A girl goes missing to plot her revenge against her high school bullies.
Notable Actors/Actresses
Su Qing: Han Xiao Ting
Shi Shi: Zhang Bei Lei
Bao Wen Jing: Liu Tao
Yuan Hong: Chen Xi
Chinese Title
刺
[Ep1] (2019) A boyfriend reports his girlfriend, Han Xiao Ting, missing. Today is the day of his girlfriend's father's Memorial Day. The employees all report how menacing Han Xiao Ting was but they recognize her abilities and she’s mostly business anyways. However with Liu Tao, she’s different. Han Xiao Ting is extra hostile towards her. However rather than pure hostility, one coworker describes it as two long time friends who fought. It’s true. In 2008, these two were deskmates and besties.
刺
Network: Youku
Recap Grade: A
First Impression: 2.6/5
First Impression: 2.6/5
Mini Recaps
[Ep2] The Han Xiao Ting in 2008 is very different from the her in 2018. From bright and cheery, she’s grown up to be dark and gloomy. She, who used to love Liu Tao’s company, now has thorns all over preventing anyone from approaching her, especially Liu Tao. Han Xiao Ting is lonely in the company as well as lonely at home. Her mother had passed away a long time ago and the father she had grown up with for must of her adulthood had passed away too.
(2008) Zhang Bei Lei is rebellious, hyperactive and rowdy. She has a crush, the class president, who happens to have a crush on Han Xiao Ting. There was a misunderstanding and Zhang Bei Lei thought the crush liked Liu Tao. Zhang Bei Lei started bullying Liu Tao. Han Xiao Ting immediately stands up for Liu Tao clarifying that it had nothing to do with her. Thus Zhang Bei Lei launches the full force of her bullying tactics on Han Xiao Ting.
(2008) Zhang Bei Lei is rebellious, hyperactive and rowdy. She has a crush, the class president, who happens to have a crush on Han Xiao Ting. There was a misunderstanding and Zhang Bei Lei thought the crush liked Liu Tao. Zhang Bei Lei started bullying Liu Tao. Han Xiao Ting immediately stands up for Liu Tao clarifying that it had nothing to do with her. Thus Zhang Bei Lei launches the full force of her bullying tactics on Han Xiao Ting.
(2019) The police suspects Liu Tao for Han Xiao Ting's disappearance because she conveniently bought a plane ticket that leaves today.
[Ep3] (2019) Liu Tao did not intend to leave China. She reveals to the police officers (Chen Xi) that she's grateful towards Han Xiao Ting. Her suspicion on why Han Xiao Ting disappeared lies on one person: Zhang Bei Lei.
(2008) Zhang Bei Lei's (and Cai Zi Jing) bullying of Han Xiao Ting escalates. Han Xiao Ting is optimistic and smart. It isn't easy bullying Han Xiao Ting. Whenever Zhang Bei Lei does something, Han Xiao Ting is unfazed and retaliates.
(2018) Han Xiao Ting and Zhang Bei Lei meet again. Zhang Bei Lei owns a hotel and she wants to work with Han Xiao Ting's tourist company. Zhang Bei Lei needs her to approve of her hotel.
Meanwhile Liu Tao messes up in the company. She apologizes and apologizes. Han Xiao Ting despises it when she always has that apologetic attitude. When Han Xiao Ting was bullied ten years ago, Liu Tao did the same. She never stood up for her and only apologized afterwards for not doing anything. To Han Xiao Ting, the most painful experience wasn't the bullying, but her best friend betraying her.
(2019) Liu Tao tells Chen Xi she suspects Zhang Bei Lei of abducting Han Xiao Ting because of what happened ten years ago. Chen Xi laughs it off and makes an offhand comment that she couldn't possibly have killed her father. Liu Tao's expression darkens. That's precisely what happened.
[Ep4] (2018) Zhang Bei Lei takes Han Xiao Ting to the beach to apologize for bullying her (for an entire year according to Liu Tao). Zhang Bei Lei explains her circumstances. Her father had remarried and ever since she got a new little brother, her life at home had been hell. She would run away from home for four days and no one would even know. Her father had hit her once and she was deaf in one ear for two weeks. Cai Zi Jing is no better. Her father would hit her until her bones fractured. Back in high school, she hated the world. She only had one boy she liked and that boy liked Han Xiao Ting. Therefore she took out all her hate onto Han Xiao Ting. Han Xiao Ting quietly listens to Zhang Bei Lei's story. She doesn't directly forgive them but she tells them: let's move on.
[Ep5] (2018) Han Xiao Ting is always having the same recurring nightmares. She's constantly running away from something. Awoken from her nightmare, she pricks her knees until she feels pain then she's able to sleep.
