Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang leaves with Zhang Xin’ai, who drives her luxury car; her family wealth and the consulting firm’s unusually high pay help explain her lavish lifestyle.
• At Taine Plaza, Zhang Yang finds Lei Hu kneeling outside an elevator with a box of limited-edition Jimmy Choo heels. The crowd mistakes the scene for a marriage proposal.
• Zhang Xin’ai emerges from the elevator, embarrassed and cold toward Lei Hu. The shoes are actually an apology gift: Lei Hu is replacing the pair she lost when she kicked him.
• Zhang Yang teases Lei Hu and initially treats the spectacle as entertainment. As bystanders recognize the three from the consulting firm, they understand that Lei Hu is begging forgiveness for causing trouble at the company.
• Zhang Xin’ai eventually urges her to accept the apology, partly to end the public embarrassment. Lei Hu admits he was wrong, says someone misled him, and apologizes for disrespecting both her and Zhang Yang.

Character developments

• Zhang Xin’ai remains unimpressed by the expensive gift and unwilling to forgive Lei Hu at first. She is also conscious of the crowd and sees that accepting the apology could give her leverage over him.
• Lei Hu publicly humiliates himself by kneeling, showing how afraid he is of the consequences of offending Zhang Yang and Xin’ai. His apology is earnest but also motivated by self-preservation.
• Zhang Yang continues to view tense situations as entertainment, teasing Lei Hu rather than immediately intervening.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yang needles Lei Hu and jokes about requiring him to win his approval.
• Lei Hu looks to Zhang Yang for help, while Zhang Xin’ai refuses to respond warmly to Lei Hu’s pleas.
• Onlookers misread the apology as a romantic proposal, then gossip about the consulting firm and its high salaries once they identify the people involved.

Significant themes

• Public reputation and humiliation: Lei Hu’s kneeling makes his apology a public surrender.
• Power and leverage: Xin’ai recognizes that Lei Hu’s submission may make him useful to her later.
• Appearances versus reality: A scene that looks like a proposal is actually an awkward apology, and observers confidently misinterpret it.
• Wealth and status: Luxury goods and the consulting firm’s exceptional pay draw attention and shape how the crowd views the characters.

Plot points and events

• Lei Hu, the notorious local gang boss, apologizes to Zhang Xin’ai by presenting her with designer shoes. At Zhang Yang’s insistence, he admits defeat by kowtowing three times. Zhang Xin’ai then signals that she forgives him, and Zhang Yang accepts the shoes on her behalf.
• Lei Hu offers to serve Zhang Yang, who tells him he may call on him if needed and dismisses him.
• Onlookers debate whether Lei Hu’s humiliation is a publicity stunt for Zhang Yang’s small consulting company. Most conclude it is genuine: Lei Hu’s reputation and the risks to his standing make the performance implausible.
• Zhang Yang and Zhang Xin’ai leave together. In the parking garage, he offers her the shoes; she initially uses driving as an excuse but later puts them on.
• They arrive at the Azure Brown Sea Sales Department in Zhang Xin’ai’s Maserati. Saleswoman Cheng Jiali greets Zhang Yang, expecting him to be the prospective buyer. He surprises her by saying Zhang Xin’ai is the one buying.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang asserts control over Lei Hu, ensuring his apology is complete before sending him away. He also accepts Lei Hu’s offer of loyalty without committing to it. His confident public display strengthens his reputation, though he remains amused—and slightly frustrated—that his employees own more impressive vehicles than he does.
• Zhang Xin’ai accepts Lei Hu’s apology but remains angry enough to suggest she might have punished him further without the crowd watching. She resists Zhang Yang’s attempt to give her the shoes, then wears them, showing a small concession to his attention.
• Lei Hu shifts from feared bully to humiliated supplicant, acknowledging Zhang Yang’s power and seeking his favor.
• Cheng Jiali recognizes Zhang Yang as a wealthy, serious customer and eagerly welcomes him, only to learn that Zhang Xin’ai is the buyer.

Significant themes

• Power and reputation: Lei Hu’s public submission transforms perceptions of Zhang Yang and his company; apparent influence matters as much as formal status.
• Strength and hierarchy: The chapter presents power as a practical advantage, while showing how quickly those who prey on the weak may be forced to submit.
• Public image and rumor: The crowd’s speculation about a publicity stunt highlights how dramatic events can become both advertising and legend.
• Status and wealth: The luxury car, designer shoes, and expensive property shape how others judge Zhang Yang and his companions.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang brings his employee Zhang Xin’ai to the Azure Brown Sea and pretends she is considering buying a home. He is using the situation to draw out Meng Xue, an old classmate.
• Sales attendant Cheng Jiali enthusiastically shows Zhang Xin’ai the properties, assuming Zhang Yang may be buying a home for another woman. Zhang Xin’ai becomes genuinely interested.
• While Zhang Yang waits in the VIP room, Meng Xue arrives. She has been investigating his rapid business success and his apparent involvement in two disputes: Qiao Xiaofeng’s advertising-company conflict and Wang Dong’an’s demolition dispute.
• Meng Xue offers Zhang Xin’ai an insider price, presenting the meeting as a chance to reconnect with Zhang Yang and learn how he intends to resolve those problems.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang uses a playful deception to bring Meng Xue to him. He remembers an intimate past with her from the thousand-year time loop, but she has no memory of it. He also recognizes that Cheng Jiali has mistaken his relationship with Zhang Xin’ai.
• Zhang Xin’ai initially doubts Zhang Yang’s claim that she is buying a home, then understands he has a plan. Still, she develops real interest in the properties.
• Meng Xue is portrayed as proud, beautiful, and powerful, but now newly curious about Zhang Yang. She once rejected him because she considered him incapable; his recent success has changed her assessment.
• Cheng Jiali shows commercial skill and quickly adapts her sales pitch, while assuming Zhang Yang may be supporting a woman other than his wife.
• Zhang Yang and Meng Xue exchange polite but pointed remarks about their past. He mentions Zhang Xin’ai’s presence, subtly playing on the assumptions surrounding his boss-employee relationship.

