Chapter Summaries

Zhou Yi’s surprise raid on the Haitian Building uncovered crucial evidence against Zhao Yongbin, while arrests and evidence in Changtian City threatened to unravel Zhao Xuanwen’s criminal network. Kim Nam-joo was taken into State Security custody, and Zhao Yongbin raged against his arrest as Liao Wensong prepared to question him.

• Wei Siqi learned that Zhou Yi had found ledgers, discs, and other crucial evidence hidden inside a solid-gold Buddha statue at Zhao Yongbin’s Haitian Building lair.
• Kang Fujun praised Wei Siqi for transferring Zhou Yi to Jiangnan, while Wei privately decided that Zhou Yi was now his nephew and he would not give him back.
• Zhao Xuanwen recognized Kim Nam-joo being escorted through the police station and feared that she and the seized discs would expose his crimes; Ji Fengning then showed him video evidence that left him terrified.
• Kim Nam-joo revealed that she had only used Zhao Xuanwen to conceal her identity, and State Security officers took custody of her at the Public Security Bureau.
• Zhao Yongbin claimed his arrest was illegal because he was a Provincial People’s Congress Representative, while Deputy Director Liao Wensong recalled Zhou Yi’s instruction to help him find dignity if he would not show any.

Zhao Yongbin was arrested after his children’s confessions and evidence exposed his crimes, ending the Zhao family of Changtian’s downfall. Elder Sun blamed Zhou Yi and began considering how to respond, while Jian Yan asked Jian Shuyue when she would bring Zhou Yi home.

• Liao Wensong arrested Zhao Yongbin and confronted him with evidence and statements from Zhao Qiushui, Zhao Xuanwu, and Zhao Xuanwen.
• Zhao Yongbin realized his children had betrayed him and began confessing his crimes as Zhou Yi watched from the monitoring room.
• Sun Hongjie told Elder Sun that Zhao Yongbin was finished and blamed Wei Siqi and Zhou Yi for the evidence that brought him down.
• Elder Sun learned that Zhou Yi was Jian Shuyue’s boyfriend and said he would speak again with Jian Yan about a marriage arrangement for Sun Haoran.
• Jian Yan asked Jian Shuyue when she would bring Zhou Yi home to meet him.

Jian Shuyue showed her grandparents a photo of Zhou Yi and described how officials kept borrowing him for difficult cases, while Jian Yan agreed to bring the couple to an old friend’s birthday. In Jiangnan, Zhou Yi continued investigating the Zhao Group’s crimes and, after becoming Changtian City’s Public Security Director, approved Zhao Qiushui’s release on bail pending trial.

• Jian Shuyue told Jian Yan that Zhou Yi had been sent from one gang crackdown and major case to another, and she showed Jian Yan and Zhou Chunyi his photograph.
• Jian Yan told Sun Zhenglian that he would bring Yueyue and her boyfriend to the birthday gathering, then declined to match her with Sun’s grandson Haoran.
• Zhou Yi spent the Spring Festival in Jiangnan working with investigators to compile evidence against the Zhao Group and its alleged crimes.
• Changtian City officials, including Zhao Dingzhi, Chang Baili, Qian Fei, and Guan Yanming, were placed under investigation, along with nearly twenty other officials.
• After becoming Changtian City’s Public Security Director on February 28, Zhou Yi approved Wen Wan’s request to release Zhao Qiushui on bail pending trial.

After receiving two weeks of leave, Zhou Yi visited his parents and then traveled to Capital City to meet Jian Shuyue’s family. He was welcomed at the Jian family villa and began a chess game with Jian Yan, who opened by asking his opinion of the nationwide campaign against organized crime.

• Wen Wan told Zhou Yi that Secretary Han had approved two weeks of leave, and Zhou Yi decided to visit his parents before traveling to Capital City to see Jian Shuyue.
• Zhou Yi spent a week in Dongji with his parents and met former colleagues Wang Liping, Lei Ming, and Yan Xiangyu.
• On March 19, Zhou Yi flew to Capital City, where Jian Shuyue met him at the airport and they went together to the Western Hills Villa.
• Mu Yalan introduced Zhou Yi to the Jian family, and Jian Yan and Zhou Chunyi welcomed him before Jian Yan invited him to play Chinese chess.
• Jian Yan began a chess game with Zhou Yi and asked what he thought of the nationwide campaign against organized crime and local criminal forces.

