Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Tang Xiao and Tang Lin stop fighting when Tang Shiba’s thoughts reveal that she would rather see them hurt each other than keep dealing with them.
• The three eat at a village restaurant on their way to Qiao Family Village. The owner reacts warily when they mention the village and tries to persuade them to stay overnight.
• Tang Shiba learns through her system that the restaurant charges outrageous prices. Rather than confront the locals, she eats quickly, tricks the owner into fetching rice, and runs. Tang Xiao leaves 100 yuan before following her; Tang Lin trails behind in panic.
• Their pursuers give up when the brothers enter the woods, but Tang Shiba has vanished. The brothers search for her and contact the police, who decline to open a case because she has not been missing long enough.
• The director and the arriving cast join the search. The director reveals that the show is being filmed secretly, so the locals must not learn its purpose before the crew enters the village.
• After searching until dawn, Tang Xiao receives a message from Tang Shiba: she is safe in the village and will meet them the next day.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba stays independent and resourceful, using the system’s warning to avoid a costly confrontation. Her unexplained arrival in the village, despite her dead phone and the darkness, leaves the others puzzled.
• Tang Xiao is anxious and feels responsible for losing his sister; he calls the crew for help and worries about telling their parents.
• Tang Lin is frightened and dependent on Tang Xiao during the escape and search.
• Si Wuyu and the director respond quickly to the disappearance, mobilizing the crew; the director also explains the production’s secrecy.
• The cast’s criticism of Tang Xiao’s carelessness reflects their concern for Tang Shiba as well as their frustration with how the situation began.

Significant themes

• Family tension and responsibility: Tang Shiba’s brothers fear losing her, while their carelessness contributes to the crisis.
• Self-reliance and caution: Tang Shiba trusts her own judgment and avoids provoking locals she believes could be dangerous.
• Rural suspicion and exploitation: The restaurant’s inflated prices and the village’s guarded reputation suggest hidden trouble ahead.
• Secrecy and uncertainty: The covert production and Tang Shiba’s unexplained disappearance both add intrigue around Qiao Family Village.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba deliberately leaves her brothers, Tang Xiao and Tang Lin, behind so she can investigate Qiao Family Village without them getting in the way. She learns from the system that the village shuns outsiders because residents believe they descend from a Dragon God and that outside contact threatens their luck.
• After crossing the forest, Tang Shiba reaches the village. Suspicious villagers stop her, and she pretends to be looking for her father, claiming her mother said he came from the village.
• When the Village Chief arrives and asks for proof, Tang Shiba activates an “All-Hands Gossip Card.” The system reveals that the Village Chief once had an affair with an outsider.
• Tang Shiba claims to be his daughter and invents details about the woman and their child. Her story happens to fit the Village Chief’s past closely enough that he believes her.
• The villagers are startled to discover they can hear Tang Shiba’s thoughts but cannot openly explain it. Her thoughts also expose one villager’s recent affair, leaving him embarrassed and the others suspicious of him.
• The Village Chief accepts Tang Shiba as his daughter and takes her home, while sending the two villagers to fetch the elders to verify her claim.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba shows her usual shameless confidence and improvisational skill: she turns village suspicion into an opportunity, using gossip and a convincing performance to gain entry.
• The Village Chief shifts from skepticism to delighted acceptance, apparently eager to have a daughter and persuaded by Tang Shiba’s claims and their supposed resemblance.
• The villagers move from guarding the village to speculating about Tang Shiba’s identity and the supernatural source of her knowledge. Their reactions to her unspoken thoughts create both fear and comic embarrassment.
• Tang Shiba and the system continue their playful, irreverent dynamic: she insults it, while it supplies gossip and comments on her schemes.

Significant themes

• Deception as social leverage: Tang Shiba uses fabricated family ties and real gossip to bypass the village’s distrust of outsiders.
• The power and danger of gossip: Private secrets reshape the villagers’ behavior as soon as they are exposed.
• Tradition and belief: The village’s strict customs and faith in the Dragon God shape how residents interpret Tang Shiba’s uncanny knowledge.
• Comedy through dramatic irony: Readers know Tang Shiba is bluffing, while the villagers mistake her performance and thoughts for something supernatural.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba’s production crew waits on a nearby mountain while the Director explains their plan: enter Qiao Family Village, expose its restrictive customs through a livestream, and rely on public pressure to force it to open up. The crew will disguise themselves, follow a script, and film before the villagers can stop them.
• In the village, Tang Shiba takes a blood-mixing test to prove she is Qiao Village Chief’s daughter. With the system’s help, her blood merges with his, convincing him—and the village elders—that she is his child.
• While the Chief cooks, Tang Shiba learns through gossip that his two adult sons exploit and beat him for money. The elders suddenly hear her thoughts and conclude she is the Dragon God they worship. They kneel before her, and she decides to play along, ordering them to summon the village’s most respected people.
• The Chief’s sons arrive, reject Tang Shiba as a fraud, and make lewd claims about marrying her. Tang Shiba rolls up her sleeves and attacks them.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba goes from bewildered newcomer to a confident, mischievous figure with unexpected authority. She agrees to let the village think she is divine and is quick to defend herself—and the Village Chief—against his sons.
• Qiao Village Chief is overjoyed to believe he has found his daughter, but his sons’ abuse reveals that he is vulnerable and mistreated at home.
• The two elders shift from skeptical witnesses to fervent believers after they hear Tang Shiba’s private thoughts.
• The production crew prepares to take risks for the exposé, while newcomers Du Xiaotian and Yang Xin join veteran performers Du Wei and Sun Qian.

