Chapter Summaries

Xie Yuan asked Mu Ze to call him A-Wu, and Mu Ze agreed to return with him to the Xie Family, privately preparing gifts for the visit. As they left the dating-show villa, Xie Yuan called his older sister Xie Ran and told her to dress up before he arrived.

• Xie Yuan told Mu Ze he could not sleep without him and asked him to call him A-Wu; Mu Ze invited him to go back to the Xie Family with him.
• Xie Yuan explained that people had distinctive scents reflecting their character, reassuring Mu Ze that his sweet scent would not change under ordinary circumstances.
• Mu Ze messaged Assistant Zhang to arrange gifts for meeting Xie Yuan's family and searched online for advice on what to bring.
• The next morning, Xie Yuan and Mu Ze left the villa early, prompting Xie Yuan to tease Gu Yanzhou to go home soon.
• Assistant Zhang drove Xie Yuan and Mu Ze toward the Xie Family villa, and Xie Yuan called Xie Ran to tell her to dress up before he arrived.

Xie Yuan brought Mu Ze along as Xie Ran prepared to break off her engagement with the Gu Family. Xie Ran recognized Mu Ze and, after questioning him, allowed him and Xie Yuan’s relationship to remain on probation.

• Xie Yuan insisted that Xie Ran dress elegantly for the engagement breakup, and Auntie Wang made sure she got ready.
• Xie Yuan explained to Assistant Zhang that the Xie Family would end the engagement because the Gu Family’s son was unsuitable for Xie Ran.
• Xie Yuan arrived at the Xie Family villa with Mu Ze and Assistant Zhang, where Xie Ran recognized them from a livestream and questioned whether they had met before.
• Xie Ran and Xie Yuan criticized Xie Mo’s judgment and discussed his friendship with Su Wanyue before setting off for the Gu Family.
• Xie Ran questioned Mu Ze about his background and initially objected to his age, but Xie Yuan praised him and Xie Ran placed their relationship on probation.

Xie Ran visited the Gu Family to end her engagement to Gu Yanzhou, but Yang Lianting refused and defended his behavior. After a confrontation turned physical, Xie Ran prepared to answer Gu Yanzhou while he watched her with renewed attraction.

• Xie Ran told Yang Lianting she was breaking off her engagement to Gu Yanzhou, but Yang Lianting argued that she should stay for the families’ business interests.
• Xie Yuan insulted Yang Lianting and Gu Yanzhou, and Yang Lianting fainted in anger.
• Gu Yanzhou blamed Xie Ran and tried to attack Xie Yuan, but Mu Ze intervened and knocked him onto the sofa.
• Xie Yuan and Mu Ze defended their actions as self-defense when Su Wanyue objected to Gu Yanzhou being hurt.
• Xie Ran stepped forward to speak to Gu Yanzhou, who became captivated by her again as Su Wanyue watched.

Xie Ran ended her engagement to Gu Yanzhou and rejected his attempts to blame her for his infidelity. Gu Yanzhou accepted that the engagement was over, while Xie Yuan asked Xie Ran if she regretted leaving him.

• Xie Ran told Gu Yanzhou she had come to end their engagement, and he refused at first, claiming their families’ cooperation depended on it.
• Gu Yanzhou followed Xie Ran outside to retrieve the engagement token and questioned whether she had ever liked him.
• Xie Ran reminded Gu Yanzhou that his feelings had changed, and Xie Yuan defended her against Gu Yanzhou’s accusations.
• Xie Ran said Gu Yanzhou had always been an outsider in her heart and left with Xie Yuan and the others.
• Su Wanyue asked Gu Yanzhou whether the engagement was over, and he confirmed that it was.
• In the car, Xie Yuan asked Xie Ran whether she regretted breaking off the engagement.

