Recaps

Cheng Che returned to Spring City for a few days of rest with his family and completed his second mathematics paper. He submitted it to the Annals of Mathematics and told Professor Liu.

• Cheng Che flew to Spring City, where Cheng Jianguo, Jiang Xue, and Xu Qian picked him up; Xu Qian asked how many wives he had.
• Cheng Che reunited with Cheng Yulan and Xu Chengjun, who had started a restaurant with Cheng Jianguo.
• Cheng Che spent three days working on his paper while Xu Qian visited him to ask for math help and chat.
• Cheng Che finished the paper, corrected and formatted it, then submitted it through the Annals of Mathematics system.
• Cheng Che messaged Professor Liu to say he had submitted his second paper, and Professor Liu said he would await the reviewers' comments.

After a packed stretch of commercial work, Cheng Che chose a 763-square-meter villa in Shunyi and learned he would join the League of Legends 13th Anniversary Celebration as a special guest. He traveled to Magic City with his team and left the arena eager to play in the exhibition match.

• Cheng Che reviewed Qin Lie’s villa options and chose a 763-square-meter home in Run Garden for about forty-two million, with plans for a large study, gaming room, and pet room.
• Qin Lie told Cheng Che that Tengjing had confirmed his place in the anniversary celebration’s celebrity exhibition match, scheduled for the following evening in Magic City.
• Cheng Che flew to Magic City with his team and toured Tengjing’s office building with Manager Zhou.
• Manager Zhou explained the exhibition match format and revealed that Clearlove would be Cheng Che’s team’s jungler.
• Cheng Che visited the Mercedes-Benz Arena, saw the stage being prepared, and looked forward to playing there.

Cheng Che made a dramatic entrance at the League of Legends anniversary celebration and drew an overwhelming reaction from the crowd and livestream viewers. After answering the host’s questions, he took his seat for the celebrity exhibition match as a skeptical player named Canyon Old Hand agreed to watch.

• Cheng Che waited backstage while the stage director explained his entrance and interview schedule.
• Clearlove appeared first, then Cheng Che rose onto the stage and triggered cheers throughout the arena.
• Cheng Che introduced himself, described the event as livelier than he had expected, and joked that he did not want to lose to a bot.
• Canyon Old Hand, who had complained about the celebrity guest, praised Cheng Che’s looks and decided to watch the match.
• Cheng Che put on his headset and sat with the other players as viewers continued reacting to him.

Cheng Che dominated the All-Star exhibition match’s draft-mode round with Ezreal, proving his Challenger-level mechanics and judgment to the commentators and audience. Legend Team won, and the chapter ended with the commentators recommending that opponents ban his Ezreal next time.

• Cheng Che played AD Garen in the casual round, entertaining the venue with two kills on the opposing mid laner.
• Cheng Che and Juanmao picked Ezreal and Thresh against Jinx and Nautilus, while the commentators questioned whether Cheng Che could handle the pressure.
• Juanmao engaged Nautilus at level three, and Cheng Che waited for Nautilus to use Flash before following with E and securing the kill.
• Cheng Che dodged Nautilus’s hooks, landed repeated Qs, and built a twenty-CS lead over Jinx.
• During the dragon fight, Cheng Che kited the enemy team, killed Jinx with Qs, and survived with less than a hundred health.
• Legend Team won at twenty-eight minutes, with Cheng Che finishing 11/1/7 and dealing the most damage; Wawa, Miller, and Guan Zeyuan praised his performance.

After his exhibition match, Cheng Che impressed young players with his Ezreal advice and then performed “Legends Never Die” onstage. His singing drew a standing wave of applause and left the crowd calling for more as he returned to the wings.

• Clearlove and Juanmao praised Cheng Che’s play after the exhibition match.
• Cheng Che signed autographs for young players and explained why he targeted Jinx before retreating in the dragon fight.
• Cheng Che went to the wings, changed into a black coat, and was introduced as the next act.
• Cheng Che sang “Legends Never Die” as championship footage played, captivating the audience with his performance.
• The crowd erupted in applause and called for another song, and Cheng Che bowed before returning to the wings.

