Chapter Summaries

After the confrontation with Tianchong, Chu Yilan took Shen Lian home and refused his seduction, leaving him to sleep alone. Chu Yilan later pursued the matter himself, while Sun Binghe drove Tianchong’s vice president out of Hengtai with a scathing rebuke.

• Chu Yilan dismissed Tianchong’s request to explain, sent everyone home, and told Yang Bin to get his head checked at a hospital.
• Sun Binghe took Yang Bin to the hospital and thanked Kuang Chenghai by promising not to oppose him at the next Executive Meeting.
• Shen Lian clung to Chu Yilan in the car and admitted that there was something he feared but would never reveal to Chu Yilan.
• At home, Chu Yilan checked Shen Lian’s bruises, refused to satisfy him, and went to sleep in the study; near dawn, Shen Lian felt someone applying ointment to his injuries.
• Chu Yilan pursued Tianchong, and Sun Binghe berated its vice president until the man fled Hengtai without delivering an apology.
• Sun Binghe recalled that Yang Bin’s head wound had been larger than it first appeared, and that Yang Bin had refused to have his head shaved.

Shen Lian attended a luxury brand’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, enjoyed an unexpected fan meet, and confronted Song Yuan about his treatment of Chen Mu. The chapter left Shen Lian confidently challenging Song Yuan and asserting that Xingkai would protect him.

• Hu Kailan booked Shen Lian to appear at a luxury brand opening in Jinning Tower.
• Shen Lian arrived at the tower and spent time greeting fans, signing autographs, and joking with a young male fan.
• Shen Lian joined the brand representatives for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which drew an enthusiastic crowd.
• Song Yuan approached Shen Lian in the store and asked about his relationship with Chen Mu.
• Shen Lian criticized Song Yuan for humiliating and suppressing Chen Mu, then said Xingkai would protect him.

Chen Mu told Shen Lian how his relationship with Song Yuan began and how Song Yuan later discarded and mistreated him. He made clear that he despised Song Yuan’s lingering affection and wanted to rely on himself, while Feng Yueshan overheard their conversation.

• Chen Mu came to see Shen Lian and apologized for Song Yuan causing him trouble, explaining that Song Yuan had been harassing him.
• Chen Mu recounted how he met Song Yuan when he helped him after a drunken fight, and how Song Yuan confessed his love.
• Chen Mu described how Song Yuan distanced himself after returning to the Song Family and treated their relationship as a debt repaid by getting Chen Mu into Dawnlight Media.
• Chen Mu told Shen Lian that he had already settled his debts with Song Yuan and knew Song Yuan still liked him, but rejected that affection because he had himself.
• Feng Yueshan arrived to see Shen Lian and overheard the conversation outside the door.

Feng Yueshan invited Shen Lian and Chen Mu to a club, where Shen Lian played pai gow and Feng Yueshan began noticing Chen Mu in a new way. Chu Yilan arrived and questioned why Chen Mu was there, leaving Feng Yueshan unsettled by his own reactions to Chen Mu.

• Feng Yueshan invited Shen Lian to play pai gow and insisted that Chen Mu come along too.
• Feng Yueshan let Shen Lian represent him at the table while Chen Mu ate pastries and kept to himself.
• Chu Yilan arrived and asked Feng Yueshan why Chen Mu was there, and Feng Yueshan said he had simply invited him.
• Chen Mu rinsed tea cups, and Feng Yueshan stared at his wrist before choking on his tea.
• Chen Mu patted Feng Yueshan's back to help him stop coughing, leaving Feng Yueshan dazed as Chu Yilan and Shen Lian watched him.

Feng Yueshan struggled to conceal his growing feelings for Chen Mu, who fled from his offer of a ride. Shen Lian accepted Zhao Wenshu’s new drama, where he faced Song Yuan and Shi Zhujie as casting arrangements were finalized.

• Feng Yueshan insisted on driving Chen Mu home, but Chen Mu hurried into a taxi and sped away.
• Shen Lian and Chu Yilan agreed that Feng Yueshan was hiding something and would eventually reveal it.
• Zhao Wenshu called Shen Lian with an offer for a leading role in his new ensemble drama, and Shen Lian accepted.
• Shen Lian met Zhao Wenshu to discuss the script and encountered Song Yuan and Shi Zhujie at the meeting.
• Zhao Wenshu confirmed Shi Zhujie's role, and Shen Lian gave him an ominous, faint smile.

Shen Lian joined Zhao Wenshu’s film production, where he clashed with Shi Zhujie and impressed the director with his acting. After leaving Chu Yilan with a promise to call and send flowers, Shen Lian’s performance embarrassed Shi Zhujie and earned Zhao Wenshu’s praise.

