Chapter Summaries

Gu Junhao and Xiao Ziting visited the newly opened Gateway Starlight Night Market, where he told Fang Dongxu that their classmate had rented and opened the Esports Hotel. As Xiao Mo livestreamed the market, Gu Junhao spotted Wang Xiaoliang holding hands with a strikingly beautiful woman.

• Gu Junhao and Xiao Ziting entered the crowded Gathering Talent Hall and joined Fang Dongxu and his companion for food and drinks.
• Gu Junhao told Fang Dongxu that their classmate had rented the Esports Hotel, which had opened that day and was fully booked.
• Fang Dongxu realized their classmate had taken a major share of the building for himself and proposed investing in his own operation instead.
• Gu Junhao warned Fang Dongxu that their classmate was not like him and said it was best to make money without interfering with each other.
• Xiao Mo livestreamed from the night market as Wang Xiaoliang followed behind him, holding hands with a beautiful woman whom Gu Junhao recognized.

The night market drew crowds and bloggers without paid promotion, and Wang Xiaoliang toured it with Wei Zijin before gathering friends and partners at the office for a late-night meal. The group began pouring drinks as Luo Bisheng went to fetch another bottle.

• Food bloggers and visitors flocked to the night market after its paintings and lively atmosphere spread online.
• Wei Zijin told Wang Xiaoliang that Nuomi had criticized her during their past conflict, but she wanted to stay polite with his friends.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin greeted Gu Junhao, Xiao Ziting, Fang Dongxu, and Zhang Xiaoli, and Zhang Xiaoli asked Wei Zijin for a photo.
• Xiao Mo livestreamed with Xie Hui before Wang Xiaoliang led the group from the crowded market to the office.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng ordered signature dishes, and Wang brought Moutai; Nuomi, Wei Zijin, Zhao Nan, and Chen Zhifei asked for drinks too.
• Luo Bisheng went out to get another bottle of Moutai.

At a dinner after the Night Market’s opening, Wang Xiaoliang asked his friends for honest feedback and noted problems with its layout, food, service, and ability to become a lasting Fucheng landmark. Liu Xinyu congratulated him over the phone and thanked him for improving the property so it could serve his younger brother, while Xie Hui and his family joined the gathering.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked his guests for candid feedback, and Nuomi, Xiao Mo, Huang Xueli, Zhao Nan, Wei Zijin, and Chen Zhifei pointed out issues with the Night Market’s advertised dishes, long-term appeal, entrances and fire safety, food, and service.
• Wang Xiaoliang took notes on the criticism and reflected that managing the venue had already revealed many problems on its first day.
• Liu Xinyu called to congratulate Wang Xiaoliang, and Wang explained that he had improved the property so Liu’s younger brother would have something useful to inherit.
• Huang Xueli spoke with Liu Xinyu on speakerphone, and Liu congratulated Bisheng and promised him an opening gift.
• Xie Hui arrived with his wife and daughter to take photos with Xiao Mo, and his daughter also took pictures with Wei Zijin and Wang Xiaoliang.

Wang Xiaoliang reunited with Wei Zijin and spent a private day with her before taking their friends for beef offal. Over the meal, Nuomi suggested that she and Xiao Mo settle down in Fucheng, leaving Xiao Mo to answer.

• Wang Xiaoliang read Nuomi’s message and watched Chen Zhifei insist that Luo Bisheng properly record the hotel’s lunch expenses.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin stayed in their room together all day, then he borrowed a minivan for the next morning’s outing.
• Wang Xiaoliang picked up the group and took them to the Beef Offal Shop, where Xiao Mo and Huang Xueli praised the food and recalled Zhou Qiang.
• Nuomi asked Xiao Mo whether they should settle down in Fucheng, while Luo Bisheng complained that Xiao Mo was the only one who made a fuss about the food.

Wang Xiaoliang and Nuomi discussed their relationship worries at Donglei Temple, and his words helped Nuomi find peace with being unable to have children. On the way down, Wang Xiaoliang revealed that He Rumeng had tried to use Xu Zixiong’s scandal to pressure Wei Zijin, and Nuomi decided she would confront He Rumeng if she targeted Zijin again.

