Rattan Episode 30 (Ending) Recap
> Rattan Recap
Wang Qiankun arrived discreetly at the hospital to find Yan Furui, whom he had trouble reaching by phone. Wang Qiankun revealed that he had spoken with Professor Bai Jin about Si Teng's critical condition. Professor Bai Jin explained that Si Teng's rapid, forced mutation, achieved without external aids like Qiu Shan's meteorite, likely came at the cost of her life.
Her temporary enlargement was an unconscious effort to maintain her appearance while with Qin Fang, but her energy was too weak to sustain it. Qin Fang, who had just called Yan Furui, was told bluntly that Si Teng was dying. The only possible solution, according to Bai Jin, was for Si Teng to absorb power from another member of her kin, though finding one like Shen Yindeng on short notice was impossible.
Wang Qiankun then suggested Qin Fang, who carried Bai Ying's power. Yan Furui immediately countered, pointing out that Bai Ying's power was what held Qin Fang's bones together; giving it to Si Teng would mean only one of them could survive. Qin Fang was visibly distressed, fearing their connection might burst like a bubble. Qin Fang and Si Teng later found themselves in a space she created.
Si Teng mused on her love for all earthly sights, from sunrises to wilting flowers, and how she had observed many beautiful scenes alone over the past five years. She cherished every moment with Qin Fang, feeling that wherever they went, it was a good place. She wished to see the sunrise, but admitted she might not make it before collapsing into her child-like form, Xixi, from exhaustion.
Qin Fang gently comforted her, assuring her that her child-like appearance was adorable and that he had faith she would fully recover, given the many miracles she had already experienced. Si Teng, now in her Xixi form, later suggested they visit Yan Furui and Wang Qiankun in the hospital. Unbeknownst to Qin Fang, Si Teng then left and, after hypnotizing Qin Fang and using Xixi's appearance, confronted Kong Jinghua.
Kong Jinghua initially recognized her as Xixi, but Si Teng corrected her, revealing she was not Xixi. Si Teng challenged Kong Jinghua, asking if she truly wanted revenge for her friends, dismissing Kong Jinghua's belief that Si Teng was killed by Qiu Shan as mere hearsay. Si Teng then offered Kong Jinghua a deal: her power in exchange for the opportunity to seek revenge on Si Teng. At that moment, Kong Jinghua’s daughter, Yi Ru, returned home.
Yi Ru was horrified to see her mother appearing much older and tearfully apologized for having been abandoned. Kong Jinghua, now frail, explained to Qin Fang, who had arrived the following morning, that Si Teng had used Kong Jinghua’s power to heal her daughter Yi Ru’s leg, giving her a chance at redemption.
Kong Jinghua asked Qin Fang where Si Teng had gone, adding that Si Teng's condition seemed self-inflicted and suicidal, and she couldn't fathom what would drive Si Teng to such an act. Qin Fang simply replied that he knew why. Qin Fang found Si Teng waiting for him. She acknowledged he had found her and mused that his life would have been vastly different had they never met.
Qin Fang countered that life is a one-way path, and he never contemplated "if" since meeting her. Si Teng then mentioned she was hungry, to which Qin Fang replied that people live for their daily meals. Si Teng clarified that she hadn't taken Kong Jinghua's power; Qin Fang affirmed he knew she only acted to maintain her innocence and what she truly wished for.
Qin Fang confessed he had rushed back to tell her he loved her before he grew old, and Si Teng reciprocated. Qin Fang then revealed he knew Si Teng's deepest wish across both her lives was to be an ordinary person living a simple life. He told her he possessed Bai Ying's power and wished for her to experience life's daily routines and changing seasons, a life she always desired. Tragically, he added that he could no longer accompany her.
Qin Fang, in his final moments, shared with Yan Furui that he had found a purpose for living after meeting Si Teng and understanding his own origins, likening himself to an immovable towering tree. He believed that if Si Teng ever wanted to find him, she would be able to, regardless of how life changed. He asked Yan Furui to watch the sunrise with him one last time, a view he and Si Teng had missed before.
