Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba decides to keep up her fight against Ouyang Xuan, using a deliberate, indirect strategy rather than openly calling in powerful allies.
• After a company notice prompts more than half the staff to resign, Xu Jiang worries the business is near collapse. The remaining employees vow to stay loyal to Tang Shiba.
• Tang Shiba’s anti-fan group, the “Black Treasures,” turns up in force to apply for jobs, hoping to support her from inside the company. Tang Shiba initially mistakes them for hostile anti-fans, then agrees to interview capable applicants.
• In the lobby, the applicants recognize their prominent member Shanshan and excitedly gossip about Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu. Shanshan hides her identity during the interview process.
• Tang Shiba rides with Si Wuyu, who wants to support her openly. She insists he stay behind the scenes so Ouyang Xuan’s allies will feel emboldened and reveal themselves.
• At a restaurant, Tang Shiba discovers poison in the food using a silver needle. She recognizes it as linked to the family of the person she hopes to expose. Rather than simply stop the plot, she plans to fake a collapse and asks her system for medicine.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains defiant and playful, turning both a staffing crisis and an attempted poisoning into opportunities to advance her plans and uncover gossip.
• Xu Jiang is anxious about the company’s future but stays loyal and takes charge of interviewing the many applicants.
• The Black Treasures shift from anti-fans to eager supporters, willing to work for Tang Shiba and help her take on Ouyang Xuan.
• Si Wuyu is affectionate and protective, but agrees to support Tang Shiba’s strategy from behind the scenes.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and unlikely support: Former critics become prospective allies, while employees choose to remain despite the company’s troubles.
• Strategic appearances: Tang Shiba deliberately lets herself seem vulnerable so her opponents will reveal their intentions.
• Gossip and scheming: Tang Shiba treats conflict and danger as chances to uncover secrets—and finds the intrigue entertaining.

Character interactions

• Xu Jiang tries to persuade the remaining employees to resign, but they insist on standing by Tang Shiba.
• Shanshan and the Black Treasures enthusiastically bond over their idol while trying to conceal their anti-fan identities from the company.
• Si Wuyu clings to Tang Shiba and objects to hiding his support; she reassures him that she needs him as a discreet ally.
• At dinner, Tang Shiba stops Si Wuyu from eating the poisoned food and prepares to stage a fainting spell, while he accepts her plan and backs her playfully.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu drink the poisoned liquor but pretend to be unconscious, waiting for their would-be kidnappers to approach. When five men try to carry them off, Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu spring into action and beat them down.
• Tang Shiba forces the gang’s leader to cooperate by threatening to reveal embarrassing gossip about him. The men turn on one another, giving her leverage to make the leader contact his employer and claim they have captured the pair.
• Tang Shiba uses the system to redeem dolls of herself and Si Wuyu. The five men unknowingly carry the dolls away, believing they have successfully captured the real pair.
• The employer is furious to discover Si Wuyu is among the captives: he wanted Tang Shiba alone. The group delivers the dolls to a hotel, where the employer—recognized as the man who had defended Ouyang Xuan online—confronts them.
• The dolls wake and trade insults with their captor. Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu openly flirt, dismissing the threat that their supposed relationship could damage Si Wuyu’s reputation.
• Unable to manage the situation, the captor calls his superior. The superior berates him and orders him to release Si Wuyu and dispose of Tang Shiba by throwing her into the sea.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is fearless, quick-witted, and ruthless in a fight. She uses humiliation and threats as tools, and remains brazen even in captivity—or what her kidnappers think is captivity.
• Si Wuyu proves an effective, loyal partner in combat and continues to show Tang Shiba affection. He is willing to help provoke their captors, though he worries about receiving a bad system review.
• The gang leader starts out loyal to his employer but quickly folds when Tang Shiba threatens his reputation. His subordinates become suspicious of his alleged sexual escapades.
• The captor and his superior are increasingly frustrated: the captor is inept and overwhelmed, while the superior is openly cruel and determined to eliminate Tang Shiba.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu coordinate their ambush and defeat the kidnappers together.
• Tang Shiba intimidates the gang leader, prompting conflict and gossip among his men.
• The dolls’ teasing, affectionate exchange irritates the captor, who tries to threaten them with exposure.
• The superior’s angry phone call reveals the captor’s failure and escalates the danger to Tang Shiba.

Significant themes

• Deception and role reversal: The apparent victims are in control, while their captors become confused and manipulated.
• Loyalty versus self-preservation: The gang’s allegiance collapses under pressure and fear of embarrassment.
• Public image and reputation: The threat of exposing private behavior and the warning about Si Wuyu’s reputation are used as weapons.
• Humor amid danger: Slapstick violence, sharp insults, and the dolls’ flirtation undercut the kidnapping’s menace, even as the superior’s final order raises the stakes.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Doll pretends to bite off her tongue, spraying fake blood to terrify her captors. The kidnappers tie her to a rock and throw her into the sea, believing she has drowned.
• Once they leave, Tang Doll swims back to Si Doll. Their undercover surveillance mission is complete, and the pair return to Tang Shiba.
• Tang Shiba is annoyed to learn the dolls spent time kissing instead of simply reporting back. The system urges her to give them a five-star review so they will remain available; she reluctantly agrees.
• Watching their surveillance footage, Tang Shiba sees the kidnappers’ leader clean up the bloodstained hotel room, then meet with a suspected mastermind at Jintang. The man boasts that he personally killed the person the internet had vilified.
• Tang Shiba decides not to confront the group yet, since she needs evidence before taking action.
• Meanwhile, Ouyang Xuan continues posting information about others, prompting Tang Shiba and the system to suspect she has an “exposé system.” Ouyang believes Tang Shiba’s accusations will only damage Tang Shiba’s reputation and help Ouyang achieve her goals.

