Shining For One Thing Episode 18 Recap
> Shining For One Thing Recap
Lin Beixing found herself back in reality, her heart heavy with tears. Despite her certainty that she had saved Zhang Wansen, she had inexplicably returned to her own time. As she sat at a bus stop, gazing at the last message on her old phone, she whispered a silent prayer, hoping that this final chance would allow her to truly rescue him. Driven by a renewed determination, Lin Beixing deleted the message and sprinted across the campus.
Spotting Zhang Wansen engrossed in his phone, she grabbed him, pulling him urgently. In their hurried escape, Zhang Wansen's phone slipped from his grasp, crashing to the ground. As Lin Beixing caught sight of the unsent confession message on its screen – "I like you" – she was abruptly pulled back to her original reality, leaving her bewildered as to where things had gone wrong.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fei and his group of punks descended upon Wang's Auto Repair Shop once more, demanding to see Maizi. Discovering that Maizi had already left, they rummaged through his belongings, seizing his phone and other personal items from under his bed. Their message was clear: if Maizi wanted his things back, he knew where to find them.
Maizi, having discharged himself from the hospital that morning against the nurses' advice and mentioning an afternoon flight, soon arrived at the old meeting spot to confront Mr. Fei. It was revealed that years ago, Mr. Lei, a ruthless man who valued money over human life, had discovered Maizi's betrayal—Maizi had sided with Zhang Wansen. In the ensuing confrontation, Maizi had accidentally killed Mr. Lei with an ashtray, leading to a ten-year prison sentence.
Mr. Fei, fiercely loyal to Mr. Lei, sought revenge, but Maizi, having served his time, vehemently declared he was through with the life of hiding, fighting, and killing. As the tension escalated, Lin Beixing burst in, grabbing a fire extinguisher to create a diversion and rescue Maizi. As they fled, they unexpectedly ran into Lin Dahai, who was assisting the dean in catching truant students. Maizi's primary goal was to retrieve his old photo with Zhang Wansen and his phone.
Lin Beixing, who possessed the photo, promptly handed it over. With Lin Dahai bravely holding back the punks and a stroke of luck bringing patrolling police to the scene, Maizi seized the opportunity, scaling a wall and escaping. Having heard about Maizi's supposed flight, Lin Beixing rushed to the airport, only to find no trace of him. Unbeknownst to her, Maizi had not left Nanchuan.
Instead, clutching the old photograph of himself and Zhang Wansen, he made his way to the lighthouse, which had been converted into an astronomical observatory. He needed to say a quiet farewell to his friend before truly departing. The old photo had been taken by Maizi after Zhang Wansen had secretly walked Lin Beixing home. The date "2020" had been marked on it because they had made a "ten-year promise" to reunite and share a drink then.
Zhang Wansen, however, had never made it. Back at the repair shop, Maizi overheard a conversation between Zhan Yu and another person, learning that Zhan Yu had actually dumped Lin Beixing. Enraged, Maizi stepped forward and punched Zhan Yu, then immediately called Lin Beixing, asking her to meet him. When they met at Liangshan Food Stall, Lin Beixing apologized to Maizi on behalf of Lin Dahai, confessing that she now understood some of Zhang Wansen's sacrifices for her.
Maizi, however, revealed that Zhang Wansen had done far more than she knew. He explained that Zhang Wansen had used not only all his hard-earned living expenses but also the money his parents had sent him for overseas studies to cover Lin Dahai's burgeoning debt to Mr. Lei, which had escalated from 200,000 to 500,000.
Maizi recounted how Zhang Wansen had been prepared to go abroad, but when news of Lin Beixing's presence in Nanchuan became known, he immediately canceled his plans and secretly returned to protect her. For a long period, Zhang Wansen had constantly been behind her, silently safeguarding her and solving her problems, with Maizi secretly assisting him.
Maizi also explained that Zhang Wansen had deliberately kept his actions a secret because he simply wanted Lin Beixing to have a peaceful college entrance exam period and achieve her dreams, even those she shared with Zhan Yu. This was why Maizi had become so furious upon hearing about Lin Beixing's wedding, feeling that Zhang Wansen's profound affection should have been known to her.
Thus, he had folded Zhang Wansen's confession letter into a paper plane and thrown it into her room. Lin Beixing rushed home, frantically searching for and finding the paper plane. She carefully unfolded it, reading the handwritten words of love from Zhang Wansen. The police had already investigated and closed Zhang Wansen's case. Maizi had explained that Zhang Wansen's continuous protection of Lin Beixing had eventually enraged Mr. Lei.
Zhang Wansen had called Lin Dahai to the lighthouse, intending to settle the debt issue directly with Mr. Lei, emphasizing that family should not be involved. However, Zhang Wansen had also secretly called the police. As the sirens approached, Mr. Lei, realizing Zhang Wansen's treachery, brutally assaulted him. Zhang Wansen, in his final moments, desperately clung to Mr. Lei, determined to ensure his capture and simultaneously managed to send the "I like you" message to Lin Beixing.
In a fit of rage, Mr. Lei grabbed Zhang Wansen and forcefully shoved him over the lighthouse railing. He tragically fell to his death. Lin Beixing now held Zhang Wansen's old phone, the last physical connection to him, while truly understanding his unspoken devotion. She would probably never know, but Zhang Wansen had loved her since he was very young.