After Cheng Che’s League of Legends exhibition match drew praise online, his rising malice count pushed his general-public goodwill bonus to 90%, while several women began learning the game or messaging him about playing together. Two days later, he arrived at the press conference for “The Realm and Old Friends,” where the system identified Ning Qing as a bindable target.

• Cheng Che saw that his malice count had exceeded 900,000 and his goodwill bonus had reached 90%, then read the praise for his exhibition match on Weibo.
• Su Qingyue, Su Miaoyin, and Yan Ruanning began learning League of Legends, while Yan Ruanning asked Cheng Che to teach her Ezreal.
• Pei Jingshu watched Cheng Che’s match recording, messaged him about playing together, and smiled when he agreed.
• Two days later, Cheng Che arrived at the dressing room for the press conference of “The Realm and Old Friends,” and the system presented Ning Qing as a bindable target.

Cheng Che gained the Aloof Immortal Venerable, Roleplay, and Mermaid buffs before attending The Realm and Old Friends' release-date press conference with Ning Qing. The event ended with the series set to premiere on October 15 and cameras capturing a brief exchange of glances between the two leads.

• Cheng Che bound the newly triggered talent and received buffs that improved teaching, cosplay, and swimming.
• Cheng Che and Ning Qing dressed for the press conference and joined Director Zhou and President Fang at Tengda Video's Magic City branch.
• Cheng Che and Ning Qing discussed their roles, acted out a court debate, and matched three answers in a quiz about each other.
• Cheng Che told reporters he balanced tennis and acting by focusing on one at a time.
• The press conference announced an October 15 exclusive release on Tengda Video, and cameras captured Cheng Che and Ning Qing exchanging a glance.

At dinner, Director Zhou proposed an unscripted spin-off featuring the drama’s characters in a modern setting, and Cheng Che and Ning Qing agreed to join. After learning filming would take place in Rongcheng, Cheng Che suggested shooting the first episode at a comic convention, where he and Ning Qing could cosplay their characters.

• Director Zhou introduced a three-episode spin-off in which the actors would interact in character in a modern apartment, and President Fang explained its promotional value.
• Cheng Che and Ning Qing agreed to participate, while Zhao Yiming and the other actors discussed their roles and learned the shoot would be in Rongcheng.
• Cheng Che searched for events in Rongcheng and found a comic convention scheduled for that weekend.
• Cheng Che proposed filming the first episode at the convention with him and Ning Qing cosplaying their drama characters, and Director Zhou said President Fang approved the idea.

Cheng Che and Ning Qing arrived in Rongcheng to film their show and chose Naruto and Hinata cosplay for an anime convention. As they prepared in costume, Cheng Che botched Ning Qing’s makeup, sparking a playful chase that Director Zhou’s crew captured.

• President Fang brought Cheng Che and Ning Qing to their rented apartment in Rongcheng, where Director Zhou told them they would cosplay at the anime convention.
• Ning Qing chose Hinata, her favorite character, and Cheng Che agreed to dress as Naruto.
• Cheng Che and Ning Qing put on their costumes and tried to do their own makeup without a makeup artist.
• Cheng Che gave Ning Qing clumsy eyeshadow and oversized blush, prompting her to chase him around the living room and yank his forehead protector.
• Ning Qing redid her makeup, drew Naruto’s whisker marks on Cheng Che, and Director Zhou watched the playful footage with the crew.

Cheng Che and Ning Qing went to a comic convention in cosplay, where his [Roleplay] ability helped them avoid being recognized as celebrities. They left with the crowd seeing them as a good-looking Naruto and Hinata couple, though one girl thought Cheng Che looked familiar.

• Cheng Che drove Ning Qing to the convention, and she nervously held the door handle because he had only had his license for months.
• Ning Qing reminisced about sneaking into a comic convention in high school and worried Cheng Che would be recognized without security.
• Cheng Che activated [Roleplay], adopted Naruto's mannerisms, and led Ning Qing into the convention by the hand.
• The pair browsed stalls and posed for photos as cosplayers, and Cheng Che joked that he would bring Boruto along in a few years.
• More attendees asked for photos, while only one girl thought Cheng Che looked familiar before her companion pulled her away.

Cheng Che and Ning Qing enjoyed the convention together, dancing as Naruto and Hinata and promising to return. After a cosplayer posted photos of them online, viewers recognized the pair and began speculating that they were officially together.

