Recaps

At dinner, Fang Dongxu invited Li Xiaoman and Wang Xiaoliang to invest in his bills business, while Li Xiaoman asked Wang Xiaoliang to help him meet Master Fan. On the drive home, Luo Bisheng reflected on how people make unfair judgments based on appearances, and Wang Xiaoliang recommended the Tao Te Ching as a starting point for reading the classics.

• Fang Dongxu offered Li Xiaoman, Wang Xiaoliang, and Chen Zhifei a chance to invest in his bills business, promising to bear the risk.
• Li Xiaoman asked Wang Xiaoliang to help him meet Master Fan, but Wang Xiaoliang said he could not find him without Liu Xinyu.
• Chen Zhifei told Wang Xiaoliang that her former dormmates had agreed to visit Fucheng for Chinese New Year.
• Luo Bisheng criticized Fang Dongxu and Li Xiaoman for judging Wang Xiaoliang by his connections and questioned why people judged others without understanding them.
• Wang Xiaoliang explained how to judge someone by their words and actions, then advised Luo Bisheng to start with the Tao Te Ching.

After Luo Bisheng’s question prompted him to reconsider how others saw him, Wang Xiaoliang studied the Book of Fate’s teaching on understanding people, things, and himself. His self-examination revealed his priorities and fears, and he ended by deciding to stop relying on others and take charge of the Media Company plan himself.

• Wang Xiaoliang reflected on the conflicting ways Fang Dongxu, Li Xiaoman, Liu Xinyu, Huang Xueli, Third Uncle, Ma Yuanyuan’s parents, Zhao Nan, and Wei Zijin viewed him.
• Wang Xiaoliang read the Book of Fate’s latest art and concluded that understanding people, things, and himself followed the same principle, with self-understanding the hardest.
• Wang Xiaoliang assessed his character, intelligence, strengths, health, and uncertainty about whether his devotion to Wei Zijin came from faithfulness or fear of losing her.
• Wang Xiaoliang identified his needs as stability with Wei Zijin, children, his parents’ well-being, and having his friends nearby, and admitted he feared Zijin suffering and losing his current life.
• Wang Xiaoliang questioned why he had shelved the Media Company plan after Li Le and Ma Yuanyuan failed, then decided he could pursue it himself.

Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin spent the New Year together, welcomed friends to Fucheng, and saw Wei off at the airport. Wang later picked up Luo Bisheng, who said he had accepted his breakup with Cheng Huan and was ready to look ahead.

• Wei Zijin arrived in Fucheng, and Wang Xiaoliang welcomed her with a kiss before they celebrated New Year's Eve with Fu Zhaojun and Liu Xinyu's mother.
• Liu Xinyu's mother announced that the next New Year's Eve would be spent at the Fu family's home.
• Wang Xiaoliang, Wei Zijin, and Chen Zhifei picked up Li Lanxiang, Wang Fen, and Zeng Haiyan at the airport, and Wang left to work while the women caught up.
• Wang invited the women to dinner hoping Fan Qishan would meet Li Lanxiang, but Fan was away; the women then spent seven days touring Fucheng before returning home.
• On the Sixteenth Day of the First Lunar Month, Wang saw Wei off and picked up Luo Bisheng, who said his parents were glad he had broken up with Cheng Huan and that he was ready for better luck in love.

Cheng Huan’s parents pressed her to decide whether to accept young Tan, while she remembered how she had ended her relationship with Luo Bisheng under her mother’s pressure. Luo Bisheng sent proof that he had passed the graduate entrance exam and said goodbye, and Cheng Huan broke down after discovering he had deleted her.

• Cheng Huan’s father and mother asked what she intended to do about young Tan, and she said she wanted more time.
• Cheng Huan recalled how her mother found her hidden phone and threatened to tell her father if she contacted Luo Bisheng again.
• Cheng Huan told Tian Jiayi she had to break up with Luo Bisheng, and Luo Bisheng stopped contacting her after learning what she wanted.
• Cheng Huan began accepting young Tan’s invitations but still could not bring herself to touch him.
• Luo Bisheng sent Cheng Huan his graduate entrance exam score and a farewell message, saying he had passed and hoped they would never meet again.
• Cheng Huan replied with congratulations, discovered Luo Bisheng had deleted her, and hid her tears from her mother.

