Chapter Summaries

Chi Li and Shen Xunye flirted as Shen Xunye lifted him, while Shen Qiang watched and later joined the group for lunch. During the meal, Chi Li explained that although his parents were alive, their new families had left him living on his own.

• Shen Xunye lifted Chi Li and teased him until Chi Li smiled and agreed to be nice to him.
• Shen Qiang watched the pair, and Jiang Lele tried to reassure him that they were only playing around.
• The group welcomed Shen Qiang as a temporary member and sat down to eat together.
• Shen Qiang asked Chi Li about his family, and Chi Li explained that his divorced parents had each started new families.
• Chi Li said his mother's new husband's family had not wanted her to bring a son into the marriage, so she left Chi Li to live on his own.

Chi Li described his emotionally distant parents and explained why he chose an entertainment career, while Shen Qiang and the others grew more sympathetic toward him. Meanwhile, Zhou Yang made an ambiguous comment about a past relationship, and Fang Jin pulled Chi Li aside to ask whether anything had ever happened between him and Zhou Yang.

• Chi Li told Shen Qiang and Shen Xunye that his parents had remarried into other families, left him without much care, and provided him with money.
• Chi Li explained that his beautiful but careless parents married because they found each other beautiful, and he said he chose Starlight Entertainment because he wanted to be seen and heard.
• Shen Qiang praised Chi Li and then passed the conversation to Jiang Lele, while Zhou Yang drank and watched Chi Li from across the table.
• Zhou Yang said that he did not think his relationship with someone should have ended as it did, and Xie Weishui comforted him.
• Fang Jin pulled Chi Li aside, repeated Zhou Yang and Xie Weishui's conversation, and asked whether Chi Li and Zhou Yang had ever had anything between them.

Chi Li admitted to Fang Jin that he had dated Zhou Yang and then joined the others for a meal, where Xie Weishui proposed a game of truth or dare. As the game began, Chi Li noticed Xie Weishui manipulating the spinner and realized he was preparing to make a move.

• Chi Li told Fang Jin he had dated Zhou Yang and said he was not worried if Zhou Yang made their relationship public.
• Fang Jin returned to the table with Chi Li and explained that he had asked him to make a vegetable salad.
• Xie Weishui suggested truth or dare, and Chi Li proposed that anyone selected twice in one round should receive a punishment from everyone.
• Jiang Lele chose truth and revealed that he had not had his first kiss.
• Shen Qiang chose truth and said he brushed his teeth with his eyes closed to get more sleep.
• Chi Li noticed Xie Weishui make a small move behind the spinner as the next round began.

During a truth-or-dare game, Zhou Yang claimed he and Chi Li had recently broken up and asked to reunite, but Chi Li exposed his story as a lie. Chi Li revealed Zhou Yang had harassed him after their amicable breakup and hinted that he still had evidence.

• Xie Weishui chose Zhou Yang for the round and asked him to reveal a secret, prompting Zhou Yang to claim he had dated Chi Li.
• Zhou Yang said they had broken up recently because Chi Li opposed him joining the show, then claimed Chi Li had become cold and embarrassed him on camera.
• Zhou Yang asked Chi Li to get back together, and Shen Xunye rejected the idea.
• Chi Li pointed out that Zhou Yang had forgotten to act drunk and said their breakup had been amicable.
• Chi Li said Zhou Yang had harassed him after the breakup and asked whether Zhou Yang thought being blocked meant the evidence was gone.

Chi Li exposed Zhou Yang’s post-breakup harassment, then returned to the party game and chose to drink rather than answer a truth or perform a dare. He began downing seven drinks, apparently hoping to get drunk so he could rest.

• Chi Li threatened to show viewers Zhou Yang’s explicit messages, and Zhou Yang’s panic convinced everyone that he had harassed Chi Li.
• Xie Weishui berated Zhou Yang for revealing Chi Li’s secret, while Chi Li put away his phone to avoid holding up the game.
• The group continued playing, and Zhou Yang was ignored as Xie Weishui spun the pointer for a final round.
• The pointer landed on Chi Li twice, but Chi Li refused both truth and dare and called for seven drinks.
• Shen Xunye warned Chi Li that he could not handle drinking, but Chi Li downed his first drink and continued through several more.

After Chi Li drank himself sick, Shen Xunye carried him upstairs and kissed him while he was drunk, then claimed that Chi Li belonged to him. Chi Li sleepily insisted that Shen Xunye was his, but he himself belonged to himself.

