Chapter Summaries

Lin Chao Ci signed a US$2.3 million investment contract with Tencent CEO Ma, trusting his reputation despite his company’s empty accounts. After Ma left, Lin learned Ding Qiushan’s men had discovered the Investigation Team and angrily blamed the investigators for compromising his plan.

• Lin Chao Ci met Tencent CEO Ma at Baifu Teahouse and welcomed him with friendly conversation.
• The legal teams reviewed the contract, and Ma’s lawyers raised concerns that Tencent would transfer its shares before receiving payment.
• Lin Chao Ci admitted his company lacked cash but assured Ma that his reputation guaranteed payment, and Ma agreed to sign.
• Lin Chao Ci and Ma signed the contract, shook hands, and Ma departed Haikou City soon after arriving.
• Lin Chao Ci returned to work, then received a message that Ding Qiushan’s men had discovered the Investigation Team.
• Lin Chao Ci cursed the Investigation Team for being careless and undermining his plan.

Lin Chao Ci ordered Qiangzi to circulate evidence against Ding Qiushan to isolate him before he could retaliate. Ding Qiushan learned the investigation team had arrived and prepared to flee and strike back, while the deputy secretary received evidence that revealed his own bribery was not included.

• Lin Chao Ci ordered Qiangzi to mail copies of evidence against Ding Qiushan to provincial and municipal leaders, aiming to reassure those not implicated and leave Ding isolated.
• A director told Ding Qiushan that the higher authorities' investigation team had arrived, and Ding blamed Lin Jianguo for setting him up.
• Ding Qiushan arranged to leave the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, send gifts to the investigators, and investigate Lin Jianguo.
• The deputy secretary approved Ding Qiushan's departure on the grounds of insufficient evidence, despite being blackmailed over a past bribe.
• The deputy secretary opened an envelope of evidence against Ding Qiushan and read a note saying it contained no evidence against anyone not named in it.

Ding Qiushan discovered that his political allies had abandoned him and that his secretary had been arrested, leaving him isolated as the authorities renewed their investigation. He lost his nerve and went with the officials who came to take him away.

• The deputy secretary ordered Ding Qiushan kept in custody after receiving new evidence, and the Division One director stopped treating him deferentially.
• Ding Qiushan called several influential contacts, but none answered.
• A Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection official told Ding Qiushan that his secretary had been arrested for embezzlement on the commission secretary's orders.
• Ding Qiushan realized his allies had abandoned him and that his downfall was complete.
• The Division One director ordered Ding Qiushan to come with them, and Ding Qiushan followed after his calls went unanswered.

Ding Qiushan confessed after learning investigators already had the evidence against him, while powerful officials suspected an unseen mastermind had taken evidence implicating them. The scandal brought down his faction, cleared the way for Lin Jianguo to join the provincial leadership, and left Lin Chao Ci relieved.

• Ding Qiushan tried to expose other officials, but the director of Division One showed him that investigators already had the evidence from his villa and that it implicated only him and a few minor figures.
• Ding Qiushan realized the evidence against powerful officials had been removed, abandoned his resistance, and confessed to his crimes.
• Several powerful figures discussed the mysterious person who had taken evidence against them, unaware that Lin Chao Ci was behind it.
• Authorities announced the scandal’s results within days: Ding Qiushan received life imprisonment, most of his faction’s leaders received life sentences, and Wang Defa was sentenced to twenty years.
• The deputy governor implicated in the case retired early, and Lin Jianguo was slated to join the provincial leadership as Lin Chao Ci welcomed the news.

Lin Chao Ci arranged contracts with Wangzhu, Qiandu, and Soumao, then used his newly acquired 20% stake in Tencent to secure a bank loan. He left with 20 million yuan in financing, more than Tencent needed, and expected the shares to rise when the company went public through a reverse merger.

• Lin Chao Ci's father turned away visitors while waiting for his new rank to clear its public notice period.
• Lin Chao Ci signed contracts with the heads of Wangzhu, Qiandu, and Soumao, who agreed to transfer shares before receiving funding.
• After Ma transferred 20% of Tencent's shares to Lin Chao Ci, Lin Chao Ci went to the bank to borrow against them.
• Bank Manager Li initially approved Lin Chao Ci's request for 25 million without checking the documents, then revised the offer after Lin Chao Ci insisted on a legitimate assessment.
• Bank Manager Li valued the stake as security for a 20 million loan at 5.3% annual interest, and Lin Chao Ci signed the contract.