• Shen Lian told Shi Zhujie to stay out of his support for Chen Mu and warned Song Yuan to keep Shi Zhujie in line.
• Shen Lian spent his last evening at home with Chu Yilan, then left for the film city after promising to video call and send him flowers every day.
• Shen Lian met Liu Tang on set, while Zhao Wenshu praised his script preparation and Shi Zhujie struggled through a scene.
• Shen Lian performed Emperor Linxiao’s humiliating scene of eating pastries off the ground, leaving Zhao Wenshu satisfied and Shi Zhujie jealous.
• Zhao Wenshu told Shi Zhujie to learn from Shen Lian’s performance, and Shen Lian modestly said he still had plenty to learn.

Shen Lian endured a demanding week of filming and suffered a frightening health episode after encountering Chen Yan on set. He realized her arrival might be connected to Ming Lin and prepared to tell Chu Yilan, who immediately noticed he looked unwell on their video call.

• Shen Lian watched Director Zhao reprimand Shi Zhujie, then shared his food with Liu Tang, who dismissed his claim that he was taken as just a persona.
• Shen Lian struggled through a busy week of period-drama filming while Chu Yilan kept their video calls brief so he could rest.
• Shen Lian ran into Chen Yan at the makeup room and felt uneasy about her presence on set because of her connection to Ming Lin.
• After finishing two fight sequences, Shen Lian experienced chest pain, numbness, and dizziness, then took his medicine in the lounge until he began to recover.
• Shen Lian suspected Chen Yan's appearance was tied to Ming Lin and decided to be honest with Chu Yilan about feeling unwell.
• Chu Yilan noticed Shen Lian looked unwell during their video call and told him to sit up so he could examine him.

After Shen Lian briefly fell ill, Chu Yilan rushed to Film City to see him, and the two reunited in Shen Lian’s room. Their private moment was interrupted by Chen Yan, who Shen Lian realized Ming Lin had sent to trap him; Chen Yan returned to the room and found Chu Yilan confronting her.

• Shen Lian reassured Chu Yilan that he had taken his medicine, but Chu Yilan hurried to Film City to check on him in person.
• Shen Lian met Chu Yilan at a side gate, and they embraced before going to Shen Lian’s room.
• While Chu Yilan showered, Chen Yan arrived dressed to seduce Shen Lian, and Shen Lian identified Ming Lin as the person behind her visit.
• Shen Lian warned Chen Yan to leave Ming Lin and closed the door, then told Chu Yilan the visitor was no one important.
• Chen Yan opened the unlocked door again and found Shen Lian and Chu Yilan together, prompting Chu Yilan to order her out.

Chen Yan revealed that Ming Lin had ordered her to ruin Shen Lian’s reputation, and Shen Lian persuaded her to gather information on him. After learning Ming Lin was courting Kangsheng Pharmaceuticals’ heiress, Shen Lian ordered Chu Yilan to drive the Ming Family out of Qu City; Ming Lin’s prospective partnership collapsed, while Chu Yilan continued waiting for the person secretly backing him.

• Chen Yan confessed that Ming Lin had pressured her to sabotage Shen Lian, and Shen Lian told her to pretend she had failed and gather information for him.
• Chen Yan revealed Ming Lin was pursuing the daughter of Kangsheng Pharmaceuticals’ owner, and she noted that Ming Lin imitated Chu Yilan’s public manner.
• Shen Lian ordered Chu Yilan to make the Ming Family leave Qu City, and Chu Yilan agreed.
• Ming Lin heard that Chen Yan had failed, threatened her again, and returned to courting Kangsheng’s heiress.
• Feng Yueshan secured Kangsheng’s business deal for Skyreach International, leaving Ming Lin furious as Chu Yilan continued to act like an uninvolved bystander.
• Feng Yueshan sold the deal to Ning Sixian at a supposed discount that still earned him a profit, and Ning Sixian later forced him to drink.

Shen Lian’s fight scene with Shi Zhujie went badly, and Song Yuan confronted him over Shi’s injury. Sun Binghe stopped Song Yuan from grabbing Shen Lian, leaving Song Yuan to realize the significance of Shen Lian’s connection to Hengtai.

• Shi Zhujie repeatedly failed to handle the spear in his fight scene with Shen Lian, then accused Shen of deliberately hurting him and claimed his wrist was injured.
• Director Zhao brought in a stunt double, who completed the fight scene with Shen Lian, while Shi Zhujie returned from the hospital that evening.
• Song Yuan confronted Shen Lian, who told him that his boyfriend sucked and dismissed his threats.
• Song Yuan reached for Shen Lian’s collar, but Sun Binghe intercepted him as Shen threw water in his face.
• Sun Binghe warned Song Yuan about the consequences of getting physical, and Song Yuan recognized him and recalled Shen Lian’s remark about President Kuang.

