Chapter Summaries

Chen Leyao met Xia Xu after her cousin Hong Bo invited her to meet the owner of Star Sea Venture Capital. Xia Xu recognized that her fate involved helping Griffin Jones establish Celestial Investment, leaving him aware that the original storyline had already begun to change.

• Chen Leyao took a call from Hong Bo, agreed to meet his investor, and ended her business discussion with Griffin Jones.
• Griffin Jones asked Chen Leyao for her work number and watched her leave in a taxi, suppressing his jealousy.
• Xia Xu and Hong Bo picked Chen Leyao up at the airport, and she was surprised to learn the young-looking Xia Xu owned Star Sea Venture Capital.
• Xia Xu examined Chen Leyao's fate and learned that she was meant to manage Griffin Jones's planned Celestial Investment.

Xia Xu examined Chen Leyao’s extraordinary business and finance talents and learned that her obsession was to become slightly uglier. He joked with her about his ability to spot talent, while Chen Leyao pointed out that they had only just met.

• Xia Xu saw that Chen Leyao had five-star business administration talent and four-star finance talent, befitting her role as the future business helmswoman in the Superbrain plot.
• Xia Xu noticed Chen Leyao’s unusual obsession to become a little uglier and wondered why someone so beautiful would want that.
• Chen Leyao noticed Xia Xu looking at her strangely and asked if something was wrong.
• Xia Xu praised Chen Leyao’s talent and claimed he could recognize potential at a glance, citing his investment in Hong Bo.
• Chen Leyao noted that she and Xia Xu had known each other for only one minute and twenty-three seconds, but admitted his investment in Hong Bo made his claim difficult to refute.

Xia Xu tried to recruit Chen Leyao as general manager of Star Sea Venture Capital by promising her a platform to use her talents and boasting of his ability to recognize talent. Chen Leyao challenged him to demonstrate that ability on a young waiter, and Xia Xu was startled by what he saw.

• Hong Bo left Xia Xu and Chen Leyao alone to discuss business at the restaurant.
• Xia Xu offered Chen Leyao the general manager position at Star Sea Venture Capital and argued that the company could give her room to grow.
• Chen Leyao said she would consider the offer if the company had strong advantages and prospects.
• Xia Xu claimed he could recognize people's talents at a glance, prompting Chen Leyao to challenge him to assess the young waiter who entered the room.
• Xia Xu opened the waiter's attribute panel, sucked in a sharp breath, and told him he had an extraordinary build.

Xia Xu discovered that waiter Jian Xiaohao had exceptional potential as an esports player and used the finding to impress Chen Leyao. He left the talent’s value as a possible future opportunity, while focusing on winning Chen Leyao over as a business manager.

• Xia Xu examined Jian Xiaohao’s profile and found four-star potential as an esports player, along with matching MOBA talent.
• Xia Xu realized that the unreleased game Hero Glory might present a future business opportunity and decided to ask Hong Bo about it later.
• Chen Leyao asked Xia Xu to explain his assessment of Jian Xiaohao, and Xia Xu said his build and habits made sports unsuitable for him.
• Xia Xu told Jian Xiaohao that his reaction speed, vision, and attention made him suited to esports, rating his potential at four stars.
• Chen Leyao questioned how Xia Xu could make such a bold claim about a waiter, and Xia Xu said the claim would be easy to verify.

Xia Xu used Jian Xiaohao’s gaming achievements to persuade Chen Leyao that gaming talent could become a profession and an investment opportunity, helping secure her interest in joining Star Sea Venture Capital. Chen Leyao asked about her five-star rating, then accepted Xia Xu’s offer with a laugh after he joked that she should not dress too attractively at work.

• Jian Xiaohao asked whether gaming counted as a talent, and Xia Xu argued that gaming could become a legitimate profession and even an Olympic event.
• Xia Xu asked Jian Xiaohao to help convince Chen Leyao, and Jian Xiaohao cited his high rankings in Battle of the Gods and Gun God Era.
• Chen Leyao conceded that Jian Xiaohao was exceptionally gifted at gaming and said Xia Xu’s predictions suggested an investment opportunity.
• Xia Xu invited Chen Leyao to join Star Sea Venture Capital, and she asked how many stars he rated her talent.
• Xia Xu rated Chen Leyao five stars and explained that the rating meant reaching the limits of humanity or an inhuman level.
• Chen Leyao offered Xia Xu her hand and called him boss, but he joked that she should avoid dressing too attractively at work because he already had a girlfriend lined up.

