Chapter Summaries

Cheng Che learned that Wilson wanted him to endorse its Blade V10 because of the attention he drew, and he asked Qin Lie to become his tennis agent. Yan Ruanning received Cheng Che’s request for a lawyer and, startled by his nickname for her, called to find out what had happened.

• Cheng Che questioned Qin Lie about why Wilson had approached him, and Qin Lie explained that his popularity made him valuable for publicity.
• Cheng Che agreed to discuss Wilson’s endorsement deal with Qin Lie and asked him to sign a contract as his tennis agent.
• Cheng Che decided Qin Lie was trustworthy and messaged Yan Ruanning to ask her to find him a lawyer.
• Yan Ruanning arrived in Capital City, read Cheng Che’s message, and reacted to his calling her “Ningning.”
• Yan Ruanning held back her irritation and called Cheng Che to ask why he needed a lawyer.

Cheng Che’s roommates mistook a photo of him with Su Miaoyin for proof they were dating, then discovered he was speaking with Yan Ruanning. Yan Ruanning agreed to help him find a lawyer for his Wilson endorsement contract, while his roommates wondered how many girlfriends he had.

• Cheng Che confronted Wang Zheng, Li Yuan, and Zhou Hao about going to the music classroom to watch him with Su Miaoyin.
• Li Yuan showed Cheng Che a photo that made Su Miaoyin appear to be kissing him, and Cheng Che realized his roommates thought they were dating.
• Yan Ruanning called Cheng Che on video, and his roommates recognized her and left them alone.
• Yan Ruanning asked why Cheng Che needed a lawyer, and he told her Wilson wanted him to endorse its tennis rackets.
• Yan Ruanning said she would bring a lawyer to meet with Cheng Che, then questioned him about calling her Ningning before ending the call.
• Wang Zheng, Li Yuan, and Zhou Hao eavesdropped outside the dorm room, and Li Yuan wondered how many girlfriends Cheng Che had.

Cheng Che visited Yan Ruanning’s music studio, where Lawyer Chen explained what to watch for in his prospective Wilson endorsement contract. After seeing the studio’s professional recording equipment, Cheng Che asked Yan Ruanning to teach him music.

• Cheng Che met Yan Ruanning outside Peking University and rode with her and Xiao Zhou to her studio.
• At Ruanning Music, Cheng Che learned about the studio’s costs and saw Yan Ruanning’s busy staff and music awards.
• Lawyer Chen advised Cheng Che to clarify the endorsement’s scope, term, exclusivity, and performance clauses before signing with Wilson.
• Yan Ruanning showed Cheng Che her recording studio and described its expensive equipment.
• Cheng Che brought out his music textbooks and told Yan Ruanning he wanted to study music.

Yan Ruanning tested Cheng Che’s music theory knowledge and was amazed by how much he had learned in less than ten days. She became his music teacher, while quietly noticing a young woman’s handwriting in his textbook and warning him to rely on her lessons.

• Yan Ruanning quizzed Cheng Che on music theory and discovered he could answer advanced questions despite studying for less than ten days.
• Yan Ruanning found delicate handwriting in the margin of Cheng Che’s textbook and privately considered the writer a potential rival.
• Cheng Che brought staff members upstairs with a whiteboard, and Xiao Zhou silenced their gossip about him and Yan Ruanning.
• Xiao Zhou checked the schedule and media monitoring, then worried about paparazzi spotting Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che together.
• Yan Ruanning set two weekly music lessons with Cheng Che, told him to ask her about anything he did not understand in the textbook, and began teaching chords.

Yan Ruanning taught Cheng Che music theory, then asked him for a massage, while Xiao Zhou kept others from interrupting them. After military training, Cheng Che met Qin Lie at the airport, and they headed to Wilson Company to finalize their business.

• Yan Ruanning taught Cheng Che chord progressions through practical piano demonstrations, and he praised her teaching.
• Yan Ruanning asked Cheng Che to massage her shoulders, and Xiao Zhou overheard them and diverted a staff member seeking Yan Ruanning's signature.
• Cheng Che and Yan Ruanning left the recording studio, and Xiao Zhou told Yan Ruanning to open a window, leaving her confused.
• After his military training review, Cheng Che left campus and went to Capital City Airport to meet Qin Lie.
• Qin Lie hugged Cheng Che at the airport, and they set off for Wilson Company to finish their business.

Cheng Che negotiated and signed a one-year endorsement deal with Wilson for eight million, with Qin Lie, Lawyer Chen, and Yan Ruanning helping secure favorable terms. After celebrating, Cheng Che turned his attention to his next goal: writing and recording a song.

