Chapter Summaries

Qin Zaiye questioned Ji Ting over suspicions of espionage while Director Chang and the Commander recognized the value of Ji Ting’s inventions. Zheng Guodong arrived to inspect him, then watched footage of Ji Ting explaining advanced missile-engine technology and reacted with shock.

• Director Chang argued that Ji Ting’s communications technology and 3D Scanner were major breakthroughs, and the Commander ordered him to find a way to detect biological weapons.
• The Commander ordered Qin Zaiye to remove Ji Ting from the Isolation Room and question him, then summoned Zheng Guodong from the Aerospace Science and Industry Research Institute.
• Qin Zaiye questioned Ji Ting about the Firegold No. 5 blueprints and why he and Lu Yanchu had investigated Peng Zekun themselves.
• Zheng Guodong and the Commander watched footage of Ji Ting explaining Firegold No. 5’s engine design, and Zheng Li grew flushed and nearly fainted as he heard the technical details.

Ji Ting collapsed during Qin Zaiye’s prolonged interrogation and was taken to the hospital, prompting the commander to order an immediate transfer for treatment. Ji Yanzhi arrived to see his brother but was refused entry, and he demanded an explanation from Political Commissar Yan.

• The commander instructed Qin Zaiye to follow interrogation regulations, but Qin continued questioning Ji Ting until Ji Ting collapsed and was taken to the hospital.
• Shen Lin visited Commander Zhao and asked how long Ji Ting’s interrogation was expected to take on behalf of Shen Mu Lan.
• The commander learned that Ji Ting had collapsed and ordered him taken to the hospital immediately.
• Shen Mu Lan told Ji Yanzhi that Ji Ting had completed his examinations, and they hurried to the hospital.
• A guard refused Ji Yanzhi entry to Ji Ting’s room, so Shen Mu Lan called Shen Lin for help.
• Shen Lin and Political Commissar Yan arrived, and Ji Yanzhi demanded to see Ji Ting and asked how he had ended up in the hospital.

Ji Yanzhi learned that Ji Ting had been kept awake and interrogated for two days and two nights, while Qin Zaiye defended his conduct to the Commander. When Qin visited Ji Ting at the hospital and admitted he had interrogated him, Ji Yanzhi punched him.

• Ji Yanzhi visited the unconscious Ji Ting, promised to protect him, and learned the military had taken Ji Ting's test results.
• The Commander confronted Qin Zaiye over the interrogation and ordered him to apologize to Ji Ting at the hospital.
• Ji Yanzhi told Shen Mu Lan that Ji Ting had gone two days and two nights without sleep during questioning, and Shen Mu Lan relayed that an investigation was underway.
• Qin Zaiye arrived at the hospital and admitted to Ji Yanzhi that he had interrogated Ji Ting.
• Ji Yanzhi overturned a table and punched Qin Zaiye in the cheek.

Ji Yanzhi fought Qin Zaiye over Ji Ting’s mistreatment, then learned that Ji Ting had awakened but could not speak. Tests found no physical cause, and the doctor suspected trauma-induced psychogenic aphasia.

• Ji Yanzhi attacked Qin Zaiye, but Shen Mu Lan stopped the fight and persuaded Ji Yanzhi to seek justice through the Garrison District instead.
• Ji Yanzhi decided to transfer Ji Ting to another hospital, while Shen Mu Lan offered to ask his eldest brother about the Science and Industry Institute’s frequent visits.
• Ji Ting woke briefly, and Ji Yanzhi heard his thoughts reveal that he could no longer speak.
• Doctors examined Ji Ting and found no brain bleeding or nerve damage, but suspected psychogenic aphasia caused by severe psychological trauma.

After developing aphasia, Ji Ting returned home and prepared for the attention his research ideas would attract. The next morning, Shen Mu Lan brought him breakfast and told him that Ji Yanzhi had fought Qin Zaiye over him.

• The doctor told Ji Ting his psychological speech disorder would likely improve gradually, and Ji Yanzhi found him outside and brought him back toward his room.
• Ji Ting retrieved his belongings, but Liao Kai later told Ji Yanzhi that Ji Ting had checked himself out; Ji Yanzhi ordered Liao Kai to follow him home.
• Xu Ren visited Ji Ting, who explained by phone that he had temporarily developed aphasia and asked Xu Ren to buy him several things.
• Ji Ting reflected that his theoretical research ideas had drawn the attention of the Ordnance Department and research institutes, so he decided to prepare for the visitors he expected.
• Shen Mu Lan brought Ji Ting breakfast, and when Ji Ting asked why he had come, Shen Mu Lan told him Ji Yanzhi had fought Qin Zaiye over him.

