Recaps

Xun Yuan arrived in Shen City with Zuo Tingyue, rested while he handled a stalled acquisition, and later shared a quiet sunset with him. The chapter left them embracing at the hotel windows as she repeatedly called his name.

• Xun Yuan refused to leave the plane with Zuo Tingyue until he offered to take her to the hotel to rest.
• Zuo Tingyue brought Xun Yuan to a hotel in Shen City, where his team reported that Leap had delayed their acquisition after contact from a leading local conglomerate.
• Zuo Tingyue ordered his team to meet Leap's representative again and lower their original offer by five percent.
• Xun Yuan woke and invited Zuo Tingyue to admire the sunset with her; he embraced her from behind and held her hand.
• Xun Yuan called Zuo Tingyue by his full name several times, and he finally answered with a low acknowledgment.

Xun Yuan went out with Zuo Tingyue to admire Shen City's nightscape, then was shaken by a storm that brought back memories of a traumatic rainy night. Zuo Tingyue found her after she broke a glass and comforted her, though she denied being upset.

• Xun Yuan teased Zuo Tingyue into driving her around Shen City after changing into a qipao.
• Zuo Tingyue drove Xun Yuan along Shennan Avenue, where she admired the city's lights and reflected on how rarely she had stopped to enjoy the scenery.
• A nighttime thunderstorm reminded Xun Yuan of a blood-soaked rainy night, and she dropped a glass while reaching for water.
• Zuo Tingyue entered the room, stopped Xun Yuan from picking up the broken glass, and carried her back to bed.
• Zuo Tingyue asked whether Xun Yuan had been crying, but she blamed her reaction on being startled by the thunder.

Xun Yuan and Zuo Tingyue spent the night together, then he took her on a cruise while meeting Shen City business leaders about an acquisition. Xun Yuan fished with Special Assistant Lin as Zuo Tingyue discussed business, and the chapter ended with her growing bored.

• Xun Yuan teased Zuo Tingyue after he came to her room, then dried his hair and fell asleep beside him.
• Zuo Tingyue ordered his team to continue drafting the acquisition contract despite Leap demanding a ten percent adjustment.
• Zuo Tingyue invited Xun Yuan on a cruise, and she agreed.
• Zuo Tingyue met Shen City company heads aboard the cruise ship while Xun Yuan tried fishing with Special Assistant Lin.
• Xun Yuan grew tired of fishing after fifteen minutes without a bite.

Xun Yuan returned to Harbor City with Zuo Tingyue after the acquisition of Leap was secured, then resumed restoring a Guanyin relief and met Yun Tang for dinner. Yun Tang revealed that her family wanted her to meet a marriage-alliance candidate, and Xun Yuan advised her to refuse if she did not want to go.

• Xun Yuan asked Zuo Tingyue to take her diving to see red coral, but he said they would go after returning to Harbor City because rain was forecast.
• Xun Yuan learned that Leap’s board members had been caught soliciting prostitutes, and Leap agreed to the acquisition after its scandal sent its stock price plummeting.
• Xun Yuan returned to Harbor City with Zuo Tingyue, answered emails, and spent seven hours restoring a polychrome Guanyin relief.
• Yun Tang invited Xun Yuan to dinner and asked for her help winning at cards against the young masters in Harbor City.
• Yun Tang told Xun Yuan that her family wanted her to meet a marriage-alliance candidate, and Xun Yuan advised her to find a way to turn it down.

After drinking with Yun Tang, Xun Yuan was left waiting outside the karaoke venue when her driver failed to arrive. Zuo Tingyue came across her with a college boy and, after the boy left, Xun Yuan asked whether she could pursue his love.

• Xun Yuan drank with Yun Tang, and Jiang Yulin arrived to take Yun Tang home after the venue owner called him.
• Jiang Yulin messaged Zuo Tingyue to ask him to look for Xun Yuan while Zuo Tingyue was finalizing a business deal with Mr. Lake.
• Xun Yuan's driver could not come, and a college boy offered to wait with her; she repeatedly told him she did not need his help.
• Zuo Tingyue found Xun Yuan with the college boy and told him to leave, so Xun Yuan said they knew each other and sent him away.
• Zuo Tingyue called Xun Yuan shallow after she praised his looks, and Xun Yuan asked, "Can I be after your love?"

