Episode Summary
At the Hundred Flowers Festival, romantic tensions come to a head. Zhu Yizhi's disloyalty to his fiancée He Ketian is put on display, while Lu Chi's feelings for Shi Fake deepen, though she continues to evade him. The event is thrown into chaos when a resentful Matchmaker Deng kidnaps Zhu Yanyan and starts a massive fire. The crisis serves as a crucible, revealing Shi Chongshan's leadership, Lu Xizhu's courage, and Zhu Yizhi's cowardice. The episode concludes with the tragic death of Matchmaker Deng, who confesses her bitter ambitions to Shi Fake before dying in the blaze she created.
Spoiler Alert
Better Halves (2025) Episode 12: Spoilers and Breakdown
The Hundred Flowers Festivalis in full swing, but it’s not all romance and games. Lu Chi arrives with his second-in-command, Lu Xizhu, and they immediately run into Zhu Yanyan. Meanwhile, the official Matchmaker Deng finds herself completely ignored by the young attendees, a bitter pill to swallow as she watches the festivities unfold.
Nearby, Zhu Yanyan is upset to find her friend He Ketian standing alone. He Ketian's fiancé, Zhu Yizhi, is busy charming a group of beautiful women, having completely abandoned her. Shi Chongshan, unable to stand the injustice, confronts Zhu Yizhi. This act of chivalry doesn't go unnoticed by Zhu Yanyan, who tells He Ketian that Shi Chongshan is a far better man and that she should consider him instead.
The festival's host, Shi Fake, organizes matchmaking games to help the singles mingle. To everyone's shock, the engaged Zhu Yizhi tries to join in. Angered on her friend's behalf, Shi Fake is about to intervene when Lu Chi subtly sabotages the game, preventing Zhu Yizhi from participating. Later, during a talent portion, Lu Xizhu recites a beautiful poem, but his performance is meant for an audience of one: Zhu Yanyan. He delivers it in such a way that only she can truly understand its meaning.
As the formal events conclude, new connections are quietly forming. Shi Qianqian and Li Pan'er are seen walking together, a silent understanding passing between them. Lu Chi attempts to confess his feelings to Shi Fake, but she skillfully deflects his advances with various excuses. Seeing them together, He Ketian encourages her own brother, He Kexian, to pursue Shi Fake. Just as He Kexian musters the courage to approach, Lu Chi, sensing the competition, whisks Shi Fake away to a rooftop for a private moon-gazing session.
He Ketian, meanwhile, has resigned herself to a bleak future. She refuses Shi Chongshan's offer to find Zhu Yizhi, admitting she knows his heart isn't with her and that she expects him to be unfaithful even after they marry. Her acceptance of this sad fate pains Shi Chongshan deeply. In a happier corner of the festival, Zhu Yanyan and Lu Xizhu are getting along wonderfully. He is tempted to confess that he is "Gebi Shanren," the author of the picture books she adores, but loses his nerve and merely says he knows the author.
The night takes a dark turn when a resentful Matchmaker Deng, stewing over her irrelevance and Shi Fake's success, sees an opportunity for revenge. When Zhu Yanyan, who has poor eyesight, asks her for directions, Deng lures her into a woodshed and sets it ablaze.
Panic erupts as the fire spreads. In the chaos, true colors are revealed. Shi Chongshan takes command, calmly organizing the panicked crowd and earning the admiration of Li Pan'er. Lu Xizhu bravely rushes into the inferno to save Zhu Yanyan. In stark contrast, Zhu Yizhi cowardly abandons He Ketian to save his own skin.
The firestarter, Matchmaker Deng, doesn't escape her fate. While fleeing from an unknown pursuer, she collides with Shi Fake just as a heavy beam falls, fatally wounding her. In her dying moments, Deng confesses her bitterness to Shi Fake—she dedicated her life to matchmaking, remaining single herself, all for the ambition of becoming the Head Matchmaker, a dream now turned to ash. Shi Fake comforts her as she passes away, bringing a tragic end to the festival.
