Dream Garden Episode 14 Recap
> Dream Garden Recap
Xiao Xiao received an urgent call from the nursing home about Lin Shen's mother. Since Lin Shen's phone was unreachable, Xiao Xiao quickly informed him. Despite his deep-seated fear of cars, Lin Shen was compelled to travel by car to the nursing home, with Xiao Xiao patiently accompanying him to help him manage his anxiety.
During the ride, Lin Shen was overwhelmed by flashbacks of the car accident from years ago, reliving the moment he tried to grab the steering wheel from his mother. To process his trauma, Lin Shen entered a hypnotic state. In this state, he revisited the day of the accident, believing his mother rushed because he had overslept by fifteen minutes. However, in the hypnosis, it was revealed that he was actually running a fever that day.
Xiao Xiao guided him, explaining that his mother's strictness stemmed from her desire for him to be exceptional. She encouraged Lin Shen to express his discomfort, urging him to try a different approach, as he might find an unexpected outcome. Following her guidance, Lin Shen spoke up about his illness, and in the hypnotic state, his mother tenderly checked his temperature and called Ms. Liu to excuse him from advanced math class.
This realization brought a sense of peace to Lin Shen. Xiao Xiao gave the pre-arranged code word to conclude the hypnosis, but Lin Shen remained unresponsive, causing her concern that he might be trapped in his subconscious. Thankfully, he soon awoke, realizing that the entire incident involving his mother was a carefully orchestrated scenario by himself, Shao Ning, and Aunt Qi, designed to help him overcome his car phobia through exposure therapy and hypnosis.
Upon exiting the car, Lin Shen rushed to his mother, who explained that while she didn't understand hypnosis, she had conveyed her true feelings to Xiao Xiao. Lin Shen's mother expressed her deep sorrow for his suffering over the years, and Xiao Xiao was deeply moved watching them embrace. With both company bosses on leave, Lin Shen dedicated his time to his mother, while Shao Ning’s vacation was dedicated to Yan Luo. Shao Ning took Yan Luo paragliding.
As they soared through the sky like birds, Shao Ning encouraged Yan Luo to open her eyes and embrace the beautiful experience. Yan Luo admitted that flying felt more wonderful than her dreams, which were often unpleasant. She recounted a dream of falling into a vast sea, being dragged down, until a blue ribbon transformed into a pair of hands that gently lifted her back to the surface.
Shao Ning interpreted this as an emotional dream, with the sea representing emotions, the ribbon symbolizing human connection, and the hands signifying someone who cared for her, confirming a mutual bond in reality. To address her attachment injury, Shao Ning proposed a "limited boyfriend" arrangement for one week, during which Yan Luo could be her true self, and he would provide a safe space to overcome her fears.
After a moment of hesitation, Yan Luo took his outstretched hand, willing to try. As Shao Ning dropped Yan Luo off at home, they encountered Yan Luo’s mother. Delighted to learn Shao Ning owned a company, Yan Luo's mother, whose son was seeking an internship, eagerly asked for his help. Shao Ning promised to assist and offered to treat the family to dinner.
After Shao Ning departed, Yan Luo’s mother scolded her for lavishly spending on a man, emphasizing that a girl should never financially support a boyfriend. Yan Luo tried to explain that Shao Ning appreciated her, but her mother relentlessly questioned what qualities Yan Luo possessed that would garner such appreciation. Faced with her mother’s continuous belittling, Yan Luo’s smile stiffened. She declared that she would manage her own earnings and no longer give her mother any money.
Her mother reacted furiously, bringing up past sacrifices she made, asking if Yan Luo would be where she was today without her. Feeling suffocated by her mother's words, Yan Luo found strength in the encouragement she had received from Shao Ning and Xiao Xiao. She bravely pushed back, asserting her worth, her independence from being an extension of the family, and her determination to control her own life.
Infuriated, Yan Luo's mother spat in frustration and, before leaving, snatched the gift Shao Ning had given Yan Luo. As tears welled up, Shao Ning reappeared, comforting her. In his arms, Yan Luo finally voiced all the feelings she had suppressed for years and wept freely. Xiao Xiao was captivated by Yan Luo’s fan art of Shao Ning, playfully praising Shao Ning’s looks. When Lin Shen showed signs of jealousy, she quickly appeased him with a kiss.
