Recaps

After Xue Ci’s bitter cookies embarrassed him and Song Tanhai’s gambling scheme was exposed, the Fu Family brought Xue Ci back for the New Year. Fu Qingxiao then took Xue Ci to the bedroom and suggested they become intimate before marriage, leaving Xue Ci stunned that Fu Qingxiao himself had made the request.

• Fu Yang returned from abroad, misunderstood Xue Ci’s bitter cookies as expired, and learned that Xue Ci had made them for him.
• Xue Ci discovered that Fu Yang, Fu Qingxiao, and Fu Zhouxuan had pretended to like his bitter cookies to spare his feelings, then gave them store-bought cookies as an apology.
• Xue Ci went to spend the New Year with Song Tanhai, who gambled away money and later staged a fake five-million-yuan debt to extort him.
• Xue Ci took Song Tanhai’s card to the meeting place, exposed the scheme, and ran before Fu Family bodyguards stopped the group and Fu Yang, Fu Zhouxuan, and Fu Qingxiao brought him back.
• After the Fu Family celebrated the New Year with Xue Ci, Fu Qingxiao carried him to the bedroom and asked whether he would like to inspect the goods before they married.

Xue Ci learned more about Fu Qingxiao’s secondary personality while trying to keep his distance from the possessive Fu Qingxiao. As Fu Zhouxuan’s college entrance exam approached, Xue Ci attended his parent-teacher meeting and later rushed to comfort him after a fight, where Fu Zhouxuan confessed his feelings.

• Fu Qingxiao’s secondary personality took control and became intimate with Xue Ci before the primary personality regained control and cared for him.
• Xue Ci asked Fu Qingxiao about his secondary personality, learned it had appeared during his childhood, and received the hidden-task points.
• Fu Yang grew jealous of Xue Ci’s closeness with Fu Qingxiao and Fu Zhouxuan, while Fu Zhouxuan became increasingly attached to Xue Ci.
• As the college entrance exam neared, Xue Ci attended Fu Zhouxuan’s parent-teacher meeting and praised him for ranking near the top of his year.
• After Fu Zhouxuan got into a fight, Xue Ci returned to the villa and treated his injuries, then scolded him for acting as if they did not hurt.
• Fu Zhouxuan blushed and told Xue Ci, “I want you, Brother Xue Ci.”

Xue Ci tried to keep Fu Zhouxuan focused on his college entrance exam after the younger man confessed, then struggled to manage Fu Qingxiao’s jealousy and the progress bar. The chapter ended with Xue Ci taking the initiative to satisfy a task, only for Fu Qingxiao to grab him as he tried to get up.

• Fu Zhouxuan confessed that he liked Xue Ci and explained that he had fought classmates for speaking about Xue Ci behind his back.
• Xue Ci avoided answering Fu Zhouxuan’s confession and urged him to recover and return to school, then promised they could discuss his feelings after the college entrance exam.
• Fu Qingxiao confronted Xue Ci in his dorm, grew jealous of his distance, and took him back to the villa, where Xue Ci’s concern for him eased his mood.
• Fu Qingxiao brought Xue Ci to the bedroom, and the progress bar dropped when Xue Ci did not take the initiative to please him.
• Xue Ci acted on the task and the progress bar rose, but Fu Qingxiao grabbed his waist as he tried to get up.

After Fu Qingxiao and Xue Ci became official, Fu Qingxiao introduced him to his circle while Fu Yang waited for the college entrance exams to end. Fu Zhouxuan scored highly, went on a date with Xue Ci, and confessed his feelings by promising to earn money and care for him.

• Fu Qingxiao helped Xue Ci bathe after their intimate encounter, then gently put him to bed while admitting he was jealous.
• Fu Qingxiao began bringing Xue Ci to formal events and treating him like his cherished fiancée, while his jealousy over Song Ran’s friendship with Xue Ci caused a brief quarrel.
• Fu Yang spent the weeks before the college entrance exams working hard and waiting for the promised chance to pursue Xue Ci afterward.
• Fu Zhouxuan finished his exams, earned higher scores than in the original plot, and later invited Xue Ci on a date during summer vacation.
• Fu Zhouxuan and Xue Ci spent the day shopping and visiting an arcade, where they took photo-booth pictures and brought home stuffed toys.
• Fu Zhouxuan kissed Xue Ci and promised to earn more than Fu Yang and Fu Qingxiao so he could take care of him, while the two older men watched angrily from upstairs.