Xia Xu hired Chen Leyao as Star Sea Venture Capital’s general manager for an annual salary of eight million, then tasked her with setting up the company. After dinner, he signed her employment contract and arranged for Meng Bochao to investigate the game Hero Glory.

• Chen Leyao tested Xia Xu by asking for an annual salary of eight million, and he agreed enthusiastically, sealing her agreement to join Star Sea Venture Capital.
• Xia Xu named Chen Leyao the company’s general manager and asked her to sell the company’s Flying Boat Studio shares, rent an office, establish its structure, and recruit staff.
• Xia Xu asked Hong Bo about Hero Glory, but Hong Bo had not heard of it, so Xia Xu decided to have Meng Bochao investigate instead.
• After their meal, Xia Xu signed Chen Leyao’s employment contract, officially adding her to Star Sea Venture Capital.

As the Gaokao approached, Xia Xu tried to ease Tang Youxin’s anxiety about their different academic prospects. He gave her water mixed with Superbrain Drug to help her study, leaving them teasing each other during lunch.

• Xia Xu noticed Tang Youxin’s growing anxiety about the Gaokao and reassured her that she could easily reach a second-tier university cutoff.
• Tang Youxin revealed that she was upset because Xia Xu seemed destined for a first-tier university, but she refused to let him choose a less prestigious school for her sake.
• Xia Xu offered Tang Youxin a way to improve her grades and handed her a thermos containing water mixed with Superbrain Drug.
• Xia Xu warned Tang Youxin to take only tiny sips because the drug could harm her health and cause dependence.
• Tang Youxin asked whether the drug was magic, and Xia Xu insisted it was science before teasing her for being cute.

Xia Xu approved Chen Leyao’s negotiations to sell Flying Boat Studio and learned that Griffin Jones’s Celestial Investment was trying to recruit her. He dismissed the threat and reviewed Meng Bochao’s research on the game Hero Glory.

• Xia Xu helped Little White Flower finish reviewing her coursework with the Superbrain Drug, easing her worries.
• Chen Leyao reported that Zhonghai Investment valued Flying Boat Studio at twice its total assets, and Xia Xu let her continue negotiating.
• Chen Leyao told Xia Xu she planned to meet the head of Celestial Investment, which had repeatedly sought her out.
• Xia Xu recognized Celestial Investment as Griffin Jones’s company and trusted Chen Leyao not to join it.
• Xia Xu read Meng Bochao’s files on Hero Glory, a rough, little-known game resembling League of Legends that had held several closed tests.

Xia Xu decided to invest in the developer of "Hero's Glory" and have Chen Leyao seek its Xia Kingdom operating rights for Hong Bo. Meanwhile, Griffin Jones tried to recruit Chen Leyao by offering her a Superbrain Drug pill, but she rejected the idea of taking an unidentified substance.

• Xia Xu chose to invest in the "Hero's Glory" developer rather than buy the game outright, and planned for Chen Leyao to negotiate for its Xia Kingdom operating rights.
• Chen Leyao met Griffin Jones at a café after informing Xia Xu, and told Griffin she was satisfied with her current company.
• Griffin Jones insisted Chen Leyao was uniquely suited to work with him and argued that her visit meant she would hear him out.
• Griffin Jones offered Chen Leyao a sealed bag containing a Superbrain Drug pill, claiming it would show her Celestial Investment's potential.
• Chen Leyao asked Griffin Jones whether he expected her to take an unidentified pill with no manufacturer, production date, or quality certification.

Griffin Jones tried to persuade Chen Leyao to take his supposed Genius Drug, but her suspicion made her refuse. After taking the tablet himself, he offered to demonstrate its effects by answering questions about strangers or solving difficult problems, leaving Chen unconvinced but curious.

• Chen Leyao distrusted Griffin Jones's unregulated drug and rejected his claims that it could make someone a genius.
• Griffin Jones apologized and took the Superbrain Drug himself to demonstrate its effects.
• A waitress brought coffee that Griffin Jones had ordered for Chen Leyao, who suspected he had researched her tastes.
• Griffin Jones claimed he had memorized the waitress's appearance and offered to reproduce it or answer questions about passersby.
• Chen Leyao pointed out that Griffin Jones could have arranged the waitress's appearance in advance, so he invited her to test him with strangers or difficult questions.