Luo Bisheng deleted his last photo of Cheng Huan and told Wang Xiaoliang he had passed the graduate entrance exam cutoff but would not continue to the next round. Wang Xiaoliang proposed founding Huanluo Media, then named himself as their first creator.

• Luo Bisheng deleted his remaining photo of Cheng Huan and called Wang Xiaoliang to share good news.
• Luo Bisheng told Wang Xiaoliang he had passed the preliminary graduate exam cutoff but had decided not to pursue graduate school.
• Luo Bisheng explained that Third Uncle supported his choice and would speak with his mother.
• Wang Xiaoliang proposed starting Huanluo Media with Luo Bisheng to build a content-creation business.
• When Luo Bisheng asked who their first creator would be, Wang Xiaoliang said it would be himself.

Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng agreed to start a video company called Xiaosheng and discussed how to build it carefully and honestly. Their conversation turned to luck and mysticism, and Wang Xiaoliang ended by asking Luo Bisheng whether he believed in fate.

• Luo Bisheng embraced Wang Xiaoliang’s proposal to make videos together and suggested names for their company before settling on Xiaosheng.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Luo Bisheng to take their work seriously and make money through honest means rather than harming others.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked Luo Bisheng to draft an employment contract from scratch, using Nuomi’s guidance and reviewing it for loopholes.
• Luo Bisheng laid out plans to contact Nuomi, practice editing, and search for a storefront, but Wang Xiaoliang warned him not to rush.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng debated whether luck and the unseen could be real, and Wang Xiaoliang asked whether Luo Bisheng believed in fate.

Li Le and Ma Yuanyuan returned to the night market to restore the fruit-stall routine after viewers criticized their livestream persona. There, Li Le checked on his young helper, whose mother was also waiting for a kidney transplant.

• Ma Yuanyuan and Li Le lost viewers and brand partners after commenters accused them of abandoning the stall and exploiting Li Le’s story.
• Ma Yuanyuan decided they needed to return to the night market, and she rejected Li Le’s suggestion to hire someone to film them.
• Li Le admitted he was ashamed to face his former boss, but Ma Yuanyuan insisted they owed him no apology and agreed to leave earlier the next day.
• Li Le and Ma Yuanyuan arrived at the sparsely attended night market, where their young helper greeted them and took Li Le’s bag.
• Li Le asked the helper about his mother and her donor kidney; the helper said her condition was unchanged and there was still no news.

Ma Yuanyuan and Li Le struggled to attract viewers with their videos while working at the night market. When a new viral creator drew crowds to the market, Ma Yuanyuan recognized him as Wang Xiaoliang, her former boss and Li Le’s former boss.

• Ma Yuanyuan noticed their videos were losing followers and earning little, while Li Le found comfort in returning to work at the fruit stall.
• On the sixth evening, crowds of content creators flocked to the night market but passed their stall, prompting Ma Yuanyuan to investigate.
• Ma Yuanyuan watched three viral videos by Tang Heihu, whose black-faced scholar combined calligraphy and grilled chicken wings.
• Ma Yuanyuan saw Tang Heihu’s profile had over a million followers and recognized him as Wang Xiaoliang.
• Ma Yuanyuan called Li Le’s attention but hesitated and told him nothing.

Ma Yuanyuan watched Wang Xiaoliang’s videos gain millions of followers and expected people to expose him for not selling grilled chicken wings at the night market. When Tang Heihu announced he would sell them the next evening, bloggers flooded Doorway Starlight Night Market, where Li Le and Ma Yuanyuan saw the crowds arrive and Li Le was filmed working his stall.

• Ma Yuanyuan envied Wang Xiaoliang’s success but told herself his online persona would collapse when customers found no grilled chicken wings at the night market.
• A local food-review blogger accused Tang Heihu of misleading viewers, but Tang Heihu’s fourth video announced that he would sell two hundred skewers at eight the next night.
• Ma Yuanyuan urged Li Le to leave early, and they arrived to find bloggers and customers already gathering around the night market.
• Li Shumei directed workers as a queue formed at the Tang Heihu Grilled Chicken Wings stall beneath a new red banner.
• Li Le set up his fruit stall and cut watermelon while a blogger filmed him and promoted both the night market and Tang Heihu’s first night of sales.

