Chapter Summaries

Luo Bisheng recounted how his family stopped him from taking revenge, helped bring the woman who defrauded him to justice, and later guided him toward work at their internet cafe. He realized Third Uncle had built the cafe especially for him and had kept that promise in secret, and he finally felt able to tell his story without shame.

• After Luo Bisheng stabbed Uncle Wen’s arm, Third Uncle explained the adults had staged the confrontation to frighten him out of pursuing revenge violently and offered to help him seek justice.
• Luo Bisheng told his family what the woman had done, and Third Uncle, Dad, and Uncle Wen arranged legal help and reported her to the police.
• The woman was convicted and sentenced to eight years, but Luo Bisheng withdrew from others, neglected his studies, and scored just over a hundred on his college entrance exams.
• Third Uncle persuaded the family to send Luo Bisheng to university in China and later offered him a job at the internet cafe on New Commercial Street.
• Luo Bisheng learned that Third Uncle had built the internet cafe especially for him and had kept the plan secret, allowing him to recognize how much support he had received and tell his story openly.

Luo Bisheng told Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang how he had changed after his third uncle helped him, then revealed his secret goal of pursuing graduate study at Jiang University. He left the conversation on warmer, joking terms with Zhou Qiang after opening up about his past.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked Luo Bisheng how he would have dealt with Li Laifu, and Luo said he would use legal complaints and information from supermarket employees rather than resort to violence.
• Luo Bisheng credited his mother and third uncle with helping him turn his life around, while Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang reflected on the importance of parents.
• Luo Bisheng revealed that he planned to earn a bachelor's degree from Jingke and secretly study for the graduate entrance exam at Jiang University.
• Luo Bisheng explained that he had begun speaking about his past to face his shame and grow more confident, and said Wang Xiaoliang was the first person he wanted to confide in.
• Luo Bisheng teased Zhou Qiang about making it easier to open up than a beautiful woman would, then raised a toast and introduced himself again.

Wang Xiaoliang welcomed a drunken Wei Zijin home, then warned her about Zhao Shengkai and Ouyang Hai after explaining what he knew of Zhao’s ties to a prostitution ring. Wei Zijin asked him to arrange an interview with Hu Yang, but Wang Xiaoliang refused and cautioned her against relying on powerful connections.

• Wang Xiaoliang waited outside Wei Zijin's apartment complex, helped her out of a taxi, and carried her upstairs after she admitted she had been drinking.
• After they spent the night together, Wei Zijin told Wang Xiaoliang how their friends had praised him and described Wang Fen's plans to pursue singing with his help.
• Wang Xiaoliang warned Wei Zijin to keep her distance from Ouyang Hai and told her Zhao Shengkai had taken two female students to a club where they were drugged and targeted.
• Wei Zijin worried about hosting Chen Xiaoying and Zhao Shengkai's wedding, but Wang Xiaoliang told her to keep the information confidential.
• Wei Zijin asked Wang Xiaoliang to help her interview Hu Yang, but he declined and warned her not to use powerful people's names to build her standing.

Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin celebrated Zhou Qiang’s successful Hongbin Little Tower opening and discussed his plans for a restaurant chain. After visiting Anyang Snacks, Wang Xiaoliang studied its new fruit display and considered whether his own supermarket could adopt the idea.

• Wang Xiaoliang saw supermarket sales rising, especially for Anyang’s specialty snacks, while Zhou Qiang prepared to open Hongbin Little Tower.
• Zhou Qiang opened the restaurant with a simple membership promotion, drawing long lines of neighborhood customers.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin visited Zhou Qiang’s restaurant, gave him a golden money toad, and praised the food and affordable prices.
• Zhou Qiang explained that he would test the restaurant for six months before expanding, training managers, and sharing profits with staff.
• Wang Xiaoliang examined Anyang Snacks’ new glass-enclosed fruit counter and rear shelves of groceries, then weighed the costs of adding fruit sales to his supermarket.
• Wei Zijin bought cut fruit and tried to get Wang Xiaoliang’s attention as he studied the store layout.

Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin discussed buying a car or a home, and he ultimately decided to save for a home while pursuing a low-cost vehicle for a fruit-selling idea of his own. At the end of the year, while covering a shift at Shop No. 3, he ran into He Runya.

• Wang Xiaoliang received over 73,000 yuan in pay and dividends, bringing his available cash to more than 130,000 yuan, and urged Wei Zijin to buy a car.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin compared cars, but rising prices and thoughts of buying a home made them put off the purchase; Wei Zijin offered to buy him a car later.
• After visiting Ruijing's second phase, Wang Xiaoliang again considered buying a home, and he and Wei Zijin agreed to save for one while she handled buying a car.
• Wang Xiaoliang conceived a plan to buy a Wuling Miracle Vehicle with his own money and use it to bring fresh fruit to his supermarket, taking responsibility for any losses.
• Near the end of the year, Wang Xiaoliang covered a shift at Shop No. 3, where he nearly bumped into He Runya, who asked which store he worked at.

Wang Xiaoliang recognized He Runya’s companion as the stern Student Affairs Office teacher who had once reprimanded him, and he grew disgusted at the teacher’s relationship with her. After Tian Jiayi insisted on treating him to a meal, Wang Xiaoliang’s excuse that he needed his girlfriend’s approval left him agreeing to answer her by next weekend.

• He Runya bought groceries at Wang Xiaoliang’s supermarket and discreetly added a box of condoms to her basket before leaving with the man beside her.
• The man told Wang Xiaoliang he was surprised to learn Wang owned the supermarket, and Wang later recognized him as the Student Affairs Office teacher who had once dealt with him.
• Wang Xiaoliang wondered why the teacher was dating He Runya and felt disgust toward him.
• Tian Jiayi asked Wang Xiaoliang to dinner, but he initially refused because the supermarket was busy.
• Wang Xiaoliang said his girlfriend would not let him dine alone with another woman, so Tian Jiayi invited them both and demanded an answer before next weekend.

Wei Zijin hosted a company year-end party, then celebrated with Wang Xiaoliang over hot pot and a movie. They discussed visiting the woman Wang Xiaoliang had saved and struggled to plan their trip home for the New Year because Wei Zijin's work schedule was packed.

• Wei Zijin hosted a company party while Wang Xiaoliang watched from the audience, and she reunited with him after the event.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Wei Zijin that the woman he had saved wanted to treat him to dinner, and Wei Zijin encouraged him to go with Bisheng.
• Wei Zijin and Wang Xiaoliang ate hot pot and watched a comedy together.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked when Wei Zijin could take time off to book their trip home for Lunar New Year.
• Wei Zijin explained that Spring Festival Gala rehearsals and lucrative hosting jobs left her without time off, and she proposed earning enough to fly home.

Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng met Tian Jiayi for lunch at Hongbin Little Tower after Jiang University lifted its lockdown. Once they got inside and Tian Jiayi took off her winter clothes, her friend arrived and teased the two men for not being the handsome guys Tian Jiayi had promised.

• Wang Xiaoliang picked up Luo Bisheng at Bugbug Internet Cafe and headed with him to meet Tian Jiayi at Hongbin Little Tower.
• Kong Xiuyun handed out hand warmers to the waiting customers and greeted Wang Xiaoliang before calling their group inside.
• Tian Jiayi removed her winter gear, and Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng saw her clearly for the first time.
• Tian Jiayi's friend arrived, scolded her for making her wait in the cold, and jokingly asked where the handsome guys were.
• Tian Jiayi warned her friend to stop talking, and the friend pretended to zip her mouth shut.

Wang Xiaoliang met Tian Jiayi and her best friend Cheng Huan for a meal, where Tian thanked him for saving her after an electric scooter accident. The four relaxed over dinner and drinks, and Cheng Huan explained her long-awaited visit to an internet café.

