Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang leaves the Cheng Family home on his battered electric bicycle and rides to Long’ao to visit his mother, Liu Mei. He buys her fruit and vegetables, reflecting how carefully he spends money but how readily he provides for her.
• At home, he finds Liu Mei absent and follows the family dog, Mibai, to the fields, where she is weeding peppers.
• Zhang Yang takes over the work and gives his mother water. Their reunion is affectionate, but Liu Mei worries that the Cheng Family has mistreated him again.
• Liu Mei urges him to leave the Cheng Family and end his unhappy marriage, saying she would rather borrow money and repay it gradually than let him sacrifice his happiness.
• The chapter also hints at a concealed truth about Zhang Yang’s birth. Liu Mei has considered telling him, but fears how he would react.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang is dutiful and tender toward his mother, whose home offers him comfort amid his mistreatment by the Cheng Family. He is also burdened by guilt that his marriage has brought her ridicule.
• Liu Mei moves from quiet concern to direct action: she finally tells Zhang Yang to come home and free himself from the marriage. Her memories of Zhang Yang’s father, and the resemblance she sees in her son, deepen the mystery surrounding his origins.
• Zhang Yang and Liu Mei share a warm, protective bond. He cares for her through practical gestures and farmwork; she wants to protect his future.
• Mibai eagerly welcomes Zhang Yang and leads him to Liu Mei, helping reunite them.

Significant themes

• Family devotion and refuge: Liu Mei’s home is Zhang Yang’s safe haven, and both mother and son put each other’s well-being first.
• Sacrifice and hardship: Poverty and Liu Mei’s past illness contributed to Zhang Yang’s marriage into the Cheng Family, where he is unhappy and mistreated.
• Freedom and happiness: Liu Mei challenges the idea that a marriage must be preserved at any cost, prioritizing her son’s happiness over social expectations.
• Hidden identity: The withheld secret about Zhang Yang’s birth foreshadows a deeper revelation.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang reassures his mother, Liu Mei, that he has made money through business with the Lin Family and can support her and take her away from Long’ao. She is initially doubtful but accepts his explanation.
• After working in the fields, Zhang Yang returns home with Liu Mei. They share a cheerful lunch and a peaceful afternoon beneath the jujube tree with Mibai. Zhang Yang stays in Long’ao rather than returning to the Cheng Family home and messages Cheng Dongxue to let her know.
• In Gong City, Yang Su summons Cheng Dongxue to Kane Western Restaurant, insisting the Cheng Family’s future depends on her attending. Though reluctant, Cheng Dongxue goes.
• Yang Su has arranged a meeting with Xu Mingxian, a wealthy businessman who claims to know Cheng Dongxue from a conference. She praises his success, then leaves the two alone. Cheng Dongxue realizes her mother is trying to matchmake her with him.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang acts more confidently, presenting himself as capable of providing for Liu Mei, though his business claims are a cover story.
• Liu Mei remains trusting and proud of her son, seeing his ambition as a sign of his resemblance to his father.
• Cheng Dongxue is tired and unhappy, but remains polite despite recognizing the impropriety of the setup. She is also conscious that her family’s financial crisis may leave her under pressure.
• Yang Su is forceful and willing to disregard her daughter’s objections to pursue a potential financial solution for the family.
• Xu Mingxian comes across as boastful and self-important, eager to advertise his wealth and status.

Significant themes

• Family support and affection: Zhang Yang’s quiet day with Liu Mei contrasts with the stress and pressure surrounding the Cheng Family.
• Deception and trust: Zhang Yang’s reassuring business story conceals the truth, while Cheng Dongxue is drawn into a meeting without being told its real purpose.
• Money and obligation: The Cheng Family’s financial shortfall shapes Yang Su’s matchmaking attempt and limits Cheng Dongxue’s freedom to refuse.
• Appearance versus reality: Xu’s polished image and claims of success contrast with Cheng Dongxue’s poor impression of his character.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yang encourages Liu Mei and shares a warm, companionable afternoon with her and Mibai.
• Yang Su pressures Cheng Dongxue to attend dinner, then introduces her to Xu Mingxian and leaves them together.
• Xu acts familiar with Cheng Dongxue, while she—unable to remember him—responds courteously but inwardly resents his arrogance and her mother’s matchmaking.

Key plot points and events

• At lunch, Xu Mingxian tells Cheng Dongxue he wants her, dismisses her marriage to Zhang Yang, and claims he can offer the Cheng Family five million if she marries him.
• Cheng rejects him and defends Zhang Yang. When Xu grabs her arm and insists she will eventually belong to him, she breaks free and leaves.
• Yang Su, who arranged the meeting, tries to placate Xu and urges Cheng to reconsider. Xu leaves without paying; Yang Su is stuck with the restaurant bill.
• Later, Yang Su spends the afternoon pressuring Cheng to divorce Zhang Yang and marry Xu. Cheng refuses, saying she would rather remain unmarried than marry Xu, and leaves with Lin Xiaofei to find Zhang Yang.
• Upset and seeking comfort, Cheng messages Zhang, who is at Long’ao. Lin drives her there and reassures her on the way.
• Liu Mei welcomes Cheng’s arrival and encourages Zhang not to feel inferior or fear the Cheng Family, reminding him that he has changed and should stand tall.

