Twenty Your Life On Episode 9 Recap
> Twenty Your Life On Recap
Duan Zhenyu was rushed to the hospital after his fencing match, where he lost by a single point due to an old injury flaring up. The doctor diagnosed him with tennis elbow, which was a chronic inflammation, advising hospitalization for observation, despite Duan Zhenyu's reluctance. Duan Jiabao, worried, immediately ordered a month's supply of bone soup from Xiong Zhi to help her brother recover.
Jiang Xiaoguo's mother arrived in Shenzhen for a colleague's wedding and surprised her daughter with a brand new Gucci bag, explaining she felt her "outstanding daughter" deserved a luxury item after seeing another acquaintance flaunt one. Jiang Xiaoguo was thrilled, especially when Duan Jiabao revealed she had bought the exact same model from a classmate's Daigou service. They joyfully planned to be "Gucci Sisters." However, Liang Shuang, upon seeing their bags, dismissively called them "tacky" and "basic."
Meanwhile, Luo Yan received her own "gift" from her mother – a massive "post-graduate entrance examination gift pack" consisting of a stack of books, leading Jiang Xiaoguo to jokingly lament the "same dorm, different maternal love." At work, Duan Jiabao faced sarcastic remarks from colleagues envious of her new bag. Feeling uncomfortable, she quickly hid it away.
Jiang Xiaoguo, equally eager to show off her new acquisition, found that her colleagues mostly ignored it until Yang Xiaorong, noticing the bag, congratulated her. Yang Xiaorong then delivered exciting news: Jiang Xiaoguo was the first intern to have her proposal approved, and Zhou Xun had assigned her to work with Yang Xiaorong on Project Mosaic. Their first meeting with President Lei was scheduled for Friday at 4 PM.
Yang Xiaorong stressed the project's high profile and the need for thorough due diligence. Overjoyed and a little surprised, Jiang Xiaoguo promised to dedicate herself fully to the task, also inquiring about potential bonuses for interns, to which Yang Xiaorong affirmed that hard work would be rewarded. On Friday, Jiang Xiaoguo waited at the meeting place for Yang Xiaorong, who was late due to a prenatal check-up she had forgotten about.
Over the phone, Yang Xiaorong first instructed Jiang Xiaoguo to tell President Lei that she was stuck in traffic and would arrive in at least half an hour. Then, seeing no other option, she decided to have Jiang Xiaoguo impersonate her, guiding her through a Bluetooth headset. Jiang Xiaoguo, introducing herself as Yang Xiaorong, the Investment Director of Puling, faced an impatient President Lei, who quickly demanded to know Puling's investment offer.
Following Yang Xiaorong's instruction, Jiang Xiaoguo quoted "eighty million." President Lei immediately found the offer unsatisfactory compared to others and prepared to leave. Sensing the deal was slipping away, Jiang Xiaoguo discreetly removed her headset. Drawing on her prior research, she addressed President Lei directly, speaking passionately about his initial vision for Project Mosaic: protecting online personal privacy and creating a better online community.
She recounted the distressing experience of a socially anxious friend whose identity was exposed after being molested on a bus, leading to constant public scrutiny. Jiang Xiaoguo highlighted how a product like Mosaic could prevent such harm, advocating for everyone's right to privacy and decency online. Her sincere words resonated deeply with President Lei, who acknowledged that this was "indeed" his original motivation. He then agreed to reconsider and schedule another meeting to discuss the investment terms and details further.
A relieved Jiang Xiaoguo thanked him. Afterward, Yang Xiaorong, overjoyed by the unexpected success, expressed her immense gratitude, calling Jiang Xiaoguo her "lucky charm" and acknowledging how her pregnancy limited her. Jiang Xiaoguo felt equally grateful for the opportunity to prove herself, and they agreed to continue working hard and succeeding together. At work, Duan Jiabao's colleagues, noticing her luxury bag, made passive-aggressive remarks about her wealth.
To diffuse the tension and appear more relatable, Duan Jiabao confessed that her bag was "quite cheap" and a "knock-off," adding that her family wasn't "that loaded." This immediately altered her colleagues' perception, who then praised the "flawless craftsmanship" of the "fake" bag and asked for the purchase link. They invited her to walk home with them.