• Tian Jiayi introduced Cheng Huan as her best friend and Wang Xiaoliang as the man who had saved her life, surprising Luo Bisheng.
• Wang Xiaoliang explained that he had helped Tian Jiayi after an electric scooter hit her outside the Library, and Cheng Huan showed him the scar on her forehead.
• Cheng Huan ordered baijiu and beer, and Wang Xiaoliang said he was nearly married and could not drink much.
• Tian Jiayi toasted Wang Xiaoliang and asked him to consider them friends after the meal, leaving the lifesaver matter behind.
• Cheng Huan told the group that she had visited an internet café to fulfill a college dream, then learned that pulling an all-nighter meant staying awake all night.

Luo Bisheng admitted that Cheng Huan was his type and persuaded Wang Xiaoliang to arrange three more group outings so he could get closer to her. As Little New Year's Eve arrived, Wang Xiaoliang reviewed the supermarkets' holiday staffing with Zhou Qiang, while Wei Zijin received reassurance about her upcoming visit to Wang Xiaoliang's parents.

• Luo Bisheng told Wang Xiaoliang that he liked Cheng Huan and asked him to arrange three more get-togethers for them; Wang Xiaoliang reluctantly agreed.
• Little New Year's Eve arrived, and Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin prepared to return home in two days after her final program recording ended.
• Wang Xiaoliang explained that most supermarket staff would take the holiday off, while Li Fengying, four students, and a few others would keep the three stores running.
• Zhou Qiang told Wei Zijin that he and Li Lanxiang would support her if engagement came up when she met Wang Xiaoliang's parents.
• Li Lanxiang raised a toast before leaving for six months of training in Chengdu, and her mother teased her about missing Zhou Qiang.

Wang Xiaoliang brought Wei Zijin home for New Year to meet his parents, who had already heard about her and worried over his serious intentions and her beauty. At the airport, Zhao Xiuqin welcomed Wei Zijin enthusiastically, and Wang Keqin made her feel at home.

• Wang Xiaoliang reassured nervous Wei Zijin on the plane as they traveled home for New Year.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Zhao Xiuqin he had a serious girlfriend and promised he would marry no one else; she asked about Wei Zijin and requested a picture.
• Wang Keqin questioned Wang Xiaoliang about the relationship and told him to bring Wei Zijin home if he was sure.
• After watching Wei Zijin's interview video, Zhao Xiuqin praised her but worried she was too pretty for meek Wang Xiaoliang to keep in line.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin arrived at the airport, where Zhao Xiuqin greeted Wei Zijin warmly and Wang Keqin welcomed her home.

Wang Xiaoliang brought Wei Zijin home to Xicheng, where his parents warmly welcomed her with a family meal and gifts. Zhao Xiuqin gave Wei Zijin a 10,000-yuan first-visit gift, and Wang Xiaoliang told her it showed his parents approved of her.

• Wang Keqin welcomed Wei Zijin, and the family drove from the airport to a halal restaurant for noodles and local dishes.
• Wang Keqin and Zhao Xiuqin took Wei Zijin and Wang Xiaoliang home and planned to show them around town the next day.
• Wang Xiaoliang gave his parents new Huawei phones, while Wei Zijin presented Zhao Xiuqin with a gold necklace and Wang Keqin with an electric shaver.
• Zhao Xiuqin arranged for Wei Zijin to sleep in Wang Xiaoliang's room and pressed a thick red envelope into her hands as a customary first-visit gift.
• Wei Zijin counted the envelope's 10,000 yuan, and Wang Xiaoliang told her to keep it because it showed his parents approved of her.

