Episode 26 recap: Chen Ruo Hua agreed to marry Li Zhong.
Li Zhong's parents wanted to meet Zhao Xiu Li to discuss the marriage of the two children. Chen Ruo Hua informed her mother about this, and when Zhao Xiu Li found out, she learned that Li Zhong was Chen Ruo Hua's classmate and they had only met a few times. She couldn't help but criticize her daughter again.
Upon hearing her mother's criticism, Chen Ruo Hua almost revealed the incident with the video. When Zhao Xiu Li heard Chen Ruo Hua say that Ruoxuan also wanted to escape from this family and that he hadn't even participated in the math competition, she decided to find an opportunity to investigate and clarify the situation. Chen Ruo Hua arrived at the restaurant where Li Zhong had made reservations, but even though the food was served, she didn't see her mother anywhere. She couldn't help but call her mother and complain about being stood up.
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Xiu Li thought it over and worried that her daughter was being deceived, so she ultimately rushed to the restaurant. After sitting down at the table, she wore a cold expression and sarcastically criticized Li Zhong for being a freeloader. Li Zhong's parents told Chen Ruo Hua that they hoped she and Li Zhong would get married as soon as possible.
Initially, Chen Ruo Hua didn't want to agree, but when she heard Zhao Xiu Li say that it was necessary for her to agree, she changed her mind and agreed to the marriage in order to spite her mother. To win over Zhao Xiu Li, Li Zhong's parents told her that their family was able to live in a villa and own two nice cars because of the money Li Zhong earned from his business.
Upon hearing that the Li family was so wealthy and that Li Zhong was so capable, Zhao Xiu Li's expression softened, and in the end, the two families decided to hold the wedding on the fifth day of the next month. After leaving Li Zhong's parents, Chen Ruo Hua couldn't help but taunt her mother, calling her a chameleon for surrendering so quickly.
She also told her mother that the reason she agreed to marry Li Zhong was because the house in Li Zhong's family had a password lock and was under 24-hour security surveillance. Without knowing the password, one couldn't enter at all. Upon hearing that Chen Ruo Hua wanted to escape from her, Zhao Xiu Li couldn't understand why her daughter would feel that way when she always had her daughter's best interests at heart.
However, she didn't believe that Ruoxuan would also despise her. In order to find out if what Chen Ruo Hua said was true, Zhao Xiu Li sought out Ruoxuan's teacher.
To her surprise, the teacher told her that Ruoxuan indeed didn't participate in the competition. The reason he said Ruoxuan did well was that Ruoxuan had already encountered some trouble, and whether he did well or not in the competition didn't matter anymore.
On their way back home, Li Zhong's parents couldn't help but discuss Zhao Xiu Li. They hadn't expected that they would settle the matter with the mother and daughter so quickly. The reason they wanted Li Zhong to get married early was to suppress the gossip. Their son was a bit of a troublemaker, getting involved with other women outside. They hoped that after he got married, he would settle down.
After leaving the teacher, Zhao Xiu Li went to the park to meet with Lao Wang. Through Lao Wang's guidance, she realized that her way of loving her child was somewhat wrong. When she returned home, she apologized to Chen Ruo Hua and told her about the information she had gathered—Li Zhong had character issues.
Chen Ruo Hua didn't see her mother's change and thought that her mother wanted to sabotage her relationship with Li Zhong and keep her by her side. However, Zhao Xiu Li's words still sparked suspicion in Chen Ruo Hua. So she went to Li Zhong's villa and unexpectedly discovered him engaging in intimate activities with another woman in their future marital home. As she was about to leave, Li Zhong noticed her and chased after her, trying to explain that it was just a fling with someone else, but he was serious about his wife.
Hearing his shameless words, Chen Ruo Hua felt disgusted. Lin Tian Yu went to the gym to work as a coach, and An Xin, pretending to be a customer, found him. An Xin told Lin Tian Yu that she now only wanted him to be her boyfriend and didn't insist on him being her dance partner. She coquettishly asked him if he would agree or not, and Lin Tian Yu hugged her tightly.
After calming down, they had a good conversation. The reason Lin Tian Yu didn't want to dance was that he felt guilty about He Peng Peng's death. In order to win an award, he secretly changed dance partners after He Peng Peng got injured. He Peng Peng took a wrong path because he discovered this.
An Xin realized that rushing to make Lin Tian Yu return to the stage was not the right approach, so she had him accompany her for dance practice every day. Seeing An Xin injure her leg again because of dancing, Lin Tian Yu couldn't bear it anymore and decided to choreograph a dance specifically for her.
Chen Ruo Hua is a weak person. Even though she initially decided to stay in Beijing, she fled when reminded of the childhood setbacks. When she had issues with her mother, she thought of using arranged marriage as an escape.
However, she wasn't always this weak; it's just that her courage has been worn down. She's like a little cat abandoned by her mother in middle school, bravely pursuing a relationship with Zhou Kai Ze only to be disappointed, facing the harsh reality of unemployment upon returning to her hometown, enduring her mother's habitual oppression, and being overwhelmed by external judgments.
To be honest, Chen Ruo Hua's resistance is a false resistance. Her rebellion is about finding a balance in her relationship with her mother, such as through arranged marriage or marrying a suitable partner who meets her mother's expectations.
She doesn't dare to venture out on her own or believe in her ability to live independently. There were a few times when she mustered up the courage to try, saying that she doesn't believe she can't survive on her own.
However, reality dealt her a heavy blow, resulting in her current awkward situation.