Chapter Summaries

Xia Xu explained why he had hired Yang Bowen and told Tang Youxin that her strong logic and math skills made her suited to programming. He realized her status showed no career potential at all, leaving him to worry that she might die young.

• Tang Youxin questioned whether Xia Xu would really pay Yang Bowen eight thousand yuan, and Xia Xu said hiring him was a bargain.
• Tang Youxin asked Xia Xu to explain her own talent, and he said her logical thinking and perfect math scores showed she had strong programming ability.
• Tang Youxin doubted that programming suited her, and Xia Xu explained that talent did not necessarily match a person's interests or future potential.
• Xia Xu considered why Tang Youxin had no career potential and feared that the reason might be an early death.

Xia Xu persuaded Tang Youxin to try learning programming and eventually work for him, though she refused his offer to fund her education. He escorted her home and used stories about Confucius’s disciples to convince her to accept a bonus, leaving her confused but holding the money.

• Xia Xu urged Tang Youxin to learn programming and offered to sponsor her education in exchange for working for him after graduation.
• Tang Youxin refused the sponsorship but quietly agreed to give programming a try.
• Xia Xu insisted on escorting Tang Youxin home, despite her protests.
• At her doorstep, Xia Xu offered Tang Youxin six hundred yuan for wages and a bonus, and she tried to refuse it.
• Xia Xu invoked stories about Zilu and Zigong to argue that refusing rewards could discourage others from helping or recommending talent.
• Xia Xu gave Tang Youxin two hundred yuan as a bonus and kept the remaining three hundred as her meal allowance, and she went home dazed.

Xia Xu watched Tang Youxin return to her family’s pastry shop and realized her household might be struggling despite having an income. The next morning, he opened his detective shop, welcomed Tang Youxin and Yang Bowen, and sent Yang to search for Zhang Jianmin while planning to look for an old man at a construction site himself.

• Xia Xu saw Tang Youxin enter Fangyuan Pastries and suspected her family’s finances were under severe strain.
• Tang Youxin arrived early at Xia Xu’s shop, brought him buns made by her father, and resumed cleaning.
• Xia Xu and Yang Bowen finished cleaning the shop, and Yang asked for an assignment.
• Xia Xu gave Yang Bowen a practice commission to find Zhang Jianmin, starting with Xue Mingjie’s noodle shop.
• Xia Xu sent Yang out to search and prepared to look for the old man at the construction site.

Xia Xu searched three nearby construction sites for the old construction worker who sold antiques, but failed to find him. He left unsure whether his theory was wrong or he had searched in the wrong area.

• Xia Xu tried to enter a construction site but Grandpa Liu refused until Xia Xue offered to escort him inside.
• Xia Xue warned Xia Xu about construction hazards and went to bring lunch to her father.
• Xia Xu checked the workers' status panels and learned that Xia Xue had a three-star Police Officer fate and a two-star Forensic Trace Examination talent.
• Xia Xu left the first site without finding the old construction worker, then bought a hard hat to enter two more sites without trouble.
• Xia Xu searched all three sites but found no sign of the old construction worker, leaving his original theory uncertain.

Yang Bowen quickly tracked Zhang Jianmin to the Era Royal Court Phase One residential complex, and Xia Xu assigned him to keep watching Zhang. That night, a group of students gathered at an unlicensed internet café near Star City No. 3 High School, where one boy in uniform seemed especially threatening.

• Yang Bowen told Xia Xu he had identified Zhang Jianmin's likely home by asking taxi drivers who had picked up passengers outside the police station.
• Xia Xu praised Yang Bowen and told him to find Zhang Jianmin's exact apartment and follow his movements.
• Xia Xu saw that Yang Bowen's affection had risen to 65, then treated him and Little White Flower to a celebratory meal and took Little White Flower home.
• Several high school boys arrived at an unlicensed internet café near Star City No. 3 High School and greeted a boy who had stayed there in his school uniform.
• The boys smoked and joked about how the broke student could get money by stopping younger children who came into the café.

After Tang Hao vanished in an alley during his exhausted walk home, Xia Xu opened his consulting firm and continued setting up his business. He gave Yang Bowen new investigative tasks and revealed that he and Tang Youxin were still in high school.