Shen Lian stood up to Song Yuan and took Sun Binghe to dinner, while Shi Zhujie stayed quiet after Song Yuan left. Sun Binghe watched Shen Lian film as Emperor Linxiao, sent photos to Chu Yilan, and stayed nearby for the night.

• Shen Lian dismissed Sun Binghe’s concerns about Song Yuan and took him to eat braised chicken, refusing to drink beer because of his health.
• Shen Lian and Sun Binghe returned to find Song Yuan gone and Shi Zhujie unusually quiet.
• Shen Lian filmed Emperor Linxiao’s tense accession scene while Sun Binghe watched and took photos for Chu Yilan.
• Chu Yilan admired the photos of Shen Lian in imperial robes and recalled their conversation about buying special outfits.
• Shen Lian filmed two hours of overtime, and Sun Binghe told him he had booked a nearby hotel.

Shen Lian visited Chu Yilan at a club, where Feng Yueshan drunkenly revealed his interest in Chen Mu and exposed Zhou Yuanlin’s private remark about Sun Binghe. The chapter ended with Zhou Yuanlin fleeing after Ning Sixian warned him that Feng had let the secret slip.

• Shen Lian took the afternoon off and went with Sun Binghe to find Chu Yilan at a club where Ning Sixian was making Feng Yueshan drink over a dispute about profits.
• Feng Yueshan seized Chu Yilan’s phone and asked Shen Lian to bring Chen Mu, explaining that he wanted Chen Mu to make tea.
• Chu Yilan and Ning Sixian suspected Feng Yueshan’s unusual insistence on seeing Chen Mu meant he was interested in him.
• Shen Lian arrived at the club with Sun Binghe and told Feng Yueshan that Chen Mu would come later.
• Feng Yueshan drunkenly repeated Zhou Yuanlin’s remark about the contrast a strong man needed, prompting Ning Sixian to warn Zhou Yuanlin.
• Zhou Yuanlin received Ning Sixian’s messages and sped away from the club.

Feng Yueshan drank with Sun Binghe and Chen Mu joined the gathering after earning a new acting role. The night ended with Feng Yueshan revealing his terrible middle-school math scores, leaving Sun Binghe stunned.

• Ning Sixian told Sun Binghe that Zhou Yuanlin could not come, and Feng Yueshan slept while the others drank and talked.
• Chen Mu arrived, shared news of his upcoming third male lead role with Shen Lian, and answered Feng Yueshan's questions about his perfume and meal.
• Sun Binghe returned drunk and said Chen Mu had earned full marks, then stopped Feng Yueshan from drinking with Ning Sixian.
• Feng Yueshan and Sun Binghe drank together, and Feng Yueshan boasted that he could break Sun Binghe with one sentence.
• Feng Yueshan revealed that he had never scored above twenty in math across four consecutive exams in eighth grade, stunning Sun Binghe.

Feng Yueshan teased Sun Binghe over his poor math scores, then brought Chen Mu along to dinner under the pretext of discussing an advertisement. The group discussed Jin Lei’s sentencing, Feng Yueshan grew unusually attentive to Chen Mu, and Chu Yilan and Shen Lian went home together.

• Feng Yueshan needled the drunk Sun Binghe about his failing math scores, and Sun Binghe snapped back that Feng did not deserve his privileged future.
• Shen Lian told Chu Yilan he was hungry, and the group went to a seafood restaurant; Feng Yueshan put Chen Mu in his car to discuss the advertisement.
• Chu Yilan told Ning Sixian that Jin Lei had been sentenced for major financial crimes but still refused to reveal who was behind the overseas account shared with Ming Lin.
• Feng Yueshan complained about peeling crayfish, and Chen Mu peeled it for him while Shen Lian suspected Feng had an unrequited crush.
• Chu Yilan took the drunk Sun Binghe home, then returned with Shen Lian, who eagerly let Chu Yilan pin him against the bedroom door.

After spending the night with Chu Yilan, Shen Lian returned to the set exhausted but soon got back into form. He filmed Emperor Linxiao’s battlefield triumph, leaving Zhao Wenshu thrilled with the performance.

• Shen Lian woke after a few hours of sleep and Chu Yilan drove him back to the set.
• Shen Lian ran into Chen Yan, took her milk tea, and went to find Director Zhao.
• Shen Lian arrived for filming sore and tired, but recovered after getting ready and drinking water.
• Zhao Wenshu watched Shen Lian mount a horse in silver armor and hurried the crew into position.
• Shen Lian performed Emperor Linxiao’s duel, killing the enemy general and challenging the Hu Slaves.
• Zhao Wenshu leaped up and praised the take.

