Chapter Summaries

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.

Wang Xiaoliang tried to keep three kidnappers from killing him and Fan Qishan while buying time with lies about Liu Chengde and his relatives. Liu Chengyi and his wife arrived with gifts, but the police stormed the house and the short woman held Fan Qishan at gunpoint.

• Wang Xiaoliang realized the three masked attackers were likely seeking revenge on Liu Chengde for an old kidnapping, and he lied that Liu Xinyu and Liu Chengde would arrive.
• A short woman threatened to kill Wang Xiaoliang if they had not arrived by six, and Wang Xiaoliang hid his distress during a phone call with Hu Yang.
• Wang Xiaoliang offered the attackers money, but one slapped him and made clear they wanted Liu Chengde's life rather than a ransom.
• When a man and woman arrived with gifts, Wang Xiaoliang claimed they were Liu Chengyi and his wife coming for a reunion dinner.
• The woman and man who entered disarmed and subdued two attackers, while police officers rushed in behind them.
• The short woman held Fan Qishan at gunpoint and threatened to shoot him if anyone moved.

Wang Xiaoliang deflected Pei Lu's gunshot, allowing Fan Qishan, Jiang Siya, and the police to subdue the attackers. After the rescue, police revealed that Pei Lu had spent years preparing revenge against the Liu Family for her father's execution.

• Wang Xiaoliang charged Pei Lu and knocked her gun off target before she struck his head with the gunstock.
• Fan Qishan stomped on Pei Lu, Jiang Siya kicked away her gun, and the police arrested the three masked attackers.
• Hu Yang explained that Wang Xiaoliang's unusual phone remarks had alerted him to the danger and prompted him to coordinate a rescue with police.
• Jiang Siya treated Wang Xiaoliang's head wound, and Wang Xiaoliang notified Nuomi, Xiao Mo, Huang Xueli, and Liu Xinyu that they were safe.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Fan Qishan ate New Year's Eve dinner at the criminal investigation unit while giving statements.
• An officer explained that Pei Lu had recruited her father's former accomplices and infiltrated the community to avenge his execution for kidnapping Liu Chengde.

Wang Xiaoliang learned that Fan Qishan’s prophecy explained his three years in Fucheng and the night’s ordeal, and that he could now leave. In the tea room, Hu Yang began telling the story of his past, ending with memories of a happy summer with Shangguan Rui.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked Fan Qishan about the prophecy, and Fan Qishan confirmed that its two ordeals referred to Wang Xiaoliang’s arrival in Fucheng and the danger at the villa.
• Fan Qishan told Wang Xiaoliang he could leave Fucheng and revealed that he had once predicted he would die that day, but the calamity had passed when they stood together at dawn.
• Wang Xiaoliang, Fan Qishan, Hu Yang, and Jiang Siya went to the tea room, where Hu Yang brewed tea and agreed to tell his story.
• Hu Yang recounted how his mother’s death and poor exam results led him to climb out of a classroom window, leaving him injured but alive.
• Hu Yang said Shangguan Rui confessed she had liked him for three years, then described how Little Ding brought them together during his recovery and how they spent a wonderful summer together.

Hu Yang told Wang Xiaoliang how a bank robbery led him to meet Jiang Siya and how he fell in love with Zhang Yujing, known as Nono, before Shangguan Rui confessed to him at a university gala. The story ended with Hu Yang and Jiang Siya stopping the remaining robber and Hu Yang and Shangguan Rui becoming a couple.

• Hu Yang recognized one of the bank robbers while he watched Shangguan Rui’s home, and Shangguan Rui’s father arranged for Jiang Siya to pose as her while police caught the robber and his two sons.
• Hu Yang recounted meeting Zhang Yujing, nicknamed Nono, at an internet cafe and realizing he had fallen in love with her after she walked him back to his dorm in the rain.
• At the university welcome gala, Shangguan Rui confessed her feelings to Hu Yang, but the robber’s wife appeared backstage and took her hostage at gunpoint.
• Hu Yang drew the woman’s attention and revealed he had helped capture her family, while Jiang Siya ambushed her from behind.
• Hu Yang said he and Shangguan Rui became a couple after the incident, and that her nickname was Yaya.

Hu Yang told Wang Xiaoliang how he and Nono overcame her promised marriage to Seventh Master, then recounted the events that led him to become Seventh Master’s godson. He and Nono were finally able to be together, and Fan Qishan affirmed Seventh Master’s belief that Nono’s well-being affected his own.

• Hu Yang explained that Nono had been promised to Seventh Master’s son because the Zhang Family owed Seventh Master a debt for saving three lives.
• Hu Yang and Nono fell in love and began a relationship after she rushed to the hospital, fearing he had been badly hurt.
• A mysterious gunman killed Yaya’s father, so Hu Yang left school at twenty-one to take over Ruiwen Group and move its core operations to Beijing.
• Seventh Master summoned Hu Yang to a remote house in Singapore and offered him money to leave Nono, but Hu Yang refused.
• Seventh Master proposed that Hu Yang become his son so Nono could marry him, and Hu Yang accepted by calling him Dad.
• Fan Qishan agreed with Hu Yang that Seventh Master’s belief about Nono’s fate had some truth to it.

