Recaps

Wang Xiaoliang reviewed personnel records and attendance at his new company, discovering that Wu Zeyou had been marked on personal leave for three months. He then called Uncle Wu to learn how labor companies operate and asked what a company must consider when dismissing an employee.

• Wang Xiaoliang summoned Cui Wanqiu and examined the employee files, contracts, and attendance records she brought him.
• Wang Xiaoliang noticed that Wu Zeyou had been listed on personal leave every workday for three months, while Cui Wanqiu stayed silent about the situation.
• Wang Xiaoliang learned from Cui Wanqiu that many employees had been transferred from the group because the company offered good pay and benefits with little work.
• Wang Xiaoliang called his father, got Uncle Wu's number, and asked him to explain labor dispatch and construction labor companies.
• Uncle Wu described the labor costs, contracts, and fees involved in construction labor companies, and Wang Xiaoliang asked what to consider before dismissing an employee.

Wang Xiaoliang questioned the finance section about its procedures and learned that Gu Junhao controlled the company’s online banking token and had lent the debt-free company eleven million. Li Yongling ended the chapter by explaining that Gu had transferred the money as loans, leaving Wang to investigate why.

• Wang Xiaoliang reviewed the staff roster, called finance chief Xiao Ziting to his office, and questioned her responsibilities and control of the company’s banking tokens.
• Xiao Ziting claimed Gu Junhao had taken her token, while Li Yongling arrived and offered Wang her own transaction-entry token.
• Wang called Gu Junhao and demanded the authorization token, but Gu refused, claiming he needed it because much of the money in the company account was his.
• Wang questioned Li Yongling about the company’s finances, and she explained that its management fees covered expenses and left money for bonuses.
• Li Yongling told Wang that Gu had transferred eleven million into the company account as loans, and, when Wang asked why, she answered, “Lending.”

On his first day at the company, Wang Xiaoliang learned from Li Yongling that Gu Junhao was secretly lending contractors personal money at interest through company accounts. Wang began taking steps to gain control of the company’s finances, while Fan Jingbang agreed to bring him the company seals and business license.

• Li Yongling explained how Gu Junhao routed personal loans to contractors through company accounts and concealed the interest payments.
• Li Yongling said Gu Junhao benefited from contractors’ gifts and meals, and that his lending had increased after the group banned company borrowing.
• Li Yongling told Wang Xiaoliang she trusted him because he had refused Gu Junhao’s hospitality and immediately sought online banking access.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked Li Yongling who held the company seals and told her to take personal leave the next morning.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Fan Jingbang he needed the official company seal, the legal representative’s personal seal, and the business license for a contract and commitment letter with Ruiwen Construction.

Wang Xiaoliang met Fang Dongxu at Chengyou and learned that Gu Junhao may have arranged for Fang to win him over. After settling into his new life in Fucheng, Wang Xiaoliang watched Wang Fen’s viral singing video and received her heartfelt thanks.

• Wang Xiaoliang found Fang Dongxu blocking his Lexus and learned Fang was surprised he had become Chengyou’s general manager.
• Fang Dongxu invited Wang Xiaoliang to meet Gu Junhao, then questioned why Wang had joined Chengyou; Wang said he planned to polish his résumé before transferring to Chengyu Group.
• Wang Xiaoliang suspected Gu Junhao had told Fang about his arrival and was using him to draw Wang in.
• Wang Xiaoliang had dinner with Fan Qishan, spoke with Wei Zijin, and then watched Wang Fen’s viral performance of “The Taste.”
• Wang Fen messaged Wang Xiaoliang about her successful video and thanked him, saying she felt free.

Wang Xiaoliang attended a group middle-management meeting where Fu Zhaojun introduced him as a chairman-backed recruit, then arranged for him to meet someone in his office. Wang Xiaoliang was shocked when the visitor entered.

