Episode Summary
In "Reborn" Episode 18, Mumu's family is plunged into crisis by her father's terminal liver cancer diagnosis and the resulting financial strain. Amid this, Ming Sheng reveals he is leaving to study abroad, sharing a bittersweet farewell with Qiao Qingyu while also secretly gathering evidence to clear his father's name from a medical dispute. Qiao Qingyu, volunteering for an AIDS awareness program, uncovers information that casts suspicion on the true cause of her sister Bei Yu's death. Her investigation is cut short when she learns her mother has been hospitalized for severe depression, a condition rooted in long-hidden guilt and grief over Bei Yu's passing. While Ming Sheng succeeds in exonerating his father, Qingyu is left to face the dual shock of her mother's illness and the dark mystery surrounding her sister.
Spoiler Alert
Reborn Episode 18 Recap & Spoilers: On the Edge of Despair
This episode plunges its characters into new depths of crisis, unearthing long-buried trauma and forcing painful goodbyes. While one mystery is solved, several more traumatic truths come to light, leaving Qiao Qingyu reeling from the dual impact of her family's hidden pain and her sister's questionable death.
A Family in Crisis
The episode opens with a gut-wrenching scene at the hospital. Mumu's father, a long-term alcoholic, has been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. The astronomical cost of treatment is an impossible burden for the already impoverished family, forcing Mumu's mother to consider the unthinkable: giving up on treatment. Mumu, who has long resented her father for his domestic abuse, is now torn between her past anger and the painful reality of losing him.
Qiao Qingyu and Ming Sheng arrive to offer their support, witnessing the family's raw despair firsthand. The visit sets a somber tone that follows them as they leave. As rain begins to fall, a poignant moment unfolds when Ming Sheng, instead of offering his umbrella, quietly pushes it back into his bag. He then reveals to Qingyu that he is preparing for exams to study abroad and that this may be the last time they see each other. Qingyu forces a smile and wishes him well, but her heartbroken expression after she turns away reveals her true feelings.
Uncovering the Truth
While dealing with his impending departure, Ming Sheng is also on a secret mission. He is determined to clear the name of his father, Ming Qiuxin, who has been wrongly accused in a medical dispute. Ming Sheng begins discreetly visiting his father's former patients, gathering evidence to exonerate the man who is too proud to defend himself.
Meanwhile, a new path opens for Qingyu, one that forces her to confront the past she has been trying to understand. After seeing an on-campus promotion for AIDS awareness, she is reminded of her late sister, Bei Yu, and signs up to be a volunteer.During the volunteer activities, she learns a critical piece of information: with proper and consistent treatment, AIDS patients can live for more than ten years. This fact starkly contrasts with the suddenness of Bei Yu's death, planting a seed of doubt in Qingyu's mind. She realizes there may be more to the story and begins her own secret investigation into the true cause of her sister's death.
A Mother's Hidden Pain
Qingyu's investigation is abruptly halted by an urgent call from her brother: their mother has been hospitalized. Rushing to her side, Qingyu is hit with another devastating revelation. Her father confesses that her mother has been diagnosed with severe depression for a long time. After Bei Yu's death, she would spend her nights weeping while clutching a photo of her lost daughter and was once found unconscious after sleeping at Bei Yu's grave.
Qingyu had noticed her mother's strange behavior before but never understood its depth. The truth finally dawns on her, shattering her long-held perception of her mother as cold and unloving. She now understands that her mother's silence was a shield for overwhelming guilt and sorrow.
Episode Breakdown
As the episode concludes, some threads are resolved while others become painfully entangled. Ming Sheng's quiet determination pays off when the patient withdraws the accusation against his father, allowing Ming Qiuxin to return to work. However, Mumu's family remains trapped in a nightmare of medical debt and grief.
The heaviest burdens now fall on Qingyu. She is left to grapple with the shocking discovery of her mother's profound mental anguish and the new, disturbing questions surrounding her sister's death. The episode leaves her standing at a crossroads of family trauma, facing a future where the truth may be more painful than the lies she grew up with.