Significant themes

• Memory and hidden history: Zhang Yang alone remembers the intimacy he shared with Meng Xue during the time loop.
• Reputation and changing status: Meng Xue’s view of Zhang Yang shifts as his abilities and success become evident.
• Curiosity and strategic maneuvering: Meng Xue comes to investigate Zhang Yang’s role in difficult disputes, while he engineers their encounter.
• Appearances and assumptions: Cheng Jiali and Meng Xue interpret Zhang Yang’s relationship with Zhang Xin’ai through the familiar lens of a wealthy boss and a beautiful employee.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang visits the Meng Family’s Azure Brown Sea development, where Meng Xue offers him an unusually generous 20% discount, assuming he has come to buy a home or ask for business help.
• Zhang Yang clarifies that he is not buying a house himself and says his visit is about two cases involving the Meng Family. He presents written demands from Wang Dong’an and Qiao Xiaofeng and tells Meng Xue to resolve them.
• Meng Xue rejects his approach and tears up the documents, accusing him of letting a little success go to his head.
• Zhang Xin’ai and Cheng Jiali enter just as the confrontation peaks. Though they had been getting along, their loyalty to their respective bosses immediately puts them on opposing sides.
• Zhang Yang leaves with Zhang Xin’ai, calmly disappointed rather than defeated. He intends to pursue another plan and does not want to humiliate Meng Xue beyond repair.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang shows how much he has changed: he is confident, composed, and unwilling to plead for Meng Xue’s help. He also reveals restraint, choosing not to push the conflict to its most damaging conclusion.
• Meng Xue remains proud and accustomed to authority. Her initial generosity is partly a way to assert control, and Zhang Yang’s refusal to play along provokes her anger.
• Zhang Xin’ai and Cheng Jiali shift from near-friendship to opposing sides once their employers clash.

Significant themes

• Power and pride: Meng Xue assumes wealth and status give her control, while Zhang Yang refuses to submit to that hierarchy.
• Transformation and hidden history: Zhang Yang’s confidence reflects a profound change that others do not understand; only he remembers his past experiences with Meng Xue.
• Restraint and strategy: Zhang Yang’s departure is not surrender. He deliberately leaves room for a later move and avoids making the conflict irreparable.
• Loyalty: Workplace allegiance quickly overrides the developing bond between Zhang Xin’ai and Cheng Jiali.

Character interactions

• Meng Xue tries to manage Zhang Yang with a discount, but he dismisses the offer as irrelevant.
• Zhang Yang confronts her directly with the Meng Group’s unresolved cases; Meng Xue answers by tearing up the demands.
• Zhang Xin’ai and Cheng Jiali witness the rupture between their bosses and instinctively take opposing sides.
• Zhang Yang leaves with Zhang Xin’ai, while Meng Xue remains angry and unaware that his withdrawal is part of a larger plan.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang’s visit to the Meng Group’s Azure Brown Sea sales office ends in conflict with Meng Xue. He had hoped she would help pass his clients’ demands to her family, but their stubbornness and rivalry derail the conversation.
• Zhang Yang decides to keep looking at homes in Azure Brown Sea for Zhang Xin’ai, whose negotiations there went well.
• Back at Yangfan Consulting, Zhang Yang calls Meng Yunjiao, head of the Meng Group. He reveals that he knows damaging secrets about the family and demands 50 million yuan for Wang Dong’an Demolition and immediate payment of over 12 million yuan in advertising fees to Qiao Xiaofeng.
• Meng Yunjiao refuses, unwilling to reward a threat and risk further demands. Zhang Yang ends the call by giving him limited time to reconsider.
• A young man arrives for a job interview. Zhang Yang, unaware that the position was advertised online while Lin Xiaofei was away, begins interviewing him.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shifts from trying to negotiate through Meng Xue to confronting the Meng Group’s leader directly. He is confident and careful to phrase his demands without making an explicit threat, but his anger over the earlier clash remains.
• Meng Xue stands firm against Zhang Yang, reinforcing their antagonistic relationship. Her position in the family company is senior but does not give her decisive authority over its secrets or business affairs.
• Zhang Xin’ai tries to ease Zhang Yang’s frustration and continues to benefit from his decision to honor her preference for Azure Brown Sea.
• Meng Yunjiao responds to Zhang Yang’s leverage with defiance. He recognizes the danger but refuses to concede, fearing that doing so would invite escalating demands.
• Zhang Yang and the interviewee meet for the first time. The applicant judges Zhang Yang by his appearance and office, while Zhang Yang begins assessing him despite knowing little about the hiring process.

