Chapter Summaries

After the wedding banquet, An Peiwen explained how Wang Xiaoliang’s Red Bull favor had prompted Hu to open a supermarket and offer him a management job. Wang Xiaoliang declined because he already owned three chain stores, and An Peiwen praised his success.

• Fu Zhaojun arranged a meal for the relatives and friends who had helped with the wedding, while Liu Xinyu and Wang Xiaoliang stayed with An Peiwen.
• An Peiwen mentioned that Hu owed Wang Xiaoliang two cans of Red Bull, and Wang Xiaoliang explained how he had lent two cases to Luo Bisheng and later treated the supermarket staff to Red Bull after Fatty Old Li humiliated him.
• An Peiwen revealed that he and his dormmates had started Bugbug Internet Cafe and that Hu had bought a prime storefront after witnessing Fatty Old Li insult Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng.
• An Peiwen invited Wang Xiaoliang to manage a new supermarket, explaining that the project had begun after Hu decided to open a store near Fatty Old Li’s supermarket.
• Liu Xinyu told An Peiwen that Wang Xiaoliang already owned three chain stores on the Jiang University campus, and An Peiwen praised him.

After the wedding meal, Zhou Qiang and Li Lanxiang visited Fan Qishan in the Rear Building and asked him to read characters they had written. His transformations appeared to reveal their deepest wishes and worries, leaving Li Lanxiang stunned.

• Yang Qingyu gave red envelopes to the wedding helpers, and Zeng Haiyan accepted one after Liu Xinyu urged her to.
• Liu Xinyu's cousin invited him and Yang Qingyu to face bridal-room pranks while Zhou Qiang, Wang Xiaoliang, Li Lanxiang, and Wei Zijin went to look for Fan Qishan.
• The four found Fan Qishan waiting in the Tea Room, and Zhou Qiang asked him for a character reading.
• Zhou Qiang wrote 女, and Fan Qishan changed it to 囡, which Zhou Qiang said matched his wish for a daughter.
• Li Lanxiang wrote 电, and Fan Qishan transformed it into 绳; Li Lanxiang said it captured how trapped she had felt at work.

Wang Xiaoliang asked Fan Qishan to read the character “book,” and Fan said it needed no changes and could not be changed, leaving Wang Xiaoliang convinced his fate was bound to the Book of Fate. The group visited a local market and returned the next morning for beef offal and rice wine, where Wei Zijin discovered she enjoyed both.

• Fan Qishan declined to read Wei Zijin again, then told Wang Xiaoliang that his character “book” needed no changes and could not be changed.
• Wang Xiaoliang understood Fan Qishan’s words as confirmation that his fate was bound to the Book of Fate, while Wei Zijin mistook the remark as praise for his calligraphy.
• Fu Zhaojun lent Wang Xiaoliang a car and directed him to Huaqing Market, and Zhou Qiang later drove the group around the city to sample local snacks.
• Zhou Qiang woke the group before dawn and led them to Grandpa Liu’s Beef Offal Shop, where they ordered beef offal, rice noodles, and rice wine.
• Wei Zijin enjoyed the beef offal and rice wine, and Fan Qishan explained that Qingyu had added the chilled rice wine.

Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang brought Liu Chengde calligraphy gifts, including phrases suggested by Fan Qishan and a playful wedding gift for Liu Xinyu and Yang Qingyu. Liu Chengde was moved by the first two pieces, then laughed at the third, “Dragon and Phoenix Reversed.”

• Yang Qingyu helped Mother Liu prepare dinner while Liu Xinyu waited with his family for their guests.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang arrived with framed calligraphy and explained that Fan Qishan had suggested the words “Whatever.”
• Liu Chengde joked about the calligraphy, then reflected that his state of mind still fell short of a child’s.
• Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang unveiled “Just Be Happy,” which Yang Qingyu recognized as a saying her grandfather often used.
• Liu Xinyu complained that the guests had not made a special gift for him and Yang Qingyu, so they revealed “Dragon and Phoenix Reversed.”
• Liu Chengde laughed at the final calligraphy and praised Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang as a pair of characters.

