Chapter Summaries

Duan Xuanyu recovered the kapok-carved bracelet and teased Duan Hongxu, while Su Mian faced a cooking contest after Fang Nuonuo secretly took all the oil and salt. Su Mian planned to impress the judges with an unconventional dish and accepted a new advertising assignment from Yin Xiaohong.

• Ms. Mo returned Duan Xuanyu's bracelet for a check, and both considered the deal a bargain.
• Duan Xuanyu encountered Duan Hongxu and gloated that he had tasted the sweetness of love.
• Fang Nuonuo claimed she had left the expensive ingredients for Su Mian, but took the local produce and secretly packed away the remaining oil and salt.
• Su Mian discovered the missing seasonings and accepted a new ad from Yin Xiaohong, which could lead to a long-term brand ambassador role.
• Su Mian began carving a radish flower and told Yin Xiaohong about an adventure vlogger whose roast chicken lost out to boiled monkey.

Su Mian won the cooking competition with artistic, light dishes that impressed the food critics, despite using no conventional oil or salt at first. Fang Nuonuo planned to turn the upcoming second contest into a comeback.

• Su Mian explained that food critics accustomed to refined cuisine might not enjoy farmhouse cooking, then rendered pork fat and extracted salt to season her dishes.
• Fang Nuonuo discovered viewers had noticed the oil and salt in her basket, so she used them to cook heavily fried and spicy food to conceal her plan.
• The food critics scored Fang Nuonuo 7.9, Yu Liqi 7.1, and Cheng Qin 6.8 after tasting their dishes.
• Su Mian added purple powder to the judges' water, served small artistic dishes, and earned a score of 9.6 after the critics praised both their appearance and taste.
• The production team denied that Su Mian had poisoned the judges, while viewers speculated about the powder and Fang Nuonuo prepared to win the next contest.

Fang Nuonuo accused Yu Liqi of copying her, but Su Mian challenged the accusation and turned the livestream audience against Fang Nuonuo. After leaving, Fang Nuonuo messaged Yu Liqi’s parents, portraying herself as bullied and expecting her uncle to defend her.

• Fang Nuonuo told Yu Liqi that she had copied her clothes, studies, and decision to join the show, prompting viewers to condemn Yu Liqi online.
• Su Mian and Cheng Qin interrupted their search for work to listen to the argument, and Su Mian bluntly asked why Fang Nuonuo’s friend had distanced herself.
• Fang Nuonuo claimed Yu Liqi had copied her hairstyle in high school, but Su Mian asked whether they had been in the same graduating class and how Fang Nuonuo knew who copied whom.
• Fang Nuonuo lost the argument and left in her ride, then messaged Yu Liqi’s parents that Yu Liqi and the other female guests were bullying her.

Su Mian defended Yu Liqi when a passenger and driver tried to take Yu Liqi’s booked car, then encouraged her to ignore calls that made her unhappy. On the way to Xinjiapo, the driver hinted at something troubling there, and Cheng Qin spotted Fang Nuonuo trending online.

• Yu Liqi invited Cheng Qin and Su Mian to share work in Xinjiapo, and Su Mian agreed.
• A man took Yu Liqi’s booked taxi, but Su Mian confronted him and the driver until the driver canceled the ride.
• Yu Liqi read her father’s critical messages and set his account to Do Not Disturb after Su Mian told her she did not have to answer his calls.
• The outgoing driver joked with the group about failing the civil service background check because of his father’s offense.
• The driver asked whether the women were going to Xinjiapo to study abroad, then warned them not to look into it.
• Cheng Qin showed Su Mian and Yu Liqi that Fang Nuonuo had reached the trending list.

Fang Nuonuo drew attention by volunteering to teach in the village, while Yu Liqi worried that her cousin’s presence there would end in a public scandal. Su Mian and the others reached Xinjiapo, where Yu Liqi began filming villagers for her part-time job.

• Fang Nuonuo explained on camera that she had planned to volunteer a month earlier and hoped to draw public attention to the mountain village’s children.
• Yu Liqi warned her father that Fang Nuonuo should leave the village or her reputation would collapse, but he accused Yu Liqi of jealousy.
• Su Mian and the others watched the car that had taken their booking plunge into a pond, then saw an old man rescue its occupants.
• The group continued to Xinjiapo, where a middle-aged man told them filming was prohibited and the production team shut off its livestream.
• Yu Liqi explained that she had been hired to film villagers for short-form videos, then went inside and began recording them.

Su Mian and Yu Liqi exposed an assembly-line volunteer-teaching company that let influencers buy staged experiences and certificates. Yu Liqi faced her family's condemnation instead of support, but Su Mian and Cheng Qin praised her before the guests headed back to an unknown surprise prepared by the male guests.

