Recap: Falling Into You (Ep. 8)

I’m a little behind on things this weekend. Oops! But this week’s episode of Falling Into You is super sweet and full of good feels as both romances in the show make some healthy progress.

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Recap

Fang Zhi Sheng gives a talk about his company and business approach while Zi Tong sits on the side, ignoring him. He looks right at her, at one point talking about how his approach involves heart fingers — but to him, it doesn’t actually represent heart fingers. It’s a motion representing counting money.

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But even more important and challenging than making money in business is understanding people. He looks at Zi Tong again, but she doesn’t look up. A company’s success and future can be measured with performance and data, but people can’t be. Just because you give someone a lot, doesn’t mean you’ll receive the same amount. What makes one person successful can’t necessarily be applied to someone else. Isn’t understanding someone is the biggest challenge of all?

Zhi Sheng glances at Zi Tong again, then says that a lot of times the process of understanding someone else can feel like putting on a solo show. He gets to the main point: the foundation of a company is people. A company’s goal should be to best serve its customers.

After the meeting, Zhi Sheng calls out Zi Tong for seeming uninterested in what he had to say. She pulls out her cell phone — she recorded the talk. The reason she’d been distracted was that she suddenly thought of something to do with the business competition and needed to write it down. Zhi Sheng seems forgiving.

All of the teams struggle to come up with an idea to get new customers that Zhi Sheng hasn’t thought of yet. You Zhi apologizes for not being much help to Zi Tong and Ming Huan — he hasn’t pitched any ideas, and also recalls how he needed Zi Tong’s help figuring out the app because of his far-sightedness. That gives Ming Huan an idea: they can target far-sighted older folks like You Zhi who struggle to use the app by making it more accessible.

When the results of the competition are announced, Zi Tong’s team comes in second to Mi Ya, Jia Qi, and Ren Guang’s team, but everyone is happy with how they did. Zhi Sheng announces that because this competition was so successful, from now on the company will welcome business pitches from any employee and will hand out bonuses accordingly.

Zhi Sheng tries to approach Zi Tong, but gets cut off by Ren Guang and his team who immediately invite her team out to dinner to celebrate. Yu Qian gets invited, too, but no one includes Zhi Sheng.

Later, Fang Qing finds Zhi Sheng pouting at home with Yu Qian keeping him company. Zhi Sheng wouldn’t let Yu Qian go to the dinner without him, but Fang Qing tells him to go and she keeps Zhi Sheng company instead. She teases Zhi Sheng about really being in love with Zi Tong, then says that if Zhi Sheng latches onto Zi Tong too much, she’ll only feel annoyed. Fang Qing heard from Tian Lin himself.

Zhi Sheng is worried that Fang Qing told Tian Lin he likes his sister, but Fang Qing says that it’s so obvious even a blind person could see it. Everyone except for Zi Tong herself. Zhi Sheng suddenly gets up to head to the celebration dinner, claiming that he’s worried Yu Qian might get too drunk and need him.

At dinner, Ren Guang tries to toast Yu Qian out of appreciation for giving them first place in the competition. Mi Ya points out that he should probably be thanking Zhi Sheng instead, since he organized the competition. Jia Qi says Yu Qian can act as a proxy for Zhi Sheng, but Zhi Sheng shows up, saying there’s no need. Everyone bolts up and falls silent.

Except for Zi Tong, who is clearly drunk seems to be in her own little world. She dials someone on her phone, then loudly says, “Hey! Fang Zhi Sheng!” Zhi Sheng’s phone starts ringing. He picks up.

Zi Tong asks why Zhi Sheng is being so good to her by sponsoring her and helping her. He responds that he wants to help her because he likes her. Everyone stares. Zi Tong smiles and thanks him for liking her when she’s so terrible. No one likes her. Her mother doesn’t like her, her best friend doesn’t like her, even her boyfriend doesn’t like her. Zhi Sheng says that they might not like her, but he does. From now on, he’ll be with her.

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Zi Tong suddenly stands up and yells that he’s a liar. Then she turns and mumbles that she’s going home. She stumbles up and Zhi Sheng catches her head before she can slam it into a wall. She peers at him, confused. “I think I see you,” she says.

