Chapter Summaries

Xia Zhiyi learned that Teng Si'an had sent him a red rose by mistake, then joined Fu Chi and several businesspeople to divide up Huanyu and its executives’ other businesses. The group discussed who would take over the entertainment company, with the meeting ending on the prospect of working with Fu Chi.

• Xia Zhiyi watched the hail fall and concluded that the force behind it was too weak to control the weather.
• The restaurant manager delivered a red rose to Xia Zhiyi, and Teng Si'an revealed that he had asked for a popular flower without specifying which one.
• Fu Chi noticed the rose when he arrived, but Xia Zhiyi began explaining before their invited guests showed up for lunch.
• Xia Zhiyi, Fu Chi, and the other businesspeople smoothly discussed dividing up Huanyu and related businesses.
• Old Zhang asked whether Fu Chi planned to take over Huanyu’s entertainment company so they could continue working together on endorsement deals.

Xia Zhiyi watched Huanyu’s collapse unfold as authorities moved against its executives and artists for a range of crimes. When someone tried to incite young fans to threaten self-harm, Xia Zhiyi stepped in to counter the manipulation and condemned those who exploited children.

• Fu Chi showed no interest in taking over Huanyu, while Xia Zhiyi believed the company should not survive.
• Xia Zhiyi’s evidence prompted authorities to pursue Huanyu’s management for crimes including tax evasion, covert dealings with overseas forces, and bloodshed.
• A frightened Huanyu executive exposed several artists’ misconduct online before being arrested, sparking fan battles across social media.
• Xia Zhiyi watched the online uproar at Li Jing’s workstation and explained that paid trolls were working for nothing.
• As fans discovered that the allegations were true and turned against some idols, Xia Zhiyi countered attempts to incite young fans to threaten the authorities with self-harm.

Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi brought the Huanyu investigation to its final stage as the Power of the Plot struggled to protect the company’s remaining allies. After Huanyu was dissolved and the invisible restraint lifted, Xia Zhiyi sensed that the Power of the Plot had been waiting for him on a street, where he was bleeding and laughing.

• Xia Zhiyi assigned Li Jing the task of making a less idiotic moderation AI before New Year's.
• Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi discussed the missing Huanyu figures, whom Xia Zhiyi had tracked down, and the spies he had uncovered during the investigation.
• On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhao Changye and the others were imprisoned, and Huanyu's interim legal representative chose to deregister the company and its studios.
• Xia Zhiyi, Fu Chi, Fu Yunyi, Gu Miaomiao, and others sensed the invisible restraint come undone as Huanyu's era ended.
• Bleeding on a street, Xia Zhiyi laughed and realized the Power of the Plot had been waiting for him there.

Xia Zhiyi survived a knife attack after the Power of the Plot briefly restrained him, but he and Fu Chi realized that its control had finally ended. They agreed to live freely without its influence and planned to get engaged after the New Year.

• The Power of the Plot held Xia Zhiyi in place for five seconds, allowing a woman with a knife to wound him before he knocked her unconscious.
• Bystanders helped Xia Zhiyi into an ambulance, and doctors confirmed that he had only a flesh wound.
• Xia Wanyi and Fu Chi took Xia Zhiyi to the hospital and then brought him back to the old residence.
• Xia Zhiyi privately told Fu Chi that the Power of the Plot was gone, and Fu Chi agreed that they were finally free.
• Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi agreed to get engaged after the New Year.

Before the New Year, Xia Zhiyi and Xia Wanyi went shopping while Fu Chi stayed behind, worried about Xia Zhiyi’s safety. At work, Xu Chen explained that Xia Zhiyi’s other responsibilities and studies would keep him from taking on more entertainment-industry work for now.

• Xia Zhiyi volunteered to accompany Xia Wanyi on a trip downtown to buy New Year gifts, while Fu Chi was stuck at home with Old Master Fu.
• Old Master Fu teased Fu Chi for being clingy, and Fu Chi reminded him that he had acted the same way when Fu Chi’s mother was alive.
• Xia Zhen asked where Xia Zhiyi was, and Fu Chi promised to take her along when he went to pick Xia Zhiyi and Xia Wanyi up.
• Fu Yunyi complained to Xu Chen about working during the holiday and asked why Xia Zhiyi had not been called in to fill his place.
• Xu Chen told Fu Yunyi that Xia Zhiyi had important matters and studies to attend to, so his industry work would likely be put on hold; she joked that her salary was burning a hole in her hands.