• Su Mian discovered that the village outpost sold staged volunteer-teaching experiences and photographed its operations.
• Yu Liqi revealed she was an undercover reporter for New Youth of the Times, and Su Mian sent her the photos.
• Yu Liqi shared her footage with her news organization, which published an exposé that sparked public outrage and official criticism.
• Fang Nuonuo found that the operation had been exposed and messaged her wealthy, powerful relatives for help.
• Yu Liqi's father accused her of harming Fang Nuonuo when she suggested she might have exposed the company, while Su Mian and Cheng Qin praised her work.
• The guests boarded a taxi, and the cameraman announced that the male guests had prepared a mystery surprise whose details even the production team did not know.

The male guests competed to surprise the women while concealed in mascot costumes, but Lin Xi was eliminated after breaking the rules. Su Mian rejected the puppy mascot’s elaborate hand-care gifts, then caught the scent of food and perked up.

• A security guard mistook a black bear-costumed male guest for a real bear and tranquilized him before the crew could intervene.
• Yu Liqi accepted a rose from Lin Xi, then ran when he presented a QR code; Lin Xi removed his mascot head and was eliminated for violating the rules.
• Lin Xi showed Yu Liqi that the QR code carried a compliment rather than a payment request, but she still refused to scan it.
• A puppy-costumed male guest knelt before Su Mian and tried to give her nail care and a hand treatment, but she pulled her hands away.
• Su Mian focused on finding food when a tempting aroma suddenly caught her attention.

Duan Xuanyu revealed himself to Su Mian during the meal, while Yu Liqi exposed Fang Nuonuo’s family’s callous remarks and went to confront her after overhearing her plans. The chapter ended with Fang Nuonuo secretly watching Yu Liqi enter her living room.

• Duan Xuanyu removed his frog costume and revealed himself to Su Mian, who recognized him from the garlic frog he served her.
• The production team revealed that Duan Hongxu had worn the puppy costume, Gu Yichen had worn the bear costume, and Duan Xuanyu had won both athletic events.
• Yu Liqi read Fang Nuonuo’s relatives’ messages defending her and sent screenshots of their remarks to a news agency.
• A power outage interrupted the group dinner, and Su Mian and Duan Xuanyu joked that an electric fan would blow out the candles.
• Su Mian whispered to Yu Liqi and gave her a packet, after which Yu Liqi left the dinner.
• Yu Liqi went to Fang Nuonuo’s lodgings and overheard her discussing how to portray herself as a victim and retaliate against a reporter; Fang Nuonuo watched Yu Liqi enter.

Yu Liqi exposed Fang Nuonuo’s attempt to portray a probiotic as poison, turning the scandal into a promotion for Su Mian’s new brand ambassadorship. After Fang Nuonuo’s family blamed her, Yu Liqi shared proof in their group chat and began distancing herself from her relatives.

• Yu Liqi drank the probiotic herself after Fang Nuonuo secretly filmed her adding it to water, but Fang Nuonuo posted an edited video accusing her and Su Mian of plotting to drug her.
• Netizens identified the packet as Daosheng Yuanhe’s probiotic, and the company announced Su Mian as its global ambassador while promoting the product.
• Yu Liqi explained that she had volunteered to give Fang Nuonuo the probiotic because she thought her cousin’s spiteful remarks amounted to spiritual bad breath.
• Fang Nuonuo complained about Yu Liqi in the family group chat, and Yu Liqi posted a video proving she had drunk the water herself.
• A younger male cousin defended Yu Liqi and criticized the elders for favoring Fang Nuonuo, so they kicked him out of the group.
• Yu Liqi thanked her cousin privately, gave up on the elders, and posted screenshots of the family chat online.

Su Mian celebrated her new endorsement by setting off fireworks, while Lu Zhou realized she had replaced the bracelet he gave her and decided to move on with Xu Qingyun. After crashing his car, Lu Zhou woke up in Su Mian’s old apartment, unsure how he had gotten there.

• Su Mian invited Yu Liqi, Cheng Qin, Yin Xiaohong, and Duan Xuanyu to celebrate her endorsement and taunted Fang Nuonuo over the phone.
• Su Mian wore the antique gold bracelet Duan Xuanyu had given her, and she praised it while saying she planned to resell her old bracelet.
• Police arrested Su Mian for setting off fireworks after the local curfew, but she kept firing the lit firework as they escorted her through the street.
• Lu Zhou saw a photo of Su Mian wearing Duan Xuanyu’s bracelet and found that she had listed the bracelet he gave her for sale, then agreed to pick up Xu Qingyun.
• Lu Zhou crashed his car into a tree and later woke up in Su Mian’s old apartment, unable to understand how he had arrived there.

