Nothing But Thirty Episode 22 Recap
> Nothing But Thirty Recap
Gu Jia, feeling disheartened after a call from the village head about the tea factory's struggles, returns to Director Xu’s office to make a final plea. She presents photos she took, explaining how the primitive skills of planting and hand-picking, along with the simple affection of the mountain villagers, deeply moved her. Gu Jia admits she previously "lost herself" pursuing quick wealth, but this experience helped her rediscover her original aspirations.
She emphasizes that Director Xu’s company is her last hope, as other companies found her project unexceptional. She reiterates her commitment to developing the tea factory not for significant profit, but to ensure the children and villagers in the mountain have food and homes. Director Xu then proposes to buy out her entire project. Gu Jia firmly refuses, explaining that while it might just be a project to them, it holds deep personal significance for her.
She worries that a buyout, driven by temporary success and capital, could lead to mass production, replacing traditional methods and ultimately destroying the mountain, the tea, and its people. After Gu Jia leaves, Director Xu calls her back to talk. Later that evening, at home, Gu Jia expresses her disappointment to Xu Huanshan, revealing that Director Xu, while impressed by her, offered her a job on his team instead, advising her to set aside the tea factory.
Xu Huanshan encourages her, believing the investor will regret not recognizing the tea factory's true value. Shortly after, Gu Jia receives a phone call from Director Xu, who has decided to invest in the tea factory according to her proposed terms. Overjoyed, she shares the good news with Xu Huanshan, who enthusiastically suggests they celebrate. The troublesome customer, Zhao Jingyu, returns to the luxury store, specifically requesting Wang Manni’s service.
While Wang Manni patiently helps her try on shoes, Zhao Jingyu provocatively remarks that people in the service industry seem to "lower themselves to cater to men," referring to Wang Manni’s helpfulness. Wang Manni corrects her, stating she caters to customers. Zhao Jingyu then says that Wang Manni should understand how it feels "when someone has taken your man." She selects a tie, claiming it's for her husband, and pays with a credit card bearing the name "Liang Zheng Xian."
Wang Manni is stunned. Zhao Jingyu then shows Wang Manni a ring, revealing that Liang Zhengxian gave it to her seven years ago. She explains that while they aren't officially married, their relatives and friends in Hong Kong consider them a married couple. Despite Liang Zhengxian's claims of being anti-marriage, Zhao Jingyu believes he regards her as his wife.
Having waited for seven years without becoming Mrs. Liang, she declares she won't idly watch Wang Manni "steal him away" and advises Wang Manni to withdraw to save her job and dignity. Distraught, Wang Manni confides in Gu Jia, who urges her not to fully believe Zhao Jingyu, as their initial investigation showed Liang Zhengxian was single. Gu Jia advises Wang Manni to confront Liang Zhengxian directly and suggests texting him about an urgent matter to make him return.
However, Liang Zhengxian replies that he is too busy for the next few days. The emotional turmoil leads Wang Manni to make an error at work, causing a limited-edition display bag to be sold. Daisy, the deputy store manager, harshly reprimands her, calling it "official misconduct" and stating she will report it to headquarters. That night, Wang Manni calls Liang Zhengxian, demanding he come to Shanghai the next day, threatening to go to Hong Kong herself if he doesn't.
Liang Zhengxian arrives and meets Wang Manni in a private room. He admits to hiding Zhao Jingyu's existence, calling it his mistake, but affirms his love for Wang Manni and his willingness to leave Zhao Jingyu for her. He requests time to handle the separation, citing Zhao Jingyu's seven years with him and the need to divide their business assets. Wang Manni cynically points out the convenience of his anti-marriage philosophy, which allows for easy departures without burden.
Liang Zhengxian assures her he will address the situation with Zhao Jingyu, then return to Shanghai to settle down with her. Wang Manni, seeing a glimmer of hope, tells him they can talk again once he has resolved matters with Zhao Jingyu. Later, Liang Zhengxian sends Wang Manni a voice message, informing her that he has told Zhao Jingyu he is leaving the company and resigning from all positions, and will be in Hong Kong tomorrow to finalize formalities.
He assures her there will be no more problems and reiterates his love for her. Gu Jia asks Chen Sister to take out-of-season clothes to the dry cleaners. While emptying Xu Huanshan's pockets, Chen Sister finds various items, including a receipt for two desserts from "Charlie's Burger." Gu Jia, knowing Xu Huanshan doesn't eat sweets, questions him about it while they drive past an ice cream parlor.
He claims people from Beijing's amusement park bought it for him to "experience the younger generation's interests," but he "just took two bites then threw it away." Gu Jia then mentions finding the receipt in his pocket when she sent his clothes for dry cleaning, implying she suspected he was on a date with "another young girl." Xu Huanshan is momentarily flustered, wondering why the receipt was in his pocket.
Later, while organizing reimbursement bills, Gu Jia discovers a Buzz Lightyear pendant in Xu Huanshan's desk drawer. He claims he bought "a lot of toys for our son" during his first business trip to the amusement park and "left this one in my bag," accidentally putting it in the drawer. Gu Jia subtly notes she never said she found it in a drawer.
As she is about to visit the tea factory, Gu Jia instructs Chen Xu to secretly record Xu Huanshan's private appointments and send her the addresses, implying that any unverified travel would not be reimbursed by the company. Chen Xu agrees, motivated by his own need for gas reimbursement. Zhong Xiaoyang drops Zhong Xiaoqin off at home on his motorcycle, where they encounter Chen Yu.
Zhong Xiaoqin nervously tells Chen Yu that Zhong Xiaoyang was just giving her a ride home on his way. Zhong Xiaoyang immediately corrects her, stating he deliberately drove "seven kilometers to drop her off." Chen Yu, visibly jealous and angry, later confronts Zhong Xiaoqin, accusing her of acting inappropriately with a younger man. He criticizes her for not considering their neighbors and his company-provided housing, worrying about appearances and what her parents might think.
Zhong Xiaoqin, angered by his condescending tone, retorts that her life is none of his business and threatens to move out immediately. Chen Yu readily agrees, saying he feared she would become dependent and not leave. Zhong Xiaoqin asserts she would rely on anyone else but him for the rest of her life. The next day at work, Zhong Xiaoqin notices Zhong Xiaoyang is cold and avoids her.
When the office coffee machine breaks down and everyone leaves for lunch, Zhong Xiaoyang suddenly appears, grabs Zhong Xiaoqin's bag, and pulls her out of the office. He speeds away on his motorcycle, causing a frightened Zhong Xiaoqin to cling tightly to him. He takes her to a grassy field where a hot air balloon awaits. It’s Zhong Xiaoqin’s first time, and she is thrilled by the experience.
As they ascend high above the ground, Zhong Xiaoyang confesses his feelings for her. Zhong Xiaoqin immediately rejects him, citing their six-year age gap, their colleague status, and her divorce. Zhong Xiaoyang dismisses her reasons, stating he likes her specifically and those factors are irrelevant. He reveals he has had five girlfriends in the past but has "never been as serious as I am now." He asks her directly if she likes him and if she will be his girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Chen Yu waits anxiously for Zhong Xiaoqin at home. When she finally returns, he asks if she came home on the motorcycle, noting her "pressed flat" hair from the helmet, and asks if she and "that motorcycle" (implying Zhong Xiaoyang) are now together.
