Episode Summary
Zhang Ran faces pressure from her parents and humiliation from an old rival, Yuan Yuan. Li Daoqi loses his job but keeps his composure. Fu Yudong takes up manual labor to support Zhang Ran, which leads to an awkward social encounter. Motivated by these struggles, Zhang Ran embraces a viral persona and gains massive popularity overnight, but Fu Yudong discovers she signed a longer contract than she admitted.
Spoiler Alert
Back to the Origin Episode 8
Family Pressure and Broken Glass
Zhang Ran is grinding away at home. She is recording videos and trying to build her content. Fu Yudong is right there with her and offers silent support. Her parents just don't get it. They see her running around from morning to night. They think she is just busy doing nothing. They want her to find a "real" job. They start judging Fu Yudong too. They think the two of them are just messing around. They even start digging into what Fu Yudong actually does for a living.
Li Daoqi is dealing with his own stress. His company is preparing for layoffs. Everyone at the office is panicking. Li Daoqi stays calm. He thinks his team is safe because they made the company a lot of money recently. Zhang Ran and Fu Yudong need a location to film. They ask to borrow Li Daoqi’s house. Cheng Man hates the idea. Li Daoqi begs her until she agrees. The shoot goes wrong. Zhang Ran accidentally smashes a very expensive cup. She feels terrible about it. Li Daoqi is a class act. He doesn't get mad at all. He just comforts her.
The Pink Slip
Zhang Ran goes home but still feels guilty about the cup. Fu Yudong tells her to relax. He promises to buy a replacement. He reminds her that he has plenty of certifications. He can take on odd jobs to make quick cash.
Li Daoqi’s confidence was misplaced. The company fires him. His subordinates feel bad and try to comfort him. Li Daoqi acts like he doesn't care. He tells them to respect the new leadership and not be late. He goes home to break the news. He tries to act casual with Cheng Man. She is shocked. But she supports him immediately. She says their savings can cover the bills even if he doesn't work.
The Humiliation Trap
Zhang Ran visits Qian Dan again. She wants to make her own content work. Qian Dan shows her the difference in numbers. The account Qian Dan built for Zhang Ran’s "persona" has tons of followers without a single post. Zhang Ran’s authentic account only has about a hundred fans after days of hard work.
Fu Yudong goes back to his old trade from Canada. He starts doing electrical repairs for people. Fate plays a cruel joke. His job takes him to Yuan Yuan’s house. Yuan Yuan loves this. She video calls Zhang Ran immediately. She posts a photo of Fu Yudong kneeling on the floor to her social circle. She wants everyone to see him doing manual labor. Old friends start messaging Zhang Ran.
Embracing the Meme
Yuan Yuan invites the couple over for dinner. It is a setup. She acts like royalty and tries to humiliate them. She uses every chance to put Zhang Ran down. Zhang Ran fights back. She mocks Yuan Yuan right back. They leave the dinner. Surprisingly, Yuan Yuan gives Fu Yudong a five-star rating for his repair work.
Fu Yudong feels guilty. He thinks he embarrassed Zhang Ran. She shuts that down. She tells him there is no shame in honest work. But the incident changes her mind. She is done struggling. She decides to use the "Desperate Daigou" meme identity to get famous. She starts livestreaming in character. It works instantly. By the next morning, she hits 100,000 followers. They celebrate the success. Fu Yudong is happy for her. But then he finds her contract. He reads the fine print. The contract is for three years, not one.