After reliving the day Su Mian discovered Lu Zhou had spent their shared savings, Lu Zhou witnessed her use a protection mechanism to detach herself from the world and end their relationship. He returned to the present, overwhelmed by regret, and drove to Distant Mountain to find her, where Duan Xuanyu spotted him.

• Lu Zhou watched his past self dismiss Su Mian's pleas for the shared money, which she needed for her mother's cancer treatment.
• Su Mian activated her protection mechanism, learned that her mission to redeem Lu Zhou was complete, and decided she would no longer let herself be emotionally tied to him.
• Su Mian broke up with Lu Zhou, kicked him out, and left him behind as she walked away without regret.
• Lu Zhou's consciousness returned to the car after the accident, and he realized he had only twenty days left before Su Mian had moved on.
• Lu Zhou drove through the night to Distant Mountain to find Su Mian, and Duan Xuanyu saw him arrive the next morning.

Su Mian rejected Lu Zhou’s dramatic plea to reunite and told him she would visit his grave only if he left her shares. Duan Xuanyu cheered at her answers, then rushed to stop Lu Zhou from leaving before their conflict was settled.

• Duan Xuanyu teased Su Mian about the man waiting outside, and she joked that she wanted his shares before Duan Xuanyu bit her neck.
• Lu Zhou called for Su Mian and delivered a tragic speech, but she handed him a cleaver and told him he still had time to die.
• Su Mian described her plans to get rich, marry an honest man, and visit Lu Zhou’s grave if he left her shares.
• Duan Xuanyu realized Su Mian’s “Now Behaving” meme had been hinting that he was the honest man she wanted to marry, and changed his profile picture and username to match it.
• When Lu Zhou said he would return to the capital, Duan Xuanyu slipped out the back and recruited the children to help keep him from leaving.

Lu Zhou was stranded after children scattered glass on the road, while Xu Qingyun waited for him at a bar. Duan Xuanyu refused to play with the children until he finished his business, and Fang Nuonuo arranged to use a child to repair her public image, but her assistant ended up taking a boy instead of the girl she wanted.

• Children scattered glass along Lu Zhou's route, blowing all four tires, then refused to help him; his phone died before he could answer Xu Qingyun's calls.
• Duan Xuanyu took Su Mian's favorite cherry hair tie, then promised the children he would play with them after finishing his proper business.
• Fang Nuonuo saw viewers defending Duan Xuanyu and ordered her assistant to find a mistreated little girl she could rescue on camera to improve her reputation.
• The assistant found a girl who fit Fang Nuonuo's plan, but the girl's grandmother pushed her aside and insisted that her grandson go instead.
• The assistant took the boy after Fang Nuonuo pressed him, while the grandmother insisted on accompanying them.

The guests began planning an improvised period short drama, while Su Mian’s teasing of Lin Xi ended with his arms breaking. Fang Nuonuo’s hoped-for child arrived, but his awkward entrance left her stunned.

• The guests toured the studio complex and were told to develop short dramas from fanfics, with Cheng Qin initially expected to lead the work.
• Su Mian challenged the assumption that Cheng Qin should take on more work, and Lin Xi eagerly resumed their banter.
• Su Mian slipped and landed on Lin Xi’s outstretched arms, breaking them; Gu Yichen warned him to go to the hospital.
• Su Mian joked about her supposed special talent before the guests agreed to outline episodes and improvise during filming.
• Fang Nuonuo learned the child had arrived, but a boy ran in and theatrically declared his love for her, leaving her confused.

Fang Nuonuo tried to send Xiaoqiang away, but his father and grandmother had coached him to act cute on camera so he could become famous. After Xiaoqiang falsely accused Duan Xuanyu of hitting him, Su Mian stopped Duan Xuanyu and went to confront the boy’s family.

• Fang Nuonuo asked her assistant to take Xiaoqiang back, but Xiaoqiang refused and performed his rehearsed milk-burp persona for the guests and cameras.
• Yin Xiaohong lured Xiaoqiang away with a Kinder Joy, and Fang Nuonuo returned to discussing the series with the other guests.
• After eating his chocolate, Qiangzi sought out Su Mian and asked her to take him to Fang Nuonuo, but she refused.
• Qiangzi grabbed for Su Mian’s dress, and Duan Xuanyu stepped between them; Qiangzi then pretended to cry and accused Duan Xuanyu of hitting him.
• Su Mian stopped Duan Xuanyu from retaliating and walked toward Qiangzi’s grandmother and father to deal with them instead.

Su Mian pranked Qiangzi’s family and then struck Fang Nuonuo with a water bottle while making it look like it had fallen from above. As Fang Nuonuo anticipated trouble involving Dai Qing, Su Mian gave Gu Yichen a flower in a way that left him stunned.