Ma Yuanyuan watched Tang Heihu’s chicken wings sell out at Doorway Starlight Night Market and realized Li Le had recognized the disguised Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng. The next day, she understood that Tang Heihu’s latest video had directed customers to Old Wang Barbecue in Xicheng, leaving her overwhelmed by regret and jealousy.

• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng, disguised as Tang Heihu, sold two hundred chicken-wing skewers at Doorway Starlight Night Market, drawing a crowd of content creators and customers.
• After the stall sold out, Ma Yuanyuan saw Li Le looking toward Wang Xiaoliang’s office and learned that he had recognized both men.
• Ma Yuanyuan watched Tang Heihu post a calligraphy video announcing a chicken-wing sale at Shuanglong Bridge Night Market in Xicheng.
• The next day, Ma Yuanyuan watched a food-review video showing a long line at Old Wang Barbecue, now renamed Tang Heihu Grilled Chicken Wings.
• Ma Yuanyuan reviewed Tang Heihu’s five videos and realized they had been planned to attract attention and send customers to other night markets and stalls.

Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng planned a calligraphy-and-grilled-chicken-wing video campaign that would also bring customers to Wang Xiaoliang’s parents’ night-market stall. After struggling through filming and Luo Bisheng’s nerves about performing in public, they opened the stall together in costume and began grilling.

• Wang Xiaoliang explained his calligraphy-blogging experience and presented a video plan that combined calligraphy with his father’s grilled chicken wings.
• Luo Bisheng praised the plan, which Nuomi had helped organize, and agreed to start making the videos with Wang Xiaoliang.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng spent a day laughing through takes before filming a usable video, then Wang Xiaoliang taught Luo Bisheng how to edit it.
• Wang Xiaoliang challenged Luo Bisheng to join him in costume at the stall, and Luo Bisheng accepted after insisting he was not afraid.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng opened their stall at Doorway Starlight Night Market in Tang Suits with their faces painted black, and Luo Bisheng began grilling chicken wings.

Wang Xiaoliang won Wei Zijin's support for his short-video and grilled chicken wing business plan, then secured Wang Keqin's help. His father sent detailed recipes and cooking instructions, leaving Wang Xiaoliang ready to learn the stall's preparation process.

• Wang Xiaoliang identified Luo Bisheng as his preferred cameraman but still needed support for his plan.
• Wei Zijin initially opposed the plan, but Wang Xiaoliang explained that he wanted another source of support in case trouble arose.
• Wei Zijin admitted her fears and distress over their lack of communication, and Wang Xiaoliang reassured her before she agreed to let him try.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Wang Keqin that he planned to combine short videos with a chicken wing stall at the Doorway Starlight Night Market and eventually direct customers to his father's stall.
• Wang Keqin agreed to help and sent photographs of his detailed chicken wing recipes, followed by additional grilling instructions the next morning.

Wang Xiaoliang recruited Li Shumei and the Master Chef to help prepare and sell braised grilled chicken wings, which quickly became a hit at Doorway Starlight Night Market. He then posted a comedic promotional video announcing Heartbreak Chicken Wings at two more night markets, leaving Ma Yuanyuan eager to see what he would do next.

• Wang Xiaoliang hired Li Shumei and the Master Chef on a trial basis to prepare chicken wings and help run his stall.
• Wang Xiaoliang taught Li Shumei his father's wing-braising procedure, and the group tested the flavorful wings with staff and Chengyou's office.
• Li Shumei, Wang Xiaoliang, and Luo Bisheng sold three hundred skewers in under two hours at Doorway Starlight Night Market.
• Ma Yuanyuan watched the busy stall and wondered what Wang Xiaoliang would film next.
• Wang Xiaoliang posted a video pretending to cry over a spicy wing and announced that Heartbreak Chicken Wings would be sold at Mendong Night Market and Shuanglong Bridge Night Market the next day.

