A Girl Like Me Episode 30 Recap
> A Girl Like Me Recap
Following the Crown Prince's invitation, Shi Jin, guarding the temple entrance for the farming sacrifice ceremony, greeted Ban Hua and Rong Xia with surprise. Rong Xia explained that His Majesty had approved their marriage, allowing them to attend as an engaged couple. Shi Jin offered his congratulations before welcoming them inside. Within the temple, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess spoke with Jiang Luo and Xie Wanyu about having children.
The Crown Prince encouraged them to have a child soon, but Jiang Luo subtly retorted that he would not dare have an heir before the Crown Prince, who had none himself. Meanwhile, Ban Hua noticed Xie Wanyu’s nervousness and advised her not to compromise in love or waste her life on someone she did not care for, calling Jiang Luo a fool. The ceremony commenced, and initially, Rong Xia and Ban Hua saw no suspicious actions from Jiang Luo.
However, after the main rituals, when juice was served, his plan went into motion. The cup intended for the Crown Prince, which Jiang Luo had poisoned, was mistakenly given to Ban Hua. After she drank some of it, a panicked Xie Wanyu feigned illness and deliberately bumped into her, spilling the remainder of the poisoned drink. Shortly after, Ban Hua coughed up blood and collapsed.
A physician diagnosed her with a strange and potent poison that could only be countered with another toxic substance. With Ban Hua unconscious and unable to take the medicine, Rong Xia disregarded the physician’s warnings, drank the toxic antidote himself, and fed it to her mouth-to-mouth. He collapsed immediately after, but his actions saved Ban Hua, who soon regained consciousness. Later, Jiang Luo furiously confronted Xie Wanyu, demanding to know what she had seen.
He accused her of knowing about the poison and seeing him put it in the Crown Prince's cup. When she resolutely refused to change her story, he ordered her to be confined to her room. At the palace, the Empress tried to hide the incident from the Emperor, but he overheard her and demanded the truth. Learning Ban Hua had been poisoned, the Emperor was enraged by the attack, the attempt to hide it, and the Crown Prince's incompetence.
He ordered a vast quantity of the finest tonics to be sent to the Ban Mansion for Ban Hua’s recovery. The delivery was so large that Ban Huai, overwhelmed, had to be convinced by the palace attendant to accept it all.
Later, while the Ban family and Rong Xia were having hot pot, Ban Hua recalled Physician Yu’s grim prognosis: a residual poison remained in her body that he could not cure, and her survival now depended on her own fortitude. Feigning discomfort, she asked Rong Xia for a walk. They went to a wishing tree, where she secretly wrote on a ribbon, "May Rong Xia live a happy and carefree life, and find a beloved to be with forever."
Rong Xia wrote, "I wish to have one person's heart, and never be apart until old age," and they tied their ribbons to the tree. Feeling her life slipping away, Ban Hua began telling Rong Xia what to do after her death, but he tearfully interrupted, vowing to follow her to the afterlife. She then changed the subject, wistfully describing a future where they have children and grow old together. As she finished speaking, she collapsed unconscious into his arms.
The Crown Prince appeared before the Emperor, admitting his incompetence. Enraged by his son's repeated failures, the Emperor scathingly criticized him. The Crown Prince once again requested to be relieved of his duties as Regent, and this time, the furious Emperor agreed. Back at Ban’s Mansion, Ban Hua’s condition worsened. Physician Yu admitted the only hope was to get the antidote from the poisoner. Rong Xia immediately set out to do so.
When news of Ban Hua's critical state reached the palace, the Emperor was so overcome with grief and anger that he collapsed, coughing up blood. Meanwhile, Shi Feixian visited her grandfather, Shi Chonghai, in prison. She coldly informed him that the Emperor would not survive the night and Jiang Luo would soon take power.
She promised to restore the Shi family's status, causing Shi Chonghai to kneel in gratitude, though she reminded him that their family ties were severed when they abandoned her. Rong Xia arrived at Jiang Luo's residence, the Wude Palace, to get the antidote. Shi Feixian met him and laid out two conditions: first, he must break his engagement with Ban Hua and sever all ties with her family; second, he must help Jiang Luo ascend the throne.
She warned him that the 'Heart-Devouring Poison' was fatal in nine days, and six had already passed. Returning to the Ban Mansion, Rong Xia told the family he had failed to get the antidote. Ban Huai compassionately reassured him they did not blame him.
Later, at Ban Hua's bedside, Rong Xia spoke to her unconscious form, calling her his "medicine" and lamenting that while she would want them to face this together, this was a gamble he could not afford to lose. With a heavy heart, he tore up their marriage contract, vowing that this would be the last time he saw her, having made his choice to save her life at a great personal cost.
