Shine On Me- Episodes 21-24
Fireworks, Forgiveness, and Quiet Goodbyes 🎆❄️
Episode 21 opens with Lin Yusen showing up at Xiguang’s door like a man on a mission, armed with two huge boxes of fireworks and zero intention of backing down. Of course Jiang Rui spots him immediately and reports it like breaking news. Xiguang tries to stand her ground and ignore him… right up until Lin calmly pulls out proof that his earlier message never sent because of bad signal. Oof. Pride officially shaken.
Once she realizes it was an honest mistake and that he was buried in chaos at the hospital, she goes outside to hear him out. Lin doesn’t dodge responsibility. He apologizes properly, admits his judgment slipped, and even confesses something a little ugly but very human: part of him selfishly wondered if she would worry about him. That honesty hits harder than excuses ever could, and you can literally feel Xiguang’s anger melt away.
Add in the fact that he brought back the fireworks he’d jokingly “confiscated” earlier, and yeah… forgiveness was inevitable. Jiang Rui tries to swoop in with his trademark cynical love advice about maintaining the “upper hand,” but Xiguang can’t stop thinking about Lin at the hospital, watching surgeons operate, knowing he can never hold a scalpel again. That realization seals it. Empathy wins.
The two spend the night lighting fireworks together, the joy tinged with something soft and sad in Lin’s eyes. Xiguang gives him a sparkler like a medal, thanking him for saving a life, and Lin promises, quietly but firmly, that he won’t ever let her feel that hurt again. They end the night dragging Jiang Rui into a cozy hotpot dinner, because healing apparently pairs best with food.
Later, Lin returns to his hotel and hugs his mother, admitting that the knot he’s carried in his heart for years is finally loosening. Seeing Xiguang’s fear at the hospital made her feelings undeniable and that clarity brings him peace. Meanwhile, the Huaya team’s trip ends on a somber note. With Kevin still in the ICU, Zhuang Xu sends everyone back to Shanghai and stays behind alone to take responsibility. Chris watches this and realizes; too late, maybe, that she loves him for exactly this quiet integrity.
Zhuang Xu lingers outside Xiguang’s hotel, umbrella in hand, haunted by memories. He almost texts her. Almost asks about Lin. But in the most Zhuang Xu move possible, he deletes the message and walks away.
The Changbai chapter closes gently: a trip to Tianchi Lake, hot spring eggs, exchanged contacts, and Sheng Weiai warmly inviting Xiguang to Switzerland. Xiguang photographs the little snowmen Lin made for her, knowing she can’t take them home, but refusing to leave them behind completely.
And just when you think things are peaceful, the Sheng family chessboard comes back into view. Lin visits his grandfather, where petty schemes, false rumors, and a suspiciously grand “successor banquet” begin to take shape. The calm after the snowstorm is real, but you can feel the next one gathering.
Misjudgments, Misunderstandings, and the Truth That Finally Lands 💔✨
Episode 22 opens firmly in the adults’ battlefield. Nie Chengyuan learns that Sheng Xianmin is preparing a grand banquet and immediately clocks it for what it is, a public coronation for Sheng Xingjie. Sheng Bokai all but confirms it, casually adding another barb by noting that Nie Chengyuan has been slow to inject capital into Shuangyuan, relying purely on his own maneuvering. The real shock, though, comes when Nie Chengyuan hears that Lin Yusen has not only joined Shuangyuan but has also successfully raised funds. That… was not part of his calculations.
Unconvinced and suspicious, Nie Chengyuan orders a background check on Lin Yusen, his abilities, his conduct, his character. Meanwhile, domestic politics unfold just as sharply. After shopping with Ma Nianyuan, Qian Fangping invites Nie Chengyuan home for dinner, only for him to rush back to Wuxi instead. In the car, she presents a pair of expensive cufflinks, carefully framed as Nianyuan’s heartfelt gift bought with her own money, and nudges Nie Chengyuan to help her daughter build connections. He notices how much Qian Fangping has spent on him and promises to transfer her more money once he’s home. Every gesture here is transactional and very intentional.