• Cheng Che called Lawyer Chen while traveling with Qin Lie to Wilson, and Yan Ruanning decided to join them to watch over the negotiations.
• Manager Wang offered Cheng Che a one-year deal, and Qin Lie, Lawyer Chen, and Yan Ruanning negotiated the fee and contract terms.
• Wilson agreed to pay Cheng Che eight million before tax, with no upper limit on a future reassessment, and Cheng Che signed the contract.
• Cheng Che celebrated the deal over dinner with Qin Lie and Yan Ruanning, while Lawyer Chen returned to the studio.
• Cheng Che checked the system's trial objective and asked Yan Ruanning when he could record a song; she told him to study arranging and start writing lyrics.

Cheng Che decided to move off campus after Qin Lie warned him that his new public profile could affect his roommates. He chose a courtyard-side rental near Peking University and unexpectedly found Su Miaoyin living across the hall.

• Qin Lie advised Cheng Che to live off campus, and Cheng Che agreed and asked Yan Ruanning to help find a rental.
• Cheng Che attended his first Mathematical Analysis class and followed the professor’s lessons with ease.
• Xiao Zhou showed Cheng Che three nearby rentals, and Cheng Che chose a furnished side room with a small courtyard in a hutong.
• Cheng Che signed the lease, called Jiang Xue to tell her he had rented a place, and checked the room before heading back to campus.
• Cheng Che opened his door and came face-to-face with Su Miaoyin, who had stepped out of the apartment opposite.

Cheng Che moved into a courtyard house across from Su Miaoyin, and the two went shopping before she rested at his place while he cooked. Yan Ruanning and Qin Lie arrived to visit Cheng Che, and Su Miaoyin opened the gate, leaving the three of them stunned.

• Cheng Che ran into Su Miaoyin after moving into the courtyard house across the way from her.
• Su Miaoyin asked why Cheng Che had stopped coming for music lessons, and he promised to return when he had time.
• Su Miaoyin persuaded Cheng Che to celebrate his move by cooking a meal at his place, and they bought groceries and household supplies together.
• Su Miaoyin fell asleep on Cheng Che's sofa while he cooked.
• Yan Ruanning and Qin Lie arrived at Cheng Che's gate, and Su Miaoyin answered it, causing the three to stare at one another in surprise.

Su Miaoyin woke to find Yan Ruanning at Cheng Che’s door, and Yan Ruanning mistakenly suspected Cheng Che was hiding a girlfriend. After learning Su Miaoyin was his senior and her own fan, Yan Ruanning explained their childhood connection, while Su Miaoyin resolved to pursue a closer acquaintance.

• Su Miaoyin mistook Yan Ruanning for a dream and reached toward her, startling Yan Ruanning and Qin Lie.
• Su Miaoyin recognized Yan Ruanning and excitedly introduced herself as her longtime fan and the president of Cheng Che’s music club.
• Cheng Che returned to cooking and explained to Qin Lie that Su Miaoyin was his senior and lived across the hall from him.
• Yan Ruanning questioned Su Miaoyin about her relationship with Cheng Che, signed her notebook, and said their families were friends and they had known each other since childhood.
• Su Miaoyin felt discouraged by Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che’s childhood connection, then asked to add Yan Ruanning on WeChat.

Su Miaoyin joined Yan Ruanning and Cheng Che for dinner, and a misunderstanding about Su Miaoyin’s interest in Cheng Che led Yan Ruanning to agree to teach her music arrangement alongside him. After the others left, Yan Ruanning asked whether another place was available for rent near Cheng Che, leaving him puzzled as he contacted his landlord.

• Su Miaoyin added Yan Ruanning on WeChat and joined Yan Ruanning, Cheng Che, and Qin Lie for dinner.
• Yan Ruanning hinted that Su Miaoyin should learn to cook, but Su Miaoyin tried to clarify that she and Cheng Che were only connected through music.
• Su Miaoyin asked Yan Ruanning to teach her music arrangement, and Yan Ruanning agreed to give her and Cheng Che lessons together twice a week for one thousand an hour.
• Qin Lie reminded Cheng Che to review a management contract and attend an advertisement shoot before leaving.
• Yan Ruanning left after setting Cheng Che’s next lesson for two the following afternoon, then asked him whether there were more rentals near his home.
• Cheng Che asked his landlord about available rentals after Yan Ruanning’s message.

Cheng Che completed his Wilson advertisement shoot, earned endorsement money, and shared some of it with his parents. As he rested afterward, a melody and hazy lyrics came to him, signaling the inspiration he had been waiting for.

