Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Li Yichen visits the Bridge of Helplessness with Su Shengnan and Duan Zhiyuan, who is eager to see his daughter Xia.
• Meng Po greets Li Yichen warmly and teases him about bringing a girlfriend who looks older than he does.
• Xia rushes to Li Yichen, accidentally spilling an entire bucket of the valuable Waters of the River of Forgetfulness. She still calls him “Master” despite his repeated request that she call him “big brother.”
• Duan Zhiyuan speaks to Xia, and the sight of him restores her memories. Father and daughter reunite in tears.
• Meng Po welcomes Su Shengnan and offers her a gift. Su asks for Waters of the River of Forgetfulness, and Meng Po gives her a tiny spatial bottle containing a whole bucket.
• Duan Zhiyuan decides to remain in the Underworld with Xia. Li Yichen provides him with a house, car, and household goods, and Meng Po promises to find out whether Xia’s mother can be reunited with them.

Character developments

• Su Shengnan is initially astonished by Meng Po, then delighted by her generous gift. The spatial bottle gives her renewed confidence about helping the Su Family.
• Xia shows her affectionate, devoted nature toward Li Yichen, but her reunion with her father reveals that she can recover important memories.
• Duan Zhiyuan moves from tearful longing to the decision to stay with Xia, hopeful that his family might be reunited.
• Li Yichen is playful with Meng Po but also compassionate, helping Duan Zhiyuan settle in and asking about Xia’s mother.
• Meng Po appears fond of Li Yichen, warmly welcomes Su Shengnan, and takes personal responsibility for helping Xia’s family.

Significant themes

• Family reunion and remembrance: Xia regains memories of her father, and Duan Zhiyuan chooses to remain near her.
• Generosity and compassion: Li Yichen and Meng Po use their resources and influence to help Duan Zhiyuan and Xia.
• Loyalty and connection: Xia’s attachment to Li Yichen and Su Shengnan’s growing closeness to him shape the visit.
• Humor amid emotion: Banter, Xia’s spilled bucket, and her stubborn use of “Master” contrast with the reunion’s tears.

Character interactions

• Li Yichen and Meng Po trade familiar, teasing remarks, revealing their close rapport.
• Su Shengnan meets Meng Po respectfully and accepts her extraordinary gift after Li Yichen encourages her.
• Xia’s reunion with Duan Zhiyuan is the chapter’s emotional centerpiece.
• Li Yichen supports Duan Zhiyuan’s choice to stay and asks Meng Po to help reunite him with Xia’s mother.

Plot and events

• After an exhausting night, Li Yichen and Su Shengnan return to Jinling University. Su is delighted with the Waters of the River of Forgetfulness and a spatial bottle she acquired, and leaves after calling Li “hubby” for the first time.
• After class, three beautiful women—Mo Yurou, Jiang Ruoyi, and Ouyang Xuanxuan—arrive looking for Li. The sight of them together draws the attention of the entire classroom.
• Mo reveals that her grandfather has arranged for her to enroll at the university, so she and Li can see each other every day.
• The women confront Li in a secluded corner, accusing him of neglecting them. He admits internally that he has been spending time with Su instead.
• To deflect their anger, Li claims he has been preparing gifts for them. Intrigued, the women demand to see them, and he leads them toward Hidden Dragon Manor.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Shengnan is exuberant about her newfound treasures and openly affectionate toward Li, while Li is amused by her happiness.
• Mo Yurou is cheerful about her enrollment but is caught between the others: she has spent time with Li, making Jiang Ruoyi and Ouyang Xuanxuan jealous.
• Jiang Ruoyi, usually composed, takes the lead in demanding an explanation; Ouyang pouts and calls Li “hubby”; Mo joins the questioning, though she feels guilty.
• Li is embarrassed by the public attention and nervous before the three women, but quickly improvises a story about gifts to escape their accusations. The women remain skeptical but are eager to see what he has prepared.

Significant themes

• Romantic jealousy and neglect: Li’s attention to Su has left the other women feeling overlooked.
• Deception and improvisation: Li uses a convenient promise of gifts to postpone answering for his absence.
• Public image and attention: The women’s arrival makes Li the object of envy among his classmates, while he worries that their attention will make him a campus target.

