Chapter Summaries

Cheng Che spent his last day in South Korea with Pei Jingshu, joining her classes and exploring Seoul before they shared their first kisses. He left for the subway with plans to see her again at the Australian Open, while Pei Jingshu returned to school delighted.

• Cheng Che met Pei Jingshu outside Korea University, and she brought him to class using his [Fade into the Bustle] talent to avoid being noticed.
• Cheng Che, Pei Jingshu, and Jin Zhixiu ate lunch at a small restaurant, where Pei Jingshu asked how Cheng Che had learned Korean.
• Jin Zhixiu returned to class, and Pei Jingshu took Cheng Che through the quiet alleys of Bukchon Hanok Village.
• Pei Jingshu kissed Cheng Che on the cheek, and Cheng Che kissed her on the other cheek before they embraced.
• Pei Jingshu walked Cheng Che to the subway station, and they said they would meet again at the Australian Open.
• Pei Jingshu told Jin Zhixiu that Cheng Che had kissed her, while Cheng Che returned to his hotel and reflected happily on their day.

On the flight home, Cheng Che reviewed his remaining system trials and considered using his saved Scratch Paper to solve a mathematical conjecture. After returning to China and joining the cast of Youth Here, he arrived in Xiamen and prepared to begin filming as Zhou Ye.

• Cheng Che saw that his Intelligence Trial required publication in an international academic journal and his final Stamina Trial required a Grand Slam championship, and he considered which mathematical conjecture to tackle.
• Cheng Che settled into his routine in China, filmed the Japan installment of Walking the Flower Road Together, and received Qin Lie's message that Youth Here would begin production.
• Cheng Che read the script and learned that he would play Zhou Ye opposite Wen Zhiyi as Shen Nian.
• Cheng Che flew to Xiamen with Chen Wei, met Director Zhou and Producer Fang at the school filming location, and brought fruit and drinks for the crew.
• Cheng Che reviewed Zhou Ye's character and prepared for his first scene with Shen Nian, scheduled to film the following day.

Cheng Che began filming Youth Here and made a strong impression on the cast and crew with his popularity and his first scene opposite Wen Zhiyi. The first take passed, leaving Li Siyuan worried that his character's secret crush on Shen Nian would be overshadowed by Cheng Che.

• More than thirty extras waited in the classroom, excitedly anticipating Cheng Che's arrival.
• Cheng Che entered in his school uniform and promised the extras autographs after filming.
• Cheng Che filmed Zhou Ye's first meeting with Shen Nian, and Wen Zhiyi briefly faltered when she saw him.
• Cheng Che added an unscripted pause and glance at Wen Zhiyi, and Director Zhou praised the take and decided to use it in the trailer.
• Zhao Yiming and Li Siyuan watched the scene, and Li Siyuan felt his character was superfluous beside Cheng Che.

Cheng Che’s unexpected popularity continued despite the production’s attempt to keep publicity low, while he focused on studying advanced mathematics between scenes. The chapter ended with the cast and crew passing around astonished stories about his graduate-level number theory reading.

• Qin Lie complained to Chen Wei that the production’s supposedly secret photos of Cheng Che looked staged, then learned Cheng Che had not known the photographer was there.
• Cheng Che told Qin Lie he was glad there was no opening press conference because he wanted his recent exposure to die down.
• Cheng Che planned to use his intelligence talents and [Scratch Paper] to try to prove a conjecture about the roots of integer polynomials.
• Between takes, Cheng Che studied algebraic number theory on set, concentrating so deeply that the surrounding activity did not distract him.
• A reporter asked Cheng Che what he was reading, and Cheng Che explained that he was studying the distribution of roots of polynomials with integer coefficients.
• The actors and crew discussed Cheng Che’s advanced mathematics reading in the production’s group chat.

Cheng Che’s candid set photos from “Youth Here” turned online mockery into widespread admiration and drew new followers to his supertopic. As filming neared its end, he began work on a mathematical conjecture after completing his preparations and activating his thinking talents.

• After two days of online criticism over “Youth Here” having no press conference, Cheng Che’s first set photos leaked and drew enthusiastic praise.
• More set photos spread among fans of other stars, and new followers joined Cheng Che’s supertopic despite being challenged by their original fan communities.
• Cheng Che continued filming, studying between scenes, and traveling to record “Walking the Flower Road Together” while his popularity grew.
• In mid-December, Cheng Che saw that his attributes had all reached 80 and opened a textbook on polynomial roots after completing his studies of three related fields.
• Cheng Che activated [Comprehension by Analogy], [Total Concentration], and [Rigorous Thinking], then began writing about the conjecture in his hotel room.

