Chapter Summaries

The Song family visited Yan Zhiyi, but he ignored them while staying affectionate with Xia Shule. When Madam Song criticized Xia Shule, Yan Zhiyi told her to go to the hospital for cataracts.

• Yan Zhiyi asked whether the Song family had visited Song Jing'an, then showed displeasure as Song Jingsheng tried to rekindle their childhood connection.
• Yan Zhiyi explained that he had given Song Jingsheng candy only to keep the annoying child quiet, while he and Xia Shule chatted and ignored the guests.
• The Yan Family Old Master welcomed the Song family and invited Yan Zhiyi to sit with them.
• Song Jingsheng coughed and cried after seeing Yan Zhiyi kiss Xia Shule, but the couple paid him no attention.
• The Yan Family Old Master showed Xia Shule a blue bead he had found in the Bamboo Grove, and Xia Shule eagerly examined it.
• Madam Song criticized Xia Shule for his manners, and Yan Zhiyi told her to go to the hospital for cataracts.

Xia Shule and Yan Zhiyi confronted the Song family after Song Jingsheng provoked Xia Shule, and Yan Zhiyi ordered them to leave. Song Jing'an and Song Dimu arrived as Xia Shule tried to calm Yan Zhiyi.

• Song Jingsheng questioned Xia Shule and feigned distress, while Xia Shule mocked him and dismissed his complaints.
• Song Jingkang and Madam Song criticized Xia Shule, but Yan Zhiyi and the Yan Family Old Master defended him.
• Yan Zhiyi told the Song family to leave after Madam Song insulted Xia Shule.
• Song Jingsheng revealed that Xia Shule was from the Jingjiang Xia Family, but Yan Zhiyi still ordered the family out.
• Xia Shule told the crying Song Jingsheng to leave and then tried to soothe Yan Zhiyi.
• Song Jing'an and Song Dimu arrived, with Song Jing'an angry at his parents.

Song Dimu met his biological parents, Song Jingkang and Liang Xueyun, but rejected their attempts to claim him after they asked him to give way to Song Jingsheng. Xia Shule mocked Liang Xueyun for her lack of concern, while Song Jing'an stood by Song Dimu.

• Song Jing'an told Song Jingkang and Liang Xueyun they could meet Song Dimu, but that they would not see them again afterward.
• Liang Xueyun and Song Jingkang approached Song Dimu and asked him to return home with them, but he hid behind Song Jing'an.
• Song Dimu told his parents he did not need them and pointed out that they had delayed visiting him and had gone to see the Yan Family first.
• Liang Xueyun said she had delayed the visit because Song Jingsheng had been ill, then asked Song Dimu to give way to him.
• Xia Shule mocked Liang Xueyun for asking Song Dimu to yield to Song Jingsheng after only meeting him ten minutes earlier.

Xia Shule confronted Liang Xueyun and Song Jingkang over their favoritism toward Song Jingsheng and defended Song Dimu’s right to stay away. The Song family left the Yan Residence, while Song Dimu remained disappointed by his parents’ treatment of him.

• Xia Shule told Liang Xueyun and Song Jingkang that Song Dimu would return only if they cut ties with Song Jingsheng, but they hesitated to choose.
• Song Jingsheng pretended to cry, and Liang Xueyun comforted him and asked Song Dimu to give him leeway.
• Song Jing'an pointed out that his parents had to choose between Song Dimu and Song Jingsheng, while Song Dimu said he was not going home.
• Xia Shule condemned the Song couple for neglecting Song Dimu’s hardships and demanded to know why they expected him to make concessions.
• Song Jing'an stopped Liang Xueyun from calling Song Dimu, and Xia Shule had Old Zheng escort the Song family out.
• After the Song family left, Song Dimu felt disappointed because his parents still seemed to favor his sick younger brother.

Xia Shule and his friends enjoyed a peaceful stretch of happy days, but a shared sense of unease grew after they learned Zhou Anyang had been released. They suspected he might target Xia Shule or Song Dimu, and the chapter left them aware they needed to be careful as someone had already gone mad.

• Song Jing'an thanked Yan Zhiyi and Xia Shule for helping with his family, then left with Song Dimu after ensuring his parents had gone.
• Xia Shule told Yan Zhiyi what he knew about the Song family and worried that Song Dimu might repeat his painful past.
• Over the following weeks, Song Dimu's career prospered, Xiang Lin and Lai Jiangtian met each other's parents, Xiang Zhou found Yin Xian, Lin Yushan left to study overseas, and Su Jin married his girlfriend.
• Xia Shule told Song Dimu, Xiang Lin, and Ruan Jiaojiao that he had been feeling uneasy, and Xiang Lin pointed out that Zhou Anyang had recently been released.
• The group worried Zhou Anyang might target Xia Shule or Song Dimu, while Song Dimu said his parents were still trying to find him.
• The friends laughed together at afternoon tea, but the chapter ended by warning that someone had already gone mad.

