Fancy Land : Episode 22 Recap and Spoilers

This Episode , the investigation into Li Yan's mysterious case takes a sharp turn inward, peeling back the layers of her psyche to reveal a traumatic past and a shocking diagnosis. Qin Yang's team uncovers the truth about Li Yan's mental state, leading to a series of intense confrontations that expose a mother's desperate, misguided plan to protect her daughter by burying a horrifying history.

The Investigation's Breakthrough: A Secret in the Pills

The episode opens with Qin Yang, Xiao Qin, and Sun Mou meticulously reviewing the video footage provided by the landlord. Their persistence pays off as they spot the crucial detail: the pills Li Xiulan has been giving her daughter, Li Yan, supposedly for epilepsy, are actually medication used to treat schizophrenia. This discovery is the key they've been missing. Realizing they are just one witness statement away from closing the case, Qin Yang immediately goes to confront Li Xiulan.

He questions her about the revenge plot, asking why they would get entangled in it after moving to a new place for a fresh start. He also calls her out for deliberately hiding Li Yan's severe medical condition. Li Xiulan confesses, explaining that Li Yan has forgotten the painful events of her past, and she believes it's better to let those memories stay buried. She reveals that she intentionally gave her daughter a sparsely furnished room to symbolize a new, simple beginning and even arranged for her to resume playing the piano. In Li Xiulan's mind, as long as Li Yan is shielded from her own history, she can live a simple, happy life.

Li Yan's Fragile Reality Crumbles

On the surface, Li Xiulan's plan seemed to be working. She took a job at a local market, and Li Yan, wanting to ease her mother's burden, began teaching piano lessons. Their life had the appearance of normalcy. However, Qin Yang remains skeptical, noticing a profound sadness and confusion in Li Yan's eyes, as if she's constantly questioning the meaning of her own existence.

He visits Li Yan at the hospital, gently probing her memory of meeting Lin Yi for the first time. Li Yan confirms she didn't recognize him and opens up about the crushing loneliness she has felt since they moved eight years ago. She recounts how her mother would lock her in the house, claiming it was for her "protection," but the isolation only left her terrified and plagued by horrific, fragmented memories of her time in a mental hospital.

A Nightmare Resurfaces and an Alter Ego Awakens

The conversation triggers a full-blown recollection of the events from eight years prior. Li Yan describes the moment her mother, Li Xiulan, took her to a mental institution and left without a backward glance, ignoring her desperate cries. Inside, a doctor named Bai Fan subjected her to electroshock therapy and forced her to take psychotropic drugs, causing her mental state to deteriorate.

Under Dr. Bai Fan's manipulative "treatment," she was brainwashed into forgetting her past, believing only that she was "sick" and that her mother had abandoned her for being disobedient. The memory culminates in a particularly traumatizing incident where Dr. Bai Fan stroked her hair to "comfort" her, an act that terrified her so immensely she lost control of her bladder.

Reliving this horror causes Li Yan to break down completely on the spot. She erupts into hysterical laughter as a new, forceful personality emerges from within her. This is "Li Meng." Quick-thinking, Qin Yang signals for Sun Mou to start recording the entire event. Li Meng locks eyes with Qin Yang, her voice filled with venom, and accuses Li Xiulan of trying to "kill her" with the medication.

The Diary That Brought Li Yan Back

In a final, pivotal move, Qin Yang presents Li Meng with a diary. It belongs to Xiao Jun, and its pages are filled with innocent, happy entries about his time playing with Li Yan, proving they once shared a genuine friendship. As Li Meng reads through the diary, the raw emotions of the original Li Yan surge to the surface. The dominant, fragile Li Yan returns, tears streaming down her face.

This powerful moment, a fusion of utter vulnerability and a flicker of hope, provides the final, crucial piece of evidence for Qin Yang's team. The chain of evidence is now virtually complete, suggesting the case is heading towards a conclusion. However, while the legal questions may soon be answered, Li Yan's future and her path to healing remain terrifyingly uncertain.