Notable Actors/Actresses
Chinese Title
我迟到了那么多年
我迟到了那么多年
I Was Late For So Many Years
Romcom/Romance Checklist
How much of the plot is angst/romance?
0.25 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4.75 / 5
The ML:
Cold / Warm / Shy / Falls in Love First / Noble Idiot / CEO / General /The FL:
Bold / Cute / Cool & Independent / Falls in Love First / Better Than ML / Noble Idiot / Describe the Relationship (the tropes):
Bickering Start / Childhood Connection / Cohabitation / Contract Marriage +/- Fake Couple / Enemies to Lovers / Hidden Identity / Middle School to Adulthood / Love Triangle / Married Couple (Real) / Secretly in Love (FL/ML) /Relationship Progress (officially together; first (official) kiss; breakup*):
Ep 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 0 / 1 / 2 / 3
Ending:
Happy / Sad / Open Happy / Open Sad / BadFanFanX: This is a mini series with 15-minute (or thereabouts) eps. It's been quite pleasant and engaging. However, English subs are behind (with non-VIP schedule) so this one may take longer than I'd like to recap. Bear with me. (Plus, it is MangoTV's AI subs... 🤪)
Edit No. 1: To my surprise, I found the OST. See OST subsection under Remarks. However, I'm stuck on a certain ep for recaps as the subs seem to have just stopped coming out. 🤷♀️ Subs are terrible about the flashbacks being in middle or high school... it's middle school. I think?
Edit No. 2: This series ended in mid-January. It's been over a month since and they've finally released the subs for the final two eps. 🤦♀️
Mini Recaps
[Ep1] Jiang Xi Le (喜乐 = Joy) is busy on the phone discussing an underwear design, as she shows up for her medical appointment. She starts removing her clothes for the doctor’s examination until she realizes it’s a male doctor. It gets worse when the doctor walks closer and she sees his name - it’s Ding Ran, the guy she’s had a crush on since middle school but they haven’t seen each other in a decade. When she’s told to move her bra, she removes it and goes to hand it to him. He curtly tells her that she could have just unhooked it. Ou. lol He then proceeds to examine her chest. She's mortified the entire time and afterwards, she runs out of there. She doesn't turn back, even though he tells her that she’s forgotten her bra... and it's heard by everyone else there. lol More salt to the wound. Later, she finds out that her mother has relocated their home and she’s decided to get married to her first love as they’ve recently reconnected.
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| The cake that Xi Le's mother's boyfriend has made. |
When she meets her mother at their new home, she finds out that her mother is getting married to none other than, Ding Ran’s father! So they’ll be step-siblings?! Ha. And they’ll be next door neighbors.
Epilogue: Ding Ran does remember Xi Le from middle school! He had actually been nervous when he had spilled his drink after hearing her name called as the next patient. And when she had come into the room, he had actually been struggling to put on his gloves.
[Ep2] When Xi Le finds out that Ding Ran is joining them for dinner, she tries to run out of there before he arrives. It’s an epic fail, as the two have an accident right at the door. They each end up with a bump on their heads. lol
Xi Le is three months older than him, so he’ll be her didi. xD At their graduation, she’d asked if he’d wanted to be in a relationship with her. He’d coldly rejected her. Now, they two start arguing about what had happened back then. She thinks he hates her, so she says she hates him, too and then leaves without finishing her meal. Later when her mother asks about who her first love was, she says he’s dead. xD Mom’s reaction is cute. Mom-and-daughter relationship seems reversed as Mom is afraid her daughter would flip out knowing in advance that she was getting married to her classmate’s father.
Now, both Xi Le and Ding Ran are looking at photos of each other. Back then, she’d wanted to stand next to him (by height) but the shorter classmate insisted on standing in between them. Right before the shot was taken, the other girl suddenly fell onto the step below her. The girl then angrily blamed Xi Le and had asked who else could have done it. Ah, our 2FL, Lu Liu Liu is here in this flashback, as she’s the one who keeps the angry girl by her side. (They’re closer in height anyway, hehe.) In the present, Ding Ran is looking at a secret photo he’d taken of her, as in right before she’d asked him to date her.
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| His teeny smile. |
Epilogue: During that school photo session, Ding Ran had been the one who had pushed the girl so Jiang Xi Le could stand right next to him! I knew it! He’d even moved closer to her to fill in the gap. Heh. See his smile?
[Ep3] Xi Le decides to bury the hatchet by going to see Ding Ran, as she pops by the Ding house for breakfast. However, in his room, she finds him playing with her bra. LMAO! This guy. When he sees her, he tells her to not use the same material again. She then tries to snatch it away from him, but a hook snags onto his sleeve. He tries to tell her but she pulling and yelling about it. They start this tug-of-war with the bar. Dad pops by to bring her breakfast and this is how he finds them. ⬇⬇⬇
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| The bra fight... lol |
For her revenge, she chides him, didi, for stealing her underwear! XD!!! She gets out of there so fast, and his father, who is open and friendly with her... but he’s quite stern with Ding Ran and tells him to stand at attention. Ding Ran quickly complies as his back is now ramrod straight. I giggle every time he does this! His father chides him for this behavior. The subs aren't quite working here so I'm not sure how his father scolded him though.
Lu Liu Liu, Xi Le’s best friend, agrees to be her underwear model. Later when Liu Liu leaves work, she almost gets run over by a guy in a suit on a motorcycle. She’s annoyed but when he removes his helmet, she’s taken in by his handsomeness. When she gets sprayed by some water, he walks over to cover her with his jacket. The two exchange WeChat information, so she can return his jacket to him later. After she takes off, Qi Fei leaves a voice message for Ding Ran about being in love. Ha.
In person, he tells Ding Ran that he's it's love at first sight. Ding Ran tells him that he doesn’t believe in that. Qi Fei then asks when he started liking Jiang Xi Le then. Ou? Even his friend knows!
Back in school, she had been asked by her mother to take care of him, and she had invited him over for dinner after school. He had said no, and after school, he’d seen her but didn’t let her see him and walked away instead. When it was past dark, she still hadn’t returned home. So Ding Ran had run back to the school to find her but then she’d shown up. Her bike broke and she had been trying to get it serviced but no luck, plus she injured her leg. He’d pushed her home on the broken bike. But he hadn’t stayed for dinner. They had lived across the street from each other - so he had looked into her window at her, and smiled. In the present, Qi Fei asks what he’s going to do now that her mother is marrying his father. He doesn’t say much but when he checks his phone, he sees the group chat with Liu Liu asking about her seeing a movie with Xiao Zhang (the blind date her mother had set her up with before). In the same chat, her mother teases her about him being her future boyfriend, and his father suggests that she bring him home for dinner. Ding Ran suddenly leaves the bar and effectively ditches his friend who went to use the restroom.
Epilogue: Jiang Xi Le had cheered on Ding Ran when he pushed her and the bike up the hill. He’d told her to lower her voice.
[Ep4] Back at home, Ding Ran sees her mother asking if she’s returning home to sleep tonight. He’s antsy about her lack of response. So when she says she’s on her way home, he leaves his room to see where she is. He overhears his father and her mother talking about Xiao Zhang, as they’re watching… The Killer is Also Romantic. Ha! Ding Ran angrily walks out with a paper bag and spies on Xi Le and her date. He interrupts their goodbye by handing her the bag. She looks inside and pulls out the bra. The return of the infernal bra. XD Not sure why she’s so embarrassed as she’s an underwear designer.
His parting shot: He’s washed it for her. Bwahahaha. He leaves with a smirk as her date is appalled by this. She's incredulous and then angry that he just say that. So she then runs after Ding Ran. (I can’t catch their insults because MangoTV subs are so bad… with literal translations that make zero sense to me.)
When they return home, they find their parents dancing in the dark living room. They try to leave but their parents stop them. They ask them to be their bridesmaid and best man, and they ask for their input for their upcoming nuptials. Xi Le and Ding Ran start bickering like they’re the ones getting married… as even his father comments on it. lol Finally Ding Ran comes up with two conditions: He’s never calling her jie jie. She snidely says who wants him to. And if she’s the bridesmaid, he’ll never be the best man. She yells back the same thing at him. Both leave in a huff, going in separate directions. Mom wonders out loud if they can get married since their kids don’t get along.
Liu Liu believes in the 72-hour waiting time and refuses to take the initiative to contact Qi Fei. He contacts her first, and within seconds of her telling him to come to her, he runs into the shop. He sees Xi Le and finds her to be familiar-looking but then she gets a call from Xiao Zhang before Liu Liu can even introduce them. When Xi Le finishes her call, she finds out that Liu Liu has left with him.
When Ding Ran returns home later, Xiao Zhang is already there at the dinner table, and his father introduces him as Xi Le’s boyfriend. Ding Ran doesn’t look happy, and both Xiao Zhang and Jiang Xi Le deny this as they’re not official yet. Xiao Zhang introduces himself to Ding Ran - his full name is Zhang Ping An (平安 = Safety, safe and sound). The two guys shake hands and then they all sit down to dinner together.
During dinner, her mother asks Xiao Zhang what he thinks of their family’s Xi Le. Xi Le says that they need to know each other more. He says that she’s interesting, and he’s very happy to spend time with her. It turns out that Xiao Zhang works with robots, and Ding Ran says it’s great that a robot is working with robots. This earns him another swift kick under the table from his father who then tells him to stand at attention. Ding Ran immediately sets down his chopsticks and sits straight up in his seat. xD Xi Le whispers to her mother why Ding Ran’s father tells him to stand at attention. Her mother says he used to be an instructor… a dog instructor. Hahaha. Dad then tells him that the fish he’s about to eat was caught by Xiao Zhang as Xi Le had gone fishing with him. He puts the now offending piece of fish on Xi Le’s plate, and she quickly tells his father that he’s bullying her. When he tells her to not push her luck, his father kicks him again and tells him to stop bullying his jie jie. Dad then asks Xiao Zhang if he’d like to be his best man as Xi Le is the bridesmaid. Ding Ran looks surprised by this but he doesn’t say anything. Speak, speak! Mom says when one puts their names together, Ping An and Xi Le, translates to peace and joy which is great for the occasion.
Qi Fei walks Liu Liu to her place, and he asks if he could come inside for tea. She coyly says it’s so late to come inside for tea. And the next thing that happens is these two are kissing passionately as they push into her place. When they’re on the couch, he stops and asks about the tea. She taps him on the nose and asks if he really wants the tea. He says no, and they proceed to kiss passionately and end up on her bed. Hot, hot kisses. We get a cold war with the main CP, and we totally need a fire hose for the 2nd CP. lol
Epilogue: Ding Ran had awkwardly practiced saying hi to Xi Le in front of the mirror, “Long time no see, Jiang Xi Le” over and over. Later, he told his father that he heard that the next door neighbors were moving out in a few days. And he mentions this to his father every day until the neighbors finally moved out. Dad eventually asked about his thoughts on having Xi Le and her mother move into the now empty place. A passive-looking Ding Ran told his father to do whatever he wanted and returned to his room.
Back in his room, Ding Ran said more naturally, “Long time no see, Jiang Xi Le,” and then he smiled!
[Ep5] Dinner ends and Mom tells Xiao Zhang to come back for dinner whenever he has time and Dad tells him that they should go fishing together next time. Ding Ran just shakes his head as he’s cleaning up the table. Xiao Zhang says he hopes to be able to attend their wedding and the parents are happy about that. Xi Le then walks over to move Ding Ran out of the way, and reaches under the table to pull out a cooler to return it to Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang goes to leave and her mother insists that Xi Le walk him out. So she leaves.
Then the parents talk about how nice Xiao Zhang is and how they’re a great match. Ding Ran unhappily throws down the towel and pulls out his phone to call Qi Fei as he wants to see him. Qi Fei says that he’s not around. When Ding Ran asks where he is, Qi Fei just hangs up on him.
Qi Fei and Liu Liu are in bed and Qi Fei starts to put on his shirt. Liu Liu says he’s getting dressed so quickly - what does he take her for? He puts down his clothes and pulls the covers back up to his chest and shyly looks at her. She pats him on the head and says that he’s so cute. He leans over to kiss her and they’re back to remaining in bed. These two have some heated kissing scenes…
Downstairs, Xi Le and Xiao Zhang awkwardly say goodbye to each other for the night. Xi Le then sees a message from Liu Liu. When she turns around, Ding Ran is standing there which startles her and makes her lose her balance in her slippers. He tells her that the robot is gone, as he braces her to keep her up right. He then ruins the moment by asking why she’s always stumbling around and asks if she should go to the hospital and get it checked out. She tells him there’s something wrong with him and then walks away. He follows her and asks if she really wants to talk to that robot. She turns around and tells him that he has a name, Zhang Ping An and walks away again. He says he really thinks he’s like a robot without emotion. Pot meet kettle. He then asks if she’s ever seen him with feelings. She turns around and looks at him before asking - people with feelings - does he have it? She says Ping An will be cherished, even if it’s a bucket of fish. She asks what he has, as in the past, he’s always ignored her heart. And now, if he’s always bothering her.
