Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Zhao Mengsheng tells Yue Xiaofei that the people behind the conspiracy may be connected to the powerful Eight Great Clans, putting the whole Yue family at risk.
• Xiaofei refuses to back down. He cites his father’s imprisonment for treason and the deaths of 117 Night Watchers on South Mountain, insisting they still deserve justice.
• With Sun Xiaochuan dead and the responsible clan unknown, Xiaofei decides to investigate the Eight Great Clans directly. He plans to go to Longdu and provoke the hidden forces into revealing themselves.
• After initially warning him how dangerous this is, Zhao agrees to go with him. Longdu will soon host the National Celebration and a major military parade, and Zhao says he will take Xiaofei there.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei shows determination and a strong sense of duty, accepting the danger rather than abandoning his father’s case. His resolve reminds Zhao of his father, Yue Changlong.
• Zhao Mengsheng shifts from trying to dissuade Xiaofei to supporting him. He recalls Yue Changlong’s own fearless defiance and recognizes the same stubborn spirit in his son.
• Their conversation deepens their bond: Zhao’s blunt insults conceal affection and relief, and his eventual commitment turns Xiaofei’s risky plan into a shared undertaking.

Significant themes

• Justice and loyalty: Xiaofei will not leave his father or fallen comrades without vindication.
• Courage versus prudence: The characters recognize that Longdu may mean near-certain death, but staying away could allow the enemy to destroy them anyway.
• Inheritance and family resemblance: Xiaofei’s resolve echoes his father’s, suggesting that his sense of justice is part of a legacy.
• Confronting entrenched power: Xiaofei chooses to strike at the heart of the Eight Great Clans rather than remain on the defensive.

Plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei learns that Longdu’s upcoming Military Parade will bring together senior military and political figures and representatives—possibly leaders—of the Eight Great Clans. He decides to attend, seeing it as a chance to confront his enemies, despite Zhao Mengsheng’s warning that it will be far more dangerous than his previous battles.
• Zhao, a Nine-Star God of War, promises to accompany him and help prepare the trip, giving Yue a powerful ally.
• Yue orders Xu Wenqiang to dispose of Sun Xiaochuan’s body and directs the Azure Alliance to expand from Modu into Jinling. Xu is tasked with taking control of Jiangbei Province, building it into a secure base and intelligence network, and keeping the Eight Great Clans out.
• Yue gathers the Reverse Scale team in Jinling and tells them about the Eight Great Clans, the massacre five years earlier, and his plan to go to Longdu. Despite the danger, the team unanimously backs him.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue shows resolve and growing strategic ambition: he is willing to enter the clans’ stronghold while building a regional power base behind him. Zhao’s support strengthens his confidence.
• Zhao’s banter and praise reveal his affection for Yue and loyalty to the son of his friend, Yue Changlong. He commits to joining the mission.
• Xu Wenqiang eagerly accepts responsibility for Jiangbei, motivated by both trust in Yue and the opportunity to expand his influence.
• Reverse Scale’s members each contribute a different perspective: Wild Chicken and Ugly Ox voice concern; Man-Rat proposes exposing the clans through intelligence; White Tiger points to their internal rivalries as a possible weakness. Their discussion reinforces their unity and confidence in Yue.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and fellowship: Yue’s allies willingly stand with him despite the risks.
• Preparation and power-building: He pairs a bold move against the clans with plans to secure territory, resources, and intelligence.
• Danger and resolve: Longdu is portrayed as a hostile arena, but Yue and his team choose to face it rather than retreat.

Yue Xiaofei prepared his team for their trip to Longdu to confront the Eight Great Clans, while a powerful young master in the city learned that Yue Xiaofei might be coming. The young master welcomed the prospect with interest, leaving their impending conflict ahead.

