The Bond Episode 18 Recap
> The Bond Recap
Maqueyan visited the Qiao family's old house late at night, calling out for Qiao Sanli. Aunt Wu caught him and, thinking he was stealing, scolded him for causing trouble. Maqueyan explained he was looking for Qiao Sanli and asked when she would be back. Aunt Wu, frustrated by his questions, told him she didn't know and ordered him to go home. Qiao Simei had secretly used and broken Ye Xiaolang's lipstick.
One morning, Qiao Erqiang, still groggy, accidentally opened the bathroom door while Ye Xiaolang was inside. Though Qiao Sanli was consistently understanding, friction among the family was constant. Ye Xiaolang spent her days intensely studying, so Qiao Yicheng would go out and watch TV with his younger siblings. Qiao Erqiang supported Qiao Yicheng and Ye Xiaolang going abroad, while Qiao Sanli and Qiao Simei were reluctant for them to leave.
Qiao Erqiang offered Ye Xiaolang coffee that Qiao Simei had brought, but Ye Xiaolang declined, saying she wasn't feeling well. Later, Qiao Yicheng tried to offer her coffee again, but she refused, insisting on studying. He then joined his siblings to watch TV, not wanting to disturb her.
Qiao Erqiang asked Qiao Yicheng if Ye Xiaolang was truly determined to leave and if Qiao Yicheng intended to go with her, encouraging him by saying his intelligence would make studying abroad easy. Qiao Yicheng expressed hope. Qiao Sanli confided in Wang Yiding that she felt Ye Xiaolang had changed and become distant since focusing on going abroad. Wang Yiding, now earning double his previous salary, gave his new savings book to Qiao Sanli.
He explained that his mother had always managed his father's money this way, calling it a family tradition. Later, Wang Yiding's mother demanded his new savings book. Upon learning he had given it to Qiao Sanli, she became furious, but Wang Yiding stood firm on his decision to marry her. His mother's anger subsided after he helped her wash her feet.
Softening, she acknowledged that wives managing finances was a family tradition and instructed him to bring Qiao Sanli to dinner next week when Wang Yining's girlfriend, Xiao Min, would also be visiting. Qiao Sanli awoke one morning to find a notice on the television, a strict rule from Ye Xiaolang forbidding TV viewing after 10 PM. Qiao Simei loudly complained about Ye Xiaolang's strictness, but Ye Xiaolang emerged, defending her need for a quiet study environment.
Qiao Sanli quickly intervened, urging Qiao Simei not to cause trouble for Qiao Yicheng. While Ye Xiaolang was out for her TOEFL class, Qiao Simei gathered everyone for a family meeting to discuss Qiao Sanli's upcoming visit to Wang Yiding's mother. Qiao Yicheng was pleased, but Qiao Simei, having heard rumors, warned that Wang Yiding's mother was a "calculating" and difficult woman, fearing Qiao Sanli would be bullied.
Qiao Sanli, however, dismissed the rumors, stating that as long as Wang Yiding was devoted to her, nothing else mattered. Upon Ye Xiaolang's return, Qiao Erqiang told Qiao Yicheng he intended to stay at his workplace for a few days, but Qiao Yicheng insisted he stay. The next morning, Ye Xiaolang confronted Qiao Simei about her broken lipstick. Qiao Simei retorted defiantly. Ye Xiaolang became enraged, feeling that Qiao Yicheng always sided with his siblings despite saying he understood her.
Qiao Simei then carelessly brought up Ye Xiaolang's lost baby, implying she was careless. In a fit of anger, Ye Xiaolang revealed the truth: she never intended to have the child and wished she could leave the country immediately. Qiao Yicheng, shocked, had to leave for an urgent matter at the TV station, telling her they would discuss it further that night. Wang Yiding and Wang Yining brought their girlfriends home for dinner.
Wang Yiding's mother showed clear favoritism towards Xiao Min, telling her not to help with chores while directing Qiao Sanli to wash the dishes and preventing Wang Yiding from assisting. When Qiao Sanli returned home, she found Qiao Erqiang and Qiao Simei looking worried. Qiao Yicheng and Ye Xiaolang's heated argument could be heard from their room. Qiao Yicheng was upset that Ye Xiaolang had made such a significant decision without consulting him.
Ye Xiaolang argued that the constant commotion of his family had prevented any private conversation. Qiao Yicheng, feeling used, accused her of seeing him as a "springboard" for her ambitions and angrily left. Later that night, Qiao Simei complained about Ye Xiaolang, but Qiao Erqiang and Qiao Sanli sternly told her to be quiet. Qiao Yicheng, unable to sleep, spent the night at his workplace.
The next day, Qiao Simei, having replaced Ye Xiaolang's lipstick, covertly returned to the old house. She found it vandalized, with "Repay the money" painted in red on the door and smashed windows, causing her to cry. Among the debris, she discovered two unopened letters from Qi Chenggang, stating he was going to Lhasa but providing no return address. Maqueyan then sneaked in, and Qiao Simei, mistaking him for a debt collector, hit him.
She informed him that the individuals who had swindled their father had been apprehended, and they were planning to move back. Maqueyan expressed delight, but his joy was short-lived as Qiao Simei revealed Qiao Sanli and Wang Yiding were engaged and warned him to stop harassing her. Qiao Simei and Ye Xiaolang had another argument.
When Qiao Yicheng returned, Ye Xiaolang informed him of two decisions: first, she had resigned and planned to open a shop in the computer shopping center; second, she would move in with her friend Xiaomeng to study for the TOEFL exam. Qiao Yicheng, despite their conflict, saw her off the following day, giving her money and advising her to concentrate on her studies. Sometime later, after her shop opened, Qiao Yicheng quietly visited, observing from a distance.
Meanwhile, Qiao Erqiang visited a new skating rink and encountered Liu Qiang, a former colleague from the factory. Later, Qiao Erqiang heard from a colleague that Director Chen's wife had passed away. Noticing Sun Xiaomo's low spirits, Qiao Erqiang invited her to go skating. Upon arriving at the skating rink, Sun Xiaomo received a message and abruptly canceled their plans, stating she needed to return to the bookstore urgently.