“I see you, too,” he responds.

Zi Tong asks if she’s dreaming. Zhi Sheng says she is. Zi Tong mumbles that she’s going to go to sleep and closes her eyes. Zhi Sheng hugs her to him, then turns to fix everyone else with a stare. They all heard him, right? The employees quickly look away and claim that they didn’t hear anything. But Zhi Sheng freely admits that he just confessed to Zi Tong. However, if any of them tell anyone else about this, they’re fired.

Zhi Sheng sweeps Zi Tong into his arms and carries her out. The employees titter after he leaves.

Outside, Zhi Sheng is carrying Zi Tong on his back when she says that she needs to vomit. He hastily sits her down on a bench and pats her on the back. Her nausea seems to pass and she starts tipping over. He quickly redirects her so that her head is resting on his shoulder instead.

Zi Tong blearily looks up at the sky and then comments on how the moon is so pretty. Zhi Sheng jokes that he’ll catch it for her, but she says he’s not allowed to. Her mother told her that if you catch the moon, you’ll lose an ear. Zhi Sheng says he’s not afraid — Zi Tong can protect him. But Zi Tong shakes her head. She’s not allowed to fight. Her mother says that she has to make it into the Olympics so that they can complete her dream. She’s not allowed to get into fights or hit anyone.

Zi Tong starts crying. She’s listened to her mother, but her mother hates her and doesn’t want her anymore. Zhi Sheng says that even if they don’t want her, he does. Zi Tong doesn’t seem to hear him. She shakes her head, repeating that no one likes her and no one wants her. Zhi Sheng repeats that he likes her. He wants her for a lifetime.

She finally turns to look at him. “Really?” she asks.

Zhi Sheng holds out his hand for a pinky swear. “I promise,” he says. Zi Tong looks at his hand, then closes her eyes and rests her head on his shoulder.

Zhi Sheng wonders: if they switched places and he were the one being abandoned, would she want him?

Zhi Sheng takes Zi Tong back to her apartment and gently puts her to bed. He looks at her messy table, noticing the pamphlet of PT exercises, as well as the invoice from his psychologist appointment. No wonder she had said those things up on the rooftop the other day, but her way of showing concern is a bit too roundabout.

Zhi Sheng notices Zi Tong shifting in her sleep and rushes to her side. She blearily sits up, saying that she needs a hot compress, and tries to get out of bed, but he makes her lie back down, saying he’ll do it. He heats up a hot towel and sets it on her knee. When she flinches at first, he shakes it out and tries to cool it down a bit before trying again.

He watches Zi Tong as she sleeps, remembering their accidental kiss. The first time was an accident. The second time, he’s going to make sure he does it right. He tells her that he hopes she won’t let him down. He hopes that one day, he can become her strongest support and that when she’s awake and sober, she can be the way she is now and fully be herself.

The next day, Ren Guang shows Ming Huan, Jia Qi, and Mi Ya a video of Zi Tong from her taekwondo days and tells them that she used to be one of the top athletes in Asia. When Zi Tong shows up and greets them, they scramble to act like they weren’t just gossiping about her.

Zi Tong asks who took her home last night. All four of them grimace as they recall how Zhi Sheng promised they would be fired if they told anyone what happened. Does Zi Tong really not remember anything? Zi Tong sheepishly responds that the last thing she remembers is eating a lot of shrimp.

Zhi Sheng shows up and Ren Guang stumbles over himself to rush over and tell Zhi Sheng that Zi Tong doesn’t remember anything. It takes a couple of tries before Zhi Sheng fully understands what he’s saying. Zhi Sheng stares at Zi Tong as he walks by. Zi Tong asks if something happened. He says no and keeps going.

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Zi Tong looks around, confused. Ren Guang and the others quickly turn away and act like they weren’t hanging onto every word that was just said.

Zhi Sheng can’t believe that Zi Tong got drunk off of drunken shrimp and is even more dismayed that his heartfelt confession was thwarted by a plate of shrimp. When Zi Tong knocks to enter his office, he quickly forces a smile and asks her if she had a good time last night. Zi Tong admits that this is the first time she’s ever gone out with coworkers and that it was very enjoyable. She acknowledges that without Zhi Sheng, she never would have had an experience like this.

