Shining For One Thing Episode 9 Recap
> Shining For One Thing Recap
Zhang Wansen's father returned home, explaining that his mother was still abroad completing her research. Meanwhile, Lin Beixing lay awake, troubled by a nagging question: why was the rabbit hairband still in Zhang Wansen's possession? She recalled Zhang Wansen's words about the hairband being a gift from "someone very important" to him and worried about its connection to his past death, resolving to uncover the truth.
The next morning, Lin Beixing arrived at Zhang Wansen's house and was greeted by his father. During breakfast, Zhang's father, who jokingly claimed to have cooked the meal, inadvertently revealed that as a child, Zhang Wansen was often dressed like a little girl by his mother, who enjoyed braiding his hair and putting him in skirts. Lin Beixing then asked if his mother frequently bought him hair accessories, to which Zhang's father confirmed she bought various colors.
This led Lin Beixing to deduce that the rabbit hairband likely came from Zhang Wansen’s mother. Soon after, Zhang’s father unexpectedly excused himself for an urgent matter. Meanwhile, Gao Ge, contemplating an art exam school advertisement, encountered Yang Chaoyang, who was headed to a nearby crosstalk seminar. Gao Ge asked him to pose as a sketch model, and after an hour of various uncomfortable poses, Yang Chaoyang, frustrated, fled to find Lin Beixing.
Together, they spotted Zhang Wansen’s father behaving intimately with another woman in a store. Recalling Zhang Wansen’s earlier comment that his mother was still abroad, Lin Beixing immediately suspected Zhang Wansen’s father of having an affair. She instructed Yang Chaoyang to discreetly follow Zhang Wansen’s father and report any developments, while she kept the gorilla doll Yang Chaoyang had just bought as a New Year's gift for Zhang Wansen.
Lin Beixing insisted on taking Zhang Wansen to her home for dinner, eager for him to experience a lively family atmosphere since his own house was often empty. Her parents warmly welcomed him, though their enthusiastic hospitality quickly devolved into their usual playful bickering, with her father praising Zhang Wansen's academic achievements while playfully critiquing Lin Beixing. Her mother, in turn, defended Lin Beixing fiercely.
During the meal, Lin Beixing’s mother lovingly offered Zhang Wansen a shrimp, only for Lin Beixing to quickly remind her of his seafood allergy. Embarrassed by her parents' bickering, Lin Beixing eventually pulled Zhang Wansen to her room. Zhang Wansen remarked how much he enjoyed the lively atmosphere, a stark contrast to his own quiet home, and Lin Beixing agreed.
In her room, Lin Beixing showed Zhang Wansen her childhood photo album, revealing her admiration for Sailor Moon and her aspiration to be like her. She pointed to a picture of herself as a child, dressed like a boy.
This sparked a memory for Zhang Wansen of a spring outing from their childhood: a young Lin Beixing, then a "tomboy," had comforted his crying self with animal crackers, declaring herself "Sailor Moon" and using "Moon Prism Power Make Up" to make his pain disappear before pulling him to explore the zoo. Lin Beixing explained that her brother had cut her hair that day for McDonald's.
As they later walked along a tree-lined road at night, Zhang Wansen reiterated how much he enjoyed the lively dinner, and Lin Beixing encouraged him to always come to her if he felt lonely or needed help, asserting her "Moon Prism Power" would assist him.
Their budding connection, however, was observed and misinterpreted by Gao Ge, who saw them holding hands and warned Lin Beixing not to use Zhang Wansen to make her father jealous or as a rebound after "Maizi" ignored her. Yang Chaoyang called Lin Beixing, reporting that he had followed Zhang Wansen's father and the woman to a restaurant. Lin Beixing rushed there, intending to expose what she believed was an affair.
To her surprise, the woman was revealed to be Zhang Wansen's mother, who had secretly returned to surprise her son. During the reunion, Zhang Wansen's mother again offered him shrimp, forgetting his allergy. She also presented him with a pink panther stuffed animal, claiming it was his favorite as a child, though Zhang Wansen denied this.
His mother then produced an application form for "Veterinarians without Borders," explaining that signing it would allow him to participate in an assessment and training program abroad, but would mean missing the college entrance examination. She stressed that she and his father believed pursuing dreams was equally important.
Later, Dean Gao Guangming advised Zhang Wansen to defer studying abroad until after the college entrance examination, suggesting that his mother’s decision might be a way for him to "repeat her old ways" in animal protection. Lin Beixing overheard this, and when Zhang Wansen later asked for her opinion on becoming a "Veterinarian without Borders," she, influenced by the pink panther gift and Dean Gao’s words, concluded that Zhang Wansen was merely fulfilling his mother's desires.
She dismissed the idea as "dirty and tiring" and strongly advised him to focus on preparing for the college entrance examination instead. She later confided in Yang Chaoyang that Zhang Wansen seemed "not himself" and that she believed he was being forced to go abroad, which was negatively impacting his studies and mood, and could jeopardize his college entrance exam. Alone at the station, Zhang Wansen looked at the application form with a heavy heart.
Later, as he began to fill it out, he was transported back to a childhood memory. He recalled an instance where he had witnessed Lin Beixing "healing" a small cat and then, admitting he did not want to be a general vet, confessed his true aspiration to her: to become a "Veterinarian without Borders," even though he feared others would mock him. Young Lin Beixing, however, had warmly encouraged him, stating she believed he could achieve it.
Overcome by his inner turmoil, Zhang Wansen became noticeably withdrawn, sleeping in class and seeing his academic ranking plummet from first to tenth place – an unprecedented decline. Concerned by his state, Lin Beixing went to his house, where she encountered his mother. Initially, Lin Beixing confronted Zhang Wansen's mother, accusing her of forcing him into a path he didn't want, asserting that she didn't truly understand her son.
However, Zhang Wansen's mother then revealed a childhood photo of him dressed as a girl, explaining her own desire for a daughter. She clarified that Zhang Wansen, as a small boy, had himself expressed his desire to become a "Veterinarian without Borders" on the very day he told her he no longer wanted to be dressed as a girl, thereby confirming that this had always been his deeply held dream.
Lin Beixing was stunned by this revelation, realizing her grave misunderstanding. The mother then recounted the story of that pivotal day at the zoo spring outing: Zhang Wansen and Lin Beixing had together rescued an injured kitten. When the Curator found them, they convinced him to take care of the cat, and he rewarded them each with a rabbit hair tie.
It was on this very day, after Lin Beixing gave Zhang Wansen one of the hair ties and encouraged him to pursue his dream, that Zhang Wansen, who had previously been timid and quiet, gained the courage to tell his mother about his aspiration to become a Veterinarian without Borders. Prompted by the revelation, Lin Beixing asked her mother for her childhood metal storage box.
Her mother found it and retrieved it from the cabinet, commenting that it held many old things. Inside, Lin Beixing found an identical rabbit hair tie, which her mother recognized from the elementary school spring outing when Lin Beixing had gotten muddy saving a cat and was rewarded by others.
Realizing the full extent of her misunderstanding and that Zhang Wansen’s dream had been his own all along, Lin Beixing immediately sent him a text message, apologizing for her previous misjudgment and affirming her full support for him to go abroad and achieve his aspirations.
The next day, as Lin Beixing was lost in thought at her desk, Yang Chaoyang burst into the classroom with urgent news: someone from their school was preparing to go abroad, with all the necessary procedures already finalized. Instantly fearing it was Zhang Wansen, Lin Beixing rushed to his house. She frantically knocked on the door and called out his name, but a chilling silence was her only reply, indicating the house was already empty.
