Love in Time Episode 1 Recap
> Love in Time Recap
On January 7, 2022, the divorce case between actress Wu Jirong and her husband Jiang Shenghao commenced. Wu Jirong was represented by He Zhengyu, a lawyer renowned for his undefeated record. During the trial, He Zhengyu presented CCTV footage from November 10 and 11, 2021, showing Jiang Shenghao's ex-girlfriend, Chen Kexin, entering and leaving his apartment. He Zhengyu also produced a signed testimony from Chen Kexin, confirming she had been with Jiang Shenghao intimately that night.
Jiang Shenghao vehemently denied the claims, accusing Chen Kexin of perjury and pleading with Wu Jirong to believe him. Distressed, Wu Jirong suddenly declared she was withdrawing her accusation, insisting the evidence was fabricated. Noting her severe mental stress, He Zhengyu requested a temporary adjournment. Outside the courthouse, Wu Jirong's team declined all interviews. Later that evening, He Zhengyu walked alone, perplexed by Wu Jirong's change of heart.
An ambulance briefly caught his attention, and moments later, a paper crane landed at his feet. Seeing no one around, He Zhengyu picked it up and kept it. The case's fallout quickly impacted He Zhengyu's career. At a meeting at Fengyu Law Firm, partner Sun Defeng informed him that over a dozen clients were terminating their contracts. He Zhengyu offered to suspend his work, but Sun Defeng suggested he take a break and hand over his cases.
When He Zhengyu's colleague, Zhou Dajun, protested that 90% of their clients came for He Zhengyu, Sun Defeng silenced him. Citing Wu Jirong's admission in court, Sun Defeng accused He Zhengyu of providing perjured testimony. Despite his denial, the partners unanimously agreed his "improper behavior" and "arrogant personality" had damaged the firm. He Zhengyu was removed from the partnership, ordered to vacate his firm-provided apartment, and bear all losses, realizing Sun Defeng was seizing his interests.
Now renting a dilapidated apartment, He Zhengyu pointed out numerous flaws to the landlord, from potential formaldehyde to a broken sofa and a non-soundproof window, but the landlord dismissed his complaints. Too tired to clean, He Zhengyu decided to sleep on the shabby sofa, placing the paper crane on a display stand. As he fell asleep, the paper crane began to glow. Later that night, He Zhengyu awoke disoriented.
He drank an expired beverage from the fridge and then discovered that items in the bathroom, such as his mouthwash, were not his own and had also long expired. Attributing his confusion to alcohol, he cautiously investigated a sound from the bathroom. As he approached what looked like a person, he suddenly fell into the bathtub, and the room's layout seemed to shift around him. The perjury scandal escalated, with negative news online and protestors throwing eggs at his building.
He Zhengyu refused to move, telling Zhou Dajun he would not be intimidated. While playing an online game, He Zhengyu compared his determination to the game he and Zhou Dajun had played for fourteen years, arguing that if he wouldn't quit a game, he certainly wouldn't quit this case. He recalled his university speech about lawyers making the world better and grew frustrated by his inability to contact Wu Jirong.
That night, a vision of a disheveled woman appeared, speaking of enduring pain in a marriage for her husband's reputation. He Zhengyu again dismissed the realistic apparition as an alcohol-induced hallucination. Meanwhile, Jiang Shenghao gushed to a female friend about a woman he was in love with, claiming he knew she was his future wife from the moment he saw her.
He revealed the woman was public figure Chen Jialan and announced his intention to marry her, asking his friend to be a bridesmaid. Later, He Zhengyu went to see Wu Jirong but found Jiang Shenghao causing a disturbance outside, demanding she come home. He Zhengyu intervened, warning Jiang Shenghao he would uncover how he had threatened Wu Jirong into retracting her testimony.
Wu Jirong's agent, Anwen, thanked He Zhengyu but refused to let him see his client, insisting she was resting. He Zhengyu argued that Jiang Shenghao was clearly manipulating her, but Anwen dismissed it as speculation. Back in his apartment, He Zhengyu decided to sleep early to avoid more "ghosts," only to wake in terror, finding the same mysterious woman from his visions lying in bed beside him. Separately, at the iNEWS office, editor Chen Jialan welcomed new interns.
She confided in a colleague her ambition to be a field reporter like her idol, Mu Shiming. The atmosphere tensed when the editor-in-chief, Ms. Wen, arrived and chided the staff for their lack of impactful stories. During a briefing, Ms. Wen astutely deduced that a seemingly minor fire at a glass factory posed a city-wide threat due to a potential dust leak from damaged vacuum systems. With other reporters unavailable, Chen Jialan volunteered for the assignment.
Reporting live from the factory, Chen Jialan warned that despite the fire being controlled, the vast amount of glass dust created a high risk of explosion. As she finished her report, a large explosion occurred behind her. Later that night, while reviewing her footage, Chen Jialan looked at a photo of her and her father, reaffirming her goal to become a great reporter and win a prestigious news award.
