Better Halves Episode 2 Recap
> Better Halves Recap
Lu Chi arrived at the Shi residence seeking an introduction to Chief Matchmaker Tao. Shi Fa'ke, also known as Ke, mistakenly believed Lu Chi wanted her mother to arrange a marriage for him and offered to handle the match herself, boasting that after her coming-of-age ceremony that day, she would inherit the title of the No.1 matchmaker in the world.
However, Lu Chi insisted on speaking directly with Chief Matchmaker Tao for his "main business," which disappointed Ke and caused her to act coldly toward him. During Ke's coming-of-age ceremony, Lu Chi noticed an ornament hanging near her family's ancestral tablets, recognizing it as the token from their childhood encounter. Immediately after Ke completed the rites and inherited the Matchmaker Gold Badge from her mother, officers from the Military Headquarters arrived.
They apprehended Chief Matchmaker Tao, accusing her of using her position and the betrothal gifts stored at the agency to hide stolen goods. Ke's two brothers, Xianxian and Chongshan, were also arrested, and the house was thoroughly searched. In the ensuing chaos, Lu Chi intervened to protect Ke and inadvertently caused the "No.1 Matchmaker in the World" plaque, a gift from the late emperor, to be damaged.
To prevent further harm to her family, Chief Matchmaker Tao agreed to go with the officers, but not before earnestly reminding Ke to uphold the honor of their family's esteemed reputation. After the officers left, He Kexian and his sister Tian comforted a distraught Ke. She quickly composed herself, realizing that with the men of her family taken, it was up to her to revive their family's prestige.
Seeing the Shi family's sudden misfortune, guests who had come to celebrate shamefully took back their gifts. Soon after, more officers arrived to seal the mansion. As Ke desperately searched for the Matchmaker Gold Badge her mother had just given her, Lu Chi, who had secured it during the commotion, returned it to her. After parting ways with Ke, Lu Chi questioned his subordinate, Lu Yi, about the arrests.
He learned that the butler of Marquis Wu'an's Mansion had previously asked Chief Matchmaker Tao to arrange a marriage for Young Master Qi of Weiyuan Escort Agency, but she had refused, deeming it an unsuitable match. Lu Yi also confirmed that General Li Ang of the Military Headquarters and Marquis Wu'an were close relatives. Realizing the connection, Lu Chi understood that he needed to remove the evidence linking the Qi family to the case.
Later that night, he covertly infiltrated the Official Matchmaking Agency and retrieved the sealed evidence. Upon learning that the crucial evidence was missing, Marquis Wu'an was furious. He knew they could not indefinitely detain the Shi family, especially with Lord Zheng of the magistrate's office persistently demanding their release. Marquis Wu'an decided to release Ke's two brothers to Lord Zheng but kept her parents imprisoned until Qi Shaoheng's marriage was settled.
Under the Marquis's instructions, Marriage Broker Deng was appointed as the new Chief Matchmaker, with her first task being to arrange a marriage between the Grand Tutor's daughter and Qi Shaoheng, a man notorious for stubbornly refusing all matches. Meanwhile, Lu Chi discreetly followed Qi Shaoheng and observed him at Liu's Teahouse, noting his unusually close connection with a lady there named Liu Luan'er.
Ke and Tian arranged a gathering with the Heiresses' Society, hoping to solicit help, but none of the members attended. Determined, Ke personally visited her long-time friend Zhu Yanyan, only to be turned away at the door. At this low point, Lu Chi appeared, offering his assistance and claiming to have connections within the Military Headquarters. Ke, skeptical of an outsider's ability to influence such a powerful entity, initially dismissed his offer.
However, Lu Chi proved his words by arranging for Ke to visit her parents in prison. During the visit, Ke was relieved to find her parents unharmed. She learned that her brothers had been released into the custody of the magistrate's office, thanks to Lord Zheng's intervention, which she attributed to He Kexian's efforts. Her mother sternly warned Ke not to investigate the case, fearing it would provoke their powerful, unknown accuser and put her in danger.
Instead, she urged Ke to focus on retaining her position as an official matchmaker to preserve their family's honor. Connecting the prison guard's whispers about missing evidence with Lu Chi's timely help, Ke deduced he was responsible. Later, Lu Chi suggested that if she could get the Qi family to intercede on her parents' behalf, the authorities would have no reason to hold them.
He proposed that Ke offer to arrange a marriage for Qi Shaoheng in exchange for their help. Seeing a path to save her parents while fulfilling her mother's wish, Ke decided to take on the challenging case. When Marriage Broker Deng formally assumed her role as Chief Matchmaker, she immediately tried to dismiss Ke. Seizing the moment, Ke proposed taking on Qi Shaoheng's difficult matchmaking case as a condition for keeping her job.
Deng refused, but Ke cleverly leveraged the situation by presenting an imperial jade bracelet—a priceless gift from the late emperor to her mother—and threatening to make a scene over the potential damage to an imperial gift. This maneuver, combined with her pleas, compelled Deng to reluctantly allow Ke to stay, on the condition that she successfully complete a matchmaking case within one month. As Ke emerged from the agency, Lu Chi was waiting outside, ready to show her something interesting.