• Wang Xiaoliang brought the lunch box Wei Zijin had sent and shared lunch with Gu Junhao, who shifted from challenging him to warmly calling him brother.
• Fu Zhaojun called Wang Xiaoliang and asked him to attend a group middle-management meeting that afternoon.
• Fu Zhaojun introduced Wang Xiaoliang to the group’s middle and senior managers as a talented recruit brought in by the chairman.
• After the meeting, Fu Zhaojun asked Wang Xiaoliang to stay and led him to his office to meet someone.
• A visitor entered Fu Zhaojun’s office, and Wang Xiaoliang was shocked by the person’s face.

Wang Xiaoliang reunited with Chen Xiaoying, who had changed her name to Chen Zhifei and rebuilt her life as an accountant at Chengyu Group. He invited her to dinner with Fang Dongxu, where they began to reconnect before Fang arrived.

• Chen Xiaoying introduced herself to Wang Xiaoliang as Chen Zhifei, an accountant in Chengyu Group's finance department, and asked him to wait for her after work.
• Wang Xiaoliang invited Chen Zhifei to join Fang Dongxu's dinner, and she agreed to come after finishing her work.
• Fu Zhaojun praised Chen Zhifei's professionalism and discussed Wang Xiaoliang's adjustment to his new job with him.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Chen Zhifei arrived at the restaurant before Fang Dongxu and spoke about her parents and the knife wound on Wang's hand.
• Chen Zhifei leaned closer to inspect Wang Xiaoliang's hand just as Fang Dongxu entered the private room.

Wang Xiaoliang and Chen Zhifei met Fang Dongxu, who described his business services and tried to recruit Wang into a risky acceptance-bill scheme. Chen Zhifei warned Wang to stay away, and he thanked her as a new friend before driving off.

• Fang Dongxu was startled to see Chen Zhifei, and she asked him to stop calling her Chen Xiaoying.
• Fang Dongxu explained how he left Chengyou Labor Service and built a business handling company registrations, qualifications, bookkeeping, and other services.
• Fang Dongxu warned Wang Xiaoliang about opposing Mr. Gu and offered him a job, then proposed that Wang invest in reselling acceptance bills.
• Wang Xiaoliang questioned the legal risks and learned that Fang Dongxu planned to use multiple companies and accounts to cash bills for clients.
• Fang Dongxu asked Wang Xiaoliang to arrange a meeting with Fan Qishan, but Wang refused.
• After Wang Xiaoliang drove Chen Zhifei home, she warned him that reselling acceptance bills was illegal, and he thanked her as his new friend.

Wang Xiaoliang learned why Liu Xinyu was shutting down Chengyou Labor Service and discussed Liu Xinyu's plans for the company and its staff. Unable to sleep, he read the Book of Fate's forty-first Fate-Changing Art and finally settled down.

• Wang Xiaoliang called Liu Xinyu and worked out that he was following Third Uncle's example by winding down Chengyu Group.
• Liu Xinyu explained that he halted Chengyou Labor Service because its name reflected his father's favoritism toward his younger brother, Liu Xinyou, and he would not let him live off the Comprehensive Building.
• Liu Xinyu told Wang Xiaoliang that he had placed Chen Zhifei in Finance to monitor the company's accounts and had assigned Fang Dongxu to Chengyou so Gu Junhao would keep an eye on him.
• Liu Xinyu said his father was recovering after Third Uncle introduced an expert.
• Wang Xiaoliang read the Book of Fate's forty-first Fate-Changing Art, reflected on its advice to act without hesitation or fear of ridicule, and fell asleep.

Wang Xiaoliang investigated the company’s staff and business practices while questioning Chen Jiye, a business development employee, and Fan Jingbang. After Gu Junhao celebrated a profitable subcontract, police arrived at Wang Xiaoliang’s office and ordered him to come with them.

• Wang Xiaoliang summoned Chen Jiye and learned that the company had no spare computers, then questioned two business development employees about their duties and the company’s strengths.
• Wang Xiaoliang questioned Fan Jingbang about his work and heard him describe Fan Qishan’s academic promise, his choice to follow an old Daoist, and his family’s disappointment in him.
• At lunch, Gu Junhao announced that he had signed a sixty-million-yuan labor subcontract and invited Wang Xiaoliang to drink and play cards, but Wang declined.
• After Wang Xiaoliang rested in his office, two police officers arrived and told him to come with them.

