The Fox's Summer Season 2 Episode 19 Recap
> The Fox's Summer Season 2 Recap
Gao Yang playfully asked Qiao Na if restarting their relationship meant she would pursue him. Qiao Na, blushing, reflected on their happy moments together, admitting she was joyful and blessed in his company and felt his happiness too, sentiments she believed were real. When Gao Yang expressed how much he missed her, Qiao Na found their sudden closeness a little awkward. Gao Yang then teasingly asked if they should start from their first meeting or when she "courted" him.
He reminded her of his own past efforts, like stalking her and bringing gifts to her house. He declared that two kisses made the awkwardness disappear and, with a suggestion of three, then seven more, sealed their reconciliation after many days apart. Meanwhile, Li Yanshu moved back home. Her mother, Xia Meng, greeted her, asking why Gu Chengze wasn't with her.
Xia Meng wondered if he was avoiding her and pressed Li Yanshu about Gu Chengze's past girlfriends and live-in relationships, which Li Yanshu answered. Xia Meng then proposed they visit Gu Chengze's mother together since the wedding was approaching and they hadn't formally met. Li Yanshu agreed after putting away her luggage. Concurrently, Gu Chengze meticulously cleaned his house, a clear sign of his distress. Gu Jinyun arrived, observing his cousin's obsessive cleaning and immediately knew he was upset.
Gu Jinyun apologized on behalf of his grandmother for her recent actions, but Gu Chengze dismissed it, stating he was accustomed to Gu Taitai's attitude. Gu Jinyun became worried when Gu Chengze revealed he had discovered the truth about his mother's car accident and was agonizing over whether to investigate further. Gu Jinyun vehemently urged him to pursue the truth, but Gu Chengze, overwhelmed, asked to be left alone.
Back at the company, Gu Jinyun learned that the rumors about Gu Chengze’s mental health originated from the Chairwoman’s secretary's office. Disregarding the potential conflict, Gu Jinyun, as Sheng Hong’s CEO, ordered the immediate dismissal of the employee responsible and announced to all staff that anyone spreading malicious rumors about company leaders, regardless of their position or ability, would be fired.
Despite his stern warning, some employees continued to gossip about Gu Chengze’s "crazy things," though others defended him, refusing to believe he had a mental illness. Li Yanshu later encountered Gu Jinyun, who informed her about Gu Chengze's current state and the discovery of a clue regarding Fu Wanyu's car accident. Gu Jinyun strongly felt the investigation should proceed. Li Yanshu then visited Gu Chengze, expressed how much she missed him, and commented on his exceptionally clean room.
She confronted him about not telling her about the accident clue. Gu Chengze explained he didn't want to burden her with an uncertain lead. Li Yanshu passionately argued that such a morally corrupt hit-and-run driver, who had caused years of separation and suffering, deserved justice or at least an apology, and insisted on helping him investigate. However, Gu Chengze firmly stated he would handle it himself and repeatedly rejected her offers of assistance.
At the hospital garden, Xia Meng accompanied Li Yanshu to visit Fu Wanyu. While Li Yanshu went to get water, Xia Meng saw Fu Wanyu and felt a strange familiarity. When she recognized a distinct custom-made bracelet on Fu Wanyu's wrist, it triggered a horrifying flashback of a past car accident during a stormy night. The car crashed, and she vividly recalled a woman, resembling Fu Wanyu, injured and desperately begging for help for her child.
Overwhelmed and physically ill from the memory, Xia Meng feigned discomfort and insisted on leaving the hospital immediately. She asked Li Yanshu to stay and greet Fu Wanyu on her behalf. Li Yanshu, apologizing for her mother’s abrupt departure, presented gifts to Fu Wanyu. Returning home, Li Yanshu told Xia Meng about Fu Wanyu’s condition and the details of the car accident from 22 years ago—a rainy night, a hit-and-run driver who severely injured Gu Chengze's mother.
Xia Meng became deeply distressed, reliving her past trauma through fragmented flashbacks where her daughter was severely ill with a high fever, she had asked her boss to drive them to the hospital, the crash, and the desperate cries for help. Later, still visibly shaken, Xia Meng accidentally cut her hand while cutting fruit. Han Zhipeng, noticing her prolonged anxiety, asked what was wrong.
Xia Meng then confessed her fear that the woman she hit in the accident could be Gu Chengze's mother. She cited the matching time and location of the accident, and, more significantly, the unique custom-made bracelet on Fu Wanyu's wrist that perfectly matched one she had lost at the scene, which bore her and Li Yanshu's father's initials. Han Zhipeng urged her to confirm the inscription on the bracelet, hoping it might just be a similar design.
However, Xia Meng was terrified of confirming her fears and expressed despair about how she would face her two children if the truth came out. Gu Jinyun confronted Gu Taitai for firing her confidant who spread rumors about Gu Chengze. Gu Taitai accused Gu Jinyun of undermining her, but he argued that the employee violated company policy against slandering superiors, and as CEO, he had the authority to fire her.
Gu Taitai then shockingly admitted to being the source of the rumors herself, daring Gu Jinyun to fire her too. Gu Jinyun acknowledged her role in making him CEO but defiantly rejected her attempts to control his decisions, even offering to resign. Later, Gu Jinyun vented to Han Junyao about his grandmother's stubborn and unreasonable behavior.
Han Junyao offered a different perspective, explaining that Gu Taitai's aggressive approach was necessary to manage a large corporation and protect their interests from opportunistic shareholders. She also shared a personal story about her father, recalling her past resentment but admitting that when faced with his potential death, she realized family bonds were paramount and she would do anything for him to recover. Han Junyao concluded that, despite her methods, Gu Taitai’s actions were ultimately for Gu Jinyun's well-being.
Gu Jinyun understood her reasoning but reiterated that he could not tolerate his grandmother hurting Gu Chengze for his sake. In his mother’s hospital room, Gu Chengze sat by her bedside, speaking to her while she slept. He reflected that, since childhood, this was the first time he had truly experienced happiness and security, emotions he found only with Li Yanshu.
Despite her occasional lies and stubbornness, her voice and smile made him feel like the happiest person alive, and he cherished the person he had become in her presence. He envisioned a life of seclusion with Li Yanshu, believing it would be the happiest path.
Finally, addressing his mother as "Mom" for the first time in a long while, he admitted his desire to protect both her and Li Yanshu, and asked her to forgive his selfishness in choosing not to pursue the truth of the past accident.
