Episode Summary
Lu Xinying secretly returns to China but stages a hotel room to look like her Canadian apartment to fool her mother. Flashbacks reveal she was scammed by a rich playboy named Ge Kaiyang (Charlie), who promised to help her get permanent residency through a shady lawyer. Kaiyang ghosted her, the legal application turned out to be illegal, and Xinying was forced to leave Canada in disgrace.
Spoiler Alert
The Great Canadian Deception
Xinying's elaborate lie
We start with a classic cover-up. The heroine's cousin, Lu Xinying, is back in the country. She actually took the same flight as the lead. But she isn't telling anyone. She finds a hotel room that mimics her apartment back in Canada. She rearranges the furniture. She sets the stage perfectly. Then, she video calls her mom. It’s a sad performance. Xinying regrets everything. She got played by a guy, and now she is hiding in a hotel room.
The pressure cooker
Flashback to a month ago. Xinying had a decent job at a bank. It looked good on paper. In reality, she stood around all day greeting people. She pushed financial products on strangers. Her boss wanted her gone. The real stress came from home, though. Her parents sent her to Canada in high school. Her mom is obsessed with Xinying getting permanent residency. It has been three years, and she still doesn't have it. Mom is worried. She tells Xinying to suck up to her boss. The expectations are crushing.
The meet-cute (or so she thought)
Xinying is waiting for a bus near a lawyer's ad. A group of loud kids walks by. One guy spots her. He takes a photo of her without asking. Later, that same guy shows up at her bank. His credit card is dead. He can't speak English well. Xinying steps in to help. He messes up his password three times on purpose. The card gets locked. He uses the confusion to get her WeChat. He introduces himself as Charlie.
Rich kid hobbies
Charlie, whose real name is Ge Kaiyang, is playing pretend too. He rents a space to practice theater. He buys expensive LED screens and stage lights. His dad tracks the spending and sends an assistant to check on him. Kaiyang goes back to the bank to fix his card. He asks Xinying out. She isn't interested. He grabs her and won't let go. People stare. She agrees just to make him stop. He takes her to a show. She meets his friends. She starts to let her guard down. He invites her to join his theater troupe.
The trap snaps shut
Xinying joins the group. She gets close to Kaiyang. He finds out she is desperate for that permanent residency card. He claims he knows a lawyer who can fix it. She bites. She trusts him completely. They bond over their shared misery. They both have controlling parents. They are even from the same hometown. It feels like fate.
The ghost
They plan a date for after work. Xinying waits. Kaiyang never shows up. She calls him. No answer. She asks the theater group. They haven't seen him. He has vanished into thin air. Then the other shoe drops. The lawyer Kaiyang recommended is a fraud. The guarantor got arrested. Xinying's visa application was illegal. She can't stay in Canada anymore. She has to flee back home immediately.