After Xun Yuan kissed Zuo Tingyue while drunk, he took her to the hotel, where she quietly slept in the room next door instead of staying with him. The next morning, she saw him reviewing and signing documents with Special Assistant Lin and left for her studio.

• Xun Yuan grabbed Zuo Tingyue's tie and kissed him, and he kissed her back roughly enough to split her lip.
• Zuo Tingyue took Xun Yuan's car keys, sent Special Assistant Lin to drive her car to the hotel, and brought her there himself.
• After Zuo Tingyue showered, Xun Yuan admitted she was sober and went to the adjoining room to sleep.
• Special Assistant Lin messaged Xun Yuan that her car was in the hotel parking lot and its keys were at the front desk.
• Xun Yuan found Zuo Tingyue signing a contract with Special Assistant Lin, greeted them, and left for her studio.

Xun Yuan received a rare red coral gift from Zuo Tingyue, then won back Yun Tang’s gambling losses during a night out with their friends. Zuo Tingyue drove Xun Yuan to his hotel, where he kissed her in the elevator.

• Special Assistant Lin delivered a rare red coral that Zuo Tingyue had taken from the Zuo Family’s old residence for Xun Yuan.
• Xun Yuan met Yun Tang at the club, played cards with their friends, and won back all the money Yun Tang had lost, with interest.
• Zuo Tingyue arrived at the club, and Special Assistant Lin offered to take Yun Tang home.
• Zuo Tingyue persuaded Xun Yuan to ride with him to his hotel, where she asked him about the red coral gift.
• While they rode the elevator, Zuo Tingyue put his arm around Xun Yuan’s waist and kissed her.

After a heated night together, Xun Yuan woke with a fever while Zuo Tingyue stayed by her side. Once she asked him to get food from a late-night restaurant that did not deliver, he agreed to go himself.

• Zuo Tingyue carried Xun Yuan to the hotel room, retrieved her dropped heels, and kissed her before taking her to the shower.
• The next morning, Xun Yuan woke with a fever as Wen Zhou treated her and teased her and Zuo Tingyue about their exertions.
• Zuo Tingyue sent Wen Zhou away and asked Xun Yuan whether she felt unwell; she said she was hungry.
• Xun Yuan challenged Zuo Tingyue to obtain food from a restaurant that did not deliver, and he told her to wait while he went to get it.

After recovering from her fever, Xun Yuan returned to her restoration work while Zuo Tingyue traveled to Macau City for a troubled project and sent her money. She focused on restoring an antique for half a month, then took a relaxing hot-spring outing with Yun Tang.

• Xun Yuan asked Zuo Tingyue to remove her IV needle, then borrowed his laptop to handle overseas work from Cheng Yuan.
• Zuo Tingyue met with Lou Jing, Jiang Yulin, and Lin Sheng about problems with the government-backed Guangdong-Hong Kong Bay project, and they flew to Macau City.
• Xun Yuan noticed a large transfer from Zuo Tingyue, called to ask why he sent it, and heard him say he liked giving her money.
• Xun Yuan concentrated on restoring an antique for half a month and declined Yun Tang's invitations until she agreed to visit a hot-spring resort.
• Xun Yuan and Yun Tang splashed each other in the hot spring, and Xun Yuan received a massage from a rehabilitation therapist while Yun Tang watched.

After returning from Macau City, Jiang Yulin and his friends gathered at a hot spring resort for a late-night bonfire and barbecue. When Jiang Yulin asked whether Xun Yuan wanted a rightful place by Zuo Tingyue’s side, Zuo Tingyue arrived and overheard her answer.

• Jiang Yulin and Lou Jing went to the hot spring resort after returning to Harbor City, while Zuo Tingyue left separately.
• At the resort, Yun Tang asked why they had gone to Macau City, and Jiang Yulin said losing face mattered as much as losing money.
• Jiang Yulin grilled food while Lou Jing teased him about an old failed romance, and the group ate and drank together.
• Jiang Yulin asked why Xun Yuan had fallen for Zuo Tingyue, and she said she liked his looks and his fit body.
• Jiang Yulin asked whether Xun Yuan wanted a rightful place by Zuo Tingyue’s side, and Zuo Tingyue arrived and stopped after overhearing him.

After a night of drinking, Xun Yuan slipped away from the gathering while Lin Sheng took the drunken Yun Tang back to her suite. The next morning, Yun Tang revealed she had slept with a man, and breakfast left Xun Yuan watching Zuo Tingyue arrive with a striking woman.

