haha! I feel so bad for not updating for the last week, that I’ve decided to do another one today!^^ Hope you guys like it(:

Mi Xue is the representative of this particular class. There’s a guy called Xiao Lun who is quite feminine and he likes helping the girls to decorate their nails. Basically, he’s like this guy who can connect very well with his classmates that are girls. Mi Xue gets called to the office, where she gets introduced to Shen Qi, who is going to join their class for the new year. (Remember? He got detained one year thanks to his father’s decision)

Shen Qi asks Mi Xue if there are any very famous rumours in school right at the moment, such as the rumour of the Death Girl. However, because Mi Xue’s batch is one batch younger than him, so the rumour isn’t that prevalent and Mi Xue doesn’t know much about the rumour. Shen Qi looks disappointed. While Xiao Lun’s doing nail art, a guy called Da Dong comes into the class and asks Xiao Lun to pay up. Xiao Lun says that he has no money but Da Dong’s being very gangster-ly about it. Mi Xue comes in and chases Da Dong out. Da Dong notices Shen Qi and asks for his name.

Since Xiao Lun can’t pay up his debt (actually he didn’t even borrow any money, it’s just the gangsters in school who like to collect money from those who won’t fight back), he has to sweep the room for Da Dong. Even though he tries to tell a teacher that Da Dong and his friends are smoking, the teacher doesn’t care. Shen Qi goes to the library to find the hand-drawn manga. He takes a chair and stands on it.

Finding the manga, he takes it in his palms and starts reading it. It’s a manga detailing the life of Du. Xiao Lun watches him from the side, and all he sees is Shen Qi staring at his palms and air. The librarian pushes a cart of books and accidentally hits Shen Qi. Shen Qi falls from the chair, and a lot of books get thrown in the air. The librarian manages to bully Xiao Lun into cleaning up (ee er I don’t like the librarian. I knew that she isn’t someone nice seeing that she can reject a request from such a sweet and good looking guy like Shen Qi. Hrumph. Haha!:P)

Shen Qi asks Xiao Lun why he has to clean up when it’s the librarian’s fault, and he tries to find the manga, but the manga has disappeared. Xiao Lun tells him that he saw Shen Qi staring fixatedly at his palms just now, and Shen Qi realise that he’s the only one who can see the manga. While walking back to class, Xiao Lun shows Shen Qi his designs of nail art, and Mi Xue who chances upon them, praises Xiao Lun for being very nice. Shen Qi smiles and they become friends.

Xiao Lun goes home and tries to get money from his grandmother, lying to her that there’s a donation drive in school. In school, the class’s teacher shows them a video clip of a musical done in school last year, and Xiao Lun’s very fascinated with the idea of the musical. Everyone says that Lu Zi (acted by Lu Xue Rui)should be the male lead because he sings very well. Xiao Lun accidentally meets Da Dong in the toilet and they laugh at him that he has a very small…. ahem. Lu Zi comes in and saves him from further humilation.

As Lu Zi saves Xiao Lun from Da Dong, Xiao Lun obviously crushes on him. Some classmates make a joke from this, but they aren’t being mean about it, just friendly joking. After school, Xiao Lun gives Lu Zi a pouch with his name sewed on it. Lu Zi tells him that it’s a very nice present, and he can give it to his girlfriend. Xiao Lun looks downcast that he has a girlfriend. Da Dong goes home and it’s revealed that in reality, Da Dong isn’t a gangster at all. He just really, really admires his brother, who is a national boxer, and his family keeps comparing him and his brother. He’s actually quite kind hearted, because he didn’t force Xiao Lun to give him money, but that causes him to get pressure from the leader of the "club" (the club that collects money). Da Dong tells the leader that he’s planning to get Xiao Lun’s money from Shen Qi instead, but the leader scolds him for being stupid — Shen Qi’s father is a politician who has ties with the black and white sides.

In the end, Xiao Lun, Mi Xue and Lu Zi all sign up to be part of the musical. While introducing themselves, Da Dong turns up. After the first meeting, Da Dong reminds Xiao Lun to go sweep the room since he can’t pay up. Xiao Lun goes to the room after school, and upon seeing no one there, he starts singing and dancing with his broom stick. What he doesn’t know is that Da Dong’s standing behind the door. Da Dong starts manhandling him, and basically pushes him to the ground, trying to take his pants off. He’s ridiculing Xiao Lun for being such a feminine guy. Coincidentally, the teacher in charge of the musical hears Xiao Lun’s cries and threatens the sidekicks that she’s going to call the sir ( I have no idea what you call him…. discipline master?) and because of that, Xiao Lun is saved.

Xiao Lun runs to a random room, and locks himself inside. He starts crying and wondering why others treat him like that. That room, is actually the room of the club of motorcycles, the one that Pei Pei set up. Pei Pei actually left the stone on one of the shelves as ornament, and Du appears when Xiao Lun wants all those who bully him to disappear. Du says pretty much the same stuff — that if you can’t overcome your own obstacles, you will become a stone.

