Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang continues taking Mibai to the vet for daily examinations, carefully tracking the dog’s improving health and vitality. The veterinarian sees no medical problem, while Mibai’s reluctance makes the visits feel more like an experiment than a walk.
• Ling Junsheng abruptly invites Zhang Yang to join a trip to the China–Myanmar border to buy jadeite rough. Zhang Yang agrees and plans to bring his wife, Cheng Dongxue, and Lin Xiaofei.
• Cheng Dongxue is delighted to travel after a long period without a vacation. Her manager, Zhang Xuanyi, quickly approves her leave once he learns Zhang Yang arranged the trip.
• Zhang Yang reflects that he has never taken his mother, Liu Mei, on a trip, and promises himself to do so after his current busy period.
• The group travels overnight to Cuomu Town, where they find basic, unpleasant lodging near the border. Ling Junsheng leaves early to explore the market, and Zhang Yang wakes to the lively morning trade. The chapter ends as he enters the women’s room and is struck by the sight inside.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shows affectionate concern for Mibai, though his daily testing—and dragging the unwilling dog along—also reveals his obsessive curiosity.
• He makes an effort to give Cheng Dongxue a chance to travel, recognizing that she has had little time or money for herself. She is pleased and accepts the trip enthusiastically.
• Zhang Xuanyi is deferential toward Cheng Dongxue because of her connection to Zhang Yang, but her strong work record also justifies her time off to other employees.
• Ling Junsheng is eager to gamble on finding valuable stones and relies on Zhang Yang’s participation. He takes charge of the trip but leaves Zhang Yang to complain about the poor hotel and its smell.
• Zhang Yang and Lin Xiaofei tease one another: she separates him from Cheng Dongxue for the night as “punishment” for the bad accommodations.

Significant themes

• Care and responsibility: Zhang Yang’s attention to Mibai and his belated thought of taking his mother traveling show different forms of family affection.
• Leisure amid obligation: Cheng Dongxue’s trip offers a rare break from work and a strained period in her life.
• Ambition and opportunity: The journey to the border sets up the search for jadeite rough and the risks and excitement of the stone trade.
• Humor and everyday intimacy: The dog’s unwilling “walks,” the poor lodging, and the teasing between the characters keep the chapter light.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang, his wife Cheng Dongxue, and Lin Xiaofei arrive in Cuomu Town, where jadeite rough is piled along the streets and sold openly.
• Lin Xiaofei urges Zhang Yang to find a stone worthy of making jewelry for Cheng Dongxue. He promises to do so, though he jokes that he has not yet found anything worthy of her.
• They meet Ling Junsheng, who is selecting ordinary rough for the workshop. Zhang Yang declines to help because these stones offer little challenge or potential profit; Ling explains that the workshop still needs affordable jadeite for everyday customers.
• Ling tells them that the better opportunities will come at the next day’s early-morning “Gambling on Stones.”
• The group explores Cuomu Town but finds little to do beyond buying and selling jadeite. Zhang Yang’s wish to visit a nightclub surprises Cheng Dongxue, while Lin Xiaofei teases him by repeating it.
• After struggling with unfamiliar local food, Lin Xiaofei buys supplies so everyone can eat. The group rests ahead of the early start, while Ling continues purchasing rough.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is confident about judging jadeite and uninterested in easy, low-risk purchases. He also reassures Cheng Dongxue that he wants to give her something special.
• Cheng Dongxue is touched by Zhang Yang’s promise but startled by his casual suggestion of a nightclub.
• Lin Xiaofei is outspoken and playful: she pushes Zhang Yang to buy jewelry for Cheng and enjoys provoking Cheng by relaying his nightclub remark.
• Ling Junsheng is practical and business-minded. He understands the workshop’s need for stones at a range of price points and continues sourcing them himself.

Significant themes

• Risk and value: Jadeite’s worth is unpredictable; a truckload can be nearly worthless while a tiny piece can be extraordinarily valuable.
• Different market needs: High-end, high-risk stone gambling exists alongside the steady demand for affordable everyday jewelry.
• Relationships and teasing: Zhang Yang’s promise to Cheng Dongxue and the banter among the three reveal familiarity and affection.
• Place and culture: Cuomu Town’s economy and daily life revolve almost entirely around jadeite, making it unfamiliar and monotonous to the visitors.