Cheng Che finished filming the show with Wen Zhiyi and celebrated the wrap with the crew. He received a ticket home before traveling to Melbourne for the Australian Open, and ended the night studying for his upcoming match.

• Cheng Che befriended Wen Zhiyi, Zhao Yiming, and Li Siyuan while filming, and saw Wen Zhiyi with a man outside the hotel.
• Cheng Che and Wen Zhiyi filmed the final station scene, sharing a smile across the tracks before Cheng Che made their familiar heart gesture.
• Director Zhou called a wrap and praised Cheng Che's acting, while the crew celebrated together at a seafood restaurant.
• Qin Lie gave Cheng Che a ticket from Xiamen to Spring City and reminded him to head to Melbourne for the Australian Open.
• Cheng Che returned to his hotel room, opened his textbook and notebook, and began studying as the tournament approached.

Cheng Che returned to Spring City, slipped past a crowd of fans, and reunited with his parents in their new home. After settling in and arranging to meet Guo Xin, he rested at home as Walking the Flower Road Together prepared to air the next day.

• Cheng Che used [Fade into the Bustle] to pass unnoticed through a crowd of fans at Spring City airport and meet Cheng Jianguo and Jiang Xue.
• Cheng Jianguo and Jiang Xue drove Cheng Che to their new apartment, which they had bought after he sent them more money.
• Jiang Xue showed Cheng Che his new bedroom, and he felt at home as he rested there.
• Cheng Che agreed to meet Guo Xin for lunch the next day before Guo Xin returned to school.
• Walking the Flower Road Together was scheduled to air the following day.

As Walking the Flower Road Together: South Korea Arc premiered, Yi Yangfan resented Cheng Che’s fame and doubted his ability on variety shows. The episode opened with Cheng Che’s celebrated airport moment, leaving viewers stunned by his appearance.

• Yi Yangfan compared his career and aging appearance with Cheng Che’s, then decided to wait for the variety show to expose Cheng Che’s weaknesses.
• A verified plastic surgeon, Cheng Che’s high school, and an expert rebutted claims that Cheng Che had undergone plastic surgery, showing how he had naturally grown into his looks.
• Yan Ruanning, Xiao Zhou, Su Miaoyin, Pei Jingshu, and other viewers waited eagerly for the South Korea arc to begin.
• Walking the Flower Road Together: South Korea Arc premiered with footage of Cheng Che taking off his sunglasses at the airport.
• Viewers flooded the broadcast with comments as the other people in the terminal appeared to freeze at the sight of Cheng Che.

Cheng Che’s Iconic Moment drew enough viewers to crash Mango TV, and the outage made his popularity impossible to ignore. After the platform recovered, its executives praised the show’s performance and ordered more of Cheng Che’s footage to be featured.

• Yan Ruanning, Su Miaoyin, and Pei Jingshu each tried to watch the next part of Cheng Che’s show, but Mango TV crashed and displayed a 404 error.
• Viewers flooded Weibo with complaints as the topic about Cheng Che’s shot trended, while Mango TV’s Deputy Director Sun learned that concurrent viewers had exceeded eight million.
• Deputy Director Sun ordered the network department to expand server capacity, and Mango TV restored service about ten minutes later and posted an apology and membership giveaway.
• At a meeting, Director Sun praised the show’s results and Cheng Che’s segment, then instructed the director to include as many of Cheng Che’s shots as possible.
• The show’s director confirmed that footage of Cheng Che had been kept for three more episodes, and viewers returned to watch him walk through Seoul.

After Su Qingyue’s affection unlocked new system buffs, Cheng Che avoided the crowds gathered outside his home by returning to Pond Village. There, he activated Burst of Inspiration and began deriving a conjecture connecting ideas from several branches of mathematics.

• Cheng Che hosted Guo Xin, Lin Xiao, Zhou Mingxuan, and Su Qingyue for a meal, and Su Qingyue invited him to walk with her the next day.
• Cheng Che bound Su Qingyue as a target, gaining White Moonlight and Burst of Inspiration while improving his Dynamic Luck buff.
• After Cheng Che’s appearance on “Walking the Flower Road Together” aired and he began trending, fans gathered outside his home, so he canceled his plans with Su Qingyue.
• Cheng Che drove to Pond Village to visit his grandparents and spend some time writing.
• Cheng Che activated Burst of Inspiration in his childhood room and began connecting mathematical concepts as he explored what would happen if a polynomial’s roots fell near the unit circle.