Ji Ting learned that Ji Yanzhi had driven him from the Ji Family home so he could escape Ji Shize’s control, though Ji Yanzhi had never explained his reasons. Shen Mu Lan tried to help them talk, but Ji Ting and Ji Yanzhi both disappeared from the restaurant.

• Shen Mu Lan told Ji Ting that Ji Yanzhi had sought help for him and hinted that Ji Yanzhi owed him a favor.
• Shen Mu Lan summoned Ji Yanzhi to Mulan Cloud Residence and asked why he had kicked Ji Ting out of the house.
• Ji Yanzhi admitted that Ji Ting could not do what he wanted in that house, and the hidden Ji Ting realized he had been driven out on purpose.
• Ji Yanzhi refused to explain further, while Shen Mu Lan asked whether Ji Ting might return home if he knew the reason.
• Ji Yanzhi stayed to play games as Ji Ting remained hidden, but Shen Mu Lan found the storage room empty and then discovered Ji Yanzhi had disappeared too.

Ji Yanzhi took Ji Ting to Shili, arranged a psychologist and a replacement communication tablet, and explained to Shen Lin that Ji Ting had psychogenic aphasia. Shen Lin told Chang and Zheng that any chance to meet Ji Ting depended on Qin Zaiye apologizing, prompting Chang to threaten to confront the Garrison District.

• Ji Yanzhi found Ji Ting waiting for a ride, insisted he get in, and learned that Xu Ren had made him a communication patch and device.
• Ji Yanzhi told Ji Ting he had booked a psychologist and allowed him to use his iPad only when they were together.
• Ji Yanzhi brought Ji Ting to Shili, arranged lunch, and ordered Wang Mian to create a text processor for him within two days.
• Ji Yanzhi told Shen Lin that Ji Ting had psychogenic aphasia and might not recover.
• Shen Lin told Director Chang and Director Zheng that Qin Zaiye needed to apologize before they could hope to see Ji Ting, and Chang vowed to go to the Garrison District.

Ji Ting learned that Xu Ren had secretly agreed to keep Ji Yanzhi informed, then visited a psychologist who said he did not need treatment and advised Ji Yanzhi to keep him happy without adding pressure. Ji Yanzhi arranged a tour of Shili’s R&D Department for Ji Ting and went downstairs to meet him.

• Qin Mingzhong returned home frustrated by the growing pressure on his family and ordered Qin Zaiye to come back, threatening Ling Xi if he refused.
• Xu Ren confessed that Ji Yanzhi had offered him three million to report on Ji Ting, but Ji Ting reassured him that Ji Yanzhi had acted for a reason.
• Ji Ting visited Doctor Jiang, who concluded that he could not help him and later advised Ji Yanzhi to keep Ji Ting happy and avoid putting him under more pressure.
• Ji Yanzhi asked Fang Jie to bring Ji Ting to Shili’s R&D Department for a tour of its research facilities.
• Ji Yanzhi left his office and went down to the R&D Department after learning Ji Ting had arrived.

Ji Ting toured the artificial intelligence laboratory with Wang Mian, while Ji Yanzhi listened to Ji Ting’s assessments of the technology. After Ji Ting agreed to return with Ji Yanzhi to the old family home, he asked whether he could visit the other research and development centers another day.

• Wang Mian took Ji Ting from Fang Jie and enthusiastically showed him the laboratory’s advanced technologies.
• Ji Ting privately assessed Wang Mian’s work, and Ji Yanzhi recorded his technical observations.
• Ji Yanzhi arrived and pulled Ji Ting away despite Wang Mian’s protests about the word processor he had been ordered to build.
• Ji Ting asked to visit the other research and development centers, and Ji Yanzhi said it depended on his mood.
• Ji Ting agreed to go with Ji Yanzhi to the old family home, then asked if he could visit the other centers another day.

Ji Ting returned to the family home with Ji Yanzhi, but his insomnia and memories of being trapped in a cramped room kept him awake. When Ji Yanzhi found him trying to go for a walk in the middle of the night, he awkwardly invited him to play games instead.

• Ji Yanzhi arranged for Ji Ting to go home with him and left work early, while Wang Mian failed several times to get into the President's Office.
• Uncle Yang welcomed Ji Ting home with streamers, and Ji Ting noticed that dinner consisted entirely of meat dishes.
• Ji Ting went to bed early but could not sleep, repeatedly imagining himself trapped in the iron box and choosing not to take his prescribed medication.
• Ji Ting got out of bed to take a walk and met Ji Yanzhi on the stairs.
• Ji Yanzhi told Ji Ting to put on more clothes, then called to him and invited him to play games.

