Recap
Following her embarrassing performance in the class play, Chen Xiao Xi cries all night. She avoids Jiang Chen when she spots him in the morning.
At school, her depression is obvious to everyone. Teacher Liu lectures her about neglecting her studies, and her classmates gossip, trying to guess who she likes, and making snide remarks that they would’ve transferred schools immediately if they were her rather than be so humiliated.
The students get assigned to study groups. Lu Yang tricks Xiao Xi into switching study groups with him so that he can be with Lin Jing Xiao and she can be with Jiang Chen.
The tension between Xiao Xi and Jiang Chen is palpable, and she leaves the study group early, running into Wu Bo Song, who has been riding his bike in circles waiting for her. He offers to give her a ride home and tells her that she can depend on him for anything, but she chooses to walk back instead.
On her way home, she runs into some thugs trying to bully Chen Xuan. Xiao Xi steps in to defend her and manages to scare them off by claiming that they’re in Jiang Chen’s territory and calling him. She hangs up right as he picks up.
Jiang Chen gets home to find his mother and younger brother finally returned from their time away. His mother tries to pay special attention to Jiang Chen, but it’s clear that she doesn’t really know much about him, as she forgets basic things like the fact that he is lactose intolerant.
When Xiao Xi returns home, her parents broach the topic of transferring schools.
The next morning, Bo Song gives Xiao Xi a ride to school. She asks him if people would miss her if she transferred schools. He’s responds that he would transfer and follow her wherever she goes.
In class, Xiao Xi gets picked on by Teacher Guo for not knowing the material. During her study group, she also gets picked on by Jiang Chen for getting a problem wrong. They argue and Jiang Chen says some hurtful things. Upset, Xiao Xi leaves campus and sits, crying, on a curb. The thugs from the other day find her and start harassing her, but Bo Song zooms in on his bike and rescues her. The bullies try to chase after them, but run into Jiang Chen, who physically bars them from following.
Bo Song takes Xiao Xi out to dinner, but she’s so upset that she continues to cry while eating. In an effort to cheer her up, he takes her to the pool, where he convinces her to get on a pineapple pool float and pushes her around. After a little bit, she starts to cheer up and they have fun until Bo Song’s coach walks in on them, furious. Xiao Xi leaves and Bo Song gets scolded by his coach, who, it turns out, is also his father. He demands to know who Xiao Xi is; Bo Song blurts out that she is his girlfriend. His father says that he has no right getting into a relationship when he hasn’t even made the national swim team yet. Bo Song responds that he doesn’t want to swim anymore.
When Jiang Chen gets home, his face is bruised from the altercation with the bullies. He overhears Xiao Xi’s mom telling his mom that they plan on having Xiao Xi transfer schools. He starts drafting a text to Xiao Xi, then decides against sending it.
The next day, Teacher Guo catches Xiao Xi yawning in class and uses her inattention as an excuse to call in her parents. At the parent-teacher conference, Xiao Xi’s parents reveal their plan to have her transfer schools. Jiang Chen tells Lin Jing Xiao and Lu Yang about Xiao Xi transferring schools. They track down Liu Qing Shan, the only teacher who seems to support Xiao Xi, who asks Xiao Xi what she wants for herself. She finds the courage to say that she doesn’t want to transfer. Instead, she says, she’ll work harder and test into the top 15 in her class. Everyone is shocked and no one, except Liu Qing Shan, believes she can do it.
Jiang Chen gives Xiao Xi a ride home and helps her study for the next few weeks. It pays off and after the final exam, she’s ranked 13 in her class.
Comments
Okay, so this show has some encouraging moments, which we got to see this episode. For example, there are some healthy teacher-student relationships (Liu Qing Shan’s support for Xiao Xi) and Xiao Xi has a strong relationship with her parents.
BUT it doesn’t make up for Hu Yi Tian’s stiff acting as Jiang Chen, and Jiang Chen’s relationship with Xiao Xi is not getting any healthier. He helps Xiao XI study, but that hardly redeems his previous behavior. He lashes out at her when he gets jealous or unhappy and they never resolve any of the times during which he’s mean to her. He never apologizes or even acknowledges how much he mistreats her, yet it’s supposed to be a win when he simply tolerates her blind adoration?
I know this is just a cheesy rom-com drama, but come on.
The Drama Llama 