Chapter Summaries

Wang Xiaoliang met Zhou Qiang and Huang Xueli at an upscale hotel where Liu Xinyu had gathered their friends for the evening. After Zeng Haiyan asked Wang Xiaoliang to help Wang Fen, the men settled in next door to eat, drink, and begin their gathering.

• Zhou Qiang and Huang Xueli teased Wang Xiaoliang about He Runya, and Wang Xiaoliang's reaction confirmed their suspicion.
• Wang Xiaoliang, Zhou Qiang, and Huang Xueli arrived at Liu Xinyu's hotel rooms, where Liu Xinyu and four women had been chatting.
• Liu Xinyu challenged the women to avoid gossiping about the men, with a day out as the prize.
• Zeng Haiyan told Wang Xiaoliang that Wang Fen wanted to add him on WeChat and ask him for help, and he agreed to do what he could.
• Liu Xinyu arranged food and drinks in the men's suite, and the group gathered around the table.

Liu Xinyu and his friends shared drinks and grilled food while discussing Zhou Qiang’s argument with Xiao Weijin and Liu Xinyu’s business partnership with Hu Yang and An Peiwen. Liu Xinyu ended the story by jokingly calling Huang Xueli “a thug in human skin.”

• Liu Xinyu poured liquor for Huang Xueli and Wang Xiaoliang and soda water for himself and Zhou Qiang, and the four ate and complained about Hongbin Tower.
• Liu Xinyu asked Zhou Qiang whether he had argued with Xiao Weijin because Li Lanxiang was upset, and Zhou Qiang explained that he had wanted to defend his wife.
• Huang Xueli said Xiao Weijin had already been in a bad mood because he had broken up with He Runya, and Zhou Qiang declined to dwell on him.
• Zhou Qiang asked how Liu Xinyu had met Hu Yang and An Peiwen, and Liu Xinyu recounted how his mother connected him with them and encouraged him to take over the factory.
• Liu Xinyu described his first impressions of Hu Yang and An Peiwen, then examined Huang Xueli and called him “a thug in human skin.”

Liu Xinyu recounted how Third Brother and Brother Wen quickly agreed to buy his family’s dried tofu and later signed a contract after inspecting the factory. As the group joked about Third Brother’s three treasures of a man, Huang Xueli’s comments earned him a teasing rebuke.

• Liu Xinyu recalled that Third Brother praised his mother’s dried tofu, agreed to buy all of it, and made him feel understood as a young graduate.
• Liu Xinyu described how Third Brother and Brother Wen later inspected the factory and signed the contract on the spot.
• Liu Xinyu said Third Brother spent a night talking about his close friends and brothers, leaving him impressed by their bonds.
• Wang Xiaoliang recited Third Brother’s three treasures of a man, and Huang Xueli joked that thick skin suited him.
• Huang Xueli and Zhou Qiang made claims about women’s honesty, prompting Wang Xiaoliang to call Huang Xueli a sleazebag.

Wang Xiaoliang and his friends realized Hu Yang and An Peiwen had arranged for him to be near Luo Bisheng so he could influence and support him. After talking through the evening, Wang Xiaoliang resolved to spend more time with Luo Bisheng, but the four friends were woken at seven by the women next door inviting them to breakfast.

• Wang Xiaoliang recounted how Hu Yang had coached Luo Bisheng, and Zhou Qiang explained that Bugbug Internet Cafe was the real university Hu Yang had arranged for him.
• Liu Xinyu concluded that Wang Xiaoliang had been chosen to be a dependable classmate and influence on Luo Bisheng, and Zhou Qiang confirmed it.
• Wang Xiaoliang accepted that Hu Yang and An Peiwen had valued him, but said he was content managing his small supermarket.
• Huang Xueli told the others about Zhao Shengkai's involvement in a college student prostitution case, and Zhou Qiang said Zhao did not deserve to be called a thug.
• Wang Xiaoliang decided to spend more time with Luo Bisheng and help him overcome his inner demons, then the four friends were woken by the women next door inviting them to the breakfast buffet.

After returning to Jiangcheng, Wang Xiaoliang learned about cigarette-selling violations at local supermarkets and advised Wang Fen on starting a masked singing-video account. That night, after livestreaming and talking with Wei Zijin, he opened the Book of Fate to its latest page.

• Wang Xiaoliang returned to his supermarket, where Li Fengying told him that several stores had been fined for selling cigarettes without proper licenses and explained how some stores transferred or mixed stock.
• Wang Xiaoliang accepted Wang Fen’s friend request and gave her advice on hiding her videos from family and choosing sad songs as her content.
• Wang Xiaoliang suggested Wang Fen wear a smiling cartoon mask while singing heartbreak songs, and she eagerly decided to learn video editing.
• Wang Xiaoliang livestreamed after work, then video-called Wei Zijin before settling into bed.
• Wang Xiaoliang took out the Book of Fate and opened it to the latest page.

