Nothing But Thirty Episode 8 Recap
> Nothing But Thirty Recap
Zhong Xiaoqin wept in Gu Jia's arms, unable to comprehend why her baby was suddenly gone when she had been so ready to welcome it. Gu Jia comforted her, explaining a story from Xu Zi Yan's favorite picture book: babies choose their mothers in the sky, and if a baby senses danger, it quietly leaves to protect its mother. Gu Jia urged Zhong Xiaoqin to take care of her body and wait for the baby to return.
Zhong Xiaoqin then expressed her anger at Chen Yu’s apparent lack of reaction to the loss. Gu Jia defended him, saying men and women express grief differently and that Chen Yu must also feel terrible inside, but as a man, he cannot cry like she can. She advised Zhong Xiaoqin not to overthink things due to her heartbreak and to prioritize her health.
Meanwhile, Wang Manni wore the dress Gu Jia had given her to the executive cabin to taste wine. She found the Japanese wine unappealing. A well-groomed man, Liang Zhengxian, approached her and offered her a glass of Japanese whiskey, claiming it was better for a first-time whiskey drinker.
As he spoke about the wine and shared a story about a Greek island tradition, Wang Manni quickly realized he was an experienced charmer, noting that the story would likely be the same regardless of the drink. After a few drinks, Liang Zhengxian boldly remarked that she didn't seem to belong in that cabin.
When Wang Manni asked how he could tell, he pointed to her high heels, explaining that women in this cabin typically wouldn't have gel protectors on the soles of their shoes. Wang Manni simply smiled. As the wind picked up on the cruise deck, Liang Zhengxian offered her his coat. He also mentioned that he had noticed her dining alone in the paid restaurant earlier.
Wang Manni clarified that the prices weren't unreasonably high for her and that she wasn't someone who couldn't afford such a meal but rather someone who sought out good things. Liang Zhengxian offered to upgrade her cabin, but she declined, stating that she did not accept such "extra ways of paying" and could afford it herself.
Gu Jia received a call from her friend Shen Jie, who had heard that two core technical employees had resigned from Xu Huanshan's company, indicating their difficult situation. Gu Jia confirmed that Xu Huanshan was feeling terrible. Shen Jie mentioned a rival company had even offered Xu Huanshan a chief designer position if his company collapsed, which he found insulting, emphasizing that their years of hard work would be wasted.
Gu Jia admitted they were delaying employee salaries and bank loans wouldn't last much longer, stressing the need for a stable client. Shen Jie then offered to help financially, providing 60,000 to 70,000 yuan from a recent order, encouraging them to persist. Gu Jia thanked him, and Shen Jie spoke about understanding the hardships of starting a business. Gu Jia relayed the offer to Xu Huanshan, who felt uneasy accepting it.
Gu Jia reassured him, promising that she would secure Mrs. Yu's business. To get closer to Mrs. Yu, Gu Jia sold her recently purchased luxury items, including a rare bracelet, at a low price to enroll Xu Zi Yan in horse riding lessons. At the equestrian club, Gu Jia is stunned when Mrs. Yu proudly shows off a new bracelet—the very one Gu Jia had just sold.
She also learns from Mrs. Wang that Mrs. Yu's life isn't as perfect as it seems, as she is a stepmother raising her husband's child from a previous marriage. Later, Gu Jia discussed with Xu Huanshan how these activities, along with robotics and golf, were "bonus items" essential for Zi Yan's future education and studying abroad. After undergoing her D&C procedure, Zhong Xiaoqin returned home.
A nurse had previously asked if they wanted to save a sample for genetic testing to investigate the cause of the fetal demise, to which Zhong Xiaoqin had agreed. At the hospital, she insisted on keeping her wedding ring in her clothes pocket rather than placing it in a bag. Upon her arrival home, her mother had already rushed over, prepared warm water, and was cooking soup, fussing over Xiaoqin's cold hands.
Chen Yu noticed his mother-in-law's suitcase and her plan to stay, even bringing a camping cot for herself to sleep in the fish room. He expressed his displeasure at her presence, especially after she brought their cat, Pika, into the house. Chen Yu attempted to remove the cat, but Zhong Xiaoqin quickly intervened, declaring that Pika would stay.
Despite having requested a week off to care for Zhong Xiaoqin, Chen Yu received a call and promptly left for work, citing an emergency. The next morning, Wang Manni woke up in the executive cabin, greeted by the vast ocean and refreshing breeze. She felt the 18,000 yuan charged to her credit card for the upgrade was well worth it for such a view. That evening, Liang Zhengxian invited her to dinner at a window-side table.
Wang Manni realized that such desirable seats weren't reserved by booking but by "American Dollars." He explained that the biggest drawback of cruise ships was the monotonous food, but experienced travelers knew that with enough tips, the chef and servers would cater to special requests. He presented a meal made with local, distinctive seafood and expensive ingredients.
Dissatisfied with the rich meal, Wang Manni asked to enter the kitchen to make fried eggs for Liang Zhengxian, explaining that it suited her "Chinese stomach" more. She successfully fried an egg, which she found delicious, proclaiming it even better than the chef's, and wishing she had a bowl of white rice to go with it.
Liang Zhengxian then gave her a bracelet, saying it was the one she had admired in a jewelry shop, and insisted she accept it, as he would be sad if she refused. She accepted, and he personally helped her put it on. Back home, Zhong Xiaoqin woke up to find Chen Yu gone, her mother informing her he had gone to work due to an urgent call from the station.
Zhong Xiaoqin was upset, complaining that the baby's loss seemed to have no effect on Chen Yu, and that his promise of a week off to care for her was empty words. She noted his continued unresponsiveness to her WeChat messages. Her mother defended Chen Yu, saying he had left in a bad mood, undoubtedly due to the baby, and was under work pressure.
She also expressed her disapproval of Zhong Xiaoqin's complaints, calling her "poisoned by the internet" for questioning marriage and speaking highly of Chen Yu's self-motivation and career achievements. Chen Yu, at work, was dealing with a crisis: an intern's interview footage was completely out of focus and unusable for the 6:30 PM live broadcast of a summit.
His boss, Sister Ru, was furious, threatening severe consequences if the issue wasn't resolved, and later canceled all team members' leaves for a month, demanding they be on-call. Chen Yu desperately tried to get usable footage from media friends but couldn't get through. When Chen Yu returned home, Zhong Xiaoqin immediately confronted him about canceling his leave.
He explained the crisis at the station and added that since her mother was there to care for her, he had canceled his annual leave. Zhong Xiaoqin was very angry. Chen Yu then noticed several of his prized fish had died in the tank. He flew into a rage, demanding to know why it had been unplugged, despite his repeated warnings not to touch it.
Zhong Xiaoqin's mother quickly apologized, explaining she had unplugged the oxygen pump to save electricity and then forgotten. Ignoring his mother-in-law, Chen Yu shouted about the immense effort it took to transport those fish and kicked the cat that was at his feet. Zhong Xiaoqin's mother, feeling her daughter's injustice, retorted that she had not seen him this angry even when their child was lost.
Later, at dinner, Zhong Xiaoqin's mother served a fish dish, pointedly stating it was not from Chen Yu's tank. Chen Yu, seeing the dish, abruptly left the table and slammed the bedroom door shut. Zhong Xiaoqin, infuriated, confronted his closed door, accusing him of hiding in his room when he was unhappy, refusing to communicate or solve problems, and resorting to "cold violence." Chen Yu then opened the door and walked out of the house without a word, with Zhong Xiaoqin chasing after him.