After Gu Junhao served fifteen days in detention for organizing gambling, he rushed back to work to resolve an overdue loan payment and discovered Wang Xiaoliang had taken control of the company’s online banking. Gu Junhao went to confront Wang Xiaoliang, leaving the outcome unresolved as he opened the office door.

• Wang Xiaoliang told the police he had reported the company’s gambling himself, and Gu Junhao was sentenced to fifteen days in detention and fined 5,000 yuan.
• Gu Junhao was released and went through his wife’s cleansing rituals before checking his phone and finding a bank notice that his loan repayment was three days overdue.
• Gu Junhao rushed to the company, but the bank’s website said his U-Shield had been deactivated.
• Xiao Ziting told Gu Junhao that Wang Xiaoliang had fired her and the other gambling participants, and Gu Junhao cut ties with her after learning they had blamed him to the police.
• Li Yongling told Gu Junhao that Wang Xiaoliang had reported the old online banking access lost and applied for new access on his second day at the company.
• Gu Junhao steadied himself, knocked on Wang Xiaoliang’s office door, and opened it.

Gu Junhao confronted Wang Xiaoliang after his release, demanding access to company funds and challenging his dismissal. Wang exposed Gu’s legal and financial vulnerabilities, then offered him a chance to recover his money and use his own construction labor company, leaving Gu to consider whether to trust him.

• Gu Junhao entered Wang Xiaoliang’s office and demanded access to online banking so he could make a payment, but Wang told him he had been fired.
• Gu Junhao threatened to disrupt Chengyou’s subcontracting work, sue the company, freeze its accounts, and bring workers to make trouble, while Wang countered each threat and revealed he had reported Gu’s gambling.
• Gu Junhao raised a Wall Street Bull as if to strike Wang, but put it down after Wang warned him that violence would further delay recovering his money.
• Wang offered Gu a chance to reclaim his money through his own construction labor company, and Gu demanded that Wang transfer some money first before he would trust him.
• Wang called Section Chief Li to bring the online banking device and said the transfer could proceed if it was reasonable and lawful.

Wang Xiaoliang offered Gu Junhao a chance to build his own company by transferring Chengyou’s projects, contracts, and clients to him in exchange for taking most of Chengyou’s staff. Gu Junhao accepted the deal, and Wang asked him to list the employees he did not want.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked Gu Junhao why he had delayed starting his own construction labor company and whether he feared being seen as ungrateful to the people who had helped him.
• Wang Xiaoliang proposed gradually returning Gu Junhao’s company funds and sending all future projects, existing contracts, and referred clients to Gu Junhao’s new company.
• Wang Xiaoliang required Gu Junhao to take nearly all of Chengyou’s staff, while Gu Junhao objected to keeping several employees and raised concerns about Fan Jingbang and his driver.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Gu Junhao to persuade the employees he wanted to take and write down the names of those he wanted to leave behind.
• Gu Junhao accepted the offer and said he already had an office space he could use for his new company.

Gu Junhao accepted his dismissal from Chengyou and reported on clients whose contracts would take years to settle, while Wang Xiaoliang discussed which employees would stay or join Gu’s new company. Wang Xiaoliang then asked sidelined deputy general manager Xie Hui for advice on converting the office building into rental units and shops, and Xie Hui began assessing the plan.

• Gu Junhao told his uncle to stop working at the gatehouse after the month ended, photographed his dismissal notice, and met Wang Xiaoliang.
• Gu Junhao reported that most clients would cooperate with contract terminations, but three state-owned enterprise projects would take about three years to settle.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Li Yuling, Yi Jiahui, and Cui Wanqiu about their options, and each chose to remain at Chengyou.
• Ma Yuanyuan asked Wang Xiaoliang for a day to decide whether to stay or join Gu Junhao’s new company.
• Xie Hui told Wang Xiaoliang he had no assigned duties and would accept whatever arrangement let him earn a living.
• Wang Xiaoliang described his plan to rent out the office building, and Xie Hui raised fire-safety, structural, and courtyard considerations.

