Episode Summary
Shen Qing's cancer drug project faces funding issues, prompting personal sacrifices from Liu Lina and others. Tensions rise as financial stress strains Shen Qing and Liu Lina's relationship. Meanwhile, Lu Yuan's attempts to get closer to Shen Zhuoran backfire comically when her "health tonic" turns out to be a libido booster. Family conflicts surface, misunderstandings pile up, and everyone seems to be running—either for exercise or from their problems.
Spoiler Alert
If you thought things were already complicated in Love Again, episode 25 just said, “Hold my herbal tea.” This hour packs in emotional blowups, sketchy loans, broken windows, awkward night runs, and one very unexpected herbal remedy. Let’s dive in.
Shen Qing’s Cancer Drug Crisis
Shen Qing’s company hits a financial wall when clinical trials for their anti-cancer drugs M701 and M703 get extended. With funding drying up, Shen Qing convinces Liu Lina to chip in their entire personal savings—800,000 yuan. Other team members follow suit, showing just how committed they are.
Ice Li, who lost her grandfather to lung cancer, is all in. She believes in Shen Qing’s mission and pulls strings to buy more time for their trials, even offering full use of a lab in Yangzhou. She and Shen Qing bond further during a night run around Xuanwu Lake. Shen Qing agrees readily—though whether for the jog or the company remains to be seen.
Broken Glass and Raised Eyebrows
Over at Shen Zhuoran’s house, Liu Debao replaces a broken window, but Lu Yuan immediately notices the new pane doesn’t match. Liu Debao reluctantly agrees to fix it properly. Shen Zhuoran wants to call a pro, but Lu Yuan and Liu Debao insist they can handle it. Shen Zhuoran’s getting ganged up on in his own house.
Liu Lina’s Business Gamble
Xiao Bai brings Liu Lina a promising business opportunity: making performance costumes for a dance school. It could net them 30,000 yuan, but it requires fronting 200,000 for materials. Xiao Bai suggests a bank loan, but bureaucracy and timing kill that plan. The factory director, Director Yu, wants 80% upfront. Liu Lina hesitates at Xiao Bai’s idea to take a high-interest loan—too risky.
Meanwhile, Shen Qing is emotionally checked out. After work, he zones out in the garden. Lu Yuan notices and jumps to conclusions: Is he having an affair? She tattles to Shen Zhuoran, who trusts his brother completely.
Because the study window is still broken, Shen Zhuoran offers Lu Yuan his bed and crashes on the couch. Lu Yuan, touched, calls Liu Debao to hurry up with the repairs.
Financial Fallout and Emotional Blowups
Liu Lina ends up transferring 200,000 to Director Yu and another 600,000 to Shen Qing’s company. Shen Qing is livid. He accuses her of breaking their agreement. Liu Lina explains the urgent need for a down payment, but Shen Qing is worried she’s being scammed. She fires back, accusing him of not supporting her career. Things get ugly. They part on icy terms.
The next morning, Liu Debao finally installs the new window and does some bonus sofa repairs. Shen Zhuoran is thrilled. Lu Yuan? Not so much.
10,000 Steps and One Very Bad Herbal Tea
Lu Yuan forces Shen Zhuoran to hit 10,000 steps. He grumbles but obeys. While out walking, he runs into Shen Qing again, still brooding in the garden. They sit together, joined briefly by Shen Duole, who’s sent packing to finish homework. Shen Qing, with nothing better to do, heads back to the office.
Shen Zhuoran’s still short 2,000 steps when Lu Xinghuo—Lu Yuan’s daughter—calls. She and her mom are back from Shanghai and plan to take Lu Yuan home tomorrow. Meanwhile, the building security guard, Xiao Sun, offers to “walk” the final steps using Shen Zhuoran’s phone. Shen Zhuoran, not about to argue, hands it over.
But then Lu Yuan calls. Xiao Sun, terrified, runs into her in the elevator and bolts, promising to pass along the message. Shen Zhuoran gets his phone back, sees his steps are complete, and happily heads home—where Lu Yuan has brewed him a “restorative” herbal tonic.
Herbal Hijinks and Romantic Chaos
After drinking it, Shen Zhuoran gets weirdly overheated and thirsty. Lu Yuan hovers, mops his sweat, and leans in way too close. Spooked, he bolts—barefoot.
At choir rehearsal, Shen Zhuoran is still chugging water like a man in the desert. Gou Bingqiang raises an eyebrow. When Shen Zhuoran explains the herbal concoction, Gou realizes it’s a very specific kind of tonic. Turns out, it's a libido booster. Shen Zhuoran is mortified.
He races home to confront Lu Yuan, who insists she was only trying to help. Shen Zhuoran shuts it down. He’s not interested in romance—especially not with her. Lu Yuan accuses him of still carrying a torch for Lian Yilian and tries to force the issue. He runs out the door just as Lu Xinghuo arrives.
A Mother-Daughter Reckoning
Lu Xinghuo urges her mom to come home and reveals she wants to stay with her own boyfriend. Lu Yuan refuses. Lu Xinghuo unloads years of bottled-up resentment: Lu Yuan’s obsession with control drove her father to cheat and pushed her husband away too. Lu Yuan finally faces some bitter truths. She’s been trying to hold everything together—and it’s all fallen apart.
Final Thoughts
Episode 25 is a tangled web of financial desperation, emotional misunderstandings, and romantic misfires. Shen Qing and Liu Lina’s relationship is on the rocks, Shen Zhuoran is dodging both affection and aphrodisiacs, and Lu Yuan’s controlling ways are catching up with her. The show continues to walk the line between heartfelt drama and absurd comedy—and we’re definitely here for it.
Next episode? Let’s just say the broken windows might be the least of their problems.