Significant themes

• Power and leverage: Zhang Yang uses privileged information to pressure a powerful family, while Meng Yunjiao resists becoming vulnerable to future extortion.
• Pride and stubbornness: The conflict between Zhang Yang and Meng Xue shows how personal rivalry can obstruct practical cooperation.
• Appearance versus reality: Zhang Yang’s polished, authoritative image contrasts with his unexpectedly young age, while the applicant’s assumptions reveal how quickly people judge by appearances.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang interviews Qiao Qixi, a 24-year-old applicant with experience as an overseas mercenary and criminal investigator. Qixi admits he was dismissed from the police after taking several thousand yuan from a suspect’s illicit cash to fund his gaming.
• Impressed by Qixi’s candor and résumé, Zhang Yang hires him immediately. Qixi is delighted to learn the office has powerful computers and promptly settles in to download a game while waiting for work.
• Zhang Yang discovers that Lin Xiaofei’s recruitment listing promises a million-yuan annual salary and invites applicants to interview without submitting résumés. He recognizes that the listing may bring a flood of candidates, though the salary will deter most.
• At dinner, Meng Yunjiao asks his daughter, Meng Xue, about Zhang Yang. Xue explains that he was once known as a good-for-nothing live-in son-in-law in the Cheng family but has recently started a consulting company.
• Meng Yunjiao has already ordered an investigation into Zhang Yang, whom he views as a potential threat after Zhang revealed Meng family secrets. The results are not yet available.

Character developments and interactions

• Qiao Qixi comes across as unusually frank, gaming-obsessed, and eager for a job that accommodates his interests. His hiring suggests Zhang Yang values honesty and potential over a spotless record.
• Zhang Yang shows practical, forgiving judgment toward Qixi, while also worrying about the consequences of Lin Xiaofei’s overly generous job advertisement.
• Meng Xue remains resentful that Zhang Yang stood up to her, but she gives her father a limited account of his background and new business.
• Meng Yunjiao acts cautiously and strategically, gathering information before deciding how to respond to Zhang Yang.

Significant themes

• Candor and second chances: Qixi’s open admission of misconduct earns him an opportunity despite his past.
• Reputation versus reality: Zhang Yang’s former image as a “good-for-nothing” contrasts with his new business and apparent access to sensitive information.
• Power and secrecy: Meng Yunjiao’s investigation reflects the family’s instinct to protect its influence, while Zhang Yang believes his secrets are secure as long as Lin Xiaofei remains loyal.

Plot points and events

• Meng Yunjiao asks his daughter, Meng Xue, about Zhang Yang after Zhang Yang challenges him over a demolition dispute and advertising fees. Meng Xue confirms Zhang Yang is her former classmate and a live-in son-in-law of the Cheng family, but dismisses him as a man with little ability.
• Though Meng Yunjiao remains dismissive, he arranges for someone outside the official system to investigate Zhang Yang, since Zhang has committed no crime that would justify a formal inquiry.
• Zhang Yang is unfazed by the investigation and says he does not yet want to make an enemy of the powerful Meng Group.
• On the way to work, Zhang Yang and his bodyguard Jiao Long notice a battered Nissan following them. They confront its driver in Taine Plaza’s underground garage.
• The follower admits he is investigating Zhang Yang but refuses to reveal who hired him. When Jiao Long grabs him, the man easily breaks free, revealing unexpected fighting skill.
• Jiao Long and the follower begin sparring in the garage. The follower uses Wing Chun techniques and catches Jiao Long off guard, proving to be a capable opponent.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang remains calm and confident, choosing to confront the tail himself and responding to the danger with curiosity rather than alarm.
• Meng Yunjiao is cautious beneath his dismissive attitude: he uses his connections and hires private investigators to learn more about Zhang Yang.
• Meng Xue continues to underestimate Zhang Yang, interpreting his actions as desperation and dismissing his concerns.
• Jiao Long is eager to defend Zhang Yang and welcome a fight, but initially underestimates the follower.
• The Man in Glasses appears timid and ordinary, yet is candid, composed under pressure, and skilled in martial arts.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: The Man in Glasses’ unassuming appearance conceals his fighting ability, while Zhang Yang’s modest social status leads Meng Xue to underestimate him.
• Power and investigation: Meng Yunjiao’s influence allows him to investigate Zhang Yang indirectly, while Zhang Yang recognizes that the powerful Meng Group could become a serious rival.
• Confidence and restraint: Zhang Yang is certain of his own strength but avoids provoking the Meng Group before he must.
• Unexpected opposition: The tail’s arrival turns a routine drive into a confrontation and hints that Zhang Yang may face more capable adversaries.

Character interactions

• Meng Yunjiao questions Meng Xue about Zhang Yang; she supplies background but encourages her father to ignore him.
• Zhang Yang and Jiao Long confront the follower together, with Jiao Long acting protectively and Zhang Yang insisting on speaking to him himself.
• The follower refuses to identify his employer and challenges Jiao Long’s claim that following them is illegal.
• Zhang Yang allows Jiao Long to test the follower, and the man’s Wing Chun quickly turns their confrontation into a genuine contest.

Key plot points

• Zhang Yang catches the Man in Glasses tailing him and effortlessly knocks him into a pillar with a single palm strike.
• When security guards arrive, Zhang Yang conceals the confrontation by claiming they were only sparring. He then recognizes the man’s investigative skills, criticizes his poor surveillance technique, and offers him a job.
• Zhang Yang gives the man a file containing accurate information about himself and his company, guessing that Meng Yunjiao hired him. The investigator takes the file to Meng.
• Meng accepts the information but is angered when the Man in Glasses refuses payment, explaining that Zhang Yang supplied the file and that he verified it as truthful.
• Distrustful of the investigator, Meng discards the file and orders his own people to investigate Zhang Yang.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang demonstrates overwhelming fighting ability and sharp awareness, but also restraint: he protects the investigator from security trouble and offers him work instead of punishing him. His openness about ordinary information contrasts with his confidence that his deeper secrets will remain hidden.
• The Man in Glasses is shaken by how easily Zhang Yang spotted and defeated him. Despite his struggling detective agency, he values his reputation and refuses to mislead Meng or take payment for information Zhang Yang provided. His honesty earns Zhang Yang’s respect, though it frustrates Meng.
• Meng Yunjiao initially expects useful intelligence, then becomes suspicious and angry when the investigator is candid about the file’s source. He responds by turning to his own staff.
• Jiao Long understands Zhang Yang’s intention to recruit the investigator and trusts his boss’s judgment.