Key plot points and events

• At 3 a.m., Zhang Yang and his companions join Ling Junsheng for a nighttime jadeite market visit, a local custom. After a light meal, they enter a huge, brightly lit shed crowded with traders and rough stones.
• They pass through the general sales area to the section devoted to stone gambling, where buyers inspect stones and argue over their possible value.
• Ling Junsheng asks Zhang Yang to select stones for the Ling Workshop, promising the workshop will pay. Zhang Yang examines the stock while the others follow his lead.
• A crowd debates the value of an enormous stone. Zhang Yang recognizes that it contains no worthwhile jadeite and dismisses it as “too big even to weigh down pickles.”
• A middle-aged dealer, offended by the young man’s confidence, insults him. Ling Junsheng defends Zhang Yang, who calmly challenges the dealer to buy the stone if he believes in it. The surrounding onlookers are left staring at the confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is confident in his ability to see inside stones, which removes the uncertainty that governs ordinary gambling. He stays unbothered by skepticism and answers the dealer with a pointed challenge rather than an argument.
• Ling Junsheng is deferential and eager to protect Zhang Yang’s mood, believing his judgment is crucial to the workshop’s purchases. He remains close by and intervenes when the dealer speaks rudely.
• Lin Xiaofei reminds Zhang Yang of what he must remember, while Cheng Dongxue and Lin Xiaofei are initially amazed by the market’s scale.
• The middle-aged dealer trusts his own experience and dismisses Zhang Yang as an ignorant young show-off. Zhang Yang’s rebuttal puts him on the spot in front of the crowd.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus hidden reality: The crowd judges stones from their visible features, while Zhang Yang can see what is inside.
• Expertise and arrogance: Experience does not prevent the dealer from being wrong—or from reacting defensively when challenged.
• Confidence under scrutiny: Zhang Yang is accustomed to being doubted and does not need to prove himself through heated debate; his certainty alone unsettles the crowd.

Plot points and events

• At a jadeite market, Zhang Yang confidently declares that a large rough stone is worthless rock, provoking protests from older, experienced buyers.
• Rather than back down, he challenges them to bet. Instead of wagering cash, he proposes that if he wins, the losers will pay for a stone of his choice weighing no more than five kilograms.
• A stallholder offers his merchandise as the stake, and a dozen or so people—including Gold Tooth and the northeastern man—join the wager against Zhang Yang.
• Zhang rejects Ling Junsheng’s attempt to bet alongside him, insisting the prize must be his alone. Cheng Dongxue and Lin Xiaofei understand that he is looking for material for them.
• Zhang heads to the stall to choose a stone, seeking exceptionally valuable jadeite. The participants grow anxious when the stallholder offers to bring a choice piece from his shop, but Zhang reassures them that he will pick an uncertain rough stone, keeping the wager fair.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang is bold, provocative, and confident in his ability to judge stones. He uses the crowd’s skepticism to set up a wager, but is also careful to keep the prize for himself and avoid making the bet unfair.
• Ling Junsheng trusts Zhang’s judgment and hopes to share in a possible win, but accepts Zhang’s refusal.
• Cheng Dongxue and Lin Xiaofei recognize that Zhang’s stone selection is connected to his promise to find suitable material for them.
• The bettors begin eager to challenge Zhang, but become nervous once they consider what a valuable loss might cost.

Significant themes

• Confidence versus conventional experience: The older buyers rely on age and accumulated experience, while Zhang challenges their assumptions with certainty.
• Risk and gambling: The wager turns stone buying into a public contest where both judgment and nerve matter.
• Fairness and self-interest: Zhang insists on a prize for himself, yet draws a line at choosing stone whose jadeite is already exposed.
• Public pride: The crowd’s participation is driven partly by the fear of losing face if they refuse his challenge.

Character interactions

• Zhang trades barbs with the skeptical buyers, escalating their objections into a wager.
• The stallholder eagerly capitalizes on the spectacle, while the bettors worry that his offer could expose them to a crushing loss.
• Ling tries to join Zhang’s side but is sharply turned away; the younger companion who had considered betting follows suit.
• Zhang’s reassurance calms the group, though the outcome of the original stone—and the wager—remains undecided.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang chooses a moss-covered black stone from a vendor’s stall. The vendor admits it came from his home pond but, spotting a chance to profit, asks for 100,000 yuan. Zhang Yang agrees, and the group’s side of the wager matches that amount.
• The group also bargains over a huge boulder, eventually agreeing to buy it for two million yuan and share whatever valuable material it contains.
• Just as workers prepare to cut the boulder, Zhang Yang stops them, saying he’ll open it himself and save them the cutting fee.
• When a companion jokes that Zhang Yang might break the boulder on his chest, Zhang Yang says he can split it with his hand. He strikes it, and it breaks into pieces—revealing it to be nothing but ordinary rock.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains confident and amused while others worry over prices and the wager. He readily spends money on the small stone and seems certain the large boulder has no value. His remarkable strength shocks the crowd.
• The vendor and his wife try to exploit Zhang Yang’s apparent interest in the pond stone, but he accepts their price without hesitation.
• The man from the Northeast protests the vendor’s price and later teases Zhang Yang about breaking the boulder on his chest. The joke briefly lightens the tense scene.
• Gold Tooth mocks Zhang Yang’s interruption, assuming he is backing down. The gathered group watches in disbelief when Zhang Yang splits the boulder with one blow.

Significant themes

• Confidence versus appearance: Zhang Yang trusts his own judgment despite others’ assumptions and the questionable origins of the stones.
• Greed and opportunism: The vendors inflate prices in hopes of profiting from the group’s interest.
• Spectacle and hidden power: What begins as a dispute about the boulder’s value becomes a display of Zhang Yang’s extraordinary physical strength.
• Irony: The group spends two million yuan expecting potential treasure, only to find an ordinary rock, while the supposedly unremarkable pond stone remains the focus of Zhang Yang’s interest.