Wang Xiaoliang tried to convince Zhao Xiuqin to let him share a room with Wei Zijin, but his mother refused and questioned their plans for marriage and life in Jiangcheng. Back in the bedroom, Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin looked through family albums, leaving Wei Zijin overwhelmed by the relatives she would soon meet.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked Wei Zijin to share his room, but she refused because Zhao Xiuqin had arranged for her to sleep alone.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Zhao Xiuqin that he and Wei Zijin already lived together, but she insisted they sleep separately at home to avoid gossip from relatives.
• Zhao Xiuqin warned Wang Xiaoliang not to pressure Wei Zijin into an abortion if she became pregnant and asked when they planned to marry.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Zhao Xiuqin that Wei Zijin had bought an apartment with money from her show, and Zhao Xiuqin approved of her practical choice.
• Wang Xiaoliang returned to the bedroom and teased Wei Zijin while they looked through an album, then introduced her to his relatives in a family album.
• Wei Zijin realized she had not remembered the relatives’ names and worried about meeting them during the New Year visits.

Wang Xiaoliang reread the Book of Fate’s advice about speaking to others as equals, then woke to Wei Zijin nervously joining Zhao Qiuqin in the kitchen. As he enjoyed the warmth of their conversation at home, Wang Keqin returned from the snowy morning with Wang Xiaoliang’s favorite meat buns.

• Wang Xiaoliang read the Book of Fate’s advice about treating others as equals and decided he would need to understand it through experience.
• Wei Zijin worried about how to behave on her first morning with Wang Xiaoliang’s family, and he encouraged her to accompany Zhao Qiuqin in the kitchen.
• Wang Xiaoliang heard Zhao Qiuqin and Wei Zijin talking and laughing together while he got ready, and felt happy and secure.
• Wang Keqin came in from the cold carrying meat buns from Liu Ji, Wang Xiaoliang’s favorite breakfast.

Wang Xiaoliang drove the family to the wholesale market for the first time, while Zhao Xiuqin warmly cared for Wei Zijin and helped her feel included in the family. The chapter ended with Wei Zijin opening up more over lunch as Zhao Xiuqin continued to treat her like a daughter.

• Wang Keqin insisted that Wang Xiaoliang drive the family to the wholesale market, and Wang Xiaoliang stalled, struggled with a hill start, and eventually parked with Wang Keqin's guidance.
• Zhao Xiuqin bought Wei Zijin thick thermal underwear and helped her put it on, making Wei Zijin emotional because she missed her mother.
• Wang Xiaoliang teased Wei Zijin by telling Zhao Xiuqin that Wei Zijin wanted to call her Mom, and Zhao Xiuqin welcomed the idea and promised her gift money.
• The family bought New Year supplies and went out for paomo, where Wei Zijin tried the local dish and talked more with Wang Xiaoliang, Zhao Xiuqin, and Wang Keqin.
• Zhao Xiuqin put extra lamb in Wei Zijin's bowl and urged her to eat more.

Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin joined Wang Keqin and Zhao Xiuqin in the family’s New Year ritual of burning paper money for their deceased relatives. When Zhao Xiuqin promised Wei Zijin’s late parents that the family would care for her, Wei Zijin broke down in tears and said she had found a home.

• Wang Xiaoliang struggled to parallel park between a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW, so Wang Keqin took over and parked the car smoothly.
• At dinner, Wei Zijin grew more comfortable with Wang Xiaoliang’s family and showed affection by serving Zhao Xiuqin and Wang Keqin food.
• Zhao Xiuqin took Wang Xiaoliang, Wei Zijin, and Wang Keqin to burn paper money at a crossroads, where they honored their deceased relatives.
• Wang Keqin drew a third circle for Wei Zijin’s parents, and Zhao Xiuqin promised to treat Wei Zijin as her own daughter.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Wei Zijin’s parents he would care for her for the rest of his life, and Wei Zijin tearfully told them she had found a home.

On Lunar New Year's Eve, Wang Xiaoliang's parents discussed marriage and offered to help him and Wei Zijin buy a home, while welcoming her warmly into the family. As the new year began, Wang Xiaoliang invited Wei Zijin to the family WeChat group and exchanged personal greetings with friends.