Back in Suzhou, life feels lighter. Nie Xiguang returns to work with souvenirs for everyone, earning smiles all around. Manager Fang is less interested in snacks, though, and more concerned about whether Lin Yusen has approved the PV garden’s estimated plan. Xiguang reassures him that Lin Yusen is fully on board and urges the team to move quickly into detailed budgeting. Even when Fang worries about rising costs, Xiguang calmly explains that Lin Yusen values long-term returns over short-term fluctuations. Later, she passes along Fang’s praise, prompting Lin Yusen to immediately call a cross-department meeting. Efficient, decisive, and quietly impressive.
That evening, Lin Yusen invites Xiguang to his apartment to borrow books, already prepared with a giant cardboard box. She plans to take them all in one go, but he firmly limits her to two at a time, like a man guarding rare treasures. While she browses, he cooks a simple dinner. In the quiet domestic moment that follows, Xiguang notices a familiar bowl of soybeans on his desk, the same ones she’s seen at the office. When she asks, Lin Yusen casually explains they’re for hand rehabilitation.
That answer hits her hard. The weight of losing a beloved career so suddenly presses down on her chest, and without thinking, she reaches out and holds his hand. Realizing what she’s done, she quickly pulls back, flustered, but the tenderness lingers in the air.
As the Lantern Festival approaches, Nie Chengyuan calls and urges her to return to Wuxi. Xiguang declines, choosing to stay in Suzhou with her colleagues instead. What she doesn’t know is that Nie Chengyuan has already completed his investigation and discovered that Lin Yusen is dating her. He demands she break it off immediately. When she refuses, he comes to Suzhou in person.
This is where the knife twists.
Nie Chengyuan coldly claims that Lin Yusen is only pursuing her for the Nie family’s assets. With no inheritance rights in the Sheng family, he says, Lin Yusen is clinging to her instead. When that fails to shake her, he drops something far worse: three years ago, Lin Yusen allegedly tried to attach himself to Nie Chengyuan by pursuing Ma Nianyuan and it was on the way to meet her that the car accident happened, ending his medical career.
Xiguang is stunned. Lin Yusen has never mentioned this. Shaken and desperate for the truth, she immediately takes a taxi to find him. Lin Yusen assumes she’s come for dinner, until she repeats her father’s accusation word for word. His confusion is instant and genuine. He has never known anyone named Ma Nianyuan.
Trying to piece it together, Lin Yusen recalls that his friend Shao Jiaqi once explained how Nie Chengyuan’s daughter had invited them to Wuxi to see plum blossoms, and since they’d already met at the old lady’s birthday banquet, he’d driven there. Xiguang can’t remember this at all. Determined to get clarity, Lin Yusen calls Shao Jiaqi on the spot and takes Xiguang straight to his home.
Faced with them both, Shao Jiaqi finally admits the truth. He only recently discovered that the woman who showed interest in Lin Yusen back then wasn’t Nie Chengyuan’s legitimate daughter at all, but his illegitimate one. The misunderstanding, years in the making, finally collapses.
As the truth settles in, Xiguang’s emotions spiral. The realization crashes over her all at once: Lin Yusen’s life-changing accident didn’t happen because he was chasing power or connections.
It happened because he was going to see her.
And suddenly, every quiet kindness, every sacrifice, and every unspoken feeling carries an entirely new weight.
When the Truth Finally Hits (and Love Quietly Holds Its Ground) 🌸
Episode 23 opens with a phone call that feels like a final ultimatum. Nie Chengyuan orders Nie Xiguang to leave Lin Yusen immediately, warning her that she’s too naïve and destined to be deceived. But this time, Xiguang doesn’t waver. Calm, steady, and braver than ever, she tells her father that while the world is full of schemers, Lin Yusen is not one of them.
Then she drops the truth he never bothered to uncover.
The car accident two years ago didn’t happen because Lin Yusen was chasing power or connections, it happened because he believed he was going to see her to admire plum blossoms. Back then, Shao Jiaqi had been misled by Ma Nianyuan, who was pretending to be Nie Chengyuan’s daughter. Xiguang points out the painful irony: her father blindly trusted Ma Nianyuan without verifying anything, yet now questions the one man who has been nothing but sincere.
She reminds him that Lin Yusen never had feelings for Ma Nianyuan and that after his career-ending injury, the girl never even visited him once. The one truly being fooled, Xiguang says quietly, was her father.
That sentence cracks something open.
