Chapter Summaries

Qiguan Yuan used his red thread to untangle Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang’s fate while leaving their fragile bond unrepaired until he knew whether their feelings could return. As Pei Yubai studied Miao language, Qiguan Yuan remembered the Tree of Fate and how he had been born beneath it.

• Pei Yubai practiced Miao pronunciation and chose to wait for Qiguan Yuan to explain the words he had spoken.
• Qiguan Yuan saw that Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang’s fate threads were knotted together, with near-broken gaps held by thin filaments.
• Qiguan Yuan sent his red thread to loosen the knot, but called it back before it could mend the breaks.
• Qiguan Yuan decided to wait and see whether Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang’s feelings could return before repairing their fate threads.
• Qiguan Yuan recalled that he had been born beneath the Tree of Fate, whose red threads had once been left tangled and untended.

Qiguan Yuan remembered how he and Xiu Yun Yin once managed the Tree of Fate together, and how he gave up his divinity for a chance that Yun Yin would be reborn. In the present, Qiguan Yuan joined the village's language game, where Shen Yuzhou's group scored six points.

• Qiguan Yuan recalled meeting Xiu Yun Yin beneath the Tree of Fate and naming him before they began managing marriages together.
• Xiu Yun Yin dissipated with red threads covering his robes, and Qiguan Yuan exchanged his divinity for a chance for Yun Yin to be reborn.
• Qiguan Yuan remembered waiting for Yun Yin in Cloud-Hidden Town with the Dust-Settling Red Cord still around his wrist.
• Meng Xu announced a timed guessing game in which contestants had to act out words and give the correct answers in the Miao language.
• Shen Yuzhou acted while Cheng Yanqiu and Lin Yanru guessed, and their group answered six questions correctly.

Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang scored nine points after skipping a difficult final word, and Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai then played the guessing game. Qiguan Yuan gave Pei Yubai a personal clue that he answered with “you,” leaving Pei Yubai flustered as the game ended.

• Ji Shiyu gave clues for nine words, and Jiang Wantang guessed all nine before Ji Shiyu passed on the tenth.
• Qiguan Yuan watched Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang, suspecting the skipped word was related to feelings.
• Qiguan Yuan acted out the first nine words, and Pei Yubai guessed each one quickly.
• For the final clue, Qiguan Yuan repeated a Hmong sentence, then touched Pei Yubai’s chest and asked him to guess without using Hmong.
• Pei Yubai answered “you,” and Qiguan Yuan said he had guessed correctly before Meng Xu called time.
• Shen Yuzhou challenged the scoring, but Qiguan Yuan defended the answer, while Pei Yubai remained embarrassed and watched him return to the drum tower.

After the game, Pei Yubai took Qiguan Yuan mushroom gathering instead of fishing, while the other guests went to complete their daily tasks. They returned with a basket of mushrooms, and Pei Yubai told Qiguan Yuan he still had to transplant rice seedlings for the village elder.

• Meng Xu recorded the teams' scores and excused Qiguan Yuan from the daily tasks because he was a special guest.
• Qiguan Yuan followed Pei Yubai to gather mushrooms and teased him about completing the work alone.
• Pei Yubai showed Qiguan Yuan how to identify edible mushrooms, warning him that white mushrooms could be poisonous.
• Qiguan Yuan tied two white mushrooms together with the red thread from his wrist, and Pei Yubai called them pretty.
• Pei Yubai filled half a basket with mushrooms and told Qiguan Yuan that he had promised the village elder he would transplant rice seedlings.

Qiguan Yuan left Pei Yubai working in the rice paddy to accompany Jiang Wantang to the village teahouse. Jiang asked him to make an exception to his limit of three fortune-stick readings a year and interpret a stick tied to her hopes of meeting someone again.

• Pei Yubai planted rice while Qiguan Yuan watched from the ridge, where a young man repeatedly looked at Qiguan Yuan.
• Jiang Wantang asked Qiguan Yuan to help her, and he left Pei Yubai to go with her.
• On the way, Jiang explained that her grandmother came from Cloud-Hidden Town and had told her about Yue Lao Temple and an earlier Mr. Qiguan.
• At the teahouse, Jiang served tea and showed Qiguan Yuan a bamboo fortune stick.
• Jiang asked Qiguan Yuan to interpret the stick, saying she feared she and someone important to her would never meet again if she did nothing.