Zhi Sheng smiles that at least she recognizes his role. He tries to lead her into saying who he is to her, but she just stares at him without responding. He finally says that she should consider him an important and noble person, right? Zi Tong nods thoughtfully in agreement. Zhi Sheng continues to awkwardly force a smile as Zi Tong asks if he’s in a better mood now. He nods. She seems to take what he says at face value and nods that that’s good, then leaves.

Zhi Sheng keeps his smile until the door is closed, then shakes his head incredulously. How could she just leave it at that? She didn’t even bother asking about his reaction before? She’s a bit too slow.

Zi Tong goes to see Dr. Du to touch base before her surgery. Before she leaves, Dr. Du asks her curiously about her relationship with Fang Zhi Sheng. He seems surprised that Zhi Sheng is just Zi Tong’s boss, and reveals how Zhi Sheng privately approached him to ask about Zi Tong’s surgical and PT costs. (Okay, that’s sweet, but doesn’t that violate some sort of health privacy law? Maybe the law aren’t as strict in Taiwan?)

Zi Tong is surprised and confused. Why would he do that? Dr. Du doesn’t know, but he says that it seems like Zhi Sheng cares a lot about Zi Tong.

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Later, back at work, Zi Tong returns to find Zhi Sheng rushing out after a phone call that has something to do with Fang Qing. She asks Yu Qian to chat, then asks him why Zhi Sheng would approach Dr. Du about her medical fees. “For you,” Yu Qian responds.

Zi Tong thinks more about that conversation as she organizes Zhi Sheng’s desk. Yu Qian told her that Zhi Sheng knew she wouldn’t accept money if he tried to give it to her, so he hosted the competition instead. Zhi Sheng might be a bit harsh with his words, but he’ll fervently support the people he believes in.

Zi Tong smiles to herself as she remembers how Zhi Sheng defended her in front of her mother and told her he would support her no matter what. “I won’t disappoint you,” she thinks.

The mother of Xue Yong, the kid who bit Xin Yan, shows up at Fang Qing’s school accusing Fang Qing of hitting and bullying her son. Fang Qing maintains her innocence, but the mother starts crying and accuses Fang Qing of lying.

The school director pulls Fang Qing aside. She knows that Fang Qing isn’t the kind of person who would ever hit a student, but asks her to apologize anyway. If the parent makes a fuss, even if it’s not true, she’ll have to file a report, and no one wants that. If Fang Qing apologizes, then they can just resolve the issue here.

Fang Qing sighs and looks disappointed, but nods and says she knows what she has to do. The school director tells Xue Yong’s mother that Fang Qing is ready to apologize. The woman looks down her nose with a smug look, but before Fang Qing can speak, someone says, “Don’t apologize!” Tian Lin rushes in, holding Xin Yan’s hand, with Zhi Sheng close behind.

Tian Lin tells Fang Qing that she shouldn’t apologize if she did nothing wrong. Xin Yan hugs Fang Qing and says that she didn’t hit anyone. Xin Yan was the one who hit Xue Yong because he was insulting her dad.

Xue Yong’s mother starts yelling that Fang Qing is biased. How can someone like her be a teacher?

Tian Lin defends Fang Qing, saying that they won’t be able to find a teacher better than her. Xue Yong’s mother knows what the truth is, and Tian Lin warns her that if she insists on making a fuss, it won’t be good for her. The woman accuses them of trying to outnumber and intimidate her. She scrambles for her phone, saying that she’s going to call a reporter right now.

Tian Lin calls her out on her hypocrisy. Now she’s interested in talking to an uneducated journalist like him? Xue Yong’s mother doesn’t have a response to that.

Fang Qing says that if Xue Yong’s mother doesn’t agree with her teaching methods, then she’s sorry. But Fang Qing believes it’s important to show children how to resolve conflicts the right way. As adults, they shouldn’t try to justify a child’s mistakes — then they’ll never learn to separate what’s wrong from what’s right. Spoiling a child isn’t the same as love.

