Chapter Summaries

Chu Ci went to a mahjong parlor to find Cui Xuemei, after remembering the kindness Wu Zhou’s mother had shown him and worrying about Wu Zhou. Cui Xuemei was playing upstairs and boasting about Chu Ci’s fame when he arrived.

• Chu Ci remembered how the princess consort had comforted him when he was young and worried Wu Zhou might act recklessly if he heard Chu Ci had died.
• Lele confirmed that Cui Xuemei was at a mahjong parlor, and Chu Ci went there to find her.
• The parlor owner told Chu Ci that Cui Xuemei was in room 203 and explained how much damaged mahjong equipment might cost to replace.
• Cui Xuemei told the other players that Chu Ci was famous and trending online, while they praised him.

Cui Xuemei bragged about Chu Ci and lied to her mahjong friends about why she could not share his contact details. Chu Ci exposed her motives, gave one woman his WeChat to pass along, and then told Cui Xuemei they needed to settle accounts.

• Cui Xuemei enjoyed her mahjong friends' praise and claimed Chu Ci had inherited his good looks from her.
• When a mahjong friend asked for Chu Ci's contact details for her daughter, Cui Xuemei falsely claimed his company prohibited sharing them and could impose huge penalties.
• Chu Ci arrived and exposed Cui Xuemei's lie, saying she wanted him to marry into a powerful family and avoid the friend's daughter.
• Chu Ci gave the woman his WeChat contact and asked her to thank her daughter for being his fan.
• Cui Xuemei asked whether Chu Ci had brought her money, and he replied that they should settle some accounts.

Chu Ci confronted Cui Xuemei in front of her mahjong friends over abandoning him and demanding money after years without contact. He began recounting the money he had sent her and left the confrontation poised to continue.

• Chu Ci reminded Cui Xuemei that Grandma had raised him after she gave birth to him and left him behind.
• Chu Ci accused Cui Xuemei of never contacting or caring about him during his schooling until she learned he had become a celebrity and asked him for money.
• Cui Xuemei tried to take the argument home and claimed she wanted to share Chu Ci’s burdens, but he refused to speak privately.
• Chu Ci said he was sick and needed monthly medicine, then asked Cui Xuemei to return the money he had given her.
• Chu Ci recalled that Cui Xuemei first asked him for money in May 2020, when he transferred her fifty thousand yuan, and that she later claimed to be sick after losing it at mahjong, receiving another twenty thousand yuan.

Chu Ci confronted Cui Xuemei over her repeated lies and demands for money, then declared that he was severing ties with her. He left the money he had given her as retirement money and planned to move into a spacious house with Grandma.

• Chu Ci told Cui Xuemei and the onlookers that she had lied about being hospitalized and had asked him for money to keep playing mahjong.
• Chu Ci tallied the several hundred thousand he had sent Cui Xuemei and reminded her that she had refused to visit him when he was sick.
• Cui Xuemei defended her demands by invoking her role as his birth mother, but Chu Ci rejected her claim that buying him clothes made up for her behavior.
• Cui Xuemei tried to slap Chu Ci, but he caught her wrist and pulled the mahjong cloth from the table, scattering the tiles.
• Chu Ci told Cui Xuemei he was severing ties with her and said the money he had given her could serve as her retirement money.

Chu Ci forced Cui Xuemei to agree to sever their mother-son relationship, bluffing that he could sue her to recover the money he had sent over the years. He recorded her statement on video, leaving their separation documented and Cui Xuemei unable to easily exploit their relationship in the future.

• Cui Xuemei hesitated to accept Chu Ci's demand, but he threatened to take her to court and recover the money he had sent her.
• Cui Xuemei agreed to sever ties after Chu Ci confirmed he would sue if she refused.
• Chu Ci opened his phone's video recorder and told Cui Xuemei to state that they would go their separate ways.
• Cui Xuemei initially objected, but Chu Ci repeated his threat to recover hundreds of thousands of yuan in transfers.
• Cui Xuemei recorded a statement voluntarily severing her mother-son relationship with Chu Ci.

After cutting ties with Cui Xuemei, Chu Ci hurried back to Grandma when Lele reported she had gone looking for him. Ye Qingzhou had returned and was helping Grandma across the road, while Chu Ci began reflecting on their kisses and an old conversation with Wu Zhou.

