Moonshine and Valentine Episode 18 Recap
> Moonshine and Valentine Recap
Pipi has been avoiding Helan Jingting, grappling with her identity and past life as Huiyan, which makes her unable to fully embrace her feelings for him. Helan Jingting, however, continues to follow her, whether she's attending class or working at the bar. One day at the university, Pipi's friends comment on Helan Jingting's handsomeness.
Pipi, feeling conflicted, describes a hypothetical scenario to her friends: if her "boyfriend" kept photos of multiple ex-girlfriends who all resembled her, she would feel like a mere substitute. This analogy reflects her deeper frustration and fear that Helan Jingting views her as merely a reincarnation of Huiyan. She then tells Helan Jingting directly not to follow her, as it distracts her. Helan Jingting, in turn, attempts to call Qianhua, leaving a message on her voicemail.
One evening at the bar where Pipi works as a waitress, she accidentally spills wine on a patron, who then demands she drink a glass of strong liquor as an apology. Pipi, who cannot drink, is pressured to comply. Just as she raises the glass, Helan Jingting intervenes, takes the glass, and, enduring immense discomfort from consuming human alcohol, drinks the entire glass himself. Despite this, the patron is not appeased and insists that both Pipi and Helan Jingting apologize.
For Pipi's safety, Helan Jingting, though blameless, bows down and apologizes to the patron. Witnessing Helan Jingting’s devotion, Pipi remains deeply conflicted, questioning whether his love is truly for her or for Huiyan. Later, Pipi finds Helan Jingting outside, vomiting due to the alcohol. Feeling remorseful, she finally articulates her recent emotional turmoil, revealing that her frustration stems from her confusion about his past relationships and her identity as Huiyan.
Helan Jingting, overjoyed by her honesty, pulls her into a tight embrace. He clarifies that while she and Huiyan are intrinsically linked, he has always loved "her". Despite her lingering confusion about his deep affection, Pipi admits that she has fallen for him, Helan Jingting. She expresses her feelings of unfairness, lamenting that if she is Huiyan, she doesn't share the "hundreds of years of memory" that he possesses.
If she is not Huiyan, then he has spent years with others while only months with her. Pipi just wants to create new memories unique to their relationship. Interrupting her, Helan Jingting proposes, asking her to marry him. The next morning, Pipi escorts Helan Jingting back to his residence before dawn. They discover Qianhua waiting for them. Sensing the need for privacy, Pipi quickly excuses herself, claiming she needs to return home to change clothes.
Once Pipi leaves, Helan Jingting inquires about Qianhua's sudden return. Qianhua reveals she has been back for days and apologizes for the delay. She then directly informs Helan Jingting that she knows a way to save Huiyan, as revealed by Princess Zhaoyan. Qianhua pleads with him to consider waiting for a less drastic cure that might emerge in the "next century" or even "the one after the next," expressing her belief that Huiyan will reappear.
However, Helan Jingting firmly states that Huiyan is dead and that his priority is to save Guan Pipi, who "can't wait" for a distant solution. Tearfully, Qianhua accepts his decision and promises her support. It's September 11th, Xiaoju’s birthday. She buys a cake, hoping to celebrate with her father, Xin Limin. However, as she approaches their home, her father rushes out, engrossed in his scientific equations, heading to Hua Ching University to meet his colleague, Uncle Genjiang.
He completely forgets her birthday. Later, Xiaoju's friends, Xiuxian and Kuanyong, surprise her with a cake. Xiaoju is touched and surprised, unaware that Xiuxian knew her birthday because he noticed it marked on a calendar. During their celebration at a cafe, Kuanyong asks Xiaoju about her mother.
Xiaoju reveals a painful family secret: her mother had a seven-year affair with another man, an "uncle" who was kind and made her mother happy, a happiness Xiaoju never saw her mother express at home. Xiaoju confesses her confusion and hurt at her mother's ability to maintain two relationships, feeling that her mother had hurt everyone, including herself. She wonders if openness and honesty would have led to a happier outcome for all involved.
The next day, Xin Limin gets into another fight over his research manuscript and is injured, requiring hospitalization. Xiaoju receives a call from the hospital but initially denies knowing him, dismissing it as a "crank call." However, she eventually goes to the hospital, accompanied by Kuanyong and Xiuxian. At the hospital, Xiaoju angrily confronts her father about his reckless behavior and his obsession with his work, which often leads him to neglect her or get into altercations.
She expresses her frustration that his notebook seems more important than her. Kuanyong advises Xiaoju to reconcile with her father, noting that both she and Xin Limin struggle to express their true feelings, often pretending indifference while secretly caring deeply. He suggests that their inability to communicate makes them hurt each other. Xin Limin, in turn, gives Xiaoju a birthday gift he bought from a boutique near her school.
Although Xiaoju playfully feigns dissatisfaction, saying she's not a little girl anymore and it's not her birthday, she is visibly moved and tearfully accepts the gift, a sign of their reconciliation. Kuanyong and Xiuxian exchange a knowing smile, witnessing the touching moment. Pipi sees Tian Xin at school and later calls Xiaoju, who confirms Tian Xin's return. Xiaoju reveals that she recently encountered Tao Jialin at the hospital.
In a flashback, it's shown that Jialin was at the hospital to pick up medication for his father's high blood pressure, while Xiaoju was there for her own father’s medicine. Jialin informs Xiaoju that he and Tian Xin have broken up and subtly inquires about Pipi. Xiaoju, fiercely protective of Pipi, vehemently tells Jialin that Pipi is happy and doesn’t need his apology, especially not for his own peace of mind or an attempt to win her back.
Xiaoju criticizes Jialin for his cowardice, pointing out that he lacked the courage to tell Pipi when he fell for her best friend, showing a lack of respect for both Pipi and their relationship. She emphasizes that Pipi has moved on and has a boyfriend. Jialin acknowledges this, feeling a sense of deep regret.
Fang Jinxue watches her baby in an incubator, listening as doctors regretfully inform her that they have exhausted all options for her child's rare disease, and she should prepare for the worst. Overwhelmed with grief, she tells Bozhong that she used the Gold Flower Mirror as Princess Zhaoyan instructed, but cannot decipher the characters displayed on it. Bozhong reveals that the text holds the key to saving her child, though the method is "cruel."
Desperate, Fang Jinxue insists she will do anything, even die, to save her baby. Bozhong explains that while she doesn't need to die, "someone else" does. He recounts how Helan, a human-fox hybrid, was saved at birth by Princess Zhaoyan using a human girl's liver. Bozhong claims that the same human's liver can now cure her child, instructing her to kill Pipi, extract her liver, and make a medicinal soup for the baby.
Horrified, Fang Jinxue asks if there’s no other way, reluctant to commit murder, especially given that Pipi wears Helan Jingting’s Pearl of Charm, which would incur his wrath. Bozhong counters that Pipi is fated to die before her twenty-fifth birthday anyway and has a "chance to be reborn," a luxury her child does not possess. This revelation weighs heavily on Fang Jinxue, who is torn by the impossible choice, as Bozhong presses her to act quickly for her child's sake.
