Walk Into Your Memory Episode 20 Recap
> Walk Into Your Memory Recap
Determined to facilitate a meeting between Xia Tian and Yi Mingjun's parents, Long Haoqian and Yi Mingjun hatched a plan to get An Ning and Xia Tian drunk. The initial idea was for Long Haoqian to play chess with An Ning and Yi Mingjun to play poker with Xia Tian, with the losers drinking. However, An Ning saw through their trick.
When Yi Mingjun suggested playing games and consuming a prized liquor he had been saving, An Ning quickly altered the pairings, choosing to play poker with Long Haoqian herself, leaving Xia Tian and Yi Mingjun to play chess. Yi Mingjun had boasted about his chess skills, believing An Ning would be easy to defeat, having never lost to her grandfather. He also assured Long Haoqian that An Ning had lost her superpower, meaning their scheme would go undetected.
Ultimately, their plan backfired completely as all four ended up playing mahjong, and the two male executives lost spectacularly, having to drink repeatedly. Xia Tian later confronted Yi Mingjun, asking if he and Long Haoqian had "bad ideas" in mind. Yi Mingjun quickly threw Long Haoqian under the bus, claiming it was all Long Haoqian's idea.
Later that evening, with Yi Mingjun and Xia Tian in the living room, Long Haoqian offered to tell An Ning a bedtime story, but he was suddenly overcome by a headache. An Ning realized he was again trying to recall his lost memories. Understanding his struggle, An Ning once more delved into Long Haoqian's memory. There, she revisited the traumatic event, discovering that the girl who was being abused was her older sister, An Yi.
The bullies had used Long Haoqian to lure An Yi out, which explained An Yi's anguished cry of "I hate you, Long Hao Qian!" during the memory. An Ning abruptly woke from the memory, shouting "Don't come any closer!" at Long Haoqian. Distraught, Long Haoqian drove away from the villa, ignoring the bewildered questions from Xia Tian and Yi Mingjun. An Ning also rushed out, her mind replaying An Yi's last days.
She remembered An Yi, seemingly fine, discussing their aunt's illness and promising to celebrate An Ning's upcoming birthday with a gift. Overwhelmed by the revelations and past grief, An Ning collapsed, repeatedly questioning "Why?" Back at his residence, Long Haoqian succumbed to heavy drinking, unable to erase An Ning's image from his mind. His house manager reported to Yi Mingjun that Long Haoqian had been breaking things and had locked himself in his room for a night, drinking excessively.
Yi Mingjun tried to get Long Haoqian to open the door, even threatening to call An Ning, but Long Haoqian remained unresponsive. Having no other choice, Yi Mingjun then called Xia Tian. Meanwhile, An Ning's maternal grandfather gave An Ning's mother a golden bangle, originally belonging to An Ning's grandmother, and his entire pension. He instructed her to keep it as An Ning's dowry. He explained that the other bangle of the pair had been buried with An Yi.
Despite the Long family's wealth, he insisted that An Ning should not marry empty-handed, so she could hold her head high among her in-laws. He emphasized that if the Long family ever mistreated An Ning, her family would be there to support her, even if it meant fighting to his last breath. He also encouraged An Ning's mother to pursue her own life once An Ning was married.
An Ning, unable to compose herself, returned to her home but, hearing her mother humming happily in the courtyard, felt she couldn't face her in her current state and turned away. Long Haoqian, determined to uncover the truth, had someone retrieve a ten-year-old high school directory. He soon found a photo and the name "An Yi" within it. An Ning visited An Yi's grave.
As she reminisced about happy childhood memories with her sister, including playing on swings and lighting fireworks with their parents, she had a vision of An Yi, wearing a traditional qipao. An Yi lovingly advised her not to cry with her eyes, but to look for beautiful things in the world, to let go of those who no longer deserved her, and to forget all the bad things. An Ning, weeping, promised her sister she would live well.
In another part of the city, Meng Lu met Lin Zeyu for a game of golf. She decided it was time to be honest with him. She confessed that while she once dreamed of marrying a rich man and living a princess-like life, receiving all these luxuries from him made her realize she didn't deserve them as they weren't earned through her own efforts.
She explained that she felt flattered by his impeccable nature, which only highlighted her own feelings of inadequacy. She offered to return all his gifts and compensate for his expenses, but acknowledged she couldn't compensate his feelings. Lin Zeyu, in turn, revealed he already knew about her feelings for Gong Chen due to his own research into her background, admitting his conceit prevented him from realizing the depth of her love for Gong Chen.
Meng Lu clarified that her decision to break up wasn't necessarily about being with Gong Chen, but about finding comfort and stability in her life. She used an analogy of expensive, beautiful shoes that, if unsuitable, would make her feet bleed on a long journey, compared to comfortable sport shoes that she desired instead. Lin Zeyu understood, agreeing that compatibility was crucial in a marriage, and accepted her decision.
They finished their golf game amicably, unwilling to let the good weather go to waste. An Ning arrived at Long Haoqian's office. She looked at a photo of them together, her heart heavy with sadness. Despite her deep reluctance, she left her resignation letter on his desk, along with her engagement ring, and tore her own image from their shared photograph. She gave her resignation to Gong Chen, who expressed his surprise and asked for a reason.
An Ning requested that he keep it a secret from her mother and grandfather for the time being, promising to tell them when the time was right. Gong Chen, though not understanding her reasons, agreed and sternly forbade the kitchen staff from gossiping about An Ning and Long Haoqian's relationship or her departure. He also reminded her never to forget her dream of becoming a chef.
Back home, An Ning kept silent about her resignation and her break with Long Haoqian, wanting to spare her mother and grandfather any worry. When Xia Tian asked her directly if she was fighting with Long Haoqian, even mentioning that Yi Mingjun had called her (Xia Tian) about Long Haoqian's distress, An Ning denied anything was wrong.
Later, when her mother called, asking her to bring Long Haoqian home to get measured for new clothes, An Ning stammered, unsure how to respond, before quickly ending the call. She walked past a bridal shop, memories of Long Haoqian's New Year's Eve proposal flashing in her mind. Unbeknownst to her, Long Haoqian was watching her from a short distance away. He called her, asking if they could meet. An Ning, still struggling with her emotions, replied that she was busy. Long Haoqian then simply instructed, "Look to your right." She did, and saw him.
