Shao Xi was leaving her room one morning. She looked at Jin Li’s room and was reminded of his confession the night before. Jin Li told her to take her time figuring out her answer and he would wait for her. Just then, Li Zheng came out of his room to go to school. He asked if she too was heading to school and when she said yes, he suggested that they go together. Sigh… Dear writers, I know Li Zheng is the protagonist but you do not have to make it so obvious. At least, give Jin Li a chance and let Shao Xi carefully ponder his declaration.
On the way, Shao Xi stopped at a street vendor selling small trinkets. She asked to see a necklace. She found it cute and asked for its price. The seller quoted a high price of NT$1200 and said he would give a free keychain as a gift. Shao Xi decided not to buy it and wanted to put it back in its display case. But Li Zheng stopped her and ask the seller to pack it. Shao Xi whispered no need to buy it because it is expensive and she did not really like it. Li Zheng stated that he never said he was giving it to her and he instructed the seller to pack it nicely. The seller gifted a keychain to Li Zheng. Shao Xi was stunned. She asked who was the necklace for. Li Zheng said it was a secret. Shao Xi complained because it was obvious that it was for a girl. Li Zheng mischievously smiled and offered to give her the free keychain. Shao Xi looked at it and refused it. She left Li Zheng and went on first. Li Zheng waited for the necklace and thanked the seller. He kept smiling playfully behind Shao Xi.
On the way to her class, Shao Xi met Jin Li. She wanted to turn around but Jin Li stopped her. Jin Li asked why she was avoiding him. Jin Li told her not to avoid him because if she did, he would make him feel that his confession bothered her. Shao Xi admitted that she was just unsure on how to behave. Jin Li told her to just treat him as before: as her assigned senior. Until she was ready to give her answer, he would continue to look after her and treat her well. He just asked that she did not avoid him. They both agreed.
Shao Xi and Jin Li walked together to get to class. Shao Xi asked why he pretended to be a girl in the mobile game. Jin Li admitted that he actually had another ID. He mentioned his name and Shao Xi realized that Jin Li was the very player who always insulted her online. Jin Li defended himself and said he was merely giving her a constructive feedback. Lol. He was just curious on how good she was therefore, he created another alias. Only when they met at blind date, did he realize she was who she was. Shao Xi shook her head and mentioned that their ill-fated relationship had actually started such a long time ago. Sigh… Again, writer, why so unfair?
Shao Xi was thinking over the necklace incident earlier and wondered who was that necklace for. I am all for teasing and fun but if it leads to a long stretch of angst, hmmm… Suddenly, Bai Bai called her out. Sigh… I sense another misunderstanding. Bai Bai told her that it was her birthday and she had jokingly asked Li Zheng if he had prepared a gift for her. She was surprised, but very happy, that he did. She asked Shao Xi if she wanted to see the gift. She was ready to take it out but Shao Xi told her it was unnecessary since she helped pick the present. Sigh… Just look! Another annoying misunderstanding here. Li Zheng actually gave her the ugly keychain but Shao Xi assumed that he gave her the necklace. Bai Bai actually conveyed her gratitude because she liked it a lot. Lol. Love must be blind. That is one ugly keychain. Bai Bai continued that she wanted to return his present with another gift.
Li Zheng was sitting on his desk in his room admiring the box containing the necklace that Shao Xi liked. He heard a knock on his door and sensed it was Shao Xi. He opened the door and was ready to hand her the box. But he stopped when he saw Bai Bai by Shao Xi’s side. Bai Bai greeted Li Zheng cheerfully and handed him a present. Li Zheng quickly hid the box of present and asked what it was that Bai Bai was handing him. Bai Bai asked Shao Xi’s help to explain. Aargghhh… I am starting to hate this Bai Bai character. She is calculative and cunning. Shao Xi explained that it was a return gift for the birthday present that Li Zheng prepared for her. Li Zheng took the bag and looked confused on what to do next. Well of course, you should. It sucks being in a situation where you have to see your crush play wingman to another girl. Bai Bai encouraged him to open it as Shao Xi claimed he would definitely like it. He opened it and took out a pair of headphones. Sigh… Obviously, this was based on Shao Xi’s recommendation who knew how much Li Zheng liked listening to music in his private time. Li Zheng looked at Shao Xi in distress and then, he looked at Bai Bai to express his gratitude. Shao Xi excused herself to go to her room and Bai Bai thanked her. FINALLY! I would not even have accompanied Bai Bai in the first place if I were Shao Xi. Li Zheng offered to walk Bai Bai home and the two left. Shao Xi went inside her room in despair.
