Reset Episode 7 Recap
> Reset Recap
In a prison visiting room, Ma Guoqiang excitedly tells his wife, Liu Caicai, that he will be released in two months due to his good behavior. He expresses his wish to go home, cultivate his sandy land to grow watermelons, and renovate their old house for their son, Xiaolong, who is nearing marriageable age. However, Liu Caicai reveals that she has already sold their house and plans to move to Jialin with Xiaolong.
She explains that because of Ma Guoqiang's past as a "murderer," Xiaolong has faced constant discrimination, making it impossible for him to live a normal life or find a partner in their village. She urges Ma Guoqiang not to seek them out after his release. Ma Guoqiang, heartbroken but understanding, agrees, prioritizing his family's future. Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun are at the police station, providing statements regarding the bus explosion.
Officer Zhang Cheng questions their decision to get off the bus at the last minute. Li Shiqing fabricates a story about Xiao Heyun losing his backpack days earlier and spotting a young man, Lu Di, with a similar bag at the Yanjiang East Road stop. They claim they hastily exited the bus to investigate, only to discover it wasn't the stolen bag.
Zhang Cheng, however, notes inconsistencies, such as their claim of seeing the bag before Lu Di boarded and Lu Di's statement that they pushed him off the bus and unzipped his bag. He questions why they would inspect the bag's interior if its contents would have likely changed. Li Shiqing attributes their actions to panic and not thinking clearly.
When asked about their reaction to the explosion, Li Shiqing states they were finding a cat that had escaped from Lu Di's bag when the explosion occurred, expressing surprise and relief at having narrowly escaped. Xiao Heyun then "recalls" details about two suspicious passengers: a man with a large suitcase secretly using his phone, and an old man, Ma Guoqiang, sitting in the front with a large canvas bag of watermelons, who seemed overly protective of his belongings.
Li Shiqing corroborates this, identifying Ma Guoqiang from a social media clip they had previously seen, reinforcing his nervous demeanor. Zhang Cheng finds their detailed observations unusual for typical passengers and suspects their heightened awareness, especially regarding Ma Guoqiang's bag, is suspicious. The police quickly identify Ma Guoqiang as a native of Ningxia with a criminal record. In 2006, he committed a hit-and-run while driving a tricycle, killing a person.
He evaded the law for four years before his arrest in 2010, receiving a nine-year sentence and an early release in 2017. Since then, he had been farming watermelons. Ma Guoqiang had arrived in Jialin that morning by bus, intending to visit his son and ex-wife, who both reside there. The police consider the possibility of financial disputes or revenge from the victim's family as potential motives.
Zhang Cheng decides to release Li Shiqing but to keep Xiao Heyun and Lu Di for further questioning. He also orders surveillance on Li Shiqing's phone. As Li Shiqing prepares to leave, she observes Liu Caicai and Ma Xiaolong arriving at the station. Using the pretext of waiting for her boyfriend, she stays to gather information. Ma Xiaolong is questioned by Zhang Cheng, confirming he has had no contact with his father and didn't know he was visiting.
He recounts the lasting impact of his father's crime—killing his classmate—and how he and his mother were left to pay the compensation. While Ma Xiaolong denies any threats from the victim's family, he becomes visibly distressed when Zhang Cheng suggests a possible link, implying a growing suspicion of his father's involvement.
Afterward, Li Shiqing overhears a distraught Liu Caicai worrying that if the explosion was an act of revenge against Ma Guoqiang, their family would now be responsible for even more "human lives." Li Shiqing later speaks with a guilt-ridden Ma Xiaolong outside. Learning that she saw his father, he laments that his own fear led him to cut ties, leaving his father isolated after seven years in prison.
Suddenly, Lu Di's mother bursts into the station, waving his diary and accusing him of being swayed by others to "save the world from an explosion." Her startling revelation of an "explosion" immediately catches Zhang Cheng's attention. Upon reading Lu Di's diary, Zhang Cheng discovers details about the time loop and Lu Di's intention to join Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun in their mission. He quickly orders Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun to be brought back for separate interrogations.
Lu Di's mother continues to lambast him for his secretive behavior. Overwhelmed, Lu Di snaps, articulating his long-suppressed desire for independence and the profound sense of purpose he felt from being "chosen" for the loop. His father intervenes, criticizing his wife for invading Lu Di's privacy and displaying a surprising understanding of his son's youthful idealism. He apologizes to Lu Di and encourages him to cooperate honestly with the police.
During their separate interrogations, Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun attempt to explain the time loop and their efforts to prevent the explosion. The police, however, dismiss their accounts as delusions, especially after Lu Di also tries to explain the concept of the loop. As midnight approaches, Lu Di frantically urges the officers to believe him, but they remain skeptical. Precisely at midnight, the loop resets.
Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun wake up on the bus, realizing that Lu Di's farewell letter, which his mother exposed, led to their re-arrest and the subsequent reset of the loop. They express frustration at having to repeat their explanations to the disbelieving authorities. Back in the loop, Li Shiqing informs Xiao Heyun that Ma Guoqiang has a criminal record for killing someone. Xiao Heyun attempts to subtly investigate Ma Guoqiang's bag but finds him extremely cautious.
They initially consider enlisting Lu Di's help, but upon seeing him, they realize he has not entered the current loop, as he does not recognize them. Undeterred, Xiao Heyun devises a new plan. He stages a loud argument with Li Shiqing, intentionally escalating it near Ma Guoqiang. During the commotion, Xiao Heyun "accidentally" steps on and crushes two of Ma Guoqiang's watermelons.
Ma Guoqiang reacts with profound distress, instinctively pushing Xiao Heyun away, but then immediately raises his hands in an apologetic gesture. Other passengers criticize Xiao Heyun, while Ma Guoqiang laments the ruined watermelons, explaining they were a special gift for his son. Seizing the opportunity, Li Shiqing improvises and tells Ma Guoqiang that she is a colleague of Ma Xiaolong from Mantang Realty.
She mentions that Xiaolong had shown her his father's photo and often spoke fondly of his father's sweet watermelons. Ma Guoqiang is visibly touched. He explains that he learned through a relative's social media post that Xiaolong missed his homegrown watermelons, which prompted his long journey to Jialin. Grateful for Li Shiqing's kind words, Ma Guoqiang shares the broken watermelons, noting the insides are still clean, with her and the other passengers, who all enjoy their sweetness.
Just before the familiar old-fashioned phone on the bus begins to ring, signaling the imminent explosion, Li Shiqing quickly tells Ma Guoqiang that his son knows he was wrong and truly loves him. The bus explodes, and the loop restarts once more. Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun realize that they have now narrowed down the suspects to just two individuals, who boarded the bus at the same stop.
