American Perspectives: Dong Yue Meets the 10 year old version of her past self, Wen Xin ("Twisted Fate of Love" Ep. 16)

 

Dong Yue is at her childhood home due to some government business she's conducting with Feng Xi.  Remember, she has time traveled 8 years prior to her death, but as her current self.  The mission of her time travel is to correct the mistakes of the past so that they can't come to exist in the future.  The best way she can do that is as her adult self.  Consequently, her 10 year old self continues to exist in this time frame, and it's inevitable that they will run into each other.

As she's walking through the grounds, she's remembering things her younger self, Wen Xin, used to do.  Such as remembering where she used to hide her candy stash.  Due to curiosity, she decides to check within the rock formation to see if it's still there.  Yes! It is!

A young girl is yelling behind her, "Where did this thief come from?  Are you stealing my candy?"

Dong Yue turns around and sees Wen Xin, her younger self, pointing at her.  Wen Xin runs to Dong Yue, wide eyed and smiling.  Dong Yue looks so familiar to Wen Xin.  Is she my deceased mother? She asks herself.

"Mother!" Wen Xin gives Dong Yue a big hug.  Dong Yue is momentarily frozen. She doesn't know how to respond.  Wen Xin snuggles up to her.

Dong Yue is still speechless.  She hugs Wen Xin back, but she still doesn't know what to say.  

Wen Xin is thrilled, and at peace, as she lacks closure regarding the death of her mother.  Dong Yue holds her closely and strokes her hair.  A full moon lights up the sky.

They walk hand in hand into the Wen Manor.  Feng Xi walks over to greet them.  "You went to change your clothes, and you found a child."

Wen Xin responds, "This is my mother."

Wen Ye, Wen Xin's father, looks at her sharply.  "Xin'er, what are you saying?"

"I assume you are Lord Wen's daughter," says Feng Xi.  "Your father is a minister.  Why are you full of nonsense?" He reaches over to pinch her cheek, but Dong Yue stops him.

"Don't touch my daughter!" says Dong Yue.

Feng Xi looks at her skeptically.  "Tonight, I have a wonderful surprise for you," he says.  "I put a lot of effort into it.  Please don't use this little girl to annoy me."

"How do you know if she'll like what you prepare for her?" Wen Xin asks.

Dong Yue laughs.  Feng Xi gives side eye.

Lord Wen explains, "My daughter lost her mother at a young age. It is likely because she misses her so much, she mistakenly saw you as her mother. Lord Dong Yue, surely because you cannot bear to hurt her, you say she is your daughter." He turns and bows to the guests.  "Everyone, it is a joke.  Everyone, it is just a joke."

"No!" Wen Xin insists.  "She is my mother.  I'm not mistaken."

"Xin'er!" Lord Wen admonishes.

"Dong Yue," Feng Xi interjects, "If you like this little girl, then I'll adopt her.  And not just one, since my manor can afford eight or ten."

"Then why don't you ask me whether I want that or not?" asks Wen Xin.

Dong Yue laughs softly.  "There is no need!  Just let her stay by her father's side.  If I miss her, I'll come to see her.  Minister Wen, does that sound agreeable to you?"

"All right," Lord Wen agrees.

Dong Yue and Wen Xin smile at each other.

"It's late, time to go back," says Feng Xi.  They leave, while 3rd Prince watches them, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

Feng Xi is surprised Wen Xin likes Dong Yue so much, as children aren't normally going out of their way to interact with her.

"Perhaps I really am her mother," Dong Yue suggests.  She knows she isn't, but how is she supposed to explain to Feng Xi that she's from the future?  "After all, the first time we met, I lost many of my memories."

"Your name is Dong Yue," Feng Xi insists.  "You used to be part of Taishi Bureau, and now you're in the Ministry of Rites.  By my side, you are rising with every step, and have everything you will ever need.  Why do you care about the past?"

Dong Yue pauses.  "I always feel that I had an entirely different life before meeting you. Today, when that child called me 'Mother,' I seemed to remember some things."

"You can't chase the past," Feng Xi advises.  "You have to patiently wait for tomorrow to come.  What is the point of being so stubborn?  SInce you already forgot, why don't you live simply and free of burden?"