Key events

• Zhang Yang wins a two-million-yuan bet by striking a stone with his palm and breaking it. The skeptical crowd checks the fragments and confirms the stone was not tampered with.
• To explain how he knew it contained no jadeite, Zhang Yang has another stone—one he won from the stall owner—opened. A small window reveals vivid, valuable green jadeite, convincing the crowd of his remarkable ability to judge stones.
• The market’s vendors and customers quickly gather around Zhang Yang, hoping he will identify profitable stones. He refuses to advise them, but the attention makes it difficult for Ling Junsheng to shop: any stone Zhang Yang appears interested in becomes much more expensive.
• Zhang Yang suggests Ling Junsheng select stones himself, using the market’s rules to secure them. Ling Junsheng eventually buys a large batch, though he spends several million more than necessary. The stones are shipped to Gong City.
• At dawn, the gold-toothed man and the northeastern man approach Zhang Yang—not to retaliate, but to invite him to breakfast and make his acquaintance.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang displays confidence and extraordinary skill, but his attempt to have some fun and save money creates an unwanted spectacle. He is forced to step back from helping Ling Junsheng shop.
• Ling Junsheng grows anxious as Zhang Yang’s fame disrupts his purchases, then adapts by selecting stones himself.
• The stall owner is relieved when Zhang Yang proves the original stone was genuine, but regrets selling the valuable jade-bearing stone.
• The crowd and vendors shift from suspicion to fascination and greed: they first fear a scam, then treat Zhang Yang as someone who can make them rich.
• Lin Xiaofei and Cheng Dongxue both rebuke Zhang Yang for drawing so much attention, while he can only acknowledge the trouble he has caused.

Significant themes

• Expertise and spectacle: Zhang Yang’s abilities make him an instant public sensation, but no one can explain how he does what he does.
• Risk and regret: The stall owner’s missed fortune reflects the uncertainty inherent in gambling on stones.
• Success has costs: Zhang Yang’s reputation helps establish his credibility but raises prices and complicates Ling Junsheng’s plans.
• Rules and opportunism: Ling Junsheng relies on market customs to keep buying despite the crowd’s interest.

Plot points and events

• After Zhang Yang’s impressive performance at a stone-gambling venue, jadeite dealers Jin Changhuan and Zhao Yunlong invite him to breakfast, hoping to become friends and learn how he judges rough stones.
• Zhang Yang sees through their interest but accepts the meal. He gives them Ling Junsheng’s business card as a route to contact him, establishing a potential direct supply channel for jadeite rough.
• Zhang Yang’s group returns to Gong City. He plans to have the stone he won made into jewelry once the rest of the group is available.
• Zhang Yang remembers the unresolved dispute over office space intended for him. Wu Haonan reports that Xu Mingxian is refusing to vacate the premises, despite having accepted compensation for the broken lease.
• Zhang Yang goes with Jiao Long to the office building, where Wu Haonan and his men are blocked by Xu Mingxian’s guards. Zhang Yang begins by clarifying the facts and establishing his position before acting.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang remains confident and practical: he recognizes the dealers’ motives, turns their overtures into a useful business connection, and handles the office dispute deliberately.
• Jin Changhuan and Zhao Yunlong are eager to gain Zhang Yang’s favor and access to his expertise, but their attempts to entice him fail.
• Wu Haonan is reluctant to ask Zhang Yang for help, despite being unable to overcome the Xu family’s resistance on his own.
• Xu Mingxian has become more defiant, emboldened by his father’s hospitalization and determined to obstruct the move.

Significant themes

• Expertise as leverage: Zhang Yang’s stone-reading skill attracts both admiration and commercial interest.
• Pragmatism in business: He turns a social invitation into a possible supply relationship without being distracted by flattery.
• Power and intimidation: The office dispute is not just a legal disagreement; it reflects the struggle between Wu Haonan’s limited influence and the Xu family’s forceful resistance.
• Confidence and preparation: Zhang Yang’s calm approach contrasts with the standoff, as he first establishes the facts before escalating.

Character interactions

• The breakfast conversation is friendly on the surface, but Zhang Yang understands that Jin and Zhao want to learn his secrets; he politely declines their invitations while leaving a business connection open.
• Ling Junsheng acts as the link between Zhang Yang and the dealers by providing his card and identifying himself as Zhang Yang’s business partner.
• Wu Haonan welcomes Zhang Yang as much-needed support. At the office entrance, Zhang Yang questions him about the compensation and their agreement, preparing to confront Xu Mingxian’s refusal to leave.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang and Jiao Long arrive at the company office Xu Mingxian has occupied to provoke Zhang. Jiao Long easily defeats the hired guards blocking the entrance.
• Xu Mingxian has hired eight more security professionals, offering them lavish cash bonuses to attack Zhang. Jiao Long quickly incapacitates them too, clearing the way for Zhang.
• Zhang enters Xu Mingxian’s office and demands that he leave. Wu Haonan urges Xu to cooperate, hoping to avoid conflict with both him and the Xu Family.
• Xu refuses. Zhang breaks Xu’s arm with a brief movement and orders him out. Convinced he cannot win, Xu flees.
• Wu Haonan’s team begins clearing the office. Zhang gives them the cash Xu left behind—eight million—as a renovation and equipment budget, and asks whether they can finish the work within three days.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang remains controlled and practical, but shows he is willing to use force when Xu persists. Once the dispute is settled, he quickly turns to getting the office ready.
• Xu Mingxian moves from confidence—backed by hired guards and family wealth—to panic and retreat after witnessing Zhang’s strength.
• Jiao Long demonstrates his skill as a professional killer, efficiently defeating the guards while allowing Zhang to confront Xu personally.
• Wu Haonan is cautious about offending either side. He is shaken by Zhang’s effortless violence but then takes charge of the cleanup and renovation work.