• Wang Xiaoliang dropped Wei Zijin and Zhao Nan at the airport, then drove Nuomi, Xiao Mo, Huang Xueli, and Luo Bisheng to Donglei Temple.
• Huang Xueli stayed at the foot of the mountain, while Xiao Mo climbed to the temple on his prosthetic leg and Nuomi and Wang Xiaoliang went ahead.
• Nuomi told Wang Xiaoliang that her and Xiao Mo’s problem had not improved, and she planned to consider artificial insemination if they had no success by age thirty.
• Wang Xiaoliang explained that Wei Zijin held tightly to her career and relationships, prompting Nuomi to reconsider her worries about sex and having children.
• Xiao Mo prayed at the temple, and Wang Xiaoliang reassured him that Nuomi was happy with him.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Nuomi that He Rumeng had tried to use the Xu Zixiong affair as leverage over Wei Zijin, and Nuomi vowed to meet He Rumeng if she tried more dirty tricks.

After Xiao Mo left Fucheng, officials ordered Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui to shut down the Night Market because it lacked a safe second exit. They negotiated a temporary closure and compensation for vendors, then Wang Xiaoliang proposed moving their work to the Esports Hotel.

• Xiao Mo's injured residual limb prevented him from wearing his prosthetic, so Nuomi booked tickets to Beijing for another adjustment.
• Wang Xiaoliang kept overseeing the busy hotel and Night Market during the holiday with Luo Bisheng.
• The Deputy District Chief and other officials told Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui that the Night Market had to close because its crowding and lack of a second exit posed a safety risk.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui negotiated to keep breakfast and lunch service open while sealing off the Night Market after six in the evening.
• Wang Xiaoliang told angry vendors their stall fees would be refunded in full, and the vendors gradually left.
• Xie Hui suggested turning the site into a parking lot, but Wang Xiaoliang proposed moving their work to the Esports Hotel.

After the vendors took refunds and the night market emptied, Wang Xiaoliang secured approval for a fire access path and made progress on holiday roadside parking. He persuaded Yuan, the sole vendor who stayed, to improve his malatang, then proposed doubling the night market’s stall fees.

• Yi Jiahui and Li Yongling refunded most of the vendors, leaving the courtyard empty, so Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui moved to Huanluo Esports Hotel.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui secured approval to build a pedestrian path through the wasteland behind the garage for fire access.
• After Huang Xueli urged Wang Xiaoliang to seek help with the night market’s problems, he asked Xie Hui to raise the parking issue with the subdistrict office.
• Xie Hui reported that officials would coordinate free holiday roadside parking while speeding up the required paperwork.
• Yuan kept visiting instead of asking for a refund and told Wang Xiaoliang that the night market had earned him more than any of his previous stalls.
• Wang Xiaoliang urged Yuan to improve his malatang and told the people in the office that they should double the stall fees.

Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui reopened the night market after resolving its fire-lane problem, raising rents, and attracting publicity from local officials and media. With business thriving again, Wang reflected on the turnaround and realized he had beaten the Book of Fate’s latest advice to turn misfortune into good fortune.

• Wang Xiaoliang assigned Yi Jiahui and Cui Wanqiu to make vendor-recruitment videos and added a preference for Fucheng specialty snacks.
• Former vendors confronted Xie Hui over the rent increase, but he explained the added costs and pointed out that vendors who had stayed kept their old rates.
• Experienced vendors filled the stalls, and the deputy district chief approved an opening ceremony with coverage from Fucheng News and the traffic radio station.
• The night market reopened with a ribbon-cutting, and media coverage brought a surge of customers within days.
• Wang Xiaoliang sampled the stalls, praised Yuan's Spicy Hot Pot’s improvement, and hoped a standout food vendor would emerge.
• Wang Xiaoliang read the Book of Fate’s advice to turn misfortune into good fortune and realized he had already done so.

