I wasn’t actually very impressed with this episode. There were all the great plot developments but it just didn’t feel very new or exciting, and that’s a pity because the next one will be our finale.

I think that the flaw of this episode lies in the pace. I don’t know what can be done either, since I agree that all the scenes are needed, but maybe there can be less crying? I was really impressed with ALL the acting in the previous episode and I felt like the crying scenes really showcased their acting skills. However, this episode doesn’t make me feel more than what last week did. In fact, it was just another episode of crying with the same kind of emotions conveyed but on a less emotional scale.

The episode opens with the couple in Korea where Hao Meng introduced Huan Zhen to the new form of environmental graffiti — you paint with a special solution and algae will grow on where you draw. So no one will know what you drew until two weeks later when the algae grows out. Huan Zhen complimented him for being so smart and he gave a satisfied laugh.

I can’t imagine living with someone forever. But after I fell in love with her, I understand what love is all about. When she laughs, I laugh. When she cries, I feel sadder than her. 

I can’t help but think, if she’s the one next to me – the marriage which I’m afraid of and want to avoid might not be so scary after all. If the one who is with me forever is this woman, I will look forward to every day, every morning…when I open my eyes, she will be next to me. 

—-

Huan Zhen tries to ignore Hao Meng’s visit by lying that she has a cold, but lo and behold the guy is already in her room and she’s not having a cold.

He pulls her to the conference which Qian Yao has organised on behalf of his company. While Qian Yao reveals that his brother had resigned out of guilt, Hao Meng interrupts the conference, “My client has something to say.” He offers a hand to Huan Zhen, who takes it after a moment’s hesitation.

Hao Meng requests for Qian Yao to let him speak. What a mistake, because Hao Meng almost immediately reveals the truth that this was all a set up by Qian Yao. Qian Yao smirks and asks for evidence. The lights dim in the conference hall and a video plays – it’s a video of Qian Yao confessing the very fact that he told the waiter to spill the drink on Huan Zhen so that his assistant can send her to the wrong room.

Deng deng deng. Qian Yao looks shocked and betrayed, and he immediately turns his head to Sheng Nan who looks back at him guiltily.

Turns out after that hug in the previous episode, she sat down for a drink with him and asked him to say the truth. Out of his good feelings for her, he confessed to everything which she recorded with a secret camera. Back to the video, Qian Yao professed that he would never let his brother rape Huan Zhen and he did it because he knows that the company would never let someone with a bad reputation be the CEO. The video ends and the reporters swarm towards Qian Yao.

Hao Meng scolds the reporters because they all owe her an apology. As reporters, they did not even check their sources. They merely wrote about her, scolded her and labelled her so that she can apologise to the world. “But you are wrong! She doesn’t owe any of you any apology.” She works harder than anyone and she has confidence in herself that she can do it. She deserves her position.

“I hope that all of you will apologise for your insults and scolding. Please.” He bows his head. I like this speech but seriously, I don’t think reporters would simply stand there and feel guilty about their moral compass, because I don’t really think paparazzi has one.

Qian Yao admits defeat to Hao Meng and walks off the stage. Sheng Nan and him exchange a deep look but neither says a word. He walks off and Sheng Nan runs after him, “Qian Yao senior!”

He turns around with a reassuring smile and we know all is well.

The couple aint faring as well though because Huan Zhen makes it clear that nothing has changed even though the misunderstanding is cleared up. She has no idea how to face his mother and sister, and what their future looks like. But she knows that he has a bright future and should leave for Singapore. Hao Meng replies that he will stay in Taiwan to fight for his dream, and his dream includes her all along.

Wait I can’t really tell – so does Hao Meng know about Huan Zhen’s noble sacrifice? That all those words she spoke were a lie? Or are they just flowing with the water and the sacrifice is never to be talked of again?

Huan Zhen smiles at him with tears, “You know me well. Once I made up my mind, I will not turn back.” She walks off, leaving Hao Meng.

Huan Zhen later runs into Sheng Nan and thanks her for what she did. Sheng Nan demands for an apology instead and starts bringing all her old grudges, much to Huan Zhen’s irritation. Sheng Nan bursts, “You could have told me that you and Senior were not together!”

They shout at each other and Huan Zhen (amusingly) screams into the air, “I’m going mad! Who is the one who said This is the first time I like someone so much and I don’t want my good friend to speak badly of him. HUH? How do you want me to tell you that he’s a bad guy!”

But this is why Sheng Nan is pissed off; if they are really good friends, how can Huan Zhen not know that if she told her the truth, she wouldn’t be angry. If Huan Zhen doesn’t speak to her first, how would she dare to apologise and make up?

Huan Zhen cute-ly reaches out for her jacket and apologises. Sheng Nan turns around and Huan Zhen apologies repeatedly. Sheng Nan cries, “Can we not quarrel anymore?” and Huan Zhen embraces her in a hug.