(2008) Liu Tao dreams of stepping up for Han Xiao Ting, but when it comes to reality, she always chickens out. After Han Xiao Ting's hair was superglued and almost burned, Liu Tao finally picks up the courage to make up with Han Xiao Ting. She gives Han Xiao Ting a handmade blue clip. The two girls are best of friends again.
(2018) The class president left (to England) to study ten years ago. He's back now because of Han Xiao Ting but she's giving him the cold shoulder. She blames him for leaving her (when she needed him most?).
[Ep6] (2008) To Han Xiao Ting, Liu Tao isn't just her best friend, she's like her mother as well. Han Xiao Ting's mother passed away and no one taught her how to buy lingerie, It was Liu Tao who took her shopping for those.
(2018) Han Xiao Ting is finally acknowledging Liu Tao at work. It's quite obvious Han Xiao Ting was training her the whole time.
(2019) Liu Tao takes Chen Xi to investigate Zhang Bei Lei. Zhang Bei Lei seems surprised Han Xiao Ting is missing. Meanwhile, Liu Tao is suspiciously staring at her phone.
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[First Impression (Ep1-6)] This is a mystery thriller-ish drama following a girl's revenge on her bullies. It's not super dark though. I think it's fairly light. The drama constantly flashes back and forth between three different times. 2019 is the present time when our main girl, Han Xiao Ting, is reported missing. 2018 is the year Han Xiao Ting meets her high school peers again: Liu Tao (the best friend) and Zhang Bei Lei (the bully). 2008 is the beginning of everything and explains the drastic change in Han Xiao Ting’s personality. I don't quite like how time-jumpy this is. I also wish it was a tad more thrilling. I do still find this intriguing enough that I want to stick around to know what happened between these four girls. My favourite part of the drama is how it fleshes out each of the girl's characters, in particular, Han Xiao Ting and Zhang Bei Lei. They are foils to one another. More than 'stealing' the guy she likes, Zhang Bei Lei probably hated Han Xiao Ting for growing up happily despite being in the same circumstances (single family).
[Actors/Actresses] I like Su Qing and I like Shi Shi. They're the main reasons I'm watching this non-romance drama, ha. They're the two evil villains in my favourite dramas (Yan Xi Palace and The Story of Ming Lan). Shi Shi also plays a bully here but her character background and the way she portrays the bully makes me unable to actually hate her even though she's pretty mean.
[Dropped] Not really my genre. It's not thrilling enough to keep me checking in. I sort of see what the drama is doing. Sometimes the most traumatic form of bullying isn't always the aggressive type (Zhang Bei Lei) but the passive ones (Liu Tao). Liu Tao's passive behaviour to her best friend being bullied was the betrayal that left Han Xiao Ting's heart bitter and cold. I would watch this but I'm not in the mood for for it right now.
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Remarks
[First Impression (Ep1-6)] This is a mystery thriller-ish drama following a girl's revenge on her bullies. It's not super dark though. I think it's fairly light. The drama constantly flashes back and forth between three different times. 2019 is the present time when our main girl, Han Xiao Ting, is reported missing. 2018 is the year Han Xiao Ting meets her high school peers again: Liu Tao (the best friend) and Zhang Bei Lei (the bully). 2008 is the beginning of everything and explains the drastic change in Han Xiao Ting’s personality. I don't quite like how time-jumpy this is. I also wish it was a tad more thrilling. I do still find this intriguing enough that I want to stick around to know what happened between these four girls. My favourite part of the drama is how it fleshes out each of the girl's characters, in particular, Han Xiao Ting and Zhang Bei Lei. They are foils to one another. More than 'stealing' the guy she likes, Zhang Bei Lei probably hated Han Xiao Ting for growing up happily despite being in the same circumstances (single family).
[Actors/Actresses] I like Su Qing and I like Shi Shi. They're the main reasons I'm watching this non-romance drama, ha. They're the two evil villains in my favourite dramas (Yan Xi Palace and The Story of Ming Lan). Shi Shi also plays a bully here but her character background and the way she portrays the bully makes me unable to actually hate her even though she's pretty mean.
[Dropped] Not really my genre. It's not thrilling enough to keep me checking in. I sort of see what the drama is doing. Sometimes the most traumatic form of bullying isn't always the aggressive type (Zhang Bei Lei) but the passive ones (Liu Tao). Liu Tao's passive behaviour to her best friend being bullied was the betrayal that left Han Xiao Ting's heart bitter and cold. I would watch this but I'm not in the mood for for it right now.
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