Episode Summary
Wei Zhi rebuilds her team, confronts past issues, and offers support to colleagues. Shan Chong helps Sister Mei's son open up. Shan Shan and Dai Duo's relationship is revealed to Shan Chong, who approves. Wei Zhi's parents encounter Wei Zhi, Shan Chong, and Shan Shan, leading to a family dinner invitation.
Spoiler Alert
This episode sees Wei Zhi taking significant steps to build her new career and mend relationships. She gathers her former colleagues for a meal, successfully recruiting Teacher Zhang Yu to her team. Sister Mei expresses concerns about balancing childcare with work, but Wei Zhi reassures her, proposing a flexible, work-from-home arrangement with video conferencing for team meetings.
The air is cleared regarding the past AI plagiarism scandal. Teacher Zhang Yu apologizes for the incident's impact on Wei Zhi, but Wei Zhi quickly changes the subject. It is revealed that Teacher Zhang Yu was the original culprit of the AI plagiarism, but understanding that he was driven by the need to fund his sick child's medical expenses, Wei Zhi took the blame and resigned. Wei Zhi, now launching a new project with generous compensation, invites Teacher Zhang Yu to participate. Teacher Zhang Yu, touched by the gesture, secretly pays for the meal and asks Wei Zhi to no longer address him as "Teacher," acknowledging Wei Zhi's leadership role in the new creative group.
A touching subplot involves Sister Mei's autistic son, Xuanxuan. Shan Chong, showing his caring nature, frequently takes Xuanxuan to the ice rink to help him relax. Xuanxuan, initially withdrawn and uninterested in skating, talks about wanting to make money playing video games in the future. Shan Chong patiently explains that each stage of life has its priorities, emphasizing the importance of learning now and saving gaming for adulthood. He uses Xuanxuan's father as an example, encouraging him to be a responsible man and future father. This resonates with Xuanxuan, who finally opens up, tearfully telling his mother he loves her. Sister Mei is overcome with emotion, recognizing this breakthrough as a new beginning for her son. The episode underscores the theme of growth through struggle, highlighting Sister Mei's resilience in the face of an irresponsible husband and the challenges of raising a child alone.
Meanwhile, Shan Shan and Dai Duo go shopping at a local market. Shan Shan picks out two wish cards, intending to write to someone special in the future. Dai Duo is curious, but Shan Shan playfully keeps the cards hidden. Dai Duo, inspired, writes his own heartfelt message on a card: He expresses his joy at Shan Shan's decision to get a prosthetic limb and his desire to take Wei Zhi to all the places they've missed, exploring the world together. He also expresses sadness about having to return to his team for training and missing Shan Shan's prosthetic fitting. Shan Shan teases him for being sentimental, and they happily head home together.
Dai Duo gives Shan Shan a goodbye kiss, and the intimate moment is witnessed by Shan Chong. He realizes his sister is dating his friend! Shan Chong pretends to be disapproving at first, but Shan Shan nudges Dai Duo to win him over. Because Dai Duo was already a good friend of Shan Chong, and they know each other so well, it doesn't take long for Shan Chong to accept Dai Duo as his brother-in-law.
The episode concludes with a potentially awkward encounter. Wei Zhi's parents visit the hospital where Jiang Yiming works and see Wei Zhi, Shan Chong, and Shan Shan together. Observing the close interaction between Wei Zhi and Shan Chong, Wei Zhi's mother, eager to understand the situation, approaches them and invites both Shan Chong and Shan Shan to dinner at their home.