Lin Chao Ci secured a bank loan for Tencent and decided to use his remaining funds to acquire a garment factory and build a clothing business. At home, Lin Jianguo told him that his new provincial duties left him sidelined, while Lin Chao Ci recognized a dangerous embankment failure in his future.

• Lin Chao Ci left the bank after Bank Manager Li promised the loan would reach his account within two hours.
• Lin Chao Ci chose the garment industry as his next investment and told Fang Miaoke to find a factory costing under five hundred thousand and recruit staff.
• Lin Chao Ci returned home after his father, Lin Jianguo, asked him to come back early.
• Lin Jianguo told Lin Chao Ci that he had been denied a place on the standing committee and assigned several departments with little influence.
• Lin Chao Ci realized Lin Jianguo had been sidelined and recalled that a poorly built embankment would collapse during heavy rain, killing three people and displacing thousands.

Lin Chao Ci warned Lin Jianguo that the Lishui Dam had been built with shoddy materials and could collapse during the coming rainy season, prompting his father to plan a discreet inspection. He learned that his family would arrive in Haikou City the next day and, thinking of his sister’s past, resolved to protect his family’s future.

• Lin Chao Ci told Lin Jianguo that the Lishui Dam had cracks and that its contractor had cut corners, while concealing how he knew.
• Lin Jianguo trusted his son’s warning and agreed to visit the dam discreetly as soon as possible.
• Lin Chao Ci checked his phone and learned that his mother, younger brother, younger sister, and Qin Chi Chi would arrive the next day.
• Lin Chao Ci called Lin Weiyi, warmly promised to persuade their mother to let her study near him, and remembered that a manipulative childhood friend had deceived her in his previous life.

Lin Chao Ci bought a garment factory and arranged interviews for designers as he prepared to launch a clothing business. He also used his newly acquired stakes in three companies to secure a large bank loan, leaving him poised to expand further.

• Lin Chao Ci reassured Lin Weiyi that Fang Miaoke was only his secretary and suggested that his sister study near him to keep her away from a dangerous man.
• Lin Chao Ci inspected several garment factories with Fang Miaoke and bought the factory near the expressway for 530,000 yuan.
• Lin Chao Ci told Fang Miaoke to prioritize designers with strong fundamentals and approved hiring several suitable candidates.
• Lin Chao Ci received fifteen-percent stakes in Wangzhu, Qiandu, and Soumao, adding them to his holdings in four future industry leaders.
• Lin Chao Ci showed Bank Manager Li the three companies' documents and arranged loans of ten million, twelve million, and nine million yuan, with part of the funds to arrive from the provincial branch in two or three days.

Lin Chao Ci welcomed his mother, An Mingyue, and his younger siblings, Lin Qingzhou and Lin Weiyi, at Haikou Airport alongside Qin Chi Chi. The family headed home together, with Qin Chi Chi still sulking over his attention to the others and Lin Weiyi’s talk of future romance drawing a sharp reprimand from their mother.

• Lin Chao Ci signed a bank contract, received the money, and sent Fang Miaoke back to the office to transfer funds to Wangzhu, Qiandu, and Soumao.
• Lin Chao Ci met An Mingyue, Lin Qingzhou, Lin Weiyi, and Qin Chi Chi at the airport, becoming emotional as he reunited with his family.
• Lin Weiyi ran into Lin Chao Ci’s arms, while Lin Qingzhou teased her about favoring their eldest brother.
• Lin Chao Ci took Qin Chi Chi’s luggage and tried to coax her after she sulked over being greeted last and hearing about his recent time with other women.
• Lin Weiyi said she might someday seek a boyfriend like Lin Chao Ci, and An Mingyue scolded her and forbade her from dating before college.

Lin Chao Ci gave Qin Chi Chi a specially made bracelet during their private ride home, and they shared a quiet embrace. After Lin Weiyi caught them, the family reunited at home, where their father doted on his youngest daughter.

• Lin Chao Ci arranged for Qin Chi Chi to ride with him separately from his family.
• Lin Chao Ci gave Qin Chi Chi a custom-made white bracelet, which she happily put on.
• Lin Chao Ci embraced Qin Chi Chi in the car, and she welcomed his affection.
• Lin Weiyi spotted them hugging in the car and excitedly told Lin Qingzhou.
• Lin Chao Ci and Qin Chi Chi went inside, where Lin Weiyi greeted their father and Lin Qingzhou politely welcomed him.
• Their father fussed over Lin Weiyi and offered to buy her warm clothes for the cold weather.

Lin Chao Ci persuaded his parents to let Lin Weiyi transfer schools, then took Qin Chi Chi out alone to grow closer to her. They shared a long kiss in a secluded park before returning home as night fell.

• Lin Chao Ci argued that Lin Weiyi would be safer at an ordinary school, and his parents agreed to let her transfer.
• Lin Chao Ci took Qin Chi Chi for a walk, while An Mingyue stopped Lin Weiyi from joining them.
• Lin Chao Ci and Qin Chi Chi sat together in a secluded part of the park, embraced, and kissed.
• Lin Chao Ci and Qin Chi Chi heard someone approaching, separated, and decided to head back.

Lin Chao Ci returned home with Qin Chi Chi, gave Lin Weiyi a hair clip, and then joined Lin Jianguo to discuss the failing Lishui Dam. With the bureau and province short on money, Lin Chao Ci proposed a transparent public fundraiser to pay for repairs.

• Lin Chao Ci gave Lin Weiyi a pink hair clip, and she noticed lipstick on his lips and Qin Chi Chi’s perfume on him.
• Lin Qingzhou summoned Lin Chao Ci to Lin Jianguo’s study, where Lin Jianguo reported that sections of Lishui Dam had cracked.
• Lin Jianguo explained that the water resources bureau and the province lacked enough money to reinforce the dam.
• Lin Chao Ci proposed raising funds from Jishan City’s wealthy residents, with public recognition for major donors and transparent oversight.
• Lin Jianguo approved the fundraising plan.

Lin Chao Ci told his father he had not decided whether to pursue business or politics, and his father promised to support him. After teasing Lin Weiyi with a fake story about being scolded, he made up with his sister and agreed to attend the school gala, delighting Liu Shuang'er.

• Lin Jianguo asked Lin Chao Ci whether he was serious about starting a business, and Lin Chao Ci gave a vague answer while his father promised to support his choice.
• Lin Chao Ci pretended that Lin Jianguo had scolded him over Lin Weiyi's school transfer, prompting Lin Weiyi to storm into the study and confront their father.
• Lin Weiyi discovered Lin Chao Ci had tricked her, then playfully hit him before the siblings made up.
• Lin Chao Ci read Liu Shuang'er's message about the school's New Year and Spring Festival gala and agreed to attend in three nights.
• Liu Shuang'er excitedly searched her wardrobe for an outfit after Lin Chao Ci confirmed he would come.

Lin Chao Ci spent a final weekend with his family before his mother, younger brother, and Qin Chi Chi returned to the capital, leaving him to look after Lin Weiyi in Haikou. He drove her to Haikou City No. 1 High School, where the principal and staff fawned over the siblings because of the Lin family's influence.

• Lin Chao Ci promised his mother he would take care of Lin Weiyi, then reassured his sister that he would not restrict her unnecessarily after their mother left.
• Lin Chao Ci went to the company to sign accumulated documents and drafted a plan for future projects, while Lin Weiyi studied at home.
• Lin Chao Ci drove Lin Weiyi to school and found the principal, vice principal, and staff waiting to welcome her.
• Lin Chao Ci told the school administrators to look after his sister and gave them his driver's contact information through Wang.

Lin Chao Ci arranged for his younger sister Lin Weiyi to attend Haikou No. 1 Middle School, approved his company’s first clothing samples, and declined requests from companies seeking to meet him. He then attended Haikou University’s New Year’s gala, where Liu Shuang’er’s dance captivated the audience.

• Lin Chao Ci toured Haikou No. 1 Middle School with Lin Weiyi and entrusted her care to the school, with two family members secretly assigned to protect her.
• Lin Chao Ci approved the factory’s clothing samples, ordered mass production and intellectual-property registrations, and told Fang Miaoke to refuse visiting companies.
• Lin Chao Ci drove to Haikou University’s anniversary gala with Xiao Wang, arriving in disguise before the performances began.
• The host introduced the honored guests, and the university president and representatives delivered speeches before the performances started.
• The host announced Liu Shuang’er’s dance, “Only for You,” and Liu Shuang’er took the stage, captivating the audience.