Back then, she’d cheerfully given him a shirt, and he’d flat out told her he didn’t want it. She’d stopped him and told him that it wasn’t an ordinary shirt. She showed him the shirt as she's embroidered their names on the pocket. And then we see how sad she’d been when he had rejected her suggestion that they start dating. Later, a female classmate had dropped by to see her. But this classmate was wearing the shirt she’d given him.
In the present, he explains that the girl had asked to borrow it. She says so if she asked, he just gave it to her? She walks away in a huff, and he follows her and grabs onto the back of her shirt – and pulls on her bra. xD A bra needs to be on the cast list. He quickly lets go and she angrily yells at him for being a pervert and then removes her slipper to try to beat him with it. Mom and Dad are taking a walk outside and come across Xi Le chasing Ding Ran with the slippers. Ding Ran says he didn’t do it on purpose as he’s running away from her wrath. He makes it better worse by telling her to calm down. Mom says that they need to think of something to fix this. Xi Le starts throwing her slipper at Ding Ran.
Qi Fei drops by with a beautiful bouquet for Liu Liu at her shop. He then suggests that they have lunch together later but she says that unfortunately she has a shoot. He offers to take her there but she says that she’ll go there by herself. He holds her hand and says since they’re officially in a relationship, of course, he has to take her there.
She’s pretty happy to hear this, and cutely pulls out her lipstick and marks the inside of her left palm with it and then asks to hold his hand. Then when they open their hands with the sides of their palms lined up – to form a heart. She tells him that he has half of her heart now, so he needs to take good care of it until the next time they see each other. This way they can officially fall in love. He smiles in agreement and she tells him to go. The besotted guy leaves and she says she feels guilty. Ou?
Ding Ran and Xi Le are eating breakfast together and ignoring each other. She’s busy reviewing her designs and suddenly gets up from the table as she needs to leave for work. Dad says she should finish eating before leaving. She replies that she doesn’t really eat breakfast. Dad immediately asks his son if he’s been bullying his sister again. xD!! Ding Ran just looks at him without a word. Dad says even he doesn’t want to eat with him. Ha! Ding Ran says it’s not his business and returns to eating. Xi Le denies this as she’s just running late for work. Dad suggests having Ding Ran drive her and she refuses and turns to leave. Dad continues pressing his son to take her to work. Ding Ran says she was always late for school and it’s normal to be late for work. When she hears this, she starts whining and squirming around about how she’s going to be realllllly late now. Dad now yanks the chopsticks from his son’s hand and chides him for still eating even as his jie jie is late. Ding Ran asks her if she’s okay… and she secretly smirks. Dad then tells him to take her to work. Ding Ran reluctantly gets up to drive her to work. For a guy who likes her, he sure doesn’t do/say much to show that. He just keeps digging holes…that she’s planning to fill - by burying him alive in. xD
In the car, he asks if she did that on purpose. She says yes. He tells her that there is a bus stop up ahead and it’s convenient to take a taxi. She pulls out her phone and acts like she’s calling someone, and says “Ding shu shu, di di said he’d let –” and he yanks her phone away from her ear. He asks for the company address. She admits that she lied and didn’t really call his father. She will send the company address to their family group text.
Elsewhere, Qi Fei is examining the lipstick half heart on his right hand and wondering what Liu Liu meant about falling in love.
Xi Le’s report is in and Ding Ran sees that she has a tumor in the left breast. He then calls Xi Le, and tells her in person. She starts freaking out about it being cancer and spreading and – He tells her that it’s not that serious as it’s benign fibroadenoma (a solid breast lump) but it’s not cancer. Just get the procedure to have it removed and it’ll be fine. She’s upset and agitated by this. Ding Ran, for the first time ever, actually tells her to not worry about it as it’s not a problem and he says this with a small smile! Her eyes get huge and then she asks if it’s VV or KK. He’s not sure what she’s asking. She says, is it the left one or the right one. He answers VV (left).
[Ep6] A worried-looking Xi Le is sitting in her room. Meanwhile, Ding Ran is looking at his phone and wondering what excuse he should use to add her as a friend on WeChat. He doesn’t do it as he doesn’t want to worry her. But then she sends him the request to add, and tells him to not let her mother know about her surgery as she’ll become very worried. He calls her to ask why she isn’t sleeping. She says that she can’t sleep. He tells her to go to bed early and when he goes to hang up, she stops him. She has some questions – how long will this operation take. He says it doesn’t take that long – about an hour. Then she asks if it’ll leave a scar. He says yes but this scar can be removed with treatment. She wants to ask more but he tells her that she has a check-up tomorrow so she gets some rest. She quietly agrees and says good night.
The next morning, Xi Le tries to sneak out early enough with her luggage but is caught by her mother. Her mother asks if she’s going on a trip with Xiao Zhang and when did she fall in love. Xi Le denies that she’s fallen in love with him. Ding Ran comes inside with his bag and says that her company has a work trip and she asked him to pick her up. Is he actually being nice to her?! The two leave before Mom asks any further questions. He actually rolls out her bag for her and when she says she can do it herself, he says it’s not a big deal as he can do it for her. She then tells him that he doesn’t have to take her to the hospital as she can get there on her own. He replies that he’s not taking her for any reason other than it being on the way. When they get to the parking lot, Xiao Zhang is standing and waiting by his car.
She tells Ping An that she already told him that he didn’t have to come. He says that the hospital is on the way. So she tells Ding Ran that she’s going to – and he interrupts to say that it’s best if someone takes her. Ping An then walks up to take Xi Le’s suitcase from Ding Ran, but he refuses to let go. So the two guys both keep their grip on the suitcase and stare down at each other. When Xi Le notices this standoff, she removes their hands and takes the suitcase herself.
Now Xiao Zhang takes the suitcase from her, and loads it into his car. She looks back at Ding Ran and tells him that Ping An knows because they were supposed to have plans for the weekend. Ding Ran says it doesn’t matter and he keeps his polite smile on. But when Ping An drives past him, he drops his smile as he looks at the tail lights. He slowly walks over to his car and chides his car for being useless. lol
At the hospital, Ping An has prepared everything for her hospital stay – towels, toothbrush, and wet wipes. He tells her to tell him if anything is missing and he’ll go buy it for her. She tells him to go to work and if she’s missing anything, she’ll buy it herself. He suddenly claps and says “comb” and he’ll go buy one right now. She tells him that she doesn’t need it as she’s already brought her own. He then asks when she’ll have the preoperative exam, and he’ll accompany her for that. She tells him that there’s no need. Ding Ran is outside her room with a bag for her as well. He’s trying… One of her roommates, an auntie, interrupts her to say that it’s hard to have an operation alone, and she should let her boyfriend accompany her. Another auntie chimes in that they want to find someone to accompany them. Ding Ran walks past the door without a word. Xi Le starts denying that they’re together but she notices that someone just walked by and wonders… Ping An then starts saying “Jiang Jiang” and she asks if he’s talking to her. He asks if he can call her that, and she says yes, he can do whatever he wants. She then returns to looking through the doorway. She tells Ping An that her preoperative examination is tomorrow but for such a small operation, she’ll just go by herself. She tells him to leave for work. He tells her it’s okay as he’s already asked for leave. She looks shocked and tells him to cancel his leave as she doesn’t have any medical appointments until tomorrow. She finally whispers to him that this operation is inconvenient for him. He now understands and finally leaves. I don’t think Xi Le likes him in a romantic sense.
It’s quite late in the evening as Ding Ran drops by to see Xi Le, but he finds her bed empty. He becomes concerned and wonders where she could’ve gone. He calls her but there’s no answer. He walks up the stairs and finds her standing outside. He asks what she’s doing. She says that needs to call her mother and since it’s so late, she didn’t want to disturb the others. He tells her to get some rest after she finishes her call and turns to leave. She says his name and he asks what’s the matter. She says this is her first time staying in the hospital and she doesn’t know the two women in her ward. She doesn’t want to be there. He walks back over to her and says that he’ll stay with her for a while. She asks if their relationship isn’t a little awkward as he’s helping her with the operation. He smiles and asks what their relationship is. She says they’re – well, the day he examined her, it was particularly embarrassing for her. She asks if he isn’t embarrassed. He shakes his head. He says, for him, except for surprises, if the patient he saw was other than he, he has nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s his job so whether it is the breast or other parts, it’s just another body part. She doesn’t understand how it could all be the same to him.
He says that skin contact between the hands is all the same. She doesn’t understand so he asks for her hand and he holds her hand. This makes her eyes bulge as she stares at their hands together. He asks if she feels embarrassed as he’s holding her hand. More like her heart is about to jump out of her chest. She tells him she is a little bit and then pulls her hand away from his. She asks if taking medicine can make the tumor go away, without having the operation. He tells her to not worry so much as this operation is just a minor one. He then says he promises that she’ll be all right. Doctors aren’t supposed to say stuff like that - medical malpractice! lol She asks what if something happens. When her father had surgery, everyone said it was okay but the result wasn’t. No wonder she didn’t want her mother to worry. He doesn’t say anything, so she tells him to forget it and she’s going back to bed. She walks away and he says her name. She turns back around and he walks over to take her hand. He then starts writing on her palm – successful surgery. (手术顺利) He then writes his name in red ink on his own hand, and then places his palm over her palm. He’s stamped his name on her hand! He says this is so her operation will go smoothly. She stares at her hand and then looks up at him. She smiles and asks why he is so nice to her all of a sudden. He replies because she’s his… She’s confused. He finishes saying family. He says that they have a family relationship. I wonder which meaning of family he means here.
Back in her room, she’s staring at the writing on her hand and gingerly tracing over his name with a fingertip. At the nurses’ station, he’s looking at his hand – and then he slowly smiles. Xi Le is also smiling inside her room.
[Ep7] Ding Ran helps Xi Le complete her preoperative exam – with one of those things being a mammogram. Afterwards, she sees him waiting outside, and she runs away from him as she’s now super embarrassed by the entire experience. lol Back at home, Mom and Dad comment about how quiet it is as both kids are away. Mom even misses their quarreling. Dad says he’s glad that she’s here to enjoy his cooking. She then asks if Ding Ran used to eat his cooking. Dad says the truth is before she moved here, Ding Ran - and he raises his right hand - the number of times he eats at home in a year does not exceed this number. He says this child has a plan for everything, including eating these five meals which are booked in advance. Dad has always wondered if he’d come back and join him unexpectedly for a meal outside of these five meals, or perhaps bring home a girlfriend but he never has. When she asks what kind of girl Ding Ran likes, he says that he’s never come across a girl that he likes. She wonders if he doesn’t like girls then.
Xi Le is fretting over her upcoming surgery and tells Ding Ran that she can’t sleep. Ding Ran pulls out a paper bag from her nightstand and then hands her a bunny eye mask. He then says that there are also melatonin and ear plugs as he nods at the bag. She asks how did he know she’d need this, and he says it’s her first hospitalization. She grins and gently rubs at the cute bunny eye mask. He then says he’ll put it on her and gently puts it on her head. She lays down but her eyes remain open. He then gently pulls the eye mask down over her eyes and tells her to go to sleep. When he leaves, she peeks out from under the eye mask. One of the aunties slides open the privacy curtain and tells her to change boyfriends as being with a doctor is good. Then the other auntie chimes in that the other guy was better, and one needs a reliable boyfriend. It can’t just be based on handsomeness. The two women are now annoyed with each other.
The next morning, Ding Ran brings her a pair of bunny socks as he knows she’ll be cold during the surgery. She smiles at him and he tells her to put them on. She happily complies with a grin. Since she’s not looking at him, he actually smiles, too. She is pleased with how cute the socks are. She then shows him her phone and asks for him to play this song when he performs the surgery as she feels at ease whenever she hears this song. He tells her that when she’s anesthetized, she can’t hear anything. He returns the phone to her and tells her to get ready for the surgery.
At the start of the surgery, Ding Ran asks for the nurse to play her song. The nurse comments that this is the first time she’s heard a song while he’s performing surgery. Ding Ran doesn’t say anything but he’s looking at Xi Le who is on the operating table. During the surgery, she dreams about their school days – she was always following him around. She then hears Ding Ran saying her name over and over. She opens her eyes slowly and when she sees him, she asks if the surgery hasn’t started yet. He tells her that it’s over with and nothing happened at all. She puts her hand on her chest and says that her breasts are gone. He says that the anesthesia hasn’t worn off yet. She then grabs at her breast and he gently puts that hand in between his hands and gently tells her to not touch her wound. They look at each other until her phone rings, it’s 666 is calling. He answers and it’s Liu Liu, who asks which room Xi Le is in. Six = Liu 六, which sounds similar to her name, Liu Liu 溜溜. 666 = Chinese slang meaning skilled or smooth. Ha.
