My Divine Emissary Episode 23 Recap
> My Divine Emissary Recap
Qi Yan rode a horse, taking Li Mengmeng to the sea as she wished. There, they played with a bubble machine and splashed water on each other playfully. Li Mengmeng expressed how wonderful it felt, completely free from worries. Qi Yan reminded her that he had promised to bring her to see the sea. On the beach, Li Mengmeng arranged stones to spell out "I LOVE YOU". Qi Yan asked her what shape she had made on the sand.
She explained it was a way of expressing love in her hometown. As dusk fell, Li Mengmeng admitted she was feeling sleepy, though she had wanted to watch the sunrise. She asked Qi Yan if he would always remember her, and he affirmed he would. She promised to always, always, always remember him too. He told her to sleep and he would wake her when the sun rose.
When dawn broke, Qi Yan called out for Li Mengmeng, expecting to wake her for the sunrise, but she was gone. Only her bubble machine remained on the sand. Meanwhile, in the modern world, Li Mengmeng awoke in a hospital bed. Seeing her mother by her side, she excitedly hugged her, expressing how much she missed her. Her mother reassured her that everything was fine and asked how she felt. Li Mengmeng was confused about what had happened.
Her mother explained she had fainted on Linzhou Bridge the previous night, and luckily her friend Duo found her in time and brought her to the hospital. Li Mengmeng wondered if everything she experienced had just been a dream. Her mother asked if she had a nightmare. Li Mengmeng, feeling hungry, asked her mother to buy her some food. Picking up her phone, she fully realized she was back in her own time.
She couldn't help but wonder about Qi Yan, hoping he was well in that other world. During her recovery at home, Li Mengmeng expressed remorse to her mother for her past willful behavior, making her angry and disappointed. She confessed her deep desire to make her parents proud. Her mother shared that she had also reflected during Li Mengmeng's hospital stay and acknowledged her own shortcomings, hoping for forgiveness.
Li Mengmeng admitted that her avoidance of studying stemmed from a deep fear of failure, thinking that escaping problems would make them disappear, only to find things worsened. Her mother affectionately called her silly and reassured her there was nothing to fear in failure, promising to always be her strong support. Li Mengmeng, having decided, declared she would study hard from now on to become their pride.
Later, Li Mengmeng met up with Duo, who eagerly asked about her exam performance. Li Mengmeng felt confident she would pass. Duo commented that she seemed like a different person and was studying harder than ever before. Li Mengmeng explained she used to feel she wasn't cut out for studying and was always pushed by others, resorting to avoidance when facing difficulties.
However, she then spoke of a very, very realistic dream she had, where even her seemingly insignificant self had a purpose. Duo reassured her that everyone has their own meaning and is not insignificant. While eating Oden, they watched Bai Lian singing on television, and Duo commented on how handsome he was. Li Mengmeng playfully asked if Duo might one day fall in love with Bai Lian, which Duo dismissed as just a dream.
On her way home, Li Mengmeng looked through her photos and noticed someone who looked exactly like Qi Yan. She recalled Duo recommending a novel with a protagonist named Li Mengmeng. She immediately got the book, "Heart Thumping LOVE," and discovered it eerily matched her dream experiences, particularly the scene where she appeared from the water urn during the rain-summoning ritual. She was anxious to find out their fate. The final chapter described what happened after Li Mengmeng left.
Guard Kong and Scholar Zhen had moved on with their lives, and palace life returned to normal. However, Qi Yan had fallen gravely ill after returning alone from the beach. He couldn't accept that Li Mengmeng had gone home and believed she was still by his side, merely invisible. Though unwell, he insisted he was fine and wanted to see the stars with "Mengmeng."
The book recounted Prince Heqin sending Qi Yan a birthday gift, which Qi Yan instructed be placed in the Imperial Study Room, saying he would look at it after celebrating his birthday with Mengmeng. Lu Huan sighed as Qi Yan spoke as if Li Mengmeng were present. Qi Yan made three solemn birthday wishes, all of which were for Mengmeng to stay by his side forever. Later, Qi Yan dreamt of Mengmeng again and woke up calling for Lu Huan.
He pondered if Li Mengmeng might have married and had children, given he had kept the harem empty for her. Someone informed him that Steward Lu had passed away the previous winter. Realizing everyone was gone, Qi Yan lay down and took his last breath. The novel ended with a drawing of Linzhou Bridge and the inscription: "I will always wait for you here."
Upon reading this, Li Mengmeng grabbed an umbrella and rushed out, running towards Linzhou Bridge, desperately calling out for Qi Yan to wait for her. Meanwhile, a man who strongly resembled Qi Yan had been living in the modern world, haunted by a recurring, incredibly realistic dream he had been having for years. He had searched repeatedly for any sign of the dream's reality.
He decided to write it all into a novel, believing that she would eventually see it, as their connection was more than just a good dream. He spoke to a friend who noted his novel, "Heart Thumping LOVE," was selling well and asked if his dream girl had appeared.
The friend urged him to move on, suggesting it was merely a dream, perhaps a pleasant one, and since his book was published and included a "missing person notice" in the postscript, if she had shared the dream, she would have contacted him. But the man insisted it wasn't that simple, pointing to real-world coincidences like "Spring Garden" existing on Wutong West Road and her appearance at Four Virtues Academy.
His friend suggested he might have seen advertisements or she simply looked familiar. But the man was convinced, stating her every movement, expression, and smile were exactly as in his dream. Even if she didn't recognize him yet, he was determined to find a way to get to know her. His friend warned him against following her like a stalker and joked about him getting arrested. Undeterred, the man continued waiting and searching.
Finally, Li Mengmeng arrived at Linzhou Bridge after reading the book. As rain began to fall, she saw the man who looked just like Qi Yan. She quickly extended her umbrella over him.
