Chapter Summaries

After transmigrating into a novel as the doomed Jun Jingyi, he went to meet the newly reborn Bai Ruoli, whose memories included his cruelty in her previous life. He stunned her by asking her to marry him.

• Jun Jingyi recalled that he was a minor villain destined to die and realized the reborn Bai Ruoli would soon target the Jun Family.
• Jun Jingyi visited the Bai Clan residence to meet Bai Ruoli.
• Bai Ruoli remembered Jun Jingyi ordering her body fed to dogs in her previous life and suspected his humble manner was an act.
• Jun Jingyi earnestly asked Bai Ruoli to marry him.

Jun Jingyi proposed marriage to Bai Ruoli, hoping to protect himself by becoming her family, but she rejected him and sent him away. He then decided to investigate Great Yan’s princes and prepare to undermine the dynasty while continuing to improve his relationship with Bai Ruoli.

• Jun Jingyi proposed to Bai Ruoli, believing marriage would keep her from killing him and protect her from the Bai family.
• Bai Ruoli, baffled by his proposal, refused it and sent Jun Jingyi away.
• Outside the Bai residence, Jun Jingyi accepted that his proposal had failed and activated Plan B: destroying the dynasty.
• Jun Jingyi planned to gather funds, build a force, investigate the first, fourth, and eighth princes, and keep trying to win Bai Ruoli’s favor.

Bai Ruoli disguised herself as a man and went out to secure a powerful ally by curing an official poisoned with Nine Nether Grass. She saw Jun Jingyi buy a restaurant and help a beggar, but her memories of his cruelty left her convinced he was a hypocrite.

• Bai Ruoli dressed as a young gentleman and recalled her plan to cure an important official with a Blood Spirit Flower to win his favor.
• Jun Jingyi argued with a restaurant shopkeeper over the price, bought the business for two hundred taels, and paid for the deed.
• Bai Ruoli watched Jun Jingyi and remembered how she had once admired him, while Lian'er praised him for standing up to the shopkeeper.
• Jun Jingyi helped a beggar boy up and gave him food, prompting Lian'er to call him a good person.
• Bai Ruoli recalled Jun Jingyi secretly having a beggar beaten in her previous life, called him a hypocrite, and walked away.

Jun Jingyi tested a white steamed bun and bought all the wheat flour he could find, while Bai Ruoli watched, increasingly unsure how he differed from the man she remembered from her previous life. She returned to the Bai residence determined to learn what Jun Jingyi was planning and not underestimate him.

• Jun Jingyi brought a white steamed bun out of the kitchen, and a maid tasted it and found it delicious and slightly sweet.
• Bai Ruoli left the Jin residence after completing the first step of her plan and went exploring with Lian'er.
• Jun Jingyi bought the grain shop's entire stock of wheat flour, leaving the shopkeeper to dismiss him as a foolish young master.
• Bai Ruoli wondered whether Jun Jingyi's present behavior or the man she remembered from her previous life was his true self.
• Lian'er teased Bai Ruoli about marrying Jun Jingyi, and Bai Ruoli scolded her before returning to the Bai residence, resolved to stay cautious.

Jun Jingyi promoted the steamed buns at his new Journey to the West restaurant while Jun Yixue urged him to attend the Yunying Poetry Gathering. As rumors spread that he had proposed to Bai Ruoli, Lian'er brought Bai Ruoli steamed buns and praised Young Master Jun for making them.

• Jun Jingyi advertised his steamed buns outside Journey to the West and told Jun Yixue that the restaurant already had orders from schools and other restaurants.
• Jun Yixue reminded Jun Jingyi to prepare for the Yunying Poetry Gathering in three days, and he agreed before going to meet Manager Qian from the Four Seas Restaurant.
• At a gathering aboard a pleasure boat, Jun Yixue heard that Jun Jingyi might have asked Bai Ruoli to marry him, but she dismissed the rumor and refused to stir up trouble.
• Lian'er brought Bai Ruoli two steamed buns and said that Young Master Jun had made the popular food, leaving Bai Ruoli confused.

Jun Jingyi attended the Yunying Poetry Gathering with Jun Yixue, but ignored the event and pondered how to secretly build up his forces. Nearby young men mocked his recent business ventures and accused him of buying the poems he had presented at earlier gatherings, while Bai Ruoli watched from a distance.

