Out Of The Dream Episode 17 Recap
> Out Of The Dream Recap
The performance of "Dragon Scale" concluded successfully. As they were leaving, Yu Fei asked Bai Feili if everything went well. Bai Feili then recounted a childhood memory of his first encounter with Li Hentian. When they were children, he invited Li Hentian to team up with him while playing games, suggesting they split the experience 50-50, and offered to treat him to wontons at a really good place.
Yu Fei jokingly commented that Bai Feili and Li Hentian made a "strange CP," acknowledging their shared history. Bai Feili responded that Yu Fei was starting to sound like his world, but assured her that his only "CP" was her. Yu Fei then said her "CP" was hungry, prompting Bai Feili to take her to a food street he often visited after games as a child.
As they walked down the street, Bai Feili noted how many shops had changed, but the wonton shop remained. Yu Fei had similar memories of the street, even recalling a sugar figure vendor who used a magnet to make the dial always land on a snake, a trick Bai Feili also knew about. When they reached the wonton shop, Bai Feili ordered two wontons with extra lard oil and no preserved vegetables.
Yu Fei was astonished that their preferences were identical, making Bai Feili wonder if they had met there many years ago. He then recounted meeting a little girl on the street one evening who seemed lost. She told him she was from Suzhou and had walked there from the Shandengting troupe. Bai Feili offered to take her home. On the way, the little girl stopped, captivated by lamb skewers.
He bought her ten skewers, and later, more wontons from the same shop, again specifying "more lard oil and no preserved vegetables." Bai Feili teasingly reminded Yu Fei that she had cried that night, though she denied it. He concluded by saying he couldn't believe the "little crybaby" he had found when he was 18 was still by his side. Meanwhile, Zeng Qiu, Bai Juyuan's wife, brought him wine in his study.
He warned her not to disturb him while he was working and to be careful when she was out, so as not to embarrass him. This made Zeng Qiu recall that Bai Feili might have overheard a previous conversation between them. She then asked Bai Juyuan if they should consider IVF, to which he responded sarcastically that IVF still required successful implantation.
Zeng Qiu also asked if he ever considered she might leave him, but Bai Juyuan dismissed the idea, stating she was too smart to do something so foolish. When she mentioned a piece of jewelry she liked, he told her to buy it herself, reminding her of her monthly allowance and shares in Shangshan Group, emphasizing that she didn't need to consult him on such matters. He then reiterated his preference for not being disturbed during work.
In a flashback, a conversation revealed that Bai Juyuan married Zeng Qiu because she "knew her place" and didn't demand "meaningless affection or time." However, another person observed that she simply didn't ask "him" for it. The flashback continued to a traumatic memory for Zeng Qiu: a young Bai Feili, accusing her of causing his mother's death, declared he was going to his grandparents and refused to live with her. Pregnant at the time, Zeng Qiu chased him.
As Bai Feili ran toward his arriving father, she fell, tragically losing her baby. This incident fueled her deep-seated resentment towards Bai Feili. Zeng Qiu had also secretly recorded her conversations with Bai Juyuan. While strolling through a night market, Yu Fei picked out a "cool" large doll, which Bai Feili said would keep an eye on her while he was away.
As a bonus for their "couple shopping," they received complimentary matching "Mane Lions" charms, which Bai Feili declared a "token of their love" and asked Yu Fei not to lose. Yu Fei playfully suggested he just wanted her to think of him whenever she saw the charm, to which he agreed. Later, Yu Fei noticed a painting and asked if it was Bai Feili's mother.
She tried to tell him that she had "seen it the other day," but Bai Feili stopped her, indicating he understood. He then confided in her that his mother had passed away when he was very young. He carried immense guilt, believing that if he had known sooner, he could have prevented it. Now, he couldn't bear to look at her face because if he does, he hears her asking, "Why didn't you come to save me?"