Zhou Yi impressed Jian Yan and Zhou Chunyi by explaining why anti-organized-crime campaigns needed sustained prevention and coordinated action alongside crackdowns. He left the elders convinced of his insight and grasp of the practical obstacles and national resolve required to carry out those reforms.

• Jian Yan tested Zhou Yi’s views on the long-term fight against organized crime during a chess game.
• Zhou Yi argued that crackdowns often came too late and that authorities needed to prevent criminal groups from taking root.
• Zhou Yi called for coordinated, sustained action across government departments to address both the symptoms and causes of organized crime.
• When Jian Yan asked why Zhou Yi had not submitted his ideas to his superiors, Zhou Yi listed legal, institutional, staffing, and funding obstacles to putting them into practice.
• Zhou Yi said effective reform ultimately depended on the country’s determination to fight organized crime, earning the elders’ admiration.

Zhou Yi impressed the Jian family with his chess skills and easy rapport with the younger generation, then explained his rapid rise by saying fate had protected him. His sincere words about surviving life and death left Jian Shuyue and the elders with complicated feelings.

• Zhou Yi beat Old Master Jian in the first chess game, then lost the next two as the old man won two out of three.
• Jian Wenzhe, Li Jie, Yue Sisi, and Yue Chi arrived, and the family introduced Zhou Yi to them.
• Yue Sisi and Li Jie warmly greeted Zhou Yi, while Jian Wenzhe joked about his girlfriend being a fan of him.
• Jian Wenzhe asked Zhou Yi how he had risen so quickly from a rural police officer to a senior official, and Zhou Yi answered that fate had helped him.
• Zhou Yi explained that without fate's protection he might have died long ago, and Jian Shuyue and the elders sensed the seriousness behind his words.

After lunch with the Jian family, Zhou Yi charmed Jian Shuyue with a declaration that meeting her was what fate had predestined. Meanwhile, Sun Haoran reacted bitterly to hearing that Zhou Yi had come to Capital City, while Gong Shixiong hinted that his family had introduced him to another impressive woman.

• Zhou Yi joked that Jian Shuyue had agreed to date him after he laid out his demands for pocket money, housework, and household decisions, making the family laugh.
• As Zhou Yi and Jian Shuyue walked through the villa grounds, she challenged his theory about fate, and he told her that meeting her had been predestined before kissing her forehead.
• Jian Wenzhe, Li Jie, Yue Sisi, and Bai Haoxuan witnessed the couple's affectionate moment, and Bai Haoxuan recalled that Zhou Yi's stock tip had earned him and Xu Heng over two thousand.
• At a villa in Jingcui Garden, Jin Mengsha told Sun Haoran that Zhou Yi had come to Capital City, and Sun Haoran left the card game to smoke after the others teased him about Jian Shuyue.
• Gong Shixiong said he had been introduced to a woman who might be as impressive as Jian Shuyue, piquing the curiosity of the group.

At Sun Zhenglian’s eightieth birthday banquet, Zhou Yi attended with Jian Shuyue and met Tian Tian, who had come with her father for a blind date. Sun Zhenglian, secretly resentful toward Zhou Yi, asked Jian Yan to bring him over so the elders could meet the young man who had won Jian Shuyue’s heart.

• Gong Shixiong showed his friends a photo of his blind date and claimed she was as beautiful as Jian Shuyue.
• Sun Hongjie hosted Sun Zhenglian’s birthday banquet at Blessing and Longevity Residence, where Zhou Yi attended with Jian Shuyue.
• Tian Tian arrived, surprised Zhou Yi and Jian Shuyue with a playful greeting, and revealed she had come with her father.
• Sun Zhenglian toasted his guests and privately resolved to settle his score with the person who had killed his watchdog.
• Sun Zhenglian asked Jian Yan to introduce Zhou Yi to the elders.