Significant themes

• Power and wealth: Xu relies on money and hired muscle, but neither can overcome Zhang and Jiao Long.
• Privilege and inequality: Wu reflects on how Xu’s family wealth shields him from hardship and lets him spend money freely.
• Force versus practicality: Zhang uses decisive violence to end the standoff, then focuses on the practical task of preparing the office.

Character interactions

• Zhang relies on Jiao Long to handle the guards, then confronts Xu directly.
• Wu tries to mediate between Zhang and Xu, but Xu’s refusal forces the confrontation.
• Zhang’s calm threat and sudden injury leave Xu powerless, while Wu’s response shifts from astonishment to organizing the work and accepting Zhang’s budget.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang hires Wu Haonan to renovate and equip a new workshop, giving him a floor plan and only three days to finish. Wu agrees, and Zhang Yang leaves the work in his hands.
• Zhang Yang plans to take a valuable piece of jadeite to Ling Workshop and have jewelry made for his family. He invites his wife, Cheng Dongxue, who chooses a pendant.
• Remembering that he promised Lin Xiaofei some stones, Zhang Yang tells her she can choose a few at Boss Ling’s workshop that day, but will have to pay for them.
• At breakfast, Liu Mei scolds Zhang Yang for repeatedly taking the dog Mibai to the pet hospital and feeding it something red. Mibai flees at the sight of Zhang Yang.
• Zhang Yang offers to take Liu Mei to the workshop to have jewelry made. Lin Xiaofei immediately undercuts his boast that it is “his” workshop, noting that he owns only a small share.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is generous with the jadeite and eager to provide for his family, though he is forgetful about his promise to Lin Xiaofei and evasive about why Mibai fears him.
• Cheng Dongxue is modest and considerate: she asks for only a pendant, and declines to skip work despite being excited about the jewelry.
• Lin Xiaofei is playful but persistent, confronting Zhang Yang about his promise and teasing him about his limited ownership of the workshop.
• Liu Mei is protective of Mibai and openly challenges Zhang Yang’s treatment of the dog.
• Mibai has become wary of Zhang Yang after repeated trips to the pet hospital.
• Wu Haonan accepts Zhang Yang’s demanding renovation job without questioning the unusual plans.

Significant themes

• Family generosity and affection: Zhang Yang wants to share the value of his jadeite with his relatives, while Cheng Dongxue’s response shows that thoughtfulness matters more to her than the jewelry’s price.
• Domestic humor and teasing: The family’s banter, Mibai’s fear, and Lin Xiaofei’s jabs keep Zhang Yang from enjoying his attempts to show off.
• Responsibility and consideration: Cheng Dongxue’s reluctance to take time off and Liu Mei’s concern for Mibai contrast with Zhang Yang’s casual confidence.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang takes an unusually promising rough stone to Ling Workshop, where Ling Junsheng has its outer layer removed.
• The exposed stone proves to be an enormous piece of Imperial Green jadeite, though a crack runs through its center. Ling and the workshop’s veteran craftsmen are astonished by its rarity and quality.
• Zhang Yang asks the craftsmen to make several pieces of jewelry—among them a necklace, bracelets, pendants, and a ring face—for people he has in mind. Lin Xiaofei requests a pendant as well. Zhang keeps the substantial remainder for later.
• Zhang then arranges for Lin to choose two rough stones from Ling Workshop’s newly arrived stock. He points out two small stones that contain green jadeite, though their deeper contents are not revealed.
• Ling charges Lin 1.8 million, the workshop’s original cost. Zhang insists she pay rather than receive the stones for free.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang remains confident in his ability to judge rough stones and practical about his business interests. He makes plans for the jadeite without needing to admire or inspect it himself, and treats Lin fairly but firmly.
• Ling Junsheng is impressed by Zhang’s judgment and the extraordinary jadeite. He is also protective of his business’s prospects, privately wishing Zhang would not pick the best stones from the new stock.
• Lin Xiaofei is overwhelmed by the Imperial Green and excited to receive a pendant. She becomes frustrated when Zhang initially leaves her to choose rough stones alone, revealing her reliance on his expertise.
• Liu Mei feels proud of Zhang’s growing success and sees his achievements as evidence that he is becoming as capable as his father.

Character interactions

• Ling is warmly attentive to Liu Mei and Zhang while they wait, then shares his amazement over the jadeite with the craftsmen.
• Zhang consults the craftsmen about how to use the cracked stone, balancing his own requests with their professional judgment.
• Lin expects Zhang to help her select stones; when he does, he discreetly identifies two for her. But he also makes clear that she must pay, leaving her surprised when she remembers he has a stake in the business.

Significant themes

• Skill and luck in gambling on stones: Zhang’s exceptional judgment turns an overlooked rough stone into a rare treasure.
• Value and responsibility: The jadeite’s beauty is tempered by its crack, and Zhang carefully plans how to make use of it while retaining the valuable remainder.
• Business and personal relationships: Zhang supports Lin but keeps commercial boundaries clear, while Ling balances admiration for Zhang with concern for the workshop’s own interests.