Yu Fei, deeply empathetic, took his hand and told him he must have endured significant hardship over the years. She admitted she couldn't fully grasp his pain or simply tell him "it's all over," but she promised to "be there for him when he's sad." Bai Feili embraced her tightly, expressing his wish that she had appeared in his life much sooner.
Yu Fei officially began her college life at the drama academy, remarking on the beauty of the campus as she prepared to "continue to practice here." During her registration, she accidentally bumped into another student, Da Die, whom she apologized to. Da Die, a friendly freshman, introduced herself and offered friendship, inviting Yu Fei to the canteen for sweet-and-sour ribs as an apology for their collision. Yu Fei, needing to register first, initially declined but was persuaded.
Meanwhile, at Jiubai Studio, Bai Feili's team was discussing the male lead for their new project. A staff member reported smooth progress and even acknowledged Li Hentian's recent thanks, which reduced his previous "annoyance." Guan Jiu presented data showing overwhelming public support for "Guan Shan" (Bai Feili's stage persona) to be the male lead. Despite Bai Feili's strong reluctance to take the role, the team unanimously voted for him.
Cornered, Bai Feili conceded, agreeing to be the male lead "only temporarily." He then announced that he and Guan Jiu would be going on a business trip this weekend for brand cooperation, urging everyone to finalize their work. Hao Shi questioned Guan Jiu about her frequent business trips with Bai Feili and asked if he could join, but Guan Jiu dismissed the idea, describing business trips as arduous, not leisurely "junkets."
Yu Fei later received a series of text messages from Da Die, informing her that their class had a new, "super handsome" but "strict" teacher who confiscated phones. Da Die urged Yu Fei, who seemed to have skipped class, to quickly come to the training room. Yu Fei rushed back and was shocked to find her martial arts uncle (Shishu) was the new teacher.
During class, the teacher called on Yu Fei for being late, asking her to complete a quote about the essence of Peking Opera and write it on the blackboard. When she struggled, he explained that Peking Opera's purpose was to "promote education and morality" and "rectify unhealthy tendencies," then criticized her for "choosing easy ways" and "slacking off."
Yu Fei accepted her punishment, which triggered a memory of Shishu at Shandengting, admonishing her for her posture and lack of effort during practice, and criticizing her for performing a role outside her specialization. The teacher then announced a mandatory 15-minute graded presentation where students had to perform singing and postures themselves, with no digital aids.
When Yu Fei, a scriptwriting student, protested she couldn't sing, the teacher paired her with Da Die (who was doing a handstand) for the presentation, emphasizing that if she couldn't perform what she wrote, her work was incomplete. After class, Da Die apologized for inadvertently getting Yu Fei into trouble and offered her "precious secrets of love" in return, explaining the school's severe gender imbalance.
Da Die then attempted to demonstrate her first trick ("making sweet encounters") by pretending to fall in front of a handsome boy and asking him to help her up. Yu Fei, catching up, was surprised to find the boy was Bai Feili, causing Da Die immense embarrassment. Bai Feili had come to pick Yu Fei up, and he offered Da Die a mung bean ice cream.
Later, on the way home, Yu Fei complained to Bai Feili that he had ruined her first college friendship, as Da Die wasn't replying to her messages. Bai Feili scoffed at such a "fragile friendship," but then offered Yu Fei two VIP tickets to a carnival to reconcile with Da Die. Yu Fei, however, couldn't go, as she had to prepare for her demanding presentation, which required reading twenty reference books and counted for 30% of her grade.
When Bai Feili asked her favorite carnival activity, Yu Fei replied "Welcome," explaining that because she couldn't afford tickets as a child, she would stand at the entrance and greet children entering the park, imagining she owned the place and all its happiness belonged to her. Bai Feili was deeply moved by her story.
He promised to take her to the amusement park once she finished all the mung bean popsicles in the fridge, after which he encouraged her to focus on studying for her upcoming exam. Later, during a video call with Bai Feili, who was on his business trip, Yu Fei saw a message from Jiubai Studio urgently seeking an actor with a martial arts background.