Wei Zijin, Wang Xiaoliang, Zhou Qiang, and Li Lanxiang left Fucheng after Wei Zijin was called back for an urgent interview. On the flight, Zhou Qiang explained how the trip had helped him accept losing his restaurant building and revealed that he considered Grandpa Liu an even greater master than Fan Qishan.

• Wei Zijin received an urgent call from her station and decided to return with Wang Xiaoliang, Zhou Qiang, and Li Lanxiang.
• Liu Xinyu and Yang Qingyu said goodbye to the four at the airport, and Liu Xinyu hurried Yang Qingyu home to try for a baby.
• On the plane, Li Lanxiang swapped seats with Wang Xiaoliang so she could talk with Wei Zijin.
• Zhou Qiang told Wang Xiaoliang that watching the Liu family willingly give away most of their wedding gifts helped him see his lost restaurant building as money lost to ward off disaster.
• Zhou Qiang said meeting a true master was the second most worthwhile part of the trip and told Wang Xiaoliang he considered Grandpa Liu more capable than Fan Qishan.

Zhou Qiang explained to Wang Xiaoliang how the Liu family treated money as a tool for understanding people and shaping the future, then contrasted their early maturity with the late maturity of ordinary families’ children. He reassured Wang Xiaoliang that he had already begun to mature quickly.

• Zhou Qiang told Wang Xiaoliang that the Liu family valued their lives more than money and used wealth as a tool rather than a dream.
• Zhou Qiang described how Uncle Liu had turned his kidnapping into a way to ruin the kidnappers’ futures, and how Liu Xinyu used a wedding reception to judge his classmates.
• Zhou Qiang explained that his harsh childhood had taught him to read and test people, while Liu Xinyu had learned similar skills from Grandpa Liu and his own talent.
• Zhou Qiang argued that rich children often matured earlier because their families exposed them to society and encouraged them to plan for the future.
• Wang Xiaoliang admitted he had been the kind of student who relaxed after entering university, and Zhou Qiang assured him that he had already changed and was maturing quickly.

After returning from his trip, Wang Xiaoliang checked on his supermarkets and then studied two new teachings in the Book of Fate. He recognized Liu Xinyu’s emotional resilience as a model and began considering how he could work through his own feelings instead of suppressing them.

• Wang Xiaoliang said goodbye to Wei Zijin, declined Zhou Qiang and Li Lanxiang’s dinner invitation, and went to check his supermarkets.
• Wang Xiaoliang found Store One, Store Two, and Store Three operating normally, then returned to the Rental Room to clean and rest.
• Wang Xiaoliang read the Book of Fate’s Nineteenth Art of Changing Fate and recognized it as a way Liu Xinyu and Li Lanxiang tested whether someone trusted them as a friend.
• Wang Xiaoliang read the Twentieth Art of Changing Fate and realized Liu Xinyu had worked through grief and guilt by letting himself cry, unlike Wang Xiaoliang, who tended to suppress and dwell on painful feelings.
• Wang Xiaoliang reflected on his emotional habits and wondered whether crying or another method could help him process future troubles.

Wang Xiaoliang met Luo Bisheng for a meal, learned that Li Laifu's Supermarket had faced labor and tax inspections, and saw how Old Sichuan's proprietress kept good relations with her neighbors. Over dinner, Wang Xiaoliang began telling Luo Bisheng that he had seen An Peiwen in Fucheng.