Character interactions

• Tang Xiao reassures the worried Director that his sister can take care of herself, while the crew questions how they will enter and film in the village.
• Tang Shiba and the Village Chief bond over the supposed kinship test, though she privately jokes about how quickly he accepts her.
• The elders’ reverence surprises Tang Shiba; she turns their belief in her divinity into a way to summon influential villagers.
• The Chief tries to introduce Tang Shiba to his sons as their older sister, but they insult and threaten her. She responds with a beating.

Significant themes

• Tradition versus change: The crew intends to challenge the village’s isolation and backward customs.
• Power and belief: The elders’ faith transforms Tang Shiba into an authority figure, regardless of whether she truly is divine.
• Family and abuse: The Chief’s warm welcome contrasts sharply with his sons’ greed and violence.
• Comedy and reversal: Tang Shiba’s private gossip, the elders’ sudden worship, and her fierce response to the brothers create a comic reversal of who holds power.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba firmly beats her newly acknowledged younger brothers, Qiao Da and Qiao Er, for disrespecting their father and warns them to behave. Though they beg for mercy, they privately plan to get revenge.
• Tang Shiba reveals—through her thoughts, which the brothers seem able to hear—that the boys are planning to rob people. When they try to call her a quack, they can only make ducklike sounds, convincing them she has mysterious powers.
• Village elders and other influential residents gather at the chief’s house. Several challenge Tang Shiba’s claim to be the Dragon God and question why Qiao Feng accepted her as his daughter.
• Tang Shiba’s private thoughts expose embarrassing secrets about villagers, including the group leader’s habit of spitting phlegm, a man who secretly wears diapers, and a patrolman who once rode a pig. The revelations horrify and amuse the gathering, while the villagers increasingly accept her supernatural authority.
• Tang Shiba claims the village’s dragon energy is weakening and says opening the village gates and publicizing its customs will restore it. The villagers resist at first, fearing outsiders will drain the village’s power, but she overrules them by linking the plan to honoring her.
• She tells them to welcome an incoming group and not obstruct them. When someone worries the visitors may be dangerous, she promises to protect the village.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba establishes herself as forceful, witty, and strategically manipulative. She disciplines the boys, uses their apparent ability to hear her thoughts to control them, and turns her gossip into proof of her divine status.
• Qiao Da and Qiao Er move from defiant bullies to frightened, wary younger brothers. They discover that Tang Shiba knows their intentions and may have powers they cannot resist.
• Village Chief Qiao Feng is torn between affection for his sons and respect for Tang Shiba. The villagers’ deference to her leaves him increasingly confused and cautious.
• The villagers shift from suspicion to belief as Tang Shiba reveals private information. Their curiosity about one another’s secrets helps turn the gathering into an eager audience, and they ultimately submit to her instructions.

Significant themes

• Authority and obedience: Tang Shiba establishes control through physical force, supernatural-seeming knowledge, and confident commands.
• Gossip and exposure: Private weaknesses become public, humiliating people while entertaining the crowd and cementing Tang Shiba’s influence.
• Tradition versus openness: The villagers resist opening their secluded community, but Tang Shiba reframes change as necessary to preserve their traditions and dragon energy.
• Family discipline and responsibility: Tang Shiba argues that the boys need firm guidance before their misbehavior leads to serious consequences.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba sends everyone home after a village meeting. As they leave, the men try to identify who is wearing a diaper by looking at one another’s bottoms. The team leader checks someone and is disappointed; another villager advises him to use lozenges for his cough, and he takes one.
• The Village Chief goes to fetch food. Qiao Da and Qiao Er boast that Tang Shiba will be punished by the village’s “real” Dragon God, but her intimidating look silences them. The livestream’s commentary suggests the supposed Dragon God may be a fraud and a source of corruption.
• Outside the village, Chang Hua explains that dogs and suspicious villagers make it too risky to enter. Li Ba refuses to abandon his mission to defeat Tang Shiba, so Chang Hua ties him up. When a disguised group approaches, Chang Hua hides Li Ba in a field; Li Ba fails to recognize his own opponents in disguise.
• The production team, including Si Wuyu, reaches the village entrance. Fang Cheng and Tang Lin improvise, claiming to be Dragon God worshippers. The Village Chief welcomes them and allows them to enter, despite the team’s expectation that outsiders would be turned away.
• The team switches on its hidden cameras and begins the livestream. Viewers immediately ask where Tang Shiba is. Inside the village, some residents suspect the Village Chief has betrayed the Dragon God and rush to alert the deity. The Chief begins explaining the village’s history to the visitors.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains an imposing presence even after leaving; Qiao Da and Qiao Er are too frightened of her to continue their taunts.
• Chang Hua proves cautious and strategic, using the village’s dogs and villagers as reasons not to enter, then restraining Li Ba when he refuses to give up.
• Li Ba remains stubbornly determined to complete his mission, but is unaware that his disguised adversaries are nearby.
• Fang Cheng and Tang Lin compete to control the improvised story, each acting convincingly as a Dragon God devotee.
• Si Wuyu is preoccupied with Tang Shiba’s absence and grows worried when he cannot find her.
• The Village Chief surprises the production team by welcoming the strangers, while villagers interpret his decision as possible betrayal.

Significant themes

• Deception and performance: Disguises and improvised acting let the production team enter a village that was expected to reject outsiders.
• Appearance versus reality: The team’s easy welcome contradicts its assumptions, while the village’s revered Dragon God may be a fraud.
• Loyalty, suspicion, and power: The villagers’ loyalty to the Dragon God turns the Village Chief’s hospitality into a potential act of treachery.
• Comic rivalry: The diaper hunt, Li Ba’s stubbornness, and Fang Cheng and Tang Lin’s one-upmanship provide humor amid the growing mystery.

