I've Fallen For You Episode 17 Recap
> I've Fallen For You Recap
After Sanqi was hit by a rock and fell unconscious during their escape, she was brought to Zhao's mansion. A doctor examined her, stating that her life was not in danger, but her back injury would require time to heal. Zhao Cuo stayed by her side, urging her to wake up and lamenting that he had so much to tell her.
Suddenly, He Ruoyao entered, telling Zhao Cuo to remain calm as she and her entourage could take care of Sanqi. Zhao Cuo was agitated, demanding to know what they were doing and calling them insane. He complained that a "playboy" was holding his wife's hand, referring to the man who was also by Sanqi's bedside.
He Ruoyao sharply told Zhao Cuo to lower his voice and revealed the man's identity: He Zhen, the Young Lord of Taoyuan City, and her own brother. Zhao Cuo was stunned, repeating "Young Lord." He then questioned He Ruoyao's identity, to which she stated her title as Lady Jinyan of Taoyuan City, implying he should show deference. Zhao Cuo's attendant, Li Jia, timidly prompted him to show respect, but He Ruoyao waved it off.
Zhao Cuo still insisted that even as the Young Lord, He Zhen could not simply hold his wife's hand. He Ruoyao retorted that it was Zhao Cuo who had stolen her brother's wife. She then revealed Sanqi's true identity: she was the only daughter of the Tian family from Shifang Village, who had been betrothed to He Zhen by their father. The engagement was formal, with a wedding letter sent and Sanqi even entering the wedding sedan.
However, Sanqi had fled the marriage, which later led to her impersonating He Jinxin and marrying into the Zhao household. Thus, He Ruoyao concluded, Zhao Cuo had effectively "robbed" her brother's intended wife. Zhao Cuo was bewildered, asking why he had never heard of such a significant event. He argued that if Sanqi had truly fled the Young Lord's marriage, He Zhen would have turned Taoyuan City upside down searching for her.
He Ruoyao clarified that her brother had initially not wanted to marry Sanqi, so her escape had actually suited his intentions at the time. Relieved, Zhao Cuo enthusiastically told He Ruoyao to take her brother away so he could reunite with his wife. However, He Ruoyao stopped him, noting that her brother's feelings had changed, and he now seemed to genuinely want Sanqi.
Zhao Cuo grew frustrated, arguing that He Zhen couldn't just claim Sanqi at will, but He Ruoyao reminded him that as the Young Lord of Taoyuan City, He Zhen's will was law. Zhao Cuo's attendant comforted him, advising him to manage his grief as if his marriage were dead. Meanwhile, Bai Yifei expressed his sadness to He Ruoyao, confiding that not all problems could be solved with love.
He was concerned about their differing statuses, with her being Lady Jinyan of Taoyuan City and him merely the son of a minor official. He Ruoyao dismissed his worries, stating that love was the most powerful force and urging him to be direct. She acknowledged their status disparity and the potential difficulties but affirmed that if their love was sincere, nothing else mattered.
She even offered to give up her title and live a simple life with him among the common folk. Bai Yifei was overjoyed, imagining a life where he would grind ink while she painted, and he farmed while she wove. He worried about her father's sadness, as she was his only daughter, but He Ruoyao playfully brushed off his concerns, vowing to cry until her father agreed.
Bai Yifei promised to cherish her more than anyone else, declaring her his "priceless treasure." He Ruoyao then playfully asked if he would ever leave her, to which he responded with an emphatic no, adding that he worried she might leave him. She affectionately called him a fool, asking who would protect him if she wasn't there. They then embraced, comforting each other.
Back at Zhao's mansion, Sanqi, awakened by the commotion, found Zhao Cuo and He Zhen quarreling by her bed. She was confused, asking where they had come from, and Zhao Cuo jokingly accused her of amnesia. Both men then vehemently declared themselves her husband, each dismissing the other. He Zhen emphasized his status as the Young Lord of Taoyuan City. Sanqi, exasperated, told them to be quiet. When her stomach rumbled, both men immediately vied to get her food.
Zhao Cuo offered pig brain soup and a "mountain forest chicken" drumstick from Shifang Village, while He Zhen insisted on more luxurious tonics like shark fin and bird's nest, or a full tonic congee. They both rushed out to prepare food for her. Later, Sanqi, left alone, expressed her annoyance at the constant attention. He Ruoyao entered, noting that both Zhao Cuo and He Zhen had left to buy new pastries from a dessert shop.
She expressed surprise at her brother's sudden attentiveness, as he had previously been an "iceberg" who didn't want to marry. Sanqi reaffirmed her commitment to Zhao Cuo, saying she couldn't regret their marriage. He Ruoyao, however, warned her that no woman could escape her brother if he truly desired her. She then playfully teased Sanqi about the nature of her marriage to Zhao Cuo, asking if they had "slept together."
Sanqi, innocent and naive, was confused, leading He Ruoyao to comically explain that if Zhao Cuo hadn't "scratched her armpit to make her tickle," she was still innocent, as she had heard children were born from the armpit. Sanqi realized Zhao Cuo had lied to her. He Ruoyao then revealed that He Zhen wanted to meet Sanqi in the pavilion for something important, and Sanqi, wanting to clarify things, agreed to go.