• Jun Jingyi entered the Yunying Poetry Gathering with his invitation and complained about being there to Jun Yixue.
• Jun Yixue threatened to tell their parents what Jun Jingyi had been doing if he tried to leave, so he stayed behind as she joined her friends.
• Jun Jingyi sat by the river, ate melon seeds, and thought about building up his forces without alerting the imperial family.
• A young man in black told other literary youths that Jun Jingyi had become a restaurant proprietor and claimed he had bought his past poems from Li Ran.
• The young men condemned and mocked Jun Jingyi, while Bai Ruoli watched them from a distance without concern.

Bai Ruoli realized the Jin Family was helping her by exposing Jun Jingyi’s poem-buying, while Jun Jingyi confronted Li Ran and admitted he had purchased poems from him. The gathering learned the scandal was true, and Jun Jingyi grew wary of Li Ran’s unusual behavior.

• Bai Ruoli understood that the Jin Family was acting to help her and watched Jun Jingyi as scholars approached.
• Jun Jingyi tried to leave the pavilion, but Li Ran stopped him and identified himself as the man who wrote poems for Jun Jingyi.
• Jun Jingyi initially misunderstood Li Ran’s accusation, then recalled that the former Jun Jingyi had bought most of the poems behind his literary reputation.
• Jun Jingyi admitted that he had bought poems from Li Ran, shocking the gathering.
• Li Ran accepted the admission, while Jun Jingyi questioned what he wanted and became suspicious of the situation.

At the Yunying Poetry Gathering, Li Ran accused Jun Jingyi of buying poems, but Jun Jingyi exposed Li Ran’s breach of their deal and then composed a poem that eclipsed Li Ran’s work. The crowd admired Jun Jingyi and condemned Li Ran, who ran from the pavilion laughing and shouting that he had come first in the imperial examination.

• Li Ran accused Jun Jingyi of buying poems and said he did not deserve to be one of the Ten Young Masters of Tianfu.
• Jun Jingyi argued that Li Ran had broken the confidentiality of their transaction, and the crowd turned against Li Ran.
• Jun Jingyi asked for the four treasures of the study and wrote a poem while Li Ran waited for him to fail.
• The young man in black and the scholars admired Jun Jingyi’s poem, while the crowd mocked Li Ran’s accusation.
• Li Ran realized Jun Jingyi may have bought his poems to help him, then ran from the pavilion laughing and shouting that he had passed the imperial examination and come first.

After leaving the Yunying Poetry Gathering, Jun Jingyi found the wounded Sikong Ye in an alley and carried him to the Jun residence. Bai Ruoli suspected Jun Jingyi had been reborn after he rescued Sikong Ye and displayed extraordinary poetic talent, leaving her unsure how to change her plans.

• Jun Jingyi found Sikong Ye bleeding in an alley and carried him to the Jun residence despite fearing trouble.
• Bai Ruoli recognized Sikong Ye as the man the eighth prince had saved in her previous life and wondered whether Jun Jingyi had been reborn.
• Bai Ruoli returned to find Lian'er praising Jun Jingyi's new poem and reporting that scholars called him Tianfu's foremost scholar.
• After hearing how Jun Jingyi exposed Li Ran and earned acclaim for his poem, Bai Ruoli suspected he had hidden his great poetic talent even in his previous life.

Jun Jingyi rescued a badly wounded young man and ordered a physician to treat him, but he refused to learn the stranger’s name or background. He asked the young man to leave once he recovered, while the young man privately judged Jun Jingyi to be an unusual, kindhearted person unlikely to survive in their world.

• Jun Jingyi brought the bloodied young man to the Jun residence and told the steward to find a physician discreetly.
• After the physician treated the stranger, Jun Jingyi decided not to silence him and returned to check on him.
• The young man woke and asked for water, but Jun Jingyi told him to leave once he could walk.
• When the young man tried to give his name, Jun Jingyi stopped him and explained that he had saved him out of kindness, not for repayment.
• The young man agreed to recover before leaving, then privately concluded that Jun Jingyi was an innocent oddity who would not live long in their world.