Lu Mingwen rejected Wen Yuzhi's belated plea for forgiveness and caught up with Xia Shule and their friends, learning that Kaimlo had moved to Jingjiang. Xia Shule then received a startling fortune-telling warning that his life should have ended long ago and that he had to survive a coming calamity.

• Lu Mingwen told Wen Yuzhi he had heard him say he hated him and refused to believe Wen Yuzhi's claim that he now loved him.
• Lu Mingwen left Wen Yuzhi and greeted Xia Shule, Ruan Jiaojiao, Dizi, and Xiang Lin outside.
• Xia Shule told Lu Mingwen that Kaimlo had arrived in Jingjiang and wanted to follow in his footsteps, but Lu Mingwen said Kaimlo had not contacted him.
• Xia Shule asked a street fortune-teller for both a Four Pillars reading and a Six Lines reading.
• The fortune-teller told Xia Shule that his allotted lifespan had ended long ago, that he had prolonged his life, and that he must face a calamity and hold on to the thought of staying alive.

After a fortune-teller warned Xia Shule that he would face an unavoidable calamity and gave him a message from Nan Shu, Xia Shule told Yan Zhiyi and prepared to endure it. That night, he followed a noise into the Back Garden and came face-to-face with Yan Zhishu.

• The old man told Xia Shule he could not avert his calamity, predicted a serious illness, and instructed him to carry the smallest, thinnest thing from the southeast corner.
• Xia Shule read Nan Shu's note telling him to keep going, then told Yan Zhiyi about the warning and promised he would return after facing the calamity.
• At home, Xia Shule carried a small kitchen knife as the old man had instructed while Yan Zhiyi cooked.
• Xia Shule heard thumping from the Back Garden and went to investigate, where he saw Yan Zhishu sitting in a pavilion.
• Yan Zhishu turned her head after hearing Xia Shule approach.

Xia Shule met Yan Zhishu, who revealed that she knew Jiang Gechen had hurt him through a prophetic dream and later confirmation from her caretaker. She had accepted that her son had chosen to become like his father, though her account of her past left Xia Shule reflecting on how unpredictable life was.

• Xia Shule met Yan Zhishu, who welcomed him warmly and asked about his age, graduation, and happiness.
• Xia Shule realized Yan Zhishu was asking about her son Jiang Gechen through him, and his mood sank.
• Yan Zhishu noticed Xia Shule's dejection and asked whether her son had hurt him.
• Yan Zhishu explained that she had dreamed Jiang Gechen would drug Xia Shule, then learned from A-Zhen that it had really happened.
• Yan Zhishu said she had accepted that Jiang Gechen had chosen to become like his father, and recalled her own rebellious youth.

Xia Shule bonded with Yan Zhishu, whose lucid periods had begun around the time he moved into the Yan Residence, before her sudden episode forced Yan Zhiyi to rush him away. Meanwhile, Zhou Anyang stirred Jiang Gechen’s resentment toward Xia Shule and promised he had a way to make Xia Shule belong to him.

• Xia Shule told Yan Zhishu that the Yan Family had reclaimed everything taken by her relatives, and the two discussed her illness and his arrival at the residence.
• Yan Zhishu recalled first feeling clearly lucid around eight in the evening on the day Xia Shule moved in.
• Yan Zhiyi and A-Zhen searched for Xia Shule and found him chatting with Yan Zhishu in the pavilion.
• Yan Zhishu suddenly had an episode, and Yan Zhiyi carried Xia Shule away while A-Zhen and Old Zheng took her back to her villa.
• Zhou Anyang confronted Jiang Gechen, who slapped him, but Zhou redirected Jiang’s anger toward Xia Shule and promised he had a way to make Xia Shule belong to him.

Jiang Gechen waited for a chance to get Xia Shule alone, while Xia Shule finally left the Yan Corporation to meet his friends. When Xia Shule failed to arrive, Yan Zhiyi tracked his ring and realized he had likely been abducted.

• Jiang Gechen approved Zhou Anyang's plan and continued watching the Yan Corporation for a chance to catch Xia Shule alone.
• Xia Shule left Yan Zhiyi at the office and headed out to meet his friends for afternoon tea.
• Xia Shule's friends waited for him, but he did not answer Xiang Lin's messages or arrive at the shop.
• Xiang Lin called Yan Zhiyi, who said Xia Shule had left the office long ago and opened the tracker linked to Xia Shule's ring.
• Yan Zhiyi saw Xia Shule's location moving far from the Yan Corporation and realized Xia Shule had probably been taken.

