Golden House Hidden Love Episode 22 Recap
> Golden House Hidden Love Recap
Lin Jiarui couldn't understand why his mother left her entire inheritance to Nan Hua, an illegitimate grandson whose origins were unknown to him. Reviewing surveillance footage, he discovered Jiang Xiaochuan had visited his mother, and their conversation revealed Nan Hua's true identity. Knowing that Nan Hua's life was linked to the cherry tree, thriving when it blossomed and weakening as its leaves withered, Lin Jiarui conceived a daring idea to eliminate him.
His motive was tied to his mother's inheritance and her blaming him for his failure to regain ownership of the house; he secretly hoped his mother would live longer than Nan Hua, a wish reinforced by his concern about his mother's declining health and his refusal to stop her medical treatment, as discussed with her doctor.
Nan Hua brought the group to a seaside resort, explaining it was the location of the viscount's ancestral hall, which had transformed over two thousand years. Despite the drastic changes, he could still feel a familiar presence and asked everyone to close their eyes and feel it with him. He mentioned his name "Nan Hua," which he was still unaccustomed to being called after his long absence.
He reflected on how the world had changed since his departure, with women free to pursue their dreams and men choosing diverse paths without ridicule. He felt that professions were now respected, and everyone had dignity. For himself, the most significant change was finally meeting the person most precious to him. He expressed gratitude for the gift of immortality, which allowed him this chance encounter. Taking this moment, Nan Hua proposed to Jin Xia.
He clarified that his previous marriage proposal was an ancient tradition, and this was a modern one, asking if she would marry him. Jin Xia happily accepted. He then knelt and presented her with a unique ring he had crafted just days before from the new roots of the ancient cherry tree, symbolizing his new self reborn for her.
He mentioned his return to Globefish Town wasn't just to say goodbye to the real Nan Hua, but to ask her soul in heaven to witness their commitment. After the proposal, the group relaxed, and Jiang Xiaochuan offered to buy hot dogs. Forgetting the requested flavors, she called out to Jin Xia for help. At the hot dog stand, Jin Xia encountered her ex-boyfriend.
Remembering his past actions and words, including how his previous hurtful behavior had spurred her decision to buy a house, she showed no patience towards him. The ex-boyfriend seemed genuinely confused, claiming no memory of a blind date they'd had, which puzzled Jin Xia as she had previously dismissed it as a dream but now wondered if her mother had been telling the truth. He grabbed her arm, wanting an explanation.
Seeing Jin Xia being accosted, Nan Hua immediately possessed the ex-boyfriend. Publicly, the ex-boyfriend dropped to his knees, loudly confessing a string of misdeeds, including living off Jin Xia while being unkind, stealing her credit card, cheating on her, and even sneaking into the women's bathroom as a child. This spectacle humiliated the ex-boyfriend and provided Jin Xia with significant satisfaction.
However, the ex-boyfriend's panicked reaction and cries of being possessed "again" suggested this wasn't his first time experiencing such a phenomenon, alerting Ding Yanhai. That evening, Jin Xia and Nan Hua walked together, and Jin Xia expressed her fear that their relationship felt like a wonderful dream that might suddenly end, causing Nan Hua to disappear. Nan Hua reassured her that it was real and he wouldn't vanish. Meanwhile, Ding Yanhai sought out Jiang Xiaochuan, sensing she wasn't asleep.
He confronted her, revealing his deductions that she was an ancient human. He showed her an old photo from decades prior (the 1980s being mentioned in conversation) and explained that like Nan Hua, she didn't age, requiring plastic surgery to conceal her immortality in the modern world. He recounted his suspicion starting when he saw her get into a luxurious car driven by the CEO of Qingshi Group, Mr. Li, and her casual admission of dating him.
Ding Yanhai hypothesized that as an ancient human, she needed spiritual energy and had sneaked into the ancient mansion to absorb energy from the cherry tree, and her subsequent weakness and claim of pregnancy were a cover-up. He questioned her motives for being near Nan Hua and Jin Xia and why she hadn't revealed herself to Nan Hua, suggesting she might be the true High Immortal Nan Hua. Faced with Ding Yanhai's detailed claims, Jiang Xiaochuan briefly considered killing him.
However, seeing his unwavering commitment to protecting Nan Hua, she calmed down. She admitted that part of his analysis was correct but offered the other half of the truth, warning him she would kill him if he revealed anything to Nan Hua or Jin Xia, though she would spare his life due to his family's historical kindness to Nan Hua's ancestor and his potential future value.
She corrected his theory, stating she had entered the ancient house not to absorb energy but to recharge an "utensil" essential for Nan Hua, and this effort had caused her to collapse from exhaustion. She confessed that she, not Jin Xia, had always been the one providing spiritual energy to Nan Hua.
Jiang Xiaochuan further clarified that since Nan Hua was not the true Nan Hua, there was no preordained thousand-year promise or destined person; his belief in such a thing was a delusion. She explained that she orchestrated everything, spending years and vast resources to find Jin Xia in the world and deliberately becoming her friend to engineer their meeting and make them believe they were destined.
When Ding Yanhai pressed her on why she didn't reveal her true identity to Nan Hua and why she found someone else to be with him, she stated she couldn't, implying Nan Hua only knew a partial truth, and the full reality was far more cruel than a killing blow. As Ding Yanhai was still questioning Jiang Xiaochuan, bad news arrived from the ancient mansion.
Jin Xia called, reporting Nan Hua had fainted again and she couldn't channel energy to him. Immediately after, Jin Xia's mother called, relaying that the yard was on fire and the tree had burned down. They rushed back to find the tree severely damaged, almost completely burned. Nan Hua, weak and sensing his spiritual energy rapidly draining, confirmed the tree was burnt. Jiang Xiaochuan desperately tried to revive the tree but failed, collapsing in despair and tears.
Due to the tree's destruction, Nan Hua's body began to rapidly deteriorate, his spiritual energy draining, leaving him with only about a week of life. Ding Yanhai's police contacts investigated via surveillance footage and found the culprits were the same men who had previously blackmailed Jin Xia. Enraged, Jin Xia confronted them. They initially downplayed their actions, claiming it was just an accident or a cigarette butt that burned "a tree."
Jin Xia, with Jiang Xiaochuan's assistance, furiously attacked them, shouting that it wasn't just a tree but a life. Under pressure, the men confessed they were instructed by an old man with a strong Taiwanese accent. Ding Yanhai confirmed their confession and that Lin Jiarui had admitted on the phone to instigating the fire, identifying himself as the old man. Ding Yanhai reported that Lin Jiarui was in Taiwan, making an arrest difficult.
Lin Jiarui had claimed he was angered by Jin Xia's refusal to sell the house back and had been blamed by his mother, burning the tree to vent his frustration. He had apologized and offered compensation.
Ding Yanhai explained that legally, their case against Lin Jiarui would likely only result in a civil lawsuit, not criminal charges, especially given the difficulty of explaining the supernatural link between Nan Hua, the tree, and ancient beings to the authorities who wouldn't believe it. Jin Xia was furious, seeing it as murder motivated by the inheritance rather than simple arson for spite, but understood the legal limitations. Overwhelmed, she expressed a desire to walk alone, despite Ding Yanhai offering to accompany her.