Wang Xiaoliang persuaded Wang Keqin to prepare three hundred skewers of chicken wings and rename his stall after Tang Heihu. Despite Wang Keqin's doubts, customers queued before opening and bought every skewer he brought.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked Wang Keqin to sell three hundred skewers of chicken wings and replace the Old Wang Barbecue sign with Tang Heihu Grilled Chicken Wings.
• Wang Keqin bought the chicken wings and showed Zhao Xiuqin their son's promotional video while preparing them.
• Zhao Xiuqin cried over her family's efforts, and Wang Keqin reassured her that he enjoyed his work and felt proud of their son.
• Wang Keqin joked about having a daughter after Zhao Xiuqin recovered, making her laugh.
• Wang Keqin brought two hundred extra small skewers and found customers already waiting when he and Zhao Xiuqin arrived at the stall.
• Wang Keqin sold all three hundred chicken-wing skewers in ninety minutes and the remaining small skewers within three hours, and he agreed to introduce a purchase limit.

Li Le arranged for Ma Yuanyuan to try Tang Heihu’s new chicken wings, and she became increasingly hooked on both the food and his videos. At the Huanluo Esports Hotel, Wang Xiaoliang persuaded Luo Bisheng to reconsider buying a sports car, leaving him willing to settle for one that was attractive and practical.

• Li Le sent his helper to buy one original and one Heartbreak Chicken Wing from Tang Heihu’s stand, and Ma Yuanyuan ate both despite the extreme heat.
• Ma Yuanyuan spotted the Tang Heihus leaving the night market and later checked Tang Heihu’s profile, disappointed that he had not posted that day.
• Ma Yuanyuan watched Tang Heihu’s new video, in which he replaced the final line of a familiar poem with his introduction, and replayed it despite her annoyance.
• Wang Xiaoliang advised Luo Bisheng to wait before accepting sponsorships, saying their online persona needed more time to develop.
• Luo Bisheng said he wanted to buy a sports car, but Wang Xiaoliang argued that its speed was useless on public roads, and Luo Bisheng settled on a good-looking, practical car.

Nuomi explained why Tang Heihu’s videos had gained followers so quickly, and Xiao Mo predicted that his account would eventually surpass his own. Huang Xueli revealed that Xiaoliang had asked him to invest in a new media company, while Xiao Mo kept the reason for Xiaoliang’s plans private.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked Luo Bisheng what they knew about the Seventh Master introduced to Liu Xinyu by Third Uncle, then decided to call Third Uncle.
• Nuomi joined Xiao Mo and Huang Xueli after the livestream, and Huang Xueli praised Xiaoliang’s rapid rise in followers as Tang Heihu.
• Nuomi said Xiaoliang succeeded by setting aside his pride, creating fresh ideas, appealing to contrasting audiences, and acting from sincere intentions.
• Xiao Mo predicted Tang Heihu would overtake him, and the three raised a toast to the account reaching ten million followers.
• Huang Xueli said Xiaoliang had asked him to invest in a media company meant to complement Mimo Company and eventually merge with it.
• Xiao Mo said a promise kept him from explaining more and encouraged Huang Xueli to invest; Huang agreed.

Xiao Mo told Nuomi that Hu Yang had arranged an expert in Singapore to treat her condition, and they prepared to leave with Jin Huaqi covering for them. Three months later, Wang Xiaoliang had expanded Tang Heihu Grilled Chicken Wings’ operations and content, while planning the first Huanluo Hotel branch.

• Xiao Mo told Nuomi that Xiaoliang had found a Singapore expert who could treat her condition, and Liu Xinyu would meet them at the airport.
• Nuomi persuaded Jin Huaqi to hold down the fort by offering her a new car.
• Three months later, Wang Xiaoliang’s two night-market stalls sold up to a thousand chicken wings a day, and he replaced a worker who left to start his own stall.
• Wang Xiaoliang posted a video clarifying that Tang Heihu Grilled Chicken Wings operated only at two night markets, despite imitators appearing nationwide.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng increased their video production, while Huang Xueli reviewed and rejected two videos that crossed sensitive boundaries.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng visited hotel sites as the first Huanluo Hotel branch entered planning.

