Episode Summary
Facing a massive lawsuit from a past client over an improperly handled insurance policy, star agent Hu Manli is ordered to pay nearly three million yuan. Her assets are frozen, her house is seized, and her company offers little support due to her past arrogance. Her son, Ding Da'er, moves in with his father to ease her burden. Forced to sell her home at a loss, Hu Manli finds a nursing home for her recovering father, Hu Degong, aided by a past insurance policy she sold. Supportive friend Xue Xiaozhou offers her a job on his new team and a room in his rented apartment, which she reluctantly accepts as she has nowhere else to go, marking a low point but also a chance to rebuild.
Spoiler Alert
"A Better Life" Episode 27 Recap & Spoilers: When the Past Comes Calling
So, remember that time seven years ago when Hu Manli, Nanyang Insurance Company's star agent, helped out a client, Ma Yong, by filling out his risk disclosure form for him? He was rushing for a flight and bought a hefty three million yuan investment-linked policy. Well, fast forward to now: Ma Yong's business went belly-up, he tried to cash out that policy, and discovered it was only worth a measly hundred thousand or so. Ouch.
Naturally, Ma Yong is furious and slaps Nanyang Insurance with a lawsuit. The company, not wanting to eat that massive loss, basically throws Hu Manli under the bus. They're demanding she personally cough up the difference – nearly three million yuan – and giving her just ten days to do it. Talk about pressure!
Hu Manli is completely blindsided and obviously can't just magic up that kind of cash. Things go from bad to worse fast: the court freezes her bank accounts and even puts a seizure notice on her home. Desperate, she goes to plead her case with President Jin. Now, President Jin actually tries to go to bat for her, but here's where Hu Manli's past behavior bites back. Apparently, during her reign as top salesperson, she was pretty arrogant and rubbed a lot of colleagues and bosses the wrong way. Because so many departments basically said "heck no" to helping her out, the best the company agrees to is covering a tiny 10% of the compensation. Hu Manli leaves, totally defeated.
But wait! President Jin's secretary catches up to her and spills the tea: President Jin fought tooth and nail for her behind the scenes, even threatening to resign to protect her job. Hearing this hits Hu Manli hard. Deeply moved, she goes back to thank President Jin properly, vowing that this nightmare won't break her. She promises to repay his faith in her once she gets back on her feet. You gotta admire her spirit, even when she's hit rock bottom.
Meanwhile, good guy Xue Xiaozhou is busy taking care of Hu Manli's father, Hu Degong, who's recovering from illness. Hu Manli's son, Ding Da'er, spots the seizure notice on their apartment door and instantly knows his mom is in serious trouble. He begs Xue Xiaozhou to help her, and Xue Xiaozhou, bless his heart, readily agrees. Hu Manli, in a moment of desperation, almost tears down the court seals (big no-no!), but Xue Xiaozhou stops her, reminding her it's illegal and promising they'll face this mess together.
Feeling like he's adding to her stress, Ding Da'er makes a heartbreaking suggestion: he offers to move in with his dad, Ding Zhiyuan, to give Hu Manli one less thing to worry about. Hu Manli is torn. She hates the idea of being separated and worries Ding Da'er won't be happy living with his dad and stepmom, Qiu Lisu. But with her father needing care and her own life imploding, she knows she can't give Ding Da'er the stability he needs right now. When Ding Zhiyuan comes to pick him up, it's a tearful goodbye at the curb, full of warnings and worry.
In the car, a silent, teary Ding Da'er eventually tells his dad what's happened to his mom. Ding Zhiyuan, now understanding the gravity of the situation, goes home and tells Qiu Lisu that Ding Da'er needs to stay with them for a while. Qiu Lisu isn't thrilled, let's be real, but she doesn't want to make things harder for Ding Zhiyuan, so she reluctantly agrees.
Back to the practicalities: Xue Xiaozhou actually has a plan. He's waiting for Qiu Lisu to pay him three million for some shares she's buying, and he intends to use that money to bail Hu Manli out. But Hu Manli decides she can't run from this; she needs to deal with the company directly and sell her house to pay the debt.
On the work front, Xue Xiaozhou gets tasked by Li Qingqing to land a major client, Li Fendou. He smartly uses this opportunity to negotiate forming his own team, which Li Qingqing approves. Things move quickly with the house sale – an agent finds a buyer, but the offer is painfully low. Xue Xiaozhou manages to haggle an extra 20,000 for the furniture, but still, Hu Manli has to swallow her pride and sell her home and belongings for much less than they're worth just to settle the debt ASAP.
Seeing her struggle, Xue Xiaozhou offers Hu Manli a spot on his new team. She hesitates, thinking it's just pity. Plus, she's worried about juggling work with caring for Hu Degong and whether she's even cut out for the "family office" type of work anymore. Xue Xiaozhou encourages her not to give up her passion and suggests a practical solution: putting Hu Degong in a nursing home. Hu Manli realizes this might be the only way.
They visit a potential nursing home, and it looks promising. And here comes a twist of fate! They run into A Dong, who works there caring for an elderly woman named Zhou Shufang. A Dong recognizes Hu Manli immediately. It turns out Zhou Shufang has Alzheimer's. The silver lining? Years ago, Hu Manli sold Zhou Shufang a long-term care insurance policy that included nursing home services! Because of that policy, A Dong was able to get her into this facility. Zhou Shufang takes a moment, but then recognizes Hu Manli too and, keeping up an old tradition, gives her a pair of hand-knitted gloves she just finished. It's a touching reminder of Hu Manli's past positive impact.
Hearing A Dong rave about the place seals the deal for Hu Manli. She talks it over with her dad, and with Xue Xiaozhou promising to visit often, Hu Degong agrees quite cheerfully.
Now for the living situation. Xue Xiaozhou has a spare room in his rented apartment that the landlord uses for storage. He gets the okay to clear it out and offers it to Hu Manli. While packing, Hu Manli accidentally spills a box of her old awards and trophies. In a symbolic move, she decides to just toss them all – time for a completely fresh start.
Xue Xiaozhou picks her up and takes her to the apartment, initially fibbing that it's company-provided staff housing. Hu Manli briefly considers bringing Ding Da'er there too, but realizes it's just a two-bedroom place. When Xue Xiaozhou mentions getting bunk beds, the truth comes out: it's his place. Hu Manli feels awkward about imposing, but Xue Xiaozhou smooths it over, framing it as them being flatmates ("co-renting") and assuring her he can still help tutor Ding Da'er like before. With literally nowhere else to go, Hu Manli agrees to move in.
So, Episode 27 leaves Hu Manli stripped of her home, her savings, and her son (temporarily), but with a potential new job, a place to stay (albeit awkwardly with her supportive friend/maybe-more?), and a flicker of determination to rebuild her life from scratch. Talk about a rough chapter! Let's see how she handles living with Xue Xiaozhou and starting over professionally next time.