After Zhao Wenshu praised Shen Lian’s acting, Shen Lian and Sun Binghe became disgusted by Ming Lin’s obsessive imitation of Chu Yilan and fled his invitation. Sun Binghe then messaged Chu Yilan to demand emotional-distress compensation for himself and Shen Lian, leaving Chu Yilan baffled.

• Zhao Wenshu praised Shen Lian’s potential for three minutes, and Shen Lian joked that he would go public with his partner if he became famous.
• Shen Lian noticed Ming Lin’s clothes, mannerisms, and appearance imitated Chu Yilan, and Sun Binghe confirmed the resemblance.
• Ming Lin invited Shen Lian and Sun Binghe to dinner, but both men refused and hurried away to escape him.
• Shen Lian asked for a cigarette in an overgrown garden, and Sun Binghe decided to demand emotional-distress compensation from Chu Yilan.
• Sun Binghe messaged Chu Yilan that Shen Lian wanted compensation too, leaving Chu Yilan confused.

Chu Yilan learned that Ming Lin’s imitation had left Shen Lian and Sun Binghe dispirited, while Ming Lin visited the old man he called Father and promised to bring Shen Lian to him. The old man rejected Ming Lin’s devotion in private and wondered how Chu Yilan could still be happy after so much had been taken from him.

• Shen Lian told Chu Yilan that Ming Lin copied his expressions and mannerisms, and Chu Yilan offered to compensate Shen Lian and Sun Binghe for their distress.
• Ming Lin drove Chen Yan to her destination, then went to a villa on the outskirts and eagerly entered the study to see his Father.
• Ming Lin’s Father threw a vase at him and demanded that he bring Shen Lian to the villa.
• Ming Lin promised to bring Shen Lian next time and said he wanted to become his Father’s son, not Chu Yilan.
• After Ming Lin left, his Father mocked his ambition and wondered how Chu Yilan could still be happy after he had cut so much out of his life.

Chu Yilan saw Ming Lin imitating his appearance at a business reception and wondered who had taught him. The encounter stirred Chu Yilan’s buried desire for revenge, and he humiliated Ming Lin by calling him an unworthy copy.

• Chu Yilan woke from a panic, found Shen Lian’s messages, and felt reassured by them.
• At a business reception, Chu Yilan heard Feng Yueshan and Zhou Yuanlin complain about Ming Lin’s imitation of him.
• Chu Yilan confronted Ming Lin, whose confidence faltered when he faced the real Chu Yilan.
• Ming Lin’s imitation reminded Chu Yilan of someone who had sought substitutes and replicas, stirring his desire for revenge.
• Chu Yilan pressed his hand over Ming Lin’s face, searched his eyes, and told him to change his tie and cuff links because he was not worthy of being Chu Yilan’s copy.

Chu Yilan recalled how Chu Changqi had killed a turtle in front of him and how Ming Lin had pledged himself to Chu Changqi, then suppressed his fury rather than seize Ming Lin at the banquet. As Chu Yilan drank and brooded over his past, Shen Lian arrived and approached him.

• Chu Yilan remembered witnessing Chu Changqi crush his turtle and discovering that Ming Lin had admired Chu Changqi and offered to imitate him.
• Chu Yilan released Ming Lin, deciding that capturing him would not help because Chu Changqi would have prepared other escape routes.
• Chu Yilan recalled his mother's desperate order to run from the fire and concluded that keeping Chu Changqi alive would be his punishment.
• Chu Yilan drank heavily at the banquet while Feng Yueshan and Yang Bin watched him, and the head of Kangsheng Pharmaceuticals sent Ming Lin home.
• Shen Lian arrived at the banquet, signed an autograph for a fan, and walked toward Chu Yilan.
• Chu Yilan initially mistook Shen Lian for a hallucination, but seeing him in front of him dispelled much of his anger and drunkenness.

Shen Lian brought a drunk Chu Yilan home and learned that Chu Yilan suspected Chu Changqi was alive and targeting Shen Lian. The chapter ended with Shen Lian deciding he would face Chu Changqi rather than let him frighten Chu Yilan.

• Shen Lian found Chu Yilan drinking, took him home, and stayed close to him as he sobered up.
• Chu Yilan woke in a panic, drank the hangover soup, and asked Shen Lian to hold him tightly.
• Chu Yilan warned Shen Lian that he would have more bodyguards and must contact him immediately if anything happened.
• Chu Yilan revealed that he suspected Chu Changqi was alive and that Ming Lin worked for him.
• Chu Yilan explained that Chu Changqi had used Chen Yan to approach Shen Lian and would target him to make Chu Yilan suffer.
• Shen Lian comforted Chu Yilan and silently resolved to let Chu Changqi come after him.