Liu Liu heads towards Xi Le’s ward, but then turns about face when she sees Qi Fei in the distance. It’s too late as he’s already spotted her, and he happily runs towards her. He mentions that he’s been unable to find her in person, and she hasn’t been returning his messages. He asks if she’s sick. She says no, she’s been busy and she’s visiting a friend. She then asks if he’s sick, and he gets quiet and hides the papers in his hands behind his back. He then raises his right hand to show her the half heart on his right palm, which he’s been preserving. Suddenly, a young girl slips off of her skateboard and Qi Fei runs to get onto the runaway board and now, Liu Liu puts the half heart back on her palm… After Qi Fei returns the skateboard to the girl, Liu Liu shows her hand to him and the two press their palms together and when they reveal it - the halves don’t line up. She realizes that and drops her hand. She immediately says that she still has his coat and asks if he’d like to come over to get it and drink some tea. He slowly nods yes.
Xi Le is resting in her room and replaying today’s interaction with Ding Ran. She wonders why he suddenly cares about her. Is it because she’s his patient? She then pulls out her phone to call Liu Liu… who is busy under the covers with Qi Fei. Xi Le tells her that she can’t sleep, and Liu Liu suggests that she count sheep. When Qi Fei pops up from under the covers, she quickly says it’s her mother and then hangs up on Xi Le. Xi Le is wondering what just happened and then she sees a message from Liu Liu – it’s a sticker of a rose losing its petals… indicating that she’s busy with a guy… lol And then Xi Le’s mother actually does call. She hurriedly puts on her pink shirt and tries to get outside to answer the call. But Ding Ran sees her and asks where she’s going. She tells him that her mother wants to do a video call, and he quickly walks over and buttons her shirt. She looks shocked. He says that she’s not all buttoned up and her mother will find out. (Her hospital gown.) She thanks him and then says she’ll call her mother from the stairwell. He says no, it’s too dark, and then he pulls her by her hand and they run through the hospital hallway.
The next morning, she tries to put on her socks but is unable to bend forward due to the strap across her wound. Ding Ran comes in and places her feet over his lap and then puts the socks onto her feet. She tells him he doesn’t need to, and he replies whether they’re going to be a family or not, he should take care of her. When he’s done, the two stare into each other’s eyes until they’re interrupted by Liu Liu who comes bearing flowers and fruit. Ding Ran leaves to give the girls privacy.
In his office, Ding Ran looks at his phone and smiles. The nurse comments that he’s been weird lately as he’s laughing all the time. She asks if there’s something that he’s happy about. He says that someone said they’ll give him peaches. The nurse is wondering why he’s happy about receiving peaches. He goes back to smiling at his phone as he reads a message from Xi Le that says the peaches from Liu Liu are very sweet, and she’ll give him some later. Ah, subs, you have utterly failed me but I found a way! xD
Xi Le tells Liu Liu that she should just date Qi Fei. Liu Liu says he’s just a little pure-hearted boy. She then asks when Xi Le started with Ding Ran and his trap. Xi Le denies falling into his trap. She just wants them to get along and be a family. Her friend scoffs at this. Liu Liu says that she’s enjoyed peaches since she was young but they’re limited by season. She asks her if she had to choose – would she choose this orange that’s sweet year-round or this peach that may have a risky taste? Xi Le doesn’t say anything. So Liu Liu says she bets 8,888 yuan that she will choose peach. Back in Xi Le’s room, the aunties (her roommates) are bickering over which is better – sweet peaches or nutritious oranges. These two aunties. xD Xi Le wonders to herself why there are peaches and oranges everywhere. Ha.
That evening, Ding Ran pulls out a sketchbook from his nightstand and looks at it. The first page says “Jiang Xi Le & Ding Ran Ten-Year Plan”. OMG. His father was right before – he does plan for everything! Back then, he had planned to confess to her by giving her this ten-year plan book! While he had been practicing what he would say to her, he’d seen her with the bouquet of flowers and smiling in the field. She’d turned around when Liu Liu had told her to get moving. He’d then taken a picture of her. That’s where that picture on his phone came from! So what changed?! In the present, Ding Ran lays down to sleep with a small smile on his face.
The next day, Ding Ran swings by to pick up the now discharged Xi Le to take her home. But then Ping An shows up to do the same thing. She tells him that she’d told him that he didn’t need to do this. He says that he was just passing by. Because normal people pass by through the hospital on their everyday work routine. The two guys shake hands and then size up each other in the hallway as she returns to her room to gather her belongings. The aunties comment that the oranges came, too. They ask if the peaches and oranges can fight. xD She can’t get out of there fast enough as the two continue quarreling. Ping An tells Ding Ran that he doesn’t need to be troubled by her as he’ll take care of her now. Ding An tells him as their families are living in one home, so it’s not bothersome for him. The person who is being troubled would be him. Ping An tells him that it’s not troublesome – as he pushes up his glasses with his middle finger – to send home the girl he likes. This standoff is interrupted by Xi Le who pushes through with her luggage and is on the phone with a driver. Both guys call after her and she finally turns around and says that she’s called for a ride so she’s leaving now. She actually runs away.
Back at home, Ding Dad is happily telling her to eat all of the dishes that he’s made for her return. Mom tells her that he’s been preparing all of this for a long time. She smiles politely at this, and then mutters out of the side of mouth, at Ding Ran, asking if she can eat all of this after surgery. He shakes his head and whispers no, she can’t. She picks up a piece of celery and quickly eats it with her rice. Both parents are confused. Dad places a piece of braised pork in her bowl, and asks for her opinion on it. So now she has to try it and picks it up with her chopsticks to stare at it. Ding Ran quickly reaches over and steals the piece of meat and eats it. Dad asks what he’s doing. He says that he wants to eat it. So Mom gives her a piece of chicken, and he steals the chicken for himself and eats it. Dad asks what he means by this. Ding Ran says that he doesn’t want her to have a single bite.
Xi Le cluelessly asks why he’s losing his temper as she hasn’t lost hers yet, and then smiles at their parents. Ding Ran slams down his chopsticks and tells her to lose it then, as who wouldn’t let her lose it, and gestures with his eyes at their parents. It finally dawns on her what he’s doing. She says fine, she’ll lose her temper and then slams down her chopsticks and stands up. She says she’s not eating this meal. Ding Ran also stands up and says he’s not eating either. The two angrily walk away from the table. She heads for the front door and tells him to just wait for her. But she’s giving him a thumbs up with a smile, and he tells her okay, they’ll see and gives her the okay sign with a small smile. The parents can’t see either one of their faces. (~13:35) After both have left, Mom sighs and then says that there’s no improvement in their relationship.
At Liu Liu’s coffee shop, Xi Le tells Liu Liu that she doesn’t dare to think any further on her relationship with Ding Ran. She’s chalking his recent behavior to him caring for a patient. They’re interrupted by Ping An, and Liu Liu teasingly asks if she wants oranges. Xi Le greets Ping An and asks why he’s here. He says that she hasn’t been answering his calls, so he was worried something had happened to her. He’d reached out to her mother who said she’d be here. She says that her phone has been charging so she hasn’t noticed, and then asks what’s going on. He says that he was busy during her hospitalization, so he wanted to see her today. She tells him that they’re not in a relationship, so he doesn’t have to specially come see her.
There’s a slight pause before she says that she has something to tell him. He interrupts to ask if they can formally start going out. Her jaw drops at this.
Epilogue: Back in that field at school, Xi Le had been practicing her confession to Ding Ran.
[Ep9] A shocked Xi Le tells Ping An that that wasn’t what she meant. Liu Liu who’s been eavesdropping the entire time tells her employee, Xiao Ke that she’ll take her to drink tea. Meanwhile, back at home, Ding Ran is looking over his ten-year plan and writes in the year, 2022 in one of the panels. He thinks to himself so long as she’s not with Ping Ah, then they can be lovers. He goes out into the living room, where Ding Dad and Jiang Mom are writing wedding invitations and discussing the guest list. Ding Ran pours himself a glass of water and pauses in drinking it when he hears Mom mention that it would be good if Xi Le and Xiao Zhang (Ping An) got married. Dad asks if they’re together yet. Mom tells him that he had called and said he was going to confess to her today. Ding Ran slams down his glass of water, runs to grab his book and then quickly runs out of there.
He calls Xi Le but can’t get through. He recalls when she gave him the embroidered shirt, when she confessed to him, and his own confession practice speech. He calls Liu Liu and asks where Xi Le is and then drives like a maniac over to the coffee shop. He thinks over and over, “Don’t promise to like him”. He runs to the coffee shop but stops outside when he sees Xi Le and Ping An hugging. When he sees her smile, the book falls out of his hand and lands with a loud thud on the ground.
Back at home, he wonders why he plans every time, and then has to plan again and again as the result is always the same. Stop planning and start doing?!! He gets up and puts the book back into his nightstand drawer.
 |
| They’re practically in a couple’s outfit here. |
The next morning, Xi Le says hi to Ding Ran who doesn’t say anything and just keeps walking. She then says she’s late for work and asks for a ride. He says that he’s in a hurry today and suggests that she call for a ride and then walks away. She’s confused by his coldness. He then speeds by her in his car. She wonders if he really has something urgent.
Qi Fei makes Liu Liu a latte with a heart on it, and a small cake. When she puts her fork into the cake, she pulls out a ring. Surprise! He wants them to get married. She doesn’t seem happy about this though. She tells him that she’s not marrying him. He looks disappointed but he says he knows, as every time he wants confirmation on their relationship, she avoids the subject. He’s not sure what else he can do for them to be together. She says it’s not that she doesn’t want a relationship with him. She doesn’t want one with anyone. He’s a very nice guy but he can’t do this again. She then says she has something to do and leaves.
Ding Ran returns home after work, and Xi Le is waiting to talk to him. He tells her that he’s tired and they can talk another time. He turns to leave and she tells him that she’ll be quick. He doesn’t say anything but he goes to his room. She follows him in and mentions the scar for her wound. Their parents return, so he quickly reaches over to close the door, which results in her leaning against the bookcase as he’s standing quite close to her. Coincidental door bidong? Mom says that there’s no water at her place, and so she checks to see if there’s water at his place. The water is running here. Inside his room, Xi Le and Ding Ran are staring at each other. Dad calls for him but he doesn’t answer. The parents finally leave as Dad mutters about every light being on in the place. Ding Ran tells her to use some scar cream. She then says that a colleague found out about her di di working in breast care so she has – he interrupts to sternly tell her that he’s not her di di. She asks him what’s wrong with him – he helped her out the other day, seems to care about her very much, and just now – She stops and asks him about when she was in the hospital, as he obviously really took care of her and now he seems to be avoiding her. He’s not making eye contact with her. She’s confused by him and wants to know what exactly their relationship is. He finally looks at her and says they have a doctor-patient relationship. He takes very good care of every patient, including her. She says she understands, and then her eyes tear up angrily as she says it was wishful thinking on her part. She then storms out of there. He follows her out and asks what is wishful thinking.
Back then, Xi Le had argued with the mean girl (the same one who got shoved in the school picture) about Ding Ran. Xi Le had said that if she snagged Ding Ran, then she’d take away something she wanted and get to tick her off, too. Xi Le had then told the girl that when her confession was successful, she’d be the first to know. She turned and walked away with the bouquet of flowers in her hand. Ding Ran had overheard this conversation. In the present, Ding Ran tells her that clearly she and that girl on graduation day – she angrily interrupts to tell him to not mention graduation day again.
And so when Xi Le had confessed to Ding Ran in front of their classmates, he’d coldly told her that he had no time to participate in her boring life. He had then walked away and left her standing alone with the flowers. In the present, she tells him that her biggest regret was confessing to him in public. She then leaves and returns to her own room. She then tearfully sends Liu Liu a message: If she likes Ding Ran again, then she’ll transfer her 8,888 yuan. She then angrily yells and writhes in frustration on her bed over him.
[Ep10] Xi Le has breakfast in the morning and Ding Dad gives her a box which Ding Ran had told him to return to her as she’d left it on the couch. She opens the box and finds a tube of scar cream with a note telling her to use it for her scar. Now, she’s even more confused by his hot and cold behavior. I would be, too! She tells Ding Dad that she’ll go wake up her mother. She returns to her place and her mother is on the phone with Ping An and telling him to come for dinner when he’s free. Mom ends the call and Xi Le tells her to not call him again, and it’s awkward now as she’s rejected him. Ou! Mom seems to just accept this, and Xi Le asks why she isn’t asking why, or why they’re not together, etc. Mom replies, even if she did, would she continue to see him? Xi Le says no. Mom says well, that’s that, and she’s obviously decided that she doesn’t like him and already rejected him, so what else can she say. Xi Le goes to hug her mother and says she’s the best. Mom says she just hopes that she falls in love and gets married but life is so short, so she should be with someone she likes. Aww. Then Mom asks if there’s someone she does like, which makes Xi Le say no adamantly.
They’re interrupted by Xi Le’s boss who calls to yell at her about being off from work and being on leave. She gets away from her mother to answer the call in private, and then whispers to him that last time she had surgery and today, she’s going in for a follow-up visit. Mom overhears parts of her conversation but Xi Le quickly closes the doors on her. Her boss then starts yelling about her making things up as she doesn’t have a broken arm or leg. She quietly says that she included a hospital certificate in her leave of absence. Her boss says he doesn’t care if she’s sick or going to a funeral but she better show up within the next 10 minutes. Xi Le isn’t having this, so she opens the door and starts yelling that she’ll resign right now. She then takes him to task for not understanding underwear, design work, or women – and that the whole company has been killed by his ilk. She yells that the company’s a chaotic mess because of him and then she finally hangs up on him. Mom looks shocked but when Xi Le looks at her, she happily claps and says she’s finally quit her job. Both parents never say or do quite what I expect! Love them. Xi Le looks shocked and incredulously asks her if she quit her job and Mom nods. Xi Le collapses onto the couch and wonders how she’s quit again.
