My Mowgli Boy Episode 20 Recap
> My Mowgli Boy Recap
Ren He admitted to Ling Xi that she had plagiarized another designer's work because of a tight deadline and her inability to create an original design. Ling Xi was furious, feeling betrayed after having defended her studio just moments before. Tutu stepped forward to explain, revealing that Ren He’s grandmother had gone missing on the day the design was due, and Ren He had spent a frantic night searching for her.
Ling Xi's anger only intensified upon learning that Tutu had known about this but had kept it from her. Li Kai urged Ren He to apologize, but Ling Xi refused to hear it. She reminded Ren He of her initial promise to be a dedicated designer, contrasting it with the embarrassing act of plagiarism.
Ren He, however, retorted that she felt she had always been loyal to Ling Xi, having pulled many all-nighters for designs over the past three years, only for Ling Xi to often dismiss her hard work and designs quickly. Ling Xi, exasperated, argued that nothing justified plagiarism and questioned why Ren He hadn't confessed before the product went on sale. Tutu and Li Kai again pleaded on Ren He’s behalf, emphasizing her difficulties.
Ling Xi vehemently countered that everyone faced hardships, but this didn't excuse using it as a shortcut for plagiarism. During this heated argument, Ling Xi received a phone call from Zheng Li, informing her that two troublemakers had gone to Wofu to confront her father, Mr. Ling, regarding the plagiarism accusation. Ling Xi immediately left to handle the situation. Upon arriving at the 38th floor of Wofu, Ling Xi found a crowd gathered.
She angrily confronted the two "anti-counterfeiters," ordering them to direct their demands at her and threatening to call the police. The men, intimidated, left. Ling Xi's father, Mr. Ling, expressed his deep disappointment, stating that he had conducted business for decades without ever doing anything so shameful and questioned how his own daughter could commit such an act. Ling Xi remained silent, acknowledging her fault.
Zheng Li then quietly approached her, informing her that her online shop was no longer visible, likely having been shut down. Meanwhile, Ling Yu was waiting for Chu Shi. He had just transferred money to the "anti-counterfeiters," revealing he was behind the scheme against Ling Xi. When Chu Shi finally arrived, late and flustered, she apologized, explaining her difficulties navigating Chinese public buses, having gotten lost several times.
Ling Yu took her to a hotpot restaurant, where he was captivated by her cheerful demeanor and asked her secret to always being happy. Chu Shi shared her philosophy: past unhappiness is gone, future unhappiness hasn’t arrived, so she chooses to be happy in the present. During their meal, a waiter accidentally splashed hotpot soup into Chu Shi’s eye.
Ling Yu quickly helped her, and Chu Shi, unfazed, shrugged off the incident, saying it didn't affect her enjoyment of the food. Chu Shi noticed Ling Yu's dimples and expressed envy, recalling how she tried to create her own with chopsticks as a child. She admired the depth of Chinese culture after watching a face-changing performance. Realizing her naive nature, Ling Yu suggested she shouldn't travel alone.
Chu Shi agreed and asked Ling Yu to be her "China tour guide" and friend, which he happily accepted. Ling Yu later dropped Chu Shi off, clearly smitten by her vibrant personality. That night, Bai Yiling returned home to find her landlady demanding she move out immediately because the house was being sold and the buyer required it to be empty. Despite Bai Yiling's pleas, the landlady was unyielding, even suggesting she stay with her ex-husband.
Left with no choice, Bai Yiling struggled to pack and move her belongings in the pouring rain. As she accidentally dropped her possessions, Zheng Li appeared with an umbrella. He chastised her for not calling him sooner and offered to confront the landlady, but Bai Yiling refused. Zheng Li grew increasingly frustrated by her tendency to retreat and compromise, mentioning her past relationship with Chi Xu.
He confessed his feelings, explaining that her age and past experiences didn't matter to him, only that he cared deeply for her. Bai Yiling, however, firmly stated that she couldn't accept him. She explained that after her divorce from Chi Xu, she felt she was at an age where she couldn’t afford to make mistakes or rely on others again, especially after having placed all her hopes on Chi Xu in her twenties, only to be let down.
Zheng Li argued against her self-imposed limitations, emphasizing that he loved her for who she was, and their age difference was merely a "difference," not a "problem." Despite his impassioned plea, Bai Yiling remained resolute in her decision not to accept him. Back at Ling Xi’s home, Mowgli, who had been waiting for Ling Xi, felt conflicted, unsure whether he wanted her to return or not.
To distract himself from constantly wanting to call her, he decided to find something to do. Ling Xi eventually returned, feigning cheerfulness and assuring Mowgli that all the studio issues had been resolved. She presented him with a cake for a belated birthday celebration and gave him his ID card, which she had obtained from Ranger Grandpa.
Mowgli was overjoyed to see the name "Xia Ye" on it, explaining that Ranger Grandpa had given him that name after finding him in the wild and allowing him to take his surname. Mowgli was touched by Ling Xi's efforts to find his birth parents, even though she was unsuccessful. As a further surprise, Ling Xi called Ranger Grandpa's son, allowing Mowgli to speak to a familiar voice from his past.
The call deeply moved Mowgli, bringing tears to his eyes. After hanging up, Mowgli hesitantly asked Ling Xi if she wanted him to stay. Ling Xi, despite her sadness, encouraged him to return to the forest, acknowledging that no one could replace his forest companions or erase his memories of them. She wished for him to live a life he truly loved.
Before he left, Mowgli handed Ling Xi his phone and keys, stating he wouldn’t need them in the forest. He also gave her his wolf tooth necklace, a precious item he had re-polished. He explained that it was from a small wolf he had raised that had protected him from dangers before dying from a gunshot wound, and now it would protect Ling Xi just as he would.
Ling Xi, trying to avoid a painful farewell, told him not to look back or say goodbye. But Mowgli embraced her tightly and rubbed his nose against hers, a final, animalistic gesture of goodbye. Ling Xi watched him leave, feeling a profound sense of emptiness. Returning home, Ling Xi found resignation letters from Li Kai, Ren He, and Tutu. Their letters expressed disappointment and frustration, accusing Ling Xi of invalidating their hard work over the past three years.
They wrote that they felt their contributions were not valued, comparing Ling Xi's coldness to a machine reset to factory settings. They concluded that while their departure freed them, it might also free Ling Xi. Alone in her studio, Ling Xi confronted the online barrage of abusive comments and plagiarism accusations, dismissing the internet trolls as thoughtless keyboard warriors.
