Episode 19 recap: # Not Only
In Episode 19, Shen Xing is contemplating how to fulfill his friend Justin's undelivered love letter to a girl named Anita. He heads to the area of Daquling but fails to find Anita. Along the way, he spots a unique tattoo shop named "Not Only," owned by a woman named Su Su, who seems quite friendly and relatable to him as a Chinese person.
Shen Xing gets the idea to have Justin's eyes tattooed on his chest as a keepsake. Just then, a local man who just finished getting tattooed gives him a strange look, startling Shen Xing, and Su Su says she can't take on the job. It turns out that this area has a complicated history with foreigners, leading locals to be wary of them.
However, Shen Xing is straightforward and offers a high price, prompting Su Su to make an exception and agree to design a tattoo of an eye for him. Since this is not an urgent matter, Shen Xing leaves his phone number for Su Su to contact him once the design is ready.
Meanwhile, Cai Shu has returned to Daban and is sitting quietly in a burnt-out Buddhist temple, which is now just a shell of its former self. The local stray dog has always had a grudge against Shen Xing, and upon seeing the state of the temple, it openly calls him a jinx. Feeling disheartened, Shen Xing explains the situation to Cai Shu and wonders if Jin Zhanba is deliberately causing trouble. Cai Shu quickly understands that the fire only affected the temple, clearly targeting his faith.
Realizing that delivering goods is becoming increasingly dangerous, Shen Xing considers focusing on a safer side hustle. Cai Shu doesn’t offer any firm advice, so Shen Xing decides to visit Su Su to see how the tattoo design is progressing. However, he ends up dozing off on the shop’s sofa, still tired from staying up late the night before.
When he wakes up, he notices a strange smell in the air, as if something is mixed in, but Su Su doesn’t seem like the type to do anything shady. Meanwhile, Su Wen has been missing for three days after going into the mountains to deliver goods. When Cai Shu finds out, he becomes anxious and rushes out to bring Su Wen back.
At the same time, a troublemaker named Ban Lan and his crew show up to cause a scene, smashing up Su Su's shop. Su Su stands her ground and pulls out a gun to intimidate them, but the gun is unloaded, leading to an awkward standoff that could fill a three-bedroom apartment with tension.
At a critical moment, Shen Xing shot through the glass door from outside, declaring himself to be someone associated with Chairman Chen. Upon seeing him, Ban Lan immediately shrank back, recognizing Shen Xing as a regular at the Jin Cui Ge Lounge, and quickly fled the scene.
Thanks to Chairman Chen's influence, Cai Shu was finally able to bring Su Wen's body back. In Su Su's shop, there was also a girl living upstairs named Zhao Zi Ying, who appeared quiet but looked unwell, clearly troubled. She asked Shen Xing to help fix a window and engaged him in conversation for a while.
Su Su's attitude towards Shen Xing was markedly different from her warmth towards Zhao Zi Ying; she bluntly told him to find another tattoo shop and not to return. During Su Wen's funeral in the village, Shen Xing learned that Su Wen had been killed by a drug dealer after accidentally breaking the dealer's son's toy while making a delivery.
On the twelfth day after Justin's death, an old man with white hair fired a gun in the middle of the night, waking Shen Xing. When he stepped outside, he found Justin's memorial nearby. It dawned on him that the old man was bidding farewell to Justin in his own way. Shen Xing made another trip to Daquling to deliver dishes to Su Su and Zhao Zi Ying, insisting that Su Su still give him the tattoo.
Upon hearing that the owner of the eyes was gone, Su Su felt a mix of emotions. At that moment, Jue Xin Tun reappeared, fixated on Cai Shu. Shen Xing knew what he was after and directly told him that he was telling the truth—Cai Shu only operated on the sidelines and stayed away from that other stuff.
Jue Xin Tun wanted Shen Xing to help secure a chance to leave the mountains, while giving up the position of Luo Yang. Unfortunately, Dan Tuo overheard this conversation; he didn’t blame Shen Xing but instead mentioned that he had already been sent by Cai Shu to handle the situation.
As for the matter between Su Su and Zhao Zi Ying, Shen Xing chose not to pry, considering it a private affair. After finishing the tattoo, Su Su stepped out, and Zhao Zi Ying deliberately called Shen Xing in to help place ice cubes in the bathtub. Shen Xing complied but kept his gaze respectful, not letting his eyes wander.
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