Xia Shule woke up bound and chained in a luxurious room, where Zhou Anyang and Jiang Gechen confronted him. Jiang Gechen forced Xia Shule to take an unknown medicine, leaving him captive and distressed.

• Xia Shule woke with his hands bound, a rag in his mouth, and an iron chain around his ankle in an unfamiliar bedroom.
• A maid removed the gag and announced it was time for Xia Shule's medicine, but he refused to take it.
• Zhou Anyang slapped Xia Shule and blamed him for his own misfortune, while Xia Shule accused him of being responsible for his troubles.
• Jiang Gechen entered, slapped Zhou Anyang for striking Xia Shule, and insisted that Xia Shule must not be harmed.
• Jiang Gechen, the maid, and Zhou Anyang restrained Xia Shule and forced him to swallow the unknown medicine.

Jiang Gechen drugged and restrained Xia Shule, then revealed how he had deliberately used Song Dimu to torment him and make him jealous. He insisted Xia Shule belonged to him and said he had accepted that Xia Shule was married.

• Jiang Gechen told Xia Shule the drug would leave him conscious but weaken his body, then ordered everyone else out.
• Jiang Gechen retied Xia Shule's bloodied wrists in front of him and waited for the drug to take effect.
• Jiang Gechen held Xia Shule on his lap and said he had resented his arrogance and treated Song Dimu as a way to make Xia Shule suffer.
• Jiang Gechen admitted he had pretended to love Song Dimu and later used him to make Xia Shule jealous and submissive.
• Jiang Gechen declared that Xia Shule could not leave him because he owed him a lifetime, and said he had made his peace with Xia Shule being married.

Jiang Gechen tried to assault Xia Shule, but Xia Shule fought back with a short knife until Yan Zhiyi arrived and found him traumatized. Yan Zhiyi carried Xia Shule to the hospital, while Song Dimu stayed behind and struck Jiang Gechen with a vase.

• Jiang Gechen tried to strip and assault Xia Shule as Xia Shule begged him to stop and struggled to reach the short knife in his pocket.
• Remembering what Jiang Gechen had done to him in his previous life, Xia Shule screamed, stabbed Jiang Gechen repeatedly, and shoved him down.
• Yan Zhiyi kicked open the door and found Xia Shule trembling in a corner with the knife and blood on his hands and face.
• Xia Shule mistook Yan Zhiyi's touch for a threat, waved the knife at him, and then passed out; Yan Zhiyi carried him away to get medical care.
• Jiang Gechen mistook Song Dimu for Xia Shule and charged at him, so Song Dimu smashed a vase over Jiang Gechen's head.

Xia Shule remained unconscious after Jiang Gechen’s attack while Yan Zhiyi and their families waited anxiously for him to wake. After several days, Xiang Lin talked to Xia Shule at his bedside and discovered that he had opened his eyes.

• Xiang Lin and Ruan Jiaojiao beat Jiang Gechen until Zou Xueyu stopped Xiang Lin from killing him.
• Yan Zhiyi took Xia Shule to the hospital, where Xiang Zhou and Doctor Zhang found no major injuries or neurological damage and concluded that shock had caused his unconsciousness.
• Xia Shule’s and Yan Zhiyi’s families arrived, and Yan Zhiyi said Xia Shule should decide Jiang Gechen’s fate himself when he woke.
• Yin Xian said Xia Shule’s self-protection system had likely caused him to remain unconscious until his brain processed the shock.
• As Xia Shule remained unconscious for several days, Jiang Gechen was kept alive at his villa, and Xiang Lin temporarily cared for Xia Shule.
• While Xiang Lin talked at Xia Shule’s bedside, he looked up and saw Xia Shule staring vacantly at him.

Xia Shule woke from his coma but could not move or respond, and Yin Xian explained that his brain had shut down reflexes as a form of psychological self-protection. Yan Zhiyi learned that recovery could take years and was left facing Xia Shule’s family at the hospital.

• Xia Shule opened his eyes, and Xiang Lin called Yan Zhiyi and Ming Yue with the news.
• Xiang Lin tried to speak with Xia Shule, who could hear and think but could not control his body or respond.
• Yan Zhiyi arrived, noticed Xia Shule was unresponsive, and called Yin Xian for an explanation.
• Yin Xian told Yan Zhiyi that Xia Shule was in a psychological self-protective state and might take years to recover, recommending constant emotional support and care.
• Yan Zhiyi cried as he tried to accept the situation, and Mr. and Mrs. Xia entered the room to see their son.

