Chapter Summaries

After the guests’ fruit sales quickly sold out, the director arranged for more fruit to be shipped two days later, and the villagers thanked the groups for their help. The Production Team then held a free celebration banquet, where the guests teased the director about charging them for the food.

• The village chief excitedly learned that the fruit had sold out, and the director agreed to try shipping more fruit two days later.
• Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan sold additional stock in their livestream, while Gu Yunlan and Qin Huai’s fruit had also sold out.
• The Production Team told Zhong Ran and Leng Yifan that other groups needed spare fruit, but nearly half of their stock remained unsold.
• After the nearly three-and-a-half-hour livestream ended, the village chief thanked Xu Wang and the other guests, and the director gave them the afternoon off.
• That evening, the Production Team held a celebration banquet, and Xu Wang, Gu Yunlan, and Jiang Xiubai teased the director until he promised the food was free.

The director announced a three-round audience vote to choose guests for performances, and Qin Huai won the first round, performing a sword dance while Gu Yunlan sang. In the second round, Zhong Ran took an implausibly large lead, prompting accusations of vote rigging and leaving the director watching Pei Yanchuan and Xu Wang for their reaction.

• Xu Wang, Jiang Xiubai, and Xia Yu celebrated the director’s promise to treat them, but the director announced that viewers would vote for guests to perform in three rounds.
• Qin Huai won the first vote, with Xu Wang second and Zhong Ran third, and asked for a sword and Gu Yunlan’s accompaniment.
• Qin Huai performed a sword dance as Gu Yunlan sang, drawing applause from the guests and praise from livestream viewers.
• Zhong Ran surged ahead in the second vote with over two hundred thousand votes, provoking suspicions that the tally had been manipulated.
• The livestream comments devolved into arguments, while the director frowned and considered backing Xu Wang or Pei Yanchuan if they objected.

Zhong Ran performed “Abyss,” but Xu Wang won the third round and impressed everyone by playing a tune on a leaf. After the meal, Yun Xi invited Xu Wang and Jiang Xiubai to play a game, and Yun Xi realized Jiang Xiubai’s account was already on his friend list.

• Zhong Ran sang “Abyss,” drawing praise for the song and mixed reactions to his singing.
• Xu Wang won the third round by a wide margin, then played a beautiful tune on a leaf while Xia Yu, Yun Xi, Gu Yunlan, and Jiang Xiubai produced fart-like sounds with theirs.
• The director thanked Xu Wang for his performance, and the group ate together.
• Yun Xi asked Xu Wang to join a game, and Jiang Xiubai joined using the username Brother.
• Yun Xi discovered that Brother was already on his friend list and started the game with Jiang Xiubai and Xu Wang.
• When Yun Xi leaned toward Xu Wang, Pei Yanchuan pulled Xu Wang into his embrace, and Yun Xi quickly straightened under Pei Yanchuan’s icy stare.

After the livestream, Xu Wang learned why Yun Xi had vanished from Jiang Xiubai’s life: Yun Xi had been overwhelmed by work and family hardship, then felt too awkward to reply after years passed. Later, Xu Wang heard that Zhong Ran’s manager wanted to trade evidence against Zhong Ran for a meeting, while Pei Yanchuan carried Xu Wang off to bed.

• Pei Yanchuan watched Xu Wang explain the game, while Yun Xi suffered under the attention of Jiang Xiubai and Xu Wang’s curiosity.
• Yun Xi showed Xu Wang his old chat with Jiang Xiubai, revealing that he had flirted with him and then stopped responding for years.
• Yun Xi explained that his career had stalled and his father needed costly surgery, leaving him too busy and broke to play games or reply; Xu Wang urged him to tell Jiang Xiubai the truth.
• Xu Wang called Sister Li, who reported that Zhong Ran had gained thousands of followers from paid promotion and that Brother Jin wanted to exchange evidence against Zhong Ran for a meeting.
• Pei Yanchuan draped a jacket over Xu Wang, then carried him to bed after Xu Wang admired him.

Pei Yanchuan got up early and made soup dumplings and rice porridge for Xu Wang, who delighted in the breakfast. The director woke up to learn that Pei Yanchuan had already been working for over an hour.

• Pei Yanchuan followed a video tutorial to prepare pork filling and dough for soup dumplings.
• Pei Yanchuan steamed the dumplings and cooked plain rice porridge while viewers praised his precise cooking.
• Xu Wang woke to the aroma, tasted a dumpling, and enthusiastically praised Pei Yanchuan’s cooking.
• Xu Wang urged Pei Yanchuan to eat before the dumplings got cold and placed one in his bowl.
• The director woke at seven and learned from the assistant director that Pei Yanchuan had started working more than an hour earlier.