Ji Yanzhi played UFC 5 with Ji Ting late into the night, then carried the sleeping Ji Ting to his own room. The next morning, Ji Yanzhi ordered the estate’s staff to keep Ji Ting safe, and had Qin Zaiye turned away when he came looking for him.

• Ji Yanzhi and Ji Ting searched for a boxing game, called Shen Mu Lan to learn it was UFC 5, and played round after round, with Ji Ting losing thirteen times.
• Ji Ting fell asleep while looking up a guide, so Ji Yanzhi carried him upstairs and moved him to his own room after finding Ji Ting’s room cold and unwelcoming.
• Ji Yanzhi told Liao Kai to stay at the estate, watch Ji Ting closely, and let him wake on his own before eating.
• Qin Zaiye arrived at the estate looking for Ji Ting, and Ji Yanzhi ordered Liao Kai to tell him to get lost.

Ji Yanzhi made Qin Zaiye wait outside the Ji Family gate in an attempt to force him to humble himself, but Qin refused and threatened him before leaving. Lu Yanchu arrived to see Ji Ting and confronted Qin, accusing him of coming to apologize only because his superiors and the Shili Group had pressured him.

• Ji Yanzhi ordered the guards to ignore Qin Zaiye and make him wait if he tried to leave.
• After waiting outside for over half an hour, Qin Zaiye warned Ji Yanzhi to watch himself and turned toward his car.
• Lu Yanchu arrived and asked to see Ji Ting, while Liao Kai went to the gate and told the butler to keep Ji Ting inside if he woke.
• Lu Yanchu asked Qin Zaiye whether he had come to apologize, and Qin dismissed the suggestion and challenged Lu's remarks.
• Lu Yanchu accused Qin Zaiye of caring about Ji Ting only because of pressure from his superiors and the Shili Group, then challenged him to resist the Qin family's influence.

Ji Yanzhi used recordings of Ji Ting explaining 6G technology to coax Wang Mian into apologizing and gave him a hard drive with ten more. Ji Ting woke in Ji Yanzhi's bedroom, began testing why he had fallen asleep there, and was playing games with Xu Ren when Ji Yanzhi called and ordered him home.

• Liao Kai arranged for bodyguards to intervene on Lu Yanchu's behalf if Qin Zaiye started a fight, then sent Ji Yanzhi footage of their argument.
• Ji Yanzhi played Wang Mian a recording of Ji Ting's technical explanation, paused it before the conclusion, and gave Wang Mian a hard drive containing ten recordings.
• Ji Ting woke in Ji Yanzhi's bedroom, decided to investigate why he had fallen asleep there, and asked the butler to move Ji Yanzhi's used bedding to his own room.
• Ji Ting took the PS5 to Xinxin Garden and asked Xu Ren to play games with him after dinner.
• During their fourth match, Ji Ting answered Ji Yanzhi's video call and said he would return after thirteen matches, leaving Ji Yanzhi intensely displeased.

Ji Ting tested what helped him sleep while Ji Yanzhi reacted jealously to his time with Xu Ren and his thank-you gift. After Ji Ting began a late-night game with Ji Yanzhi, Ji Yanzhi suddenly felt intensely nauseated.

• Xu Ren suggested Ji Ting return home early after Ji Yanzhi seemed unhappy during their video call, but Ji Ting stayed to finish playing.
• Liao Kai told Ji Yanzhi that Lu Yanchu had left a letter and wanted to discuss something important concerning Ji Ting, but Ji Yanzhi dismissed the warning.
• Ji Ting brought Ji Yanzhi sugar-roasted chestnuts to thank him for playing games, and Ji Yanzhi became irritated when he learned Ji Ting had treated Xu Ren to a meal.
• Ji Ting played a boxing game alone late into the night to test whether the time or environment affected his sleep, but he still felt uneasy when he closed his eyes.
• Ji Yanzhi came downstairs, complained about the noise, and joined Ji Ting's game, but then he felt an intense wave of nausea.

Ji Yanzhi suffered indigestion after eating an enormous amount of sugar-roasted chestnuts, and Ji Ting took him to the hospital for treatment. After they left, Ji Yanzhi spit out his water when he heard Ji Ting think that he had not washed his hands.

• Ji Yanzhi developed stomach pain and nausea while gaming, and Ji Ting decided to take him to the hospital.
• Ji Ting helped Ji Yanzhi into the car and drove carefully to a nearby hospital after Ji Yanzhi complained about the turns.
• Ji Ting told the doctor that Ji Yanzhi had eaten two and a half pounds of chestnuts, and tests showed his blood glucose was only slightly elevated.
• The doctor diagnosed indigestion, prescribed medicine, and told Ji Yanzhi to take a slow walk and avoid drinking too much water.
• Ji Ting bought water and prepared the medicine, but Ji Yanzhi spat out a mouthful after hearing Ji Ting think he had not washed his hands since leaving the hospital.