Jun Jingyi asked the young man to teach him martial arts because he feared for his life, then brought him along as a disguised bodyguard on an outing. The young man was increasingly baffled by Jun Jingyi’s unusual behavior and wondered if he was an immortal fallen to the mortal world.

• Jun Jingyi served the young man a meal he had cooked himself, and the young man was surprised by his informality and skill.
• Jun Jingyi asked the young man to teach him martial arts, explaining that he did not want to die, and the young man agreed to begin the next day.
• Jun Jingyi asked the young man to disguise himself and took him along because he did not feel safe leaving him alone.
• Jun Jingyi gave a little beggar a few copper coins, explaining that he did it because it made him happy, and the young man wondered if he was an immortal traveling through the mortal world.

Jun Jingyi realized that Bai Ruoli was treating a man with a fatal abdominal wound and feared the situation could accelerate his own death. He entered the pharmacy to help, while Bai Ruoli watched him closely, hoping to learn whether he was reborn.

• Jun Jingyi learned that Bai Ruoli had gained fame by curing Master Jin and heard that a critically injured man had been brought to her pharmacy.
• Jun Jingyi suspected the injury was a deliberate test or an attempt to damage Bai Ruoli’s reputation, so he decided to intervene and earn her favor or disrupt the male lead’s plans.
• Lian'er welcomed Jun Jingyi at the pharmacy, and Bai Ruoli allowed him into the rear courtyard to examine the patient.
• Jun Jingyi assessed the man’s severe abdominal wound and ordered a young man in black to fetch strong liquor, a needle, and thread, with the supplies boiled in water.
• Bai Ruoli declared that the patient was certain to die and questioned why Jun Jingyi was troubling himself to try to save him.

Jun Jingyi helped Bai Ruoli treat a badly wounded man, and his realization that the local liquor was weak gave him an idea for making money. Bai Ruoli grew more bewildered by Jun Jingyi’s influence over the disguised man, while Lian'er reminded her to offer him tea.

• Jun Jingyi disinfected his hands and the needle, then cleaned and returned the injured man's intestines before attempting to stitch his wound.
• Bai Ruoli took over the stitching, applied medicine, and listened as Jun Jingyi warned that the man might develop a high fever.
• Jun Jingyi accidentally drank the weak liquor meant for cleaning and thought that producing stronger liquor could quickly earn him a fortune.
• Bai Ruoli recognized the young man in black as someone from her previous life and wondered why he obeyed Jun Jingyi despite having refused even the Eighth Prince.
• Lian'er interrupted Bai Ruoli's staring and reminded her that Jun Jingyi had not yet been offered tea.

Jun Jingyi shared tea with Bai Ruoli, whose admiration for his poetry, medical skill, and business acumen deepened her fear that she could not understand him. She concluded he had not been reborn, leaving her still confused about why he had ruined and killed her in their previous life.

• Bai Ruoli welcomed Jun Jingyi to the pharmacy and scolded Lian'er for serving tea boiled with scallions and ginger.
• Jun Jingyi fetched tea leaves and prepared clear tea, which Bai Ruoli tasted and praised.
• Jun Jingyi quoted a verse by Li Bai, prompting Bai Ruoli to reconsider the depth of his poetic talent and recall his other remarkable abilities.
• Jun Jingyi left the pharmacy, while Bai Ruoli feared that revenge against him offered little hope.
• Bai Ruoli concluded Jun Jingyi had not been reborn and wondered why he had destroyed and killed her in their previous life.

Jun Jingyi met Jun Yixue at the restaurant, where she warned him to stay away from Bai Ruoli and explained why she had confronted her. After learning that Bai Ruoxin had allegedly bullied her older sister, Jun Jingyi suspected her of being dangerous, then grew wary of reports that ruffians were troubling his restaurant.

• Jun Yixue confronted Jun Jingyi for breaking his promise at the Yunying Poetry Gathering and threatened to send a letter to the capital.
• Jun Yixue urged Jun Jingyi to avoid Bai Ruoli, citing rumors that she was cursed, but Jun Jingyi dismissed the claims.
• Jun Yixue admitted she had stood up for Bai Ruoli's younger sister, Bai Ruoxin, after believing Bai Ruoli had bullied her.
• Jun Jingyi resolved that Bai Ruoxin had to be dealt with to protect the Jun family and himself.
• Jun Jingyi asked about trouble at the restaurant, and Jun Yixue said ruffians had been causing problems but the household guards were keeping them away.
• Jun Jingyi questioned why anyone would dare target a restaurant known to belong to the Jun family.

