Chapter Summaries

Su Can reunited with Tang Wu, Lin Luoran, and Li Pengyu at the airport and unexpectedly met Wu Shirui aboard their flight to Shanghai. As the crew discussed Su Can’s rise and family history, Zhong Xue faced another unwanted summons from the powerful Director Zhao Weixin.

• Su Can left his home in Rongcheng after calling his parents in Huangcheng and traveled to the airport alone.
• Su Can met Tang Wu, Lin Luoran, and Li Pengyu in the departure lounge, and the four boarded a New Southern Sichuan Airlines flight to Shanghai.
• Su Can recognized Wu Shirui at the boarding entrance, and she later chatted with him while serving drinks.
• Wu Shirui defended Su Can’s achievements to her fellow flight attendants, recalling how his family had once been ignored after moving into the compound.
• Wu Shirui told the crew that Director Zhao Weixin had summoned Zhong Xue again, and Zhong Xue went to answer the call despite her colleagues’ concern.

On a flight to Shanghai, Su Can discussed how Big Pineapple could use Facebook’s growth to strengthen Phoenix Industries and support Su Licheng’s plans. After landing, he confronted Zhao Weixin and Liang Xiao when they tried to force the flight attendants to accompany them, and Yu restrained Zhao Weixin after he attacked Su Can.

• Zhong Xue told the crew that Liang Xiao had asked Wu Shirui to bring him a blanket, and Liang Xiao later invited the flight attendants to dinner after landing.
• Su Can explained to Yu how Facebook’s publicity and Big Pineapple’s influence could support Phoenix Industries and pressure provincial officials to regulate the coking coal industry.
• Wu Shirui reminded Su Can that he had promised to treat the crew to dinner, and he, Tang Wu, Lin Luoran, and Yu waited for the flight attendants after landing in Shanghai.
• Zhao Weixin ordered Wu Shirui and Zhong Xue to leave with him and Liang Xiao, while the head flight attendant tried to refuse on their behalf.
• Su Can confronted Zhao Weixin and Liang Xiao, accusing them of using their positions to pressure the flight attendants.
• Zhao Weixin lunged at Su Can, and Yu knocked him aside and held him by the neck.

At Pudong Airport, Zhao Weixin and Liang Xiao used their influence to demand compensation from Su Can and threaten the careers of Wu Shirui’s flight crew. Just as the crew faced the consequences, Qiao Shuxin arrived with a senior municipal official.

• Zhao Weixin demanded fifty thousand yuan from Su Can and threatened legal action, while Director Lu urged both sides to settle.
• Wu Shirui offered her dowry money, and Li Yu and Tong Lili pledged money to help pay the demanded compensation.
• Liang Xiao prompted a senior airport executive to threaten an investigation and a notice against Wu Shirui’s crew, leaving them distraught.
• Officer Xiao Gao spoke privately to Director Lu, who then watched Su Can with a changed expression.
• Deputy Director Huang announced that Secretary-General Liu had arrived, and Qiao Shuxin entered the security office with him and a group of police officers.

Su Can and his friends were released from the Pudong Airport Police Station after Liu Changhui and Li Pengyu intervened, leaving Zhao Weixin and Liang Xiao unable to pursue their accusations. As the group departed, Lin Luoran learned that Wei Yuanhu was on his way to pick her up.

• Liu Changhui arrived at the Police Station, called Su Can his friend, and asked Chief Lu Junyi how the matter was being settled.
• Zhao Weixin withdrew his complaint, and Liang Xiao agreed that the flight attendants would face no disciplinary notice.
• Peng Fei arrived to support Liang Xiao but recognized Li Pengyu and immediately deferred to him.
• Li Pengyu spoke privately with Peng Fei, while Liang Xiao was left sidelined and Zhao Weixin stayed silent.
• Su Can led his friends out of the Police Station with Liu Changhui, and Lin Luoran told Su Can that Wei Yuanhu was coming to pick her up.

At the airport, Wei Yuanhu told Su Can that Lin Luoran’s family expected her to join a gathering with his family, revealing his interest in her and his rivalry with Su Can. Lin Luoran refused to go with him and left with Su Can, Tang Wu, and their friends.

