Symphony's Romance Episode 37 Recap
> Symphony's Romance Recap
Fang Xiaowo’s debut performance features Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, a highly challenging piece, alongside a professional orchestra. Li Zhenyan observes her, sensing her nervousness, but believes she is capable. Fisher, listening intently from the stage, marvels at her significant progress, calling her a "strange talent" who has reached an unexpected level of skill.
As she plays, Fang Xiaowo feels a deep unhappiness, recalling her journey with Li Zhenyan and the persistent feeling of chasing his receding back, a distance she could never bridge. Li Zhenyan, keenly watching her, senses her distress and through her music, finally comprehends her long-held emotions, wondering if this might be her final performance. After the performance, the audience erupts in enthusiastic applause, and Fang Xiaowo is immediately surrounded by a throng of reporters.
Li Zhenyan attempts to reach her backstage, but a security guard informs him that Fang Xiaowo has declined to see him. Disheartened, Li Zhenyan leaves, reflecting on his past actions and fearing that it might be too late to mend their relationship, worried that Fang Xiaowo is on the verge of leaving him. News of Fang Xiaowo’s triumphant debut with Fisher, hailed as an "audio-visual feast," quickly spreads.
Members of the RS Orchestra express their excitement and pride, although Lin Qingshang is surprised that Fang Xiaowo did not inform them of the event. Everyone discusses her promising future. Meanwhile, Elise, Fang Xiaowo's manager, is busy fielding numerous calls for new engagements. However, Fang Xiaowo, despite her success, confides in Elise that she intends to quit playing the piano, believing she cannot surpass her recent performance.
Separately, Li Zhenyan, unable to reach Fang Xiaowo by phone, remains deeply distracted during a musician audition for his orchestra, prompting a colleague to remind him to focus. Suddenly, Elise calls Li Zhenyan, urgently asking about Fang Xiaowo’s whereabouts and relaying her decision to stop playing. Alarmed, Li Zhenyan immediately abandons the audition and embarks on a frantic search for Fang Xiaowo, calling her repeatedly, but with no success.
The next morning, a despondent Li Zhenyan plays the piano at home, and the music stirs Fang Xiaowo, who has been hiding in an upstairs apartment. She approaches his door but hesitates, ultimately deciding not to open it. Soon after, Qin Fen and Lin Qingshang arrive and find Fang Xiaowo visibly upset. They attempt to persuade her to see Li Zhenyan, but she refuses.
They then take her to Qin Ba's noodle shop, where Qin Fen has prepared noodles since his father is away. Fang Xiaowo eats but remains silent about her performance and Li Zhenyan. Lin Qingshang tells her Li Zhenyan has been desperately looking for her and is worried. Qin Fen then mentions a nearby kindergarten that is hiring a music teacher. This news immediately brightens Fang Xiaowo's spirits, and she enthusiastically accepts the temporary position.
Qin Fen later informs Li Zhenyan of Fang Xiaowo's new role. Upon hearing the news, Li Zhenyan, who has been consumed by worry, rushes to the kindergarten to find her, ignoring his aunt, Gu Sheng's, playful teasing about his sudden urgency. Li Zhenyan arrives at the kindergarten and watches Fang Xiaowo play the piano for the children. He is deeply moved, recognizing this as her true musical expression—full of sunshine, freedom, and an unbridled passion for music.
He realizes that her exceptional talent had always made him want to push her to grander stages, and that her unique piano sound brought pure, unadulterated happiness. He approaches her and suggests they return to play the piece she had always wanted to perform with him.
Fang Xiaowo refuses, stating that she no longer wishes to play piano with him, nor to play merely for the sake of it, and is tired of silently enduring pain because of her feelings for him. She believes her recent performance with Fisher was her peak, a level she cannot surpass. Undeterred, Li Zhenyan resolutely pulls her back to Mr. Hu’s music room at the school.
He takes a seat at one of the pianos, proposing they play Mozart’s Sonata K448 for Two Pianos, the piece they first collaborated on. Fang Xiaowo initially resists, asserting that she has changed and that this is not the cooperation she desires. Li Zhenyan encourages her to feel the music with her heart, to remember the joy and power she exuded during their first ensemble.
He reminds her that happiness is all the more precious because of past pain, and urges her to recall their freest and happiest moments together. Despite her reluctance, Li Zhenyan convinces her that their shared musical moments were truly their happiest. As they play, Li Zhenyan guides her, helping her reconnect with her original spirit and confidence.
After the performance, Li Zhenyan playfully remarks that, despite everything, her playing is still as wonderfully "messy" yet powerful as it was when they first met. Fang Xiaowo then realizes that she has been in love with him since the very first time she saw him. Finally, with her heart completely open, they share a tight embrace. Meanwhile, Li Yazhe returns to China, ready to confront the long-standing conflict with his son, Li Zhenyan.
He first meets with Gu Sheng, Li Zhenyan’s aunt, who expresses her deep-seated resentment, blaming him for her sister’s death and his past "strike education" philosophy that had aimed to force Li Zhenyan to become a replica of himself. Gu Sheng acknowledges Li Yazhe's years of quiet penance. She reveals that, unbeknownst to Li Zhenyan, his father has regularly inquired about his well-being since his return.
Gu Sheng urges Li Yazhe to cease his clandestine observations and instead actively demonstrate his love and repentance to Li Zhenyan, rather than passively seeking forgiveness from him or his late wife. Li Yazhe voices his belief that he is unforgivable and undeserving of a father's role, content simply to know that Zhenyan is doing well.
However, Gu Sheng challenges this, explaining that Li Zhenyan's apparent hatred is actually disappointment stemming from his childhood desire to be "like his father," whom he once viewed as a hero. She encourages Li Yazhe to bravely confront his past and openly embrace Li Zhenyan, assuring him that this courage will ultimately lead to forgiveness. Inspired by Gu Sheng's words, Li Yazhe resolves to face everything he has avoided for so long.