In the pavilion, He Zhen told Sanqi a story about a lonely little girl in Shifang Village eight years ago who was bullied. She wished for a friend, and an immortal granted her wish with a little boy. Sanqi was shocked, asking how he knew this private story. He Zhen continued, describing how they played, ate fruit, sang, and used fireflies as fireworks, and how the boy promised to protect her. Sanqi, deeply moved, demanded to know his identity.
He Zhen explained that the boy had to leave, returning to his rightful place, but before leaving, he gave the girl a bamboo name ring with his totem. Sanqi recognized the name ring, realizing it was her own, and then recognized the one he held as belonging to her childhood friend. She remembered their childhood promise to be together forever, with the old locust tree as their witness, and that he would return when she turned eighteen.
He Zhen apologized for leaving without a word, only leaving a grimace to indicate he was alive, making her wait for eight long years. He begged her to come with him. Still hesitant, Sanqi recalled his words about having to return to his place. To quell her doubts, He Zhen said he had one last thing to prove his identity and asked to see a birthmark on her waist.
Inside, Sanqi began to remove her clothes, but He Zhen stopped her. He insisted she needed to see clear proof to stop doubting him and then revealed a birthmark on his own waist. Sanqi recognized it as her childhood friend's. Overjoyed, Sanqi finally acknowledged him as her "little brother." He Zhen was ecstatic, promising never to let her suffer again and to take her back to get married once she recovered.
He acknowledged that it might be hard for her to accept after so long, but asked to take things slowly. He offered her tea and new pastries from Nanxin Dessert Shop. Zhao Cuo, witnessing the scene from afar, was furious. He complained that He Zhen and Sanqi were openly "showing off love" and ignoring his feelings as a man about to lose his wife.
He demanded He Ruoyao reveal Sanqi's location, offering all the handsome men in the city as a bribe, but He Ruoyao claimed she truly didn't know and couldn't control her brother's sudden change of heart. She advised Zhao Cuo that "long pain is worse than short pain" and he should give up. Li Jia then reported that Sanqi was still in He Zhen's room. Enraged, Zhao Cuo demanded his knife, threatening to "hack" He Zhen for "robbing his wife."
Li Jia desperately reminded him that challenging the Young Lord was a capital crime. Zhao Cuo dismissed the threat, declaring his life meaningless without Sanqi. Li Jia tried to reassure him that they were "just chatting," but Zhao Cuo remained determined to confront He Zhen. Li Jia advised a more cunning approach, reminding Zhao Cuo of the Young Lord's formidable guards.
Zhao Cuo then, with an inflated sense of self-importance, asked Li Jia to confirm his handsomeness, to which Li Jia hesitantly agreed, confirming Zhao Cuo was slightly more handsome than He Zhen. Despite Zhao Cuo's "Big Battle for Wife" plans, his father intervened, scolding him for attempting to challenge the Young Lord. Zhao Cuo accused Li Jia of being a traitor.
His father explained that while he had indeed arranged Sanqi's marriage to Zhao Cuo, he hadn't known her true identity then. He warned Zhao Cuo that fighting the Young Lord for a wife meant certain death, which would ruin his own newfound happiness with his "second love," Ling, and destroy the entire family. Li Jia and others tried to persuade Zhao Cuo that there were many other women in the world, suggesting that true love could happen more than once.
Zhao Cuo grew angrier, accusing them of forcing him to marry Sanqi only to now tell him to give her up. His father ordered him to stay put and not disturb He Zhen and Sanqi, tasking Li Jia with guarding him. However, Zhao Cuo's father then realized Zhao Cuo hadn't visited brothels or gambling houses since meeting Sanqi.
He devised a new plan: since they couldn't control Zhao Cuo, they would encourage him to frequent the brothels and gambling houses, hoping he would forget Sanqi by reconnecting with his old "wine-and-meat friends." He gave Li Jia money for this "activity." Zhao Cuo, misinterpreting his father's intentions, believed it was "event funding" to support his efforts to win Sanqi back.
Li Jia, eager to go, tried to convince Zhao Cuo that it was for the "economic development" of the city. Zhao Cuo saw through Li Jia's ploy and angrily dismissed him, declaring everyone around him "not kind at all." Finally, Sanqi, recovering and feeling restless, was asked by He Zhen when she would return to the capital with him, explaining that his father was seriously ill and he could not remain in the city much longer.
He added that he had waited too long for her and didn't want to be separated again. Sanqi asked for more details about his sudden departure eight years ago. He Zhen revealed that he had been sent away as a child to escape war, constantly hiding his identity and moving from place to place. Before the age of ten, he didn't even know who he was.
He explained that he was not afraid of death but was terrified of living a life without connection, with no friends, and forbidden to show emotion. Sanqi sympathized with his lonely past. He Zhen reiterated that their time together was the happiest in his life and asked her to come with him. Recalling their childhood vow of exchanging name rings and being together forever, Sanqi finally agreed to return to the capital with him.
