My Mr. Mermaid Episode 23 Recap
> My Mr. Mermaid Recap
Yun Duo’s words, spoken out of concern for his swimming career, cut Tang Yibai deeply when she rejected him. When he asked her how she would respond if he confessed his feelings to her, she replied, “Impossible.” Tang Yibai later confided in Qi Ruifeng that while Yun Duo’s answer to Lin Zi’s confession had been “I don’t know,” her answer to him was “impossible,” which truly hurt him.
He felt as though Yun Duo had never considered him as anything more than a friend. Tang Yibai returned to his dorm room, feeling utterly dejected. He lay on his bed, seemingly drained of all energy, and didn’t respond to Qi Ruifeng’s enthusiastic inquiries. Meanwhile, Yun Duo was equally distressed, constantly replaying Tang Yibai’s words and fixating on the word “if.”
She pondered how she would have answered if he hadn’t included that word, and she struggled to understand her own true feelings. The next day at work, Yun Duo felt awkward when she met Lin Zi. However, Lin Zi appeared composed and natural, as if he had forgotten their conversation from the previous night. Sensing her lingering discomfort about his confession, he told her that her rejection didn't matter, and he would simply confess again and again until she accepted.
This persistent and almost obsessive behavior truly unnerved Yun Duo, making her wonder how she could ever interact with him in the future. During training, Tang Yibai was noticeably distracted. Coach Wu, displeased with his performance, ordered him to run laps until he could regain his focus. Xiang Yangyang arrived at QKVideo for an interview. Seeing Yangyang's bare face, Yun Duo offered to help her with makeup before she went on camera.
However, the reporter in charge of the interview dismissed the idea, stating that their theme was "Female Power," and they wanted Yangyang's unadorned, tough female athlete image. Yun Duo disagreed, arguing, "Who said female athletes have to be tough and can't wear makeup? Can't you guys let Yangyang be pretty on camera?" She suggested that allowing Yangyang to appear in a different, more polished image would not only highlight a woman’s power of choice but also attract more public attention.
Director Liu overheard Yun Duo’s comments and expressed his strong approval, telling Yangyang that they would proceed with her desire to appear beautiful on camera. Suddenly, Qi Ruifeng appeared at Yun Duo’s workplace. Without a doubt, he was there because of Tang Yibai. He initially tried to convey a message to Yun Duo by asking her to "feel with her heart" by looking into his eyes, but Yun Duo didn’t understand.
He then directly told her, "Tang Yibai actually really likes you. He really, really likes you." He explained that Tang Yibai had been deeply affected by what happened last night. Qi Ruifeng then started to leave, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a beautifully dressed Xiang Yangyang.
He had never seen Yangyang look so stunning, and his face instantly flushed, his heart pounded, and he fled in disarray, wondering why his heart was beating so fast and why he was so nervous. Later, while having coffee with Yangyang, Yun Duo recounted the events of the previous night. Yun Duo admitted she genuinely believed Tang Yibai was entirely focused on his swimming career, unlikely to pursue a relationship, especially with her.
Yangyang, offering an outside perspective, helped Yun Duo reflect. She suggested that Tang Yibai might have wanted to confess his feelings to Yun Duo the night before. Yun Duo had never considered that Tang Yibai might like her, believing he was too talented and popular to notice an intern reporter. Yangyang countered, "We athletes are humans, too. . . Also, you and Tang Yibai are so close. It's not weird that he might like you."
She concluded that Tang Yibai had likely been testing Yun Duo's feelings, and her "impossible" reply had led to his disappointment. As Yun Duo pondered this, she realized how happy she had been since meeting Tang Yibai, acknowledging that he brought her more than just friendship—he was a source of motivation and an inexplicable emotion. Their conversation was interrupted when Director Liu unexpectedly summoned Yun Duo to his office.
He informed her that she was being transferred from the sports section to the entertainment section, and he himself would now be her direct supervisor instead of Teacher Sun. Yun Duo, fearing she had made a mistake, asked if this was a punishment. Director Liu clarified that he wanted to assess her capabilities beyond sports news to determine if she was worthy of becoming a formal reporter at the company.
He then revealed that Tang Yibai had specifically sought him out to advocate for her, threatening to refuse all interviews from QKVideo if Yun Duo was not the interviewer. Director Liu admitted that Tang Yibai’s persistence, combined with Yun Duo’s subsequent success in interviewing Sun Yang and her recent performance, made him want to truly evaluate her worth as a reporter. Yun Duo walked away from the office in a daze, Director Liu’s words echoing in her mind.