Ding Ran is back in their hometown riding around on a bike, and helping an old man with his peaches. The man knows him and insists that he take some peaches but Ding Ran only takes one. Later, he finds a puppy, which he takes home. After he gives the puppy food and water, he takes the peach inside and sets it down on the kitchen table.
A sweating Xi Le appears to be arriving at the same town as her mother had suggested that she go relax at their old family home, and visit her second and fourth aunts. The same old man also recognizes her and offers her a peach, which she accepts. He then offers her a ride on the back of his truck. After he drops her off, she gets sprayed by some boys playing with water guns. Instead of getting mad, she ends up joining them in their water fight.
Not long after, Ding Ran and Xi Le cross paths from opposite sides of the same road. But Ding Ran was waylaid by a parcel delivery so they don’t see each other. Ding Ran rides his bike away, and comes upon a crying boy. He asks him what’s wrong and the boy says this strange jie jie broke his water gun. lol!
Xi Le finally arrives at the house and finds the puppy outside in his dog house, and wonders where he came from. She pets him and then goes inside and notices the peach on the table. She sets her peach right next to it and wonders if someone else is here.
Later, she’s on the phone with her Second Aunt and finds out that some student had just stayed there. She then asks her aunt not to say anything to her Fourth Aunt about her return, as she’ll ask her about Zhang Ping An. Ou? She notices that the student had left his razor and toothbrush in the bathroom. She only remarks that a middle-schooler is using a razor now. Shen then leaves to buy herself a new toothbrush.
Ding Ran returns home and wonders if he left on all the lights. He then notices the second peach on the table. He wonders how there’s a second one but he just goes to brush his teeth and gets ready for bedtime. When he gets into the bedroom, the light switch isn’t working but he slides under the covers on the far side and promptly goes to sleep. Eventually Xi Le returns and gets ready for bed as well. She puts her cup next to his before heading to the bedroom. She also notices that the light switching isn’t working. She crawls into the same bed and goes to sleep.
The next morning, they’re awakened by the alarms on their phones. After they each turn off the alarms, they realize there’s someone else in the bed. The two turn to see each - they’re each shocked to see the other.
[Ep11] Xi Le starts screaming and calls him a pervert as she snatches the covers up to her chest. He puts on a shirt over his t-shirt, looks over and asks if she’s naked or something as she’s wearing clothes. She says loudly that she’s not wearing underwear. He chides her for saying that so loudly that the neighbors can probably hear it. She tells him snidely that he doesn’t need to be so calm, all doctor-ly and even though he’s treated her – things are different now. He gets up and says he’ll go out first and leaves the room.
Back at home, Ding Dad asks Jiang Mom if the two of them are under one roof, will there be a fight. Mom says no, as it’s easy to enhance one's feelings if one can’t be alone. She’s hoping that their affection will increase then. Dad is still worried that they’ll fight and feels like something big will happen. Mom says it’ll be fine, and then the phone rings. It’s Xi Le who yells to ask her mother why she didn’t tell her that Ding Ran is staying at their house. Dad then receives a call from a much calmer Ding Ran who asks why he didn't tell him that Xi Le was staying there as well. Mom tries to get Xi Le to calm down, and Dad whispers to Ding Ran that Xi Le’s lost her job and isn’t in a good mood. So he better take care of her and stop bullying her. Always our boy’s fault.
When Xi Le finally comes downstairs, a warm Ding Ran tells her to have breakfast. He places the food on the table and sits across from her to watch her eat. She asks why he’s suddenly changed again. He replies that their parents are not here so they don’t need to pretend to argue. She asks why he drew a line with her before. He says that’s for another reason. He then says he’ll look for another place to stay but he needs to leave for work. He goes outside and tells Jiang Jiang, the puppy, to go to this jie jie for food. He named it after her! She asks if he’s insulting her by calling it this. He says no, he just thinks it’s cute. They’re interrupted by an angry Liu Liu who had a hard time finding a taxi and is waving her heels around in her hand. She complains about needing slippers now. However, when she sees that Ding Ran is there, she stops, turns around, puts her shoes back and then calmly walks back to say hi. She’s curious as to why Ding Ran is here. Once he leaves, Liu Liu asks her if they’re going to drink tea. Xi Le denies this.
Ding Ran is happily riding his bike as he recalls his earlier conversation with Xi Le’s mother. She’d told him that she was lovelorn and unemployed. Mom had informed him that she had rejected Ping An, as she didn’t want to be with someone who just didn’t make her happy. She just doesn’t have any affection for him. Mom had told him to get along well with her, and he’d assured her that he would. This is why he was so calm and sweet at breakfast! This happy boy needs to talk to her already.
The girls are sitting outside eating popsicles when a handsome guy stops nearby with his suitcase. Liu Liu, who isn’t wearing her contact lenses, gets up to flirt with the guy. But when he walks closer to her, she discovers it’s Qi Fei - the guy she’s been avoiding. She turns about face and walks away from him. Xi Le encourages him to persuade her. Qi Fei recognizes her so he says her full name, which makes her ask why he knows it. He says that he’s seen a photo of her on Ding Ran’s cell phone. She’s surprised by this. He continues saying that he has a picture of her on his phone all the time. Liu Liu returns and asks Qi Fei why he’s following her. He says that he didn’t follow her as he’s here to see a friend. He makes a call to this friend, and Ding Ran walks in while on the phone with him. Ding Ran is surprised to see him here.
Ding Ran and Xi Le are now drinking tea, and watching the bickering duo – as they’re arguing about drinking tea. Qi Fei had literally meant drinking tea, but she had thought it meant having sex. Xi Le asks Ding Ran how everyone knows each other. He quietly replies that Qi Fei fell in love with her at first sight. The two then ask Ding Ran and Xi Le about what the meaning of drinking tea is. Ding Ran and Xi Le say in unison that they don’t want to understand. lol Liu Liu asks why drinking tea wasn’t enough and why he needs to fall in love. The bickering couple then ask for the other two’s input on falling in love. They don’t have anything to say about it. Liu Liu then brings up Xi Le falling in love with Ding Ran in the past and wanting to confess to him but then that mean girl tried to make trouble for her. Ding Ran asks her what she meant by that. Liu Liu shuts her mouth as Xi Le doesn’t want her to say anything more.
[Ep12] During their graduation party, Ding Ran while wearing the shirt she’d embroidered, had been looking for Xi Le and had been told she was in a classroom. In that classroom, the mean girl had asked Xi Le if she was going to confess to Ding Ran. Xi Le had said it was none of her business. The mean girl had told her that if she failed then she would never pester him again. Xi Le had told her it was boring and then walked away. The girl had grabbed onto her arm and went on about how she was a better match for Ding Ran. Ding Ran had walked by at this point and so he’d only heard what Xi Le had said about taking something she wanted - Ding Ran - away from her. Xi Le had been defending herself against the mean girl’s barbs. [Mean girl has a name but I dislike her enough to refuse to use it. :P] This had made Ding Ran leave the scene, which the mean girl had noticed. He had then removed the shirt and balled it up.
In the present, he looks at the same shirt and thinks about his earlier conversation alone with Liu Liu. She tells him that his cruel rejection had made Xi Le cry buckets later. He tries to tell her that he had thought – but she interrupts to ask if he hadn’t noticed the mean girl’s smug face afterwards. She then chided him for giving Xi Le’s shirt to that spiteful girl. After the mean girl had fallen into the water, she’d gotten out and told him that she was cold. She had then purposely snatched the embroidered shirt out of his hand to put it on and then spitefully flaunted it in front of Xi Le. Liu Liu asked him why he cared about the mean girl’s being. He says that he didn’t. She then asks if he still likes Xi Le. He explains that he’d thought she was with Ping An. She becomes frustrated by this and tells him to use his mouth to ask her. Bingo.
Ding Ran folds the shirt and finishes packing his stuff into his suitcase. Xi Le knocks on the door and asks where he’s going and he says that he’s returning her room to her, and he’s just moving downstairs. He then tells her that he needs to talk to her alone. He pulls her outside and has her sit down before telling her the following: 1) He’s not moving away today, 2) He’s not moving tomorrow either, 3) Her mother asked her to get along well with her. No. 3 doesn’t seem to be what he really wants to tell her… He finally sits down across from her and asks if Ping An is her boyfriend. She says that she doesn’t have anything to do with Ping An and she’s made it clear with him.
That day, Xi Le had rejected Ping An at the coffee shop. She had said that he was a nice person, with great character, as he’s sincere, reliable and excellent. She knows he’s very kind. But in this life, “if you can only fall in love and get married to one person… in regards to them, you should find someone you like.” He had agreed and said that he should give himself more chances to meet someone else. Before he had left, he had asked for a hug. She’d given him that hug - which Ding Ran had seen from outside. The boy’s timing needs work. lol
Later, they get dinner ready and when Ding Ran goes to get the other two - Xi Le notices a message from Liu Liu – once again it’s the rose. She quickly tells Ding Ran that they’re not fighting anymore, as Liu Liu will say one thing but do another. Ding Ran says that he’ll go check on them but she tells him to not check on them and just looks upstairs at the bedroom window.
Upstairs, Qi Fei and Liu Liu had gone from arguing over Ding Ran and Xi Le’s situation to him refusing to let her leave when she wanted to stop Ding Ran and Xi Le. His domineering way had turned her on and so… But they're interrupted by a call from her ex-boyfriend telling her that he was getting married. She tells him that she wants to be alone, and Qi Fei is shocked to hear that she has an ex-boyfriend as she had insisted on never falling in love.
Everyone is now alone in their respective beds: Xi Le is mulling over why Ding Ran is behaving weird again. She tosses in her bed and wonders what he wants. Liu Liu is alone in bed and fretting over everyone around her getting married. Qi Fei wonders what just happened. Ding Ran wonders if they’ll have a new beginning tomorrow.
Liu Liu and Xi Le get ready for their reunion gathering. So they show up dressed to the nines while everyone else looks middle-aged, harried and there’s even an infant there. lol They’re at a KTV. Also, the mean girl is nowhere to be seen, which was the only reason they even went to this event. When someone starts saying that Liu Liu is a model who is too good to drink with them, Xi Le gets angry and drinks in her place as Liu Liu is allergic to alcohol. Ding Ran returns home to a glum-looking Qi Fei who tells him that the girls are gone.
The guys have a very quiet dinner. Xi Le is outdrinking some of the guys at KTV. However, when one of the guys starts poormouthing Ding Ran for becoming a breast doctor as just an excuse to touch women’s breasts, Xi Le starts to defend him and yanks off the man’s wig to reveal his very bald head. xD Ding Ran receives a video of what just happened in the group chat and runs out to get to her. He forgets about Qi Fei, who has to follow him on his motorbike. Of course, Ding Ran happens to arrive in time to catch a falling drunk Xi Le, in her slinky black dress, as she lands back into his arms. When she sees him, she whines that they all remember when he rejected her and they’re all laughing at her humiliation. The entire room erupts into total denial at this. Liu Liu quietly tells him that this is their 7th round of drinks. Ding Ran quietly tells her there’s nothing embarrassing about it, and suggests they go home. He then tells the room that they need to leave. After they leave, Qi Fei arrives to drape his jacket over her shoulders and says that he’s here to take her home. When they ask who he is, he says that he’s Liu Liu’s boyfriend and he’s already picked up the tab for them.
While Ding Ran is driving, Xi Le has her hand and head hanging out the window. He stops the car to get her to stop. Xi Le turns around and says that she has something for him. When she opens her hand, a firefly flies out of her palm and then out his window. Ding Ran looks at her and they lock eyes. He then starts leaning towards her.
Ding Ran remembers that day and continues looking over a very drunk Xi Li. He leans down as if to kiss her but before he can do so, she notices all of the fireflies over his shoulder, outside his window and she runs out of the car. She points out the fireflies to him, and then happily spins around in her dress. He smiles as she did the same thing back then, spinning around in her school uniform following the fireflies. He had then apologized to her for being so mean. She had said that she knew he was angry. She knew that his father had transferred him to another school, and they hadn’t told him about the divorce until now. She had told him that so long as she was here, she’d take care of him. She had then gone back to following the fireflies, happily chasing them and spinning around. He watches her spin around in her slinky black dress just as happily now, as she did back then. The love these two have had for each other - it’s all in their eyes. He finally removes his jacket and places it around her shoulders. She drunkenly leans against the car and calls his name as she’s looking around for him. He stays put nearby and patiently tells her that he’s here. She then smiles and spins over to him. She leans against him as she looks at the sky. She comments that there are so many stars. He corrects her by telling her those are fireflies. She looks up into his eyes and says that he has stars in his eyes. He tells her that she said the same thing in school. She says there’s a difference. He asks what’s the difference.
