Chapter Summaries

Qian Le explained that Xie Tongchu had angered Director Yan by offering to sleep with him, then leaked a false story blaming Lu Chiyan for the male lead’s replacement. Lu Chiyan learned he had been wrongly blamed all day while Director Yan terminated Xie Tongchu’s contract.

• Qian Le told Lu Chiyan that Xie Tongchu had used drunkenness as an excuse to offer to sleep with Director Yan.
• Qian Le explained that Xie Tongchu had believed a false rumor that Director Yan liked men, angering Director Yan with his offer.
• Qian Le revealed that Xie Tongchu had leaked the news about the male lead’s replacement to turn public opinion against Director Yan and protect his own position.
• Director Yan discovered Xie Tongchu’s scheme and terminated his contract under a clause allowing termination for actions harmful to the production.
• Lu Chiyan realized Xie Tongchu had pinned the blame on him and that people had cursed him on trending topics all day.

Lu Chiyan tried to explain that he had not caused Xie Tongchu’s replacement, but the public took the director’s defense as proof that Lu had used his money to force the decision. The chapter left Lu and Qian Le watching a fan video of Xie Tongchu at the airport after he left the production.

• Lu Chiyan read director Yan Shengting’s post saying the decision to replace Xie Tongchu as Lin Yi was his alone.
• Lu Chiyan hoped the post would clear his name, but online commenters accused him of making the director take the blame.
• Qian Le tried to comfort Lu Chiyan as they realized that further explanations only made the backlash worse.
• Qian Le found a fan video of Xie Tongchu waiting at the airport after ending his contract with the production.

Qin Sili exposed evidence showing that Xie Tongchu had tried to approach Director Yan Shengting at night and had framed Lu Chiyan, causing Xie Tongchu’s public image to collapse. Xie Tongchu was already offline on a flight, leaving him unable to respond as the revelations spread.

• Xie Tongchu posted a video in which he appeared heartbroken, prompting fans to comfort him and attack Lu Chiyan.
• Qian Le told Lu Chiyan that Xie Tongchu’s acting made him difficult to challenge, but Qin Sili showed them new trending topics exposing Xie Tongchu.
• Qin Sili revealed that he had obtained hotel corridor footage, a recording of Yan Shengting’s conversation with Xie Tongchu, and footage of their contract termination meeting.
• The evidence showed that Xie Tongchu had knocked on Yan Shengting’s door late at night and paid for trending topics to frame Lu Chiyan.
• Qin Sili had the evidence posted after Xie Tongchu boarded his flight, leaving him offline as the scandal spread.

After videos exposed Xie Tongchu, online opinion turned against him and Lu Chiyan was cleared of blame. Lu Chiyan headed to the script read-through, while Xie Tongchu arrived to face reporters’ accusations without knowing what had happened.

• Online commenters turned against Xie Tongchu and sympathized with Lu Chiyan after the videos were released.
• Lu Chiyan dismissed the online backlash as fickle, and Qian Le told him the script read-through had been moved to two that afternoon.
• Lu Chiyan got ready to go to work instead of waiting for the production team to find a new male lead.
• Xie Tongchu arrived at the airport expecting to use reporters to pressure the production team into reinstating him.
• Reporters confronted Xie Tongchu with questions about approaching the director, framing Lu Chiyan, and deceiving his fans, leaving him stunned and disheveled.

Xie Tongchu learned that brands were ending contracts and jobs were being canceled after the scandal, while Strange Tales of Luo City prepared to film without a male lead. Lu Chiyan went to Qing City early for work, and Qin Sili decided to follow him there on a supposed business trip.

• Xie Tongchu's assistant escorted him away from the crowd, and Xie Tongchu discovered the scandal on Weibo.
• Brands called Xie Tongchu's assistant to terminate contracts and cancel jobs, leaving Xie Tongchu panicked.
• The director held the Strange Tales of Luo City read-through without a male lead and decided filming would begin on schedule while a replacement was sought.
• Lu Chiyan told Qin Sili he was flying to Qing City early for a brand event and said Qin Sili did not need to see him off.
• Qin Sili canceled his lunch plans, reviewed his schedule with Fang Zhi, and arranged to go to Qing City on a business trip.