But Xue Yong’s mother resents being spoken to like that and demands for accountability. The school director tries to calm her down and asks Fang Qing to just apologize, but Fang Qing says that children are watching. She needs to show Xin Yan that in this world, there is right and wrong, and that having the louder voice doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re right.

Xue Yong’s mother loudly demands to know who’s being loud here. The school director tries again to calm her down by saying that they’ll handle this matter by conducting an internal investigation. She suggests that Fang Qing should leave now.

Outside, Fang Qing asks Tian Lin and Zhi Sheng why they’re here. Tian Lin says that he dropped by to pick up Xin Yan, and Xin Yan was the one who told him to go rescue her teacher. Zhi Sheng claims that he sensed his aunt needed him.

Teacher Jiang comes by and asks Fang Qing what happened, while Tian Lin eyes him with a frown. Teacher Jiang reassures Fang Qing that he’ll help clear her name during the internal investigation.

Zhi Sheng offers to drive Fang Qing home, but she tells him to go back to work. She can get home herself. Zhi Sheng glances at Tian Lin, then says he does need to go back to work. As he heads out, he mutters to Tian Lin, “Don’t say I didn’t help you.”

But when Tian Lin, Xin Yan, and Fang Qing go outside, Tian Lin is perfectly ready to just let Fang Qing leave on her own. It’s Xin Yan who runs up to Fang Qing as she walks away and tugs on her hand, telling her to come with her instead.

Xin Yan makes Tian Lin and Fang Qing go to the amusement park with her. Tian Lin sees that Fang Qing still looks a bit glum and distracted and tries to cheer her up.

Later, they play an arcade game. Tian Lin sees Fang Qing struggling with the BB gun and helps her line up a shot by putting his arm around her and leaning in close. They knock over the target, winning a prize.

Afterward, Xin Yan graciously lets Fang Qing keep the stuffed animal she won, saying that Fang Qing and Tian Lin won it together so it’s only fair Fang Qing gets to keep it. Then she spots a little girl crying because her balloon flew away.

Fang Qing tries to help grab the girl’s balloon, which is stuck in a tree. She’s too short, so Tian Lin surprises her by picking her up and giving her a boost. It reminds them both of how he had picked her up back when they first met at the resort and helped another little girl rescue her balloon. Now, Tian Lin and Fang Qing suddenly become shy and avoid eye contact. Tian Lin sets Fang Qing down, and for a moment, they make intense eye contact and lean in toward each other before Fang Qing looks away first.

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Fang Qing goes over to hand the little girl her balloon, but it flies away before the girl can grab onto it. This time, it flies into the sky and is unretrievable. Xin Yan decides to give the girl her own balloon.

Fang Qing watches with a smile as Tian Lin comes over and says to her, “If the old doesn’t go, the new won’t come.” Let go of the past, change your mood, and welcome the future. Even a kid understands that; as adults, they shouldn’t forget. Fang Qing smiles and nods at him.

Zhi Sheng tells Yu Qian that Mingtong has pushed their deadline back, which means they won’t have to be as rushed. Zhi Sheng gets a text from Fang Qing, saying she’s home. He shakes his head with a smile. She just got home? He has to give credit to Tian Lin for taking advantage of the opportunity he was given.

Zi Tong knocks and enters the office to tell Zhi Sheng that her surgery has been scheduled for next Wednesday. He offers to go with her, but she says she’s fine getting there on her own. Zhi Sheng insists. Zi Tong relents.

After Zi Tong leaves, Yu Qian teases Zhi Sheng about missing her already. He points out that after the surgery, Zi Tong will be focused on her recovery and probably won’t come back to work. The thought didn’t even occur to Zhi Sheng. Yu Qian laughs. Ever since Zhi Sheng met Zi Tong, he’s been shooting himself in the foot when it comes to her.

At night, Zhi Sheng talks to his clay figurine of Zi Tong. He didn’t realize that helping her realize her dream would make the distance between them grow wider. If he’d known earlier… he would still help her, because she looks happiest when she’s competing. He emphasizes the smile on her clay face. Shouldn’t she hurry up and claim a man as great as him?