After reading the Book of Fate’s warning against boasting about powerful acquaintances, Wang Xiaoliang refused Chen Xiaoying’s invitation to a meal and reconsidered how he dealt with influential friends. The next morning, he joined Zhou Qiang and Huang Xueli on a trip to the Anyang Group Distribution Center.

• Wang Xiaoliang realized that taking pride in knowing influential people or using their names could drain his own fortune, so he resolved to treat them as equals and avoid relying on their reputations.
• Chen Xiaoying invited Wang Xiaoliang and Zijin to a meal, saying Zhao Shengkai wanted to apologize, but Wang Xiaoliang declined and silenced his phone.
• Wang Xiaoliang slept after reflecting on the Book of Fate’s warning, then woke at dawn and checked that all three stores were busy.
• Zhou Qiang picked up Wang Xiaoliang and Huang Xueli to visit the Anyang Group Distribution Center, and Wang Xiaoliang joked with them during the drive.

Wang Xiaoliang visited Anyang Group's warehousing center and arranged to stock all its snack varieties. On the way to lunch, he spotted a fruit wholesale market and considered selling fresh-cut fruit, then agreed to meet Fang Dongxu for dinner that evening.

• Wang Xiaoliang, Zhou Qiang, and Huang Xueli sampled Anyang Group's snacks, and Wang Xiaoliang told Manager Qu he wanted to stock a batch of everything.
• Wang Xiaoliang added Manager Qu on WeChat and finalized the ordering and payment arrangements.
• Wang Xiaoliang spotted Jiangyu Fruit Wholesale Market and explained his idea to sell fresh-cut fruit boxes to college students.
• Fang Dongxu called Wang Xiaoliang to apologize and invite him, Zhou Qiang, and Huang Xueli to dinner.
• Wang Xiaoliang checked with Zhou Qiang and Huang Xueli, then confirmed they would meet Fang Dongxu after six.

Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang met with Fang Dongxu and his partners to discuss converting their café into a Chinese restaurant. Kong Xiuyun reported that the conversion was possible but would require extensive, costly renovations.

• Wang Xiaoliang reflected on how Fang Dongxu's dinner the previous night had led to negotiations over the café.
• Wang Xiaoliang observed the strained relationship between Fang Dongxu, the dark-faced man, and the man with dreadlocks, who had recently fought over renovation costs.
• Zhou Qiang deliberately mentioned another promising storefront while waiting for Kong Xiuyun to finish inspecting the kitchen.
• The man with dreadlocks and the dark-faced man argued over their contributions and the renovation, prompting Fang Dongxu to shout at them to stop.
• Kong Xiuyun returned from inspecting the kitchen and told Wang Xiaoliang and the others that conversion was possible but would require extensive work and extremely high costs.

Zhou Qiang challenged Fang Dongxu and his partners over their inflated restaurant-transfer costs, then walked away when they argued among themselves. Over lunch, he revealed he intended to use the restaurant as a training school under the Hongbin Tower name, though the deal was not yet secured.

• Fang Dongxu presented the restaurant's renovation, equipment, rent, and deposit costs, but Zhou Qiang questioned the high rent and renovation estimate.
• Brother Xiaohei accused Fang Dongxu of bringing Zhou Qiang to drive down the price, and the two men began arguing.
• Zhou Qiang said the partners needed to settle who had the final say and left, offering to buy their used equipment if they failed to find another buyer.
• Kong Xiuyun told Zhou Qiang that the kitchen had enough space and good equipment, though its shoddy renovation and drainage would need to be redone.
• Zhou Qiang explained that he wanted to use the restaurant as a training school for Hongbin Tower, and Wang Xiaoliang asked whether he had already secured it.

Zhou Qiang explained why he believed the café could become a neighborhood Cantonese restaurant and revealed his plan to wait until its owners had no alternatives before negotiating. He intended to offer market value for the renovations and half price for the secondhand equipment.

• Zhou Qiang told Wang Xiaoliang and Kong Xiuyun that the café suited a small, refined restaurant and could serve as a template for future branches.
• Wang Xiaoliang deduced that Fang Dongxu and his partners had inflated costs, an unrealistic asking price, and only three months left on their lease.
• Zhou Qiang praised Wang Xiaoliang, then explained that he had deliberately made no offer so the owners would continue to see him as an option while other buyers made low bids.
• Zhou Qiang said the divided owners would likely return after failing to find another buyer, making him their only choice.
• Zhou Qiang planned to have a contractor reassess the renovations at market value and offer fifty percent of the price for the used equipment, appliances, tables, and chairs.

