Chapter Summaries

Wang Xiaoliang gave up his planned Saturday off to help Li Laifu prepare the supermarket, then became its manager and reunited with Wei Zijin after work. The store opened successfully, and Li Laifu brought Cuihua to see it, calling it the store that truly belonged to them.

• Li Laifu refused Wang Xiaoliang's request for Saturday off, explaining that the store needed him to enter thousands of products into the register.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Wei Zijin he could not visit until Saturday evening, and she replied that she would wait for him and missed him.
• Wang Xiaoliang worked with the newly hired staff as Li Laifu arranged their shifts and duties, then named him the store's manager after Ms. Li finished training them.
• After finishing work on Saturday, Wang Xiaoliang took a taxi to Wei Zijin's home, where they embraced, made love, and shared stories about their week.
• The supermarket opened on Monday and quickly drew a steady stream of customers as Wang Xiaoliang and the employees settled into their work.
• Li Laifu arrived at the busy supermarket with Cuihua and told her it was the store that truly belonged to them.

On the supermarket’s first day, Wang Xiaoliang learned that daytime takings had reached 18,453.26 yuan, though Li Laifu was disappointed and ordered more staff to be recruited. After learning that employees had to repay counterfeit cash from their wages, Wang Xiaoliang returned home exhausted but started a calligraphy livestream.

• Sister Li reported the day’s takings as 18,453.26 yuan, and Wang Xiaoliang calculated how profitable the supermarket could become.
• Li Laifu expressed disappointment with the takings and told Wang Xiaoliang to print a notice recruiting full-time and part-time store assistants.
• Cuihua counted the cash and confirmed it was correct before leaving with Li Laifu.
• Sister Li told Wang Xiaoliang to report daily takings, keep the hundred-yuan notes for Cuihua, and personally cover any counterfeit notes he accepted.
• Wang Xiaoliang posted the recruitment notice, returned to his rented room exhausted, and opened a calligraphy livestream.

Wang Xiaoliang learned about Li Laifu’s cost-conscious business practices and the supermarket’s hiring process as Sister Li prepared to hand the store over to him. When Sister Li asked him to interview an applicant, he recognized her as Liang Yanni, Old Third’s ex-girlfriend, and called after her that she was hired.

• Wang Xiaoliang asked Sister Li about her job, and she explained her pay, Li Laifu’s eleven profitable stores, and his family’s nightly cash collections.
• Sister Li described the strict hiring rules and quick screening process used to select full-time workers and student part-timers.
• A student worker quit, and Li Laifu ordered Sister Li to hire someone immediately, authorizing her to decide among that day’s applicants.
• Sister Li told Wang Xiaoliang he would take over the store in two days and asked him to handle an applicant’s interview.
• Wang Xiaoliang recognized the departing applicant as Liang Yanni, Old Third’s ex-girlfriend, and called out that she was hired.

Wang Xiaoliang apologized to Liang Yanni and brought her on as a convenience-store worker. As they walked home, she explained her plans to prepare for graduate-school exams and spoke about Zhou Tao, leaving them to continue through a dark road illuminated by Wang Xiaoliang’s phone.

• Wang Xiaoliang apologized to Liang Yanni for blaming her over what happened with Old Third, and she accepted his job offer at the store.
• Wang Xiaoliang introduced Liang Yanni to Sister Li, gave her an apron, and taught her the store’s duties.
• Liang Yanni told Wang Xiaoliang she planned to take the postgraduate entrance exam and had lost her previous job and a month’s wages when Fashion Internet Cafe closed.
• Liang Yanni explained how she managed her expenses and studied while staying at the Youth Hostel, then said Zhou Tao had praised Wang Xiaoliang and his friends.
• Wang Xiaoliang said Old Third’s fate had been a waste, and he used his phone’s flashlight to guide them along a dark, uneven road.

