Chapter Summaries

Liu Woxing pursued the Garden Fair host to find out who had arranged the humiliating activity, while Xu Shuangrong stole and destroyed his phone to hide her involvement. Lai Bingxuan stood up for Liu Woxing, and the chapter ended with Xiao Jingxi confronting Xu Shuangrong.

• Xu Shuangrong followed Liu Woxing, then lured the host to the water garden’s side gate and stole his phone before Liu Woxing could question him.
• Liu Woxing confronted the host about changing the activity, and he tried to justify humiliating her by claiming women needed to marry wealthy men.
• Lai Bingxuan slapped the host repeatedly, and Liu Woxing realized the people around her, rather than wealthy families themselves, had constrained her.
• Xu Shuangrong smashed the host’s phone and threw it into a stream, but Xiao Jingxi caught her and demanded to know what she had done.

Xiao Jingxi caught Xu Shuangrong destroying Liu Woxing’s phone and ended their relationship, leaving her afraid she had lost her chance to become the Female Lead. At Shen Yeqing’s villa, Xie Mi overheard Xu Shuangrong ask her system for help changing Xiao Jingxi’s opinion, and the system revealed it had another ability.

• Xiao Jingxi confronted Xu Shuangrong about destroying Liu Woxing’s phone and condemned her as a skilled pretender.
• Xiao Jingxi left and told Xu Shuangrong he wanted nothing more to do with her, while she worried her romance arc was ruined.
• Xu Shuangrong considered how to salvage her prospects as she passed Shen Yeqing’s villa and saw him with Xie Mi.
• Xie Mi overheard Xu Shuangrong ask the system how to change Xiao Jingxi’s opinion of her.
• Xu Shuangrong guessed that the system had another ability, and it admitted that she was right.

Xu Shuangrong learned that the system could send her into the past and chose to return to Xiao Jingxi’s childhood kidnapping, planning to guide her seven-year-old self into saving him. Xie Mi followed her to the abandoned factory, where they heard someone tapping an SOS.

• The system revealed its time-travel ability and suggested Xu Shuangrong go back an hour to stop Xiao Jingxi from catching her past self.
• Xu Shuangrong rejected that plan and decided to travel back to Xiao Jingxi’s kidnapping, when she was seven, and make her younger self save him.
• Xie Mi was transported with Xu Shuangrong to the abandoned factory on the third day of Xiao Jingxi’s kidnapping.
• Xu Shuangrong followed the system’s directions through the factory while Xie Mi crept after her.
• Xie Mi heard Morse code for SOS tapping from inside a room.

Xie Mi broke into a locked room in the abandoned factory and found a captive boy who turned out to be the young Shen Yeqing. After rescuing him, she got lost while trying to escape, raided the murderer’s room for supplies, and began earning the wary boy’s trust.

• Xie Mi picked the lock on a factory room and found a wounded boy hiding inside.
• Xie Mi recognized the boy as childhood Shen Yeqing and carried him out of the room.
• Xie Mi got lost in the factory and searched the murderer’s room for supplies and a weapon.
• Little Shen Yeqing considered escaping but stayed to watch Xie Mi rummage through the room.
• Xie Mi gave Shen Yeqing water and invited him to stick with her, and he began to think she seemed like a good big sister.

Xie Mi escaped the abandoned factory with little Shen Yeqing, fed him, and returned with him to witness the murderer’s arrest and the rescue of seven children. Xu Shuangrong and the system then struggled to explain why the police had arrived before the original story’s events, and Xu learned she could not travel back to try again.

• Xie Mi carried little Shen Yeqing out of the factory and took him to town, where they bought wontons with his money.
• Xie Mi reassured Shen Yeqing by pinning back his fringe and calling him a cutie, and he decided to trust her.
• Xie Mi returned with Shen Yeqing to the factory as the murderer came back and was arrested, and police rescued seven children, including Xiao Jingxi.
• Xie Mi realized Shen Yeqing and the other children had been unnamed victims who were supposed to die in the original novel.
• Xu Shuangrong and the system wondered who had alerted the police, but the system told Xu she could not travel back to that point in time again.

Xie Mi revisited Shen Yeqing’s childhood in a dream and realized she had been the mysterious older girl he remembered from the abduction case. After waking, she searched the case and confirmed the past had changed, while Xu Shuangrong and her system continued arguing over their escape.