• Wei Yuanhu arrived at the airport and joked with Lin Luoran about their childhood, while Su Can and the others watched them banter.
• After the airport dispute was settled, Wu Shirui told Jiang Lili that Su Can had confronted Zhao Weixin to protect her and the others, even though he risked getting hurt.
• Wei Yuanhu privately told Su Can about his family’s ties to Lin Luoran’s family and said he considered Su Can an enemy; Su Can replied that Lin Luoran had stayed at his family’s home in Huangcheng.
• Wei Yuanhu told Lin Luoran that her mother and relatives were waiting for her to join a family gathering, but Lin Luoran refused and said her mother could visit her at Shanghai International Studies University.
• Lin Luoran took Tang Wu’s hand and Su Can’s sleeve and left the airport with them, leaving Wei Yuanhu behind.

Su Can returned to Nanjing University as Lin Guangdong launched Shangdao Hezong and pursued control of periodical distribution across Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Qiao Shuxin warned Su Can that Facebook Chinese needed independent funding, while the chapter ended with him suggesting that Su Can and his American friend could not both remain kings.

• Su Can and Tang Wu returned to Nanjing University for the second semester, while Lin Luoran remained uncertain whether Wei Yuanhu would visit again.
• Lin Guangdong opened Shangdao Hezong, a joint venture between Pineapple Media and Shushan, and outlined plans to expand through stationery shops, subway systems, and airports.
• Lin Guangdong explained that Shangdao Hezong aimed to capture sixty percent of the periodical distribution market in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, with airport and subway access still presenting major obstacles.
• Qiao Shuxin told Su Can that Facebook Chinese had reached eight million members but remained unprofitable and dependent on funding from United States Facebook.
• Su Can and Qiao Shuxin discussed the political and business risks facing Facebook, including privacy controversies, potential acquisition, and competition from Campus Network.
• Qiao Shuxin reminded Su Can that his friend in Palo Alto might soon become a celebrated business leader and concluded that the world of capital had no room for two kings.

Su Can assessed his expanding business empire, the money it would need, and the powerful rivals threatening its growth. After Tang Wu told him her mother had accepted their relationship, Su Can saw news of Zhan Hua launching Sequoia Capital’s China Fund and recognized that their conflict was entering a new phase.

• Su Can reviewed his investments in World of Warcraft, Shangmai Music, Phoenix Industries, and his other companies, while planning to build alliances around his business and political interests.
• Su Can and Tang Wu went to a Nanjing University snack stall, where Tang Wu said her mother had told them to be happy together.
• A television report announced that Zhan Hua would lead Sequoia Capital’s China Fund after raising one hundred million US dollars for investments that could include technology, retail, and coal.
• Su Can considered the influence of Gao Heng and the Gao Family, whose interests he had already challenged alongside Zhan Hua’s.
• Su Can concluded that Zhan Hua could fund competitors such as Campus Network, but could not stop Facebook Chinese from becoming China’s leading social network.

Su Can reunited with Li Ying at Nanjing University and met her boyfriend, Zhu Junfeng, while explaining how Facebook China retained control over its operations. Li Ying revealed that she and Zhu Junfeng planned to marry after graduation, and Su Can left them together after reminiscing about their school days.

• Li Ying visited Su Can at Nanjing University with Zhu Junfeng, whom she introduced as her companion.
• Li Ying and Zhu Junfeng revealed through their conversation that her father, Li Yan, had reservations about their relationship.
• Zhu Junfeng asked about Facebook China, and Su Can explained how its structure preserved Chinese control over key decisions and intellectual property.
• Li Ying told Su Can that her parents still asked about him and teased Zhu Junfeng by comparing his ambition with Su Can's.
• As they left the café, Li Ying held Zhu Junfeng's arm and invited Su Can to their wedding after graduation.
• Li Ying recalled Su Can's old story about Li Lei and Meimei, and Su Can waved goodbye as he walked toward the dormitories.

Su Can felt relieved to see Li Ying leave with Zhu Junfeng, imagining that he would attend her wedding two years later. At a tennis practice, Wang Bu discussed the Gao family’s political maneuvering and reflected on his rise, ending with gratitude toward the Wang family patriarch and Su Can.