Key events

• The Village Chief tries to lead the production crew into Qiao Family Village, but angry villagers block them, accusing him of betraying the Dragon God by welcoming outsiders.
• The crew and villagers trade increasingly heated insults. Fang Cheng warns the others a fight may break out, and several people grab rocks as both sides prepare for violence.
• The villagers’ leader, Qiao Xiong—a feared bully and fervent Dragon God spokesman—arrives with his supporters and declares that the Village Chief has no right to speak.
• Si Wuyu notices the village is divided into opposing factions. He and the Director suspect the two sides may follow different Dragon Gods, who could be real people rather than statues.

Character developments and interactions

• The Village Chief stays calm and insists that the Dragon God approved the visitors’ entry, but his authority is undermined by the villagers and Qiao Xiong.
• Fang Cheng shifts from cautious warning to loudly challenging the villagers, while Tang Lin and Du Xiaotian join in. Du Wei surprises his son by responding with fluent, vicious insults in the local dialect.
• Sun Qian tries to restrain Yang Xin and remind her that they are being filmed. The Director, meanwhile, despairs as the encounter veers far from the show’s script.
• Si Wuyu remains observant and analytical, identifying the conflict as a possible division between factions seeking to control the village and those wanting it to develop.

Significant themes

• Belief as a tool of power: The rival claims of the Dragon God appear tied to control of the village.
• Tradition versus development: The dispute may reflect a deeper struggle over whether Qiao Family Village should remain closed or welcome change.
• Public image versus reality: The livestream audience, production crew, and participants all react to an increasingly chaotic situation that is far less scripted than expected.
• Escalating conflict: Mistrust and factionalism turn a simple visit into a near-brawl.

Key plot points

• Qiao Xiong arrives with Qiao Da and Qiao Er, using his influence to turn the villagers against Fang Cheng and his companions. The village chief challenges him, but Qiao Xiong’s own sons side with their bully and accuse their father of neglect.
• Tang Shiba’s hidden thoughts expose the truth behind the village chief’s divorce: his wife had an affair with Qiao Xiong’s father, and the village chief quietly endured the humiliation while villagers blamed him.
• Tang Shiba then reveals that Qiao Xiong abducted a girl from another village and imprisoned her in his cellar. The village party secretary and others find her there and bring her out.
• Qiao Xiong denies the crime and tries to escape, but the villagers turn against him. Qiao Da and Qiao Er attack him, and he is eventually restrained.

Character developments and interactions

• The village chief stands up to Qiao Xiong despite his sons’ betrayal. The revelations about his ex-wife earn him the villagers’ sympathy, and he remains protective even as his sons turn on Qiao Xiong.
• Qiao Da and Qiao Er reveal how deeply Qiao Xiong has influenced them: they blame their father for their hardships, then attack Qiao Xiong once his crimes come to light.
• Qiao Xiong shifts from confident bully to panicked fugitive as his crimes are exposed.
• Tang Shiba stays hidden but drives events by revealing crucial gossip and wrongdoing. Her siblings and Si Wuyu recognize her presence and react eagerly to her revelations.
• The villagers move from backing Qiao Xiong to helping the village chief and capturing him. Yang Xin gives the rescued girl water, while the production crew watches the sudden reversal in confusion.

Significant themes

• Truth and accountability: Secret wrongdoing is exposed, bringing consequences for Qiao Xiong and clearing the village chief’s reputation.
• Manipulation and misplaced loyalty: Qiao Xiong exploits fear and the villagers’ belief in the Dragon God to control them, while his influence has helped turn the chief’s sons against their father.
• Family betrayal and hidden pain: The chief’s sons reject him based on a false account of their family’s past, while his quiet sacrifice goes unrecognized until the truth emerges.

Key plot points and events

• Qiao Xiong is arrested for helping keep a girl captive. His father is arrested too, and the girl’s father—who once gave Tang Xiao and Tang Lin a ride—reunites with her and vows to press charges.
• Qiao Xiong blames the Village Chief and a supposed “monster” for his arrest, but the villagers dismiss him as frightened and confused.
• After the villagers leave, the Village Chief catches Tang Shiba trying to slip away in disguise. Her conspicuous painted-on mustache makes the production crew laugh, though Tang Xiao signals them not to spoil her act.
• The Village Chief invites Tang Shiba to tour the village, calling himself her “dad.” Qiao Da and Qiao Er eagerly ask her to draw them mustaches and promise to return to school and support her.
• Tang Lin gets jealous of the attention and argues with the two boys. Tang Shiba then teaches Fang Cheng how to jokingly claim a stranger as his father; his attempt sparks another quarrel with Tang Lin.
• Meanwhile, a woman who calls herself the Dragon God learns that Qiao Xiong has been arrested. Unable to speak or write the explanation, her subordinate says a mysterious “fake Dragon God” has appeared at the Village Chief’s house. The woman orders someone to bring this person to her, considering whether to recruit her.
• The group heads toward a village wedding banquet, which the director hopes will provide material for the show.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba keeps up her comic disguises and mischievous act, while using playful insults and teaching Fang Cheng her “find yourself a dad” trick.
• Tang Lin is protective and possessive of his sister’s attention, first pushing Qiao Da and Qiao Er aside, then bickering with Fang Cheng.
• Qiao Da and Qiao Er quickly shift from hostility to admiration of Tang Shiba, promising to change their ways so she will draw mustaches for them.
• The Village Chief remains welcoming and patient, even as the young people’s antics escalate; he plays along with the joke that he is Tang Shiba’s father.
• Du Wei privately regrets joining the show, feeling its chaotic, unpolished behavior is damaging his image.
• The Dragon God woman emerges as a new threat: she is protective of the life she has built and curious about the person disrupting her plans.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: The girl’s rescue leads to the arrest of her captors and the prospect of legal consequences.
• Performance and mistaken identity: Tang Shiba’s disguise and the false Dragon God label blur the line between acting, deception, and genuine power.
• Found family and belonging: The “dad” jokes and the brothers’ attachment to Tang Shiba turn family bonds into a playful, improvised theme.
• Comedy amid danger: The chapter moves from a serious rescue and arrest to teasing, sibling rivalry, and reality-show chaos.

