Chapter Summaries

Chu Ci woke on the set of the dating show "Let's Fall in Love" after apparently dying on an interstellar battlefield, confused by his new surroundings and the hostility of viewers. When the director called on him, Ye Qingzhou unexpectedly appeared and answered the question, leaving the production team and livestream audience stunned.

• Chu Ci endured searing pain, realized he was no longer on the battlefield, and found himself on the set of "Let's Fall in Love".
• The director explained that Chu Ci had joined the low-budget livestreamed dating show without pay, despite his poor reputation and lack of notable work.
• The director asked Chu Ci to name the world's three oldest dramatic traditions, but Chu Ci remained silent.
• Ye Qingzhou arrived and correctly named ancient Greek tragedy and comedy, Indian Sanskrit drama, and Chinese opera.
• The crew and livestream viewers reacted with shock when they recognized the famous actor Ye Qingzhou, and the director asked why he had arrived without warning.

Ye Qingzhou joined the dating show Let's Fall in Love as Lu Qi’s invited guest, drawing a huge online audience. After agreeing to appear without a fee, he recognized Chu Ci as his long-lost Shizun, and the guests prepared for a memory quiz to choose their partners.

• Ye Qingzhou asked the director whether Lu Qi had invited another guest and confirmed that he was the replacement.
• Fans spread news of Ye Qingzhou’s dating-show debut, pushing the topic onto Weibo’s trending list and rapidly increasing the livestream audience.
• Ye Qingzhou told the director he would join the show and declined an appearance fee.
• The director asked Chu Ci to pinch him to prove he was not dreaming, and Ye Qingzhou looked at Chu Ci and thought, “Shizun, long time no see.”
• The director explained the quiz rules, including the question bank, five attempts per guest, and a buzzer round for tied scores.

Chu Ci struggled to understand the romance show’s rules, prompting Ye Qingzhou to explain romance as seeking a mate. The guests began a timed question-bank challenge, and Ye Qingzhou quickly read through the book while viewers questioned whether Chu Ci could keep up.

• Chu Ci asked what romance meant, and Ye Qingzhou joined him in asking the director for an explanation.
• The director described romance, and Ye Qingzhou summed it up for Chu Ci as seeking a mate.
• The director distributed question banks to Ye Qingzhou, Chu Ci, Zhou Jin, Bai Zihan, Li Muting, and Zhou Ze, then set a fifteen-minute study period.
• Ye Qingzhou rapidly turned through the question bank, and viewers noted his reputation for photographic memory.

The six guests finished a timed review of a question bank before beginning a general-knowledge quiz, while viewers doubted Chu Ci was genuinely studying. Zhou Jin scored three points, and Bai Zihan earned one on the final question.

• Chu Ci rapidly flipped through the question bank, then stared into space as the director counted down the remaining time.
• The director ended the study period and arranged for the guests to answer questions in order.
• Zhou Jin answered three of his five questions correctly, including the Four Paragons of the Early Tang.
• Bai Zihan missed her first four questions, then correctly named the Four Great Classical Novels for one point.

During the dating show’s quiz, Li Muting tried to get Ye Qingzhou’s help, but Chu Ci supplied the answer and urged her to hurry. Ye Qingzhou unexpectedly addressed Chu Ci as “Teacher Chu,” and the chapter ended as Ye Qingzhou’s turn to answer began.

• Zhou Ze scored one point, then Li Muting asked Ye Qingzhou for a hint on the Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals.
• Chu Ci answered that they were the Gongyang Commentary, the Guliang Commentary, and the Zuo Commentary, and told Li Muting to hurry up.
• Chu Ci realized he could hear a staff member’s thoughts and suspected that he had awakened Mind Reading.
• Ye Qingzhou backed Chu Ci by telling Li Muting to answer, addressing him as “Teacher Chu” and surprising the guests and viewers.
• Li Muting scored one point, bringing the quiz standings to Zhou Jin with three points and Bai Zihan, Zhou Ze, and Li Muting with one each.
• The director began questioning Ye Qingzhou as viewers anticipated his performance.