Li Zheng was on the rooftop looking at the box of necklace. He came down and passed Jin Li who was coming up to the rooftop. Jin Li admitted that he confessed to Shao Xi and in two week’ time during the Freshman camp, he would be asking for her response on whether she was interested to date him. Li Zheng told him that it was not necessary for him to alert him. Li Zheng said Jin Li would regret telling him. I actually agree. There is absolutely no need to share with Li Zheng since they were not friends to begin with. This is kind of like telling your opponent to suit up because you are about to attack. Sigh…
It was the day of the Freshman camp, Jin Li, Ah Ke, and Xiao Jian were handling registration matters. Suddenly students from Applied Foreign Language Department, Li Zheng’s department, came to set up table right next to them. Jin Li asked if Applied Foreign Language Department also had its camping on the same day. His friends replied yes and it was all Jin Li’s fault for not showing up at meetings so he was unaware of the happenings at school. Apparently, the Applied Foreign Language camp was postponed due to typhoon. So a junior from that department, i.e., Li Zheng, suggested and got approval for the two departments to camp together. He even arranged all the campsite bookings. Jin Li suspiciously wondered who that “junior” was. And just as he was thinking, he saw Li Zheng smirking sneakily. Well, he did warn you that you would regret telling him.
Xiao Ciao arrived in her yellow sports car. I am actually surprised that that car is still in one piece. She saw the buses that would be used to drive to the campsite and decided to drive herself there. Shao Xi warned her that it was far and that she would regret driving herself. But Xiao Ciao did not listen and drove off. Shao Xi came on the bus and started to find an empty seat to sit. She eyed both Li Zheng and Jin Li sitting by themselves. She weighed her options and seemingly appeared to be going to Li Zheng’s direction. But on her way, Jin Li caught her and dragged her to sit by his side. Bai Bai came on next. She saw Li Zheng sitting alone and immediately eyed the empty seat next to him. She asked if she could sit beside him and Li Zheng reluctantly removed his bag to make space. Shao Xi stole quick glances at Li Zheng but only to looked away when he caught her staring.
At the camping site, the first game of peel-off-the-name-game started. The team who managed to peel all of its opponent’s name tags was deemed the winner. Tags were removed and finally, it was down between Jin Li and Li Zheng. The two boys managed to peel each other’s tags at the same time. Jin Li cheered happily but Li Zheng just stood around angrily. Shao Xi looked worried over the angry Li Zheng.
Xiao Ciao finally arrived and she looked for Shao Xi who was cleaning some vegetables. Shao Xi asked why she arrived so late. Xiao Ciao admitted that this place was so hard to find. She also said that she was hungry and whether there was some food for her. Shao Xi offered some cut green bell pepper but Xiao Ciao was not interested. Shao Xi comforted her that there would be food soon and so Xiao Ciao offered to help. But Shao Xi did not take up her offer and she had not never washed vegetables before. Lol. I know that I should hate the whole spoiled princess act but Xiao Ciao is just too adorable.
Bai Bai came to wash vegetables too and asked if Li Zheng had a girlfriend. Shao Xi was stunned at first but then, she answered that she did not know for sure. She did not think he did because if he had, he would tell her. Bai Bai then decided that she would confess tonight at the bonfire. Xiao Ciao flippantly asked who she was and whether they were close enough to be sharing such information. Bai Bai was not deterred and explained that it was their university’s tradition to confess at the freshman fire. Xiao Ciao got an idea. Shao Xi was just standing there quietly and unsure of what to do as Bai Bai continued to explain that she felt close to Shao Xi and wanted her help since she was Li Zheng’s best friend. Hmmm… Snake!