At Old Mr. Jian’s birthday banquet, Zhou Yi and Jian Shuyue were summoned to meet a table of retired political heavyweights. Zhou Yi handled their probing questions with wit and humility, leaving the elders impressed.

• Sun Zhenglian and the other elders urged Jian Yan to bring Zhou Yi over, so Jian Yan sent his secretary to fetch Zhou Yi and Jian Shuyue.
• Zhou Yi and Jian Shuyue greeted the elders, who complimented the couple and praised Zhou Yi’s recent work.
• Sun Zhenglian tested Zhou Yi by asking what it felt like to be famous, and Zhou Yi replied, “That’s just a person’s name!”
• Zhang Weimin mentioned Zhou Yi’s online following and a novel about his experiences, while Sun Zhenglian pressed him to explain how fame felt.
• Zhou Yi said he felt happy and proud but worried about whether he deserved the praise and losing himself in admiration, earning approving smiles from Qu Suqin and Zhang Weimin.

At a banquet, Zhou Yi calmly parried Sun Zhenglian’s pointed questions and mocked the officials who had protected the Zhao Group, while Jian Yan approved of his composure. After Zhou Yi and Jian Shuyue left the elders’ table, senior officials praised him, and two prominent young men greeted him warmly, surprising the onlookers.

• Sun Zhenglian pressed Zhou Yi about his success, but Zhou Yi answered with confidence and refused to be cowed.
• Zhou Yi blamed the Zhao Group case’s success partly on the stupidity of Zhao Yongbin and the people protecting him, provoking Sun Zhenglian’s anger.
• Hua Ying asked Zhou Yi and Jian Shuyue what they liked about each other, and they said they valued each other’s looks.
• Jian Yan told Zhou Yi to take Sun Zhenglian’s lesson to heart, and Zhou Yi left the elders’ table with Jian Shuyue.
• Jian Wanyan introduced Zhou Yi to Minister Xiao, and Wei Siqi warmly welcomed him as one of his men.
• Xiao Han and Shan Wenxu approached Zhou Yi and greeted him with warm hugs, astonishing Xu Xinrui and Jin Mengsha.

Zhou Yi reunited with Shan Wenxu and Xiao Han in Capital City, impressing the powerful families with his growing connections. After the group went drinking, Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian stayed at Tian Tian’s villa, where Jian Shuyue slipped into Zhou Yi’s guest room during the night.

• Shan Wenxu, Xiao Han, and Zhou Yi greeted one another and decided to go drinking with Jian Shuyue, Ye Ziqing, and Tian Tian.
• Sun Hongjie watched Zhou Yi’s connections with alarm and thought he would become a serious threat if he was not eliminated.
• Old Master Jian called Zhou Yi over, but Xiao Han explained that he was taking Zhou Yi to visit his grandfather, and Sun Zhenglian let them leave.
• The six friends went to a bar owned by Ye Ziqing’s second aunt, where Shan Wenxu said Sima Yanan had stayed behind after losing rock-paper-scissors.
• After drinking, Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian stayed at Tian Tian’s villa, and Jian Shuyue later left the master bedroom to join Zhou Yi in the guest room.

Tian Tian dreamed that she caught Jian Shuyue and Zhou Yi together, then teased Jian Shuyue over their night and announced she was going on a blind date. After rejecting Gong Shixiong, Tian Tian told her family she did not like men.

• Tian Tian overheard sounds from the guest room and dreamed she saw Jian Shuyue and Zhou Yi together, then woke to find Jian Shuyue asleep with marks on her body.
• At breakfast, Tian Tian told Jian Shuyue and Zhou Yi she would meet Gong Shixiong on a blind date, and Jian Shuyue pleaded with her not to leave.
• Tian Tian went to her eldest aunt Xu Weiling’s home, where Xu Weiling and Xu Weiguang questioned her for rejecting Gong Shixiong.
• Tian Tian told her family that when she said she felt nothing for Gong Shixiong, she meant she did not like men.

After his vacation, Zhou Yi returned to Ganquan City, where a pregnant woman was killed by a fleeing van outside the Changtian City Public Security Bureau while seeking help. The chapter ended with Xing Zhaojia reporting the unsolved hit-and-run to Director Zhou.

• Tian Tian told Jian Shuyue that she had pretended to be interested in women to escape pressure to marry, and the two reaffirmed their affection while Zhou Yi looked on.
• Gong Shixiong learned that Tian Tian was the daughter of Xu Weiguang and grew jealous after hearing that Sun Haoran and Zheng Peng might also pursue her.
• Zhou Yi spent two more days sightseeing and eating with Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian, then flew back to Ganquan City on March 25.
• Xia Mingyue decided to move the story past its romance and agreed to create a character for a fan named Tang Tang.
• A heavily pregnant woman walking toward the Changtian City Public Security Bureau was struck by a gray van, which fled as bystanders called for help.
• Xing Zhaojia reported to Director Zhou that the pregnant woman had died near the bureau and that police had not yet found the van.

After Shi Cuixia was killed outside the Public Security Bureau while carrying an accusation against Fan Shiyuan, Zhou Yi ordered Xing Zhaojia to take charge and investigate everyone involved. Later, Xie Chenglin’s attempt to approach Wen Wan fell flat, and Zhou Yi visited her with gifts, where she invited him to try Qiushui Garden’s new herbal bath.

• Liao Wensong gave Zhou Yi a typed copy of Shi Cuixia’s blood-soaked letter, which accused Fan Shiyuan of gambling schemes, rape, violence, and using official connections to evade justice.
• Xing Zhaojia reported that Shi Cuixia had been deliberately run down while heading to the Public Security Bureau, and Zhou Yi ordered him to investigate the case regardless of who was involved.
• Xie Chenglin invited Wen Wan to try Qiushui Garden’s herbal bath, but she sensed his flirtatious intentions and declined.
• Zhou Yi brought Wen Wan local specialties from Capital City, and she invited him to join her and other colleagues at the herbal bath.

With Vice Mayor Wen’s approval, Zhou Yi ordered a city-level investigation into Shi Cuixia’s murder, and police traced the van and arrested Fan Shiyuan. The chapter ended with Changtian and Kunshan officers confronting each other over custody of Fan Shiyuan.

• Zhou Yi reported the attack outside the Public Security Bureau to Vice Mayor Wen and won approval to investigate the complaint allegations directly.
• Xing Zhaojia’s team traced the van to Kunshan County, arrested Feng Kuan and Feng Zhuang, and learned that Fan Shiyuan had ordered them to watch Shi Cuixia.
• Director Zhou ordered Fan Shiyuan’s arrest after Xing Zhaojia reported the suspects’ statements.
• Xing Zhaojia and his officers arrested Fan Shiyuan at the Xingrong Hotel and prepared to leave with him.
• Lu Jian and Kunshan County officers arrived, demanded custody of Fan Shiyuan, and faced off against Xing Zhaojia’s team.
• Xing Zhaojia ordered his officers to take Fan Shiyuan away, and Lu Jian shouted for them to stop.

Xing Zhaojia and Lu Jian clashed over who would take Fan Shiyuan into custody, and both appealed to their superiors. Director Zhou insisted the Municipal Public Security Bureau would handle the case, leaving Xie Chenglin humiliated after Zhou revealed he had already secured Mayor Wen’s approval.

• Lu Jian and Xing Zhaojia refused to let the other side take Fan Shiyuan first, so each reported the standoff to his superiors.
• Jiang Tao told Director Zhou that Kunshan County had opened an investigation into Shi Cuixia’s complaint and argued that Fan Shiyuan should be questioned by the county bureau.
• Director Zhou cited the Municipal Public Security Bureau’s authority to take over difficult cases and declared that he would take Fan Shiyuan no matter what.
• Jiang Tao called Yuan Jiangjun, who ordered Fan Shiyuan taken into custody and complained about Zhou Yi to Xie Chenglin.
• Xie Chenglin called Zhou Yi, but Zhou said Mayor Wen had already approved the municipal bureau taking charge of the case.

Zhou Yi’s forces overpowered Kunshan County officials and took Fan Shiyuan into custody, then launched disciplinary action against Lu Jian and took over several related investigations. The chapter left Yuan Jiangjun and Xie Chenglin frustrated and hostile as Zhou Yi continued to assert control.