Character developments

• Tang Doll proves resourceful and fearless, using grotesque theatrics to fool the kidnappers and complete her mission.
• Si Doll remains devoted to Tang Doll, rescuing her from the sea and showing affection—even though Tang Shiba is irritated by their romance.
• Tang Shiba stays focused on gathering evidence, while her banter with the system reveals her vanity and comic self-image.
• Ouyang Xuan grows more confident in her strategy. She views public hatred of Tang Shiba as useful to her ambitions.

Character interactions

• Tang Doll unnerves the kidnapper with her fake self-mutilation and blood; Si Doll, in turn, fusses over her and flirts with her.
• Tang Shiba scolds the dolls for making out instead of reporting, while Tang Doll jokes that their relationship was part of their setup.
• Tang Shiba and the system trade teasing remarks as they review the footage and discuss how to deal with the suspects.
• Ouyang Xuan publicly presents herself as wrongly accused, framing Tang Shiba’s revelations as smears.

Significant themes

• Deception and performance: Tang Doll’s staged injury, the kidnappers’ cleanup, and Ouyang’s public image all involve manipulating appearances.
• Evidence and justice: Tang Shiba holds back from acting until she can prove the mastermind’s crimes.
• Reputation and public opinion: Ouyang seeks to turn online hostility toward Tang Shiba to her advantage.
• Comedy amid danger: The dolls’ exaggerated behavior and Tang Shiba’s exchanges with the system undercut the chapter’s serious criminal plot.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba sarcastically replies to Ouyang Xuan’s online post by pretending to be her own ghost, claiming Ouyang had her killed. Her Anti-Fans seize the joke as ammunition and form an “Anti-Xuan Squad” to attack Ouyang publicly.
• Tang Shiba’s company gains a wave of new, higher-quality contracts after dropping weaker partners. Xu Jiang is impressed; Tang Shiba jokes that the companies may simply be acting out of justice and urges him to focus on work that will upset Ouyang.
• The system reports that Gu Qingcheng has been abducted by the group Tang Shiba’s side has been monitoring. She was taken while Tang Xiao went downstairs at a hotel to buy condoms during their date.
• Tang Xiao rushes to Tang Shiba for help, distraught and unable to find Gu despite checking surveillance and contacting the police. Tang Shiba refuses to rescue him, telling him to seek help from the police. Though she lets him believe Gu may be in danger, the system confirms Gu is being kept safe and comfortable.
• Tang Xiao leaves in tears. Shanshan misrepresents the visit online as an attempt to reclaim the company that ended with Tang Shiba beating him.
• Tang Shiba messages Si Wuyu with a joking report that she has “struck again.” Later, Tang Xiao follows her, hoping she will reveal Gu’s location.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains sardonic and self-reliant. She refuses to keep solving Tang Xiao’s problems, believing he has grown used to her help, and continues directing her attention toward Ouyang Xuan.
• Tang Xiao is frightened and remorseful, blaming himself for Gu’s abduction. He feels rejected when Tang Shiba refuses to help, but still follows her, hoping she will give him a lead.
• Xu Jiang has shifted from doubting Tang Shiba to recognizing her business judgment and is eager to capitalize on the new partnerships.
• Shanshan and the Anti-Fans turn their loyalty to Tang Shiba into an organized campaign against Ouyang, mixing mockery with deliberate online attacks.
• Si Wuyu interrupts a meeting to reply to Tang Shiba, hinting at his attentiveness to her.

Significant themes

• Accountability versus dependency: Tang Shiba refuses to take responsibility for Tang Xiao’s crisis, forcing him to confront the consequences of his choices.
• Social media as a weapon: Both the Anti-Fans and Shanshan use jokes and misleading posts to shape public opinion.
• Comedy amid danger: The abduction is serious, but Tang Shiba’s teasing inner commentary and Tang Xiao’s melodrama create a sharply comic tone.

• Plot and events: Tang Shiba lets her brother Tang Xiao follow her while she shops, then deliberately kisses Si Wuyu where he can see. She tells Si Wuyu that Gu Qingcheng has been kidnapped and asks to borrow Fang Cheng for a rescue scheme: Fang Cheng will disguise himself as a woman and infiltrate the Golden Pond Bar. Fang Cheng escapes Chris, who has been insisting he keep their amusement-park date, and joins Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu. After buying clothes and getting Fang Cheng made up, the group heads to the bar. Tang Shiba presents him to the manager as someone sent by “Brother Hong,” and Fang Cheng goes in with the other women. Tang Xiao trails them, envious that his sister never invites him along.
• Character developments and interactions: Tang Shiba is unusually affectionate and forward with Si Wuyu, partly to provoke Tang Xiao, but also remains focused on rescuing Gu Qingcheng. Si Wuyu is pleased by her attention yet jealous when Fang Cheng gets close to her, and insists on boundaries. Fang Cheng eagerly prioritizes seeing his idol Tang Shiba over Chris, who is hurt by his rejection and turns to her father for advice. Tang Xiao feels excluded and wishes he could join the mission.
• Themes: The chapter mixes romance, jealousy, and comic disguise with the suspense of a kidnapping and undercover operation. It also highlights loyalty and competing attachments: Fang Cheng’s devotion to Tang Shiba strains his relationship with Chris, while Tang Shiba’s affection for Si Wuyu coexists with her practical determination.