Xie Ran reflected on her broken engagement to Gu Yanzhou while Xie Yuan and Mu Ze’s visit to the Xie Family villa became a trending topic. After Gu Dewang learned that the engagement was over and accepted Gu Yanzhou’s choice of Su Wanyue, Mu Ze followed Xie Yuan home, where Xie Ran objected to him moving in and sharing a bed with her brother.

• Xie Ran told Xie Yuan she had liked Gu Yanzhou but not deeply, and he joked that her wedding gift would have been a trash can.
• A photo of Xie Yuan and Mu Ze entering the Xie Family villa went viral, prompting fans to argue about their relationship.
• Xie Ran teased Xie Yuan about rushing into marriage and offered to arrange blind dates for him and Xie Mo.
• Gu Dewang returned to find Yang Lianting unconscious, learned that Xie Ran had broken off her engagement to Gu Yanzhou, and accepted Gu Yanzhou’s decision to be with Su Wanyue.
• Xie Yuan told Xie Ran that Mu Ze would stay at their house, and Xie Ran protested when she learned they planned to share a bed.

Xie Ran publicly canceled her engagement to Gu Yanzhou, while Xie Yuan and Mu Ze grew closer despite Xie Ran’s objections. Gu Yanzhou reacted angrily to Xie Yuan’s insult, then began an official relationship with Su Wanyue.

• Xie Ran forbade Xie Yuan and Mu Ze from sharing a bed or being intimate, but Xie Yuan sent her upstairs and reassured Mu Ze that he would handle the situation.
• Xie Yuan learned from the Wicked System that he had repaid four-fifths of his Villainy Points debt.
• Xie Ran announced at a press conference that her engagement to Gu Yanzhou was canceled, and Xie Yuan said she had no reason to settle for a rotten cucumber.
• Gu Yanzhou smashed his phone after hearing Xie Yuan’s remark, then comforted Su Wanyue and asked her to officially be with him.
• Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou posted matching Weibo updates announcing their relationship.

Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou announced their relationship, prompting backlash that hurt the Gu Family’s share price and angered Gu Dewang. At the Xie villa, Xie Yuan worried Su Wanyue might target Xie Ran, while Mu Ze became increasingly preoccupied with touching Xie Yuan.

• Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou’s relationship announcement triggered trending topics and criticism, and the Gu Family’s share price fell by nearly a third.
• Gu Dewang berated Gu Yanzhou for the announcement and threatened to reconsider him as heir, while Gu Yanzhou and Su Wanyue comforted each other.
• At the Xie villa, Mu Ze discussed a project with Xie Ran, who became somewhat less hostile toward him before leaving for the office.
• Xie Yuan recalled the original plot and worried Su Wanyue might still target Xie Ran, especially at Old Master Gu’s seventieth birthday banquet.
• After Xie Ran warned Mu Ze to keep his hands off Xie Yuan, Mu Ze thought about holding him, and Xie Yuan leaned closer and asked what he was thinking.

Xie Ran tried to keep Mu Ze from crossing a line with her younger brother, while Mu Ze and Xie Yuan grew closer and agreed to get medical checkups. The chapter ended with Xie Yuan alone in bed, still unable to sleep without Mu Ze.

• Mu Ze and Xie Yuan held hands until Uncle Wang arrived to watch them at Xie Ran's request.
• Xie Ran told Mu Ze and Xie Yuan they could not sleep together, so Mu Ze went to the guest bedroom.
• Missing Xie Yuan, Mu Ze sneaked to his bedroom and embraced him after seeing his healing injuries; they agreed to get checkups the next day.
• Mu Ze saw Xie Yuan undressed for a medicinal bath, got a nosebleed, and retreated to calm himself.
• Xie Ran caught Mu Ze trying to return to Xie Yuan's room and warned him not to cross the line with her brother.
• Xie Yuan checked the time at eleven and realized he still could not sleep without Mu Ze.

