Fall in Love Episode 20 Recap
> Fall in Love Recap
Following his previous decision to help the revolutionaries, Tan Xuanlin, through Tan Si, confirmed to Mr. Liao in a quiet restaurant that ten crates each of aspirin and quinine were ready for shipment the next day. Tan Si assured Mr. Liao of the goods' safety, stating that Tan Xuanlin himself would inspect them and guarantee full payment upon delivery. An informant overheard this exchange and quickly reported the details.
Meanwhile, Xu Guangyao discovered a confidential telegram from his father, the Military Governor, revealing suspicions that Tan Xuanlin was colluding with revolutionaries and helping them procure controlled drugs. The telegram explicitly stated the deal would take place the following day at the Bund wharf, instructing Xu Guangyao to lead military police to catch them in the act. Xu Guangyao’s adjutant emphasized that this was the perfect opportunity to seize Tan Xuanlin's position as Shanghai Commander.
However, Xu Guangyao realized his father's deep distrust, noting that his father had always kept spies on Tan Xuanlin. His adjutant, trying to ease his mind, justified it as a necessary precaution given Tan Xuanlin’s cunning nature. Still conflicted by his father's suspicions, Xu Guangyao paid a visit to Tan Xuanlin's office, recalling that Tan Xuanlin had saved his life by personally donating 600ml of blood after his thoracotomy.
Under the pretense of discussing the guest list for his family's newly renovated old residence, Xu Guangyao subtly probed Tan Xuanlin's plans for the next day. Tan Xuanlin, while accepting the invitation to the completion ceremony, declined to involve himself in the matters of the Military Governor's Office. After Xu Guangyao left, Tan Xuanlin reflected to his own adjutant that Xu Guangyao was "growing soft-hearted" and lamented that if he weren't Xu Bojun's son, they could have been close friends.
Through their respective adjutants, the two men exchanged messages of gratitude and enduring friendship, with Tan Xuanlin explicitly stating he would always be Xu Guangyao's friend, regardless of any changes in his situation. The next day, Xu Guangyao led military police to the Bund wharf, only to find crates filled with guns, not drugs, marked as belonging to the Pei family. Unknown to him, Tan Xuanlin had already arranged for the drugs to be transported elsewhere.
He questioned the gun-runners, who identified themselves as working for the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, a unit under Military Governor Pei that exclusively supplied his army. Xu Guangyao, deducing from their possession of Cantonese banknotes that they had traveled to Guangzhou, pressured one of the gun-runners for an explanation. The man confessed that Tan Xuanlin had ordered the guns because the Military Governor's Office often failed to fully pay its soldiers, leaving many militia members unarmed.
He explained that Military Governor Pei instructed the bureau to sell guns to compensate for Xu Bojun's embezzlement, conducting secret transactions to avoid high taxes. The Cantonese banknotes, he revealed, were a directive from the Military Governor's Office, intended to serve as a scapegoat to blame revolutionaries if they were caught. Upon learning this, Xu Bojun immediately understood Tan Xuanlin's ruse as a diversion tactic to confuse the issue.
He ordered continued surveillance, confident that Tan Xuanlin would eventually expose his true intentions. Tan Xuanlin, having anticipated the unfolding events, confirmed that Mr. Liao had safely departed, a detail handled by Mu Wanqing. His adjutant questioned his risky maneuver of deliberately purchasing smuggled weapons to cover up the drug operation, fearing it might backfire. Tan Xuanlin, however, stated that this was precisely his intention. He revealed that Mr. Liao had previously informed him about gun-runners carrying Cantonese banknotes.
Following this, Tan Xuanlin himself investigated and learned that various military governors, fearing revolutionaries, would blame them if caught smuggling, a strategy successfully tested two months prior. Connecting this timeline to Xu Guangyao's assassination attempt at the celebration banquet, Tan Xuanlin deduced that these gun-runners were linked to the Tianjin Machinery Bureau and operated with military precision, leading him to strongly suspect Pei Xun's involvement.
He mused that if Pei Xun indeed sent assassins to attack Xu Guangyao, the situation was becoming far more intriguing. Tan Xuanlin deliberately led Xu Guangyao to the wharf to discover the guns, intending to expose Pei Xun and ignite conflict within the Military Governor's Office. He lamented that Xu Guangyao, a true gentleman, was perhaps too noble for the current chaotic era, which simply didn't deserve him.
Military Governor Xu Bojun, meanwhile, expressed his desire for Xu Guangyao to marry, citing their family's small lineage. Xu Guangyao initially dismissed the idea due to the ongoing southern conflict, but his father insisted. When Xu Bojun asked about Mu Wanqing, Xu Guangyao's face lit up as he realized his father intended to propose to the Mu family.