• Wang Xiaoliang called Luo Bisheng and invited him to eat at Old Sichuan.
• On their way, Luo Bisheng told Wang Xiaoliang that Li Laifu's Supermarket had been investigated over labor practices and alleged tax evasion but remained open.
• At Old Sichuan, Sister Hong arranged a small private room for Wang Xiaoliang and Luo Bisheng and told them about the steep rents for shops inside Jingke.
• Wang Xiaoliang paid for the meal despite Luo Bisheng's offer to treat him, and the two agreed Luo Bisheng would pay next time.
• After raising a beer with Luo Bisheng, Wang Xiaoliang said he had seen An Peiwen in Fucheng.

Wang Xiaoliang told Luo Bisheng that he had met An Peiwen and turned down an offer to join him because he had commitments to his supermarket partners. After learning that Luo Bisheng considered him a true friend, Wang Xiaoliang realized that the Book of Fate’s method for testing people’s hearts worked.

• Wang Xiaoliang told Luo Bisheng that An Peiwen had invited him to join him, but he had refused to honor his commitments to his partners.
• Luo Bisheng learned that Wang Xiaoliang had opened three supermarkets and toasted his growing business.
• Luo Bisheng named Hu Yang as the Big Boss, leading Wang Xiaoliang to connect An Peiwen and Hu Yang with Anyang Group.
• Wang Xiaoliang asked Luo Bisheng whether they were real friends, and Luo Bisheng affirmed their friendship and described how he had tried to help him.
• Wang Xiaoliang concluded that the Book of Fate’s method for testing and guiding people’s hearts had worked.

Wang Xiaoliang reunited with Wei Zijin after her trip, but she told him that her interview footage had been lost along with a portable hard drive. She explained that the supposed overseas-returnee volunteer teacher was a fraud, and the lost footage meant her team would not have to air the story.

• Wang Xiaoliang took the day off when Wei Zijin called to say she was returning home.
• Wang Xiaoliang welcomed Wei Zijin home, bought her favorite food, and asked how her interview trip had gone.
• Wei Zijin said her assistant had left the bag containing their portable hard drive at a township guesthouse, and the bag had disappeared.
• Wei Zijin described how the supposed overseas-returnee volunteer teacher had struggled to teach, changed from shabby clothes to expensive designer brands, and made her uncomfortable.
• Wei Zijin said the lost footage spared her from producing a false, flattering story, and her director had not insisted on a reshoot.

Wang Xiaoliang agreed to hire Li Fengxia’s capable hometown acquaintance as the manager of Store Three, then learned he was expected to attend Fang Dongxu’s coffee shop opening. After Wei Zijin abruptly told him to wait at his rented place and rejected his calls, he rushed there in alarm.

• Wang Xiaoliang checked on Store One and approved Li Fengxia’s recommendation to hire her hometown acquaintance, who would train with her for three days before managing Store Three.
• Fang Dongxu invited the group to his coffee shop’s opening, and Wang Xiaoliang agreed to attend with Zhou Qiang after Liu Xinyu asked him to go on his behalf.
• Wei Zijin messaged Wang Xiaoliang to wait at his rented place, rejected both of his calls, and left him running there in panic.

Wang Xiaoliang comforted Wei Zijin after her director unfairly suspended her and cut her bonus, and after a man at work harassed her. He took her to dinner to lift her spirits, then asked whether she had ever thought about quitting.

• Wang Xiaoliang rushed home and found Wei Zijin safe but overwhelmed, so he held her while she cried.
• Wei Zijin explained that her director blamed her for missing footage, suspended her for a week, and docked six months of her bonus, though she had not lost the footage.
• Wei Zijin told Wang Xiaoliang that an overseas-educated man had brought her roses and propositioned her despite her refusal, so she threw the bouquet out the window.
• Wang Xiaoliang promised that he and Wei Zijin would become successful enough that nobody could bully her, then took her to a Sichuan restaurant.
• At dinner, Wang Xiaoliang asked Wei Zijin whether she had ever thought about quitting.

Wang Xiaoliang urged Wei Zijin to leave the TV station, arguing that its workplace and her colleagues would keep treating her unfairly and that she could make a living creating online content. Wei Zijin admitted he had convinced her but said she still could not resign.

