Episode Summary
Ling Jie and Ye Xining make up after Ling Jie shares her family troubles. Xiang Beichuan is cleared of all accusations at school and celebrates with Ye Xining, but their dinner is interrupted by Yan Jun and his date—the very reporter who slandered Ye Xining. Ye Xining throws water on her, leading Yan Jun to dump the reporter and reveal his lingering feelings. Later, at a business event, Yan Jun's attempt to help Ye Xining's career is rebuffed when she chooses to go home with Xiang Beichuan on his bicycle. To avoid further trouble, Xiang Beichuan sets new rules for students wanting to speak with him. The episode ends with the revelation that Ye Xining's boss is also facing his own family and financial crisis.
Spoiler Alert
Recap: Footprints of Change, Episode 26
Old Wounds and New Friends
The episode starts with Ling Jie and Ye Xining finally clearing the air. Ling Jie breaks down. She tells Ye Xining about her miserable life at home. She works herself to the bone to make money. All she asked was for her husband to cook for their kid. Instead, she came home to find he had smashed up the kitchen. She just has to swallow his nonsense every day. Ye Xining sees her crying and gives her a hug. Just like that, the fight between them is over.
A Messy Dinner
Xiang Beichuan Gets His Name Cleared
Some good news finally comes for Xiang Beichuan. The school investigated the rumors about him and a female student. It turns out a bunch of other students who knew him wrote a letter to the school. They all defended him. His name is officially cleared. To celebrate, he takes Ye Xining out for a nice dinner.
An Awkward Encounter
At the restaurant, they spot Yan Jun on a date with another woman. Yan Jun sees them too and comes over to say hi. Xiang Beichuan asks if the girl is his girlfriend. Yan Jun gets all weird about it. First he says yes, then he says not really. He claims they just met two days ago.
Things get worse. Yan Jun invites them to eat together. Ye Xining gets a good look at the girl. She recognizes her immediately. It's the reporter from the newspaper. The same one who started the false rumor about Ye Xining and her boss. Ye Xining is furious. She picks up her glass and throws water right in the reporter's face.
The Aftermath
Ye Xining explains what the reporter did. Yan Jun doesn't even try to defend his date. He just pulls out some cash, hands it to her, and tells her they're done. It's a breakup on the spot.
Now it's just the three of them. Xiang Beichuan gently tells Ye Xining she can't be so impulsive. Throwing water on someone in public is a bad look. Ye Xining gets his point, but she doesn't back down. She says the reporter threw dirty water on her reputation. She only threw clean water back. It was a fair trade.
Yan Jun just sits there watching them. He sees how close Ye Xining and Xiang Beichuan are. It's obvious she chose the professor. He looks miserable, makes an excuse, and leaves.
Business and Bicycles
Yan Jun invites Ye Xining to a Chamber of Commerce event. Xiang Beichuan knows nothing about business, so he tells her to go on her own. At the event, Yan Jun introduces Ye Xining to a man named Shan Huaqing. He even pulls Shan Huaqing aside and asks him to teach Ye Xining the ropes.
Shan Huaqing is no fool. He can tell right away that Yan Jun has feelings for Ye Xining. He even tries to play matchmaker. He suggests Ye Xining should leave her job and come work for Yan Jun's company. Ye Xining shuts that down. She says her current boss at the clothing factory treats her well, and she isn't leaving.
After the event, Xiang Beichuan shows up to take her home. He's on his bicycle. She happily gets on the back, not giving a second thought to Yan Jun's fancy Mercedes. They laugh and talk the whole way home. She even jokes that one day she'll earn enough money to buy him a Mercedes.
More Trouble at School
Xiang Beichuan goes back to teaching. He walks into his lecture and finds a cassette tape on the podium. He knows exactly who it's from. It's the student who has a crush on him. To stop any more drama before it starts, he makes an announcement to the whole class. From now on, if any student needs to ask him a question, they must bring at least one other student with them.
Every Family Has Problems
Later, Ye Xining is selling jeans at a street stall with Ling Jie. Ling Jie casually mentions that their boss, Mr. Lu, is going through a messy divorce. The clothing factory isn't making much money. In fact, he's deeply in debt to his wife's family. Her brother came to the factory to yell at him. His mother-in-law even showed up and sat on the floor crying. Ye Xining just sighs. It seems like every family has its own secret struggles.
