Ai Sha is on her own, but she finds it difficult to actually be alone, especially when she falls ill. Xiao An takes a page out of Ai Sha’s book and starts asserting herself. Ye Xuan continues to feel threatened by Fei Yang and protective of Ai Sha.
Recap
Ai Sha shows up at the press conference, fashionably late in a way that ensures all eyes are on her. She says she’s resigning, but May acts like it’s a joke. Ai Sha shakes her off and announces her formal resignation from Chic’s marketing team. The reporters flood her with questions asking why she’s leaving Chic. Is she unhappy?
Ai Sha says that Chic is place that has allowed her to develop and grow. But in life, there are always moments when you come to a fork in the road; you can choose to stay on the same path, or choose a different path. Her departure is not an ending, but a new beginning. She wishes Chic well and reminds everyone that only they are the masters of their own destiny.
May smiles for the crowd while turning away and reminding Ai Sha that she’s violating her contract with Chic. Ai Sha says that Fei Yang already voided the contract — did she not know?
She brushes past May and hands Fei Yang her resignation letter with a smile. He looks at her, then accepts it. She wishes him well, then walks out of the press conference without a backward glance. Fei Yang smiles as she leaves.
Jing Jing tries to convince Ai Sha to stay while she packs up her things around the office. They both know what kind of person May is, so neither should be surprised at the way she backstabbed them by selling the company. Why is Ai Sha giving up something she worked so hard for?
Ai Sha says that she knows what kind of person May is, but she’s also not like Jing Jing. She still held out some hope for May, but was let down. This time, Jing Jing has won.
Jing Jing reminds Ai Sha that she can do business anywhere, but Chic needs Ai Sha. But Ai Sha reminds Jing Jing of something she once told her: the best part of business is being in charge of yourself. Ai Sha finally understands what she means, and she hopes that Jing Jing can be happy for her.
She finishes packing and tells Jing Jing that she believes Jing Jing will do even better at Chic without her.
The marketing team all stare at Ai Sha as she walks out of her office with her things, as if not believing she would really leave. Ai Sha tells them to take care of themselves. She gives Xiao An a nod, and ignores May on her way out.
Fei Yang is waiting for her at the elevator bank. He hits the call button for her, then leans against the wall, observing her while she waits.
“No regrets?” he asks.
“What do you think?” she responds.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I know that sharks are always swimming forward and never look back.”
She asks if he regrets shredding the contract. He just smiles and says that if that one contract allowed her to see his sincerity, then it was a bargain.
“Looks like your plan failed,” Ai Sha says.
“Not necessarily. I believe that one day, you’ll return to my side.”
That gets a smile out of Ai Sha. The elevator arrives and she steps in. She smiles at Fei Yang and wishes him well. They stare at each other until the elevator doors close and then they’re just staring at their own reflections.
Xiao An finally musters up the courage to ask May about promoting her, right as May is moving out of her office. May just laughs and says that she has thought about promoting her, but that there’s nothing she can do for her now. Tomorrow, Xiao An will have a new boss. All she can do is keep working hard and prove to Fei Yang that she deserves Ai Sha’s previous position.
Xiao An steps into Ai Sha’s empty office and slowly sits down in her chair. She leans back, as if imagining what it would feel like to actually sit there and be in that position of power. Suddenly, she spots the watch May gave Ai Sha, abandoned in a half-open drawer. It reminds her of Ai Sha saying that she needs to go for whatever she wants, or else she’ll never get it. She clutches the watch like a talisman.
Ai Sha returns home with her box of things. She gets a phone call from her mother, which she ignores, but it makes her accidentally drop the box, spilling its contents. She sits on the ground, wiping away her tears as she picks up what remains of her career at Chic: some awards and a few miscellaneous things. The awards remind her of everything she did and sacrificed for her career, but they all seem meaningless now.
The next day, Chic and Golden Man officially merge. Fei Yang doles out roles and responsibilities. There’s a small bit where he puts Sui Lin in charge of general affairs, but neither he nor anyone else can remember her name, and it’s awkward, until Ah Ben jumps in, saying her name is Sui Lin.
Steven asks the marketing team for an overview of their current products and campaigns. No one steps up to speak. Finally, Vicky gets pushed to talk and she starts to fumble over a list of the current products they’re promoting, clearly uncomfortable. After a few painful moments, Xiao An jumps in and gives a succinct but comprehensive overview of everything the marketing team has been up to.
Her report impresses the Golden Men — Xi Jun even applauds for her — while the marketing team stare at her with open mouths and Jing Jing gives her a nod and smile. Fei Yang is also impressed and asks for her name and for her to give him a written business report on the marketing team.