Yan Furui dismissed the idea of a "last time." Fifteen years later, Si Teng, who had survived and grown up as Xing Xizhu, lived a normal human life, though she occasionally dreamt of a large, ancient tree. One day, while hiking in a forest with her classmates, Xing Xizhu overheard tales of a thousand-year-old Giant Tree that had mysteriously vanished. Upon encountering a towering tree that seemed hauntingly familiar from her dreams, she fainted.
Her worried classmates brought her to Yan Furui's restaurant in Cangcheng Mountain. Yan Furui was startled by Xing Xizhu's resemblance to Si Teng, muttering that Si Teng had finally come to find Qin Fang. Xing Xizhu, however, asserted she was Xing Xizhu, not Si Teng, and that she came seeking answers to her confusion. Yan Furui then led her to a private villa, stating that the answer she sought lay within.
Inside the villa, Xing Xizhu found a comatose Qin Fang lying on a bed. It was revealed that years earlier, with the help of Bai Jin, Qin Fang had transferred power and erased Si Teng's memories. Xing Xizhu, not recognizing Qin Fang, questioned who he was.
As she approached the bed, a green vine stretched towards her, and upon touching Qin Fang’s forehead, a flood of memories cascaded through her mind: Qin Fang’s words about her desired life of daily meals and changing seasons, Si Teng’s declaration of mastery, her moments of detachment and eventual acceptance of Qin Fang, and Qin Fang’s profound acknowledgment of her existence as his secret confidante. Overwhelmed, Si Teng finally understood, proclaiming, "So, I am Si Teng."
From his comatose state, Qin Fang's voice seemed to respond, "You remember it now?" and Si Teng affirmed, "I do." With tears streaming down her face, Si Teng thanked Yan Furui for his long years of companionship. Yan Furui, deeply moved, recalled Qin Fang holding a tiny baby Si Teng from the Changming Academy lab, having given her all his power, wishing for her a happy life. He expressed his surprise that she had come so soon.
Si Teng sat beside Qin Fang, observing his prolonged unconscious state. She questioned if he would have waited indefinitely had she not returned. Qin Fang, seemingly from within his coma or through shared consciousness, conveyed his life’s emptiness despite outward appearances, noting that nothing truly mattered to him except her.
He reflected on how twenty years prior, he had engineered the transfer of Bai Ying's power to Si Teng to make her well, telling her not to act foolishly, yet she had, even erasing his memories. He confessed his clumsiness in carrying out her wishes. Qin Fang’s lingering thought was for Si Teng to live as a normal person, experiencing all human emotions, growing up happily and freely.
Si Teng then shared her experiences of the past fifteen years: volunteering, working various part-time jobs, and traveling extensively. She confessed that despite these experiences, she had never fallen in love until she saw him again, realizing he was her enduring "branches and rattans," and that her affections had always belonged to him.
She acknowledged that she was born for him and understood that her lifelong anxiety and sense of urgency were because Qin Fang had been patiently waiting for her. She tightly clasped his hand. Si Teng, now fully herself, asked Yan Furui to take his grandson home. She reflected on the beauty of the world but declared that an eternity without Qin Fang was merely endless solitude.
Just as he was born for her, she proclaimed her willingness to die for him. Si Teng led Qin Fang into the deep forest, and the two re-merged, becoming the towering tree and vine, relying on each other in life and death. Yan Furui, seeing them off, discreetly wiped away his tears. To his grandson, who asked why his uncle was called Wafang, Yan Furui replied it was because he was found in a small, broken room.
Seeking a more engaging story, the grandson was then promised a tale of "aliens," whom Yan Furui explained were once called the Yi. He began the story of a Yi named Si Teng, who lived and endured the elements alongside a magnificent towering tree in the forest.
