Ms. Cupid in Love Episode 21 Recap
> Ms. Cupid in Love Recap
Chu Ye and Li Fu worked through the night to set up the exhibition hall for the Museum of Love. Shangguan Ya then went into the streets to gather love tokens. She announced to the residents of Yueyang City that they were collecting tokens of love, promising one wen and an additional small gift for submissions within three days.
Master Shangguan contributed a worn-out scrubbing board, explaining it was what her mother was using to wash clothes by the river when he first met her. He gifted it to Ya, saying it might be useful, and Ya gratefully accepted it, intending to cherish it after the exhibition. During the collection, Chu Ye complained about the smell of a slow-boiled soup stock, a unique love token from the Wuji Stinky Tofu shop owners.
Ya and Chu Ye's attention was drawn to a pair of jade Ruyi. Upon reading the accompanying letter, Ya understood the story: a couple was separated five years prior. The man was from out of town, and the woman's family opposed her marrying far away, while the man's mother considered his moving to Yueyang as becoming a live-in son-in-law. Ya expressed frustration with elders interfering in love. She revealed that both individuals later married unhappily and divorced.
The man was passing through Yueyang on business and was soon to leave, unaware of the woman's divorce. Determined to reunite them, Ya decided to display the Ruyi in the most prominent spot, convinced they would come because no one would forget the regret of not being able to be with the first person they fell in love with.
Chu Ye expressed his fortune at being her first love, and when Ya questioned if he'd ever liked anyone in his 10,000 years in heaven, he claimed he was a loner who didn't understand love until meeting her. Ya joked about his "deca-millennium" of being single.
While showing visitors around the newly opened Museum of Love, she also shared a touching story about a pigeon that delivered letters for a separated couple for over a year, leading to their reunion, after which the owner crafted a memorial for it. Xu Yunchuan also came to see the exhibition.
He approached Ya, stating he understood everything, thinking that Ya's detailed stories, especially the one about her and Chu Ye, were a subtle way to explain his "defeat" in love while protecting his pride. His subordinate, seeing Xu Yunchuan emotional, pointed out he was crying, which Yunchuan denied, blaming sand in his eyes.
His subordinate suggested that coming to the museum was only adding stress, but Xu Yunchuan insisted Ya was treating him as a true friend by opening the museum and collecting stories to help him understand the "things beyond our control" and "unrequited love" in the world.
Meanwhile, the owners of the jade Ruyi were among the visitors; they silently reunited and held hands, a sight that deeply moved Shangguan Ya and Chu Ye, with Chu Ye remarking that "no words are needed at this moment. The exchange is in the silence." Inspired by others, Ouyang Jing realized Li Fu had never given her a love token. While their shared pear wine marked their agreement to marry, she longed for a more personal gift.
She confronted him, noting that Chu Ye had given Ya many presents while she had none. Li Fu tried to deflect by mentioning the pear wine, but Jing insisted that was merely a marriage agreement, not a love token. She pressed him, stating that if he didn't agree to find a token, it would be "too late."
Li Fu was hesitant to share their "embarrassing" story publicly, emphasizing that a love token should be a memory shared solely between them, to which Jing agreed, adding it should embody her characteristics. Li Fu suggested they go shopping, and Jing excitedly agreed. While out, Jing caught Li Fu looking at another girl and accused him. He denied it, claiming he was imagining her in women's clothes for the first time and offered to buy her an outfit and accessories.
Jing, however, rejected the idea of casual wear, pointing to the grand phoenix wedding robe at the Top Matchmaker and fearing she'd be outshone. They dismissed a sugar figure as a temporary item, as a gift should be kept forever. Eventually, hungry, they settled on a hotchpotch platter, which came with free sour plum soup for couples. Jing then gave Li Fu a pig's tail as a token, symbolizing her unwavering commitment to follow him wherever he went.
Li Fu reciprocated with a pig's ear, promising to always heed her call. Jing further suggested a pig's foot to represent them facing "all ups and downs together," which Li Fu accepted. They decided to bring the pig's ear back to the museum as their real love token. Shangguan Ya observed that love in Yueyang City was flourishing.
She excitedly told Chu Ye that eight couples had reunited and fifteen had submitted matchmaking notes, and she planned to report the good news to Xu Yunchuan the next day, hoping he'd be pleased about the Imperial Censor's success. Chu Ye suggested Xu Yunchuan should thank the Hongluan Tree, then quickly acknowledged Xu Yunchuan had saved it. He grew jealous, telling Ya not to mention Xu Yunchuan so often.
As Chu Ye leaned in to kiss Ya, Master Shangguan unexpectedly entered, complaining about a gust of wind, interrupting their tender moment. Chu Ye quickly bid farewell and left. Master Shangguan confronted Ya, suspecting she was hiding something. Unconvinced by her denial, he explained his theory: a man's sudden change in behavior is either for money or a person, and since Chu Ye had "invested all his money," he must be after her. Ya dismissed this as blabbering.
Master Shangguan then expressed his opinion that Xu Yunchuan was more suitable for her than Chu Ye, given his court connections, which would benefit the Top Matchmaker. Despite believing Chu Ye was "inferior in many ways" to Xu Yunchuan, he declared he would "make an exception" and allow Chu Ye to marry into their family if he was willing.
Ya firmly stated that a future with Xu Yunchuan was impossible and urged her father to stop trying to set them up before leaving. Master Shangguan, left alone, mused that his daughter was beginning to act like "Chu Ye from before." Xu Yunchuan invited Shangguan Ya to his residence, specifically requesting to see her alone.