Xia Shule remained unconscious while Yan Zhiyi and their family cared for him at home, and the chapter ended with Xia Shule beginning to fight his way back to consciousness. Friends gathered for a winter hot pot dinner, unaware that Xia Shule had briefly opened his eyes.

• A psychiatrist confirmed Yin Xian's diagnosis and said Xia Shule could be discharged for home care.
• Yan Zhiyi moved Xia Shule into a city apartment with Ming Yue and Xia Dunrong, where they cared for him and gradually began taking him on outings.
• As winter arrived, Yan Zhiyi took Xia Shule to see the snowy Jingjiang Bridge and asked when he would wake up.
• Xia Shule heard Yan Zhiyi's repeated pleas and resolved to live, then briefly raised his eyes at the residential complex entrance, though Yan Zhiyi did not notice.
• Xiang Lin and their friends prepared hot pot at the apartment, joined by Song Dimu and Liu Jinghua.

Xia Shule began showing small signs of recovery while Yan Zhiyi and his friends cared for him and celebrated the New Year. As Yan Zhiyi and Ming Yue returned to check on him, Xia Shule managed to roll over and raise his upper body.

• At a gathering, Song Dimu told the group about director Jiang Huai’s abuse of young actors and the boy who attacked him and unplugged his ventilator.
• Xia Shule twitched his finger twice, thrilling Yan Zhiyi and their friends, but could not manage another response before he grew tired.
• Yan Zhiyi told Xia Dunrong and Ming Yue that Xia Shule’s fingers had moved, and Xia Shule continued to move them intermittently over the following days.
• As the family prepared for the New Year, Ming Yue told Yan Zhiyi that Zhou Anyang had been sentenced to likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
• While Yan Zhiyi and Ming Yue put up spring couplets, Xia Shule made a fist, rolled over, and raised his upper body; they froze when they entered his room and saw him.

Xia Shule woke from his six-month coma and began recovering with the devoted help of Yan Zhiyi and his parents. By April, he had regained his old energy and invited his friends to afternoon tea, bringing their group chat back to life.

• Xia Shule woke up, and Yan Zhiyi, Ming Yue, and Xia Dunrong welcomed him with tears and relief.
• The family doctor said Xia Shule had made an unusually fast recovery and needed rehabilitation to regain his physical abilities.
• Xia Shule gradually learned to feed himself, use chopsticks, walk, and manage other daily tasks, while his family recorded his progress.
• Xia Shule continued to suffer sudden emotional breakdowns during his recovery, including over Lunar New Year's Eve.
• By April, Xia Shule had returned to his old self and invited the Afternoon Tea group to meet, prompting an excited response from his friends.

Xiang Lin told his friends he was getting married, while Song Dimu confided in Xia Shule about Liu Jinghua’s apparent feelings for him and his own uncertainty. Song Dimu chose to prioritize his career, and Xia Shule reunited with an anxious Yan Zhiyi at the Yan Corporation.

• Xiang Lin announced that he planned to marry Lai Jiangtian after Lai Jiangtian’s family agreed to give Xiang Lin half their assets.
• Xia Shule asked Song Dimu why he seemed down, and Song Dimu explained that Liu Jinghua had been treating him differently and had called his name while showering.
• Xia Shule helped Song Dimu recognize that he might have some fondness for Liu Jinghua, but Song Dimu decided to prioritize his career and keep his feelings under control.
• Yan Zhiyi ended his meeting as soon as he learned Xia Shule had returned with Song Dimu.
• Xia Shule and Yan Zhiyi embraced while Song Dimu watched.

Xia Shule visited Jiang Gechen, who had been imprisoned by Yan Zhiyi, and confronted him over his past abuse. After Jiang Gechen pleaded for another chance, Xia Shule beat him and had him dragged toward the pond, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Yan Zhiyi told Xia Shule that he had kept Jiang Gechen under control, and Xia Shule asked to see him.
• Yan Zhiyi moved Jiang Gechen to Shengyuan No. 1 before bringing Xia Shule there that evening.
• Xiao Zhou explained that Jiang Gechen had been making trouble and had knocked him unconscious.
• Jiang Gechen woke up, mistook Xia Shule's visit for a sign of forgiveness, and begged to be loved as before.
• Xia Shule kicked Jiang Gechen and beat him with a stick while Yan Zhiyi supported him.
• Yan Zhiyi's men dragged Jiang Gechen toward the pond as he pleaded with Xia Shule to spare him.