Chapter Summaries

Cheng Che and the Walking the Flower Road Together cast went to a Paris police station to give statements about the Louvre robbery, but Cheng Che’s fame turned the visit into an autograph session. A tourist’s post about the police officers and chief lining up for his signature went viral, sending his name onto the trending list.

• Cheng Che and the other guests arrived at the Paris police station to cooperate with the investigation.
• A police officer recognized Cheng Che as the Australian Open champion, and a Chinese fan asked him for an autograph.
• Police officers, including the station chief, lined up to get Cheng Che’s autograph, while the other guests watched.
• The chief told Cheng Che that his grandson Louis admired him, and Cheng Che signed a note encouraging Louis to keep practicing.
• A tourist posted a video and account of the autograph session, and a Cheng Che fan shared it online.
• The post spread across Weibo, and #ChengCheParisPoliceStationAutographs began trending.

Cheng Che’s popularity surged after Paris police officers lined up for his autograph and his Esquire cover sold out, while his work drew advertisers across the entertainment industry. He flew to Shenzhen City to sign a contract for The Realm and Old Friends and meet its creative team.

• Cheng Jianguo and Jiang Xue saw the Paris autograph video, and Jiang Xue called Cheng Che to warn him to stay safe.
• Cheng Che finished filming Walking the Flower Road Together in Paris, said goodbye to Yan Ruanning, and returned to Capital City.
• Esquire released Cheng Che’s March cover and interior photos, and the issue sold out its first print run before additional copies and digital subscriptions also surged.
• Netizens and industry figures highlighted the advertising success of Cheng Che’s variety shows and drama, describing him as a walking banknote.
• Cheng Che flew to Shenzhen City, where Qin Lie arranged for him to sign the contract for The Realm and Old Friends and attend a dinner with Director Zhou and executives.

Cheng Che signed on as the lead of Tengda Video’s S-tier drama “The Realm and Old Friends” and agreed to help assess supporting actors. After exchanging flirtatious messages with Pei Jingshu, he became the focus of online excitement when Tengda announced the project, sending actors and their agents scrambling to prepare for auditions.

• Cheng Che signed the contract for “The Realm and Old Friends” at Tengda Video and agreed to give his opinion on supporting-cast auditions.
• President Fang showed Cheng Che and his companions around the Tengda complex, then hosted a lunch where executives discussed his work in tennis and mathematics.
• Cheng Che told Pei Jingshu he was in Shenzhen City for work and would soon collect a mathematics award, then sent her a revealing selfie that flustered her.
• Tengda Video announced that “The Realm and Old Friends” had launched with Cheng Che as its star and opened supporting-role auditions for three days later.
• Actors and agents reacted to the announcement by preparing for auditions, knowing Cheng Che would be involved in casting.

Cheng Che dominated the auditions for a television drama, helping Zhao Yiming pass and Ning Qing win the female lead role. Afterward, Professor Liu told Cheng Che that the mathematical society award ceremony had been scheduled and that the State Natural Science Award had passed its preliminary review, bringing him closer to the final step of the Intelligence Trial.

• Cheng Che played opposite Zhao Yiming as Shen Mo and impressed the audition panel, which marked Zhao Yiming as passing.
• Cheng Che overshadowed three actresses during the female-lead auditions, leaving them unable to keep up with his performances.
• Ning Qing auditioned opposite Cheng Che, and their scene moved the panel to choose her for the female lead role.
• Professor Liu told Cheng Che that the mathematical society award ceremony would take place the following Wednesday and asked him to arrive in Capital City a day early.
• Professor Liu also told Cheng Che that the State Natural Science Award had passed the preliminary review and that its ceremony would be held in November.

After returning to Capital City, Cheng Che arranged signed photos for fans waiting at the airport, then attended a ceremony and received a national-level academic award. The fifth stage of the Intelligence Trial was completed.