Qiguan Yuan comforted Jiang Wantang with a marriage fortune, then got lost trying to leave the teahouse and returned to Pei Yubai for help. Back at the stilt house, Qiguan Yuan reassured Pei Yubai that he would welcome him following along.

• Qiguan Yuan read Jiang Wantang the marriage fortune, and she thanked him before leaving the teahouse.
• After leaving, Qiguan Yuan got lost on the branching roads and used the red thread on his wrist to find his way back to Pei Yubai.
• Pei Yubai washed his muddy hands, took Qiguan Yuan's hand, and led him back to the stilt house.
• Pei Yubai gave Qiguan Yuan a phone so he could call for help if he got lost again.
• Qiguan Yuan told Pei Yubai he might like having him follow along and that Pei Yubai had special privileges with him.

Qiguan Yuan spent a quiet day at the house, explored his new phone, and teased Pei Yubai while helping him win a card game. The group shared dinner, where Qiguan Yuan watched Jiang Wantang until she grew uncomfortable, then looked away.

• Jiang Wantang practiced dancing, and Cheng Yanqiu joined her and agreed to practice again the next day.
• Shen Yuzhou invited Pei Yubai and Lin Yanru to play Fight the Landlord while Qiguan Yuan examined his phone.
• Qiguan Yuan leaned close to Pei Yubai, pointed out that he was blushing, and played a straight from his cards to beat Shen Yuzhou.
• Ji Shiyu served dinner, and Qiguan Yuan tried the locally smoked cured pork while Pei Yubai turned Qiguan Yuan's lit phone facedown.
• Qiguan Yuan stared at Jiang Wantang during dinner until she became uncomfortable, then looked away and finished his porridge.

After dinner, the guests played truth or dare, and Ji Shiyu revealed that he regretted giving up a former partner. Qiguan Yuan calmed the resulting livestream chaos, then offered to help Pei Yubai with a dare, leaving them poised close together.

• Shen Yuzhou proposed truth or dare, and Qiguan Yuan declined to play while watching his livestream.
• Lin Yanru admitted that she liked shipping real couples, then asked Ji Shiyu about his regrets when the bottle landed on him.
• Ji Shiyu confessed that he had given up a partner he loved five years earlier, causing the livestream comments to erupt.
• Qiguan Yuan quieted the comments and advised Ji Shiyu not to cling to the past, while Jiang Wantang sat silently.
• Lin Yanru dared Pei Yubai to kiss someone, and Pei Yubai accepted; Qiguan Yuan beckoned him over and pulled him close by the collar.

After Qiguan Yuan kissed Pei Yubai's forehead, the guests ended their gathering and went to bed. Pei Yubai joined Qiguan Yuan in his room and massaged his aching back, leaving Qiguan Yuan drowsily mistaking him for Yun Yin.

• Qiguan Yuan kissed Pei Yubai's forehead, startling the guests, then called an end to the gathering as it grew late.
• After the others left, Pei Yubai said he would sleep in the living room, but followed Qiguan Yuan into his room.
• Qiguan Yuan told Pei Yubai to sleep, then asked him to massage his aching lower back.
• As Pei Yubai massaged him, Qiguan Yuan remembered Yun Yin's old massages and, half asleep, called Pei Yubai by Yun Yin's name.

Pei Yubai realized he was jealous of Yun Yin and learned that Qiguan Yuan’s lower back injury came from an accident beneath the Tree of Fate. After falling asleep beside Qiguan Yuan, Pei Yubai woke to find a pair of fluffy ears on his head.

• Pei Yubai massaged Qiguan Yuan’s lower back and felt jealous when Qiguan Yuan murmured Yun Yin’s name in his sleep.
• Pei Yubai asked why Qiguan Yuan’s lower back hurt, and Qiguan Yuan said he had injured it long ago.
• Pei Yubai offered to find Qiguan Yuan a doctor, but Qiguan Yuan told him to sleep and wished him sweet dreams.
• Pei Yubai woke with Qiguan Yuan asleep on his chest and discovered fluffy white ears twitching on Qiguan Yuan’s head.

Pei Yubai secretly touched Qiguan Yuan’s fox ear while he slept, then arranged for a doctor to examine Qiguan Yuan’s back. Qiguan Yuan revealed his fox ears and nine tails to Pei Yubai and invited him to touch them, leaving Pei Yubai reaching out.