Tadahhhh our best friends are back. I like the patch up scene – it is filled with real and raw emotions with lots of shouting and tears.

The best friends finally sit down for a good cup of tea and Huan Zhen confesses that she was moved by Hao Meng but she felt like Hao Meng would be hurt if she didn’t let go. Sheng Nan asks, “What if he’s more scared that his future will not have you?” In a bid to divert the topic, Huan Zhen asks Sheng Nan about Qian Yao and advises her to say her goodbyes to Qian Yao.

Which they did. Best friend #1 glares at him, “Jiang Qian Yao, I will not forgive what you did to me forever….but my good friend has something to say to you.” Best friend #2 turns up meekly behind her.

Sheng Nan apologies for what she did but Qian Yao thanks her for staying true to herself. He wants her to know that his feelings for her are sincere, “Take good care of yourself.” He turns to leave (with dramatic sound effect) and Sheng Nan reaches for his hand (with more sound effect).

She lists out all the bad things he has done (making use of her for his bet etc), including how he ran off to Korea without telling her his feelings. “You are back after 10 years. You clearly told me that you want to make up for any regrets and start anew with me, but you can’t put down your hate. For your revenge, you made use of my best friend and caused her to suffer. You knew that I will never be with you if you did that, and yet you still did it. You are horrible…but I believe…I believe that you really like me. Me too, I really like you even till now.”

She hugs him and he’s moved to tears. Not bad acting! “Today, I will have to say goodbye to you. I will also need to say goodbye to my feelings for you.”

They part and he leaves his Korea number with her. She calls his name and says, “You must jiayou!” He smiles and steps into the cab.

The two of them cry as they recall all their happy memories together. Awwww I really thought that this couple would end up together! Seeing that they devote such a long scene to tying up this loose end however, I think we won’t get to see this couple time in the finale. Maybe just a hint of a budding romance if she finds him in Korea but that’s all. Their romance really came too swiftly and built on thin grounds for me but I really felt moved in this scene. What a sense of finality. There’s always something sadder in amiable break-ups (like the one in Jumong, I remembered crying so much over it!)

Huan Zhen finds Sheng Nan and smiles at her, before striding towards her and giving her a big hug. At work the next day, she gives Sheng Nan chocolates to cheer her  up and shoots her a loving look while putting up the cheesy love sign with her fingers. Hao Meng on the other hand, mopes over her words while sitting on the carousel. She too mopes as she sees the wedding photos on her computer.

Huan Zhen realises that her mother is putting a spell on her father and demands to know why. Her mother reluctantly reveals that her father has a mistress, to which Huan Zhen replies with shock and then disbelief. Her mother promises evidence but Huan Zhen rolls her eyes when she realises that her mother merely calculated her father’s fate again. Her mum starts sobbing and Huan Zhen is like okay you have a lot of evidence, okay I love you byeee. Hahahaha. The moment she steps out of the door, her mother stops sobbing. This family hehe.

Sheng Nan calls Huan Zhen to find out where her brother went, but Huan Zhen has no idea that Hao Meng is on a flight back to Korea. She becomes distracted at work and finally asks for leave. Hao Meng re-visits all the places they went – the heart tag has broken into two (ouch?) but luckily the photo is still intact.

He unknowingly walks back to the stadium where the break up happens and the scene just re-plays itself. This time round, he turns around to face her while she utters those words but I am never the princess suitable for you. Let’s not deceive ourselves.

“I have never deceived myself.”

He calls Huan Zhen and asks her if she has thought about how life would have been if they didn’t know each other. His heart breaks (Roy Qiu is good at this heart-breaking eyes thing) when Huan Zhen answers that life will be better and she will probably have another boyfriend. Even her stoic pretense breaks as Hao Meng gently says, “There’s only you in the whole world…I felt happy when you smile and sad when you are down. I just want to tell you that every moment with you is irreplaceable.”

She starts sobbing and hangs up on him. Ouch! Turns out he’s back at the graffiti  wall and we see it say Will you marry me? In another shot, we see that he has taped up the yellow heart.

I thought it wasn’t supposed to show up until 2 weeks later??

Hao Meng returns home and requests for help from his sister and father.

Out of some awkward maneuvering and manipulation, Sheng Nan successfully gets Huan Zhen into a conference room while her mum accidentally listens in on the outside. Sheng Nan is initially triumphant that her plan works since Huan Zhen is saying all those sweet stuff like how she doesn’t want Hao Meng to suffer. But she gets genuinely moved when Huan Zhen tells Sheng Nan to help her convey some words to Hao Meng’s next girlfriend.