Qin Sili rushed to Qing City after missing Lu Chiyan and waited for him at his hotel. After surprising Lu Chiyan with an embrace and a kiss, Qin Sili admitted he had come because he missed him, but their conversation was interrupted by the doorbell.

• Qin Sili landed at Qingcheng Airport in the early morning and told Fang Zhi to take him straight to Lu Chiyan's hotel.
• Qin Sili booked the room next to Lu Chiyan's and waited for him to return from filming a commercial.
• Qin Sili helped the exhausted Lu Chiyan unlock his door, then followed him inside unnoticed.
• Qin Sili startled Lu Chiyan with an embrace, warned him about being careless, and kissed him.
• Qin Sili told Lu Chiyan he had come because he missed him, and the doorbell rang before Lu Chiyan could respond.

Lu Chiyan received roses that he mistook for gifts from Qin Sili, who privately wondered if Fang Zhi had arranged them. The next day, another bouquet arrived, leaving both Lu Chiyan and Qin Sili wondering who had sent the roses.

• A hotel attendant delivered roses to Lu Chiyan with a card addressed to A-Yan, and Lu Chiyan assumed Qin Sili had sent them.
• Lu Chiyan told Qin Sili he preferred white lisianthus, while Qin Sili agreed despite not knowing who had arranged the roses.
• Qin Sili mistakenly credited Fang Zhi with the flowers and promised him a raise, leaving Fang Zhi puzzled but pleased.
• Lu Chiyan was too tired for more than a kiss, so Qin Sili let him rest before the next day’s shoot.
• Qin Sili visited Lu Chiyan’s location shoot with refreshments, where another bouquet of roses arrived and both men realized Qin Sili had not sent either bouquet.

Lu Chiyan finished filming and invited Qin Sili to explore Qing City with him, but Qin Sili grew jealous over the roses sent to Lu Chiyan. When another bouquet arrived at their hotel, Qin Sili threw it away, and Lu Chiyan realized he was jealous even of fans.

• Lu Chiyan dismissed the roses at the film set as a gift from a fan, while Qin Sili questioned Fang Zhi about who had sent them.
• After filming, Lu Chiyan kissed Qin Sili and invited him to a century-old noodle shop in Qing City.
• At the hotel, Qin Sili received another bouquet of roses for Lu Chiyan and learned the hotel staff did not know who had sent it.
• Qin Sili threw the roses into the trash, and Lu Chiyan recognized his jealousy.

Lu Chiyan coaxed Qin Sili out of his jealousy over fan-gifted roses, and the two prepared to go out alone. Their plans were interrupted when Duan Linfeng appeared with another bouquet and declared he would pursue Lu Chiyan again.

• Qin Sili called the roses in the trash garbage, but Lu Chiyan put them on display and persuaded him to smile.
• Lu Chiyan and Qin Sili agreed to go out alone without Qian Le or Fang Zhi.
• When they opened the door, Duan Linfeng stood outside holding roses, and Qin Sili pulled Lu Chiyan behind him.
• Duan Linfeng apologized and said he would pursue Lu Chiyan again, offering him the bouquet.
• Duan Linfeng claimed Lu Chiyan had once promised to forgive him after he sent ninety-nine bouquets, and took Lu Chiyan’s acceptance of earlier roses as a sign he had a chance.

Duan Linfeng promised Lu Chiyan ninety-nine bouquets of roses, but Lu rejected him and threw away his flowers. Qin Sili arranged for the roses to be removed and replaced them with lisianthus, promising to give Lu ninety-nine bouquets every day.

• Duan Linfeng told Lu Chiyan he would give him ninety-nine bouquets of roses, and Qin Sili eyed Lu with suspicion.
• Lu Chiyan told Duan Linfeng their relationship was over, then shut the door and threw the roses into the trash.
• Lu Chiyan lost his appetite and refused to go out, so Qin Sili arranged for the hotel to send them food.
• Qin Sili had a hotel attendant remove the roses, then revealed more than a dozen bouquets of lisianthus and promised Lu ninety-nine bouquets every day.