Plot points and events

• During a wedding in Qiao Family Village, guests subject the bride and bridesmaids to “hazing,” including dumping flour on the bride and groping the women. Yang Xin objects, but the village chief and Qiao Da and Qiao Er defend the behavior as local custom.
• The production group arrives with Tang Shiba, whom the village chief introduces as the village’s new Dragon God and his daughter. The wedding hosts initially hesitate to welcome the outsiders, but accept the director’s generous cash gift and seat the group.
• The group eagerly enjoys the wedding feast. Si Wuyu repeatedly serves Tang Shiba food, which she accepts; she rejects similar gestures from Qiao Da and Qiao Er and brushes away Tang Lin’s attempt to feed her.
• Tang Shiba hears through her gossip ability that a bridesmaid has been dragged into a room and is being molested. The village chief and the others rush to the scene. The bride begs for help, and the chapter ends as the village chief kicks open the door.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains focused on food and gossip, but acts promptly once she learns someone is in danger.
• Si Wuyu shows affection for Tang Shiba by attentively serving her food. She accepts his care, prompting others to notice their closeness.
• Yang Xin is outraged by the harassment but restrains herself when insulted by Qiao Da and Qiao Er.
• Qiao Da and Qiao Er reveal their contempt for women and become protective and jealous when they mistake Si Wuyu’s attention for romantic interest in their sister.
• The village chief initially defends the village’s abusive tradition, but reacts angrily when told a bridesmaid is being assaulted.

Significant themes

• The chapter condemns sexual harassment and the use of “custom” to excuse abuse.
• It contrasts the villagers’ festive public rituals with the violence concealed behind closed doors.
• Money, status, and gossip shape interactions: the hosts welcome the crew after seeing the director’s cash, while Tang Shiba’s uncanny gossip voice quickly draws a crowd.
• Humor and romantic teasing—especially around Tang Shiba and Si Wuyu—sit alongside the chapter’s serious depiction of misogyny.

Character interactions

• Yang Xin confronts Qiao Da and Qiao Er over their sexist remarks, while Sun Qian urges her not to lose her temper.
• The hosts shift from rejecting the outsiders to warmly welcoming Tang Shiba after the director offers money.
• Si Wuyu, Qiao Da, Qiao Er, and Fang Cheng all try to put food in Tang Shiba’s bowl; her different responses provoke comic jealousy and speculation.
• The bride appeals to the village chief, who leads the group to intervene when the bridesmaid’s assault is exposed.

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba and the production crew interrupt a group of men assaulting a woman during a wedding hazing. The Village Chief stops them, and the woman’s parents arrive to demand apologies. The crew’s footage sparks outrage online.
• At the feast, two messengers summon Tang Shiba—mistaking her for “Qiao Shiba”—to meet the village’s self-proclaimed Dragon God. Exhausted, Tang falls asleep on Si Wuyu’s back, and he carries her to the Village Chief’s house.
• The next morning, villagers accuse Tang of angering the Dragon God after more than a dozen people become ill. They insist she come beg forgiveness. Tang argues the sick need medical care, but agrees to visit and expose the supposed mystic.
• At the Dragon God’s home, the mystic demands that Tang enter alone. Si Wuyu and the crew object, but Tang confidently goes inside, warning that the person who should be worried is the one waiting there.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains skeptical of superstition and refuses to be manipulated into unnecessary drama. Despite her fatigue, she accepts the challenge to investigate the Dragon God.
• Si Wuyu shows tender concern for Tang, carrying her while she sleeps and insisting she not enter the mystic’s home alone.
• The Village Chief intervenes to stop the wedding assault, then tries to manage the villagers’ accusations and fears.
• Qiao Yu, angry that Tang impersonated her and disrupted the village’s order, appears intent on retaliating.
• The villagers blame Tang for the poisonings rather than seeking proper medical help, reflecting their dependence on the Dragon God’s authority.
• The livestream audience condemns the assault, jokes about Tang’s coming confrontation, and enthusiastically ships Tang and Si Wuyu.