Mu Ze and Xie Yuan spent the night together despite Xie Ran’s warning, then exercised and underwent medical examinations. Their results showed that both were healthy, leaving Xie Yuan to wonder what had caused Mu Ze’s fate in the original novel.

• Mu Ze struggled to sleep alone until Xie Yuan secretly unlocked the door, joined him in bed, and fell asleep beside him.
• Xie Ran scolded Xie Yuan and Mu Ze for sleeping together, but eventually left their relationship to them.
• Xie Yuan lent Mu Ze workout clothes and led him through an exercise session, judging that Mu Ze seemed healthy.
• At the hospital, Xie Yuan noticed a familiar woman entering an obstetrics and gynecology consulting room but dismissed it as a possible mistake.
• Xie Yuan and Mu Ze received their examination results, learned that both were healthy, and left the hospital together.
• A topic quickly appeared on the trending list a few minutes after they left.

Xie Ran confronted Xie Yuan and Mu Ze about their hospital visit, then accepted their relationship while keeping Mu Ze on probation. That night, Xie Yuan and Mu Ze grew closer, but Xie Yuan woke from a nightmare in which he saw a smaller version of himself amid a massacre.

• Xie Ran learned from trending searches that Xie Yuan and Mu Ze had gone to the hospital and asked whether they were getting married.
• Xie Yuan explained that they had both gone for physical checkups, and Xie Ran reassured herself that they were healthy before telling Mu Ze he was still on probation.
• Xie Ran told Xie Yuan and Mu Ze not to sleep together, but Xie Yuan entered Mu Ze's guest room and shared his bed.
• Xie Yuan kissed Mu Ze and asked to shower with him, but Mu Ze resisted the invitation and later let Xie Yuan fall asleep against him.
• During a thunderstorm, Xie Yuan had a nightmare in which he saw his smaller self and people being attacked, then woke to Mu Ze calling him.

Xie Yuan’s memories of his past life returned, bringing back nightmares about his family’s deaths, while Mu Ze comforted him and stayed awake to watch over him. At dinner, Xie Yuan’s casual remarks about seeing same-sex dual cultivation left Xie Ran alarmed and Mu Ze wondering whether he could move their relationship forward.

• Xie Yuan washed up after a nightmare about his family’s slaughter and resolved to protect his Elder Sister and Second Elder Brother this time.
• Mu Ze comforted Xie Yuan until he fell asleep, then stayed lightly awake through the night in case the nightmare returned.
• Xie Ran came home for lunch, saw Xie Yuan and Mu Ze go to the guest bedroom together, and asked Uncle Wang to keep an eye on Xie Yuan.
• At dinner, Xie Ran asked whether Xie Yuan and Mu Ze had slept together, and Mu Ze said he would not overstep before Xie Yuan understood his feelings.
• Xie Yuan mistook their concern for a discussion of dual cultivation and said he had seen it before, alarming Xie Ran and making Mu Ze wonder whether he should advance their relationship.
• Xie Ran warned Mu Ze not to force Xie Yuan as she left the table.

Xie Yuan and Mu Ze grew more intimate, and Xie Ran discovered their relationship before telling them not to behave too intimately until they married. Later, they unexpectedly met at a casting for the same drama, where Gu Yanzhou questioned Xie Yuan’s presence.

• Xie Yuan coaxed Mu Ze into helping him in the shower, and Mu Ze later admitted he was afraid he would not be able to resist Xie Yuan’s teasing.
• Xie Ran caught Xie Yuan and Mu Ze kissing and told them to avoid overly intimate behavior before marriage.
• Xie Yuan asked when they would marry, and Mu Ze agreed they should make it official soon before he returned to Hai City.
• Xie Yuan asked the Wicked System about Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou, learning they had recently returned from a trip and posted affectionate photos online.
• Xie Yuan and Mu Ze separately arrived at a casting for the same drama and discovered they had both invested in it.
• Gu Yanzhou arrived and asked Xie Yuan why he was at the casting, since the Xie Family had no involvement in entertainment.

Xie Yuan challenged Gu Yanzhou’s attempt to influence a casting decision, while Mu Ze’s status as a major investor shocked him. At the audition, Su Wanyue’s performance fell short of the final actress’s, and Gu Yanzhou tried to justify favoring her by claiming she had prepared for months.

• Xie Yuan slapped Gu Yanzhou after he invoked Xie Yuan’s sister, then revealed that Mu Ze was also an investor and Director Guo identified him as Mu Group’s CEO.
• The production auditioned actresses for the third female lead in The Emperor’s Scheme, a frail but intelligent and resilient childhood friend of the male lead.
• Su Wanyue performed the epidemic scene, and the crew found her appearance suitable but her acting lacking in intelligence and resilience.
• Xie Yuan persuaded Director Guo to watch the remaining auditions before making a decision, despite Gu Yanzhou’s objections.
• The final actress impressed Director Guo, the producer, and the screenwriter, while Gu Yanzhou argued that Su Wanyue’s appearance made her the better choice.
• Xie Yuan questioned Gu Yanzhou’s claim that Su Wanyue had been preparing for months, pointing out that they had just returned from a trip and posted many photos together.

Xie Yuan rejected Gu Yanzhou’s attempt to cast Su Wanyue in The Emperor's Scheme and offered to replace Gu Corporation’s investment. Later, Mu Ze revealed he had been reborn from the future, and the chapter ended as Xie Yuan kissed him to reward him.

• Xie Yuan argued that Su Wanyue was not suited to the role, and Director Guo and the others agreed she should not be cast.
• Gu Yanzhou threatened to withdraw Gu Corporation’s investment and stormed out, so Xie Yuan promised to cover the funding.
• Xie Yuan confronted Mu Ze about his involvement in the dating show and learned that Mu Ze had returned after dying in a past life.
• Mu Ze explained that he had come back on the day Su Wanyue hit Xie Yuan with her car and said he had joined the show to stop Gu Yanzhou and others from taking Mu Group.
• Mu Ze promised that all his money belonged to Xie Yuan and said he had people investigating and monitoring Gu Corporation and Su Wanyue.
• Xie Yuan kissed Mu Ze as his reward.

Xie Yuan told Mu Ze how Su Wanyue had tried to use a child to win Director Guo’s favor and explained that he knew the story from a book. After Su Wanyue lost the role, Gu Yanzhou promised to fund a project for her, while her fans began blaming Xie Yuan online.

• Mu Ze and Xie Yuan kissed in the restroom, then left together while Assistant Zhang watched their car drive away.
• Xie Yuan told Mu Ze that Su Wanyue had tried to stage a rescue involving Director Guo’s nephew, but Xie Yuan’s intervention had prevented the child from being hurt.
• Xie Yuan explained that Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou were protagonists in a book, and Mu Ze realized the role and its profits had gone to them in his previous life.
• Su Wanyue grieved over losing the role, and Gu Yanzhou comforted her by offering to invest in a project where she could play the lead.
• Su Wanyue posted about missing out on the role, and her fans began accusing Xie Yuan of deliberately targeting her.

After videos surfaced showing Xie Yuan opposing Su Wanyue’s casting, he let the online backlash grow while explaining his plan to Xie Ran and Mu Ze. He planned to release the full audition footage and publicly call out Su Wanyue, whom he believed had arranged the smear campaign, and Xie Ran asked what he would do after insulting her.

• Videos showed Xie Yuan admitting he disliked Su Wanyue and opposing her casting, prompting her fans to flood him with demands for a response.
• Xie Yuan stayed silent online, while Xie Ran worried about the backlash and questioned his involvement with Gu Yanzhou and Su Wanyue.
• Xie Yuan explained that he had rejected Su Wanyue because he and the drama’s director, screenwriter, and producer believed she could not handle the role.
• Xie Yuan told Xie Ran he would release the full audition footage after the uproar grew, then publicly call out Su Wanyue for misleading people and inciting her fans.
• Xie Yuan revealed that the Wicked System had restored Su Wanyue’s deleted account and preserved evidence that she orchestrated the online attack; Xie Ran then asked what he planned to do after insulting her.

