I Am The Years You Are The Stars Episode 13 Recap
> I Am The Years You Are The Stars Recap
Jin Xiaoyu arrives at Jiang Baiju's office, but finds no one. She calls Dao Ruifeng, who speaks cryptically, mentioning he's "on the run" and that Jiang Baiju is at the company with a "love rival," trying on clothes. Xiaoyu deduces Jiang Baiju is in the photo studio on the 18th floor. There, Lin Nuoyan is trying on an unusual "free-range chicken" themed outfit.
As Lin Nuoyan trips and falls into Jiang Baiju's arms, Jin Xiaoyu appears, witnessing the awkward scene, prompting Jiang Baiju to immediately push Lin Nuoyan away. Lin Nuoyan learns Xiaoyu is a close friend of Jiang Baiju's and observes that she seems to be Jiang Baiju's type, a point Jiang Baiju readily agrees with. Lin Nuoyan then reveals Xiaoyu has a boyfriend who works at the company, but Jiang Baiju dismisses it, stating it doesn't stop him from liking her.
Money Cheng enters, remarking on the dramatic scene and openly questioning Jiang Baiju's romantic preferences. Jin Xiaoyu retorts that Jiang Baiju "likes the entire human species" and mocks his physical condition. Frustrated, Jin Xiaoyu cuts off the conversation and quickly leaves. Meanwhile, child star Bella converses with Xu Nan, a former school administrator.
Bella, a seasoned actress despite her young age, feels she will be alone after death as her family is complicated, while Xu Nan has her late husband waiting for her and offers to have him look out for Bella in the afterlife. Bella shows Xu Nan a picture of her "boyfriend," Lin Nuoyan, a professor and spokesperson for organ donation.
Inspired by his work, Bella plans to donate all her organs, particularly her corneas and heart, as a positive example for her fans and other young people. She then suggests Xu Nan donate her body to medical science, acknowledging her age makes organ donation impractical. Bella immediately calls Cheng Weilan, a volunteer, to provide Xu Nan with information on body donation. Cheng Weilan later tells Xiaoyu about Bella's efforts and her leukemia.
Xiaoyu and Cheng Weilan discuss how both Bella and Xu Nan might feel burdened by their families' expectations. Xiaoyu, recalling her own experiences, tells Cheng Weilan that she finds Cheng Weilan and Liu Meina noisy when they fuss over her during her illness, though she knows it comes from love. Cheng Weilan, musing on their friendship, asks if she ranks second to Xiaoyu's master, and Xiaoyu confirms it.
Later, Jiang Baiju is upset, still misinterpreting Xiaoyu's earlier comments as a sign she has a new boyfriend, possibly Lin Nuoyan, and even connects it to a "turkey outfit" she once dressed him in. Xiaoyu, exasperated, talks about her dissatisfaction with her life.
Jiang Baiju then discusses Qing'ai's upcoming anniversary celebration, explaining that Dao Ruifeng had focused on popular artists but neglected seasoned actors, and the unexpected departure of Qin Rong, a high-quality artist, left them without a strong female lead. Xiaoyu reminds Jiang Baiju of her offer to give him a traditional Chinese massage if she helped resolve the Tan Yueran issue. Xiaoyu begins the massage, insisting on covering Jiang Baiju's head with a white cloth and lighting three incense sticks.
She instructs him not to speak while she massages him. During the session, Xiaoyu recounts the story of Xia Qi, the "checkers lady" from Bed 13, who was a famous geologist. Xia Qi lived a full, unmarried life, traveled extensively, wrote many books, and peacefully passed away after leaving gifts for her friends.
Xiaoyu contrasts this with Xu Nan, whose loving children, after her husband's death and her subsequent illness, overwork to afford her VIP medical treatment, unaware that this overwhelming love has become a heavy burden to Xu Nan. Xiaoyu muses on the human condition, where people have no control over their lives or deaths, constantly tied by ethics, morals, beliefs, and emotions, and questions how one faces life when it offers only pain and torment.
Her voice soothes Jiang Baiju, who drifts into a dream of 1935 Shanghai. In his dream, he recalls his last moment seeing Chen Mansha perform before leaving for the war, promising to return. He then sees Chen Mansha's funeral and bumps into Xiaoyu. Waking from his dream, Jiang Baiju discovers that the massage techniques Xiaoyu used on him were, in fact, those for preparing a deceased person for burial. Xiaoyu, flustered, quickly denies it and makes a hasty exit.
Dao Ruifeng then remarks that Jiang Baiju's romantic life is "even more dramatic than my novel." At Qing'ai, Money Cheng struggles to negotiate with Peng Na, an artist demanding an exclusive cover for the anniversary brochure. Wanwan then approaches Money Cheng, determined to find out who Dao Ruifeng's dance partner will be. She threatens Money Cheng with exposing his past actions if he doesn't comply.
Money Cheng, seeking a favor in return, agrees to reveal the partner's identity if Wanwan helps secure Yang Xue'er as Qing'ai's new spokesperson, a difficult task as Yang Xue'er rarely takes commercial endorsements. Wanwan agrees, leveraging her mother's connections, and Money Cheng falsely tells her that Jin Xiaoyu is Dao Ruifeng's dance partner. Wanwan sends her assistant to locate Xiaoyu at the hospital. At the hospital, Jin Xiaoyu is present as Dao Ruifeng, wearing a mask, approaches Cheng Weilan.
He reassures Cheng Weilan about the biting patient incident and then flirts with her, asking her to be his dance partner for the anniversary, only requiring her presence as he needs no dancing skills. Cheng Weilan declines his invitation and leaves. Meanwhile, Wanwan's assistant reports that the doctor at the hospital is Cheng Weilan, Jin Xiaoyu's best friend, causing Wanwan to realize Money Cheng's information was a misdirection.
Back at Qing'ai, Jiang Baiju confronts Dao Ruifeng about the car accident that occurred while Gao Guofu's body was being transported for examination. Dao Ruifeng advises Jiang Baiju to focus on his own treatment, to which Jiang Baiju replies that his illness is stable "at the worst" and he has never truly been well.
Jiang Baiju then tells Dao Ruifeng he has a meeting with Yang Xue'er's agent and won't be home for dinner, playfully telling Dao Ruifeng he'll have to cook for himself. Later, Jin Xiaoyu and Jiang Baiju discuss the recent hospital incident where a deceased patient bit a nurse. Cheng Weilan had informed Xiaoyu that the patient's body exhibited the same cyanosis as Gao Guofu but lacked rigor mortis and livor mortis.
Jiang Baiju shares a recording from Qian Tu of Tan Yueran's conversation, revealing she obtained the specific drug from an illegal online clinic run by a Dr. Zhao Shan, who meticulously documented her physical indicators during follow-ups. Xiaoyu notes a disturbing progression: Gao Guofu had livor mortis, a previous epilepsy patient had some, but this latest body had none, yet still showed muscle activity after death.
They conclude that the specific drug has been upgraded, and that Zhao Shan is using the drug-takers as "guinea pigs" to refine the drug, thus constantly seeking new subjects for their experiments. Outside the hospital, Xu Nan's daughter expresses her distress over her mother's pancreatic cancer and the heavy financial burden. She confides in another woman, whose husband also has cancer, about her desperate hope to save her mother.
The woman then reveals she bought a "foreign medicine" or "nutritional supplement" online, not available in hospitals, which has reportedly helped her husband. She implies it's not expensive but must be kept secret, and encourages Xu Nan's daughter to "take a gamble." Persuaded, Xu Nan's daughter buys the medicine and later gives it to her mother, instructing her to take one pill daily.
