Episode Summary
In episode 23 of "Double Happiness," workplace tensions flare as Mei Chengyi defies President Li's attempt to oust him. Xu Kaixin decides to move and transfer her son, Xiaomi, to a new school to shield him from his reckless father, Qian Hao. The drama intensifies when Qian Hao takes Xiaomi from kindergarten without permission and subsequently loses him at a hospital, leading to a furious confrontation with Kaixin. Meanwhile, Youyou's secret job at a memorial park is discovered by her parents, causing her mother to faint from shock and her father to attack her boss.
Spoiler Alert
"Double Happiness" Episode 23 Recap & Spoilers
Highlights of the Episode
- Office Rebellion: Faced with pressure to resign, Mei Chengyi masterfully uses company policy against his boss, President Li, by taking a long vacation backed by a doctor's note for a back injury.
- A Mother's Protection: After viewing a new apartment, Xu Kaixin rejects the idea of pooling money to buy it and instead decides to transfer her son Xiaomi to a new kindergarten to keep his volatile father, Qian Hao, away.
- Cemetery Shocker: Youyou's parents follow her to what they believe is a visit to a grave, only to discover she is secretly working as a groundskeeper. Her enraged father attacks her boss, Hu Pei, and her mother collapses from the shock.
- A Father's Reckless Act: Qian Hao forcibly takes Xiaomi from kindergarten without permission, leading to the boy going missing in a hospital after Qian Hao carelessly leaves him unattended.
- Hospital Showdown: After a frantic search, Xiaomi is found. The incident culminates in an explosive confrontation where Xu Kaixin slaps Qian Hao, furiously questioning his fitness as a father.
- Useless Supporter: At the hospital, Xia Chunyan makes life difficult for everyone, demanding care for herself instead of her daughter, Hu Xiaojiao, earning the scorn of the hired caregiver.
Full Recap
An Office Standoff
The episode opens with Mei Chengyi flatly refusing President Li's demand that he resign. He declares that he and his team will only leave with proper severance packages. With that, he enters a state of passive resistance: listening to crosstalk comedy and playing games at his desk, and leaving the second the clock hits five. To solidify his position, he uses proof of a back injury to take 14 consecutive days of annual leave. President Li’s attempt to challenge this with HR backfires spectacularly. They remind her that in her annual report to the head office, she took sole credit for all of her team's projects. Now that corporate downsizing is affecting her department, she desperately needs Mei Chengyi, her workhorse, to stay and clean up the mess she created.
A New Home and a New School
Xu Kaixin is busy making plans for a better future. She takes her aunt, Sister Lili, to see a new apartment. While Sister Lili suggests they pool their funds to purchase the place, Kaixin firmly declines. She points out that while the move would be convenient for her older child, Dami, it would make the kindergarten commute for her son, Xiaomi, much longer. This sparks a decisive plan: she will transfer Xiaomi to a new school. This move solves the travel issue and, more importantly, creates a barrier against his increasingly unstable father, Qian Hao. Just then, Mei Chengyi calls to say her car is fixed and he can be there in 20 minutes to help her move.
A Secret Revealed
Youyou's parents, concerned about her, follow her car to Yongshou Memorial Park. They assume she is there to pay respects to the deceased You Xin. Their concern turns to confusion and then to rage when they see her dressed in a work uniform, cleaning a gravesite alongside a man, Hu Pei. Believing Hu Pei has tricked their daughter into this line of work, Youyou's father grabs a branch and furiously attacks him. Youyou rushes to intervene, frantically explaining that Hu Pei is her supervisor and this is her job. The shock is too much for her mother, who faints on the spot. Upon waking, she forcefully takes Youyou home.
The Abduction and Disappearance of Xiaomi
Without informing Xu Kaixin, Qian Hao storms into Xiaomi’s kindergarten and demands to take his son. The teacher’s attempts to stop him are futile, and she is unable to reach Kaixin by phone. Qian Hao brings Xiaomi to the hospital, declaring that his "eldest grandson belongs with the Qian family." When Xiaomi cries for noodles instead of eating the bread he's offered, Qian Hao spanks him. His grandfather steps in, taking the boy to buy food. Later, while taking Xiaomi to the restroom, Qian Hao is called away by a doctor to sign some papers, leaving the small child alone. When he and his father regroup, they realize with horror that Xiaomi is gone, and they begin a desperate search through the hospital.
Confrontation and a Mother's Fury
Meanwhile, Xu Kaixin is at home, dressed in sexy lingerie and preparing for a romantic evening with Mei Chengyi, when she gets the frantic call from the kindergarten. The two rush to the hospital and review the security footage, which reveals Xiaomi wandering out of the restroom alone and hiding in a corner of the hallway. Just as they find him, Qian Hao appears and begins yelling at the terrified child. Mei Chengyi steps between them to protect Kaixin and Xiaomi, and Qian Hao shoves him violently. This is the last straw for Kaixin. She unleashes a resounding slap across Qian Hao's face. "Who gave you the right to take my son?" she screams. "What gives you the right to hit him? You lose him, and you think you deserve to be his father?" A stunned Qian Hao is left speechless.
A Chaotic Hospital Discharge
In Hu Xiaojiao's room, another drama unfolds. Her mother, Xia Chunyan, expects the hired caregiver to wait on her hand and foot instead of tending to the patient. Hu Xiaojiao, exasperated, tells her mother to get a hotel room, but Xia Chunyan instead packs her bags and moves in with her brother, Xia Chungeng. After being berated by Xia Chunyan, the caregiver is paid and dismissed by Hu Xiaojiao. Throughout this ordeal, Qian Hao never once appears to check on her. Heartbroken and alone, Hu Xiaojiao discharges herself from the hospital.
What Happens Next
The abduction of Xiaomi has pushed the conflict between Xu Kaixin and Qian Hao to a boiling point, likely leading to more intense custody battles. Mei Chengyi's discovery of President Li's credit-stealing will undoubtedly escalate their professional war. Finally, Youyou, having been forcibly taken home by her parents, is set for a major family struggle over her independence and career choices.
