li trade sharp courtesies.
• Qin Shiyue supports Luoluo over the Shen Anya controversy, while Luoluo explains her parents’ decision.
• Lu Yanxing confronts Lu Li and refuses both the engagement and his father’s threats.
• Song Wei intervenes as Yanxing leaves; he denies her account, and she responds with an explosive accusation.

Key plot points and events

• At the family gathering, Song Wei confronts Lu Yanxing, demanding to know whether their relationship meant anything to him. The guests interpret his silence as proof he used his stepmother and abandoned her for a younger woman.
• Lu Li, humiliated by the crowd’s gossip, drags Song Wei away from his son and slaps her. She retaliates by accusing Lu Li of being a hypocrite and a sexual abuser.
• Lu Li tries to silence her, but Song Wei bites his hand, tears open her gown, and reveals extensive wounds and bite marks. The guests are shocked by the contrast between Lu Li’s respectable public image and his abusive private behavior.
• Song Wei explains that Lu Li treated her as an outlet for his desires and married her because she resembled the woman he truly loved. She says Lu Yanxing’s gentleness made her feel human, and that Lu Li’s treatment drove her to seek comfort with his son.
• Shen Luoluo checks the Intelligence System and discovers that Lu Li’s lost love is Qi Yang’s mother—linking the scandal to Qi Yang’s vendetta against the Lu family.
• As Shen Jiayan urges Shen Luoluo to keep watching, Lu Yanxing’s tearful companion in a white dress slaps him, setting up another confrontation.

Character developments

• Song Wei stops trying to preserve appearances and openly exposes Lu Li’s abuse and deception. Though she admits wrongdoing, she refuses to let Lu Li and Lu Yanxing escape blame.
• Lu Li is publicly unmasked as abusive and manipulative, losing the respectable image he maintained.
• Lu Yanxing faces public condemnation over his relationship with Song Wei and appears unable—or unwilling—to defend himself.
• Shen Luoluo learns that Lu Li’s romantic history is tied to Qi Yang’s mother and recognizes the family scandal’s connection to the larger conflict.

Significant themes

• Public image versus private conduct: Lu Li’s refined exterior conceals abuse.
• Love, substitution, and deception: Lu Li married women who resembled his lost love, while Song Wei sought affection from his son after being mistreated.
• Consequences and humiliation: Private betrayals become public spectacle, with the guests’ judgment intensifying the characters’ disgrace.
• Cycles of harm: Lu Li’s abuse contributes to Song Wei’s turn toward Lu Yanxing, while the family’s tangled relationships feed broader conflicts.

Character interactions

• Song Wei confronts Lu Yanxing, then Lu Li; Lu Li responds with violence, and she counters by exposing him before the guests.
• The guests judge and speculate, first about Song Wei and Lu Yanxing, then about Lu Li after her accusations and injuries are revealed.
• Shen Luoluo’s discovery connects Lu Li to Qi Yang’s mother, while Shen Jiayan interrupts her investigation to direct her attention back to the stage.