• Yue Xiaofei assigned Han Duoduo to gather intelligence on the Eight Great Clans, ordered [Ugly Ox] and [Stone Monkey] to upgrade their equipment, and sent [White Tiger], [Jade Rabbit], and [Spirit Snake] to penetrate Longdu's upper-class circles.
• Yue Xiaofei told [Wild Chicken] to keep quiet and stop causing trouble, easing the team's tense mood.
• A middle-aged man reported to the young master in Longdu that Sun Xiaochuan had died, and the young master dismissed him as a useless pawn whose death removed a potential witness.
• The middle-aged man revealed that Yue Xiaofei had contacted Zhao Shanhe of the Northern Frontier and might be coming to Longdu.
• The young master sat upright and expressed interest in Yue Xiaofei's possible arrival.

A young Cao Family master learned that Yue Xiaofei was heading to Longdu to investigate the case that ruined his father, and vowed to destroy him. Yue Xiaofei flew to Longdu with the [Reverse Scale] squad, intent on clearing his father's name and settling the blood debt, while preparing to contact Aunt Jiang.

• The Cao Family master heard that Yue Xiaofei planned to investigate the five-year-old case and ordered his people to track his every move in Longdu without attacking him yet.
• Three days later, Yue Xiaofei prepared to fly from Jinling to Longdu with the [Reverse Scale] squad, sending them ahead to Bureau 7's safe house while he visited an elder who was his mother's best friend.
• Yue Xiaofei boarded the military aircraft and reflected on his mission to clear his father's name and settle the blood debt against the Eight Great Clans.
• As the aircraft approached Longdu, Yue Xiaofei looked at the contact named [Aunt Jiang] on his phone.

Key plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei travels to Longdu before an impending conflict with the Eight Great Clans, intending to visit Jiang Lan, his late mother Ye Qingmei’s closest friend.
• On arrival, he is greeted by senior military officers and business representatives, who offer formal welcomes and luxurious accommodation. He declines, sends his Reverse Scale companions with the officers, and insists on going alone.
• At the airport’s international arrivals exit, Jiang Lan waits anxiously to meet him. Her daughter, Su Wanning, resents having to pick him up and opposes him staying at their home.
• Jiang Lan’s husband, Su Guohua, also objects, citing the inconvenience to his daughter and the damage to his reputation from hosting the son of a man in prison. Jiang Lan rebukes him, reminding him that Ye Qingmei once saved his failing business with a substantial loan and that he had previously sought favor from Yue Xiaofei’s father.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei is disciplined and independent: despite receiving deference from powerful military and business figures, he rejects their reception to pursue his personal purpose.
• Jiang Lan shows enduring loyalty and affection toward Ye Qingmei’s son, treating care for him as a responsibility to her late friend.
• Su Wanning is impatient and dismissive, viewing Yue as an unwanted stranger and a disruption to her plans.
• Su Guohua prioritizes comfort and social standing, but Jiang Lan challenges his hypocrisy by recalling the help he once received from Yue’s family.
• The family’s argument exposes the contrast between Jiang Lan’s gratitude and compassion and the self-interest of her husband and daughter.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and gratitude: Jiang Lan’s bond with Ye Qingmei endures after her death, while Su Guohua’s past dependence clashes with his present prejudice.
• Duty and compassion: Jiang Lan sees helping Yue as a moral obligation, not merely an act of hospitality.
• Status versus character: Yue’s modest departure contrasts with the grand welcome prepared for him, while Su Guohua judges people by reputation and social consequences.
• The weight of legacy: Yue’s family history shapes how others treat him, even as he arrives with his own authority and purpose.