• Cheng Che applied to live off campus, then treated Wang Zheng, Zhou Hao, and Li Yuan to roast duck, where Zhou Hao and Wang Zheng tried douzhi and recoiled.
• Cheng Che finished the Net Grim Reaper Pack, raised his stamina to 74, and learned from Qin Lie that the Wilson advertisement shoot was scheduled for that afternoon.
• Cheng Che used Camera Language and Boy of Many Styles during the shoot, impressing the photographer and prompting Manager Wang to increase the promotional budget.
• Qin Lie told Cheng Che that Wilson had paid, and Cheng Che transferred a hundred thousand yuan each to Jiang Xue and Cheng Jianguo.
• After speaking with his parents and resting in the courtyard, Cheng Che heard a melody and words forming in his mind, and realized inspiration had struck.

Cheng Che visited Yan Ruanning’s studio, gave her a pendant to thank her for her help, and used a flash of inspiration to write a song called “Chasing the Wind.” After Yan Ruanning praised it as a fit for Wilson’s advertisement, they began recording a demo for Qin Lie to send to the company.

• Cheng Che bought Yan Ruanning a ginkgo leaf pendant and gave it to her at the recording studio.
• Yan Ruanning asked Cheng Che to put the pendant on her, then they turned to writing a song.
• Cheng Che activated Flash of Inspiration and quickly wrote the lyrics and melody for “Chasing the Wind.”
• Yan Ruanning praised the song and suggested licensing it for Wilson’s advertisement.
• Cheng Che called Qin Lie, who asked for a demo after hearing Yan Ruanning play the melody.
• Yan Ruanning began accompanying Cheng Che as he sang the demo with Bard Incubus Voice at full power.

Cheng Che recorded “Chasing the Wind,” impressing Yan Ruanning and securing a lucrative worldwide license for the song from Wilson. Wilson launched its Blade V10 commercial with Cheng Che and his song, sending both the endorsement and single trending online.

• Yan Ruanning accompanied Cheng Che as he recorded “Chasing the Wind” and praised his singing, while Cheng Che noticed a wrong note she played.
• Qin Lie told Cheng Che that Wilson offered over two million for a one-year worldwide license to use the song in its commercial and promotions, and Cheng Che agreed.
• Cheng Che and Qin Lie recorded the official version with Wilson, and Manager Wang told Cheng Che that the commercial and single would launch the following Monday.
• After Qin Lie alerted him to the promotion, Cheng Che saw Wilson’s endorsement announcement and “Chasing the Wind” trending on Weibo, with commenters praising the song and his performance.

Wilson’s nationwide campaign made Cheng Che’s Blade V10 advertisement and his song “Chasing the Wind” a hit, driving attention and sales across the country. At Peking University, Cheng Che saw that he had completed the second stage of the Charisma Trial.

• Wilson’s nationwide advertising campaign used the remaining value of Cheng Che’s popularity card to amplify the Blade V10 promotion.
• Lin Ming saw Cheng Che’s subway advertisement, remembered his changing opinion of him, and ordered the top-model racket for 1,600 yuan.
• People across the country responded to the campaign by buying rackets, sharing the advertisement, and discussing Cheng Che and “Chasing the Wind” online.
• “Chasing the Wind” reached the top of music charts, while online listeners praised Cheng Che’s songwriting and performance.
• Cheng Che saw the system announce that he had completed the second stage of the Charisma Trial.

Cheng Che received a talent that let him suppress his presence and a title that helped his work reach audiences beyond its original circles. As his core-fan count continued toward the next trial, Wilson's Xia Country headquarters celebrated the surging sales and broad response to his Blade V10 endorsement.

• Cheng Che obtained the active talent Fade into the Bustle and the title Barrier Breaker, then saw that he had 62,000 of the 100,000 core fans needed for the third charisma trial.
• At Wilson's Xia Country headquarters, Manager Wang monitored rapidly rising Blade V10 sales and learned that flagship stores were drawing six times their usual foot traffic from customers asking for Cheng Che's racket.
• President Zhang praised Wang Ming for insisting on signing Cheng Che and put him in charge of the contract renewal and deeper cooperation.
• Wilson employees watched videos of fans buying Blade V10 rackets after seeing Cheng Che's commercial and hearing his song, and agreed that he was worth a higher renewal budget.

Cheng Che’s Wilson endorsement made him famous nationwide, so he used Fade into the Bustle to avoid attention and invited Guo Xin, Lin Xiao, and Su Qingyue to lunch. Su Qingyue gave him an expensive watch as a belated coming-of-age gift, and Cheng Che left planning to give her a pendant in return when they went out that weekend.