• Chu Ci told the mahjong parlor owner he had damaged the tiles after confronting Cui Xuemei, and the owner let him leave without paying.
• Lele warned Chu Ci that Grandma had gone looking for him, so Chu Ci rushed out to get back to her.
• Lele spotted Ye Qingzhou helping Grandma across the road, easing Chu Ci’s worry.
• Chu Ci remembered the two kisses he shared with Ye Qingzhou while filming Let's Fall in Love and wondered about his first kiss.
• Chu Ci recalled telling Wu Zhou that people kept secretly sending potential partners onto his spaceship, and Wu Zhou asked whether he had agreed to it.

Chu Ci returned home and learned that Ye Qingzhou had been looking after his worried grandmother. As Grandma called Ye Qingzhou his good friend, Chu Ci began to ask whether he kissed his other friends, but the chapter ended before he finished.

• Lele recalled that Wu Zhou had challenged twelve seasoned battlefield fighters and defeated them to stop anyone from pursuing Chu Ci.
• Wu Zhou had warned Chu Ci's acquaintances not to approach him with women, but Lele chose not to tell Chu Ci about it.
• Chu Ci arrived home by taxi after his phone ran out of battery and found Ye Qingzhou supporting his grandmother.
• Chu Ci reassured Grandma that he was safe and thanked Ye Qingzhou for helping her.
• Ye Qingzhou called himself Chu Ci's good friend, prompting Chu Ci to start asking whether he kissed his other friends.

Chu Ci brought his grandmother, Shen Qingxiu, upstairs and let Ye Qingzhou join them for dinner, hiding the truth about their relationship from her. As Ye Qingzhou grew closer to Shen Qingxiu, he began calling Chu Ci “Cici,” leaving Chu Ci unexpectedly pleased by the sound.

• Chu Ci stopped his conversation with Ye Qingzhou when he realized Shen Qingxiu was nearby and took her upstairs.
• Shen Qingxiu invited Ye Qingzhou to stay for dinner, and Ye Qingzhou agreed after Chu Ci nodded.
• Ye Qingzhou carried Shen Qingxiu up the dilapidated stairs and charmed her with compliments.
• Shen Qingxiu asked Ye Qingzhou about his friendship with Chu Ci, and Ye Qingzhou reassured her by praising Chu Ci.
• Shen Qingxiu suggested Ye Qingzhou call Chu Ci “Cici,” and Ye Qingzhou did so, which Chu Ci found surprisingly pleasant.

Ye Qingzhou teased Chu Ci with affectionate nicknames and asked whether he accepted love between people of the same sex. After Chu Ci affirmed that gender did not matter, Ye Qingzhou revealed his fiercely protective ideas about a partner, then apologized in case he had frightened him.

• Ye Qingzhou carried Grandma home, then followed Chu Ci downstairs to buy groceries and called him “Cici.”
• Ye Qingzhou said he had liked Chu Ci at first sight, while Chu Ci questioned how quickly they had become familiar.
• Ye Qingzhou asked whether Chu Ci believed two boys or two girls could fall in love, and Chu Ci said gender should not matter.
• Ye Qingzhou agreed that love had nothing to do with gender and said he would find an arrogant partner cute because it showed the partner felt secure with him.
• Ye Qingzhou said he would grow strong enough to resolve any trouble for the person he loved and make anyone who harmed them pay.
• Ye Qingzhou noticed his words might have frightened Chu Ci, returned to his refined manner, and apologized.

Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou discussed their friendship and their accidental kiss before properly introducing themselves as friends. At the market, Ye Qingzhou told Chu Ci about a paid livestream that evening, and Chu Ci agreed to take part; while Ye Qingzhou called the director, vendors offered free goods in exchange for Ye Qingzhou’s autograph.

• Chu Ci asked whether Ye Qingzhou wanted him to explain their on-show kiss to the man Ye Qingzhou liked, and Ye Qingzhou asked what Chu Ci had been about to say to his grandmother.
• Chu Ci recalled asking whether Ye Qingzhou kissed his other good friends, and Ye Qingzhou said Chu Ci was his first good friend and that their kiss had been his first too.
• Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou introduced themselves properly and agreed to be good friends.
• Ye Qingzhou told Chu Ci that the production team had scheduled a paid livestream for nine that night, and Chu Ci agreed to participate because he needed money.
• Ye Qingzhou went outside to call the director, while market vendors offered Chu Ci free goods if he could get them Ye Qingzhou’s autograph.

Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou went to a neighborhood market, where vendors recognized Ye Qingzhou and asked him for autographs. They left with the groceries, and Ye Qingzhou reminded Chu Ci that good friends did not need to be so polite with each other.

• Market vendors surrounded Chu Ci and asked Ye Qingzhou for autographs.
• Ye Qingzhou signed the rib vendor’s photograph and asked Chu Ci which groceries he wanted.
• Chu Ci chose a vegetable stall, and Ye Qingzhou signed the vendor’s account book.
• Ye Qingzhou carried some of the groceries as he and Chu Ci headed home.
• Chu Ci thanked Ye Qingzhou, who told him that good friends did not need to be so polite.

Chu Ci agreed to move Grandma into Ye Qingzhou’s furnished apartment across the hall, and Ye Qingzhou offered to let him pay rent later—or not at all, since they were friends. After Grandma welcomed Ye Qingzhou with dinner, Chu Ci told her they would pack after eating and asked whether Ye Qingzhou could stay for the livestream.

• Chu Ci returned home with Ye Qingzhou and found missed calls from Grandma, the director, and Ye Qingzhou.
• Ye Qingzhou offered Chu Ci and Grandma the furnished apartment across from his, and Chu Ci accepted the offer to move.
• Chu Ci asked to pay rent later, and Ye Qingzhou said he could stay without paying because they were good friends.
• Shen Qingxiu served Ye Qingzhou ribs, and Chu Ci told her they would pack up after dinner and move.
• Chu Ci asked Ye Qingzhou whether he could stay at the house during the upcoming livestream.

Chu Ci reluctantly agreed to let Ye Qingzhou stay at his home and join the livestream there, while Ye Qingzhou quietly encouraged the online rumors linking them. The official livestream began, and the director teased viewers by keeping the guests’ identities secret.

• Chu Ci worried that rumors about him and Ye Qingzhou would worsen if Ye Qingzhou stayed over, but Ye Qingzhou and Grandma dismissed his concerns.
• Ye Qingzhou revealed through his thoughts that he had told CH’s PR department to leave the rumors alone and even fuel them under suitable circumstances.
• Ye Qingzhou pretended to be hurt when Chu Ci suggested he go home, and Grandma scolded Chu Ci for sending away his best friend.
• Chu Ci relented and let Ye Qingzhou stay at his home to do the livestream.
• At nine, the official Let's Fall in Love account began streaming, and viewers filled the comments with requests to see Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou.
• The director read the comments and jokingly kept the participating guests a secret after viewers failed to say they missed him.

Chu Ci joined a livestream and praised Ye Qingzhou as the nicest guest, then tried to describe them as ordinary friends. Ye Qingzhou walked into Chu Ci’s bedroom during the broadcast to ask to charge his phone, interrupting the explanation and shocking the viewers.

• Chu Ci accepted the director’s connection request and appeared on the livestream, drawing a flood of comments about his looks.
• The director asked Chu Ci about filming the dating show, and Chu Ci praised its games and guests.
• When asked which guest was nicest, Chu Ci immediately named Ye Qingzhou, prompting viewers to debate whether he was sincere or seeking attention.
• The director asked whether Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou had met before or were close friends, and Chu Ci began to say they were ordinary friends.
• Ye Qingzhou opened the bedroom door and asked Chu Ci if he could charge his phone there, then realized the livestream was underway.

During Chu Ci’s livestream, Ye Qingzhou arrived at his home and joined the broadcast using Chu Ci’s phone, prompting viewers to speculate about their relationship. Ye Qingzhou called them good friends, and Chu Ci confirmed it, leaving their earlier claim that they were casual friends exposed.

• Viewers recognized Ye Qingzhou’s voice at Chu Ci’s home, and the director suggested they share a camera because Ye Qingzhou’s phone had no battery.
• Chu Ci invited Ye Qingzhou to join the livestream, and they squeezed together in front of the camera as viewers praised their looks and questioned why Ye Qingzhou was there.
• Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou claimed he had happened to pass by and been invited upstairs by Chu Ci’s grandma, but viewers doubted their explanation.
• The director asked about their relationship, and Ye Qingzhou said he and Chu Ci were good friends.
• When the director asked Chu Ci to confirm, Chu Ci agreed and accepted that viewers would learn he had understated their friendship.