• The police pursued Xu Shuangrong after learning a strange woman had taken her from the village, so Xie Mi brought little Shen Yeqing to the station and stayed there overnight.
• Little Shen Yeqing woke to find Xie Mi gone, then saw her beneath an apricot tree and photographed her before she vanished; the picture showed only the empty road.
• Xie Mi woke in the present and wondered how the timid child Shen Yeqing had become the man teasing her, then searched for the abduction case from sixteen years earlier.
• Xie Mi found that all seven abducted children had been rescued and realized she had been the girl Shen Yeqing remembered, understanding the witch’s words about meeting before they had met.
• Xu Shuangrong accused her system of inventing a time-travel cooldown and leaving her to flee the police, while Xie Mi laughed at their argument.

Xu Shuangrong returned from the past after discovering the system had deliberately let her flee from the police, then argued with it outside Xie Mi’s villa. The next morning, Shen Yeqing cooked breakfast while a production crew probed him about the night he spent with Xie Mi, learning she had crawled upstairs and slid down the banister.

• Xu Shuangrong realized the system had lied about its time-travel cooldown and argued with it until it brought her back just before the police found her.
• Xu Shuangrong and the system continued bickering outside Xie Mi’s villa, keeping Xie Mi awake until she gave up and logged on to her phone.
• The production crew arrived at the villa to check the guests’ accommodations and found Shen Yeqing making squid-ink breakfast while Xie Mi slept.
• The PD asked Shen Yeqing what he and Xie Mi had done after filming, hoping to uncover romantic sparks between them.
• Shen Yeqing told the PD that Xie Mi had crawled upstairs to the study and later slid down the banister.

Xie Mi discovered her ankle had healed after Shen Yeqing’s herbal soak, while the crews checked in on the other pairs and found their relationships ranging from distant to openly strained. The production team eventually located Qiu Chengye and Lai Bingxuan sleeping in inconvenient places around the resort, after the crew apologized to the disturbed guests.

• Xie Mi mistook Shen Yeqing’s cuttlefish-ink breakfast for poisoned food, then endured its saltiness to protect his confidence and rushed with him to the free breakfast buffet.
• Xie Mi realized her ankle no longer hurt and celebrated by doing a breakdance with Shen Yeqing, alarming the nearby crew.
• Xiao Jingxi exercised in his room while Liu Woxing returned from a walk with flowers, and both said they had not interacted after filming.
• Xu Shuangrong fed a reluctant stray kitten as Yu Jinche teased her, then Yu Jinche told the crew he had avoided her to prevent accusations of bullying.
• The production crew found Qiu Chengye asleep in the hotel lobby and Lai Bingxuan on a villa poolside lounger, and apologized to the guests they had disturbed.

The guests faced a chaotic morning before gathering for a live-action Counter-Strike team battle, with lunch on the line. The random draw put Xie Mi, Lai Bingxuan, Liu Woxing, and Xiao Jingxi on the short-stick team, while Qiu Chengye celebrated drawing a short stick too.

• Qiu Chengye and Lai Bingxuan were denied breakfast and asked villa guests to buy them food.
• Director Niu announced a live-action Counter-Strike team battle, with a lavish lunch for the winners and steamed buns for the losers.
• Xiao Jingxi worried about Xie Mi's ankle, but Xie Mi warmed up enthusiastically while Lai Bingxuan and Liu Woxing eagerly inspected the weapons.
• Director Niu had the guests draw sticks to form random teams, and Xie Mi teased Shen Yeqing for learning her battle plans.
• Xie Mi, Lai Bingxuan, Liu Woxing, and Xiao Jingxi revealed that they had drawn short sticks and would be teammates.
• Qiu Chengye excitedly announced that he had drawn a short stick too, and Xie Mi told him to stop shouting because the whole world knew.

The guests began a four-on-four paintball match, and Xie Mi and Liu Woxing faced off after Liu eliminated Qiu Chengye. Liu ended the chapter laughing as Xie Mi chased and hit her with red paintballs.

• Xie Mi teased Qiu Chengye after he misunderstood her advice, then traded trash talk with Shen Yeqing before the teams started the match.
• The guests chose paintball weapons, put on blindfolds, and were taken to separate locations around the Campsite.
• Xie Mi swung through the mountain on a vine while Liu Woxing shot Qiu Chengye twice, covering his face with blue paint and knocking him out.
• Xie Mi praised Liu Woxing for eliminating Qiu Chengye, then announced she would avenge her teammate and charged at Liu with two guns.
• Liu Woxing fled, but Xie Mi hit her with red paintballs, and Liu laughed as she asked Xie to go easy on her.

