Episode Summary
Liu Guoning gets dressed up for what he thinks is a date with Sun Jiayu, but she just wants his help buying a gift for her mom. Tang Xiaowei starts to consider the risky investment plan. Dai Jing's focus on her recital causes her to neglect her daughter, leading to a tense conversation with her husband. After overhearing their parents talk about the Civil Affairs Bureau, Sun Jiayu and Sun Jiaxin believe they are getting a divorce and rally their friends to help stop it.
Spoiler Alert
A Date That Isn't a Date
You have to feel for Liu Guoning. Sun Jiayu finally asks him to hang out. He is completely floored by this. He really thought she would never make the first move.
So what does he do? He calls Dabai for backup. Dabai gives him some solid advice. He tells Guoning to dress well and not look like his usual self. Guoning takes this to heart. He spends over an hour in the shower. He even breaks out the formal suit he wore to Chang Xiaowen's wedding. To top it all off, he uses his dad's hair gel. His mom, Dai Jing, sees him all dressed up. She knows something is up.
Guoning shows up to meet Jiayu looking like he's heading to a gala. Jiayu sees him and just can't stop laughing. She then drops the real reason for the meeting. Her mom is coming home for a visit. Jiayu needs help picking out a present for her. She wanted a guy's opinion so the gift wouldn't be too one-sided. Ouch.
Guoning suggests a face mask. He thinks it's a good gift for her mom. Jiayu agrees and buys it. Guoning knows Jiayu's birthday is coming up, so he also buys her a birthday present while they're out.
Money Moves and Family Troubles
The Investment Scheme Gains a Believer
Gao Yuxuan's mom is still pushing that investment plan on the other parents. She's relentless. Xiao Jiarui's mom decides to jump in. She says she'll use 200,000 of her "pocket money" to test the waters. The other parents are still on the fence.
This time, though, Tang Xiaowei is starting to get tempted. She talks it over with Tingting. She thinks that if she invests a little more, the returns could really help with their shop's cash flow.
Shíwǔ Steps Up
Shíwǔ catches his dad smoking again. He immediately guesses his dad is stressed about money. He makes a mature decision. He decides he will try to spend as little as possible when he goes abroad for school.
Later, Mary apologizes to Shíwǔ. She admits she was in a bad mood and didn't treat him well before. Shíwǔ tells her he understands completely.
A Mother's Motivation
Dai Jing is completely consumed by her upcoming exam and performance recital. She is so busy that she has no time for anything else. Her daughter, Liu Guobao, keeps trying to get her attention. She needs help with homework. She even made a gift for her mom in a craft class. Dai Jing just brushes her off every single time.
This really hurts Guobao. She tells her dad that her mom is only doing this for herself. She thinks Dai Jing just wants to look good and isn't thinking about her at all. Her husband, Liu Xiangshang, has noticed it too. He sees how much Dai Jing has been ignoring their daughter.
He finally confronts Dai Jing about it. He wants to know why she is pushing herself this hard. Dai Jing says she wants Guobao to have status and be respected by her classmates. Liu Xiangshang then asks her a tough question. Does she want to be a mom who gets praise from other people, or a mom who gets praise from her own child? Dai Jing just goes silent. She has no answer.
The Kids vs. Divorce
Sun Jiayu's mom is finally back. The mood between her and her husband is cold and distant. Their son, Sun Jiaxin, doesn't seem to notice. He is just thrilled to see his mom again.
Later that night, Jiayu and Jiaxin overhear their parents talking. They mention going to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Jiayu looks it up online. She discovers the bureau handles things like divorce. She puts two and two together and panics. She thinks her parents are splitting up.
Jiaxin gets very dramatic. He says if his parents get a divorce, he won't go on living. Guoning finds out what's happening. He gets the "Anti-Parent Alliance" group chat fired up. The kids all get together to figure out a plan to help Jiayu and Jiaxin. After brainstorming, they come up with an idea. One of the siblings needs to pretend to be sick. They hope this will be enough to distract their parents from the divorce.