Fei Yang dismisses everyone to get to work, but lingers, looking toward Ai Sha’s empty office.
Ai Sha sleeps in at home. She’s woken up by someone ringing her doorbell and knocking on her door insistently. It’s her mother and Nan Cheng. At first, she ignores them. Then, she goes to the door and listens as her mother continues to bang and yell. She seems to consider opening the door, but then Nan Cheng convinces her mother to leave, and Ai Sha turns away. Before she can get back to the couch, she suddenly bends over with severe stomach pain.
Xiao An hands in the marketing report Fei Yang requested quicker than he thought she would. She lingers while he looks over it, then asks to take on the responsibilities of marketing director. Just because Ai Sha has left doesn’t mean the marketing team can stop working. Xiao An is confident that she is the best person to take on the role.
Fei Yang looks at her thoughtfully, and agrees that someone needs to lead the marketing team. If she believes she’s up to the task, he’ll let her take on that role.
Xiao An asks how long it will take before she can officially have the title of marketing director. Fei Yang stands up and looks her in eye. How long does she think she needs to prove that she deserves the title?
Three months, Xiao An says. Fei Yang accepts it, saying if she does well in the next three months, he’ll officially promote her to marketing director.
Once she’s gone, Fei Yang lets out a deep breath and falls back into his seat. He’s amazed that Ai Sha’s assistant is so similar to her. “Working with women is really tiring,” he says to himself. And then, because he seems to have a one-track mind, he starts thinking about Ai Sha and wondering what she’s doing. He checks his location tracker of her phone, takes a peek around the office, then hops out.
Xiao An goes to look for Ye Xuan at his restaurant, but it’s locked and he’s not there.
Ye Xuan is at Ai Sha’s house, checking up on her after she presumably told him about feeling ill. He brings her congee and checks her for a fever, gives her some medication, then gently draws a blanket over her and she tries to rest some more. Ai Sha has a history of falling very ill whenever she’s out of work. The last time was a little over three years ago, just before she started at Chic.
She falls asleep and he watches her for a bit, gently brushing some hair out of her face.
Fei Yang stands outside Ai Sha’s house, trying to decide whether he should ring the doorbell or not. He keeps psyching himself up only to waver. He’s finally about to ring the doorbell when the door opens to reveal Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan demands to know why Fei Yang is there. Fei Yang claims to be looking for Ai Sha for work-related matters, and moves to ring the doorbell, but Ye Xuan grabs his arm to stop him. He says Ai Sha already resigned, so there should be no work business.
Ye Xuan pushes Fei Yang away from the door, saying Ai Sha doesn’t want to see him and he won’t let Fei Yang see her. He won’t let Fei Yang hurt her anymore. He thinks Fei Yang’s acquisition of Chic is what made Ai Sha resign from a company she’s sacrificed so much for — in three years, she hasn’t taken a single day off. Ye Xuan asks Fei Yang to stay away from Ai Sha.
Fei Yang frowns, but walks away. He ends up going to the playground next to where Ai Sha lives, and pouts on a park bench that Ye Xuan can go to her house while all he can do is stare at her location pin on his phone. Ni Mo calls him. He picks up, barely pausing to let Ni Mo speak, before saying that he doesn’t plan on going into the office today. Ni Mo should just email him any documents that he needs to read. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.
He tries calling Ai Sha, who is still sleeping and doesn’t pick up. He thinks about texting her to say that he’s at the park next to her house, but then decides against it.
Ai Sha wakes up, still in pain, and finds that Ye Xuan has neatly labeled and laid out some medication for her. But there isn’t any pain medication.
It’s dark out and Fei Yang is still at the park near Ai Sha’s, going up and down one of the slides like a child. He hears the clicking of heels and smiles, thinking that it’s Ai Sha. He turns eagerly, but it’s just some other businesswoman walking by.
Fei Yang continues to sulk and goes back to his park bench. He looks at the swing where he once saw Ai Sha swinging, and imagines she’s there again. But this time, she spots him while she swings and smiles, then comes over. Imaginary Ai Sha asks him if he’s in a bad mood. He says of course he is, but as long as she smiles at him like this, everything will be better.
“Do I really treat you that poorly?” asks Imaginary Ai Sha.
“Of course!” Fei Yang responds. “I showed you my heart and you wouldn’t even believe me.”
The real Ai Sha walks up and sees Fei Yang talking to himself. Imaginary Ai Sha asks him how he plans on proving his sincerity to her. He wants to know how he can prove that he’s sincere about liking her.
“I want to care for you, eat with you. I’ll eat your chives for you.” This gets a small chuckle out of the real Ai Sha.
