Episode Summary
Shen Qing and Liu Lina’s relationship strains further after a heated argument ends with Shen dropping his phone into a pot of porridge, risking all his work data. While Shen seeks help from Ice Li to recover the lost files, Liu Lina grows increasingly suspicious. Meanwhile, Shen Zhuoran confesses his feelings to Nie Juanjuan, only to find she has left the hospital and moved abroad. Emotional goodbyes and new beginnings unfold, as past regrets and future hopes intertwine.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 18 of Love Again is a slow-burn emotional rollercoaster, filled with silent standoffs, old wounds, and unexpected goodbyes. Let’s dive right into the drama.
Trouble at Home: Shen Qing & Liu Lina’s Boiling Point
Shen Qing doesn't go straight home after work. Instead, he sits in his car, glued to his phone. Liu Lina spots him from a distance after hanging out with a friend but doesn't say a word. Their cold war over who takes Shen Zhuoran to visit Nie Juanjuan at the nursing home is clearly still simmering.
Back upstairs, Liu Lina has made porridge – a peace offering or a guilt suppressant? She asks Shen Qing to take her to a Jacky Cheung concert on Friday. In return, she’ll split the nursing home duties—he drops off, she picks up. But Shen Qing has an industry conference all day Friday. Liu Lina loses it. The fight escalates until, in a twist of tragicomic timing, Shen Qing accidentally drops his phone into the porridge while frantically trying to prove his schedule.
Cue full-on panic. That phone held everything: contracts, data, no backups. He calls his company’s tech guy, Xiao Jin, using Liu Lina’s phone. But now she’s suspicious—what secrets is he so desperate to recover? Shen Qing lashes out and storms off into the night.
Broken Tech, Broken Trust
With nowhere to go, Shen Qing heads to the office, where he lies to his secretary about needing a report. Meanwhile, Xiao Jin tries (and fails) to recover the data. Shen Qing has no choice but to call in Ice Li, his brilliant but blunt colleague, to help rebuild all his documents from scratch.
Working late into the night, Shen Qing opens up about his real motivation: he’s racing to develop targeted cancer drugs. The death of his mother, Jingmin, still haunts him, and he wants to spare others the same pain. Ice Li is moved and shares her own story. A rare moment of vulnerability between two workaholics.
A Sweet Memory and a Big Opportunity
After pulling an all-nighter, the two grab breakfast at a cozy spot from Shen Qing’s childhood. There's even a familiar cat that once “kissed” him when he was a kid—he thought it got pregnant because of that. (It didn’t. But still, adorable.)
This sparks a lightbulb moment. Ice Li remembers Aiden, the founder of Cat Lab (yes, a real name), also loves cats and owns a Garfield. Shen Qing happens to know him. Aiden’s lab was nearly bought by An Ruifeng, but the deal fell through. Now Ice Li proposes they go to Yangzhou together to check out the lab—both for business and maybe something more?
Nie Juanjuan’s Surprise Exit
Meanwhile, over at the nursing home, things take a bittersweet turn. Shen Zhuoran shows up to meet Nie Juanjuan with flowers and a video of their choir practice. He even brings wedding candy from Gou Bingqiang and Tian Zhenyang. Then he does the big thing—he confesses his feelings and offers to find a nursing home where they can grow old together.
But before she can answer, a gust of wind blows all the brochures out of his hands. He scrambles to pick them up. She watches, silently aching.
Too late. When Shen Zhuoran returns with news of the perfect nursing home, Nie Juanjuan is gone. Out of the hospital. Off to another country with her son. All that’s left is a letter.
He reads it, tears flowing. It’s heartbreak in slow motion.
Closure and New Beginnings
Peng Yulan, who’s had unrequited feelings for Shen Zhuoran, sees the depth of his love for Nie Juanjuan and finally lets go. At the school reunion concert, Gou Bingqiang thanks Nie Juanjuan in front of everyone. Shen Zhuoran is overwhelmed by memories.
Elsewhere, Shen Duole, Shen Qing’s son, sneaks off to the airport to give a goodbye gift to his crush, who’s moving to London. He tricks Liu Lina to get out of the house. Teenage romance, subtle and sweet.
Final Thoughts
Episode 18 is a tapestry of personal regrets, emotional breakthroughs, and slow healing. Shen Qing’s porridge disaster is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Shen Zhuoran’s missed chance with Nie Juanjuan is gut-wrenching. And through it all, there’s a quiet optimism—maybe love isn’t always loud; sometimes it’s in the quiet gestures, the late-night work sessions, or a memory in a bowl of porridge.