Plot and events

• Fang Cheng is mistakenly drawn into a men’s club while posing as a woman. A sympathetic worker warns him to get himself rejected, but he decides to stay and uses charm to win over the guests.
• Fang Cheng spots Director Wang Gang, who is also undercover. Wang is thrown out after the guests find his attempt at flirtation repulsive, while Fang Cheng is invited to sit with a customer.
• When the customer reaches for him, Fang Cheng slaps his hand away, then plays it off as nervousness. He proposes a performance in exchange for pouring drinks, intending to get the men intoxicated.
• Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu hide nearby while Fang Cheng carries out the plan. Si Wuyu’s affectionate kissing distracts Tang Shiba, who accidentally reveals that her second brother is present.
• Tang Shiba learns through her system that her brother is disguised as a woman and searching the rooms for Gu Qingcheng. Worried he will disrupt her rescue plan, she resolves to stop him.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Cheng is resourceful and confident beneath his comic, feminine act. He balances quick improvisation with a clear determination to remain involved in the mission.
• The club worker recognizes that Fang Cheng may have been deceived into coming and tries to protect him, revealing her empathy from past experience.
• Wang Gang is surprised to see Fang Cheng and hopes Tang Shiba’s presence will help his investigation, but his own disguise fails badly.
• Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu share a playful, intimate moment. Si Wuyu is clingy and affectionate; Tang Shiba reciprocates but becomes alarmed when she realizes she has revealed too much.
• Fang Cheng, Wang Gang, Tang Shiba, and Si Wuyu are all operating in the same venue, but with different objectives—rescue, investigation, and interference—creating the chapter’s comic tension.

Significant themes

• Disguise and mistaken identity: Characters conceal who they are, with varying success.
• Resourcefulness under pressure: Fang Cheng turns an uncomfortable situation into an opportunity to advance the plan.
• Comic contrast: The farcical club setting and outrageous disguises contrast with the characters’ serious undercover aims.
• Trust and secrecy: Tang Shiba’s slip highlights the risks of keeping plans hidden, even from someone close.

Plot points and events

• Tang Xiao searches Jintang for Gu Qingcheng while dressed in women’s clothes. Tang Shiba catches him, threatens to expose him to the family, and orders him to stay put.
• Fang Cheng keeps the men in a private room entertained with provocative dancing. Under the watchful eye of the wary Brother Hong, he pours drinks and drinks one himself to prove it is safe. He then messages Tang Shiba that the setup is ready.
• Tang Shiba sets out for Fang Cheng’s room. Tang Xiao insists on following and changes out of his skirt, though he remains lightly dressed.
• They run into Director Wang, who tries to hide from them. Tang Xiao recognizes him and takes photos, intending to share them. Tang Shiba cuts off their bickering and continues toward the room.
• Tang Shiba bursts in with a convincing fake gun, announces a raid, and orders everyone down. She confronts Brother Hong, who demands proof that she is an actual officer and threatens her when she refuses to back down. She responds with insults and intimidation.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is decisive and commanding, using Fang Cheng’s signal to launch the planned intervention. She stays fearless even when Brother Hong challenges her.
• Tang Xiao is embarrassed by his outfit but remains mischievous, eager to follow Tang Shiba and photograph Director Wang.
• Fang Cheng plays his part confidently, managing Brother Hong’s suspicion and helping prepare the ambush. His admiration for Tang Shiba is clear.
• Brother Hong is cautious and suspicious, then turns hostile when Tang Shiba challenges his authority.
• Director Wang is comically anxious about being recognized and exposed.

Significant themes

• Deception and performance: Fang Cheng’s dancing and drink-drinking help maintain the ruse, while Tang Shiba’s fake gun makes her staged raid convincing.
• Loyalty and teamwork: Fang Cheng and Tang Shiba coordinate their plan, and Tang Xiao follows his sister despite her warnings.
• Comic embarrassment and humiliation: Tang Xiao’s disguise, Director Wang’s attempt to hide, and the characters’ banter contrast with the apparent danger of the raid.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba teases and controls Tang Xiao, then leads him toward Fang Cheng’s room.
• Fang Cheng signals Tang Shiba after winning Brother Hong’s confidence.
• Tang Xiao and Director Wang trade jokes and try to embarrass each other with photos.
• Tang Shiba silences their banter, then confronts Brother Hong and forces the room to comply—at least initially.

