Dear Diary Episode 24 (Ending) Recap
> Dear Diary Recap
In the modern world, Mei Ru visits the Louvre Museum in Paris, where she stands before the world-renowned Code of Hammurabi. A tour guide explains that the ancient code was promulgated by the sixth king of Babylon and contains a recently restored line. Unlike other laws, this line, translated as: "I'm marrying you. We'll be in a monogamous relationship and I'll never leave you," is more akin to a personal vow.
As Mei Ru stares at the inscription, a man in a suit, Murong Jielun, also observes it. Later, Mei Ru speaks to Jiang Huizhen on the phone, excitedly telling her that she recognizes Hammurabi. When Jiang Huizhen initially misunderstands, Mei Ru clarifies, declaring that Hammurabi is Murong Jielun. Jiang Huizhen is stunned. Mei Ru explains that the restored line in the Code is the very promise Murong Jielun made to her, a love letter written across thousands of years.
She firmly believes Murong Jielun is still alive, but Jiang Huizhen tries to make her see reason, emphasizing that thousands of years have passed and he is now a historical figure. Mei Ru insists she saw him again that day in front of the Code, repeating those familiar words. Jiang Huizhen, frustrated, reminds Mei Ru that they are no longer children and some love stories are destined to be tragedies. Mei Ru hangs up, upset.
Jiang Huizhen then reflects that while some people disappear and never return, those who are alive must continue living. Back in China, after getting off her plane, Mei Ru finds a notebook inscribed with Murong Jielun's vow: "I'm marrying you. We'll be in a monogamous relationship and I'll never leave you." She looks up, thinking she sees Murong Jielun, a vision that quickly disappears.
She frantically searches the airport for him but misses him as he emerges just as her taxi departs. At a noodle shop, Mei Ru overhears the owner joking with a customer about ordering twenty bowls of noodles, a detail that reminds her of Murong Jielun's past appetite. She turns to see the man, who looks exactly like Murong Jielun, entering and ordering two bowls. She rushes over and grabs his hand.
For a fleeting moment, he recalls past memories, but then smiles and forgets them, while flashes of Murong Jielun's declarations of love and protection pass through her mind. However, this man, a pilot, smiles condescendingly, telling her she must be "stunned by his good looks" and that while his uniform is "attractive," girls should be more "modest."
Mei Ru desperately tries to tell him she is his Mei Ru, but he dismisses her, stating she isn't his type and to "not waste her time." He then leaves the notebook she had previously found and walks away, ignoring her pleas to confirm if he wrote the words. Meanwhile, Mei Ru's Second Uncle and Second Aunt are walking down the street.
Second Aunt complains about his unpredictable returns, but he reassures her that he won't leave again, believing he has accomplished his life's work. However, his attention is caught by a bronze mask at a roadside stall. He rushes off with it, telling his Second Aunt to pay, and reflecting that some people and things "are not over yet," calling it "an obsession" and "also fate."
Mei Ru later visits Jiang Huizhen at the theatre, who is now a famous Sichuan opera actress. Mei Ru offers her macarons, claiming they are from the Louvre, but Jiang Huizhen sees through the excuse. Mei Ru confesses that she ran into a pilot who looked exactly like Murong Jielun, which made her forget to buy a proper gift. Though she initially mistook him, she now confirms he is not her Murong Jielun.
Jiang Huizhen shares that her troupe is moving, signaling a new beginning and a complete farewell to their past memories. A delivery person brings Jiang Huizhen an old parcel from her Second Uncle, Hu Zhan Qi, containing a bronze mask. Mei Ru finds it ugly, but Jiang Huizhen remembers seeing a cluster of stars that resembled such a mask with Ouyang Wen Shan.
She recalls Ouyang Wen Shan's promise to watch over her "forever" like those stars, and his hope to find her again, no matter the cost. Jiang Huizhen confesses to Mei Ru that she spoke "awful things" to Wen Shan before he left and never had a chance to apologize. Mei Ru comforts her, believing Wen Shan, being smart, understood her true feelings.
Mei Ru then compares Ouyang Wen Shan's memento to Murong Jielun's inscribed words, saying their loved ones are "with us no matter where we are" and that they will "meet again somehow someday." She reiterates that "it's an obsession, but it's also fate," and they "must believe that." Mei Ru begins writing in her diary again, reflecting on her transformation. She is no longer the Chen Mei Ru of the past but now believes more firmly than ever in miracles.
She holds onto the conviction that those they loved, even if they disappeared, are "still alive," embarking on "legendary journeys" that are far more real than any fictional story. In ancient Babylon, Murong Jielun awakens to find the Chronicler Girl lying on the ground. He acknowledges her as a person of "great love and divinity," whose "sincere and devout prayer" created the miracle of him meeting Mei Ru and learning to love.
He promises to honor her sacrifice and provide a proper burial. Ouyang Wen Shan arrives, confirming that the Chronicler Girl's sacrifice, much like Murong Jielun's for Mei Ru, led to their return. He declares that the old king, Sin, is gone for good, his era ended, and a new king has taken his place. Murong Jielun, now declared the new king, rejects the notion of relying on false gods as his father did.
He chooses his own name: Hammurabi, "the healer of my father." He vows to be a great king, distinct from his predecessor, committed to healing the kingdom's wounds, upholding justice, vanquishing evil, protecting the weak, and ensuring his people never live in fear, imprinting "love, justice, and fairness" into the laws. He then reflects, addressing Mei Ru, how he will become King Hammurabi, but laments that he will never see her or Jiang Huizhen again.
Ouyang Wen Shan, fulfilling his promise, decides to stay and assist Hammurabi. Before doing so, he sends a memento to Jiang Huizhen across time, expressing his longing and asking her to forget him but not to hate him. Meanwhile, Murong Jielun and Ouyang Wen Shan rush to the water dungeon to free Ninth Heaven Dragon Lady. Murong Jielun urges her to leave and live well, but she is heartbroken and feels life has no meaning.
He implores her not to betray the trust of those who loved her, reminding her that her kinsmen are now free to pursue their own destiny. A year later, in Babylonian City, Ninth Heaven Dragon Lady joyfully encounters Duan Shuiliu. Initially disbelieving, she confirms his reality by touching his face. Duan Shuiliu is also surprised to find himself there, unharmed.
Ninth Heaven Dragon Lady playfully teases him, recounting a fictitious Hittite iron smelting ritual where skinny men like him are exiled with a cow for seven days, their survival determining a "good omen" or being "left in the wilderness." She teases that his current physique puts him in a "dangerous state." Frightened, Duan Shuiliu agrees to follow her lead, and they walk away laughing, as he realizes she was getting back at him for past jokes.
In a final reflection, Mei Ru's voice expresses that her story has ended, but she believes that miracles await all those who sincerely write about love and believe in passionate stories. Similarly, Ouyang Wen Shan expresses his lifelong regret at not being able to see Jiang Huizhen again, assuming the King feels the same longing for Mei Ru. Murong Jielun's voice concludes, declaring that Mei Ru will be with Hammurabi in "every second of his life."
He credits her with giving him "the faith to love," a faith that will "transcend time and space and never cease." He promises to continue protecting her, smiling for her, loving the world for her, and returning to her in "another existence," where she will undoubtedly recognize him.