Li Zheng was sitting on a table with his friends. Bai Bai came over to add more food to the table. One of their friends remarked that Li Zheng was not eating. He merely smiled softly. Bai Bai took a small plate of food and served it to Li Zheng. Li Zheng expressed his gratitude but said he did not eat food picked up by someone else’s chopsticks. Yeah! Right on Li Zheng. This girl needs to be put in her place. He then abruptly left the dining table. Shao Xi saw Li Zheng walking away and started to wonder. She then grabbed a piece of bread and followed suit. Shao Xi really does know him very well. There is definitely something to be said about family and familiarity. Xiao Ciao called out for Shao Xi and alerted Jin Li. Ah, the angst of love pentagon.
Shao Xi approached Li Zheng who was sitting alone and handed him a piece of bread. She asked why he participated when he did not like eating with people. Li Zheng was reminded of Jin Li’s statement that he was going to ask for Shao Xi’s answer to his confession. He seemed to be silently worrying about this when Shao Xi asked if he were here for Bai Bai. He did not say anything but he looked at her with a shocked expression on his face. She went on about how he gave her present, how he was always by her side, and recently, how he saved a seat for her on the bus. The more she detailed her reasoning, the more incredulously he stared. Shao Xi noticed that he never treated a girl so well before so he must really like her. Shao Xi stated that Li Zheng was not loyal because as a good friend, he never shared his growing attractions. She wondered if he was being considerate of her feelings and therefore, did not tell her. She told him not to worry about that anymore because it was all from high school. She did not like him anymore.
Li Zheng started to look angry. He stood up and asked if she liked Jin Li now. Now it was his turn to jump into a wrong conclusion: that she liked Jin Li and did not intend to share her feelings until after she started dating him. I hate this. Shao Xi asked why he was being fierce. Shao Xi confirmed that Jin Li confessed but it was not her doing. Li Zheng pointedly asked her if she ever wavered at all because of Jin Li. Li Zheng brought out the time when Jin Li back hugged her in front of the building and only let him go after Li Zheng called him out to let her go. He reasoned that if he had not done that, she would have let him continued hugging her. Li Zheng asked her what that meant.
Shao Xi then asked who he thought he was to ask for her explanation. Whether he was friend, family, or… Li Zheng looked away and just told her not to fall for Jin Li because he was not good enough for her. Just tell her that you want her and like her! You cannot tell her what to do if you have not formalized your relationship. What are you waiting for? I really feel everyone just conveniently forgot that they were engaged to be married. Li Zheng again friendzoned himself and explained that he just did not want her hurt. Shao Xi finally affirmed that whether she liked Jin Li or not, it was not his problem. Good for you, girl! Now, Li Zheng actually wondered if it was too late for him. Talk to the hand! Just tell her!
It was the confession bonfire also known as love pentagon angst at play. Bai Bai approached Li Zheng, Li Zheng headed to Shao Xi, Xiao Ciao moved towards Jin Li, and Jin Li of course, went straight to Shao Xi as well. The two boys faced Shao Xi and extended their hands in invitation. And as how these things go, no one emerged out of this happy. Shao Xi ended up choosing neither and went straight for Xiao Yu. Jin Li momentarily danced with Xiao Ciao but stopped to follow Shao Xi who was following Bai Bai following Li Zheng. Xiao Yu and Xiao Ciao was the only ones left on the dance floor.
Shao Xi followed Li Zheng and Bai Bai to the rooms and saw Bai Bai’s confession. She left when she saw Bai Bai came on to hug Li Zheng. Bai Bai was starting to play her wicked card here. Part of the reason she hugged Li Zheng was because she clearly knew that Shao Xi was staring. Shao Xi left to comfort herself. She kept reminding herself to be happy for her best friend. But she realized that she was not ready to face this moment. Sigh… When is this going to end? If only Shao Xi stayed at least a minute and a half later, she would have seen Li Zheng rejecting Bai Bai’s confession and walking away from her.