Significant themes

• Skill and humility: The investigator’s confidence is challenged by Zhang Yang’s superior awareness and combat ability.
• Integrity versus suspicion: The Man in Glasses acts honestly, while Meng interprets his honesty as evidence that he may have been bought off.
• Power and control: Zhang Yang controls both the physical confrontation and the flow of information, choosing what to reveal and what to keep secret.

Plot points and events

• Meng Yunjiao compares her investigators’ report on Zhang Yang with information from the Man in Glasses. The accounts largely match, leading her to believe Zhang Yang is unimportant and that his threats can be ignored.
• The Man in Glasses—whose real name is Ye Nan—accepts Zhang Yang’s offer of a million-yuan annual salary and joins Sailing Consulting as its first investigation professional. Zhang introduces him to Jiao Long, Zhao Mingyu, and Qiao Qixi.
• At the company’s first meeting, Jiao Long reports that the team has found no useful information on the Xu Family. Zhang Yang says he will supply the intelligence himself and announces that the Lin Family will take over the Xu Family’s assets.
• Soon afterward, the Xu Group is investigated for extensive past crimes, including illegal activity and tax fraud. Authorities seize the company and arrest Xu Keming. The evidence is unusually complete and appears to have come from Zhang Yang.
• Xu Mingxian realizes that repeatedly provoking Zhang Yang was a mistake. Lin Cheng then visits Zhang Yang to ask whether he can acquire the Xu Family’s assets through the expected auction.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang demonstrates confidence and control: he recruits Ye Nan, directs the company’s work, and appears to have orchestrated the downfall of the Xu Group. He keeps the details of his other colleagues’ cases out of the meeting.
• Ye Nan leaves his struggling detective agency for the security of Zhang Yang’s offer. Though reserved, he impresses the team by explaining his investigative expertise.
• Xu Mingxian moves from reliance on his family’s power to regret and grief as his father is arrested and the family’s business collapses.
• Meng Yunjiao is reassured by the reports about Zhang Yang, setting up a contrast with the influence he soon displays.
• Lin Cheng trusts Zhang Yang’s role in the Xu Group’s collapse and seeks his help in taking over its assets. Zhao Mingyu and Ye Nan act as intermediaries.

Significant themes

• Power and hidden influence: Zhang Yang’s apparent ordinary status conceals his ability to trigger a major corporate downfall.
• Justice and consequences: The Xu Family faces legal action for its accumulated wrongdoing, while Xu Mingxian recognizes the cost of provoking Zhang Yang.
• Information as power: Complete, carefully assembled evidence turns the investigation into an effective weapon.
• Ambition and opportunity: The Xu Group’s collapse creates a chance for the Lin Family to expand, while Zhang Yang builds up his own company.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang’s warning and deliberately spread rumor connect him to the Xu Family’s collapse, making the Meng Group reconsider acquiring the Xu Group.
• At an emergency meeting, Meng Yunjiao cancels the acquisition despite shareholder support. He presents documents Zhang Yang supplied—apparently evidence of serious wrongdoing—and warns that Xu Keming ignored similar material before disaster struck.
• A shareholder suggests settling the dispute with money. The conflict involves 50 million in demolition compensation and more than 12 million in advertising fees. Meng appears willing to call another meeting to authorize payment, though he remains resentful of Zhang Yang.
• Lin Cheng follows Zhang Yang’s advice and successfully acquires the Xu Family’s shares at a steep discount, gaining control of the Xu Group and strengthening his own position in the Lin family.
• Lin transfers 30 percent of his roughly 500-million-yuan stake to Zhang Yang. Zhang becomes a Lin Group shareholder and director, while Lin commits to following his lead.
• With the Xu matter resolved, Zhang Yang turns his attention to the Meng Family.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang demonstrates influence through information and strategy, without explaining his methods. He helps Lin Cheng secure the Xu Group while expanding his own power.
• Meng Yunjiao is cautious enough to retreat from the acquisition but feels humiliated by Zhang Yang’s pressure. His shareholders push him to resolve the dispute pragmatically.
• Lin Cheng grows more trusting and indebted to Zhang Yang, recognizing that his own success and standing depend on Zhang’s guidance.
• The Meng shareholders initially dismiss Zhang Yang as insignificant, then take the documents seriously and focus on limiting financial and reputational damage.

Significant themes

• Power through information: Zhang Yang’s access to damaging evidence can shape corporate decisions and bring down powerful families.
• Ambition and calculated alliances: Lin Cheng gains control and status by cooperating with Zhang Yang, while Zhang also receives a valuable stake.
• Fear and uncertainty: The Xu Family’s unexplained collapse makes other groups wary, and the chapter ends by emphasizing that outsiders still do not understand how it happened.
• Money versus principle: The Meng Group considers paying a large sum to contain the dispute, but Meng’s personal resentment complicates a business decision.

