Our Times Episode 35 Recap
> Our Times Recap
After Xiao Chuang’s disappearance, Xie Hang and Pei Qinghua searched for him day and night, desperate for any news. Tan Yuan returned from the US, calling Pei Qinghua’s office and learning about Xiao Chuang’s accident from Xiang Yi Fei. She immediately traveled to Guangzhou and confronted Pei Qinghua, asking why he had hidden such important news from her and how long he intended to keep it a secret.
Pei Qinghua explained he didn't mean to hide it and simply didn't know how to tell her. Later, during a meal, Xie Hang drank heavily, blaming herself. She realized Xiao Chuang hadn’t been angry with her but had intended to propose. She felt he understood her completely, but she hadn’t understood his helplessness, struggles, or the brave front he put up, missing even his last phone call.
She wondered how he grew up alone to become such a warm person, feeling they had given him too little compared to what he gave them. To lighten the mood, Tan Yuan suggested they guess where Xiao Chuang might be. Pei Qinghua imagined Xiao Chuang like Harrison Ford in "The Fugitive," planning his return from Chicago.
Tan Yuan suggested he was likely in a Thai plantation, using his broken Thai to bargain and make a fortune to rebuild his business, speculating that they might not even recognize him upon his return. Xie Hang added that he might have drifted to Mexico, planting cocoa beans, marrying a local woman, and having many children to form a World Cup-winning soccer team.
But her smile faded, and she broke down in tears, declaring that none of it was possible because he would never come back. She questioned the meaning of her own life, terrifying Tan Yuan. Xie Hang wanted to be alone. Concerned about her state, Tan Yuan and Pei Qinghua worried she might harm herself. Pei Qinghua was also struggling, but Tan Yuan reassured him, reminding him she was there for him.
They went to a riverside, a place where Pei Qinghua and Xiao Chuang once discussed heroes and life when Xiao Chuang helped him sell computers in Guangzhou. Pei Qinghua expressed his determination to continue searching, even if it meant finding Xiao Chuang's body. Tan Yuan, however, argued that they were both mistaken.
She explained that their situation was akin to "Schrödinger's experiment," where Xiao Chuang's fate was a superposition of alive and dead, and their searching was merely the act of opening the box, which wouldn't change the outcome. She acknowledged that her feelings for Xiao Chuang weren’t as deep as theirs, which allowed her to see things more clearly. Such continued despair would only lead to more negativity.
She insisted that Xiao Chuang was like a cat with nine lives and would surely jump out of the box, meaning he was still alive. Tan Yuan urged Pei Qinghua that he couldn't collapse, emphasizing that Xie Hang was on the verge of breaking down and they couldn't afford to lose her too. They needed to give Xie Hang hope and make her believe Xiao Chuang was alive, so she would have the motivation to live on.
Pei Qinghua, tearfully, understood. He realized that not only Xie Hang but all of them needed to continue believing and live their lives well, holding onto the hope of Xiao Chuang's return, to better welcome him back. Upon returning, Pei Qinghua and Tan Yuan told Xie Hang that traffic police had contacted them.
After expert analysis, they discovered the passenger window of Xiao Chuang’s car was shattered from the inside, indicating he was alive after the car plunged into the water and had enough strength to escape. Although it didn't guarantee he was still alive, it made it highly probable. Xie Hang was overjoyed, calling it the best news she had ever heard.
Pei Qinghua then announced his intention to buy Linghang's trademark, which was soon to be auctioned, to help Xiao Chuang restart his business when he returned. Xie Hang immediately offered her savings and her father's help, while Pei Qinghua mentioned his own funds. Xie Hang's appetite returned. Pei Qinghua planned to go to Beijing to handle matters and asked Tan Yuan to look after Xie Hang.
In turn, Tan Yuan reminded him not to tell her father about her return to China. Meanwhile, Lin Yimin heard about Xiao Chuang’s situation, which reminded him of Huayan. His brother, Lin Yi Fu, expressed strong resentment towards Huayan for ruining his Hong Kong trading company, while Lin Yimin, reflecting on his past leadership at Huayan and Tan Qizhang's current success, also felt that the matter was not over.
At the auction, Linghang VCD’s trademark, once a bid winner for DHTV, was put up for a starting price of 100,000 yuan. Pei Qinghua swiftly bid 300,000 yuan, winning the auction. Onlookers questioned his sanity, remarking that Linghang's current state didn't warrant such a high price. Pei Qinghua, unable to pay the full amount immediately, arranged to pay a portion now and the rest later. Back at Huayan, Pei Qinghua's colleagues anxiously awaited news of Xiao Chuang.
Despite his own visible sorrow, Pei Qinghua tried to reassure them, repeating that "no news is good news" and that Xiao Chuang, a legend, would surely reappear. He offered to sell his newly allocated three-bedroom apartment to Qi Rongbin, who had found his own smaller apartment unsuitable for marriage. Qi Rongbin, understanding Pei Qinghua's financial need for Xiao Chuang, offered 100,000 yuan as a loan, insisting Pei Qinghua keep his apartment until things settled.
Later, Tan Qizhang expressed his sympathy for Pei Qinghua's situation and Xiao Chuang's disappearance, advising him to stay strong and not let it affect his work. Pei Qinghua requested another leave to go to Guangzhou and secure Linghang's trademark, an act he wanted to do personally to provide an explanation for Xiao Chuang if he returned. Tan Qizhang granted his request, urging him to return quickly as the company still needed him.
Upon his return with the trademark, Pei Qinghua gave the Linghang VCD documents to Xie Hang for safekeeping, but she found them too precious and asked him to hold onto them. Xie Hang, feeling much better thanks to Tan Yuan’s constant companionship and encouragement, stated that she wouldn’t keep searching physically but would always believe Xiao Chuang would return. She even planned to renew the lease on their apartment, ensuring that their home would always be there for him.
Pei Qinghua agreed, adding that they should keep the place tidy for Xiao Chuang's return. The three friends then visited the river where Xiao Chuang’s accident occurred to bid him farewell and wish him happiness and peace wherever he was. Tan Yuan announced she was returning to school, and Xie Hang and Pei Qinghua prepared to go back to Beijing.
As Xie Hang left their rented home, she placed the key back under the flower pot, a spot only they knew. Back in Beijing, Xie Hang visited the VHS hall where she and Xiao Chuang first met. The owner, surprised to see her, remarked that business had declined since they stopped visiting.
Xie Hang bought several Chow Yun Fat tapes, and when the owner asked about Xiao Chuang, she proudly told him that Xiao Chuang founded Linghang, the company that supplied the hall's upgraded VCD equipment. The owner, recognizing Xiao Chuang from TV, refused payment for the tapes and asked Xie Hang to send his regards to Xiao Chuang, which deepened Xie Hang's sorrow.
Meanwhile, Xiang Yi Fei, cautious around a visibly somber Pei Qinghua, tried to distract him from Xiao Chuang's situation. Pei Qinghua, however, quickly immersed himself in work, catching up on reports and meeting minutes, and agreed to an interview with Ms. Shu. Similarly, Xie Hang threw herself into her work, earning praise from her superior as the strongest woman he knew.
She presented a proposal to the Asia Pacific executives, arguing that the company’s market share in China had fallen significantly due to the price war, stressing that if they maintained the old global uniform pricing strategy, profits in the China market would inevitably decline. She acknowledged she couldn't guarantee profit increases by giving them pricing power, but insisted that without change, they would be left behind. The executives recognized the importance of her report and praised her. Xie Hang admitted to Lydia that she deliberately kept herself busy, afraid of what would happen if her mind was idle.