After Ji Yanzhi vomited from overeating chestnuts, Ji Ting stayed to help him and reassured him that his illness did not disgust him. Ji Yanzhi took a walk at home as instructed, but the two ended up teasing and provoking each other in the garden.

• Ji Yanzhi ran from the car and vomited, then felt ashamed of his cleanliness obsession and assumed Ji Ting had left.
• Ji Ting returned with milk and tofu cat litter, cleaned up the vomit, and told Ji Yanzhi that being ill was okay.
• Ji Yanzhi and Ji Ting rode home together, where Ji Ting offered to help if Ji Yanzhi needed to vomit again.
• Ji Ting visited Ji Yanzhi's room to make sure he walked after eating, and Ji Yanzhi changed into sportswear despite complaining.
• Ji Ting sat on a garden bench instead of walking, and Ji Yanzhi threatened to take his tablet before pinching his earlobe.

Ji Ting realized that Ji Yanzhi was the only person who let him sleep and began arranging for the household staff and bodyguards to leave, while Ji Yanzhi recognized the plan and quietly helped. At Shili, Zheng Guodong showed Ji Yanzhi classified surveillance footage of Ji Ting in the Isolation Room.

• Ji Yanzhi teased Ji Ting into jogging around the garden, then carried him inside after Ji Ting fell asleep on a bench.
• Ji Ting woke at two in the afternoon and concluded that Ji Yanzhi was the only person who could help him sleep.
• Ji Ting arranged for the household staff to take time off and told the butler he would make dinner, while Ji Yanzhi instructed Liao Kai to excuse the bodyguards too.
• Director Liu and Zheng Guodong visited Ji Yanzhi at Shili, and Ji Yanzhi suspected Zheng had come about Qin Zaiye.
• After Director Liu left, Zheng showed Ji Yanzhi classified surveillance footage of Ji Ting in the Isolation Room.

Ji Yanzhi watched footage of Ji Ting enduring seven hours of sensory deprivation and heard him beg to be released. He rejected Zheng Guodong’s attempt to persuade Ji Ting to hand over the missile technology and vowed that Qin Zaiye would never atone for what he had done.

• Zheng Guodong explained that Ji Ting had been held in the Isolation Room for a sensory deprivation experiment and played the footage for Ji Yanzhi.
• Ji Yanzhi watched Ji Ting endure hours of speaking classified missile information as the experiment wore him down.
• Ji Ting broke down and begged his captors to let him out, and Ji Yanzhi saw the footage end when the room’s door opened.
• Zheng Guodong tried to raise the request for Ji Ting to set aside his grievances and provide the missile technology, but Ji Yanzhi confronted him over Ji Ting’s treatment.
• Ji Yanzhi told Zheng Guodong to tell Qin Zaiye that he would never atone while Ji Yanzhi was alive.

At the Ji Family Old Residence, Ji Ting gave Xu Ren the keys to his apartment and prepared dinner for Ji Yanzhi. The chapter ended with Ji Ting hoping that if Ji Yanzhi liked the food, he would agree to sleep with him that night.

• Xu Ren told Ji Ting that Lu Yanchu had asked to meet him, but Ji Ting declined because he had not helped investigate the spy for Lu Yanchu's sake.
• Ji Ting lent Xu Ren the keys to his furnished apartment so Xu Ren could bring his grandfather to stay there.
• Ji Ting cooked dinner for Ji Yanzhi after giving the household chefs the day off.
• Ji Yanzhi helped set the table and served rice while Ji Ting cooked, though he complained about being treated like a servant.
• Ji Yanzhi joked that Ji Ting must have something to ask of him, and Ji Ting hoped he would agree to sleep with him that night.

Ji Ting tried to find something Ji Yanzhi would accept in exchange for letting him sleep nearby, while Ji Yanzhi grew irritated after hearing Ji Ting think about Ling Xi. The chapter ended with Ji Yanzhi asking Ji Ting to tell a joke before he would consider granting his request.

• Ji Yanzhi criticized the dinner Ji Ting cooked, and Ji Ting abandoned his hope of using the meal to persuade him.
• Ji Ting went for a walk and wondered what Ji Yanzhi liked, thinking of Ling Xi; Ji Yanzhi overheard and became jealous and irritable.
• Ji Ting returned to the Main Building and called Ji Yanzhi, who declined the call before summoning him to the study.
• Ji Ting offered Unit Two and an L3-level large-model algorithm chip in exchange for something, but Ji Yanzhi questioned Xu Ren's abilities.
• Ji Yanzhi recognized that Ji Ting wanted something from him and asked him to tell a joke as a show of sincerity.