Just when we thought Zhe Jing couldn’t cause more drama, she does. Our drama starts looking more cliché by the minute as we go through every type of romantic misunderstanding scenario imaginable.
Recap
Zhe Jing asks You Yan if she’s willing to be her friend. You Yan is incredulous, but Zhe Jing seems certain, and grabs her hand as they walk off.
Huai An succeeds in getting Ye Bai out to the gala event she planned for him. You Yan receives a call from her father right as Ye Bai starts giving his speech, and has to step out. Her father recognizes Ye Bai’s voice and demands to know what You Yan is doing with him at night. She claims that she’s at a school event. Zhe Jing follows close behind her, eavesdropping on the conversation.
Zhe Jing asks to borrow You Yan’s phone to make a call, saying she forgot hers, and then asks for some privacy. You Yan slips back into the main room just in time for Ye Bai to thank her, acknowledging her publicly as both the manager of his exhibition and his girlfriend. Zhe Jing and Zi Jian both look unhappy at this announcement.
You Yan’s father calls Chi Pu, asking him if he knows why You Yan and Ye Bai are together. Chi Pu quickly covers for them and says that they’re at a school event. He tells his uncle that he knows about it and to not worry.
You Yan and Ye Bai both stick around at the event for each other, despite neither of them really wanting to be there. Zhe Jing approaches Ye Bai and he asks her what she’s trying to do getting so close to You Yan. Zhe Jing acts innocent, but Ye Bai doesn’t trust her and warns her to behave.
Zi Jian approaches You Yan to chat while Ye Bai is preoccupied with Zhe Jing, and compliments her on how pretty she looks. Zhe Jing points out that You Yan is getting pretty close to Zi Jian, trying to stir up trouble, but Ye Bai ignores her and approaches the two. Zi Jian congratulates him on a successful exhibition, shakes his hand, then leaves.
Ye Bai and You Yan banter a little bit about You Yan watching Zi Jian leave, while Zhe Jing watches them with a pout. Long Li takes this opportunity to circle around Zhe Jing and check her out, but she ignores him.
Zi Jian has left Ye Bai’s exhibition but not the gallery. Huai An finds him looking at Chi Zheng’s painting, and takes this opportunity to ask him how he’d feel to have his own painting hanging there. She tries to convince him to do his own exhibition with her. But Zi Jian remembers her previous rejections of him as well as his sister’s underhanded schemes, and is convinced that his sister is behind this, despite Huai An’s attempts to convince him otherwise. The gallery already has the award-winning Gu Ye Bai. Why would they want him?
The event is finally over and Ye Bai and You Yan toast to having made it through the night. Zhe Jing suddenly stumbles into the room, drunk, and sloppily falls onto Ye Bai. You Yan and Ye Bai say that they’ll send her back to their hotel, and she angrily complains about how they always do things together. She wants her Ye Bai by himself. But she passes out, and the two of them still end up bringing her back to her hotel together.
It’s late, so You Yan ends up spending the night at Ye Bai’s apartment. The two are incredibly awkward about the situation at first, even though Ye Bai is taking the floor while You Yan takes his bed in the loft.
The next morning, Zhe Jing wakes up alone and hungover in her hotel room. She looks angry to have woken up alone, and calls Ye Bai’s phone, but he doesn’t pick up. She then calls his landline. You Yan picks up, and Zhe Jing doesn’t say anything on the other end, but looks furious. She hangs up and then calls another number that she’s memorized.
You Yan and Ye Bai eat breakfast when someone suddenly knocks at the door. Ye Bai goes to open the door and finds You Yan’s father, who angrily demands where You Yan is. He shoves past Ye Bai into the apartment and sees You Yan, then asks if it’s true that she spent the night there. They both try to explain, but he doesn’t want to hear any of it and warns Ye Bai away from his daughter. Ye Bai tries to explain again, blocking them from leaving, but You Yan’s father punches him in the face.