• Wang Xiaoliang argued that Wei Zijin’s unreliable assistant, her director, and the TV station’s rigid system made her future there insecure.
• Wei Zijin reflected on what she had learned in Fucheng, including Liu Xinyu’s close regard for Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang.
• Wang Xiaoliang explained that Liu Xinyu openly used money to gauge people’s character and contrasted his own struggle with Liu’s strategic control of opportunities.
• Wang Xiaoliang urged Wei Zijin to leave the TV station and create online content, offering to support her if it failed.
• Wei Zijin blushed and reminded Wang Xiaoliang that her claim they would marry had only been meant to make someone back off, then said she could not resign.

Wei Zijin told Wang Xiaoliang that her three-year contract with the TV station kept her from quitting, and he comforted her as they reaffirmed their love. After she resolved to establish herself at the station, she suddenly woke him and showed him something astonishing on her phone.

• Wei Zijin explained that she had sold herself and her show to the TV station for six hundred thousand, and that quitting would mean repaying the money and paying a penalty.
• Wei Zijin revealed that she had spent the money on an apartment and new phones, and Wang Xiaoliang agreed to move into her place despite the distance from work.
• Wei Zijin and Wang Xiaoliang comforted each other, made up after their earlier tension, and exchanged declarations of love.
• Wei Zijin said she would establish herself at the TV station, and Wang Xiaoliang promised to support her.
• Wei Zijin woke Wang Xiaoliang in the dark and showed him something on her phone.

Wei Zijin’s interview with Zeng Haiyan went viral, bringing praise and backlash as Wang Xiaoliang encouraged her to handle the attention. The video also drew customers to Zeng Haiyan’s stall, and the group planned to meet for dinner on Sunday.

• Wei Zijin and Wang Xiaoliang saw that her interview with Zeng Haiyan had passed 1.5 million views, while commenters praised her and accused the two women of staging a publicity stunt.
• Wang Xiaoliang told Wei Zijin that controversy came with fame and reassured her that her viral video was a success.
• The next day, Wei Zijin took time off to accompany Wang Xiaoliang as he checked his stores and continued refreshing the video’s statistics.
• Zeng Haiyan called Wei Zijin to report that customers had queued around two corners and sold out the stall’s tofu in under three hours.
• Wei Zijin and Zeng Haiyan arranged a Sunday evening dinner with Lanxiang, Zhou Qiang, and Wang Xiaoliang after confirming their daytime plans.
• Wang Xiaoliang agreed to attend the dinner after Wei Zijin asked him to come, though he warned that he would respond if Zeng Haiyan insulted him again.

Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin grew closer as her viral video helped her return to work early and earned her recognition on campus. After Wei Zijin reassured him that passing Li Laifu's Supermarket no longer hurt, Wang Xiaoliang invited her to spend Spring Festival with his family, and she agreed.

• Wei Zijin sent Wang Xiaoliang daily updates about her viral video's success and told him the station had ended her suspension early.
• Li Fengxia told Wang Xiaoliang that a prospective worker from her hometown could arrive on Monday.
• Wei Zijin met Wang Xiaoliang on Sunday, and a group of Jiang University students recognized her and asked to take photos together.
• As they passed Li Laifu's Supermarket, Wei Zijin asked Wang Xiaoliang whether seeing it still hurt, and he said it no longer bothered him.
• Wang Xiaoliang invited Wei Zijin to spend Spring Festival with his family, and she agreed.

Wang Xiaoliang and his friends attended the opening of Fang Dongxu’s coffee shop, where they sampled the food and teased him about its ingredients and prices. As they prepared to leave, they noticed Fang Dongxu arguing tensely with a man in a black jacket.