Shao Xi ran back to the rooms to look for Li Zheng but she did not see him. Jin Li came to comfort her. At first, Shao Xi looked away but then, he hugged her and told her that he would not let her cry secretly by herself anymore or run away whenever he wanted to comfort her. They went to another corner of the camp and Jin Li came clean that he originally wanted to ask for her answer. But now, he changed his mind and decided to just be her friend. Jin Li however asked if Shao Xi still liked Li Zheng so much why she refused his invitation to dance? Why could not she tell that Li Zheng also liked her? I really do not understand why the writer makes both Li Zheng and Shao Xi so oblivious.
Xiao Yu was looking at pictures of Ru Ping on his phone when a girl asked to sit by his side. She asked if Xiao Yu was interested to try dating her since she liked him. Xiao Yu stared at her in disbelief.
Ah Ke and Xiao Jian shopped at a nearby store for a secret party in the student council’s room. They invited Shao Xi to join them. At the party, four out of the five love pentagon characters showed up: Jin Li, Shao Xi, Bai Bai, and Li Zheng. Li Zheng overheard Ah Ke and Xiao Jian’s plan to make Shao Xi drunk to coax her to date Jin Li. This is so not okay. Good thing that Li Zheng overheard this so when the plan started to roll, he stepped up and became her black knight. Li Zheng was a lightweight so of course, he got very heavily drunk. And when he was drunk, psycho Li Zheng appeared. He grabbed Ah Ke’s collar and slammed him to a door. Shao Xi came to the rescue and an intimate scene where she calmed him down followed. This obviously roused Bai Bai and Jin Li’s jealousy.
Ru Ping was relaxing in her room when she received a call from Xiao Yu. He mentioned that their camping ground was nearby so he wanted to come over. He handed her a bouquet of flowers and mentioned that he had just received a confession earlier today but all he could think about was her. He declared that he liked her, that he would continue to like her forever, and then he left. Lol. Okay, he deserved a kiss after that confession. Xiao Yu turned around though and walked purposely towards Ru Ping; effectively backing her onto a pillar. It was another comedic anticlimax though! He appeared to be leaning in for a kiss but instead, he asked if she had some money since he did not have his wallet. Lol. Ru Ping correctly told him off and chased him away.
In a room, Shao Xi tucked Li Zheng on a bed. She was leaving but then Li Zheng grabbed her hand. Squeeee… He told her not to leave, declared his feelings, and kissed her. Finally! I just hope that they do not become clueless again in the morning after; like forgetting about the kiss. Li Zheng woke up and saw Bai Bai. Bai Bai took credit for calming him down and tucking him in. She even claimed that he confessed and kissed her. Bai Bai asked if he meant what he said. Li Zheng became confused as he clearly remembered it was with Shao Xi that did all of those things. Li Zheng grabbed Bai Bai’s neck and leaned in. Shao Xi walked in just as he did that and rushed out in disappointed. So, she did not see Li Zheng letting Bai Bai go. And the misunderstandings continued. Shao Xi ran all the way to her room and sobbed. Where did the cool Zhong Ke go?! As his fiance, Shao Xi had a right to scold Li Zheng!
The next morning, Shao Xi sat down for breakfast with Jin Li. Jin Li flashbacked to when he saw the two leads kiss. Jin Li noticed Shao Xi’s swollen eyes and asked what was the matter. Xiao Ciao sat down in between them and stopped the conversation. The three friends sat down silently as they enjoyed their breakfast. Li Zheng came into the dining hall, Bai Bai noticed him and said her greetings. Li Zheng ignored her and went straight to Shao Xi. He called out to Shao Xi but Bai Bai cut in and asked where she went last night after she said she was going to take care of Li Zheng together. Shao Xi was reminded of the supposed kiss and confession that Li Zheng shared with Bai Bai and become depressed again. Shao Xi carelessly answered that she thought Bai Bai would do a better job caring for Li Zheng so she did not want to be a bother. Both Jin Li and Li Zheng looked confused at the answer.