Lu Chiyan tried to stop Qin Sili from sending him more lisianthus bouquets, then suggested moving to a bigger room. Qin Sili instead brought him to a huge villa in Qing City for him to stay in while filming.

• Lu Chiyan protested that eighteen bouquets were enough and asked Qin Sili not to send the rest of the ninety-nine.
• Qin Sili kissed Lu Chiyan among the flowers, but Lu Chiyan pushed him away because the white bouquets made the room feel creepy.
• Lu Chiyan searched for somewhere to put the bouquets, then asked Qin Sili to find them a bigger room with a balcony.
• Qin Sili agreed and brought Lu Chiyan to a four-story villa in Qing City's Imperial View Villa District.
• Qin Sili offered to arrange a butler, housekeeper, and driver to care for Lu Chiyan while he filmed in Qing City.

Lu Chiyan learned that Wen Zhao had joined the production as the male lead, despite being a top singer-dancer with no acting experience. The casting announcement stunned the public and sent the news trending online.

• Qin Sili told Lu Chiyan he owned many villas and offered him one, while Lu Chiyan admired his wealth and affection.
• Lu Chiyan saw the ninety-nine bouquets Qin Sili had given him displayed under a shelter in the garden.
• The director told Lu Chiyan and Gu Xia'an that a talented rookie would join the cast as the male lead the next day.
• Lu Chiyan and Gu Xia'an discovered that the new male lead was Wen Zhao, a famous singer-dancer trying acting for the first time.
• Wen Zhao greeted Lu Chiyan and Gu Xia'an and formally asked them to guide him.
• Paid photographers posted pictures of Wen Zhao on set, and the production announced him as the male lead, sending the news trending.

Wen Zhao faced online criticism after being cast as the male lead in Strange Tales of Luo City, but he stayed focused on doing the role well. As he began filming opposite Lu Chiyan, proxy photographers gathered on a nearby rooftop.

• Online commenters argued over Wen Zhao's casting and whether he had the acting ability for the male lead.
• Lu Chiyan worried the criticism might affect Wen Zhao and tried to comfort him.
• Wen Zhao said he had expected the backlash and would focus on acting well.
• Wen Zhao joked with Lu Chiyan about seeking his guidance, then fetched him water before Gu Xia'an teased them about a headline.
• Wen Zhao prepared to film his first scene opposite Lu Chiyan as more than a dozen proxy photographers watched from a nearby rooftop.

After an overnight shoot of a fight scene between Lu Chiyan and Wen Zhao, online rumors made it sound as if the actors had fought for real. They could not explain the scene because of production rules, and Pei Zeyan ended by asking if they had fought over Gu Xia'an.

• Lu Chiyan and Wen Zhao filmed a fight scene that took the entire night.
• After wrapping, Lu Chiyan saw trending topics claiming he and Wen Zhao had fought on set.
• Lu Chiyan and Wen Zhao both realized they could not explain that the fight was part of the story, so they left the rumors unanswered.
• Pei Zeyan asked in the group chat whether they had really fought and who had won.
• Pei Zeyan suggested they might have fought over Gu Xia'an, who replied with confusion.

Pei Zeyan joined the production as a cameo, hoping to spend time filming with Wen Zhao, Lu Chiyan, and Gu Xia'an, but his schedule kept him apart from them. At two in the morning, Wen Zhao returned to set and offered to let Pei Zeyan sleep in his RV while he waited for his scenes.

• Pei Zeyan emailed the director to ask for a role, and the director cast him as a key figure in a case with substantial screen time.
• Pei Zeyan arrived on set and told Wen Zhao he had gotten a part, then suggested the four of them play mahjong.
• Gu Xia'an told Pei Zeyan he was booked for scenes that day, including night scenes, while she, Lu Chiyan, and Wen Zhao had none.
• At two in the morning, Pei Zeyan fell asleep on two chairs while waiting to film.
• Wen Zhao woke Pei Zeyan and offered him a place to sleep in his RV, but Pei Zeyan said he still had more filming soon.

Pei Zeyan drank baijiu to get into character and delivered a drunken scene that exceeded the director’s expectations, but became too drunk to continue filming. Wen Zhao caught him when he stumbled away and agreed to help him find the bathroom.