Character developments and interactions

• Cheng Dongxue firmly rejects Xu’s entitlement and her mother’s attempt to trade her marriage for financial help. Despite her frustration with Zhang’s limited means, she remains loyal to him and turns to him for support.
• Xu Mingxian is revealed as arrogant, controlling, and convinced that wealth entitles him to Cheng. His unwanted advances and physical grab expose the gap between his self-image as a desirable suitor and his actual behavior.
• Yang Su prioritizes the Cheng Family’s financial crisis over her daughter’s wishes, pressing Cheng to marry Xu. Her deferential behavior toward Xu contrasts with her harshness toward Cheng.
• Lin Xiaofei supports Cheng, challenges Yang Su’s pressure, and drives her safely to Long’ao. She believes the couple are good together, though she also blames Zhang for Cheng’s hardship.
• Zhang Yang responds promptly when Cheng reaches out. His mother’s faith in him reinforces his growing confidence and resolve.

Significant themes

• Marriage and personal agency: Cheng refuses to let her family treat her as a means of securing money.
• Respect versus wealth and status: Xu assumes money makes him superior, while Cheng insists that respect for her feelings matters more.
• Loyalty and support: Cheng’s commitment to Zhang and Liu Mei’s encouragement provide a counterpoint to Yang Su’s pressure and Xu’s coercion.
• Self-worth: Liu Mei urges Zhang to stop defining himself by his past limitations and to face others with confidence.

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Dongxue and her friend Lin Xiaofei visit Zhang Yang’s family. Liu Mei welcomes them warmly, and Cheng Dongxue still calls her “Mom,” despite the Cheng Family’s disapproval.
• Under the jujube tree, everyone notices Cheng Dongxue is unusually quiet. Lin Xiaofei reveals that the Cheng Family’s financial crisis has worsened: Cheng Company may go bankrupt, and Cheng Dongxue’s mother, Yang Su, is trying to arrange a marriage for her.
• Zhang Yang says the crisis could be solved if the Cheng Family changed its attitude. Cheng Dongxue and Liu Mei assume he is boasting; neither knows he may be able to provide the five million needed.
• Lin Xiaofei pushes Cheng Dongxue to tell Zhang Yang the truth, arguing that concealing it risks hurting him as well as herself.
• Zhang Yang takes Cheng Dongxue’s hand and asks whether she loves him and whether they are truly husband and wife. She admits she still loves him, but hesitates at the second question, aware that her family’s pressure and the company’s crisis may force their separation.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains calm when doubted and begins directly testing Cheng Dongxue’s feelings and commitment. He recognizes that the family crisis may be an opportunity to prove himself.
• Cheng Dongxue is burdened by her family’s demands and initially tries to protect Zhang Yang by hiding them. Lin Xiaofei’s challenge makes her realize that her silence may also hurt him. She openly admits she loves him, though she is uncertain about their marriage’s future.
• Lin Xiaofei acts as Cheng Dongxue’s outspoken confidante and Zhang Yang’s advocate, forcing the issue into the open while hinting that Cheng Dongxue is being treated as a bargaining chip.
• Liu Mei shows deep affection for Cheng Dongxue and hopes the couple will stay together. She gently admonishes Zhang Yang when she thinks he is boasting.
• The visit is affectionate and familiar—especially in the women’s warm greetings and Lin Xiaofei’s reunion with Mibai—but the conversation exposes tension beneath that domestic comfort.

Significant themes

• Love versus family pressure: Cheng Dongxue’s feelings for Zhang Yang conflict with her family’s attempt to control her future.
• Honesty and protection: Her wish to spare Zhang Yang pain may instead deny him the chance to respond.
• Worth and respect: Lin Xiaofei’s remark that Cheng Dongxue is “worth five million” challenges the idea that she should be traded to solve a business crisis.
• Hidden capability and self-worth: Zhang Yang’s confidence contrasts with the others’ assumptions that he cannot help, setting up a test of whether he can change how the Cheng Family sees him.

Plot points and events

• Lin Xiaofei reveals that Yang Su arranged for Cheng Dongxue to meet Xu Mingxian, who offered five million yuan to help save Cheng Company if Dongxue divorced Zhang Yang and married him.
• Dongxue feels trapped between her duty to her parents and her marriage. Zhang Yang lets her know the decision is hers, then promises to find another way to raise the money.
• He says he can borrow from friends and draw on his business ties with the Lin Family, though raising five million will take time. Dongxue accepts that this may be possible.
• Liu Mei offers her savings, but Zhang Yang refuses, wanting her to keep the money for herself. The family shares dinner before Zhang Yang, Dongxue, and Xiaofei return to the city.
• At the Cheng home, they find Xu Mingxian waiting in a new BMW. Yang Su is catering to him. Xu immediately insults Zhang Yang as a “useless” live-in son-in-law.

Character developments and interactions

• Cheng Dongxue is distressed but remains committed to protecting her parents and the company. Her willingness to seek a solution with Zhang Yang reassures him that she has not given up on their marriage.
• Zhang Yang responds with patience and confidence, leaving Dongxue’s choice to her while promising to save the company. He also shows care for Liu Mei by refusing her financial sacrifice.
• Lin Xiaofei speaks up for Dongxue and supports Zhang Yang, though she privately feels jealous when he takes Dongxue’s hand.
• Liu Mei offers gentle advice rather than pressuring Dongxue, and her willingness to contribute her savings shows her concern for the family.
• Yang Su is portrayed as willing to trade her daughter’s marriage for the company’s rescue. Xu’s arrogance and Yang Su’s hospitality make Dongxue’s potential future with him seem bleak.
• Xu’s arrival turns the family’s financial crisis into an immediate personal confrontation with Zhang Yang.

Significant themes

• Family duty versus personal choice: Dongxue feels responsible for her parents, but Zhang Yang insists that the marriage decision belongs to her.
• Marriage and loyalty: Zhang Yang’s trust and support contrast with Xu’s attempt to secure Dongxue through money.
• Self-sacrifice and care: Liu Mei offers her savings, while Zhang Yang tries to protect her from further hardship.
• Power and dignity: Xu’s wealth and contemptuous insults challenge Zhang Yang, setting up a clash over status and respect.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Mingxian, a wealthy online-commerce operator who has profited from falsifying sales data, visits the Cheng household while the family is pressuring Zhang Yang to divorce Cheng Dongxue.
• Yang Su insults Zhang and orders him out; Cheng Hai calmly urges him to end the marriage. Zhang refuses, insisting that neither he nor Dongxue will divorce.
• Xu boasts of his money and status, argues that Zhang cannot provide for Dongxue, and offers her a Porsche. He then tries to buy Zhang’s departure, raising his offer from 500,000 to two million.
• Offended by Xu’s attempt to treat Dongxue as a prize—and angered by his arrogance—Zhang punches him once, sending him crashing into a glass coffee table.
• Zhang says he deliberately held back and gives Xu three minutes to summon help before Zhang removes him. Xu, still defiant, threatens the family and demands that they make Dongxue marry him. Lin Xiaofei restrains Zhang as he steps toward Xu again.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang displays a new firmness: he refuses to be bullied into divorce and confronts Xu without losing control completely. Though powerful enough to cause serious harm, he deliberately limits his strength.
• Cheng Dongxue remains resistant to Xu’s wealth and feels insulted by his treating her as something to purchase. Zhang’s defense of her gives her some reassurance.
• Lin Xiaofei supports Zhang but also recognizes the danger of his strength and acts to prevent further violence.
• Xu Mingxian reveals himself as arrogant and coercive, mistaking money for influence and responding to resistance with threats.
• Yang Su continues to belittle Zhang and favors Xu’s financial help, while Cheng Hai presses for divorce in a more restrained manner.

Significant themes

• Dignity versus wealth: Zhang refuses to be bought, while Xu assumes money can settle both marriage and personal conflict.
• Respect and agency: Xu’s offers reduce Dongxue to a commodity, prompting anger and resistance.
• Restraint and power: Zhang’s single punch demonstrates his strength, but his choice to hold back is equally important.
• Family pressure and loyalty: Zhang’s refusal to divorce challenges the Cheng family’s demands and signals his commitment to Dongxue.

Character interactions

• Zhang confronts Yang Su and Cheng Hai’s pressure by declaring his refusal to divorce.
• Xu taunts Zhang, boasts about his wealth, and attempts to persuade Dongxue with a luxury car and money.
• Zhang responds physically after Xu’s final offer, while Dongxue and Lin react with alarm.
• After Xu threatens the family, Lin steps between him and Zhang to stop the confrontation from escalating.

Plot and events

• Cheng Dongxue firmly rejects Xu Mingxian, declaring that she loves Zhang Yang and will not divorce him. Zhang Yang reinforces her refusal by threatening Xu’s company and striking him; Xu leaves, promising retaliation.
• Yang Su and Cheng Hai are shocked by Zhang Yang’s sudden confidence and fighting ability. Dongxue condemns her parents for trying to arrange her with another man.
• Yang Su gives Zhang Yang and Dongxue three days to produce five million yuan or divorce. Cheng Hai warns that the Cheng Company may otherwise collapse.
• In private, Dongxue asks Zhang Yang to help save the company. He says he can raise the money but resents being insulted and treated as a means to an end.
• Dongxue suggests using Zhang Yang’s eye for antiques to make money. He agrees to try, and Yang Gang joins them, bringing one million yuan to invest. They set off for Antique Street.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shows growing assertiveness, defending Dongxue against Xu and refusing to be dismissed as useless. He is confident in his appraisal skills and willing to help the Cheng family for his wife’s sake, though he resents Yang Su’s treatment.
• Cheng Dongxue stands by her marriage and challenges her parents’ conduct. Despite feeling torn between her mother and husband, she trusts Zhang Yang and asks him to act.
• Yang Su shifts from open insults to a calmer but still coercive ultimatum after seeing Zhang Yang’s resolve.
• Cheng Hai acknowledges that Yang Su handled the situation badly but still expects the marriage to end.
• Yang Gang demonstrates strong faith in Zhang Yang, backing his antique expertise with a million yuan.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and trust: Dongxue chooses her husband over a wealthy suitor, while Yang Gang trusts Zhang Yang’s judgment.
• Family pressure and women’s agency: Dongxue resists being treated as a bargaining chip in the effort to save the company.
• Respect versus money: Zhang Yang believes Yang Su’s contempt will not disappear simply because he provides financial help.
• Renewed capability: Zhang Yang’s confidence and skills are beginning to reshape how others see him.

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Dongxue doubts Zhang Yang’s ability to make enough money to help the Cheng family, but remembers his successful purchase of a Han-dynasty White Jade Hairpin, which earned him a large profit.
• Zhang Yang and Yang Gang head to Gong City’s Antique Street. Cheng Hai joins them, convinced that his own years around antiques will help him avoid being cheated.
• The group visits a cluttered shop, where its heavyset owner offers Cheng Hai two pieces of jade, insisting they are genuine and unusually good finds.
• Yang Gang examines one piece but cannot determine whether it is authentic, so he asks Zhang Yang to inspect them.
• The shopkeeper recognizes Zhang Yang as the Cheng family’s live-in son-in-law and insults his knowledge of antiques. Before Zhang Yang can examine the jade, Cheng Hai agrees to buy the pieces.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains quiet about his abilities and wary of the seller’s sales pitch. His calm caution contrasts with the others’ assumptions about him.
• Cheng Dongxue is concerned that her father will repeat his past mistakes and warns him not to buy carelessly.
• Cheng Hai is overconfident in his experience, distrusts Zhang Yang, and acts quickly when the shopkeeper presents the jade.
• Yang Gang is enthusiastic about antiques but cautious about spending money; he is willing to learn from Zhang Yang, though he is not yet fully convinced of his expertise.
• The shopkeeper uses false intimacy and assurances to pressure Cheng Hai, then dismisses Zhang Yang as an ignorant son-in-law. Cheng Hai’s impulsive decision leaves the authenticity of the jade unresolved.

Significant themes

• Trust and expertise: Zhang Yang’s actual skill is underestimated, while Cheng Hai mistakes past experience for reliable judgment.
• Risk and deception: The antiques trade is portrayed as a place where buyers bear the consequences of bad purchases and sellers’ claims cannot be trusted.
• Family pressure: The Cheng family’s financial troubles make the prospect of a profitable find especially important, while Cheng Dongxue worries that her father will worsen matters.

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Hai impulsively buys two pieces of jade from a street dealer for one million after the shopkeeper lowers his original price. Zhang Yang recognizes that the pieces are newly mined jade with counterfeit staining, worth at most tens of thousands; he offers eighty thousand as a fair price.
• Zhang Yang warns Cheng Hai, but Cheng Hai dismisses his expertise and completes the purchase. The shopkeeper knowingly takes advantage of Cheng Hai’s eagerness. Outside, Zhang Yang says the jade may be so hard to sell that it would have been better left unstained.
• The group continues browsing Antique Street. Zhang Yang identifies several genuine but low-value items and suggests looking farther in.
• At the Antique Pavilion, respected antiques expert Wu Daorong warmly welcomes Zhang Yang and invites the group for tea. Zhang Yang introduces Cheng Hai and Yang Gang. Wu says visitors may browse freely and assures them his shop stands behind its merchandise.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang shows reliable expertise and tries to protect Cheng Hai from being cheated, but recognizes that Cheng Hai will not listen. He then turns his attention to helping Yang Gang find something worthwhile.
• Cheng Hai remains arrogant and overconfident, trusting his past experience over Zhang Yang’s warning. His expensive purchase reflects poor judgment, particularly given the Cheng Family’s financial difficulties.
• Cheng Dongxue worries about her father’s spending and tries to slow him down; once the purchase is made, she wants to leave before he buys anything else.
• Yang Gang is anxious about the purchase and impressed by Zhang Yang’s skill. He decides to keep searching rather than return empty-handed.
• Wu Daorong’s warm respect for Zhang Yang surprises Cheng Hai and especially Yang Gang, underscoring Zhang Yang’s growing standing in the antiques world.

Significant themes

• Expertise versus arrogance: Zhang Yang’s accurate judgment is ignored because Cheng Hai is convinced he knows better.
• Fraud and trust in commerce: The street dealer exploits a buyer’s eagerness, contrasting with the Antique Pavilion’s stated commitment to honest dealing.
• Responsibility and choice: Zhang Yang warns Cheng Hai, but cannot prevent him from making his own costly mistake.

Key plot points and events

• Cheng Hai asks antique expert Wu Daorong to appraise two jade pieces he bought as Han-Dynasty blood jade. Wu immediately identifies them as modern fakes worth less than a tenth of the price.
• Cheng Hai is devastated after losing nearly a million. He suspects the seller switched the pieces, but the others confirm the transaction was straightforward. Zhang Yang explains that antique purchases generally cannot be returned once the buyer leaves the shop.
• After tea at Wu’s Antique Pavilion, Zhang Yang and the group continue along Antique Street. Yang Gang asks Zhang Yang to help him find an antique investment and offers to split any profit.
• In another shop, Zhang Yang spots a promising blue-and-white porcelain vase. Yang Gang starts bargaining at 400,000 against the shopkeeper’s asking price of 800,000. At Zhang Yang’s cue, Yang Gang points out supposed flaws and lowers his offer to 300,000.

Character developments and interactions

• Cheng Hai suffers another costly mistake, yet still credits Wu’s expertise rather than recognizing Zhang Yang’s sharp judgment. His ingrained contempt for Zhang Yang prevents him from taking his warnings seriously.
• Zhang Yang demonstrates exceptional skill: he recognized the jade was fake without handling it and quickly identifies a potentially valuable vase. He stays modest and accepts Yang Gang’s offer of a share only as a friendly gesture.
• Yang Gang shows generosity and growing trust in Zhang Yang, offering to share the profits. He follows Zhang Yang’s lead during negotiations.
• Cheng Dongxue tries to comfort her father and initially assumes the jade can be returned like an ordinary retail purchase.
• Wu Daorong confirms the jade fraud and recognizes Zhang Yang’s ability, inviting him to browse his shop.

Significant themes

• Expertise versus prejudice: Zhang Yang’s ability is repeatedly overlooked because Cheng Hai considers him useless.
• The risks of greed and overconfidence: Cheng Hai’s conviction that his own eye is reliable leads to a costly loss.
• Trust and cooperation: Yang Gang values Zhang Yang’s skills and offers him a fair share, while Zhang Yang helps without demanding payment.
• The unforgiving nature of antique trading: Buyers bear the consequences of their choices, and knowledge can mean the difference between profit and loss.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang and Yang Gang bargain hard for a porcelain vase, eventually buying it for 300,000 yuan. Zhang estimates it could sell for at least 800,000, but advises Yang to keep it and study it rather than sell immediately.
• Other antiques dealers quickly make attractive offers for the vase, reinforcing Yang Gang’s confidence in Zhang Yang’s appraisal.
• Cheng Hai remains crushed and stubbornly doubtful after losing a million yuan, worsening the Cheng Family’s financial crisis.
• Cheng Dongxue offers to sell her jewelry to help her father. Zhang Yang refuses to let her sacrifice it and promises to find the money the next day.
• With the family now six million yuan short, Zhang tells Dongxue he intends to gamble on jadeite stones. Though worried about the risk, she agrees to accompany him. Zhang says he will borrow the starting money and believes they could earn far more than they need.

Character development and interactions

• Zhang Yang demonstrates sharp bargaining and antique-appraisal skills, as well as growing confidence in his ability to solve the family’s financial problems.
• Yang Gang trusts Zhang’s judgment, follows his advice, and becomes excited by the vase’s apparent value.
• Cheng Hai’s loss leaves him humiliated and frustrated, though he still refuses to trust Zhang’s expertise.
• Dongxue shows loyalty and concern for both her father and the family, offering up her jewelry. She is anxious about Zhang’s plan and insists it must be legal, but ultimately chooses to stand by him.

Significant themes

• Knowledge and uncertainty: Zhang’s expertise gives him leverage where the vase’s owner is unsure of its worth.
• Financial desperation and risk: The family’s worsening crisis pushes Zhang toward high-stakes stone gambling.
• Trust and support: Yang relies on Zhang’s judgment, while Dongxue balances her doubts with faith in her husband.
• Responsibility and sacrifice: Dongxue is willing to give up her possessions to help her family, while Zhang insists on finding another solution.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang invites Cheng Dongxue to a stone-gambling event hosted at a hotel, joining Ling Junsheng, who arranged the outing.
• On the way, they pass Xu Mingxian arriving at the Cheng family villa. Cheng Dongxue worries Yang Su will soon call her back to entertain him, so she turns off her phone.
• Ling Junsheng explains that the stones will be auctioned after guests inspect them. Zhang Yang claims he has gambled before and always won.
• At the display, Zhang Yang dismisses the much-discussed Stone No. 1 as a worthless rock, despite its vivid green window. The other guests ridicule him, including one who mocks him as the Cheng family’s live-in son-in-law. Ling Junsheng is embarrassed and distances himself.
• Zhang Yang calmly continues examining all twenty-four stones. He decides a smaller stone would suit him better than the costly, attention-grabbing large ones, then asks Cheng Dongxue which stone she prefers. She cannot answer because the ridicule has distracted her.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains confident and unbothered by public mockery. He encourages Cheng Dongxue to voice her own judgment, suggesting he wants her to trust her perspective rather than the crowd’s.
• Cheng Dongxue accepts Zhang Yang’s invitation partly to escape the tense atmosphere at home. She is uneasy about Xu Mingxian’s continued pursuit and embarrassed by Zhang Yang’s public declaration, but she stays with him.
• Ling Junsheng brings the couple to the event expecting Zhang Yang’s expertise to be useful. After Zhang Yang’s controversial assessment, Ling becomes uncomfortable and keeps his distance.
• Yang Su’s hostility toward Zhang Yang and Xu Mingxian’s persistent visits continue to shape Cheng Dongxue’s choices, even though neither is present at the auction.

Significant themes

• Confidence versus consensus: Zhang Yang trusts his own assessment despite the crowd’s certainty.
• Judgment and risk: Stone gambling depends on weighing appearances, cost, and uncertain value; the chapter sets up a test of Zhang Yang’s claimed skill.
• Social status and ridicule: The guests use Zhang Yang’s position in the Cheng family to belittle him.
• Constrained choice: Cheng Dongxue’s outing offers temporary escape, but family pressure and Xu Mingxian’s pursuit remain in the background.

