After Mark found the baby girl Lele, the chef has provided her a temporary place to sleep. The customers would try to be quiet around the baby, so as not to disturb her sleep. Mark would wrap a piece of red string on the baby’s arm and attach the other end to his little finger, so he would be alerted to the baby’s movement. Thus he has become the baby’s carer. He would hold the sleeping baby in his arms and take her to the diner. He was even reluctant to let others hold the baby. He named the baby “Lele”.
Ai Zhen comes to Midnight Diner. The chef presumes that she is Lele’s mother. Ai Zhen is suspicious about the diner which is open well after midnight. She also does not trust Mark who is disabled. She assumes that her child has been suffering for the past five year. Mark is accused of kidnapping and is arrested. He has to pay a large amount of money to get bail. The customers try to raise money, and eventually Long pays the bond for him. The chef even prepares to mortgage his diner for Mark’s bond.
Ai Zhen comes to the welfare centre to take Lele home. Lele is disappointed when Mark does not come. Ai Zhen takes Lele to her luxurious hotel room and shows her lovely things she bought for her. Lele is not interested and keeps looking out of the window and search for the red lighthouse where she and Mark used to have meals and read stories together. Ai Zhen decides to postpone her flight.
Lele and Ai Zhen are getting on well. Ai Zhen thinks Lele is an intelligent girl, who even knows how to do housework and fry eggs. She is happily relieved. Lele is happy to find out that like her, her mum also dislikes vegetables.
In order to get Lele back, Mark works hard and learns to read and speak in his spare time. He misses Lele deeply. Her photos in his mobile and the lighthouse remind him of their life together. In his spare time, he is learning to read and talk with Lingling’s help. He misses the time when he told Lele stories with sign language.
Midnight Diner was broadcast on SBS ONE at Wednesday 7 February 2018, 13:00.