Key plot points

• Zhang Yang visits the newly renovated office in Taine Plaza. Though company registration is delayed, he intends to open the next day.
• The office has a simple, rustic design, with an open work area, a meeting room, and a private office. Zhang explains that his “consulting” business will solve clients’ problems—a discreet description of using information and influence.
• Wu Haonan, who previously benefited from Zhang’s intervention with a bank loan, offers to return the eight million yuan involved. Zhang tells him to keep the matter quiet and lets him count the remaining money as rent.
• Over tea, Zhang discusses staffing needs. He wants capable, trustworthy people—especially former reconnaissance soldiers or investigators. Wu suggests his own former soldier, who works as his driver and bodyguard.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains composed and discreet. He is building a specialized business but is cautious about hiring, timing, and protecting himself from danger.
• Wu Haonan is grateful for Zhang’s help but also frightened by how much influence and possibly private information Zhang commands. He tries to stay on Zhang’s good side by offering money and help.
• Their tea conversation shifts from business formalities to recruitment, with Wu tentatively offering a potential candidate.
• Ling Junsheng tries to impress Liu Mei during the earlier workshop visit, but she rejects him; Zhang Yang does not intervene.

Significant themes

• Power through information and influence: Zhang’s ability to resolve problems—and affect people’s fortunes—makes others wary.
• Trust, secrecy, and self-protection: Wu’s gratitude is mixed with fear, while Zhang emphasizes discretion.
• Building a business amid uncertainty: The office is ready, but registration, staffing, and the company’s opening remain unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang offers Wu Haonan’s driver and bodyguard, Zhao Mingyu, a job at his new consulting company for an annual salary of one million, plus bonuses.
• Wu Haonan encourages Zhao to accept, effectively transferring him to Zhang Yang’s company. Zhang Yang recognizes Zhao’s unusual ability and agrees to hire him.
• Zhao asks what the company does, wary of being drawn into illegal work. Zhang explains that it provides clients with information through investigations, generally without using force.
• Zhao accepts immediately once he hears the salary. Zhang tells him he can begin at once, explains the working hours and overtime pay, and gives him a desk in the office.
• Zhao remains unsure what his duties will be until Zhang clarifies that he will handle investigations. They then share tea and talk, allowing Zhang to learn more about Zhao’s background and past work.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang shows confidence in building his company and a considerate, straightforward approach to hiring. He offers generous pay and clear working conditions, while prioritizing capable staff over a large workforce.
• Zhao Mingyu comes across as loyal and cautious: he first reassures Wu Haonan that he will follow his orders, then carefully checks that the new job is legitimate. The high salary persuades him to take the opportunity, though having his own desk and a formal office role feels unfamiliar.
• Wu Haonan demonstrates trust in Zhang Yang and generosity toward Zhao by recommending him for the new position.

Character interactions

• Wu Haonan introduces Zhao to Zhang and watches for Zhang’s judgment of him.
• Zhang assesses Zhao’s abilities and explains the nature of the work; Zhao probes for details before committing.
• Zhang’s relaxed manner helps Zhao feel more at ease, and their conversation over tea begins to establish a comfortable working relationship.

Significant themes

• Money and opportunity: Zhao’s quick acceptance underscores how financial security can shape people’s choices.
• Trust and loyalty: Zhao tries to remain faithful to Wu Haonan even as he considers a better offer.
• Building an organization: Zhang sets out to create a small, capable investigative firm, establishing its first hire, workplace, and expectations.
• Work and dignity: Zhao’s surprise at receiving his own desk highlights how new roles and respectful treatment can change someone’s sense of status.

