Episode Summary
Wen Pu is devastated by Lao Zhao's suicide, which leads to a massive fight with an unknowing Yi Yi. Feeling distant and hurt, Yi Yi leaves for the Northwest. After time jumps that include Wen Pu's imprisonment and eventual reunion with Yi Yi, the story shifts to 1993. Wen Pu's granddaughter, Ye Xining, realizes she and her ex-boyfriend were both victims of a financial scam orchestrated by her missing best friend and her fiancé.
Spoiler Alert
A Prison Visit and a Final Goodbye
The episode kicks off with Wen Pu completely exhausted. He’s been up all night dealing with the Lao Zhao situation. He stops by to see Yi Yi, but he can’t bring himself to tell her what’s happened. He just gets a hug and leaves, saying he has to work.
His next stop is the prison to see Lao Zhao. Wen Pu doesn’t yell or blame him. He just tells him everything at home is fine and the kids are in school. He wants Lao Zhao to be at ease. They chat like old friends, with Lao Zhao even using Wen Pu’s old nickname. Before the visit ends, Lao Zhao gives Wen Pu his watch, asking him to get it fixed.
That night, Wen Pu gets the call. Lao Zhao killed himself in prison. This is a man he survived the war with. For Wen Pu, it's a devastating blow.
The Breaking Point
The next morning, Yi Yi shows up at Wen Pu’s apartment. She sees his torn curtains and bare mattress and her heart goes out to him. She brings new curtains and a soft mattress to make his life a little more comfortable.
She has no idea what happened with Lao Zhao. She just casually says that Wen Pu should learn from Lao Zhao and try to improve his quality of life. This is the worst possible thing she could have said.
Wen Pu completely snaps. He storms out and screams at her, shouting that right is right and wrong is wrong. Yi Yi is stunned. She’s never seen him this angry. She stands there, totally lost, and as he turns his back on her, she leaves in a fury.
The Aftermath
Yi Yi goes to see Director Su to figure out what just happened. Director Su explains about Lao Zhao’s suicide. She also throws a little shade, suggesting that Yi Yi and Wen Pu aren't on the same wavelength. She says if they were, Wen Pu would have told her himself.
Then, Director Su gets a call. Wen Pu fell and injured his back—an old injury. He's in the hospital. Su points out that Yi Yi didn't even know about his old back problems. This is when Yi Yi realizes she isn't as close to Wen Pu as she thought. Feeling hurt and disconnected, she decides to leave. She goes to the great Northwest to focus on her design work.
Zhou Yunqing brings Wen Pu the things Yi Yi left behind. Hearing that she’s gone is another major blow for Wen Pu. In a short span of time, he’s lost both his best friend and the woman he loves.
Picking Up the Pieces
We jump forward six months. Yang Xue'an finally gets what's coming to him. The party orders him to write a self-criticism and sends him home. Zhou Yunqing pays him a visit and finds him feeling sorry for himself. He still thinks he was treated unfairly and hasn't learned a thing. He asks her to stay, but she just tells him not to drink and leaves.
After more time passes, Yi Yi returns to Shanghai. She finds Wen Pu teaching at a university in his spare time. They see each other, talk things out, and get back together. Later on, another political upheaval happens, and Wen Pu is labeled a "rightist" and thrown in prison. Through it all, Yi Yi stands by him. When the political storm finally passes, they are able to continue their life together.
A New Generation, An Old Mess
The story then jumps way ahead to Shanghai in 1993. We meet Wen Pu's granddaughter, Ye Xining. She’s an adult now, and hearing her grandmother's stories about the past gives her a new perspective on her own struggles.
We get some backstory on her situation. Her best friend, Huang Yahui, introduced her to a boyfriend, Xiang Beichuan. Right before Huang Yahui was supposed to marry a man named Shang Yunfei, she told Ye Xining she had money problems. Ye Xining, being a good friend, co-signed a 50,000 bank loan for her.
Then Huang Yahui and Shang Yunfei disappeared.
Ye Xining runs into Xiang Beichuan again. They talk and realize they were both completely scammed. It turns out Shang Yunfei also borrowed 60,000 from the school under Xiang Beichuan's name before he vanished. This scam cost Xiang Beichuan his spot to study abroad and left him with a massive debt.