“Hao Meng can’t drink. So don’t let him drink because he won’t remember what happens and someone may set him up. He has insomnia so she needs to talk to him until he falls asleep; nothing else works. When winter is here, remember to take of him. He has pride so he will never step down, but in his heart, he has already apologised to you a thousand times,  so don’t blame him and patch up with him.”

Zzzzzz girl just tell this to him YOURSELF. Which is exactly what Sheng Nan told her hehehe. Even Mum is touched when she hears how Huan Zhen said that if he falls down, the girlfriend needs to be the first to be there for him because that’s when he’s at his most vulnerable.

I just watched a drama with the Mum inside (Ming Ruo Xiao Xi/Moon River) and I keep thinking why she looks so different here. Is it because she did her lips or had her face done? Her mouth is super stiff! But her acting is still good.

Sheng Nan tries to pretend to her mum that it wasn’t a maneuver but her mum sees through it right away. Sheng Nan points out something, “The two people who love Brother the most are you and Huan Zhen. You two should give him double the love and happiness, not double the suffering.”

Hao Meng is pleased to hear that the plan has gone well and Sheng Nan says happily, “Cai Huan Zhen, towards you…really..” Hao Meng moves immediately into the next phase of the plan – his dad.

Huan Zhen’s dad sneaks out of the house after receiving a call from Hao Meng’s mother. Since he threw a tantrum and acted so suspiciously, Huan Zhen’s mum asks Huan Zhen to accompany her to catch him “red-handed”.

Spy Hao tags his mother and sends the location to Sheng Nan who hurries her father to the meeting point while Spy Hao goes on to the next plan. Her father is decked up in a white suit holding a bouquet of flowers awww and he keeps insisting that he’s doing all this for Hao Meng only. The plan is for him to please the mother and then the two can have a candlelit dinner. Pleased mother = better chance for the couple to get back together.

Who knew the plan could fail so terribly because Hao Meng’s mum is waiting for Huan Zhen’s dad? In one of my favourite scenes in this episode, Huan Zhen’s mother and Sheng Nan’s father look at the scene in betrayal, before the kids arrive and call out to their respective parents.

It’s a spot the difference game! But okay, on a serious note, I love how they are equally spaced out.

The two oldies look at their respective spouses in shock oops and the respective spouses run off.

Hao Meng returns home to see his parents quarreling. His dad recognises Huan Zhen’s dad immediately and hurls in betrayal that the mother was having an affair outside. He passes her the divorce papers and in a fit of anger, she signs it. ZZZ obviously both parties do not want to divorce but they are just too full of pride to say it. Come on, anyway it’s kinda the mum’s fault so I don’t know why she’s so full of bristles and being defensive. She leaves the house despite Sheng Nan’s attempts to cajole her and after both parents solicit Hao Meng to be their lawyer. Okay.

The show down is a little funnier at the Cai household, where the dad is made to kneel down. Huan Zhen’s mum is like, “Do you know that’s Huan Zhen’s friend’s mother?” (Sheng Nan) and Huan Zhen sniffs and adds on in the same tone as her mother, “And she’s also Hao Meng’s mum.” Hahahaha. When he attempts to stand up, both mother and daughter shout at him, “Kneeeeel.” Huan Zhen’s dad successfully sweet-talk the mum but Huan Zhen points out, “If you guys are really friends, why are you being so suspicious and secretive?”

While the dad protests and suggests that he can call Hao Meng’s mum out so that they have a clearing-up session, Hao Meng’s mum sends a text which sends mother into a rage and daughter in shock. My husband wants to divorce with me. I have no other place to go. On account of our past, can you help me?

Hahahaha.

At night, Sheng Nan pretends that she’s the one coming over to Huan Zhen’s house, but it is really Hao Meng who turns up.

-the end-

In next week’s episode, there are still full of conflicts. It seems like the Hao parents are really going through with divorce, although both parties seem to be feeling regretful. The couple doesn’t seem to be going well, with Huan Zhen protesting, “Do you still not know what I want?”

I think the episode could have been sped up especially at the Korea part. We really don’t need all those flashbacks given that they occurred only 2 episodes ago! I quite like the idea that the yellow plate broke into half and was mended. It simply symbolises Hao Meng’s hard work in trying to bring the coupe back again instead of being an omen that the couple will meet a bad end. I miss the comic relief so I hope we will get to see that in the last episode!

Still great acting and this week is Harry Zhang’s time to shine. I think he managed quite well and up to expectations, and I will be sad if this is his last appearance! Hopefully they can squeeze in a scene where the couple meets again after a year haha. As for the main couple, great acting again but not as emotionally moving because it was sort of the same kind of scenes that we saw just a week ago.

Let’s hope the show ends off with a bang next week!

<3thoughtsramble

P.S This recap came a day earlier than expected HAHAH why is this such an achievement but anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the recap!(: