Chapter Summaries

Ji Ting went to Lu Yanchu’s studio to fix a visual-effects problem, while Jiang Mingde delighted in being called Grandpa and agreed to wait for him and Ji Yanzhi for dinner. After Ji Yanzhi came to pick Ji Ting up, he asked Ji Ting to get in the car so he could speak with Lu Yanchu.

• Lu Yanchu deflected Jiang Mingde’s question about his feelings for Ji Ting by praising Ji Ting’s intelligence, composure, and kindness.
• Jiang Mingde tried to join Ji Ting and Lu Yanchu at the studio, but Ji Ting gently asked him to wait at home and invited him to dinner with Ji Yanzhi.
• At the studio, Lu Yanchu asked Kong Yu about Ji Ting’s preferences and admitted that he knew no more about Ji Ting than Kong Yu did.
• Ji Ting spent three hours repairing the fluid simulation and guided the visual-effects artists as they applied his changes.
• Ji Yanzhi arrived to collect Ji Ting and asked him to get in the car while he spoke with Lu Yanchu.

Ji Yanzhi confronted Lu Yanchu over his feelings for Ji Ting and revealed that he and Ji Ting were not blood-related, then claimed Ji Ting was his boyfriend. On the drive home, Ji Ting returned Ji Yanzhi’s feelings and guessed that someone had confessed to him.

• Lu Yanchu invited Ji Yanzhi to dinner with Ji Ting, and the two argued over Lu Yanchu’s closeness to Ji Ting.
• Ji Yanzhi told Lu Yanchu that he and Ji Ting were not related by blood, then revealed that Ji Ting was his boyfriend.
• Ji Yanzhi taunted Lu Yanchu for not knowing that Ji Ting was good at telling jokes, and Lu Yanchu admitted he might have been too late.
• Ji Yanzhi asked Ji Ting to invest another six hundred million in Lu Yanchu’s movie, and Ji Ting agreed that the film was worth supporting.
• Ji Yanzhi admitted he liked Ji Ting, and Ji Ting said he liked him too.
• Ji Ting explained that he would refuse an unwanted confession, then guessed that someone had confessed to Ji Yanzhi.

Ji Yanzhi tried to make up with Ji Ting after angering him, and the two returned to the Old Residence for dinner with Jiang Mingde. Ji Ting remained a little angry but planned to make a chessboard for Jiang Mingde, while Ji Yanzhi tried to stay by his side.

• Ji Ting told Ji Yanzhi he was angry and needed time, then accepted his apology after Ji Yanzhi explained that he had laughed because he found him adorable.
• Ji Ting held Ji Yanzhi's hand on the way into the Old Residence and told him that he liked him.
• Jiang Mingde welcomed them to dinner, urged Ji Yanzhi to take better care of Ji Ting, and invited Ji Ting to spend New Year's with them.
• After Jiang Mingde left, Ji Yanzhi found Ji Ting in the Game Room, where Ji Ting said he was making a chessboard for Jiang Mingde.
• Ji Ting refused to let Ji Yanzhi sit beside him, joking that he could not be a ruler who neglected his duties.

Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi discussed their jealousy and fears about Lu Yanchu’s feelings for Ji Ting. Ji Ting reassured Ji Yanzhi that their love came from who they were, not merely from having met first, and the chapter left them facing their past with tenderness.

• Ji Ting rejected Ji Yanzhi’s request to play Daji and worked on a chessboard for Jiang Mingde with Pork Knuckle’s help.
• Ji Yanzhi tried to entice Ji Ting after midnight, and Ji Ting admitted that he felt possessive when others coveted his partner.
• Ji Yanzhi revealed that Lu Yanchu liked Ji Ting, but Ji Ting said he cared only that Ji Yanzhi was upset.
• Ji Yanzhi confessed that he feared Lu Yanchu might have had a chance with Ji Ting if he had not been Ji Ting’s older brother.
• Ji Ting said he would not have imprinted on the first person he met and reminded Ji Yanzhi that his awful early personality had once made him seem mentally unwell.
• Ji Ting reassured Ji Yanzhi that their relationship had grown from who they were, and that Ji Yanzhi uniquely understood him.

Ji Ting learned Qin Zaiye’s trial had been scheduled for the day after tomorrow and arranged for Ling Xi to meet him beforehand. As Ji Ting took Ling Xi from the State Security Bureau, Ling Xi accused him of using him to threaten Qin Zaiye and shouted that he had been the one to end their relationship.

• Ji Yanzhi carried Ji Ting to bed and took him to the bathroom, and Ji Ting woke the next morning with his hair still wet.
• Zhang Ruiming told Ji Ting that Qin Zaiye’s trial was set for the day after tomorrow and that Qin had asked to see Ling Xi before the trial.
• Ji Ting learned that Hu Xiaohua had died after another cerebral hemorrhage and that Qin knew Ling Xi had exposed her actions, prompting him to understand why Ji Yanzhi had agreed to the meeting.
• Ji Ting went to the State Security Bureau and arranged for Ling Xi to meet Qin Zaiye.
• When Ji Ting brought Ling Xi out, Ling Xi accused him of using him to threaten Qin and shouted that he had been the one who wanted to break up.

Ji Ting tried to make Ling Xi agree to serve Qin Zaiye’s sentence, but Ling Xi refused and was taken to the military detention center. There, Ji Yanzhi confessed that he had read the original novel, and Ji Ting reassured him that his fate would be his own, though someone else in the detention center could hear Ji Ting’s thoughts.

• Ji Ting told Ling Xi that Qin Zaiye could face prison and offered to let Ling Xi serve his sentence, but Ling Xi refused.
• Team Leader Sun revealed that Qin Zaiye’s likely sentence was only two or three years, and Ji Ting admitted he had exaggerated it to frighten Ling Xi.
• Ji Ting and Team Leader Sun traveled to the military detention center, where Ji Yanzhi joined them and Ji Ting questioned why he had arranged for Qin Zaiye to meet Ling Xi.
• Ji Yanzhi confessed to Ji Ting that he had secretly read Out of Control, Lost in Love.
• Ji Ting reassured Ji Yanzhi that the book’s fate would not define him, and Ji Yanzhi embraced him and thanked him for protecting him.
• Someone else in the detention center heard Ji Ting’s thoughts as the two held each other.

Qin Zaiye read Ji Yanzhi’s novel and discovered it described his past in exact detail, including his mother’s death and his own predicted death, while the others’ lives had changed. After asking to see Ji Ting, Qin Zaiye looked directly at him as Ling Xi was stopped from rushing into the visiting room.

• Qin Zaiye read the novel and recognized private memories and events from his life, then learned that his mother had already died.
• Qin Zaiye wondered why Ji Ting, Ji Yanzhi, and Ling Xi had escaped their predicted fates while his life had been ruined.
• Team Leader Sun told Ji Yanzhi and Ji Ting that Qin Zaiye wanted to see Ji Ting and apologize to him.
• Ji Yanzhi persuaded Ji Ting to meet Qin Zaiye, and Ling Xi was brought to the visiting room in electronic restraints.
• Ji Yanzhi taunted Ling Xi about showing Qin Zaiye the video of him refusing to go to prison for him.
• Ling Xi tried to rush toward Qin Zaiye, but a prison guard stopped him, and Qin Zaiye fixed his gaze on Ji Ting.

Ji Yanzhi confronted Qin Zaiye and Ling Xi as Qin tried to apologize to Ji Ting while admitting his interrogation had been driven by personal resentment. Ji Yanzhi showed surveillance footage that contradicted Ling Xi’s account of Ji Ting’s behavior in Sea City, leaving the truth about their encounter exposed.

• Ji Yanzhi blocked Qin Zaiye from viewing Ji Ting, then kicked away Ling Xi’s stool and urged Qin to apologize.
• Qin Zaiye admitted he had harbored personal hostility toward Ji Ting and explained that Ling Xi’s allegations had influenced his interrogation.
• Ling Xi accused Ji Ting of wrecking the restaurant in Sea City after he rejected him, while Ji Ting said he had only begged Ling Xi to return to Jing City.
• Ji Yanzhi revealed that he had paid for the restaurant damage and played surveillance footage of the incident.
• The footage showed the owner verbally abusing Ling Xi and Ji Ting attacking him and smashing up the restaurant before pleading with Ling Xi to return to Jing City.

Ji Ting confronted Ling Xi with evidence of his deception and demanded he return the money and house he had received. After revealing Ling Xi's possible knowledge of the affair that destroyed Ji Yanzhi's family, Ji Ting left with Ji Yanzhi while refusing Qin Zaiye's apology.

• Qin Zaiye watched the video evidence and challenged Ling Xi's claims of harassment, while Ji Yanzhi condemned Ling Xi for exploiting Ji Ting.
• Ling Xi accused Ji Yanzhi of giving him a house, and Ji Ting told him to return it along with Ji Ting's money.
• Ji Ting affirmed that he trusted Ji Yanzhi, and Ling Xi accidentally admitted that Ji Yanzhi had willingly given him the house.
• Ji Ting questioned Ling Xi about whether he had concealed his mother's knowledge of Cheng Yingyu's affair with Ji Shize, leaving Ling Xi panicked.
• Ji Yanzhi threatened to make Ling Xi's life worse than death, and Ji Ting refused Qin Zaiye's apology before leaving with Ji Yanzhi.

Qin Zaiye rejected Ling Xi and asked Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi to let him carry out the Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti, hoping to prevent the deaths of the soldiers who had died with him. Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi understood his request, and Qin Zaiye ended by apologizing and asking Ji Ting to trust him.

• Qin Zaiye told Ling Xi he blamed him for his mother's death, while Ling Xi insisted that his actions had been for Qin Zaiye.
• Ji Yanzhi had the guards remove Ling Xi after he lunged at Qin Zaiye and was subdued by his handcuffs.
• Qin Zaiye told Ji Ting that he wanted the ending he had been destined for, then explained that the soldiers buried alongside him should not have died.
• Ji Ting realized the only way to prevent the peacekeepers' deaths was to let Qin Zaiye carry out the Haiti mission.
• Qin Zaiye apologized to Ji Ting and begged him to trust him once.

Ji Ting agreed to let Qin Zaiye seek redemption through meritorious service, while insisting he still serve his sentence if he failed to earn commendations. After meeting Qin Mingzhong and handing him a letter of forgiveness, Ji Ting left with Ji Yanzhi, who eagerly asked if he could start making things up to him.

• Ji Ting agreed to let Qin Zaiye atone through meritorious service but required him to serve his sentence if he earned no commendations, and Qin Zaiye accepted the condition.
• Ji Ting asked Team Leader Sun to arrange a meeting with Qin Mingzhong, then confronted Ji Yanzhi about buying a house for Ling Xi and promised to let him make it up to him later.
• Ji Yanzhi ordered Liao Kai to evict the occupants of Ling Xi's house and sell it, then asked Fang Jie to recover his payments to Ling Xi through legal action.
• Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi met Qin Mingzhong at a tearoom, where Ji Ting gave him a letter of forgiveness but clarified that he did not forgive Qin Zaiye.
• After leaving the tearoom, Ji Yanzhi asked Ji Ting if he could begin making it up to him.

Ji Yanzhi apologized to Ji Ting for giving Ling Xi a house and took him to the route he had traveled to school as a child. He revealed a new shop beside Shuguang Elementary School called “Aunt and My Bun Shop.”

• Ji Yanzhi explained that he had given Ling Xi a house just to stop him pestering him, apologized to Ji Ting, and promised not to do it again.
• Ji Ting said he was no longer angry because Ji Yanzhi took his feelings seriously, and the two embraced.
• Ji Yanzhi brought Ji Ting to the Agricultural Bureau Family Compound and asked him about his childhood route to school.
• Ji Ting offered to recreate his childhood appearance for Ji Yanzhi, and Ji Yanzhi promised to show him his own childhood photos at New Year's.
• Ji Yanzhi unveiled the sign for a shop beside Shuguang Elementary School named “Aunt and My Bun Shop.”

Ji Yanzhi surprised Ji Ting with a newly built steamed bun shop inspired by Ji Ting’s childhood dream, and Ji Ting happily prepared for its opening. On opening day, Ji Yanzhi arrived with his family and learned that Director Chang and Director Zhou were arguing inside the shop.

• Ji Ting read the shop’s sign, embraced Ji Yanzhi, and told him he loved the name and the shop.
• Ji Ting toured the shop and asked when they could start making buns, and Ji Yanzhi kissed him.
• Ji Yanzhi told Ji Ting that the shop would open the day after tomorrow and invited their friends and family to attend.
• Ji Yanzhi picked up Jiang Mingde, Jiang Shuoyuan, and Cao Yingying, and explained that running a steamed bun shop was Ji Ting’s dream.
• Ji Yanzhi and his family arrived at the shop, where Shen Mu Lan said Director Chang and Director Zhou had gotten into an argument.

Ji Ting’s steamed bun shop drew an impressive crowd of congratulatory gifts, and the Jiang family saw how influential he had become. The chapter ended when Ji Yanzhi opened an anonymous gift and discovered it came from Qin Zaiye.

• Ji Yanzhi explained that Director Chang and Director Zhou had spread the news about Ji Ting’s shop opening, drawing many guests and gifts from officials and institute heads.
• Shen Mu Lan helped in the kitchen, where Ji Ting prepared shrimp filling and Chef Liu made cold dishes while Ji Yanzhi helped knead dough.
• Team Leader Sun delivered opening couplets written by his father and went to greet Ji Yanzhi in the front hall.
• Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi tasted Chef Liu’s pickled cucumbers, and Shen Mu Lan finished the seaweed and egg yolk soup.
• An unfamiliar man insisted on delivering a gift to Ji Ting personally, and Ji Yanzhi opened a box containing a solid-gold wealth-attracting toad and a card signed by Qin Zaiye.

Ji Ting refused Qin Zaiye’s expensive gift, then reassured Ji Yanzhi that they were firmly together. Their new buns won praise from the shop’s customers, just as a wave of phone notifications interrupted them.

• Ji Ting rejected Qin Zaiye’s gold gift and told the messenger to remind Qin to conduct himself accordingly.
• Qin Zaiye learned of Ji Ting’s refusal and left after glancing toward the Steamed Bun Shop.
• Ji Ting tied an apron on Ji Yanzhi and reassured him that their relationship was exclusive, easing his jealousy over Qin Zaiye and Lu Yanchu.
• Ji Ting, Ji Yanzhi, and Shen Mu Lan made buns, and Shen Mu Lan and Chef Liu praised the first batch.
• Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi served the buns to the customers, who complimented their appearance and taste.
• Many phones began ringing at once, and Ji Yanzhi answered his phone.

After the United States accused Shili of stealing Dutch lithography technology and threatened sanctions, Ji Yanzhi returned to the company as Shili’s stock and overseas partnerships came under attack. Director Chang arrived with good news that suggested the country was preparing to respond publicly.

• A White House spokesperson accused Shili of stealing technology from the Netherlands’ AL Company and demanded its technical documents, prompting officials to rush back to their posts.
• Ji Yanzhi went to Shili for an emergency meeting while Ji Ting stayed in his office, and Shili’s share price hit its daily limit as overseas partners began cutting ties.
• Ji Ting tracked public sentiment toward Shili across seventy-three countries and secretly shut off the display when Ji Yanzhi noticed it.
• Ji Ting told Ji Yanzhi how researchers had discovered the United States had exaggerated its fighter-jet performance figures, and Ji Yanzhi laughed at the story.
• Director Chang arrived looking excited, and Ji Yanzhi asked whether the country was preparing to announce the lithography machine.