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Dongxue asks Zhang Yang whether he caused the Xu Family’s business collapse. He admits he exposed the family’s crimes and says Xu Mingxian’s actions against her were part of the reason. He also explains that Xu Keming’s escalation and Lei Hu’s disruption pushed him to act.
• Zhang Yang reveals that he acquired 30% of the Xu Group’s shares. Though he says he followed legal procedures, Cheng Dongxue is disturbed by the scale and ruthlessness of his actions and asks him not to do it again.
• The Xu Group’s rapid collapse shocks Meng Yunjiao, who reassesses Zhang Yang. At a Meng Group board meeting, Meng Yunjiao discusses the Wang Dong’an demolition project and Qiao Xiaofeng’s advertising fees, but hides Zhang Yang’s identity and remains puzzled by how Zhang obtained internal company information.
• Lin Cheng invites Zhang Yang, his wife, and his mother to a Lin Family banquet celebrating the acquisition of the Xu Group. Zhang Yang accepts and sees the event as an important public return for himself and his family.
• Zhang Yang reassures his nervous mother, Liu Mei, that the family can finally hold their heads high. He arranges for Ling Junsheng to deliver the finished jadeite jewelry for the banquet.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang presents himself as a powerful, strategic protector of his family, but his casual attitude toward the Xu Family’s destruction unsettles Cheng Dongxue. He is also preparing to reestablish his public standing.
• Cheng Dongxue feels grateful for Zhang Yang’s protection but uneasy about his methods and growing power. Her comment about holding their heads high reveals how much humiliation she has endured in the past.
• Meng Yunjiao becomes more wary of Zhang Yang after witnessing the Xu Group’s sudden downfall, while keeping Zhang Yang’s role secret from the Meng Group board.
• Liu Mei is anxious about attending a major social event, but Zhang Yang encourages her and ensures she will have suitable clothes and jewelry.
• Zhang Yang’s exchanges with Lin Cheng and Ling Junsheng show his rising status and the influence he now commands.

Significant themes

• Protection versus ruthlessness: Zhang Yang’s devotion to his family is clear, but his forceful retaliation raises moral concerns.
• Power and reputation: The Xu Group’s collapse transforms how others view Zhang Yang, while the banquet offers his family a chance to reclaim social standing.
• Family dignity and past humiliation: Cheng Dongxue’s hopes of finally holding her head high reflect the family’s desire to overcome years of being looked down upon.
• Secrecy and influence: Zhang Yang’s access to sensitive information and Meng Yunjiao’s concealment of his role underline the uncertainty and intrigue surrounding his power.

Key events

• Zhang Yang receives six custom jadeite pieces from Ling Workshop’s master craftsman, Lei Gui. The pieces are exquisitely made and, together, worth tens of millions.
• He gives a vivid-green necklace and matching bangle to his mother, Liu Mei, and a bean-pod pendant to his wife, Cheng Dongxue. He also assigns a leaf pendant to Xiao Fei, another bangle to Dongxue’s mother, Yang Su, and a ring setting to his father.
• Liu Mei is moved by her son’s generosity and treats her jewelry as precious heirlooms, putting it away rather than risking it during housework.
• Later, in the bedroom, Dongxue notices the valuable jadeite bracelet already in her jewelry box and begins to bring it up to Zhang Yang.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shows his affection through thoughtful gifts, making sure both his mother and wife are cared for. He also bears no resentment toward Yang Su despite her past disapproval, viewing her as family.
• Liu Mei is proud and touched, but remains self-effacing: she worries that Dongxue deserves more after the hardships she endured in the marriage. The bracelet recalls someone from her past.
• Cheng Dongxue is delighted by her pendant and grateful that Zhang Yang remembered her mother. Her gratitude reflects how much the family’s relationship with him has changed.
• Lei Gui is courteous and professional, and Zhang Yang treats him respectfully rather than with status-consciousness.

Significant themes

• Family devotion and repayment: Zhang Yang wants to honor the people closest to him and make up for the hardships Dongxue endured.
• Reconciliation and release from the past: He holds no grudge against the Cheng family and feels he has moved beyond his former status as a live-in son-in-law.
• Wealth versus meaning: Though the jewelry is enormously valuable, its emotional significance—as gifts and future heirlooms—matters just as much.
• Maternal sacrifice and memory: Liu Mei’s rough hands and her reaction to the bracelet evoke the sacrifices and unresolved memories that shaped her life.

Plot points and events

• Cheng Dongxue learns that the jade bracelet Liu Mei gave her when she married Zhang Yang is genuine and valuable. Zhang Yang explains that it was Liu Mei’s best possession, though he does not know where it came from.
• The bracelet prompts questions about Liu Mei’s past and how she supported Zhang Yang in Long’ao. Their modest farm income seemed insufficient, and villagers once spread rumors about her, but Zhang Yang and Dongxue do not uncover the truth.
• Zhang Yang encourages Dongxue to spend time and money with Liu Mei. On Sunday, while he goes to work, the two women drive to an upscale shopping district together.
• During the outing, Liu Mei hints that she wants Zhang Yang and Dongxue to have a child so she can care for a grandchild. Dongxue feels awkward and says they are young and Zhang Yang’s career is just beginning; she also has ambitions of her own.
• Dongxue notices Liu Mei’s confident driving and familiarity with modern life, further deepening her curiosity about Liu Mei’s unexplained past.
• At a clothing shop, a dismissive saleswoman ignores them. Liu Mei declines the expensive jeans Dongxue suggests, saying they are too young for her and would suit Dongxue instead.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Mei is increasingly comfortable and confident in her new life near the city. Her close, affectionate relationship with Dongxue resembles that of a mother and daughter, and she feels secure enough to express her wish for a grandchild.
• Cheng Dongxue appreciates Liu Mei’s generosity and care, but is balancing family expectations with her own plans and career. She is also increasingly intrigued by Liu Mei’s hidden history.
• Zhang Yang recognizes the bracelet’s worth and remains protective and grateful toward his mother. He urges Dongxue to make Liu Mei’s life more enjoyable.
• The shopping trip showcases the women’s warmth and ease together, while their curiosity about Liu Mei’s past remains unresolved.

