The Wonderful World Episode 1 Recap
> The Wonderful World Recap
Xu Tian has few memories of his mother but distinctly remembers her running a qipao shop in Haier Lane and her love for Yue Opera, especially 'The Legend of the White Snake'. She often took him to performances where he'd fall asleep to the music. Since her passing eighteen years ago, he feels closest to her at Thunder Peak Pagoda, which he associates with the legend of the White Snake being trapped there.
He visits the pagoda weekly, asking staff how many visitors climbed it that day, believing that more people mean the tower is heavier, pressing down harder. The staff, thinking he's too caught up in the myth, repeatedly tell him not to take the legend literally. One spring afternoon, as Xu Tian walked home from the pagoda around 2 PM, the sky suddenly darkened, a fierce wind blew, and a heavy rainstorm began.
After buying some food from a convenience store, Xu Tian returned home soaked. As he was about to change, he saw a familiar face at his window – a face identical to his own. Since the lights were off inside, the person outside couldn't see clearly into the room. The face stayed briefly before leaving. Xu Tian was stunned but quickly rushed out to look, searching the area without success.
Returning home, he was surprised to find the same person inside his house, seemingly taking shelter from the rain. The room was still dark, and the other man couldn't see Xu Tian's face clearly, politely asking the owner to turn on the light. As Xu Tian went upstairs to do so, the rain suddenly stopped, and sunlight filled the room. By the time he came back down, the man was gone.
Xu Tian regretted not asking for his name and searched the street again, but the person had vanished. Unable to find the look-alike, Xu Tian suddenly remembered the convenience store owner, referred to as Shi Laoban, had previously introduced him to a girl named Shi Diandian who worked at the City Road Information Collection Center, a job that could potentially allow her to access city surveillance footage.
Xu Tian returned to the convenience store and asked Shi Laoban to arrange another meeting with Shi Diandian, explaining he needed to ask her for a favor related to the look-alike encounter he'd just experienced. Shi Laoban initially advised Xu Tian to get married to curb his apparent "groundless fantasies" but agreed to contact his relative, Shi Diandian, who readily accepted.
At a theatre school, Wen Xiaoyao and her friend Joey arrived late for rehearsal, worried about facing the director, nicknamed "Steel Auntie". They hurried to warm up before being called to the stage. The dancer scheduled to play Bai Suzhen, Sister Yun, was absent. Joey suggested Wen Xiaoyao stand in temporarily. Driven by a desire to become a principal dancer, Wen Xiaoyao practiced Bai Suzhen's movements intensely.
Steel Auntie observed her and told her that her performance lacked emotional depth, explaining that while good technique makes a dancer, a rich inner world cultivated through life experiences like love is essential to become a true artist. Wen Xiaoyao decided she needed to enrich her emotional life and declared she would start by falling in love, which Steel Auntie found amusing, noting Wen Xiaoyao had no specific person in mind.
Zhou Tong returned to Beijing, where his mother Song Guanwang helped him unpack. She expressed concern about his belongings being wet and questioned if he had fallen into water, then urged him to find a formal job. Zhou Tong defended his work as a travel blogger and big influencer. He showed her photos from his trip to Hangzhou.
Song Guanwang noticed a person in the photos who looked exactly like Zhou Tong and asked if he had taken pictures of himself. Zhou Tong looked closely and realized it was someone else who looked just like him. Song Guanwang continued to press him about getting married soon, but Zhou Tong, wanting to continue his travels to Malaysia, said he didn't have time.
The next day, Song Guanwang faked a fever for Zhou Tong by heating a thermometer in hot water, preventing him from leaving. Wen Xiaoyao, determined to pursue love, went to Joey's place and wrote down her commitment. Joey, thinking of her well-connected father, Qiao Guanghui, offered to arrange a date. Joey called Qiao Guanghui and gave him the task, which he found unbelievable, questioning if he was a matchmaker.
Later, on his way back to the company, Qiao Guanghui received a call from Song Guanwang asking him to find a suitable girl for her son for a serious relationship, specifically someone innocent from a trustworthy background. Qiao Guanghui realized Wen Xiaoyao, his daughter's close friend who also wanted a relationship, would be a perfect fit. Zhou Tong felt no symptoms of fever and suspected the home thermometer was faulty. He bought a new one at a pharmacy.
Seeing he bought cold medicine, Song Guanwang advised against taking it without need. She then brewed him traditional Chinese medicine and secretly manipulated the new thermometer by dipping it in the hot tea before taking his temperature again, which showed a high reading of 41. 2 degrees. Zhou Tong maintained he still planned to leave, but his flight was postponed by a day.
Song Guanwang used the topic of filial piety, specifically mentioning that having no descendants is the worst unfilial act, to push him to agree to a blind date she had arranged for the following morning before his flight. Zhou Tong reluctantly agreed to meet the date before leaving the country, arriving early at the restaurant, Guangming Pavilion, for the 9:30 AM meeting. Song Guanwang and Qiao Guanghui sat hidden on the second floor, observing.
Song Guanwang confirmed to Qiao Guanghui that she had already sent Zhou Tong's photo to the girl so she would recognize him. Qiao Guanghui then sent a photo of Zhou Tong to Joey, who was accompanying a nervous Wen Xiaoyao to the date. Wen Xiaoyao began doing relaxation exercises out of nervousness, and Joey took her photo. Song Guanwang saw Joey's photo of Wen Xiaoyao and found the girl very satisfying, describing her as beautiful like a fairy.
