Out Of The Dream Episode 1 Recap
> Out Of The Dream Recap
The Shandengting troupe's yard is meticulously cleaned, as Master emphasizes strict discipline in practice, stating that slackers will never become renowned performers. Huizi, an apprentice, clumsily brings in fruit for Master, who reminds everyone to be careful. Meanwhile, a junior apprentice is engrossed in a mobile game, only to be caught by his senior sister, Yu Fei, a female laosheng (senior male actor). He playfully argues, citing Master's teaching on perseverance.
Yu Fei takes his phone, explaining that she will return it only after he completes his Iron Bar skill practice and a performance drill. She reveals that she had previously confiscated his phone and studied the game, even incorporating its movements and blockings into her rehearsals, which Uncle approved. Another senior apprentice suggests that only Uncle can keep Yu Fei in check. The junior apprentice then manages to snatch his phone back from Yu Fei.
Master summons Yu Fei, reminding her that tonight's performance is crucial, with provincial leaders in attendance. He warns her not to "screw it up" and promises her a recommendation for the National Competition for Young Peking Opera Actors if she performs well. He also gifts her a new whisker, urging her not to bring shame to the Shandengting troupe. Yu Fei, excited, immediately seeks out Uncle to show him the new whisker.
She reminisces about her early days, disliking the "stinky" whisker, and Uncle's past encouragement that she would have her own when she became a renowned performer. Uncle, however, dismisses her enthusiasm, stating that the value of whiskers has simply declined, not that she has become famous. Yu Fei expresses her ambition to win the National Competition, to which Uncle coldly replies by asking if she is a "fame and gain seeker."
Before Yu Fei can fully articulate her true feelings, two junior apprentices interrupt, congratulating Uncle and teasingly announcing his upcoming marriage to Shi Meiqing, a Qing Yi actress from a prestigious Peking Opera family, with the marriage certificate planned for tomorrow. The news deeply shocks Yu Fei. Uncle confirms the marriage, informing her that he will no longer be her stage partner, as he will be mentoring a new Senior Male.
Despite learning that Master is preparing a new play for her, ensuring her status as a "Protagonist," Yu Fei expresses her profound unhappiness, declaring that her sole desire is to perform alongside Uncle. The apprentices mockingly suggest she be Uncle's "best man."
During the evening performance of "The Dragon Meets the Phoenix," Yu Fei, who started her training as a female Senior Male at the age of twelve and was once praised as a "good seedling," becomes visibly distracted during her duet with Uncle. In the audience, a mysterious man observes the performance, stating confidently that he will find a new "Liu Xichan" in less than ten days.
Yu Fei's distracted state causes her to forget lines, leading to visible disappointment and demands for refunds from the audience. Sensing the dire situation, the mysterious man pulls the main power switch, plunging the stage into darkness. He then approaches Yu Fei backstage, claiming he saved her from further embarrassment and suggesting she explore "bigger stages" as he needs an actor. Yu Fei vehemently refuses his offer and attempts to prevent him from leaving, calling for Master.
Master, enraged by the disruption and Yu Fei's poor performance, confronts her, wielding a stick and accusing her of humiliating the Shandengting troupe and jeopardizing both her own future and that of the troupe. Despite pleas from other apprentices, Master knows Yu Fei's deep skill level, asserting she could not have genuinely forgotten lines in a play performed thousands of times. He suspects her actions were deliberate and a defiant attempt to alter the performance.
Yu Fei accepts the punishment, conceding that her mistakes warrant it. However, she defiantly asks Uncle, who stands by, "Did I sing well?" When Master continues his tirade, and other apprentices urge Uncle to intervene, Uncle stoically declares his non-involvement, stating, "It's none of my business. I only care about opera." Overwhelmed, Yu Fei then confesses to committing a "crime of disobedience," admitting her forbidden love for Uncle.
Master is shocked, reminding her that the hierarchy and rules of the Liyuan Opera troupe are sacrosanct. Yu Fei passionately explains that her entire journey in opera began because of Uncle, and her dream was to perform "The Dragon Meets the Phoenix" with him forever. She acknowledges her words are scandalous but insists she had to speak her truth.
