Love in Time Episode 22 Recap
> Love in Time Recap
Gao Ming is enraged upon seeing a surveillance video related to Zhang Xiaojiang's case circulating widely online, having garnered 100,000 shares. He furiously instructs his legal department to immediately hire public relations, paid posters, and media to cover it up and remove the trending topic before noon. Shortly after, Gao Ming receives a call from Sun Defeng, who warns him that Zhang Xiaojiang alone isn't capable of putting him in such a difficult position.
Sun Defeng then reveals that Zhang Xiaojiang's lawyer, He Zhengyu, is the true orchestrator behind the video's release. In 2021, He Zhengyu calls Chen Jialan, praising her speed in spreading the news, which Jialan attributes to the video footage He Zhengyu provided. He Zhengyu then asks her to meet him at a bridal shop. He urges her to try on a wedding dress, which she notes is the expensive one from the shop's window, costing over 20,000 yuan.
While Jialan tries on the dress, He Zhengyu looks at suits for himself, joking that he prefers a looser, grey one for its lower price. A sales assistant observes He Zhengyu's melancholic demeanor and constant sighing while looking at Jialan in the wedding dress, believing he is deeply in love but speculating that he might be seriously ill. Afterwards, He Zhengyu takes Jialan to a restaurant where he has ordered an extravagant meal.
He presents her with a beautiful necklace as a "return gift" for her birthday present to him, emphasizing that a wedding dress isn't complete without accessories. During dinner, Gao Ming unexpectedly approaches He Zhengyu and Jialan, feigning a chance encounter. Gao Ming praises He Zhengyu's legal prowess, offering him a high-paying legal advisory position with company shares after Zhang Xiaojiang's case concludes in an attempt to bribe him.
He Zhengyu recognizes this as a corrupt offer and warns Gao Ming that his words could be used as evidence of bribery. Unfazed, Gao Ming escalates his threats by revealing his detailed knowledge of He Zhengyu's parents—their professions as professors and their home address, explicitly stating he has sent a friend to "take care" of them. As He Zhengyu reacts with anger, Jialan quickly intervenes with a warning.
This triggers He Zhengyu's memory of a future event he knows will happen in four months: he will be detained for seven days for assaulting Gao Ming, leading to his expulsion from Fengyu Law Firm. The memory calms He Zhengyu, who immediately calls his mother to warn her not to open the door to strangers.
He Zhengyu then confronts Gao Ming, calmly listing the potential criminal charges he could face, and dismisses Gao Ming and the paparazzi accompanying him, declaring their next meeting will be in court. Later that evening, Jialan, dressed in the wedding gown, meets He Zhengyu from 2022 in a room he has transformed to evoke the romantic atmosphere of Santorini. He Zhengyu asks Jialan if she is willing to be the heroine in his paintings, to which she tearfully agrees.
While taking wedding photos, Jialan hesitantly confesses that "the other you," referring to 2021 He Zhengyu, also seems to like her. He Zhengyu from 2022 reveals he was aware of his past self's feelings and explains that both versions of him are fundamentally the same person. However, Jialan maintains that for her, they are distinct.
During this moment, He Zhengyu receives a call from Zhou Dajun, who informs him that the address for Meng Jianguo was incorrect as he moved four months ago, but his new address has been found. Meanwhile, Jialan shows 2021 He Zhengyu an alarming video posted online. In the video, Zhang Hui, an accountant from Fengyu Law Firm, publicly accuses He Zhengyu of accepting a 500,000 yuan bribe from Gao Ming to silence Zhang Xiaojiang.
He Zhengyu immediately suspects Sun Defeng is behind this fabrication. Later, He Zhengyu discusses the accusation with a frantic Zhou Dajun. After an initial search for cash in his office, He Zhengyu finds a deposit of 500,000 yuan in his bank account. Jialan calls 2021 He Zhengyu to check on him. He explains that the card with the 500,000 yuan was a rarely used, firm-issued one with no notification service, so he was unaware of the transfer.
The remitter was Meng Jianguo, Gao Ming's former driver. He Zhengyu theorizes that Sun Defeng, knowing personal details about him, orchestrated the scheme with Gao Ming and Zhang Hui to get him disbarred. He acknowledges that Meng Jianguo is the key and that they must rely on his future self from 2022 to find a breakthrough. Jialan reassures him of her unconditional trust.
Meanwhile, 2022 He Zhengyu learns from Zhou Dajun that Meng Jianguo recently purchased a luxurious apartment with cash, indicating he did more for Gao Ming than just hide dashcam footage. 2022 He Zhengyu begins strategizing, instructing Zhou Dajun to investigate Gao Ming's schedule for a "natural" encounter. Crucially, He Zhengyu also meets with Zhang Xiaojiang, who expresses unwavering faith in him, believing he has been framed and vowing to face the enemy together.
During a time-space overlap, 2021 He Zhengyu deduces that Sun Defeng and Gao Ming collaborated to frame him. 2022 He Zhengyu confirms this, revealing that Zhang Hui and Sun Defeng are secretly a couple and her betrayal was out of loyalty, not for money. He adds that in the future, they announced their engagement but their relationship soured. In 2022, He Zhengyu executes his plan at a hotel where Gao Ming has a meeting.
He approaches Meng Jianguo, pretending to be interested in buying his old house, and subtly provokes him by mentioning that Zhang Xiaojiang has found a key witness. When Gao Ming arrives, He Zhengyu feigns surprise and sets up Meng Jianguo and Zhou Dajun to discuss the house, excusing himself.
Gao Ming and his secretary confront Meng Jianguo, who protests his loyalty by reminding Gao Ming how he followed his instructions to frame Zhang Xiaojiang and transfer money to He Zhengyu, and gave him the dashcam immediately. Zhou Dajun, who has been covertly recording their conversation, steps in and reveals the recording. He Zhengyu then reappears and pressures Meng Jianguo, forcing him to choose between being Gao Ming's accomplice or a repentant witness.
Meng Jianguo confesses that Gao Ming's car had a three-way dashcam that recorded both audio and video of the assault on Zhang Xiaojiang, which is why Gao Ming paid him so much, and admits a backup exists. The news of this breakthrough is conveyed to 2021 He Zhengyu and Jialan. Jialan is thrilled that the dashcam video will prove Gao Ming's guilt and clear Zhang Xiaojiang's name, confirming she has recorded and backed up the footage.
However, 2022 He Zhengyu cautions that this 2022 evidence cannot be used to resolve the 2021 bribery accusation against him, as it would cause complications. He urges them to find another solution for the 2021 problem and to inform Zhang Xiaojiang about the crucial new evidence.