Lin Shen's vacation was a cycle of caring for his mother and cooking for Xiao Xiao, who complained about gaining weight. Lin Shen then used the pretext of "burning calories" to whisk Xiao Xiao away to their room for a playful workout. Their apartment gradually filled with matching couple’s items, making the wardrobe feel much smaller. With Lin Shen’s patient guidance, Xiao Xiao learned to drive, and they enjoyed a cozy evening at a car cinema.
She noted how different their relationship was from their first visit, now a "deeper partnership." Xiao Xiao planned to introduce Lin Shen to her parents that weekend. While Lin Shen was on his way to pick her up, he received a call from Shao Ning, alerting him to an emergency. Lin Shen then called Xiao Xiao, asking her to take the high-speed rail ahead, and he would drive later.
Meanwhile, Sun Dong had gone missing, leaving behind a journal that detailed his psychological turmoil after learning Lin Shen’s mother had used the faulty ECG monitor he distributed. He viewed himself as a sinner. Sun Dong's family reported his disappearance, suspecting that Lin Shen had used negative psychological suggestions during their sessions, exacerbating Sun Dong's depression. They also highlighted that Lin Shen had ceased recording sessions after the monitor incident.
Lin Shen refuted these claims, stating he never mentioned his mother to Sun Dong, and the recordings stopped at Sun Dong's request because the camera made him nervous. However, the police grew suspicious of Lin Shen's connection to Sun Dong’s disappearance, and the story rapidly spread across social media with a notably consistent narrative.
Shao Ning warned Lin Shen to prepare for a difficult battle, as Sun Dong's family was clearly targeting him, and urged him to protect Xiao Xiao from being implicated. Alarmed by Lin Shen’s sudden silence, Xiao Xiao, who had been unable to reach him via texts or calls, rushed back from her hometown, bringing her mother’s homemade omelet rice. She eagerly presented it to Lin Shen, but he was distant and somber.
He then abruptly proposed they break up, citing incompatibility. Xiao Xiao refused to accept his reasoning, convinced he was facing a problem she could help him confront. Lin Shen pulled his hand away, insisting he was "fine on his own," despite his evident distress. Heartbroken and confused, Xiao Xiao tearfully left.
An anonymous party submitted defamatory articles against Shaolin to a psychological magazine, but Shao Ning, leveraging his connections, managed to prevent their widespread publication, realizing it was a deliberate and complex attack. Following the breakup, Xiao Xiao immediately resigned from Shaolin. Sun Kele, trying to cheer her up, booked a "vacation" to Changle Homestay for her. As Xiao Xiao flew away, Lin Shen felt an emptiness, while their colleagues puzzled over Xiao Xiao's unexpected travel posts.
Lin Shen, alone, played a gashapon machine, receiving various messages, including love confessions. At her guesthouse, Xiao Xiao was devastated to see news reports of Lin Shen’s police investigation, accidentally dropping and breaking her phone in her distress. Shaolin's situation worsened when Sun Dong was found, having called the police himself.
After ruling out foul play, police discovered a recording on Sun Dong’s phone, purportedly of Lin Shen, suggesting that he induced Sun Dong to find "release" by "dying in his sleep." Lin Shen vehemently denied ever uttering such words. Xiao Xiao meticulously analyzed the Sun Dong case, noticing a chain of interconnected coincidences that appeared too perfectly aligned, implying a calculated plot. She observed that Sun Dong's emotional fluctuations had consistently correlated with the investment company’s actions.
The online narrative, while thoroughly exposing Lin Shen’s background, conveniently omitted Sun Dong’s significant business struggles. Worried for Lin Shen, Xiao Xiao saw news of a mudslide in the area where she was staying. Lin Shen also saw the news and tried to call her, but her broken phone prevented him from connecting. The next morning, Fan Qi arrived at her guesthouse with breakfast, having rushed over after hearing about the mudslide and being unable to reach her.
Shortly after, Lin Shen also arrived, looking displeased to find Fan Qi there. Feeling awkward caught between the two men, Xiao Xiao quickly made excuses to send them away. Later that evening, Lin Shen returned to the guesthouse. Xiao Xiao revealed her findings regarding the Sun Dong incident and requested his help. Under Lin Shen’s guidance, Xiao Xiao entered a hypnotic state to revisit her past sessions with Sun Dong.
During this memory, she noticed the "Exemplar Company" logo on a document that had fallen. Suddenly, Fan Qi knocked on the door. Xiao Xiao swiftly hid Lin Shen in the bathroom, wanting to understand Fan Qi's motives for a private conversation so late at night. Fan Qi presented her with a new phone and food. He then asked to use the bathroom, causing a moment of tense anxiety for Xiao Xiao.