Significant themes

• Superstition versus reason: Tang challenges the villagers’ belief that illness is caused by disrupted “dragon energy” and urges them to seek medical care.
• Abuse and accountability: The opening assault exposes the danger of treating wedding hazing as harmless fun, while public attention pushes the offenders to apologize.
• Protection and affection: Si Wuyu’s quiet care for Tang contrasts with the village’s hostile suspicion.
• Public spectacle: The production crew and livestream turn both the assault and the looming confrontation into widely watched drama.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Tang Shiba is brought to Qiao Yu’s home, where the door is shut and the livestream audience loses its view. A villager demands that Tang Shiba kneel before the supposed Dragon God, but Tang Shiba ridicules the demand and refuses to bow.
• Tang Shiba recognizes that Qiao Yu’s ordinary-looking face appears to have been altered by plastic surgery. After a deliberate pause, Qiao Yu says Tang Shiba looks familiar and reveals that she summoned her to confront the woman she believes is impersonating her.
• Qiao Yu claims she will demonstrate her power by summoning snakes and insects. Tang Shiba calmly drives the snakes away with realgar wine, then scatters the bugs with rubbing alcohol and a lighter. Qiao Yu’s supernatural-looking tricks fail, and the villagers and a hidden observer, Chang Hua, are left stunned.
• Qiao Yu tries to switch tactics, offering Tang Shiba tea and then proposing that she work for her. Tang Shiba refuses to drink and reveals that Qiao Yu’s tea was used to poison the villagers. Qiao Yu realizes Tang Shiba’s thoughts may be reaching her, while the villagers struggle to believe their revered Dragon God could have poisoned them.
• When Qiao Yu threatens Tang Shiba, Tang Shiba calls her by her former name, Chen Huahua, and recalls a past encounter in which Chen Huahua tried to frighten her with a snake and Tang Shiba slapped her. The chapter ends with Tang Shiba offering to make her remember.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba remains irreverent, fearless, and quick-witted. Rather than being intimidated by Qiao Yu’s staged displays, she counters them with practical preparations and uses her knowledge of Qiao Yu’s past to unsettle her.
• Qiao Yu / Chen Huahua shifts from composed host to angry challenger, then to frightened and defensive once her tricks fail and Tang Shiba exposes her identity and alleged poisoning.
• The villagers begin to doubt their faith in the Dragon God after hearing the accusation, although they are reluctant to accept it.
• Tang Xiao, Tang Lin, and Si Wuyu, listening outside through Tang Shiba’s thoughts, worry about the snakes but are also taken aback by her lack of fear and her jokes about eating them.
• Chang Hua, hidden in a cabinet, is poised to intervene but never gets the chance.

Significant themes

• Superstition versus practical knowledge: Qiao Yu’s apparent supernatural powers are defeated by ordinary substances and preparation.
• Deception and identity: Tang Shiba challenges Qiao Yu’s assumed divine role and exposes her former identity.
• Power and manipulation: Qiao Yu tries intimidation, spectacle, poison, and persuasion to control Tang Shiba and the villagers.
• Irreverence and resilience: Tang Shiba’s humor and composure under pressure undermine Qiao Yu’s attempts to dominate her.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba openly mocks the villager who demands reverence and refuses to treat Qiao Yu as a deity.
• Qiao Yu tries to frighten Tang Shiba with animals, then offers her tea and a lucrative position; Tang Shiba counters each move with practical measures, sarcasm, or revelations.
• Tang Shiba’s accusation that Qiao Yu poisoned the villagers shakes both Qiao Yu and the people outside.
• The confrontation turns personal when Tang Shiba identifies Qiao Yu as Chen Huahua and reminds her of their earlier fight.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba recognizes the village’s supposed “Dragon God” as Chen Huahua, a former celebrity who has replaced her face and is impersonating a local spiritual authority.
• Chen Huahua admits her identity once they are alone, but refuses to explain why she came to Qiao Family Village. Tang threatens to expose her and jokingly demands five million a day to stay quiet.
• Chen Huahua suddenly faints to avoid the confrontation. Tang follows suit and lands on top of her, prompting a loyal follower to accuse Tang of knocking the Dragon God unconscious.
• Si Wuyu rushes to Tang’s side and keeps her in his arms rather than laying her down. Their closeness delights the livestream’s “ship” fans, while Tang privately complains about the awkward position.
• The two groups argue over who attacked whom. Tang continues pretending to be unconscious, and the villagers threaten to keep her party in the village.
• Chen Huahua wakes and orders the villagers to let Tang’s group go. She claims to have medicine for the poisoned villagers, presenting herself as their rescuer despite Tang’s belief that Chen poisoned them herself.
• Chen has Tang’s party escorted out, avoiding a public confrontation. Tang suspects Chen has a private reason for wanting to speak with her.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba recognizes Chen, challenges her fraud, and uses humor and threats to press for information. She remains suspicious of Chen’s motives and improvises by feigning unconsciousness.
• Chen Huahua drops her spiritual persona in private, revealing panic beneath her authority. She tries to silence Tang, then uses a staged faint and a show of magnanimity to control the villagers and prevent the situation from escalating.
• Si Wuyu shows concern by rushing to Tang, then deliberately holds her close. Tang is uncomfortable with the intimacy, while the livestream audience interprets it romantically.
• Tang Lin, Tang Xiao, and Fang Cheng rally to defend Tang and threaten the Dragon God’s followers; the villagers and the Fortune-Teller Faction trade accusations but stop short of violence.
• Chen’s follower quickly casts Tang as the aggressor, helping sustain Chen’s public image.

Significant themes

• Deception and performance: Chen’s altered identity and staged supernatural authority contrast with Tang’s own theatrical feigning.
• Power and public image: Chen relies on village loyalty and controlled appearances to avoid exposure; Tang threatens to disrupt that authority.
• Suspicion and hidden motives: The poisoned villagers, Chen’s unexplained purpose, and her desire for a private conversation leave the central mystery unresolved.
• Romantic comedy and audience spectacle: Si Wuyu’s embrace and the livestream’s reactions turn a tense standoff into a source of humor and romantic speculation.