Wang Xiaoliang tried to help Liang Yanni and manage the supermarket fairly, but Li Laifu publicly berated him for lending Red Bull to a neighboring internet cafe. Wang Xiaoliang accepted the punishment without giving Li Laifu the angry resignation he seemed to expect, then offered the Red Bull to everyone in the store.

• Wang Xiaoliang sent Liang Yanni one thousand yuan, and she accepted it with a brief thank-you.
• Luo Bisheng of Bugbug Internet Cafe borrowed two cases of Red Bull from Wang Xiaoliang and returned them within two hours.
• Li Laifu scolded Wang Xiaoliang in front of the staff and customers for lending out the Red Bull without permission.
• Li Laifu ordered Wang Xiaoliang to pay for the two cases from his wages, and Wang Xiaoliang calmly agreed.
• After Li Laifu left, Wang Xiaoliang offered the Red Bull to everyone in the store.

After Wang Xiaoliang stood up to Li Laifu at the supermarket, Liang Yanni waited for him and learned that he owned a twenty percent stake in the store. Over noodles, Wang Xiaoliang asked why she and Zhou Tao had broken up.

• A well-dressed man and his wife took Red Bull from Wang Xiaoliang’s box, and customers and coworkers soon followed, leaving the cases nearly empty.
• Liang Yanni waited for Wang Xiaoliang after work and asked why he endured Li Laifu’s treatment; she explained why she had chosen the supermarket over an internet cafe.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Liang Yanni he had a twenty percent stake in the store, and she said he had handled himself better than Zhou Tao.
• Liang Yanni invited Wang Xiaoliang to dinner, but he insisted on treating her at a nearby noodle shop.
• As they ate, Wang Xiaoliang asked Liang Yanni why she and Old Third had broken up.

After worrying that Li Laifu might break their verbal agreement, Wang Xiaoliang read a new passage in the Book of Fate that taught him how to judge people by their words and actions. He reconsidered Wei Zijin’s behavior and concluded that she also felt insecure about their relationship, then fell asleep reassured.

• Wang Xiaoliang practiced calligraphy and worried that Li Laifu might refuse to give him the promised shares and dividends.
• Wang Xiaoliang read the Book of Fate’s guidance on seeing people clearly by setting aside appearances, status, and others’ judgments.
• Wang Xiaoliang decided to apply the method to Wei Zijin because he could not objectively assess Li Laifu while feeling angry and disgusted with him.
• Wang Xiaoliang recalled how Wei Zijin had met him, pursued their relationship, and concealed her disappointment when their dates ended early.
• Wang Xiaoliang concluded that Wei Zijin’s restraint showed she treasured their relationship and feared putting pressure on him, then set aside his phone and fell asleep.

Wang Xiaoliang examined Zhou Qiang’s past actions and concluded that he quietly tested people’s character and thought highly of him. The chapter ended with Wei Zijin ordering him lunch and Wang Xiaoliang wondering whether his careful way of judging people was worth the effort.

• Zhou Qiang filled in for Uncle Liu by collecting Wang Xiaoliang’s shop’s scrap and told him to expect a call about dinner.
• Wang Xiaoliang arranged for Xiao Li to cover the register and analyzed his history with Zhou Qiang while stocking the storeroom.
• Wang Xiaoliang realized Zhou Qiang may have tested his reliability by delaying the scrap pickup and may have arranged the graduation dinner around him.
• Wang Xiaoliang concluded that Zhou Qiang valued sincerity, tested people, and thought highly of him, though he could not figure out why.
• Wei Zijin called Wang Xiaoliang and told him she had ordered him a proper lunch, prompting him to wonder whether his method of judging people was too cautious.

Wang Xiaoliang invited Zhou Qiang to dinner and learned that Zhou had been testing and observing him, just as the Book of Fate advised. The dinner became a gathering with Wei Zijin and Li Lanxiang, leaving Wang and Wei reunited and holding hands.