Plot points and events

• Li Yichen brings Ouyang Xuanxuan, Mo Yurou, and Jiang Ruoyi to the Su Family’s former Hidden Dragon Manor, revealing that the Su Family has given it to him. He proves ownership with the deed.
• The women excitedly claim rooms. They then choose Li Yichen’s room beside the kitchen so he can cook for them, leaving him resigned to the arrangement.
• Jiang Ruoyi notices that the vast manor appears unstaffed and raises the risk of a break-in. Li Yichen assures them he has hidden security measures and proposes a wager: if they find them, he will grant them a request.
• Mo Yurou suggests making Li Yichen run naked around the manor; the other women enthusiastically agree. If they fail to find the security measures, they say he only has to run around once—an unfair twist that Li protests.
• The women search for over an hour with professional detection equipment but find no cameras or other devices. They return suspicious, demanding to know whether Li is telling the truth.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen is proud of his new manor but quickly loses control of the domestic arrangements, especially when the women assign him cooking duties. He remains smug about security that they cannot detect.
• Mo Yurou is energetic and mischievous, racing to claim a room and turning Li’s wager into a joke at his expense.
• Ouyang Xuanxuan is initially shy about choosing a room but joins the others, showing growing ease and camaraderie.
• Jiang Ruoyi remains observant and practical, spotting the manor’s lack of security staff and helping lead the search.
• The three women cooperate unusually well: rather than compete for Li Yichen’s attention, they act as a united front, tease him, and share in the room-picking and security hunt.

Significant themes

• Domestic comedy and role reversal: Li Yichen owns an enormous manor but ends up assigned the least desirable room and the cooking.
• Camaraderie among the women: Their teamwork and shared teasing outweigh any expected romantic rivalry.
• Trust and mystery: The failed search leaves the nature of Li Yichen’s hidden security measures unexplained.

Key plot points and events

• Li Yichen teases the three women—Mo Yurou, Ouyang Xuanxuan, and Jiang Ruoyi—by keeping his gift a secret. They wrestle him onto the sofa and demand an answer, stopping only when Mo Yurou threatens to grab his “little brother.” He gives in, joking that the roughhousing let him take liberties too.
• He leads them into the plaza and summons dozens of Stone Demons, with the enormous boulder-like demon watching nearby. He orders the smaller demons to obey the women and protect them when he is away; they acknowledge his command.
• Li Yichen reveals the actual gifts: three Ability Pearls, which he says can grant supernatural abilities to ordinary people. The women are stunned and skeptical, and Mo Yurou says her grandparents never told her about such objects.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen uses teasing and flirtation to create suspense, then impresses the women by showing them the Stone Demons and giving them authority over the creatures. He appears pleased to provide both security and extraordinary gifts.
• Mo Yurou is bold and mischievous, leading the questioning and even threatening Li Yichen physically to make him reveal his secret. Ouyang Xuanxuan is openly admiring and tries to soften the others’ doubts; Jiang Ruoyi joins in the questioning and remains unconvinced.
• The three women move from playful embarrassment during the scuffle to awe at the Stone Demons, then disbelief at the Ability Pearls.

Significant themes

• Affection through teasing: The roughhousing and flirtatious banter show the group’s intimacy and comfort with one another.
• Protection and responsibility: Li Yichen entrusts the Stone Demons with guarding the women, presenting his power as a means of keeping them safe.
• Power and the extraordinary: The Ability Pearls introduce the possibility of ordinary people gaining supernatural abilities, though the women’s disbelief leaves their significance unresolved.

Key plot points

• Li Yichen offers Jiang Ruoyi, Ouyang Xuanxuan, and Mo Yurou Ability Pearls, explaining that each can fuse with only one ability.
• He gives Jiang Ruoyi an ice ability, Ouyang Xuanxuan Plant Control, and Mo Yurou Spatial Blade—a rare power that creates spatial rifts sharp enough to cut through very hard objects. Spatial Blade complements Mo Yurou’s existing Spatial Traversal.
• Li warns them that fusion can be painful. Each woman adds a drop of blood to her pearl to begin the process.
• Jiang Ruoyi and Mo Yurou are engulfed in blood-colored mist and start trembling. Ouyang Xuanxuan’s pearl releases green mist instead, and her fusion feels comfortable rather than painful.
• Using his Heavenly Eye, Li sees the energy spreading through Ouyang’s body and invigorating her cells. He realizes that some abilities, such as plant or healing powers, may fuse gently.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Ruoyi is deeply moved that Li prepared an ice ability specifically for her. Her excitement reflects her long-standing desire to overcome the wounded pride she feels from her low-status role in Bureau 7; she faces the painful fusion without hesitation.
• Ouyang Xuanxuan trusts Li to choose an ability for her. Though initially hesitant about the pain, she gathers courage under his encouraging gaze. Her unexpectedly easy fusion contrasts with the others’ ordeal.
• Mo Yurou eagerly asks for explosive powers, then accepts Li’s choice. Learning that Spatial Blade is uniquely rare and reserved for her makes her emotional and openly affectionate, provoking jealousy from the other women.
• Li Yichen presents himself as generous and attentive, having saved suitable abilities for the women. He teases them, reassures them, and monitors their fusions, but makes them endure the pain rather than intervene.

Significant themes

• Power and sacrifice: Becoming stronger requires enduring risk and discomfort, even when a shortcut is available.
• Personalized care and loyalty: Li chooses abilities to match each woman’s interests or existing powers, showing his investment in them.
• Unequal fortunes: The different fusion experiences highlight how abilities can bring unexpected advantages as well as suffering.
• Romantic rivalry: Li’s affection for Mo Yurou, and the other women’s visible jealousy, adds tension and humor to the group dynamic.

Key plot points and events

• Ouyang Xuanxuan recovers and discovers plant-based abilities. She rapidly grows a sunflower from one seed, demonstrating a renewable source of food, then summons powerful, mobile thorny vines.
• Jiang Ruoyi recovers next, bringing freezing cold with her; the ground ices over as she walks. Mo Yurou also displays a newly revealed ability by slicing the tops off nearby trees with a fast, nearly invisible attack.
• Jiang challenges Li Yichen to fight the three sisters, explaining that they need to test their new powers against a strong opponent. Mo Yurou eagerly agrees, while Xuanxuan is keen to join.
• Rather than fight them himself and risk hurting them, Li Yichen summons Dazhuang, a clone of the Stone Demon from Ghostface City, as their opponent. Dazhuang immediately hides behind Li and pleads for protection, then refuses the proposed fight.

Character developments and interactions

• Ouyang Xuanxuan is delighted by her new abilities and proudly demonstrates both their practical value and combat potential. She affectionately credits Li with helping her.
• Jiang Ruoyi is focused and direct, and takes the initiative in proposing a group fight to develop the sisters’ skills.
• Mo Yurou is impulsive and playful: she tests her cutting power without thinking through the damage, then gets excited about fighting and tries to chase Dazhuang.
• Li Yichen encourages the sisters but worries about holding back in a fight with them. He redirects their challenge toward Dazhuang, only to find that Dazhuang is frightened and unwilling.
• The sisters react with curiosity when they meet Dazhuang; Xuanxuan praises him, prompting him to boast.

Significant themes

• New power and adaptation: The sisters’ abilities emerge as varied tools they must learn to control and use.
• Survival through resourcefulness: Xuanxuan’s ability to grow food offers a potentially lasting answer to scarcity.
• Training and restraint: The sisters want to test themselves, while Li must balance their development against the risk of injuring them.
• Comic reversal: Dazhuang’s plea for protection undercuts his imposing origin and turns the would-be battle into a humorous setup.

Plot points and events

• Li Yichen persuades Dazhuang to use his stone minions to test Jiang Ruoyi, Ouyang Xuanxuan, and Mo Yurou in their first group battle.
• Dazhuang summons a swarm of Little Stone Demons, which rushes the women. The demons prove unusually durable: Jiang Ruoyi’s ice arrows knock them back, and freezing them only delays them until their larger comrades smash them free.
• Jiang yields the front line to Ouyang Xuanxuan. Xuanxuan’s vines restrain many demons, but maintaining the bindings rapidly exhausts her.
• Mo Yurou steps in, using spatial rifts to slice through the stone demons with ease. Alarmed by how lethal her ability is, Dazhuang calls off the fight and takes refuge with Li Yichen.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen acts as an amused, pragmatic instigator, coaching Dazhuang into the confrontation and urging the women to give it their all.
• Dazhuang is reluctant to fight the women directly, then relies on his numerous stone minions. He ultimately panics at Mo Yurou’s power and surrenders.
• Jiang Ruoyi shows confidence and tactical judgment: she tests her ice ability, recognizes its limits against stone, and gives Xuanxuan a chance to lead.
• Ouyang Xuanxuan begins frightened and inexperienced but manages to restrain a large crowd of demons. Her effort reveals both her potential and the strain her ability imposes.
• Mo Yurou reveals a devastating offensive use of her spatial power, decisively ending the threat.
• The women support one another, with Jiang encouraging Xuanxuan and Mo stepping in when Xuanxuan can no longer hold the demons.

Significant themes

• Different powers have different strengths and limits: ice can hinder the stone creatures only briefly, vines can control them but consume energy, and spatial attacks can destroy them outright.
• Courage and teamwork: the women rotate roles and back one another up as the battle escalates.
• Power can be unsettling: Mo Yurou’s effortless lethality transforms a playful test into a frightening display for Dazhuang.

Key plot points and events

• After Ouyang Xuanxuan’s vines restore the area and the Stone Demons return to their disguises, the group settles in for the night.
• Mo Yurou admits she is hungry, so Li Yichen cooks a barbecue to welcome her, Jiang Ruoyi, and Ouyang Xuanxuan. The women contribute little, but everyone enjoys the meal.
• Ouyang Xuanxuan summons her Little Fairy, who immediately joins the feast. Mo Yurou then reveals her bronze lamp and summons Mo Ying, a fierce-looking demon who transforms into an adorable miniature dragon after she demands a prettier form.
• Li Yichen notices Jiang Ruoyi seems envious that the others have magical companions. Before he can find a solution, Dazhuang tells him about a friend living in Li Yichen’s Space Ring.
• Li Yichen summons a white fox and recognizes it as the Nine-Tailed Fox that hatched from an egg. The fox rushes to Jiang Ruoyi, calls her its master, and appears to have bonded with her after absorbing her blood.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen acts as the group’s caretaker, cooking for everyone, while jokingly lamenting that none of the women can cook. He is also relieved when Jiang Ruoyi receives a companion of her own.
• Mo Yurou is playful and shamelessly enthusiastic about food. She shows off Mo Ying, but is embarrassed by his intimidating appearance and insists that he transform into something cute.
• Ouyang Xuanxuan summons the Little Fairy, whose appetite provides comic contrast with the group’s more restrained behavior.
• Jiang Ruoyi quietly wants a magical pet but does not ask for one. The Nine-Tailed Fox chooses her, giving her the companion she hoped for.
• Dazhuang reveals that he has been keeping the fox company in Li Yichen’s Space Ring, uncovering a companion Li Yichen had forgotten about.

Significant themes

• Companionship and belonging: The magical creatures serve as close companions, and the fox’s choice of Jiang Ruoyi gives her a bond of her own.
• Affection expressed through care: Li Yichen’s cooking and attention to Jiang Ruoyi show his concern, while the fox’s recognition of her suggests an existing connection.
• Comedy through contrast: The chapter pairs domestic barbecue and playful bickering with magical beings, especially Mo Ying’s shift from fearsome demon to cute dragon.

Plot points

• Jiang Ruoyi tries to name the newly hatched white fox, first suggesting “Jiang Xiaobai” and “Snow Maiden,” before the fox asks to be called Little Nine, the name its parents used.
• Little Nine eagerly eats Li Yichen’s grilled meat, having gone nearly a thousand years without food while trapped in an egg. Its appetite quickly empties most of the grill.
• Little Nine and Little Fairy compete over the remaining skewers. When Little Nine eats the last chicken wing, Little Fairy attacks in anger with ice spikes.
• Little Nine stops the spikes in midair with its tail and shatters them effortlessly. Little Fairy escalates by casting Thousand-Ice Dance, summoning a Magic Array and a storm of ice spikes. The chapter ends as Little Nine calmly faces the barrage.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang Ruoyi shows immediate affection and protectiveness toward Little Nine, promising to care for it and feeding it. Her concern turns to alarm when Little Fairy attacks.
• Little Nine reveals a sentimental attachment to its parents through its chosen name, but quickly becomes playful and voracious around food. Its effortless defense hints at formidable power.
• Little Fairy, hungry and competitive, goes from complaining about the food to launching increasingly dangerous attacks when Little Nine takes the last skewer.
• Li Yichen contributes the grilled meat and watches the confrontation with amused curiosity. Ouyang Xuanxuan and Mo Yurou react to the naming jokes and then worry about Little Nine’s safety.

Significant themes

• Belonging and care: Little Nine’s request to keep its childhood name connects it to its lost family, while Jiang Ruoyi offers it a new home.
• Humor amid danger: The comic naming suggestions and food rivalry contrast with the sudden, serious display of magic.
• Hidden strength: Little Nine’s tiny, gentle appearance belies its extraordinary ability—and its apparent excitement at facing Little Fairy’s strongest attack.

Key plot points and events

• Little Fairy’s roar shatters the falling icicles and destroys the Magic Array, but he is frustrated that Little Fox has foiled him again.
• He challenges Little Fox to one final attack, promising to concede their dispute over the roast meat if Little Fox survives.
• Little Fairy summons and hurls a huge blue ice sphere, exhausting nearly all his strength.
• Little Fox reveals a towering, nine-tailed form and stops the attack with its tails, though the impact drives it several meters backward and tears up the paving.
• Frost spreads across Little Fox’s fur. It then sends the ice sphere back toward the helpless Little Fairy.
• Li Yichen saves Little Fairy by opening a spatial rift and diverting the sphere. Ouyang Xuanxuan catches the exhausted fairy with a summoned vine.
• Little Fox shrinks back to its palm-sized form, visibly tired.

Character developments and interactions

• Little Fairy is boastful and determined to prove himself, but his final attack leaves him helpless. He must be rescued after Little Fox returns the blow.
• Little Fox demonstrates immense power despite being juvenile, revealing its impressive nine-tailed form. It withstands Little Fairy’s attack and turns it back, but the effort exhausts it.
• Li Yichen remains confident in Little Fox’s potential, having seen its far greater peak form in an illusion. He steps in to prevent Little Fairy from being hit and grumbles about the damage to his paving.
• Mo Yurou, Ouyang Xuanxuan, and Jiang Ruoyi admire Little Fox’s transformation. They tease Li Yichen when he complains about repair costs and rejects his joking claim that he must support them.