Jun Jingyi introduced Sikong Ye to his exceptionally strong Dukang Liquor and recited a poem praising it. Sikong Ye admired both the liquor and the poem, and Jun Jingyi revealed that it was sold at his tavern.

• Jun Jingyi opened a jar of liquor at breakfast, and Sikong Ye drank a mouthful before coughing at its strength.
• Sikong Ye asked where the liquor came from and said he wanted to bring some home for his father to try.
• Jun Jingyi recited a poem about wine and named the liquor Dukang.
• Sikong Ye praised the poem and liquor, then asked where it was sold, and Jun Jingyi told him it was at his tavern.

Bai Ruoli learned that Jun Jingyi’s poem had made Dukang wine a sensation, and she wondered why he was revealing talents he had hidden in her previous life. Comparing his current brilliance with his past reputation left her more suspicious of his purpose.

• Dukang wine and Jun Jingyi’s poem became wildly popular in Tianfu City, with buyers lining up to pay a hundred taels per jar.
• Lian'er told Bai Ruoli about the wine’s success and showed her Jun Jingyi’s poem.
• Bai Ruoli recognized the poem’s extraordinary quality and suspected Jun Jingyi had written it to sell wine.
• Bai Ruoli reflected that Jun Jingyi’s clear tea might also become popular among scholars, and wondered why he was displaying his talents now.
• Bai Ruoli recalled investigating Jun Jingyi’s past, which showed him as arrogant and incompetent, and questioned what purpose his apparent transformation served.

Jun Jingyi and Sikong Ye encountered another dead beggar and a woman beaten by servants from the Li Family after her infant died. Jun Jingyi called such deaths perfectly normal, leaving Sikong Ye shaken and furious as they watched the authorities clear the street.

• Jun Jingyi gave coins to a beggar and told Sikong Ye that the beggar they had helped had died.
• Jun Jingyi said the beggar had gone to the sky, while Sikong Ye struggled with the loss of someone he had come to know.
• Jun Jingyi and Sikong Ye found a bloodied woman protecting her dead infant as household servants kicked her.
• Sikong Ye attacked the servants and learned that a young master of the Li Family had taken the woman, whose child later died.
• Jun Jingyi called the woman's fate perfectly normal, and he and Sikong Ye silently watched the authorities collect the bodies and clean the street.

Jun Jingyi enlisted Sikong Ye to investigate the Li Family and decided to help their victims get revenge. He tried to involve Bai Ruoli in the plan by telling her a story, but angered her and was about to leave when she stopped him.

• Jun Jingyi asked Sikong Ye to find out who the Li Family were.
• Sikong Ye reported that the Li Family were powerful merchants and that their second son had ruined more than ten families by abducting their daughters.
• Jun Jingyi said they should help the Li Family’s victims get revenge and went to the Bai Clan with Sikong Ye.
• Bai Ruoli questioned Jun Jingyi’s repeated visits, and he told her he wanted to share a story about a woman.
• Bai Ruoli grew angry when Jun Jingyi clarified that the story was not about her, then called for her maid to show him out.
• Jun Jingyi prepared to leave, but Bai Ruoli stopped him.

Jun Jingyi told Bai Ruoli a fairy-tale-like story that ended with a girl being killed, then asked what she thought of it. Bai Ruoli called the girl weak and careless, and Jun left believing the world followed the rule that the weak were prey to the strong.

• Jun Jingyi sat down in the Bai residence and told Bai Ruoli and Lian'er about a kind girl who was killed after traveling to a great city.
• Jun Jingyi explained that a wealthy young master abducted the girl, and Bai Ruoli said the girl deserved to die for being too innocent, kind, and careless.
• Bai Ruoli said she would kill the young master and his family if the girl had been her relative, because they were weak and arrogant.
• Jun Jingyi accepted Bai Ruoli's reasoning and left the Bai residence.
• Outside, Jun Jingyi concluded that the weak were prey to the strong, taking Bai Ruoli's words as a fundamental rule of the world.