A Dream Within A Dream Episode 1 Recap
> A Dream Within A Dream Recap
The legitimate daughter of the Minister of War, Song Yimeng, is getting married. Chu Guihong, a young general of the Qianyu Army, intercepts the procession midway, intending to kill the demon Nan Heng to avenge his father and many wives. Song Yimeng rushes out to stop him, claiming she’s marrying of her own free will. Nan Heng demands proof of her sincerity, and Song Yimeng immediately draws her sword and stabs Chu Guihong.
Ironically, Nan Heng then stabs Song Yimeng, and Chu Guihong, turning back, stabs Nan Heng. The three of them stab each other in vital points, each aiming to take the other's life. Amid the swirling sand and wind, the three spin and stab each other in circles—until a sudden phone ringtone interrupts. Ms. Na criticizes the script as terrible and accuses it of portraying the male lead as stupid.
The screenwriter Beixiong explains that it’s a trope the audience likes, and the director agrees. Ms. Na demands that more scenes be added for the male lead and, being overly critical, stirs conflict in the crew as she tries to negotiate on behalf of Nan Feng. Song Xiaoyu suggests that since she’s a newcomer, she could cut some of her lines. She proposes collapsing in front of the male lead right after exiting the bridal sedan.
Unexpectedly, the director agrees and plans to revise the script. After Nan Feng appears, a fan named Pumpkins surrounds him with cheers. Song Xiaoyu envies Nan Feng’s popularity. Her manager, Huang, says she doesn’t take it seriously. He had planned for her to wear something nice to ride the hype, but she dressed too plainly.
Song Xiaoyu wants to prove herself through acting, but Huang remarks that she got the female lead role only because the director picked someone willing to play a supporting role as the lead. Song Xiaoyu returns home, studies the script again, and reenters the scenes of Song Yimeng. As she flips through, she finds Song Yimeng’s love for Nan Heng to be over-the-top and naive, calling it a clichéd and ridiculous plot.
She complains that after marrying Nan Heng, Song Yimeng catches him cheating with her sister Song Yiting. When she tries to confront him, Nan Heng slaps her. Song Xiaoyu rants that even short vertical dramas don’t go this far, and she can’t understand how slaps are supposed to bring in traffic, since every drama seems to use this plot device.
After spending all night reading the script, Song Xiaoyu sees Song Yimeng dressed in red and guesses she’s probably about to commit suicide by jumping off a building. Unexpectedly, Chu Guihong shows up, ties up both women, and threatens Nan Heng with the unborn child in one of them, seeking revenge for the deceased General Song. To her shock, Nan Heng directly orders the archers to fire.
Song Yimeng gets shot and wounded, only to see Nan Heng saving Song Yiting instead. Heartbroken, she jumps and ends up being turned into a mutilated prisoner. After finishing the script, Song Xiaoyu complains that the plot is absolute trash. Just as she’s about to open the window for fresh air, a sudden gust of wind hits, and her body becomes uncontrollable.
When she wakes up again, she finds herself dressed in historical costume, surrounded by piles of gold and silver on the table, thinking she must be dreaming. Suddenly, a group of maids comes in to help her change. She hears the name Yingqiu and realizes she’s transmigrated into the book and become Song Yimeng. Frightened, Song Xiaoyu wants to run away, not wanting to marry and be stabbed to death by Nan Heng.
Upon learning that she’s marrying Chu Guihong instead, she remembers that as long as she doesn’t flee the marriage, she’ll be safe. Her father, Song Yude, reminds her to live well, while her stepmother Zhou Xueyi deliberately says unpleasant things. Song Xiaoyu confirms they are just as cold and unfriendly as in the script. Chu Guihong's wedding procession arrives, and Song Xiaoyu happily gets into the bridal sedan, feeling like a winner in life.
Suddenly, assassins crash into the sedan during a chase. Song Xiaoyu hits her head and thinks she might die on her first day in this world. When she wakes up again, she finds herself back before the wedding and hurriedly orders the sedan to be reinforced. She expects the bandits to return, but a child crashes into the sedan instead, injuring her again.
Unwilling to believe in bad luck, Song Xiaoyu prepares for the wedding again and is determined to make it succeed. After reinforcing the safety of the sedan, she finally arrives safely at the Chu residence—only to trip and fall while stepping out of the sedan. After several failed attempts to get married, each ending in fatal accidents, she finally makes it to the wedding ceremony, only to be poisoned by wine just before the vows.
