Episode Summary
Episode 35 sees a heavily pregnant Qiu Lisu facing multiple crises: her nanny quits, her company is failing, and a desperate plea for Ding Zhiyuan to promote it on his show "Zheren Shuo" backfires, leading him to suggest divorce. Meanwhile, Hu Manli celebrates her 40th birthday, marked by a touching moment with her ailing father, a surprise party with friends Ding Da'er and Zhong Ning, and a complicated encounter with Xue Xiaozhou who reaffirms his feelings despite their age gap. At work, Manli and Wang Chunlu struggle to find candidates for their nursing home trial until security guard Cai Shifu applies, only for his medical report to be revealed as fake. Cai Shifu confesses he has terminal cancer and hid it, living in dire conditions, hoping only for a brief stay in a place with a window. Moved, Manli shares his story. The episode ends with a desperate Qiu Lisu begging Xue Xiaozhou for a bailout, only to be harshly rejected.
Spoiler Alert
A Better Life: Episode 35 Recap & Spoilers
The episode kicks off with a heavily pregnant Qiu Lisu scrambling back home, only to face another crisis: her nanny wants to quit. Despite Lisu's desperate pleas, the nanny is set on leaving. Watching her walk away, Lisu, already stressed to the max, loses it and smashes a glass of water in frustration. Things are not going well for her.
Meanwhile, Hu Manli and her colleague Wang Chunlu are out pounding the pavement, trying to promote their elderly care services in an old residential complex. They've got the support of the local neighborhood committee director and even a security guard, Cai Shifu (Master Cai), helping them out. Chunlu's battling a nasty cold, coughing constantly, so Manli kindly fetches some hot water from Cai Shifu for her medicine. Elsewhere, Xue Xiaozhou, who's been super busy lately (early mornings, late nights), can only keep tabs on Manli's life through her social media posts.
Back to Qiu Lisu. She's trying a different tactic with Ding Zhiyuan, shifting into full-on sweet wife mode. She asks him to pick a name for the baby, buttering him up before making her real pitch: could he please promote her struggling company on his popular show, "Zheren Shuo" (Philosopher's Talk)? Zhiyuan shuts that down immediately. Cornered, Lisu admits just how dire the company's financial situation is. While Zhiyuan promises to work hard and make sure she and the baby won't suffer, he won't budge on using his show. Lisu keeps pushing, relentlessly backing him into a corner until Zhiyuan, exasperated, snaps that maybe they should just get a divorce. Ouch. That leaves Lisu fuming.
Out in the field, Manli and Chunlu wrap up days of promotion without finding a single suitable candidate for their nursing home trial. Cai Shifu shares a bit about his own situation, and Manli thinks he might actually be a good fit. He initially says he doesn't want to live in a nursing home, but Manli encourages him to think it over. Just as they're packing up on their final day, still empty-handed, Cai Shifu reappears. He's talked it over with his son and decided he does want to move into the nursing home. Relief! Manli has him fill out the application and sends him off for a medical check-up.
Later, Manli visits her father, Hu Degong, at his nursing home. The caregiver tells her he's been difficult today – refusing food, skipping rehab, and constantly asking for her. Turns out, Degong wanted to give Manli money to buy a cake. It clicks for Manli: it's her 40th birthday! Her father, despite his illness causing slurred speech and stuttering, sings "Happy Birthday" to her. It's a deeply moving moment, bringing Manli to tears.
As if on cue, Ding Zhiyuan sees a reminder on his calendar and texts Manli a simple "Happy Birthday." On her way home from the nursing home, Manli pauses outside a dessert shop, making a silent wish as she looks at the cakes in the window. When she gets home, she's greeted by a lovely surprise: Ding Da'er and Zhong Ning have a birthday cake waiting for her. The three celebrate together, lifting her spirits.
But the birthday surprises aren't over! Xue Xiaozhou shows up downstairs at Zhong Ning's place with another cake and a gift. Manli opens it to find... her own notebook. Feeling provoked (likely due to their complicated history/his feelings for her), she rips it to shreds. Xiaozhou patiently gathers the pieces and starts taping them back together. Manli is stunned into silence – that notebook represents twenty years of her accumulated knowledge and experience. Xiaozhou gently tells her he won't pressure her into any decisions and that he'll wait for her. Manli points out their significant eleven-year age gap, but Xiaozhou insists age doesn't matter; he'll wait until she changes her mind.
Just when things seemed settled with Cai Shifu, there's a major snag. The company's underwriting department flags his medical report as fake. Manli promises to investigate and heads straight back to find Cai Shifu with Wang Chunlu. He tries to cover it up, even claiming he faked it to help Manli meet her quota. When Manli tries to get him to come to the office to sort it out, he refuses. Sensing there's more to the story, Manli gently encourages him to tell the truth. Finally, Cai Shifu breaks down: he has stomach cancer and likely only has a year or two left to live.
He then takes Manli and Chunlu to where he actually lives: a small, damp, windowless storage room in an underground parking garage. It's a stark and depressing sight. He explains he's lived there for years. Having been in Shanghai for over two decades without social security or health insurance, all his medical bills are out-of-pocket. He didn't want to burden his son with his diagnosis and massive expenses. His simple, heartbreaking wish was just to live in a room with a window before he died, even if it was only for a couple of days in the nursing home. That's why he hid his illness. Deeply moved and sympathetic, Manli decides to share Cai Shifu's story during her live stream.
The episode wraps up with Qiu Lisu hitting rock bottom. Utterly desperate, she goes to Xue Xiaozhou, begging him to find someone to invest two million to save her company. Xiaozhou flatly refuses. He points out she still owes him money for shares and hasn't forgotten how her past actions contributed to his family's ruin. Lisu then tries a manipulative tactic, revealing that Ding Zhiyuan wants to divorce her and might try to get back with Hu Manli, essentially warning Xiaozhou to give up on Manli. Fed up, Xiaozhou wants nothing more to do with her drama and basically kicks her out.
Whew! What an episode. Lots of emotional highs and lows, big reveals, and tough situations for almost everyone involved. Can't wait to see how Manli handles Cai Shifu's situation and what happens next with Qiu Lisu's downward spiral!