• Wang Xiaoliang met Zhou Qiang at Hongbin Tower and nervously joked that Zhou was ordering too much food to fleece him.
• Wang Xiaoliang directly asked whether Zhou Qiang had been testing him, and Zhou admitted that he studied people he found interesting.
• Wang Xiaoliang connected Zhou Qiang's way of judging people to the Book of Fate and asked how he had done; Zhou implied that he had passed.
• Wei Zijin and Li Lanxiang arrived, and Wang Xiaoliang happily welcomed Wei and took her bag.
• Li Lanxiang told Zhou Qiang to learn from Wang Xiaoliang, and Wang and Wei clasped hands beneath the table.

Zhou Qiang told Wang Xiaoliang that he was giving up his lease on Hongbin Tower and planned to reopen the restaurant outside the campus with his staff. After dinner, Wang Xiaoliang took Wei Zijin to his rented room, where they grew intimate.

• Zhou Qiang confirmed that he leased Hongbin Tower and had agreed to renegotiate the contract, while insisting that the name and staff would go with him.
• Zhou Qiang revealed his plan to buy a storefront near several schools and reopen Hongbin Tower outside the campus.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Zhou Qiang and Li Lanxiang about his verbal agreement to own a share of a supermarket, and Zhou Qiang said the lack of a contract was a good thing.
• After dinner, Wang Xiaoliang discovered Zhou Qiang had paid the bill, then walked away with Wei Zijin after Zhou Qiang and Li Lanxiang left.
• Wei Zijin chose to go to Wang Xiaoliang's rented room, where he embraced her and urged her not to shower.

Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin shared their fears about losing their relationship and promised to accept each other honestly. After Wei Zijin learned the Bugbug Internet Cafe owner might cheat Wang Xiaoliang out of his profit share, Wang Xiaoliang said his greatest wish was to buy them a home, and Wei Zijin kissed him through tears.

• Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin admitted they were both afraid of losing their newly formed family and agreed to be open about their flaws and finances.
• Wang Xiaoliang showed Wei Zijin Luo Bisheng’s apologetic message, then explained the dispute over his share of the Bugbug Internet Cafe’s profits.
• Wei Zijin recalled Zhou Qiang calling the lack of a contract a good thing and realized the owner might use it to avoid paying Wang Xiaoliang.
• Wei Zijin asked what Wang Xiaoliang most wanted to do with his money, and he described buying a small home with both their names on the deed.
• Wang Xiaoliang said a home would give Wei Zijin a real family and place to live, and Wei Zijin kissed him as tears fell.

Wei Zijin watched Wang Xiaoliang run his supermarket and left without approaching him. While working, Wang Xiaoliang realized Li Laifu had likely fabricated rent to reduce their profit share, then received an unexpected job offer from the owner of Bugbug Internet Cafe.

• Wei Zijin found the old thread-bound book and their library note, then watched Wang Xiaoliang handle deliveries, help his employee, and assist an elderly recycler at the supermarket.
• Wang Xiaoliang reviewed his dealings with Li Laifu and recalled that Li Laifu had claimed to rent the supermarket premises.
• Wang Xiaoliang called Sister Li, confirmed that Li Laifu's wife was Li Cuihua, and concluded that Li Laifu had invented a monthly rent to deduct from their profits.
• Wang Xiaoliang reasoned that Li Laifu still planned to give him some profits, despite skimming off part through the fake rent.
• Luo Bisheng messaged Wang Xiaoliang to invite him to manage the Bugbug Internet Cafe, leaving him stunned by the offer.

Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin declared their love, while Li Laifu shifted his supermarket plans to livestream sales after losing his wholesale shop. Wang Xiaoliang and Li Laifu’s daughter Xiaozhi began streaming Red Bull, but they struggled to attract viewers.

