Dream Garden Episode 4 Recap
> Dream Garden Recap
After the incident at the fan meeting, Xiao Xiao was taken to the hospital. When Lin Shen arrived, her first concern was whether her face was injured. Shanshan then requested to speak with Xiao Xiao privately, revealing that she knew Xiao Xiao was Xiao Beibei, the author of the controversial article. Shanshan confessed that she had been having recurring nightmares, seeing a familiar figure.
It was only after spotting Zhou Ran's poster at a piano shop that she searched online and discovered their shared past. The widespread public opinion, largely fueled by Xiao Xiao's article, made Shanshan question her own worth, wondering if the entire world hated her. Xiao Xiao apologized for her team's mistake in publishing the article.
Shanshan then shared that when Xiao Xiao rushed to protect her, she realized there was still someone willing to defend her, and that she wasn't as bad as she had thought. Shanshan genuinely thanked Xiao Xiao, acknowledging that she had deleted the article and protected her. Lin Shen explained that Shanshan was experiencing selective amnesia, a psychological defense mechanism that had become more pronounced, leading her to forget her relationship with Zhou Ran entirely.
Fortunately, after the recent accident, Shanshan's parents had agreed to continue her psychological counseling. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Xiao Xiao insisted on helping. After much persuasion, Lin Shen reluctantly agreed to teach her some basic hypnosis techniques, cautioning her about their proper and ethical use. During their initial lessons, Lin Shen discovered that Shanshan had posted long strings of numbers on her Weibo.
He identified these as FM radio channels for a car cinema and realized that "I Am Not Here," a movie Shanshan had marked but never seen, represented a significant emotional barrier for her. As Xiao Xiao struggled to grasp the complex concepts, Lin Shen provided her with a stack of books and a confidentiality agreement. Xiao Xiao playfully questioned why he was Party A, but signed the agreement, officially embarking on her journey into psychology.
Overwhelmed by the material, she soon fell asleep at her desk. Lin Shen gently carried her to a room to rest. The next morning, Shao Ning unexpectedly showed up at Lin Shen's house. Despite Lin Shen's attempts to stop him, Shao Ning entered and found Xiao Xiao there. Noticing Xiao Xiao's shoes, he immediately began teasing Lin Shen about having "something going on" and their "sweet" relationship. Lin Shen dismissed his comments as "thinking too much" and hurried him away.
As Shao Ning left, Lin Shen borrowed his car, explaining to Xiao Xiao that they would use it to experience the car cinema that evening as part of their hypnosis training, with Xiao Xiao driving. Xiao Xiao reminded him of his fear of cars, stemming from a childhood accident. During the movie, which unfortunately featured a car crash, Lin Shen became visibly distressed.
Xiao Xiao, an inexperienced driver, struggled to maintain the hypnosis, but Lin Shen guided her, explaining how to adapt to the subject's shifting focus and manage their emotional responses, such as fear. The following day, while helping Yan Luo and Sun Kele move into Yan Luo's new home, Xiao Xiao observed how retail displays leveraged superficial desires to tap into deeper ones.
This sparked a new insight: Shanshan's real yearning might not be for a car cinema experience itself, but for a public, unhidden date with Zhou Ran. Meeting Lin Shen at his office later, Xiao Xiao shared her new hypothesis. Lin Shen then presented torn ticket fragments found by Shanshan's mother, which included tickets for both car cinemas and regular cinemas.
He concluded that their initial assumption was wrong; Shanshan's true emotional barrier was likely the desire to openly watch a movie in a regular cinema. He revealed that Zhou Ran had missed a planned car cinema date due to a fan meeting, and subsequently missed a rescheduled public cinema date without any excuse, leaving Shanshan with a deep-seated longing for a public declaration of their relationship. Xiao Xiao and Lin Shen immediately went to a regular cinema.
During a car crash scene in the film, Lin Shen instinctively gripped Xiao Xiao's hand, entering a hypnotic state that transported him back to his college campus. In a surprising turn, Lin Shen, still under hypnosis, performed an "anti-hypnosis" on Xiao Xiao, pulling her into the hypnotic state as well. During this shared trance, Lin Shen saw Xiao Xiao in his own past.
Upon waking, Lin Shen revealed he had learned that Xiao Xiao had "never had a date," then pointedly questioned her credibility as a relationship blogger, asking how someone with no personal experience could advise others. Feeling embarrassed and frustrated, Xiao Xiao stormed out of the cinema, realizing that Lin Shen had only truly woken up from his hypnosis when she released his hand. Outside, they unexpectedly encountered Fan Qi, who was at the cinema for a press conference.