Wang Xiaoliang decided to begin monetizing his fast-growing account after the Book of Fate warned him to “embrace all things.” He set strict rules for advertising and learned that Luo Bisheng had plans to ask Chen Zhifei out, while Wang Xiaoliang encouraged him to consider Jiahui too.

• Nuomi urged Wang Xiaoliang to start taking jobs as his follower count climbed, but he kept waiting for a larger audience.
• After reading the Forty-Eighth Art of Fate Alteration, Wang Xiaoliang worried that something unwelcome was coming and decided to monetize immediately.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Luo Bisheng to accept only reliable, limited advertisements and to protect their content and followers.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng agreed that Jiahui would be a good addition to their understaffed team.
• Wang Xiaoliang clarified that he meant Jiahui as Luo Bisheng’s girlfriend, and Luo Bisheng revealed he had arranged a meal with Chen Zhifei.

While stuck in traffic with Wang Xiaoliang, Luo Bisheng explained why he had chosen to move on from Huanhuan and why he would choose Zhifei if they were together. Wang Xiaoliang described how even people with poor character could become benefactors by creating opportunities, and the chapter ended with An Peiwen calling to confront him about a major matter he had kept from them.

• Luo Bisheng told Wang Xiaoliang that he was willing to move on from Huanhuan and would choose Zhifei if they were already together.
• Luo Bisheng said Huanhuan's father would not change his views, so reconciling would bring more suffering unless Huanhuan cut ties with her family.
• Wang Xiaoliang said he no longer resented Fat Boss and considered him a benefactor because the supermarket job had led to valuable skills and connections.
• Wang Xiaoliang explained that benefactors were people who provided opportunities, even if their motives or character were poor, and recalled how his driving instructor's harshness had helped him pass his road test.
• An Peiwen called Wang Xiaoliang and accused him of keeping a major matter from his friends after Brother Luo told her about it.

Wang Xiaoliang discussed turning Heartbreak Chicken Wings into a packaged product with An Peiwen, then celebrated Chengyou’s success with its staff. He revealed that Chengyou’s team would soon be reassigned, leaving the staff worried about what would happen when they left.

• Wang Xiaoliang told An Peiwen that his mother already had the Heartbreak Chicken Wings recipe and agreed to help develop the product and register its trademark.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng joked about speaking to family members as equals as traffic began moving again.
• Chengyou settled its accounts, received year-end bonuses and honors, and sent Li Yongling and Yi Jiahui to have its accounts audited by the Group Company.
• Li Yongling and Yi Jiahui returned angry after clashing with the group’s finance director, while Wang Xiaoliang was summoned to report on his work after New Year’s Day.
• At Chengyou’s dinner, Wang Xiaoliang toasted the company’s success and announced that the staff would be promoted or assigned important roles elsewhere.
• Li Shumei and Master Chef worried about losing their jobs, so Wang Xiaoliang reassured them that Second Mom Cafeteria could continue under a new five-year lease.

Wang Xiaoliang defended his management decisions during Chengyu Group’s year-end review, rebutting accusations from Sima Hedong and Liu Chengyi. The finance director then raised questions about furniture, liquor, and rental contracts, leaving Wang to answer for the audit findings.

• Fu Zhaojun presented the group’s results, and he defended the president’s work when Liu Chengyi questioned the president’s attendance.
• Wang Xiaoliang reported that he had settled the labor division’s accounts and explained that he dismantled the profitable business because of its human risks.
• Wang Xiaoliang countered Liu Chengyi’s accusations about his staffing choices by citing former employees’ misconduct and arguing that his decisions had lowered costs without harming operations.
• The finance director questioned Wang Xiaoliang about giving company furniture to Gu Junhao, selling Moutai and Wuliangye, and personally renting shops and Night Market stalls.

Wang Xiaoliang defended himself against accusations of financial misconduct, then challenged the Finance Director and Sima Hedong over what he called a selective audit. The meeting ended with the room silent after he asked whether they understood the value of the Doorway Starlight Night Market.