Shao Xi sat down on the bus and Bai Bai walked in to ask if she could sit by her side. Shao Xi nodded and she sat down. She began by thanking Shao Xi for creating an opportunity for her. She claimed that last night, Li Zheng confessed his feelings and kissed her. The deceitful snake! She even dared to ask Shao Xi, as his close friend, whether Li Zheng truly had feelings for her for confessing and kissing her. Hmmm… In came Xiao Ciao, she waited on the side just to hear Shao Xi bitterly admitted that she had never seen Li Zheng liked or dated anyone before so if he did kiss her, then it meant that he liked her. Xiao Ciao then rudely asked if Bai Bai was finished talking, grabbed her hair and pulled her out of her seat. Xiao Ciao is too cool! She said that the seat next to Shao Xi belonged to her only and sat down on the now emptied seat. Nice! But of course, Bai Bai still played the nice girl card and expressed her gratitude to Shao Xi for clarifying matters. Xiao Ciao warned Shao Xi not to cry because it was clear Bai Bai was toying with her. Now that is what I call a true and loyal friend. Xiao Ciao has really become one of the most liked characters in this drama. She is too cool.
They finally arrived back at the school. Li Zheng waited outside of Shao Xi’s bus to catch her. Shao Xi saw him but ignored him. Li Zheng grabbed her hand and said that he had something to say to her. Xiao Ciao was aware that Shao Xi was not in a mood to talk to him and so she shooed him away. She stated that Shao Xi had nothing to say to him and also advised him to have his eyes checked as there was something wrong with his eyesight. Lol. I love this girl. She then proceeded to take Shao Xi away.
Bai Bai came over and said that she left an earring at his place. She gave a nonsense excuse about it being a treasured gift from her mother. Sigh… She asked if she could go to his place to look around. Shao Xi and Xiao Ciao walked away together. Xiao Ciao told her off for never mentioning her crush but Shao Xi asked if they could just not talk about Li Zheng anymore. The two girls parted ways to go home. Jin Li was also on his way home and he saw Shao Xi walking alone.
Bai Bai and Li Zheng walked home together and she said that although he rejected her yesterday, she did not want to give up. Li Zheng stressed that his answer had not changed. Bai Bai then asked why when she said he kissed her yesterday, he leaned in close. Li Zheng explained that he was merely making sure of his feelings. He explained that he hated skin-to-skin contact with others. The only person that took care of him and he would not push away could only be Shao Xi. He also confronted her lie and said it was Shao Xi that he kissed. Bai Bai then asked him why he allowed her to be next to him and gave her a present if he did not like her. Hmmm… He does not allow you to be next to him, the two of you are in the same study group. And who calls that ugly keychain a present?! Li Zheng did not even explain and merely looked away. Bai Bai resentfully concluded that it must be to make Shao Xi jealous. She saw Shao Xi and Jin Li arriving together on motorcycle. Then, she grabbed Li Zheng and kissed him on his cheek. Sigh…
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There is something to be said about slow romantic build up. Some of my favorites dramas feature push and pull storyline that is not easy for the main characters and the viewers. The romantic intent for the main couple pairing is blatantly obvious but there is something subtle that appeals to the masochist in me as I agonize over the when or the what ifs. Most of the time, I gobble all these up because I am addicted to the shivers and butterflies that I get from a simple touch, a nudge, or a glance. Just like Li Zheng’s hand grab, in his drunken stage, before he confesses and kisses Shao Xi. Wah, the butterflies. I especially love it when I can get into the character and start questioning if he is into me or not. Misconstruing an interaction, flirting, and going back and forward from friends to something something. Sigh… My addiction! But that said, I still require my drama du jour to propel its storyline. Something that this drama seems to take too lightly.
I do see some light at the end of the tunnel. I think this episode is pivotal (well, I hope). It actually features developments between Li Zheng and Shao Xi. Granted it is more of a break up than a coming together. But at least it is a development. As the saying goes: “two steps forward one step back”.
I am still nursing my wounds over Shao Xi’s character development. I despise how the uber-cool Zhong Ke has now been degraded into a crying mess. I am still out for a female lead that I can look up to. Maybe she will redeem herself at the end. But for now, I have Xiao Ciao. And what a treat that firecracker proves to be.
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