Liu Shuang'er kissed Lin Chao Ci backstage after her performance, and he invited her out for a late-night snack. After Lin Chao Ci scared off a privileged young man who tried to approach her, Li Si Han stopped them.

• Liu Shuang'er finished her dance to cheers from the audience and messaged Lin Chao Ci to meet her backstage.
• Lin Chao Ci went backstage, praised Liu Shuang'er, and she kissed him before he took her hand and invited her to get a late-night snack.
• Lin Chao Ci and Liu Shuang'er left the auditorium together, but a privileged young man tried to strike up a conversation with her.
• Lin Chao Ci revealed his identity, and the young man apologized and hurried away.
• Li Si Han blocked Lin Chao Ci and Liu Shuang'er, and Lin Chao Ci asked what she wanted.

Li Si Han thanked Lin Chao Ci for secretly helping her injured father and promised to repay the favor. After she left, Lin Chao Ci reassured Liu Shuang'er, and they kissed and grew closer before going to a restaurant together.

• Li Si Han thanked Lin Chao Ci for paying her father's medical bills and helping get the factory boss arrested, then offered to repay him with a favor.
• Lin Chao Ci told Liu Shuang'er he had helped Li Si Han because they were classmates, easing Liu Shuang'er's jealousy.
• Lin Chao Ci praised Liu Shuang'er, who kissed his cheek, and they shared a longer kiss after he encouraged her to kiss him openly.
• Lin Chao Ci and Liu Shuang'er went to a restaurant, where Liu Shuang'er shyly asked to kiss him again.

After Liu Shuang'er finished her performance, Lin Chao Ci took her to dinner and a movie, where they spent most of the screening kissing. He drove her home after teasing her for bringing her ID and asking when they could take their relationship further, then returned home to Lin Weiyi’s disgusted remarks about his lipstick marks.

• Lin Chao Ci and Liu Shuang'er stopped kissing when a waiter brought their food, then ate dinner together.
• Lin Chao Ci suggested a movie to hurry Liu Shuang'er along, and they went to a horror film at a nearby theater.
• Lin Chao Ci and Liu Shuang'er chose a dark corner and spent nearly the entire movie kissing.
• After the movie, Liu Shuang'er showed Lin Chao Ci her ID and asked how long they would need to wait before taking their relationship further; he avoided giving her a deadline and drove her home.
• Lin Weiyi saw the lipstick marks on Lin Chao Ci's face when he got home and teased him with a look of disgust.

Lin Chao Ci moved with Lin Weiyi into the Senior Cadres' Retirement Building and launched the Lin Clothing Factory's Beauty Series, which quickly became a hit in Haikou City. After strong first-day sales, he ordered Fang Miaoke to buy more factories, then received an unexpected call from Brother Ma.

• Lin Chao Ci sent Lin Weiyi to bed after she teased him, and the two siblings later moved into the Senior Cadres' Retirement Building because they still attended school in Haikou City.
• After inspecting the factory's new garments and finding their quality satisfactory, Lin Chao Ci told Fang Miaoke to begin promoting the Beauty Series.
• Lin Chao Ci's advertisements drew large crowds to his stores, and customers bought thousands of garments during the first day of sales.
• Fang Miaoke reported that the stores earned more than a hundred thousand yuan in eight hours, and Lin Chao Ci explained that limited supply and scarcity marketing meant they should not extend sales hours.
• Lin Chao Ci instructed Fang Miaoke to buy the other factories they had considered while keeping the prices low and the deals within the rules.
• Brother Ma called Lin Chao Ci, surprising him because Brother Ma usually handled ordinary Penguin Company matters himself.

Lin Chao Ci used his connection to a senior Magic City official to stop the Ximen Family from targeting Penguin Company. The Ximen patriarch agreed to return embezzled money and ordered his son to back off, while his son remained stunned that Penguin had powerful backing.

• Brother Ma told Lin Chao Ci that Ximen Wentian had targeted Penguin Company and cut off its industrial park utilities.
• Lin Chao Ci called Uncle Li, a senior Magic City official who had served under his grandfather, and asked him to intervene.
• Uncle Li ordered departments to end cooperation with the Ximen Family and suspend its officials.
• The Ximen patriarch called Uncle Li, apologized, and agreed to make his son stop targeting Penguin Company and return embezzled money.
• The Ximen patriarch angrily confronted his son, who claimed he had investigated Penguin Company and found no powerful connections.