Episode Summary
Dr. Xue Xiaozhou arranges his mother's surgery and tries to connect with nurse Wu Ya, who seems hesitant. Ding Zhiyuan's relatives arrive unexpectedly for surgery, forcing Hu Manli to reveal their separation and manage the difficult family members. Hu Manli helps Boss Chen find appropriate insurance for his elderly mother using Xue Xiaozhou's account access. Ding Zhiyuan struggles to help his demanding uncle navigate the hospital system and faces professional trouble over a ghostwritten preface. Hu Manli steps in multiple times to solve Ding Zhiyuan's family crises, securing a doctor for his uncle with Wu Ya's help and reassuring his aunt about hospital costs thanks to insurance she arranged. Amidst this, Wu Ya abruptly breaks up with a confused Xue Xiaozhou just after his mother's successful surgery.
Spoiler Alert
A Better Life: Episode 16 Recap & Spoilers
Alright, so things kick off with Dr. Xue Xiaozhou. He's finalized the surgical plan for his mom (yay!) and wants to celebrate or maybe just de-stress by taking nurse Wu Ya out for dinner. Wu Ya tries to dodge it, claiming she's on duty, but oops! Another nurse totally busts her, mentioning she just finished a shift the day before yesterday. Cornered, Wu Ya has to agree to go. Awkward!
Meanwhile, Ding Zhiyuan's world gets a shake-up. His Second Uncle and Second Aunt roll into Shanghai from their hometown for the uncle's surgery. They head straight to Ding Zhiyuan's place, forcing Hu Manli (remember, they're separated now) to awkwardly explain the situation. She gets them settled into a hotel, but the aunt isn't letting it go. She tries to convince Hu Manli to patch things up with Ding Zhiyuan. Hu Manli is clearly biting her tongue, knowing the real reasons they split. The aunt, sensing Ding Zhiyuan is probably the one at fault, promises to back Hu Manli up, but Hu Manli just wants out of the conversation and makes an excuse to leave, immediately texting Ding Zhiyuan a heads-up about his relatives' arrival.
Back to the professional side, Xue Xiaozhou has put together a health insurance package for a Boss Chen and his family. Hu Manli presents it, but Boss Chen flips when he sees his elderly mother isn't covered. Thinking he's being scammed again, he angrily hands the policy back. Hu Manli immediately calls Xue Xiaozhou, who's understandably stressed at the hospital because it's his mom's surgery day. He tells Hu Manli to look up a suitable plan for seniors over 80 herself, giving her his login details for the Taiying International insurance website. Hu Manli, ever thoughtful (or maybe strategic?), sends Xue Xiaozhou 1000 yuan as a gesture of support for his mom's surgery.
Using Xue Xiaozhou's account, Hu Manli finds the "Yiyang Tiannian" plan, perfect for the over-80 crowd. Just then, Ding Zhiyuan's aunt calls Hu Manli, unable to reach Ding Zhiyuan himself – turns out he's hiding out in his office at the university with his phone off, apparently avoiding someone named Qiu Lisu.
Hu Manli tracks Ding Zhiyuan down at the university to tell him about his uncle needing surgery. Ding Zhiyuan finally goes to the hotel. His uncle asks him to help find a doctor, putting Ding Zhiyuan in a tough spot. The uncle gets mad, and the aunt chimes in that they never wanted to rely on him – Hu Manli always handled this stuff before. She blames Ding Zhiyuan for the separation. Defeated, Ding Zhiyuan takes them to the hospital to wait in line.
And wait they do. The hospital is swamped. After ages, there are still 80 people ahead of them. The aunt takes over waiting duty while the uncle complains to Ding Zhiyuan about splitting with Hu Manli. Cornered, Ding Zhiyuan admits there's another woman in his life, which just earns him more grief from his uncle. Elsewhere in the hospital, Xue Xiaozhou is anxiously waiting outside the operating room, with Wu Ya keeping him company.
Finally, it's the uncle's turn. But the doctor wants to run new tests. The uncle absolutely refuses, insisting he already did tests back home and just wants the surgery now. The aunt complains the doctor looks too young, and the uncle starts insulting the doctor, who promptly tells them to leave. Yikes. The aunt pressures Ding Zhiyuan to "pull some strings," but he's stuck. Then, his phone rings – it's his department head. Someone reported him for writing the preface to Li Fendou's autobiography. Double yikes. Ding Zhiyuan has no choice but to call... you guessed it, Hu Manli.
Hu Manli is actually busy trying to pitch the "Yiyang Tiannian" plan to Boss Chen (who's swamped himself, so she's helping him with guests) when Ding Zhiyuan's desperate call comes in. She leaves the policy with Boss Chen and rushes to the hospital again. She manages to calm the aunt and uncle down and calls Wu Ya for help. Wu Ya connects them with a department director. Hu Manli takes the relatives to see the director, who agrees to do the surgery but insists on re-doing the tests. The uncle is still unhappy but has no choice.
Hu Manli thanks Wu Ya and casually asks about Xue Xiaozhou's mom – the surgery was successful! Hu Manli suggests Wu Ya should go have dinner at Xue Xiaozhou's place sometime. Then, the money issue: the hospital needs a 200,000 yuan deposit. The aunt panics, telling Hu Manli that's all the money she has, saved for her son's wedding. Hu Manli tells her to pay it, reassuring her that thankfully, she had already bought them medical insurance, so the costs will be reimbursed soon. The aunt finally relaxes a bit.
Back at the university, the department head tells Ding Zhiyuan he can tell the preface wasn't written by him – the style is off, full of errors. However, Ding Zhiyuan's signature is on it. Unless Ding Zhiyuan can prove it's not his signature (which sounds impossible?), he'll lose his chance at some kind of evaluation or award ("pingxian"). Meanwhile, the uncle is now admitted to the hospital and demanding to see Ding Zhiyuan. The aunt calls, and Ding Zhiyuan rushes back.
We get a quick glimpse into Ding Zhiyuan's situation with Qiu Lisu – they're in a cold war, he's still living at the office. Qiu Lisu's secretary suggests she reach out, but Qiu Lisu refuses to back down first, worried she'll lose control if she does. When Ding Zhiyuan gets to the hospital, his uncle lays into him again, condemning him for leaving Hu Manli, with the aunt adding her two cents. Ding Zhiyuan is left speechless.
Finally, Xue Xiaozhou takes Wu Ya out for that dinner. Feeling optimistic after his mom's surgery and probably thinking about landing another big insurance deal, he starts talking about renting an apartment near the hospital so they won't have to be apart. And then... Wu Ya drops the bomb: she wants to break up. Xue Xiaozhou is stunned, thinking she must be joking. Wu Ya doesn't explain, just leaves mid-meal. Confused, Xue Xiaozhou calls Wu Ya's department head, thinking maybe she had a setback at work, only to learn she just received an award for being an outstanding employee. Now he's really confused.
Whew! What an episode. Lots of tangled relationships, family obligations, and professional drama. Can't wait to see how Hu Manli continues to juggle everything, what happens with Ding Zhiyuan's job and his relatives, and why Wu Ya suddenly broke things off with Xue Xiaozhou!
