Episode Summary
Xue Xiaozhou struggles to find pet-friendly housing after Wu Ya moves into hospital dorms. He ends up moving in with Hu Manli, agreeing to tutor her son, Ding Da'er, in exchange for lodging, though under strict conditions set by Hu Manli. Meanwhile, Ai Linjiang continues pursuing Wu Ya; she rejects him but privately confesses she wants to break up with Xue Xiaozhou. Hu Manli learns about a car incentive at Xue Xiaozhou's insurance company, Taiying International, and discovers his manager, Tang Ling, is her former mentee. After a brief misunderstanding involving Hu Manli needing her live-streaming gear late at night, Xue Xiaozhou starts tutoring Ding Da'er and navigating Hu Manli's demanding lifestyle. At work, Tang Ling praises Xue Xiaozhou, announces the car competition, and gives him a better desk, sparking jealousy from colleague Yi Chang. The episode ends with Hu Manli cleverly using a fancy restaurant and a discount coupon to impress multiple clients without significant expense.
Spoiler Alert
A Better Life: Episode 14 Recap & Spoilers
Alright, so the episode kicks off with some major moving drama. Wu Ya finally ditches her rental and snags a spot in the hospital's single dorms. This leaves her ex-roommate, Xue Xiaozhou, needing a new, smaller place. Enter Hu Manli, who graciously (or maybe strategically?) offers Xue Xiaozhou a room at her place. Her reasoning? He can help tutor her son, Ding Da'er, in English. Win-win, right?
Well, Xue Xiaozhou initially balks at the idea, feeling it'd be way too awkward. He politely turns her down and tries his luck finding something else. Problem is, he's got his cat, Baodan, with him, and finding a pet-friendly place fast proves impossible. After searching until dark and getting turned away by hotels because of the cat, a desperate Xue Xiaozhou finds himself right back on Hu Manli's doorstep, luggage and kitty in tow. Ding Da'er, hilariously, assumes Xue Xiaozhou is his mom's new boyfriend and gives him a warm welcome.
Now, Hu Manli isn't exactly a cat person, but Ding Da'er loves Baodan. He promises his mom he'll ace his next English test if the cat (and Xue Xiaozhou) can stay. Xue Xiaozhou sweetens the deal by officially offering to tutor Ding Da'er. Hu Manli jumps at this but lays down some serious terms: Ding Da'er's English rank must break into the class top 10. If not, there's some kind of "two-eight split" penalty involved (the details are fuzzy, but it sounds like it favors her!). Xue Xiaozhou tries to negotiate, but they're both stubborn. It's only when Ding Da'er practically begs him to stay that Xue Xiaozhou reluctantly agrees to Hu Manli's conditions.
Later, it hits Xue Xiaozhou – he totally walked right into Hu Manli's carefully laid trap. She plays innocent when he brings it up, and he decides to just drop it. The tutoring begins that night.
Meanwhile, over in Wu Ya's world, Ai Linjiang is still very much pursuing her. She agrees to have dinner with him, but when he lays his feelings out on the table, she shuts him down directly.
Back at Hu Manli's, Xue Xiaozhou video calls Wu Ya to update her on his new living situation. Just as he's explaining, Hu Manli pops in with fruit, causing Wu Ya to abruptly hang up and get back to her dinner with Ai Linjiang. During their chat, Hu Manli casually mentions a rumor: Taiying International insurance is giving a car as a bonus to the top salesperson for the "opening red" (kick-off) period. Xue Xiaozhou is clueless about this. When Hu Manli finds out he's working under Tang Ling – who happens to be her former mentee – she doesn't pry further.
During dinner, Ai Linjiang correctly guesses Wu Ya was on the phone with her boyfriend. Surprisingly, he says he doesn't mind and actually admires her loyalty. This prompts a confession from Wu Ya: she's actually thinking about breaking up with her boyfriend (Xue Xiaozhou) because she feels like he's going nowhere and she can't see a future with him. Ouch.
Later that night, Xue Xiaozhou gets a text from Hu Manli, which freaks him out a bit. Then, there's a knock. It's Hu Manli, all dressed up. Xue Xiaozhou panics, thinking she's making a move on him, and stays dead silent. Hu Manli, slightly annoyed, uses her key to open the door... turns out, she just needed to grab her lighting equipment for a live stream she does late at night. Major sigh of relief for Xue Xiaozhou – it was a total false alarm.
The live stream doesn't go smoothly, though. Hu Manli ropes Xue Xiaozhou into holding the light for her, and the poor guy is freezing, starts sneezing uncontrollably, and forces her to cut the stream short.
The next morning, Hu Manli has breakfast ready and is already pushing Xue Xiaozhou out the door to chase clients, adding "take Ding Da'er to school" to his to-do list. He's clearly miserable. While dropping off the kid, Xue Xiaozhou can't help but vent about Hu Manli. Ding Da'er, wise beyond his years, gives him some "secret tips" on how to handle his mom.
At the office, Tang Ling publicly praises Xue Xiaozhou for landing two clients and asks him to share his methods. He insists they were both "stranger visits" (cold calls/walk-ins). Tang Ling clearly doesn't buy it and fishes for info about the "expert" helping him behind the scenes, but Xue Xiaozhou keeps his mouth shut (likely protecting Hu Manli's involvement). Tang Ling then makes a big announcement: the top salesperson over the next three months wins a luxury car! To boost Xue Xiaozhou, she gives him the office's coveted "Feng Shui treasure spot" desk and tells another employee, Yi Chang, to help him move his stuff. Yi Chang, clearly jealous, "accidentally" drops Xue Xiaozhou's files and gets chewed out by Tang Ling.
The episode wraps up with a classic Hu Manli hustle. She uses a 49 yuan coupon to score signature pastries at one of Shanghai's fanciest Western restaurants. She snaps tons of pictures for her social media feed, making it look like she's living large. Then, she proceeds to meet her old clients there, one after another. For each meeting, she just asks the waiter for a fresh teacup, leaving the fancy pastries completely untouched on the table. After cycling through her entire client list this way, she asks the staff to pack the still uneaten pastries to go. The restaurant staff totally catch on that she just used their fancy ambiance (and a cheap coupon) as a backdrop to impress clients without actually spending money. Classic Hu Manli!
So, Xue Xiaozhou is now firmly entangled in Hu Manli's web, Wu Ya is seriously reconsidering her relationship, and there's a car on the line at work. Things are definitely heating up!