Fei Yang says he wants to know if in her heart, he’s really a — “A pervert?” Imaginary Ai Sha interrupts. Fei Yang repeats it, miffed, while the real Ai Sha laughs out loud. This catches Fei Yang’s attention, who looks at her, then back at the imaginary version of her.
Fei Yang asks when she got here and why she’s eavesdropping, but Ai Sha hold up a hand, in extreme pain. She groans and suddenly collapses. Fei Yang catches her before her head hits the ground.
Ai Sha opens her eyes to find Fei Yang, Nan Cheng, and her mother staring back at her, which must be terrifying because they’re probably the last three people whose faces she’d want to wake up to.
She’s confused, thinking she’s at home, but finds out that she just woke up from an emergency appendectomy. Fei Yang explains that he called her mother and brother because she needed a family member to authorize the surgery.
Ai Sha’s mother starts lecturing her about not taking care of herself and not responding to phone calls or her doorbell when she lives alone. Fei Yang tactfully says that Ai Sha should probably rest some more, and tells Nan Cheng and Ai Sha’s mother that they should probably go home to rest as well, considering they were at the hospital all night.
Fei Yang sends them off, then returns to Ai Sha’s bedside with a smile. She tells him that he can leave too. He tries to refuse, saying that he promised her mother he’d stay and look after her. Ai Sha claims she can’t rest while he’s hanging around next to her.
Fei Yang takes a chair and sits in the far corner of the room, saying she can rest now. She rolls her eyes, but then turns away and closes them. The moment she’s not looking, Fei Yang lifts the chair and scoots a little closer. He immediately sits down and looks around the room when Ai Sha’s eyes snap open to stare at him. They go back and forth like that a few times, Fei Yang scooting closer when Ai Sha’s not looking, then acting nonchalant when her eyes open. Eventually, he makes it to her bedside. She’s annoyed, but chooses to ignore him and try to sleep, while he watches her with a smile.
The Golden Men fully move into Chic’s office. For the most part, they seem welcome, the Chic women flirting with some of the background Golden Men. But Yuki is unhappy to be sitting across from Xi Jun, and Vicky and Ni Mo are equally as disgusted to be sitting across from each other. They immediately start bickering.
Jing Jing brings Xiao An over to the group, introducing her as the interim marketing director. Xiao An has a new look — she’s lost the glasses and is no longer dressed like a frumpy assistant. Vicky is unhappy to have Xiao An in charge and snidely says that everyone knows what they’re suppose to be doing, it would be most helpful if Xiao An ran out to buy coffee for everyone.
But Xiao An doesn’t back down this time. Instead, she puts Vicky in her place, reminding her that when she was the one to help smooth things over with a client who was unhappy with Vicky. If Vicky isn’t willing to listen to her, then she’s more than happy to replace her with someone who will. That shuts everyone up. Steven smiles thoughtfully at Xiao An, Xi Jun looks impressed, and Ni Mo giggles quietly to see Vicky knocked down a peg.
When Ai Sha wakes up, she feels Fei Yang watching her, but when she turns to look at him, he quickly looks up at the ceiling, pretending he wasn’t just staring at her. They go back and forth again in this cat-and-mouse game until Fei Yang accidentally pulls something trying to turn his neck too quickly.
She asks him why he keeps staring at her. He says that it’s because she’s not wearing any makeup. Does he have a problem with that? she asks. He responds that she’s very pretty. Ai Sha just rolls her eyes and says she wants to sleep.
She tries to sit up, but it’s too painful, so she sinks back down. Fei Yang helps gently lower her back to the bed, and straightens her covers while telling her that he’s willing to help with whatever she needs. She doesn’t have to force herself to do things she’s not ready for.
Ye Xuan rushes into the room, calling Ai Sha’s name, but freezes when he sees Fei Yang. He tells Ai Sha that he found out about her condition after dropping by her house and seeing her mother and brother. He was worried after she didn’t pick up any of his calls all night. He keeps glancing at Fei Yang while he speaks.
Fei Yang and Ye Xuan start bickering and trying to one-up each other over who should stay and who should go. They keep getting closer and closer together…
Until Ai Sha’s doctor enters the room and tells them to quiet down. Ai Sha rolls her eyes at them.
Her doctor tells her that she can be discharged the day after tomorrow if all goes well, and that she can start eating after she “passes gas.” Ye Xuan asks what kind of foods she can eat, while Fei Yang asks what “pass gas” means. It soon becomes obvious when they all hear and smell Ai Sha’s gas being passed. “That,” the doctor says, and leaves.