Dong Yue smiles.  "Is there anything you would like to forget, my Lord?"

"Yes," he replies.

"See? I desperately want to remember, but you desperately want to forget.  Did I ever ask you not to forget?"

"Never mind," replies Feng Xi. "In any case, let's not speak of this.  I prepared something for you, come with me."

Dong Yue suggests she should move back to the Wen Manor for a few days to recover her memory.  She isn't lying about that, because even though she knows she's from the future, and she isn't Wen Xin's mother, there are still a lot of missing memories.

"You dare!" Feng Xi exclaims.  He has the knee jerk response of telling her that he'll demolish the Wen's manor and make Lord Wen live with his parents.  "I'll make him unable to enter the capitol forever!"

"Are you insane?" Dong Yue asks (good girl).  "Do you really think you can hold up the sky?"

He stares at her, trying to think of what to say, as he realizes that he had just overreacted, but he's still feeling pissed and very rattled.  So, he really outdoes himself on the drama king level.  He walks up to her, and wow, he is quite tall (which has absolutely no relevance to this scene, his height was just very noticeable in the moment).  "You want to use Wen Ye to anger me and to make me jealous, but I'll make sure you won't be able to.  You had a daughter with him?  If you want to lie to me, you have to make it more believable."  In light of the stunt he pulled with Yu Rou, if that were Dong Yue's intention, he most certainly would be getting his "just desserts."

"How juvenile!" Dong Yue says.  She laughs.  "Oh right, what did you say you wanted to show me?"

Feng Xi, pissed that his dramatic temper tantrum did not have the effect he wanted it to have, responds, "Nothing, let's go back home."

Dong Yue is annoyed with him, but she trails behind as they return to Feng Manor.  

 

Feng Xi sends Dao Le out to spy on Lord Wen.  Dao Le finds that Lord Wen is honest to a flaw, not even taking the smallest of gifts, as he believes that's where corruption begins.

Dao Le returns to the manor to report his findings.  Especially about Wen Xin's mother, which is what Feng Xi was really wanting to know about.  He asks Feng Xi if he would believe Lord Wen really loved his wife and daughter.

"If you have something to say, spill it," says Feng Xi.

Dao Le informs him that Lord Wen's wife committed suicide by jumping into a river a few years ago.  That it was rumored he forced his wife to commit suicide, but there was no evidence.

Feng Xi is intrigued.  However, he lets Dao Le know that if Dong Yue were Wen Xin's mother, he isn't concerned about that.  He doesn't care about her past, he appreciates what they have in the present.  Wen Ye is of no consequence to him.  He had a tantrum the night before because he was afraid Dong Yue was going to choose Wen Ye.  He feels sympathy for Wen Xin because she rarely sees her father, and it reminds him of his lonely childhood, however, he had a sister to rely on.  He decides not to make a big deal out of the bond Dong Yue has with Wen Xin.

 

Dong Yue is called over to the Wen Manor because Wen Xin has decided to skip her meals.  She misses Dong Yue, and wants her to come over.  As a result, she is in bed due to being really dizzy.  She insists on only eating what Dong Yue cooks.

Dong Yue easily finds the kitchen, due to this being her childhood home, and begins to prepare the food.  She makes a dumpling soup with red beans.  The kitchen is across from Wen Xin's room, and the door is open.  Wen Xin cracks open her door, and watches Dong Yue cook.  When Dong Yue leaves the kitchen, Wen Xin quickly runs back to bed, and pretends to be asleep.  Dong Yue brings the food, and Wen Xin pretends to be too weak to sit up.  Dong Yue helps her up.

Wen Xin is remembering her mother, who is clearly not Dong Yue, and remembering how cold and distant her father was, and continues to be.  She claims the soup is exactly the same as her mothers.

Dong Yue calls her on her bluff.  "You're pretending to be ill!"

Wen Xin insists she has a headache.

Dong Yue laughs, and tells her she used to play the same trick as a child.  She wants to know why Wen Xin tricked her into coming over.

Wen Xin admits it's because she misses her mother.  She also admits she knows Dong Yue isn't her mother.

Dong Yue promises to visit, saying if she wants to see her, making a folded paper rabbit, and send someone to give it to her.