Wang Xiaoliang finalized which employees Gu Junhao would take to his new company and explained how their wages would be handled. At lunch, Wang Xiaoliang discussed renovating Chengyou's office building with Engineer Zhang and Minister Feng, and Cui Wanqiu revealed that she had the original plans.

• Gu Junhao gave Wang Xiaoliang the list of eight employees he had chosen, and Wang Xiaoliang said Chengyou would pay their wages for the month before they moved onto Gu Junhao's company's payroll.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Gu Junhao he had been fired and offered him the solid-wood desk and chair set, explaining that he would move his office to the side building.
• Wang Xiaoliang returned to the company cafeteria, where Gu Junhao joined him for lunch and Xie Hui arrived with Engineer Zhang and Minister Feng.
• Xie Hui, Engineer Zhang, and Minister Feng discussed the structural drawings and fire-safety requirements for renovating the office building.
• Cui Wanqiu said she had the complete structural drawings and utility plans in her filing cabinet.

Wang Xiaoliang approved plans to renovate Chengyou Construction Engineering’s building and reassured the remaining staff that the company had rental income and three projects to rely on. As the company began adjusting to its smaller workforce, he agreed to open its cafeteria to nearby workers.

• Wang Xiaoliang reviewed the renovation plans with Engineer Zhang, Minister Feng, and Xie Hui, then approved storefronts, a parking lot, and an exterior fire escape.
• Twenty-five days later, Gu Junhao moved company equipment to his new office, and Ma Yuanyuan chose to join him; Gu’s company secured its first labor-service invoice and subcontract.
• Wang Xiaoliang kept Li Shumei in a worker position, paid severance to two drivers, and addressed the remaining staff’s worries about the company’s future.
• Wang Xiaoliang told the staff that the building would be rented out and that Gu Junhao had left three profitable projects for them.
• The plump Auntie proposed selling cafeteria meals to nearby workers, and Wang Xiaoliang approved a trial starting the next day with her and Li Shumei running it.

Wang Xiaoliang explained how he had ousted Chengyou’s former employees and decided to stay in Fucheng with a new plan. After Chengyou’s cafeteria lunches quickly sold out, he proposed turning the courtyard into a dining plaza and night market, and suggested bringing in Grandpa Liu’s Beef Offal Shop.

• Wang Xiaoliang told Liu Xinyu that he had reported the employees gambling in the cafeteria, and said he would stay in Fucheng rather than return to Jiangcheng.
• Li Shumei and Fat Auntie promoted Chengyou’s cafeteria, and the first thirty portions sold out within ten minutes.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui moved office furniture into the courtyard as the lunch crowd grew, and customers asked for shade.
• Wang Xiaoliang assessed the courtyard and garages, then proposed turning the space into a dining plaza with daytime meals and an evening night market.
• Wang Xiaoliang suggested opening a branch of Grandpa Liu’s Beef Offal Shop in the courtyard.

Wang Xiaoliang secured Yang Qingyu’s agreement to open a Grandpa Liu’s Beef Offal Shop branch in Chengyou’s courtyard and began revising the renovation plans. At Gu Junhao’s company opening, he dismissed rumors about Wei Zijin and confronted Liu Chengyi over his interference in Chengyou.

• Wang Xiaoliang called Yang Qingyu, showed her Chengyou’s courtyard, and got her agreement to open a Grandpa Liu’s Beef Offal Shop branch there when she was able to return to work.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui revised the renovation plan to give each storefront independent water and drainage connections, with construction set to begin the next day.
• Wang Xiaoliang attended Gu Junhao’s company opening and banquet, where Fang Dongxu warned him that Gu Junhao’s attitude had changed and showed him a rumor linking Wei Zijin to Xu Zixiong.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Fang Dongxu the rumor about Wei Zijin was fake and rejected his advice to go work as her assistant or manager.
• Wang Xiaoliang refused to sit when Gu Junhao introduced him to Liu Chengyi, then told Liu to clear his belongings from Chengyou’s garage within three days.
• When Liu Chengyi called him rude, Wang Xiaoliang turned back and asked why he should make Liu comfortable.