Key plot points and events

• Su Guohua defends breaking with the Yue family, arguing that they are now poor and that Yue Xiaofei is beneath Su Wanning. Su Wanning agrees, rejecting her childhood betrothal and calling the idea of marrying a “criminal’s son” disgusting.
• Jiang Lan is horrified by her husband and daughter’s snobbery and becomes so upset she clutches her chest.
• The argument is interrupted when soldiers arrive in military trucks and seal off the airport exit. The crowd is forced back, and rumors spread that a powerful person is arriving.
• Su Guohua speculates that the security is connected to the upcoming Military Parade and claims Su Wanning’s national-hero idol may be coming. Wanning becomes ecstatic, and Guohua promises to use his connections to get her a ticket.
• As the crowd watches, soldiers open a passage through the cordon. A figure begins to emerge, but their identity is not yet revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Guohua shifts from defending his actions to flattering his daughter and boasting about his influence. He views wealth and connections as proof of worth and dismisses Yue Xiaofei as socially inferior.
• Su Wanning openly adopts her father’s prejudice against Yue Xiaofei. Her excitement over the national hero reveals her idealization of heroic status and celebrity.
• Jiang Lan remains sympathetic to Yue Xiaofei and distressed by her family’s change in values. Her disagreement with Su Guohua and Wanning deepens.
• Guohua and Wanning bond over the possibility of seeing the hero, while Jiang Lan is left isolated in her concern for Yue Xiaofei.

Significant themes

• Class prejudice and social climbing: Guohua and Wanning judge Yue Xiaofei by his family background and wealth rather than his character or achievements.
• Family loyalty and changing values: Jiang Lan’s distress reflects the growing divide between her compassion and her family’s ambition.
• Power and status: The airport lockdown and Guohua’s speculation emphasize society’s fascination with influence, military authority, and elite connections.
• Hero worship and anticipation: Wanning’s admiration builds suspense around the unidentified arrival.

Key plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei emerges into the airport concourse, disappointing the crowd, who expected an important, high-ranking figure rather than a casually dressed young man.
• Jiang Lan recognizes him as the boy she remembers and rushes to greet him tearfully. Xiaofei reassures her and offers her tissues.
• Jiang introduces him to her husband, Su Guohua, and daughter, Su Wanning. Both are cold and unimpressed; Wanning barely acknowledges him.
• Xiaofei politely presents Jiang and Su Guohua with two plain-looking gift boxes. They contain extremely valuable ginseng and premium bird’s nest, but the simple packaging and unusual appearance conceal their worth.
• Su Guohua opens the gifts, mistakes them for worthless goods, and regards them as an insult to the Su family.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei is calm, courteous, and unshowy despite the crowd’s judgment and his hosts’ hostility. He recognizes that Jiang has likely defended him to her family and expected their reception.
• Jiang Lan shows deep affection and relief at Xiaofei’s safe return, welcoming him warmly despite her family’s embarrassment and disapproval.
• Su Guohua is status-conscious and judgmental, assessing Xiaofei by his appearance and assuming the modest gifts are cheap.
• Su Wanning is dismissive and contemptuous, privately reducing Xiaofei to the son of a criminal and criticizing his apparent poverty.
• The family’s reunion is affectionate between Jiang and Xiaofei but strained by Su Guohua’s and Wanning’s rejection.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: Xiaofei’s ordinary clothes and the plain gift boxes conceal his true standing and the gifts’ extraordinary value.
• Class prejudice and status: The crowd and the Su family judge Xiaofei by his youth, clothing, and presumed wealth.
• Affection and loyalty: Jiang’s genuine care for Xiaofei contrasts sharply with the coldness of her husband and daughter.

Key plot points and events

• Su Wanning and Su Guohua ridicule Yue Xiaofei’s gifts to Jiang Lan, dismissing the traditional items as cheap junk. Jiang Lan defends him and accepts the gifts warmly.
• Jiang Lan asks Yue about the airport lockdown. He calmly says it may have been for him, since friends came to welcome him.
• Su Wanning mocks the claim, and Su Guohua lectures him, convinced he is lying to save face. Yue does not argue.
• Jiang Lan angrily tells her husband and daughter to stop insulting their guest, then escorts Yue to Su Guohua’s Maybach.
• The tense, silent drive begins. Su Guohua breaks the silence by asking Yue which university he plans to attend.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei remains composed under insults and does not try to justify himself. He tells the truth about the reception, though the others refuse to believe him.
• Jiang Lan is sympathetic and protective, accepting Yue’s gifts and standing up to her family when they mistreat him.
• Su Wanning openly scorns Yue’s gifts and his explanation, treating him as boastful and ridiculous.
• Su Guohua judges Yue as poor, vain, and dishonest, while using his status as an elder—and his car—to assert superiority.
• The exchange leaves the family divided: Jiang Lan supports Yue, while Su Guohua and Wanning share their contempt.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Yue’s modest-looking gifts and understated manner conceal their significance, while the airport reception’s real purpose is dismissed.
• Class prejudice and status: Su Guohua and Wanning judge Yue by his apparent wealth and social standing.
• Dignity under insult: Yue refuses to retaliate, while Jiang Lan’s defense shows compassion and loyalty.

