My new go-to show and it’s not disappointing me!

As we saw from Episode 7, Romeo rushes to the scene even though he was stabbed. During the match, the commentators comment that the way Romeo plays is akin to basketball and it’s great.

However, Wang Nuo is actually in pain and I think this distracts him more or less. He gets killed and very soon after his entire team is gone, leading to a loss half-time. He disappears into the gents and gasps at the pain of the wound which has just split open again.

Bing Bing realises that he isn’t with them and tracks him into the gents. He appears from the cubicle with a pale face and claims that he’s having stomach pains due to Bing Bing’s instant noodles. She whacks him hard on the shoulder and doesn’t notice his wince. LOL Bing Bing.

After Bing Bing leaves, Wang Nuo tells himself that it will be okay, and walks out with a face of determination. Yi Ye correctly deduces that Wang Nuo must have gone for the gaming competition and Ai Zhen tags along. They are stopped from entering and can only watch the broadcast from outside.

In a nerve wrecking finale with 20 seconds left, Juliet kills off one enemy but dies herself, leaving Romeo to fend for himself. At the end with a flurry of keys, Romeo emerges the winner. Bing Bing bounces into his arms with joy and he grins, but soon, his pain overwhelms him and he falls to the ground.

Despite all that, he actually murmurs to Bing Bing, “Don’t be sad, Juliet.” Awww<3

Ai Zhen unleashes her fury on Bing Bing, especially when she protests that she had no idea Wang Nuo was injured, “You don’t know? What on earth do you know??”

At the hospital, Ai Zhen continues to target Bing Bing and demands to know why Wang Nuo will sacrifice his life to take part in the competition. Bing Bing thinks it’s because he wants to honour his promise and Yi Ye chimes in that no one can force Wang Nuo to do something he doesn’t want, “I think he himself wanted to participate.” But the cow Ai Zhen mutters, “I don’t believe it.”

Wang Nuo emerges from the surgical ward, safe and sound. Ai Zhen nags at him from the side and he laughs at them, “Aren’t you guys exaggerating? We are champions eh!” Thanks for the reminder champ, I almost forgot how cool you were!

After seeing Wang Nuo settled, Bruce offers to leave with Bing Bing so as not to disturb the ‘lovebirds’. Bing Bing promises to visit the next day and Wang Nuo replies nonchalantly that he’s fine. Ai Zhen mutters that Wang Nuo has her, “We don’t need unrelated and noisy people to disturb.” Bing Bing walks out dejectedly with a lingering gaze on Wang Nuo, but Wang Nuo continues to stuff his face and refuses to look up till she’s gone, something which Yi Ye notices.

Ai Zhen offers to refill the water and the moment she’s gone, Wang Nuo groans and grimaces, “The pillow!” Yi Ye quickly stuffs a cushion under his back, knowing that he is just putting up a strong front the whole time.

Yi Ye deduces that Juliet is Bing Bing and teases Wang Nuo about all the coincidences. Meanwhile, Bing Bing finds her teammates at Meng’s eatery and gets annoyed with their teasing.

She recalls the scene of him emerging from the cubicle and realises that he must have been treating his wound at that time, “Why did I not realise?” She grumbles that he’s stupid for acing like a hero, but you can tell that she’s just filled with immense guilt, especially after how Ai Zhen treated her. She wants to ask how he is but doesn’t send out the text. On the other hand, Wang Nuo wakes up in pain and reaches out for his phone. He almost sends out a text telling her he’s okay but grumbles, “Why do I have to report to her?”

He accidentally drops his phone and wakes Ai Zhen up. Ai Zhen fusses over him and gives him a packet of chicken essence (which does not have a fishy smell because she knows he doesn’t like it…or does he?). “Ai Zhen, enough.” She starts tearing up out of worry for Wang Nuo and apologises for the surprise birthday party. Wang Nuo comforts her that this is a matter between him and Wang Dad, and has nothing to do with Ai Zhen. “Thank you. You have done enough for me.” Ai Zhen smiles, “This is the nicest thing you have said to me in 15 years.” Wang Nuo tries to point out that yes – precisely, stop waiting for him – but Ai Zhen just has to cut in and cries that they have become distanced, “Why did you not tell me about the gaming competition?”

This causes Wang Nuo to pull back, both physically and emotionally. She quickly cheerily says that she will be off for a business trip the next day, so he can have some space to himself, but cries once she’s out of the room.

Next day, Bing Bing worries about Wang Nuo and forgets about her bijous in the oven. Bruce asks her to come along when he visits Wang Nuo in the afternoon, but she hesitates and offers to make some food instead for Wang Nuo. Wang Nuo (hilariously) looks around for Bing Bing and grumbles at her absence.

He opens the lunchbox to find fried rice and is a little appeased. He’s torn between the awesome fried rice that makes him SO happy and the Bing Bing who didn’t turn up, so he texts her in a huff.

Bai He picks up Bing Bing’s phone so Bing Bing has no choice but to reply because the messages are read. She answers in an aloof, “Dr Wang” way, which causes him even more annoyance because, “She called me Romeo before the competition and Dr Wang now?”

But Wang Nuo never fails to amuse us dats right and he proceeds to call Bing Bing until she picks up the phone. He yells, “I’m hungry. You better come here right now!” Well, that does the trick because Bing Bing turns up with food (he funnily asks if fried rice has to be kept in a thermal bottle, but it’s actually fish porridge). First he grumbles that he’s going to starve cos she’s taking so long to scoop out the porridge, then he complains that it’s too hot and he can’t blow on it. You are so cuteee HAHA you just want her attention.

He finally asks her why she didn’t come and visit him, and she says it’s because Ai Zhen told her not to disturb him. He mutters that she listens to Ai Zhen but not to him, and informs her that the assailant has been caught – it’s one of the guys at Tian Ming Warehouse seeking revenge. What I don’t understand is – why are they seeking revenge??? He isn’t the one who called the cops right? And nobody saw him running away? And so what if he did run away? Or is it because Bing Bing took one package to the police station and probably incriminated them further??

Bing Bing feels more guilty than ever but he stops her from apologising. After all, he points out, it’s better that they went after him instead of her. She freezes for a few moments and he opens his mouth wide, “Ah!” Hahaha what a baby. Bing Bing murmurs, “Why are you so good to me?” He asks her for a favour since she’s feeling bad, and that is to help him to the bathroom so that he can bathe. “Huh? Can your wound be in contact with water?” “No.” “Then?” “I can’t sleep if I don’t bathe.” She shakes her head at this weirdo man.

She later helps to dress his top and you can totally hear his heart going thump thump. He breaks out of his trance when he sees Bing Bing pick up a button and declare that she’s going to ask for a hairdryer. “That is an emergency button, not for customer service.” Haha!

Well, she successfully lands herself a hairdryer from the lounge. She yanks on his hair when he complains that she’s frying his scalp and he groans super loudly, “My wound!”. Bing Bing leans forward and fusses over it, before he smiles, “It’s a little itchy.” She bursts out laughing and continues to blow-dry his hair. I love this scene! And if you watch the behind the scenes, this was kinda ad-libbed because Lego Li just wanted to come up with jokes to make Yu Heng laugh aww.

The next day, Bai He discovers that Bing Bing helped Wang Nuo blow-dry his hair and is super excited because, “That’s the top three things to do amongst couples!” Bing Bing rushes off in a mood, leaving Meng very curious as to why Bai He is teasing Bing Bing.

Wang Nuo is finally released from the hospital and receives a call from his sister, Wang Min, who is back in Taipei! Just from this minute call, you can tell Wang Min is a cool, strong-headed and proud woman. Wang Nuo refuses to tell Wang Min the address of Bruce’s new bakery and she hangs up saying she will call Bruce instead.

Wang Nuo returns home but is disappointed because Bing Bing calls him Doctor Wang again. He snubs her by saying “Thank you for your concern, Miss Gao.” When she offers to help him find his keys, he’s like “It’s okay, I injured my waist, not my hands.” Not knowing what she did wrong, Bing Bing quietly says bye and leaves, and Wang Nuo sadly returns to his apartment. He hears a ring and smirks, thinking it’s Bing Bing, but opens the door to a frantic Bruce, “Your sis is back?”

Wang Nuo is incredulous at his reaction and fills Bruce in on the phone call with his sister. “She’s the one who cheated on you, so why are you behaving like you are the one who let her down?” Bruce explains that it’s only his sister who is immune to his charms and she has a strong aura, “I’m speechless whenever I see her.” Wang Nuo rambles, “Are you saying you don’t want to be a M, when you see her, you become M, but you want to be S?” LOL (reference to sadism and masochism for those who are clueless).

Bruce ignores him and declares his intention to stay with Wang Nuo for a while, so as to train himself for Wang Min’s temperament. Wang Nuo protests that he should instead be living his life well to show that even without Wang Min, he’s okay. Bruce is thus inspired to show Wang Min he has a new girlfriend, and you should see Wang Nuo’s face as he asks, “What girlfriend?” Omomo my heart is breaking for you, just as Bruce says, “I am going to tell Gao Bing Bing today.”

Wang Nuo pretends to be nonchalant as Bruce wonders how best to confess to Bing Bing. He visits Meng’s eatery and runs into Bing Bing, but the two awkwardly look away. Wang Nuo sits at an adjacent table and needs a menu, but instead of asking Bing Bing for it (since her table has one) as he usually would, he asks Meng for it. Bing Bing later asks for some seasoning which Wang Nuo’s table has, but also goes through Meng instead, leaving both Meng and Bai He very suspicious. Bai He intervenes, “Did you two quarrel? Is it because of uneven splitting of the loot?”

Wang Nuo informs them that the prize money is all Bing Bing’s. Bing Bing receives a call and says, “There’s a dessert tasting session later?” While Meng and Bai quickly point to themselves, Wang Nuo scoffs at Bruce’s strategy of confession. He also guesses that Bing Bing will not be able to bring her friends along, but you can still see his annoyance when she informs them, “You guys can’t go. Teacher says that the dessert is made specially for me, so only I can eat it first.”

Indeed, Bruce makes tiramisu for Bing Bing and tells her the story behind tiramisu – a soldier went to war and his beloved gave him a mix of food to encourage him. After hearing this story, Bruce says he has always wanted to make tiramisu for his loved one – come on, how can you say you love her at all??? In any case, Bing Bing is over the moon and mutters mentally, “I’m willing!”

Before Bruce can pop the question however, Wang Min struts into the shop and suddenly, Bruce becomes a small boy again. He introduces Bing Bing as his new girlfriend and Bing Bing wonders cute-ly whether she muttered her acceptance out loud. She’s distraught to find out that Wang Min is his ex-girlfriend, and even more, when Wang Min asks, “Did he tell you about the story of the soldier too?” Omggg that’s so tasteless, Bruce! How could you use the same tactic twice!

Anyway, Wang Min found out the address from Ai Zhen so that she could give Bruce a list of food suppliers, “Just tell them I introduced you.” She knows Bruce is very surprised and tells him to treat it as her apology. She then turns to Bing Bing, “Small girl, if Bruce bullies you in the future, tell me so that I will teach you how to take him in hand.” She then struts out in Wang Min-style. Bing Bing tells Bruce she will forget his words that Bing Bing’s his girlfriend, “I know you said that just to provoke her.” She walks out of the shop in tears but you can see that Bruce was also a bit taken aback, because he wasn’t exactly thinking of making use of her.

Wang Min descends next on her brother (watch Wang Nuo hilariously winces at his sister’s pounces) and demands for alcohol, “Your sister, I, will drink any time she wants, and I just went to reminisce my past love.” Wang Nuo funnily tells her off, “Stop creating sins.” Wang Min retorts that Bruce has moved on but asks if his taste has really changed that much, “She looks like an underdeveloped kid.”

Being curious in the development of Bruce’s and Bing Bing’s relationship, Wang Nuo brings up clothes to the rooftop with the pretext of hanging them. He finds the room empty but turns around to see a dejected Bing Bing, “Did you quarrel with Bruce?” He happily asks if things didn’t go according to plan and Bing Bing fills him in on how she rejected Bruce. He grins, “Aren’t you guys lovers for seven lives?” Bing Bing scowls, “Romeo, try laughing at me one more time.” I like this little retort because it reminds us of their friendship as Romeo and Juliet and how she told him of her belief in reincarnated lovers.

“I don’t know…I don’t feel right when I heard that your sister has eaten the tiramisu too.” “They have been together for 8 years, it’d be strange if she hasn’t.” Bing Bing then admires his sister for her ability to find suppliers which she couldn’t, but Wang Nuo rightly points out that this is exactly the field which his sister is working for, “If we talk about culinary skills, she won’t be able to compete with you, right?”

Bing Bing acknowledges his statements but is still a little upset, “He minds your sister’s feelings over mine.” Can I just say that I really like Wang Nuo’s consolations for some reason? I was impressed with these lines because it’s in line with Wang Nuo’s personality of being driven by logic and at the same time, it’s very down to earth. If I were to hear these words in real life, I would be pretty appeased.

She is also sad that Wang Min looks so compatible with Bruce, but Wang Nuo gently reminds her, “Juliet, a relationship is between two people. There must be a reason why it can’t go on.” But there’s one thing she must reflect on, “Don’t you think you look like a kid? When you stand with Bruce, it looks like a father-daughter relationship.” HAHA. As he chuckles, Bing Bing pushes him in irritation, causing him to groan. She thinks that he’s pretending but it turns out it’s for real – his wound has split open, “Don’t come near me.” HAHA, Bing Bing and her strength.

Bing Bing carefully tapes up his wound again and he praises her, “You can work in the A&E department.” She grins, “Is this a compliment?” and accidentally presses too hard. While Wang Nuo winces, she notices a heart-shaped birthmark. A flashback revealed that Bing Bing had seen Wang Zhen’s birthmark before when they were young, and it was that exact heart shape. She asks, “Why do you have this? This…Wang Zhen…”

Wang Nuo covers himself up while Bing Bing relentlessly pursues the question, “Why do you have this?” She recalls Wang Dad saying that Wang Nuo has no interest in fried rice, “I remember Wang Dad says that Wang Nuo doesn’t like to eat fried rice.”

Wang Nuo/Zhen scoffs, “Can’t I like fried rice now?” How about the birthmark? “We are twins, why is it strange that we have the same birthmark?” He asks if the fried rice he ate at the hotel was cooked by hers and she replies, “Oh yeah, that was meant for me” – yay, at least they resolve this loose end!

However, she’s not distracted by the digression. “What really happened?” Wang Nuo/Zhen shrugs her hand off, “Didn’t I tell you already? We competed in swimming and he got into an accident?” Bing Bing murmurs, “You didn’t say that day that you guys were competing…”

As Wang Nuo/Zhen closes the fridge door, you can see that his eyes has teared up (omg LOVE it). He turns around and faces Bing Bing, “Yes, I saw him sink to the bottom of the sea with my own eyes.”

He nonchalantly asks if she still has any more questions, and she lands the fatal one, “Are you really Wang Nuo? There’s no way twins would have identical birthmarks. Why did you say that you have been living with a mask?”

“You just said that you saw him sink into the sea and disappear…that ‘him’ is actually Wang Nuo…not Wang Zhen, right?”

“Romeo, tell Juliet the truth, okay?”

-the end-

What really draws me in is also the hero’s backstory. After a year of melodramas where the male lead is molded by events that are either the deaths of a loved one or a chaebol struggle, I really like the struggle that the male lead has to hide who he is. I don’t know if it’s still considered a *SPOILER* at this point of time, but the storyline is pretty clear – Wang Nuo was the one who drowned, and for some reason, the one washed up ashore with Wang Nuo’s trunks was actually Wang Zhen. Knowing that Wang Nuo was always considered as the responsible and smart one, Wang Zhen decided to mask himself as his twin brother. By doing so, he gave up his own dreams, gave up his own likings and took on the roles of both twin brothers. The turmoil and struggles which he silently went through really makes me wish that Wang Zhen/Nuo will end up happy.

In this episode, what I really love is the little interactions between the main couple. The hospital scene was adorable and natural. The final scene where Bing Bing astutely picks up indications that the guy in front of her is actually Wang Zhen was intimate. There is a sense of trust between the two, and you can see how Wang Zhen looks so vulnerable in front of Bing Bing. I also like how they interchangeably address each other as Romeo and Juliet. If you notice, they always use these labels when they are confiding in each other – and this is a nice transition from them being enemies to being friends (and more) in real life. The fact that they shared something special as cyber-friends allows them to cross that bridge very naturally. I’m also happy for them each time they called each other as such, because whether they realise it or not, they are special to each other.

I really appreciate the acting throughout the series. Honestly, taiwan dramas haven’t been the best in the recent years, especially compared to Kdramas and Cdramas. While the plot is interesting at times, the acting is quite sub-par, especially when it comes to sidekicks. Here, the sidekicks’ performance really surprise me, because they aren’t exaggerated and they are truly funny. I can’t describe how rare that is (in general, not just in relation to twdramas). I also really like how Serena Fang acts – it’s very natural and befitting of her role. The last I watched her was Gloomy Salad Days and I think she has improved SO MUCH since then. The pairing of Yi Ye and Wang Nuo as good friends is also lovely.

I don’t know if I’m sounding like a broken record, but I really think this is one taiwan drama worth picking up. Maybe it’s because I spammed 7 epsiodes within a day, but the pace was just right and things were well thought of – for example, I was suspicious of Wang Nuo since episode 2, showing that clues were intentionally dropped and spread out, rather than springing a twist that doesn’t make sense. I’m also now a fan of Lego Li. I had NO idea that he was in the industry for so long and this puzzles me because I have been watching taiwan dramas for the past decade and I’ve never seen him before nor heard his songs. Nevertheless, his acting is good and it makes you really root for Wang Zhen/Nuo.

If I have to nitpick one thing, it’s the female lead/actress, Lian Yu Heng. I find that she’s a bit too whiny for my liking and she doesn’t behave her age (30) in the behind the scenes. I don’t know if she’s just trying to stay in character as Gao Bing Bing, but an actress who has to constantly stay in character to portray a good performance makes me less impressed with her acting.

But this is a cast that I’m really happy with and it’s one of the better taiwan dramas I’ve watched recently. Please give it a try and let me know what you think!! Right now, I can’t believe I have to wait another week for the next episode. How am I going to survive??

<3thoughtsramble