We’re on to the 4th week of this drama already! Can you believe that?! I was not expecting much from this episode but I think it will be my 4th favorite episode of this show. Come join me in this recap to know why!

Dao Ming Si needed a rebound right away and agreed to date Xiaozi. He said that he will try his best to like her. That’s actually really sad… A guy is actually trying to force his feelings to you but someone like Xiaozi did not really mind it.

Of course, Xiaozi! Look at the happiness in my face below…

Phenomenal acting from Shen Yue in this scene, people! I could actually feel my heart cry when I was watching this scene.

Loved that Lei and Ximen were just casually having a picnic in the fields with Shancai and Qinghe. One of the best scenes from this episode was actually Lei stealing a banana rice ball from Qinghe haha! It’s like there is always an arrow hitting Shancai’s heart every time she would hear anything about Dao Ming Si and his “girlfriend”.

Love his straight-forwardness!

My face when people just wouldn’t stop talking and all you want to do is keep being an introvert. Apparently, Xiaozi would always visit Shancai in her house just to rant about Dao Ming Si. Poor Shancai!

Oh yes, thrice if you might ask!

Monkey Girl is little bit aggressive, isn’t she?

What was funny here was that Lei and Shancai already decided to go to class but they still stopped and watched everything that was happening. Some people just really like inflicting pain on themselves!

*Me when people ask me if I’m okay (but I’m really not)…* I guess I won’t get tired of saying this but her crying scenes just never fail.

Hua Ze Lei went to the coffee shop where Shancai was having her alone time. I found it cute when Shancai told him that despite the cold weather, it’s nice to have a friend who makes the weather warmer. Then guess what Lei said! He said that going to hot springs will even make it better. This is the start of the real OTP of this episode: Lei and hot springs! LOL.

Everything was just made awkward when Ah Si and Xiaozi went to the same coffee shop. Oh yes, this is why we watch dramas: add some spice in our lives by watching other people live such exciting lives!

Xiaozi invited everyone to their family’s hotel and Shancai declined her offer right away (I feel you, girl!). Like why would you even go?

Well, her fate changed right away since she had to go when Lei said he was going because they have hot springs in the hotel. HAHAHA! Never change, Lei! My only concern here was that Lei didn’t really say that “we will be going” as he only referred to himself but Shancai still decided to go based on Lei’s response… Oh well, we wouldn’t be getting the following scenes if Shancai continued declining Xiaozi’s offer anyway.

Thank you for making everything more awkward, Xiaozi! Shancai told Lei to say anything that was on his mind…

HAHAHA. I swear, I could not stop laughing with Lei and his fixation on hot springs.

Oooohh I loved it when Ah Si said this line too! Xiaozi remembered Shancai talking about the guy she liked who was dull and quiet. Then it was Ah Si who confirmed that it was Lei that Shancai liked a lot. A lot of bitterness here!

Xiaozi and Shancai were relaxing in the sauna when Shancai suddenly fainted. Dao Ming Si rushed to rescue her but it was too late as Hua Ze Lei saved the day!

Shancai was very thankful for Lei for being there. He just dodged it off by saying that Xiaozi was panicking outside and it just so happened that he finished his date with his beloved hot springs. LOL.

Shancai was finally enlightened and decided to continue living her life. It was so cute when Lei was very supportive of her. We all need a Hua Ze Lei in our lives, guys!

Shancai heard a loud thump from the other room and assumed that Dao Ming Si was forcing himself on Xiaozi. Lei quickly refuted her assumption and told her that it was the other way around. She still insisted to check and was startled at the sight of Xiaozi in such an uncomfortable position with Dao Ming Si.

Lei definitely knew what was going on.

The way he comforted Shancai with a gentle stroke on her head was so subtle but powerful. Who wouldn’t develop a second lead syndrome with this boy?!

We finished the episode with Shancai in a deep thought with her feet dipped in the pool and Dao Ming Si telling her that he will be going home first. Shancai also said goodbye to Xiaozi before leaving the hotel but Xiaozi, while secretly in pain, told her that she was just planning to stay first and pretended that her and Ah Si were doing fine.

We were sent into flashbacks of Dao Ming Si rejecting Xiaozi because no matter how hard he tried, he still had Shancai in his mind the whole time. Awww. I just cannot wait for their love to fully unfold in the coming episodes!

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In a nutshell,

• All of the scenes/stories in this episode happened in the 2001 drama. I am beyond happy to say that this version did not disappoint me at all in recreating such scenes.
• I guess everyone got annoyed that Monkey Girl took a lot of screen time in this episode but I did not really mind much. I actually want to thank her for suddenly coming in our drama to create more dramas. See what I did there 😉
• We did not get to see much from Dao Ming Si here as he was internally struggling with his feelings so we did not get to hear a lot from him. It was actually a bit weird not to get any action from him but I know we will be getting more in the coming episodes.
• Shen Yue as Shancai just nailed it in this episode. Her crying scenes were awww-mazing! Sadistic as it is, I cannot wait to see more of her crying scenes in the next episodes.
• The real MVP of this episode was really none other than Hua Ze Lei though… Remember how I said in my past reviews that I have mixed feelings about the state of Lei’s autism in this drama? Working with kids who have the same disorder for almost two years has activated the nerd in me by confirming Lei’s diagnostic features in this episode. He lacked social awareness and did not know how to read certain social cues so everything was just funny and adorable. Hot springs and Lei were the ultimate OTP of this episode actually. HAHA!
• As always, I am totally looking forward to the next episode!

 

P.S. I don’t want to be too technical/psychological about autism in this review but if you’re interested to know more about it, just message me.