Key plot points and events

• Su Guohua asks Yue Xiaofei about his university plans, expecting him to choose a prestigious civilian university and eventually work for his company.
• Yue says he intends to attend the National University of Defense Technology. Su Guohua angrily argues that military service offers poor pay and little opportunity, urging him to study business instead.
• Yue rejects Su’s contempt for soldiers, saying someone must guard the borders and that soldiers’ sacrifices make civilian comfort possible.
• When Yue says he wants to defend his country as his father did, Su insults his father as a criminal and warns Yue not to follow his example.
• Yue’s anger erupts as a terrifying killing intent that frightens Su Wanning and leaves Su Guohua struggling to breathe. Jiang Lan rebukes her husband and apologizes to Yue on his behalf.
• Yue ignores the apology and firmly declares: “My father was framed!”

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei reveals his strong patriotism, pride in his family’s military service, and deep loyalty to his imprisoned father. His normally calm demeanor gives way to intense fury when his father is attacked.
• Su Guohua shows himself to be materialistic, condescending, and convinced that wealth and connections matter more than service. Despite being frightened by Yue, he doubles down rather than apologize.
• Jiang Lan acts as the peacemaker, openly condemning her husband’s cruelty and trying to comfort Yue.
• Su Wanning is visibly terrified by Yue’s sudden aura.
• The confrontation pits Yue’s ideals and family devotion against Su Guohua’s fixation on money and social status.

Significant themes

• Service versus wealth: Yue values defending his country, while Su Guohua measures success by income and property.
• Respect for soldiers: Yue challenges the dismissive assumption that soldiers are foolish or without prospects.
• Family loyalty and injustice: The accusation against Yue’s father strikes at the heart of his identity, and Yue insists his father was wrongly imprisoned.

Key plot points and events

• In the tense car ride, Su Guohua remains hostile toward Yue Xiaofei, convinced that Xiaofei is an unsuitable match for Su Wanning.
• Su Wanning discovers a trending post reporting that a mysterious national hero has arrived in Longdu. The hero is rumored to have planted a flag on Mount Fuji and forced Japan’s emperor to apologize; the airport lockdown was supposedly arranged for his protection.
• Excited by the news, Wanning begs her father to get her an invitation to the National Celebration so she can see the hero.
• Su Guohua assumes the reports explain the airport lockdown and uses them to dismiss Xiaofei’s earlier implication that the commotion was for him.
• Wanning mocks Xiaofei, joking that he might claim to be the hero. Jiang Lan rebukes her for humiliating their guest, while Guohua pretends to soothe the situation and tries to provoke Xiaofei into reacting.
• Xiaofei stays calm and silently confirms to himself that he really is the hero everyone is discussing.

Character developments

• Yue Xiaofei: Remains composed despite repeated insults. His private thoughts reveal that the public’s mysterious hero and the supposedly boastful young man are the same person.
• Su Wanning: Moves from irritation to intense admiration for the hero, then turns that enthusiasm into a taunt against Xiaofei.
• Su Guohua: Becomes more convinced that Xiaofei is insignificant and plans to get him out of the family’s way. He also tries to use Wanning’s teasing to provoke him.
• Jiang Lan: Continues defending Xiaofei and grows increasingly angry at her husband and daughter for treating her guest disrespectfully.