Plot and events

• Tang Shiba wakes after fainting and leaves the crowd with Si Wuyu and the others. She later slips away to question Chen Huahua, with Si Wuyu accompanying her.
• Chang Hua has already restrained Chen Huahua when Tang Shiba arrives. Tang Shiba shows her photos of Qiao Yu, whose face and public life appear to have replaced Chen Huahua’s, and threatens to expose the secret unless Chen talks.
• Chen says she was forced to exchange faces with Qiao Yu after scandals, threats, and pressure from her agency left her feeling trapped. She claims the exchange was demanded under threat to her parents, and that afterward someone tried to kill her; the police dismissed her fears.
• Chen says she fled to Qiao Yu’s hometown and became its “Dragon God,” using her influence to keep the village from developing as revenge against Qiao Yu. She identifies a powerful, show-business-connected woman as the person behind the exchange but says Qiao Yu alone could contact her.
• Tang tests Chen’s claim by making her log into her Langyin account. A new account immediately sends a threatening message addressed to “Qiao Yu,” suggesting Chen is being monitored. Tang suspects the enemy has a system like her own—possibly a stronger one.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba is shrewd and confrontational: she manipulates the villagers into leaving, corners Chen, and tests her story rather than accepting it at face value. She still agrees to have Si Wuyu protect Chen.
• Chen Huahua shifts from pretending everything is fine to admitting she fears being hunted. Her account mixes victimhood, resentment, and apparent enjoyment of her new life; Tang’s system says her story is only partly true.
• Si Wuyu supports Tang, helps arrange the questioning, and quietly agrees to protect Chen.
• Chang Hua restrains Chen before Tang arrives, though Si Wuyu sends him away so Chen will talk.
• Tang and Chen clash over the face swap and Chen’s revenge on Qiao Yu. Chen’s fear of the unknown pursuer becomes clearer when the threatening message appears.

Significant themes

• Stolen identity and lost agency: Chen says her face, career, and life were taken from her.
• Coercion, trauma, and revenge: Her claimed victimization fuels her retaliation against Qiao Yu’s hometown.
• Truth and deception: Tang doubts Chen’s account, and the system confirms it is only half true.
• Surveillance and hidden power: The instant message suggests a capable, unseen antagonist who may use a system of their own.

Key events

• Tang Shiba realizes Chen Huahua is trying to warn someone, not simply prove her story. She pretends to be persuaded, then starts a Langyin livestream to pressure Chen into confessing.
• Chen admits that she and Qiao Yu willingly switched faces. Qiao Yu was a talented actress whose ordinary appearance hindered her career; Chen was a poor actress in debt after her boyfriend cheated her. A mysterious person paid Chen’s debts and promised her special treatment in Qiao Family Village in exchange for impersonating Qiao Yu and keeping quiet.
• Tang Shiba’s livestream draws viewers away from the production’s stream. The village leaders and cast watch as Chen’s confession spreads online, triggering a social-media scandal. The village chief calls the police, while Tang Shiba suspects the exposure will force the person behind the scheme to act.
• Tang ends the stream, unties Chen, and claims to believe her, then leaves with Si Wuyu. Chang Hua stays behind to keep watch in case Chen tries to flee.
• On the walk back, Tang asks why Si Wuyu hasn’t questioned her. Their close proximity unsettles her, and she runs off before he can answer.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba shows her usual bold, tactical style: she uses a bluff to get the truth, then makes the confession public rather than quietly accepting it. She remains playful and guarded around Si Wuyu.
• Chen Huahua shifts from anxious deception to a full confession, but still fears exposure and consequences.
• Si Wuyu stays quiet and attentive, walking close behind Tang. His unspoken attraction is hinted at when he follows her shadow; Tang misreads the moment as intimidating closeness and flees.
• The village leaders and cast react with disbelief and argue over whether Chen is truly their “Dragon God,” while the production crew scrambles after losing its audience to Tang’s stream.

Significant themes

• Deception and identity: The face swap exposes how appearance, talent, and celebrity status can be manipulated.
• Public exposure and accountability: Livestreaming turns a private confession into a major scandal and brings the authorities into the matter.
• Power and manipulation: An unknown figure orchestrated the impersonation, and Tang hopes public attention will flush them out.
• Comedy and romantic tension: The system’s banter and Tang’s awkwardness around Si Wuyu lighten the chapter’s scandal-driven plot.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba returns to find the village preparing to expose Chen Huahua, the woman who impersonated the village’s Dragon God. The villagers gather eggs to pelt her; Fang Cheng and others improvise by making mud, even suggesting adding manure.
• Chen Huahua sees the news revealing her fraud and tries to flee with her valuables, but villagers are already waiting. The village chief confronts her, and the crowd throws insults and rotten eggs.
• To save herself, Chen Huahua tells the villagers that Tang Shiba is also a fraud, exposing her real name and celebrity identity. Tang Shiba admits who she is but points out that she never deceived or harmed the villagers. The villagers defend her, citing how she helped them.
• Chen Huahua is pelted with eggs and foul-smelling mud until the police arrive and take her away.
• The villagers then ask Tang Shiba to become their new Dragon God. She tells them they need not kneel, but privately recognizes that she will have to keep playing along.
• The village chief admits he knew Tang Shiba had been pretending, but had let events unfold because the village needed change. He asks her to help guide the villagers. Tang Shiba says they were both acting and is not angry; she also privately admits the role helps with filming.
• Tang Shiba later tells Tang Xiao that she and the village chief have negotiated terms that should allow filming to proceed smoothly.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains calm and practical when Chen Huahua tries to expose her. She earns the villagers’ loyalty through her actions, though she treats the Dragon God role partly as a useful performance.
• Chen Huahua shifts from panic and attempted escape to spiteful desperation, trying to drag Tang Shiba down with her. Once the villagers reject her accusation, she gives up resisting.
• The villagers turn their devotion to Chen Huahua into anger when her fraud is revealed, then transfer their faith to Tang Shiba because they believe she has genuinely helped them.
• The village chief reveals that he had suspected Tang Shiba’s deception and was testing what she would do. Her success earns his admiration, and he asks for her help.
• Fang Cheng, Tang Lin, Qiao Da, and Qiao Er join the villagers’ effort against Chen Huahua; Qiao Da and Qiao Er also stand up for Tang Shiba when her identity is exposed.