His subordinate, Ah Xi, entrusted Ya with a peace amulet for Xu Yunchuan, explaining he had been troubled lately and Ah Xi was too timid to deliver it himself. Ya accepted. Upon her arrival, Xu Yunchuan presented her with a gift, acknowledging her sentiment that "a couple should have something that has sentimental value." He then showed her a "Museum of Heartbreak" he had created, with walls adorned with paintings depicting moments of their acquaintance.
Ya understood he hadn't truly moved on. Xu Yunchuan explained that he created the museum to "wrap their story up nicely" since they couldn't be together. Ya apologized, but he stopped her, admitting his feelings were "all my own wishful thinking" and that he had "come to a realization."
He announced he had established a "love security fund" in Yueyang City to encourage lovers to bravely pursue their feelings, offering rewards for those who marry, calling it the "last thing" he could do for Yueyang's marriages and the Top Matchmaker. Ya then presented the peace amulet, clarifying it was their collective wish for him to find happiness and a more suitable match.
Xu Yunchuan mused that "when you truly love someone, there is no need for any exchanges of benefits. No need for too many words either. As long as you're by her side, and she's by your side, that's good enough," indicating his acceptance. As celebrations filled the streets, a grafted branch from the Hongluan Tree unexpectedly fell.
Only household staff witnessed it, but hanging from the branch was Shangguan Ya and Chu Ye's prayer ribbon, inscribed with their wish to be together forever. Not wanting Ya's hopes to be dashed, Xu Yunchuan instructed Ah Xi to return the ribbon to her, fabricating a story about it being blown off by a strong wind, and strictly cautioned him against saying anything more.
He also ordered all marriage activities to be temporarily moved to the Marriage Temple, citing the God of Marriage's approaching birthday, to prevent the fake tree from being discovered. When Ah Xi delivered the ribbon and explained the "windy" situation, Ya noted it hadn't been windy, and Ah Xi awkwardly attributed it to the tree's fragile, newly revived state.
Ya wondered if the fallen ribbon was "heaven's will," interpreting it as a sign that Chu Ye, being a deity, would soon have to return to heaven with Li Fu now that Yueyang City's marital situation had normalized. She feared their love would then fade. Ouyang Jing, overhearing Ya's worries, advised her not to overthink things and only to worry once the marriages were fully restored, calling her current concerns "unnecessary stress."
Ouyang Jing was also filled with apprehension about separation. In the magistrate court, as two guards commented on her foul mood and how only Li Fu could handle her, she doted on Li Fu by refilling his water and peeling an orange for him, her actions driven by an unspoken fear that he, too, would one day depart.
After noting that "the chaos of marriage seems to be on the mend," she directly asked Li Fu when he would return to heaven. Meanwhile, Shangguan Ya subtly tried to gauge Chu Ye's feelings by asking him whether heaven or the mortal world was better. Chu Ye, oblivious to her underlying concern, gave a factual reply that each had its own strengths. Ya pressed further, asking if heavenly women or mortal women were prettier.
Chu Ye responded that logically, heavenly women like Chang'e and the Seven Fairies were prettier, but then pointed to Ya, implying she was the most beautiful. Ya, however, was frustrated by his straightforward answers. Shangguan Ya's frustration left Chu Ye unsure how to handle her. He sought advice from Li Fu, who, drawing on his "deca-millennium of experience," explained that Ya was upset because Chu Ye's answers were perfunctory and lacked earnestness.
Using a shopping analogy, he instructed Chu Ye to clearly state his opinion on whether heaven or the mortal world was better, then list specific pros and cons for each, and conclude with detail. Meanwhile, Ouyang Jing told Ya her question was pointless, as anyone would know fairies are prettier. Ya tried to explain her underlying worry about Chu Ye returning to heaven.
Jing, however, dismissed her concerns as "digging yourself into a hole," bluntly stating that once he was gone, she wouldn't know even if he found "a dozen mesmerizing fairies," and advised Ya to "be happy while you can." Encouraged by Jing, Ya approached the room to talk to Chu Ye. However, she overheard Chu Ye and Li Fu's detailed analysis.
They concluded that heaven was indeed better, listing benefits like equality and no sickness or death, and the drawbacks of the mortal world like poverty and pain. Li Fu even added that "the deities in heaven are much more good-looking than humans," a point Chu Ye readily agreed with. Enraged, Ya slammed the door and stormed off, leaving Chu Ye baffled as to why Li Fu's advice had failed.
Heartbroken and crying, Shangguan Ya lashed out at the God of Marriage statue with offerings, lamenting, "Stupid deity! Stupid Chu Ye! I'm so mad!" In the street, Li Fu, who was with Chu Ye, suddenly cried out in pain, claiming someone hit him, which Chu Ye dismissed. However, Chu Ye then distinctly heard Ya's distant cries. Ya continued to rail against Chu Ye, wondering why he had bothered with her in the mortal world if heaven was so wonderful.
She listed heaven's perfections—beautiful, magical, immortal women, freedom from sickness, pain, and reincarnation—and concluded that the human world was "not good at all," urging him to return to heaven. She expressed intense frustration, crying that the wish she made had fallen off and lamenting being stuck in the human world, questioning if it was "heaven's will." Hearing her distress, Chu Ye turned and walked towards her with his hands behind his back.