Key plot points and events

• Brother Hong becomes enraged when Tang Shiba mocks him and demands her identification. He orders an attack, but Tang Shiba knocks one man down with a kick and fires a real bullet past Brother Hong’s cheek, frightening the room into submission.
• Tang Shiba tells the women they can leave, but Fang Cheng stays. When a man grabs at him and asks for his name, Fang Cheng beats him badly, while Tang Shiba encourages him.
• Tang Shiba changes her mind about sending the women away and turns the confrontation into a public “gossip” session. Fang Cheng secretly uses his ability to make all the men collapse and lose their strength.
• Tang Shiba claims Brother Hong has a hundred wives but no biological children. She reveals that he has been unable to father children since a dog bit him when he was young, then taunts him with the embarrassing story of how it happened.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba dominates the room through confidence, sharp insults, and her willingness to use a gun. She enjoys humiliating Brother Hong and turns the women into an eager audience for his exposure.
• Fang Cheng shows both physical strength and a hidden power that disables the men. He is loyal to Tang Shiba, enjoys the spectacle, and shares the gossip with his group by phone.
• Brother Hong shifts from bluster and threats to fear and helplessness. His ambitions of building a large family are undermined by Tang Shiba’s revelation.
• The women go from frightened onlookers to entertained spectators, urging Tang Shiba to continue.
• Tang Xiao laughs at Tang Shiba’s joking claim that she is Brother Hong’s “daddy.”
• Tang Shiba and Fang Cheng work in tandem: she controls the room and provokes their opponents, while he supplies force and incapacitates them.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: The balance of power changes quickly once Tang Shiba uses her gun and Fang Cheng reveals his ability.
• Humiliation and exposure: Tang Shiba defeats Brother Hong not only physically and politically, but by publicly revealing his private insecurity.
• Loyalty and camaraderie: Fang Cheng supports Tang Shiba, while their shared amusement turns a dangerous confrontation into a spectacle.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba humiliates Brother Hong by claiming his wives have all been unfaithful and that none of his children are biologically his. His anger gives way to doubt as she reveals increasingly personal details.
• She ends the interrogation without punishing the group, saying she is in a hurry to celebrate with beer, barbecue, and milk. She privately jokes that Brother Hong’s infertility is due to rabies.
• Tang Shiba takes the man who attacked her the previous day as a hostage and threatens to kill him if the others do not cooperate. After mocking him, she has him taken to the seaside and tied to a heavy rock.
• The man recognizes Tang Shiba as the woman he thought he had killed and thrown into the sea. As he panics and begs for mercy, she asks where Gu Qingcheng is.
• He reveals that he himself ordered people to capture Gu Qingcheng. Tang Shiba denies having planned the seaside ordeal, claiming she simply disliked him and wanted to teach him a lesson.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is confident, cruelly playful, and in control. She uses gossip and threats to unsettle her enemies, while concealing her true purpose behind jokes and feigned innocence.
• Brother Hong is shaken by the possibility that his family and legacy are not what he believed, though he remains furious and threatens revenge.
• The captured man goes from swaggering hostility to terror once he realizes Tang Shiba survived his earlier attempt to dispose of her. His fear prompts him to confess his role in Gu Qingcheng’s abduction.
• Fang Cheng enthusiastically joins Tang Shiba’s teasing and helps restrain the captive.
• The system eagerly proposes possessing Er Gou, but Tang Shiba dismisses the idea.

Significant themes

• Revenge and reversal: Tang Shiba turns the men’s past cruelty back on them, making the once-powerful captor feel helpless.
• Power through information and intimidation: Her detailed gossip destabilizes Brother Hong, while the captive’s fear leads to a crucial confession.
• Dark comedy: Threats of death and humiliation are presented through exaggerated jokes and irreverent banter.
• Hidden motives: Tang Shiba presents the seaside punishment as spontaneous, even as her question about Gu Qingcheng reveals a specific objective.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba and Fang Cheng exchange jokes about Brother Hong and his supposed infertility, while the room’s occupants laugh at his expense.
• Tang Shiba taunts Brother Hong and the captive, reversing the power dynamic between herself and the men.
• Si Wuyu stands close beside Tang Shiba at the seaside, physically supporting her as she confronts the captive.
• The captive’s confrontation with Tang Shiba ends in his admission that he ordered Gu Qingcheng’s capture.

Key plot points and events

• After Tang Xiao reunites with Gu Qingcheng, Tang Shiba interrupts their emotional moment and forces a captured man to livestream scandalous claims about Ouyang Xuan—or reveal his company’s misconduct. He chooses to spread the sexual rumors.
• Tang Shiba’s allies and fan groups flood the livestream, making it widely watched. Ouyang Xuan recognizes the man as one of her subordinate’s men and suspects Tang Shiba is behind the attack.
• Ouyang Xuan plays the victim to Tang Xuan, claiming Tang Shiba is targeting her. Tang Xuan promises to speak to his sister, but Tang Shiba tells him to humor Ouyang Xuan and reassures him that she cannot seduce him.
• Brother Hong’s scandal leaves him abandoned by his many wives and children. He falls into despair and neglects his company, giving his subordinates reason to turn against one another—an outcome Tang Shiba hopes will expose further wrongdoing.
• When Ouyang Xuan’s doctor publicly refutes the sexual rumors, Tang Shiba clarifies that her goal was simply to disgust Ouyang Xuan, then publishes a more serious allegation: that Ouyang Xuan arranged her parents’ deaths through a supposed life-exchange ritual.
• The new claim shocks the public and prompts Si Wuyu’s parents to investigate. Ouyang Xuan faints in anger. Si Wuyu, increasingly convinced of her cruelty, messages Tang Shiba and goes to visit her.
• At the Tang home, Si Wuyu finds Tang Shiba and Gu Qingcheng tending the vegetable patch and debating when to harvest its young produce.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains provocative and strategic: she uses public scandal to unsettle Ouyang Xuan and destabilize Brother Hong’s organization, without caring whether the first rumors are later disproved.
• Ouyang Xuan responds by casting herself as a victim and blaming Tang Shiba, but the allegations intensify scrutiny of her past.
• Tang Xuan shows concern for Ouyang Xuan and agrees to intervene, though Tang Shiba’s teasing quickly reassures him that he is not personally at risk.
• Si Wuyu grows more hostile toward Ouyang Xuan, believing she has harmed her family and may threaten him and Fang Cheng. His mood lifts when Tang Shiba invites him over.
• Gu Qingcheng and Tang Xiao share a tender reconciliation, while Gu Qingcheng and Tang Shiba later have a relaxed, domestic moment in the garden.
• Brother Hong collapses emotionally after losing his family, leaving his company vulnerable to internal conflict.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and public reputation: Online narratives can damage reputations even when they are disputed or debunked.
• Justice through exposure: Tang Shiba uses revelations and engineered conflict to bring hidden misconduct to light.
• Family, loyalty, and protection: Reconciliation, concern for relatives, and Si Wuyu’s growing resolve frame the chapter’s conflicts.
• Dark humor amid serious accusations: Threats, scandals, and alleged deaths are juxtaposed with teasing dialogue and everyday scenes.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba persuades her family to pick Gu Qingcheng’s still-young vegetables for hot pot. Si Wuyu arrives with a treat for her, and they openly show affection before Tang Shiba’s mother, though they have not formally announced their relationship.
• Tang Eldest Brother comes home with Ouyang Xuan. Tang Shiba decides to imitate Tang Xueqing’s sugary manner of speaking, unsettling the family and signaling that she is about to tease Ouyang.
• Ouyang Xuan considers using her past familiarity with Si Wuyu to turn Tang Mother against him, but he ignores her and focuses on Tang Shiba.
• Tang Shiba compliments Ouyang’s jewelry, then hints that she wants gifts from her eldest brother. When Ouyang offers her bracelet, Tang Shiba asks for more, eventually taking Ouyang’s necklace and other accessories as well.
• Tang Shiba invites Ouyang shopping, but Ouyang declines. Tang Shiba then realizes she can arrange to go with her eldest brother, which would likely force Ouyang to join them.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba is playful, shamelessly opportunistic, and eager to provoke Ouyang; she uses exaggerated sweetness and flattery to get what she wants.
• Si Wuyu is openly affectionate with Tang Shiba but quickly becomes respectful and self-conscious when her mother appears.
• Ouyang Xuan tries to scheme against Si Wuyu and maintain composure, but Tang Shiba’s pressure leaves her anxious and costly jewelry poorer.
• Tang Eldest Brother is stiff and compliant around Tang Shiba, apparently wary after being beaten by her. His arrival with Ouyang alarms the other siblings.
• Tang Second Brother and Gu Qingcheng communicate privately about Ouyang’s presence; Gu feels reassured by Tang Xiao’s confidence in their relationship.