Chen Leyao rejected Griffin Jones after challenging his claims about the Genius Drug and revealing that his guess about her expertise was wrong. After she left, the middle-aged man in the van followed her taxi.

• Chen Leyao asked Griffin Jones to identify what the middle-aged man in the white van was good at, and Griffin admitted he could not tell without interacting with him.
• Chen Leyao said a younger genius she had met could recognize someone's talents at a glance, leaving Griffin Jones insulted and doubtful of his own claims.
• Chen Leyao refused Griffin Jones's offer, paid for her drink, and told him she specialized in business administration rather than finance.
• Griffin Jones watched Chen Leyao leave and vowed she would regret missing the opportunity once he mass-produced the Genius Drug.
• The middle-aged man in the van chuckled, started the vehicle, and followed Chen Leyao's taxi.

Chen Leyao told Xia Xu that Griffin Jones had offered her the Genius Drug, and Xia Xu confirmed it was real but dangerous. As she rode to Tianhai Building, the taxi driver spotted a white van following them, and Xia Xu began questioning the driver about how he noticed.

• Chen Leyao called Xia Xu after meeting Griffin Jones and told him about the Genius Drug.
• Xia Xu confirmed the drug was real, warned Chen Leyao about its side effects and risks, and refused to discuss details over the phone.
• Chen Leyao took a taxi to Tianhai Building and discussed Star Sea Venture Capital's organizational plans with Xia Xu.
• The taxi driver warned Chen Leyao that a white van had been following them, and she recognized it from outside the café.
• Chen Leyao told Xia Xu she had run into the trouble he had mentioned, and he asked the driver how he had spotted the tail.

Xia Xu resolved Chen Leyao’s confusion after Yang Bowen accidentally followed her while she met Griffin Jones, then recruited her taxi driver to his Consulting Company. The driver accepted Xia Xu’s generous offer and asked where to report for work.

• The wiry driver told Xia Xu that a white van with license plate XXXXXX had been following them and described its middle-aged driver.
• Xia Xu recognized the van as belonging to Yang Bowen, who was watching Griffin Jones, and had Yang Bowen explain that they worked for the same boss.
• Xia Xu apologized to Chen Leyao and explained that Yang Bowen worked for his legally registered Consulting Company; Chen Leyao relaxed and teased him about being a Justice Guard.
• Xia Xu asked the wiry driver how much he earned and offered him a job at twenty thousand a month, with separate bonuses for assignments.
• The wiry driver immediately accepted and asked Xia Xu where he should report for work.

After discovering that the taxi driver who spotted Old Yang had strong reconnaissance talent, Xia Xu wondered whether Little White Flower’s husband-blessing fate had helped him find valuable recruits, but chose not to treat their relationship as a tool. He met He Qing at Nine Suns Consulting and welcomed the talented driver onto the team.

• Xia Xu reasoned that the taxi driver who spotted Old Yang likely had strong surveillance and reconnaissance talent.
• Xia Xu considered whether making Little White Flower happy triggered good luck, then decided to let their relationship develop naturally.
• Xia Xu visited Nine Suns Consulting and checked He Qing’s attributes, finding four-star reconnaissance talent and three-star combat talent.
• Yang Bowen introduced He Qing to Xia Xu, and He Qing eagerly accepted his new job.
• Xia Xu welcomed He Qing to Nine Suns Consulting and left Yang Bowen to show him the ropes.

Xia Xu learned that Luo Hongyun was taking up a post with the Special Action Group and that Olivia and Louise were moving to the Special Family Compound. After they left overnight, Xia Xu considered how Luo Hongyun’s new position could support him as he dealt with unusual incidents.

• Luo Hongyun invited Xia Xu to dinner and told him that he was leaving to take up his post as leader of the Special Action Group.
• Luo Hongyun explained that Olivia and Louise would move to the Special Family Compound for greater security, partly because of the recent kidnappings and unusual dangers.
• Xia Xu declined Luo Hongyun’s offer to move with them, citing his college entrance exams and company, and joked that he could protect himself with A Tuo.
• After dinner, Luo Hongyun moved away overnight with Olivia and Louise, leaving Xia Xu a text telling him to call if he needed anything.
• Xia Xu reflected that Luo Hongyun’s new role could give him support when he became involved in plots, then told A Tuo it would keep him company.