• Tang Hao was pounced on by a dark shape in an alley, and screams and sounds of eating followed.
• Tang Youxin brought Xia Xu homemade steamed buns, and he awkwardly praised their unusual appearance before she fled inside.
• Yang Bowen arrived with the firm's furniture, and Xia Xu helped him unload it.
• Worried about his dwindling funds, Xia Xu told Yang Bowen to track Zhang Jianmin and search construction sites for an old man selling antiques.
• Xia Xu gave Yang Bowen a spare shop key and explained that he had classes because he was still in high school.
• Yang Bowen wondered if Xia Xu was a rich heir, and Xia Xu said he was the one building the fortune.

After Tang Hao was mauled to death by a wild beast, Xia Xu realized that the Hunter plot had begun and that he might be in danger as another supporting character. He concluded that the beast was likely an unusually dangerous mutated creature and feared he could be its next victim.

• Xia Xu arrived at school and found Tang Hao's parents and relatives accusing the school over his death.
• Ma Bing told Xia Xu that Tang Hao had been killed by a wild beast while returning home after spending the night at an internet café.
• Xia Xu inferred that Tang Hao's death marked the start of the Hunter plot and that the title referred to hunting a beast.
• Xia Xu reasoned that the story likely involved an abnormal creature, perhaps one created by genetic experiments or advanced technology.
• Xia Xu feared that, as Tang Hao's classmate and another Hunter supporting character, he might also be targeted by the creature.

Xia Xu struggled with his fear of being targeted by the monster in "Hunter" and concluded that he had no choice but to wait for luck and the protagonist’s arrival. He warned Tang Youxin to stay safe, then received Yang Bowen’s update confirming Zhang Jianmin’s address while the search for an old antiques seller remained fruitless.

• Xia Xu considered seeking help, hiring bodyguards, or leaving school, but concluded that none of those choices would reliably protect him from the monster.
• Xia Xu went to class despite being unable to focus, and Tang Youxin asked whether he was okay.
• Xia Xu joked that Tang Youxin’s good wishes could cure him, then told her not to wander around or go out at night.
• Yang Bowen reported that he had confirmed Zhang Jianmin’s address and seen him enter the residential complex.
• Xia Xu told Yang Bowen to watch Zhang Jianmin and asked about the old man selling antiques, but Yang Bowen had found no sign of him.

Xia Xu traveled to Golden Sun KTV to meet Zhang Jianmin, while considering how the police response to Tang Hao’s death might affect the Hunter plot. He found Zhang Jianmin drinking outside a room and prepared to see how the man’s fate and story had changed.

• Xia Xu told Little White Flower to go straight home as school let out and observed the neighborhood’s heightened anxiety and emergency response after Tang Hao’s death.
• Xia Xu decided to keep pursuing the Hunter plot, reasoning that Tang Hao’s death confirmed a special beast was involved, and went to the address Yang Bowen had sent him.
• Yang Bowen met Xia Xu near the Times Royal Court Residential Complex and led him to Golden Sun KTV, joking that Zhang Jianmin had called hostesses but was sitting outside their room.
• Xia Xu found Zhang Jianmin sitting dejectedly by the KTV room door with a beer, and considered whether his behavior reflected the plot’s inertia or his impending death.

After Tang Hao’s death, Xia Xu avoided the dangerous area around his home and sought a safer place while looking for powerful people who could help him deal with the monster. When Yang Bowen reported that the old man from Zhang Jianmin’s story had appeared at a construction site, Xia Xu came up with a way to leave school and investigate.

• Xia Xu warned Yang Bowen to stay indoors at night because a wild beast had killed Tang Hao near their school.
• Xia Xu booked a hotel room near the KTV, reasoning that the area around Zhang Jianmin might be safer than the monster’s likely hunting ground.
• Over the next two days, Xia Xu stayed at the hotel and watched Zhang Jianmin grow increasingly indulgent at the Golden Sun KTV.
• On Thursday, Yang Bowen called Xia Xu during class and reported that the old man at the construction site had appeared.
• Xia Xu asked Yang Bowen to come to his school so he could pose as a relative or guardian and request time off.

Xia Xu obtained several days of leave by having Yang Bowen pose as his uncle and claim a dying elder wanted to see him. They went to the construction site and found the old worker selling supposedly unearthed antiques, including figurines labeled with the misspelled inscriptions “Made in the Qianlong Years” and “Made in the Cixi Years.”