Significant themes

• Power and potential: Little Fox is formidable even as a juvenile, while Li Yichen hints that its full strength will be far greater.
• Pride and restraint: Little Fairy’s insistence on escalating the contest nearly backfires; Li Yichen’s intervention prevents the clash from becoming disastrous.
• Humor amid danger: The dramatic battle is undercut by playful teasing and Li Yichen’s concern over the damaged paving.

Key plot points and events

• After the women leave Li Yichen to clean up, Mo Yurou also avoids helping, joking that she can’t work because it’s “that time of the month.” The women laugh at his frustration from their rooms.
• Unable to sleep, Li Yichen is surprised when Jiang Ruoyi enters his room. She says his gifts—the Ability Pearl and Little Nine—made her feel deeply grateful, and she wants to repay him by giving herself to him. They spend the night together.
• Afterwards, Ruoyi reveals that Ouyang Xuanxuan had told her intimate details about being with Li Yichen. Ruoyi says she and Xuanxuan are close and once swore they would marry the same man.
• Li Yichen teases Ruoyi about the possibility of sharing him with Xuanxuan. Their joking is interrupted when Xuanxuan enters the room. Ruoyi hides beneath the covers, and Xuanxuan climbs into bed beside Li Yichen without realizing Ruoyi is there.

Character developments

• Jiang Ruoyi moves from being composed and reserved to openly expressing affection and intimacy with Li Yichen. Her choice is motivated by gratitude, though Li Yichen privately recognizes that he gives Ability Pearls to others too, and Little Nine chose Ruoyi itself.
• Li Yichen remains playful and self-interested, enjoying Ruoyi’s attention and teasing her, while also being left to handle the household mess.
• Ouyang Xuanxuan is shown to share a close, candid bond with Ruoyi and to feel comfortable approaching Li Yichen at night.
• Mo Yurou joins the others in playfully dodging chores, despite appearing sympathetic at first.

Significant themes

• Affection and gratitude: Ruoyi interprets Li Yichen’s gifts as personal devotion and responds by offering intimacy.
• Teasing and embarrassment: The scene’s humor comes from flirtation, private disclosures, and the awkward possibility of being discovered.
• Closeness among the women: Ruoyi and Xuanxuan’s childhood promise and frank conversations suggest a deep, trusting friendship.
• Unequal domestic effort: The women leave Li Yichen to clean up, turning his romantic frustration into comic household grievance.

Character interactions

• The women collectively tease Li Yichen by escaping the cleanup and laughing at his complaints.
• Ruoyi and Li Yichen share an intimate night, followed by playful banter about Xuanxuan.
• When Xuanxuan arrives, Ruoyi hides beside Li Yichen; he tries to conceal what has happened, while Xuanxuan innocently embraces him under the covers.

Plot points and events

• Ouyang Xuanxuan unexpectedly pulls back the quilt and finds Li Yichen and Jiang Ruoyi together. Li Yichen draws Xuanxuan into the bed, and the situation turns into a night of intimacy involving all three.
• The next morning, Li Yichen jokes by reciting a line of poetry incorrectly. Ouyang Xuanxuan teases him, while Mo Yurou complains that the noise kept her awake all night.
• Far away in the Kunlun Secret Realm, the severely injured Qin Ming is being cared for by Junior Brother Yang. Qin Ming tricks him into leaning close, then sends red, bubble-filled mist from his eyes into Yang’s.
• Qin Ming appears to die, but the mist takes over Yang’s body. The reborn Qin Ming eats his former body, assumes Yang’s appearance, and gains a dramatic increase in strength—from early Foundation Establishment to peak Golden Core.
• Qin Ming vows revenge on Li Yichen and Bai Binger, intending to kill them once he reaches Nascent Soul. Meanwhile, Bai Binger, embroidering a picture of herself and Li Yichen, pricks her finger and senses that something is wrong.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen is confident and shameless after the night’s events, though Mo Yurou’s complaint leaves him momentarily embarrassed.
• Ouyang Xuanxuan moves from shock and attempted escape to joining the intimacy, then playfully mocks Li Yichen the next morning.
• Jiang Ruoyi is initially stunned by what she sees and tries to leave, but Li Yichen pulls her back into the situation.
• Mo Yurou remains outside the central events but is affected by them, exhausted and irritated after being kept awake.
• Qin Ming reveals his survival and ruthless nature, exploiting Junior Brother Yang’s trust to take over his body and consume his corpse.
• Junior Brother Yang is deceived and becomes the vessel for Qin Ming’s return.
• Bai Binger appears unaware of Qin Ming’s survival, but her sudden unease foreshadows danger.

