Although it was a fun and pleasant watch, nothing much actually happened in this episode, other than finding out what exactly happened between An Xi and her father, and watching You Qian get jealous (hehe).

 

An Xi demands to know why You Qian is back in her room and she realises that the entire hostel is empty, save for her and You Qian.

Turns out that You Qian requested for the three girls to give him some alone time with An Xi.

Zhi Lin agreed to the idea because “You Qian smiled at me~” Mei Wen is confused as to whether she should accept You Qian, but the truth is, there’s no one else around An Xi with better conditions. Ya En asks the pertinent question – will An Xi want to have more contact with You Qian just because he wants it?

True enough, An Xi is determined to avoid You Qian. She makes him breakfast and only sits down to eat with him after he threatens to write a complaint about the hostel on a website.

In the end, she chokes on food because You Qian keeps looking at her.

Although she tries to be immune to his gaze, she ultimately escapes. This scene is a bit dry, given that the scene of her looking away/escaping from You Qian’s gaze is repeated at least ten times through out the episode.

You Qian tries his next technique of demanding An Xi to do work for him.

This doesn’t turn out too well as the couple take turns to fantasise about each other in wet clothes or sexy attire. HAHA. (Check out the behind the scenes for this, it’s funny!)

In the end, You Qian resorts to talking about the hostel to get An Xi’s full attention. He initially compliments the financial reports done by Ya En, but wants them to do better. Famous people usually have big dreams; they do not constrain themselves to whatever circumstances they are currently in. “So everyone, please give yourself a vision.”

The staff looks confused and all turn to gaze confusedly at the garden outside (‘vision’ and ‘garden’ sound the same).

In order for the small hostel to expand, they need to cut down on their biggest expense which is manpower. He talks about retrenching all four members which sadden and offend them, but he tells them that the alternative is to build on their manpower’s skills. Before their meeting the next day, everyone must think of their own unique skills.

Happy staff again~

At night, he knocks on An Xi’s door because he wants to find out if she’s been thinking of the answer to the question he posed on the card. An Xi refuses to think, but hits the right answer on first try, “Don’t tell me you liked me on first sight?” An Xi is in disbelief, “How can that be? We don’t even know each other for a very long time.”

He teases her, “We knew each other for a very long time.” An Xi topples onto the sofa and wonders if he’s a stalker or a pervert, but You Qian is pleased and thinks that she’s affected by his smothering gaze. I’m sure.

He wants her to think of a story to tag along with the hostel since famous local hostels always have a good story that appeal to the visitors. If there isn’t one, then she should make one up. An Xi doesn’t want to be liar. Besides the hostel really has a story – when her parents came to the village, her mum said that this place had the nicest sands and skies, and that it would be the best place for retirement. This was why her father built a hostel here, in hopes that one day her mum would return.

Next day, all of them have a meeting on how they should revamp the hostel’s website. An Xi shows You Qian her skill of felting soft toys.

You Qian is semi-impressed, but swipes her toys aside when Ya En emerges with her prettier soft toys done within the same duration. An Xi hugs her hurt toys hahaha.

When Ya Lu gives An Xi his drink, You Qian snatches it over and drinks it hehe.

You Qian tells An Xi that he’s going to pursue her whether she permits or not, but since she accepted his help without saying anything, she would have been taking advantage of him if she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. An Xi offers to give him a special tour or good food in return for his help, but he shakes his head vigorously.

If she still cannot accept his feelings, then she must remember that she owes him a favour, “You must bury this guilt deep, deep, deep, deeeep in your heart. One day, I will ask for this favour.” She scoffs, “You are really blind and sly.” (Pun on his name.)

Director is still displeased and worried about You Qian’s disappearance back to the village but learns from Yan Ze that his first love is there. She doesn’t like how You Qian’s behaviour could possibly demean Yong Qing, which irritates me. Yong Qing is making use of You Qian by calling him her fake boyfriend – someone whom she doesn’t need to commit to, but can depend on whenever she needs help. Psh. Spoilt and entitled brats all of them.

Anyway, Director sends Yan Ze to find out more about what You Qian is up to in the village but reminds him to go in disguise since it will be too obvious if an investment company sends two representatives to a village. After he leaves, she looks through the research file You Qian previously submitted to her, and hopes that You Qian doesn’t have any lingering ties with his hometown.

Uh oh, I guess she really wants to invest in the village? Just go away, Director. At this point in time, I’m hazarding a guess that the Director is actually An Xi’s mother. More on that after the recap!

An Xi grumbles about not being able to return to the hostel because she’s avoiding You Qian and decides to pray at the temple to get rid of her bad luck. Lol. There, she runs into Yan Ze who disguised himself as a photographer. They recognise each other from the hospital. “Button mister!” “Monkey lady!” She is pleased to hear that he’s a photographer and invites him back to the hostel (with the intention of asking him to help with the website).

Yan Ze greets Ya En and jokes that he was sad when she fainted, “Is my face that scary?” She smiles and he ruffles her hair, “I’m just joking.” Cue music with tension as You Qian descends into the scene and takes it in pretty quickly. He asks sarcastically if he doesn’t have a name, since An Xi keeps calling him Button Mister. When Yan Ze replies with his name, he then asks sarcastically if he doesn’t have a surname.

In the end, Yan Ze agrees to take photographs for the hostel. In return, he wants to stay there.

