Episode Summary
Ding Zhiyuan is caught between his clingy, pregnant girlfriend Qiu Lisu and his visiting parents who dislike her, creating immense stress at home. Meanwhile, Xue Xiaozhou, reeling from Ai Linjiang stealing his girlfriend and humiliating him, manages to pitch a compelling insurance plan to Ai Linjiang by highlighting risks related to inheritance and Ai Zhonghua's illegitimate son, Ma Xiaowei. Hu Manli supports Xiaozhou strategically, dealing with both Ai Linjiang and Ai Zhonghua. Despite securing the deal, they face sabotage from Tang Ling, who tries to steal the client and undermine Hu Manli. Hu Manli cleverly outmaneuvers Tang Ling by recording her unethical offer to another client, forcing Tang Ling to back down and ensure the deal goes through. The episode ends with the deal secured but Ding Zhiyuan still trapped in his difficult family situation.
Spoiler Alert
Alright, buckle up for Episode 23 of 'A Better Life' because the drama is definitely heating up!
First off, over at Ding Zhiyuan's place, things are getting tense. Qiu Lisu's pregnancy has turned her into a stage-five clinger, constantly needing Zhiyuan's attention. Zhiyuan, totally overwhelmed, makes a classic 'fix-it' move and calls his parents to come 'help' with Qiu Lisu. Spoiler alert: it backfires spectacularly. Mom and Dad Ding immediately dislike Qiu Lisu and start picking fights over everything. So now, Qiu Lisu is constantly complaining to Zhiyuan, pressuring him to send his folks packing. Poor Zhiyuan is caught in the crossfire and weakly promises he'll try to talk to them.
Switching gears, Xue Xiaozhou is going through it. The arrogant Ai Linjiang didn't just steal his girlfriend, Wu Ya, he made sure to humiliate Xiaozhou about it too. Things got physical, leading to a nasty fight. Xiaozhou hit rock bottom, even contemplating suicide. Thankfully, Hu Manli gave him a much-needed reality check and snapped him out of it. Knowing Ai Linjiang is too big a fish to lose professionally, Xiaozhou musters the courage to show up at a crucial bidding conference for a major insurance deal.
At the conference, it's a parade of insurance salespeople pitching their plans. But Xue Xiaozhou goes off-script. He talks about wealth inheritance, its legal complexities, and all the potential pitfalls. Ai Linjiang picks up on the subtext immediately – Xiaozhou is clearly referencing Ma Xiaowei, the known illegitimate son of Ai Linjiang's powerful father, Ai Zhonghua. Intrigued (and maybe a little provoked), Ai Linjiang dismisses the other shareholders. Alone, Xiaozhou spells out the risk: what if Ma Xiaowei's future heirs turn out to be brilliant? They could potentially take over the company, leaving Ai Linjiang out in the cold.
Ai Linjiang bristles, feeling insulted and boasting that his kids with Wu Ya will obviously be superior. Xiaozhou cautions him against blind optimism. Meanwhile, Hu Manli, playing the strategic long game, goes directly to Ai Zhonghua. She's worried Xiaozhou might not seal the deal and highlights the danger: if Ai Linjiang were to meet an unfortunate end, Ma Xiaowei would inherit everything tied to this specific insurance policy. Ai Zhonghua remains non-committal, noting he heard about the fight over Wu Ya and prefers to stay out of his son's affairs.
Back in Ding family hell, Zhiyuan's parents drag him and grandson Ding Da'er out shopping. After they load up the kid with new clothes, Zhiyuan sees his chance, thinking they must be leaving now, and eagerly offers to buy their travel tickets. Nope! They want to stick around for his upcoming book club meeting. Even worse, Dad wants to debate him there. Zhiyuan internally screams and makes a quick escape, claiming he has to rush Da'er to a tutoring class. Later, Da'er innocently mentions how well Hu Manli handled hosting the grandparents, making Zhiyuan feel a pang of guilt about how little he's focused on family compared to work.
As Zhiyuan watches Hu Manli and Da'er head upstairs, laughing together, he feels a mix of emotions. Just then, a text from Qiu Lisu lands like a ton of bricks: "Get those tickets for your parents NOW." He's truly stuck.
But hey, some good news! Xue Xiaozhou and Hu Manli, through their combined efforts, actually closed the massive deal with Ai Linjiang! High fives all around!
Of course, Tang Ling hears about it immediately. She congratulates Xiaozhou... then immediately tries to recruit him. She wants his win to boost her standing with Li Qingqing for a new 'family office' venture. The offer: help her poach all of Hu Manli's clients, get a big bonus, and join her elite team. She even throws in a warning: Hu Manli will drop him the second she's allowed back in the game officially (in two years).
But Xiaozhou hasn't forgotten how Tang Ling bullied him when he was new. He flatly refuses. He tells her even if Hu Manli eventually goes solo, he'd never betray her to work with Tang Ling. Tang Ling is left fuming.
Meanwhile, Ding Zhiyuan is drowning. Caught between his demanding parents and the increasingly unreasonable Qiu Lisu, he tries hiding. But Qiu Lisu corners him in his study. When he mentions his dad wanting to attend the book club, she flips out, declaring his father (just an elementary school teacher!) isn't worthy. Then she pulls out a prenatal report, claiming the baby's development is slow (highly manipulative!), and issues an ultimatum: get rid of your parents, or else. Yikes.
Just when they thought they'd won, Xue Xiaozhou submits the Ai Linjiang insurance policy paperwork, but it stalls – no approval. Hu Manli immediately smells a rat: Tang Ling. Xiaozhou wants to go straight to the top (Li Qingqing), but Hu Manli warns him that jumping the chain of command is a major taboo in their industry. Adding fuel to the fire, Hu Manli's old clients start calling, asking if the rumors are true – that she's been fired. Yep, Tang Ling's dirty tricks again.
And speaking of dirty tricks, Tang Ling meets up with one of Hu Manli's clients, Sun Jie. She showers Sun Jie with gifts, trashes Hu Manli's reputation, and then offers to handle a 5 million yuan life insurance policy for Sun Jie's husband – even promising to illegally kick back her commission from the first year's premium. Sun Jie readily agrees.
But Hu Manli is always one step ahead. Anticipating Tang Ling's move, she'd already asked Sun Jie to record their meeting! Hu Manli arranges a little chat with Tang Ling at a beauty salon. Tang Ling, cornered, admits she wanted the Ai Linjiang deal to advance her own career. That's when Hu Manli plays the recording. Tang Ling's face falls. Hu Manli threatens to take the recording straight to the insurance regulatory commission – a move that would likely end Tang Ling's career. Terrified, Tang Ling confesses and begs Hu Manli not to ruin her. Hu Manli lets her off with a stern warning: "Don't ever pull this again." A humbled Tang Ling promises to personally ensure the Ai Linjiang policy sails through approval and scurries away. Checkmate!
Later, Hu Manli goes to thank Ai Zhonghua personally. She learns Tang Ling had also called him (probably trying damage control). But Ai Zhonghua makes it clear: he doesn't care about office politics or whether Hu Manli technically got fired; he trusts her. This show of loyalty leaves Hu Manli feeling genuinely touched and validated.
So, the episode ends with Hu Manli and Xue Xiaozhou seemingly securing their big win despite Tang Ling's sabotage, while Ding Zhiyuan is deeper in his family mess than ever before. Can't wait to see what happens next!