Significant themes

• The chapter sharply contrasts Li Yichen’s comic, intimate domestic life with Qin Ming’s grotesque and vengeful resurrection.
• Deception and trust are central: Qin Ming uses Yang’s concern for him to carry out his transformation.
• Revenge and foreboding drive the closing scenes, setting up a future confrontation with Li Yichen and Bai Binger.

Key plot points

• Li Yichen returns to evening study with Ouyang Xuanxuan, Jiang Ruoyi, and Mo Yurou. The crowded room is full of boys who have come mainly to ogle the girls, making him jealous and uncomfortable.
• Liu Yuanyuan and Bian Rourou arrive looking for Li Yichen. Their contrasting appearances—and their urgent approach—spark rumors that he is involved with both.
• To escape the gossiping crowd, Li Yichen takes them outside. His friends follow discreetly, curious about their business.
• Liu Yuanyuan asks where Yang Weifeng has gone and anxiously wonders whether he has found someone else. Bian Rourou demands to know where Sun Kai is, threatening to confront the woman she thinks has seduced him.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen is protective and possessive of the girls, but becomes flustered when the crowd misreads his connection to the two visitors.
• Mo Yurou and the others tease him, then follow the conversation out of curiosity. Ouyang Xuanxuan clarifies who Liu Yuanyuan is, easing their suspicions.
• Liu Yuanyuan shows insecurity and worry about Yang Weifeng’s absence and brief phone calls.
• Bian Rourou is blunt, forceful, and ready to use physical intimidation over Sun Kai.
• The chapter ends with Li Yichen caught between the women’s worries and the potential trouble their confrontational approach could cause.

Significant themes

• Jealousy, romantic insecurity, and trust are central to the women’s concerns.
• Rumor and appearance distort events: classmates leap to conclusions about Li Yichen based on a brief encounter.
• The chapter uses comic contrast between private worries and public gossip, while hinting at the consequences of the men’s unexplained absence for special training.

Plot points

• Li Yichen tells Liu Yuanyuan and another woman that Yang Weifeng and the others are away training to become stronger and protect them. He promises to ask after them when he visits the training grounds.
• An unknown sender claims Yang Weifeng and two others have been captured and demands that Li Yichen come to a grove. Li Yichen hurries there, leaving Ouyang Xuanxuan, Mo Yurou, and Jiang Ruoyi behind.
• The grove appears empty until Sun Kai attacks Li Yichen, wearing extensive metal armor and striking with surprising force.
• Li Yichen recognizes Sun Kai and learns the “kidnapping” message was apparently a setup: Sun Kai is angry that Li Yichen sent them to punishing training, but agrees to settle things with one attack.
• Sun Kai charges with the powerful Iron Mountain Lean. Li Yichen avoids the head-on impact, but as he is about to land, another attacker calls out and launches a surprise strike.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen stays composed and playful under attack, defending his decision to send his companions to train and noting Sun Kai’s improvement.
• Sun Kai is furious about enduring half a month of daily beatings, yet acknowledges that his strength, speed, reflexes, and technique have greatly improved. His anger is mixed with pride in his new armored gear.
• Liu Yuanyuan and her companion are eager to hear when the men will return; Liu Yuanyuan admits she misses one of them.
• Ouyang Xuanxuan, Mo Yurou, and Jiang Ruoyi speculate about why Li Yichen leaves so suddenly, then decide to head back rather than wait.

Significant themes

• Growth through hardship: Sun Kai’s brutal training has made him markedly stronger.
• Protection and sacrifice: Li Yichen frames the training as preparation to protect loved ones, though the trainees resent the cost.
• Humor amid conflict: Sun Kai’s theatrical anger and Li Yichen’s teasing soften an otherwise dangerous confrontation.
• Trust and misdirection: The ransom message draws Li Yichen into what appears to be an ambush, and the second surprise attack leaves the encounter unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• Li Yichen effortlessly defeats his returning brothers in a playful spar: he knocks Yang Weifeng to the ground, then outmaneuvers Zhang Yong by passing through his body.
• The group celebrates their reunion over noodles. Yang, Zhang, and Sun complain about the sparse meal, while Sun reveals his enormous appetite.
• The brothers explain that Elder Mo sent them to ask whether Li Yichen has prepared the requested items and invite him to visit the Training Base.
• Li mentions that their girlfriends came looking for them. Sun and Yang rush off to see theirs; Zhang follows, claiming he wants to witness their romance.
• As Li leaves the noodle shop, Granny Wang stops him and says she suspects Xiao Meng is in trouble. Li learns he has not seen her for over half a month.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen is shown as overwhelmingly capable but relaxed and teasing with his brothers. His effortless victory over Zhang surprises everyone.
• Yang Weifeng is annoyed at Li for the rough landing but quickly shifts from embarrassment to eagerness when he hears his girlfriend visited.
• Sun Kai is boisterous, hungry, and openly excited to see Rourou.
• Zhang Yong accepts his defeat with good humor and jokes about following the others.
• Granny Wang raises a serious concern that interrupts the reunion’s lighthearted mood.

