Episode 21 recap: Li Da Hai Meets His First Love at the Stadium
In Episode 21, when Niu Ling Ling and Li Da Hai got married, she helped him make a good impression on his superiors. Now, at the stadium, Li Da Hai encounters his first love, and Bai Shuang’s emotions are quite complex. After the game, Li Da Hai quickly sits next to Niu Ling Ling to check in on her.
Yuan Shan Qing, dressed thoroughly for an outing, finds the door locked and decides to climb out the window. Meanwhile, Cheng Peng Fei and Yang Song Bai discuss the situation, realizing that Li Da Hai's circumstances are more complicated than they appear. Li Da Hai confesses that he calculated the timing and that Bai Shuang’s child might be his own. Cheng Peng Fei and Yang Song Bai bet on this revelation, leaving Li Da Hai extremely frustrated.
Li Si, feeling down, visits the arcade but doesn’t play. He asks Zhu Chao if he has any good qualities, but receives no response. At home, Yuan Yong and Xiao Zi are alone, and seeing the still young Xiao Zi stirs a flicker of pity in Yuan Yong. After the game, Niu Ling Ling immediately links arms with Li Da Hai and insists he introduce her to Bai Shuang, who is surprisingly open. Niu Ling Ling looks even prettier than Bai Shuang had imagined.
Li Da Hai feels anxious, wishing he could escape the situation. Yuan Shan Qing manages to bring back a few bottles of alcohol for Yuan Yong and advises him to leave quickly before being discovered. Cheng Ya Ya, worried, climbs onto the roof in the middle of the night to check if anyone is home, while Yuan Yong, armed with a knife, hides with Yuan Shan Qing and Xiao Zi.
Li Da Hai wants to meet Bai Shuang but struggles to come up with a legitimate reason. He enlists Yang Song Bai and Cheng Peng Fei for help. Cheng Peng Fei suggests that all they need to do is keep Niu Ling Ling out of the house; if they can get her out, it would be safer to send all three of them away.
The task falls to Yang Song Bai, who nervously confronts Hu Yue, insisting she call his mother during the New Year. Hu Yue doesn’t intend to fight, but when she responds dismissively, Yang Song Bai escalates the argument and insists that Hu Qiu Min summon Niu Ling Ling and Jia Dai Yu. Hu Yue, emotionally charged, is ready to argue.
At this point, Li Da Hai is anxiously pacing on the sofa, just waiting for a call that will take Niu Ling Ling away. When Niu Ling Ling brings up Bai Shuang, mentioning that her man left early, making it hard for her to raise a child alone, Li Da Hai quickly distances himself from any involvement. However, Niu Ling Ling won’t let it go.
Hu Qiu Min seeks Jia Dai Yu’s help, and upon hearing the news, Jia Dai Yu explodes, immediately dragging Cheng Peng Fei along. Soon, Niu Ling Ling receives a call.
When Jia Dai Yu and Cheng Peng Fei burst in, Yang Song Bai was about to throw something in frustration. Seeing the two of them, he escalated the situation. Jia Dai Yu and Niu Ling Ling scolded him harshly and then tried to take Hu Yue away. Yang Song Bai stubbornly blocked their path, his words becoming increasingly outrageous, leaving Cheng Peng Fei stunned.
At that moment, Li Da Hai arrived at the hotel where Bai Shuang was staying. They hadn’t seen each other in twenty-three years. From Bai Shuang’s perspective, Li Da Hai’s rise in his career meant that the struggles they endured back then weren’t in vain. After some contemplation, Li Da Hai finally voiced his lingering doubts.
Meanwhile, Yang Song Bai was still in deep trouble, being jointly attacked by Jia Dai Yu and Niu Ling Ling. Bai Shuang showed Li Da Hai a photo of her child, and Li Da Hai felt overwhelming guilt. He realized he had already let Bai Shuang down and could not afford to let the child down too. He was afraid to admit that he just wanted to secure a permanent position at the oil field because he was tired of being poor, but Bai Shuang didn’t press him and let him leave.
While Li Da Hai was still grappling with his guilt, Bai Shuang finally confessed that the child had nothing to do with him. The child was actually her brother's and sister-in-law's. They had died in a landslide years ago, and Bai Shuang had brought the child back to the oil field, fabricating a story about the child's father’s death.
As Yang Song Bai continued to be in hot water, Li Da Hai hurried over to stop the chaos. The next day, Li Si stopped Li Da Hai’s car, feeling that Li Da Hai had abandoned his first love for a promotion and now had brought trouble back into their lives. Li Da Hai got angry and scolded him for being useless.
Feeling even worse, Li Si went to Qiang Xiao Wa’s house to vent. He felt that Li Da Hai and Niu Ling Ling weren’t treating him badly; they just weren’t home often, and he hadn’t even gotten a proper meal at home. Qiang Xiao Wa envied his life, but Li Si envied him; compared to them, Qiang Xiao Wa had responsibilities and capabilities, making him appear stronger.
After staying for a few days, Yuan Yong was finally ready to leave and left some money for Yuan Shan Qing and her sister. Just as he was leaving, Cheng Ya Ya spotted him and immediately recognized Yuan Yong. However, Yuan Shan Qing rushed out to stop him, urging him to leave. He pleaded with Cheng Ya Ya to pretend she hadn’t seen him. Despite Yuan Shan Qing being a criminal, she was still his mother.
Comments(Episode 21)