• The Municipal Public Security Bureau sent a large force and inspectorate officers to the Xingrong Hotel, where they ordered Lu Jian’s team to withdraw and took Fan Shiyuan and Lu Jian away.
• Yuan Jiangjun realized he had no way to retaliate against Zhou Yi, while Xie Chenglin’s personal and political grievances deepened his hostility toward him.
• On April 2, the Municipal Public Security Bureau suspended Lu Jian for two months, confined him for five days, and recommended his removal from office and accountability for his supervisor.
• The Municipal Public Security Bureau took over the arson case involving Sui Yongzhi and the assault case involving Shi Qingshuang, and its officers located Sui Yuanyuan to investigate Fan Shiyuan’s suspected rape of a young girl.
• Wen Wan remarked on Zhou Yi’s hotheadedness as city officials watched him continue to pressure Kunshan County’s leadership.

Yuan Jiangjun went to the Municipal Party Committee to challenge Zhou Yi over the Municipal Public Security Bureau’s handling of a dispute with Kunshan County. Zhou Yi countered that Fan Shiyuan had confessed to bribing Kunshan Public Security Director Jiang Tao, leaving Yuan Jiangjun stunned.

• Yuan Jiangjun angrily called Zhou Yi, who told him to take his complaint to the city leadership, prompting Yuan to arrange a trip to the Municipal Party Committee.
• County Magistrate An Wei tried to report on negotiations with Changhong Group, but Yuan dismissed him and left the county officials gossiping about the coming confrontation.
• At the Municipal Party Committee, Zhou Yi briefed the city leaders on the conflict between the municipal and county police and defended his bureau’s actions to Yuan Jiangjun.
• Yuan Jiangjun challenged Zhou Yi’s authority over Kunshan County, but Zhou argued that the county police had tried to seize a suspect from a superior agency.
• Zhou Yi revealed that Fan Shiyuan had confessed to bribing Jiang Tao to suppress serious assault cases, leaving Yuan Jiangjun unable to respond.

Yuan Jiangjun agreed not to shield Jiang Tao as the city prepared to investigate him. Meanwhile, Sui Yongzhi accepted the Fan family's money in exchange for denying allegations, prompting Xing Zhaojia to relay Zhou Yi's instruction to let the law and morality take their courses and teach those who needed a lesson.

• Yuan Jiangjun declared that Kunshan County would not protect Jiang Tao, and Pang Ruiwu said the Municipal Public Security Bureau would assist the Procuratorate's investigation into Jiang Tao's bribery and dereliction of duty.
• Zong Weixin suggested placing Jiang Tao under Shuanggui after Ye Feng arrived.
• Sui Yongzhi vowed revenge on Fan Shiyuan, but Wu Shuxian told him the Fan family had offered a million yuan to secure their silence, and he agreed to accept the money.
• Li Zhen condemned Sui Yongzhi's family for taking compensation, while Xing Zhaojia reflected on human cruelty and shared Zhou Yi's instruction to let the law handle legal matters and teach those who needed a lesson.

Zhou Yi’s investigation turned the tip-off about Fan Shiyuan into perjury charges and exposed a chain of corruption across Changtian City and Kunshan County. As police solicited new leads across the county, Zhao Rou hired a master-level killer to target someone, but he demanded payment before acting.

• Zhou Yi told Vice Mayor Wen Wan that footage and physical evidence supported the case against Fan Shiyuan and that Sui Yongzhi and his family would face perjury charges.
• Three days later, police questioned Sui Yongzhi, Wu Shuxian, and Sui Yongqiang as criminal suspects, and Sui Yongqiang admitted to perjury.
• The Discipline Inspection Commission investigated Jiang Tao, who implicated Han Bin and Fei Lianning; Fei implicated Lu Jian, and Jiang Tao then reported that An Wei had taken bribes.
• Changtian City police began soliciting leads on criminal forces throughout Kunshan County, while Yuan Jiangjun watched their patrols and Vice Mayor Wen Wan reflected on the chain of revelations.
• Zhao Rou showed photographs to a tall, thin man she had hired to kill someone, and he demanded that she pay him.