Wang Xiaoliang reflected on how he had turned the night market’s inspection crisis into an opportunity, then spent a quiet period at the hotel while its staff handled year-end work. Luo Bisheng’s parents arrived to stay at the hotel, and his father invited Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui to lunch.

• Wang Xiaoliang considered how he had calmly solved the night market’s fire safety, parking, and stall-quality problems, and recognized that he had handled the crisis better than before.
• As the night market’s crowds thinned, Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui relaxed in the hotel lobby while Li Yongling, Yi Jiahui, and Cui Wanqiu processed contractors’ paperwork.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui drank tea and talked about Luo Bisheng’s work and the hotel’s Anyang Group sign.
• Luo Bisheng’s parents checked in, and Luo Bisheng greeted them after coming downstairs with a screwdriver.
• Luo Bisheng introduced Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui to his parents, and his father thanked Wang Xiaoliang for looking after Luo Bisheng.
• Luo Bisheng’s father invited Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui to lunch, and they accepted.

Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui joined Luo Bisheng’s parents for a meal, where Luo Qiqiang praised the young men’s esports hotel but explained why he had not intervened in Bisheng’s relationship with Cheng Huan. He left Wang Xiaoliang considering how Cheng Huan’s father’s fixed judgments might prevent him from accepting Bisheng.

• Luo Qiqiang questioned Luo Bisheng about the hotel’s finances, praised its prospects, and heard Wang Xiaoliang credit Bisheng for overseeing the project.
• After Luo Bisheng left to handle a computer problem, Wang Xiaoliang told Luo Qiqiang about Cheng Huan’s hospitalized father and asked him to speak with her parents.
• Luo Qiqiang said he had chosen not to meet Cheng Huan’s father because the visit might worsen his condition, and he doubted the relationship could work if Cheng Huan had to break with her family.
• Wang Xiaoliang challenged Luo Qiqiang to try persuading Cheng Huan’s father, but Luo Qiqiang said people often stopped changing their minds and used the father’s refusal to eat beef offal as an example.

Luo Qiqiang explained why the families could not resolve Luo Bisheng and Huanhuan’s relationship by confronting her father, and he backed a plan to keep the couple together quietly while waiting for her father to soften. Luo Bisheng’s parents prepared to leave, reassured by his work at the hotel and his choice to stay for its first Spring Festival.

• Wang Xiaoliang urged Luo Qiqiang to show Huanhuan’s father the family’s success, but Luo Qiqiang warned that a sudden change of heart might only make Bisheng respect him less.
• Luo Qiqiang’s wife rejected the idea of Luo Bisheng marrying into Huanhuan’s family, and Luo Qiqiang explained that neither family could give way without risking a lasting conflict.
• Luo Qiqiang shared Hu Yang’s advice to let Luo Bisheng and Huanhuan keep seeing each other in secret until her father grew more willing to accept the relationship.
• Xie Hui asked Luo Qiqiang how to avoid becoming an overprotective father, and Luo Qiqiang repeated that people must adapt to a changing world while holding on to what matters.
• Luo Bisheng joined the meal and said he would stay to oversee the hotel during its first Spring Festival, while his parents said they would leave the day after tomorrow and praised his work.

On the way to the airport, Luo Qiqiang explained to Wang Xiaoliang why he did not approve of Cheng Huan and praised Luo Bisheng for opening up to his parents. The chapter ended with Luo Mom buying Wang Xiaoliang thermal underwear and insisting he wear it.

• Luo Mom noticed Luo Bisheng’s cold ankles and took him to buy long johns while Luo Qiqiang and Wang Xiaoliang waited in the car.
• Luo Qiqiang admitted he did not approve of Cheng Huan, citing her failure to stand by Luo Bisheng and the hurtful text she had sent.
• Luo Qiqiang told Wang Xiaoliang how Li Liting persisted in choosing An Peiwen until her parents accepted their marriage.
• Luo Qiqiang thanked Wang Xiaoliang for encouraging Luo Bisheng to tell his parents what he really thought.
• Luo Bisheng returned with Luo Mom, who gave Wang Xiaoliang a set of thermal underwear and told him to put it on.