Nie Chengyuan is suddenly thrown back two years, to Ma Nianyuan’s tearful confession, where she claimed Lin Yusen had pursued her and gotten into an accident on the way to Wuxi. Back then, Nie Chengyuan had even contacted Sheng Bokai, learned that Lin Yusen could no longer practice medicine, and told Ma Nianyuan to forget the whole thing. What she never mentioned? That she was impersonating his daughter the entire time.
Realizing how completely he was played, Nie Chengyuan storms to Qian Fangping’s house. When Ma Nianyuan timidly offers him imported cherries, the tension snaps. He demands to know whether she dared to pretend to be his daughter. Her weak excuse, that it was a misunderstanding she didn’t correct, only fuels his rage.
The truth hits hard: several of his failed projects, the bitterness between him and Lin Yusen, all of it stemmed from this lie. Overcome with anger, Nie Chengyuan nearly collapses. Qian Fangping rushes to placate him, promising to “discipline” her daughter and urging him to rest. Before leaving, he makes it clear, he will no longer involve himself in Ma Nianyuan’s life.
Once he’s gone, the mask drops. Qian Fangping viciously scolds her daughter, lamenting the “missed opportunity.” A man, she says coldly, is most vulnerable when injured, that was when Nianyuan should have stayed close to Lin Yusen. She admits outright that she never loved Nie Chengyuan; she attached herself to him purely for security and status. Her final instruction? Hide the luxury items. Make it look like they live frugally so Nie Chengyuan keeps paying.
It’s chilling and deeply revealing.
Wracked with guilt, Nie Chengyuan transfers a large sum of money to Jiang Yun late that night, asking her to give it to Xiguang as “pocket money.” Jiang Yun, understandably suspicious, calls Xiguang. Wanting to protect her mother from the ugly truth, Xiguang brushes it off as her father having a rare moment of conscience.
The next day at work, Xiguang learns that Lin Yusen has gone on a business trip, with Mr. Zhang temporarily handling his duties. She doesn’t press for details, still weighed down by guilt over everything he’s endured because of her.
In reality, Lin Yusen has taken a solo road trip to Dunhuang and Wuwei, trying to clear his head while researching the local photovoltaic industry. Among desert roads, ancient caves, and the towering Maitreya Buddha of the Nine-Story Temple, he reflects quietly. Fate nudges him again when he encounters two clean energy researchers stranded with a broken-down car. He gives them a lift, discovers they’re in the same field, and ends the night sharing lamb skewers and conversation.
At a small homestay in Wuwei, Lin Yusen notices literary postcards designed by the owner’s wife. He takes a few and finally begins writing to Xiguang.
As he writes, memories surface. The very first time he saw her was at Ms. Yu’s dinner party, a night he never wanted to attend. He had hidden in a corner, avoiding conversation, when Nie Chengyuan arrived with Ma Nianyuan. Someone mistook Ma Nianyuan for the Nie family’s heiress and tried to hand her a business card.
And then...Xiguang appeared.
She snatched the card away without hesitation, sharp-eyed and fearless. That small, impulsive act was the moment she truly walked into Lin Yusen’s heart.
Quiet. Unassuming. Unforgettable.
Plum Blossoms at Last, and the Truth in Full Bloom 🌸
Episode 24 opens on a quietly triumphant note. At Shuangyuan, the photovoltaic garden project led by Nie Xiguang is officially approved, with construction ready to begin once Lin Yusen returns. Mr. Hua is clearly impressed, not just by the proposal, but by how much technical depth Xiguang has absorbed without ever making a fuss about it. He even invites her to attend a New Energy Symposium at Soochow University to hear Professor Lu Shuanghang speak.
During the meeting, Xiguang shares the name Lin Yusen chose for the project: “Liuguang Garden.” It’s romantic, yes, but also deeply technical. “Liuguang” refers to retaining light to improve energy conversion efficiency. The room lights up at the explanation. Practical, poetic, and perfectly them.
Soon after, Xiguang receives a package. Inside: a postcard from Dunhuang and a long, handwritten letter from Lin Yusen.
And this is where the episode really sinks its claws into your heart.
In the letter, Lin reveals that their first meeting wasn’t recent at all, it happened years ago at a banquet in Wuxi hosted by Ms. Yu. Xiguang had attended in place of her mother, Jiang Yun, to avoid an awkward family encounter. Trying to stay unnoticed, she overheard a businessman, Xu Dafeng, crudely mocking her mother’s divorce and spreading gossip about Nie Chengyuan’s “illegitimate daughter.”