• Wen Zhao let Pei Zeyan rest in his RV while the set was being changed.
• After an hour, Wen Zhao woke Pei Zeyan to return to filming.
• Pei Zeyan drank half a bottle of baijiu and performed the drunken scene better than the director expected.
• The crew postponed the next scene because Pei Zeyan was too drunk to work.
• Yangyang left Pei Zeyan seated while packing up, but Pei Zeyan got up and stumbled into Wen Zhao.
• Pei Zeyan insisted he was not drunk and struggled against Wen Zhao as Wen Zhao tried to guide him to the bathroom.

Wen Zhao escorted a drunken Pei Zeyan to the restroom, where Pei Zeyan made him confirm that his genitals were big. The next day, Pei Zeyan asked whether he had done anything embarrassing, and Wen Zhao reminded him of the incident.

• Wen Zhao stopped Pei Zeyan from wandering toward the paparazzi and guided him to the restroom.
• Pei Zeyan chose the women's restroom sign before Wen Zhao redirected him to the men's restroom.
• Pei Zeyan asked Wen Zhao whether his genitals were big, and Wen Zhao reluctantly agreed before Pei Zeyan put his pants back on.
• Yangyang searched the set for Pei Zeyan until Jiangjiang told her that Wen Zhao had taken him home.
• The next day, Pei Zeyan asked Wen Zhao what he had done while drunk, and Wen Zhao recounted the restroom incident.

Pei Zeyan and Wen Zhao were caught in an awkward embrace in the makeup room, and Lu Chiyan and Gu Xia'an mistakenly thought they were having an affair. Lu Chiyan excitedly told Qin Sili what he had seen, and Qin Sili hinted that Lu Chiyan would soon be too busy to gossip.

• Pei Zeyan covered Wen Zhao's mouth, stumbled, and fell into his arms, with Wen Zhao steadying him by the waist.
• Lu Chiyan and Gu Xia'an entered the makeup room, saw them together, and left after brushing aside Pei Zeyan's attempts to explain.
• Pei Zeyan asked Wen Zhao whether Lu Chiyan and Gu Xia'an had misunderstood, and Wen Zhao pointed out that neither had listened to his explanation.
• Lu Chiyan messaged Qin Sili that he had caught Wen Zhao and Pei Zeyan in the makeup room and speculated that Wen Zhao had started acting to make dating easier.
• Qin Sili told Lu Chiyan he would soon have enough filming work to stop worrying about other people's gossip.

Qin Sili surprised Lu Chiyan at the villa, and the two reunited with affectionate teasing that turned into a playful struggle over who would take the lead. The chapter ended with Lu Chiyan pinning Qin Sili down as Qin Sili watched him expectantly.

• Qin Sili arrived at the villa that night, and Lu Chiyan hurried over to embrace him.
• Qin Sili reminded Lu Chiyan that he had told him to wait, then said he had missed him.
• Qin Sili hinted at wanting intimacy and carried Lu Chiyan upstairs over his shoulder despite his protests.
• Lu Chiyan threatened Qin Sili, then slapped and squeezed his butt after ordering him to turn around.
• Lu Chiyan proposed that Qin Sili take the bottom and pulled him onto the bed, pinning him beneath himself.
• Qin Sili did not resist as Lu Chiyan touched him, watching with anticipation.

Lu Chiyan tried to top Qin Sili, but Qin Sili turned the tables and left Lu Chiyan crying instead. On set, Pei Zeyan joined Wen Zhao in his RV before filming another drunken scene, and Wen Zhao eagerly asked whether he had agreed to drink.

• Lu Chiyan teased Qin Sili and tried to take the lead, but his body failed to cooperate.
• Qin Sili rolled Lu Chiyan over and made him cry, then told him he loved him.
• Pei Zeyan arrived at the set and climbed into Wen Zhao's RV while Wen Zhao read a script.
• Pei Zeyan told Wen Zhao the director had praised his drunken scene and mentioned he had another one to film.
• Wen Zhao asked Pei Zeyan whether he had agreed to get more alcohol, leaving Pei Zeyan puzzled by his enthusiasm.