When Yan Ze returns to his car to get his belongings, You Qian follows out and posits that the Director had sent him there because she still doesn’t trust him.

Zhi Lin tries her trick on Yan Ze again, “Did anyone say that you look familiar?” This gets interrupted by Ya En, who barrels in with a candle and burnt fingers.

Yan Ze immediately brings her to wash her fingers and tends to her, leaving Zhi Lin whining about being born too big-sized such that no one even notices her.

It’s time for the photoshoot. Mei Wen compliments An Xi as the prettiest hostel boss in the vicinity, which is funny because Lunar Maria is the only hostel in the vicinity.

Their initial pose is…

which causes Yan Ze to step in.

 

Yan Ze notices that You Qian is watching, so he purposely initiates physical contact with An Xi, which causes You Qian to grip angrily on his book. An Xi looks up and sees him as well, causing her smile to disappear.

Later, Zhi Lin and Mei Wen pretend to tidy her hair as they nag at her to stop looking at You Qian because she’s so obvious about it.

You Qian waits in Yan Ze’s room. After dinner, Yan Ze returns and provokes You Qian by saying that he can see why You Qian likes An Xi. She’s the complete opposite of You Qian – whatever he fears, she’s okay with it. Even he’s interested in her and thinks that she will do for a short summer fling.

You Qian warns him, “Don’t touch An Xi. Don’t have ideas about her.” Yan Ze laughs after You Qian leaves, “Yong Qing, how can you not worry?”

Mei Wen complains about Zhi Lin switching her target from You Qian to Yan Ze, which causes An Xi to suddenly remember something. She dashes into You Qian’s room but he intentionally blocks her path and corners her.

He rambles on and on about safety distance between cars, but An Xi doesn’t get it, “I don’t drive usually.” He tells her, “I want you to know, that you should be wary of anyone who is this close to you.”

He means Yan Ze, but she panics and jabs him so that she can retrieve her letter. She runs off and steps on You Qian’s feet in the process. You Qian shouts, “The photographer is a pro, you need to be careful of him!” She shouts back, “You are the pro!”

She runs back to her room and is relieved that she manages to maintain her cool. She reads the letter, which was signed off by Yan Ze and recalls what exactly happened 10 years ago. It was on her 18th birthday when she received a parcel from a charity organisation. It’s the organisation that her mum worked at so she thought that her mum was coming back. However, all her presents were returned. Yan Ze wrote a letter to tell her to stop sending presents because the person she’s looking for wasn’t at the organisation.

She got really angry because her father lied to her that her mum was too busy doing charity work that she couldn’t come visit her. Turns out the truth was that her mum disappeared right after she gave birth to her.

She was hurt and angry, and that was when she threw You Qian’s gift on the floor.

An Xi decides to clarify with Yan Ze, who confirms that he was the one who wrote the letter. They catch up over the incident. He always thought that the girl who sent those presents was a small girl while she always thought that the guy who sent such a letter was a big adult.

Yan Ze reveals that his father had kept all the presents from An Xi and he only found them when his father passed away ten years ago. An Xi interprets his dad’s actions to be kind – he probably didn’t want the girl to be sad because she was sending presents to a mother who didn’t exist. Yan Ze feels that his dad was probably just scared of trouble. He’s always thinking about other people’s kids but not his own. An Xi laments that they are probably the same. People around them care about them, but sometimes they still feel lonely.

Yan Ze apologises for breaking An Xi’s dream and An Xi recalls the incident with Unibrow, shuddering at her bad temper. She requests for Yan Ze not to tell You Qian about her biting his arm haha.

The next day, she makes a tonic drink for Yan Ze since they stay up the night talking. You Qian is jealous that they spent the night, and demands for a tonic drink too. An Xi escapes and says that she will make him a simpler one. Yan Ze is very amused that there’s someone who can make You Qian so obedient and is determined to make some trouble haha.

He intentionally leans in close to An Xi and offers to fetch her. You Qian smiles but is probably seething with jealousy within.

-the end-

First part of the episode was quite dry for me, but it lightens up with comic relief as the episode progresses. I’ve always liked the inconsequential but natural dialogue between the characters, especially when Mei Wen is involved.

I think Yan Ze posing as a fake competitor is a good (although cliche) idea since it will make An Xi think about her feelings towards You Qian. It’s also nice to know that he’s not actually a real competitor, since I think he’s gonna be paired with Ya En. Although it will be interesting to see the Director’s reactions when she finds out that Pu La village captured not one, but two, of her henchmen’s hearts. On a side note, I think Zhi Lin will be paired with Ya Lu, since she’s always sensitive to his feelings and is exceptionally clear-headed whenever Ya Lu is in a situation.

As for my theory above, it’s quite a wild guess with not much evidence. I came to such a conclusion because I think the Director is going to go ahead and invest in the village, which entails huge renovations, commercialisation, and destruction of culture. However, the only way to stop this in a satisfactory and realistic manner is if the Director meets An Xi herself and gets convinced. What other best way than for her to realise An Xi is her daughter? The Director has no children of her own too. Besides, it will create nice conflict to watch the diametrically opposed mother and daughter pairing – one is kind-hearted and generous, the other is calculative and practical. Let’s see if I’m correct! If I’m not, I will be quite excited to find out who the mother is.

I need more You Qian-An Xi interaction! Enough with the running and the chasing already.

<3thoughtsramble