• Pei Yubai gently stroked Qiguan Yuan’s ear as he slept, then covered him when staff came to the door.
• Qiguan Yuan woke and found Pei Yubai preparing clothes while staff and a cameraman were in the room; Pei Yubai asked them to leave so he could change.
• Pei Yubai told Qiguan Yuan that a doctor would arrive that afternoon to examine his lower back, and Qiguan Yuan agreed.
• Qiguan Yuan approached Pei Yubai and revealed his fox ears and nine white tails.
• Qiguan Yuan asked Pei Yubai if he wanted to touch them, and Pei Yubai reached out.

Pei Yubai cautiously stroked Qiguan Yuan's ears and tails, growing increasingly flustered as Qiguan Yuan teased him. Qiguan Yuan left to rejoin the waiting photographer and staff, and Pei Yubai hurried after him.

• Pei Yubai hesitated before touching Qiguan Yuan's ear, then gently stroked it as Qiguan Yuan leaned into his hand.
• Qiguan Yuan asked whether Pei Yubai wanted to touch his tails, and Pei Yubai stroked one as it curled around his wrist.
• Qiguan Yuan teased Pei Yubai for being shy as he leaned closer, while Pei Yubai looked at his lips.
• Qiguan Yuan withdrew his ears and tails, left the room to avoid keeping the photographer and staff waiting, and Pei Yubai quickly changed and followed him.

Qiguan Yuan watched the guests learn the lusheng dance for the Sisters' Festival and listened as Ji Shiyu recounted how distance and his career had separated him from Jiang Wantang. After Ji Shiyu asked whether they could renew their bond, Qiguan Yuan urged him to consider the answer himself, then prepared to tie their thread again.

• Ji Shiyu made breakfast, and Qiguan Yuan and Pei Yubai joined him before heading to the village clearing.
• The village elder announced the Sisters' Festival and taught the guests that they needed to learn the lusheng dance.
• Qiguan Yuan entertained the village children, then told Lu Zhao that reconnecting a broken fate required both people to seek each other.
• Ji Shiyu told Qiguan Yuan how he and Jiang Wantang had fallen in love, drifted apart during their careers, and eventually broken up.
• Ji Shiyu asked whether he and Jiang Wantang could renew their bond, and Qiguan Yuan told him to find the answer himself.
• Ji Shiyu returned to the clearing as Jiang Wantang watched him, while Qiguan Yuan sat beneath the locust tree with a red thread around his finger.

Meng Xu offered Qiguan Yuan five million to appear on the show, but discovered that Qiguan Yuan had no bank card or ID. The chapter ended with Meng Xu realizing Pei Yubai’s wife had no legal identity while Pei Yubai practiced the lusheng dance.

• Qiguan Yuan sat out the lusheng activity, and Meng Xu respected his choice rather than pressuring him to join.
• Meng Xu approached Qiguan Yuan privately and offered him five million for his appearance on the show.
• Qiguan Yuan accepted the offer without much interest in the money, then asked what a bank card was.
• Meng Xu explained that Qiguan Yuan needed an ID card to get a bank card, and Qiguan Yuan admitted he had no ID.
• Meng Xu looked over at Pei Yubai practicing the dance and silently realized Qiguan Yuan had no legal identity.

Qiguan Yuan told Meng Xu he would leave the Village Above the Clouds the day after tomorrow, and Pei Yubai worried about losing contact with him. When Qiguan Yuan teased him about being reluctant to part, Pei Yubai admitted that he was.

• Qiguan Yuan said he would leave the Village Above the Clouds the day after tomorrow, leaving Meng Xu dismayed.
• Meng Xu told Pei Yubai that Qiguan Yuan had no ID card or bank card, and Pei Yubai asked him to hold the appearance fee until he could ask Qiguan Yuan about getting an ID.
• Pei Yubai considered leaving his upcoming film to follow Qiguan Yuan, but decided he should honor his commitment and instead hoped to find a way to contact him.
• Pei Yubai asked Qiguan Yuan how he could reach him after he returned to Cloud-Hidden Village, since he could not find his home in the forest.
• Qiguan Yuan stroked Pei Yubai's eyes and asked if he was reluctant to part with him, and Pei Yubai admitted that he was.

