Episode Summary
Hu Manli successfully sells medical insurance to Boss Chen and helps him with the application. Meanwhile, Xue Xiaozhou is heartbroken after Wu Ya breaks up with him; despite his efforts (and involving their cat, Baodan), she rejects him definitively while dating Ai Linjiang. Xiaozhou eventually resolves to focus on work. An old issue arises when Second Uncle's insurance claim is denied because he only purchased critical illness coverage, not medical, years ago under Wang Chunlu's supervision (a fact unknown to Manli). Manli refuses Ding Zhiyuan's request to cover the costs. Manli then discovers Chen Fang is secretly married to her former apprentice and rival, Tang Ling, realizing they are plotting against her. Finally, Ding Zhiyuan faces pressure from Second Uncle, who demands 200,000 yuan; Ding Zhiyuan secures a loan from Qiu Lisu, but Second Uncle angrily refuses to sign the strict IOU required by the finance department.
Spoiler Alert
A Better Life: Episode 17 Recap & Spoilers
First off, our girl Hu Manli is absolutely crushing it. She helps Boss Chen pick out the perfect medical insurance plan for his elderly mother. He agrees to sign up, and boom – another successful sale for Manli! She's really proving her worth.
But while Manli's career is soaring, her protégé Xue Xiaozhou's love life is crashing and burning. He comes home looking completely devastated, and Manli immediately knows something's up. Xiaozhou spills the beans: Wu Ya broke up with him. Manli is shocked and promises to have a chat with Wu Ya, but tells Xiaozhou he needs to focus on getting Boss Chen's policy finalized first. Xiaozhou is not ready to let go, though. He keeps messaging Wu Ya, even sending texts pretending to be from Baodan, the cat they raised together (seriously, dude?), begging her to take him back. Unfortunately for him, Wu Ya is out on a date with Ai Linjiang and completely ignores his pleas. Ouch.
Manli is juggling a lot – she's even doing nightly livestreams to educate her followers about insurance. She gets a call from Boss Chen, who's struggling with filling out the online application. Ever the dedicated agent, Manli heads straight to the wet market early the next morning to help him sort out the paperwork in person, promising she'll be there for him every step of the way. Boss Chen is incredibly grateful for her hands-on approach.
Then, a problem from the past resurfaces. Manli gets a frantic call from Second Aunt (presumably Ding Zhiyuan's aunt). The insurance company rejected her husband's (Second Uncle's) claim! This goes back to Manli's time at her previous company, Nanyang. About two years ago, Manli was trying to help a struggling colleague, Wang Chunlu, who hadn't made a sale in three months. Manli had her sign up Second Aunt and Uncle for what Manli thought was a medical and critical illness plan. So, the hospital stay should be covered, right?
Manli rushes over to her old company to find Wang Chunlu and figure out what went wrong. It turns out, back when the policy was signed, Manli was in a hurry to get to a parent-teacher conference for Ding Da'er and left Wang Chunlu to handle the final details with the aunt and uncle. Wang Chunlu remembers clearly: Second Aunt and Uncle were worried about the cost and specifically chose only the critical illness plan, declining the medical coverage. Manli had no idea! She gives Wang Chunlu an earful, but Chunlu defends herself, saying she had to respect the clients' decision. The harsh reality is, without the medical insurance rider, Second Uncle's current treatment costs won't be reimbursed. Manli has to break the news to Ding Zhiyuan, who's at a loss. He asks Manli if she can help cover Second Uncle's medical bills, but Manli firmly refuses.
Later, Xiaozhou makes one last desperate attempt. He shows up below Wu Ya's dorm with Baodan the cat, hoping for a face-to-face. Wu Ya, completely fed up, calls Hu Manli and asks her to get Xiaozhou to leave. Manli rushes over and tries to talk some sense into him. Xiaozhou is heartbroken, reminding Manli they were together for five years. Manli even calls Wu Ya, pleading with her to give Xiaozhou another chance. Wu Ya's response is ice-cold: she tells Manli (presumably loud enough for Xiaozhou to hear or relayed immediately) that she never loved him. That's the final blow. Xiaozhou is utterly crushed and finally lets Manli take him home.
After locking himself in his room for a good cry, Xiaozhou surprisingly emerges the next morning looking like a new man (or at least, pretending to be). He tells Manli he's processed it and has decided to let go of Wu Ya and pour all his energy into his work. Manli is genuinely happy for him.
Just when things seem to be settling, Manli notices something suspicious online: Chen Fang liked a post by Tang Ling. Now, Tang Ling used to be Manli's apprentice, but she betrayed Manli, stole clients, and jumped ship to a rival company, Taiying International. Chen Fang only joined Manli's current company after Tang Ling had already left, so Manli finds it odd they'd interact. Then it hits her: Chen Fang accidentally liked his wife's post! Tang Ling quickly tells him to delete it, worried someone might see, but Manli saw everything. She finally understands – Chen Fang and Tang Ling are secretly married, and Chen Fang's recent actions against her are likely revenge plotted with Tang Ling. The plot thickens!
Xiaozhou is furious and wants to confront Chen Fang right away. But Manli, ever the strategist, tells him to hold off. They shouldn't let Tang Ling know they're onto them. Instead, Manli encourages Xiaozhou to channel his anger into motivation and work hard to win the company's big prize: a car. Back at the office, Xiaozhou plays it cool. He politely declines a milk tea offered by a colleague but accepts one directly from Tang Ling when she offers it. Another colleague tries to badmouth Xiaozhou to Tang Ling, but Tang Ling recognizes Xiaozhou's potential as a rising star and declares she'll win him over with sincerity (we'll see about that!).
Meanwhile, Manli bumps into Boss Chen at the market again and learns his mother is in the hospital for joint replacement surgery. She immediately goes to the hospital to check in. She reassures a worried Boss Chen, telling him to make sure his mom gets the best possible treatment because the insurance policy she sold him will cover it. Boss Chen is ecstatic.
But the family drama isn't over. Second Uncle, recovered from his surgery, is ready to head back home with Second Aunt. Before they leave, Ding Zhiyuan treats them to a meal. During dinner, Second Uncle drops a bombshell: he demands 200,000 yuan from Ding Zhiyuan to pay for his son's wedding! He guilt-trips Ding Zhiyuan, reminding him of 20,000 yuan he gave Ding Zhiyuan years ago. Ding Zhiyuan doesn't have that kind of money lying around, but feeling indebted and pressured, he promises to find a way. Second Uncle declares he's not leaving until he gets the cash.
Desperate, Ding Zhiyuan calls Qiu Lisu for a loan. She's in a meeting, but her secretary, Xiao Huang, gets the message to her, and Qiu Lisu agrees to help. Ding Zhiyuan brings Second Aunt and Uncle to Qiu Lisu's company to pick up the money. Xiao Huang takes them to the finance department. However, the finance director insists that Second Uncle sign a formal IOU (a promissory note). The terms are strict: repayment within six months, with interest, and failure to repay will result in legal action. Second Uncle balks at the formality and the terms. He flat-out refuses to sign. Ding Zhiyuan offers to sign for him, but the finance director insists it must be the borrower. In a fit of anger, Second Uncle tears the IOU into pieces and starts yelling at Ding Zhiyuan, who is left standing there, completely mortified and unsure how to handle the situation.
What a mess! Between breakups, insurance nightmares, secret plots, and family loan drama, Episode 17 was packed. Can't wait to see how Manli navigates the Chen Fang/Tang Ling situation and how Ding Zhiyuan deals with his entitled uncle!