Significant themes

• Family devotion and gratitude: Liu Mei has consistently given Zhang Yang and Dongxue her best, and Zhang Yang wants her to enjoy the security he can now provide.
• Generational hopes and personal choice: Liu Mei longs to be a grandmother, while Dongxue is not ready to put aside her own ambitions.
• Hidden past and social judgment: Liu Mei’s unexplained resources, skills, and sophistication contrast with her rural background and the gossip she endured.
• Class and appearances: The luxury shop and its snobbish employee highlight social prejudice, which the women choose not to let spoil their outing.

Plot points and events

• Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue decide to leave a clothing store after a saleswoman treats them dismissively and spoils their shopping mood.
• Zhang Yang arrives and encourages them to buy what they want. The saleswoman assumes he is an ordinary office worker and continues to look down on them.
• Zhang Yang produces a Gong City Bank black card, prompting the saleswoman to change her attitude and offer attentive service. The card was issued through Lin Cheng, who helped arrange it because Zhang Yang owns a 30% stake in Xu Group. Though the card is empty and inactive, Zhang Yang also has a credit card with a ¥3 million limit.
• Rather than reward the saleswoman’s sudden courtesy, Cheng Dongxue and Liu Mei leave without buying anything. Zhang Yang dismisses the store’s merchandise and takes them to a larger, more fashionable boutique across the way.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang enjoys having the freedom to spend time with his family and uses his newfound wealth and status to challenge the saleswoman’s snobbery. He remains calm, but makes clear he can afford far more than she assumed.
• Cheng Dongxue is surprised by Zhang Yang’s black card, then quietly supports his response by pretending nothing in the store appeals to her.
• Liu Mei is discerning and refuses to buy merely to prove a point. She recognizes the saleswoman’s hypocrisy and leaves once the store has lost its appeal.
• The saleswoman shifts instantly from contempt to exaggerated politeness after seeing the card, revealing that her service depends on a customer’s apparent wealth.

Significant themes

• Class prejudice and hypocrisy: The saleswoman judges Zhang Yang by his suit, then reverses herself when confronted with evidence of wealth.
• Dignity over revenge: Liu Mei and Cheng Dongxue choose not to spend money just to punish or impress the staff; they simply take their business elsewhere.
• Wealth and changing status: Zhang Yang’s growing resources alter how others treat him, while also giving him greater freedom to prioritize family.

Key plot points and events

• After Zhang Yang leaves the first store with Cheng Dongxue and Liu Mei, its arrogant saleswoman realizes she has lost a major sale. She recognizes that her attitude—judging the women by their appearance and status—drove them away, though she still resents being outplayed.
• At the flagship store across the way, Liu Mei worries about the high prices, but Cheng Dongxue reassures her that Zhang Yang has a black card. The store’s staff welcome the group politely and provide Zhang Yang with a seat while the women browse.
• Cheng Dongxue helps Liu Mei choose clothes, and Liu Mei encourages her to try some on as well. Zhang Yang offers approving opinions on both women’s outfits.
• Zhang Yang decides to buy several items they tried on. Cheng Dongxue and Liu Mei caution him against buying too much, but he pays for the clothes: 60,000 before discount, 48,000 after. The clerk also offers him a membership card.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang demonstrates both generosity and a newly cautious attitude toward money. He is happy to spend on the women but explains through his choices that he wants to keep savings for illness, accidents, and other unexpected needs.
• Cheng Dongxue enjoys the confidence and freedom that Zhang Yang’s wealth provides after years of shame about her family’s modest status and his reputation as a useless son-in-law. She also notices when she is spending impulsively and tries to restrain herself.
• Liu Mei remains practical about the expense and urges Zhang Yang not to rush into buying. Her appearance and poise contrast with her modest life as a vegetable farmer.
• The first-store saleswoman recognizes that her pride and prejudice have cost her the sale, but does not genuinely question the class-based assumptions behind her behavior.

Significant themes

• Judging people by appearances: The first saleswoman assumes the women are not wealthy, while the flagship store treats them with courtesy. The chapter criticizes status-consciousness and the habit of measuring customers by how rich they look.
• Dignity and vindication: Zhang Yang’s purchasing power lets Cheng Dongxue shed some of the humiliation she has endured, though the chapter suggests that respectful treatment should not depend on wealth.
• Money and security: Zhang Yang can now afford luxury purchases, but he balances generosity with concern for future emergencies.
• Service and social status: The contrast between the two stores shows how customer service can reflect—or expose—staff attitudes and prejudice.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yang quietly retaliates against the dismissive first saleswoman by taking the women to another store, where they receive better treatment.
• Cheng Dongxue reassures Liu Mei about the cost and helps her pick clothes; Liu Mei, in turn, encourages Cheng Dongxue to try outfits herself.
• Zhang Yang joins their shopping by offering opinions and paying, while both women gently challenge his willingness to buy so much.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang, his mother Liu Mei, and his wife Cheng Dongxue spend the day shopping. Zhang Yang carries the many bags, while the sales assistants celebrate a lucrative sale.
• Cheng Dongxue wants to keep shopping, but Liu Mei suggests stopping because Zhang Yang is tired and it is getting late. Dongxue proposes buying groceries and cooking at home; Zhang Yang persuades them to eat out instead.
• The family relaxes at their villa before going to a dinner at the Cheng family home. Cheng Hai and Yang Su have invited their three daughters and their husbands, hoping to bring the family closer and discuss the future.
• On the drive over, Zhang Yang struggles to fit everyone and Mibai into the family’s small cars. He and Dongxue agree that they should buy a spacious MPV someday, though Liu Mei again criticizes his earlier choice of a small, expensive car.
• At the Cheng family villa, Zhang Yang and his family are welcomed warmly. Cheng Lin helps in the kitchen, while Cheng Hai and Yang Gang greet Zhang Yang and Liu Mei. Yang Gang asks Zhang Yang to take him to Antique Street again, hoping to benefit from Zhang Yang’s knack for spotting antiques.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is now wealthy and able to enjoy comforts he once could only dream of. He reflects that his thousand years of imprisonment made his present life possible. He also continues to ease tensions between the families through his presence and success.
• Cheng Dongxue enjoys shopping and hopes the family can travel more, aspirations she says she had little chance to pursue before. She has also grown accustomed to avoiding restaurants, though Zhang Yang pushes back against the idea of cooking after a tiring day.
• Liu Mei is protective of Zhang Yang, worrying about his carrying the purchases, but she also teases and criticizes him over the impractical car. The Cheng family’s warmer welcome makes her feel more comfortable than she once did.
• Yang Su has gradually changed her attitude toward Zhang Yang since he moved out; his absence has left the Cheng household feeling emptier, and she has had to resume cooking. She worries, however, that the other daughters and their husbands may still hold old grudges.
• Cheng Hai makes a sincere effort to welcome Zhang Yang and his family. He regrets not recognizing Zhang Yang’s antique expertise earlier, unaware that Zhang Yang only developed those skills later.
• Yang Gang is openly friendly with Zhang Yang and admires his antique-picking ability.