When they decided to ride shared bikes, Duan Jiabao, who had never ridden one, feigned preferring a different color, then claimed her phone had "just died" to avoid scanning a bike. However, a colleague named Lisa offered to scan one for her with another app. Unable to decline further, a reluctant Duan Jiabao had to push the shared bike alongside her colleagues.
That evening, while Luo Yan and Jiang Xiaoguo prepared snail noodles in their dorm, Jiang Xiaoguo was distraught when a tiny drop of chili oil stained her new bag, exclaiming it was "priceless." She immediately imposed a ban on "smelly, liquidy, or greasy food" in the dorm. Just then, Duan Jiabao returned with stinky tofu, prompting Jiang Xiaoguo to banish her and Luo Yan to the hallway to eat.
Outside, Duan Jiabao excitedly recounted how she gained her colleagues' favor by claiming her Gucci bag was fake. Jiang Xiaoguo commended her "humble act" and advised her to further immerse herself in the "ordinary people's lives" across "food, clothing, housing, and transportation."
She elaborated: for clothing, adopt a more professional office style; for food, actively participate in group orders and share discounts; for housing, complain about high rents, making sure to never mention her family's four apartments in Shenzhen; and for transportation, ride shared bikes, though Duan Jiabao expressed strong aversion to this.
Jiang Xiaoguo humorously summarized her advice as "Snatch, add, share, and loan," further explaining that "loan" referred to borrowing money via "WeChat loan," which surprised Duan Jiabao so much she offered to lend money herself. Jiang Xiaoguo concluded with a lighthearted warning to "buy more self-defense devices" for speaking so out of touch. Jiang Xiaoguo accompanied her mother to a wedding, where her mother insisted on wearing a fur coat despite the hot weather.
Her mom explained it was a matter of pride, especially against her old rival, Auntie Sun Lifen, a former "workplace belle." Upon meeting Auntie Sun, the two women engaged in a subtle battle of boasts. Auntie Sun flaunted her new 200-square-meter apartment in Shenzhen, while Jiang Xiaoguo's mother countered by claiming she considered moving to Hong Kong, but found travel too convenient.
She then proudly declared her fur coat was "environmentally friendly faux fur," "more expensive than real fur," with Jiang Xiaoguo confirming it wasn't real fur. She further bragged about Jiang Xiaoguo, who had just joined a VC firm, earning "five figures a month," and buying a "newest model Gucci bag" with her first salary.
Later that evening, back in the dorm, Jiang Xiaoguo compared her bag with Duan Jiabao's and noticed a subtle difference: one had "black edges" while hers had "white." She then realized her bag was fake, recalling there were no Gucci stores in her hometown. Upset, she lamented to Luo Yan about her mother buying "faux fur and a fake bag" without informing her, causing her to unknowingly "show off" and "embarrass" herself.
Luo Yan playfully suggested using "correction tape" to fix the edge. Shortly after, Duan Jiabao called, asking Jiang Xiaoguo to deliver soup to Duan Zhenyu at the hospital, as she had an "urgent task." Despite Luo Yan's attempt to cover for Jiang Xiaoguo's distress over the fake bag, Jiang Xiaoguo insisted she was "fine" and agreed to go. At the hospital, Jiang Xiaoguo witnessed Duan Zhenyu angrily lashing out at his doctor.
She learned that his arm injury, although a "mild case of tennis elbow," was a "chronic inflammation" requiring surgery. The devastating news was that after the operation, "resuming fencing" would be "almost impossible." Jiang Xiaoguo attempted to comfort him, suggesting he could still fence with his left arm and with more effort. However, Duan Zhenyu bitterly retorted, questioning if "hard work really pay[s] off."
He explained that an athlete's career ends due to "lack of talent," not age or injury, dismissing Jiang Xiaoguo's optimistic view as a "wishful thinking you ordinary people hold onto." Overwhelmed with despair, he told her to leave him "alone." As Jiang Xiaoguo departed, he stopped her, pleading with her not to tell Duan Jiabao about his grim prognosis.