Xue Ci’s planned death was prevented when Fu Qingxiao and the others uncovered a plot against him, and he learned he was the Song Family’s son, swapped at birth with their unruly fake heir. After reuniting with the Song Family, Xue Ci faced their objections to his engagement with Fu Qingxiao, while Fu Yang’s recording exposed Fu Qingxiao’s deception and Song Ran called off the engagement.

• Xue Ci prepared to die in a staged car accident, but Fu Qingxiao, Fu Zhouxuan, and Song Ran intercepted him before it happened.
• Fu Qingxiao explained that Song Tanhai had revealed Xue Ci’s origins, and Song Ran told Xue Ci he might be his younger brother.
• Fu Qingxiao’s investigation revealed that a Song Family driver and his wife had swapped Xue Ci with their own son, while Song Tanhai had later learned the secret and extorted money from them.
• Xue Ci confirmed his identity through a DNA test and reunited with Father and Mother Song, who welcomed him and worried about his engagement to Fu Qingxiao.
• Song Ran brought Xue Ci to end the engagement, but Fu Yang played a recording of Fu Qingxiao admitting that deceiving Xue Ci had taken no effort.
• Song Ran defended Xue Ci and urged him to wait until he was thirty before dating, leaving Fu Yang alarmed by the prospect.

Xue Ci left the Fu Family to live with the Song Family, where he was cherished, while Fu Qingxiao accepted their separation and let him go. As Xue Ci tried to understand love and favoritism, Fu Yang grew jealous and possessive, and the chapter ended with him reading Xue Ci’s diary and making an explicit promise to outdo Fu Qingxiao.

• Song Ran took Xue Ci home after Xue Ci ended things with Fu Qingxiao, who agreed to leave him free and said he could pursue him again someday.
• The Song Family welcomed Xue Ci, and he spent the summer enjoying their care while the Virus Fragment touched him and Eleven explained that the progress bar depended on Fu Zhouxuan.
• Fu Zhouxuan met Xue Ci before leaving the country, gave him a snowflake necklace, and became upset when Xue Ci said he might date someone in the future.
• Fu Yang claimed to be sick and drew Xue Ci to his apartment, where he broke down over Xue Ci sharing cotton candy with Fu Zhouxuan; Xue Ci promised not to buy it for anyone else again.
• Fu Yang began driving away Xue Ci’s admirers and followed him to his new apartment, where he found and read Xue Ci’s diary before pulling him onto his lap and boasting that he could outdo Fu Qingxiao.

Fu Yang continued pursuing Xue Ci, who stayed uncertain about romance as their circle of friends and family shifted around them. At Fu Yang’s birthday banquet, Xue Ci left with a fellow student, while Fu Yang, drugged by a glass of wine, went to a lounge and told his assistant to inform Xue Ci what had happened.

• Fu Yang read aloud from Xue Ci’s diary, then covered Xue Ci’s eyes and touched and kissed him until Xue Ci fell asleep in his arms.
• The next morning, Xue Ci found breakfast waiting and noted Fu Yang’s messages; afterward, Fu Yang behaved more cautiously and pursued him with gifts and attention.
• Xue Ci saw Fu Zhouxuan off at the airport and gave him a piece of jade; after Fu Zhouxuan went abroad, the progress bar reached 99%.
• Fu Yang asked Xue Ci to give him a birthday present at his banquet, and Xue Ci bought him perfume because it smelled a little like Fu Yang.
• At the banquet, a fellow university student recognized Xue Ci’s drawing of a Banksia rose and led him to the hotel garden while Fu Yang watched from across the room.
• After drinking a glass of red wine, Fu Yang felt drugged and went to the lounge, telling his assistant to tell Xue Ci what had happened if he came looking.

At Fu Yang’s birthday banquet, Xue Ci found him drugged and used a system-shop medicine to calm his symptoms. The medicine’s opposite effect then took hold, and Eleven warned Xue Ci that Fu Yang’s aphrodisiac had become three times stronger.

• Song Ran tried to take Xue Ci home, but Xue Ci left to deliver Fu Yang’s birthday present himself.
• Fu Yang’s assistant told Xue Ci that Fu Yang had been drugged and was waiting in the lounge.
• Xue Ci entered the lounge, called a doctor, and was pulled onto Fu Yang’s lap as Fu Yang struggled with the drug’s effects.
• Xue Ci used a system-shop medicine on Fu Yang, and Fu Yang’s symptoms subsided enough for them to leave for the villa.
• Fu Yang fell asleep against Xue Ci in the car, and Eleven warned that Fu Yang’s immunity had made the medicine’s opposite effect intensify the aphrodisiac threefold.