• Su Can saw Li Ying walk away arm in arm with Zhu Junfeng and looked forward to attending her wedding two years later.
• Wang Bu practiced tennis with Zhao Guangchuan after an expanded Provincial Party Committee meeting in Xichuan Province.
• Zhao Guangchuan discussed the Senchuan Enterprises case and the Gao family’s connections, while Wang Bu considered Gao Langtao a formidable political rival.
• Wang Bu recalled how he and Gao Langtao had once met when their careers and positions were far apart.
• Wang Bu remembered telling the Wang family patriarch that he felt gratitude rather than hatred, and he credited the patriarch and Su Can with helping shape his rise.

Xue Yiyang visited Shanghai and met Su Can, whose business success became increasingly impossible to dismiss as he and Tang Wu joined prominent figures for a meeting with Song Zhen. The chapter left Xue Yiyang and Du Shun stunned by Su Can’s stature and connections.

• Xue Yiyang flew from Changsha to Shanghai and met Du Shun, who picked him up in his Audi.
• Du Shun and Xue Yiyang drove to Nanjing University, where Su Can joined them and they went to dinner.
• Su Can told Du Shun that his car had a Naim sound system, prompting Du Shun to realize Su Can was far wealthier than he had assumed.
• Tang Wu arrived at the restaurant in a Benz, and Du Shun grew more curious about Su Can and Tang Wu’s identities.
• Su Can and Tang Wu met Song Zhen at a tea lounge, where Chen Chen and Senchuan Enterprises executives also greeted them with respect.
• Du Shun asked Xue Yiyang who Su Can really was after seeing Song Zhen usher Su Can and Tang Wu to the seats of honor.

Su Can explained to Song Zhen why Shangmai Music had partnered with TOM, persuading her that the Digital Music Alliance could protect licensed music and build a domestic market. Afterward, he reunited with Xue Yiyang over drinks, but Xue admitted he would not visit for the National Day holiday as their lives had grown apart.

• Song Zhen questioned Su Can about Shangmai Music's deal with TOM, and Su Can described the potential of licensed digital music and the alliance's strategy.
• Song Zhen accepted Su Can's explanation, then told him about her first love and invited him to visit her mother, Tao Qing.
• Su Can arranged a hotel for Xue Yiyang and later shared drinks with him and Tang Wu at a seafood stall.
• Xue Yiyang reminisced with Su Can about their childhood and said he would not come over for the National Day holiday.

Xue Yiyang said goodbye to Su Can in Shanghai, reflecting on the gulf between ordinary people and the privileged while finding hope in Su Can’s achievements. Tang Wu left for a Western United States study tour, and the chapter ended with a year passing before the coming “War of the Two Kings” threatened to engulf Su Can’s steady rise.

• Xue Yiyang told Su Can that the differences between their lives and those of the wealthy made him feel they had grown apart, but he still believed Su Can could challenge fate and make his name known.
• Xue Yiyang returned to Changsha after saying goodbye to Su Can at the airport.
• Tang Wu prepared to join Nanjing University's EMBA study tour in the Western United States, taking a place originally intended for Qiao Shuxin.
• Su Can drove Tang Wu to the airport, where they discussed the people they might lose and embraced before she departed.
• Su Can watched Tang Wu's plane leave and reflected that the year ahead would bring the coming conflict between two giants, later called the “War of the Two Kings.”

As Facebook faced international backlash, rising costs, and political scrutiny, Su Can and his team considered the risks to Facebook Chinese while its American counterpart struggled with financing and major departures. After losing several longtime colleagues, Mark Zuckerberg flew to Shanghai, uncertain what awaited him.

• A fisherman in County Antrim discovered his daughter’s nude photographs online, killed her, and triggered a regional boycott of Facebook.
• Protests and political disputes over Facebook erupted in the West Bank, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates, while Facebook Chinese’s leaders discussed the threat of global backlash and funding pressures.
• Su Can learned that Chinese officials and rival investors were paying attention to Facebook, as tensions between the Wang and Gao families continued to grow.
• Sandberg became Facebook’s CEO and shifted the company toward advertising, prompting Fan Nata, Matt Cohler, and Adam D’Angelo to leave.
• Chris Hughes told Mark Zuckerberg he was leaving, and Zuckerberg spent three days alone before flying to Shanghai.