The director announced a village treasure hunt with six 999-fine-gold badges as prizes, drawing the guests’ enthusiastic participation. He presented an abstract treasure map that left everyone baffled, and the chapter ended as they tried to identify his sketches.

• Yun Xi arrived at the village chief’s courtyard exhausted after dreaming that a husky chased him, and Xu Wang silently compared Jiang Xiubai’s grin to one.
• The director announced a day-long treasure hunt, and the guests initially considered skipping it until he revealed the prizes were gold badges made of 999 fine gold.
• Xu Wang asked for clues, so the director unveiled a treasure map with six drawings he had spent nearly two hours creating.
• The guests argued over whether the sketches showed animals, candied fruit skewers, trees, or utility poles, leaving the director hurt by their confusion.

The pairs split up to search for clues, and Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan recognized the director’s badly drawn animal as a beagle. They found a treasure chest beneath a stone and claimed the first badge.

• The director left the courtyard after the guests photographed the drawings and heard the treasure-hunt instructions.
• Zhong Ran led Leng Yifan down the left path, while Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan chose the right path and Qin Huai led Gu Yunlan down the middle path.
• Yun Xi and Jiang Xiubai searched the right path until a barking dog frightened Yun Xi, and Jiang Xiubai ran off carrying him.
• Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan recognized the beagle as the animal in one of the drawings and found a treasure chest beneath a stone.
• Xu Wang opened the chest and found a little golden beagle badge.

Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan found a gold badge while Yun Xi and Jiang Xiubai ran from the dog without realizing what they had missed. Qin Huai and Gu Yunlan found another badge in the woods, and Hou Yunqi recognized the next clue as he and Xia Yu headed off to search.

• Xu Wang picked up a gold badge after Yun Xi and Jiang Xiubai ran away from the beagle, while the two men later learned that someone had found a badge.
• Qin Huai noticed that two trees stood parallel and realized the director’s drawing pointed to them.
• Qin Huai and Gu Yunlan dug near the trees and found a golden chest containing a tree-shaped badge.
• The assistant director sent the guests an update, and Hou Yunqi recognized the drawing of two connected cylinders.
• Xia Yu started running in the wrong direction, but Hou Yunqi stopped him and pointed out the way to the next clue.

Xia Yu and Hou Yunqi found the Qinghe Village badge, while Xu Wang prepared lunch for Pei Yanchuan and looked after him when the spicy sauce made him cough. After their meal and a long break, Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan resumed the treasure hunt as Zhong Ran and Leng Yifan continued searching through midday.

• Xia Yu and Hou Yunqi matched the village entrance structure to the pattern and found a Qinghe badge behind a rock.
• Xu Wang made steamed shrimp for Pei Yanchuan and served it with a spicy dipping sauce.
• Pei Yanchuan coughed after eating the spicy sauce, so Xu Wang made him a milder one.
• Zhong Ran and Leng Yifan kept searching for the remaining Golden Badges instead of stopping for lunch.
• Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan finished lunch, rested for an hour and a half, and set off searching again at two in the afternoon.

Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan went fishing in a shaded spot, caught several fish, and received a Golden Badge from the old man. Meanwhile, Gu Yunlan thought he had figured out one of the director’s drawings, but Qin Huai remained unimpressed.

• Pei Yanchuan fanned Xu Wang as they walked in the afternoon heat, and they stopped beside a pond where an old man was fishing.
• Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan borrowed bamboo rods, caught fish, and gave their catch to the old man.
• The old man gave Xu Wang a golden Little Fish Badge, and Pei Yanchuan covered Xu Wang’s eyes when he held it toward the sun.
• Qin Huai and Gu Yunlan examined the director’s drawings beside the rice paddies, and Gu Yunlan thought one drawing showed the paddies.
• Gu Yunlan tried to get Qin Huai to ask about his discovery, but Qin Huai only looked at him calmly.

Qin Huai found a Golden Badge in the rice paddies, and Pei Yanchuan deduced that the final badge was hidden at the village chief's courtyard. Xu Wang claimed it before the hunt ended, while the other teams learned they had missed an earlier badge by a narrow margin.