Key plot points and events

• Before the auction, Zhang Yang asks Cheng Dongxue to choose a stone. She tentatively points out stone fourteen, and Zhang says he’ll trust her. She warns him that gambling on stones can be financially and personally dangerous; he jokes in response.
• At the blind auction, Zhang Yang recognizes that the first stone, number eighteen, contains only ordinary-quality jadeite. He stays out as its price climbs from a one-million opening bid to seven million.
• Ling Junsheng, convinced the stone is promising, wins it for seven million despite Zhang Yang’s warning that it is overpriced. Other attendees react with envy or ridicule.
• Zhang Yang is recognized as the Cheng family’s live-in son-in-law, prompting doubts about his status, money, and knowledge. He ignores the remarks and continues watching.
• Zhang Yang passes on the other stones as well, waiting for number fourteen. Cheng Dongxue questions why he is focused on just one.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang appears relaxed and playful, but his decisions are deliberate: he has assessed the stones and refuses to bid unless he is confident. He gives Ling Junsheng sincere advice, though Ling dismisses it.
• Cheng Dongxue is cautious and concerned for Zhang Yang, warning him against relying on luck and asking why he won’t consider other stones.
• Ling Junsheng displays confidence in his own judgment and dismisses Zhang Yang’s warning, reinforcing his assumption that Zhang knows little about stone gambling.
• The auction crowd treats the event as a high-stakes opportunity and judges Zhang Yang by his social standing.

Significant themes

• Risk versus certainty: The auction is framed as gambling, while Zhang Yang treats it as a calculated transaction.
• Confidence and pride: Ling’s faith in his own judgment leads him to ignore useful advice.
• Social status and perception: Attendees underestimate Zhang Yang because of his position in the Cheng family.
• Luck, expertise, and restraint: The chapter contrasts impulsive competition with the discipline to wait for a worthwhile opportunity.

Plot points and events

• At an auction, Zhang Yang waits to bid on Stone No. 14, a small, widely dismissed stone that he believes can yield valuable jade.
• As the price rises from 50,000 to 500,000, Zhang Yang enters the bidding only then, hoping not to attract attention too early.
• Xu Mingxian, who appears to be deliberately provoking him, bids against him. Their contest pushes the price past four million.
• Zhang Yang repeatedly raises Xu’s bids by just 10,000, refusing to be baited into a larger jump. Xu’s temper leads him to make increasingly extravagant offers.
• The chapter ends with Zhang Yang bidding 4.01 million, while Cheng Dongxue and the crowd fear the escalating contest will ruin them.

Character development

• Zhang Yang stays calm under public mockery and uses patience and strategy rather than reacting emotionally. His confidence suggests he knows something about Stone No. 14 that others do not.
• Xu Mingxian reveals that his interest is partly personal: he wants to provoke and humiliate Zhang Yang. His pride and anger drive him to bid far beyond the stone’s starting price.
• Cheng Dongxue is excited by Zhang Yang’s apparent interest at first, but becomes alarmed as the bidding threatens the Cheng family’s finances.

Themes

• Appearances versus hidden value: Others dismiss Stone No. 14, while Zhang Yang believes it is worth pursuing.
• Pride and manipulation: The auction shifts from a business decision into a public duel fueled by Xu’s desire to antagonize Zhang Yang.
• Risk and uncertainty: Stone gambling can bring great rewards but also devastating losses, and even a high-priced stone may not contain valuable jade.

Character interactions

• Zhang Yang ignores the crowd’s insults and trades sharp, confident remarks with Xu.
• Xu tries to provoke Zhang Yang, while Zhang uses small, controlled bids to frustrate him and keep the price increases minimal.
• Cheng Dongxue questions Zhang Yang’s tactics and worries that his rivalry with Xu will deepen the Cheng family’s financial crisis.

Key plot points and events

• Zhang Yang stops bidding on Stone No. 14, allowing Xu Mingxian to win it for five million. Xu later boasts about his purchase, but Zhang Yang claims the stone is worthless.
• Zhang Yang challenges Xu to have the stone cut: if it contains anything, Zhang will swallow it and divorce Cheng Dongxue; if not, Xu must cut off Zhang’s arms. Zhang adds that Xu must also pay for every stone Zhang wins afterward if Xu loses. Xu accepts, and the crowd agrees to witness the wager.
• Cheng Dongxue objects to being drawn into the gamble, but Zhang reassures her that he knows what he is doing. The stone’s cutting is postponed until the auction’s finale.
• Zhang bids twenty million on Stone No. 1, apparently making a reckless play with Xu’s money. He is mainly trying to unsettle the room; Cheng restrains him from bidding further. Other buyers compete, and the stone eventually sells for forty-five million.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang uses provocation and apparent recklessness to manipulate Xu and entertain—and unsettle—the bidders. He seems confident in his judgment, though he takes dangerous liberties with Cheng’s future.
• Xu Mingxian is baited into overpaying for Stone No. 14 and then accepts a high-stakes wager to defend his pride. His confidence becomes vulnerable when Zhang suggests the stone is worthless.
• Cheng Dongxue is alarmed by Zhang’s wager and firmly objects to being treated as part of it. Zhang dismisses her concern with reassurance and physical affection, but she remains uneasy.
• Ling Junsheng shows contempt for Zhang, while the crowd eagerly backs the wager as witnesses and watches Zhang’s bidding.

Significant themes

• Pride and manipulation: Zhang exploits Xu’s vanity, pushing him into a costly purchase and a public wager.
• Risk and gambling: The auction turns financial speculation into a personal contest with severe consequences.
• Public spectacle: The crowd’s appetite for entertainment changes the event’s atmosphere, making the wager as compelling as the stones themselves.
• Trust and control: Zhang’s confidence clashes with Cheng’s concern, highlighting the tension between his claimed expertise and the risks he imposes on her.