She slowly says that she will still… like him and then she kisses him! He looks startled but then closes his eyes and kisses her back.
She puts her arms around his neck, and they sweetly continue kissing while surrounded by fireflies. It’s their starry night!
Later, Ding Ran tucks Xi Le into her bed for the night. However, when she asks for water, she starts calling him Mom. xD Qi Fei and Liu Liu have made up as they’re back to sharing a room and only peek out for a moment to ask Ding Ran if Xi Le is okay. Ding Ran returns with the water and helps Xi Le put on her t-shirt as she’s gotten her head stuck in one of the sleeves. When he’s done, she leans on him and thanks him, Mom. What was in her drinks?! He takes it in stride and just patiently gives her the glass of water and then wipes her chin when she’s done. She then lays down to sleep and he pulls the covers over her and gently pats her head. She smiles at him sleepily and then closes her eyes. Suddenly there are loud sounds outside – it’s fireworks. This makes Ding Ran remember something...
In 2013, Xi Le had excitedly called Ding Ran when there were fireworks outside, to wish him a happy new year. She had then hung up on him and continued gleefully squealing to herself about this. In the present, Ding Ran opens her window and looks out over at the bridge, the one he used to ride his bike over to ride to school, and recalls Xi Le telling him that she’d go with him. He had paused to listen to her but he had never said a word and just continued pedaling away. Now, Ding Ran looks at her books and pulls out two of them. He recalls her telling him that she had found two books related to his name and tried to show them to him. He had ignored her then and just got back to reading his book. (The first characters on the right spine and left spine 丁香花下 , 冉冉星光 [Under the Lilac Flowers, Gradual Starlight].) He now realizes this is what she had meant then. He sets the books down on her nightstand and then sits down next to her sleeping form. He lovingly moves her hair out of her face and mentally apologizes to her for being late for so many years. He then wishes her good night and leaves the room.
The next morning, Xi Le goes to the bathroom and wonders what she’s wearing as she sees her t-shirt is pulled over her slinky dress. She starts brushing her teeth, and suddenly Liu Liu peeks out from behind the shower curtain to say hi, and Qi Fei does as well. She looks at them in shock, and Liu Liu tells her to go downstairs and brush her teeth. Who leaves the bathroom door open and unlocked when it’s a shared one?!
Downstairs, Ding Ran has finished setting up breakfast and tells everyone to come eat. So now, the on-again lovebirds are giving each other googly eyes across the table from each other while Xi Le looks confused. She finally asks in a stage whisper to Liu Liu, how did she get home last night. Liu Liu gestures her head at Ding Ran. Xi Le looks worried and asks if something embarrassing happened then. Ou, she does not remember much… Ding Ran looks up at that. Liu Liu says she didn’t take care of her… and then beams over at Qi Fei, who grins back at her. Xi Le excuses herself from the table and Ding Ran finally tells her that they need to go for a walk. She’s confused but agrees to go with him. When they’ve left, Liu Liu tells Qi Fei that they should start dating, which makes him choke and spit out his drink. She admits that she feels insecure about being in love but she wants them to officially date. He just looks at her wordlessly, so she continues saying that she knows that she’s being unfair. She goes to get up from the table and he reaches over to grab her hand to stop her. He finally smiles and tells her to go with him for them to start dating. She starts protesting that she hasn’t washed the dishes and he grabs her by the hand and pulls her out the front door, and says that their friends can take care of it later.
[Ep15] Ding Ran takes Xi Le to their middle school, which no longer has students but there’s farming on its campus grounds. He reminds her of their usual meetup point, how his bike kept breaking down and how he had to walk to school. She says she recalls his bike breaking and how it didn’t change for over a year. He’s about to tell her the reason behind his bike being broken – but she doesn’t let him finish as it’s in the past. She wants to know why he’s bringing this up and he must’ve been pretty annoyed at the time. She says she was young and ignorant so… he denies that this is what he meant. But she won’t let him finish his thought. He tries to tell her again but she cuts him off to tell him to stop talking about this. An older woman spots Xi Le and tries to get closer. When Xi Le notices her, she gasps as she looks at Ding Ran. She then wonders why her Fourth Aunt is gardening here at the school of all places. She urges Ding Ran to go with her and she quickly walks away from the woman. They end up hiding behind a tree. Ding Ran asks why she’s so worried. She replies, it’s because of Zhang Ping An – who is her Fourth Aunt’s niece’s sister’s husband’s cousin’s son. xD So many degrees of separation!
Her aunt finds them again, so Xi Le starts running away. She slips and nearly falls into the pool – as Ding Ran grabs her by the arm and pulls her to safety. As her left foot skims the water surface, he spins her into his arms. They’re staring into each other’s eyes before he finally leans down to kiss her. She’s shocked and not responding so he ends the kiss and leans back to look at her. Squee. They’re interrupted by her Fourth Aunt who’s finally caught up to her. Xi Le is so startled that her first response is to shove Ding Ran away from her and directly into the pool! xD! Our poor boy but I’m still laughing.
Afterwards, Fourth Aunt chides them:
你们这些小年轻 / nǐmen zhèxiē xiǎo niánqīng
来这里玩什么水 / lái zhèlǐ wán shénme shuǐ
亲什么嘴啊 / qīn shénme zuǐ a
You youngsters. What are you doing playing in the water? What are you kissing?
xD It’s extra funny to me because of her tone and the way the words nearly rhyme at the end.
Xi Le starts saying it’s not what she thinks. Fourth Aunt stops her and asks why she’s lying to her as she’s not an outsider. She teases her about thinking that she’ll report to Xiao Zhang. She tells her to just say if she has a boyfriend, which is perfectly fine. Xi Le starts saying no vehemently and waving her hands at this. Ding Ran stops her by reaching over to grab her right hand into both of his, and then interlaces his left hand with hers. He tells Fourth Aunt that since she’s not an outsider, there’s no need to hide it from her – they’ve just gotten together. Xi Le looks at him in shock as her eyes bulge and her jaw drops. She then looks at him in confusion. Fourth Aunt says yes, then she chuckles and says that he’s better looking than Ping An. Ding Ran repeats that they’ve just gotten together, and plans to stay longer so they’ll see her again in a few days. Fourth Aunt cheerfully says yes, and leaves to give them privacy.
As she’s leaving, Xi Le tries to follow her but Ding Ran won’t let go of her hand. Xi Le asks him what if she tells her mother, and then there’ll be a big misunderstanding. He tells her to then explain it clearly. She scowls and asks how this could be explained clearly and then removes his hand from hers. She tries to go after Fourth Aunt but she’s disappeared. Ding Ran looks at her and thinks to himself, “Don’t explain, as you can’t explain it clearly.” He then smiles as he watches her continue fretting over this. He’s got her where he wants her now. If only she would let him talk to her. lol
Now back in her room, Xi Le is pressing her face between her hands and telling herself to calm down, and to not fall into his trap again. She then hears a knock on the door and she tells Liu Liu that she’s not hungry and she’s not eating. There’s another knock at the door and then Ding Ran’s voice says it's him. She gets up from her bed and pats her chest to get her heart to calm down before she opens the door to casually ask what’s going on. He walks inside and then closes the door behind him. She asks why he’s closing the door. He tells her that they need to talk about the swimming pool. She claims that she doesn’t remember what he’s referring to and starts walking backwards as he’s walking closer and closer to her. She finally ends up falling back onto the bed and he hovers right over her. He gets in her face and says, “Then let me help you remember.”
He kisses her and the two continue kissing passionately – But then Xi Le wakes up to Ding Ran’s voice outside her room. (~5:30, Show, you tricked us! Ha. I'll take it.) She quickly sits up and touches her lips as she realizes it was a very vivid dream. Hehe. Ding Ran calls her name over and over before she finally opens the door. She opens the door and asks what he wants but she won’t make eye contact with him. He tells her that he has something to tell her, and then asks if he could come inside. She replies that she doesn’t have anything to say to him. He starts walking through the doorway and she shoves him out and closes the door on him. He looks down at the floor and sees her lone slipper. He tells her that she’s left her shoe outside so she quickly opens the door and retrieves it with her foot. She returns to closing the door on him.
Later, at dinner, the lovebirds are sharing one skewer of meat and Xi Le makes a comment about them sharing when there are so many. Qi Fei tells her to share one with Ding Ran and she quickly says let’s pretend she didn’t even say anything just now. She can’t look at Ding Ran, even as he sets down the food and sits down right next to her. She reaches over and grabs one of the open bottles of beer and takes a sip. Liu Liu tells her that she just drank Ding Ran’s, which makes Xi Le stop sipping and she quickly sets down the bottle before Ding Ran with an apology. He asks if she really dislikes him so much. He opens a bottle for her and sets it down in front of her. Liu Liu teases that she’s indirectly kissed him now. Xi Le quickly tells her to stop saying such nonsense. She finally starts eating but then Liu Liu notices there’s some on her face and tries to direct her to where it is. She finally gives up and hands over a napkin to Ding Ran to wipe it for her. He starts to wipe at Xi Le’s face but she takes the napkin from him and says she’ll do it herself. He notices that she’s avoiding his touch. She’s wiping so hard at her mouth that Liu Liu says that she’ll wipe out the spark of love. This makes Xi Le annoyed enough to stand up from the table and promptly spill a drink on the table and onto Qi Fei. She says that no one is allowed to talk to her about the mouth and she runs back inside the house. Qi Fei asks Ding Ran if something happened with the mouth today and Ding Ran says… not today. The lovebirds notice and quickly ask, then what day was it? They’re all ears but Ding Ran only takes a sip of his beer with a little smile on his face.
Later, when Xi Le tries to go into the bathroom but Ding Ran exits it as he’s just taken a shower. She asks why he’s using this one when there’s one upstairs. He says that they’re using it. She’s annoyed and turns to leave. Ding Ran says that they need to have a chat later. She turns back around and asks why he wants to talk to her later, and why can’t he say it now. She starts saying that he makes her flustered and – and he says that he likes her! She stops talking and looks at him. He walks up to her and repeats that he likes her, and he wanted to do this more formally. She’s shocked enough that she just turns her back to him and puts her hands over her ears and says she’s not listening to this over and over as she starts running up the stairs. Ding Ran just stands there. Why isn’t he following her?! lol
Back in her room, Xi Le tells herself that she must’ve misheard. She then tells herself to go to sleep and gets under the covers. She just tosses and turns before she looks at her phone. She says that there’s not even a message, so he must be messing with her. She continues fretting over this in bed.
It’s morning now and it’s apparently that Xi Le hasn’t slept at all. She looks at her phone and notices that he hasn’t messaged her. She decides that there’ll be more issues if she stays any longer. So she packs her bag and takes it downstairs. Liu Liu is eating breakfast and Xi Le asks her where Ding Ran is. She says that he left for work. Xi Le is disappointed and tells her to pack her stuff and leave with her. Liu Liu says she’ll need two days to pack her stuff. Xi Le then receives a call from Ding Ran tells her that their senior classroom teacher, Teacher Shen is ill and in the hospital.
Epilogue: Spring 2012. Ding Ran waited on his bike in the morning for Xi Le. And the minute he saw her, he rode off like he didn’t even notice her. She rode up on her bike and said they met again - what a coincidence. She then followed behind him and asked where he was going. He had told her he was going to study in the library. She had then asked if she could go with him.
 |
| Pleased with himself. |
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| She can't see his face... And they're so happy here. |
Summer 2012. Ding Ran had waited to hear Xi Le on her bike before he started walking on the road to school. Xi Le had come up behind him and asked what happened to his bike. He had told her it was in the repair shop again. She had asked about it being broken again and he had then told her to get off the bike. He had then handed her his bag and then gotten onto the bike seat. She had asked how she was going to go to school. He had told her that he would drive her – and gestured for her to get on the back of the bike. She had cheerfully agreed and climbed onto the back of the bike. And he had happily smiled with her hands around his waist as he pedaled away. They were both so happy on this ride together. Ding Ran, true to his reserved nature though, never let her know and had remained serious with her. He's really been planning for a long time...
Ding Ran and Xi Le actually get caught unawares by the heavy rain. He has her wait on the sidewalk as he runs to find something. Xi Le stands in the heavy downpour and waits as she wonders where he went. (There are buildings everywhere. Why isn't she running to any one of them? lol)
Suddenly, a very large green leaf is placed on top of her head. She reaches up to grab onto it and looks up at Ding Ran who is wearing an identical one on his head. She smiles at him and he smiles back and says for them to go back together. He runs ahead of her and she just stands there and watches him for a moment before she beams at him and runs after him while holding the leaf on her head. (4:24, the leaf hats!!!)
Back at home, they’re in dry clothes and drying off their hair with towels. However, she’s still awkward around him. He asks if she’s all right and she says that she’s waiting for Liu Liu to return. He says that he received a message from Qi Fei saying that they’ll be back late. She says okay and then there’s an awkward pause. He asks if she’d like a cup of tea. She vehemently says no and waves her hand at this. Ding Ran realizes what she’s thinking and tells her that he really meant for them to drink tea.