Character interactions

• Wanning’s excitement over the online report clashes with Guohua’s contempt for Xiaofei.
• Wanning directly challenges Xiaofei about his earlier remarks; he refuses to rise to the bait.
• Jiang Lan confronts Wanning and objects to the family’s treatment of Xiaofei, while Guohua’s apparent effort to calm her masks his hope that Xiaofei will lose his temper.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: The family dismisses Xiaofei as an ordinary, boastful young man even as he is secretly the celebrated hero.
• Prejudice and status: Guohua judges Xiaofei by his perceived poverty and lack of importance.
• Restraint and dramatic irony: Xiaofei’s silence contrasts with the others’ assumptions, leaving readers aware of the truth they do not see.
• Admiration and hypocrisy: Wanning idolizes the hero while mocking the person who is, in fact, that hero.

Yue Xiaofei arrived at Jiang Lan’s home in Longdu, where Su Guohua tried to relegate him to a storage room until Jiang Lan insisted he take the upstairs guest room. After settling in, Yue Xiaofei contacted Han Duoduo, who reported that Cao Xuanye was secretly gathering money and manpower for an unclear scheme.

• Su Guohua bragged about Longdu’s wealthy estates and his own connections as he drove Yue Xiaofei, Jiang Lan, and Su Wanning to his villa.
• Su Guohua told Yue Xiaofei to stay in a downstairs storage room, but Jiang Lan firmly insisted he take the upstairs guest room.
• Su Guohua stormed into his study, and Jiang Lan apologized to Yue Xiaofei for his behavior.
• Yue Xiaofei settled into the guest room and called Han Duoduo using an encrypted communicator.
• Han Duoduo told Yue Xiaofei that Cao Xuanye was secretly mobilizing substantial money and manpower for a scheme whose target remained unknown.

Plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei asks Han Duoduo to investigate Cao Xuanye and the Cao Family, especially whether Cao Xuanye was involved in a case from five years earlier.
• Bai Bing tells Yue that six of the Eight Great Clans will send representatives to the Military Parade; Ye Jincheng, head of the Ye Family, will attend. The Ye name stirs questions about Yue’s family and hidden past.
• At the Su family dinner, Jiang Lan cooks dishes that her late friend Ye Qingmei loved and warmly serves Yue, telling him the food used to taste like home to his mother.
• Su Guohua hints that Yue should leave Longdu before school starts. Yue calmly says he will stay until after the Military Parade.
• Guohua and Su Wanning ridicule Yue for expecting to attend, emphasizing the ceremony’s exclusivity. At Jiang Lan’s request, Guohua pretends to try to obtain him a ticket, making two unsuccessful calls and using the opportunity to display his connections.

Character developments

• Yue Xiaofei remains composed despite the family’s condescension. His response suggests he has a specific reason to stay for the parade, while his mother’s memory affects him deeply.
• Jiang Lan shows enduring affection for Yue and loyalty to Ye Qingmei, openly challenging her husband and daughter to treat him kindly.
• Su Guohua reveals his pride and social insecurity: he wants to demonstrate his status and subtly push Yue out of the household.
• Su Wanning continues to look down on Yue, dismissing him as an outsider with no chance of attending the parade.
• Bai Bing provides important intelligence that may connect the Ye family to Yue’s unresolved past.

Significant themes

• Belonging and family: Jiang Lan’s care gives Yue a sense of home, while the rest of the Su household makes him feel unwelcome.
• Status and exclusion: Guohua and Wanning use wealth, connections, and the parade’s prestige to belittle Yue.
• The past and hidden identity: The Cao investigation and the Ye family’s presence at the parade hint at unresolved family secrets.
• Warmth versus contempt: The meal contrasts Jiang Lan’s heartfelt hospitality with the coldness of her husband and daughter.

Character interactions

• Han Duoduo enthusiastically accepts Yue’s investigative orders.
• Bai Bing informs Yue about the parade guest list, prompting his silent reflection on the Ye family.
• Jiang Lan cares for Yue through the meal and defends his wish to remain in Longdu; Yue responds with gratitude and restraint.
• Guohua questions Yue’s plans, then mocks his ambition to attend the parade. Wanning joins in, while Jiang Lan rebukes them.
• Guohua makes calls to officials, but the passage ends with his second attempt apparently being rejected.

