Wednesday, November 1, 2023: Today on Days of Our Lives, Li has a breakthrough as Gabi and Stefan plot against him, and Holly objects to EJ and Nicole’s wedding while Tate confides in Eric.
Gabi wakes Stefan up in bed, excited to put their plan into action. “We are finally going to get Li Shin,” Stefan says, smirking. All they need is proof that Li was planning Stefan’s demise, then they can force him to fork over his shares. Stefan deduces the best thing is to get Li to confess by using his Achilles heel, which is Gabi.
Li meekly meets with Marlena in her office, ready to do whatever it takes to get over Gabi. Marlena begins by asking about his previous relationships. An emotional Li admits he only had one serious relationship before Gabi. Her name was Xiao-Xing. They met in high school and he thought they’d be together forever. However, when his father found out about her, Wei offered her working-class father a well-paying job two thousand miles away if she ended their relationship. Wei told him she accepted immediately, which shows how little she cared about him. Marlena wonders if Wei made up that story. Li doesn’t know because he never spoke to her again. He buried his feelings and hasn’t mentioned her name again until today.
From the mansion, Holly calls Tate while he works at the Pub. She tells him about her dream of Chanel killing him and then trying to kill her for going after her boyfriend. Johnny saunters in. Holly quickly hangs up. She tells Johnny she had a dream about a girl from school who is super jealous of her because she thinks her boyfriend is into her. Johnny asks if he is. Holly isn’t sure. Johnny asks if she wants him to be.
Before Holly can answer, EJ and Nicole enter to announce they’re getting married today. Thrilled, Johnny embraces his father. Nicole asks her sullen teen if she’s okay with this. Holly fantasizes about Johnny telling her he wants to be her boyfriend, but now that their parents are getting married, it’ll be a little incestuous. Otherwise, he’d be totally into it. Snapping out of it, Holly says their marriage isn’t a good idea.
At the Pub, Eric welcomes Tate home with a big hug. Eric knows it must be tough leaving his old friends, but knows he’ll make new ones. Tate says he already made a friend, but he kinda wants it to be more. As Eric peppers him with questions, Tate realizes Eric probably knows her. “She’s Nicole’s daughter, Holly.” Eric’s face falls.
In Marlena’s office, Li admits he felt powerless when his father took Xiao-Xing from him. He didn’t think he’d ever love anyone the way he loved her — until Gabi. However, he feared someone would take Gabi from him, just like before. Someone like Stefan. Marlena deduces his obsessive behavior comes from the early trauma he suffered.
In bed, Stefan points out that Li knows Gabi hates him. So, he’ll sense something is up. Therefore, Stefan has secured an asset that could help nudge Li in the right direction. She has been contacted and should be arriving in Salem at any moment. As they wait for confirmation, Stefan and Gabi become amorous. After sex, Stefan gets a message to pick up the asset.
At the mansion, Nicole sends the DiMera men out of the room to ask her daughter what’s going on. Holly stalls, trying to come up with a reason why Nicole and EJ shouldn’t get married. She blurts out it’s because of Eric. He was like a real father to her. She thought Nicole would marry him again one day. Nicole did too, but they’ve both moved on. Now, they’ll be a family with EJ. Nicole doesn’t want to pressure her, but she’ll be sad if Holly doesn’t come to the wedding. Holly assures her mother she’ll be there. Nicole suggests she wear her green dress instead of the black one, which is a little too revealing and tight. She then leaves to pick up her wedding dress in the Square.
At home, Chad leaves a message for Stephanie, who left early for a meeting. EJ drops by to invite his brother and Stephanie to his wedding. Chad relays they’re not in a good place right now, so she probably won’t be come. However, he’ll be there. EJ’s happy to hear it since they want him to perform the ceremony. When Chad questions why, EJ says a priest is too religious and a justice of the peace is too impersonal. He admires Chad. He’s the type of man EJ wishes he was. Touched, Chad says it would be an honor to marry them.
At the Pub, Eric asks if Tate will ask Holly out. Tate confides that she’s into a much older guy. Johnny shows up, and Tate quickly starts bussing tables. Johnny asks his Uncle Eric for a tray of sliders and pigs in a blanket for EJ and Nicole’s wedding. Taken aback, Eric notes Nicole did always love those sliders. Johnny says EJ wanted to make sure she had everything she wanted today.
In Marlena’s office, Li says talking about Xiao-Xing made him feel lighter. Maybe now that he understands his behavior with Gabi, he can be free of her hold over him. Marlena thinks he should be proud of having the courage to be so open about his pain. She hopes he continues his therapy and drops his destructive patterns. Li assures her he’s determined. For the first time, he thinks he can get over Gabi.
In the Square, Nicole finds Eric brooding over her wedding.
Holly returns to the DiMera living room in a tight, sleeveless, black mini dress. Arriving, Johnny tells her she looks great, then asks, “Why don’t you want my dad to marry your mom?”
As Li strolls through the hospital, his satisfied grin drops when Gabi calls. He reluctantly answers. While lying in bed, Gabi feigns distress. “Li, I need your help,” she exclaims. “I’ve been kidnapped!”