Fan Qi complimented Xiao Xiao's recent articles and offered them a ride, which Xiao Xiao politely declined, stating that Lin Shen preferred "environmental travel." Reflecting on Xiao Xiao's "never had a date" status, Lin Shen for the first time searched for and followed her official account. After taking one of her quizzes, he left a comment stating that her "analysis was not impartial." Xiao Xiao was thrilled and surprised to see Lin Shen had followed her account and commented.
Meanwhile, Shanshan's parents, worried about her constant confinement at home, encouraged her to invite Xiao Xiao out. Xiao Xiao readily agreed, recognizing this as an opportunity to enact her plan. She understood Shanshan's deep-seated resentment, believing the best way to help her overcome her emotional barrier was to help her bring a public and dignified closure to her past relationship. Xiao Xiao bought tickets for "I Am Not Here" at a regular cinema.
Upon seeing the tickets, Shanshan felt a profound sense of familiarity. In the dimly lit cinema, Shanshan was overwhelmed by a rush of painful memories, becoming visibly agitated. She claimed she had seen the movie before, was developing a headache, and wanted to leave. Xiao Xiao then confessed her true intention: she had brought Shanshan there hoping to help her recover lost memories. Shanshan admitted she still had recurring nightmares about Zhou Ran.
When Xiao Xiao asked if she wanted to forget everything or remember, Shanshan paused, then firmly declared her desire to remember, asserting her right to know what truly happened, even if the memories were painful. Lin Shen then hypnotized Shanshan, guiding her back to the cinema on the day of Zhou Ran's fan meeting.
Fragmented images of their past flooded her mind: raising their shared pet, Sansanyao; painting the rooftop to create a secret home for it; and Zhou Ran's heartfelt promise to publicly declare their love to the world one day. However, the scene abruptly shifted to Zhou Ran's cold rejection, where he denied their relationship, dismissing her as merely "a longtime fan from my fan club."
Tearfully, Shanshan envisioned herself pushing open the cinema doors and returning to Sansanyao's home, only for Fang Lin to appear, destroying their sanctuary and driving her away. This time, however, Shanshan found the strength to save herself. Lin Shen guided her through this traumatic memory, emphasizing that she had fallen in love with Zhou Ran for his musical passion, but as his career soared, she had lost her own identity.
He urged her to transform this deeply etched love into fuel for her future, reminding her that while the dream was over, her own aspirations remained within her grasp. Shanshan fully recalled her past. She invited Xiao Xiao to watch the rest of the movie they had left unfinished earlier. Although Shanshan expressed regret that Zhou Ran never publicly acknowledged their relationship, she finally felt brave enough to bid farewell to her past.
Xiao Xiao, in turn, wanted to apologize to Shanshan for her initial article, but Shanshan insisted that meeting Xiao Xiao had been her greatest fortune, as it had helped her clearly understand her past relationship. Xiao Xiao then decided she needed to meet Zhou Ran. She contacted Fan Qi, who offered her an opportunity to attend Zhou Ran's birthday party that evening as his female companion.
When Xiao Xiao sought Zuo Yan's help with her styling, Lin Shen learned of her plan to attend with Fan Qi and visibly expressed his displeasure. At the birthday party, Zhou Ran randomly selected Xiao Xiao to participate in a stage game, causing Fang Lin's expression to darken. On stage, Xiao Xiao strategically used an "association game" to trigger Zhou Ran's memories of Shanshan.
Drawing on details Shanshan had shared, Xiao Xiao revealed Zhou Ran's private habits, such as his preference for recording studios over stages, and his intolerance for spicy food, a stark contrast to the "spicy beef" his fans believed he loved, which was, in fact, Shanshan's favorite.
Fang Lin became increasingly agitated backstage, demanding Xiao Xiao be removed, but was informed by a staff member that as Fan Qi's friend, she couldn't be expelled from the stage, and it was "just a game." Later, during dinner with Shao Ning, Shao Ning deliberately brought up Xiao Xiao, commenting on her "eight-centimeter high heels" and wondering if Fan Qi would take her home. This made Lin Shen uncomfortable, and he abruptly excused himself to "buy something."
After the birthday party, Xiao Xiao went backstage to deliver an item from Shanshan to Zhou Ran. Zhou Ran's expression shifted dramatically. Xiao Xiao informed him that Shanshan's gesture was not to prove anything, but a sign that she had truly moved on. As an "outsider," Xiao Xiao urged Zhou Ran, if he had ever genuinely loved Shanshan, to honor their past and properly say goodbye. She relayed Shanshan's message to him: to be himself, not a corporate puppet, and not to let his heart remain in darkness while he stood in the public spotlight.