Ji Yanzhi and Director Chang discussed how to respond to American pressure over China’s lithography machine, while Ji Ting revealed ambitions to pursue far more advanced technologies. After Deng Luqing reported escalating cyberattacks on Shili’s servers, Ji Yanzhi decided to use Li Tianhua as a channel to feed the Americans the data they wanted.

• Ji Ting admitted that he had accessed the AL Core Database before building the lithography machine, but had only checked the Americans’ progress and stolen no technology.
• Ji Yanzhi told Director Chang that the Americans wanted detailed machine specifications and to identify any foreign companies that had helped China, and he hinted that he had a plan.
• Ji Ting told Director Chang that he planned to provide course materials on carbon nanotube transistors rather than join the research, then listed advanced technologies he hoped to develop next.
• Deng Luqing reported that attacks on Shili’s servers had surged, and Ji Yanzhi identified Vice President Li’s computer as a possible internal route into the system.
• Ji Yanzhi decided to let Li Tianhua appear to steal the data the Americans wanted and deliver it to them.

Ji Yanzhi welcomed cybersecurity experts Wei Qian and Chang Wanxin to help Shili defend against Li Tianhua, while Ji Ting’s coworkers complained about his intimidating lab manner and faced a weekend exam instead of losing their bonuses. After Manager Lü secretly sent Li Tianhua a coded update about the data transfer, Li Tianhua ordered his people to withdraw before dawn whether or not they had secured the information.

• Director Chang introduced cybersecurity experts Wei Qian and Chang Wanxin, who went to Shili’s Deep Blue Laboratory to assist with the cyber battle.
• Ji Ting invited Wang Mian to Ji Yanzhi’s office, where the group ate lunch and Wang Mian and Deng Luqing described how Ji Ting’s scrutiny frightened the lab staff.
• After Director Chang confirmed that staff often sought her help to delay Ji Ting’s inspections, Ji Ting offered to test Wang Mian and Deng Luqing at his house that weekend.
• Deputy Manager Lü noticed the Encrypted Information Storage Box as Wei Qian left, then sent Li Tianhua a coded message about the data transfer deadline.
• Li Tianhua suspected Shili had kept backup data and ordered his people to withdraw before five in the morning, whether or not they had secured it.

Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi helped expose Li Tianhua’s cyberattack on Shili and prepared a retaliatory strike against the U.S. network. As State Security Bureau officers moved to arrest Li Tianhua, Ji Ting gave Wang Mian the chance to take his revenge.

• Ji Yanzhi told Wang Mian that he was already in a relationship and had found the best person in the world.
• After Li Tianhua logged into Shili’s Key System, Chang Wanxin trapped him in the System Maze while he stole data and attacked Shili’s servers.
• Ji Ting gave Chang Wanxin a program to infect the U.S. network, and Ji Yanzhi suggested targeting CNN to broadcast evidence of Li Tianhua’s theft.
• Li Tianhua finished stealing the data and began transmitting it to the U.S. side, prompting Chang Wanxin to alert the State Security Bureau.
• Ji Ting asked the arrest team for a few minutes, brought Wang Mian to Li Tianhua’s office, and told him he could take his revenge.

Wang Mian confronted Li Tianhua over sending stolen Core Data to the U.S. side, and the State Security Bureau arrested him. Back at Deep Blue Laboratory, the team confirmed Ji Ting's program had spread through the U.S. network and prepared a fabricated supplier list to present at the United Nations.

• Wang Mian accused Li Tianhua of stealing Core Data for the U.S. side and threatened to build Huaguo's own computational lithography cloud platform.
• The Deputy Director and State Security Bureau officers arrested Li Tianhua for suspected theft of state secrets for foreign entities.
• Wang Mian learned that Ji Ting had meant he could beat Li Tianhua up again when he offered him a chance for revenge.
• Chang Wanxin told Wang Mian that Ji Ting's program had spread through the U.S. side's connected network and could cripple its equipment.
• Ji Yanzhi said Deputy Representative Zhou would explain the incident at the United Nations meeting and reveal a fabricated list of more than five thousand suppliers from eight countries.