Chapter Summaries

At the reunion, Zhao Yali repeatedly flaunted her wealth and looked down on Lin Feng, while Old Mr. Ma tried to restrain her and paid for both tables. Zhao Yali’s final offer of an insider price at her husband’s retirement community prompted another rebuke, and Lin Feng prepared to leave without reacting to her taunts.

• Zhao Yali bragged about her husband and offered to help Lin Feng find work, but Lin Feng politely declined.
• Old Mr. Ma interrupted Zhao Yali and toasted Lin Feng, wishing him success in his studies.
• Zhao Yali showed off her shopping trips and vacations while Lin Feng ignored her and ate quietly.
• Class monitor Liu Hao told Zhao Yali that Old Mr. Ma had paid for both tables, and Zhao Yali basked in her classmates’ praise.
• Zhao Yali boasted about her husband’s business and new retirement community, offering Lin Feng an insider price for his parents.
• Old Mr. Ma told Zhao Yali to know when to stop, while Lin Feng calmly looked away and prepared to leave.

At the class reunion, Zhang Chi arrived boasting about Shenzhen and belittled Lin Feng’s law studies while currying favor with Zhao Yali and Old Mr. Ma. Lin Feng calmly ignored their provocations, leaving Monkey to realize his friend seemed changed.

• Monkey quietly reminded Lin Feng that Zhang Chi had been their math class representative before Zhang joined the reunion late and criticized the county town.
• Zhang Chi complained about the local amenities and suggested life in Shenzhen offered more opportunities, prompting Zhao Yali to challenge his condescension.
• After noticing Old Mr. Ma’s expensive watch, Zhang Chi changed his tune and flattered him and Zhao Yali while probing for business connections.
• When classmates asked about Lin Feng’s plans to study law, Zhang Chi mocked the profession and joked that young lawyers spent their time fetching takeout.
• Monkey started to defend Lin Feng, but Lin Feng pressed down on his wrist and calmly continued eating, ignoring Zhang Chi’s taunts.
• Monkey watched Lin Feng remain detached from the reunion’s petty provocations and sensed that his friend had become different.

At the reunion, Lin Feng quietly used his influence to have Zhang Chi fired after Zhang Chi mocked him and bragged about his status. He spared Old Mr. Ma from collateral trouble, then watched Zhang Chi leave the room to answer a call as his smugness vanished.

• Zhang Chi continued boasting and belittling Lin Feng while Zhao Yali indulged him and Old Mr. Ma remained polite.
• Lin Feng contacted Sun Zhengming through the network and ordered him to fire Zhang Chi, who worked at Sun Zhengming's company.
• Lin Feng decided not to target Old Mr. Ma or his business because the old man had shown him no malice.
• Lin Feng told Monkey that people had to be magnanimous, leaving Monkey confused by his calm reaction.
• Zhang Chi received a call, lost his smug expression, and hurried out to the corridor while Lin Feng stayed at the table.

After Zhang Chi abruptly fled the gathering, Lin Feng left with Monkey and declined Old Mr. Ma and Zhao Yali’s offer of a ride, revealing he had driven his new Lexus GX. Old Mr. Ma recognized the car’s value and privately concluded Lin Feng was no ordinary person as the two couples departed in different directions.

• Zhang Chi returned to the private room in a panic, grabbed his belongings, and hurried out without explaining what had happened.
• After the gathering ended, Lin Feng declined Liu Hao’s invitation to go to KTV, and Monkey decided to leave with him.
• Zhao Yali offered Lin Feng and Monkey a ride, but Lin Feng said they had driven there and told Old Mr. Ma he was wasted on a wife like her.
• Lin Feng and Monkey left in Lin Feng’s new Lexus GX, and Old Mr. Ma identified it as a car worth close to a million yuan.
• Old Mr. Ma took Zhao Yali home in their Mercedes-Benz while Lin Feng drove Monkey away in the opposite direction.

Lin Feng learned that Sun Penghui had been kidnapped abroad and that his captors demanded 500,000 yuan. He agreed to go with his parents to Second Aunt’s house that afternoon to discuss pooling money, while privately considering how to handle the danger behind the ransom demand.