• Wang Xiaoliang saw Wei Zijin’s post declaring she had family again, then told her he loved her during a video call, and she returned his feelings.
• Wang Xiaoliang continued working at the supermarket while waiting to see how Li Laifu would handle their upcoming profit payout.
• Li Laifu told Wang Xiaoliang that his wholesale shop was being demolished and that he would now work at the supermarket.
• Li Laifu introduced his younger daughter Xiaozhi and announced that Wang Xiaoliang would livestream by day while she streamed at night.
• Li Laifu brought in nearly expired Red Bull for the livestream backdrop, and Wang Xiaoliang and Xiaozhi took turns streaming to only a handful of viewers.
• After Li Laifu scolded them for failing to attract buyers, Xiaozhi muttered that he could not talk to people normally.

On payday, Li Laifu paid the supermarket staff and calculated Wang Xiaoliang’s wages, then began working out their agreed profit shares. Wang Xiaoliang grew excited at the apparent profits, but the chapter ended as Li Laifu reached the rent entry.

• Li Laifu paid the employees in cash and had them record their wages and leave fingerprints, while refusing to pay Xiaozhi for her two days of work.
• Li Laifu calculated Wang Xiaoliang’s pay as 4,500 yuan, deducted 288 yuan for Red Bull, and paid him 4,212 yuan.
• Li Laifu began listing the supermarket’s sales and expenses to calculate the profit shares he had agreed to give Wang Xiaoliang.
• Wang Xiaoliang estimated that the store had earned over 90,000 yuan after rent and anticipated receiving more than 18,000 yuan in profit shares.
• Li Laifu wrote “Rent:” beneath the losses entry, leaving the amount unrevealed.

Wang Xiaoliang discovered that Li Laifu had used a claimed ¥100,000 rent to reduce their monthly profit to just ¥100.51, leaving him a dividend of ¥20.10. He cut ties with Li Laifu and, unable to reach Wei Zijin, called Zhou Qiang to meet for a drink.

• Li Laifu calculated the business’s profit as ¥100.51 and told Wang Xiaoliang his 20-percent dividend was ¥20.10.
• Wang Xiaoliang challenged Li Laifu about charging ¥100,000 in rent despite their filed contract listing ¥10,000, and Li Laifu defended the discrepancy as a business tactic.
• Wang Xiaoliang accepted the ¥20.10 transfer, deleted Li Laifu’s contact, and added his number to his blacklist.
• Wang Xiaoliang left the supermarket without responding to Li Laifu’s promises of better future profits.
• Wang Xiaoliang called Wei Zijin but found her phone switched off, then called Zhou Qiang to ask him out for a drink.
• Zhou Qiang invited Wang Xiaoliang over and said someone there could drink with him.

Wang Xiaoliang met Zhou Qiang to complain about his work at the supermarket, but Zhou’s questions helped him recognize how much he had learned about opening and running a store. As he explained the business to Zhou and Huang Xueli, he realized he had gained practical knowledge and a more thoughtful approach to pursuing profit.

• Wang Xiaoliang met Zhou Qiang at Hongbin Tower, and Zhou asked him what he had gained from working at the supermarket.
• Wang Xiaoliang realized he had followed Li Laifu’s instructions without taking initiative, then recalled the Book of Fate’s advice to pursue wealth with a clear eye for profit.
• Wang Xiaoliang described what he had learned about choosing a location, renovating a store, arranging shelves, and preparing for its opening.
• Huang Xueli arrived, and Zhou introduced him as an old friend before inviting Wang Xiaoliang to continue talking over dinner.
• Wang Xiaoliang explained how product placement and sales worked for items such as cigarettes, sausages, betel nuts, alcohol, and snacks, and recognized how much knowledge he had gained.

Wang Xiaoliang learned from Zhou Qiang that Li Laifu had used their supposed partnership to exploit his lack of bargaining power, though the small payment showed Li had gone easy on him. Huang Xueli then revealed that Zhou Tao had been made a sacrificial target in the university’s crackdown, leaving Wang Xiaoliang wondering whether his own name had also been on the expulsion list.

