Episode Summary
Dai Daji’s lost laptop resurfaces in a gaming hotel, where two Gen Z gamers accidentally discover videos of her past romance with Zhou Shui. Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal Dai Daji’s harsh reality after moving to Beijing—falling for a rental scam, struggling to find work, and hiding her hardships from Zhou Shui. Unaware they now live next door, both quietly endure their own setbacks in hopes of reuniting. As New Year's nears, their paths nearly cross at Shichahai, hinting at a possible reunion.
Spoiler Alert
So much for starting fresh—Episode 2 of Such a Good Love is a wild ride of misplaced trust, heartbreak, and...a hard drive full of love videos? Buckle up.
Lost Love, Found Hard Drive
Dai Daji thought her love story with Zhou Shui ended the day her laptop disappeared. Turns out, fate had other plans. The laptop was picked up by someone (we’re still not sure who), the hard drive yanked out, and after a few twists and turns, it somehow ended up in a gaming hotel.
Fast forward to New Year’s Eve, 2023. Two Gen-Z gamers, Su Zihao (born in 2002) and Dong Leyi (born in 2000), check into that very hotel for a gaming date. When Dong Leyi's laptop crashes, Su Zihao tries to fix it and accidentally stumbles upon a treasure trove of old love videos—yep, it's Dai Daji and Zhou Shui's digital time capsule of romance.
Dai Daji’s Beijing Dream... or Nightmare?
Back in the past, Dai Daji arrives in Beijing, determined to build a new life. First mistake? Getting into an illegal taxi. She tells the driver she wants to rent a place near Tiananmen, and he scoffs before switching gears and pretending to be a real estate agent. He takes her to a sketchy tiny room first, then shows her a fancy apartment—claims he “forgot the key” but urges her to sign the lease anyway.
Dai Daji, a little cautious but not cautious enough, signs the lease, pays him all the cash she has, and even holds onto his ID as collateral. But when the cops show up, they break the bad news: the ID’s fake (the name literally reads Chi Yiqian, which means “learn from your mistakes”), and no way an apartment in Beijing’s Third Ring can go for 600 yuan a month.
Oops.
A Hammer, A Scam, and A Room
Armed with a hammer and righteous fury, Dai Daji tracks down the scammer. After some back-and-forth, he takes her to a tiny room that costs 800 a month—a sad but realistic deal in Beijing. She moves in, but when she calls Zhou Shui, she lies through her teeth, claiming she’s living in a luxurious apartment surrounded by IT elites and bodybuilders.
Zhou Shui, ever the romantic fool, just smiles and asks if coming to Beijing was worth it. Dai Daji, despite everything, says yes.
But life in Beijing is brutal. Jobs are scarce, winter is unforgiving, and Dai Daji ends up rationing one Chinese pancake into three meals a day.
New Friends, New Lows
Before a job interview, Dai Daji stops by a makeup counter and randomly bumps into her never-before-seen roommate, Shen Jingshu. She's a college student doing side gigs and living off-campus. Shen Jingshu helps Dai Daji get dolled up and picks out a proper outfit...only for Daji to get rejected again. No job, no refund.
Zhou Shui video calls her, but Dai Daji hides her face, ashamed. He talks about fireworks in Haikou and promises to come to Beijing to make fireworks happen for her. Dai Daji says she might not last that long.
When he calls again, it's Shen Jingshu who answers—and Zhou Shui finally learns how tough things have been for Dai Daji.
Zhou Shui's Turn to Suffer
The next day, Zhou Shui shows up in Beijing. Same sketchy taxi, same scammy driver, same scam apartment—right next to Dai Daji’s, of course. But he doesn’t want Dai Daji to know he’s there. He’s broke and wants to “make it” as a director before seeing her again.
Spoiler: things go just as badly for him.
He signs a sketchy contract at a supposed production company, gets tricked into fronting a costume fee, and finds out the next day he’s been conned.
Meanwhile, Dai Daji misinterprets a pancake gift from their neighbor (nicknamed “Dumbbell”) and awkwardly tells him she has a boyfriend—only to later realize the pancakes were meant for Shen Jingshu.
She tells Shen Jingshu about Zhou Shui and their New Year's plan to meet in Beijing. Unbeknownst to her, Zhou Shui is just a wall away, battling his own doubts and disappointments.
Almost a Reunion
On a crowded bus, Dai Daji and Zhou Shui unknowingly ride together and get off one after the other. They both end up at Shichahai, a scenic lake area in Beijing.
Zhou Shui had once joked that Beijing had a “sea,” and Dai Daji, eager to believe it, bought into the fantasy. But standing there, looking at what is clearly not a sea, she calls him in a rage.
Hearing her voice so close, Zhou Shui starts searching for her... then freezes.
As the New Year approaches, the question lingers: can Dai Daji really see fireworks in Beijing? Or will their fragile dreams dissolve in the cold night air?
Final Thoughts
Episode 2 delivers a bittersweet blend of youthful ambition, big-city reality, and the innocent lies we tell to protect the ones we love. Dai Daji and Zhou Shui are heartbreakingly earnest—two dreamers in over their heads.
If love is a battlefield, then Beijing is the front line.
Come for the romance, stay for the emotional gut punches.