Plot points and events

• As Zhang Yang prepares to open his consulting firm, people whose secrets he has uncovered become uneasy, anticipating that his business may involve their private affairs.
• Lin Xiaofei asks to work for him. Zhang Yang initially refuses, arguing that the firm’s work could be dangerous, but eventually lets her intern for two months over the summer without pay. She readily agrees.
• Cheng Dongxue worries that the firm is not yet registered and the planned opening could attract trouble. Zhang Yang assures her he has arranged an expedited approval process.
• Zhang Yang, Jiao Long, and Lin Xiaofei outfit the new office with plants. Lin is impressed by its size and costly rosewood furnishings, then objects when Zhang Yang suggests she sit by the entrance. He tells her she can sit near him, where he can protect her.
• Zhang Yang assigns Jiao Long a desk and a place in the office, explaining that he will not always need him as a driver. Jiao Long accepts.
• Zhang Yang directs the florist to put a podocarpus in the entrance’s “wealth corner,” surprising Lin with his knowledge of feng shui.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shows confidence in his plans and connections, while keeping his abilities and intentions private. He is protective of Lin Xiaofei and treats Jiao Long as part of the firm rather than merely as a driver.
• Lin Xiaofei is playful, persistent, and comfortable challenging Zhang Yang. Despite his warnings about danger, she insists on joining the company.
• Jiao Long remains deferential and unsure about the firm’s purpose, but Zhang Yang’s decision to give him an office role suggests growing trust and a closer working relationship.
• Liu Mei respects Zhang Yang’s authority over his company, though she worries about Lin’s safety. Cheng Dongxue takes a more practical approach, raising concerns about registration.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and power: Zhang Yang’s knowledge of others’ secrets makes his new business a potential threat to influential families.
• Protection and trust: Zhang Yang’s concern for Lin and his inclusion of Jiao Long reveal personal loyalties beneath the company’s preparations.
• Hidden abilities: The feng shui scene reinforces that Zhang Yang has more skills than those around him realize, and prefers not to display them unnecessarily.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang oversees the placement of plants in his new office, quietly correcting feng shui issues left by the previous owner, Xu Mingxian. He explains that the office already has strong wealth-attracting feng shui; the remaining plants are mainly for appearance and cleaner air.
• Lin Xiaofei tries out her potential as Zhang Yang’s assistant by responding to his hints and serving him water. She also asks about his choices of plants.
• Yang Gang visits to inspect the office and asks whether the company is registered ahead of its planned opening the next day. Zhang Yang says it will be ready soon, while Yang Gang worries that Zhang Yang’s enemies may cause trouble.
• Zhang Xin’ai calls to invite Zhang Yang to meet her grandfather, Zhang Daoru, at the Grand Palace Hotel. Zhang Yang suspects the meeting concerns the pills he made and agrees to go. Lin Xiaofei asks to come along, but he leaves her to tidy the office.
• Before heading to the hotel, Zhang Yang stops at Wolong Villa to collect the remaining pills and bring Mibai the dog. Mibai hides in the bathroom and resists, so Zhang Yang has to haul him out.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang’s unusual range of abilities continues to amaze Jiao Long, though Zhang Yang presents his feng shui work as practical and matter-of-fact.
• Lin Xiaofei shows initiative and polished tea-making skills, which she learned from her father. Zhang Yang begins to notice talents of hers he had never paid attention to before.
• Yang Gang acts as a concerned relative, warning Zhang Yang about possible interference with the company opening.
• Mibai has grown noticeably stronger and is increasingly difficult to control. His resistance earns him a smack from Zhang Yang and a reproachful look from Liu Mei, who seems to take the dog’s side.

Significant themes

• Hidden abilities: Both Zhang Yang and Lin Xiaofei possess skills that others—and sometimes Zhang Yang himself—have not fully recognized.
• Quiet confidence and preparation: Zhang Yang anticipates problems, handles the office’s feng shui discreetly, and remains confident about the company opening despite Yang Gang’s concerns.
• Humor and domestic bonds: The serious business preparations are balanced by playful exchanges, especially Zhang Yang’s struggle to get Mibai into the car.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Daoru examines Mibai and discovers that the dog has become noticeably stronger after eating two of Zhang Yang’s Qi-Supplementing Pills. The pills replenish qi, a vital resource for cultivation.
• Zhang Daoru explains that such pills are especially valuable to Martial Arts Grandmasters, while Zhang Xin’ai and Zhang Xinzhi, who are only Martial Arts Masters, have no immediate need for them.
• Zhang Yang reveals that he made six pills; Mibai stole two, leaving four. He has kept their number secret and stored them casually in a paper packet.
• The family members eye the remaining pills, but hesitate when Zhang Yang points out that the effects on humans have not yet been tested.
• Zhang Daoru volunteers to try one. Zhang Yang gives him a pill, and Daoru accepts it with great reverence, though he delays taking it to prepare properly.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains playful and enigmatic, letting Mibai’s transformation demonstrate the pills’ effects rather than explaining himself. He teases the others with the possibility of human testing, then gives the first pill to Daoru.
• Zhang Daoru shifts from astonishment to eager hope. His desire for the pill overrides his usual dignity: he courts Zhang Yang’s favor and accepts the dose with excitement.
• Zhang Xin’ai and Zhang Xinzhi are impressed by the pills but wary of becoming test subjects. Their reactions contrast with Daoru’s willingness to take a risk.
• Mibai becomes a living demonstration of the pills’ effects and, after receiving beef jerky, sits amicably beside Daoru.
• Jiao Long admires the pills and proposes testing one on a captured thief, hoping his enthusiasm might earn him a pill.

Significant themes

• Power and cultivation: The pills’ benefits depend on martial rank, emphasizing the long progression from Martial Artist to Martial Arts Master to Grandmaster.
• Risk, desire, and reward: The characters weigh uncertain human effects against the promise of extraordinary strength.
• Humor and status: The scene plays the prestigious Zhang family’s eagerness for a pill against Mibai’s accidental good fortune—and Zhang Yang’s casual handling of something rare.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang gives Zhang Daoru a Qi-Supplementing Pill, which the old man eagerly wraps up and treasures. Zhang Yang charges him nothing, though he does not offer pills to Zhang Xin’ai or Zhang Xinzhi.
• Zhang Daoru invites Zhang Yang to dinner at the Grand Palace Hotel, hoping to persuade him to share more pills. Zhang Yang accepts.
• Zhang Xin’ai asks whether Zhang Yang will return to Little Lingyin Temple and offers to keep helping him. Zhang Yang hires her as receptionist at his company, using the job as a cover for her presence; Zhang Daoru approves.
• At dinner, the Zhangs repeatedly toast Zhang Yang. They pretend to become drunk and use the opportunity to ask him to sell them pills.
• Zhang Yang also acts drunk, then agrees to sell the three remaining pills for ten million yuan. He exchanges them for Zhang Xin’ai’s check.
• After Zhang Yang leaves, the Zhangs reveal they were not drunk: they are together examining a red bead. They realize Zhang Yang had also been pretending and had outmaneuvered them.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang shows himself to be shrewd and commercially minded. He stays cautious about taking a pill himself, recognizes the pills’ value, and turns the family’s attempt to obtain them into a lucrative sale.
• Zhang Daoru is thrilled by the pill and willing to swallow his pride to help his grandchildren get more. He eventually recognizes that Zhang Yang has manipulated the situation.
• Zhang Xin’ai is eager to obtain a pill and sees staying close to Zhang Yang as an opportunity. She accepts the receptionist role, but the dinner bargain teaches her to be wary of him.
• Zhang Xinzhi helps arrange dinner and joins the family’s effort to acquire pills, though he plays a smaller role.
• Jiao Long is impressed by Zhang Yang’s apparent drinking and business tactics, but initially does not realize the drunkenness was an act.