• Zhao Xiuqin asked Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin whether they would make their relationship official the following year, and Wang Keqin offered to pay a home's down payment.
• Wei Zijin said she already had an apartment and offered to save for a home with Wang Xiaoliang, but Zhao Xiuqin insisted the family would help.
• Wang Xiaoliang played a recording of Wei Zijin's Spring Festival Gala performance, and his parents praised her singing.
• At midnight, Wang Xiaoliang invited Wei Zijin to the family WeChat group called "Home" as their phones filled with New Year's messages.
• Wang Xiaoliang exchanged joking, personal greetings with Liu Xinyu, Luo Bisheng, Zhou Qiang, Tian Jiayi, and Cheng Huan.

Wang Xiaoliang brought his girlfriend, Wei Zijin, to his eldest uncle’s New Year gathering, where she and his cousin Wang Xiaozhe’s fiancée, Qiu Mohan, became the focus of the family. He tried a more genuine conversation with his younger cousin Lin Keying and revealed Wei Zijin’s online celebrity status, leaving Lin astonished.

• Wang Xiaoliang arrived at Wang Keming’s home with Wei Zijin and met Wang Xiaozhe’s fiancée, Qiu Mohan.
• The family welcomed both women and gave them red envelopes while the older relatives asked them questions.
• Wang Xiaoliang, Wang Xiaozhe, and Lin Keying gathered on the balcony, where Lin teased Wang Xiaoliang about his pretty girlfriend.
• Remembering advice from the Book of Fate, Wang Xiaoliang asked Lin about her dream university instead of lecturing her about her grades.
• Lin revealed that she liked the quiet, clever boy who sat beside her, then challenged Wang Xiaoliang to share a secret.
• Wang Xiaoliang showed Lin a video of Wei Zijin, and Lin realized his new cousin-in-law was an online celebrity.

At a family dinner, Wang Xiaoliang watched the elders compare marriage gifts and pressure the newly engaged couples to have children, while Qiu Mohan openly resisted their expectations. Qiu Mohan then left early to meet a friend, and Wang Xiaoliang was left wondering how she and Wang Xiaozhe could be about to marry when they seemed like strangers.

• Wang Xiaoliang kept Lin Keying quiet about the secret she had learned, then joined the family dinner.
• Wang Xiaoliang's eldest aunt bragged about Xiaozhe's apartment and Qiu Mohan's car dowry, while Zhao Xiuqin praised Wei Zijin's independence and apartment.
• Wang Keming called for the family to have children, and Qiu Mohan calmly said she did not want a baby because pregnancy hurt and would limit her freedom.
• Zhao Xiuqin changed the subject with a dish of fish after the elders reacted awkwardly to Qiu Mohan's refusal.
• Qiu Mohan announced that her best friend was coming to get her, declined Wang Xiaozhe's offer to drive her, and left the dinner early.
• Wang Xiaozhe reluctantly escorted Qiu Mohan to the door after his mother ordered him to, leaving Wang Xiaoliang doubting their impending marriage.

Wang Xiaoliang’s family argued in the car about children, work, and their habit of comparing him with his cousin Xiaozhe, while Wei Zijin saw how they spoke openly with one another. Zhao Xiuqin welcomed Wei Zijin into the family, but Wang Keqin announced he would meet Old Wu the next day.

• Zhao Xiuqin asked Wei Zijin whether she wanted children, and Wei Zijin said she and Wang Xiaoliang planned to have them after their careers stabilized.
• Wang Keqin criticized Xiaozhe and Qiu Mohan as spoiled, prompting Zhao Xiuqin to complain that he had not used his connections to find Wang Xiaoliang a job.
• Wang Keqin told Zhao Xiuqin to stop comparing Wang Xiaoliang with Xiaozhe, and Wang Xiaoliang reflected on how his family had compared them for years.
• Zhao Xiuqin apologized to Wei Zijin for the argument, and Wei Zijin reassured her that families should be able to speak honestly.
• Zhao Xiuqin invited Wei Zijin to visit her eldest uncle’s home the next day, but Wang Keqin said he would meet Old Wu instead.