Fu Yang and Xue Ci spent a drug-fueled night together, after which Fu Yang tried to turn their closeness into a relationship and marriage while Xue Ci dodged his advances. When Fu Zhouxuan’s growth arc reached completion, Xue Ci prepared to leave the world, but Fu Yang found him at the night market and called him his cotton candy princess.

• Fu Yang, overwhelmed by the aphrodisiac, kept Xue Ci with him through the night and later cared for him while he recovered.
• Fu Yang secretly replaced Xue Ci’s necklace pendant with a proposal ring, but Xue Ci said they were not even dating and stalled his attempts to define their relationship.
• Fu Yang pestered Xue Ci to visit a hot spring, while Xue Ci hid in his school dorm; Fu Qingxiao and Fu Zhouxuan continued sending him gifts and messages.
• Fu Yang posted a vague photo of himself wearing a ring, completing Fu Zhouxuan’s growth arc, and the system told Xue Ci to leave the world before the next day.
• Xue Ci arranged to meet Fu Yang after dinner with his roommates, but Fu Yang appeared at the night market and announced he was looking for the cotton candy princess.

Xue Ci returned to a new small world as a frail young master whose family planned to marry him to Qin Zhuo to ward off illness, while he hoped to see Qin Wuzhen, the man he loved. After persuading Qin Wuzhen to take him herb-gathering, Xue Ci met Qin Zhuo and began plotting how to handle their marriage.

• Eleven told Xue Ci that headquarters had ordered it to hand over the collected fragments so they could destroy the virus, but Xue Ci and the fragment agreed to hide it, and the fragment promised to keep following him.
• In Cloud Maple Town, Xue Ci bought rouge for Qin Wuzhen and visited him at Returning Edge Hall, where he completed his first task by giving him the gift.
• Xue Ci asked to accompany Qin Wuzhen and his apprentices to gather herbs; Qin Wuzhen agreed after Xue Ci called him Brother Zimu, completing the second task.
• Xue Ci collided with Qin Zhuo at the pharmacy and learned that the muscular young man was Qin Wuzhen's younger brother and the protagonist he was meant to marry.

Xue Ci accompanied Qin Wuzhen and Qin Zhuo into the mountains to gather herbs, using the outing to grow closer to Qin Zhuo before their planned marriage. After Qin Zhuo stared at Xue Ci while he tried to remove his outer robe, Qin Wuzhen stepped in to help and accidentally touched Xue Ci's sensitive chest.

• Qin Zhuo mistook Xue Ci for a pretty young lady, then joined Qin Wuzhen and Xue Ci on their trip into the mountains.
• Qin Zhuo carried the exhausted Xue Ci up the mountain, while Qin Wuzhen followed close behind.
• Qin Wuzhen went to search for herbs and left Xue Ci with Qin Zhuo, who watched as Xue Ci struggled to remove his outer robe.
• Qin Zhuo admitted he had been looking at Xue Ci's exposed chest, and Qin Wuzhen moved between them to block his view.
• Xue Ci asked Qin Wuzhen to help him undress, and Qin Wuzhen accidentally brushed a sensitive spot on his chest.

Xue Ci spent a day gathering herbs with Qin Wuzhen and Qin Zhuo, then fell ill with a cold that took weeks to treat. As his family considered finding him a husband to ward off illness, Xue Ci told Qin Wuzhen he wanted to marry and spend a lifetime with someone.

• Qin Wuzhen helped Xue Ci dress and tie his hair, while Xue Ci completed a task by getting Qin Wuzhen to say he did not know what kind of woman he liked.
• Qin Wuzhen taught Xue Ci about medicinal herbs on the mountain, and Qin Zhuo helped him gather them and received a wildflower from him.
• Qin Wuzhen escorted Xue Ci home, then spent a sleepless night thinking about Xue Ci's talk of finding a husband.
• After Xue Ci caught a cold, Qin Wuzhen treated him daily for nearly a month while the Song Family searched unsuccessfully for a suitable match.
• The Song Family considered a male spouse for Xue Ci, and Xue Ci told Qin Wuzhen he wanted to find a husband and spend a long lifetime with him.

After Xue Ci and Qin Zhuo agreed to marry, Qin Wuzhen wrestled with his feelings while helping arrange their wedding. The marriage feast ended with Xue Ci exhausted in the bridal room, where Qin Zhuo’s arousal startled him.