Xie Mi and Liu Woxing enjoyed a paintball battle until Qiu Chengye went on a rampage and Yu Jinche trapped and drenched him in blue paint. Xie Mi then faced an unexpected alliance offer from Yu Jinche, whose unsettling interest in her made him a potential threat.

• Xie Mi and Liu Woxing traded paintball shots while Xu Shuangrong stepped in to cover Liu Woxing's retreat, but Qiu Chengye shot Xu before she could finish speaking.
• Qiu Chengye charged through the Campsite with a Gatling gun, chased Xu Shuangrong, and then pursued Yu Jinche.
• Yu Jinche lured Qiu Chengye into a trap and soaked him with a bucket of blue paint, leaving their team at a disadvantage.
• Yu Jinche approached Xie Mi, asked to form an alliance, and showed a glint that made Xie Mi wary of his twisted affection.

Yu Jinche used the Campsite’s traps to ambush Xie Mi, but she dodged every one and forced him to face her with Xu Shuangrong. Xiao Jingxi rushed to help Xie Mi, only to be shot by her and Lai Bingxuan, who mistook him for an opponent.

• Yu Jinche tried to lure Xie Mi into a pit trap, but she spotted it and kicked the turf aside.
• Yu Jinche led Xie Mi through several more traps, but she evaded them all and left him with no traps to use.
• Xu Shuangrong joined Yu Jinche to corner Xie Mi, while Xiao Jingxi ran toward the battle to help her win.
• Xie Mi fired at Xiao Jingxi as he arrived, and Lai Bingxuan joined in, shooting him while claiming she had already taken out Qiu Chengye.
• Xiao Jingxi shouted that he and Qiu Chengye were Xie Mi and Lai Bingxuan’s teammates.

Xie Mi escaped a paintball battle and reunited with Shen Yeqing in the woods, where a small mishap left them in an intimate position. Shen Yeqing warned her not to touch his ears, but Xie Mi misunderstood and worried that his piercings were injured.

• Xie Mi defeated Xu Shuangrong and Yu Jinche with her ultimate and escaped the battlefield.
• Lai Bingxuan kept shooting Xiao Jingxi, mistaking him for an opponent despite his protests that they were teammates.
• Xie Mi rested in the woods, where Shen Yeqing found her and teased her about liking his camouflage outfit.
• Shen Yeqing wiped paint from Xie Mi's cheek, and she noticed his ears turning red and reached to touch one.
• Shen Yeqing caught Xie Mi's hand, causing her to fall into his arms, then told her his ears were off-limits.
• Xie Mi sat up and asked whether his ear piercing was hurt or infected and whether he needed a Band-Aid.

Xie Mi challenged Shen Yeqing to a paintball duel, wagering that the winner could ask the loser one honest question. Shen Yeqing let her win, and they left the Campsite planning to talk off camera as the other guests emerged covered in paint.

• Xie Mi proposed a back-to-back paintball duel with Shen Yeqing and wagered one honest answer from the loser.
• Shen Yeqing agreed to let Xie Mi count down, then did not fire when they turned around.
• Xie Mi won and scolded Shen Yeqing for giving up before the match, but he said he would definitely lose to her under any circumstances.
• Shen Yeqing offered to answer Xie Mi’s question off camera, and they headed toward the Campsite exit together.
• The guests emerged as time ran out, most covered in paint, and the Campsite instructor was startled by their appearance.

The contestants fought fiercely in a paint-shooting game, and Xie Mi and Shen Yeqing emerged completely covered in blue paint after an accident at the paint vat. Xie Mi’s team won the luxury hotel lunch, while Yu Jinche was exposed as the one who had poured oil around the vat.

• Lai Bingxuan mistakenly thought only she and Xie Mi were on her team, then fought with Qiu Chengye after learning the teams had four members.
• The contestants speculated that Shen Yeqing had avoided the paint battle and might still be clean, though Liu Woxing wondered whether he had encountered Xie Mi.
• Xie Mi and Shen Yeqing emerged from the Campsite covered in blue paint after Xie Mi slipped into a paint vat and dragged Shen Yeqing in while he tried to help her.
• Xie Mi recognized Yu Jinche as the person who had poured oil around the vat and tackled him.
• Director Niu declared Xie Mi, Lai Bingxuan, Xiao Jingxi, and Qiu Chengye the winners, and Lai Bingxuan and Xie Mi celebrated together.

After making money by letting guests use her villa’s shower, Xie Mi rewarded her underpaid stylist and had an intimate, playful encounter with Shen Yeqing. She showed him an outfit she thought suited him and offered to buy it for him.

• Lai Bingxuan paid Xie Mi twenty thousand yuan to use her shower, while Qiu Chengye paid a hundred thousand after Xie Mi set a higher price for him.
• Diao Mao did Xie Mi’s makeup, and she gave him ten yuan as a joke before buying him useful supplies.
• Xie Mi went to Shen Yeqing’s room, lost her balance when he opened the door, and pretended to faint against his bare chest.
• Shen Yeqing told Xie Mi that she was beautiful, and she cheerfully accepted the compliment.
• Xie Mi showed Shen Yeqing an outfit on her phone and offered to buy it for him.

Xie Mi bought clothes and other gifts for Shen Yeqing, who gave her the door codes to more than a dozen homes, while mistaking her care for familial affection. As fans questioned whether Qiu Chengye and Liu Woxing’s ship was losing momentum, Director Niu privately urged Liu Woxing to spend more time with Qiu.

• Shen Yeqing sent Xie Mi addresses and door codes for his homes, and she ordered him clothes, mosquito repellent, and sunscreen.
• Xie Mi called Shen Yeqing a kid and carefully dried his hair, leaving him to wonder about her feelings.
• Viewers compared the progress of Xie Mi and Shen Yeqing’s ship with Qiu Chengye and Liu Woxing’s, and a trending topic questioned whether Star Cheng was headed for a bad ending.
• Director Niu approached Liu Woxing and suggested she spend more time with Qiu Chengye outside their assigned groups.

Liu Woxing reluctantly agreed to reconnect with Qiu Chengye after online rumors threatened the Liu Family’s business, but Xu Shuangrong invited her to secretly eat in the resort’s kitchen instead. Just as Liu Woxing began to consider joining her, a familiar voice interrupted them.

• Director Niu showed Liu Woxing rumors that her pairing with Qiu Chengye was in trouble and asked her to speak with him.
• Liu Woxing received a message from her family and replied that she understood the pressure to preserve her on-screen relationship with Qiu Chengye.
• Xu Shuangrong brought Liu Woxing to the buffet kitchen in chef uniforms and proposed secretly buying a meal there.
• Xu Shuangrong explained that she wanted to rebel against her carefully managed celebrity image, and Liu Woxing felt her sentiments were much like her own.
• A familiar voice called for another suckling pig, interrupting Liu Woxing as she considered Xu Shuangrong’s invitation.

Xie Mi and Shen Yeqing gathered with Lai Bingxuan and Qiu Chengye to sneak food, where they ran into Liu Woxing and Xu Shuangrong. As the group shared roast suckling pig, Xie Mi realized Xu Shuangrong had tried to use a rumor about Qiu Chengye and Liu Woxing to get closer to Liu, and the chapter ended with Liu joining their carefree feast.

• Xie Mi and Shen Yeqing invited Liu Woxing and Xu Shuangrong to join them in the kitchen, where Lai Bingxuan and Qiu Chengye also revealed they had been sneaking food.
• Xie Mi explained that Lai Bingxuan and Qiu Chengye had joined her plan, while they said they wanted to defy the production crew despite winning deluxe lunches.
• The system revealed that Xu Shuangrong had spread a rumor that Qiu Chengye and Liu Woxing had reached a bad ending to create a chance to comfort Liu.
• Qiu Chengye urged Liu to leave and blamed Xu Shuangrong for bringing her, then fled to the changing room after Xie Mi pointed out his open fly.
• Shen Yeqing carved the roast suckling pig, and Xie Mi offered Liu a pig's leg and encouraged her to eat alongside the others.

Xie Mi and the other guests fled the production crew after sneaking into the kitchen for food, while the Assistant Director secretly helped Xie Mi escape. Director Niu caught only Qiu Chengye and punished him by barring him from meals and the hot spring visit.

• Liu Woxing tried roast pork leg with Xie Mi's encouragement, and Xu Shuangrong alerted the production crew to their hiding place.
• Xie Mi led the guests out through another door with the food as staff chased them, while Qiu Chengye was caught surrounded by cameras.
• Xie Mi and the others fled from the Hundred Herbs Garden toward the hill, but the Assistant Director pretended not to see them and led the cameramen away.
• Director Niu realized the Assistant Director had helped Xie Mi and struck him for ruining the planned footage.
• Director Niu disqualified Qiu Chengye from lunch, dinner, and the night's hot spring visit.