• Cheng Che lost several prize draws before leaving the stall with Ning Qing.
• After a Hinata cosplayer urged him on, Cheng Che led Ning Qing onto the stage, where they danced and invited the crowd to join them.
• Cheng Che and Ning Qing took photos at a Hidden Leaf Village backdrop and looked through a Naruto and Hinata comic.
• As the convention ended, Ning Qing asked Cheng Che to come again with her, and he promised, “That's Naruto's promise to Hinata.”
• The Hinata cosplayer posted photos of them on Douyin, and viewers quickly recognized Cheng Che and Ning Qing and speculated about their relationship.

A video of Cheng Che and Ning Qing holding hands at a comic convention sparked dating rumors and a fierce online debate. The official account clarified that they had been filming a variety-show episode, while Director Zhou realized the episode was already drawing major attention before it aired.

• A convention video of Cheng Che and Ning Qing holding hands spread across Douyin and Weibo, reaching the top of the trending list.
• Fans argued over whether Cheng Che and Ning Qing were dating, while Ning Qing faced hostile comments on Weibo.
• Shen Du, Gu Yan, Lu Heng, and Yi Yangfan's manager discussed how Cheng Che's fans might react if he confirmed a relationship.
• The official account for The Realm and Old Friends explained that Cheng Che and Ning Qing had interacted in character while filming a drama-spinoff variety show at the convention.
• Director Zhou read the reactions to the clarification and felt relieved and excited by the episode's attention before broadcast.

After a trending video of Cheng Che and Ning Qing holding hands caused speculation, the show's team coordinated a clarification and posts from both actors. Cheng Che's playful in-character explanation drew a huge response, and Ning Qing reposted it with a brief caption.

• Director Zhou and Tengda Video's publicity head agreed to wait for the topic to peak before the show's official account clarified the video.
• Director Zhou coordinated with Qin Lie and Ning Qing's agent so the actors would post after the official account's clarification.
• Ning Qing drafted a conventional post, while Cheng Che wrote a humorous explanation in character as Shen Che.
• The official account clarified that the anime convention footage was filmed for the show, and Ning Qing posted her prepared statement.
• Cheng Che posted a playful explanation, saying the convention interaction was unscripted and defending Shen Che holding the female lead's hand.
• Ning Qing read Cheng Che's post and reposted it with the words, "Play music."

As reservations for The Realm and Old Friends surged, Cheng Che’s variety-show footage was expanded into eight episodes and he traveled to New York to prepare for the US Open. After watching his dolphin encounter become a hit back home, Cheng Che opened the tournament schedule, and the system panel suddenly lit up.

• The project lead watched reservations for The Realm and Old Friends climb to fifteen million as industry figures credited Cheng Che’s Weibo post for the buzz.
• Shen Du’s manager admitted Cheng Che’s post had avoided a fan backlash, and Shen Du said they would wait to see whether he won the US Open.
• Director Zhou and President Fang expanded Cheng Che and Ning Qing’s companion variety show from three episodes to eight after reviewing the entertaining footage.
• Cheng Che flew to New York, adjusted quickly to the time difference, and practiced daily at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
• Cheng Che’s episode of Let’s Eat aired in China, and viewers reacted to footage of him encountering dolphins at sea.
• Cheng Che watched the reactions in his New York hotel, opened the US Open schedule, and saw the system panel light up.

Cheng Che celebrated his second paper appearing on the Annals of Mathematics homepage and learned that Peking University planned to seek a full professorship for him. After receiving a new pressure-focused talent and the Scholar’s Set from the system, he turned his attention to the US Open draw.

• Cheng Che saw his paper featured on the Annals of Mathematics homepage alongside rare praise from the editor-in-chief.
• Professor Liu told Cheng Che that the dean was preparing an application to make him a full professor.
• Cheng Che completed the system trial and gained the Still Waters Run Deep talent and Scholar’s Set, which could temporarily boost his intelligence by five points.
• Cheng Che told Qin Lie about the paper and the professorship plan, while Qin Lie offered to coordinate publicity after an official announcement.
• Cheng Che considered his chance to complete a Career Grand Slam at the US Open, then received a notification that the tournament draw was out.