• Chi Li kept drinking to make viewers think he was hurt by his failed relationship, until Shen Xunye stopped him and carried him upstairs.
• In their room, Chi Li admitted Xie Weishui had taught him to play the victim, and Shen Xunye told him not to get tangled up with his ex again.
• Shen Xunye kissed the drunken Chi Li forcefully and reminded him that he had said, "I'm yours."
• Chi Li agreed that Shen Xunye was his, but insisted that he belonged to himself too, then drifted toward sleep.

Shen Xunye kept Fang Jin away from the sleeping Chi Li, then learned that Chi Li remembered their kiss when he woke. Meanwhile, Shen Qiang discussed Chi Li’s rising prospects with Shen Yu, who said he would not interfere with Chi Li’s dating life.

• Shen Xunye took Fang Jin’s sobering soup but refused to let him see Chi Li or prepare food for him.
• Shen Qiang spoke with Shen Yu, who explained that Chi Li’s opportunities came from partners’ own offers and that he would not impose a dating ban on Chi Li.
• Shen Yu hung up after telling Shen Qiang that not making things harder for him was already enough brotherly love.
• At four in the afternoon, Shen Xunye returned with food and found Chi Li awake in the bathroom wearing his T-shirt.
• Shen Xunye asked whether Chi Li remembered what happened before he fell asleep, and Chi Li answered that Shen Xunye had kissed him.

Shen Xunye asked Chi Li to date him, but Chi Li said he was not ready, so Shen Xunye proposed that they become kissing partners instead. Chi Li agreed with limits, then found himself enjoying their kiss before Shen Xunye went to fetch food and slippers.

• Shen Xunye asked Chi Li to go out with him, and Chi Li said he was not ready to date.
• Shen Xunye suggested they upgrade from bromance partners to kissing partners, and Chi Li agreed on the conditions that they not kiss on camera and not do it too often.
• Shen Xunye lifted Chi Li onto the sink and kissed him, while Chi Li realized he felt no resistance and even liked it.
• Shen Xunye stopped kissing Chi Li and said he would get him food and slippers, and Chi Li gave him his room code and asked for the pale yellow pair.

After Zhou Yang was removed from the show, Chi Li sent evidence of his misconduct to his manager and considered new work offers while Shen Xunye fed him porridge. Later, Shen Qiang ran acting exercises for the group and threatened to demonstrate a kissing scene with Chi Li after Shen Xunye refused to participate.

• Shen Xunye told Chi Li that Zhou Yang had been removed from the show, and Chi Li regretted not seeing him leave.
• Chi Li told Shen Xunye he was discussing the exposé and work offers with Li Ming, and said he had sent the evidence to be posted on the company account.
• Shen Xunye fed Chi Li porridge while Chi Li continued messaging Li Ming.
• Shen Qiang praised Wei Xuan and Jiang Lele after they acted out a breakup scene.
• Shen Qiang asked Shen Xunye to demonstrate a scene, but Shen Xunye refused, so Shen Qiang looked for a kissing scene to act with Chi Li.

Shen Xunye and Chi Li rehearsed a dramatic confrontation scene, with Chi Li slapping Shen Xunye and Shen Xunye pulling him into an embrace. After Shen Qiang called the scene over, Shen Xunye kept holding Chi Li, who asked if the slap had hurt.

• Shen Xunye agreed to perform the scene, but objected to the script's slap and lack of a kissing scene.
• Chi Li persuaded Shen Xunye to go ahead so they could accept Shen Qiang's coaching.
• Chi Li and Shen Xunye performed a confrontation in which Shen Xunye accused Chi Li of cheating on his fiancé and Chi Li slapped him.
• Shen Xunye declared that he would accept anything as long as Chi Li stayed by his side, then pulled Chi Li into a tight embrace.
• Shen Qiang stopped the music and separated them, but Chi Li explained that no one had called cut and asked whether Shen Xunye's cheek hurt.

During acting practice, Chi Li and Shen Xunye impressed the group with their chemistry, while Shen Qiang gave them advice and asked Chi Li to call him “big brother.” The group later performed enthusiasm for a fried chicken sponsorship, and after the livestream ended, Li Ming summoned Chi Li downstairs.

