Episode Summary
Li Jinyu and Ye Meng investigate a clue about her mother's past, but their relationship hits a wall during New Year's Eve when Li Jinyu feels unworthy after being judged by Ye Meng's family. He uses his sick goldfish as a metaphor to break up with her, leaving her heartbroken. The episode culminates in a tense restaurant scene where Ye Meng is on a date with Dr. Gao, only for Li Jinyu to intentionally show up and sit at the next table, where she announces her intention to be more realistic about her love life.
Spoiler Alert
"Deep Affection Eyes" Episode 7 Spoilers
The episode kicks off with Li Jinyu accompanying Ye Meng as they follow a lead on the thumb ring. An antique dealer, Brother Jiang, points them to a man with the surname Wang in Jiangbei, whom Ye Meng suspects is the man her mother met just before her suicide. Later, to prove Li Jinyu is jealous, Ye Meng makes a bet with him, attaching a dashcam to their dog Ping An's collar to see if he's looking for a "girlfriend."
As Chinese New Year's Eve approaches, the family gathers to make tangyuan and video chats with Ye Meng's father. Grandma Dou, hoping to push Ye Meng and Li Jinyu closer, arranges for her mahjong friends to fill her hospital room, forcing Li Jinyu to spend the holiday at Ye Meng's house. However, the lively atmosphere at the Ye household only makes Li Jinyu feel more like an outsider. His quiet and reserved nature becomes a topic of gossip among Ye Meng's aunts, who question him about his job and family background. Privately, they criticize him for being too brooding and having poor prospects, concluding he is not a suitable match for their niece.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, Ye Meng walks Li Jinyu out and wishes him a happy new year. But beneath the celebratory fireworks, Li Jinyu can only whisper, "I'm sorry." Haunted by the aunts' words and his own illness, he feels completely unworthy of a bright and wonderful girl like Ye Meng. He later breaks down in tears at his grandmother's bedside, and Grandma Dou, heartbroken for her grandson, cries silently with him.
Meanwhile, Cheng Kairan visits Fang Ya'en and her son with a toy, but the gift is too childish for the boy. Fang Ya'en notices Cheng Kairan's odd behavior and guesses he has a new crush. Flustered, Cheng Kairan makes an excuse to leave and runs into Chen Jian, the boy's father, leaving him with a sour feeling.
Returning home late at night, Li Jinyu discovers his goldfish has contracted black spot disease. Seeing it as a metaphor for his own condition, he decides to push Ye Meng away for good, telling her that like the sick fish, he will only "infect" her. Their budding romance is instantly extinguished. A devastated Ye Meng sends Li Jinyu a voice message, angrily telling him that she took ninety-nine steps toward him, but he refuses to take the final one. Listening to her words, Li Jinyu cries again but deletes the reply he was about to send.
After the holiday, a dejected Ye Meng tells Fang Ya'en at her shop that she is giving up on Li Jinyu. At his home, Li Jinyu takes down the New Year's couplets Ye Meng had put up and discovers that Ping An has lost the dashcam. Cheng Kairan appears again, this time with milk tea for Fang Ya'en. He casually mentions Li Jinyu, annoying Ye Meng. To prevent a fight, Fang Ya'en drags Ye Meng out for a manicure, leaving Cheng Kairan to mind the shop.
At the hospital, Grandma Dou is upset when she learns that Dr. Gao is planning a date with Ye Meng, blaming Li Jinyu for ruining a good match. Li Jinyu is also clearly unhappy about the news. Realizing Ye Meng hasn't truly moved on, Fang Ya'en advises her to talk things out with Li Jinyu. Meanwhile, Cheng Kairan, stumped by a second-grade math problem while helping Fang Ya'en's son, calls Li Jinyu for help. Li Jinyu seizes the opportunity and tells Cheng Kairan to meet him at the very restaurant where Ye Meng is.
That evening, Ye Meng and Fang Ya'en are on the date with Dr. Gao. Ye Meng is startled to see Li Jinyu and Cheng Kairan outside the window. The two men enter and sit at the adjacent table. To break the awkward silence, Fang Ya'en praises Dr. Gao. When Dr. Gao brings up that Ye Meng once said she liked younger men, she glances at Li Jinyu and declares that after the New Year, she is "returning to reality."
