Second Chance Romance Episode 11 Recap
> Second Chance Romance Recap
Tan Siting sought legal advice regarding her son Le's custody. She learned that at twelve years old, Le has the right to choose who he lives with, and he has lived with his father for many years. Later, Tan Siting received a call from her friend and neighbor, Shuhan, who invited her out for a drink. Meanwhile, at home, Le asked Wen Peiyan if his father, Feng Rui, had returned.
Wen Peiyan informed him that Feng Rui would not be home for dinner as he was attending a university reunion, but confirmed that Feng Rui had successfully resolved the issues with his winery. Wen Peiyan then encouraged Le to practice piano, offering to give him private lessons at home since he would no longer be attending a tutoring center to focus on preparing for middle school.
Feng Rui arrived late to his university reunion, where his classmates embraced him warmly, happy to finally be together after over a decade. They greeted "Duo, our class beauty," and "Liu." One classmate initiated a toast, thanking the "Four Golden Flowers" (three of whom were present) for organizing and honoring their alma mater, the Aerospace Academy.
Another classmate playfully chided Feng Rui for his tardiness, despite being a "young entrepreneur" who works for himself, unlike them, who are "corporate slaves" struggling with fierce competition. They also toasted to the women in their class, acknowledging their hard work in managing households. Feng Rui, feeling compelled to acknowledge his lateness, took a penalty drink.
When another classmate expressed gratitude for Feng Rui's past decision to forgo a hospital position, which allowed him to secure it, Feng Rui dismissed it, claiming it was destiny and stated that his "space dream" was merely talk, as he was "born for business." The classmates then raised their glasses, wishing him great success.
Later, in a quieter moment at the reunion, a classmate asked Feng Rui how it felt to be a groom soon and joked about him becoming a "single dad" so quickly, inquiring about the "charming beauty" who made him a father. Feng Rui responded gravely, revealing that "the child's mother is still around. She's back." This admission astonished his friends, who urged him to keep them informed about his upcoming wedding.
Tan Siting met Shuhan, who, gazing at the city skyline from her apartment, reminisced about her past as a sales assistant in a shoe store. She recounted how she used to serve customers who lived in the very high-rise she now owned, a dream home bought for her by her younger brother, Yuan. Shuhan candidly admitted that after achieving her financial dream, she felt an unsettling emptiness.
She observed that her former customers didn't recognize her, which she interpreted as a sign of her successful transformation, yet felt that society often deemed successful women without marriage and children as "lonely and uncared for in old age." Deeply affected by Shuhan's words, Tan Siting confessed that her child was not dead, but was alive and had been with Feng Rui for twelve years.
She expressed profound sorrow for missing out on Le's life, particularly a time when he was gravely ill with a high fever at age three. Overwhelmed with emotion, she admitted to hating Gao Hui for denying her motherhood, and Feng Rui for his deception and silence, never even calling her. She also blamed herself for not insisting on seeing her child at birth, wondering if her current situation would be different had she done so.
Tan Siting tearfully asked if Le would hate her if he learned she was his mother, then acknowledged that Le seemed happy and well-loved by Feng Rui and Gao Hui, enjoying "plenty of family warmth." She lamented that with Feng Rui, Le only missed a mother, but with her, he would only have had a mother.
She revealed her daily ritual of waiting outside Le's school, longing to witness his life and interactions, desperately seeking a way to atone for her long absence. Shuhan, offering comfort, reassured Tan Siting that she was doing well and encouraged her to drink to forget her worries. Feng Rui, visibly distraught and heavily inebriated after the reunion, was picked up by Wen Peiyan. She noticed his profound sadness and offered to listen, but he remained silent.
Allowing the cool night air to soothe his pain, Feng Rui's thoughts drifted back to a dozen years ago. His mother, facing a severe crisis at their family winery due to mudslides destroying half their grape supply, pleaded with him over the phone to travel to Melbourne with Mr. Xu to handle crucial suppliers.
She emphasized the company's dire situation and the importance of this trip, promising that Ms. Ming, their long-time housekeeper, would care for a pregnant Tan Siting, acknowledging that she was carrying their family's heir. Feng Rui's grandfather also impressed upon him the legacy of their three-generation family business, urging him to save it. Feng Rui then spoke with Tan Siting, informing her he had to go abroad for a week to deal with the overseas company to save their business.
Though Tan Siting offered to care for herself, Feng Rui insisted that Ms. Ming would cook for her, calling her "the treasure of our family now," and promised to take over cooking and even dishes upon his return. Before he left, Tan Siting gave him a personal item, wishing him a smooth and safe journey.
Despite promising to return in just one week, Feng Rui, preoccupied with the company's crisis, repeatedly extended his stay, first to two weeks, then to "half a month," always reassuring Tan Siting that he would be back soon, while she waited anxiously by the phone. The narrative also touched upon the serious nature of prenatal depression, explaining that hormonal imbalances, coupled with unresolvable challenges, can lead to intense stress, anxiety, insomnia, mood swings, and other severe consequences for pregnant women.
This medical context implicitly explained the vulnerability of Tan Siting's emotional state during her pregnancy. In her professional life, Tan Siting was dedicated to her students. She met with another teacher to discuss a talented student, Yufan. The teacher was hesitant about Tan Siting's suggestion for Yufan to perform a challenging piece, the "bridesmaid variation from Don Quixote Act I," instead of a more conventional, easier-to-score selection typically chosen by adolescent competitors.
Tan Siting argued that safer choices rarely stood out, especially in a competition where many skilled dancers would perform similar variations. She believed that Yufan's technique and expressiveness were capable of handling a more difficult piece, similar to how Dusselmeyer had chosen a more demanding variation.
Despite the other teacher's concerns about the high risk of changing pieces, styles, and variations just two months before the competition, Tan Siting reassured Yufan, who doubted her own ability, that she was indeed capable of performing the more challenging variation.