Su Can arrived at Nanjing University to deliver a talk about Facebook Chinese, surprising Lin Luoran’s Beijing friends, who had underestimated him. He discussed the company’s challenges and answered questions, while the chapter ended with employees moved by his recognition of their youngest manager, Zhang Baoliang.

• Li Han called Su Can and Tang Wu to hurry to the crowded lecture hall, where their friends had already gone inside.
• Gao Heng, Zhan Hua, and Chen Yan arrived at Nanjing University and discussed Su Can, while Song Zhen arrived with her family and a Chinese American admirer.
• Lin Luoran met Su Can and Tang Wu outside the hall, and her friends learned from the banner that Su Can was the speaker.
• Su Can entered the packed lecture hall and spoke about Facebook’s risks, obstacles, and determination to keep working until its final moment.
• Students questioned Su Can about Facebook’s controversies and privacy concerns, and he invited his youngest manager, Zhang Baoliang, to stand.
• Su Can remembered Zhang Baoliang’s exact age, and Zhang was moved as Facebook employees saw how much care Tang Wu had shown the staff.

Su Can defended Facebook against Wang Ganqing’s claims that social media threatened public order, presenting evidence of its economic benefits and winning over the Nanjing University audience. After Gao Heng learned that Phoenix Industries was moving against a key Shengtai asset, Facebook faced staff poaching and Zhao Yifan’s departure, which Su Can turned into a dignified farewell; the chapter ended by foreshadowing Mark Zuckerberg’s arrival in Shanghai.

• Wang Ganqing challenged Su Can over Facebook’s role in political upheaval and called for tighter oversight, while Gao Heng considered how the controversy could be used against Facebook.
• Su Can argued that shared values, not social media, drove movements such as Ukraine’s Orange Revolution, then cited Facebook’s jobs and economic contributions to counter calls for suppression.
• The audience applauded Su Can’s response, and Nanjing University students loudly voiced their support as Wang Ganqing left disgraced.
• Gao Heng told Zhan Hua that Phoenix Industries had applied to acquire Shengtai Group’s Xichuan Coking Industry Company, then asked to meet Sequoia Capital’s Don Valentine and Michael.
• Facebook continued to lose employees to rival firms, and Zhao Yifan accepted an offer to lead Yirenju; Su Can and Qiao Shuxin met him in Hong Kong and let him leave with a public show of appreciation.
• Zhao Yifan called Su Can from the United States to thank him for arranging the farewell, while Su Can looked ahead to Mark Zuckerberg’s arrival in Shanghai.

As Facebook faced public scrutiny and a worsening financial crunch, Mark Zuckerberg visited Shanghai for the company’s annual meeting and discussed the rejected Yahoo acquisition with Su Can. The chapter ended with Zack revealing that U.S. officials were targeting Facebook partly because Su Can, a non-American, held a large stake in the company.

• Shanghai’s changing infrastructure and technology set the backdrop as Zack arrived for Facebook’s annual meeting at the Regal Universal East Asia Hotel.
• Zack recounted Facebook’s founding with Su Can and urged the company’s Chinese employees to pursue its ambitions in a market of 1.2 billion people.
• Liu Changhui told Su Can that Shanghai mayor Wang Quan wanted to meet Zack, while Facebook kept Zack’s itinerary quiet amid government scrutiny.
• Zack explained that Facebook needed more funding to pay staff, expand its data centers, and build its international business infrastructure.
• Zack told Su Can that he had felt conflicted but refused Yahoo’s two-billion-dollar acquisition offer, believing Facebook had greater opportunities to change the world.
• Zack revealed that U.S. officials’ strongest argument for regulating or shutting down Facebook was Su Can’s large ownership stake despite his lack of ties to the United States.

Zack visited Facebook Chinese and later told Qiao Shuxin that his assignment in China was over and that he would be replaced as CEO, raising fears that United States Facebook was moving to take control. As rumors spread, Su Can and Tang Wu suspected a deeper threat, while Gao Heng and Sequoia's investors prepared to exploit Facebook's vulnerability.