• Xue Ci told Madam Liu he wanted a tall, strong husband with darker skin, and Qin Wuzhen overheard them discussing his marriage.
• The Song Family proposed Qin Zhuo as Xue Ci’s match; after Qin Zhuo revealed he loved Xue Ci, the families arranged the marriage.
• Qin Zhuo agreed to the match once he learned it was Xue Ci, and he gave Xue Ci his saved money and a flower during their meeting.
• Qin Wuzhen added his own savings to Qin Zhuo’s betrothal gifts and helped prepare for the wedding, despite his private distress.
• At the wedding feast, Qin Wuzhen praised Xue Ci while drunk, and Qin Zhuo took his exhausted husband to their room.
• Xue Ci fell asleep without consummating the marriage, then woke to Qin Zhuo’s heavy breathing and felt his semen splash onto his thigh.

On their wedding night, Qin Zhuo accidentally covered Xue Ci’s legs with bodily fluid, leaving Xue Ci embarrassed and upset. After helping him bathe and settling him into bed, Qin Zhuo decided to sleep on the floor and wondered how to make his wife feel good without consummating the marriage.

• Qin Zhuo apologized after Xue Ci woke to find his legs and the sheets soiled, and Xue Ci told him to fetch bathwater.
• Qin Zhuo dressed Xue Ci, brought him a tub of hot water, and cleaned up the bed while Xue Ci bathed.
• Xue Ci told Qin Zhuo to keep what happened private, then returned to bed after bathing.
• Qin Zhuo asked to call him Xue Ci and awkwardly discussed their differences, while Xue Ci gave an answer that satisfied the system’s plot requirements.
• Qin Zhuo slept on the floor and believed that lying in the same bed counted as consummating the marriage, then resolved to ask his eldest brother how to make Xue Ci feel good.

After their wedding, Xue Ci and Qin Zhuo grew closer as Qin Zhuo cared for and doted on his frail husband. A new task sent Xue Ci to Qin Wuzhen’s home to obtain his writing brush, and he persuaded Qin Zhuo to take him there by promising to soothe Qin Zhuo’s arousal.

• Xue Ci woke in Qin Zhuo’s arms, and Qin Zhuo admitted he had stolen a kiss before helping Xue Ci wash and dress.
• Madam Liu noticed Xue Ci had a better appetite and warned him to put his health first in married life.
• Qin Zhuo took Xue Ci to a clothing shop, where they met his schoolmate Xie Qiaosi, who stared at Xue Ci and mocked Qin Zhuo’s marriage.
• Xue Ci and Qin Zhuo settled into affectionate routines at home, with Qin Zhuo tending to Xue Ci and helping him dress.
• After Qin Zhuo licked Xue Ci’s calf, Xue Ci received a task to spend the next night at the Qin Family home and secretly obtain Qin Wuzhen’s writing brush.
• Xue Ci asked Qin Zhuo to visit Qin Wuzhen and promised to use his foot to ease Qin Zhuo’s discomfort.

After Qin Zhuo doted on Xue Ci and prepared to take him to Qin Wuzhen’s home, Qin Wuzhen visited, examined Xue Ci, and agreed to see him again the next day. Qin Wuzhen left jealous and confused by his feelings, then dreamed that Xue Ci treated him as a husband and fed him sweet nectar.

• Xue Ci promised Qin Zhuo he would help him later, but Qin Zhuo licked his feet and Xue Ci told him not to do it again.
• Qin Zhuo admitted he had heard intimate advice at a teahouse and secretly resolved to learn how to please Xue Ci.
• Qin Wuzhen brought Xue Ci’s medicine, examined him, and agreed that Xue Ci and Qin Zhuo could visit his home the next day.
• Qin Wuzhen walked back through the rain with Xue Ci’s umbrella, growing jealous and questioning why he felt troubled by Xue Ci’s marriage.
• Qin Wuzhen dreamed that Xue Ci called him husband, pushed him onto a bed, and fed him sweet nectar.

Qin Wuzhen woke from a shameful dream about Xue Ci and tried to bury his feelings, but became ill while preparing for Qin Zhuo and Xue Ci’s visit. After a family dinner, Xue Ci got drunk and asked Qin Zhuo to fetch a writing brush, but Qin Zhuo misunderstood his words and climbed onto the bed with him.

