Chapter Summaries

Jiang Xun fought off Li Guizhi’s hired thugs until Shen Wangjing arrived and drove them away. After scolding Jiang Xun for risking his life, Shen Wangjing saw the injury on his back, and Jiang Xun’s pain flared when he bent to retrieve the food he had brought him.

• Jiang Xun taunted Li Guizhi’s six men about the cameras, then attacked them when the bald man looked away.
• Jiang Xun fought several of the thugs but took a club strike to his back as the director sent the crew to intervene.
• Shen Wangjing charged down from the mountain carrying a hoe, and the bald man recognized him and fled with the others.
• Shen Wangjing asked who had hit Jiang Xun, then scolded him for nearly getting himself killed.
• Jiang Xun went to retrieve the food he had saved for Shen Wangjing, but pain in his back stopped him halfway through bending over.

After Shen Wangjing carried Jiang Xun home, he told him to stop getting involved in his problems, and Jiang Xun angrily left him behind. Shen Wangjing confronted the show’s director for filming Jiang Xun being attacked without intervening, while Jiang Xun fumed alone in bed.

• Jiang Xun insisted Shen Wangjing eat the food he had brought before carrying him, then climbed onto his back.
• Shen Wangjing told Jiang Xun that the people who attacked him were after Shen Wangjing and asked him to stop making trouble.
• Jiang Xun argued that he had stood up for Shen Wangjing and his family, then called Shen Wangjing ungrateful and walked home alone.
• Shen Wangjing confronted the director for filming six thugs attacking a minor without stepping in to protect him.
• Jiang Xun replayed the times he had defended Shen Wangjing and vowed not to get involved in anyone else's problems again.

Jiang Xun sulked after Shen Wangjing scolded him, but accepted the noodles Shen brought and endured him rubbing ointment into his bruises. As Shen Wangjing stayed close and cared for him, Zhao Pengfei spent three days trying and failing to catch Jiang Xun alone for revenge.

• Jiang Xun resisted the noodles Shen Wangjing brought, then ate them after his stomach growled.
• Shen Wangjing applied ointment to Jiang Xun's bruised back and told him to call for help if someone hit him again.
• Zhao Pengfei followed Jiang Xun for three days, hoping to get revenge, but found Shen Wangjing always with him.
• Zhao Pengfei watched Shen Wangjing take Jiang Xun to school, cook for him, treat his bruises, and even wash his shoes.

Jiang Yanchu grew worried after seeing the harsh conditions and hostile online comments about Jiang Xun, but Liu Wanying blocked his attempts to visit or bring him home. The chapter ended with Liu Wanying revealing she had arranged for Jiang Xun to be made a target of negative publicity, while Zhao Pengfei’s planned confrontation with him faltered.

• Zhao Pengfei hid near the village shop, but when Jiang Xun approached, he panicked and let him leave unharmed.
• Shen Yuxing learned the Jiang family’s routines while Jiang Yanchu repeatedly watched the production team’s preview clips and worried about Jiang Xun.
• Jiang Yanchu confronted Liu Wanying about Jiang Xun’s poor conditions and said he planned to visit Shiban Village, but she refused and insisted the filming arrangement last thirty days.
• Liu Wanying told Jiang Yanchu that she disliked Jiang Xun but claimed sending him to the countryside would correct his behavior.
• After Jiang Yanchu left, Liu Wanying admitted to a friend that she had an old acquaintance on the production team and expected Jiang Xun to become the subject of damaging online attention.

Zhao Pengfei awkwardly delivered Jiang Xun a heartfelt note, but Shen Wangjing burned it without Jiang Xun seeing it. The next morning, Jiang Xun insisted on joining Shen Wangjing for the twenty-li trip to town to sell corn.

• Zhao Pengfei threw Jiang Xun a note praising his looks and offering him food if he went hungry.
• Jiang Xun read the note and crumpled it up, while Zhao Pengfei lay awake imagining how touched Jiang Xun would be.
• Shen Wangjing found the crumpled note by the kitchen and burned it in the stove.
• Before dawn on Saturday, Shen Wangjing prepared two sacks of corn for the market.
• Jiang Xun woke, learned Shen Wangjing was heading to town, and insisted on going with him despite the long mountain road.

Shen Wangjing and Jiang Xun took their corn to town to sell, and Jiang Xun’s cheerful sales pitch quickly emptied their sacks. After Shen Wangjing collected the money, he realized Jiang Xun had disappeared in the crowded market.

• Shen Wangjing borrowed an old cargo tricycle, loaded the corn, and took Jiang Xun along to town.
• At the market, Shen Wangjing set out the corn while Jiang Xun began calling out to attract customers.
• Jiang Xun flattered shoppers and sold nearly all the corn in less than an hour as Shen Wangjing weighed it and collected payment.
• After putting away the last of the money, Shen Wangjing looked around and found that Jiang Xun was nowhere to be seen.

Shen Wangjing found Jiang Xun admiring steamed buns at the market, bought him two, and shared the rejected one after Jiang Xun tricked him into taking a bite. They returned to the courtyard, where they found an angry blue-haired man waiting inside.

• Shen Wangjing searched the market and found Jiang Xun outside a steamed bun shop.
• Shen Wangjing bought Jiang Xun two meat buns, and Jiang Xun coaxed him into eating part of one.
• Jiang Xun fell asleep among the empty sacks in the tricycle’s cargo bed on the ride back.
• Shen Wangjing woke Jiang Xun when they reached the courtyard, and Jiang Xun nearly stumbled into the yellow dog.
• Jiang Xun spotted a blue-haired man in the main room, complaining about the muddy road and the shabby house.

The director arranged for Duan Qizhao to join Jiang Xun in the countryside, hoping his arrival would create conflict for the show. Duan recognized Jiang Xun from their past encounter, but Jiang barely remembered him, and Duan ended the night shivering on a makeshift bed.

• The director persuaded President Duan to send his son, Duan Qizhao, to the countryside for Metamorphosis.
• Bodyguards dragged Duan Qizhao from bed and delivered him to the Shen family's house, where he spent the day hungry and without his phone.
• Jiang Xun returned and recognized Duan Qizhao only after Duan reminded him about the laxative-laced wine.
• Jiang Xun dismissed Duan Qizhao with a remark about how hard he was to kill, then fell asleep.
• Shen Wangjing gave Duan Qizhao a bench and a ragged coat, leaving him to shiver through the cold night.

A coordinated smear campaign branded Jiang Xun a violent maniac, but the Metamorphosis director discovered signs of paid trolling linked to the Jiang Group and refused to cooperate. Meanwhile, Duan Qizhao remained hungry and insulted by the food at Shen Wangjing’s house, refusing to eat it.

• A clickbait video and a wave of alleged witnesses accused Jiang Xun of violence, driving the hashtag about his violent tendencies to the top of the trending list.
• The director’s assistant traced suspicious accounts to three PR firms, including one that had worked with the Jiang Group, and the director suspected Liu Wanying was behind the campaign.
• The director ordered the crew not to mention the online attacks to Jiang Xun and had Metamorphosis issue a statement opposing cyberbullying of underage guests.
• Duan Qizhao told Shen Wangjing he was hungry, but Shen Wangjing pointed him to the food on the table and left to work.
• Duan Qizhao rejected the food as pig feed and vowed he would rather starve than eat it.

Jiang Xun ignored Duan Qizhao until hunger drove Duan to gulp down the gruel and seize a cornmeal bun. Meanwhile, Zhao Pengfei saw Jiang Xun laughing with Duan and returned home angry, asking Li Guizhi to help him with something.

• Jiang Xun ate breakfast while ignoring Duan Qizhao, who finally snatched and drank the gruel and grabbed the last cornmeal bun.
• Li Guizhi berated Zhao Fugui for failing to deal with Jiang Xun and Shen Wangjing, while Zhao Fugui refused to confront Shen Wangjing.
• Zhao Pengfei rode to Shen Wangjing's courtyard and saw Jiang Xun laughing at Duan Qizhao beneath the jujube tree.
• Angry that Jiang Xun smiled at Duan but not at him, Zhao Pengfei returned home and asked Li Guizhi for help.

Liu Wanying celebrated the online smear campaign against Jiang Xun and pressured Station Chief Zhou after the show's director opposed cyberbullying. At home, Jiang Yanchu confronted Jiang Yu for insulting Jiang Xun and accused Liu Wanying of paying accounts to attack him.

• Liu Wanying reviewed the abusive trending comments about Jiang Xun and called Station Chief Zhou to complain about the production team's statement.
• Jiang Yu blamed Shen Yuxing for a broken figurine and game console, then insulted Jiang Xun as a bastard.
• Jiang Yanchu challenged Jiang Yu over the insult and revealed that he knew Jiang Yu had previously harassed Jiang Xun.
• Jiang Yanchu confronted Liu Wanying and asked how much she had spent on paid accounts attacking Jiang Xun.

Jiang Yanchu confronted Liu Wanying over Jiang Xun’s removal from the show and the paid trolls attacking him, while Shen Yuxing unexpectedly defended her. In Shiban Village, Duan Qizhao tried to steal some of Jiang Xun’s quilt but was caught before he could settle in.

• Jiang Yanchu accused Liu Wanying of sending Jiang Xun on the show without consulting him and pointed out that paid trolls attacking Jiang Xun had ties to PR companies that had worked with the Jiang Corporation.
• Shen Yuxing urged Jiang Yanchu to stop arguing with Liu Wanying and offered to call Jiang Xun with him.
• Jiang Yanchu warned Liu Wanying that he would keep investigating the trolls, leaving her alarmed by Shen Yuxing’s unexpected show of support.
• Duan Qizhao shivered on a bench in the cold mountain house while Jiang Xun slept under a quilt.
• Duan Qizhao crept to the bed and tried to take part of Jiang Xun’s quilt, but someone grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the floor.

Duan Qizhao spent a miserable, cold night at Shen Wangjing’s house, while the director arranged for the village chief’s family to offer one of the young masters a bed. The assistant brought the offer to Duan Qizhao and Jiang Xun, leaving them to decide who would move.

• Duan Qizhao tried to squeeze into Shen Wangjing’s bed, but Shen Wangjing tossed him onto the bench and gave him a fertilizer sack to use if he was still cold.
• Li Guizhi asked the director to let one of the young masters stay at her family’s house, claiming Zhao Pengfei wanted Jiang Xun there.
• The director told her assistant to present the offer to Duan Qizhao and Jiang Xun, expecting the choice to create entertaining footage.
• After freezing through the night, Duan Qizhao heard the assistant describe the village chief’s better house and ask which of them wanted to move.

Duan Qizhao moved out of Shen Wangjing's house for the Village Chief's home, while Zhao Pengfei prepared his guest room and waited for Jiang Xun to arrive. The suitcase wheels sounded outside Zhao Pengfei's gate, but the chapter ended before he saw who was coming.

• Duan Qizhao accepted a place at the Village Chief's house, packed quickly, and left after Jiang Xun refused to join him.
• Duan Qizhao tried to invite Jiang Xun along, but Jiang Xun told him to get lost.
• Zhao Pengfei set up a clean guest room with new bedding, a fan, and a pillow for a city guest.
• Li Guizhi questioned Zhao Pengfei's sudden effort, but he insisted he wanted to make the village look good and shut her out of the room.
• Zhao Pengfei tidied himself and polished his motorcycle while waiting for Jiang Xun, then heard suitcase wheels outside the gate.

Duan Qizhao arrived at Zhao Pengfei’s house instead of Jiang Xun, leaving Zhao Pengfei baffled and disappointed. Zhao Pengfei found Jiang Xun at school and tried to persuade him to move in by accusing Shen Wangjing of killing his father, but Jiang Xun showed no alarm.

• Duan Qizhao arrived at Zhao Pengfei’s house without Jiang Xun, and Zhao Pengfei wondered why Jiang Xun had refused his offer to stay.
• Zhao Pengfei rode his motorcycle to Shiban Village Middle School early Monday morning to find Jiang Xun.
• Zhao Pengfei asked Jiang Xun why he preferred Shen Wangjing’s poor home, and Jiang Xun replied that Shen Wangjing was good-looking.
• Zhao Pengfei told Jiang Xun that Shen Wangjing had allegedly pushed Shen Dayong into the river and pointed to the scar on Shen Wangjing’s hand as evidence.
• Jiang Xun continued eating without reacting as Zhao Pengfei called Shen Wangjing a murderer and said everyone avoided him.

Jiang Xun defended Shen Wangjing against Zhao Pengfei’s accusations, then spent the afternoon washing clothes at Shen’s home. Shen Wangjing took over when Jiang Xun held up his underwear and commented on its size, and Jiang Xun went to ask the production team for points.

• Jiang Xun challenged Zhao Pengfei to produce evidence for the rumors about Shen Wangjing and threatened to report his bullying to the principal.
• After Zhao Pengfei rode away, Jiang Xun recalled Shen Wangjing’s scar and Grandpa Shen’s unexplained trembling and muttering.
• Jiang Xun washed the household laundry while Shen Wangjing was working in the fields.
• Shen Wangjing returned, took the washing from Jiang Xun, and insisted he would wash his own clothes.
• Jiang Xun set off to ask the production team for points for his afternoon’s work.

Jiang Xun bargained with the director for steamed buns using his earned points, then found Duan Qizhao waiting beneath the Old Locust Tree with stolen soy-braised beef. They headed back together to share their food.

• Jiang Xun convinced the director to exchange his chore points for two steamed buns.
• Jiang Xun shared a little of the bun with Yellow Dog as they walked back toward the village.
• Jiang Xun found Duan Qizhao waiting beneath the Old Locust Tree with a bag of beef.
• Duan Qizhao admitted that Li Guizhi's meals had not satisfied him and revealed he had taken beef from the village chief's house.
• Jiang Xun invited Duan Qizhao to return with him, and they headed back with the buns and beef.

Shen Yuxing joined Jiang Yu at Jinghua Middle School, where Jiang Yu bullied him while Shen Yuxing maintained his timid facade. After learning about Jiang Yu’s food allergies, Shen Yuxing secretly mixed a pastry he had brought into Jiang Yu’s snack box.

• Liu Wanying arranged for Shen Yuxing to attend Jiang Yu’s school and asked Jiang Yu to help him with his studies.
• At Jinghua Middle School, Shen Yuxing introduced himself as a transfer student from the mountains and took his assigned seat in class.
• Jiang Yu arranged for Shen Yuxing’s textbooks to be thrown into a yogurt-covered trash can, and Shen Yuxing quietly cleaned them.
• Jiang Yu’s lackeys splashed water on Shen Yuxing during PE, and Shen Yuxing left for the changing room as they mocked him.
• Alone in the changing room, Shen Yuxing mixed pieces of a flower pastry into the flaky pastries in Jiang Yu’s snack box.

After Jiang Yu nearly died from an allergic reaction, Liu Wanying suspected Shen Yuxing had caused it and tried to find proof, but the damaged surveillance camera left her without answers. She offered Shen Yuxing a future in the Jiang family in exchange for a favor, and he waited cautiously to hear what she wanted.

• Jiang Yu suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating flower pastries, and Shen Yuxing called an ambulance that arrived just in time.
• Liu Wanying praised Shen Yuxing for saving Jiang Yu but privately suspected his quick redirection of blame and ordered surveillance footage checked.
• The Metamorphosis production account announced that it had submitted evidence of organized paid trolling about Jiang Xun to authorities, shifting online discussion.
• Liu Wanying learned the changing-room camera had been deliberately damaged and found no footage to identify who put the pastries in Jiang Yu's snack box.
• Liu Wanying offered to fund Shen Yuxing's education in Capital City if he agreed to do one thing for her, and Shen Yuxing cautiously asked what she wanted.

Duan Qizhao returned to Shen Wangjing's house after Li Guizhi caught him stealing food, then followed Jiang Xun to school and entertained the students with stories about his wealth. Xiao Guang ended his boasting by telling him that Shen Yuxing's father had drowned after Shen Yuxing's older brother pushed him into a river.

• Li Guizhi caught Duan Qizhao stealing food, so he left the Village Chief's house and returned to Shen Wangjing's drafty home.
• Duan Qizhao followed Jiang Xun to breakfast at Shiban Village Middle School and argued that the production team should pay for his meal.
• After Jiang Xun went back to sleep, Duan Qizhao stayed in the classroom and boasted to the students about his family's wealth.
• Xiao Guang asked Duan Qizhao whether he knew how Shen Yuxing's dad died and claimed that Shen Yuxing's older brother pushed him into a river, where he drowned.