Xie Yuan livestreamed to confront Su Wanyue’s fans and revealed video evidence that Gu Yanzhou had pressured Director Guo to give Su the role. He invited Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou to join a video call as the livestream ended.

• Xie Yuan started a livestream while Mu Ze stayed beside him and held his hand as viewers abused Xie Yuan in the comments.
• Xie Yuan traded insults with Su Wanyue’s fans and played Director Guo’s video showing Gu Yanzhou threatening him over Su Wanyue’s role.
• Viewers reconsidered the controversy, while Gu Yanzhou commented that he had only just learned of it and never intended to harm Xie Yuan.
• Xie Yuan asked whether Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou had been involved, then invited both of them to a video call.

Xie Yuan confronted Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou during a livestream, demanding compensation for the emotional harm caused by online abuse. Su Wanyue tried to protect her fans from legal action, but Mu Ze offered the Mu Group’s Legal Department to help Xie Yuan send demand letters.

• Su Wanyue called Gu Yanzhou, and he agreed to address Xie Yuan’s livestream invitation on her behalf.
• Xie Yuan challenged Gu Yanzhou to speak for Su Wanyue, then demanded compensation for the distress caused by cyberbullying.
• Su Wanyue joined the livestream and said she would pay Xie Yuan if he apologized to her fans.
• Xie Yuan refused to apologize and threatened legal demand letters against the fans who insulted him.
• Su Wanyue offered to pay to protect her fans, but they urged her not to give in.
• Mu Ze appeared on camera and offered the Mu Group’s Legal Department to help Xie Yuan send the letters.

Xie Yuan confronted Su Wanyue over her fans’ cyberbullying and demanded fifty million in compensation, using evidence he had sent her to force her agreement. After the call, Su Wanyue lost her temper with Sister Ping, who suspected Xie Yuan had leverage over her.

• Mu Ze’s identity as the president of the Mu Group alarmed Su Wanyue, while viewers mocked him and Xie Yuan threatened legal action against them.
• Su Wanyue tried to defend the insulting viewers, but Xie Yuan demanded fifty million and hinted that she had incited the cyberbullying.
• Xie Yuan sent Su Wanyue evidence that made her panic, and she falsely claimed her father had been hospitalized to explain her reaction to the viewers.
• Su Wanyue agreed to pay fifty million and provide a written explanation of the payment, while Xie Yuan refused to promise he would leave her fans alone.
• After the call, Su Wanyue smashed her phone, and Sister Ping questioned her about the payment before Su Wanyue blamed her for the lost role.

Su Wanyue admitted to Sister Ping that Xie Yuan had evidence she secretly exposed him and struggled to find the fifty million he demanded. After mocking her fans during a livestream, Xie Yuan told Mu Ze to send legal letters to the loudest harassers, and Xie Ran interrupted them.

• Su Wanyue told Sister Ping that Xie Yuan had uncovered the account she used to expose him, and planned to sell gifts from Gu Yanzhou to raise the money he demanded.
• Sister Ping warned Su Wanyue to stop provoking Xie Yuan and worried he might keep using the evidence against her even after she paid.
• During the livestream, Gu Yanzhou objected to Xie Yuan demanding fifty million from Su Wanyue, but Xie Yuan urged him to help his girlfriend pay.
• Xie Yuan taunted Su Wanyue's fans about whether she would be left with nowhere to live, and ended the livestream as they argued in the comments.
• Mu Ze embraced Xie Yuan and offered to send legal letters to the fans who cursed him; Xie Yuan agreed, and Xie Ran walked in on them.