• Yang Bowen persuaded Teacher Liu Xiulan to give Xia Xu a day and a half off, in addition to the weekend, by claiming a family elder was near death.
• Xia Xu and Yang Bowen left school while their classmates speculated about Xia Xu’s wealth, family, and relationship with Tang Youxin.
• Xia Xu and Yang Bowen traveled to the construction site where Xia Xu had expected the old construction worker to appear.
• Xia Xu examined the worker’s muddy wares and found misspelled era inscriptions on two figurines.
• The old worker claimed that he and his workmates had dug up the objects and offered Xia Xu a better price.

Xia Xu examined Qian Chenghe’s fake antiques and studied the plot surrounding Zhang Jianmin’s possible bargain on a Guanyin Statue. When antique expert Lin Zhengping appeared and warned that the statue was a modern fake, Xia Xu began bargaining with Qian Chenghe, leaving the sale unresolved.

• Xia Xu discovered that Qian Chenghe was a seasoned antiques scammer with a talent for disguise and read the unfinished plot describing Zhang Jianmin’s encounter with a Guanyin Statue.
• Xia Xu decided to buy the statue despite not knowing where its hidden value lay and asked Qian Chenghe for a price.
• Qian Chenghe demanded eighty thousand, while Yang Bowen warned Xia Xu that the statue was fake.
• Lin Zhengping arrived and said the Guanyin Statue was a modern decorative piece, and Xia Xu recognized him as the antiques expert in the plot.
• Xia Xu offered Qian Chenghe four hundred for the statue, but Qian Chenghe insisted on four thousand.

Xia Xu tried to buy Qian Chenghe’s Guanyin Statue to save Lin Zhengping’s comatose wife, but Xia Xue arrived and accused Qian Chenghe of cheating her grandfather, who had suffered a brain hemorrhage. As Qian Chenghe tried to flee, Xia Xu stopped him with his hand on the statue.

• Xia Xu dismissed Lin Zhengping’s warnings and decided to buy the Guanyin Statue, knowing it contained medicine that could save Lin Zhengping’s wife.
• Xia Xue stormed in and demanded that Qian Chenghe return the money he had cheated her grandfather out of.
• Xia Xue said her grandfather was hospitalized with a brain hemorrhage after losing his retirement savings, while Qian Chenghe denied responsibility.
• Lin Zhengping angrily accused Qian Chenghe of deliberately selling fakes as genuine antiques.
• Qian Chenghe began packing his stall to leave, but Xia Xu stopped him by placing his hand on the Guanyin Statue.

Xia Xu bought Qian Chenghe’s Guanyin statue for forty thousand and smashed it, revealing boxes of Angong Niuhuang Pills inside. Lin Zhengping recognized the medicine and asked to buy some for his comatose wife, while Xia Xu said he had something to handle first.

• Yang Bowen grabbed Qian Chenghe, but Xia Xu stopped him and said he wanted to buy the Guanyin statue.
• Qian Chenghe demanded forty thousand, and Xia Xu agreed, paid in cash, and had him sign a sales contract.
• Xia Xu smashed the Guanyin statue in front of Qian Chenghe, Lin Zhengping, Xia Xue, and the others.
• More than twenty boxes of Angong Niuhuang Pills tumbled out, and Lin Zhengping recognized them as medicine from over twenty years ago.
• Lin Zhengping asked to buy some pills for his comatose wife, and Xia Xu agreed to discuss the sale after handling something else.

Xia Xu revealed that the Angong Niuhuang Pills hidden inside the Guanyin Statue were the treasure Qian Chenghe’s father had left for him, and exposed how Qian had betrayed and killed his father. Qian broke down sobbing as Xia Xu offered to sell him the statue fragments for four hundred thousand yuan.

• Xia Xu showed Qian Chenghe the Angong Niuhuang Pills that had fallen out of the Guanyin Statue and explained their value.
• Xia Xu recounted how Qian’s father had used the pills to save him as a sick child and how Qian later bought the statue with money earned by trafficking a mentally impaired man.
• Qian charged at Xia Xu in panic, but Yang Bowen kicked him down.
• Xia Xu revealed that Qian had killed his father after demanding the treasure he believed his father was hiding.
• Xia Xu explained that the pills were the treasure Qian’s father had hidden in the statue to protect his son, and Qian broke down sobbing.
• Xia Xu offered Qian the statue fragments for four hundred thousand yuan.

Xia Xu exposed Qian Chenghe’s guilt over murdering his father and persuaded him to sell the Guanyin Statue, which contained Angong Niuhuang Pills. After arranging the sale and giving Xia Xue medicine for her grandfather, Xia Xu prepared to sell more pills to Lin Zhengping while Yang Bowen realized why the transactions had to be legitimate.