Significant themes

• Deception and counter-deception: Both sides pretend to be drunk, each trying to gain an advantage; Zhang Yang ultimately gets the better deal.
• The value of cultivation: The pill is treated as a rare treasure, worth far more to the Zhangs than money.
• Family, leverage, and ambition: Zhang Daoru uses his influence to keep Zhang Xin’ai near Zhang Yang, while she hopes proximity will lead to a pill.
• Business-minded opportunism: Zhang Yang recognizes the demand for his pills and converts it into a substantial profit.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yang’s gift to Zhang Daoru earns the old man’s gratitude but leaves the younger Zhangs wanting more.
• Zhang Daoru and Zhang Xin’ai coordinate—openly and indirectly—to keep Zhang Xin’ai working with Zhang Yang.
• Zhang Xin’ai negotiates directly with Zhang Yang, offering ten million yuan for the pills; he accepts once he sees the check.
• Afterward, the Zhangs discuss Zhang Yang’s trickery and conclude that he is much harder to fool than they expected.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang sells three medicinal pills—made with the buyer’s ingredients and staff—for ten million yuan. He feels uneasy about the deal’s opportunism but defends it as business.
• Jiao Long asks whether the pills are effective. Zhang Yang says they should at least be harmless, though he admits they have only been tested on Mibai, leaving their safety for humans unconfirmed.
• Zhang Yang tells Jiao Long that the Mercedes G-Class is his to keep and plans to buy a more suitable business car later. The company is due to open the next day, though Zhang Yang has invited no one.
• At home, Zhang Yang’s family gathers for a late-night snack and learns about the ten-million-yuan sale. He explains that the pills came from the beads Mibai ate; the family is stunned, and Cheng Dongxue laments that Mibai consumed six million yuan’s worth.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is increasingly confident and prosperous, but his brief disgust at his own profiteering shows some moral discomfort. He trusts his family enough to reveal the source of his windfall.
• Jiao Long remains loyal and discreet. He hesitates to ask about his unpaid wages, while Zhang Yang anticipates his concern and reassures him indirectly about future opportunities.
• Liu Mei takes pride in Zhang Yang’s success, comparing him favorably with his father because he has made his fortune on his own.
• Cheng Dongxue responds with familiar, playful complaints about Zhang Yang’s drinking, then shifts to mock anger at Mibai over the costly beads.
• Mibai is thriving after taking the pills and appears stronger. He understands the family’s speech and seeks Zhang Yang’s comfort when scolded.

Significant themes

• Wealth and transformation: Zhang Yang’s rapid rise contrasts with his former lack of status and the family’s lingering disbelief.
• Business ethics and risk: The sale brings great profit, but the pills’ unproven human safety raises concerns beneath Zhang Yang’s confidence.
• Family and loyalty: Zhang Yang shares his success with those close to him, while Jiao Long’s restraint and the family’s warmth reinforce their trust and affection.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang’s family notices the vivid red medicine he is carrying and questions him about its purpose and extraordinary price—three million per dose.
• Unable to explain its true nature without inviting more questions, Zhang Yang says it is a special medicine he developed. He eventually admits it does not treat ordinary illnesses and works only on cultivators, but the women misunderstand or doubt him.
• He tells them to judge the medicine’s effects by examining Mibai, then escapes upstairs. Mibai tries to follow but is lured away by beef jerky.
• The women inspect Mibai and observe that his coat is glossier, his body stronger, and his intelligence improved, though his appetite is unchanged.
• Liu Mei realizes Zhang Yang may have used Mibai to test the medicine and becomes upset. Cheng Dongxue doubts he would deliberately experiment on the dog. Seeing Mibai healthy reassures Liu Mei, though she intends to warn Zhang Yang against doing it again.
• Cheng Dongxue later tells Zhang Yang that Liu Mei is angry. He insists Mibai stole and ate the pills himself, but expects the family may not believe him. Cheng then asks whether the medicine could be mass-produced.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is evasive about the medicine and frustrated by the family’s increasingly fanciful guesses. He maintains that Mibai’s ingestion of the pills was accidental, not an experiment.
• Liu Mei, deeply attached to Mibai because the dog kept her company when she lived alone, reacts protectively to the possibility that Zhang Yang risked his health.
• Cheng Dongxue takes a more cautious view, defending Zhang Yang against the accusation while still wanting to understand the medicine’s value and commercial potential.
• Lin Xiaofei turns the discussion into comic speculation about beauty enhancements and later teases Mibai about his sturdy legs. Mibai responds by licking her face.
• The women bond through their shared concern and curiosity about Mibai; Mibai, meanwhile, follows Zhang Yang for safety until temptation pulls him back.