When he hands her the glass of tea, he chuckles. She asks why he is laughing. He says who know there’d be so many meanings with “drinking tea”. She says it’s because Liu Liu and Qi Fei’s relationship started with tea-drinking. You’re not going to convince me to use this phrase/pasttime as an euphemism. Move on already. He says that she’s been with Liu Liu for ten years already. She says that she originally thought she’d be a model and Liu Liu would be the fashion designer and they’d shine together. But it’s actually the reverse, so nothing in this world is set. He replies that he wanted to be an astronaut when he was little. She asks why he became a breast surgeon. He replies that everything turned out according to planning. However, there is one thing that he made all the preparations for but there was an accident. When the hospital assigns departments, he just filled out the paperwork and this is where he’s at. She then asks what was the one thing he prepared for but had an accident with. He quietly says his confession to her.
She looks at him in surprise but then she looks away. He says if there hadn’t been a misunderstanding with the mean girl on graduation day, he would’ve confessed to her then.
DR: On the way to school every day, what you thought happened to be chance meetings. Actually, I prepared it in advance. Waiting there. My bike has never broken at all. I just wanted to drive you. Their eyes meet for a second before she averts her eyes. You used to call me to say happy new year. I edited the letter way in advance and wanted to send it to you.
JXL: I –
(~7:50, his actual confession.)
They’re interrupted by the wet bickering duo, Liu Liu and Qi Fei. Liu Liu is pretty angry with Qi Fei about something and runs upstairs. So Xi Le tells Ding Ran that she’ll go check on her first. When she gets up from the table and then walks by him, he rabs onto her arm and asks “Is it still too late?” She turns back to look at him and he nervously waits for her response. She hesitates and finally says that they should take a look at them first and then removes her arm from his grip to go upstairs.
Upstairs, Liu Liu is angry because she found out that Qi Fei waived the rent at her shop. All the storefronts in that area belong to his family. Ou. The secret: Kid from a rich family. To add insult to injury, he’s also had someone secretly buying all of the clothes from her shop. She calls him an overbearing CEO. He says he knows that her business isn’t doing well so he couldn’t stand by and do nothing. She sarcastically tells him to just send her money then, and he pulls out his phone to do so - because he thinks he’s helping his girlfriend then. Xi Le arrives and Liu Liu gets up and drags her away with her so they can sleep together. Qi Fei grabs Ding Ran’s hand and says he’s fine and they can sleep together tonight. Ding Ran shakes his hand away and says he’s not.
The next morning, Xi Le sees Liu Liu and asks where Qi Fei is. She admits that she argued with him this morning so he’s left. Liu Liu feels like a failure as she hasn’t done much with her career or life. She then changes the subject to ask Xi Le about her situation with Ding Ran. Xi Le replies that Ding Ran likes her but she’s angry and wonders if he really does. She decides it’s time for them to go home, and start over. The girls leave, and Liu Liu asks if Ding Ran will be shocked that she just left without saying anything. Xi Le says he rejected her without saying anything then either. Ah. Pettiness.
[Ep17] Ding Dad is insistent on keeping Jiang Mom at his place for some reason as he doesn’t seem to want her to return to her place and keeps glancing at his phone. Suddenly, Xi Le shows quietly behind Mom and then hugs her. Mom is overjoyed to see her precious daughter. She had told Ding Dad to let her surprise her mother and he’d only been complying with her wish. The parents are the real second couple to me. lol When Mom asks how she got along with Ding Ran, she said that they didn’t spend much time together due to their conflicting schedules. Both parents look disappointed at this.
Ding Ran returns to the village house and finds out that everyone’s left without saying goodbye. However, Xi Le did leave him a note about Jiang Jiang being sent to her Fourth Aunt’s. At home and in bed, Xi Le is replaying Ding Ran’s confession over and over in her head. She’s interrupted by a message from Ding Ran saying he’ll be returning in a week’s time.
Qi Fei has taken over the coffee shop by Liu Liu’s shop, and the two have made up (again). Xi Le becomes busy putting together her new line in Liu Liu’s shop. She ends up spending a late night at the shop, and Ding Ran returns with takeaway for her. Ding Ran tells Xi Le a story about a rabbit and a bear, and she realizes it’s one that she’s told him before. She asks him why he remembers this one. He says that he remembers all five of the rabbit stories she’s told him. This makes her go silent and then she suddenly says that she’ll go check on Liu Liu upstairs. Ding Ran calls after her, “Jiang Xi Le. Little white rabbit. Can you start a new life with the big bear?” Ah, this explains the cute rabbit and bear throughout his notebook. She quietly says that she doesn’t know, as she doesn’t know how they’ll start anew, and then she walks away.
Xi Le has a heart-to-heart with her mother about her prior resistance to getting remarried. She tells her mother that Ding Dad told her about how when they first met again, and it had been long after Jiang Dad’s passing, she had still rejected him. She asks why she decided to finally accept him after all of this time. Mom says that she was afraid of what others would say behind her back. However, being with Ding Dad makes her feel secure as everything he does eases her worries away. Xi Le says she understands, and then seems to ponder her mother’s words. Mom tells her that career and love, it’s all the same. It’s not about them showing up later, but so long as they appear, that’s the best time. So no matter what she does, her mother will support her. Xi Le smiles and then hugs her mother.
When Xi Le is making dinner at Ding home, she asks Ding Dad where the vinegar is and is told to look around for it. She looks in the cupboards and Ding Ran shows up to protect her head while he opens one of the overhead cabinet doors. It turns out that there’s only soy sauce, and Ding Ran offers to go buy it. Dad insists that he’ll go get it as Ding Ran has just returned home, so he leaves the two of them alone. After he leaves, Xi Le asks if he doesn’t have classes after work. He teases her for caring about him, which she denies by saying she overheard their parents talking. He says they’re like an old married couple already even though they’re not married yet. This makes Xi Le pause in her cooking, and she tells him that they should be a family, and can’t fall in love with each other, as they’re going to be brother and sister. He says he doesn’t want to be siblings with her. He then asks if she won’t agree to be with him because their parents are getting married. She doesn’t answer and resumes setting up the table. He touches her on the arm and asks what the difference is. She moves away from him and says that their parents are together, and if they have a relationship, then it won’t be seen as a proper relationship. He replies that it’s a romantic love relationship for them and she disagrees with that as it won’t be seen as that by anyone else. He tells her that he refuses to accept this as he doesn’t care about what others think.
[Ep18] Ding Ran leans down towards her lips and she starts closing her eyes. Just as their lips are about to make contact, Xi Le finally fights back and says his name loudly and then stomps down on his slippered foot with her own. He makes a sound of pain and then asks why she stepped on him. She asks if he’s seen too many TV dramas and asks why he’s being such a hooligan. He denies being one and says that he sees the one he likes and naturally, wants to kiss her. She picks up a vegetable and starts chasing him around the kitchen to beat him with it, and at this point, Dad returns with Mom as he is telling her that their kids are getting along. Nope. Mom asks if he’s sure that they’re getting along. Both parents look concerned.
When the four sit down to dinner, the parents notice that their kids are not eating, so they duck under the table. They see that their kids are furiously texting one-handed on their phones. They assume that they’re scolding each other via text. Via texting, Ding Ran is asking her why she’s always running away from him. Perhaps because he rejected her before?! Xi Le replies that she doesn’t like him and even glares at him. He looks at her and then replies for her to try to like him starting today. She replies that she can’t work hard at that. He says he won’t give up, and she replies that she won’t give in.
The next morning, Xi Le leaves for work and Ding Ran is standing on the other side with breakfast - a glass of soymilk and a sandwich. She says that she does not eat breakfast and then closes the door on him. Another day, she’s at work and Liu Liu shows up with a pink balloon from Ding Ran. She promptly finds a sharp object to pop it and something falls out of it. It’s a ticket to a show with a handwritten note from Ding Ran: “I knew you’d puncture it. I have a lot to say about our relationship. Can we watch a play together tomorrow?” She starts smiling but then she drops the smile and plays it cool. Liu Liu tries to look at it, too but Xi Le says there’s nothing to look at. Liu Liu says ten years later, it’s his turn to stalk her. She asks if she’s really happy about it and tries to get her to admit it. Xi Le finally lets out a giggle.
Back at home, Xi Le is setting up the table while the parents are on the couch watching TV behind her. Ding Ran walks in and says he’ll help her. She tells him to keep his distance and replies how is he doing that as they’re supposed to be a family. She calmly asks for his hands and he happily places them over hers. She grabs onto his wrists and puts his hands around her neck and then starts scrunches her face and yells at Ding Dad that he’s squeezing her. Ding Ran stands there in shock until Ding Dad throws a pillow at him. Dad then gets up from the couch to reprimand his bad son who is running away from him and trying to defend himself. xD Dad is her No. 2 supporter. Mom is No.1.
Later, Ding Ran calls Xi Le on the phone and she answers with “Don’t ask me again. I won’t say yes.” He says he’s calling about something else. She asks what it is and he says it’s nothing and then hangs up with a smile. She smiles at this and wonders why this seems familiar. He just wanted to hear her voice?
The next day, Dad presents her with breakfast: a fried egg, whole wheat bread slices, and soy milk. She tells him that he doesn’t need to prepare her anything as she’s fairly picky about what she eats. She then asks if he and her mother are going on a trip. He says that making her food makes him the happiest. How is this jovial man the father of our [formerly] robotic Ding Ran? lol He then pulls out a pack of gum, except it’s not gum - it’s actually a prank toy. When one pulls out the stick of gum, a plastic cockroach pops out, and he tells her that that is one of Ding Ran’s most feared things in the world. So while he’s away with her mother, and if Ding Ran bullies her, she can put it in his room to punish him. Bwahaha. Dad is exposing his weaknesses. Dad leaves to check on her mother and so she goes into Ding Ran’s room and she tries to figure out where to put this prank toy. In his nightstand, she discovers his ten-year plan for them.
She flips through and finds his notes, drawings and photos which include her. She starts crying tears of joy as she’s flipping through the book. She then receives a call from Qi Fei saying that Ding Ran had an accident.
Xi Le runs to Qi Fei’s coffee shop and finds Ding Ran wearing a head bandage. Ding Ran fusses at Qi Fei for telling her. Xi Le then takes him home and asks him what happened as they’re sitting on the couch. He makes up a story about chasing a kitten, knocking down a flowerpot, which caused him to faint. He then rests his head on her shoulder. When she asks about taking medication, he says that he left it at Qi Fei’s. She offers to go look for some here and he insists that she stay so he can rest his head on her. She knows that he’s faking it so she insists on looking at the wound. He starts complaining that he’s too dizzy and manages to lay down and actually rests his head on her lap. She tells him to stop pretending and to get up. She swats him on the behind but he won’t budge off of her lap as his eyes remain closed.
JXL: I like you very much. I liked you in the past and I like you now. He’s smiling as he serenely continues resting his head on her lap. The first time you said you liked me, I didn’t sleep all night. I always think you’re joking. You like someone like me - how could it happen to me? The second time you asked me if it was too late. I feel a little bit wrong. You said that what I thought were coincidences were all chance encounters that you had planned in advance. But, Ding Ran, I want you to be clear - She becomes emotional and her voice trembles - and what you didn’t express from your heart, I just don’t feel it… He finally sits back up and looks at her.
DR in a serious tone: I should have said it all.
JXL with a sigh: Forget it. She then gets up to leave.
DR: Don’t go. He walks up to follow her and quickly puts his arms around her from behind, effectively keeping her there as his arms are locked across her arms and at her waist. She struggles to get away from him.
JXL: Since we’ve been back, you keep asking when we can be together. I’m even more wronged. I think about before, when I liked you so much and you were indifferent. Now you say you like me, so now I need to promise you. She starts sobbing. I also have self-esteem, okay? She returns to struggling in his arms. He moves his arms up to sling them around her shoulders and then hugs her tightly to him.
DR: I was wrong. I didn’t explicitly express myself before and we wasted all this time. It was my foolish pride which made us waste an entire decade. I was really wrong. I’m sorry. Will you please forgive me? She takes a deep breath and sighs. She turns around to face him and he moves his arms away and holds onto her hands.
JXL: Then give me a reason why I should be with you.
DR: Jiang Xi Le. I really like you. Let’s date, okay? She shakes her head even as she’s smiling now.
JXL: No.
DR: I only like you from the past, present and future. She laughs at this. How about dating me?
JXL shaking her head with a smile: No. He smiles and shakes her hands. He then lets go of her hands, only to pull her completely into his arms.
DR: Jiang Xi Le. I have a lot of love that I want to talk with you about. So much... that I want to talk to you forever. Let's date, okay?1 She shakes her head.
JXL: Not yet.
DR: Why??
JXL: Because Liu Liu and I made a bet: If I like you again, then I’m going to lose 8,888 yuan to her. He just laughs and then pulls out his phone. (~13:00)
Elsewhere, Liu Liu makes Qi Fei a latte, and he teases her about it being ugly. But then she receives a notification for funds from Ding Ran. Qi Fei asks if he owes her money. She thinks about this and realizes that this amount is the love debt owed by Jiang Xi Le has finally been paid off.