Xia Xu moved into a shabby rental in Luogu Alley, partly because it stood beside Fangyuan Bao Dian, and went there for breakfast the next morning. He noticed the shopkeeper’s daughter hiding misshapen buns and asked to buy them, leaving her flustered.

• After Uncle Luo’s family moved away, Xia Xu decided to leave his old neighborhood but struggled to choose a place because he had little accessible money and no sense of home.
• Xia Xu paid extra to take over a tenant’s rental in Luogu Alley and moved in that night, beside Fangyuan Bao Dian.
• The next morning, Xia Xu took A Tuo downstairs and chatted briefly with a neighbor before heading to the steamed bun shop.
• The limping shopkeeper called his daughter downstairs to serve Xia Xu, then teased her about flour on her face and missing meat filling.
• Xia Xu saw the girl hide two misshapen buns in the steamer and asked to buy them, but she nervously claimed they were raw.

Xia Xu reunited with Tang Youxin after moving in next door and met her cheerful father, Tang Zhan. After learning about Tang Zhan’s military-dog background, Xia Xu explained how he had trained A Tuo, leaving Tang Zhan astonished by the dog’s abilities.

• Xia Xu greeted Tang Youxin as her new neighbor and teased her about the two buns she had made for him.
• Tang Zhan came over, introduced himself and his daughter, and warmly welcomed Xia Xu as a neighbor.
• Xia Xu introduced A Tuo, who went straight to Tang Youxin, and Tang Zhan recognized the dog’s exceptional build.
• Tang Zhan said he had served in the Military Dog Unit and questioned why such a fine dog had been rejected.
• Xia Xu explained that A Tuo had once been weak and that he had restored the dog’s health with a secret remedy.
• Xia Xu described A Tuo’s self-directed training and ability to understand ordinary speech, leaving Tang Zhan bewildered.

After moving into the apartment next door to Tang Youxin, Xia Xu settled into a morning routine and teased her on the way to work. Their playful exchange showed Tang Youxin becoming more comfortable around him, and they set off together toward school and work.

• Xia Xu ran laps around Luogu Alley with A Tuo, then completed his exercises and combat training before heading to the Consulting Company.
• Tang Zhan praised Xia Xu's stamina while selling buns, and Tang Youxin followed Xia Xu out of the alley.
• Tang Youxin collided with Xia Xu at the alley entrance, and he told her he had moved in next door because he felt he had nowhere else to belong.
• Tang Youxin assured Xia Xu she did not mind him being her neighbor, and he proposed that they travel to and from school together.
• Tang Youxin teased Xia Xu for being a bad guy, and the two walked away together while joking about Tang Zhan.

Xia Xu learned that Griffin Jones was courting Zhang San, a gifted legal expert destined to become his subordinate, and decided to recruit Zhang San himself. He planned to wait until Flying Boat Studio’s share sale closed before acting.

• Chen Leyao secured Zhonghai Investment’s offer to value Flying Boat Studio’s shares at four times the studio’s total assets, and Xia Xu arranged to sign the contract that weekend.
• Xia Xu considered how Griffin Jones had recovered from losing Chen Leyao and continued building his business and network.
• Xia Xu learned that Griffin Jones had befriended his neighbor Zhang San, whose law and legal-defense talents were both rated four stars.
• Griffin Jones won over Zhang San’s wife and son by visiting often and helping them, and Xia Xu expected him to soon bring Zhang San into Celestial Venture Capital.
• Xia Xu decided to recruit Zhang San through a more direct method after receiving the money from the share sale.

Xia Xu went to the Tianhai Building to sign a contract with Zhonghai Investment and unexpectedly encountered his homeroom teacher, Liu Xiulan, with her husband, Fang Dahai. He discovered Fang Dahai was Zhonghai Investment’s general manager, leaving him to figure out how to explain his sudden success to Liu Xiulan.

• Xia Xu parted from Tang Youxin and went to the Tianhai Building with A Tuo for the contract signing.
• Xia Xu recognized Fang Dahai, whom he had previously helped choose a guide dog, and learned the dog had been an excellent match.
• Liu Xiulan arrived and revealed herself as Fang Dahai’s wife, then asked why Xia Xu was at the office building.
• Xia Xu told Liu Xiulan he was there to help an older sister, concealing that he had started a company and amassed a fortune.
• Xia Xu learned that Fang Dahai was the general manager of Zhonghai Investment and realized he would have to explain his success to Liu Xiulan.