Significant themes

• Family intimacy and teasing: The siblings’ banter and unspoken exchanges show their closeness.
• Romance and public propriety: Si Wuyu and Tang Shiba are affectionate, but mindful of her mother’s opinion.
• Power, manipulation, and comic reversal: Ouyang arrives with schemes, only to become the target of Tang Shiba’s social and financial “milking.”
• Confidence in relationships: Gu Qingcheng’s happiness reflects her growing sense of security with Tang Xiao.

Plot and events

• At dinner, Ouyang Xuan tries to embarrass Si Wuyu with stories about his childhood and popularity. Tang Mother, Tang Shiba, Tang Second Brother, and Gu Qingcheng counter with teasing stories of their own, leaving Ouyang Xuan increasingly awkward.
• Ouyang says Si Wuyu once liked the school’s prettiest girl. Si Wuyu clarifies that she liked him, but he only likes Tang Shiba. Tang Shiba responds by kissing him and saying she likes him too, effectively confirming their relationship in front of the family.
• Ouyang’s attempt to stir trouble instead brings the couple closer. After dinner, she goes into the courtyard, apparently intending to provoke Er Gou, the family’s fierce dog. The family gathers on the balcony to watch, and the chapter ends as Er Gou bares its teeth at her.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu: Tang Shiba’s public confession surprises Si Wuyu and makes him visibly emotional. He becomes more openly affectionate, while she playfully chides him for being overly familiar.
• Tang Mother and the family: Tang Mother protects Si Wuyu from Ouyang’s insinuations, and the others join in. The family is pleased by the new couple, though they jokingly worry about Tang Shiba being swept away so quickly.
• Ouyang Xuan: Her attempts to undermine Si Wuyu repeatedly backfire. Rather than retreat, she turns to a risky plan involving Er Gou.
• Si Wuyu and Ouyang: Si Wuyu refuses to defend Ouyang and is privately grateful when her provocation leads Tang Shiba to confess.

Themes

• Loyalty and belonging: The Tang family closes ranks around its own and welcomes Si Wuyu.
• Love through honesty: A straightforward declaration of affection resolves the tension created by Ouyang’s romantic gossip.
• Comic comeuppance: Ouyang’s scheming produces the opposite of what she intended, setting up further trouble with Er Gou.

Plot points and events

• Ouyang Xuan approaches Er Gou in the Tang family’s yard, secretly holding mud and apparently preparing to provoke him. Tang Shiba records the encounter for Weibo, then throws a bottle that smashes near Ouyang’s feet. Startled and exposed, Ouyang pretends she only meant to pet the dog and leaves.
• In the car, Ouyang complains that Tang Eldest Brother failed to defend her at dinner. He apologizes sincerely, but his calm response only makes her compare him unfavorably with Du Xiaotian.
• Ouyang drafts a contract favorable to the Tang family, and it is signed. The system reveals that construction on the Jintang plot will begin the next day—and that Ouyang intends to cause a deadly accident there, implicating both the Tang and Si families.
• Tang Shiba decides not to kill Ouyang yet, partly because she fears the system might retaliate against Si Wuyu’s parents. Instead, she plans to prevent the construction disaster and expose Ouyang’s past scandals.
• Tang Shiba rallies the “Take Down Xuan Squad,” a group of anti-fans, and gives them files of Ouyang’s dirt to post two revelations per day. She later turns the material over to Xu Jiang to manage. Shanshan is eager to handle it herself but accepts that Xu Jiang has already been assigned.
• Tang Shiba goes to the construction site to supervise it and discovers Su Chen is there, representing the Su family as the person in charge of materials. The system explains that Ouyang brought him into the project as another target.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba acts boldly and strategically: she publicly documents Ouyang’s behavior, prepares a sustained reputational attack, and personally heads to the site to stop the planned disaster. Though ruthless in exposing Ouyang, she hesitates to eliminate her because of the possible consequences for Si Wuyu’s parents.
• Ouyang Xuan is shown as calculating and dangerous, concealing her intentions behind a friendly pretense and arranging a construction accident that could harm multiple people. She also remains frustrated by Tang Eldest Brother’s lack of dramatic loyalty.
• Tang Eldest Brother maintains that he wanted to help Ouyang but does not share Du Xiaotian’s intense, self-sacrificing devotion to her.
• The Black Treasures, including Shanshan, are devoted followers despite being anti-fans: they eagerly help damage Ouyang’s reputation and delight in their interactions with Tang Shiba.
• Tang Shiba and Su Chen reunite at the site. Tang Shiba wonders why Ouyang has involved him and feels a little guilty about the “second male lead” label, but insists that she is loyal to Si Wuyu.