Zhe Jing has been lurking outside, and perfectly times her entrance as Ye Bai is knocked over. She angrily asks You Yan’s father who he thinks he is to punch her fiancé in the face. She says that You Yan is the one trying to seduce her fiancé and promises to sue.
“He has a fiancée?” You Yan’s father asks her, and she just rolls her eyes in exasperation, not wanting to explain this convoluted situation to him. Ye Bai tries to explain himself to Mr. Lu again, but Zhe Jing keeps getting in his way and trying to look at his injured face. You Yan’s father drags You Yan away, and Ye Bai tries to follow, but Zhe Jing holds him back.
You Yan sulks in her room at home while her father tries to talk to her from outside. He apologizes for hitting Ye Bai, but says that he’s just looking out for his daughter, and he can’t believe that he has a fiancée. You Yan responds that the girl isn’t Ye Bai’s fiancée, but doesn’t want to explain further.
Zhe Jing tries to tend to Ye Bai’s wound, but he takes the cotton swab from her and tells her that she needs to apologize to Zhe Jing. Zhe Jing tries to act innocent, but Ye Bai has already figured out that she called You Yan’s father. Zhe Jing still maintains her innocence, claiming that Ye Bai is her fiancé. “Fiancé, fiancé. When did I ever acknowledge I was your fiancé?” Ye Bai asks her. He gets up and she pouts after him.
Ye Bai calls You Yan, but she ignores his call. He calls again and she decides to pick up. He asks if they can meet at a coffee shop to talk about what they should do about her father. She says that they should also discuss how to settle the matter of his fiancée. He says that he has no fiancée, and if he does, then it would be her. This makes her forgive him a little.
You Yan waits for Ye Bai at the coffee shop, but Zhe Jing is the one who sits down across from her, Ye Bai nowhere in sight. Zhe Jing says that she’s here to apologize. She tries to claim that she was still drunk in the morning when she called You Yan’s father. You Yan starts to ask her how she had her father’s phone number, then remembers that Zhe Jing borrowed her phone at Ye Bai’s celebratory event. Zhe Jing apologizes again and asks You Yan to not let Ye Bai chase her away. She then sees You Yan’s cake and begs for a bite, saying she hasn’t eaten since the previous day.
Ye Bai finally shows up and asks Zhe Jing what she’s doing. She says that she was here to apologize, then takes a bite of cake. You Yan confirms that Zhe Jing was here to apologize, but looks unhappy about it. Ye Bai sits down and says that Zhe Jing is going to go home tomorrow, but they’re distracted when Zhe Jing starts clutching her chest uncomfortably. Ye Bai tells her to stop faking illness — she’s already tried that tactic already. But Zhe Jing points to the cake.
Ye Bai takes a look at the cake, then realizes the situation is actually serious. Zhe Jing has a serious peanut allergy and there are nuts in the cake. He lifts Zhe Jing up and You Yan rushes to help, but Zhe Jing shoves her away. You Yan looks frustrated, but tells Ye Bai to hurry and take Zhe Jing to the hospital. He says he’ll call her later.
You Yan sends Ye Bai a check-in text. He starts typing a response while waiting at the hospital, but the doctor asks to see him and he doesn’t get a chance to send his text. You Yan stands by the pond on campus, looking at her phone. Zi Jian walks by and notices her, then goes to talk to her, asking her why she’s crying. She says it’s nothing.
He starts comparing art to life, and tells her that she shouldn’t let the negatives in life take up too much of her time. Those are words he’s been telling himself a lot lately. She asks if something has been heavy on his mind lately. He talks about how he’s always been excellent at school, but realized recently that he doesn’t really believe in himself.
You Yan asks him why that is. He is a very talented individual. She brings up that she heard Huai An wanted him to have his own exhibition — that should be proof that he has talent. Zi Jian smiles sardonically at the mention of the exhibition, and says that they only want to hold it because of his sister’s money. But You Yan thinks otherwise. She worked at the gallery so she knows that they’re looking to promote young, new talent, and Zi Jian is one of those talents they want to develop. Her words seem to convince him and put him in a better mood, and he thanks her, then reminds her to be happy too.