Fang Dongxu recalled how he and his childhood friends Sui Yiming and Qin Haitao persuaded him to invest in a café venture that seemed certain to succeed. After putting in his family’s savings and taking out online loans, he was left facing mounting expenses before the café had even opened.

• Fang Dongxu described his nearly empty café and remembered how he, Sui Yiming, and Qin Haitao had decided to start a business together.
• Qin Haitao pitched a student café, promising low costs, strong demand, and large profits, while Sui Yiming offered to design it.
• Fang Dongxu agreed to invest 400,000 yuan and persuaded his parents to lend him money saved for his marriage.
• Fang Dongxu paid 560,000 yuan to secure the premises and 200,000 yuan as a franchise fee, while Qin Haitao later transferred his share.
• Qin Haitao raised the renovation estimate to 800,000 yuan and said they needed more capital, so Fang Dongxu borrowed 150,000 yuan online.

Fang Dongxu watched Shuangyang Coffee collapse after Sui Yiming accused Qin Haitao of pocketing renovation money, then decided to sell the business to recover what he could. Unable to approach Zhou Qiang directly, he called Wang Xiaoliang for help.

• Shuangyang Coffee opened late, and Fang Dongxu struggled with Qin Haitao's complaints, mounting expenses, and the lack of a salary.
• Sui Yiming confronted Qin Haitao over the renovation costs, accusing him of keeping 250,000 yuan, and the two fought until Fang Dongxu called the police.
• Fang Dongxu, Qin Haitao, and Sui Yiming agreed to sell the shop, and Fang Dongxu got drunk at Liu Xinyu's welcome banquet.
• Fang Dongxu woke in a dormitory, returned home to recover, and learned that Shuangyang Coffee had shut down after its staff left and the shop became paralyzed.
• Fang Dongxu decided to sell the business and, embarrassed to contact Zhou Qiang directly, called Wang Xiaoliang to ask for help.

Fang Dongxu and Sui Yiming tried to sell their restaurant but learned that Qin Haitao had been charging them far more rent than the landlord received. They went to the police, but without contracts or clear evidence, they could not get a case opened.

• Fang Dongxu and his partners rejected a low offer, accepted a reduced offer from two college graduates, and watched the deal collapse when the graduates’ father questioned the restaurant’s expenses.
• Fang Dongxu, Sui Yiming, and Qin Haitao agreed to sell to a restaurant-chain owner, but the owner withdrew after learning the rent was unusually high and Qin Haitao failed to appear for the lease meeting.
• Fang Dongxu and Sui Yiming discovered Qin Haitao had moved away and learned from the landlord that the rent was fifty thousand a month, not eighty thousand.
• Fang Dongxu and Sui Yiming found the real estate agency’s storefront abandoned and suspected Qin Haitao and the agent had fled with the rent money.
• The police declined to open a case because Fang Dongxu and Sui Yiming had no rental or partnership contracts and their transfer records did not prove fraud.

Zhou Qiang negotiated the takeover of Shuangyang Coffee after exposing how Qin Haitao had scammed Fang Dongxu and Sui Yiming on rent, renovation, and the franchise. Zhou secured the shop and the original rent terms, while Fang and Sui recovered only part of their investment.

• Zhou Qiang’s contractor valued the shop’s renovation work at no more than 280,000 yuan, and the landlord confirmed the rent had been inflated from 50,000 to 80,000 yuan a month.
• Zhou asked Fang Dongxu for a realistic takeover price, and Fang admitted that the best genuine offer was 400,000 yuan.
• Zhou agreed to pay 400,000 yuan for the transfer, and the landlord signed a five-year lease with Zhou at the original monthly rent of 50,000 yuan.
• Zhou paid the landlord the remaining 100,000 yuan in rent and transferred 250,000 yuan each to Fang Dongxu and Sui Yiming.
• Fang saw that he had recovered only 250,000 of his 550,000-yuan investment and realized he had lost 300,000 yuan, much of it from his parents’ savings.

After Zhou Qiang took over Fang Dongxu and Kong Xiuyun’s restaurant, Wang Xiaoliang reflected on Fang’s lie costing him fifty thousand and invited him to a farewell dinner. Fang blamed Zhou for exploiting him and warned Wang to keep his distance, leaving Wang silent rather than arguing.

• Zhou Qiang declined Fang Dongxu and Sui Yiming’s dinner invitation, exchanged contact information with Sui Yiming, and watched Fang and Sui leave after the transfer was completed.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked Zhou Qiang about the intended four-hundred-and-fifty-thousand price, and Zhou said Fang’s lie had cost him more than fifty thousand in lost opportunity.
• Fang Dongxu called Wang Xiaoliang to thank him, and Wang invited Fang to a farewell dinner at Old Sichuan, offering to pay.
• Over beer, Fang told Wang how his childhood friend had drawn him into the failing restaurant business and how debt and the failed transfer had left him desperate for work.
• Fang warned Wang to avoid Zhou Qiang, accusing him of taking advantage of the restaurant’s troubles for profit, while Wang held back his defense of Zhou and called for the bill.