• Qin Huai used the pattern in Gu Yunlan's photo to find a treasure chest in the rice paddies, revealing a Golden Badge shaped like a rice plant.
• Pei Yanchuan interpreted the final symbol, a black dot, as the starting point and deduced that the last badge was in the village chief's courtyard.
• Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan went to the courtyard, where Xu Wang took the final treasure chest and found a plain, heavy gold disc.
• At six in the evening, the guests gathered in the village chief's courtyard, and Zhong Ran and Leng Yifan struggled with their disappointment after finding no badges.
• Yun Xi and Jiang Xiubai learned that the first badge had been hidden behind the large rock they had turned over and regretted missing it.

After returning from filming, Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan visited the Old Residence to see Elder Pei and bring Glutinous Rice home. There, Yan Shuang confronted Pei Yanchuan about his plan to take down the Leng Family, and he revealed that she wanted a share of it too.

• Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan returned home, shared a meal, and planned to visit the Old Residence to see Glutinous Rice.
• At the Old Residence, Elder Pei and the old butler struggled to get the overweight Glutinous Rice unstuck from his slide.
• Xu Wang recognized Ye Qingzhou and Yan Shuang as the women he had met on Moon Island, and Ye Qingzhou invited him outside.
• Yan Shuang asked Pei Yanchuan about his plan to take down the Leng Family, and he confirmed he intended to leave no trouble behind.
• Pei Yanchuan told Yan Shuang he knew she would not help the Leng Family because she wanted a bite of it herself.

Yan Shuang and Pei Yanchuan agreed to cooperate against the Leng Family, and Pei Yanchuan pointed out that Yan Wenqi worked at Xu Wang’s company. Back at the Pei residence, Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan discovered that Elder Pei had spoiled Glutinous Rice into gaining weight, and Xu Wang watched the dog enjoy an extravagant dinner.

• Pei Yanchuan persuaded Yan Shuang that cooperating against the Leng Family would benefit both families, and she agreed.
• Yan Shuang asked what Pei Yanchuan would do if she protected the Leng Family, and he revealed that her granddaughter worked at Xu Wang’s company.
• Xu Wang realized that the granddaughter was the award-winning actress Yan Wenqi as Yan Shuang and Ye Qingzhou left.
• Elder Pei brought out a noticeably heavier Glutinous Rice in a golden fried-egg outfit and proudly photographed the dog.
• Xu Wang saw Glutinous Rice’s lavish meal of salmon, berries, meat, vegetables, fruit, and a tiny pet cake.

Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan brought Glutinous Rice home, where the couple shared an intimate night while Glutinous Rice searched for hidden treats. The next morning, Pei Yanchuan took Glutinous Rice jogging, but ended up carrying the exhausted dog home to Xu Wang.

• Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan brought Glutinous Rice home, and it slipped across the tiles after Pei Yanchuan wiped its paws.
• Pei Yanchuan and Xu Wang shared an intimate moment in their bedroom while Glutinous Rice found treats hidden around the living room and fell asleep.
• The next morning, Pei Yanchuan saw marks on Xu Wang's neck, then took Glutinous Rice outside for a run.
• Glutinous Rice grew tired, refused to continue, and made Pei Yanchuan carry it home.
• Xu Wang saw Pei Yanchuan return holding Glutinous Rice like a child.

Xu Wang met Jin Yu, who offered evidence of Zhong Ran’s coercive demands in exchange for a job at Looking at the River Entertainment. After hearing Jin Yu’s reasons and considering the offer, Xu Wang leaned toward signing him and sought Pei Yanchuan’s advice, who promised to support him.

• Xu Wang met Jin Yu at a café, where Jin Yu played a recording of Zhong Ran pressuring Yu Yuan to write him another song and offered chat records with company executives.
• Jin Yu asked to join Looking at the River Entertainment when his current contract expired, explaining that he wanted greater resources and believed Xu Wang could help him rise in the industry.
• Jin Yu revealed that he had transmigrated into the novel’s world and decided to bet on Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan after seeing the plot change.
• Xu Wang returned home and found Pei Yanchuan had put Glutinous Rice on a diet after the vet said it needed to lose weight.
• Xu Wang told Pei Yanchuan about Jin Yu’s offer and said he was leaning toward signing him; Pei Yanchuan encouraged him to follow his instincts and promised to back him up.

Xu Wang prepared to expose Zhong Ran after Jin Yu joined his company and handed over evidence of Zhong Ran’s misconduct. As Moon Cloud Tale drew divided reactions, Jin Yu arranged for photos of himself meeting Xu Wang to reach Zhong Ran, hoping to provoke him into acting foolishly.

• Xu Wang hired Jin Yu, who gave him chat logs showing Zhong Ran had relied on the Leng Family’s influence to behave recklessly at work.
• Before Moon Cloud Tale premiered, Xu Wang asked Sister Li to prepare gossip accounts, and the drama’s opening episodes drew sharply divided reactions to the acting.
• Zhong Ran argued with critics online until Xiao Liu introduced Jia De as his new manager and revealed Jin Yu had left for another opportunity.
• Jia De showed Zhong Ran photos of Jin Yu meeting Xu Wang, and Zhong Ran angrily slammed his fists on the table and shouted Xu Wang’s name.
• Jin Yu told a paparazzo that he had sent Zhong Ran the photos to provoke him into doing something stupid.

After Tian Bin and Liang Fei were exposed for cheating on their partners, Zhong Ran tried to present himself as an innocent victim of the chaos surrounding Moon Cloud Tale. Xu Wang launched allegations that Zhong Ran had stolen songs and bullied coworkers, sending his name soaring into the trending searches.

• Tian Bin's girlfriend accused him of dating three people at once and posted transfer records, chats, and videos as evidence.
• Liang Fei's boyfriend accused her of cheating repeatedly and shared photos, messages, and hotel videos.
• Zhong Ran, furious at the scandals, told Leng Yifan that work was not going smoothly, then called Jia De to plan a victim-like response.
• Zhong Ran posted a helpless message online, and Xu Wang smiled as he watched it with Pei Yanchuan.
• Xu Wang sent an “It's starting” sticker to his group chat, after which accounts accused Zhong Ran of stealing “Abyss” and other songs and bullying coworkers.
• The allegations against Zhong Ran surged into the top three trending searches.

Zhong Ran faced an online scandal as his studio issued a clarification, while Yu Yuan refused to cooperate and Xu Wang enjoyed watching the fallout with Pei Yanchuan. The next morning, Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan parted affectionately outside Xu Wang’s office, leaving the employees excitedly shipping them.

• Zhong Ran went to Yibo Entertainment after Jia De called about the online scandal, and his studio and personal account posted a clarification.
• Leng Yifan’s father berated him over the trending news and gave him and Zhong Ran one night to resolve the mess or face a new marriage-alliance arrangement.
• Yu Yuan rejected the former company’s hush-money offer, and Zhong Ran, Jia De, and Boss Li decided to stop trying to persuade him.
• Xu Wang read the online comments at the villa until Pei Yanchuan took away his phone and put him to bed.
• Pei Yanchuan drove Xu Wang to work the next morning, and Xu Wang kissed him and called him “hubby” as nearby employees listened.

Yu Yuan exposed Zhong Ran as the true creator of “Abyss,” while Pei Yanchuan ordered the next step of a trap against the Leng Family. Leng Yifan learned the project had been a scheme by the Pei Family and Yan Family, and that his father had collapsed and been taken to the hospital.

• Xu Wang reassured Yu Yuan as Sister Li confirmed the statement and music video were ready to release at 8:30.
• Pei Yanchuan instructed Assistant Yang to reel in the Leng Corporation after it took the bait.
• Yu Yuan posted a statement claiming he created “Abyss,” along with a new music video and an old video-platform record.
• Entertainment Industry Melon King uploaded an audio recording that prompted public outrage at Zhong Ran and led his studio to delete its statement.
• Leng Yifan arrived at Leng Corporation and learned his father had coughed up blood and collapsed.
• Assistant Yu told Leng Yifan that the project was a trap set by the Pei Family and Yan Family, leaving him stunned.

Zhong Ran’s scandal deepened as the Leng family cut him off and Leng Yifan’s father was hospitalized, while Xu Wang and Pei Yanchuan discussed the news. The variety show confirmed its seventh episode would still air, without Zhong Ran or Leng Yifan, and announced a livestream from the guests’ homes.

• Zhong Ran failed to reach Leng Yifan, learned that Chairman Leng had been hospitalized, and was berated and blocked by Leng Yifan’s mother, who said divorce papers were coming.
• Boss Li signaled Xiao Liu that the company would abandon Zhong Ran and leave him to take the blame.
• Xu Wang watched a video of Chairman Leng being rushed to the hospital while having lunch with Pei Yanchuan, then playfully poked Pei Yanchuan’s cheek.
• Xu Wang discussed the incident with the variety show’s director after production staff asked whether the program could still air.
• The Newlyweds' Honeymoon Journey announced that its seventh episode would livestream from the guests’ homes on September 18, omitting Zhong Ran and Leng Yifan from its guest list.