Cheng Che became consumed by proving the Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures and shut himself in his grandparents’ home for three days. His family and friends rushed to Pond Village after learning he had not come out, only to hear him announce that he had succeeded.

• Cheng Che used Burst of Inspiration to work on the conjecture, abandoning a flawed proof approach and starting over after finding an incorrect inequality.
• Zhou Lan and Cheng Qingshan grew concerned as Cheng Che stayed locked in his room and accepted meals without coming out.
• Yan Ruanning worried when Cheng Che stopped answering her calls, then learned he had gone to Pond Village without telling her.
• Guo Xin, Su Qingyue, Zhou Mingxuan, and Lin Xiao visited Cheng Jianguo’s home because they could not reach Cheng Che.
• Cheng Jianguo, Jiang Xue, Yan Ruanning, and Su Qingyue drove to Pond Village after learning Cheng Che had been shut in for three days.
• Cheng Che shouted that he had succeeded just as Cheng Jianguo raised his hand to knock on the locked door.

After spending three days proving the Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures, Cheng Che revealed his achievement to his family and friends over dinner. Professor Liu received Cheng Che’s paper and began examining its complete proof.

• Cheng Che emerged from his room after three days and joined his family, Yan Ruanning, and Su Qingyue for dinner.
• Cheng Che said he had proved the Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures and sent the paper to Professor Liu as corresponding author.
• Su Qingyue explained the conjecture’s significance, while Cheng Jianguo and Jiang Xue realized Cheng Che had accomplished something extraordinary.
• Yan Ruanning felt a growing distance between herself and Su Qingyue as she watched Su Qingyue discuss mathematics with Cheng Che.
• Professor Liu opened Cheng Che’s email, examined the paper’s proof, and returned to read it carefully from the beginning.

After proving the Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures, Cheng Che told Su Miaoyin and received Professor Liu’s approval to submit the paper to the Annals of Mathematics. He rested by the creek with Yan Ruanning and Su Qingyue as he prepared to leave for the Australian Open.

• Cheng Che reassured his family and friends that his phone had broken, then told Su Miaoyin he had proved the Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures.
• Yan Ruanning wiped Cheng Che’s forehead during their walk, leaving Su Qingyue uncomfortable and unsure how to express her feelings.
• Su Qingyue encouraged Cheng Che to win the Australian Open, and he said he would.
• Professor Liu confirmed that Cheng Che’s proof was rigorous and agreed to help submit the paper to the Annals of Mathematics as corresponding author.
• Cheng Che told Yan Ruanning and Su Qingyue that Professor Liu would submit the paper, and both women congratulated him.

With five days left before his trip to Australia, Cheng Che visited Old Xu and learned that his paper had entered review. While watching the latest episode of the variety show with his parents, he saw Pei Jingshu appear in Seoul and excitedly ask whether he had missed her, leaving his response unseen.

• Cheng Che visited Old Xu, who mentioned that Yan Ruanning had been going out without telling him where she was going.
• Professor Liu told Cheng Che that his submission to Annals of Mathematics had been received and would take about a month to review and verify.
• Cheng Che watched the second South Korea episode of Walking the Flower Road Together with Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo as fans reacted to his cooking and Han Zheng's army stew.
• The show revealed that Pei Jingshu had been randomly invited after coming to Seoul, apparently hoping to see Cheng Che.
• Pei Jingshu stood up when Cheng Che entered the restaurant and asked, “Did you miss me?” while Cheng Che froze in surprise.

Pei Jingshu openly confessed that she missed Cheng Che, prompting many of his fans to support her and stirring regret and resolve among the women who cared for him. As Cheng Che’s family watched the broadcast, his father’s careless comparison sparked a sharp exchange with his mother.

• Pei Jingshu stood up during the broadcast and asked Cheng Che whether he missed her, and many fans praised her courage and approved of the pair.
• Yan Ruanning watched from home and regretted not confessing to Cheng Che sooner.
• Su Miaoyin grew jealous of Pei Jingshu’s boldness, then decided she would confess when school started.
• Su Qingyue felt displeased with her own hesitation, but touched the four-leaf clover pendant Cheng Che had given her and took comfort in having her own way.
• Pei Jingshu reread the supportive comments, blushed at the marriage talk, and told Cheng Che’s image that he had definitely missed her.
• Jiang Xue weighed the women who might become Cheng Che’s partner, while Cheng Jianguo compared his son to his own younger self and prompted Jiang Xue to question him about having another woman.