That night, You Yan is busy researching peanut allergies online. She hasn’t heard from Ye Bai yet, and is worried that something terrible has happened to Zhe Jing. You Yan is worried that Ye Bai might think she purposely gave Zhe Jing peanuts.
You Yan gets a phone call, but it’s from Zi Jian, not Ye Bai. Xiao Cong looks a bit crestfallen upon hearing that it’s Zi Jian. He calls to tell You Yan that Huai An just called him about the exhibition again, and he’s agreed. He credits You Yan with convincing him, and wants her to manage his exhibition. She seems skeptical, saying that she doesn’t have a lot of experience, but Zi Jian insists that she do it, especially since she understands him. She agrees, especially because it’ll provide a distraction from the Zhe Jing drama.
Ye Bai has been at Zhe Jing’s bedside at the hospital. She finally wakes up and he asks if she’s okay. She nods and says that as long as he’s by her side, she’ll be okay.
You Yan fell asleep holding her phone, waiting for news from Ye Bai. She wakes up the next morning to a text from him, saying that Zhe Jing is fine. She rushes out and visits the hospital with flowers and a basket of fruit.
Ye Bai is already at Zhe Jing’s hospital room and has brought her some food. She gets him to feed her, claiming that she’s so weak she can’t even hold a spoon. He doesn’t seem to believe her, but she says that she won’t eat unless he feeds her. Ye Bai finally complies, but tries to make it clear that his caring for her is like that of a brother for a sister. Nothing more.
You Yan arrives outside Zhe Jing’s room just as Ye Bai starts feeding her. Zhe Jing was pouting at Ye Bai’s words, but upon seeing You Yan, obediently eats some of the food. She then asks You Yan why she’s just standing there.
You Yan enters the room with her gifts and says that she feels some responsibility for Zhe Jing’s allergic reaction yesterday and is here to apologize. Ye Bai is quick to say that it’s not You Yan’s fault, but Zhe Jing immediately jumps in and says that of course it’s You Yan’s fault. In fact, she probably purposely let her eat the cake, knowing that it had peanuts in it. She whines that Ye Bai always takes You Yan’s side — she hasn’t even finished eating yet. Ye Bai says that he’ll prepare some of You Yan’s fruit for her, and Zhe Jing mutters that she won’t eat it because You Yan probably poisoned it. She doesn’t want You Yan there.
Having had enough of Zhe Jing, Ye Bai grabs You Yan’s wrist and takes her outside, while Zhe Jing shouts after them that she‘s the one who is sick. They stop outside Zhe Jing’s hospital room, and Zhe Jing gets out of bed to eavesdrop on them.
You Yan asks Ye Bai how much longer she has to put up with this, and Ye Bai asks for just another week. After a week, he’ll make sure Zhe Jing goes home. You Yan says and quietly says that during this week, he should take good care of Zhe Jing. Ye Bai apologizes to You Yan for putting her in such a difficult position and hugs her while Zhe Jing gives them some serious side-eye and You Yan continues to look sad.
You Yan distracts herself by working hard on planning Zi Jian’s exhibition. He asks her if she wants to take a break. It seems like she’s been working really hard, and seeing that makes his heart ache. She turns and gives him a look, and he quickly tries to save himself by saying that if she overworked herself, how would he be able to face Ye Bai? She seems to accept this explanation. Huai An comes over and compliments You Yan’s work so far, and they continue to make their round through the gallery.
Zi Yan makes a phone call to Ye Bai to chat, but stops short when he sees You Yan and Zi Jian together, looking at a poster for his upcoming exhibition. He reports to Ye Bai that Zi Jian is holding an exhibition, which Ye Bai doesn’t seem to care about, then says that Zi Jian and You Yan have been looking pretty close lately. He heard that You Yan is managing Zi Jian’s exhibition. Ye Bai looks troubled by this information and thinks about calling You Yan, but doesn’t.
