A Love So Beautiful Episode 23 (Ending) Recap
> A Love So Beautiful Recap
Jiang Chen held Chen Xiaoxi tightly on the small bed in his hospital office. In the middle of the night, Chen Xiaoxi stirred, intending to get up and use the restroom. Jiang Chen immediately woke up, embracing her waist and childishly asking if she would come back. Chen Xiaoxi, who had never seen Jiang Chen behave this way, gently stroked his head and softly promised that she would.
Reassured, Jiang Chen released her, profoundly grateful that she had returned, and that they could mend their relationship. Time passed, and Chen Xiaoxi fully immersed herself in her comic creation. Her friend Lin Jingxiao even acted as her agent, discussing publishing issues with a company. Meanwhile, Wu Baisong had to leave Qianjiang for a TV program. He told Jiang Chen he would be gone for about a month, implying it was to recover from his "love injury."
Wu Baisong entrusted Chen Xiaoxi's care to Jiang Chen, who acknowledged it, urging him to leave due to expensive airport parking. One day, Jiang Chen took Chen Xiaoxi out for hot pot again. Walking along, Chen Xiaoxi complained about always eating hot pot in such hot weather. Jiang Chen earnestly told her he had long wanted to take her to that specific restaurant for its couple's hot pot, and he couldn't wait until winter.
Chen Xiaoxi's eyes welled up with emotion upon hearing this. She then stopped, mentioning her hands were sweaty from the heat. Jiang Chen, who was holding her left hand, switched to holding her right hand. Chen Xiaoxi thought to herself how childish Jiang Chen was. Chen Xiaoxi, Jiang Chen, Lu Yang, and Lin Jingxiao gathered to celebrate the successful completion of Chen Xiaoxi's first comic.
They also toasted Lin Jingxiao becoming a graduate student and Lu Yang's e-sports team reaching the WCA finals. Chen Xiaoxi, knowing Jiang Chen had stomach problems, volunteered to drink on his behalf, which Jiang Chen was amenable to, stating he was "willing to." Despite Lu Yang teasing her about public displays of affection, Chen Xiaoxi drank quite a bit, happily toasting her comic.
Afterwards, Jiang Chen, in a soft tone Chen Xiaoxi had never heard before, told his "little drunkard" that it was time to go home. He carried her on his back, walking slowly and steadily. Chen Xiaoxi playfully poked his dimples as he smiled, and he didn't try to stop her, instead smiling even wider, then adjusted her upwards to prevent her from sliding down.
The wind on the way home somewhat sobered Chen Xiaoxi, but her inebriated state deeply pleased Jiang Chen, who acted like a child with a new toy. He carefully placed her on the sofa, then pulled her into his embrace. The tipsy Chen Xiaoxi was remarkably docile, playing along with Jiang Chen's seemingly silly questions. He asked her who he was, and she replied, "My boyfriend." When he asked his name, she said, "Jiang Chen."
He then asked, "If I ask you to marry me while you're drunk, will it appear that I'm mean and I'm taking advantage of your distress?" Still somewhat lucid, Chen Xiaoxi secretly anticipated his proposal and said, "No." After she said "No," Jiang Chen offered no further words. After waiting for a while, Chen Xiaoxi, suspecting he might have fallen asleep, patted his face and urged him to "make a proposal." Jiang Chen, however, replied, "You? Yes, I do."
Thus, Chen Xiaoxi unwittingly became the one who proposed. He then clarified, "Chen Xiaoxi, you just proposed to me. I agreed because it's you." The next morning, Chen Xiaoxi returned with breakfast to find Jiang Chen casually telling her that she had proposed to him last night. Chen Xiaoxi feigned ignorance, inviting him to eat.
Jiang Chen persisted with the topic, even suggesting they take an hour off to register their marriage since he had seen her household register and had his own with him. Chen Xiaoxi pretended not to understand, but when Jiang Chen insisted she remember what happened, she suddenly burst into tears, declaring she didn't want to marry him. Jiang Chen, flustered, pulled her into a hug, unaware of the sacred importance of a marriage proposal in Chen Xiaoxi's heart.