Plot points and events

• At dinner, Su Guohua’s attempt to secure military-parade tickets fails, embarrassing him in front of his family.
• Yue Xiaofei offers to help, but Su Guohua and Su Wanning mock his claim. Jiang Lan defends him and takes him to look at old photographs of his mother.
• Yue promises to obtain three tickets with excellent seats. Later, he calls Zhao Mengsheng, who agrees to arrange three seats in the guests-of-honor section and have them delivered.
• Yue texts Su Wanning cryptically, suggesting she may meet her idol soon. She dismisses him as a liar and waits to see whether he can deliver.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei remains calm under the Su family’s ridicule. Jiang Lan’s kindness comforts him, and he quietly follows through on his promise by asking Zhao for help.
• Jiang Lan openly stands up for Yue, rejecting her husband’s and daughter’s treatment of him. Looking through photographs, she shares memories of Yue’s mother and helps him feel closer to his past.
• Su Guohua reacts to his failed connections with anger and embarrassment, then assumes Yue is bluffing.
• Su Wanning is frustrated that she may miss the parade—and the chance to see her idol—and treats Yue’s offer with contempt. His message only deepens her skepticism.
• Zhao Mengsheng responds warmly to Yue and readily uses his influence to arrange the tickets, establishing their close, trusting relationship.

Significant themes

• Humility versus boasting: Yue makes an extraordinary promise without showing off, while the more boastful Su Guohua is exposed when his connections fail.
• Kindness and loyalty: Jiang Lan’s support gives Yue comfort, and Zhao’s willingness to help shows the strength of personal bonds.
• Judging by appearances: The Su father and daughter underestimate Yue, setting up the expectation that his actions will prove his true influence.

• Key events: Jiang Lan brings Yue Xiaofei another photo album, hoping to show him more pictures of his mother, Ye Qingmei. A photograph of Ye, Jiang, and their university roommate Cao Ruolin prompts Jiang to recall that Ye and Cao were once especially close. Shortly before graduation, Ye visited Cao’s family home; afterward, the two stopped speaking, and Ye never explained why. Learning that Cao came from a prominent family in Longdu, Yue suspects the estrangement may connect to his parents’ past and asks Han Duoduo to investigate her urgently.
• Character developments and interactions: Jiang Lan’s regret deepens as she recounts the friendship she never understood. Yue remains composed but becomes more determined to uncover what happened, linking Cao’s surname to Longdu’s powerful Cao Family. Meanwhile, Cao Xuanye learns that Yue is staying with Jiang Lan and has begun investigating Ye Qingmei. He orders his butler to pressure Jiang Lan’s husband, Su Guohua, and turn him into an informant who will monitor Yue.
• Significant themes: The lasting mysteries of family history and broken friendships; the influence of wealth and social power; and the contrast between Yue’s quiet investigation and Cao Xuanye’s calculated, coercive control. The chapter also builds suspense by suggesting that the past rift may be tied to the danger surrounding Yue’s family.

Key plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei receives Han Duoduo’s investigation into Cao Ruolin: she is the Cao Family head Cao Tianxiao’s younger sister, a former prodigy who has largely disappeared from public view. Her feud with Xiaofei’s mother, Ye Qingmei, may be connected to Cao Tianxiao’s sudden breakup with his engagement to the Flower Family after Ye visited the Cao household.
• At breakfast, Jiang Lan welcomes traditional-medicine expert Zhou Yun, heir to Jiren Hall.
• Su Guohua and Su Wanning ridicule Xiaofei’s gifts, especially a seemingly shriveled root.
• Zhou Yun examines the root and is stunned: it is genuine wild ginseng at least 1,200 years old. She angrily rebukes Su Guohua for failing to recognize its value.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiaofei remains composed despite the Su family’s insults, quietly eating while they mock him.
• Han Duoduo proves resourceful, uncovering important clues about the Cao family and Ye Qingmei.
• Su Guohua and Wanning reinforce their contempt for Xiaofei, while Jiang Lan tries to shield him and smooth over the awkwardness.
• Zhou Yun first jokes that Xiaofei might be Wanning’s suitor, then becomes intensely excited when she recognizes the ginseng. Her reaction turns the family’s ridicule into a likely reversal of status.

