A Girl Like Me Episode 24 Recap
> A Girl Like Me Recap
Following the collapse of the Shi family, Shi Feixian awoke in unfamiliar surroundings, expressing fear and confusion. A woman named Mrs. Wang, who had been looking after her, explained that a gentleman had delivered her three days prior along with some silver. Hearing the description of a handsome and scholarly man, Shi Feixian mistakenly believed it was Count Cheng’an, Rong Xia, who had saved her.
Meanwhile, Rong Xia arrived at the Shi family mansion with a cup of wine granted by His Majesty. Shi Chonghai, stripped of his power, questioned why Rong Xia had cornered him. In response, Rong Xia accused Shi Chonghai of countless bloody deeds, including the murder of Butler Rong. Pressing for a confession, Rong Xia asked what the butler knew that warranted his death, suggesting it was related to Shi Chonghai's schemes for the Crown Princess position.
Shi Chonghai admitted that Prime Minister Yan had betrayed him and that he had acted out of selfish motives. Rong Xia, however, remained focused on his family's tragedy, questioning the court's suspicious silence after the deaths of two prominent officials, his father and General Ban. Claiming to be a mere pawn, Shi Chonghai recounted his version of events. After ascending the throne, the Emperor relentlessly sought the lost Tiger Tally from General Ban.
Yan Hui suggested using Rong Xia's father, Lord Rong, to retrieve it. When even Lord Rong failed, Yan Hui sowed doubt in the Emperor's mind, suggesting Lord Rong might be colluding with the Ban family. Yan Hui then summoned Shi Chonghai and Lord Xie, instructing Shi Chonghai to deliver poisoned wine to the Rong Mansion.
After Lord Rong died, Yan Hui brazenly confessed to the Emperor that he had orchestrated the death to find the Tiger Tally, which he now believed was with the Princess Royal. According to his tale, Shi Chonghai overheard this and rushed to the Princess Royal, stopping her from consuming poisoned food and revealing Yan Hui’s plot. The Princess Royal was distraught to learn Lord Rong had been murdered over the Tally, which she insisted she did not possess.
As she prepared to confront the Emperor, a servant arrived with tragic news: while Mrs. Rong and the younger master were safe, the elder young master had died along with his father. Following this, the Princess Royal and Shi Chonghai arranged for Rong Xia to enter the Palace as the Crown Prince’s study partner to protect the last of the Rong bloodline. Rong Xia sharply interrupted, exposing Shi Chonghai’s deceit.
He revealed that he had known for years that Shi Chonghai, not Lord Xie, was inside the Imperial Study during Yan Hui’s insidious proposal. Rong Xia asserted that the feigned rescue of the Princess Royal was merely a ploy to locate the Tiger Tally, a scheme fueled by Yan Hui’s promise to make Shi Chonghai's granddaughter the Crown Princess.
Realizing Yan Hui's betrayal, a defeated Shi Chonghai expressed remorse and prepared to join Lord Rong and General Ban in death, but Rong Xia declared him unworthy. Desperate, Shi Chonghai retorted that Rong Xia could never outmaneuver the Emperor, whose silence and continued employment of him and Yan Hui proved his complicity. He warned that until the Tiger Tally was found, such tragedies would continue. Defeated, Shi Chonghai drank the wine.
After Rong Xia left, Du Jiu informed the dying man that the wine was not poisoned, revealing Rong Xia’s final deception. Shi Chonghai’s words, however, deeply wounded Rong Xia, confirming the Emperor's role in his family's suffering. Overcome with grief, he got drunk and went to the Ban Mansion to find Ban Hua. Ban Hua found Rong Xia in despair, crying that he had no family left.
She gently comforted him, declaring that she was his family and promising to share his burdens. He pleaded with her not to leave, and she stayed with him until he fell asleep. The next morning, Rong Xia awoke in shock to find Ban Heng beside him. Ban Heng mischievously claimed Rong Xia had clung to him all night, leaving Rong Xia mortified and worried about his drunken behavior toward Ban Hua.
The maids, Softy and Rocky, were caught gossiping about the improper situation by Ban Hua and her mother, Madam Yin. Madam Yin, sensing Rong Xia’s deep-seated sorrow, advised Ban Hua to comfort him. Elsewhere, Shi Feixian was nearly assaulted by Wang Daqiang. When Mrs. Wang discovered them, she accused Shi Feixian of seducing her husband. Enraged by the injustice, Shi Feixian trapped the couple inside their house and set it on fire, killing them before she fled.
When Jiang Luo arrived, he found only the smoldering ruins and Shi Feixian's hairpin, leading him to believe she had perished. At Rong Mansion, Du Jiu told Ban Hua that Rong Xia was still deeply troubled. Ban Hua visited Rong Xia, who tried to shield her from his problems. She insisted they face everything together as a future family. She gently questioned his anger at the Emperor, suggesting Shi Chonghai might have been lying.
Rong Xia countered by reminding her of her grandfather’s sacrifice and how her grandmother, the Princess Royal, had hidden the Tally precisely because she understood the Emperor’s nature. He admitted he was torn between his promise to the Princess Royal to protect the Ban family and his mother’s wish for him to let go of hatred, and the painful reality that the Emperor, a man who had shown him kindness, was complicit in his family’s murder.
Ban Hua reassured him that he was not alone and they would face the future together. Shi Feixian returned to the capital to find the Shi mansion sealed, a symbol of her family's downfall. Undeterred, she vowed to find her own place in the city. Meanwhile, Jiang Luo angrily accused Xie Chongjin of setting the fire that he believed killed Shi Feixian. Xie Chongjin denied it, reminding Jiang Luo that he was indispensable to his ambition for the throne.
Jiang Luo relented, and Xie Chongjin advised him to use the Emperor to eliminate Count Cheng'an, leaving the Crown Prince isolated and vulnerable. Determined to comfort Rong Xia, Ban Hua decided to personally cook him ginseng chicken soup, despite Ban Heng’s warnings about her terrible cooking skills. She wanted to give Rong Xia, who grew up alone, a taste of home.
Rong Xia praised the soup's flavor and, to her delight, drank the entire large bowl, refusing her help so as not to waste her heartfelt effort. Ban Hua was proud, until her father and brother later revealed the soup was horribly bitter. Realizing Rong Xia drank it purely out of love, she vowed to improve her cooking. Later, Shi Feixian revealed herself to Jiang Luo in a dark forest.
Believing her to be a ghost, he was shaken but then overjoyed to see her alive. He recounted his despair at finding the ruins and her hairpin, apologizing for her suffering and pleading for her to come back with him. Shi Feixian demurred, calling herself a "guilty person," but Jiang Luo insisted, proclaiming he would not lose her again.
