Fifteen Years to Wait for Migratory Birds Episode 8 Recap
> Fifteen Years to Wait for Migratory Birds Recap
Pei Shangxuan was detained by the police for injuring someone, becoming a young delinquent with a criminal record. Losing confidence in his future, he refused to meet Li Li and explicitly canceled their annual pact to watch migratory birds, an agreement he had originally made, now feeling inferior due to his crime. Li Li tried to visit him multiple times but was rejected.
On her lawyer's advice, she focused on her studies while also meticulously recording the 2004 World Cup scores, hoping to inspire him with football, though this effort ultimately failed. After Pei Shangxuan's release from prison, his family quickly moved house, seemingly to avoid neighbors' ridicule. Li Li, who had been visiting his home every weekend to comfort him, arrived at his former address only to learn from a resident that his family had already relocated.
Pei Shangxuan found work at a bar, where he lived a dissolute life. Li Li sought him out, but he was dismissive, swatting away a small doll she presented. This doll, a cherished gift from Pei Shangxuan, was particularly precious to Li Li after she secretly fell for him; she had hoped it would reawaken his confident self.
However, Pei Shangxuan's personality had dramatically changed; he expressed resentment, feeling abandoned by university and society, believing all his ideals had turned to foam, and that he was now merely living a humble life like an ant. Their conversation broke down, and Li Li found it impossible to confess her feelings, despite Daniel's encouragement to take that step, fearing it would ruin their friendship.
Sun Yu, who had failed his exams and was working in Guangdong, returned to Shanghai after hearing about Pei Shangxuan's plight. Daniel, along with Sun Yu, attempted to encourage Pei Shangxuan, taking him back to the football field to rekindle his youthful spirit. But the harsh reality had pulled Pei Shangxuan away from his dreams; he angrily shouted at his friends, feeling like a useless person, capable only of a mundane nine-to-five job, with no other pursuits.
Their efforts were completely useless, and Pei Shangxuan gave up on himself, leading even Daniel and Sun Yu to give up on him, though Li Li remained steadfast in her refusal to abandon him. One evening, Li Li visited Pei Shangxuan at the bar again. When a conflict arose between customers and a female bartender, Pei Shangxuan intervened, drinking to apologize. Li Li, witnessing his self-abandonment, became enraged and, in protest, drank a bottle of alcohol herself.
Pei Shangxuan quickly escorted the deeply intoxicated Li Li out of the bar and called a taxi. Before getting into the car, Li Li asked to meet him the following day to talk properly. Li Li returned home, where only Liu Qianren was present. Liu Qianren helped her to her room and bed. In her drunken state, Li Li mistakenly took Liu Qianren for Pei Shangxuan and repeatedly uttered, "I like you."
Liu Qianren, who had developed feelings for Li Li over time, heard her words clearly and was deeply moved. Unable to control his inner desire, he leaned down towards the unconscious Li Li. The next day, Pei Shangxuan waited for Li Li by the lake, at their old meeting place. Li Li had already arrived but hid behind a nearby tree, watching him silently with a complex expression.
Remembering her intimate moment with Liu Qianren, she gradually realized that she had become an "unclean girl," unworthy of purely loving Pei Shangxuan, and that her feelings for him were far more complex than simple liking.
