Episode Summary
We flash back to 2013 to see Zhang Ran and Fu Yudong start their relationship. In the present, Zhang Ran builds a shopping business but faces online harassment about her past. A Chinese media company offers her a job as an influencer. She decides to return to China to chase fame, leaving a heartbroken Fu Yudong behind.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 3
The Origin Story
We finally get to see how this romance actually started. The show takes us back to 2013. Zhang Ran and Fu Yudong head to his place with a bunch of snacks. Things get intimate pretty fast. Zhang Ran asks to take a shower at his apartment. This is a bit weird. Her own place is right next door. Fu Yudong agrees anyway.
He is a nervous wreck. He cooks dinner while waiting for her. She comes out of the bathroom and sits right on his bed. She claims she is sleepy. She doesn't sleep, though. She starts asking him questions. Fu Yudong is literally shaking. Zhang Ran clocks this immediately. She realizes he has zero experience with women. They officially get together after this.
The Hustle and the Hate
Zhang Ran finds her groove. She starts a "daigou" business. She buys products overseas for people back home. Fu Yudong helps her get her spark back. The business booms. They run around town hunting for products. Sometimes they even have to physically fight other shoppers to grab the goods.
Success brings attention. Too much attention. People online figure out who she is. They dig up her past as a TV host. The narrative turns nasty fast. Netizens accuse her of being vain. They say she ran abroad for a luxury life and failed. They claim she is getting what she deserves.
Fu Yudong tries to shield her. He comforts her every day. But the business takes a hit. Customers complain about slow shipping. They say the products are bad. Zhang Ran eventually pulls herself out of the slump. She gets things back on track.
A Ticket Home
Fu Yudong talks to his coworkers about the situation. Duan Zhihao thinks Zhang Ran needs to figure things out on her own. The older workers are more cynical. They think she doesn't belong in this life. They predict she will leave the moment she gets a chance.
They are right. Zhang Ran’s online infamy turns into traffic. Media companies back in China smell money. They want her to come back and be a vlogger. They want to monetize her fame. Zhang Ran is tempted. She wants to go back. She asks Fu Yudong to come with her. He freezes. He doesn't know what to do.
The Tiger in the Room
Zhang Ran makes her choice. She refuses to live a mediocre life anymore. She tells Fu Yudong she is going back. She makes a bargain with him. She promises that if she fails, she will return. She says she will settle down and have his kids if the career reboot doesn't work.
Fu Yudong remembers what the old workers said. He knows the truth. She misses the prestige. She hates the grind. He realizes this might be the end. If she leaves, they probably won't stay together.
She begs him to understand. She says she has never lied to him. He sees the ambition in her eyes. He feels the loss already. Zhang Ran looks out the window. She visualizes her old status. Then, things get surreal. A tiger appears right in front of her.