• Wang Xiaoliang explained that the missing liquor had been sold with the proceeds recorded, then presented records linking the Moutai to Liu Chengyi and Chen Jiye.
• Liu Chengyi angrily accused Wang Xiaoliang of lying, but Sima Hedong ordered him to sit down and told Wang to address the furniture.
• Wang Xiaoliang accepted responsibility for giving away the rosewood furniture and explained that it had been surplus and served as compensation for Gu Junhao taking departing employees.
• Wang Xiaoliang defended renting company units and placing Chengyou's office at the Huanluo Esports Hotel, arguing that the arrangement benefited the company.
• Wang Xiaoliang challenged the Finance Director over vague entertainment-expense audits and questioned why Chengyu Property Management had not been scrutinized.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked Sima Hedong and the Finance Director whether they understood the Doorway Starlight Night Market's commercial value, and Xie Hui laughed at his remark about their ability to do the math.

Wang Xiaoliang resigned from Chengyou and returned to making videos and selling grilled chicken wings, while Liu Xinyu accepted his departure and discussed how to reconnect with Brother Qiang. As the Spring Festival approached, Wei Zijin left for Singapore with Li Lanxiang, and Liu’s Mother went to stay with the Fu Family, leaving Wang Xiaoliang and Fan Qishan together for New Year’s Eve.

• Wang Xiaoliang told Liu Xinyu he was resigning, recommended Li Yongling as finance director, and advised Liu Xinyu to stop treating everyone with suspicion.
• Liu Xinyu explained how his Second Uncle had misused Chengyou’s loans and joined Sima against Wang Xiaoliang, then discussed a plan to learn about Brother Qiang’s whereabouts.
• Wang Xiaoliang submitted his resignation to Fu Zhaojun, and Cui Wanqiu took over Chengyou’s operations as acting leader.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng filmed videos, while Wei Zijin hosted the Jiangcheng Television Station Spring Festival Gala and set a livestream sales record for Mimo.
• Li Lanxiang invited Wei Zijin to Singapore for the New Year, and Wei Zijin suggested they visit Qingyu.
• Liu’s Mother announced she would spend the New Year with the Fu Family, leaving Wang Xiaoliang and Fan Qishan together for the Spring Festival.

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, Wang Xiaoliang asked Fan Qishan to explain a Buddhist teaching and was joined by Nuomi and Dahuang for the celebration. In Singapore, Wei Zijin and Li Lanxiang spent the holiday with Liu Chengde’s family, where Li Lanxiang reflected on her regrets about Xiaoliang and her family’s business.

• Wang Xiaoliang watched the sleet, spoke with his parents and Wei Zijin, and prepared to cook New Year’s Eve dinner with Fan Qishan.
• Fan Qishan used a fish tank reflected in a mirror to explain that the mind should reflect without dwelling on what it sees.
• Nuomi told Wang Xiaoliang that she and Dahuang had booked flights to join them for New Year’s Eve, and Wang Xiaoliang and Fan Qishan shopped and prepared a feast.
• Wei Zijin and Li Lanxiang celebrated in Singapore with Liu Chengde’s family and enjoyed a spa session afterward.
• Li Lanxiang told Wei Zijin and Yang Qingyu that she regretted offending Wang Xiaoliang and had learned too late how poorly her mother had managed the family business.

Wang Xiaoliang and Fan Qishan were captured by three masked intruders searching for information about Liu Chengde. The intruders left them tied up after Fan Qishan claimed to be Liu Chengde’s illegitimate son, while Wang Xiaoliang concealed the danger from Nuomi during her phone call.

• Wang Xiaoliang found three masked intruders holding Fan Qishan at knifepoint and was forced to drop his kitchen knife.
• The intruders tied up Wang Xiaoliang and Fan Qishan, searched the house, took Wang Xiaoliang’s phone, and asked about their relationship with Liu Chengde.
• Fan Qishan claimed Liu Chengde was his biological father and that he was an illegitimate son who could not be acknowledged.
• When Nuomi called, one intruder pressed a homemade gun to Fan Qishan’s temple, and Wang Xiaoliang spoke normally rather than alerting her.
• Fan Qishan told the intruders that Wang Xiaoliang was only his friend, and the two remained tied up as the intruders went into Fan Qishan’s room.