A Love So Romantic Episode 15 Recap
> A Love So Romantic Recap
Xin Ziqian continued his journey with Xiao Ya, the girl he had rescued. Xiao Ya's adoptive father, a gambler, had sold her to the Yihong Brothel to settle debts, and she had escaped, now desperate to find her birth parents. Although Xin Ziqian was eager to find his missing sister, Xiao Ya, having nowhere else to go and fearing recapture by the brothel's men, begged him to take her to Lin'an City.
She promised to leave him in peace once they arrived, and Xin Ziqian, sympathetic to her plight, agreed. Meanwhile, Su Xiaowan, still recovering from her illness, joined Gu Yanxi in the wilderness. To satisfy their hunger, Su Xiaowan tasked Gu Yanxi with catching a chicken from a nearby farmhouse. Unaccustomed to such tasks, Gu Yanxi made some noise, startling the farmhouse owner.
Though the owner came out to investigate, she found no one, as Gu Yanxi had already managed to procure two eggs and flee. They set up camp and lit a bonfire to boil the eggs. Su Xiaowan, famished, reached for an egg, but Gu Yanxi tapped her hand, warning her that it was steaming hot. She playfully accused him of taking her chicken drumstick and now the eggs, but he reiterated that the egg was hot, showing his concern.
Gu Yanxi then thoughtfully used his sleeve to hold the hot egg and peeled it for her, making Su Xiaowan realize his genuine care for her. This small, tender gesture was exactly what she had longed for, a dream she had cherished over years of searching for him. He also reminded her to drink her medicine after eating. Later, as they rested, Su Xiaowan noticed an old injury on Gu Yanxi’s arm, which he had sustained while saving her.
He apologized for not protecting her adequately that day. When she asked why he hadn't told her about his true intentions earlier, he admitted his error. He confessed that Ru Ying was right, and that he should have shared his feelings and decisions with her.
Gu Yanxi explained that his initial reason for asking her to pretend to be Wan'er was to comfort his grandmother, but it was also a means to uncover the real cause of his mother's death, which was widely believed to have been an accidental fire many years ago. He had kept this secret to avoid alerting their enemies and because he worried she might not cooperate, or that he could protect her without burdening her.
However, after she was almost harmed, he realized his mistake in prioritizing his mission over her well-being. He was not asking for her forgiveness but wanted her to make her own choice: if she was willing to stay with him, he would wait for her at the cottage door the next morning. Su Xiaowan agreed. Elsewhere, Lady Ru, going by the name Kexin, tried to escape Lin'an with Ma Xiaoliu.
She pretended to want to flee with him to a new place where they could settle down before bringing Xin Ziqian to join them, claiming the city was no longer safe after Yuanhe had seen her face. Ma Xiaoliu, deeply devoted to her, was overjoyed at the prospect of a new life with her, recalling how he had helped her bury Gu Xiaowan and how her smile could make him happy for days.
He eagerly embraced her, but as he did, he felt a dagger she had hidden. He quickly took the weapon, realizing that as long as he lived and carried her secrets, she would never be safe. He declared that he owed her his life and would gladly surrender it if she asked him to. Just then, Gu Yanxi and his men arrived.
Ma Xiaoliu grabbed Lady Ru, holding the dagger to her throat and backing towards a cliff edge, threatening to kill her if Gu Yanxi dared to approach. Lady Ru screamed for help. Ma Xiaoliu, proclaiming that he would not accept their mercy and intended to take a member of the Gu family with him, then feigned a stumble and plunged from the cliff, sacrificing himself to protect Lady Ru.
Gu Yanxi quickly checked on Lady Ru, apologizing for his delay in saving her, even as he was secretly furious at failing to capture the true culprit. As Lady Ru was taken back in a carriage, tears streamed down her face as she remembered Ma Xiaoliu's final whisper: he would arrange everything for her, and his death was for her sake.
Following these dramatic events, Su Xiaowan joined Gu Yanxi and his men in searching Ma Xiaoliu's former cottage for clues. Inside, they discovered a hidden compartment containing a ledger filled with encrypted messages written using the Fanqie method. Deciphering some entries, they found records like "In the sixth year of Jiayuan reign, on the sixth day of the last lunar month, 7. 27 taels of silver for transportation." The encryption indicated the importance of these records.
They also found an embroidered pouch with the character "Xin" on it. One of Gu Yanxi's men recognized the embroidery style as from Pingjiang, and Gu Yanxi recalled hearing that Lady Ru's maiden name was Xin and that she was born in Pingjiang, suggesting the pouch belonged to her. Back in Lin'an, Cheng Qianyu rushed to Ru Ying's medical clinic after hearing from Yuanhe that Gu Yanxi was ill and resting there.
Ru Ying, trying to protect Gu Yanxi's true whereabouts, fabricated excuses, first claiming Gu Yanxi suffered from "summer heat," then quickly correcting to "dampness," and finally insisting that Gu Yanxi had just received tranquillizing acupuncture and required absolute quiet. Cheng Qianyu, though concerned, reluctantly agreed and left some of Gu Yanxi's favorite desserts for him.
However, as she was about to leave, Su Xiao An returned and unwittingly blurted out that his sister had just reconciled with "Mr. Gu," inadvertently exposing Ru Ying's lie. Ru Ying frantically tried to cover up, claiming Su Xiao An was his new apprentice and his sister was merely caring for the "difficult" Gu Yanxi, and their misunderstandings were now resolved. Cheng Qianyu found Su Xiao An's face familiar, prompting Ru Ying to joke about a "master and apprentice" resemblance.
As Cheng Qianyu leaned in for a closer look, she accidentally pushed Su Xiao An, causing them both to fall and their lips to meet. Horrified, Cheng Qianyu covered her eyes and fled, exclaiming how unsightly it was. Su Xiao An lamented losing his first kiss. Xin Ziqian, having dropped Xiao Ya off at an inn in Lin'an, hurried back to the Gu Mansion after hearing Su Xiaowan had returned. He found her waiting outside the family gate.
Su Xiaowan reassured him that she was fine, downplaying her recent ordeal as merely encountering a "thief" and resting at Ru Ying's clinic. Soon after, Grandma also arrived, relieved to see Su Xiaowan unharmed. Grandma apologized for sending Su Xiaowan to the school for ethical rules for women, which had led to all the recent trouble. Su Xiaowan, however, credited "Big Brother" (Gu Yanxi) for arriving in time to save her.
Grandma then turned to Xin Ziqian, instructing him to check on his mother, Lady Ru. She revealed that the "bad guy" (Ma Xiaoliu) who had threatened Su Xiaowan had kidnapped Lady Ru during his escape, but Gu Yanxi had successfully rescued her. Xin Ziqian was shocked by this news.