• Qin Wuzhen dreamed that Xue Ci was intimate with him, then woke and resolved to hide his desire because Xue Ci was married to Qin Zhuo.
• Qin Wuzhen returned home, prepared Qin Zhuo’s room for the couple, and fell ill while punishing himself for his thoughts.
• Xue Ci and Qin Zhuo arrived, and Xue Ci reassured the feverish Qin Wuzhen that they would stay until he recovered.
• Qin Wuzhen’s fever broke, and Xue Ci drank osmanthus wine during dinner at the Qin home.
• After returning to their room, Qin Zhuo washed Xue Ci’s feet, and Xue Ci asked him to fetch a writing brush from Qin Wuzhen’s room.
• Qin Zhuo misunderstood Xue Ci’s request, climbed onto the bed, and pressed his aroused body against Xue Ci’s foot.

Xue Ci helped Qin Zhuo complete his task, then fell asleep while Qin Wuzhen tended his sore foot and gave in to his growing desire. The chapter ended with Xue Ci realizing Qin Wuzhen had been touching him and accidentally brushing his toes against his lips.

• Xue Ci reluctantly used his foot to help Qin Zhuo, then let him kiss his ear before sending him to fetch Qin Wuzhen’s brush.
• Qin Zhuo told Qin Wuzhen that Xue Ci had stepped on him and asked for ointment for Xue Ci’s reddened sole.
• Qin Wuzhen said he was close to finding a cure for Xue Ci’s frailty, then went to tend Xue Ci while Qin Zhuo washed up.
• Qin Wuzhen rubbed ointment into Xue Ci’s foot and questioned him about where Qin Zhuo was not allowed to kiss him.
• Qin Zhuo returned and woke Xue Ci, who realized Qin Wuzhen had been tending him and accidentally brushed his toes against Qin Wuzhen’s lips.

Xue Ci spent the night with Qin Zhuo after hiding the stolen brush, then explored the Qin residence and discovered an erotic book in Qin Wuzhen’s study. Qin Wuzhen caught him reading it and offered to teach him about intimacy, leaving Xue Ci startled by his proposal.

• Qin Zhuo covered Xue Ci with a blanket, and Xue Ci kissed him to stop him from revealing that he had taken Qin Wuzhen’s brush.
• Qin Zhuo brought Xue Ci hot water for a bath, and Xue Ci apologized for suspecting him before they went to bed together.
• Second Mother welcomed Xue Ci at lunch and gave him osmanthus cake and silver before he toured the residence with Qin Zhuo and Qin Wuzhen.
• Xue Ci asked to see Qin Wuzhen’s study, where he found an erotic book in a desk drawer after Qin Wuzhen left.
• Qin Wuzhen caught Xue Ci with the book, explained he was studying how men made love, and offered to teach Xue Ci.

Xue Ci spent time with Qin Wuzhen and Qin Zhuo, while Qin Wuzhen struggled to hide his growing desire for Xue Ci. After Xue Ci publicly chose to buy maltose candy for Qin Zhuo, Qin Wuzhen returned home and overheard what sounded like an intimate moment between the couple.

• Qin Wuzhen gave Xue Ci illustrated medical books he had annotated, then resolved to avoid him after imagining becoming his husband.
• Qin Zhuo brought Xue Ci medicine and candy, and Qin Wuzhen helped him ease the bitter taste with osmanthus cake.
• Xue Ci watched Qin Wuzhen and Qin Zhuo clear stones from the courtyard, then secretly drew Qin Wuzhen and covered the picture with sand.
• Xue Ci supported Qin Wuzhen's decision to rest, then went to the market with Qin Zhuo and bought him a sheet of maltose candy.
• Xie Qiaosi asked Xue Ci for candy, but Xue Ci refused and said he would buy it only for his husband; Xie Qiaosi then bought the stall's remaining candy.
• Qin Wuzhen returned with sweet dates and, outside Xue Ci's closed room, heard sounds that convinced him Qin Zhuo and Xue Ci were being intimate.

Xue Ci tried to complete his task of secretly taking Qin Wuzhen’s handkerchief while Qin Zhuo grew eager to attend school. Qin Wuzhen caught Xue Ci searching his robe and apologized after making him cry, but still struggled to sever his feelings for him.

• Qin Zhuo kissed Xue Ci passionately, then cared for him as they bathed and went to bed.
• Qin Wuzhen dreamed that Xue Ci rejected him, then woke and found the rain had washed away Xue Ci’s drawing.
• Xue Ci tried to get Qin Wuzhen’s attention by pretending to be ill, but Qin Wuzhen saw through the act and kept working.
• Qin Zhuo said he wanted to go to school, raising the progress bar, and Xue Ci agreed to tell Mother.
• Xue Ci went to bring Qin Wuzhen water, searched his robe for a handkerchief, and was caught when Qin Wuzhen grabbed his wrist.
• Qin Wuzhen let go and apologized after Xue Ci became upset, while blaming himself for still hoping Xue Ci might like him.