Qiguan Yuan told Pei Yubai to practice his lusheng, while Pei Yubai kept seeking reasons to stay near him. The chapter ended with Pei Yubai reading messages from Pei Zhongkang urging him to win Qiguan Yuan over.

• Qiguan Yuan told Pei Yubai that Meng Xu had no Thread of Fate and was destined to remain alone, though his career and wealth lines were excellent.
• Pei Yubai asked Qiguan Yuan about getting an ID card, and Qiguan Yuan said they would handle it later.
• Pei Yubai practiced the lusheng, then returned to sit beside Qiguan Yuan after the livestream resumed.
• Pei Yubai received three messages from Pei Zhongkang, who said a medical team was coming by helicopter and urged him to pursue Qiguan Yuan shamelessly.
• After reading Pei Zhongkang's messages, Pei Yubai looked up at Qiguan Yuan.

Pei Yubai arranged for a renowned orthopedic specialist to examine Qiguan Yuan’s long-standing lower back pain. The doctor found chronic ligament damage and inflammation, recommending further tests in the capital, while Qiguan Yuan agreed only to use pain-relief medication for now.

• Pei Yubai watched Qiguan Yuan for signs of back pain as they waited for medical help to arrive by helicopter.
• Pei Yubai persuaded the sleepy Qiguan Yuan to let a doctor examine his lower back, and they returned to the stilt house without the cameras following.
• Professor Zhou Wenyuan examined Qiguan Yuan and found an old scar, chronic ligament damage, and surrounding soft-tissue inflammation.
• Zhou Wenyuan recommended further tests in the capital and offered topical medication for temporary relief.
• Qiguan Yuan chose to apply the medication first and leave the tests for later, and Pei Yubai agreed.

Pei Yubai learned that Qiguan Yuan’s lower-back injury could be managed with conservative treatment but not fully cured, and took responsibility for helping him apply the medicine. He asked Qiguan Yuan if he could go back with him, revealing that staying by his side was what he truly wanted.

• Pei Yubai followed Zhou Wenyuan out and asked how much Qiguan Yuan’s lower back could recover.
• Zhou Wenyuan explained that the old injury did not require surgery but would need conservative treatment, including medicine, rest, and rehabilitation.
• Zhou Wenyuan’s two apprentices prepared the external medicine and gave it to Pei Yubai.
• Pei Yubai returned to the room, found Qiguan Yuan asleep, tucked him in, and researched hot compresses and massage techniques.
• Qiguan Yuan woke and teased Pei Yubai for watching him, and Pei Yubai said he would help apply the medicine.
• Pei Yubai asked Qiguan Yuan if he could go back with him, and Qiguan Yuan realized that was the real reason for his roundabout remarks.

Qiguan Yuan teased Pei Yubai for using medicine as an excuse to ask to return with him, then destroyed the red string Pei Yubai treasured. When Pei Yubai grew upset, Qiguan Yuan replaced it with a translucent red string linking their ring fingers, and Pei Yubai accepted it.

• Qiguan Yuan saw through Pei Yubai's roundabout request to return with him and called him over.
• Qiguan Yuan untied Pei Yubai's red string and rubbed it into ash.
• Pei Yubai gripped Qiguan Yuan's hand and asked why he had destroyed the string, while his eyes reddened.
• Qiguan Yuan promised to give Pei Yubai the string back and created matching translucent red strings on their ring fingers.
• Qiguan Yuan tied their strings together and asked to bestow a true red string on Pei Yubai, who accepted the replacement.

Qiguan Yuan reassured Pei Yubai with a red thread, then let him apply medicine to his sore waist. A call from Shen Lingyi revealed that Pei Yubai had never confessed his feelings, and Qiguan Yuan listened as she urged him to speak up.

• Qiguan Yuan showed Pei Yubai the red thread and told him it would lead him to him, then asked Pei Yubai to apply medicine to his waist.
• Pei Yubai prepared a warm compress and massaged medicine into Qiguan Yuan's lower back while Shen Yuzhou and the livestream viewers reacted to his remarks.
• Pei Yubai's phone rang, and after cleaning the ointment from his hands, he called Shen Lingyi back.
• Shen Lingyi asked whether Qiguan Yuan had accepted Pei Yubai and began discussing their marriage and honeymoon.
• Qiguan Yuan told Shen Lingyi that Pei Yubai had not confessed his feelings, and Shen Lingyi teased her son for being too timid to say he liked him.