Chapter Summaries

Xia Zhiyi refused to let Wan Baoxi into his room, suspecting she had come to set him up with the help of her assistant. Fu Yunyi caught the assistant secretly taking photos and confronted Wan Baoxi, leaving the scheme exposed in the corridor.

• Wan Baoxi came to Xia Zhiyi’s room late at night and tried to persuade him to speak privately inside.
• Xia Zhiyi spotted Wan Baoxi’s assistant hiding nearby with a phone and warned Wan Baoxi that he had noticed him.
• Fu Yunyi caught the assistant secretly taking photos and dragged him over to Xia Zhiyi and Wan Baoxi.
• Wan Baoxi tried to redirect Fu Yunyi’s attention, but he recognized her assistant and accused her of scheming against people.

Fu Yunyi confronted Wan Baoxi after catching her assistant filming Xia Zhiyi, and Wan was removed from the show. Fu Yunyi then told Xia Zhiyi that his youngest uncle had claimed Gu Miaomiao was Fu Yunyi’s girlfriend to secure her release, leaving Fu worried about how she would react.

• Fu Yunyi accused Wan Baoxi and her assistant of scheming to create dating rumors about Xia Zhiyi, and refused to keep filming with Wan.
• The director chose to have Wan Baoxi withdraw from filming after she suffered an injury that caused an old ailment to flare up.
• Xia Zhiyi observed that Fu Yunyi was unusually confrontational, and Fu explained that Xu Chen had called about Gu Miaomiao.
• Fu Yunyi told Xia Zhiyi that his youngest uncle had called Gu Miaomiao his girlfriend to get her released, and that Gu had returned home after negotiations with Zhao Changye.
• Fu Yunyi worried that Gu Miaomiao would find it absurd to discover she had acquired a boyfriend.

Xia Zhiyi realized Fu Yunyi was genuinely worried about Gu Miaomiao after Fu Chi had helped get her out of trouble, while Huanyu might now target her because of the supposed relationship. As Fu Yunyi’s distraction sparked speculation during filming, Xu Chen advised him to show concern for Wan Baoxi on camera, and Fu Yunyi objected.

• Xia Zhiyi inferred that Fu Chi had used Fu Yunyi and Gu Miaomiao’s supposed relationship to deter Zhao Changye and create leverage, and learned Fu Yunyi had already called Gu Miaomiao.
• Xia Zhiyi warned Fu Yunyi that Huanyu might pay more attention to Gu Miaomiao, and Fu Yunyi agreed to keep it in mind.
• The next day, Fu Yunyi appeared distracted during filming, and Xia Zhiyi suggested he call Gu Miaomiao while they ate.
• Fu Yunyi and Xia Zhiyi told a veteran guest that a friend had encountered trouble, while livestream viewers mistook Fu Yunyi’s worry as concern for Wan Baoxi.
• Xu Chen monitored the livestream and advised Fu Yunyi to show some concern for Wan Baoxi after she left the show, but Fu Yunyi protested that he had driven her out because of her shady intentions.

Xu Chen learned why Fu Yunyi had kicked Wan Baoxi off the show and told him to avoid provoking the other guests, while Xia Zhiyi reassured her. At the hospital, Gu Miaomiao cared for her recovering mother and accepted a replacement phone from Assistant Li, adding another debt to her mental ledger.

• Fu Yunyi told Xu Chen that Wan Baoxi had tried to secretly photograph Xia Zhiyi and refused to delete the photos, so he had kicked her off the production.
• Xu Chen agreed to handle Wan Baoxi's situation and told Fu Yunyi to act as though nothing had happened and avoid making sarcastic remarks on camera.
• Xu Chen contacted Xia Zhiyi to ask him to keep an eye on Fu Yunyi, and Xia Zhiyi reassured her that Fu Yunyi was reasonable.
• Gu Miaomiao visited her parents in the hospital, smiled for her awake mother, and worried about her family's finances and her father's condition.
• Gu Miaomiao recalled that Assistant Li had taken her out of the bodyguards' custody and given her a new phone for safety, which she accepted and added to her mental ledger of debts.

After losing the part-time job and worrying about the favors she owed Fu Yunyi, Gu Miaomiao persuaded her injured father to remain in the hospital and concealed how strained their finances were. Assistant Li then visited her to report on the situation and discuss matters requiring her cooperation.