Jiang Chen then meticulously prepared a proper proposal for Chen Xiaoxi in a hospital room. He enlisted the help of a nurse to deliver a report, subtly guiding Chen Xiaoxi into the designated room. There, he used helium-filled rubber gloves to suspend a ring, saying, "Chen Xiaoxi, marry me." He explained that their friend Su Mu had informed him she cried because he hadn't proposed, emphasizing that a man should propose first. He then asked if she agreed.
After her affirmation, he thanked her, stating she had helped him find a love most people never do. When Chen Xiaoxi commented on his sudden eloquence, Jiang Chen admitted he was told to say "sensational words" for a proposal. He then tried to rush her decision by claiming he had an operation, but Chen Xiaoxi requested more time to think. Jiang Chen insisted she would say yes eventually and urged her to accept the ring.
She playfully teased him about the "ugly balloons" (rubber gloves) and the "harmful gas," to which he patiently explained that helium was an inert gas, lighter than air, used in hospitals. Before leaving for his outpatient service, he told her to rest and that they would go home together after work. As he walked away, Chen Xiaoxi, still giddy, pointed at her hand and said, "It's my ring." Jiang Chen confirmed he bought it.
On the way back, Chen Xiaoxi happily gazed at the ring on her finger. Jiang Chen accompanied Chen Xiaoxi home. Feeling shy after the proposal, Chen Xiaoxi urged him to go home quickly, but to her surprise, Jiang Chen simply walked inside her apartment. He pulled her onto the sofa and rested his head on her lap, closing his eyes. Just then, Chen Xiaoxi's mother called, intending to set Chen Xiaoxi up on a blind date.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen's eyes snapped open. He snatched Chen Xiaoxi's phone and told her mother, "Hello Auntie, I'm Jiang Chen. I've been together with Chen Xiaoxi. I'll come to visit you later." Before Chen Xiaoxi's mother could fully react, Chen Xiaoxi quickly grabbed her phone back and hung up, citing a bad connection. Jiang Chen teasingly asked, "You see it's done, right?"
Chen Xiaoxi still tried to make him leave, saying it was late and he should go home, but Jiang Chen simply requested a glass of water, indicating his intention to stay. That night, Jiang Chen stayed at Chen Xiaoxi's place. After her shower, Chen Xiaoxi found Jiang Chen lost in thought on the sofa. She went over and hugged his shoulders, asking what he was thinking. Jiang Chen replied that he was imagining life without her.
Chen Xiaoxi, attempting to provoke him, suggested he could then find a girl who was taller, slimmer, prettier, softer, smarter, and more sensible than her. To her dismay, Jiang Chen simply agreed. Tears immediately welled up in Chen Xiaoxi's eyes, and she tearfully forbade him from looking for other girls, calling him a "bastard with no conscience" and threatening to haunt him. Jiang Chen gently stroked her head, pondering why he hadn't realized how prone to crying she was before.
Later that night, while Jiang Chen was sleeping in the living room, he was startled by a noise and rushed into Chen Xiaoxi's room. She explained that the upstairs neighbors were constantly making noise, preventing her from sleeping. She worried he wouldn't sleep well either, so she invited him to share her bed.
Lying in bed with Jiang Chen, Chen Xiaoxi asked him if he really intended to propose, or if he only did so out of pity because she had almost cried. Jiang Chen reassured her that he genuinely wanted to. She then pressed him again, asking if he would truly find someone "taller, slimmer, smarter and more sensible" than her.
Jiang Chen responded that the world was not as small as her washroom, and he had found her, which was not easy. Chen Xiaoxi, not fully understanding, jokingly defended the size of her washroom. After a moment, Chen Xiaoxi realized she had forgotten to brush her teeth and asked him to accompany her. Jiang Chen, with his eyes closed, dismissed it, saying it wouldn't be the first time she'd forgotten. Chen Xiaoxi retorted that she remembered now.
Then, in a low voice, Jiang Chen asked, "Then why do you always forget that I love you very much?" He confessed his deep love for her, adding that even if there were many girls in the world who were "taller, slimmer, prettier, softer and more sensible" than her, it was "none of his business." Chen Xiaoxi playfully insisted that no such girl existed. After the previous night, Jiang Chen and Chen Xiaoxi were officially a couple.
The next morning, Chen Xiaoxi, still tired, remained in bed. Jiang Chen became her "hands and feet," feeding her breakfast and giving her water, a time she loved for ordering him around. He also teased her about blushing, even though she was a doctor familiar with human anatomy.