Ding Ran happily shows Xi Le his phone with the proof of payment. She asks why he let her have this money without earning it. As they’re both laughing, he pulls her into his arms and hugs her. Finally together?!
Ding Ran sees them off and when he returns alone, Xi Le is relieved. She says she was scared to death. He says that they wanted them to have a better relationship, and perhaps when they tell them about this as they’ll be very happy. Xi Le shakes her head and says that her mother and his father were lovers thirty years ago and it’s taken them this long to reach this point. So if they say anything now, it’ll definitely cause complications. She says that they’ll wait for a good opportunity to tell them then. He whines about being in a secret relationship. She gives him a look with her big pleading eyes and begs him to consider this as she tugs on his arm. He says no and shakes his head but his eyes are smiling. She persuades him with a kiss.
Over drinks, the girls find out how Qi Fei knows Ding Ran. He’s actually… Ding Ran’s patient, which is why he ran into Liu Liu outside the hospital before. Liu Liu looks pointedly at Qi Fei’s chest and then says his secret is very big. He quickly pulls his shirt over himself and says that men also get hyperplasia of mammary glands, which isn’t restricted by gender. Ding Ran and Xi Le laugh as Liu Liu now has to soothe his injured ego. xD Liu Liu realizes that their parents are out of time and says that she doesn’t believe that Ding Ran looks like a tea drinker. He calmly says that the two families live separately as he holds onto Xi Le’s hand.
Later, Ding Ran and Xi Le are watching TV together at her place and when the show ends, she tells him to go home. He claims that he really did have a concussion that day, and then rests his head on her shoulder. She says okay, then he can rest at home then and tries to pull him off the couch. She reminds him that he has an early shift tomorrow and then she literally has to push him out of her place. He suggests that they have breakfast tomorrow morning as they’ll have less opportunities to meet. She agrees and he’s finally out of there.
The next morning, she gets ready for her day and then puts together breakfast: slices of toast, biscuits and milk. She opens her door with the tray in her arm and Ding Ran is standing there with his own tray of breakfast: fried eggs, you tiao and juice. So they’re going to try to eat everything. Later, Xi Le receives a call from Ding Ran, who asks her to guess who he is. She asks him who he is looking for. He replies that he’s looking for his girlfriend, Jiang Xi Le, and asks for her to help him find her. On the other end, she’s beaming and finally says she’s here and wants to know what he wants with her.
DR: I want you to tell her for me… I want to talk to her and good night.
JXL loses the smile in her voice: Okay, she knows. Good night.
DR: Oh, right… I have one more message to tell her.
JXL: What is it?
DR: Tell her, for me, that I really like her very, very, very much. She giggles at this.
JXL: Me too. Good night. She hangs up the phone and continues happily giggling under the covers.
Ding Ran ends the call and is startled by the aunties (Xi Le’s hospital roommates!) who have been eavesdropping the entire time. One of the aunties says that she just knew Jiang Jiang would choose peaches. The aunties then ask if they’re really dating, who took the initiative, etc. Ding Ran is trapped. Elsewhere, Liu Liu is looking at a pregnancy test as she had realized earlier that she missed her last period. She then ignores the incoming call from Qi Fei.
One morning, Xi Le ends her call with Ding Ran but suddenly a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind. Shocked, she wiggles to get out of their arms until she turns around and sees that it’s Ding Ran! She says that he scared her and then asks why he’s here as they had agreed to see each other tonight. He replies that he couldn’t wait and wanted to give her a surprise. He caresses her hair and then says “Long time no see, Jiang Xi Le.” She teases him for becoming so greasy after they started dating. He asks if it’s really greasy as he hasn’t seen her in five days. She quips that it hasn’t been five days – only four days and 13 hours. He says, “Only? Then it seems that you don’t miss me at all” as he removes his arms from around her. She says she does and then puts her arms around his neck and the two hug in the sunlight.
Later that evening, Xi Le is hanging out at Ding Ran’s place, and watching a show – one guess: The Killer is Also Romantic – and comments that she’s going back as this show isn’t that great. I seriously think it has to be the same director now. He whines for her to stay longer but she refuses and gets up to leave and return to her home next door. He says that it’s been so long since he’s seen her but she won’t let him stay with her. She tells him to do video chat, and turns to leave. She turns back around and gives him a quick peck before going to her place. After Xi Le finishes with her shower, she finds Ding Ran sprawled out on her couch, and he’s even brought his pillow. She asks when he got in here and he says that it’s not safe as she doesn’t even know when someone comes in. He’s decided he’ll stay here tonight. She replies that she doesn’t think she’s safe with him sleeping here tonight. He asks how it is unsafe as he’s sleeping on the couch and not in her room.
She tells him to stop pretending as she’s not 17 anymore, and then puts his pillow into his arms and tells him to go. He stands up and walks over slowly with his arms around the pillow. He suddenly stops and turns around to say he wants a kiss and then he’ll leave. She gives him a small peck on the kiss and says okay. He whines that that’s it. She smiles and then gives him a small kiss on the lips this time. She asks if this is all right and he shakes his head no. She asks why can’t this be enough. He loses his smile and gets serious – he throws his pillow onto the couch and then says, “You treat me like…” and he’s walking closer and closer to her. She looks at him with her huge eyes full of questions. He tells her, “You’ve forced me to do this” and then pulls her into his arms and kisses her deeply. She’s startled but then the kiss goes on for a while.
When it ends, he looks at her and he suddenly gathers her into his arms. She protests and asks what he’s doing. He walks towards the bedroom and she tells him that they’re in her mother’s room. He turns around and carries her into her room and sets her onto her bed and stays on top of her. (~15:20, Okay, that “forced” line is out of character for him.) She tells him that she can’t sleep with him here. He asks why can’t she sleep as it’s not like they haven’t slept in the same bed before. She says that the relationship at the time wasn't the same as it is now. He smiles at this which makes her ask what he’s smiling about. He says it makes sense now and swoops down to kiss her. He comes up for air to look at her and she’s not resisting him. So they continue kissing until the clothes come off. She asks him how he has the password to her place. He replies that her mother told him. She’s surprised but they resume what they were doing under the covers.
The next morning, Mom returns and notices the strange black pillow in the living room. Mom then calls for her, and Xi Le’s eyes pop wide open in shock.
In Xi Le’s room, her alarm goes off, which she reaches over and turns off. She then returns to sleeping in Ding Ran’s. She says good morning to him and then asks what time he has to go to work. He replies that he’s not working today and so they both snuggle and return to sleep. Mom returns home and spots Xi Le’s cellphone on the coffee table and notices the strange pillow. She then calls for her daughter… and we’re caught up.
Xi Le freaks out and the two of them start getting dressed. She tells Ding Ran to find a place to hide but then Mom knocks on the door. Xi Le swiftly kicks Ding Ran out of the bed even as he’s still trying to put on his shirt! xD! The guy lands on the floor and barely manages to keep from landing face first before Mom opens the door and comes in. Mom hugs her as she really missed her, and while she’s distracted, Xi Le quickly waves at Ding Ran to go. But then Mom notices that her curtains are open so Ding Ran ducks back down onto the floor. Mom tries to get up to close the curtains but Xi Le keeps her there by saying that she has a stomachache and needs medicine. Mom leaves to get her the medicine and Xi Le crawls over the bed to apologize over and over to Ding Ran.
He sits up and says that they’re in a normal relationship – but they’re interrupted by Mom’s voice and Xi Le now quickly shoves him down by his face to hide again. (~3:30, Bwahaha! The guy is dealing with “tough” love.) Mom returns and asks if she has time later to get the ring for her. She says that she’s free but Mom says to forget it as she’s got a stomachache. Xi Le now says that she’s just hungry and asks her mother to get her something to eat. She walks her mother out of the place and then whispers for Ding Ran after she closes and locks the door.
He peeks out from the doorframe and she apologizes to him again. She then asks for a hug which he happily does. She then tells him to not appear at home too quickly, as she doesn't want them to show up at the same time. She suggests that he hang out with Qi Fei for a few hours first. He tells her to not go overboard. She pouts and blinks her sad eyes at him and then a quick peck on his cheek which makes him finally smile. She tells him that she’s going to the store this afternoon to help her mother pick up her ring, so she’ll meet him outside. He leaves and then Xi Le receives a call from Liu Liu with news that she’s pregnant.
Later, Mom runs into the living room to ask Xi Le if she’s pregnant. She’s carrying Xi Le’s stack of books on pregnancy. Xi Le denies this and Mom tells her that it’s okay, just tell her who it is and if she knows him. Ding Ran asks if it’s happening that soon. Xi Le tries to kick him and tells him to stop making fun of the situation. Ding Dad asks when she fell in love with this someone. Both parents are genuinely curious and Mom even asks when she’ll bring him home to meet them. Ding Ran looks over and answers in his mind, “Don’t bring anyone, I’m in front of you.” He’s laughing inside. However when Mom asks if it’s Xiao Zhang, Ding Ran loses his smile. Dad tells her that he can take care of the child. Ding Ran thinks to himself that his father is thinking too far ahead.
Xi Le tells them over and over that it’s not her and asks for them to calm down. Ding Ran asks who is it as he wants to hear this, and props his head up on his hand and waits. The stinker. lol She glares at him, and then she finally says that Liu Liu is the one who is pregnant as she had bought the books for her. Mom says ah, Liu Liu is the one with all the boys chasing her, while Xi Le is the one who got rejected after confessing to a boy. Dad quickly says what kind of guy was that short-sighted which makes Ding Ran choke on his water. Xi Le replies, yes, quite short-sighted…and then looks at Dad and thinks to herself, which is his son. Dad then tells Ding Ran that he just used Xi Le’s cup. Ding Ran quietly sets it down on the table, and Xi Le decides to stage a fight over this. He’s a bit slow on the uptake, so she mouths the words, “save me, save me” at him. Now Ding Ran slams down his book and angrily tells her to go with him and quickly walks to his room. Dad calls after him, asking why he’s so angry as he’s the one who drank from her cup. Xi Le makes enough of a show of being angry that Mom asks her to not be so petty. She quickly assures both parents that she’ll take care of him and then walks into his room and closes the door behind her.
Once inside, she presses her ear to the door to listen. Her now worried mother calls her name from the other side. Ding Ran pulls her away from the door and backs her up against the bookcase adjacent to the door, and keeps her trapped there. He asks if she dislikes him. She gives him a tiny peck on the lips and says no, as she is forced to say that due to the circumstances. He leans down to kiss her but she stops him and points at the door and says they’re right outside. He stops to yell “It’s just one cup. I’ll give you a new one.” Then he leans down to successfully kiss her. Mom tells her to let it go as they’re grown ups and this isn’t necessary for such a little thing. Xi Le stops their kissing long enough to yell “I’ll send you a cup.” She looks at him expectantly and he just looks at her. She tells him to hurry up and he leans down to resume kissing but she covers her mouth and tells him, for them, as she points at the door. He yells,”Not bad. I want to give it. Okay?” He then whispers to her that she really is indebted now, and then he finally kisses her. They proceed to kiss so passionately that they knock off several books. Heh. Outside, Mom looks glum about this outcome.
Back at the coffee shop, Liu Liu has set up a table full of baby things for Qi Fei to see. She’s even reading a book on childcare but he’s so clueless. I never said he was smart - just cute. xD Finally he asks what she’s doing, and she tells him to take a guess. He looks at the baby clothes and says that she and Xi Le are planning to go into the baby clothing market. She’s disappointed and tells him that he gets another chance. He finally asks who is pregnant. She says he’s closer and he loudly guesses that it’s Xi Le’s mother. XD Should these two have a child together? We are doomed! She gets angry and asks what’s wrong with his brain as she swats at him. He jumps away as she asks how it’s so hard for him to guess who could be pregnant. He asks how he would know who’s pregnant. She finally says, “Me, me, me, me, me!!” It finally sinks in, and he’s actually very happy. But he’s walking around aimlessly and even takes a drink of water from a nearby vase. She asks what he’s doing and he finally asks if they should get the wedding dress first, the ring or get an appointment. She says she doesn’t want any of this – just a hug. He happily complies and swings her around in his arms as he yells that he’s going to be a father.
[Ep21] On another day, Mom and Dad are cooking at home but they run out of soy sauce. Xi Le offers to go buy the missing ingredient, and Ding Ran decides to pitch a fit over her buying his household anything. The two start arguing about who has the right to buy this and Dad breaks it up to tell them that he’ll send them both the funds and for them to buy a bottle each. They continue quarreling over having to go together but finally leave. Later, they’ve gotten the soy sauce and Ding Ran insists on kissing her outside their building before finally heading upstairs.
Upstairs, they continue holding hands outside their respective places as neither wants to separate from the other. They’ve also been gone for an hour on this errand. lol They’re interrupted by Dad and Xi Le quickly twists Ding Ran’s arm behind his back and then pushes him up against the wall. She then warns him to not mess with her or else she’ll really break his hand next time. She assures Dad that she has good strength control so this won’t affect Ding Ran’s hands for operation. Then she hands Dad the bag of soy sauce before running inside. Dad follows her in and Ding Ran stands there as he rubs at his shoulder with a smile.