Xia Zhiyi’s performance in Chasing made him famous, but he stayed away from work to juggle university and a research project. After arranging to receive his university credits without attending classes, he finished his research early and decided to film something while waiting for others to catch up.

• Fu Yunyi ran into Gu Miaomiao in a parking lot and felt relieved when he saw her female driver.
• Chasing premiered to widespread praise, and Xia Zhiyi’s unassisted fight scenes made him an overnight sensation.
• Xia Zhiyi stayed out of the public eye but held two fan giveaways using his own money.
• After the new semester began, Xia Zhiyi applied to graduate early and received all his credits without attending university classes.
• Xia Zhiyi finished his work at the research institute ahead of everyone else and told Li Jing he planned to film something to unwind.

Three years after Xia Zhiyi began leading the Heavenly Net Project, it was completed and entered a nationwide trial while he returned to acting. When a rumor threatened to drive competitors away from an audition, Xia Zhiyi exposed it as a false tactic and told Xu Chen to ask Director Min directly.

• The authorities expanded Xia Zhiyi's proposal into a five-year plan, and Heavenly Net was completed in its third year before beginning a yearlong nationwide trial.
• Xia Zhiyi resumed acting after winning newcomer and supporting actor awards, while his real-name online system and AI review tools weakened water armies.
• Xu Chen told Xia Zhiyi that a popular boy band member had likely secured the young male lead role for Director Min's film through investor connections.
• Xia Zhiyi checked the rumor on his phone and found that the supposed shoo-in had spread false information to scare off audition competitors.
• Xia Zhiyi told Xu Chen to ask Director Min whether the rumor was true.

Xia Zhiyi prepared to audition for the role of renowned chancellor Huo Zekang across his entire life in Director Min’s historical drama, confident that his past experiences made him uniquely suited to it. At the audition venue, he met Zhao Ziwang, who was trying out for the young Emperor Gaozong of Yan.

• Xu Chen asked Director Min about the apparent interference, and Min erupted in anger after realizing someone was pulling strings.
• Xia Zhiyi decided not to tell Min what little they knew and planned to find out who had spread the rumor himself.
• Xia Zhiyi explained that he had persuaded Director Min to let him audition to portray Huo Zekang at every stage of life.
• Xia Zhiyi and Xu Chen arrived at the audition venue and noticed the waiting room had an unusual atmosphere.
• Zhao Ziwang greeted Xia Zhiyi and said he was auditioning for Emperor Gaozong of Yan rather than Huo Zekang.

Xia Zhiyi arrived at an audition for the role of Huo Zekang, determined to play the character across multiple stages of his life. He received number 90 and waited to be called, while Zhao Ziwang learned the auditions would be held in random order.

• Actors who had worked with Xia Zhiyi greeted him, and he said he was auditioning for the male lead, Huo Zekang.
• Zhao Ziwang revealed he hoped to play a ruler opposite Xia Zhiyi as Huo Zekang, while another actor said he wanted to audition for an emperor.
• Xia Zhiyi and Zhao Ziwang collected numbers 90 and 89, respectively, from a staff member.
• The staff member told Zhao Ziwang that the director, screenwriter, and producer would draw numbers randomly to call actors in for auditions.

Xia Zhiyi auditioned for the lead role of Huo Zekang in Director Min’s production and was called in first. He remained inside far longer than expected, leaving the other actors to suspect Director Min had advanced him directly to the next stage.

• Xia Zhiyi received audition number 90 and was called first, while Zhao Ziwang stayed in the lobby.
• The actors learned Xia Zhiyi was auditioning for Huo Zekang, and Zhao Ziwang rebuked someone who criticized his choice of role.
• Xia Zhiyi remained in the audition room for more than ten minutes, prompting the waiting actors to wonder what was happening.
• The actors speculated that Xia Zhiyi had moved straight to the second stage and that Director Min had taken a strong interest in him.

