Episode Summary
Grieving the loss of her boyfriend Zhou Tong, Wen Xiaoyao moves to Hangzhou and has a shocking encounter with Xu Tian, a man who looks identical to him. Unaware of Zhou Tong's death or his connection to Xiaoyao, Xu Tian kindly helps her move into her new apartment. Meanwhile, Xu Tian's girlfriend, Shi Diandian, learns of Zhou Tong's passing and lives in terror of Xu Tian discovering the truth, especially now that he has unknowingly befriended the woman at the center of the tragedy.
Spoiler Alert
"The Wonderful World" Episode 18: A Fateful Encounter in Hangzhou
A phone call shatters Shi Diandian's world when Wen Xiaoyao reaches out from Hangzhou. Xiaoyao questions why Diandian took her boyfriend, Zhou Tong, to the hospital on the day he passed away. The news hits Diandian like a ton of bricks; she had no idea Zhou Tong didn't make it. Her panic intensifies when Xiaoyao mentions she's at Leifeng Pagoda, a place Diandian knows her own partner, Xu Tian, is also visiting. Before Diandian can process the terrifying coincidence, her assistant, Xiaoyue, abruptly ends the call.
Meanwhile, Wen Xiaoyao, having just relocated to Hangzhou to escape her grief, spots a man who is the spitting image of her deceased love, Zhou Tong. It is, in fact, Xu Tian. Unsettled and clinging to a sliver of impossible hope, she begins to follow him. Xu Tian senses he's being tailed but continues to Shi Diandian's workplace to drop off a leave request. While waiting outside, Xiaoyao is on a video call with her friend Qiao Mi, who is so worried she's booked a flight to visit. Xiaoyao breathlessly tells Qiao Mi that she has just seen Zhou Tong, but he ignored her.
After leaving the office, Xu Tian finally confronts his mysterious follower. Xiaoyao, not wanting to reveal her true reasons, simply says she is new in town and asks for his information. He asks for her name in return, and she tells him. Their strange encounter is cut short, but fate has other plans.
Later, while Xiaoyao is haggling with a delivery driver over furniture she just bought, a heavy downpour begins. Suddenly, Xu Tian appears, holding an umbrella. He explains that he was recently in Beijing and had planned to see a man named Zhou Tong and also watch the ballet The Legend of the White Snake—the very show Xiaoyao starred in. He mentions that, due to a mix-up, he missed both and came straight back to Hangzhou. He then innocently asks how Zhou Tong is doing. A heartbroken Xiaoyao lies, stating that Zhou Tong is fine but that they have broken up. Seeing her struggle with the furniture, and the driver refusing to help carry it upstairs, Xu Tian offers his assistance.
In Guangzhou on a trip, Shi Diandian is consumed by anxiety. She confesses to her friend Fang Fang that she just learned of Zhou Tong's death and is terrified of telling Xu Tian, fearing it would cause him to break down. She has a dreadful premonition that Xu Tian is with Wen Xiaoyao at that very moment.
Back in Hangzhou, after helping Xiaoyao move the furniture into her apartment, Xu Tian prepares to leave. However, he forgets his umbrella and, hearing a loud crash from upstairs, decides to return. He finds Xiaoyao in distress, having failed to assemble her new furniture. As it's still raining, he offers to stay and help.
At this exact moment, Shi Diandian's anxiety peaks, and she makes a fateful call to Xu Tian. He answers while assembling a bed for Xiaoyao. He cheerfully explains that he coincidentally ran into Wen Xiaoyao—the very woman Diandian met in Beijing—and is now helping her settle in. Playing it cool despite her rising panic, Diandian encourages him to help and even offers some of her own things for Xiaoyao to use, all while carefully avoiding any mention of Zhou Tong's death.
Once the work is done, Xu Tian tells Xiaoyao that he and Shi Diandian will visit her again when Diandian returns to Hangzhou. When Xiaoyao asks for his contact information, he tells her she can always reach him through Shi Diandian, unknowingly tightening the web of secrets and shared grief that now connects the three of them.