Key plot points

• Zhang Yang wins stone No. 21 after driving its price up against Xu Mingxian. Xu bids fifteen million, but Zhang Yang outbids him by just ten thousand, paying 15.01 million.
• Xu hesitates when he realizes the stone inspector he hired has slipped away, then stops bidding. The auctioneer declares Zhang Yang the winner.
• Cheng Dongxue fears Zhang Yang cannot pay and reminds him of the serious consequences if his gamble fails. Zhang promises they will spend nothing and make enough to start a company together, but she refuses to trust him.
• As buyers settle their purchases, Ling Junsheng declines to cut open his seven-million stone, No. 18, preferring to preserve it for jewelry design. Zhang predicts its material is worth only about 700,000 and says Ling will lose money.
• Zhang says he will not personally pay for No. 21: if there is a loss, Xu Mingxian will bear it. He leaves to settle his wager with Xu onstage.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains calm and provocative, using tiny increments to outmaneuver Xu. He expresses confidence in his judgment and makes a bold promise to Cheng, while hinting that his purchase will cost him nothing.
• Xu Mingxian is goaded into increasingly reckless bids, but his fear of financial ruin and the departure of his hired inspector finally stop him. Cheng Dongxue’s contemptuous look helps provoke his last bid.
• Cheng Dongxue is torn between Zhang’s proven talent with antiques and her doubts about his unfamiliarity with jadeite. She rejects his reassurance and worries about the consequences of losing.
• Ling Junsheng trusts his own plan for handling No. 18 and dismisses Zhang’s judgment, though he also worries Zhang cannot afford his purchase.
• Zhang challenges both Xu and Ling: he wins the bidding contest with Xu and warns Ling that his stone is likely a poor investment.

Significant themes

• Risk and expertise: Stone gambling combines uncertain outcomes with the need for informed judgment; Zhang’s confidence contrasts with the crowd’s uncertainty.
• Pride and provocation: Xu’s desire to save face drives him into a potentially ruinous bid.
• Trust and doubt: Cheng and Ling each question Zhang’s claims, despite his earlier success with antiques.
• Appearance versus reality: The overlooked No. 21 becomes the center of the auction, while Zhang’s true financial exposure remains unclear.

Plot and key events

• Xu Mingxian taunts Zhang Yang and reminds Cheng Dongxue of his rejected advances, insisting he will win her back.
• Zhang Yang demands that Xu honor their wager. Xu pays five million for Stone No. 14, while Zhang says Xu must also cover the fifteen million and ten thousand owed for Stone No. 21.
• Stone No. 14 is cut open. It proves to be nothing but ordinary rock. Xu, desperate to find jadeite, orders further cuts, but the result never changes.
• Zhang’s prediction is confirmed: he wins the bet in front of the crowd. As Xu tries to leave, Zhang stops him and reminds him of his obligation to pay for Stone No. 21.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Yang remains calm and confident, knowing Stone No. 14 is worthless. He presses Xu to honor the bet, partly because the Cheng family needs money.
• Xu Mingxian moves from swagger to anxiety, then humiliation and anger as his expensive stone yields nothing. His jealousy and fixation on Cheng Dongxue fuel his reckless determination to defeat Zhang.
• Cheng Dongxue continues to reject Xu and stays beside Zhang. She briefly fears the consequences of Zhang losing, but is relieved when he wins.
• Ling Junsheng doubts Zhang and expects Xu’s stone to contain valuable jadeite.
• The auctioneer and crowd heighten the spectacle: the audience is excited and uncertain, while the auctioneer’s teasing comments further embarrass Xu.

Significant themes

• Reputation and public humiliation: Xu’s loss is witnessed by the crowd, making his defeat especially painful.
• Confidence versus expertise: Zhang’s certainty is treated as arrogance, but the result validates his judgment.
• Promises and consequences: The bet requires Xu to pay, regardless of his pride or embarrassment.
• Money and family duty: Zhang’s urgency is tied not only to winning but also to the Cheng family’s financial needs.

Key plot points and events

• After losing the bet over Stone No. 1, Xu Mingxian pays Zhang Yang 15,010,000 yuan, despite the crowd’s excitement and his resentment.
• Zhang Yang asks for Stone No. 21 to be cut open. It contains vivid, high-quality green jadeite, confirming his confident prediction and prompting the crowd to reconsider whether his success is mere luck.
• Zhang Yang offers the jadeite for sale, setting 15,010,000 yuan as his price—the amount Xu paid for the stone. Buyers recognize the jadeite’s value but hesitate because processing costs leave only a limited profit margin.
• Cheng Dongxue urges Zhang Yang to accept a 10-million-yuan offer, mindful of her family’s financial troubles. Zhang Yang refuses, waiting for a better offer.
• Ling Junsheng, unsettled by Zhang Yang’s repeated accurate judgments, has his own stone cut. Though it contains some jadeite, most is white and low-value, with little green—closely matching Zhang Yang’s earlier warning that it would disappoint.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang proves that his earlier success was not simply chance. His confidence, knowledge of jadeite, and practical understanding of its market value earn him growing respect.
• Cheng Dongxue shifts from doubt to excitement at Zhang Yang’s find, but her concern for her family’s finances makes her favor a quick, lower-priced sale.
• Ling Junsheng moves from dismissing Zhang Yang as lucky to taking his abilities seriously, though professional pride still drives him to test his own stone.
• Xu Mingxian grudgingly honors the bet, but leaves with a grudge against Zhang Yang.