Wang Xiaoliang learned that his parents did not want him and Wei Zijin visiting for the New Year, while Chengyou’s delayed payments forced subcontractors to discount commercial acceptance bills. Wei Zijin returned to spend the holiday with him at the villa, but she worried that Wang Xiaoliang’s mother still had not recovered.

• Wang Keqin told Wang Xiaoliang not to come home for the New Year, saying the family’s living conditions were poor and their stall’s popularity could affect Wei Zijin’s career.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui watched as subcontractors sought early cash for their commercial acceptance bills, while Yi Jiahui, Li Yongling, and Cui Wanqiu handled the extra work.
• Jiang Youfu asked Wang Xiaoliang for help finding bill financing, but Fang Dongxu quoted him a rate three times higher; Wang Xiaoliang rejected Fang’s suggestion to use his authority to funnel future bills to him.
• Wei Zijin returned alone with gifts and supplies, and Wang Xiaoliang picked her up at the airport.
• As they headed to the villa for a twenty-day Spring Festival stay, Wei Zijin said she feared Wang Xiaoliang’s mother still had not completely recovered.

Wei Zijin and Wang Xiaoliang spent the New Year with family and friends, sharing gifts, meals, and calls. After a video call with Cheng Huan helped Luo Bisheng connect with her, the group continued visiting friends’ homes during the holiday.

• Wei Zijin gave gifts to Fu Zhaojun, Luo Bisheng, and Fan Qishan, whose smile surprised her and Wang Xiaoliang.
• Wei Zijin stayed with Wang Xiaoliang at the villa, and they spent the next twenty days together; on Lunar New Year’s Eve, Wang Xiaoliang cooked dinner for their guests.
• Fu Zhaojun gave red envelopes to Wang Xiaoliang, Wei Zijin, Luo Bisheng, and Fan Qishan, who accepted his and smiled.
• Wang Xiaoliang spoke with Hu Yang, who admitted he wanted to see Fan Qishan but was nervous about visiting him.
• Wei Zijin called Cheng Huan, then handed the phone to Luo Bisheng so he could talk with her.
• Chen Zhifei and Xie Hui invited Wang Xiaoliang, Wei Zijin, and Luo Bisheng to their homes for meals during the New Year holiday.

Wang Xiaoliang returned to work after the holiday as Chengyou and its businesses resumed normal operations. Ma Yuanyuan visited the transformed Chengyou grounds for work and, seeing how well Cui Wanqiu and the others were doing, regretted leaving with Gu Junhao.

• Wang Xiaoliang drove Wei Zijin to the airport while Mother Liu showed them photos of Yang Qingyu and Liu Xinyu's newborn daughter and urged Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin to have children.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng gave employees red envelopes as Chengyou's night market and Huanluo Esports Hotel returned to business after the holiday.
• Ma Yuanyuan went to Chengyou to handle paperwork and clock in, then met her cousin Cui Wanqiu, who took her to the night market for breakfast.
• Ma Yuanyuan recalled choosing to leave Chengyou with Gu Junhao instead of staying with Wang Xiaoliang, and regretted her decision as the night market thrived.
• Ma Yuanyuan saw Chengyou employees warmly greet Wang Xiaoliang and learned that Cui Wanqiu had improved pay and benefits and was treated with respect at work.
• After Cui Wanqiu bought her coffee, Ma Yuanyuan kept thinking that she should not have left.

Ma Yuanyuan visited Wang Xiaoliang’s hotel with Cui Wanqiu, who suggested introducing her to Luo Bisheng, but Yuanyuan declined. Later, Li Le told Wang Xiaoliang that his mother had uremia and asked for advice on earning money quickly, leaving Wang to consider a plan.

