Smile Code Episode 21 Recap, Plot

> Smile Code
> Smile Code Recap

The New Year arrived, bringing joy and celebration everywhere. Everyone went home for the holiday, including Gu Yi. As soon as Gu Yi got home, she saw her mother carrying some groceries on the street. The two of them greeted each other like close friends. Guan Xingxin also came home with Gu Yi for the New Year. Gu Yi’s mother was delighted and prepared a large table of food to welcome her daughter and her friends.

Gu Yi and Yu Dule were amused by Gu Yi's mother’s witty remarks and immediately pulled out their phones to record them. Gu Yi’s mother found the two kids adorable and quickly urged them to try her cooking. Meanwhile, Xu Guanrui messaged Gu Yi, inviting her out for a meal. While Gu Yi’s mother drank with Yu Dule, Xu arrived. Gu Yi’s mother warmly welcomed him, expressing her hopes for her daughter to find a boyfriend.

Xu Guanrui, with his polite and humble demeanor, easily won Gu Yi’s mother’s approval. When Gu Yi’s mother pretended to hit her daughter, Xu instinctively tried to shield Gu Yi, further impressing her mother. Liang Daiwen, on the other hand, saw his father happily interacting with his stepmother, making him feel like an outsider. Without looking back, he chose to leave. Despite it being the New Year, Gu Yi couldn’t stop thinking about Liang Daiwen.

Meanwhile, Liang visited his mother’s grave and recalled what his father had told him: his mother had been gravely ill before her death and had chosen suicide. For years, Liang had harbored resentment, but he now felt he might have blamed the wrong person. At the grave, Liang told his mother he had decided to pursue a different path in life. Gu Yi and her friends decided to play an escape room game.

Gu Yi was terrified from the start, but her mother remained calm and led everyone through the challenges. Everyone marveled at how brave she was, managing to outwit the NPCs on her own. In truth, Gu Yi’s mother was suffering from a serious illness. While playing the game, she couldn’t help but open up emotionally while interacting with the game characters.

She shared that she had spent the first half of her life working hard to raise her daughter, but she regretted not spending enough time with her. This realization weighed heavily on her heart. Liang Daiwen later met Shen Zhimin and expressed his desire to start a new chapter in life. Yu Dule and Gu Yi planned to grab a drink together.

During their conversation, Yu revealed that their business, Ounce, was on the verge of collapse due to major losses. The bar had been relying on alcohol sales, but the revenue wasn’t enough to keep it afloat. This left Gu Yi feeling disheartened, but Yu encouraged her to look forward to new goals in the coming year. Guan Xingxin later teased Liang Daiwen, saying that if he didn’t recover and return soon, Xu Guanrui might steal Gu Yi’s heart.

Liang immediately felt a sense of urgency. Gu Yi’s mother commented that although Xu Guanrui seemed meticulous and thoughtful, he might not be the right match for her daughter. She acknowledged that Liang Daiwen was more reserved, but she believed he was the one Gu Yi truly loved. She felt it was important for her daughter to be with someone she genuinely cared about, and as a mother, she wouldn’t support a relationship without love.

Gu Yi herself was unsure if Liang Daiwen would ever return. Meanwhile, Liang decided to collaborate with a like-minded teacher to return to Donghai and continue building their business. Liang shared that his mother had lost her will to live after losing her legs, which led her to choose suicide. This inspired him to work on barrier-free designs, hoping to help people with disabilities find hope in life again.

Guan Xingxin had guessed that Yu Dule was about to confess his feelings, leaving her somewhat unsettled. She later confided in Gu Yi, sharing that as a child, she had been adopted by her godparents due to corneal issues. Over the years, they had imposed many restrictions on her, and she had come to rely on them. Guan felt like her only purpose was to fulfill their expectations of a daughter, leaving no room for her own aspirations.

Gu Yi was deeply moved by Guan’s story. Gu Yi returned to the place where she and Liang Daiwen had once lived. The familiarity of it all overwhelmed her, but she forced herself to stay composed, determined to forget everything tied to that chapter of her life. Yu Dule had planned a surprise, but a sudden power outage in the remote town seemed to ruin everything.

Guan Xingxin initially thought the surprise had fallen apart, but Yu had prepared so much for her that she didn’t know how to respond. In the end, she accepted his confession. Gu Yi watched the two from a distance, feeling like a third wheel, and quietly left. Meanwhile, Liang Daiwen sadly watched Gu Yi’s words and actions through the surveillance footage, his heart filled with sorrow.

Episode 20 Recap

Episode 22 Recap

Related Posts