• Zack arrived at Facebook Chinese late at night and reviewed its financial statements and confidential World of Warcraft plans with the senior executives.
• Su Can and Tang Wu discussed Zack's visit and feared that United States Facebook might be preparing to give up or take control of Facebook Chinese.
• Gao Heng met Don Valentine and Michael Moritz to discuss renewed investment negotiations, then warned Chen Yan not to interfere with plans against Su Can.
• On Zack's fourth day in Shanghai, he told Qiao Shuxin that his China assignment was complete and that Doug Hirsch would replace him as Facebook Chinese's CEO.
• News outlets reported Qiao Shuxin's expected departure and speculated that United States Facebook was taking control of personnel decisions in China.

As rumors spread that Qiao Shuxin would leave Facebook Chinese, political and business factions maneuvered to exploit the crisis and undermine Su Can. Su Can drew strength from the people supporting him and finally went to confront Zack, with Qiao Shuxin and Facebook Chinese executives at his side.

• Liu Changhui reviewed Deputy Zhao's report calling for supervision of social media and considered the political threats facing Facebook Chinese and Su Can.
• Gao Xiangdong's unauthorized attempt to use the Golden Dragon Hotel tennis court angered Gao Langtao, who rebuked him and then met with Liao Family Jiaming about a plan targeting Su Can and the Big Pineapple Faction.
• Su Can reflected on his fear of losing his companies, loved ones, and friends, then received Wang Yue's support during her visit to Nanjing University.
• Lin Zouwen called Su Can from Beijing and said he and Wang Weiwei were watching developments, while Su Can urged him not to be swayed by rumors about Qiao Shuxin.
• Su Can went to Facebook Chinese with Qiao Shuxin and learned that Chris Cox and Chris Kelly had arrived with Qiao Shuxin's American employment contract, while Kate had been meeting with Zack.
• Su Can led Qiao Shuxin and several executives up to Zack's office to confront him.

Su Can confronted Zack over Chris Cox’s attempt to limit Qiao Shuxin’s role and rejected Zack’s effort to influence Facebook Chinese’s next CEO. That night, Su Can told the company’s executives that Zack needed United States Facebook’s forty-percent stake in Facebook Chinese to rescue the American company, leaving them facing a possible takeover and an inevitable break between the co-founders.

• Su Can entered Zack’s office during Chris Cox’s dispute with Kate over Qiao Shuxin’s position, and refused to shake Cox’s hand.
• Zack told Su Can that Qiao Shuxin was needed for technical support and suggested a candidate for Facebook Chinese’s next CEO, but Su Can insisted the appointment had to be decided internally.
• Zack accepted Su Can’s demand and left the office, while the executives gathered that night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
• Su Can explained that United States Facebook faced political pressure, difficulty raising funds, and the risk of a funding crisis, and that Zack needed to sell its forty-percent stake in Facebook Chinese for cash.
• Qiao Shuxin warned that a competitor could use the shares to gain control of Facebook Chinese, and Su Can vowed not to let that happen.

Song Zhen heard Tao Qing’s advice to use her connection with Su Can to secure support for the Senchuan Group as Facebook Chinese faced upheaval. Meanwhile, Tang Wu told her parents she planned to become Facebook’s vice president, but her argument with Mu Xuan ended with her storming upstairs in tears.

• Song Zhen and Tao Qing discussed Qiao Shuxin’s departure, the growing conflict around Facebook, and powerful investors’ interest in the company.
• Tao Qing urged Song Zhen to cultivate Su Can’s support for the Senchuan Group, while Song Zhen denied having romantic feelings for him.
• Tang Wu told Tang Zongyuan and Mu Xuan that she planned to become Facebook’s vice president after Qiao Shuxin left.
• Mu Xuan opposed Tang Wu taking the position before finishing university, and Tang Wu argued that her studies and business experience could advance together.
• Tang Wu challenged Mu Xuan’s claim that Su Can was disrupting her life, then went upstairs crying; Tang Zongyuan urged Mu Xuan to leave her alone.