• Lin Feng found Zhang Fen crying and learned that she had warned Second Aunt about possible scams, but Second Aunt had dismissed her concerns.
• Lin Jianguo told Lin Feng that Second Aunt had called the previous day to say Sun Penghui’s supposed company was holding him and demanding 500,000 yuan.
• Zhang Fen blamed herself for making the warning call, while Lin Jianguo insisted Sun Penghui’s predicament was not her fault.
• Lin Feng comforted his mother and said he would join his parents at Second Aunt’s house to discuss raising the ransom.
• Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen agreed that their family would contribute what it could to help bring Sun Penghui back.

Lin Feng and his parents joined their relatives as his second aunt’s husband explained that Xiaohui had been taken hostage and demanded five hundred thousand yuan for his release. After the family began pledging money, Lin Feng’s third uncle stunned them by asking why they did not call the police.

• Lin Feng arrived with Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen at Wang Guifang’s home, where their relatives gathered in grief.
• Wang Guifang’s husband told the family that Xiaohui had broken rules, been taken hostage, and would be killed if they did not pay five hundred thousand yuan.
• Lin Feng’s eldest uncle pledged fifty thousand yuan, and other relatives followed with promises of money.
• Lin Jianguo and Zhang Fen pledged thirty thousand yuan for their household.
• With everyone waiting for his response, Lin Feng’s third uncle asked why they did not call the police.

The family argued over whether to contact the police or raise money for Sun Penghui, while Zhang Fen pledged 100,000 yuan and Third Aunt-in-law questioned whether paying would save him. Lin Feng proposed calling the kidnappers to ask Sun Penghui to speak, leaving the family to seek proof that he was safe.

• Third Uncle suggested calling the police, but Wang Guifang cried that the kidnappers would kill Sun Penghui if they did.
• Zhang Fen warned that contacting the police could alert overseas kidnappers and pledged that her family would contribute 100,000 yuan.
• Third Aunt-in-law questioned whether paying the ransom would secure Sun Penghui's release and argued against risking the family's savings.
• Lin Feng told Wang Guifang that the family should call the kidnappers and ask to hear Sun Penghui's voice.

Lin Feng urged Sun Penghui's family to confirm that he was alive before paying the kidnappers. A speakerphone call brought a threat, a cruel account of Sun Penghui's treatment, and a chilling warning before the kidnappers hung up, leaving the family terrified and desperate.

• Lin Feng told the family that Sun Penghui had to be safe before they considered paying.
• Wang Guifang called the overseas number while the relatives listened on speakerphone.
• Brother Hu demanded five hundred thousand and threatened to kill Sun Penghui if the family did not pay.
• A younger man claimed Sun Penghui had been made to fight wolfhounds for food, and Brother Hu mocked the family's concern.
• Second Uncle agreed to pay but demanded to hear Sun Penghui's voice, then cursed the kidnappers when they refused.
• Brother Hu warned Second Uncle that he had guts and disconnected, leaving the family in silence and despair.

Brother Hu raised the ransom for Sun Penghui to one million and threatened to mutilate him if his family failed to pay by dawn. A calm young man took over the call and gave Brother Hu until midnight to return his brother safely, or face being fed to the dogs.

• Brother Hu angrily smashed his phone after Second Uncle cursed him, but Yellow Hair persuaded him to keep Sun Penghui alive so they could extort more money and sell him to Myawaddy later.
• When Second Uncle called back to beg for mercy and promise the original five hundred thousand, Brother Hu demanded one million by dawn and threatened to cut off Sun Penghui’s fingers and toes for any shortfall.
• A calm young man took the phone and told Brother Hu to return his brother safely before midnight.
• The young man threatened to send Brother Hu and the men with him to feed the dogs if they failed to comply.

After Wang Hu threatened Sun Penghui and Lin Feng, Lin Feng promised his relatives he would rescue Sun Penghui that night. He secretly ordered K to extract Sun Penghui and deal with Wang Hu’s gang.

• Wang Hu flew into a rage after Lin Feng hung up and ordered his men to drag Sun Penghui out, cripple him, and investigate Lin Feng.
• Lin Feng told his alarmed relatives that a friend would rescue Sun Penghui that night, then stepped outside to make a call.
• Lin Feng contacted K through their mental link and gave him Sun Penghui’s location and details about Wang Hu’s gang.
• K agreed to rescue Sun Penghui, arrange a safe house, and send him on a route back to China.
• Lin Feng ordered K to deal with Wang Hu and his men, and K accepted the assignment.

Wang Hu prepared to chop off Sun Penghui’s fingers at the dog kennel, but Brother Qiang and an armed team stormed the farm and rescued Sun. They took Wang Hu and his men away, leaving Sun free of the kennel.

