A Dream Within A Dream Episode 3 Recap
> A Dream Within A Dream Recap
Song Xiaoyu remembered that a famous scene would take place at the banquet and didn’t want to encounter Nan Heng. She spotted Song Yimeng’s rival, Jia Ruru, and planned to deliberately stir up trouble and disrupt the plot mechanism. She stopped Jia Ruru and provocatively claimed that Nan Heng intended to marry her.
She thought Jia Ruru would get jealous and lock her up, but unexpectedly, Jia Ruru just wanted to leave and even reminded her not to make a scene in the palace. During their struggle, Song Xiaoyu accidentally fell into the lake. In that instant, time seemed to freeze—she thought she was going to drown. After she fell in, Nan Heng rushed over and jumped into the lake to save her.
Song Xiaoyu would rather die than be entangled with Nan Heng, so she frantically swam in the opposite direction, but she was still pulled ashore by Nan Heng. The incident drew a crowd, and Nan Rui, thinking it was Song Yiting who had fallen in, hurried over to check on her. Song Xiaoyu knew this was a forced plot event. She didn’t accept Nan Heng’s cloak but instead rebuked him for saving her.
After saying that, she turned to leave, but unexpectedly, the script mechanism kicked in—her body moved against her will and forced her to go back and hold hands with Nan Heng for reconciliation. Nan Heng found her unreasonable and was about to leave too, but his body was also beyond his control and turned back, kissing Song Xiaoyu. The two kissed in front of everyone. Fu Gui couldn’t believe what he saw.
After a moment of immersion, Nan Heng pushed Song Xiaoyu away, visibly flustered. Song Xiaoyu teased him, asking if that was his first kiss, which drew laughter from the onlookers. Word of the incident quickly spread throughout the palace and beyond—everyone knew Nan Heng had lost his “purity,” and Song Yimeng’s unique hairpin style became a hit throughout the city. Song Xiaoyu tried to comfort herself, thinking it was all just acting.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized there was something hidden in the way the plot advanced—everyone else seemed to exist solely to push forward her romantic arc with Nan Heng. Fu Gui assumed Nan Heng had used a “wounded hero” tactic and praised how closely he and Song Yimeng had bonded.
Nan Heng denied it, believing Song Yimeng had bewitched him, and upon learning that Chu Guihong still hadn’t married because of her, Nan Heng decided not to hide his intentions anymore. Chancellor Gao Zhangyin returned from disaster relief and immediately met with Nan Heng. The two discussed important matters.
Nan Heng wanted to obtain the method of forging the Satin Blade, and Gao Zhangyin suspected it was hidden in Song Yimeng’s possession, since Chu Guihong had been in frequent contact with her. Nan Heng sent gold and silver treasures to her. At first, Song Xiaoyu was pleased, but once she learned they came from Nan Heng, she refused them outright. Nan Heng believed she was playing hard to get and declared that he wouldn’t give up.
No matter where Song Xiaoyu went shopping, Fu Gui would buy up everything she liked as planned, ensuring she had dramatic highlights. Frightened, Song Xiaoyu hid in the residence, but even the servants and birds were all talking about Nan Heng—she couldn’t avoid him no matter what. Zhou Xueyi taught Song Yiting to interact more with Nan Rui and create opportunities for the two of them, but Song Yiting said she didn’t want to get married.
Nan Heng came to the Song residence again. Zhixia tried to stop him, claiming Song Yimeng was sick, but Nan Heng opened his medicine chest and brought a pile of top-quality medicine, insisting on seeing her. Song Xiaoyu was confused—there wasn’t supposed to be a passionate pursuit plot. Why was this added? Song Yude told Song Yimeng to meet the guest, and Song Xiaoyu saw that it was Nan Heng.
Song Yude served Nan Heng the finest snow tea, praised his extraordinary talents, and deliberately belittled Song Yimeng as lacking sense, saying the two were not a good match. He also stated he would soon retire and couldn’t offer Nan Heng any support. Nan Heng understood what was being implied and said he and Song Yimeng were truly in love. Song Xiaoyu arrived, pretending to be gentle and well-mannered, subtly rejecting Nan Heng.
Song Yude noticed that Song Yimeng’s tone had changed and felt like she was a different person. Song Xiaoyu hoped to sever ties with Nan Heng and believed her words could end their storyline. Nan Heng saw through her intentions and deliberately asked Song Yimeng to walk him out. Fu Gui realized Song Yimeng wasn’t actually playing hard to get.
Outside, Nan Heng grabbed Song Yimeng’s hand, wanting to recreate the emotional link through a pinky swear, believing they had been controlled that day. Song Xiaoyu didn’t explain and said it was all a misunderstanding. She knew it was the plot mechanism at work but knew Nan Heng wouldn’t believe her if she said it. Nan Heng threatened her with a knife, demanding to know the truth.
Song Xiaoyu explained that there was an external force at play and that she could accurately recount Nan Heng’s past. Nan Heng didn’t believe her until Song Xiaoyu mentioned how he and Chu Guihong had once been childhood playmates but later became enemies. She also knew that what Nan Heng really wanted was the method to forge the Satin Blade—and said she could help him obtain it.