Significant themes

• Appearances can deceive: What the Su family dismisses as worthless is an extraordinarily rare treasure.
• Hidden histories and family intrigue: The connection between Ye Qingmei, Cao Ruolin, and the broken engagement remains unresolved.
• Arrogance versus discernment: Su Guohua and Wanning judge Xiaofei and his gifts too quickly, while Zhou Yun’s expertise reveals their true worth.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Yun identifies Yue Xiaofei’s two “local specialty” gifts as extraordinarily rare treasures: a thousand-year-old wild ginseng worth at least tens of millions, and Dragon Saliva Blood Bird’s Nest worth over eighty million.
• Su Guohua and Su Wanning realize they had dismissed the gifts as worthless. Both are overwhelmed with shock and embarrassment, especially Wanning, who recalls mocking the ginseng.
• Su Guohua becomes suspicious and accuses Xiaofei of obtaining the gifts illegally. Jiang Lan angrily defends him.
• Xiaofei assures Jiang Lan the gifts are legitimate, explaining that a wealthy relative overseas sent them to thank her for caring for his mother, Ye Qingmei.
• Jiang Lan initially refuses the extravagant gifts, but Xiaofei insists they are meant to help restore her health. Zhou Yun encourages her to accept them for that reason.
• Jiang Lan accepts and asks Xiaofei to become her godson.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei remains calm under pressure, responds respectfully to Jiang Lan, and uses his connection to Ye Qingmei to reassure her and persuade her to accept the gifts.
• Jiang Lan shifts from surprise and concern to affection and gratitude. Her bond with Xiaofei deepens, leading her to offer him the place of a son.
• Su Guohua reacts with suspicion rather than gratitude, reflecting his cautious, business-minded nature; he clashes with Jiang Lan over his accusation.
• Su Wanning is left speechless and ashamed after recognizing how wrongly she judged Xiaofei’s gift.
• Zhou Yun acts as an expert on the treasures and later mediates gently, helping Jiang Lan accept them.

Significant themes

• Gratitude and generosity: Xiaofei gives valuable gifts to honor Jiang Lan’s past kindness to his mother.
• Trust versus suspicion: Jiang Lan trusts Xiaofei, while Su Guohua assumes the worst.
• Family beyond blood: Jiang Lan’s invitation to make Xiaofei her godson turns gratitude into a lasting family bond.
• Misjudgment and humility: The family’s view of seemingly plain gifts changes dramatically once their true worth is revealed.

Key events

• Jiang Lan overrules her husband and asks Yue Xiaofei to become her godson, honoring her promise to his late mother. He accepts, and she embraces him tearfully.
• Su Wanning realizes she misjudged Yue Xiaofei: his gifts were not worthless, and he is far from the pauper she assumed. Ashamed, she retreats to her room.
• After Zhou Yun leaves, Su Guohua tries to use Yue Xiaofei’s wealthy overseas relative to advance his business. Yue says the relative avoids strangers, ending Su’s hopes. Guohua’s warmth quickly fades into resentment and regret.
• Jiang Lan welcomes Yue as family and offers to show him Longdu. He says he came to study, but his priority is avenging his parents.
• Jiang Lan reacts with alarm when Yue claims his father was framed and his mother’s death was suspicious. Yue notices her fear and suspects she may know more than she is saying.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Lan openly defies Su Guohua to protect and support Yue, but her panic at his accusations hints at concealed knowledge.
• Yue Xiaofei accepts Jiang Lan’s maternal affection, while remaining determined to uncover the truth about his parents.
• Su Wanning moves from contempt to shame, though she still does not speak up.
• Su Guohua shifts from rejection to opportunistic friendliness, then turns cold when Yue offers no business advantage.