Significant themes

• Truth and misunderstanding: Zhang Yang’s incomplete explanations fuel more speculation, while his truthful claim that Mibai stole the medicine sounds implausible.
• Family care and trust: Liu Mei’s anger comes from affection and concern for Mibai, not simple suspicion.
• The extraordinary entering everyday life: A priceless cultivation medicine is discussed amid ordinary household teasing, snacks, and family disagreements.
• Comic contrast: The women interpret a powerful cultivation medicine through familiar ideas about illness, beauty, and dubious drugs, while Zhang Yang struggles to make himself understood.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang brings Mibai to the Grand Palace Hotel, where a guard initially stops them. Zhang Yang calmly shows Mibai’s health and identification papers, and they’re allowed inside.
• Zhang Yang visits Zhang Daoru’s hotel room to discuss the pills he refined using ingredients and methods supplied by Daoru’s family.
• Zhang Yang explains that he delayed handing over the pills so he could test their safety. Mibai has been accidentally eating one and, after several days, shows no signs of illness. Instead, his coat, strength, and appetite have improved.
• To demonstrate the result, Zhang Yang offers Zhang Daoru a piece of beef jerky. Daoru bites it before learning it was meant for Mibai, prompting Mibai to bark indignantly and Zhang Xin’ai to laugh.
• Using the treat to keep Mibai calm, Zhang Daoru examines him and detects the effects of the pill. He confronts Zhang Yang, who admits Mibai stole one—but Daoru’s real concern is how many pills the dog may have taken.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is practical and self-assured: he respects the hotel’s rules, while also using Mibai as evidence in the pill discussion. His explanation that the dog stole the pill suggests he is defensive about wasting the costly ingredients.
• Zhang Daoru moves from asking about the pills to astonishment at their effects. His anger is not about giving medicine to a dog, but about Zhang Yang’s apparent carelessness with valuable pills.
• Mibai is first anxious about the outing, then delighted by the hotel. He behaves quietly when told, but fiercely objects when Daoru takes his jerky. The pill has apparently improved his health and appetite.
• Zhang Xin’ai is amused by the misunderstanding over the jerky, then notices Daoru’s reaction during the examination.
• Zhang Xinzhi is irritated by Zhang Yang’s antics and initially wants to confront him, but holds back while Daoru investigates.

Significant themes

• Testing and responsibility: Zhang Yang wants to establish that the pills are safe before giving them to others, though Mibai’s accidental dose raises questions about handling precious medicine.
• Rules, status, and social judgment: The hotel guard applies its pet policy cautiously, illustrating how rules are shaped by circumstance and perceived power.
• Humor and misunderstanding: Daoru mistaking dog jerky for a delicacy provides comic relief, contrasting with the serious discovery about the pills.
• Unexpected consequences: Mibai’s theft turns him into an unintended test subject—and a living demonstration of the pills’ effects.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Daoru examines Mibai after the dog accidentally eats two Qi-Supplementing Pills. He confirms that Mibai has grown noticeably stronger and that the changes are continuing.
• Zhang Daoru explains that the pills replenish qi, a vital foundation of cultivation, and could be especially valuable to Martial Arts Grandmasters. Zhang Xin’ai and Zhang Xinzhi ask whether they can take one, but Zhang Yang warns that the pills are scarce and untested on people.
• Zhang Yang reveals that he made six pills; Mibai ate two, leaving four. Their plain paper wrapping contrasts humorously with their supposed rarity and power.
• Though Zhang Yang jokingly raises the possibility of testing a pill on a thief, Zhang Daoru is willing to try one himself. Zhang Yang gives him a pill, and Daoru accepts it with reverence, planning to prepare himself before taking it.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains composed and teasing, using Mibai’s accidental trial to demonstrate the pills’ effects. He controls access to the remaining supply and gives Daoru the first human test dose.
• Zhang Daoru shifts from dignified family elder to eager supplicant, hoping the pill can help him advance. His excitement overrides any embarrassment about taking a pill proven useful on a dog.
• Zhang Xin’ai and Zhang Xinzhi move from amazement to hope that they might receive pills, then retreat when Zhang Yang points out that their effects on humans are unknown.
• Jiao Long recognizes the pills’ value and suggests testing one on a criminal, partly to demonstrate his usefulness and perhaps earn a pill.
• Mibai becomes the unlikely proof of the pills’ power—and, after receiving beef jerky, settles affectionately beside Daoru.

Significant themes

• The chapter highlights the allure of power and advancement: even an esteemed Grandmaster eagerly seeks a rare pill.
• It contrasts patience in training with shortcuts through powerful medicine, while stressing that the pills’ benefits and risks are not fully known.
• Humor comes from the reversal of human and animal status: a dog receives a coveted cultivation aid before the people around him, and the family briefly regards him as a potential demon.