• Wang Hu ordered Yellow Hair and Baldy to drag Sun Penghui from his cage and pinned Sun’s hand to a stump.
• As Wang Hu raised his cleaver, a black SUV and two gray vans smashed through the farm gate, bringing Brother Qiang and an armed team.
• Brother Qiang knocked Wang Hu unconscious with his pistol and ordered his men to take everyone away.
• Yellow Hair, Baldy, and the other thugs surrendered, and Brother Qiang’s men carried Sun Penghui into a van.
• Brother Qiang’s vehicles drove off with Wang Hu, his men, and Sun Penghui, leaving the kennel empty.

Wang Hu woke bound in a warehouse and realized that K had captured him over his threats against Sun Penghui. K offered him a choice between two dogs, leaving Wang Hu facing an unclear but terrifying fate.

• Wang Hu woke on a concrete floor with his hands tied behind his back.
• Wang Hu recognized his captor as K, the compound’s new technical director, and begged him to spare his life.
• K asked Wang Hu about chopping people up and feeding them to dogs.
• Wang Hu claimed he had only threatened Sun Penghui’s family and offered compensation and loyalty.
• K gave Wang Hu two choices: a Rottweiler or a Doberman.

After Lin Feng’s relatives accused him of endangering Sun Penghui by threatening the kidnappers, Sun Penghui called to say Lin Feng’s friends had rescued him in an armed raid. The family’s fear and reproaches turned to relief and astonishment, while Lin Feng left them waiting for further news.

• Lin Feng’s relatives questioned his decision to confront the kidnappers and doubted his claim that a friend could rescue Sun Penghui.
• Second uncle-in-law answered another call from the kidnappers’ number and heard Sun Penghui say he had escaped and was safe.
• Sun Penghui told his parents that Lin Feng’s armed friends had taken him away and captured Brother Hu and his men.
• Wang Guifang cried with relief as the relatives stared at Lin Feng in shock and reconsidered their accusations.
• Lin Feng told the family to wait for news once Sun Penghui reached safety, then headed to his room.

Lin Feng and Lü Yi stopped at a highway service area to eat, where Lü Yi criticized the restaurant’s food and Lin Feng explained its likely use of centrally prepared ingredients. After a food streamer filmed them despite Lin Feng’s refusal to comment, they left for the highway, with Lü Yi wondering whether the video might draw unwanted attention.

• Lin Feng stopped at a service area with Lü Yi when their fuel ran low, and Lü Yi chose Dongbei Catering for a meal.
• Lü Yi identified the fish and twice-cooked pork as likely frozen or premade, and Lin Feng explained that chain restaurants often used central kitchens.
• A food streamer approached Lin Feng and Lü Yi for comments, but Lin Feng declined to discuss their meal.
• Lin Feng noticed that the streamer’s second phone had shifted to capture part of the restaurant, then paid the bill.
• Lü Yi wondered whether the livestream might go viral and bring people looking for them, and Lin Feng drove them back onto the highway.

A short video of Lin Feng criticizing the fish at a Dongbei Catering service area spread through foodie circles, while the company’s public relations team classified it as low risk. The video remained a small, unresolved controversy as a former employee claimed Dongbei stores mostly reheated frozen food.

• Taste Detective Xiao Yang posted a fifteen-second clip of Lin Feng explaining that the fish was frozen and its poor quality was typical of chain restaurants using central kitchens.
• Xiao Liu flagged the video to Dongbei’s public relations group, and Li Li classified it as low-risk public opinion requiring only routine monitoring.
• Lü Yi showed Lin Feng the circulating video, but Lin Feng said it had not spread far and declined to respond or amplify it.
• Lin Feng searched Dongbei’s public messaging and industry reports, then let the discussion develop or fade on its own.
• Lü Yi commented that Lin Feng was right about the fish, while the video’s likes and comments continued to rise.
• A commenter claiming to be a former Dongbei employee said service-area stores mostly reheated frozen food, even as Dongbei’s monitoring dashboard still listed the issue as low risk.

Zheng Dong treated a short video questioning Dongbei Catering’s fish and use of prefabricated ingredients as a serious threat to the company’s reputation. He ordered his staff to remove the video, pressure the blogger and identify the customer who defended central kitchens, leaving the company preparing to pursue the people in the clip.