Cheng Che prepared to leave for the Australian Open after learning that Peking University planned to offer him an associate professor-level appointment that would not affect his undergraduate status. He arrived in Melbourne, unaware that Annals of Mathematics reviewers were beginning another round of scrutiny and had just discovered that the paper’s author was a nineteen-year-old undergraduate.

• Cheng Che left Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo arguing and packed for Melbourne.
• Cheng Che read Professor Liu’s email about the mathematics institute’s verification of his proof and its plan to offer him a specially appointed associate professor position.
• Cheng Che replied to Professor Liu, then kept the news from his parents until the appointment was finalized.
• Cheng Che flew from Magic City to Melbourne with Qin Lie, Chen Wei, and studio and Wilson staff, then checked into a hotel and messaged his family and friends.
• Annals of Mathematics reviewers debated Cheng Che’s proof, and the editor-in-chief ordered external review after learning that the nineteen-year-old author was an undergraduate.

Cheng Che’s proof of the Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures was sent for priority external review while he slept in Melbourne. After exploring the city with Qin Lie and Chen Wei, he sat reading at Federation Square as his first reviewer opened the paper.

• The journal’s editor-in-chief sent Cheng Che’s paper for priority external review after the editorial board agreed the disputed lemma should be assessed by an outside reviewer.
• Cheng Che slept through the decision, which his Green Lights All the Way Certificate and Zhuangyuan title subtly helped smooth along.
• Cheng Che toured Melbourne Park with Qin Lie and Chen Wei and learned about the venue, hot weather, and pickpockets.
• Cheng Che bought an algebraic geometry textbook, visited Hosier Lane, and watched Chen Wei pose for photos before they went to Federation Square.
• As Cheng Che read on a bench, his first external reviewer opened the paper and paused at the note that he was a nineteen-year-old Peking University undergraduate.

Cheng Che was recognized by fans and reporters in Federation Square after arriving in Melbourne. Surrounded by reporters, he declared that his only goal at the Australian Open was to win the championship, and the remark quickly spread online.

• Cheng Che took photos with five Korean fans at Federation Square.
• Old Zhou of Titan Sports Weekly recognized Cheng Che and rushed over to interview him.
• Reporters from around the world gathered around Cheng Che and asked about his Australian Open prospects.
• Qin Lie and Chen Wei escorted Cheng Che through the crowd after Qin Lie said official interviews would take place at the pre-tournament press conference.
• Cheng Che told the reporters his goal was to win the championship, then left with Qin Lie and Chen Wei.
• One of the Korean fans posted about Cheng Che's declaration, and screenshots spread across sports forums.

After Cheng Che declared that he would win the Australian Open, his words became the top trending topic and fueled fierce online debate. As he prepared in Melbourne, Pei Jingshu decided to fly there to watch him compete.

• Cheng Che told Qin Lie that he knew his championship declaration would trend, and Qin Lie found it had already reached number one.
• Fans and critics argued online over Cheng Che's confidence, while his popularity and super-topic following continued to grow.
• Cheng Che stayed at the hotel after a fan recognized him at a qualifying match, training by day and studying opponents and algebraic geometry by night.
• Qin Lie told Cheng Che to prepare remarks for the Australian Open press conference so he would not provoke another uproar.
• Pei Jingshu showed Jin Zhixiu Cheng Che's declaration and said she would go watch him, then the two boarded a flight to Melbourne.

Cheng Che prepared for his Australian Open first-round match against Argentine qualifier Matias Rojas, then handled his first Grand Slam press conference and entered Court No. 2 to a loud reception. The match was about to begin as Cheng Che and Rojas waited for the coin toss.

• Qin Lie told Cheng Che that his first-round opponent was Matias Rojas, a left-handed Argentine ranked 112th who had spent considerable energy qualifying.
• Cheng Che said he would play as usual and told reporters that winning the Australian Open was his genuine goal.
• At his press conference, Cheng Che said media attention would not change his focus once he was on court.
• Cheng Che walked onto Court No. 2, where fans, including Pei Jingshu and Jin Zhixiu, cheered for him.
• Cheng Che checked his racket while Rojas waited on court, and the players prepared for the coin toss.