After his audition, Xia Zhiyi left without learning the results and discovered that Fu Yunyi had gotten into trouble again. He arranged to bring Fu Chi lunch after meeting his sister, while Xu Chen handled the latest incident.

• Xia Zhiyi finished his audition, told Zhao Ziwang that results would take three days, and left the lobby without waiting for Zhao's turn.
• Xia Zhiyi found Xu Chen working in the car and learned from the driver that Fu Yunyi had run into trouble again.
• Xia Zhiyi messaged Fu Chi about Fu Yunyi's latest trouble and suggested that he reward Xu Chen for her hard work.
• Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi arranged to have lunch together, with Xia Zhiyi offering to bring him clay pot rice after eating with his sister.

Xia Zhiyi was asked to replace a missing dance mentor on the livestreamed talent show Fu Yunyi joined as a regular mentor. He accepted the role and learned he would need to join the production for training before filming began.

• Xu Chen told Xia Zhiyi that the talent show Fu Yunyi mentored had lost a guest and asked whether he would fill in.
• Xia Zhiyi questioned whether he was suited to mentor dancers, but said he would consider joining if Fu Yunyi could not find anyone else.
• Xu Chen told Xia Zhiyi the production team could make him a martial arts mentor, then admitted she had been joking.
• Three days later, Xia Zhiyi learned he had been approved for the role and received a call from the production team.
• The production team told Xia Zhiyi filming would begin after the Dragon Boat Festival and that the mentors had to attend training beforehand; Xia Zhiyi said he already knew etiquette.

Xia Zhiyi agreed to demonstrate his abilities at Director Min’s base and accepted Fu Yunyi’s invitation to become a martial arts mentor on “Boy Band.” The chapter ended with martial arts circles still unable to explain where Xia Zhiyi had learned his extraordinary skills.

• Xia Zhiyi agreed to take the base’s tests so he could avoid months of training if he passed.
• Fu Yunyi told Xia Zhiyi that he could not find a reliable temporary mentor and invited him to teach martial arts on “Boy Band.”
• Fu Yunyi explained that the production team wanted to create a traditional Xia-style boy band combining martial arts and dance.
• Xia Zhiyi’s fight scenes and sparring had earned him recognition as the country’s foremost martial artist.
• Martial arts practitioners remained baffled by Xia Zhiyi’s mastery of so many styles and weapons.

Fu Yunyi invited Xia Zhiyi to join Boy Band as a martial arts mentor, and Xia Zhiyi accepted after receiving approval from the Great Yan team. When the mentors arrived at the contestants’ dormitory, the contestants recognized Xia Zhiyi and greeted him with excited cheers.

• Fu Yunyi persuaded Xia Zhiyi to become a martial arts mentor on Boy Band, and Xia Zhiyi signed on after Director Min and the Great Yan instructors approved him.
• Contestants at Boy Band’s filming base worried that a rumored dispute had left the show short of a mentor.
• The contestants heard that the mentors had arrived and hurried into the corridor to see them.
• The contestants recognized Xia Zhiyi and shouted questions about his role and whether he would teach martial arts.
• Fu Yunyi joked that Xia Zhiyi should be Boy Band’s celebrity mentor, and Xia Zhiyi asked if Fu Yunyi would teach martial arts, prompting another burst of cheers.

Xia Zhiyi welcomed the contestants and explained the show’s rules, including moral character scores and memorizing the Eight Honors and Eight Shames. After Fu Chi came to pick him up, Xia Zhiyi hurried out to meet him, leaving Fu Yunyi unsure whether he could reveal their relationship.

• Xia Zhiyi introduced himself as the martial arts mentor and told the contestants filming would begin in two days, with individual performances and twenty-four-hour livestreaming in common areas.
• Fu Yunyi and Xia Zhiyi told the contestants they would face moral character scores and spot checks on the Eight Honors and Eight Shames.
• Xia Zhiyi received a call from Fu Chi, who said reporters were waiting near the base entrance and that he had come to pick him up.
• Xia Zhiyi decided to meet Fu Chi at the entrance and left the meeting with Director Chen and Fu Yunyi in a hurry.
• Fu Yunyi realized Xia Zhiyi had left him without saying whether he could tell Fu Chi about their relationship.

Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi openly held hands as they entered the building, and Xia Zhiyi proposed to Fu Chi with handmade silver rings. Fu Chi accepted and returned the proposal, but several people witnessed the moment from around the corner.

• Xia Zhiyi let a paparazzo photograph him and Fu Chi holding hands, warning him not to spread rumors.
• Fu Chi offered to have the PR department officially announce their relationship, but Xia Zhiyi brought up his approaching twenty-second birthday.
• Xia Zhiyi showed Fu Chi a pair of handmade silver rings and asked him to marry him.
• Fu Chi accepted, put on his ring, and placed the other ring on Xia Zhiyi's finger.
• Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi turned toward several people who had been watching them from around the corner.

Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi celebrated their sudden engagement after revealing they had each secretly prepared rings. They left to tell the director, where Fu Yunyi introduced Xia Zhiyi as Fu Chi’s partner.

• Xia Zhiyi joked with the young performers who had witnessed his proposal and promised to bring them wedding candy another time.
• Fu Chi revealed he had prepared two pairs of rings, and Xia Zhiyi explained he had made their silver rings while working in the lab.
• Fu Chi told Xia Zhiyi he liked the rings, and the two shared a loving moment.
• Fu Yunyi found Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi together and greeted his uncle.
• The director came out to greet Fu Chi, and Fu Yunyi introduced Xia Zhiyi as his uncle’s partner.

Fu Chi visited the “Boy Band” base to pick up Xia Zhiyi, and the director learned that Xia and Fu Yunyi were family through Fu Chi. As Xia and Fu Chi toured the base wearing rings, a reporter posted photos of them holding hands, leaving Xu Chen asking them to warn him before going public.

• Xia Zhiyi told the director that Fu Yunyi was his nephew, and the director realized Xia and Fu Chi were a couple.
• Fu Chi clarified that he had come to pick up Xia Zhiyi, and Xia took him to tour the base.
• Fu Yunyi noticed the rings on Xia and Fu Chi’s hands and messaged Xia to ask about them.
• Xia told Fu Chi that he would explain the rings to Fu Yunyi, then continued showing Fu Chi around the base.
• Fish Entertainment Express posted photos of Xia and Fu Chi holding hands, and Xu Chen asked them to give him advance notice before going public.

Xia Zhiyi and Fu Chi prepared to marry, while their manager Xu Chen warned Fu Yunyi to give her notice before announcing his own relationship. At the start of the “Boy Band, Debut!” livestream, Xia Zhiyi and Fu Yunyi joked about who counted as Xia Zhiyi’s disciple.

• Xia Zhiyi told Xu Chen that he had proposed to Fu Chi and planned to go straight to marriage without an engagement party.
• Xu Chen asked Fu Yunyi about his relationship with Miss Gu, and he said they had not yet made their relationship public because their schedules rarely matched.
• Xia Zhiyi’s fans and online onlookers stayed quiet about photos of him holding hands with a man, leaving the paparazzo disappointed.
• The “Boy Band, Debut!” livestream began, and Fu Yunyi introduced the mentors before filming started.
• Xia Zhiyi said he hoped to find a talented disciple on the show, and he and Fu Yunyi joked that Wang Chengran was Xia Zhiyi’s eldest senior martial brother.

Xia Zhiyi revealed that he had twenty-three formal disciples, disappointing Fu Yunyi, who had hoped to become his second. The mentors began filming the new season of Boy Band, and Xia Zhiyi watched the contestants make their entrances and perform.

• Fu Yunyi asked Xia Zhiyi if he could become his second disciple, but Xia Zhiyi said the spot was taken and that he already had twenty-three disciples.
• Xie Linyue introduced himself as the contestants' vocal mentor, and the mentors joked with Fu Yunyi about his hosting role.
• Fu Yunyi opened the recording of the new season of Boy Band, while Xia Zhiyi and Xie Linyue watched from below the stage.
• Xie Linyue praised Fu Yunyi's work ethic, and Xia Zhiyi recalled teaching him traditional instruments.
• The contestants entered one by one with varied outfits and performances, including one contestant who performed a sword dance in ancient-style clothing.