• Cheng Che left the television drama's remaining auditions to Director Zhou and President Fang, then flew back to Capital City with Qin Lie and Chen Wei.
• Cheng Che had Chen Wei distribute hundreds of his signed photos to the fans waiting at the airport and asked them to go home safely.
• Cheng Che posted a message thanking the fans, and they shared their signed photos and praised his thoughtfulness.
• Professor Liu welcomed Cheng Che to the Mathematical Society's annual meeting, where Cheng Che accepted a certificate and trophy for a national-level academic award.
• Cheng Che checked the system panel in the van and saw that the fifth stage of the Intelligence Trial was complete.

After completing the Intelligence Trial, Cheng Che gained new system rewards and celebrated his team’s hard work with generous red envelopes. He then visited Yan Ruanning and surprised her by pretending to be her teacher.

• Cheng Che completed the Intelligence Trial, became a Higher Incubus, and learned that his next trial would unlock after he reached the attribute cap.
• Cheng Che received the Child of Wisdom talent and the Teacher title, which improved his learning and teaching abilities.
• Cheng Che gave each studio staff member a 10,000-yuan red envelope and invited everyone to hot pot.
• Cheng Che drove to Ruanning Music and went upstairs to find Yan Ruanning in the recording studio.
• Cheng Che put on gold-rimmed glasses, displayed a copy of Fundamentals of Calculus, and told Yan Ruanning that her teacher had come to give her a lesson, making her blush.

Yan Ruanning blushed when Cheng Che arrived in gold-rimmed glasses to teach her calculus, then realized he planned to test her from elementary school math onward. She began the middle-school test paper, facing five more levels after it.

• Yan Ruanning shut the door on Cheng Che after his teacherly greeting flustered her, then let him into the recording studio.
• Cheng Che gave Yan Ruanning an elementary-school math test and set a one-hour limit.
• Yan Ruanning correctly answered all sixteen questions, and Cheng Che moved her on to middle-school math.
• Cheng Che revealed he had six test papers, from elementary school through advanced calculus, and told Yan Ruanning to get to work.

Yan Ruanning tried to escape doing more math tests with Cheng Che by inviting him to eat and go shopping, and he agreed. They left Ruanning Music together, while Yan Ruanning happily treated their outing as a date.

• Staff at Ruanning Music speculated about what Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che were doing in the recording studio.
• Yan Ruanning emerged exhausted after Cheng Che made her complete math exam papers, while Cheng Che remained energetic.
• Cheng Che said they would continue the tests that afternoon, so Yan Ruanning hugged his arm and offered to treat him to food and shopping instead.
• Cheng Che agreed to go out with Yan Ruanning because he wanted to spend some of his money.
• Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che disguised themselves, left through the back door, and drove away from Ruanning Music.

Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che shopped for clothes and groceries, then cooked and ate dinner together at his apartment before she left for a recording. Cheng Che spent the night at his courtyard house, where he unexpectedly reunited with Su Miaoyin and offered to cook for her.

• Yan Ruanning picked out clothes for Cheng Che at the mall, and he chose a trench coat and scarf for her.
• Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che bought groceries and cooked dinner together at his apartment, where she praised his cooking.
• Yan Ruanning left when Xiao Zhou arrived to pick her up, and Cheng Che decided to stay at his courtyard house before returning to Peking University.
• Cheng Che arrived at the courtyard house and ran into Su Miaoyin, who rushed into his arms and asked when he had returned.
• Su Miaoyin offered to cook for Cheng Che, but he asked whether she wanted something to eat and offered to cook for her.

Cheng Che cooked dinner with Su Miaoyin, then returned to classes at Peking University and reunited with friends over roast duck. After giving Su Qingyue a scarf from Paris, he saw their intimacy level rise to 85 and resolved to cultivate his relationships with everyone.

• Su Miaoyin took Cheng Che to the market, and he cooked ribs and other dishes for her at home.
• Cheng Che and Su Miaoyin shared dinner, and he wiped sauce from the corner of her mouth before helping with the dishes.
• Su Miaoyin invited Cheng Che to the music club's Monday activity, and he agreed before leaving for the evening.
• Cheng Che returned to classes at Peking University, where students asked him for autographs and help understanding his paper.
• Cheng Che invited Guo Xin, Zhou Mingxuan, Lin Xiao, Su Qingyue, Wang Zheng, Zhou Hao, and Li Yuan to Quanjude for roast duck.
• Cheng Che gave Su Qingyue a silk scarf from Paris, saw her intimacy level reach 85, and decided to pursue his relationships with them all.

After signing a film contract, Cheng Che joined Teacher Huang and other guests for the food variety show Let's Eat. His luck secured them a cruise to Zhoushan, though the crew scheduled their departure for three in the morning.

• Jiang Xue told Cheng Che that his parents had celebrated his specially appointed associate professorship by visiting his grandparents’ graves.
• Cheng Che signed a twelve-million acting contract for Easter Egg with director Chen Yu in Capital City.
• Cheng Che arrived near Ningbo’s Old Bund to join Teacher Huang and the other guests filming Let's Eat.
• Cheng Che spun the transportation wheel and landed on a cruise ship for the trip to Zhoushan.
• The director announced that the group would leave at three in the morning, and Cheng Che boarded at the harbor with the cold-resistant guests.

Cheng Che pretended to struggle through an electric-shock block-stacking game and helped the guests win a seafood breakfast. As the group heard that dolphins would soon pass the ship, his [Little Luck] value continued to rise.

• Cheng Che noticed that his [Little Luck] value had climbed to nine before the production team started an electric-shock block-stacking game.
• Cheng Che felt nothing from the device but used [Faces of All Beings] to imitate the other guests' pain and shaking.
• Teacher Huang and the guests took turns pulling blocks while enduring the shocks, and Cheng Che safely removed several blocks from the increasingly unstable tower.
• The young producer pulled a block that brought down the tower, so the guests won a seafood feast.
• As everyone ate breakfast, the announcement system reported that a pod of dolphins would pass the ship, and Cheng Che saw [Little Luck] still climbing.

Cheng Che and the others watched a pod of dolphins swim alongside their cruise ship before reaching Zhoushan for a fishing challenge. Cheng Che drew cuttlefish as his assignment and began fishing at sea, hoping his nine points of luck would help him catch one.

• The guests and production team rushed onto the deck to watch a pod of dolphins, while Cheng Che’s [Iconic Moment] triggered as he looked out over the sea.
• The dolphins swam beside the ship for nearly ten minutes, and Cheng Che attributed the rare sighting to his nine-point luck stat.
• In Zhoushan, the production team assigned each guest a fish or seafood ingredient based on where their thrown shoe landed.
• Cheng Che tossed his shoe onto the cuttlefish square, taking on the difficult task of catching cuttlefish.
• Cheng Che boarded a small fishing boat with Teacher Huang and two other guests, then cast a line and waited for a bite.

Cheng Che’s luck brought him a cuttlefish when a dolphin tossed one onto his boat, and he later joined the cast of The Realm and Old Friends. He left for filming with Qin Lie after weeks of tennis practice and other work.

• Teacher Huang and the guests caught nothing while fishing until a dolphin tossed a live cuttlefish onto Cheng Che’s boat.
• The group returned to the Zhoushan dock with only Cheng Che’s cuttlefish, which Teacher Huang cooked with help from Cheng Che.
• Cheng Che filmed Keep Running, Youth, then returned to Capital City for classes and tennis practice on clay and grass courts.
• In mid-April, Cheng Che went to the airport with Qin Lie to begin filming The Realm and Old Friends, whose schedule included locations in Hengdian, Xiangshan, and the northwest.

Cheng Che arrived in Hengdian to join The Realm and Old Friends, drawing a huge crowd at the airport before settling into his hotel. After the production crew prepared for him, he visited the set, met Director Zhou and Producer Fang, and began his costume fitting.

• Cheng Che signed autographs for fans at the airport, but the crowd quickly swelled to more than a hundred people, so Coordinator Liu arranged security to escort him out.
• Coordinator Liu took Cheng Che to the Dongci Building hotel, while Qin Lie went ahead to arrange parking, security, and separate meal deliveries with Old Wu on set.
• Tengda released the cast announcement for The Realm and Old Friends, revealing Cheng Che and Ning Qing in costume and prompting both praise and criticism online.
• Cheng Che arrived at the set with more than two hundred cups of milk tea and snacks for the crew, and his appearance stunned the staff and extras.
• Director Zhou and Producer Fang welcomed Cheng Che, then the assistant director took him to the dressing room, where the makeup artists asked him for autographs.

Cheng Che finished his historical-costume styling and emerged from the dressing room, stunning the waiting cast and crew with his otherworldly bearing. The corridor fell silent as everyone stared at him, including those who had doubted he could suit the costume.

• The makeup artists admired Cheng Che's flawless skin while preparing him for the role.
• Actress Zhou questioned whether Cheng Che could carry off historical costume, and Ning Qing went to see him, confident he would look good.
• Extras, crew members, and actors debated Cheng Che's appearance in historical costume while Zhao Yiming waited for him to emerge.
• Cheng Che's styling was completed, and the overwhelmed makeup artists watched him leave the dressing room.
• Cheng Che walked into the corridor in a black brocade robe, and everyone stopped speaking to stare at him.

Cheng Che impressed the cast and crew with his historical styling and detailed understanding of Shen Che during a script read-through. The chapter ended with Director Zhou asking Ning Qing to present her interpretation of the female lead.

• Cheng Che appeared in a dark brocade robe, prompting the extras, Ning Qing, Director Zhou, and Producer Fang to admire his look.
• Director Zhou arranged group photos and individual stills of Cheng Che and Ning Qing.
• At lunch, Director Zhou discussed the script with Cheng Che before the cast gathered for the read-through.
• Cheng Che explained Shen Che's three stages of development, from a restrained hostage prince to a calculating court player and finally a decisive ruler.
• Cheng Che read lines from Shen Che's first and third stages, impressing the room and earning applause.
• Director Zhou asked Ning Qing to take her turn as the female lead.

Cheng Che made a striking entrance at The Realm and Old Friends launch press conference, winning over the crowd with his appearance and candid answers. After the event, he signed Zhou Jie’s notebook and urged her to study hard, leaving her overwhelmed with emotion.

• Zhou Jie and other fans filled the press conference venue, where Cheng Che’s arrival in Shen Che’s plain historical costume triggered an ecstatic response.
• Cheng Che noticed a middle-aged fan’s sign saying her daughter saw him as a role model and bowed deeply to her.
• Cheng Che discussed his approach to choosing roles, then challenged critics who called his shifts between careers dabbling.
• Ning Qing answered doubts about her first acting role by saying she chose it because she wanted to play it, not because it was her only option.
• After the cast posed for photographs, Cheng Che signed Zhou Jie’s notebook, wrote her name, and told her to study hard, making her cry with joy.

Cheng Che impressed the crew during three months of filming The Realm and Old Friends, while his growing closeness with Yan Ruanning drew attention. As filming wrapped, Director Zhou told Cheng Che and Ning Qing to prepare for a close-up French-kissing scene, and Cheng Che hoped it would raise his charm to ninety and unlock a new trial.

• Cheng Che's strong performances helped raise the level of the cast, while crowds of fans outside the set forced the production to increase security.
• Cheng Che befriended Ning Qing, welcomed visits from Li Siyuan and others, and received snow fungus soup from Yan Ruanning, who treated the crew to milk tea and snacks.
• After the final scene wrapped at Xiangshan, Director Zhou told Cheng Che and Ning Qing that they would film a close-up French-kissing scene the next day.
• Cheng Che and Ning Qing awkwardly agreed to follow the script, and Cheng Che reviewed the scene in his hotel room.
• Cheng Che checked his system panel and saw that his charm was 89.9, just short of unlocking a new trial.

Cheng Che examined his new trial missions after reaching ninety in all four attributes and judged their first stages manageable. He then met Ning Qing on the way to set, where they exchanged nervous reassurance before filming their kissing scene.

• Cheng Che saw that his stamina, endurance, charisma, and intelligence had all reached ninety, and reviewed the harder final trial objectives.
• Cheng Che read the first-stage missions, which required another Grand Slam title, a second top mathematics paper, and greater overseas visibility.
• Cheng Che decided to tackle the Stamina Trial first and prepared for the morning scene with Ning Qing.
• Cheng Che and Ning Qing rode the elevator together, awkwardly discussing the day's kissing scene.
• Ning Qing told Cheng Che not to be nervous, and Cheng Che reassured her in return.