Episode Summary
Zhang Ran and Fu Yudong return to China to a warm but overwhelming welcome from her family. Flashbacks reveal Zhang Ran's early ambition in the TV industry and the workplace betrayal that caused her to quit. In the present, her parents harbor guilt over her past divorce, while her aunt discovers video evidence that Zhang Ran's life abroad was not as glamorous as she claims.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 4 Recap: The Prodigal Daughter Returns
The Homecoming Hustle
Zhang Ran and Fu Yudong are finally back in China. Her mother is absolutely thrilled. She hits the vegetable market and buys enough food for an army. She is especially happy about Fu Yudong’s impressive resume. The neighborhood is buzzing too. The fishmonger assumes the TV station invited Zhang Ran back. He thinks she is going to be famous. He even asks Zhang Ran's mom to help his kid, Liu Bo, find a job. Mom agrees to everything in the heat of the moment.
The family gathers to welcome the couple. Zhang Ran’s aunt helps out at the house. Her uncle drives the car to pick them up. Things get awkward immediately. Fu Yudong spots a woman's handbag and ID card in the backseat. It doesn't belong to the aunt. Zhang Ran immediately suspects her uncle is cheating. She starts fishing for information about his marriage. Then the phone rings. It is a passenger. The uncle drives a ride-share car on the side. The items belong to a previous customer. The tension breaks.
Past Ambitions
The couple settles in at home. It is chaotic but happy. Zhang Ran starts unpacking her luggage. This triggers a memory from 2011. Back then, she had just quit her job. She was preparing to go to Canada with Pierce. Her mother was worried sick. She helped Zhang Ran pack anyway.
We jump back even further to 2009. Zhang Ran was a fresh graduate at the TV station. She was hungry for success. She refused to stay in the background. She pushed to be a frontline reporter. Her hard work paid off eventually. The famous finance host, Lin Fei, had a medical emergency regarding her pregnancy. She went to the hospital right before a broadcast. The station head panicked. This was Zhang Ran's opening.
Parents and Secrets
We return to the present night. Fu Yudong and Zhang Ran are in bed. His buddy Li Daoqi invites him to lunch the next day. The privacy doesn't last long. Mom barges in with a quilt as an excuse. Dad drags Fu Yudong away for a chat. Mom stays behind to talk to her daughter.
The parents carry a lot of guilt. They blame themselves for Zhang Ran’s first failed marriage. They feel they didn't vet the guy properly. They don't want her to suffer again.
Downstairs, the aunt stumbles onto a secret. She watches an online video. It shows Zhang Ran and Fu Yudong abroad. They aren't living the high life. They are fighting over discount goods as personal shoppers ("daigou"). The aunt wants to tell Zhang Ran's mother immediately. Her husband stops her.
The Breaking Point
The next day, Zhang Ran digs through her old stuff. She finds a luxury bag stuffed in a box. It brings back bad memories of her hosting days. She was ambitious back then. She wrote a brilliant program proposal.
She tried to pitch it during a dinner with the leadership. She used a toast as an opportunity to bring it up. The bosses ignored her. Her direct supervisor kept interrupting to change the subject. Zhang Ran didn't give up. She kept mentioning the proposal. The big boss finally shut her down. He told her to check her ambition.
The reality was much uglier. Another station's leader liked her plan. They wanted to use it. Zhang Ran felt robbed. She tried to fight for her intellectual property. The station leadership didn't care. They cited the "big picture" and gave her work away. She got zero credit. She felt used and depressed. That is exactly why she handed in her resignation.