Significant themes

• Public exposure as retaliation: Tang Shiba turns social media and organized fan activity into weapons against Ouyang.
• Preventing harm versus seeking revenge: Tang Shiba wants Ouyang brought down, but chooses to stop the coming disaster rather than immediately kill her.
• Loyalty and moral responsibility: Tang Shiba’s concern for Si Wuyu’s family shapes her decisions, while Ouyang’s schemes endanger entire families and a construction workforce.

Key plot points and events

• At the construction site, workers perform rituals because they believe the land was once a graveyard. Tang Shiba jokes about spirits with Su Chen.
• Workers uncover a nest of snakes planted by Ouyang Xuan to frighten them. Tang Shiba recognizes them as farm-raised, has them caught, and encourages the crew to cook and eat them.
• Tang Shiba posts photos of the meal online, sparking amused and bewildered reactions from netizens. Ouyang Xuan is furious that her scheme backfired.
• Ouyang Xuan complains to Si Wuyu, falsely accusing Tang Shiba of living with workers and secretly seeing Su Chen. Si Wuyu rebukes her and warns her to keep personal matters out of work.
• Ouyang Xuan then orders someone to get Tang Shiba and Su Chen together by any means, and her system urges her to use the construction site to eliminate Tang as well.
• Si Wuyu heads to the site under the pretext of inspecting safety, though his assistant understands he mainly wants to see Tang.
• While gossiping with the workers, Tang Shiba brings up a potentially serious issue: someone may be cutting corners and using substandard materials, putting the future building—and workers’ lives—at risk.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains fearless, resourceful, and playful. She turns Ouyang’s intimidation tactic into a communal meal and shows she can connect easily with the workers.
• Ouyang Xuan grows more openly vindictive as her plan fails. She shifts from causing trouble to contemplating a more dangerous plot against Tang.
• Si Wuyu firmly defends Tang against Ouyang’s accusations and makes an excuse to visit the construction site.
• Su Chen is impressed by Tang’s boldness when she handles the snakes barehanded.

Significant themes

• Superstition versus practical judgment: The workers fear the snakes as an omen, while Tang identifies them as farm-raised.
• Gossip as both entertainment and influence: Casual rumors dominate the site, but Tang’s warning about faulty construction could have grave consequences.
• Sabotage and escalating danger: Ouyang’s schemes move from unsettling workers toward potentially endangering Tang and others.
• Community and camaraderie: Tang’s approach helps turn a frightening discovery into a lively shared meal.

Character interactions

• Tang teases Su Chen about spirits, then surprises him with her fearlessness around snakes.
• Tang reassures and persuades the workers, ultimately joining them in eating the snakes.
• Ouyang tries to provoke Si Wuyu with claims about Tang and Su Chen, but he shuts her down.
• Tang bonds with the workers through gossip, then raises the alarm about possible construction fraud.

Key plot points and events

• During an inspection, Tang Shiba and Su Chen spot a tower-crane operator preparing to relieve himself above the workers’ lunch area. Tang warns everyone, then runs for safety when she realizes he is about to do more than urinate.
• Several workers ignore her warning and are hit by falling feces. Their anger and the resulting commotion amuse Tang, who jokes that they’ve received an unexpected “windfall.”
• Si Wuyu visits the site with lunch for Tang and the workers. After lunch, he takes Tang away; Su Chen returns to the Su family.
• The next day, Su Chen swiftly identifies and dismisses employees involved in cutting corners, addressing some of Tang’s concerns.
• Tang then confronts a supervisor and his relatives, who are loafing instead of working. When Su Chen arrives, he orders them fired and paid what they are owed.
• One of the relatives starts livestreaming to attack Tang’s reputation online. Tang takes over the moment, introducing herself and announcing that she will expose the truth live from the site.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is blunt, energetic, and humorous, but also attentive to safety and willing to confront corruption and workplace misconduct.
• Su Chen shows practical support for Tang by decisively dismissing workers who cut corners and backing her during the confrontation.
• Si Wuyu demonstrates affection and concern by bringing Tang lunch and looking after her, while respecting her wish to stay at the site.
• The supervisor and his relatives reveal their entitlement and dishonesty: they shirk work, rely on family connections, and try to present themselves as victims when challenged.

Significant themes

• Workplace safety and accountability: Cutting corners and unsafe behavior can put workers’ lives at risk.
• Nepotism and exploitation: A supervisor has used his position to give relatives easy jobs while others work.
• Public image versus truth: The livestream threat turns a private dispute into a public contest over who controls the story.
• Humor amid conflict: Tang’s irreverent commentary provides comedy even as the chapter exposes serious problems.