He admitted his fondness for Mu Wanqing, his intelligent childhood sweetheart, but confessed that his private declaration of feelings had been met with aloofness from her. Xu Bojun admonished him, emphasizing that marriage was a family affair, not a private one, and that a formal proposal was necessary for someone of Mu Wanqing's standing.
He then reassured Xu Guangyao, promising to formally propose to Mr. Mu at the upcoming old residence completion ceremony, confident that Mr. Mu would agree given Xu Guangyao's selfless act of taking a bullet for Mu Wanqing. The completion ceremony for the Xu family's old residence commenced. Xu Bojun greeted Mr. Mu, inquiring about his health after his visit to Fayuan Temple, and commenting on the heavy burden placed on Mu Wanqing.
Xu Guangyao congratulated Tan Xuanlin on the new home, and eagerly revealed that his father intended to propose to the Mu family on his behalf. Tan Xuanlin reacted with visible surprise. Later, Xu Bojun formally initiated the proposal, praising Guangyao's qualities and Mu Wanqing's suitability, recalling their childhood connection. Mr. Mu expressed his trust in Guangyao and his willingness to support the union.
However, Mu Wanqing promptly interjected, explaining that having just taken over the Mu family business, which included a struggling cotton mill, she was overwhelmed and not ready for marriage. She apologized to Xu Guangyao for her earlier aloofness, clarifying that her previous refusal was due to the ongoing war's urgency and a desire to protect the Military Governor's Office's reputation. She argued that the worsening southern conflict made marriage now even more inappropriate, fearing public criticism.
Xu Bojun dismissed her concerns, declaring it destiny and emphasizing the need for the Xu and Mu families to unite during unstable times. He quickly pushed to finalize the engagement, proposing the eighth of next month as an auspicious date. Mr. Mu, grateful for the honor, agreed to the arrangement. Mu Wanqing, visibly distressed, hastily excused herself under the pretense of urgent contracts, leaving the ceremony before the opera performance.
Mr. Mu apologized for her mood and impoliteness, while Xu Bojun commended Mu Wanqing's frank and capable character, urging Xu Guangyao to match her competence. Following the proposal, Tan Xuanlin, anticipating the need to influence public perception, sent instructions to a reporter from "The Spark" newspaper. He then met Mu Wanqing, advising her to temporarily agree to the engagement, emphasizing that outright resistance against both her father and Xu Bojun would not only cause her distress but also implicate him.
Mu Wanqing, enraged, questioned how marriage could ever be a temporary measure. Tan Xuanlin bluntly stated his affection for her but suggested that if their love meant a deadly struggle with Xu Bojun, he would have to re-evaluate its worth. This provoked Mu Wanqing to slap him. Tan Xuanlin pulled her into an embrace, revealing that he knew they were being watched.
Mu Wanqing, understanding his ploy, playfully chided him for making her hit him so hard but embraced the performance, stomping on his foot before dramatically walking away, warning him to remember this moment. Later, a despondent Xu Guangyao, drinking heavily with friends, expressed his despair over Mu Wanqing's apparent reluctance to marry him despite her father's agreement. He confessed that his previous declaration of feelings in the hospital went unreciprocated, leading to her growing distance.
He questioned whether marrying her anyway and devoting his life to her protection would eventually win her love, admitting it might be selfish but his only path. His friends consoled him, comparing his plight to their own unrequited loves, particularly one friend's relentless pursuit of Gu Yueshuang. Pei Shaojun then joined them, and the topic shifted to Tan Sangyu, who bravely took the stage to sing a song for him, publicly declaring her admiration and asking him to join her.
His friends urged him to respond, but Pei Shaojun hesitated, admitting he never expected such a public display. He was pressured by his friends to either reciprocate her feelings or directly reject her, rather than string her along. Pei Shaojun revealed that he "doesn't dislike her," but explained his reluctance stemmed from a past trauma: during student protests in Beijing, he intervened, persuading students to write a petition for his father, only for his father to secretly arrest every signer.
He felt that everything he tried to protect went wrong and believed Tan Sangyu would be safer away from him. His friends assured him it wasn't his fault, merely a case of good intentions gone awry. As the friends planned to continue drinking, one departed for Gu Yueshuang's "The Love's Dream" wrap party. Xu Guangyao then asked Pei Shaojun to take a walk with him, hinting at something he wanted to show him, still burdened by his own marriage concerns.