• Gu Miaomiao's senior apologized for the club incident but told her the part-time position had been filled.
• Gu Miaomiao reassured her father that she could cover his hospital stay and persuaded him to focus on recovering.
• Gu Miaomiao delivered meals to her parents while concealing her poor appetite and searching for ways to earn money.
• Assistant Li arrived at Gu Miaomiao's mother's hospital room and took her to the stairwell to discuss an update and request her cooperation.

After filming wrapped, Xia Zhiyi arranged for Ming Taotao to visit Gu Miaomiao in the hospital at Fu Yunyi’s request. Xu Chen then kept Xia Zhiyi from going home to discuss urgent work, and a message revealed that a document had been approved with a requirement for his current agency to sign a priority agreement.

• Assistant Li gave Gu Miaomiao several contacts to reach if she needed help, and she returned to her family member’s hospital room.
• Xia Zhiyi and Fu Yunyi discussed their schedules as Ming Taotao drove them after filming ended.
• Fu Yunyi asked Ming Taotao to visit Gu Miaomiao, and Xia Zhiyi explained that they would be colleagues under his management.
• Xu Chen asked Xia Zhiyi to wait at a café while she took Fu Yunyi into the studio building.
• Xia Zhiyi read a message saying the document had been approved, but his current agency also needed to sign an agreement prioritizing the other party’s work.

Xia Zhiyi read a promising film script offered through Huanyu and said he was interested in the project but would not accept it. He asked Xu Chen to delay their reply until just before Lunar New Year's Eve, hinting that he and Fu Chi had plans involving Huanyu.

• Xu Chen brought Xia Zhiyi a film script from a production company substantially backed by Huanyu and warned him to be cautious about the company.
• Xia Zhiyi read the sample script and became curious about its unknown screenwriter.
• Xu Chen told Xia Zhiyi that the director considered him a great fit for the male lead, and Xia Zhiyi said he would not take the role despite his interest in the project.
• Xia Zhiyi asked Xu Chen to wait until the day before Lunar New Year's Eve to respond because he wanted no ties to Huanyu.
• Xia Zhiyi told Xu Chen that he and Fu Chi were both interested in Huanyu, prompting Xu Chen to realize he had a plan.

Xu Chen realized Xia Zhiyi was targeting Huanyu, while Xia Zhiyi returned home to find Fu Chi had prepared dinner for him. He reunited with his family and learned Xia Wanyi had been spending time with Old Master Fu and their neighbors.

• Xu Chen guessed that Xia Zhiyi was behind the pressure on Huanyu and decided to stay out of the matter unless her boss asked her to help.
• Xia Zhiyi dropped Ming Taotao off at home and returned to the Fu family home, where Fu Chi had already arrived.
• Fu Chi welcomed Xia Zhiyi and explained that he had prepared dinner for him after arranging for the housekeeper to ready the ingredients.
• Old Master Fu greeted Xia Zhiyi, and Xia Zhen rushed over to welcome him.
• Old Master Fu explained that Xia Wanyi had gone shopping with neighboring young women while Xia Zhen stayed home because she had caught a cold.

Xia Zhiyi worried about Xia Wanyi’s safety while Fu Chi kept their concerns hidden from the family. Fu Chi revealed that he and Gu Miaomiao had tested the power of the plot and found it weak, leaving Xia Zhiyi certain that the plot itself—not its protagonists—was his enemy.

• Xia Zhiyi learned that people borrowed through Li Jing’s side were protecting Xia Wanyi, though he remained anxious about her plans that evening.
• Fu Chi stopped Xia Zhen from asking Xia Zhiyi to watch TV, and Xia Zhiyi promised to take her out the next day.
• In their bedroom, Fu Chi explained that he had tested the plot’s influence with Gu Miaomiao after her near-trap involving Zhao Changye.
• Fu Chi said the plot’s power was severely weakened, and Xia Zhiyi recognized that the protagonists were tools rather than his true enemies.

Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi discussed signs that the force controlling Gu Miaomiao’s fate was weakening as its fated encounters were repeatedly disrupted. Xia Zhiyi weighed ways to defeat the Power of the Plot and resolved to favor changing Gu Miaomiao’s choices without taking away her freedom.

• Xia Zhiyi told Fu Chi he had noticed the force weakening but remained cautious because his injuries had not healed.
• Fu Chi explained that Gu Miaomiao’s chance encounters with people connected to Huanyu had become less frequent as Assistant Li redirected her.
• Xia Zhiyi considered whether the apparent weakness was genuine and warned that the force could recover through a protagonist.
• Xia Zhiyi explained that the Power of the Plot could be defeated through Gu Miaomiao’s death, the removal of her central luck, or by changing her choices enough to diverge from the plot.
• Xia Zhiyi rejected controlling Gu Miaomiao’s whole life and regarded changing her choices as the kindest way to free her from the plot.

Xia Zhiyi reassured himself about Fu Chi’s safety and planned to write a textbook so he would not be tied to work indefinitely. Later, he met Gu Miaomiao and teased her about Fu Yunyi’s feelings, leaving her stunned.

• Xia Zhiyi asked Fu Chi to avoid dangerous places and offered to stay with him, but Fu Chi said he trusted his intuition and did not want Xia Zhiyi to feel he needed constant protection.
• Xia Zhiyi agreed to stay in the Imperial Capital and accompany Fu Chi on business trips, then said he planned to write a textbook to help others learn his technology and free himself from work.
• Xia Zhiyi met Gu Miaomiao, asked how she was settling in with Ming Taotao, and offered to help if she needed anything.
• Xia Zhiyi congratulated Gu Miaomiao about Fu Yunyi and said he thought Fu Yunyi liked her quite a bit, leaving Gu Miaomiao frozen.

Xia Zhiyi reassured Gu Miaomiao and offered her an early start on interior-design work for homes he had prepared for his sisters. As they parted, a malfunctioning electric car suddenly charged toward them, and Gu Miaomiao yelled a warning to Xia Zhiyi.

• Xia Zhiyi told Gu Miaomiao that Fu Yunyi had feelings for her and called her part of his younger generation.
• Gu Miaomiao confided her worries about the help she had received, and Xia Zhiyi reassured her that he was glad she considered him a friend.
• Xia Zhiyi offered Gu Miaomiao the chance to begin her design work early, and she accepted after confirming it would not disrupt his plans.
• Xia Zhiyi gave Gu Miaomiao keys and information for two homes he had prepared for Xia Wanyi and Xia Zhen, asking her to consult them about their preferred designs.
• As Xia Zhiyi and Gu Miaomiao parted, a malfunctioning electric car charged toward them, and Gu Miaomiao shouted, “Watch out!”

Xia Zhiyi saved Gu Miaomiao from an out-of-control car by kicking it away, then arranged to keep the incident from spreading. After speaking with Li Jing about the Heavenly Net Project, he concluded that the crash had been deliberately aimed at him.

• Gu Miaomiao tried to push Xia Zhiyi out of the car’s path, but Xia Zhiyi stopped the vehicle with a powerful kick and apologized for grabbing her.
• Xia Zhiyi masked his face, left before the onlookers could surround him, and called Li Jing’s superior to ask that any footage be suppressed.
• Xia Zhiyi told Li Jing he would visit her department by the day after tomorrow to select participants for the Heavenly Net Project based on ability.
• Alone in an alley, Xia Zhiyi reviewed the accident and concluded that the out-of-control car had been targeting him.

After saving Gu Miaomiao from an accident, Xia Zhiyi headed to meet her but encountered a string of emergencies and brought a knife-wielding robber to the police station. As he gave his statement, his assistants arrived, and he received a call from someone he had recently asked for a favor.

• Xia Zhiyi called Gu Miaomiao, agreed to meet her at the police station, and asked whether she preferred milk tea or fruit tea.
• Gu Miaomiao recovered from the shock and reflected on how much she admired Xia Zhiyi's abilities.
• Xia Zhiyi was delayed by several accidents on his way and stopped a robber who lunged at him with a knife.
• Xia Zhiyi arrived at the station with the robber and explained that he had been able to handle the danger before giving his statement.
• Assistant Li and Ming Taotao arrived, saying Fu Chi was worried and a video of Xia Zhiyi confronting the robber was trending.
• Xia Zhiyi received a call from someone he had recently asked for a favor.

After Xia Zhiyi gave his statement, Ming Taotao helped him avoid reporters and Assistant Li took him to Fu Chi’s company. Xia Zhiyi discovered that Fu Chi had briefly left an important meeting to check on him, then noticed a new secretary’s disdainful scrutiny and wondered if he would have to become a villainous male supporting character.