Significant themes

• Chosen family and loyalty: Jiang Lan’s adoption of Yue fulfills a bond with his late mother.
• Materialism and hypocrisy: Su Guohua’s behavior changes according to Yue’s perceived usefulness and wealth.
• Misjudgment and regret: Wanning and Guohua confront the consequences of their earlier assumptions.
• Justice and hidden truth: Yue’s determination to investigate his parents’ deaths introduces the chapter’s central mystery.

Plot points and events

• Yue Xiaofei confronts his godmother, Jiang Lan, about his mother Ye Qingmei’s death. Her frightened reaction convinces him she knows more than she has admitted.
• Jiang Lan confesses that she secretly investigated Ye Qingmei’s death after the burial. She found no evidence, as though someone had erased every trace.
• An anonymous caller warned Jiang Lan to stop. The next day, a dump truck deliberately—or at least suspiciously—crashed into her car, leaving her legs shattered and nearly taking her life.
• Jiang Lan says she hid the truth to protect her family and begs Yue Xiaofei to abandon the investigation, warning that the people behind it are powerful and dangerous.
• Su Guohua and Su Wanning overhear the revelation. Both are shocked; Guohua urges Yue to focus on school, while Wanning is too frightened to mock him.
• Yue agrees outwardly to stop investigating, calming Jiang Lan, but his promise appears intended to reassure her rather than signal that he has truly given up. He leaves to walk around the neighborhood alone.

Character developments and interactions

• Yue Xiaofei presses Jiang Lan with emotional appeals to his duty as Ye Qingmei’s son. Though he recognizes how dangerous the truth may be, he keeps his own intentions concealed.
• Jiang Lan moves from fearful denial to tearful confession. Her guilt over concealing what happened and her fear for Yue’s safety are both clear.
• Su Guohua learns that Jiang Lan’s supposed accident was likely an attack. His concern quickly mixes with wariness toward Yue, whom he sees as a potential source of danger.
• Su Wanning remains hostile toward Yue but is visibly shaken by the story and does not want him to risk his life.
• Jiang Lan’s bond with Ye Qingmei—as her closest friend, “like a sister”—is central to why she investigated and why the memory still torments her.

Significant themes

• Truth versus safety: Yue believes his mother’s death must be uncovered, while Jiang Lan argues that pursuing the truth could endanger everyone.
• Fear and power: The erased evidence, threatening call, and staged-looking crash suggest a formidable force able to silence investigators and disguise attacks.
• Loyalty and guilt: Jiang Lan’s loyalty to Ye Qingmei drove her search, but fear led her to keep the truth from Yue.
• Hidden resolve: Yue’s apparent surrender contrasts with his continuing determination, setting up a conflict between his promise and his private purpose.

Yue Xiaofei traced the plot behind Jiang Lan’s car crash to Li Taishan and went to Purple Jade Manor to confront him. The guards blocked his way, and he prepared to collect the debt by force.

• Yue Xiaofei asked Han Duoduo to investigate the car crash that crippled Jiang Lan.
• Han Duoduo found that the driver had received five million after going to prison, and traced the money to Taishan Capital, chaired by Li Taishan.
• Han Duoduo discovered that Li Taishan was staying at Purple Jade Manor and warned Yue Xiaofei not to act rashly.
• Yue Xiaofei took a taxi to Purple Jade Manor and told the guards he had come to see Li Taishan.
• The guards refused to let Yue Xiaofei in, and he said he had come to collect a debt as they threatened to break his legs.

Yue Xiaofei stormed Li Taishan’s estate and defeated the guards who tried to stop him. He confronted Li over the attempted murder of Jiang Lan, but Li denied responsibility and summoned Tu Gang to fight.

• Yue Xiaofei broke one guard’s arm and knocked out the rest in seconds without moving from his spot.
• Li Taishan emerged and asked why Yue Xiaofei had attacked his men.
• Yue Xiaofei accused Li of hiring a truck driver to stage an accident and kill Jiang Lan a year earlier.
• Li denied knowing Jiang Lan or having any part in the attempted murder.
• Li ordered his bodyguards to block Yue Xiaofei and summoned Tu Gang to confront him.