The discipline master pays a visit to Xiao Lun’s home, and while talking to his grandmother, he realises that Xiao Lun has been taking money from his grandmother for something in school. After waking up from the ‘dream’ with Du, Xiao Lun finds the stone in his hand.He hears the discipline master’s voice, and pretends to be sleeping. In school, the discipline master finds Xiao Lun and Da Dong, and he finds out the truth from Xiao Lun. He wants Xiao Lun to beat Da Dong up, but Xiao Lun can only give a weak punch, causing Da Dong who is in fear to burst out laughing. The discipline master asks Xiao Lun to go out and he himself beats Da Dong up. Xiao Lun goes out from the room and he sees the teacher in charge of the musical ( let’s just call her the teacher yeah(:) The teacher goes in to the room and stops the beating up. She scolds the discipline master for being the same as Da Dong, and the discipline master says that he believes violence will treat violence.

Da Dong goes for the some party organised by the leader, and gets convinced that he needs to be stronger to show that he can do big things. In the end, what the gang leader wants him to do seems to be a very simple task — to ring the bell of this guy’s home,and then allow the gang access into the house. He helps to hold the wife down(the guy owes them money) while the other members beat the guy up. After that, all the members leave, but because Da Dong decides to smash a lamp as well, he’s the last one to leave. The guy grabs a pole and chases after him, and Da Dong cannot run far because a piece of glass ( I think?) from the lamp has pierced his leg. Luckily, Xiao Lun accidentally chances upon him and brings him back to his shophouse.

Xiao Lun’s grandmother cooks red bean soup for Da Dong, and Xiao Lun helps to clean up his wounds. Xiao Lun can guess what has happened because Da Dong suddenly cringes and hides when the guy walks past the shophouse, shouting for the gang memebers to come out. Xiao Lun closes the door and gives Da Dong his jacket so that he can hide under the jacket and from the detection of the guy. Da Dong looks visibly touched.

Shen Qi puts a book on the chair and climbs up.

He realises that Du is there, reading the manga, and smiles, "Oh you are here!"

Du tells him that she was the one who has drawn the manga, but she can’t really remember the details anymore. Shen Qi discovers that she used to be a student of Shi Yu (the name of their school) as well. She turns to leave, but Shen Qi asks if she can allow him to read the manga. "Why?" "Nothing… I just want to know you better." Du comes a bit nearer, and asks, "It can’t be that…. you have fallen in love with me?" Shen Qi shifts his gaze away and says, "No." "Then you should know that we are from different worlds… unless you become a stone." "I don’t want to become a stone." Du gives a small smile, and says, "Then… don’t come and find me anymore." Aww poor Shen Qi! Of all people, or should I say, spirit, he chooses to crush on Du.

Da Dong comes to find Xiao Lun, and while everyone thinks that he’s here to get money from Xiao Lun again, he surprises everyone by returning the jacket to Xiao Lun… and thanking him.

Xiao Lun is very surprised and he tells Da Dong that it’s okay.

After he leaves, everyone is in disbelief and thinks that he’s just being weird for a moment. The discipline master thinks that it’s poor judgement on the teacher’s part to put Xiao Lun and Da Dong together in a musical, but the teacher believes that will improve their relations. The discipline master decides to pop by one of the rehearsals of the musical and the teacher tells him that she will show him that Xiao Lun and Da Dong can be friends. (They are like the leads of the show). Finally, it’s the day of the school festival. Xiao Lun and Mi Xue go around playing some of the games of the stalls, and they visit Shen Qi and their friend who’s really good at tarrot cards.

Shen Qi who smiles when they walk in. – fangirling in process-

More!^^ Hahahahaha.

Okay anyway, Mi Xue asks what’s Shen Qi’s role and he says he’s doing palm reading, but he’s just going to make up things on the spot. While he plays around with Mi Xue’s hand, the friend wants to do a palm reading for Xiao Lun, and she laughs because there’s a stone in Xiao Lun’s hands. The moment Shen Qi hears the word ‘stone’, he looks at Xiao Lun in shock.

He asks Xiao Lun what stone is he holding, and he replies that it’s just lucky stone. Before Shen Qi could ask anymore, Mi Xue and Xiao Lun have to leave to prepare for the performance. Shen Qi looks dejected.

The performance goes very well, and I think it talks about gays(?). Not very sure haha. Anyway, Xiao Lun gets very sad and he cries because he doesn’t want the thing to end.

After that, they all go back to play at the school festival, and one of the haunted house people want Xiao Lun to play, but he’s very scared. Then, Lu Zi comes out from the haunted house with his girlfriend.

The girlfriend gives Xiao Lun a free coupon to play at the haunted house, and Xiao Lun watches in disappointment as the couple walks away. Xiao Lun runs away before his friend could drag him into the haunted house, and he goes back to Shen Qi’s stall. The friend does a tarrot card reading for him, and Shen Qi’s eyes darted to him when he picks the Grim Reaper card.