• Ming Taotao explained that Xia Zhiyi’s clothes and his feat of subduing a knife-wielding criminal made him easy to recognize, and she had come to help keep reporters away.
• Xia Zhiyi finished giving his statement, then Ming Taotao took Gu Miaomiao back to the hospital while Assistant Li drove Xia Zhiyi away in Fu Yunyi’s luxury car.
• Xia Zhiyi learned that Fu Chi was attending an important meeting with the authorities and had sent Assistant Li to pick him up.
• Fu Chi briefly left the meeting to confirm that Xia Zhiyi was safe, then returned to the conference room.
• A new secretary brought Xia Zhiyi tea and looked at him with covert disdain, prompting him to wonder if he would become a villainous male supporting character.

Xia Zhiyi waited with Fu Chi at Hangu headquarters, where the day passed without the accidents he had expected. After waking from a nap, he reflected on the weakening Power of the Plot and defiantly addressed whatever was trying to kill him.

• Fu Chi transferred a new hire who had entered his office without permission to bring Xia Zhiyi tea.
• Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi ate lunch at a nearby home-style restaurant without incident, then returned to the office.
• Xia Zhiyi fell asleep on the sofa, and Fu Chi later moved him to the bed in the adjoining lounge.
• After waking, Xia Zhiyi concluded that the Power of the Plot was weakening and wondered whether it opposed the Heavenly Dao.
• Xia Zhiyi watched the snow and declared that the Power of the Plot could not kill him after failing to strike fatally at the start.

Xia Zhiyi arrived at Li Jing’s workplace to conduct an assessment for the authorities, where skeptical staff challenged his abilities. He offered to let everyone attack him for the day and promised to grant any request if they broke through his defenses.

• Xia Zhiyi met Li Jing and Li Changfeng at the office before the assessment began.
• Li Jing showed Xia Zhiyi his workstation and fell asleep while Xia Zhiyi used the computer.
• Skeptical staff arrived to observe and test Xia Zhiyi’s abilities.
• Xia Zhiyi invited everyone to attack him together or separately, offering to grant one request if anyone broke through his defenses.
• Li Changfeng questioned whether the challenge was appropriate, but Xia Zhiyi said he was confident in his abilities.

Xia Zhiyi overwhelmed Li Jing’s colleagues in a hacking assessment, then helped them with technical problems and a finance program. On his way back, he told Fu Chi that he had uncovered evidence of Huanyu’s money laundering and killings, though authorities still needed concrete proof.

• Xia Zhiyi defeated the office’s technicians in a hacking competition, with Li Jing achieving the best result among them.
• Xia Zhiyi agreed to help select candidates during visits to major universities and stayed to give the team technical pointers.
• Xia Zhiyi created an account-reconciliation program for the finance office after hearing an accountant struggle with year-end accounts.
• Xia Zhiyi told Fu Chi that he had gathered leads against Huanyu and alerted authorities to its money laundering and suspected killings.
• Xia Zhiyi noted that the evidence he collected could not be used in court and that investigators still needed to find physical remains and other concrete proof.

After discovering that another Xia Zhiyi had died unnoticed in his place, Xia Zhiyi struggled with anger and exhaustion over the plot and the lives it controlled. Fu Chi brought him to his office, where Xia Zhiyi rested in his arms.

• Xia Zhiyi calmly realized that another version of himself had died without leaving a trace, and wondered whether he could have saved him.
• Fu Chi finished his urgent work and left the office, worried about Xia Zhiyi.
• Xia Zhiyi arrived at the parking garage and admitted to Fu Chi that he was tired.
• Fu Chi carried Xia Zhiyi back to his office and stayed with him as he fell asleep.

Xia Zhiyi encountered Zhao Changye at Hangu Group and taunted him instead of helping him reach Fu Chi. As Huanyu and its allies crumbled, Xia Zhiyi revealed he had exposed executives’ affairs to their families and planned to worsen the trouble for the company’s entertainers.

• Scandals and financial upheaval spread through Huanyu and companies connected to its senior executives, prompting Zhao Changye to seek Fu Chi at Hangu Group.
• Zhao Changye ran into Xia Zhiyi, mistook his polite manner for a chance to get help, and offered him entertainment-industry resources.
• Xia Zhiyi refused to help Zhao Changye, hinted that he did not understand why his wife wanted a divorce, and walked away despite Zhao’s threat to expose his relationship with Fu Chi.
• Xia Zhiyi reflected that he had sent evidence of affairs to the families of Huanyu executives and entertainers, contributing to divorces and breakups.
• As hail battered people outside, Xia Zhiyi watched from a warm room and decided to add more fuel to the fire.