Cheng Che weighed the system’s next Intelligence and Stamina trials while preparing for the US Open, where he hoped to complete his career Grand Slam. The chapter ended with him entering the tournament to an enormous welcome, focused on winning the final major he needed.

• Cheng Che reviewed the Intelligence Trial and considered finding an open mathematical problem he could solve despite his tennis and acting commitments.
• Cheng Che checked the Stamina Trial and planned to ask Qin Lie to arrange a world-class track and field event after he completed the US Open.
• Online commentators argued over whether Cheng Che should devote himself to mathematics, while Cheng Che remained unaware of the debate.
• At the US Open opening ceremony, the crowd erupted when the host announced Cheng Che, and he waved to the stands.
• Cheng Che turned his attention to the tournament and resolved to pursue the last Grand Slam title he needed.

After another straight-sets victory, Cheng Che advanced to the US Open semifinal and learned he would face Marcus Halden. He saw that Lu Heng had taken his place on Walking the Flower Road Together, whose weak preregistration numbers prompted Mango TV to consider asking Cheng Che to return.

• Lin Yan and Zhou Zhou announced that Cheng Che had reached the US Open semifinal without dropping a set in the tournament.
• Cheng Che signed autographs for fans before Qin Lie told him that his semifinal against Marcus Halden was scheduled for two days later.
• Cheng Che saw that Walking the Flower Road Together had announced Lu Heng as a guest and had drawn only 80,000 preregistrations in its first 24 hours.
• Cheng Che joked to Qin Lie that the show would return to the numbers it deserved without him.
• At Mango TV, the producer heard a suggestion to ask Cheng Che to return for an episode, but gave no answer.

After his family finished building a large villa in Pond Village, Cheng Che learned that his mother expected him to bring several female friends home someday. He reviewed messages about a film casting and variety-show offers, then checked his system and found his Five Viscera Enhancement had reached level three.

• Other video platforms sent Cheng Che more than a dozen variety-show invitations after Walking the Flower Road Together attracted eighty thousand reservations.
• Jiang Xue showed Cheng Che the newly built family villa and hinted that its many rooms could accommodate the female friends he might bring home.
• Cheng Che agreed that Chen Yu could cast a South Korean or Japanese actress as the female lead in Easter Egg.
• Qin Lie told Cheng Che that several variety-show offers had good terms and that they could review them after the US Open.
• Cheng Che checked his system panel and saw that Five Viscera Enhancement had reached level three.

After Five Viscera Enhancement raised Cheng Che’s attributes beyond their former cap, he used the Scholar’s Set to develop a cryptography application for his Baker’s Method research. He discussed the idea with Professor Liu and prepared for the next day’s semifinal.

• Five Viscera Enhancement reached its fourth level, increasing Cheng Che’s stamina, endurance, charm, and intelligence by one point each.
• Cheng Che used the Scholar’s Set to raise his intelligence to 96 and conceived of applying his optimized Baker’s Method to cryptography security estimates.
• Pei Jingshu video-called Cheng Che, watched him work, and wished him good night before they ended the call.
• Cheng Che messaged Professor Liu about his new research direction, and Professor Liu agreed that its logic held and arranged to discuss it further.
• Cheng Che agreed to speak with Professor Liu the day after his semifinal and checked the international track and field event schedule Qin Lie had sent.

Cheng Che chose the Capital City Marathon and gained Hemingway-related knowledge through the system before crushing Marcus Halden in the US Open semifinal. As he began the final against the Italian second seed, the crowd roared for him, his opponent looked rattled, and Cheng Che opened with a 229-kilometer-per-hour ace.

• Cheng Che chose the Capital City Marathon and asked Qin Lie to register him.
• Cheng Che used Academic Descent and received knowledge of firearm maintenance, pistol marksmanship, and Hemingway's writing techniques.
• Cheng Che defeated Marcus Halden in straight sets to reach the US Open final without facing a break point.
• Cheng Che entered a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium for the final, where his shushing gesture quieted the crowd and left the Italian second seed visibly nervous.
• Cheng Che won the coin toss, chose to serve, and fired a 229-kilometer-per-hour ace for the opening point.