Meanwhile, Ai Sha, Fei Yang, and Ye Xuan all act awkward. Fei Yang tries to normalize the situation, saying passing gas is a very natural thing to do. But it just makes Ai Sha exasperated and she tells both men to leave her alone.
Fei Yang gets Ye Xuan to leave, claiming that he can stay because Ai Sha’s family asked him to stay.
“Don’t you need to go to work?” Ai Sha asks. Fei Yang says that the nice thing about being the boss is that he is in charge of when he works. And the nice thing about technology is that anyplace can be his workplace. He claims to have a very important document he needs to read and tells her to be quiet and rest, then proceeds to pose, pretending to be contemplative while he stares at his phone.
Ai Sha’s mother packs some things to bring back to Ai Sha’s hospital room. She accidentally knocks over Ai Sha’s trash can. While bending down to pick it up, she suddenly clutches her head, dizzy and in pain, and collapses against the wall, groaning.
Xiao An drops by Ye Xuan’s restaurant after work and sees him busy cooking. She nods resolutely to herself, then goes inside. When she finds out that Ai Sha has been hospitalized, she’s immediately concerned and bombards Ye Xuan with questions. She offers to go with him to visit Ai Sha, but he says there’s no need.
Ye Xuan is in a hurry to get back to the hospital. Xiao An rushes after him and apologizes for what happened last time. He acts like he’s forgotten what happened and tells Xiao An not to worry about it, but Xiao An decides that she’s actually not sorry for confessing her feelings. She knows Ye Xuan is just trying to spare her feelings, but she doesn’t regret hugging him. She doesn’t need him to like her back. She’s fine with her one-sided crush.
Ye Xuan raises his voice and tells her to not do this. He knows better than anyone how despairing it can be to like someone who will never like you back. There’s no hope for him anymore, but it’s not too late for Xiao An. “Don’t be like me,” he tells her.
Fei Yang feeds Ai Sha like she’s a toddler and praises her when she finishes all her food. She asks when he’s going to leave, and he’ll leave when she’s discharged from the hospital. He promised her mother that he’d take care of her, and he’s going to be true to his word.
She sits up to go use the toilet and he hurries to grab her IV bag, then asks if she wants to be carried or supported. She glares at him and doesn’t respond, but ends up having to hold onto him for support.
Ye Xuan listens from around the corner in the hallway. He leaves without bothering to go in. He returns, defeated, to his restaurant, where he dumps out the congee in a thermos that he never gave to Ai Sha.
While Ye Xuan broods in his restaurant, Xiao An wanders the streets of the city. A man bumps into her, spilling his coffee on her. He apologizes, but she just stares ahead, not speaking. Eventually, he scurries away. She starts crying.
The next day, Ye Xuan visits Ai Sha at the hospital and helps her get settled back in her bed. He spots a document on her bed — it’s from the project she was in charge of as part of the Chic-Golden Man collaboration. Fei Yang asked her to look it over and wanted to hear some of her opinions, and she was more than happy to help because she has nothing else to do while in the hospital.
Ye Xuan looks unhappy that Ai Sha was helping Fei Yang when she has already resigned. Ai Sha can tell that there’s something on his mind and she asks him what’s up.
He takes several deep breaths, then looks her in the eye and says, “Ai Sha, let’s be together.”
Fei Yang stands in the doorway, watching them.
Eeeeeee! This episode had so many cute moments between Ai Sha and Fei Yang. He can act so immature sometimes, but it’s also kind of endearing.
I loved the scene with them outside the elevators when Ai Sha left Chic. I don’t care how cheesy the dialogue is. If someone actually said that to me in real life, I would probably vomit. But everything about that exchange, the dialogue, the expressions, the delivery, was such a perfect encapsulation of their relationship.
I’m really liking Xiao An’s evolution. I wasn’t sure about her at first, because I wasn’t sure whether she would have a more antagonistic arc. She seems to genuinely care for and admire Ai Sha, and able to recognize that Ye Xuan liking Ai Sha does not make Ai Sha the enemy. Is that why Ai Sha is someone she aspires to be?
Maybe she’s supposed to be a sympathetic character, but at first she just seemed… pathetic. As she takes Ai Sha’s advice to heart and becomes more of a go-getter, I’m liking her more. She doesn’t seem strong enough yet to really follow-through with the bold steps she’s taking, but she can get there!
Ai Sha is hospitalized now, but what will she do next? I don’t envy her position. She’s capable, but quitting her job was also a very extreme and sudden decision, especially because she doesn’t have any other ideas or plans lined up yet. I do think it’s a little sketchy that she’s helping Fei Yang with his business, essentially for free. I get that she’s a workaholic and feels a strong sense of responsibility, but she needs to set some boundaries.
The Drama Llama 