Significant themes

• Actions matter more than titles or identities: The villagers accept Tang Shiba despite knowing she is not a local because she helped them, while rejecting Chen Huahua for exploiting their faith.
• Faith and community: The villagers’ need for a guiding belief leaves them ready to appoint a new Dragon God, even after discovering the old one was false.
• Performance and mutual benefit: Both Tang Shiba and the village chief admit to playing roles, but their cooperation may help the village and the filming.
• Desperation and scapegoating: Chen Huahua’s final attempt to accuse Tang Shiba reflects her refusal to face the consequences alone.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba persuades Qiao Village Chief to speak with Director Wang, clearing the way for the production team to film Qiao Family Village’s harmful customs openly. The Village Chief hopes the publicity will help the village change.
• The crew reveals its hidden filming equipment and begins the livestream. The director announces that the cast must find places to stay, with two people assigned to each household.
• Tang Shiba is assigned to stay at the Village Chief’s house with her brothers, Tang Xiao and Tang Lin. Si Wuyu and Fang Cheng also volunteer to stay with her, but the director rejects them because of the two-person limit.
• The other groups set out to find lodging with only a basic phone and a daily allowance of one hundred yuan.
• After the Village Chief leaves, Tang Shiba learns that Tang Xueqing is heading to the village with supplies, hoping to perform charity work and gain publicity. Anticipating more visitors, Tang Shiba tells Qiao Da to ask his father to guard the entrance and admit only the production crew.

Character developments

• Tang Shiba shows practical leadership: she helps secure permission to film, adapts to the unscripted situation, and takes steps to protect the shoot from disruption.
• Qiao Village Chief proves more flexible than his village’s traditions suggest. He welcomes the filming and sees it as a chance to improve the village.
• Si Wuyu reveals jealousy and possessiveness when he cannot stay with Tang Shiba, though he keeps those feelings under control.
• Tang Xiao, Tang Lin, and Fang Cheng compete playfully to claim the role of Tang Shiba’s “big brother,” while Qiao Da and Qiao Er are left confused by the crowd of brothers.
• Qiao Da is eager to help Tang Shiba and quickly acts on her instructions.

Significant themes

• Tradition versus change: The Village Chief’s willingness to expose harmful customs suggests the possibility of reform.
• Publicity and performance: The livestream may help the village, but visitors such as Tang Xueqing may also exploit its sudden attention for their own image.
• Improvisation and cooperation: With no real script for the episode, the cast and villagers must adapt as they go.
• Affection and rivalry: The men’s playful competition—and Si Wuyu’s more serious jealousy—centers on their attachment to Tang Shiba.

Character interactions

• Tang Shiba and Director Wang negotiate the filming arrangements, while the Village Chief supports the project.
• The cast jokes and competes over who gets to stay near Tang Shiba; the director settles the matter by assigning her two actual brothers.
• Si Wuyu and Fang Cheng discuss the village’s chickens and the likely difficulty of getting good food on the show.
• Tang Shiba gives Qiao Da a direct order to keep uninvited visitors out, and he immediately agrees to pass it along.

• Tang Shiba’s group: Tang Xiao and Tang Lin struggle to cook: Xiao forgets to add water to the rice, while Lin fills the kitchen with smoke trying to light the stove. Shiba decides the crew’s prices for food are absurd and refuses to pay, so she enters a balloon-shooting game to win a cabbage. When she and Lin both miss most of their shots, the production crew—alarmed by her threatening wrist-roll—declares she has hit enough targets and hands it over. Lin’s eagerness to help his sister impresses her briefly, but his poor aim lets her down.
• The other groups: Sun Qian and Yang Xin find nobody home because the villagers are at a banquet, leaving them hungry and searching for a mission card. Du Xiaotian and his partner persuade a lonely elderly man to host them, then settle in to cook. Fang Cheng ignores the show’s rules and takes Si Wuyu to the banquet after learning the village is empty; Si quietly goes along. Fang’s friendly conversation wins them a place to stay.
• Si Wuyu’s unexpected behavior: At the banquet, Si begins wrapping up meat before anyone has eaten, saying he is taking it back for someone who could not attend. The villagers are displeased, Fang is astonished, and the crew and viewers laugh at the normally dignified film star’s shamelessness. Meanwhile, Chang Hua and Li Ba eat happily, unaware their boss has abandoned his polished image.
  Character developments and interactions: Tang Shiba remains sharp-tongued, practical, and intimidating, while her brothers’ clumsy efforts to help reveal their eagerness to win her approval. Fang Cheng proves resourceful and sociable, bending rules to secure food and lodging; Si Wuyu tacitly supports him and displays an unexpectedly brazen, considerate side by saving food for someone back home.
  Themes: The chapter plays comedy off the contrast between public image and private behavior, and between the contestants’ hunger and the show’s arbitrary rules. It also highlights family approval, resourcefulness, and the ways small acts—helping a sibling or saving food for someone absent—reveal affection.

Plot points and events

• Tang Shiba is barred from joining Qiao Da and Qiao Er at a banquet, leaving her stuck with cabbage and already irritated about the show’s diet restrictions.
• Sun Qian and Yang Xin return without a place to stay and ask to eat at Tang Shiba’s. Tang Shiba agrees to share the food her brothers are preparing.
• Tang Lin presents plain boiled cabbage as “Qianlong cabbage.” The rice is inexplicably black, prompting Tang Shiba to pin him down and beat him for wasting food. Sun Qian steps in, cooks fresh rice, and salvages the meal.
• Tang Xueqing is still traveling to Qiao Family Village, frustrated by the long journey.
• Fang Cheng tells Tang Shiba that the banquet continues the next day and suggests they sneak over together. She eagerly accepts, though she privately fantasizes about confronting the director over being kept away.
• The director arranges accommodation for the contestants who lack it. Fang Cheng claims his group’s lodging plan fell through, concealing that their hosts were put off when Si Wuyu packed food before eating.
• Li Ba, a man Tang Shiba recognizes as someone she has beaten before, arrives with another contestant. She taunts him, and he reacts angrily.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains impulsive, combative, and driven by food, but she readily shares her meal with Sun Qian and Yang Xin. Her hunger and resentment toward the show’s rules shape much of her behavior.
• Tang Lin’s hapless cooking embarrasses him and infuriates Tang Shiba; Tang Xiao tries to defend him and warns others not to interfere once she starts fighting.
• Sun Qian proves capable and considerate by offering to cook and then rescuing the meal. Yang Xin is initially impressed by the dish’s grand name, only to be disappointed by the reality.
• Fang Cheng bonds with Tang Shiba over their shared interest in the banquet, while covering up the real reason his lodging arrangement failed. Si Wuyu’s poor etiquette is presented as the cause.
• Tang Shiba and Li Ba’s hostile history resurfaces in a wordless exchange of taunts.