Chen Xiaoxi then asked if he had washed his hands after using the bathroom, to which he bluntly replied no. Later, still in bed, Chen Xiaoxi woke up hungry again and demanded Jiang Chen bring her food and hold her while she brushed her teeth, but he only agreed to carry her to the living room. Jiang Chen then bought ingredients, planning to cook at home.
As neither had much cooking experience, they relied on simple methods of cutting and boiling to prepare a meal. When they began cooking, Chen Xiaoxi suggested making soup first and told Jiang Chen to cut the ingredients since he was a doctor used to using knives. He even admitted to carrying a scalpel in his bag, which she found abnormal.
They struggled with the cooking process, adding too much water, and Jiang Chen jokingly suggested eating out, but Chen Xiaoxi insisted on eating at home. When they finally ate, Chen Xiaoxi noticed the dish lacked salt, but Jiang Chen dismissed it, citing health reasons. She declared herself full and refused the soup. Chen Xiaoxi and Jiang Chen began their blissful, uninhibited life together.
One evening, Chen Xiaoxi's parents unexpectedly arrived at her apartment, having encountered Jiang Chen downstairs, who was leaving to buy something, and invited him to join them. Chen Xiaoxi's mother quickly instructed her to hide any of Jiang Chen's belongings before her father, unaware of their relationship, noticed them. Chen Xiaoxi panicked, realizing Jiang Chen's clothes were still on the balcony. Her mother cleverly suggested Chen Xiaoxi pretend to retrieve the clothes and then secretly throw them downstairs.
Chen Xiaoxi then noticed her father had brought alcohol, but he told her to stay out of it. Chen Xiaoxi's father decided to "test" Jiang Chen's character with alcohol. Both men ended up heavily drunk. Chen Xiaoxi witnessed Jiang Chen's intoxicated state for the first time, seeing him without his usual cold exterior, behaving as childishly as a young boy. He insisted he wanted to find "Chen Xiaoxi" even as she stood before him, declaring, "I'm Chen Xiaoxi."
He squinted at her, saying she looked "a little familiar," before repeatedly asking if she was truly Chen Xiaoxi. When she confirmed, he then tenderly confessed, "Chen Xiaoxi, I miss you so much." Chen Xiaoxi felt a pang of emotion, realizing that Jiang Chen's love for her was just as profound as hers for him. Chen Xiaoxi finally realized her dream. Her new book, "A Love So Beautiful," was scheduled for a signing session that weekend.
Upon this news, Chen Xiaoxi eagerly called Jiang Chen, Lin Jingxiao, Wu Baisong, and Lu Yang, but they all declined with various excuses. Jiang Chen claimed he had a seminar, Lin Jingxiao was going to a weather station in the mountains with her teacher, and Wu Baisong said his schedule was too full. Lu Yang also initially refused, thinking Chen Xiaoxi wanted to show off.
Chen Xiaoxi, disappointed but trying to remain positive, mused about how everyone gets busy with their own lives as they grow up, making it hard to reunite, but she still had her fans' love to make her strong. At Alumni Bookstore, Chen Xiaoxi was disheartened to see only a handful of fans. Her manager tried to reassure her, saying it was still early and more people would come, while he contacted the press about publicity.
Just then, Jiang Chen, Lin Jingxiao, Lu Yang, and Wu Baisong arrived. It turned out they had planned a surprise for Chen Xiaoxi. Lu Yang joked about the small crowd, but Lin Jingxiao quickly shushed him, noting that with them, there were at least 14 people, which Lu Yang exaggerated to "about 400 or 500 with round-off." Jiang Chen urged her to finish signing so they could all eat together, and Wu Baisong playfully complained about her drawing of him.
From high school to university and now, they had always been there for each other, fulfilling countless simple yet beautiful moments in their lives. Jiang Chen reflected on their journey, noting Chen Xiaoxi's endearing clumsiness, his initial attempts to outrun her, and his eventual realization that he loved her despite her troubles.
He recalled feeling annoyed when she ran with others, his regret over making her cry, and the three years spent feeling deeply uncomfortable without her, which ultimately led him to realize he had to win her back. He concluded by expressing his immense gratitude that Chen Xiaoxi had returned, allowing them to rebuild their relationship.
