Episode Summary
Xu Tian, Wang Yangming, and Jia Xiaoduo face a perilous rock-climbing challenge in a new illusion. Wang Yangming, suspecting a love triangle, decides to end things with Jia Xiaoduo. During the climb, Wang Yangming falls after Jia Xiaoduo cuts the rope. Xu Tian reaches the top to find Jia Xiaoduo gone, only to rediscover her after an elevator ride. Jia Xiaoduo denies Wang Yangming's existence, claiming he was an NPC, and insists she and Xu Tian only just met. Bizarre events continue, including medical records changing and Xu Tian getting lost in a repetitive building after Jia Xiaoduo kisses him. Seeking answers from Doctor Shi Yiben, Xu Tian learns the illusions reveal his true self and that other characters were his own obsessions. Despite this, Xu Tian insists on returning to the virtual world to find Jia Xiaoduo. He re-enters to find her transparent, and she gets into his taxi as if they are meeting for the first time again.
Spoiler Alert
"What a Wonderful World" Episode 3 Recap & Spoilers:
The adventure in "What a Wonderful World" takes a dramatic turn in Episode 3 as Xu Tian, Wang Yangming, and Jia Xiaoduo are plunged into yet another mysterious illusion. This time, they face a daunting rock-climbing challenge. Jia Xiaoduo immediately showcases her incredible agility, scaling the rock face with the grace of a nimble monkey, swiftly outpacing Xu Tian and Wang Yangming. As Wang Yangming watches the trio climb, he's hit by a wave of complex emotions, the scene before him subtly painting the picture of a love triangle. Wrestling with his feelings, he gathers his courage and tells Jia Xiaoduo he wants to end their ill-defined, entangled relationship, even expressing his sincere hope that Xu Tian and Jia Xiaoduo can find happiness together.
While the three are chatting during their climb, danger lurks unseen. The sudden cry of an eagle startles them, and they realize the terrifying reality of their situation: they are on a sheer cliff face, with a dizzying drop below that they dare not look at. Tragedy strikes when Wang Yangming missteps, loses his footing, and begins to fall. Just as he’s about to drag the other two down with him, Jia Xiaoduo makes a shocking, split-second decision: she decisively cuts the rope. Wang Yangming plummets to the depths below.
Xu Tian, pushing himself to his absolute limits through the arduous climb, finally reaches the summit. However, relief turns to alarm as he discovers Jia Xiaoduo is nowhere in sight. He frantically scans his surroundings and stumbles upon a door, which opens to reveal an elevator.
Taking the elevator down, Xu Tian finds Jia Xiaoduo waiting for him. As they exit what seems like an escape room, Xu Tian can't resist asking Jia Xiaoduo about her ex-boyfriend. But then, the environment around them undergoes a bizarre transformation – the very spot where they had been talking with Wang Yangming moments before vanishes into thin air. Jia Xiaoduo, unnervingly calm, insists that it was only the two of them in the escape room, that there was no third person involved. She dismisses Wang Yangming as merely an NPC (Non-Player Character) and offers only vague responses when questioned about cutting the rope.
Xu Tian is left utterly bewildered by the continuous stream of strange occurrences, his mind a chaotic mess of unanswered questions. Unable to shake his confusion, he presses Jia Xiaoduo again about the past he believes they share.
However, Jia Xiaoduo looks completely baffled. She firmly states that they only met for the first time yesterday, refuting Xu Tian's claim that this is their 19th encounter. Adding to the unsettling atmosphere, the medical records they had in the car now inexplicably bear Xu Tian's name. Panicked and sweating, Xu Tian tries to explain the mounting inconsistencies, but then, Jia Xiaoduo unexpectedly leans in and kisses him. Xu Tian is left completely flustered. Later, while searching for someone in a residential complex, he feels as though he has stepped into a dream – every floor and every room appears identical. He becomes lost in this labyrinth, unable to find any trace of Jia Xiaoduo.
Deeply disturbed by these surreal and mind-bending experiences, Xu Tian is overwhelmed. He rushes back to the clinic in a state of agitation, desperately seeking answers from Doctor Shi Yiben about his alarming symptoms.
Doctor Shi Yiben calmly explains that a side effect of entering the illusion is that it allows Xu Tian to see his true, inner self. This revelation hits Xu Tian like a bolt of lightning. He has an epiphany: characters he encountered previously, like Yu Dan and Liu Tiao'er from the train, were not other people but rather manifestations of his own deep-seated obsessions, aspects of himself he had been unable to escape. Doctor Shi Yiben then shows Xu Tian his test data. Reviewing it, Xu Tian is struck by how the events of the past few days have become an indistinguishable blur of reality and illusion, making it impossible to tell what's true and what's not. He even begins to suspect he might be trapped in a virtual world. Doctor Shi Yiben offers some guidance: if Xu Tian cannot clearly perceive his virtual self, he should focus on examining his real self. Only by transcending his current limitations can he hope to understand all the different versions of himself that exist across all worlds.
Despite these revelations, Xu Tian's mind remains fixated on the Jia Xiaoduo he encountered in the virtual world; those experiences have left a profound mark on him. Even though he's aware of the pervasive strangeness, he stubbornly insists on re-entering the virtual world, desperate to return to the moment he first met Jia Xiaoduo. Doctor Shi Yiben, though skeptical and even suspecting that this Jia Xiaoduo might not be real, reluctantly agrees to Xu Tian's plea. He activates the device, cautioning Xu Tian that whether or not he finds her again will be purely a matter of luck.
Xu Tian plunges back into the virtual world, and the scene before him shifts dramatically. Jia Xiaoduo is there, but she is now transparent, almost ethereal, unable to physically interact with any objects. She gazes at the falling rain, a serene smile gracing her lips, as if she has finally found a sense of freedom. She picks up an umbrella and begins to walk in the rain. Just then, her phone rings. It's Xu Tian calling. In a scene mirroring their very first encounter, she gets into his taxi.