• Ma Yuanyuan greeted Wang Xiaoliang and Xie Hui at the hotel before she and Cui Wanqiu went upstairs.
• Cui Wanqiu told Ma Yuanyuan that Luo Bisheng owned the hotel and offered to introduce them, but Ma declined.
• A vendor asked Xie Hui to help transfer his night-market stall, and Xie Hui contacted a prospective buyer.
• Li Le called Wang Xiaoliang in distress and explained that his mother had uremia while his two older brothers had stopped helping care for her.
• Li Le said he wanted to leave his job and sell fruit to earn money for his mother’s treatment, and Wang Xiaoliang agreed to think of an idea and call him back.

Wang Xiaoliang took over a night-market stall and recruited Li Le to run a fresh-cut fruit business as his partner, arranging a home and equipment for him. Li Le arrived in Fucheng ready to start working and realized Wang Xiaoliang had made it possible for him to save money for his mother's kidney transplant.

• Wang Xiaoliang took over the old stall, signed the lease, and offered Li Le a partnership selling fresh-cut fruit, with livestreaming as part of the job.
• Wang Xiaoliang secured suppliers, bought a freezer and streaming equipment, and rented and furnished a room for Li Le.
• Wang Xiaoliang picked Li Le up at the train station, explained the profit split, and showed him the stall.
• Li Le inspected his prepared room and read Wang Xiaoliang's messages with supplier contacts and video-editing tutorials.
• Li Le recognized Wang Xiaoliang's support and thanked him, and Wang Xiaoliang told him to get lost.

Li Le began selling cut fruit at the Night Market, impressing customers with his knife skills and earning Wang Xiaoliang’s support. After recording and sending his first day’s accounts, he started learning how to make short videos.

• Li Le opened his fruit stall at lunchtime and drew a crowd with his watermelon and pineapple cutting.
• Li Le brought fruit to Wang Xiaoliang and the others to taste, then sold out his cut fruit during the short lunch rush.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Li Le to learn short videos and begin livestreaming within a month.
• That evening, Li Le attracted a large crowd and sold out his remaining fruit shortly after nine.
• Li Le calculated the day’s income and expenses, sent the accounts and balance to Wang Xiaoliang, and wrote “Day one” in his notebook.
• Li Le searched for instructions on shooting short videos and finding the platform’s backend.

After He Rumeng used the Best Actor to reach Wei Zijin, Wang Xiaoliang arranged a guarded meeting in Fucheng with Nuomi, Wei Zijin, Xiao Mo, and He Rumeng. The group arrived at the hotel and Xiao Mo recognized He Rumeng’s husband as they began the confrontation.

• Wei Zijin told Wang Xiaoliang that He Rumeng had approached her again through the Best Actor, and Wang Xiaoliang said he would consult Nuomi.
• Nuomi proposed meeting He Rumeng in Fucheng with Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin present, and Wei Zijin agreed to attend.
• Wang Xiaoliang called He Rumeng and set the conditions for a meeting, including the location, attendees, and security measures.
• He Rumeng gave Wang Xiaoliang a time for the meeting, and Wei Zijin rearranged her schedule to attend.
• Two days later, Wang Xiaoliang, Wei Zijin, Nuomi, and Xiao Mo surrendered their phones and entered the State Guesthouse Resort Hotel under security checks.
• Xiao Mo greeted He Rumeng and identified the middle-aged man beside her as her husband.

He Rumeng and Li Zhenglu asked Nuomi to donate a kidney to their son, and Nuomi agreed only in exchange for their entire family fortune. Li Zhenglu accepted her terms, but Xiao Mo objected as she was about to leave.

• He Rumeng introduced Li Zhenglu to Xiao Mo, Wang Xiaoliang, Wei Zijin, and Nuomi, then struggled to meet Nuomi's gaze.
• Li Zhenglu explained that his son needed a kidney transplant and asked Nuomi to donate, offering to meet her demands.
• Nuomi agreed to donate and demanded all of Li Zhenglu and He Rumeng's wealth, insisting it be transferred before the surgery.
• Li Zhenglu agreed to give Nuomi every asset, including their living expenses, and promised to arrange appraisals and legal transfers.
• As Nuomi stood to leave, Xiao Mo slammed his hand on the table and said he did not agree.