Significant themes

• Skill versus luck: Zhang Yang’s second accurate prediction strengthens the case that he has genuine expertise.
• Pride and reputation: Xu pays rather than break his word, while Ling struggles to accept that a younger man may be more capable.
• Risk and value: Buyers weigh a stone’s promise against the uncertain costs and returns of processing it.
• Confidence and judgment: Zhang Yang’s firm decisions contrast with others’ uncertainty, reinforcing his growing authority.

Character interactions

• The auction crowd first treats Zhang Yang’s win as possible luck, then praises him after Stone No. 21 reveals its jadeite.
• Zhang Yang and Xu’s bet ends in payment, but Xu’s parting words make their rivalry clear.
• Cheng Dongxue presses Zhang Yang to consider the 10-million-yuan offer; he calmly refuses.
• Ling Junsheng’s decision to cut his stone turns his private doubts into a public test—and its poor quality supports Zhang Yang’s assessment.

Key plot points and events

• After Ling Junsheng loses heavily on a stone, he admits he ignored Zhang Yang’s advice and asks to buy Zhang Yang’s jadeite. Though Zhang Yang initially plans to refuse, he accepts Ling’s counteroffer of 12 million.
• Zhang Yang and Cheng Dongxue leave the auction with enough money to address the Cheng Company’s financial crisis. Ling treats them to supper and asks to rely on Zhang’s advice in future, believing his skill at stone gambling could benefit them both.
• Back at the Cheng villa, the family is largely absent. The next morning, Yang Su scolds Zhang and Cheng Dongxue for staying out late and demands they divorce, hoping Cheng will marry Xu Mingxian in exchange for five million to help the family.
• Cheng Dongxue refuses to leave Zhang, and Zhang tells Yang Su that the marriage is their decision. The couple leave together rather than submit to her demands.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang remains self-assured despite the family’s contempt. His accurate judgment earns Ling’s respect, and he calmly stands up to Yang Su.
• Cheng Dongxue grows more openly loyal to Zhang, staying at his side against her mother and rejecting the proposed marriage to Xu.
• Ling Junsheng moves from dismissing Zhang’s ability to admiring and seeking his guidance, hoping to form a profitable partnership.
• Yang Su becomes increasingly frustrated as she loses influence over both her son-in-law and daughter. Cheng Hai quietly backs her while concealing his own lack of confidence.

Significant themes

• Respect earned through ability: Ling changes his opinion of Zhang after seeing his judgment proven right.
• Loyalty and personal choice: Cheng Dongxue asserts her right to choose her husband despite family pressure.
• Money and self-interest: Ling sees cooperation with Zhang as a business opportunity, while Yang Su treats marriage as a way to secure funds.
• Self-belief amid contempt: Zhang refuses to let others’ low opinion of him define his choices.

Character interactions

• Zhang and Ling negotiate the jadeite sale, then share supper, where Ling expresses gratitude and asks for future help.
• Zhang and Cheng Dongxue grow closer, with her relying on him and openly supporting him.
• Yang Su confronts the couple over their marriage and Xu Mingxian’s offer; Zhang and Cheng Dongxue reject her interference and leave together.

Plot points and events

• Zhang Yang accompanies Cheng Dongxue to her workplace, drawing attention from her boss, Zhang Xuanyi.
• Dongxue warns Zhang Yang that Xu Mingxian and Yang Qintian may retaliate against him. Zhang Yang remains confident and promises to handle any consequences.
• Zhang Xuanyi’s secretary traces the threatening phone number to Zhang Yang. Xuanyi realizes that confronting him openly could expose the compromising video Zhang Yang possesses.
• Zhang Yang recognizes Xuanyi’s call and deliberately lets it ring while leading Xuanyi to believe he has an opportunity to confront him.
• Xuanyi gathers a group of security guards and follows Zhang Yang to the quieter second basement garage. He demands the files and threatens him with the larger group.
• Zhang Yang counters by accusing Xuanyi of pursuing Cheng Li, Yang Qintian’s wife, and warns that further information could ruin Xuanyi’s company. He offers reconciliation, but Xuanyi refuses to back down in front of the guards.
• Xuanyi orders the guards to attack. His driver and head of security charges first, while the others hesitate to see what Zhang Yang can do.

Character developments

• Zhang Yang remains fearless and calculating. He deliberately creates the confrontation and tries to win Xuanyi over before resorting to violence.
• Cheng Dongxue shows concern for Zhang Yang’s safety and understands the risks posed by his conflicts with powerful men.
• Zhang Xuanyi appears outwardly confident but is privately wary of Zhang Yang, restrained by the danger that his own scandal could become public.
• Xuanyi’s driver/security chief is eager to prove himself, unlike the other guards, who hang back.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Xuanyi relies on numbers and authority, while Zhang Yang challenges him through confidence and leverage.
• Secrets as weapons: The video and Zhang Yang’s broader knowledge make Xuanyi vulnerable.
• Pride versus pragmatism: Xuanyi feels unable to retreat in front of his men, even though he doubts the wisdom of confronting Zhang Yang.
• Foreknowledge and control: Zhang Yang’s unusual familiarity with people and circumstances allows him to orchestrate the encounter.

Character interactions

• Dongxue cautions Zhang Yang about the enemies he is making; he reassures her but does not share her concern.
• Zhang Yang and Xuanyi trade accusations and threats in the garage, with Zhang Yang proposing friendship and Xuanyi demanding the files.
• Xuanyi’s guards respond unevenly: the driver attacks, while the rest wait to assess Zhang Yang.