Significant themes

• Time, hardship, and second chances: Zhang Yang’s reflection connects his extraordinary past suffering to the opportunities and comforts he has now.
• Changing family relationships: The Cheng household’s warmth toward Zhang Yang and Liu Mei contrasts with its former hostility, though the dinner may reveal whether everyone has truly changed.
• Comfort and aspiration: Shopping, a larger car, and family travel represent the freedom to enjoy life after years of financial and personal constraints.
• Belonging and reconciliation: The family dinner is intended to reunite the wider family, while the hesitant atmosphere hints that old tensions may persist.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang jokingly says he is free that day when Yang Gang suggests visiting Antique Street, but it is already evening, so they agree to go another time.
• Cheng Dongyu and her husband arrive late for the Cheng family dinner, leaving an already tense gathering awkward and quiet.
• After the meal, Zhang Yang gives Yang Su a vivid green jadeite bracelet. Cheng Dongyu questions whether it is genuine, but Yang Su examines it and confirms it is real.
• Yang Su acknowledges her past mistreatment of Zhang Yang and thanks him, though her pride makes the apology indirect. Zhang Yang accepts and says they still have to get along.
• Zhang Yang also gives Cheng Hai a ring setting, explaining that he can have a ring made in any style.
• Cheng Lin, who has supported Zhang Yang in the past, jokingly asks for a gift too. Zhang Yang readily agrees to get her something, and she shows interest in a pendant similar to Cheng Dongxue’s.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang demonstrates generosity and newfound financial confidence, but avoids boasting or using his gifts to humiliate relatives who once looked down on him.
• Yang Su begins to soften toward Zhang Yang, recognizing his sincerity and feeling remorse for her earlier pride and criticism.
• Cheng Hai is pleased by Zhang Yang’s thoughtfulness and sees hope for the family’s improving circumstances.
• Cheng Lin remains warm and playful with Zhang Yang, reflecting the closeness they maintained even when others were unsupportive.
• Cheng Dongyu remains blunt and skeptical, while her late arrival reinforces the family’s strained atmosphere.

Significant themes

• Reconciliation and changing relationships: Zhang Yang’s gifts create an opening for Yang Su to reconsider how she treated him.
• Pride and guilt: Yang Su struggles to apologize directly because of her pride, despite recognizing her past wrongs.
• Generosity without humiliation: Zhang Yang gives freely but chooses not to retaliate or show off.
• Family support and loyalty: Cheng Lin’s earlier support for Zhang Yang contrasts with the colder conduct of other relatives.

Character interactions

• Yang Gang tries to make conversation and ease the awkward dinner, while Cheng Dongxue and Yang Su complain about Cheng Dongyu and her husband’s lateness.
• Cheng Dongyu’s suggestion that the bracelet looks fake briefly heightens the tension; Yang Su’s inspection confirms its authenticity.
• Zhang Yang responds gently to Yang Su’s halting thanks and gives Cheng Hai a separate gift.
• Cheng Lin’s teasing request lightens the mood, and Zhang Yang promises to get her a piece of jewelry as well.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang attends a prestigious banquet at Universal Hotel with Cheng Dongxue and Liu Mei. Lin Cheng invited him and greets him warmly, despite other guests’ curiosity and disdain toward the unfamiliar newcomer.
• Mrs. Yang insults Zhang Yang and his companions, dismissing their clothes as counterfeit and calling them nobodies. Lin Cheng firmly identifies them as honored guests and says the banquet would not have happened without Zhang Yang.
• Cheng Dongxue slaps Mrs. Yang in response. Zhang Yang jokes about the makeup left on his suit, then checks Cheng Dongxue’s stinging hand.
• Lin Cheng continues to stand by Zhang Yang and introduces him to influential guests. Zhang Yang handles the introductions comfortably and exchanges business cards.
• Mrs. Yang vows revenge and complains to her husband, Xin Lin, a member of the city’s stock-exchange listing committee, pointing out Zhang Yang as the person who wronged her.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang remains composed under public insult and gains visibility and respect through Lin Cheng’s support. He is confident among the influential guests.
• Cheng Dongxue shows she is willing to defend Zhang Yang directly, striking Mrs. Yang when she insults him. Her affectionate gestures afterward reinforce their closeness.
• Liu Mei feels regret that Zhang Yang’s past poverty exposed him to disrespect, but he reassures her by continuing with the evening.
• Lin Cheng makes clear that Zhang Yang matters more to him than the social approval of other guests.
• Mrs. Yang is revealed as entitled and status-conscious; after being challenged, she turns to her husband and threatens retaliation. Xin Lin appears motivated partly by the influence of her family.

