Definitely Not Today Episode 8 (Ending) Recap
> Definitely Not Today Recap
Lu Ming was driving hundreds of kilometers from one city to another when her car broke down. A local resident offered her a ride. Upon arriving at Zhi Le's former home, she found a crowd gathered. Medical personnel were carrying a man on a stretcher, covered in blood and unconscious, into an ambulance. This man was Zhi Le's older brother.
Disturbed by the scene, Lu Ming then received a phone call from the Xiao'an Village police station, who informed her they had found surveillance footage of the car she had reported lost. Realizing that Qiang might be tracking Zhi Le, Lu Ming quickly considered where Zhi Le would go or who she would want to see most before leaving the city.
Meanwhile, Zhi Le and Mi Chong arrived at Zhi Le's old family home, a dilapidated house that had been abandoned for five years, near her grandfather's tomb. Mi Chong reflected on Zhi Le's grief, feeling that he finally understood her emotions, even if true empathy is rare. He asked Zhi Le if she felt such profound pain when other family members passed.
Zhi Le confided that she was too young to fully comprehend loss as a child, but her father's death was the hardest. She admitted she thought about him every day. She then shared the last thing she said to her father before his accident: "I don't want a useless father." For a long time, she wondered if her harsh words had led to his death or if he had already planned to leave.
She felt she shouldn't have lived on by herself. Mi Chong reflected that they both shared the mistake of feeling abandoned by the world, like a dilapidated, forgotten house, but they were the ones trapping themselves, while the world remained open to them. He emphasized that she alone should decide her fate, not the words of others or their actions. Zhi Le, realizing the truth in his words, pondered if this was the answer she had been searching for.
As night fell, Mi Chong observed that even in the darkness, there was still so much color. As night deepened, Zhi Le and Mi Chong pitched a tent, using straw mats to rest. Their journey had instilled in them a sense of inner peace, helping them realize that their perceived abandonment by the world was, in fact, self-abandonment, and that life held much meaning if they dared to look.
Within their small tent, they found mutual solace, opening up about their past and gazing at the night sky. The following morning, Zhi Le woke with a premonition, searching for Mi Chong who was gone. Mi Chong narrated that life often delivers its hardest blows when least expected. Soon, Qiang's men found and apprehended both Mi Chong and Zhi Le. A henchman sneered at Mi Chong, asking if he knew how long they had been looking for him.
Zhi Le desperately cried out for Mi Chong to run. Mi Chong was bound and thrown into a deep pit, while Zhi Le was taken to the seaside to confront Qiang. She accused him of using her and desperately pleaded for Mi Chong's life, shouting to Qiang that he should come at her instead, as Mi Chong had nothing to do with it.
Zhi Le explained that her altercation with Jin Jie, which resulted in him being hit, was unintentional and in self-defense. Qiang, however, revealed that his true anger stemmed not from Jin Jie's death—who he confirmed was not dead—but from the death of his bird, which he cherished as a dying wish from his mother.
He declared that Zhi Le owed him for this loss and expressed his disappointment in her for leaving without a word, after all the years he raised her. Zhi Le angrily retorted, asking if a "family" would sell her into prostitution, to which Qiang cruelly responded that she was never pure anyway and should know her worth. Zhi Le, defiant, said that his words reminded her of how to deal with "trash" like him.
At the pit where Mi Chong was held captive, the scar-faced man told him they were waiting for a phone call to determine if he lived, accusing him of taking Qiang's bird. Lu Ming, guided by the police over the phone, arrived at the graveyard area where the two had been last seen. She found Mi Chong and freed him from the pit.
She urged him to wait for the police, who were on their way, but Mi Chong, fearing for Zhi Le's life, asked, "What if Zhi Le only has one minute left?" Overriding Lu Ming's caution, he insisted on searching for Zhi Le, prompting Lu Ming to agree to split up.
Simultaneously, at the seaside, Qiang, still furious about his bird's death, presented Zhi Le with a cruel choice: he could end Mi Chong's life with a single phone call, or she could sacrifice herself. Zhi Le remained stubborn, refusing to yield to Qiang's demands. His patience wore thin, and he sarcastically remarked on her weakness, saying he couldn't teach her better.
Zhi Le bravely retorted that everything he taught her was wrong, and that he was the real weakling, calling her association with him her biggest mistake. When Qiang questioned if Mi Chong was worth it, Zhi Le declared that Mi Chong had opened her eyes and shown her unconditional kindness. Enraged by her defiance, Qiang ordered his men to throw her into the sea.
As she sank, struggling for breath, she accepted her impending death, but not without a wistful wish for one last look at Mi Chong. She silently thanked Mi Chong for teaching her about warmth, saying goodbye. Mi Chong, having just been freed by Lu Ming, immediately rushed to save Zhi Le, plunging into the sea after her. He narrated that this moment, like their first encounter, was about water, but now his mindset had completely shifted.
His powerful will to survive enabled him to pull Zhi Le from the brink of death. Lu Ming then quickly intervened, identifying herself as Prosecutor Lu Ming to Qiang, while the police arrived, bringing an end to the crisis. Lu Ming reflected that she felt calm facing Qiang, as she was no longer alone and had the law on her side.
Later, Lu Ming spoke to Zhi Le, reminding her that the person who hurt her couldn't dictate her future, and that Jin Jie, though out of prison, was not worth sacrificing her youth for, especially with Mi Chong by her side. With the legal issues resolved due to Jin Jie being alive and his attempted murder and illegal intrusion, Mi Chong and Zhi Le were cleared of wrongdoing and found both love and peace.
Mi Chong suggested they move to a small seaside town and open a bakery, making the world's best bread. Zhi Le, touched and serious, considered the idea, and Mi Chong offered to be her assistant, or even open a hair salon if a bakery wasn't possible, since he could cut hair. He assured her that she would handle customer relations and that it would only happen if she was willing.
Zhi Le expressed her preference for a bakery, and they playfully decided Mi Chong would manage the finances. Both Mi Chong and Zhi Le, in separate narrations, declared themselves lucky people. Mi Chong, seeing Zhi Le's happy expression, asked what was wrong, and she simply replied that she was happy.