Ye Qingzhou answered the director’s questions flawlessly and was declared first place, but insisted Chu Ci still deserved a turn. Chu Ci then answered three difficult questions just as quickly, leaving the livestream viewers increasingly doubtful of their assumptions about him.

• Ye Qingzhou instantly answered the questions about the three teachings and nine schools, famous embroideries, fans, flowers, and the eight sections of an eight-legged essay.
• The livestream rose to first place on the platform’s popularity rankings as Ye Qingzhou was declared the winner.
• Ye Qingzhou objected that Chu Ci had not been asked any questions and said he was not yet in first place.
• Chu Ci immediately named the six principles of Chinese characters and the four great dramas of the Yuan dynasty.
• Chu Ci answered the question about the Thirteen Classics in detail, while the viewers’ doubts about his abilities began to waver.

Chu Ci answered the director’s questions correctly and tied with Ye Qingzhou for first place, prompting a one-question buzzer round. Chu Ci buzzed in first and gave the correct answer, but the chapter ended before the director declared the winner.

• Chu Ci correctly listed the Thirteen Classics and China’s eight major cuisines, surprising the viewers and the director.
• Chu Ci correctly named the ten famous teas, tying Ye Qingzhou for first place and earning five points.
• Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou declined extra study time and agreed to decide the contest with one buzzer question.
• The director asked for the five notes of the ancient pentatonic scale, and Chu Ci buzzed in first.
• Chu Ci answered, “Gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu.”

After winning the quiz, Chu Ci earned first pick of a partner and extra starting funds for the cooking tasks on “Let’s Fall in Love.” As he considered the other guests, Ye Qingzhou volunteered to partner with him, and the chapter ended with Chu Ci looking at Ye Qingzhou without answering.

• Ye Qingzhou announced Chu Ci as the quiz winner, giving him first choice of a partner and one hundred yuan in starting funds.
• The director explained the cooking tasks, their ingredient budgets, and the rules for earning or stealing funds by taking other guests’ white hats.
• Chu Ci considered the guests, but Li Muting and Bai Zihan did not want to partner with him, while Zhou Jin feared he might choose him and Zhou Ze thought they could win together.
• Ye Qingzhou offered himself as Chu Ci’s partner and listed his strengths as Chu Ci gazed at him.

Chu Ci agreed to partner with Ye Qingzhou, and the three teams drew their earning tasks for the day. Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci faced the hardest target, leaving Chu Ci confident he could still lead them to victory.

• Chu Ci noticed Mind Reading no longer revealed Ye Qingzhou's thoughts, then agreed to partner with him after seeing Ye Qingzhou's pleading gaze.
• Zhou Jin chose Li Muting as his partner, while Bai Zihan and Zhou Ze paired up automatically.
• The teams sent representatives to draw task difficulties, and Ye Qingzhou drew the hard task for himself and Chu Ci.
• The production team set Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci a 500-yuan target, Zhou Jin and Li Muting a 200-yuan target, and Zhou Ze and Bai Zihan a 300-yuan target.
• Viewers debated the teams' odds, while Chu Ci remained confident he could help Ye Qingzhou win.

Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci reached their first task location, where the staff explained that the dating-show challenge was related to dating. Ye Qingzhou read the task card and blushed, leaving Chu Ci and the viewers curious about what it said.

• The director launched a poll, and viewers voted Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci as the most likely team to win.
• The production team gave the team that drew the hard route an extra skill card, and Ye Qingzhou drew one for Chu Ci, who kept its contents secret.
• Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci arrived first at a decorated task location, where the staff hesitated because two men had arrived for a dating-show challenge.
• Ye Qingzhou told the staff that Mr. Chu was his dating partner, prompting excited reactions from viewers and a trending search.
• Chu Ci asked whether they had to complete a challenge to see the task, and the staff handed Ye Qingzhou the task card.
• Ye Qingzhou read the card and blushed, then gave it to Chu Ci without explaining what the task was.

Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou received a task to kiss through a candy wrapper for thirty seconds, and learned that refusing it would cost them five hundred yuan. Chu Ci chose to do the task, and Ye Qingzhou agreed as the livestream audience eagerly anticipated their kiss.

• Chu Ci read the task card aloud to the cameraman, revealing the candy-wrapper kissing task.
• A staff member told Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou that refusing a task after reading it meant paying a five-hundred-yuan fine.
• Chu Ci weighed the fine against their earnings and decided that completing the task was the better choice.
• Ye Qingzhou agreed to do the task with Chu Ci, who asked a staff member to bring them a candy wrapper.

Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou completed a dating-show task by sharing a kiss through a candy wrapper, leaving Ye Qingzhou flustered and the livestream viewers excited. After they collected their reward, Ye Qingzhou returned to the task location to ask for two more candies, saying he had low blood sugar.

• Chu Ci ate a mint candy and beckoned Ye Qingzhou over, then kissed him through the wrapper to complete the task.
• Ye Qingzhou stood dazed after the kiss as the livestream viewers reacted enthusiastically.
• Chu Ci stepped away when the countdown ended, steadied Ye Qingzhou, and accepted the production team's hundred-yuan reward.
• Ye Qingzhou told Chu Ci he had forgotten something and went back into the task location alone.
• Ye Qingzhou asked a staff member for two more candies, explaining that he had low blood sugar and had left without any.

Ye Qingzhou retrieved the mint candy wrapper that had touched Chu Ci’s lips, then noticed Zhou Jin and Li Muting confronting Chu Ci outside. Chu Ci refused Ye Qingzhou’s help and agreed to duel Zhou Jin, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Ye Qingzhou returned to retrieve the candy wrapper and asked a staff member for mint candy as cover.
• Ye Qingzhou saw Zhou Jin and Li Muting facing Chu Ci, but Chu Ci signaled him not to intervene.
• Li Muting and Zhou Jin planned to take Chu Ci’s money so they could reach their two-hundred-yuan goal.
• Zhou Jin proposed a duel with Chu Ci, and Chu Ci agreed.
• Li Muting stepped aside to watch for Ye Qingzhou while Chu Ci beckoned Zhou Jin to begin.

Chu Ci baited Zhou Jin and Li Muting into taking his cap, triggering a skill card. The chapter ended with Zhou Jin realizing the trap too late while Chu Ci calmly revealed the result.

• Chu Ci taunted Zhou Jin, who suspected he was stalling for Ye Qingzhou to return.
• Li Muting urged Zhou Jin to act before Ye Qingzhou came back, and Zhou Jin approached Chu Ci.
• Chu Ci offered Zhou Jin his white cap, but Zhou Jin hesitated because he sensed a trap.
• Li Muting impatiently snatched Chu Ci's cap before Zhou Jin could stop her.
• Chu Ci congratulated Zhou Jin and Li Muting for triggering a skill card, leaving them stunned.

Chu Ci used a Plunder Card to take Zhou Jin and Li Muting’s money, while Ye Qingzhou thwarted Zhou Ze’s ambush by taking his hat. Zhou Ze learned that Chu Ci’s skill card had enabled the reversal, leaving him confused about how it worked.

• Chu Ci revealed that his skill card was a Plunder Card, which let him seize another team’s money.
• Zhou Ze ambushed Zhou Jin and Li Muting and took Zhou Jin’s hat, but Ye Qingzhou immediately took Zhou Ze’s hat.
• Ye Qingzhou collected the 50 yuan Zhou Jin’s team had earned, while viewers noted that his and Chu Ci’s team needed only 150 yuan more to finish their task.
• Zhou Ze questioned why Ye Qingzhou was allowed to take his hat and learned from Zhou Jin that Chu Ci had used a skill card.
• Chu Ci handed Zhou Ze the Plunder Card so he could see what kind of skill it was.

After Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou sent four contestants to the revival point, they headed to another mission and shared a tender moment over mint candies. At a skill card supply station, Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou tried to persuade the staff to let them guess which cards were available.

• Zhou Ze, Bai Zihan, Zhou Jin, and Li Muting went to the revival point after Ye Qingzhou removed Zhou Ze's hat, and Zhou Ze handed Chu Ci his hundred yuan.
• Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou set off for another mission, and Ye Qingzhou straightened Chu Ci's hat before giving him mint candies.
• Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou reached a skill card supply station, where a staff member refused to reveal which cards the production team had prepared.
• Chu Ci proposed guessing the available cards, and Ye Qingzhou argued that the guessing segment would help the show's ratings.

Chu Ci guessed the production team's remaining skill cards while secretly testing the limits of Mind Reading. His unexpected recognition of Ye Qingzhou's eyes left him wondering whether Ye Qingzhou resembled someone from his past, and the chapter ended with the show's viewers discussing their pairing as a potential best CP.

• Chu Ci persuaded a staff member to confirm that the remaining skill cards were a reset card, a doubling card, and a swap card.
• Chu Ci realized that Mind Reading worked on several people but failed on Ye Qingzhou, and he wondered about the skill's origins and his own arrival in this world.
• Chu Ci recognized Ye Qingzhou's peach-blossom eyes as resembling someone from his memories, but decided not to ask whether they knew each other and suggested they do the tasks.
• Ye Qingzhou agreed, while livestream viewers remarked on the pair's unusually gentle and familiar atmosphere.
• The show had three assigned pairs and a Weibo poll asking viewers to vote for their best CP, which had drawn five hundred thousand participants.

Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci drew a huge livestream audience as their chemistry and looks captivated viewers. Their next task required them to share a chocolate stick, and Chu Ci hesitated while Ye Qingzhou left the decision to him.

• Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci received 390,000 votes, far outpacing Zhou Jin and Li Muting and Zhou Ze and Bai Zihan.
• The livestream audience grew as viewers praised Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci's appearances and speculated about their rapport.
• A staff member questioned whether Chu Ci had been told the skill-card names, but the cameraman confirmed that no one had privately given him the answers.
• Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou received a task card instructing them to finish one chocolate stick between them.
• Chu Ci hesitated over the intimate task and asked Ye Qingzhou whether they should do it, and Ye Qingzhou said he would follow Chu Ci's choice.

Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou chose to draw a Skill Card, hoping to increase their money and finish the task. While sharing a chocolate stick, they grew visibly flustered and drew the viewers’ attention with their charged closeness.

• Chu Ci explained the four Skill Cards and agreed with Ye Qingzhou to draw one despite the risk of losing their money.
• A staff member gave Chu Ci a chocolate stick, and he invited Ye Qingzhou to eat the other end.
• Ye Qingzhou moved closer as they ate, growing red and flustered while Chu Ci felt his own breathing heat up.
• The viewers reacted to Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou’s intense chemistry as the chocolate stick grew shorter between them.

Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou completed the chocolate-stick task as they drew to within three centimeters of a kiss, while viewers shipped their apparent chemistry and sent the show’s hashtags trending. The director learned that Ye Qingzhou had joined the show specifically to be paired with Chu Ci and had made a surprise appearance to prevent the production team from replacing him.

• Chu Ci agreed to let Ye Qingzhou take another bite of the chocolate stick, leaving only three centimeters between their lips.
• Viewers praised Ye Qingzhou’s affectionate gaze at Chu Ci, and the show’s account gained followers as their pairing-related hashtags surged up the trending rankings.
• The director celebrated the attention and realized Ye Qingzhou’s presence had brought the show a major increase in traffic.
• The director contacted Lu Qi and learned that Ye Qingzhou’s manager had arranged his appearance in exchange for a good script.
• The director concluded that Ye Qingzhou had deliberately surprised the production team so they would not replace Chu Ci with a more famous actress.