Episode Summary
Zhou Zeyuan blackmails Xu Yan, using his knowledge of her past and even bringing her estranged father into it. To protect Shen Haoming from the scam, Xu Yan sells a car he gave her to pay the blackmailer off. Months later, Zhou Zeyuan is arrested, but a distance has grown between Xu Yan and Shen Haoming. When she tries to confess her secrets, he tells her the past doesn't matter, leaving her unsure of where they truly stand.
Spoiler Alert
The Blackmailer Makes His Move
Zhou Zeyuan's Dinner Ambush
The episode kicks off with Shen Haoming and Zhou Zeyuan sharing a celebratory drink. Zhou Zeyuan wastes no time being a total snake. He mentions that Shen Haoming's mother had brought him up. He then immediately pivots to his connection with Xu Yan, making it sound like they're old, close friends.
He lays it on thick. He says he knew Xu Yan way back when. He even claims he used to call her parents overseas. You can just see Xu Yan panicking. She tries to jump in and cut him off, but Zhou Zeyuan talks right over her. He wants to make sure Shen Haoming knows just how "close" they are.
Shen Haoming, to his credit, plays it very cool. He says that since he met his in-laws late, he doesn't know them well. He then invites Zhou Zeyuan to talk business, since he seems to know the family so well. It's a power move. Shen Haoming is basically calling his bluff.
The Threat Becomes Real
Later, Zhou Zeyuan confronts Xu Yan. He's cocky. He thinks she'll do whatever he wants. He believes she's desperate to protect her new life of wealth and status. In his mind, she married for money, and the fear of losing it will make her easy to control.
Xu Yan isn't having it. She threatens to burn everything to the ground. She tells him Shen Haoming would never get involved with a person like him. But Zhou Zeyuan has his own threat. He blackmails her over old debts, telling her if she doesn't pay up, they'll haunt her forever. He's clearly desperate for cash to pay his own employees.
Just as things get heated, Xu Yan's friend Qiao Lin shows up. She sees Zhou Zeyuan harassing Xu Yan and runs him off. It's a nice moment. Qiao Lin apologizes for their previous issues, and it looks like the two friends have finally made up.
Xu Yan Fights Back
A Father's Betrayal
Zhou Zeyuan's next move is unbelievably low. He brings Xu Yan's own father to confront her. Her dad just lays into her. He yells, calls her ungrateful, and threatens to expose all her lies.
Xu Yan is crushed, but also defiant. She calls out his hypocrisy. She reminds him that he was never around when she was a child. She grew up feeling like nobody cared. Now that she has a good life, he shows up to help a blackmailer tear it down. When her father says he'll disown her, Xu Yan feels absolutely nothing.
Selling a Gift to Pay a Debt
To deal with Zhou Zeyuan, Xu Yan does something drastic. She sells the expensive car Shen Haoming bought for her. He finds out about the sale almost immediately.
She uses the money to pay off Zhou Zeyuan. She knows his investment pitch is a total scam. She's determined to protect her husband from it, no matter the cost. She tries to warn Shen Haoming directly, telling him to be careful and to reconsider the investment. He just brushes it off, telling her he just wants her to be happy and not to worry so much.
The Aftermath
A Confession Cut Short
The show then jumps forward four months. Zhou Zeyuan has vanished. Xu Yan feels like the whole nightmare was just a dream. She soon learns he was arrested. She's relieved Shen Haoming didn't get scammed.
But things feel different between them. There's a new distance. She feels like Shen Haoming wants to say something important but keeps holding back. Xu Yan decides she wants to confess everything to him, but she can never find the right time.
She tries to test the waters. She tells him a hypothetical story about a "friend" who hid things from her husband before they got married. She asks if this friend should confess now that they have a good life. Shen Haoming cuts her off. He says there's no need to confess. What matters is having a good future together.
New Problems on the Horizon
The episode ends by setting up a new conflict. To get a seat on the board of directors, Shen Haoming needs to handle Jiang Yun and her brother. The drama never stops.