Xue Ci settled into academy life with Qin Zhuo and grew closer to Xie Qiaosi, while Qin Wuzhen struggled with jealousy and his longing for him. After bringing winter clothes to the academy, Qin Wuzhen reconciled with Xue Ci and gave him a massage, while Xie Qiaosi witnessed their intimate moment through the door.

• Xue Ci completed his task with Qin Wuzhen, then stayed close to Qin Zhuo while Qin Wuzhen watched them with growing bitterness.
• Qin Wuzhen sent pastries and later brought winter clothes to the Song Family, learning that Xue Ci and Qin Zhuo had gone to the academy.
• Xue Ci helped Qin Zhuo improve his studies and befriended Xie Qiaosi, who became attracted to him and wondered about kissing a man.
• Qin Wuzhen visited Xue Ci at the academy, apologized for being harsh, and reconciled with him before taking his pulse and offering a massage.
• While Xue Ci rested beside him, Qin Wuzhen touched his lips and questioned whether Qin Zhuo and Xie Qiaosi had kissed him; Xie Qiaosi saw the intimate scene through the partly open door.

Qin Wuzhen secretly teased the sleeping Xue Ci, then warned him to avoid intimacy while he recovered. Qin Zhuo grew jealous after Qin Wuzhen raised the possibility that Xue Ci might love another man, but later pampered Xue Ci through the night; Xie Qiaosi became increasingly fascinated with Xue Ci and ended by confessing he wanted to lick him.

• Qin Wuzhen woke Xue Ci after secretly putting a finger in his mouth, then advised him to dress warmly and avoid bedroom activities while his health was poor.
• Qin Zhuo told Qin Wuzhen he was studying hard because he feared Xue Ci might leave him, and Qin Wuzhen made him imagine Xue Ci falling for another man.
• Qin Zhuo returned to Xue Ci, asked him not to like anyone else, then sought a reward for his improved schoolwork and pleasured him through the night.
• Xie Qiaosi came across Qin Zhuo preparing food and laundry for Xue Ci, helped start the stove, and secretly took one of Xue Ci's garments.
• Xue Ci visited Xie Qiaosi the next day, and Xie Qiaosi asked whether Qin Zhuo had been intimate with him before admitting that he wanted to lick him.

Xue Ci tried to discourage Xie Qiaosi’s advances, but his illness left him in Xie Qiaosi’s care until Qin Zhuo returned with Qin Wuzhen. After Qin Wuzhen treated him, Xue Ci mistook his intimate attention for ordinary brotherly care, while Qin Wuzhen secretly indulged his desire for him.

• Xue Ci rejected Xie Qiaosi’s offer to become his secret lover and switched seats to get away from him.
• As the weather turned cold, Xue Ci grew ill, and Qin Zhuo left to fetch Qin Wuzhen after arranging for Xie Qiaosi to watch over him.
• While Xue Ci was resting, Xie Qiaosi warmed his feet and confessed that he thought he liked him, but Qin Zhuo and Qin Wuzhen returned before he could explain further.
• Qin Wuzhen treated Xue Ci with silver needles and massage, then questioned him about his closeness with Xie Qiaosi.
• Xue Ci told Qin Wuzhen that only his husband should touch his eyelashes, but he later praised Qin Wuzhen’s massage and agreed to let him massage him every day.

Xue Ci fell gravely ill, but Qin Wuzhen and Qin Zhuo found a snow lotus that helped him recover. As Qin Zhuo healed from the injury he sustained retrieving it, Xue Ci grew closer to him while Qin Wuzhen returned and overheard an intimate exchange.

• The Fragment teased Xue Ci, who then asked to play games in his next world and said he did not want a husband.
• Xie Qiaosi openly pursued Xue Ci, and Xue Ci told him to keep it secret from Qin Zhuo; Xie Qiaosi treated this as permission and showered him with money and gifts.
• Xue Ci developed a severe fever, and Qin Wuzhen said a snow lotus was needed to make medicine that could treat him.
• Qin Wuzhen and Qin Zhuo traveled to find the snow lotus; Qin Zhuo suffered a serious hand wound while retrieving it, but the medicine helped Xue Ci recover.
• Xue Ci cared for Qin Zhuo as his injured hand healed, and Qin Wuzhen overheard their intimate conversation outside the room.