The livestream welcomed Zhou Jin and Li Muting, while viewers focused on Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci sitting close together. Li Muting apologized to Zhou Jin, and the guests continued discussing the filming of "Let's Fall in Love."

• The director welcomed Zhou Jin and asked him about the Exchange Card, and Zhou Jin said he had been surprised by the production team's inventive rules.
• Viewers noticed Ye Qingzhou's fingers resting against Chu Ci's thigh, while Chu Ci tried to hide his discomfort and returned his attention to the livestream.
• The director welcomed Li Muting, who apologized to Zhou Jin for her behavior during the variety show, and Zhou Jin told her it was all right.
• The director asked Ye Qingzhou, Chu Ci, Li Muting, and Zhou Jin more questions about filming "Let's Fall in Love."

During a livestream for "Let's Fall in Love," Chu Ci and Ye Qingzhou made candid remarks about their candy-wrapper kiss and flustered the director and viewers. The livestream ended with Ye Qingzhou saying his first kiss felt "very sweet," leaving Chu Ci's reaction unseen.

• The director asked Ye Qingzhou and Chu Ci how they felt during the candy-wrapper kiss task, and Chu Ci said Ye Qingzhou's lips were very soft.
• Ye Qingzhou agreed and said Chu Ci's lips were softer than marshmallows, leaving the director at a loss for words.
• The director shifted to Zhou Jin and Li Muting, who gave standard answers about the show's games.
• As the livestream neared its end, the director read a viewer's question asking Ye Qingzhou how his first kiss felt.
• Ye Qingzhou remembered Chu Ci's flushed lips and answered that the kiss felt very sweet.

The livestream’s final question gave Li Muting an opportunity to promote a skin-whitening product, but Chu Ci exposed her claims after hearing her thoughts. The director abruptly ended the livestream as the chat erupted over Chu Ci’s bluntness.

• The director asked Li Muting about her skincare routine, and she praised a skin-whitening product while viewers suspected the question was an advertisement.
• Chu Ci heard Li Muting think that injections, not the product, were responsible for her appearance and wondered whether mind reading worked through a screen.
• Ye Qingzhou moved closer to Chu Ci and held his fingers, but Chu Ci focused on Li Muting and blurted out that she had face-slimming and whitening injections.
• Chu Ci insisted Li Muting was misleading viewers by reading ad copy for a product she had not used, and the chat praised him while questioning her claims.
• The director ended the livestream early as the discussion grew heated.

After the livestream, Ye Qingzhou spent more time with Chu Ci and secretly kept Chu Ci’s jacket, while Chu Ci reflected on the battle that had brought him to this unfamiliar world. Ye Qingzhou then told his manager that he really did like Chu Ci.

• Ye Qingzhou accepted Chu Ci’s jacket and asked if he could keep it before leaving in his car.
• Chu Ci and Lele wondered whether a traitor had revealed their battle plan, and Chu Ci remembered that his only regret was not seeing Wu Zhou ascend the throne.
• Ye Qingzhou looked happily at Chu Ci’s jacket as his manager called to offer help managing rumors that Ye Qingzhou liked Chu Ci.
• Ye Qingzhou told his manager that he did like Chu Ci.

After moving Chu Ci and Grandma into a home Ye Qingzhou had prepared, Chu Ci worried that Ye Qingzhou had heard him promise to provide for Grandma, but Ye Qingzhou said he believed in him. Ye Qingzhou offered Chu Ci a role in a political intrigue drama, and Chu Ci began analyzing who would ultimately take the throne.

• Ye Qingzhou admitted to his manager that he liked Chu Ci, and the manager arranged for online discussions to portray them as a sweet couple.
• Chu Ci helped Grandma settle into the spacious home Ye Qingzhou had prepared and reassured her he would earn enough to support her.
• Ye Qingzhou told Chu Ci he had overheard his promises to Grandma and said he believed Chu Ci could succeed.
• Ye Qingzhou offered Chu Ci the role of the sickly, clever third prince in a political intrigue script.
• Chu Ci guessed that the aloof fourth prince would become emperor and explained how the script's political intrigue and character roles shaped his reasoning.