Significant themes

• Brotherhood and playful rivalry: The brothers spar, tease, and share a meal with familiar affection.
• Humor and contrast: Their casual antics and appetite contrast with Li’s remarkable abilities.
• Concern beneath ordinary life: Granny Wang’s warning introduces a potentially serious problem involving Xiao Meng and shifts the chapter toward suspense.

Key plot points and events

• Granny Wang tells Li Yichen that Fang Enmeng had been eating at her noodle shop several times daily, then less often, and has not appeared for two days. Worried, Li heads to the Courier Post to check on her.
• He finds Fang working late, visibly thinner and pale, with only half a steamed bun and pickled vegetables for dinner. She nearly collapses when she stands.
• Li gives her a warm chicken drumstick. Fang is embarrassed about accepting it but begins eating.
• Fang’s second uncle and aunt arrive, demanding repayment of the 30,000 yuan her late father borrowed for her education. Fang offers them her remaining 825.30 yuan, but her aunt refuses it.
• The aunt then proposes that Fang marry a man back home in exchange for a 50,000-yuan bride price, which she says would let Fang repay the debt.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Yichen moves from uncertainty about Fang’s situation to genuine concern, noticing her poor condition and offering food. Though he presents his visit as casual, his actions show growing care.
• Fang Enmeng tries to hide her hardship, claiming she has eaten and is merely eating lightly. She is weak and frightened by her relatives, but remains determined to repay what she owes.
• Granny Wang acts as the catalyst for Li’s visit and expresses her personal approval of Fang, though her claims about Fang’s ability to bear sons are played for humor.
• Fang’s second aunt and uncle confront Fang aggressively over the debt. The aunt shifts from demanding repayment to pressuring Fang toward an arranged marriage, framing it as a solution to the family’s financial needs.

Significant themes

• Poverty and sacrifice: Fang’s meager food and long hours reveal the personal cost of her financial situation.
• Debt and family obligation: Her father’s loan has become Fang’s burden after his death.
• Care and vulnerability: Li’s small act of bringing food contrasts with the relatives’ harsh treatment.
• Coercion and exploitation: The marriage proposal is presented as a way to settle debt, leaving Fang under intense pressure.

Plot points and events

• Fang Enmeng’s aunt and uncle pressure her to marry Wu the Second, a nearly forty-year-old man with an intellectual disability. The groom’s family has offered money, which Enmeng’s relatives want to use to cover a 30,000-yuan debt.
• Enmeng initially gives in on the condition that she can finish college first, but refuses outright when she learns who the groom is. Her aunt threatens to take her back by force.
• Li Yichen intervenes, striking both relatives when they attack or try to seize Enmeng. He silences the aunt’s attempt to call for help and claims to be Enmeng’s boyfriend.
• He offers to repay the debt, transfers the 30,000 yuan, and warns the relatives not to harass Enmeng again. The aunt immediately turns friendly once she receives the money.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Enmeng is grieving her father and determined to honor his wish that she attend college. Though frightened and initially pressured into compromise, she ultimately refuses the marriage. She takes refuge behind Li Yichen and feels a brief rush of happiness when he calls himself her boyfriend, then reminds herself he said it only to protect her.
• Li Yichen acts decisively to defend Enmeng, using force against her abusive relatives and paying her debt without hesitation. His protection contrasts with their exploitation.
• The aunt is coercive and callous, treating Enmeng’s future as a way to settle money problems. Her sudden warmth after the transfer exposes her self-interest. The uncle is hesitant and submissive, but still helps pressure Enmeng and later charges at Li Yichen under his wife’s demands.
• The exchange between Li Yichen and Enmeng creates a tender, ambiguous moment amid the confrontation: his cover story affects her emotionally, though she tries not to read too much into it.

Significant themes

• Family exploitation: Relatives use debt and obligation to pressure a young woman into an unwanted marriage.
• Education and personal agency: Enmeng’s wish to continue college, tied to her father’s last hope, stands against the attempt to control her future.
• Protection and power: Li Yichen’s money and physical strength abruptly shift the balance, freeing Enmeng from immediate coercion.
• Money-driven affection: The aunt’s change in attitude after being paid underscores the chapter’s cynical closing idea: people may call someone “family” when that person provides for them.

Key events

• Fang Enmeng’s aunt and uncle collect the money she owes them. Enmeng gives her aunt all the money she has—more than 800 yuan—as repayment and travel fare, and the relatives leave.
• Feeling overwhelmed by her 30,000-yuan debt to Li Yichen, Enmeng offers to become his mistress. She explains that, after her parents died, she learned how humiliating charity can feel, but Li has treated her kindly and given her a way to earn her own living.
• Li rejects the idea and instead asks her to be his little sister, promising to support and protect her. Enmeng accepts, visibly moved by the sense of security he gives her.
• Because it is nearly one in the morning and neither can return to the locked dorms, Enmeng shows Li the clean storeroom and invites him to share its narrow bed. He agrees, and they fall asleep beside each other.

Character developments and interactions

• Fang Enmeng reveals how vulnerable and indebted she feels, but also how much she trusts and appreciates Li. Her offer to repay him through intimacy reflects desperation and her fear of being beholden; accepting the sibling relationship lets her receive his help with greater dignity.
• Li Yichen responds with humor and warmth rather than taking advantage of her. He makes their bond explicitly familial and offers to stand up for her, though sharing the bed leaves him awkwardly aware of his own attraction.
• The two move from a relationship shaped by money and obligation toward one of trust and affection. Enmeng feels safe enough to invite Li to stay, while Li tries to maintain boundaries.

Significant themes

• Dignity and charity: Enmeng’s past experience makes accepting help difficult, and Li’s practical kindness helps her feel less humiliated.
• Chosen family and protection: Li’s “big brother” role gives Enmeng a sense of belonging and security.
• Affection and boundaries: Their closeness is tender but tinged with romantic tension, especially as Li privately struggles to reconcile his feelings with their new sibling label.

Key plot points

• Jiang Tianhao’s former enforcer, Fatty Zhou, has disappeared, along with money missing from the Jiang company account. Steward Zhao reports a shortfall of $200 million.
• Jiang coerces Zhao into changing the story: they will claim Fatty Zhou stole $500 million, was a Su Family mole, and vanished. Jiang orders a search for him and the money, while privately treating the dead man as a convenient scapegoat.
• At the Su Family’s pharmaceutical lab, tests show Li Yichen’s formula has some effect, but it cannot be marketed without a crucial ingredient: fresh heavenly star grass. It grows only on perpetually icy mountaintops and is difficult to cultivate.
• The doctor estimates the formula has a 90% chance of succeeding if the herb is obtained. Su Shengnan decides to find it and sends the exhausted Ouyang Hai home to rest.

Character developments and interactions

• Jiang appears more restrained than before, but remains calculating and threatening. His exchange with Zhao reveals how readily he manipulates subordinates and rewrites facts to protect his interests.
• Zhao is frightened into repeating Jiang’s false account, then privately recognizes that Jiang is using Fatty Zhou to cover the missing funds.
• Su Shengnan moves from despair at the apparent failure of the formula to renewed determination once she learns the missing herb may make it work. Despite her exhaustion, she takes responsibility for securing it.
• Ouyang Hai shares Su’s disappointment and fatigue, but expresses concern for her as well as himself.

Significant themes

• Deception and scapegoating: Jiang turns a missing employee and unexplained funds into a fabricated accusation against the Su Family.
• Hope and setback: The formula seems to fail, but the discovery of a missing ingredient offers Su Shengnan a narrow path forward.
• Power and vulnerability: Jiang controls Zhao through fear, while Su faces the pressures of saving her family with limited resources and time.

Plot and events

• Fang Enmeng wakes from a dream in which she nearly kisses Li Yichen, then discovers he is already up. She joins him for breakfast, and they head to Granny Wang’s noodle shop.
• Li Yichen’s three roommates—Yang Weifeng, Sun Kai, and Zhang Yong—are there. They eagerly introduce themselves to Enmeng and compete to treat her, while she affectionately calls them “Brother Feng,” “Brother Kai,” and “Brother Yong.”
• Li Yichen warns the roommates not to take advantage of Enmeng and asks them to look out for her, explaining that she has had a difficult life.
• The group jokes about the roommates’ romantic lives. Yang and Sun are embarrassed by questions about their girlfriends, while Zhang is mocked for claiming he worked hard too.
• Yang asks when Li Yichen will return with them. Li says they will leave the next day, after he takes Enmeng shopping. The roommates are delighted because it means an extra day at school.

Character developments and interactions

• Enmeng’s lively, affectionate nature is resurfacing now that she is free of debt and feels secure with Li as her “big brother.” Her dream and bashful reactions suggest she may feel more than sibling affection, though she does not say so.
• Li is caring and protective toward Enmeng, but privately struggles with the closeness of her physical affection. He treats her warmly while insisting his friends respect her.
• The roommates quickly embrace Enmeng as a little sister, though their exaggerated eagerness and flirtatious behavior amuse and unsettle Li. Their teasing, mock rivalry, and familiar insults show their close friendship.

Significant themes

• Chosen family and care: Li and his roommates offer Enmeng the warmth and protection she has lacked.
• Renewed confidence: Security allows Enmeng’s previously suppressed personality to reemerge.
• Humor and embarrassment: Romantic teasing and the roommates’ rivalry provide comic relief, while hinting at possible complications in Enmeng and Li’s relationship.