The week is finally up and Ye Bai has booked plane tickets for Zhe Jing to go home the next day. She says that she never agreed to his plan, but he tells her that she has to agree, whether she wants to or not. He tries to be straight with her and tells her that he’ll never like her, and that You Yan is the only one in his heart. He told her that when she first arrived, and he’s telling her again now. Zhe Jing pouts and says that he won’t have to leave until tomorrow for her to leave: she’ll leave right now. She seems to hope that he’ll ask her to stay, but he just ignores her and she leaves.
She stops outside his apartment and looks back, as if hoping that he followed her, but sighs in frustration when she sees no sign of him. She tells herself that she won’t give up so easily.
The next morning Zi Yan visits Ye Bai at his apartment. Ye Bai says that he feels bad about acting mean toward Zhe Jing the previous night, but he didn’t have any other choice. Zi Yan says he doesn’t blame him. Ye Bai sends a text to You Yan.
You Yan is at the gallery with Zi Jian, inspecting while one of his paintings is installed. She gets a text from Ye Bai saying that he’s done what he said he would do and that he wants to see her. She smiles happily and sends him a response. Zi Jian notices her sudden boost in mood and asks her if she’s this happy because of Gu Ye Bai. She doesn’t respond and looks away awkwardly, and he apologizes for being too forward.
Someone knocks at Ye Bai’s apartment door and he opens it, expecting to see You Yan, but instead it’s Zhe Jing. She says that her grandfather is going to pick her up and wanted to visit Ye Bai while he was at it. He’ll be there shortly. She pushes past Ye Bai into his apartment and hops into his bathroom.
You Yan arrives and looks curiously at the already-open apartment door. She walks in, and Ye Bai starts telling her that very shortly, something unexpected will happen. And that something–a knock sounds at the door–is here.
Zhe Jing walks out of the bathroom to answer the door, dressed in lingerie, and opens the door to greet her grandfather. He immediately goes to greet Ye Bai, saying that they haven’t seen each other in so long. Noticing You Yan, he asks who she is, and Zhe Jing immediately jumps in and says that You Yan is Ye Bai’s exhibition manager.
Ye Bai asks why Grandpa Gong is suddenly visiting, and he responds that he’s here to congratulate him on the happy news between Zhe Jing and Ye Bai. Zhe Jing smiles happily while You Yan and Ye Bai stare at each other.
Thoughts
I’m quickly getting tired of Zhe Jing. She’s overshot funny by a lot and is now just plain annoying. She’s not very effective with her plots, but she acts in such a petty, childish way that is just so unpleasant and uncomfortable to watch. It fits her character, which is only marginally better than having a one-dimensional villain who acts villainous for no reason. I am just feeling very done with her taking up screen time.
You Yan is a real angel for putting up with everything she’s been put through, and it’s really unfair for Ye Bai to think that a hug and some empty words will solve everything. I’ve been really frustrated with his lack of resolve in dealing with Zhe Jing. He never directly confronts her about all her actions or talk of engagement, and instead tries to ignore it like that would make the problem go away. Even at the end, it wouldn’t be straight and tell You Yan what was happening, nor did he speak up and try to clarify the situation with Grandpa Gong. His inaction is infuriating!
I appreciate Zi Jian so much more as a romantic rival. He tries to establish his own time and ties with You Yan, but doesn’t feel the need to constantly undermine Ye Bai. In fact, he tries to not even involve Ye Bai at all, and instead seems to try to establish himself with You Yan on his own terms. It’s so much more mature than Zhe Jing’s pettiness.
Honestly, I think the one good thing that came out of this episode was seeing Huai An respect You Yan much more.
This drama was starting convince me that it wasn’t bad with the way it kept on diverting the usual cliché situations, but with Zhe Jing’s character and everything that comes with it, it’s really deteriorating. It was doing so well with avoiding the usual artificial evil plot twists, but now it’s completely succumbed to them, and trying to pass everything else off as one girl’s childishness is not enough to justify everything.
The Drama Llama 