• Qin Lie forwarded calls from unknown numbers to his own phone as Cheng Che’s work phone received a flood of business calls.
• Wang Zheng, Zhou Hao, and Li Yuan noticed Cheng Che’s growing fame on campus, but couldn’t find him because he had used Fade into the Bustle to leave unnoticed.
• Cheng Che called Guo Xin, Lin Xiao, and Su Qingyue and invited them to lunch.
• At the restaurant, Cheng Che suggested going out together on the weekend, and Su Qingyue gave him a watch worth more than ten thousand yuan.
• Cheng Che bought a delicate four-leaf clover pendant for Su Qingyue and planned to give it to her during their weekend outing.

After turning down endorsement offers, Cheng Che used Qin Lie’s advice to begin an interdisciplinary project on marathon pacing and energy allocation. He later joined Su Miaoyin for a music lesson with Yan Ruanning, where they listened to his hit song “Chasing the Wind,” and Su Miaoyin recognized his talent.

• Visitors stopped coming to Room 302 after learning Cheng Che had moved off campus, while Qin Lie reported that he had rejected several endorsement offers for him.
• Cheng Che asked Qin Lie how to combine mathematics with another field, and Qin Lie suggested applying mathematical models to sports science.
• Cheng Che decided to study marathon pacing and energy allocation, then drafted a paper titled “Full-marathon pacing strategy and energy allocation optimization based on a piecewise function model.”
• Cheng Che and Su Miaoyin visited Yan Ruanning’s studio, where Yan congratulated him on “Chasing the Wind” topping the hot songs chart.
• Yan Ruanning played “Chasing the Wind,” and Su Miaoyin listened and thought that Cheng Che was a true genius.

Cheng Che learned music quickly, received a handmade bracelet from Yan Ruanning, and arranged to help his parents buy a new home. On Sunday, he and his friends drove to Baiwang Mountain for a hike, avoiding the crowded Fragrant Hills.

• Yan Ruanning finished teaching Cheng Che and gave him a black braided bracelet with crossed tennis rackets engraved on its clasp.
• Cheng Che called Jiang Xue and told her to buy a furnished home costing over 1.6 million yuan so his parents would have an elevator and a shorter trip to their store.
• Cheng Che checked his system and saw that 200,000 or more people had developed malice toward him, increasing his passerby favorability bonus to 20%.
• Qin Lie picked up Cheng Che, Guo Xin, Su Qingyue, and Lin Xiao in his new van for a Sunday outing.
• Cheng Che chose Baiwang Mountain instead of crowded Fragrant Hills, and the group drove out of the city toward the mountain.

Cheng Che, Su Qingyue, Lin Xiao, and Guo Xin climbed Baiwang Mountain, where Cheng Che gave Su Qingyue a four-leaf clover pendant that she secretly learned was meant for couples. As they rested at Wangjing Tower, Cheng Che completed the third Charisma Trial mission by acquiring 100,000 core fans.

• Cheng Che, Guo Xin, Su Qingyue, and Lin Xiao climbed Baiwang Mountain and stopped at several scenic spots to take photos and rest.
• At Wangjing Tower, Cheng Che gave Su Qingyue a four-leaf clover pendant in return for her belated coming-of-age gift.
• Su Qingyue read the card describing the pendant as a couples' gift, blushed, and chose not to tell Cheng Che she knew.
• Cheng Che returned with water, and the four rested while looking out at the Guomao CBD.
• Cheng Che received a notification that he had completed the third Charisma Trial mission by acquiring 100,000 core fans.

After completing the Charisma Trial, Cheng Che gained a new passive talent and a Ten-Million-Tier Popularity Card, then accidentally revealed his location in a selfie and had to flee a crowd of fans. Back at his hutong, Su Miaoyin asked him to help with her broken washing machine.

• Cheng Che checked his supertopic, saw that its check-ins had passed one hundred thousand, and found his malice count had risen to 250,000+.
• Cheng Che posted a selfie from Wangjing Tower and received the passive talent Bearing of a Top Star and a Ten-Million-Tier Popularity Card.
• Fans recognized Baiwang Mountain from Cheng Che's photo, so Cheng Che and Guo Xin, Su Qingyue, and Lin Xiao ran down the mountain and escaped in Qin Lie's car.
• Qin Lie warned Cheng Che to treat himself as a top star and arrange security before going out, while Su Qingyue felt disappointed that they could no longer go out together casually.
• After Qin Lie dropped Cheng Che at his hutong, Su Miaoyin asked him to check her washing machine, and he went over to help.