• Wang Xiaoliang and Wei Zijin arrived at Shuangyang Coffee and joined Zhou Qiang, Li Lanxiang, Li Xiaoman, and He Runya.
• The group ordered set meals, and Fang Dongxu revealed that the shop was a franchise using centrally supplied ingredients, including steaks that cost eight yuan wholesale.
• Li Xiaoman called Fang Dongxu a profiteer, and Fang Dongxu defended the shop’s expenses before being called away to the counter.
• Zhou Qiang paid the bill, and the group headed for the entrance to say goodbye to Fang Dongxu.
• Wang Xiaoliang noticed Fang Dongxu speaking tensely with an agitated man in a black jacket and realized they were arguing.

After leaving Fang Dongxu’s café, Zhou Qiang explained why he could not ask Liu Xinyu to franchise Old Liu’s Beef Offal, since the request could put their friendship and Liu’s family recipe at risk. Wang Xiaoliang judged that Fang Dongxu’s café would likely fail because its partners lacked foresight, cooperation, and selflessness.

• Li Xiaoman told Fang Dongxu that Zhou Qiang had paid for their group’s food, then left with the others as Fang returned to work.
• Wei Zijin took Li Lanxiang, Zhou Qiang, and Wang Xiaoliang to Lakeside Coffee, where Wei and Li discussed a man Wei had interviewed.
• Wang Xiaoliang wished Liu Xinyu and Qishan were in Jiangcheng, and suggested Zhou Qiang ask them about opening an Old Liu’s Beef Offal branch.
• Zhou Qiang explained that asking for a franchise could force Liu Xinyu to share or withhold his family’s secret recipe and make their friendship awkward.
• After Zhou Qiang asked for his assessment, Wang Xiaoliang concluded that Fang Dongxu’s café would fold because its partners had failed to plan ahead, use each other’s abilities, or set aside self-interest.

Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang explained why they believed Fang Dongxu’s restaurant partnership was poorly planned and unlikely to last. Li Lanxiang connected their prediction to Qishan’s earlier interpretation of the character “bao” and hoped it meant the matter involving her Little Girl would happen soon.

• Wang Xiaoliang compared Fang Dongxu’s restaurant partnership with the supermarket partnership and listed its lack of planning, uneven work, partner conflict, and reliance on premade food.
• Zhou Qiang agreed that the restaurant was in trouble, citing its chaotic workflow, lack of an experienced manager, likely rising labor costs, and unclear authority between the partners.
• Li Lanxiang accused Wang Xiaoliang and Zhou Qiang of being unkind for predicting the newly opened restaurant would fail.
• Li Lanxiang linked their prediction to Qishan’s interpretation of the character “bao” as either explosive profits or a violent storm.
• Wei Zijin teased Li Lanxiang that she was pleased because she thought Qishan’s reading meant the matter involving her Little Girl would happen soon, and Li Lanxiang agreed.

After regretting her choices and feeling humiliated by Fan Qishan’s prediction that she would become a concubine, Zeng Haiyan asked Liu Xinyu to make him explain. Liu Xinyu refused and urged her to seek help from people around her, leaving her stunned by his claim that Wang Xiaoliang was advancing so quickly she could not catch up even by plane.

• Zeng Haiyan returned home after selling out her stinky tofu and hurried to prepare for dinner with Wei Zijin, Wang Xiaoliang, and Zhou Qiang.
• Zeng Haiyan recalled regretting her breakup with Liu Xinyu and feeling overwhelmed by the wealth she saw in Fucheng and Fan Qishan’s humiliating prediction.
• Zeng Haiyan called Liu Xinyu and asked him to get Fan Qishan to explain the word “concubine,” but Liu Xinyu refused.
• Liu Xinyu suggested that Zijin, Lanxiang, Zhou Qiang, Xiaoliang, Xiaoman, and Fang Dongxu could help Zeng Haiyan rise.
• Zeng Haiyan dismissed Wang Xiaoliang as someone who had merely won Zijin’s favor, and Liu Xinyu told her his buddy was progressing too fast for her to catch up even by plane.