Episode Summary
Yu Nian and Shen Cheng discover the full truth about Ye Yibo's crimes. To prevent the tragic events of 1991, Shen Cheng orchestrates a final letter to the past, warning Tang Yixun not to kill Ye Yibo. Tang Yixun follows the advice during a critical confrontation, saving himself and Ye Haitang. This act rewrites history, creating a new present where Yu Nian's life is completely different and her connection to the past events is erased.
Spoiler Alert
A Bittersweet Beginning
The episode kicks off on a heavy note. Yu Nian finally finds her father. He's sitting on a park bench, looking peaceful, but he has passed away. It's a gut-wrenching scene as she holds him and cries.
Later, Yu Nian and Shen Cheng fulfill the final wishes of their parents, Tang Yixun and Ye Haitang. They have their tombstones buried next to each other. It’s a sad but fitting tribute. We see that every year, they get together to celebrate the birthdays of the parents they lost.
Back in 1991
The show throws us back to the past. Tang Yixun is working himself to the bone at the docks. He's so exhausted that he actually faints. At home, Ye Haitang has made dinner and is waiting for him. They are both anxiously waiting for a letter from the future. The connection went silent after the last one they sent.
Luckily, back in the present, Zhang Quan finds a new letter in the special mailbox. The line of communication is open again.
The Truth About Ye Yibo
The Police Get a Lead
In the present day, the police call Yu Nian and Shen Cheng to the station. They have a new lead in the case. The cops pull Shen Cheng into a room by himself. They show him a photo of Ye Yibo. This is a huge shock. Ye Yibo vanished years ago without a trace. Now, he's suddenly back on the radar.
Haitang's Horrifying Discovery
We get a flashback to 2026. Ye Haitang is driving when she spots an old man on the street. It's Ye Yibo. He's aged terribly and is living in poverty. She pulls over, and he gets in her car.
Haitang immediately asks about her mother. The conversation confirms her worst fear. She realizes Ye Yibo was the one who killed her mother. She feels a wave of guilt, believing that if she hadn't been a few minutes late that day, she could have prevented it. Ye Yibo confesses to the murder. He shows absolutely no remorse. He even tells Haitang he isn't afraid of prison. He's old and sick, and he thinks a jail cell would be an upgrade. This, of course, just makes Haitang even more furious.
A Desperate Plan to Change Everything
Shen Cheng's Sacrifice
Back in the present, Shen Cheng can't accept how his mother's life was destroyed. He decides he has to change the past. He plans to sacrifice himself to do it. His logic is that if he alters history, his mother might not suffer the same fate. The catch is that this change could also mean he is never born.
Yu Nian thinks this is a terrible, pointless sacrifice. She tries to stop him by taking his passport. But Shen Cheng finds a way around her. He sends a text to Zhang Quan, telling him to write one last letter to 1991. The message is simple. It's for Tang Yixun, and it warns him not to kill anyone.
The Final Confrontation
The letter arrives in 1991. Tang Yixun reads the urgent warning from the future. Just then, Shen Xiaojun runs up. He tells Tang Yixun that Haitang saw Ye Yibo and is chasing after him.
The letter also contained a location. Tang Yixun uses it to find them. He arrives to a nightmare scene. A crazed Ye Yibo is about to kill Haitang. Tang Yixun jumps in and starts fighting both Ye Yibo and his crony, Li Ge. He gains the upper hand and is about to stab Ye Yibo. But then he remembers the letter's words. "Don't kill."
He hesitates for a split second. That's all Li Ge needs. He tackles Tang Yixun and is about to kill him with a knife. In the nick of time, the police show up and save them both. The tragedy is avoided. Tang Yixun doesn't become a murderer, and both he and Haitang are saved from their grim fate.
The New Reality
Changing the past has consequences. The timeline is reset. When Yu Nian wakes up the next morning, things are different. She sees the chrysanthemum cat. But her life has been completely altered. The father she grieved for is now just gone from her history. All her connections to the time-traveling letters and the friends she made along the way have vanished.
