Rewriting Destiny Episode 9 Recap
> Rewriting Destiny Recap
Xia Yubing was walking when a sudden downpour began. Xu Ziyan appeared behind her, holding an umbrella over her head. Later, at Xu's Snack Bar, the employees mistook Xia Yubing's quiet focus for sadness, believing she was upset about the sluggish business. Xia Yubing removed her earplugs and revealed she had been carving the word "Morning" into her desk to motivate herself to come to work early.
Observing Xia Yubing's mood, Xia Liuqing offered her some miniature shortbread, which sparked an idea in Xia Yubing. Inspired by the convenience of small, portable snacks, Xia Yubing developed a new product: individual tea bags packaged in sachets, making tea easy to carry and brew. Xu Ziyan initially expressed support for Xia Yubing's idea.
However, Ye Wenzhao expressed skepticism about the market for such a product, questioning its reliability and whether people would truly buy it, especially those particular about tea. Xia Yubing realized that instead of selling to tea connoisseurs, she should target those who were less particular.
Inspired by the exclusive calligraphy of Master Su on Ye Wenzhao's fan, Xia Yubing decided to print calligraphies by popular figures like Master Su, Young Master Tang, Young Master Qin, and Doctor Xu, along with portraits of beautiful women from Rainy Terrace, onto her tea bags. This unique marketing strategy quickly led to a boom in sales. However, the initial excitement faded, and sales for less popular calligraphies began to decline, causing Xia Yubing to worry about unsold inventory.
Ye Wenzhao then suggested a lucky draw system for the tea bags. Following his advice, Xia Yubing introduced a blind box system, where each box offered a chance to win exclusive, unpublished handwriting from Master Su or rare portraits of the Rainy Terrace beauties. This new approach created a buying frenzy as customers purchased multiple boxes hoping to find the most coveted items.
Ye Wenzhao informed Xia Yubing that his family, the Ye Family, decided to invest in her successful blind tea bag business, and that he had spoken up for her. In return for his support and the investment, Xia Yubing subtly hinted that Xia Liuqing had been showing a softer attitude towards him, fueling Ye Wenzhao's romantic interest.
Soon after, Xu Ziyan's father, pleased with Xia Yubing's entrepreneurial success, presented her with the title deed to Xu's Snack Bar as a belated bride price, openly expressing his desire for a healthy grandson. Xia Yubing, mindful of her contract marriage with Xu Ziyan, awkwardly assured him she would "work on that." Xia Yubing then decided to expand operations at the snack bar.
She transformed the main hall into a prominently branded "God of Medicine Xu's Consultation Room" with a large sign, while secretly planning to convert Xu Ziyan's original consultation room into a storage space for her growing inventory. Meanwhile, Xia Deshui, Xia Lan's father and Xia Yubing's paternal uncle, learned that Xu Ziyan's father had gifted the snack bar's title deed to Xia Yubing.
When Xia Lan arrived to complain about Xia Yubing's thriving "blind tea bag" business, Xia Deshui took the opportunity to instruct his daughter on how to maintain two sets of account books—one real, for their internal use, and one falsified, for the government—as a method of tax evasion. Unbeknownst to them, Xue Mu, who had just arrived at the Xia manor, overheard this incriminating conversation. Later, Xue Mu took Xia Lan to a lantern festival.
During their outing, he pretended to be concerned about the "open secret" of the two account books and subtly tried to extract information from Xia Lan about where her father kept his ledger, all while implying that, as a member of the Office of Administration, he could offer assistance. Xia Yubing's biological father, Xia Shi, accompanied by her paternal uncle Xia Deshui, visited the snack bar.
Xia Shi asserted that, by tradition, the bride price should be managed by the bride's parents, and he demanded that Xia Yubing surrender the title deed and account books to the Xia Family, with Xia Deshui supporting him. Xia Yubing vehemently protested, arguing that the Xia Family had never supported her during her marriage or business difficulties, always favoring Xia Lan, and were only interested now that she had achieved success.
Xia Deshui countered, claiming she owed her life and social standing, including her marriage to Xu Ziyan, to the Xia Family. Xia Shi then urged her to comply for the sake of the family's reputation, promising that she would still be allowed to manage the store. Under immense pressure from both her father and uncle, Xia Yubing reluctantly handed over the account books and the store's seal. Seeing Xia Yubing distraught, Xu Ziyan attempted to console her.
He then went to the Xia Manor to speak with Xia Shi and Xia Deshui, bringing expensive medicinal gifts to persuade them to return the store's seal and account books. Xia Shi and Xia Deshui were pleased with the gifts. Xia Deshui dodged Xu Ziyan's request, reasserting the customs surrounding bride prices. When pressed, Xia Shi claimed the items were no longer in his possession, having given them to Xia Deshui for safekeeping.
Xu Ziyan offered to buy back the title deed and account books, but Xia Deshui scoffed at the idea, calling Xu Ziyan a traitor for offering Xu Family money to reclaim Xu Family property. As Xu Ziyan left, he warned Xia Shi about his ongoing heart condition, suggesting his tea-drinking habits might be exacerbating it. Xia Shi angrily dismissed his concerns.
Concerned by Xia Shi's agitated state, Xu Ziyan decided to return shortly after leaving, only to find Xia Shi dead. Meanwhile, while Xia Deshui and Xia Lan were at the play, Xue Mu secretly entered Xia Deshui's room. He discovered the hidden account books, confirming the tax evasion.
More disturbingly, he found a letter revealing Xia Deshui's involvement in a scheme to frame and execute innocent servants to "remove all concerns," strongly indicating Xia Deshui's culpability in the deaths of Xue Mu's own parents. Back at the Xia manor, Xia Lan confided in her father that she wished to marry Xue Mu, praising his excellent qualities, promising future as Deputy Administrator, and his kindness towards her.
Her father reacted with furious opposition, vehemently rejecting the match due to Xue Mu's humble background, referring to him as "the son of peddlers" and unworthy of his daughter. He sternly forbade Xia Lan from contacting Xue Mu, even threatening to confine her indefinitely. Xia Lan promptly brought Xu Ziyan to court, accusing him of murdering her father.
Xu Ziyan denied the charge, explaining that Xia Shi had shown signs of illness during their argument, prompting him to return out of concern for Xia Shi's heart condition, only to find him deceased. Xia Lan and her companion insisted that Xia Shi had been perfectly healthy prior to Xu Ziyan's visit.
To substantiate his claim of a pre-existing heart condition, Xu Ziyan questioned Xia Lan and her companion about specific symptoms Xia Shi had exhibited over the years, such as chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, and needing support to lie down. They reluctantly confirmed these symptoms but downplayed them as minor or age-related.
Xu Ziyan then clarified that these were definitive indicators of serious heart disease, not mere indigestion, and recalled an earlier incident where Xia Shi had fainted at Xu's Snack Bar due to a heart attack. When an official doctor stated that Xu Ziyan's diagnosis was a theory lacking post-mortem proof, Xu Ziyan proposed an autopsy. Xia Lan fiercely opposed this, accusing him of desecrating her deceased father's body. The judge intervened, restoring order and warning against further disruption.
Ultimately, the judge ruled that there was no evidence of murder or a direct link between Xu Ziyan and Xia Shi's death. Xu Ziyan was declared not guilty and immediately released, closing the case.