Nineteen-year-old Cheng Che defeated his Italian opponent in straight sets to win the US Open and complete a historic sweep of all four Grand Slams in one year. In Rongcheng, Zhou Jianguo joined his daughter Zhou Xiaoyu in celebrating the victory as Xia Country watched Cheng Che make tennis history.

• Cheng Che opened the US Open final with a 229-kilometer-per-hour serve as Lin Yan announced the speed to viewers.
• Zhou Xiaoyu stopped Zhou Jianguo from changing the channel and told him Cheng Che was a nineteen-year-old Peking University student who had already won the other three Grand Slams that year.
• Zhou Jianguo watched as Cheng Che won the first three sets by scores of six-three, six-two, and six-one.
• Cheng Che served out the match, defeating the Italian three sets to zero and winning all four Grand Slams in a single year.
• Zhou Xiaoyu celebrated with Zhou Jianguo as Lin Yan announced that Cheng Che was the first player in the Open Era to achieve the feat.

After Cheng Che won all four Grand Slam titles in one year, Xia Country celebrated his achievement, while Qin Lie fielded a flood of endorsement offers. Alone in his New York hotel room, Cheng Che reflected on his new fame, declared that his success had only begun, and saw the system confirm his completed objective.

• News of Cheng Che's four Grand Slam victories spread across Xia Country, and his name dominated social media and news coverage.
• Brands and entertainment figures reacted to Cheng Che's success, while Qin Lie received dozens of endorsement offers and postponed discussions until the remaining US Open matters were settled.
• Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo called Cheng Che, and his friends and admirers shared congratulations in group chats and online posts.
• Cheng Che sat alone in his New York hotel room, touched the tennis-racket pendant on his bracelet, and murmured, "Who Under Heaven Does Not Know You? It's only just begun."
• Cheng Che checked the system panel and saw that the objective to win all four Grand Slam titles had been completed.

Cheng Che returned to Capital City to a huge crowd of fans and learned that his calendar-year Grand Slam had brought a flood of interviews and commercial offers. At home, he examined his new weather-predicting Cloud Wave Ball and strength-increasing talent before a strange sound came from his room.

• Cheng Che and Qin Lie saw over a thousand fans waiting at the airport, and security escorted Cheng Che through the crowd to a car.
• Zhao Gang evaded several fan cars following them from the airport.
• Qin Lie told Cheng Che about a packed schedule of interviews, offers, a sports administration commendation, and the Easter Egg crew.
• Cheng Che returned to his apartment, checked the trending searches, and examined the Cloud Wave Ball and his Born with Divine Strength talent.
• Cheng Che heard a strange sound from his room and opened his eyes.

Su Miaoyin tried to surprise Cheng Che with a meal, but her cooking was inedible, so he made dinner for them. When Su Miaoyin admitted she felt uncertain about her future after graduation, Cheng Che suggested she try working as his assistant, and she eagerly accepted.

• Su Miaoyin woke up, found Cheng Che in the living room, and proudly showed him the meal she had cooked.
• Cheng Che and Su Miaoyin tasted her spicy fish scales, and she realized how awful they were.
• Cheng Che cooked dinner while Su Miaoyin watched and praised him, then they ate together and washed the dishes.
• Su Miaoyin told Cheng Che she did not know what to do after graduating next year.
• Cheng Che suggested Su Miaoyin try being his assistant, and she enthusiastically agreed.

Su Miaoyin began working as Cheng Che’s assistant but found the role kept her busy and made her worry about burdening him. After her father asked her to intern at the family company, she agreed and quit the assistant job, while her mother concluded that Su Miaoyin was in love.

• Cheng Che agreed to let Su Miaoyin work as his assistant, and she eagerly asked when she could start.
• A few days later, Su Miaoyin managed Cheng Che’s interview schedule at CCTV while Chen Wei accompanied them.
• In the lounge, Su Miaoyin admitted that assistant duties left her little time with Cheng Che, and Chen Wei warned her that mistakes could put him in a difficult position.
• Su Miaoyin’s father asked her to return to Shandong and intern at the family company, and she surprised him by agreeing.
• After Cheng Che supported her return, Su Miaoyin quit as his assistant, and her mother told Father Su that their daughter was in love.