• Qian Chenghe broke down after Xia Xu revealed that his father’s treasured pills could have saved his life, then agreed to sell the Guanyin Statue for the money in his bank account.
• Qian Chenghe signed the sales agreement and kept the original copy against his chest while giving Xia Xu an identical copy.
• Xia Xu gave Xia Xue the Angong Niuhuang Pills for her hospitalized grandfather and apologized for his earlier remarks.
• Lin Zhengping bought five pills from Xia Xu for thirty thousand each.
• Yang Bowen apologized to Xia Xu and realized that the legitimate sale would keep the statue from being treated as stolen property or evidence after Qian Chenghe was handed over to the police.

Xia Xu and Yang Bowen captured wanted fugitive Qian Chenghe and turned him over to the police, earning a reward. After adding the proceeds from selling Angong Niuhuang Pills and Qian Chenghe’s bank card, Xia Xu became a millionaire and invited Yang Bowen to celebrate.

• Xia Xu had Yang Bowen restrain Qian Chenghe and called the police to report the wanted fugitive.
• The square-faced officer recognized Xia Xu from his earlier gambling tip and took Qian Chenghe into custody.
• Xia Xu explained to Yang Bowen that his previous sixty-thousand-yuan reward had helped fund the consulting firm.
• Xia Xu completed a transaction with Lin Zhengping and entrusted him with selling fourteen more Angong Niuhuang Pills.
• Xia Xu counted his money and found that his gains had brought him to millionaire status.
• Xia Xu invited Yang Bowen to dinner with a bonus, and Yang Bowen asked to bring his wife and son.

Xia Xu invited Tang Youxin to a celebratory dinner after earning a million from his first business deal, and Yang Bowen regaled the group with the story. The dinner ended with Xia Xu helping Yang Xiaoyong persuade his parents to take him to Star City Amusement Park that night.

• Xia Xu stopped Tang Youxin after school and persuaded her to join a celebratory dinner, revealing that he had earned a million.
• Xia Xu and Tang Youxin arrived at an upscale restaurant, where Yang Bowen introduced his son, Yang Xiaoyong, and his wife.
• Yang Bowen recounted how Xia Xu had exposed a swindler, bought an undervalued antique, and caught a fugitive, while subtly highlighting his own role.
• Yang Xiaoyong pestered his parents to take him to an amusement park, and Xia Xu supported his request by pointing out that Star City Amusement Park was nearby and open at night.

Xia Xu took Tang Youxin to Star City Amusement Park, where the two enjoyed an evening together before leaving early because of the danger posed by the Hunter plot. At the entrance, Xia Xu spotted Luo Hongyun, a powerful man whose attribute panel identified him as the protagonist of Night Owl, and considered recruiting him as a bodyguard.

• Xia Xu persuaded Yang Bowen's wife to let Yang Xiaoyong visit the amusement park with the group, then took Tang Youxin there with them.
• Yang Bowen took his wife and son to the carousel, leaving Xia Xu and Tang Youxin alone together at the park.
• Xia Xu and Tang Youxin rode attractions until nearly seven, and Tang Youxin gradually relaxed and enjoyed herself.
• Xia Xu led Tang Youxin out of the park at seven because he feared the Hunter plot's danger, and he decided to hire bodyguards.
• Xia Xu noticed Luo Hongyun near the entrance and discovered that he had two five-star combat talents, life tier two, and the fate potential of the Night Owl protagonist.

Xia Xu inferred that Luo Hongyun’s PTSD and combat talents made him a difficult but valuable bodyguard candidate, then tried to recruit him. Luo Hongyun rejected him and shut him out of his apartment, but Xia Xu left smiling.

• Xia Xu reasoned that the sudden appearance of Luo Hongyun’s daughter would draw the retired soldier back into danger and possibly return him to action.
• Xia Xu approached Luo Hongyun outside the amusement park and offered him a bodyguard job, but Luo Hongyun declined.
• Xia Xu noticed Luo Hongyun’s affection rise from 0 to 5 after he complimented his fighting ability.
• Xia Xu kept following Luo Hongyun and pressing him about the job, while Luo Hongyun told him to stop and ignored him.
• Xia Xu sent Yang Bowen and the others to take Tang Youxin home, then followed Luo Hongyun to his apartment building.
• Luo Hongyun slammed his apartment door in Xia Xu’s face, but Xia Xu smiled.