Significant themes

• Status and first impressions: Guests judge Zhang Yang by whether they recognize him and by his appearance, while his actual importance quickly becomes apparent.
• Loyalty and protection: Lin Cheng publicly backs Zhang Yang, and Cheng Dongxue acts on his behalf.
• Dignity and social prejudice: The scene contrasts the banquet’s polished manners with the contempt and bullying beneath them.
• Power and self-interest: Xin Lin’s relationship with Mrs. Yang is portrayed as tied to the advantages her family can provide.

Character interactions

• Lin Cheng welcomes Zhang Yang and publicly rebukes Mrs. Yang for insulting his guests.
• Cheng Dongxue answers Mrs. Yang’s mockery with a slap, while Zhang Yang responds with humor and care toward her.
• Liu Mei voices her guilt about Zhang Yang’s hardship, and Zhang Yang continues to stand beside her and Cheng Dongxue.
• Mrs. Yang recruits Xin Lin to respond to the perceived insult, setting up a likely confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• At Lin Cheng’s banquet celebrating the acquisition of Xu Group, Xin Lin confronts Zhang Yang over the earlier incident in which Xin Lin’s wife, Mrs. Xin, slapped Cheng Dongxue.
• Lin Cheng and several guests confirm that Mrs. Xin started the conflict, but she demands that Zhang Yang either let her slap Cheng Dongxue in return or make her kneel and apologize.
• Lin Cheng tries to defuse the situation and apologizes for the disruption, but Mrs. Xin insults him and then attempts to hit Cheng Dongxue again. Zhang Yang catches her wrist and throws her hand aside.
• Xin Lin, pressured by his wife, tries to strike Cheng Dongxue himself. Zhang Yang stops him, then slaps him several times and knocks him down with a kick after Xin Lin disrespects Liu Mei.
• Meng Yunjiao orders the couple thrown out.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains controlled at first, but becomes forceful when Cheng Dongxue and Liu Mei are threatened. He reassures his frightened mother with a quiet gesture and makes clear that he will protect both women.
• Liu Mei is visibly intimidated by the public confrontation, then tries to mediate as an elder. Zhang Yang’s response—“She’s my mom”—shows why he reacts so fiercely when Xin Lin insults her.
• Cheng Dongxue stays close to Zhang Yang and instinctively ducks when the Xins try to hit her, relying on his protection.
• Lin Cheng publicly backs Zhang Yang and attempts to calm the dispute, even apologizing as host. Mrs. Xin’s insult leaves him stunned.
• Mrs. Xin escalates the confrontation through demands, insults, and repeated attempts to attack Cheng Dongxue. Xin Lin initially follows her lead but is ultimately stopped and beaten by Zhang Yang.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and protection: Zhang Yang’s strongest response comes when his mother is insulted, underscoring the chapter’s title.
• Power and social pressure: The guests largely stay silent or side with Lin Cheng because of his influence and Zhang Yang’s connection to him.
• Pride and poor judgment: The Xins’ refusal to back down turns a dispute they were already losing into a public humiliation.
• Justice versus retaliation: Zhang Yang defends the women, but the confrontation ends not through mediation but through force.

Plot points and events

• At the Lin family banquet, Lin Dongqiang tries to have Zhang Yang, Cheng Dongxue, Xin Lin, and Qiu Lili thrown out. Lin Cheng stops his men—not to spare Xin and Qiu, but to demand that they apologize to Zhang.
• Xin Lin and Qiu Lili initially resist, then apologize to Zhang. He ignores them, making clear that Cheng Dongxue is the person they truly wronged. They apologize to her as well, and Lin Dongqiang orders them to kneel, invoking Qiu Lili’s own earlier words.
• The banquet resumes. Zhang’s connections to Lin Cheng and Meng Yunjiao, and his composed but forceful behavior, impress the guests. Lin Cheng introduces him to the ailing Lin family patriarch, Lin Dongsheng, who has specifically asked to meet him.
• Later, Xin Lin and Qiu Lili return to the Qiu residence and kneel before Old Master Qiu. Qiu Lili complains that they were bullied and vows revenge on Zhang, Cheng Dongxue, Lin Cheng, and Meng Yunjiao. The chapter ends as Xin Lin begins giving the patriarch his version of events.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang uses his influence to defend Cheng Dongxue’s dignity. His standing among Gong City’s powerful families becomes increasingly evident.
• Cheng Dongxue receives the apology she is owed and feels that Zhang has helped restore her dignity.
• Lin Cheng backs Zhang publicly and makes the apology a condition of Xin and Qiu’s release from the confrontation.
• Xin Lin yields when he recognizes resistance will only worsen matters; Qiu Lili eventually follows, though she remains resentful.
• Lin Dongsheng’s effort to meet Zhang suggests a significant interest in him, though its purpose is not yet revealed.
• At the Qiu residence, Old Master Qiu seems weary and unimpressed by Qiu Lili’s tears, while she expects him to retaliate on her behalf.

Themes

• Dignity and accountability: The apology is ultimately owed to Cheng Dongxue, the person who was wronged.
• Power and social status: Zhang’s influence is demonstrated through the powerful allies who support him.
• Humiliation and revenge: Xin and Qiu’s public submission contrasts with Qiu Lili’s private determination to retaliate.
• Contrasting fortunes: The chapter notes that both Zhang and Xin married into their wives’ families, but their circumstances and reputations differ sharply.