• Xun Yuan answered Zuo Tingyue’s question ambiguously, then returned to her suite and exchanged a cool greeting with him in the hallway.
• Jiang Yulin found Yun Tang drunk and asked Lin Sheng to escort her to her room; Yun Tang struggled and tore open Lin Sheng’s shirt along the way.
• Yun Tang visited Xun Yuan the next morning and admitted she had slept with a man, then rushed out when Xun Yuan asked whether they had used protection.
• Xun Yuan joined Yun Tang for breakfast, where Yun Tang asked about her studio work and reacted when Zuo Tingyue arrived with a woman in a white blouse and fitted skirt.

Xun Yuan stayed calm after seeing Zuo Tingyue with another woman and spent the day enjoying the resort with Yun Tang. At the pool, she drew close to Zuo Tingyue and teased him, leaving him to ask if she was playing with fire.

• Xun Yuan told Yun Tang she would not trouble herself over uncertainty about Zuo Tingyue and would let their relationship take its course.
• Xun Yuan and Yun Tang played golf, then went swimming after the sun became too bright.
• Zuo Tingyue arrived at the pool and watched Xun Yuan emerge from the water.
• Xun Yuan spoke casually with Zuo Tingyue while Yun Tang left them alone.
• Xun Yuan walked up to Zuo Tingyue, pulled his shirt from his trousers, and drew him close enough for him to ask if she was playing with fire.

Xun Yuan and Zuo Tingyue shared a heated encounter in the pool that ended without going further, then Xun Yuan vacationed in Sanya with Yun Tang. A persistent foreigner approached Xun Yuan on the beach, where Zuo Tingyue appeared and then came over to her.

• Xun Yuan pulled Zuo Tingyue into the pool, and the two kissed and struggled to restrain themselves before parting without anything happening.
• Xun Yuan later sat on the beach in Sanya while Yun Tang went into the sea to play.
• A blond foreign man repeatedly asked Xun Yuan for a drink and ignored her blunt rejection.
• The foreign man noticed Zuo Tingyue, spoke with him, and Zuo Tingyue glanced toward Xun Yuan.
• Zuo Tingyue eventually appeared before Xun Yuan, who held a grudge over their pool encounter.

Xun Yuan reunited with Zuo Tingyue after their encounter at the beach, and he invited her and Yun Tang to join him in first class on their flight back to Harbor City. As she watched him work, Xun Yuan reflected on her attraction to him and realized she already knew what she would choose if forced to decide between reason and emotion.

• Xun Yuan left the beach after Zuo Tingyue claimed he held the development rights to the land, then later welcomed Yun Tang to her hotel room.
• Xun Yuan and Yun Tang ate seafood, discussed Yun Tang's lack of interest in taking over her family's business, and went out to sea before returning to the hotel at two in the morning.
• Xun Yuan and Yun Tang found that first class was fully booked on their flight back to Harbor City, then Zuo Tingyue's bodyguard invited them to join him there.
• Xun Yuan sat beside Zuo Tingyue while Yun Tang chose a distant seat, and Xun Yuan later woke from the cold to watch him work.
• Xun Yuan reflected on her attraction to Zuo Tingyue and realized she already knew what she would keep and what she would let go; Zuo Tingyue looked up and caught her watching him.

Xun Yuan finished restoring a bodhisattva and met with Mr. Dong, who tried to recruit her to a museum before accepting that restoration would remain her hobby. Later, she overheard Yun Tang and Lin Sheng arguing about her blind date, ending with Lin Sheng walking away and Yun Tang leaning against the wall.

• On the plane, Xun Yuan sketched Zuo Tingyue at work and gave him the drawing before they parted in Harbor City.
• After a week of work, Xun Yuan completed the bodhisattva restoration and arranged to meet its owner, Mr. Dong.
• Mr. Dong examined the artifact and invited Xun Yuan to work at a museum, but she firmly declined because she wanted restoration to remain a hobby.
• Xun Yuan and Mr. Dong talked about restoration until dusk, then she drove to a Capital-style restaurant after receiving a call.
• In the restaurant corridor, Xun Yuan overheard Yun Tang challenge Lin Sheng's objections to her blind date and reference their one-night stand.
• Lin Sheng released Yun Tang and left after telling her not to speak that way, while Yun Tang leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

Xun Yuan attended dinner with Yun Tang and Harbor City’s young heirs, where Zuo Tingyue joined them and shared soup with her. Later, Xun Yuan saw a woman beside Zuo Tingyue at a club and heard how the woman had once helped him; the chapter ended with Xun Yuan calling her impressive.