Back at the company, Judy informed Jiang Xiaoguo that President Lei had discovered her impersonation of Yang Xiaorong and, as a result, Mosaic Corporation had "officially turned down" Puling Capital's investment offer, causing a significant problem for the company. Judy warned Jiang Xiaoguo that Zhou Xun was currently apologizing to President Lei and she needed a good explanation. Yang Xiaorong later pressed Jiang Xiaoguo for details about the meeting.
Jiang Xiaoguo speculated that President Lei might have realized her bag was a "knock-off" when he "handed me my bag" as she was leaving, and Yang Xiaorong agreed that an "Investment Director wouldn't carry a knock-off bag." Jiang Xiaoguo apologized profusely, but Yang Xiaorong assured her not to "beat herself up" and promised to "figure something out."
The next day, as Jiang Xiaoguo's mother prepared to return home, Jiang Xiaoguo confronted her about the fake bag, asking why she had bought it and lied about it. Her mother vehemently insisted that she had purchased it "from the official licensed store" and it was "authentic." However, a disbelieving Jiang Xiaoguo told her mother, "You may fool others, but you can't fool me," and refused to accept her explanations.
Luo Yan, overwhelmed by the "post-graduate entrance examination gift pack" her mother had sent her – a daunting stack of books – shared them with Lu Ran for studying. Lu Ran was initially puzzled to find handwritten notes in the books, assuming they were secondhand, until Luo Yan revealed they were her mother's personal study notes. This gesture deeply touched Luo Yan, who then decided to go home to surprise her mother.
However, as she neared her apartment building, she was shocked to see her mother "holding hands" with an unknown man. Unable to process the sight, Luo Yan, whose father had passed away long ago, quietly turned and left without going home. Zhou Xun summoned both Yang Xiaorong and Jiang Xiaoguo to his office, demanding an explanation for the botched Project Mosaic deal.
Yang Xiaorong, immediately deflecting blame, acknowledged her initial responsibility but quickly fabricated a story: she claimed she had asked Jiang Xiaoguo to reschedule the meeting due to her own poor health, but Jiang Xiaoguo had "taken it upon herself" to impersonate her, albeit with good intentions out of eagerness "to be seen." Zhou Xun, enraged, lectured them on the paramount importance of "credibility" in the investment world.
He condemned their "disrespectful business act," stating that if they "want to try any tricks," they should "do it wisely," but being "exposed" made "Puling look bad." He expressed his disdain for "smart alecks," deeming them worse than "idiots," before dismissing them both. Outside the office, a heartbroken Jiang Xiaoguo confronted Yang Xiaorong, asking why she had lied.
Yang Xiaorong, justifying her actions, explained she "can't afford to lose this job," reiterating her earlier sentiment that "a mother would do anything for her child." A voice-over reflected on the damaging nature of such "mother's love." Despite Yang Xiaorong's attempt to salvage the deal with Zhou Xun at Project Mosaic, President Lei had already begun negotiations with a competitor, Lanhe.
Upon returning to the dorm, Duan Jiabao informed Jiang Xiaoguo that her own Gucci bag was actually fake, as her Daigou classmate had been selling knock-offs and was now under police investigation. Duan Jiabao clarified that the authentic Gucci model had "black edges" on its handles, meaning Jiang Xiaoguo's bag, with its white edges, was indeed the real one she had doubted. This revelation prompted Jiang Xiaoguo to immediately call her mother.
With newfound understanding and tears, she urged her mom not to "splurge" on her anymore, instead asking her to save money. Jiang Xiaoguo declared her new goal: to "buy an apartment in Shenzhen" and "ask you to move in with me." Her mother then revealed that beyond her regular salary, she was "also moonlighting" to earn extra money, explaining it was "for you" and even served to "lose weight" – "killing two birds with one stone."
A reflective voice-over underscored the stark contrast between Yang Xiaorong's "selfishness and ugliness" hidden beneath the guise of maternal love and Jiang Xiaoguo's mother's "gentle and selfless" true devotion. Jiang Xiaoguo was aware that Duan Zhenyu had been discharged from the hospital, but she wrestled with the difficult decision of whether to disclose the severity of his condition to Duan Jiabao, as he had specifically asked her to keep it a secret.