• Wang Xiaoliang told Zhou Qiang and Huang Xueli that Li Laifu had paid him only twenty yuan and ten cents from their business.
• Zhou Qiang explained that Li Laifu had controlled the rules and interpretation of their arrangement, and that a written contract would not necessarily have protected Wang Xiaoliang.
• Huang Xueli urged Zhou Qiang to teach Wang Xiaoliang more directly, then revealed that Zhou Tao had been his roommate.
• Huang Xueli explained that Zhou Tao had been expelled as part of the university president’s crackdown on student misconduct because of his poor academic record and frequent absences.
• Huang Xueli said Zhou Tao’s death had brought the crackdown to a halt and saved other students on the undisclosed expulsion list, prompting Wang Xiaoliang to wonder whether he had been on it.

Huang Xueli recounted how the school pressured Wang Xiaoliang to conceal Zhou Tao’s expulsion, while Wang refused to testify as the school wanted. After Zhou Qiang revealed that Wang was Wei Zijin’s boyfriend, Huang asked him how he had won her over, and Wang said he had simply been lucky.

• Huang Xueli explained that a dormmate’s schizophrenia and Zhou Tao’s parents’ lawsuit pushed the school to form a team to manage the case.
• Huang Xueli said Feng Yuan persuaded Li Jun to blame Zhou Tao’s suicide on a breakup and tried to get Wang Xiaoliang to do the same, but Wang refused.
• Huang Xueli recounted that Zhou Tao’s parents found his unsent message linking his suicide to being expelled, after which the school paid more compensation to settle the case.
• Huang Xueli praised Wang Xiaoliang for holding to his principles, and Zhou Qiang said Wang was Wei Zijin’s boyfriend.
• Huang Xueli asked Wang Xiaoliang how he had won Wei Zijin’s devotion, and Wang replied that he had just gotten lucky.

Wang Xiaoliang investigated the rents on the shopping street to understand how Li Laifu had profited from their supermarket partnership. He learned that comparable shops cost around 45,000 to 50,000 yuan a month, leaving him furious over the rent income he believed he had missed and dreaming of opening a rival supermarket despite having no money to do so.

• Wang Xiaoliang realized he had never checked the supermarket's rent and decided to investigate comparable shops on the street.
• Wang Xiaoliang ignored Li Xiaozhi's message and deleted her contact before returning to the shopping street.
• Wang Xiaoliang learned from a pharmacy assistant that her shop's rent was reportedly 50,000 yuan a month, and he estimated that 10,000 yuan of that amount would have been his under the partnership's profit-sharing agreement.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked at several other businesses and heard that their rents were generally around 45,000 to 50,000 yuan a month.
• The Sichuan restaurant owner described a 400-square-meter corner shop at the east end of the street, and Wang Xiaoliang fantasized about buying it and driving Li Laifu's supermarket out of business.

Wang Xiaoliang reflected on his partnership with Li Laifu through two lessons in the Book of Fate, recognizing how his trust had left him vulnerable and reframing his losses as valuable experience. He concluded that Li Laifu had damaged his fortune by taking advantage of him, then wondered whether the partnership had accumulated fortune for himself.

• Wang Xiaoliang stopped trying to film videos because his agitation made him unable to work, then read the Book of Fate’s advice to remain doubtful when managing people.
• He realized that Li Laifu had doubted and manipulated him from the beginning, while he had trusted Li Laifu and ignored warning signs.
• Wang Xiaoliang blamed his inexperience for falling into the trap, calmed himself, and treated the loss as an expensive lesson.
• He read the advice to judge undertakings by profit, lessons, and accumulated fortune, and saw that he had lost immediate profit but gained business experience.
• Wang Xiaoliang reasoned that Li Laifu’s encroachment on his interests would diminish Li Laifu’s fortune, then wondered whether he had accumulated fortune himself.