• Shen Qiang asked Jiang Lele, Wei Xuan, Fang Jin, and Xie Weishui to critique Chi Li and Shen Xunye’s performance, and they praised its impact and chemistry.
• Shen Qiang said their scene worked because of their familiarity and trust, then encouraged Chi Li to call him “big brother.”
• Shen Qiang paired Xie Weishui with Fang Jin for another acting scene, and the practice continued until the fried chicken arrived at seven.
• The group enthusiastically praised the sponsored fried chicken, with Wei Xuan dropping to his knees and declaring it delicious.
• After the group dispersed and the livestream ended, Li Ming called Chi Li downstairs.

Li Ming brought Chi Li brand promotions and a movie cameo offer, while Chi Li learned more about Shen Xunye’s family and accepted one endorsement. Shen Qiang visited Chi Li and asked him to be more patient with Shen Xunye.

• Li Ming showed Chi Li NEXXT outfits, product placements, a joint bracelet endorsement with Shen Xunye, and a movie cameo offer from Jiang Shi.
• Chi Li agreed to the bracelet promotion, declined the other product deals, and said he would consider the cameo.
• Chi Li told Li Ming that Shen Xunye was Shen Qiang’s younger brother, startling Li Ming.
• Shen Qiang waited outside Chi Li’s room and told him he was not there to ask him to leave Shen Xunye.
• Shen Qiang asked Chi Li to be a little more patient with Shen Xunye.

Shen Qiang told Chi Li about Shen Xunye’s emotional condition and warned that falling in love could make Shen Xunye intensely possessive. Chi Li said he trusted Shen Xunye and would help him find other interests, while Shen Qiang left and found Shen Xunye waiting outside the door.

• Shen Qiang explained that Chi Li was the only person who stirred Shen Xunye’s emotions and brought color to his otherwise dull world.
• Shen Qiang warned that Shen Xunye might become strongly possessive of someone he liked, but Chi Li said he would help him broaden his interests.
• Shen Qiang told Chi Li not to feel obligated to accept Shen Xunye’s behavior, and Chi Li sincerely thanked him for speaking up for him online.
• Shen Qiang accepted Chi Li’s offer to return the favor and prepared to leave.
• Shen Qiang opened the door and found Shen Xunye standing silently in the hallway.

After Shen Qiang left, Shen Xunye stayed with Chi Li and gave him a bracelet for their joint promotion. When Chi Li worried that his new life might be unreal, Shen Xunye let him feel his heartbeat, and Chi Li began exploring his body, leaving Shen Xunye visibly aroused.

• Shen Qiang said good night and left, after which Shen Xunye came into Chi Li's room and admitted he had waited outside for their conversation to end.
• Shen Xunye forgot that Zhou Yang had moved out and had no excuse to stay for his usual two hours, so Chi Li gave him a bracelet and told him about their joint promotion.
• Shen Xunye agreed to wear the bracelet with Chi Li, while Chi Li said the promotion would give shippers another reason to celebrate them as a couple.
• Chi Li confessed that everything happening to him felt unreal, so Shen Xunye pressed Chi Li's hand against his chest and told him to feel his heartbeat.
• Chi Li suggested that touching somewhere else might make things feel real too, then touched Shen Xunye's chest, abs, waist, and thigh until Shen Xunye became visibly aroused.

After Shen Xunye's teasing left Chi Li flustered and distracted, Chi Li escaped to the gym but found his thoughts only growing more heated. The next day, Chi Li appeared in a livestream wearing NEXXT's flagship outfit, and he and Shen Qiang tended the Raising House plants and dogs before Jiang Lele was caught photographing them.

• Shen Xunye cornered Chi Li on the bed and teased him about seeing the 'naked truth,' but Chi Li changed the subject and fled to the gym.
• Chi Li messaged Shen Xunye to take care of his arousal before returning to their room, and Shen Xunye agreed.
• Chi Li ran on the treadmill, but his thoughts about Shen Xunye intensified, leaving him wondering if he was too lustful.
• Chi Li appeared in the livestream wearing NEXXT's flagship outfit, while viewers discussed his look and his announced appearance on "Sing for You" with Su Yuan.
• Chi Li and Shen Qiang watered plants and fed the dogs together, and Jiang Lele secretly took pictures of them before a sinister voice ordered him to delete them.

Shen Xunye made Jiang Lele permanently delete the photos he had taken, then showed off his matching bracelet with Chi Li and sparred with Shen Qiang over it. The group spent the rest of the morning trying needle felting, and Chi Li ended by joking that the craft should mean poking Jiang Lele.

• Shen Xunye ordered Jiang Lele to delete his photos, including those in Recently Deleted, and Jiang Lele complied.
• Shen Xunye pulled Chi Li to his feet, displaying their matching bracelets, and Shen Qiang teased him by suggesting he could wear a second bracelet alongside Chi Li's.
• Shen Qiang declined to hold an acting class, then agreed to join Jiang Lele's needle-felting activity.
• The group spent the morning needle felting, but no one managed to make a properly shaped creation.
• At lunch, Chi Li joked that needle felting should mean poking Jiang Lele, leaving Jiang Lele wondering why he had thought of Shen Xunye and Chi Li as a couple.

Chi Li and Shen Xunye exchanged felted gifts, and Shen Xunye joined Chi Li in the dance studio before asking to accompany him to a rehearsal. Shen Xunye pulled Chi Li into a bathroom to kiss him, then called him an “obedient baby,” leaving Chi Li startled and annoyed.

• Chi Li gave Shen Xunye an ugly felted cloud puppy, and Shen Xunye treasured it.
• Shen Xunye finished a refined felted kitten and gave it to Chi Li as a return gift.
• Shen Xunye asked to accompany Chi Li to rehearse with a celebrity the next evening, and Chi Li agreed after warning him to stay calm.
• Shen Xunye pulled Chi Li into a bathroom and kissed him slowly and deeply.
• Shen Xunye called Chi Li an “obedient baby,” and Chi Li protested the name.

Chi Li and Shen Xunye headed to Starlight Entertainment so Chi Li could rehearse with Su Yuan, but Su Yuan was absent and one of his staff members tried to make Chi Li wait. After Chi Li left, Gu Nan suspected Su Yuan was hostile because Chi Li’s recent interaction with Jiang Yue had disrupted Su Yuan’s popular pairing with him.

• Chi Li told Shen Xunye not to call him “baby” and said kisses required an application approved according to his mood.
• Li Ming drove Chi Li and Shen Xunye to Starlight Entertainment for Chi Li’s singing practice with Su Yuan and reminded Chi Li to respect his senior.
• At the practice room, a hostile staff member said Su Yuan was delayed and insisted Chi Li wait, so Chi Li took Shen Xunye and left.
• Chi Li visited Gu Nan, who looked into Su Yuan’s background and found that Su Yuan and Jiang Yue had once been in the same group.
• Gu Nan explained that Su Yuan had been the most popular of Jiang Yue’s pairings and guessed that Chi Li’s interaction with Jiang Yue had made Su Yuan resentful.

Chi Li returned to the rehearsal room after Jiang Yue relayed Su Yuan’s message and apology, but Su Yuan never apologized to him directly. Su Yuan then tried to give Shen Xunye an autographed photo, and after Gu Nan and Shen Xunye rejected him, he left while Shen Xunye asked Gu Nan about Chi Li’s childhood.

• Gu Nan guessed that Su Yuan liked Jiang Yue and was taking his unrequited feelings out on Chi Li.
• Jiang Yue video-called Chi Li to confirm his identity and relay that Su Yuan was waiting in the rehearsal room and had punished the rude staff member.
• Chi Li went to the rehearsal room with Shen Xunye and Gu Nan, where Su Yuan welcomed him without apologizing directly.
• As Chi Li began singing for the vocal teacher, Su Yuan offered Shen Xunye an autographed photo, assuming he had come to see him.
• Gu Nan swept the photo onto the floor, Shen Xunye told Su Yuan to leave, and then asked Gu Nan about Chi Li’s childhood.

During a vocal lesson, Chi Li exposed Su Yuan’s plan to secretly record him and frame him as a newcomer bullying a senior. Su Yuan admitted defeat and offered compensation, while Chi Li made clear he could expose Su Yuan to Jiang Yue.

• Gu Nan told Shen Xunye that Shen’s difficult family circumstances had led him to stay at Gu Nan’s home for a while.
• Su Yuan offered Chi Li the chorus, but Chi Li rejected his false show of generosity and taunted him.
• Chi Li noticed Su Yuan’s assistant secretly recording and deduced that Su Yuan intended to frame him as arrogant and disrespectful.
• Gu Nan and Shen Xunye confronted the assistant while Su Yuan sent the vocal coach out and ordered the assistant to delete the recordings.
• Chi Li explained how Su Yuan’s offer of an autographed photo could have been used to smear either Chi Li or the Night Ashes Dawn CP fans.
• Su Yuan conceded defeat, but Chi Li’s mention of Jiang Yue made Su Yuan tense up before he offered compensation.