Episode Summary
Hu Manli and Xue Xiaozhou celebrate landing a major Family Trust deal. Xiaozhou confesses his romantic feelings for Manli by gifting her an annuity, which flusters her as she only sees him as a younger brother, prompting her to decide to move out. Meanwhile, Li Yuke reconciles with her father, Li Fendou, and tries to set him up with Manli. Li Yuke also confesses her own crush on Xiaozhou but is gently rejected. Manli's son, Ding Da'er, gets into trouble at school; his father's partner, Qiu Lisu, handles the situation poorly, blaming Manli and upsetting Da'er. Feeling misunderstood and upset after Qiu Lisu's harsh words, Ding Da'er runs away from home. The episode ends with Manli, Xiaozhou, Ding Zhiyuan, and Li Yuke frantically searching for him, while Da'er finds temporary solace in his old family home, now occupied by a new family.
Spoiler Alert
(Heads up: Spoilers ahead for Episode 33!)
So, the episode kicks off on a high note, professionally speaking. Our dynamic duo, Hu Manli and Xue Xiaozhou, have finally done it – they've secured that massive 30 million Family Trust deal with Li Fendou! Big win, right? To celebrate, Manli whips up some of her signature dishes. But Xiaozhou has a celebration gift of his own: a cool one-million Annuity policy for Manli. Not only that, but he pays the first year's premium (100,000) and promises he'll handle the next nine years too. Whoa.
He then drops the emotional bomb, essentially telling Manli he's going to "take responsibility" for her moving forward. Manli is completely floored. It clicks – this isn't just collegial affection; Xiaozhou has feelings for her. Totally caught off guard (she always saw him as a younger brother figure), she makes a quick excuse and basically flees to her room.
Naturally, she spills the tea to her friend Zhong Ning, who immediately ships them, exclaiming that Xiaozhou is obviously smitten and they should totally get together. Manli, however, is spinning. Her solution? Find a new place, ASAP, and move out, bringing her son Ding Da'er to live with her. This whole situation is just too much.
Meanwhile, other romantic entanglements are brewing. Li Yuke has patched things up with her dad, Li Fendou, and moved back home. She quickly picks up on her dad's interest in Manli and decides she wants to play matchmaker.
On the family front, Ding Da'er gets into a conflict with a classmate, Chen Xiaojun. The teacher wants to see a parent. Since his dad, Ding Zhiyuan, is out of town on business, and Da'er doesn't want to add to his mom's stress, he initially lets it slide.
Later, Manli comes home late, actively dodging Xiaozhou, who's trying his best to make conversation. She just gives him a reminder about a client meeting the next night. Turns out, Ding Zhiyuan won't be back until the next evening either, so he calls his current partner, Qiu Lisu, asking her (much to her reluctance) to handle the school meeting.
Plot twist! The "client meeting" Xiaozhou was reminded about? It was orchestrated by Li Yuke. She wanted to thank Xiaozhou personally for helping convince her dad about something (presumably the trust or their reconciliation). She gifts him a handmade bracelet and then lays her cards on the table: she's had a crush on him ever since she saw him shopping for clothes with Manli (back when he was dating Wu Ya). Now that he's single, she doesn't want to miss her chance. Xiaozhou, however, has to turn her down flat, admitting he already likes someone else. Li Yuke, to her credit, accepts the rejection gracefully.
But Li Yuke isn't done meddling! She then directly asks Manli to become her stepmother! Manli is, understandably, stunned and makes it crystal clear she has zero interest in remarrying.
Back at the school, Qiu Lisu meets with the teacher. After getting the rundown, she immediately demands Ding Da'er apologize to Chen Xiaojun. Da'er refuses, explaining that Chen Xiaojun constantly mocks him, especially about his parents' divorce, and he was the one who finally snapped back. Qiu Lisu isn't having it, insists Da'er is wrong, and then blames the whole thing on Manli's supposedly poor parenting. This infuriates Da'er, who yells at Qiu Lisu, leading her to threaten him. Yikes.
Li Fendou, meanwhile, expresses his admiration for Manli's work style, noting she reminds him of his late wife. When he learns she doesn't plan to remarry, he suggests they could just be friends. Li Yuke, however, isn't ready to give up on playing Cupid just yet.
The awkwardness between Manli and Xiaozhou continues, with her avoiding him and him persistently trying to connect. Things get even more tangled when Ding Zhiyuan calls Manli. Xiaozhou sees this and jumps to the conclusion that Manli might be considering getting back with her ex. Manli doesn't bother correcting his assumption.
Finally, Ding Zhiyuan returns from his business trip, but Ding Da'er is nowhere to be found. He calls Manli, worried. She immediately ropes Xiaozhou into a search party. Li Yuke hears about Da'er being missing and joins the effort. They split up, searching everywhere, but there's no sign of him. Manli is frantic, though the others try to keep her calm.
So, where is Ding Da'er? After the awful confrontation with Qiu Lisu, he didn't want to go home. He wandered aimlessly and ended up outside his old family home, the one he lived in with his parents before the divorce. The current residents, a young couple with a daughter, find him lingering outside when they take out the trash. Seeing his distress, they kindly let him come inside for a bit.
Looking around the familiar-yet-unfamiliar space triggers a wave of nostalgia and sadness for Da'er, remembering happier times. The new family is sympathetic, and their little girl even gives him a comforting glass of milk.
And that's where Episode 33 leaves us – with confessions made and rejected, family tensions boiling over, and poor Ding Da'er lost and seeking refuge in the past. Can't wait to see how they find him and sort out this mess!