Wang Xiaoliang opened Liu Chengyi’s garage after the deadline and documented the valuable belongings inside before Chen Jiye arrived to move them out. With the garage emptied, Wang Xiaoliang decided the staff would use it as their new break room, and they began cleaning while he moved the Prado.

• Wang Xiaoliang smashed the garage lock after Liu Chengyi ignored his calls and warning, while Xie Hui recorded the process.
• Wang Xiaoliang found a Prado, Moutai, and fishing rods inside and told Xie Hui to film every item clearly.
• Chen Jiye arrived with a moving truck, and Wang Xiaoliang insisted that only Liu Chengyi’s personal property be taken.
• Chen Jiye and the movers loaded the Prado, cabinet, Moutai, and carefully packed fishing rods onto the truck.
• After the truck left, Wang Xiaoliang designated the garage as the staff’s new break room, and the employees began cleaning it.
• Wang Xiaoliang drove the Prado out of the garage as Xie Hui called him over to help carry desks.

Wang Xiaoliang settled on a profit-sharing arrangement for Second Aunt's Boxed Meals and proposed that the group jointly rent the largest shop to open a supermarket. The chapter ended with everyone silently considering his proposal.

• Xie Hui completed paperwork for the renovated shops, while Wang Xiaoliang fielded inquiries and promoted the planned night market through short videos.
• Li Shumei and the head cook drew a steady lunchtime crowd to Second Aunt's Boxed Meals, which became the courtyard's strongest business.
• Wang Xiaoliang proposed that Li Shumei and the head cook run the cafeteria for their own profit or loss while paying rent to the company and continuing to provide staff meals.
• Everyone raised a hand to approve the cafeteria arrangement.
• Wang Xiaoliang proposed that the people at the meeting jointly rent the largest shop and open a supermarket, leaving them stunned and silent.

Wang Xiaoliang persuaded his colleagues to invest together in an Anyang Snacks franchise for the company’s storefront, while promising to follow company rules and keep the venture discreet. The chapter ended when his Uncle Wen arrived at the office with two assistants.

• Wang Xiaoliang explained that the team would pay market rent and franchise Anyang Snacks, while the brand handled daily operations.
• Li Yongling questioned whether the plan misused company resources, and Wang Xiaoliang clarified the financial arrangements and invited the team to invest equal shares.
• Yi Jiahui, Xie Hui, Li Yongling, Cui Wanqiu, and Li Shumei agreed to invest, while the Master Chef declined because she had no savings.
• Wang Xiaoliang called Uncle Wen to ask for help arranging an assessment of the proposed franchise location, then joked that he knew Anyang Group’s founder, An Peiwen.
• Uncle Wen arrived at the office with two assistants, and Wang Xiaoliang recognized him.

An Peiwen visited Wang Xiaoliang, inspected a storefront with him, and joined him for dinner with Fan Qishan. After Fan Qishan briefly acknowledged An Peiwen and told him to have someone come, An Peiwen said he had come on Hu Yang’s behalf.

• An Peiwen arrived and asked Wang Xiaoliang to show him a storefront, which Xie Hui and two visitors from Anyang inspected and approved for a contract.
• An Peiwen gave Wang Xiaoliang gifts from himself and Old Hu, then accepted Wang Xiaoliang’s invitation to dinner.
• Wang Xiaoliang cooked dinner, and he introduced Fan Qishan to An Peiwen when Fan came out of his room.
• Fan Qishan told An Peiwen, “You’re very good,” then said to have someone come before returning to his room.
• An Peiwen told Wang Xiaoliang he had come both to see him and Fan Qishan, and finally revealed he had come on Hu Yang’s behalf.

