Episode Summary
Hu Manli, a highly successful insurance agent nominated for a prestigious award, discovers a love note addressed to her husband, philosophy professor Ding Zhiyuan, signed "Yangchun Baixue." Suspecting his student Wang Xue, Hu Manli investigates and plans a confrontation. At Ding Zhiyuan's reading event, she publicly humiliates him by reading the note aloud. However, another woman, the wealthy widow Qiu Lisu, dramatically reveals she is the mysterious "Yangchun Baixue." Meanwhile, claims investigator Xue Xiaozhou is tasked with auditing Hu Manli's past deals and is revealed to have a contentious history with Qiu Lisu, who he blames for seducing his late father and now trying to sell his family home.
Spoiler Alert
"A Better Life" Episode 1 Recap & Spoilers: The Perfect Life Starts Cracking
Alright, so meet Hu Manli. She's 39, lives in Shanghai's Lanyang Jiangcheng district, and has been absolutely killing it in insurance sales for two solid decades. We're talking 392 deals, big and small, hitting the Million Dollar Round Table ten years ago, and even snagging the Top of the Table membership – basically the Oscars for insurance folks. Her biggest single policy? A cool eight million. This woman is driven.
Naturally, she's a hot candidate for this year's prestigious "Nanyang Star" award, the highest honor for sales agents. Because she's such a big deal, a reporter from the trendy "Business New Force" website comes to her home for an exclusive interview. Hu Manli, ever conscious of her image, makes sure her "good side" is facing the camera and launches into her impressive 20-year track record, proudly displaying her trophies. When the interview wraps, she wants to give a shout-out to her 13-year-old son, Ding Da'er (who attends a top bilingual school), but the reporter is clearly trying to bounce.
Not one to be easily dismissed, Hu Manli practically drags the crew into the study to introduce her husband, Ding Zhiyuan. He's a philosophy professor at Donghua University, and surprise! The reporter is a huge fangirl, recognizing him instantly as the host of the popular online show "Zheren Shuo" (Philosopher's Talk). Hu Manli beams, totally basking in her husband's reflected glory and bragging about him.
Things take a turn when the reporter picks up a vintage 1985 literary magazine from the shelf. Hu Manli grabs one too, flips through it, and uh oh... out falls a small card. It's a love note addressed to Ding Zhiyuan, signed by someone named "Yangchun Baixue" (which translates poetically, maybe like "Spring Snow" or something high-brow). Ding Zhiyuan visibly panics. Hu Manli, smooth as ever, coolly tucks the card back, places the magazine on the shelf, and quickly finds an excuse to hustle the reporter and cameraman out.
The second they're gone, she rushes back. Ding Zhiyuan claims he needs to head to the university for class; she tells him to be home early. As soon as he leaves, she grabs the book – but the card is gone! Suspecting he snatched it, she uses her key to unlock his private drawer and bingo, there it is. Her immediate suspect for "Yangchun Baixue"? Ding Zhiyuan's graduate student, Wang Xue. Lacking hard proof, Hu Manli first researches the image on the card (a foreign woman) and discovers the card itself came from the Fenglin Photo Studio.
Work-wise, Hu Manli technically only supervises one agent, Chun Lu, but her own clients are all high-value, million-yuan accounts. She boasts she can outperform a 20-person team single-handedly, and the company lets her operate as a two-person unit. She's pretty arrogant with colleagues, not hesitating to namedrop the General Manager, Jin Zhenhua, to get her way. People resent her but don't dare complain openly. Enter Xue Xiaozhou, a sharp guy who's been in the claims department for six months after graduating from Futung Law School three years prior. He's personally witnessed Hu Manli throwing her weight around with the finance department.
Meanwhile, GM Jin Zhenhua calls Hu Manli in for a little chat, advising her to be more "down-to-earth." Hu Manli immediately assumes someone snitched on her and gets defensive. Xue Xiaozhou, known for his thoroughness and tough stance against insurance fraud (which gets him complaints from sales agents), is praised by his boss, Claims Director Chen Fang. Then, Chen Fang drops a bombshell assignment from Jin Zhenhua himself: investigate Hu Manli's entire 20-year deal history for any irregularities, and get it done before the Nanyang Star award selection. Yikes!
That evening, Ding Zhiyuan retreats to his study after dinner. When Hu Manli brings him fruit, she catches him abruptly ending a phone call, looking spooked. She senses something's off but finds no concrete evidence, only noticing an invitation on his computer for a reading event. She mentally clocks the address.
Deciding it's time to confront her suspected rival, Wang Xue, Hu Manli goes shopping for a "battle robe" with Chun Lu. She ends up wanting the same dress as another woman, Qiu Lisu. Since there's only one, Hu Manli grabs it to try on first, while Qiu Lisu tries on shoes. Chun Lu fills Hu Manli in on Qiu Lisu's backstory: she's inherited two fortunes after both her husbands died. Always spotting an opportunity, Hu Manli graciously lets Qiu Lisu have the dress, secretly planning to "accidentally" bump into her three times – her magic number for turning someone into a client.
Dressed in a striking red outfit, Hu Manli shows up at Ding Zhiyuan's reading event. She doesn't have an invite but slips in when Wang Xue steps out to grab materials. Hu Manli immediately confronts Wang Xue, basically telling her to back off her husband.
Later, during the Q&A, Hu Manli poses as an audience member and asks Ding Zhiyuan point-blank: "Are you happy?" He's stunned speechless. Then, twisting the knife, Hu Manli publicly reads the entire "Yangchun Baixue" love note aloud. Ding Zhiyuan is utterly humiliated and bolts before the event even finishes. Sitting in the audience, Qiu Lisu listens to the card being read, her expression turning grim.
Afterward, Hu Manli corners Wang Xue again, warning her she knows she's "Yangchun Baixue." Wang Xue is terrified and stammering... when suddenly, Qiu Lisu bursts in and declares, "I am Yangchun Baixue!" Hu Manli is completely floored. Mind. Blown.
Qiu Lisu wants to talk privately with Hu Manli, so Ding Zhiyuan and Wang Xue make themselves scarce. Hu Manli warns Qiu Lisu to stay away from her husband, but Qiu Lisu fires back, claiming Ding Zhiyuan has no real feelings for Hu Manli anyway. Furious, Hu Manli storms out.
Just then, Xue Xiaozhou rushes in – he got a call from Qiu Lisu. Seeing Hu Manli leave in a huff, he lays into Qiu Lisu. Turns out, Qiu Lisu used to play cards with his mother and allegedly seduced his father. After his father died, she took over the family company. Now, she wants to sell the house Xue Xiaozhou grew up in (his parents' home) to bail out the struggling company, offering him 500,000 yuan. He flatly refuses – that house is sacred ground.
The episode ends with Hu Manli venting to her best friend, Zhong Ning. The kicker? Zhong Ning is also Ding Zhiyuan's agent and apparently had no idea about any affair.
Talk about a messy start! Looks like Hu Manli's seemingly perfect life is anything but, and secrets are spilling out all over the place. Can't wait to see what happens next!