• Xun Yuan covered for Yun Tang when Jiang Yulin asked where she had gone, and Yun Tang soon returned to the private dining room.
• Jiang Yulin revealed he had taken rare Da Hong Pao tea from his father, and the group waited for Zuo Tingyue before eating.
• Zuo Tingyue sat beside Xun Yuan, who served him chicken soup; after he called it good, she stopped speaking to him for the rest of dinner.
• Xun Yuan recognized the restaurant’s Capital-style cuisine and found its older owner familiar, though she could not place him.
• Xun Yuan drove Yun Tang to a club, where they spotted a woman in white sitting beside Zuo Tingyue.
• Yun Tang told Xun Yuan how the woman had once helped Zuo Tingyue and criticized her ambition, but Xun Yuan said she thought the woman was impressive.

At a gathering, Xun Yuan watched Ye Wenyin try to win Zuo Tingyue’s attention, then went home separately from him. After resting and visiting her maternal grandparents, she received Zuo Tingyue’s late-night call to come downstairs and left with him to go abroad for a diving trip.

• Xun Yuan declined to sing while Ye Wenyin sang a love song and asked Zuo Tingyue whether he liked it, but he remained aloof.
• Ye Wenyin asked Zuo Tingyue about joining the ballet company in Harbor City, and he told her to speak to Chu Xu.
• Xun Yuan and Zuo Tingyue briefly spoke outside while waiting for their rides, then Xun Yuan went home with a designated driver.
• Xun Yuan rested, handled overseas matters, contacted Special Assistant Cheng and an old acquaintance, and visited her maternal grandparents.
• Zuo Tingyue called Xun Yuan late at night and told her to come downstairs because he was going abroad to dive.
• Xun Yuan packed a few clothes and went to the black Bentley waiting outside, where Zuo Tingyue was working.

Xun Yuan traveled with Zuo Tingyue to Sydney for a diving trip, then spent the day exploring the city while he worked and slept. After watching the opera “Guys and Dolls,” she returned to the hotel, leaving her thoughts about love unclear.

• Xun Yuan fell asleep during the journey, and Zuo Tingyue carried her onto the plane and continued working beside her.
• Zuo Tingyue left the airport in a separate car, while Xun Yuan rode to the hotel with an assistant who was not Special Assistant Lin.
• In Harbor City, Yun Tang and Special Assistant Lin spent the night together.
• Zuo Tingyue returned to the hotel after being away overnight, and Xun Yuan learned he was exhausted from staying up all night.
• Xun Yuan explored Sydney with a young driver, watched “Guys and Dolls” at the Sydney Opera House, and tipped him generously before returning to the hotel.

Xun Yuan spent the day with Zuo Tingyue in Sydney as he arranged for her to join him at a golf meeting and then took her to lunch. The chapter ended with them sharing dessert by the sea.

• Xun Yuan returned to the suite and teased Zuo Tingyue for neglecting her while he worked.
• After Zuo Tingyue left during the night, his assistant collected Xun Yuan and drove her to a golf club.
• Xun Yuan watched Zuo Tingyue play golf and kept him company while he discussed a collaboration with Peter.
• Zuo Tingyue ended the meeting early to take Xun Yuan to eat, and Xun Yuan clarified to Peter that she was not his wife.
• Zuo Tingyue took Xun Yuan to Quay, where they ate lunch overlooking the ocean and shared dessert.

During their trip from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef, Xun Yuan and Zuo Tingyue’s teasing turned into a cold rift, which persisted despite Jiang Yulin’s attempts to intervene. After several days at sea, Zuo Tingyue sent Xun Yuan gifts to make peace, but she confronted him about his intentions.

• Xun Yuan helped Zuo Tingyue with business in Sydney, then went to a nightclub, where she kissed and teased him after he arrived to take her away.
• Zuo Tingyue took the sleeping Xun Yuan by plane and cruise ship toward the Great Barrier Reef; when she woke, she apologized tenderly, but he pushed her hand away and she left the deck.
• Jiang Yulin and Lou Jing joined them at the reef, where Xun Yuan kicked Jiang Yulin into the water before diving among the coral.
• Jiang Yulin urged Zuo Tingyue to give way to Xun Yuan, but Zuo Tingyue dismissed him, and the pair remained estranged during three days at sea.
• Zuo Tingyue sent Xun Yuan a coral ornament and pearls, but she questioned what the gifts meant and confronted him at his room.

