Only Side by Side with You Episode 26 Recap
> Only Side by Side with You Recap
Shi Yue sat down with Hao Jie, who suggested they look into the contract between VIV and Wings for loopholes or even travel to the U. S. Shi Yue, however, was unwilling to do anything, stating he did not want to care anymore and just wanted to be Shi Junqing. Hao Jie pressed him, asking if he truly planned to give the bar to Qie Hao and abandon everything. Shi Yue affirmed his desire to not care anymore.
Later, Shi Yue arrived at An Ning’s home. She reminisced about his first visit years ago, noting that he had stood by the window for a long time then, just as he was doing now. An Ning poured wine, offering him the same glass he used seven years prior, expressing a wish to drink with him again. Shi Yue confirmed the scenery was more beautiful today because he was learning to let go.
He admitted that he previously couldn’t bear to lose all that she had given him. He then presented her with various share transfer agreements for the bar, a manor, a resort villa, and cars, returning everything. He explained that the money they earned starting from scratch in the U. S. was a shared property, and he had been wrong to keep it.
He considered returning it now as paying back a debt, viewing the past seven years as an opportunity she gave him to prove himself. An Ning warned him that returning everything would leave him penniless. Shi Yue countered that he was penniless when they first met. An Ning pressed him further, questioning if giving up seven years of his youth was truly worth it. Shi Yue declared it was worth it to pay back the debt.
An Ning then scoffed, suggesting he thought this sacrifice would enable him to be with Nan Qiao, reminding him that Nan Qiao was a princess whose dreams required capital, something a poor man like him could not afford. Unmoved, Shi Yue bid her farewell, saying, "Hope we don't see each other again." As he departed, An Ning reflected that he had not returned her heart.
After leaving An Ning’s, Shi Yue immediately sent a message to Nan Qiao, requesting to meet her at the pet shop. Meanwhile, Nan Qiao was in her office, where Wen Di tried to convince her to eat the takeout she ordered, noting Nan Qiao had not eaten all day. Nan Qiao, however, was not hungry and, upon receiving Shi Yue’s message, quickly left, telling Wen Di she knew Shi Yue would give her an explanation.
Wen Di doubted if it would just be a misunderstanding and emphasized that Shi Yue owed Future Up an explanation regardless. At the same time, Chang Jianxiong called Shi Yue, angrily demanding to know his whereabouts. Shi Yue informed him that he was on his way to meet Nan Qiao to explain everything and asked for a few more minutes. Chang Jianxiong accepted, stating he would personally confess his own lies and mistakes to Nan Qiao.
As Nan Qiao walked along the street, a motorcycle with blinding headlights sped directly towards her. Shi Yue arrived just in time, tackling her out of the way, but Nan Qiao hit the back of her head on a brick as they fell and lost consciousness. Shi Yue rushed her to the hospital. A doctor informed him that Nan Qiao had no external injuries and was only suffering from a mild concussion, needing a 24-hour observation period.
Relieved, Shi Yue then called An Ning, accusing her of sending someone to hit Nan Qiao. An Ning denied the accusation, but Shi Yue insisted that she could take his life, but not harm Nan Qiao. Shortly after, Chang Jianxiong arrived at the hospital to see Nan Qiao. Upon waking, Nan Qiao recalled Shi Yue pushing her to safety and their plan to meet at the pet shop, eager to go.
Chang Jianxiong urged her to stay for the observation period, stressing that a concussion could be serious. He warned her that the incident was likely not a simple accident, believing Shi Yue’s actions since his re-appearance, from establishing Wings to stealing from VIV, were all targeting her and Future Up. He offered to call her father, but Nan Qiao refused, wanting to avoid worrying him. Shi Yue, unseen, watched Nan Qiao through the glass door, relieved she was safe.
Upon returning home, Hao Jie advised Shi Yue that An Ning clearly did not want to end their relationship and had already made her move against Nan Qiao. He warned that if Shi Yue continued to approach Nan Qiao, it would be seen as a declaration of war, putting Nan Qiao in grave danger regardless of the outcome. Shi Yue remained silent, deep in thought.
The next morning, Nan Qiao, having completed her observation period, left the hospital, insisting to Chang Jianxiong that she could handle her relationship problems alone. She asked him to take her belongings home while she rushed to the pet hospital. There, Ouyang Qi, surprised to see her out so soon, handed Nan Qiao some messages found inside drifting bottles hidden on Shi Yue's dogs. These were Shi Yue's handwritten declarations, revealing his feelings for her.
He expressed that he had only understood "love at first sight" upon meeting her and hoped she would choose him after seeing all his flaws, unbearable secrets, and failures, rather than just because he was good to her. He acknowledged that the world could be cruel and unpredictable, but that they could choose who to walk with hand-in-hand. After reading the messages, Nan Qiao immediately headed to the bar.
At the bar, Hao Jie worried about Shi Yue, who was silently drinking. Hao Jie urged him to speak, offering to do anything to make him feel better. Shi Yue finally confessed that the safest way for Nan Qiao was to leave him and hate him. Hao Jie retorted that yielding unconditionally was merely a cowardly excuse for silently guarding her, urging Shi Yue to leave her some hope.
Shi Yue, however, declared that he was unworthy of a woman like Nan Qiao. Nan Qiao entered the bar, finding Shi Yue hiding under a table in the wine cellar. She told him that even if every word he said was a lie and every action a trap, she had believed them all.
She recounted his words from the messages, affirming that she did not know if meeting him was good fortune or disaster, but she trusted him and herself, and was still willing to be with him even after seeing his unbearable aspects. Shi Yue remained silent, tears streaming down his face. Nan Qiao then said that if he wanted to break up, he should at least look her in the eyes and tell her face-to-face.
At that moment, Chang Jianxiong also arrived in the wine cellar. Shi Yue hardened his resolve, claiming his relationship with Nan Qiao was solely a business deal—gathering for money, separating for interests—and that anything else was not to be taken seriously. He ordered Nan Qiao to leave, but she, fighting back tears, refused, demanding to hear the truth. Chang Jianxiong intervened, revealing that Shi Yue’s true motive for approaching Nan Qiao was revenge against him.
He confessed that years ago, he had stolen Shi Yue's dissertation, which later became the foundation of Future Up, and that this act had led to Shi Yue's expulsion from a special training camp and widespread disdain. Shi Yue seized the opportunity, furiously lashing out. He shouted that while the dissertation made Nan Qiao the focus of the world, it made him a pariah, and seeing her with Chang Jianxiong was torture.
He then ripped off the matching bracelet they wore and flung it at Nan Qiao. Heartbroken, Nan Qiao picked up the bracelet and left the bar. The following morning, Shi Yue secretly returned to Nan Qiao’s place. Chang Jianxiong spotted him and confronted him, demanding to know the truth about what had happened.
He reminded Shi Yue of his past as a police informant, who had helped dismantle An Ning’s ex-husband's illegal drug organization and changed his name to Shi Yue to approach them, although An Ning herself was not involved. He added that Shi Yue had later refused to regain his identity with the police.
Shi Yue, in turn, angrily pushed Chang Jianxiong, telling him that whether he was good or bad was none of his business, and daring him to tell An Ning everything. He mockingly told Chang Jianxiong to keep his "thorn" of regret, claiming he no longer cared about anything since Chang Jianxiong had watched him leave silently seven years ago. The two men, filled with frustration and resentment, exchanged blows. After, Chang Jianxiong declared their friendship over, stating they were now strangers.