Unmoved and cold, Uncle swiftly declares that anyone committing a "crime of disobedience" will be expelled from the Shandengting troupe and barred from performing for three years, shattering Yu Fei's heart. Under a sky mirroring her broken spirit with heavy rain and thunder, Yu Fei makes her way to her friend Shuji's home. Shuji, after applying her special herbal medicine to Yu Fei's wounds, listens as Yu Fei tearfully reveals her expulsion from the Shandengting troupe.
Shuji admits she had anticipated this, given how Master had whipped her with an antique, implying the gravity of her offense. Yu Fei expresses her desperation for closure, especially with Uncle's wedding set for the next day. Shuji reminds Yu Fei of a past fortune-telling, mentioning a "fork in the road" in her life, implying this might be it.
Shuji reminisces about Yu Fei's fierce dedication as a twelve-year-old, sleeping on the floor for a year to perfect her posture for opera, and urges her not to regret the path she has chosen. Shuji gives Yu Fei painkillers to help her sleep, then gathers Yu Fei's dirty and wet clothes. Later, Yu Fei wakes from a nightmare and immediately asks Shuji for its interpretation.
At an advanced event for the Suzhou Animation Carnival, a stunning stage play featuring a woman in red captivates the audience. This is where Bai Feili, a brilliant stage play planner and co-founder of Jiubai Studio, is fully introduced. Known by his cosplay name Guanshan Qianzhong, Bai Feili is among the spectators and is meticulous, even directing his team to adjust stage lighting for Guanjiu by mere centimeters to ensure perfection. During Guanjiu's performance, her microphone unexpectedly dies.
Bai Feili quickly takes control, instructing his team to activate moving lights, switch to an "assassin dance music mode" with added rhythms and drumbeats, and deploy holographic projections. This swift action successfully distracts the audience with captivating visual effects like floating drums and fireworks, expertly averting a crisis. A team member then hands Guanjiu a new microphone, and she resumes her performance seamlessly.
Later, while driving, Guanjiu (the other co-founder of Jiubai Studio, whose focus is promotion) confronts Bai Feili about his lax approach to publicity, specifically his failure to attend a crucial live streaming event for the upcoming Suzhou Animation Carnival. She also presses him about finding a "Liu Xichan" for their major production, "South Song," with only ten days until its debut.
Guanjiu reveals that Lingjiu, who they previously considered for the role, had gotten drunk and destroyed half their props after Bai Feili ignored her calls. Guanjiu argues that Lingjiu "is" their Liu Xichan and that a simple apology would ensure a 99% success rate of bringing her back, especially since their rival, Li Hentian's Feiwo Studio, is attempting to sign Lingjiu.
However, Bai Feili, firm in his vision, insists on taking the "one percent" chance to find a completely new talent, confident that he will succeed. Yu Fei is dropped off at her home after Brother Dao delivers "fine white cubilose" for her mother, Yan Peishan. Brother Dao, who frequently helps Yu Fei, refuses payment for the cubilose, making Yu Fei consider it a loan.
She arrives home to a critical mother, Yan Peishan, who scolds her for not removing her shoes and for her continued lack of success in opera, despite years of training since age twelve. Yu Fei fabricates a story about taking a leave from the troupe to care for her mother, but Yan Peishan dismisses it, criticizing Yu Fei for not becoming the "main pillar" as intended. In a fit of temper, Yan Peishan knocks over the cubilose.
Yu Fei, exasperated, challenges her mother's materialistic demands, such as preferring "Red cubilose" and specific Taoruixiang cheongsams, and suggests she seek help for her "illness of affluence." Yan Peishan further demeans Yu Fei's accomplishments, declaring she has given up on Yu Fei providing her with a comfortable life. Angrily, Yu Fei throws the cubilose. Later, dejected and in need of work after her expulsion, Yu Fei starts a daily-wage job at a bar, arranged by Brother Dao.
After her shift, she orders a beer and drinks continuously, eventually breaking into an impromptu Peking Opera performance. Guanjiu, also present at the bar, is struck by Yu Fei's singing. She immediately records a video of Yu Fei and sends it to Bai Feili, urging him not to "mess it up this time" and to charge the bar tab to the company account. Bai Feili, recognizing the voice from the Shandengting troupe incident, instantly drives to the bar.
As a heavily intoxicated Yu Fei stumbles out, she initially mistakes Bai Feili for her Uncle, asking if he has come to take her home and if her singing was poor. Upon realizing her mistake, she drunkenly refers to him as a "trash can" because of his height and asks him to take her home.