Significant themes

• Comedy through contrast: The elegant names “Qianlong cabbage” and “black pearl rice” contrast with the disastrous food.
• Family affection expressed through conflict: Tang Shiba’s beating of Tang Lin is played as part of their chaotic, familiar sibling dynamic.
• Hunger and rule-breaking: Food motivates alliances, complaints, and plans to sneak away from the show’s restrictions.
• Public spectacle: The livestream audience turns the contestants’ mishaps and arguments into entertainment, while the production crew quietly manipulates events.

Key events

• Si Wuyu secretly gives Tang Shiba a package of food. She hides in her room to eat it, while her brothers, Tang Xiao and Tang Lin, guard the door. The director’s cameraman catches the grease on her mouth, but the director refuses to get involved.
• The production team tells the celebrities to follow the villagers’ arrangements for the shoot, without revealing the full plan. Shanshan, meanwhile, gathers information about the village and recruits local gossipers to watch the livestream and pass along celebrity news.
• Tang Shiba agrees to help Qiao Da and Qiao Er carry manure. When a bucket tips over, she escapes the mess and turns the tables, making the brothers clean the entire house.
• The Village Chief returns to find his home spotless. Tang Shiba’s inner commentary reveals that the woman he is courting has been seeing other men; the embarrassed, angry Village Chief leaves to reclaim the money he gave her. Qiao Da reports the matter to Shanshan, hoping to earn gossip money, but there is no celebrity news yet.
• Tang Shiba continues bossing the Qiao brothers around, while Si Wuyu’s group runs into trouble.

Character developments and interactions

• Tang Shiba remains mischievous and self-assured, but she is also willing to do unpleasant chores—until circumstances give her a chance to make others do the work instead.
• Tang Xiao and Tang Lin show their affection and guilt by guarding their sister’s food; they resolve to improve their cooking.
• The Qiao brothers go from expecting Tang Shiba to follow their lead to being intimidated into doing chores themselves. They also begin eagerly pursuing Shanshan’s gossip rewards.
• The director and crew are uneasy about managing Tang Shiba, though she is not the one causing the main disruption this time.
• Si Wuyu’s quiet gift of food suggests consideration toward Tang Shiba.

Significant themes

• Plans versus reality: The crew intends to direct the villagers’ role, but the villagers’ unpredictable behavior takes over.
• Reversed power dynamics: Tang Shiba repeatedly turns situations meant to control or inconvenience her to her advantage.
• Gossip as currency: Shanshan builds a village-wide network that treats information as a commodity, even as the villagers’ own antics generate unexpected drama.

Key plot points and events

• Fang Cheng and Si Wuyu arrive at a house arranged by the production crew. Once the crew leaves, the host woman tells them their only sleeping options are a foul woodshed full of chickens and sheep, or a cramped storage shed.
• The brothers refuse to accept either option and prepare to leave. The woman tries to stop them, worried that losing the television exposure will waste her opportunity.
• Tang Shiba secretly comes to watch. Her gossip reveals that the woman is acting out a “wicked mother-in-law” role because her own mother-in-law treats her badly. Tang Shiba encourages her to let the brothers stay and have Fang Cheng deal with the real mother-in-law.
• The woman finally invites Fang Cheng and Si Wuyu into the house. Tang Shiba’s gossip then exposes the mother-in-law’s habit of stealing vegetables and household items from a relative.
• After Tang Shiba leaves, the mother-in-law orders the brothers to wash vegetables, saying they must earn their keep. They agree, but Fang Cheng intends to turn her attempt to boss them around against her.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Cheng begins offended by the insulting sleeping arrangements, then becomes eager to expose and outmaneuver the woman and her mother-in-law. He recognizes that the woman is using them to provoke a family confrontation.
• Si Wuyu remains calm and polite, supporting his brother’s decision to leave rather than argue. He also notices Tang Shiba hiding nearby and finds her presence endearing.
• Tang Shiba treats the household’s troubles as entertaining gossip. Her revelations change the situation, helping Fang Cheng and Si Wuyu get a proper place to stay.
• The host woman shifts from deliberately mistreating the brothers to welcoming them, hoping Fang Cheng will help her stand up to her cruel mother-in-law.
• The mother-in-law is exposed as a habitual thief and immediately tries to assert authority over the newcomers. The daughter-in-law is surprised that the brothers accept the chore without protest.

Significant themes

• Revenge and cycles of mistreatment: The host woman tries to recreate the family dynamic that hurts her, becoming a “wicked mother-in-law” herself.
• Gossip as power: Tang Shiba’s supernatural ability to hear private thoughts reveals hidden motives and changes people’s behavior.
• Appearances versus reality: The host seems welcoming only after changing strategy, while the seemingly kind elderly woman is secretly dishonest.
• Resistance through wit: Fang Cheng and Si Wuyu refuse to accept unfair treatment, and Fang plans to answer the mother-in-law’s demands on his own terms.