The realization of Tang Yibai's silent support filled her with a complex mix of surprise, sadness, and guilt. Just then, Tang Yibai, who had rushed to find her, appeared. They stood a few meters apart, gazing at each other as if the world had faded away. Feeling overwhelmed, Yun Duo decided to leave, but Tang Yibai followed her.
To alleviate her distress, he playfully dismissed his confession from the previous night, claiming it was just a joke to lighten her mood, but it had backfired and created awkwardness between them. He emphasized that he had specifically said "if" to signify it was a hypothetical scenario. Yun Duo, pretending to be unaffected, agreed that she hadn't taken it seriously because it was merely a "what if."
Relieved, Tang Yibai walked with her, both of them unable to confront their true feelings, adding another twist to their complicated relationship. At the swimming pool, two coaches meticulously analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of opponents from Yudong University, Fuhua University, and Kunyue University, highlighting Li Xun of Yudong University as a key rival. Tang Yibai, unusually high-spirited, eagerly requested to start training immediately.
The coaches, understanding his renewed drive, likely due to Yun Duo, unusually granted his request, while Qi Ruifeng observed that Tang Yibai had "gone crazy" ever since Yun Duo had “friendzoned” him. Transferred to the entertainment section, Yun Duo’s new task was to interview Director Xu Haoze. Despite her persistent phone calls to his studio, she couldn't secure an interview. Left with no other option, she decided to visit Director Xu Haoze directly, with Lin Zi accompanying her.
When Director Xu opened the door and saw Lin Zi, he greeted him like an old friend, embracing him warmly and laughing as he invited them inside. Out of respect for Lin Zi, Director Xu agreed to the interview, stating that without Lin Zi's crucial assistance years ago, he wouldn't be the successful director he was today, and given their close relationship, a single interview was certainly acceptable. As the interview began, Lin Zi helped tidy the room.
Suddenly, he spotted a photograph that caused his expression to change. After the interview, both Director Xu and Yun Duo felt they had collaborated well. While taking photos, Yun Duo noticed a picture of a blue sky, white clouds, green trees, and a lake. Director Xu explained that four years prior, while scouting locations at that lake, he witnessed a girl falling into the water and being rescued.
Unaware that the girl was Yun Duo, he added that she was in great danger and her survival was a miracle. Yun Duo eagerly asked if he knew the identity of her rescuer, but Director Xu admitted he hadn’t seen clearly. However, he had taken many photos that day, which he hoped might help Yun Duo. He then searched for the photos but couldn't find them anywhere.
Yun Duo expressed her frustration, explaining that she called her rescuer the "Mermaid Prince" and had been searching for him, but couldn't even remember his appearance, feeling devastated that her only lead had vanished. Lin Zi reassured her that she would eventually find him. Back at the QKVideo office, Teacher Sun spoke to Yun Duo about Tang Yibai’s special interview video.
He noted that the viewership had been steadily declining since Xiao Cheng took over the project after Yun Duo's transfer, unlike the consistent high views it garnered when Yun Duo was in charge. Teacher Sun implied that Tang Yibai’s current demeanor in training was also affected, describing him as looking as if "everyone owes him money." He explained that Director Liu had threatened to terminate Tang Yibai's special interview if the viewership didn't improve.
Later, Qi Ruifeng found Xiang Yangyang eating alone and observed that Tang Yibai had been acting strangely, isolating himself during training and in the dorms. He expressed concern that Tang Yibai might be depressed and wanted to talk to him. Yangyang, however, stated, "Everyone knows he's unhappy over Yun Duo." Tang Yibai’s internal monologue revealed his deep conflict: "In my heart, I already decided to see her as a friend. But when I met her, I lost my direction.
I panicked. I couldn't help myself but like her. I like her, but I can't tell her. I'm afraid we can't even be friends if I tell her. So before we reach the point of no return, I've decided to keep my distance from her. It's better to be as far away from her as possible." Yangyang, understanding Tang Yibai's fear, explained that he was pushing Yun Duo away to protect their friendship.
Qi Ruifeng vehemently disagreed, dismissing this as "What reasoning is that? How is that liking someone?" He argued that if he liked someone, he would openly confess and hold onto her, not avoid her. He then challenged Yangyang, asking if her own frequent arguments and cold wars with him meant she didn't like him, causing Yangyang to get angry and leave. Realizing he had upset her, Qi Ruifeng then brainstormed a plan to lift the spirits of the swim team, which had been low due to Tang Yibai’s recent mood.