The next day, Mom overhears Xi Le on the phone with someone. She perks up when she realizes that Xi Le is getting ready for a date. So Mom calls Dad to say that Xi Le is dating someone. Xi Le, in a face mask, meets up with Ding Rang who is wearing a matching mask plus a baseball cap. The two hug, and it appears that the parents have followed Xi Le here but they keep their distance. Ding Ran whines to her about his hand still hurting and so she lovingly fusses over his "injured" hand. Both parents are trying to get a better look at the guy but his back is turned to them. As compensation, Ding Ran wants a kiss, so he backs her up against a wall and slowly pulls down her mask. Then he pulls down his own mask and flips his cap backwards to lean down to kiss her. (~5:00, the cap move is cute.) But then Mom trips as she tries to get a closer look, and Dad fusses so loudly over her that our almost-kissing couple are startled by the commotion. When they see where the noise came from, the two quickly separate completely from each other. Now Mom starts calling her name, so Xi Le tells Ding Ran to go ahead first as she’d take care of the parents. Ding Ran is worried about her mother but she insists that he just go already, so he takes off running. Mom notices this and asks her why her boyfriend is running away. Xi Le denies having this boyfriend, so Dad chimes in that he saw them, too. Xi Le says it was a stranger walking by who had asked for directions. Mom asks if it’s normal to be kissing and hugging some stranger and then says she’s lying. Dad tells her to not get angry but angry Mom insists that she come home with her now. Back at home, Mom demands to know who she’s dating, and Xi Le refuses to tell her who it is and just goes into her room. Mom insists on knowing who it is and what’s going. She then asks if she’s doing something immoral. Xi Le denies this and then says that she’ll tell her after she and Ding Dad get married.
Later, Xi Le meets up with Ding Ran, who doesn’t understand why they have to hide their relationship. She says she wants to tell them after they’re married, but he doesn’t understand what the difference is between telling them now versus after. Xi Le says she’s worried that her mother would give up marrying his father when she finds out. He asks then wouldn’t it result in a divorce if they told them after the marriage. Xi Le says it’s not the same thing as they’ve just started dating and aren’t getting married. Ding Ran asks if she only sees them as just dating and he’s not in her life plan then. Qi Fei interrupts them to say they need to discuss a solution to their problem, and not quarreling. Didn't know he was here until now! Xi Le says that if he continues to misinterpret her then she’ll just go now. So she leaves in an angry huff, and Ding Ran refuses to go after her even with Qi Fei’s prodding.
Back at home, Mom is still upset about Xi Le. Dad asks when Xi Le was young, did she go through her diary. Mom denies this. He says Xi Le keeping secrets from her, is just like any other child with their own secrets. Mom says that’s not what she’s concerned about, it’s more of her being led astray or being deceived. He then asks her to help fold a duvet cover, and she notices the distinctive white letters and numbers on it (math equations) and it dawns on her that this matches the pillow she saw in her living room before.
Liu Liu joins the guys and fills in Ding Ran on the details of Xi Le and her mother’s life after her father’s passing. All of his friends offered to take care of them but her mother refused as she didn’t want them to be gossiped about nor did she want to force Xi Le to live in that kind of environment. Ding Ran says that she doesn’t seem to be the type who would care what others thought. Liu Liu brings up the fact that she may seem carefree but she’s more sensitive about this. So Xi Le is very concerned about what her mother’s reaction is going to be as his and Xi Le’s relationship will be a bit peculiar and complicated to explain. Ding Ran finally understands her quandary and tries to figure out the best way to apologize for failing to understand her.
After drafting several messages, he finally decides to just call her and apologizes directly. He asks for them to not quarrel any longer. Xi Le doesn’t say anything as she’s quietly crying so he asks why she’s not saying anything. She admits that she didn’t feel so awful after their fight but the minute he calls, she’s crying. He asks if she’s accepting his apology or not. She sniffles and says she’ll accept it, if he calls her jie jie. He finally says it which makes her laugh before the call is ended. Not even a moment later, she calls him back and he answers that he won’t say that again. She says that she wants to see him right now.
So they meet outside and she starts crying when she sees him. She runs to him and hugs him while she’s crying even harder now. He gently caresses her hair and asks what’s going on. She says nothing but that she wanted to hold him. He gently gives her a forehead kiss as she continues sobbing in his arms. He gently rubs her on the head and tells her it’ll pass. She just sobs even harder into his shoulder. Aww. Mom and Dad are watching from a distance and Mom wants to approach her but Dad tells her to leave it alone for now.
[Ep22] At breakfast the next morning, it’s a quiet meal until Mom asks Xi Le if she and Ding Ran has plans to get married. Our young couple choke on their food at this, and Dad tells them to not be so surprised. He also adds that Ding Ran’s disguise isn’t that great. Xi Le says it’s her fault as she’s the one who didn’t want to tell them and forced him to run away. Mom apologizes and asks if she was worried that she wouldn’t marry Uncle Ding if she did. Xi Le looks at her in surprise but doesn’t say anything. Ding Ran replies that that’s exactly what she thought and they wanted to wait until after the wedding to tell them. Mom then asks if they have any plans to get married and Xi Le looks away. Ding Ran reaches over and puts her hand on his leg before saying yes, he’s liked her daughter for a long time and he wants to marry her, live with her, and tell her every morning that he’s leaving for work, and return home to her and tell her that he’s back. Xi Le tears up at this and finally tells her mother that the person she liked very much in school was Ding Ran. Ding Ran smiles as she’s finally said it. Xi Le continues that it’s been ten years and she’s never liked anyone else.
Mom says then they have an idea – if they decide to get married, then the four of them should get married together. Our young couple laugh at this, and then the foursome enjoy a very happy breakfast together. Ding Ran mentions that Qi Fei had said that there’s a good date next month for a wedding. Mom gets up and drags Xi Le away to go shopping for their wedding dresses. After an awkward pause, Dad raises his cup of milk for a toast – he congratulates Ding Ran and tells him to be good to Xi Le. xD She’s always Ding Dad’s bao bei - just like her mother is. (Mom’s name is also Bao Bei.) Ding Ran says of course.
Elsewhere, Mom gives Xi Le a bankcard as she’s not concerned about her career but she needs money to be in love and to get married. She would also rather she use their money than someone else’s money as she still wants to save face. Xi Le just laughs at this and finally puts the card in her pocket. Mom says that she cared about what others thought before but this time she’ll tell them all and let them try to gossip. Xi Le cries happy tears as she hugs her mother.
Now, all six of them (yes, Qi Fei and Liu Liu, too) have registered for their marriage. Ding Dad presents a cake to celebrate. So cute. Could/should I make this? Xi Le and Ding Ran have also decided to honeymoon back in their hometown. When Liu Liu and Qi Fei try to insinuate that something happened between Ding Ran and Xi Le during their previous stay there, Xi Le asks Ding Dad if he knows about “drinking tea.” *rolling eyes*
To change the subject, Qi Fei takes a group photo of them. Look at the happy Ding + Jiang family. :D
Later, while Xi Le is folding his clothes, Ding Ran shows a shirt, the one she gave him, which makes her grin. She comments that he didn’t really lose it. He replies that she gave it to him, so how could he lose it. She asks then why did he lend it to mean girl in the first place? He replies that she really forced him to let her borrow it. (More like she snatched it out of his hand and ran away with it.) Xi Le only says, “Ou…” and returns to folding his clothes. He pulls out his phone and says he’s going to call her right now. She now puts her arms on her hips and asks how he still has her number. lol He says that he’ll delete it right away and goes to do that. But he quickly gets distracted when he looks at her and instead, throws the phone onto the bed.
 |
| Delete! |
He walks up to her and when their faces are almost at perfect kissing distance when she coldly says “Delete it”. XD He quickly picks up his phone and deletes her number and then shows Xi Le that it’s done. She gives him a small grunt of approval.
He tells her no, no, no as she’s upset his plans and reaches over to grab the shirt on its hanger and tells her to have a closer look at it. She asks a closer look at what. He replies, the pocket. So she reaches inside the embroidered pocket and whatever she finds makes her eyes go wide. He smiles at her and so she pulls it out – it’s a diamond ring! She grins and extends her hand for him to put it on her. He takes the ring from her and places it on her right ring finger. He tells her, “I’m sorry. It was agreed that I’d go back with you, but suddenly I set a time for further studies. So now only you’ll go back and wait for me.” She looks at the ring on her hand and smiles as she says it’s okay, when he arrives at that time, she’ll fly out to meet him. He says okay and she jumps around in joy before saying that she’s going home as she heads towards the door. He holds onto her arm and tells her to wait. He then tells her that he’s bought a new mattress and asks if she wants to give it a try. Uh huh. She grins and says that she doesn’t want to try. He asks her why not. She coyly says what’s there to try on a mattress. She then widens her eyes at him and asks if they’re not all the same. He tells her that it’s different. She asks what’s different. He replies that it’s different everywhere. She nods and quickly says then he can try it himself. He asks how he is going to try it by himself. She leans back and tells him she doesn’t care how he tries – and he finally cuts her off with a kiss… It’s a very long kiss and they do end up trying out the bed… (~9:25)
Now back in their hometown, Xi Le spends her days with Liu Liu and Qi Fei. At dinner, Liu Liu asks if she misses him. Xi Le claims that she doesn’t. Liu Liu asks if she really doesn’t? Xi Le denies it. Liu Liu asks her to look her in the eye and repeat that and so she does. Liu Liu then asks what if he suddenly appears – as Ding Ran quietly shows up right behind Xi Le.
At home, Ding Dad and his wife are watching a show (One guess which show. Hint: lots of kissing. TKiAR) as Mom comments that ever since they returned from their vacation, it’s become only the two of them and it’s so boring. Dad agrees and says after Xi Le and Ding Ran stopped quarreling, it’s been stuffy at home. Ha! Mom says that the four of them must be having a good time together. Mom and Dad decide to join them. Mom gets up and says she’ll pack her bags. Dad says that it’s half past 10 o’clock, is she in such a hurry?
Another day, Ding Ran is reading out loud from 冉冉星光 [Under the Lilac Flowers] (one of the books with his name). Xi Le admits to him that she’s had the book for 10 years but she’s never read it, and never thought he would. He suggests that they keep it as a family heirloom. She says that’s not necessary and there’s no need. He says there is. The two argue over this until he kisses her and declares that it’s necessary.
In their own room, a kneeling Qi Fei has his ears pressed up against Liu Liu’s stomach. He then gets up and tells her that the baby says, “Mom, Dad likes you so much.” She asks if the baby really said that and then says that he has a very glib tongue.
Later, our two couples go for a bike ride together. Ding Ran pedals as Xi Le sits behind him, while Liu Liu is pedaling with Qi Fei hugging her around the waist. Qi Fei is offering to pedal but she says that she’s fine and then starts veering off to the left. (Guess she learned to ride a bike finally.) They laugh over this moment.
The End.
Remarks
by FanFanX
[First Impression (Ep1-3)] Cute and easy watch. Bickering start is one of my favorites - and I'm really not sure who I am rooting for here. xD
[Actors/Actresses] Cao En Qi as Ding Ran reminds me of See You Tomorrow’s Jiang Kan - cold and curt but then he has these cute secret smiles, and most of the time, they’re related to our FL, Jiang Xi Le. (Both series uses the surnames of Ding and Jiang.) It took me a second to remember that Xiao Yu as Jiang Xi Le is Time and Him Are Just Right's boisterous Jiang Yi Mian (look, it's yet another Jiang).
Xiao Ran Xin and Wang Jun Hao, 2FL and 2ML, respectively, are from The Killer is Also Romantic, and I think they both look better in modern clothes. It may be the same director... [unconfirmed].
I love their respective parents, and Ding Ran’s father is my favorite adult, especially when he puts Ding Ran into his place. Heh.
[Behind the Scenes]
[OST] I don't think there'll be much information on the OST for this one. And the funny thing is, I am very sure that I've heard some of the music in this one used in other series before.
Someone heard me, so the OST exists! At least on YT.
03:40 How Did I Meet You 怎么遇见你 | Yu Zheng Er 虞正儿 (Opening theme song)
08:40 It Is Not Too Late 为时不晚 | Cui Yan 崔妍MOLE (Ending theme song)
19:55 Wait For The Next Meteor 等下颗流星 | Su Wei 苏玮 (This was in Destined to Meet You, another Yang Ze series! I’m not finding information on crew for this series, but this the second reference to his series. Coincidence?)
Not in the above link (will provide later if I can find it):
Miss You More and More 越来越想你 | Chen Xu 陈旭
[CP Name]
丁冉 Ding Ran + 姜喜樂 Jiang Xi Le
= 定然喜樂 Ding Ran Xi Le
= Surely Joyful
Want to see more CP names?
[Ending] Happy.
[Pick a Highlight, Any Highlight] Ep15. That shove into the pool.
[Review & Rating]
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