After a tense exchange aboard the cruise ship, Xun Yuan and Zuo Tingyue stayed apart, though he later carried her back to her office when she got drunk. At Yun Tang’s birthday gathering, Xun Yuan admitted their conflict went deeper than the gifts, and the chapter ended with Zuo Tingyue offering her a ride that she refused.

• Zuo Tingyue rebuffed Xun Yuan’s attempt to test his feelings, and his assistant arranged for Jiang Yulin to deliver the gifts to her.
• Xun Yuan stayed with her maternal grandparents for several days, then told Jiang Yulin she might sell Zuo Tingyue’s gifts and donate the money.
• After Xun Yuan got drunk at the club, Zuo Tingyue steadied her and carried her to the lounge in her office.
• Xun Yuan attended Yun Tang’s birthday gathering, where she told Yun Tang that the dispute with Zuo Tingyue was only a pretext for a deeper problem.
• When Xun Yuan’s phone died after the party, Zuo Tingyue offered her a ride in his Bentley, but she refused and said she would find a designated driver.

Xun Yuan rode home with Zuo Tingyue, only to discover that he lived on the ninth floor of her building. Their argument in the elevator ended when Zuo Tingyue closed the doors and kissed her.

• Xun Yuan accepted a ride to Repulse Bay with Zuo Tingyue and the driver.
• Zuo Tingyue followed Xun Yuan into her building and revealed that he lived on the ninth floor.
• Xun Yuan cursed at Zuo Tingyue and challenged his right to tell her what to do.
• When the elevator reached the ninth floor, Zuo Tingyue pressed the close-door button instead of leaving.
• Zuo Tingyue lowered his head and kissed Xun Yuan.

Xun Yuan and Zuo Tingyue resumed their charged rivalry, while Yun Tang grew closer to Special Assistant Lin and faced a family-arranged blind date. The chapter ended with Xun Yuan running into Zuo Tingyue at the restaurant and signaling that she wanted his help avoiding an invitation upstairs.

• Xun Yuan bit Zuo Tingyue's lip after he had bitten hers, and they agreed they were even before going upstairs together.
• Special Assistant Lin took the drunken Yun Tang home, cooked noodles for her, and she found herself drawn to his domestic side.
• Xun Yuan delivered the restored relic, then met Yun Tang, who explained that her parents had arranged a blind date for her.
• Yun Tang went to meet her date while Xun Yuan waited nearby at the restaurant.
• Xun Yuan encountered Special Assistant Lin, Zuo Tingyue, and their business partners, and she gave Zuo Tingyue a pointed look when a partner invited her upstairs.

After Zuo Tingyue summoned Xun Yuan, he took her to dinner and then brought her to his hotel suite, where she joined him and his staff. He gave her a signed agreement transferring the proceeds from a lucrative project, leaving her to decide when to accept it by signing.

• Xun Yuan left the restaurant to meet Zuo Tingyue, and he took her to eat after learning she had not had dinner.
• Zuo Tingyue watched Xun Yuan eat until she told him he was making her self-conscious, prompting him to laugh.
• After dinner, Xun Yuan returned with Zuo Tingyue to his hotel suite, where his corporate staff were working.
• Zuo Tingyue handed Xun Yuan the contracts from their Australia project, then showed her an agreement giving her the project's proceeds.
• Zuo Tingyue told Xun Yuan she could sign the gift agreement whenever she wished.

Xun Yuan accepted Zuo Tingyue’s document, but saw it as security that also made clear the limits of what he was willing to give her. After a nightmare about her dead father left her unable to sleep, Zuo Tingyue comforted her by drawing her into an intimate embrace.

• Xun Yuan accepted the document from Zuo Tingyue and privately reflected that he offered her money and power but not anything more.
• Xun Yuan dreamed of her father giving her a treasured gift, then relived the violence surrounding her mother’s death and woke in a sweat.
• Xun Yuan learned Zuo Tingyue had returned from work at two in the morning and admitted she had dreamed and could not sleep.
• Zuo Tingyue tenderly touched Xun Yuan’s face and asked why she was crying; she insisted she was not.
• Zuo Tingyue lifted Xun Yuan into his arms and kissed her, beginning an intimate encounter as autumn rain fell outside.