Character interactions

• Tang and Su Chen work together in addressing problems at the construction site, though she takes the lead in confronting the idle workers.
• Si Wuyu’s caring gestures contrast with Su Chen’s more businesslike support; Su Chen tactfully gives the couple space.
• The workers initially dismiss Tang’s warning and later blame the crane operator after being hit.
• When the supervisor and his relatives challenge Tang, Su Chen intervenes and orders them dismissed. Tang then turns their attempt to shame her online into an opportunity to speak directly to viewers.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba livestreams a confrontation at a construction site, exposing a worker as a violent wife-beater who has abused his wife and allegedly planned, with his mistress, to harm his two children.
• When the man attacks Tang, Su Chen knocks him down. Tang then smashes a brick into his mouth, knocking out his teeth, and sarcastically presents it on the livestream as an apology.
• Tang reveals that the other workers dug up graves on the site at night and scattered human remains. She also exposes their uncle as a man who seduces the wives of his friends.
• The livestream ends when the phone’s battery dies. Tang asks Su Chen to fire the men; he agrees. She privately notes that they are pawns placed by Ouyang Xuan and that closer supervision should keep the important construction project on track.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba is playful and theatrical on camera but also forceful and violent when confronting wrongdoing. She uses the livestream to shame and expose the men, then directs the practical response toward removing them from the site.
• Su Chen backs Tang up, physically stopping the wife-beater and agreeing to deal with the workers. His normally gentle manner contrasts with his readiness to protect her.
• The workers and their uncle shift from bluster to fear as Tang reveals their misconduct. The wife-beater shows no remorse, while the others try to leave once exposed.
• The audience and Shanshan react to the spectacle: viewers condemn the men and urge action, while Shanshan saves screenshots of Tang’s expressive reactions.

Significant themes

• Abuse and accountability: Tang brings domestic violence and threats against children into public view and retaliates against the abuser.
• Justice versus violence: The chapter frames Tang’s intervention as satisfying, while showing her using physical punishment rather than a formal process.
• Public exposure and spectacle: Livestreaming turns hidden crimes into a shared confrontation, mixing serious accusations with jokes and audience commentary.
• Protecting the project: Removing compromised workers is both a response to their conduct and a way to guard the Tang Family’s valuable construction project from Ouyang Xuan’s interference.

Key plot points and events

• After the workers responsible for earlier trouble are fired, Tang Shiba asks Su Chen to replace them with trustworthy people. Su Chen quickly handles it.
• Tang Shiba receives a system warning that Ouyang Xuan has tampered with Su Chen’s food. She knocks the lunch container away under the pretext of swatting a mosquito, preventing him from eating it, then offers to buy him lunch.
• Si Wuyu picks Tang Shiba up. Once they are alone, the couple share an affectionate reunion and go to one of his villas to spend private time together.
• Tang Shiba gets nervous when the moment becomes intimate. She runs out of the room, but soon returns and initiates a passionate kiss. She continues to hesitate, however, and the pair do not consummate their relationship.
• The next morning, Tang Shiba leaves before Si Wuyu can speak with her. He remains confused and hurt, while she admits to the system that intimacy frightened her.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba is decisive and protective when she prevents Su Chen from eating the tampered food, but vulnerable and anxious in her romantic relationship. She wants closeness with Si Wuyu, yet is not ready to go further.
• Si Wuyu is deeply affectionate and eager to be with Tang Shiba. When she runs away, he assumes he has pressured her and chooses not to chase her. His patience is clear, though her sudden departure leaves him bewildered.
• Su Chen remains composed and dependable, accepting Tang Shiba’s explanation without suspicion.
• Chang Hua shows a more personal understanding of his boss’s attachment, comparing Si Wuyu’s longing to his own feelings for his wife and child.

Significant themes

• Intimacy and consent: Desire does not erase fear or hesitation; Tang Shiba’s uncertainty interrupts their progress, and Si Wuyu ultimately holds back.
• Trust and protection: Tang Shiba quietly shields Su Chen from a threat without revealing the warning.
• Romantic comedy and emotional vulnerability: Their flirtation and teasing contrast with Tang Shiba’s panic and Si Wuyu’s sincere disappointment.
• The gap between outward confidence and inner readiness: Tang Shiba can be bold in other situations but struggles with this personal milestone.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba protects Su Chen while maintaining a light, believable excuse; Su Chen responds with calm trust.
• Si Wuyu and Tang Shiba move between affectionate reunion, playful teasing, and mutual desire, but her fear creates a boundary he does not cross.
• Chang Hua observes their relationship from a discreet distance and reports to the shipping group, though he cannot provide the photographic proof its members want.

Key plot points

• Cloud City is buzzing with gossip, including rumors of an anti-prostitution crackdown and unusual signs barring Tang Shiba from local bars.
• Tang Shiba plans to be bolder with Si Wuyu next time. When he worries she is ignoring him, she kisses him and promises to make up for a romantic step they missed. Tang Second Brother and Gu Qingcheng overhear.
• Tang Shiba learns that her eldest brother, Tang Xuan, is shopping with Ouyang Xuan, who hopes their dating rumors will lead to an engagement. She rushes to the mall to interfere.
• The System announces that Tang Xuan’s destined match, Shang Yun, is also there. Shang Yun is a forceful, aloof heiress and career-focused heir to her family business.
• Tang Xuan and Shang Yun immediately trade insults. The System explains their longstanding hostility began after Tang Xuan wrongly blamed Shang Yun for an incident staged by Tang Xueqing.
• Tang Shiba thinks the combative pair could suit each other as fellow workaholics. Tang Xuan realizes Shang Yun may be his future arranged match and is startled by the possibility. Ouyang Xuan steps in to defend him, setting up a confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba is confident and mischievous with Si Wuyu, but also eager to manage her brothers’ romantic futures. She favors Shang Yun despite the pair’s antagonism.
• Si Wuyu responds to Tang Shiba’s reassurance with tenderness.
• Tang Xuan appears sharp-tongued and prickly around Shang Yun, while secretly reacting with alarm—and reluctant curiosity—to the idea of marrying her.
• Shang Yun is independent and openly hostile toward Tang Xuan, reflecting their past grievance and clashing personalities.
• Ouyang Xuan remains close to Tang Xuan and tries to defend him, unaware that Tang Shiba sees her as an obstacle to his destined match.
• Tang Second Brother and Gu Qingcheng are amused spectators to Tang Shiba’s bold romantic overture.