I like this screenshot! I have no idea why, but I really like Shen Qi in this outfit because it gives him this sense of……. mystery and cool-ness. Haha!^^

Da Dong says that it’s very boring for him to be acting as a vampire in the haunted house because no one is scared. His friend says that it’s because he’s not scary enough, and Da Dong tells him to bring Xiao Lun into the house; he will sure to be scared. His friend likes the idea and drags Xiao Lun to the house. In the end, Xiao Lun gets very freaked out when Da Dong jumps out from the coffin. Da Dong gets very agitated for no reason and he acts like he wants to bite Xiao Lun’s neck.

This physical manhandling…suddenly changes when Da Dong moves from Xiao Lun’s neck…to Xiao Lun’s mouth. Very soon, Xiao Lun and Da Dong are engaging in a kiss.

However, this is broken when Xiao Lun says, "You are the same as me." Xiao Lun keeps saying that Da Dong is gay, and he doesn’t see anything wrong with that, but that agitates Da Dong a lot, and I think it’s because he thinks that his family will be very ashamed to learn of that. So he starts choking Xiao Lun and when Xiao Lun stops struggling, Du appears. She tells Da Dong that no one will know he’s gay if Xiao Lun is not there to tell other people.

Shen Qi gets very restless, and he walks around trying to find Xiao Lun. He senses something and turns towards the haunted house.

He dashes into the haunted house, even though the friend tries to stop him, and Du disappears the moment he enters. All Shen Qi sees is Xiao Lun on the floor, and Da Dong standing. Da Dong turns his head and there’s a tear in his eye.

Xiao Lun gets sent to the hospital. He’s not dead, just unconscious. The discipline master and the teacher both blame themselves for this fight between Da Dong and Xiao Lun. The doctor tells them that Xiao Lun does not suffer from any serious repercussions and it’s because of his own will that he’s not waking up. Da Dong feels an insane mass of guilt and he visits Xiao Lun when he knows no one is in the ward.

He starts crying and apologising to a still Xiao Lun, when Du appears. Da Dong asks Du why Xiao Lun isn’t waking up, and Du tells him that it’s fault — he was the one who wished that Xiao Lun wouldn’t be around to tell other people. However, Da Dong regrets his decision and he tells Du that he wants Xiao Lun to come back. He doesn’t want Xiao Lun to remain in a coma forever. He wants him to recover even if having him around means people will know that he’s gay and that Da Dong has to become a stone later on. Du smiles, because that shows that Da Dong has overcome his own obstacle of not wanting people to know that he’s gay. She disappears after that, and Da Dong goes back to crying by Xiao Lun’s side. Xiao Lun’s grandmother comes in and tells Da Dong that she doesn’t blame him.

I cried here! I mean…. the fact that the grandmother doesn’t blame Da Dong is so touching…Xiao Lun opens his eyes as Da Dong keeps apologising to his grandmother. The discipline master decides to leave the school because he thinks that he’s more suited to stay in the army, and he finally believes the teacher that violence… cannot treat violence. He entrusts Xiao Lun and Da Dong to the teacher, and leaves the school.

Da Dong, Xiao Lun and Shen Qi decide to bury the stone in some part of the school. Shen Qi thanks them for their help, and asks them to go back first.

After they leave, he stares at the soil for a while. Du appears, and Shen Qi leaps up in joy, saying, "That’s great! You are still here!"

Aww he’s so cute!! Look at his face brimming with joy at the sight of Du. Lol^^

Du is unhappy because he has buried her stone. Shen Qi tells her that even though he knows that she’s not someone who just takes lives away, but the fact remains that there will always be people who cannot overcome their own obstacles. Du asks, "So what? You don’t want to see me anymore?" "Of course not! I want to see you again."

Aww~ Such honesty. Du replies, "That also depends on whether I want to see you or not" in a pissed tone, then she disappears.

-the end-

I like how the short stories are slowly being brought closer and closer to Shen Qi. At first, he’s just someone who can see Du without the help of the stone, and he only appears like 10 seconds of each episode, playing a very minor role. As the drama progresses, he starts to play a more major role, such as someone who gives advice to people about the stone. In the previous story and in this one, he becomes like sort of a friend to the lead, and becomes more involved, but the story still belongs to others. You will see that the next story entangles him even more — the lead is his brother.

I find that it’s very subtle and smart of the scriptwriters! Some people may not like this drama because they watched it for Aaron, and yet he doesn’t seem to be playing a very major role, but I like how the scriptwriters bring out the fact that while you may seem to be the lead of your own story, don’t forget that there are many other stories going around where many other people are the leads of their own story as well!( Not entirely sure if I make sense:P but yep that’s how I feel!) I always like stories that focus a lot on perspectives, and maybe this is why I like Gloomy Salad Days so much^^

This is the only happy story so far, and I like it. It’s always nice to see that there are people who can overcome their own obstacles.

<3thoughtsramble