Wang Xiaoliang reflected on how Fang Dongxu’s misplaced trust and careless business decisions had led to his losses, and considered how the Book of Fate could help him avoid similar traps. He worried that Fang Dongxu’s resentment might cause trouble for Liu Xinyu, but Zhou Qiang assured him that Liu Xinyu would keep Fang Dongxu at a distance and assess him before deciding whether to help.

• Wang Xiaoliang recalled Fang Dongxu’s failed restaurant venture and recognized how he had trusted his childhood friends without checking their claims or managing the risks.
• Wang Xiaoliang considered the Book of Fate’s advice about diligence, planning, and setting aside self-interest, and admitted he might have fallen into the same trap without it.
• Wang Xiaoliang remembered Fang Dongxu’s resentment toward Zhou Qiang, who had lent him money to help him repay his online loans.
• Wang Xiaoliang worried that Fang Dongxu might cause trouble for Liu Xinyu and was about to call him when Zhou Qiang called first.
• Zhou Qiang told Wang Xiaoliang that Liu Xinyu would place Fang Dongxu far away and observe him before deciding whether to approve of him.

Wang Xiaoliang, Luo Bisheng, and Zhou Qiang shared a barbecue meal to celebrate Luo Bisheng’s dividend, and Luo grew animated as he reflected on the power of understanding the real world’s rules. Wang Xiaoliang began asking about Luo’s past, but Luo first corrected him about what to call Zhou Qiang.

• Wei Zijin told Wang Xiaoliang she was meeting her dormmates, so he planned a smaller gathering with Luo Bisheng and Zhou Qiang.
• Wang Xiaoliang met Luo Bisheng at Chongchong Internet Cafe, and they chose a Northeastern barbecue restaurant instead of Yulongxuan.
• Zhou Qiang joined them, and the three ate and drank together until Luo Bisheng became talkative.
• Luo Bisheng praised Big Boss for understanding people and the invisible rules of the real world, while Wang Xiaoliang recalled Zhou Qiang’s own strategic insight.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked Luo Bisheng about his difficult past, but Luo seriously objected when Wang called Zhou Qiang Third Brother.

Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang tried to cheer Luo Bisheng up, but their teasing prompted him to reveal how his first relationship and closest friendship had ended in betrayal. He explained that the experience made him withdraw from everyone in his class.

• Luo Bisheng insisted Wang Xiaoliang call Hu Yang his Third Uncle so their family relationships would not make Luo seem a generation younger.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang said Hu Yang had only mentioned that Luo was shy and had done poorly on the college entrance exam, and Luo concluded that his Third Uncle had spared his dignity.
• Wang Xiaoliang joked that Luo had bragged about dating two girls, but Luo said he had really been in two relationships and had been badly hurt.
• Luo recalled buying his first girlfriend an iPhone and believing she loved him, then overhearing classmates mock him for spending money on her.
• Luo revealed that the classmate who insulted him was his best friend and that his girlfriend had several other boyfriends.
• Luo said he stopped speaking to the girl and everyone in his class after discovering the betrayal.

Luo Bisheng told Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang how a female streamer won his trust, then stole his mother’s gold jewelry after he discovered she had lied about her life. He left the story at the moment he woke alone in the hotel room and realized she had taken the gold.

• Luo Bisheng explained how he spent over a million on a female streamer and believed they were in a relationship.
• After his father discovered the spending, Luo Bisheng’s family froze his payment accounts and gave him only a small allowance.
• The streamer claimed her mother urgently needed surgery, so Luo Bisheng stole his mother’s gold jewelry to help her.
• At a hotel, Luo Bisheng discovered from the streamer’s phone that she was thirty-three, married, and had a child.
• The streamer apologized and persuaded Luo Bisheng that her feelings were genuine, and he believed her again.
• Luo Bisheng woke the next morning to find the streamer and his mother’s gold jewelry gone.

Luo Bisheng told Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang how he planned to kill the woman who had swindled him, until his mother found his dagger and murder plan. Third Uncle challenged him to act on his threats, and Luo Bisheng ended the story lunging at him with the dagger.

• Luo Bisheng said he saved his meal money to buy a dagger and secretly researched how to kill the woman who had deceived him.
• Luo Bisheng's mother found the dagger and his sloppily written murder plan while searching his room for clues about her missing gold.
• Luo Bisheng's mother called Third Uncle, who arrived with Uncle Wen before Luo Bisheng returned home.
• Third Uncle confronted Luo Bisheng and mocked him for backing down from his threats to kill anyone who stood in his way.
• Luo Bisheng grabbed the dagger and drove it toward Third Uncle's chest.