Significant themes

• Fate versus choice: The System identifies destined matches, but the characters’ reactions and history complicate whether those pairings will succeed.
• Romance and matchmaking: Tang Shiba actively nudges relationships, while rumors and misunderstandings shape others’ expectations.
• Past misunderstandings: Tang Xuan’s earlier failure to hear Shang Yun’s side has hardened their antagonism.
• Contrasting personalities: Shang Yun and Tang Xuan’s combative, ambitious natures may make them an unconventional but compatible pair.

Key plot points and events

• At a jewelry store, Tang Xuan and Shang Yun trade insults while their friends join in, reigniting the hostility between their groups.
• Ouyang Xuan suddenly falls when Shang Yun reaches toward her, though Shang Yun’s friends insist she never touched her. Tang Xuan helps Ouyang up and criticizes Shang Yun, while privately wishing she had pushed harder.
• Ouyang removes her mask. Recognizing her from the scandalous reports circulating online, the bystanders become wary and leave with Shang Yun.
• Ouyang demands an apology and threatens that Shang Yun could bring trouble on her family. Shang Yun hesitates because her family’s company is struggling, but Tang Xuan ends the confrontation and takes Ouyang to lunch.
• As Tang Xuan leaves, he stares at Shang Yun and walks into the store’s glass door. After the crowd disperses, Tang Shiba posts a video of the incident online, accusing Ouyang of staging another accident.

Character developments

• Tang Xuan remains resistant to his arranged match with Shang Yun, yet shows some consideration by ending the dispute rather than pressuring her to apologize. He also seems attracted to her, though his clumsy collision gives him away.
• Shang Yun is proud and sharp-tongued, but her concern for her parents and the family business makes her cautious. Tang Xuan’s lingering look unsettles her.
• Ouyang Xuan presents herself as a fragile victim, but others suspect her of manipulation and cruelty. She is frustrated when Tang Xuan refuses to demand an apology.
• Tang Shiba watches the confrontation, comments privately on its likely effect on the prospective couple, and uses the footage to publicize her accusations against Ouyang.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Ouyang’s performance of innocence clashes with the sinister reputation people have formed from the reports.
• Family pressure and marriage alliances: Shang Yun’s family’s business difficulties make the proposed match with the Tang family consequential, despite the couple’s mutual dislike.
• Reputation and public scrutiny: Gossip and online posts shape how people treat Ouyang and threaten to escalate private conflicts.
• Romantic tension beneath hostility: Tang Xuan and Shang Yun’s antagonism coexists with signs of growing attraction.

Character interactions

• Tang Xuan and Shang Yun clash openly, while their companions reinforce the rivalry.
• Tang Xuan sides outwardly with Ouyang after her fall, but his private thoughts and later actions reveal mixed feelings.
• Ouyang tries to use Tang Xuan’s support and Shang Yun’s family vulnerability to force an apology; Tang Xuan declines to pursue it.
• Tang Shiba observes the exchange and turns it into public content, extending the confrontation beyond the store.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba’s post exposing Ouyang Xuan’s behavior sparks a fierce online dispute. Ouyang’s fans attack Tang Shiba, but Tang’s supporters fight back.
• Ouyang admits the video is real and claims she acted to defend her boyfriend, publicly naming Tang Xuan as that boyfriend. Tang Xuan immediately rejects her, saying he only regarded her as a friend. Ouyang realizes he was never under her control and blames Tang Shiba for disrupting her plans.
• The Tang family confronts Tang Xuan about Ouyang. He says he has obtained the business secrets he wanted and plans to use the scandal to cut ties with her. His parents insist he go on blind dates, so he names Shang Yun as his intended match. Though his mother doubts him, Tang Xuan insists he is serious and begins arranging ways to see Shang Yun.
• Tang Xuan ignores Ouyang’s public declaration, making her look foolish online. As criticism grows, she begins losing fans; some former fans say they regret having watched her hurt others.
• Tang Shiba continues expanding her company. Her staff have been busy filming, and she asks her employee Xu Jiang to prepare a proposal for recruiting more artists.
• Tang Shiba messages Si Wuyu to arrange a visit. When the system reports that he has been in a car accident, she panics and rushes out. Si Wuyu calls to reassure her that he is unharmed and will come to her. She waits in the lobby, where her employees approach her bashfully.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Xuan firmly rejects Ouyang’s assumptions and turns his attention toward Shang Yun, despite his mother’s skepticism. His family teases and pressures him, with Tang Shiba jokingly threatening him with hair clippers.
• Ouyang Xuan becomes increasingly frustrated as her schemes fail. She maintains that she only wanted to survive, but her public claim about Tang Xuan backfires and damages her reputation.
• Tang Shiba remains confident in the online dispute, business-focused, and emotionally invested in Si Wuyu. Her anxiety at the accident report shows how much she cares for him.
• Si Wuyu quickly reassures Tang Shiba after the collision, reflecting their growing closeness.
• The Tang family acts protectively toward Tang Xuan while pushing him toward marriage; Tang Shiba and her brothers join in the teasing.

Significant themes

• Public image and accountability: Ouyang’s own admission, followed by Tang Xuan’s denial, turns public opinion against her.
• Family pressure and romance: Tang Xuan’s family pushes him to marry, while his decision to pursue Shang Yun begins a new romantic direction.
• Resilience and ambition: Tang Shiba keeps building her company despite conflict and scrutiny.
• Attachment and concern: Tang Shiba’s reaction to Si Wuyu’s accident underscores the developing emotional bond between them.