• Zheng Dong watched Taste Detective Xiao Yang’s video, in which customers criticized a fish dish and a young man said central kitchens were common in restaurant chains.
• At the weekly meeting, Li Li classified the video as low risk, but Zheng Dong rebuked her and said the claims threatened Dongbei’s promise of fresh ingredients cooked to order.
• Zheng Dong ordered Li Li and the public relations team to have the video removed, demand an apology from the blogger, and locate the two customers, especially the man in the jacket.
• When Zhao Bin and Li Li raised obstacles to identifying the customers, Zheng Dong told them to obtain service-area surveillance footage and use the car’s temporary plate and ETC records.
• Zheng Dong forbade the company from responding publicly until the people involved were found, and insisted that the man in the jacket would have to understand he could not speak recklessly about Dongbei.

Food blogger Yang Xiaoming received pressure from Dongbei Catering’s legal department to delete his video about a service-area restaurant and apologize, or face legal action. He weighed the threat against the growing support for his video and left the delete button untouched.

• Dongbei legal commissioner Wang called Yang Xiaoming and demanded that he delete his video, clarify its claims, and apologize by noon the next day.
• Wang warned Yang Xiaoming that Dongbei might sue him and raised his past paid promotions for competing restaurants to question his neutrality.
• Yang Xiaoming checked his video’s engagement and saw Dongbei’s official statement reserving its right to pursue legal action.
• Yang Xiaoming considered asking other bloggers for advice but hesitated, worried that no one else could bear the consequences for him.
• Yang Xiaoming paused the video on the young man who had commented about Dongbei’s food and hovered over the delete button without clicking it.

Dongbei Catering tried to identify Lin Feng and pressure him into apologizing over his service-area review, but his lawyer, Zhou Wenyuan, rejected the company’s demands and warned it against harassment. Dongbei’s legal department decided to report that Lin Feng would not cooperate and recommend letting the controversy cool down, and Wang Qian called Chairman Zheng’s secretary.

• Xiao Liu told Li Li that the surveillance footage showed a black Volkswagen Tiguan L with an unreadable temporary plate, and Li Li directed her to pursue other channels and send the footage to Director Zhao.
• Zhou Wenyuan learned Dongbei Catering had contacted him about Lin Feng and, after speaking with Lin Feng, agreed to reject the company’s approach.
• Wang Qian called Zhou Wenyuan, who defended Lin Feng’s consumer review and warned Dongbei against harassment, baseless litigation, and misuse of personal information.
• Wang Qian told a colleague that Dongbei would not sue and said she would report the failed negotiations to Chairman Zheng.
• Wang Qian called Chairman Zheng’s secretary to update him about the service-area video matter.

Yang Xiaoming faced mounting pressure from Dongbei Catering, lost promotional work and platform visibility, and posted a scripted apology retracting his criticism. After Dongbei celebrated the apology online, he turned back to editing other food videos, though his confidence as a blogger had been shaken.

• Yang Xiaoming received repeated calls and threats to delete his video, while a restaurant brand manager warned that continued criticism of Dongbei could end their partnership.
• Yang Xiaoming found his new videos throttled or blocked, paid trolls accusing him of smearing Dongbei, and Douyin customer service urging him to correct the controversial content.
• Yang Xiaoming recorded and posted a scripted apology saying the customer's remarks were unverified and that Dongbei upheld its promise of fresh, made-to-order food.
• Viewers debated and mocked Yang Xiaoming's apology, while Manager Liu offered to work with him again and an unknown sender demanded future compliance.
• Dongbei Catering reposted the apology and received widespread support as questions about its food were drowned out.
• Yang Xiaoming reflected on his lost ideals, then returned to his editing software to work on videos about other shops.

Dongbei Chairman Zheng Dong ordered the company to pressure Lin Feng into apologizing after the blogger’s apology shifted public scrutiny toward the customers in the video. Lin Feng ignored Dongbei’s lawyer’s letter and prepared to let the company make its next move.

• Li Li reported that the blogger had apologized, but commenters were asking why the two customers in the video had not.
• Zheng Dong ordered Dongbei to identify the customers and send Lin Feng a lawyer’s letter demanding a public apology, with a copy sent to Zhou Wenyuan Law Firm.
• Zhou Wenyuan received Dongbei’s letter, told Lin Feng about it, and shredded it after Lin Feng said to throw it away.
• Lü Yi found an online comment identifying Lin Feng as an assistant at Zhou Wenyuan Law Firm, while Lin Feng said he had someone backing him.
• Lin Feng and Lü Yi left to get dinner, and Lin Feng calmly told Lü Yi to let Dongbei come after him.