• Su Mian tricked Qiangzi’s dad and grandma into thinking Qiangzi had eaten chocolate from the ground, then sent Qiangzi to find Fang Nuonuo himself.
• Su Mian and Duan Xuanyu found a suitable venue, then hurried back after Yin Xiaohong announced Dai Qing’s arrival.
• When the cameras were focused elsewhere, Su Mian hit Fang Nuonuo on the head with a water bottle and pretended it had been thrown from a building.
• Fang Nuonuo suspected Dai Qing would help Xu Qingyun cause trouble for Su Mian, then asked Gu Yichen to check her head; he found no injury.
• Su Mian gave Gu Yichen a yellow wild chrysanthemum, and when he said his hands were full, she stuck it into his nostril.

Su Mian uncovered an attempt to sabotage her costume and learned why Dai Qing had warned her. Meanwhile, Fang Nuonuo recruited Qiangzi to disrupt Su Mian’s performance, setting the stage for a confrontation as filming began.

• Fang Nuonuo saw Xu Qingyun call Dai Qing and guessed that Xu was preparing to target Su Mian.
• Xu Qingyun ordered Dai Qing to arrange an on-set accident for Su Mian, but Dai Qing refused and later warned Su Mian that someone wanted to harm her.
• Su Mian found a needle hidden in her costume, alerted the production team, and asked them to review surveillance footage and call the police.
• Dai Qing explained that Su Mian’s family story reminded her of the abuse she had faced after her husband died and she developed cancer while raising their daughter.
• Fang Nuonuo persuaded the production team to let Qiangzi join the scene as her attendant, then told him to disrupt Su Mian’s performance.
• Fang Nuonuo sent Qiangzi to ask Su Mian for patience, and Su Mian agreed as the tense filming confrontation approached.

Dai Qing explained that the short drama would be filmed episode by episode, and Su Mian turned her roller-skating dance into a chaotic chase, slapping Qiangzi and kicking Fang Nuonuo. The first episode wrapped smoothly, Lin Xi and Cheng Qin filmed their scene, and Su Mian and Duan Xuanyu watched Qiangzi’s family and Fang Nuonuo fight.

• Dai Qing told the guests they could improvise as the production filmed the short drama episode by episode.
• Su Mian checked her roller skates, then performed a graceful dance while Duan Xuanyu watched proudly.
• Qiangzi tried to trip Su Mian, but she spun after him and repeatedly slapped him; Fang Nuonuo used Qiangzi as a shield, so Su Mian kicked and chased her too.
• Duan Xuanyu ran after Su Mian, admiring her spinning dance, and the first episode finished with his character falling in love at first sight with hers.
• Cheng Qin teased Lin Xi about his fanfic character being disabled, and Lin Xi pointed out that his arms were in casts while he sat in a wheelchair.
• Su Mian and Duan Xuanyu ate walnuts and watched Qiangzi’s family and Fang Nuonuo quarrel.

Qiangzi's family tried to extort the production team after his staged appearance, while Su Mian learned that a staff member who had sabotaged her was arrested. After a vision showed a little girl dying in Qiangzi's family's kitchen, Su Mian suspected the child was Dai Qing's missing daughter and told Dai Qing where to look.

• Qiangzi's family demanded more money from the production team, but Director Zhao threatened to call the police and ordered Qiangzi cut from the footage, so they fled.
• Yin Xiaohong told Su Mian that a staff member who had planted needles in her clothes and tampered with her roller skates had been arrested.
• Su Mian had another premonition in which Qiangzi's family locked a little girl in a kitchen, where she died from carbon monoxide poisoning, and then buried her.
• Su Mian suspected the girl was Dai Qing's missing daughter and told Dai Qing that she had seen a girl with Qiangzi's family who matched her daughter's age and mole.
• Dai Qing thanked Su Mian and said she would go look for the girl that night.

Dai Qing rescued a little girl from Qiangzi's grandmother and discovered that the child might be her missing daughter. After the other guests left, Su Mian was attacked on the road and fought back with a stick.

• Dai Qing found a little girl locked in a sweltering kitchen and tried to take her to the hospital, but Qiangzi's grandmother and villagers blocked her.
• Su Mian exposed Qiangzi's grandmother for favoring her grandson over the village children, and the villagers turned against her, allowing Dai Qing to escape with the girl.
• At the hospital, Dai Qing learned the girl had heatstroke and carbon monoxide poisoning, and that her blood type and identifying marks matched her daughter's; she arranged a DNA test.
• Fang Nuonuo stayed with Dai Qing at the hospital while Su Mian recalled a former coworker's meddlesome behavior.
• Several vehicles blocked Su Mian's car, and attackers smashed the windows; Su Mian drew them away and fought back by poking them with a stick.