Xiguang didn’t hesitate. She confronted him head-on, tore up his business card, and publicly called out his hypocrisy. From across the room, Lin Yusen, utterly bored by the empty socializing...was transfixed. That fiery, righteous moment was when she first burned herself into his memory.
But the letter doesn’t stay warm for long.
Lin recounts what followed: believing he had been invited by her to see plum blossoms in Wuxi, he drove there after a successful surgery, full of anticipation. That drive ended in a catastrophic car accident, one that damaged his hands, his eyes, and permanently ended his surgical career.
During the long, lightless days of recovery, the girl he believed had invited and then abandoned him became a twisted presence in his mind, a symbol of loss and betrayal. He eventually moved to Suzhou just to find her, only to discover the invitation had been a lie told by a stranger… and that Xiguang didn’t even know who he was.
Crushed by guilt, Xiguang drives along the very highway where the accident occurred, struggling to breathe under the weight of what she never meant to cause. She calls Lin, who is on his way back to Suzhou, and insists he get off the train in Wuxi so she can see him immediately.
The next morning, she arrives at the station early, realizing he had lied about his arrival time so she wouldn’t have to wake up so soon. She brings him local soup dumplings, though they’ve gone cold in the winter air. The two duck into a Western restaurant to heat them up, laughing as if they’re mischievously “challenging” the place by bringing their own food.
Xiguang offers to show him around Wuxi, but Lin only wants one thing: to finally see the plum blossoms.
On the drive, she misses a turn and ends up near Taihu Lake. Lin points it out, but instead of turning back, they stop by a patch of wild plum trees growing quietly along the roadside. And there, under those branches, Lin finally opens his heart.
He admits that even at his most resentful, he always made excuses for her, imagining she was too young, too overwhelmed, or had even lost her memory. Learning that his life’s passion had been destroyed because of a stranger’s lie made everything feel absurd. Still, he says softly, he came to Suzhou only for her.
That’s when Xiguang lets go.
She tells him her feelings aren’t rooted in guilt; they’re the natural result of time, understanding, and choosing each other. She asks if he still wants to be with her.
Lin answers without hesitation: yes.
On the way back, Lin drives. When Xiguang asks if they should still visit the official Plum Garden, he smiles and tells her that no blossoms could ever be better than the ones they’ve already seen together.
DramaZen's Opinion
Fireworks, Truths, and Plum Blossoms 🌸
Oh my heart, these last four episodes were an emotional rollercoaster! From the frozen slopes to the warmth of confession, I was living every moment with Xiguang and Lin Yusen. Episode 21 had my cheeks hurting from smiling, Lin showing up with fireworks and finally explaining the hospital fiasco? Absolute heart-melter. Their banter, the empathy Xiguang felt for Lin’s lost medical career, and the tiny gestures, like the snowmen, were just chef’s kiss.
Episode 22 dived straight into the family drama, with Nie Chengyuan trying to interfere and the shocking revelation of the Ma Nianyuan deception. I was so glad Xiguang stood her ground, finally, someone telling her father the truth! And watching Lin’s past finally come to light made my heart ache and swell at the same time.
Episode 23 gave us Lin on a reflective solo journey, wandering through Dunhuang, the desert, and the Mogao Caves, showing just how much he’s carried for Xiguang, and how deeply he remembers that first fiery encounter. His meticulous care, his heart quietly shaped by guilt and longing, makes him such a swoon-worthy lead.
And then Episode 24… oh, the plum blossoms! The culmination of all misunderstandings, the heartfelt confession, and that road-side moment under the wild plum trees...pure cinematic magic. The Liuguang Garden reveal was both smart and poetic, perfectly reflecting their relationship: technically brilliant and emotionally radiant.
Overall, these episodes balanced tension, romance, and emotional depth so beautifully. I laughed, swooned, and cried a little (okay, a lot). Xiguang and Lin Yusen’s love feels earned, tender, and absolutely unforgettable. 10/10 for the perfect mix of heart, honesty, and romantic gestures. 🌟
If you loved the buildup from the ski trip to the heartfelt reunion, these episodes are everything a fan could hope for!