Hu Yang recounted how his family took in Jiang Siya after her injuries, then explained the family conflict and tragedy that followed his father-in-law’s death. He ended by revealing that a wanted fugitive had admitted to killing his father-in-law.

• Hu Yang explained that he found Jiang Siya badly injured after a mission and brought her into his family as a driver and companion.
• Hu Yang said his uncle opposed him taking over the company, treated Xiaohua in ways that drove her away, and later fled after a bridge he built collapsed and killed three drivers.
• Hu Yang described how Xiaohua returned to Ancient City, reunited with her family, and reconciled with his mother at his father’s grave.
• Hu Yang recalled retracing his father’s final steps with his family to Old Ma’s Clear-Broth Lamb Head during a heavy rainstorm.
• A wanted fugitive sat beside Hu Yang, pointed a gun at him, and admitted that he had killed Hu Yang’s father-in-law.

Hu Yang told Wang Xiaoliang how a wanted killer confessed to murdering his father-in-law and tried to force him to choose which woman would die. Xiaohua was shot while saving Hu Yang, and the killer later killed his own brother before police shot him dead.

• The killer recounted details of Hu Yang’s father-in-law’s final morning that had never been made public, confirming he had murdered him.
• Hu Yang argued that the killer’s brother had manipulated him, then betrayed him by tipping off the police about his hideout.
• The killer threatened to kill Hu Yang and one of the four women, but all four claimed to be Hu Yang’s woman.
• As the killer counted down, Xiaohua charged at him; Hu Yang and Xiao Ya attacked, and Xiaohua was shot before the killer fled after his gun jammed.
• Hu Yang took Xiaohua to the hospital, then alerted the police to watch the killer’s brother; the killer shot his brother at their parents’ graves, and police killed the killer in return.

Hu Yang recounted how Jiang Siya saved him after Xiaohua’s father tried to kill him, and how Xiaohua’s vow to never see him again was said to have awakened him from a coma. He then discussed whether the world was real and what gave life meaning, leaving his answer challenged by Fan Qishan’s question.

• Hu Yang explained that Xiaohua’s father deliberately rammed their car, leaving Hu Yang unconscious and Jiang Siya injured on a remote road.
• Jiang Siya carried Hu Yang several kilometers to find help, and he was flown to Beijing for a twelve-hour operation that left him in a coma.
• Hu Yang said Xiaohua vowed at a temple to never see him again if Hu Yang would wake and live, after which Seventh Master arrived and Hu Yang regained consciousness.
• Hu Yang said he had never seen Xiaohua again until the present day, and Fan Qishan said he was satisfied with the story.
• Fan Qishan confirmed that the world was Hu Yang’s world after Hu Yang suggested it felt like a virtual game at certain moments.
• Hu Yang described his mentor’s view that life’s meaning came from animal needs and, through humanity, wisdom, compassion, or tolerance; Fan Qishan replied that Hu Yang already had an answer.

Hu Yang asked Fan Qishan to divine characters for him and Jiang Siya, and Fan Qishan's interpretation led him to summon Yimu Hermit. The jade plaques they exchanged revealed that Yimu Hermit was Hu Yang's father, leaving Hu Yang stunned as Jiang Siya called everyone to breakfast.

• Jiang Siya wrote “华,” and Fan Qishan crossed out its upper portion, leaving “十.”
• Hu Yang wrote “杨,” and Fan Qishan successively wrote and crossed out “楊” and “木易” before leaving “易木” uncrossed.
• Fan Qishan used Wang Xiaoliang's phone to summon Yimu Hermit, who arrived the next morning and studied Hu Yang in silence.
• Yimu Hermit recognized the connection between Hu Yang's surname, his mother Hu Xiangye, and their matching jade plaques, then asked if Hu Yang was his son.
• Yimu Hermit explained that he was born Yang Qingfeng and had long believed divinations that he had no family, while Fan Qishan called him an old fraud for deceiving himself.
• Hu Yang examined both jade plaques in shock as Fan Qishan told him, “This is your world,” and Jiang Siya called everyone to breakfast.

After Hu Yang and the others left, Wang Xiaoliang reunited with Huang Xueli and learned that Zhou Qiang had divorced Li Lanxiang long ago. The two decided not to force Zhou Qiang to meet them, then discussed Huang Xueli’s strained marriage before Wei Zijin rushed into the villa in tears.

• Hu Yang, Jiang Siya, Yimu Hermit, and Fan Qishan left Wang Xiaoliang alone at the villa.
• Huang Xueli arrived after hearing from Liu Xinyu that Wang Xiaoliang had been hurt, and Wang Xiaoliang told him what had happened.
• Huang Xueli revealed that Zhou Qiang and Li Lanxiang had divorced shortly after Guoguo turned a hundred days old.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Huang Xueli concluded that they should leave Zhou Qiang alone until he chose to see them.
• Huang Xueli told Wang Xiaoliang that he and his wife lived more like friends and slept in separate rooms.
• Wei Zijin entered the villa without changing her shoes, saw Wang Xiaoliang on the second floor, and began to cry.