On the drive back from meeting Qishan, An Peiwen explained how Qishan’s words helped him recognize that he was satisfied with his life and no longer needed to pursue a fortune or a son. Wang Xiaoliang reflected on An Peiwen’s ideas about money and happiness, then returned home and opened the Book of Fate.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked An Peiwen how he knew Qishan was a master, and An Peiwen said Qishan’s words made him realize he would love another daughter just as much as a son.
• An Peiwen told Wang Xiaoliang that he had achieved his old goal of taking control of the An family, but Hu Yang had helped him value family and work he built himself over money and inheritance.
• An Peiwen explained that Anyang stopped property development and started Anyang Snacks after their families worried about busy mothers and unhealthy snacks for the children.
• An Peiwen said he wanted his satisfying life to continue unchanged and guessed that Third Uncle had avoided Qishan because he feared receiving a bad reading.
• Wang Xiaoliang drove home thinking about An Peiwen’s views on money and life, then opened the Book of Fate to its latest page.

Wang Xiaoliang reflected on whether success depended on cultivation and whether he should be satisfied with things as they were, then led the team in setting storefront rents and expanding the supermarket project. The chapter left him signing leases for Mixue Ice City and Luckin Coffee beside the Anyang Snacks supermarket.

• Wang Xiaoliang read the Book of Fate’s teaching that cultivation mattered more than power, fame, or wealth, but remained unsure whether he was satisfied with his life as it was.
• Wang Xiaoliang and his partners set standardized storefront rents, chose a five-year lease for their supermarket, and assigned responsibilities for contracts, rentals, and funds.
• Wang Xiaoliang confirmed the Anyang Snacks franchise, and Xie Hui paid the franchise and renovation fees as construction began.
• The renovation tarpaulins attracted prospective tenants, while Xie Hui handled a growing stream of inquiries.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Xie Hui that Mixue Ice City and Luckin Coffee had agreed to rent the two units beside the supermarket, and Cui Wanqiu prepared their contracts.

Wang Xiaoliang invested in Mixue Ice City and Luckin beside Anyang Snacks, and the storefronts quickly attracted tenants until none remained. After he and Xie Hui planned the next phase of the development, Fang Dongxu arrived and tried to take Yi Jiahui to dinner, but she refused.

• Wang Xiaoliang chose Mixue Ice City and Luckin for the remaining storefronts and told Wei Zijin about his plan; she supported him as long as it would not prevent his eventual return to her side.
• Construction began on the Mixue Ice City and Luckin storefronts beside Anyang Snacks, and every remaining storefront was leased within two days.
• Xie Hui regretted not taking a storefront, and he and Wang Xiaoliang discussed developing the second floor, rear shops, and courtyard.
• Fang Dongxu arrived at the office to take Yi Jiahui to dinner, but she refused and Xie Hui said he had to pick up his child.
• Wang Xiaoliang offered to treat Fang Dongxu instead, then sarcastically agreed that the office was a poor match for Fang Dongxu’s distinguished presence.

Wang Xiaoliang discussed his plans and finances with Fang Dongxu over dinner, then asked Fang Dongxu to connect him with designer Sui Yiming for a courtyard night market project. Sui Yiming dismissed the project and hung up, leaving Wang Xiaoliang and Fang Dongxu criticizing his arrogance.

• Fang Dongxu looked down on the tavern and urged Wang Xiaoliang to exploit Chengyou's credit to make money through finance, but Wang Xiaoliang rejected the idea.
• Fang Dongxu warned Wang Xiaoliang not to take other women, saying Zijin could divorce him and leave him with nothing.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked whether Fang Dongxu still knew his designer childhood friend and explained that he wanted to turn Chengyou's back courtyard into a night market.
• Fang Dongxu called Sui Yiming, who quoted a high design fee and requested travel expenses and a five-star hotel.
• Sui Yiming dismissed the night market as a waste of time and hung up, and Fang Dongxu called him arrogant.