Pretty Man Episode 20 Recap
> Pretty Man Recap
Han Ruchu arrived at the hospital to visit her son, Jia Mu. She spoke lovingly to him, sharing her efforts in Europe to find treatments for vegetative state patients, including donating to Oxford University Medical School's research laboratory to speed up their work. She expressed how much she missed him and her faith in his recovery. However, she then noticed Song Xiangsi by Jia Mu's bedside.
Han Ruchu was shocked and furious, demanding to know what Song Xiangsi was doing there. Song Xiangsi explained she was there to take care of Jia Mu, but Han Ruchu accused her of pestering him and violating their agreement, threatening to make her lose everything.
Song Xiangsi insisted she didn't care about material things and only wanted to stay with Jia Mu until he woke up, promising to disappear from his life and retire from the entertainment industry once he recovered. Han Ruchu disbelieved her, seeing it as a calculated plan to win Jia Mu back, and harshly ordered her to leave the room, even pushing her out when Song Xiangsi knelt and pleaded.
Later, Qiao Anyi tried to convince Han Ruchu that Jia Mu's condition had improved significantly since Song Xiangsi started caring for him, noting that his senses were returning and he was reacting more. Han Ruchu, however, dismissed these claims, stating that Jia Mu's improvement was a result of long-term medical treatment and that Song Xiangsi was merely lucky, undeserving of any credit.
Despite being driven away, Song Xiangsi secretly returned to Jia Mu's room late at night, unable to stop herself from checking on him. She confessed her worries to the unconscious Jia Mu, saying she could only be at ease if she saw him. Just then, Han Ruchu, who had forgotten her phone, returned to the room and witnessed Jia Mu's fingers moving in response to Song Xiangsi's touch. Han Ruchu was stunned by the sight.
The day before Lu Jinnian's birthday, Qiao Anhao requested a day off, citing a stomachache. Lu Jinnian, concerned, agreed and advised her to drink more hot water. After he left, Qiao Anhao immediately went out to buy ingredients and decorations, planning to prepare a special birthday cake for him, featuring his face, and adorn their home. Meanwhile, Lu Jinnian was visibly excited about his upcoming birthday, even cutting a company meeting short to get off work early.
His colleague, Zhen Jie, initially suggested a company-wide birthday party, but Lu Jinnian declined, choosing instead to give everyone the day off as his birthday gift to them. That evening, Lu Jinnian brought fried chicken home, but Qiao Anhao felt nauseous from the smell. Misinterpreting this as her stomach still bothering her, Lu Jinnian quickly discarded the food. On Lu Jinnian's birthday morning, Qiao Anhao wished him a happy birthday.
Soon after, Qiao Anyi called, excitedly informing her that Jia Mu's senses were returning, and he might wake up in one or two months. Qiao Anyi then pressed Qiao Anhao to come to the hospital immediately, stating it was Han Ruchu's wish. Qiao Anhao initially hesitated, wanting to spend the day with Lu Jinnian, but Lu Jinnian, overhearing the conversation, encouraged her to go, silently reflecting that Jia Mu was her lawful husband and he himself was merely a stand-in.
At the hospital, Qiao Anhao met Qiao Anyi who explained he had been doing Jia Mu's physiotherapy but had to attend an e-sports club event. He asked Qiao Anhao to take over, requesting her to stay until noon and for three hours when he returned.
Qiao Anhao, stressing her own important personal matters that day, agreed, then called Lu Jinnian to inform him she was stuck at the hospital but would return for lunch, instructing him not to go home until she called. As noon approached and Qiao Anyi hadn't returned, Han Ruchu entered, expressing gratitude for Qiao Anhao's care and insisting she stay to have lunch with Jia Mu. Qiao Anhao, unable to refuse, knew she was letting Lu Jinnian down.
Lu Jinnian waited in his office from morning until evening, hoping for Qiao Anhao's call or appearance, feeling increasingly disheartened and anxious. As night fell and Qiao Anhao still hadn't arrived, Zhen Jie, noticing his office light, discreetly cut the power. When Lu Jinnian opened his door, Zhen Jie appeared with a birthday cake, wishing him a happy birthday.
She remarked on their nine years of working together, likening them to an "old married couple" and expressed her wish for their partnership to continue indefinitely. Lu Jinnian, in turn, wished for time to stop at that moment of celebration, to which Zhen Jie playfully suggested he wanted her to celebrate all his birthdays with him and promised to do so. Lu Jinnian went to retrieve some red wine from the conference room. Just then, Qiao Anhao called.
Zhen Jie, seizing the opportunity, answered Lu Jinnian's phone and proceeded to have an ambiguously intimate conversation, making it sound as if she and Lu Jinnian were intimately celebrating his birthday, while Qiao Anhao listened on the other end. Qiao Anhao, heartbroken and feeling deeply misunderstood, quietly hung up the phone. Back home, where she had lovingly decorated and prepared a candlelit dinner, she sadly discarded the meticulously made birthday cake.