Later, he finds Fang Qing lost in thought brooding in the kitchen. He asks if she’s okay and tries to give her some encouragement. She forces a smile and reassures him that this isn’t her first time dealing with a difficult parent, but the moment she thinks he’s left, her face falls again.

Tian Lin gets a phone call from an unknown number. When he picks up, the person on the other end says, “Let’s meet up.” It’s Zhi Sheng. Tian Lin agrees to meet, since there’s something he also wanted to ask Zhi Sheng. On his laptop screen is the article on Zhi Sheng’s father.

Tian Lin and Zhi Sheng meet up at a riverside park. Zhi Sheng points out that Tian Lin called him unscrupulous, but he’s the one using his own daughter to try and pursue a woman. Tian Lin acknowledges that he’s taking advantage of an opportunity when he sees it, but that he also never expected to meet Fang Qing again, so he’ll whatever it takes to not let this chance go to waste. He knows that Zhi Sheng is doing the same for Zi Tong, and reassures Zhi Sheng that he can take care of Fang Qing’s problems.

Zhi Sheng asks if Tian Lin is certain he can handle it. If he can’t, he should give up sooner rather than later. Tian Lin reassures him that he can. He’s a journalist, after all. Zhi Sheng starts to tell Tian Lin that his aunt may appear tough on the outside; Tian Lin finishes Zhi Sheng’s sentence for him, knowing that she actually just puts on an act so as not to make the people close to her worry. Zhi Sheng smiles. It looks like Tian Lin understands his aunt well.

Zhi Sheng tells Tian Lin that he’s accompanying Zi Tong to her surgery next week, so he’ll leave his aunt to Tian Lin. Tian Lin is surprised that Zi Tong would let Zhi Sheng go with her to the surgery. He tells Zhi Sheng that he won’t stop him from pursuing Zi Tong, but warns Zhi Sheng that if he makes her unhappy, he’ll take him down even more viciously than Wang Xin Hui. His desire to protect Zi Tong is not less than Zhi Sheng’s desire to protect Fang Qing.

Zhi Sheng accepts that with a smile. Then he asks what Tian Lin wanted with him. “Do you know Fang Xiang Tai?” Tian Lin asks. Zhi Sheng frowns at the mention of his father’s name.

When Zhi Sheng gets home, he texts Tian Lin, warning him not to mention his father to Fang Qing. It’ll make her unhappy. Fang Qing asks Zhi Sheng why he got home so late. When Zhi Sheng says that it’s because he met with Tian Lin, Fang Qing immediately zooms in on Zhi Sheng and asks why. Was it about her?

Zhi Sheng asks why she seems so nervous. Is she worried that he did something to Tian Lin? Or that Tian Lin did something to him? Fang Qing tells him to just hurry up and tell her what they talked about. Zhi Sheng teases her about how she’s suddenly embarrassed and that it seems like love is in the air. No wonder both Tian Lin and Teacher Jiang are chasing after her. He asks who she would pick. She reminds him that she’s not interested in dating, then quickly says good night and scurries away.

Zhi Sheng gets a text from Tian Lin with a picture of the last article his father wrote before he died. Zhi Sheng frowns at how hard Tian Lin is trying to force the matter. Back at the park, Zhi Sheng had claimed to not know anyone named Fang Xiang Tai. Tian Lin pushed the matter, asking if he knew what his father had been investigating before his death. Zhi Sheng had warned him to not mention his name again if he wanted to keep pursuing Fang Qing. But now, Zhi Sheng wonders why he’s feeling troubled by what Tian Lin said. He ends up looking up his father’s name in conjunction with Mingtong Group.

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Fang Qing finds herself thinking about Zhi Sheng’s comment that love is in the air and thinks about Tian Lin. She shakes herself and blames Zhi Sheng for putting these unwanted thoughts in her head, then goes to bed, tucking the stuffed animal Tian Lin helped her win in bed next to her.

She wakes up in the middle of the night to a knock at her bedroom door. When she opens it, Tian Lin is there. He kisses her. She tells him that they shouldn’t — Zhi Sheng is right next door. But Tian Lin doesn’t care. He missed her once and he won’t miss her again. He’s always liked her, then and now. He kisses her again and they end up on her bed, where things get hot and steamy and his shirt comes off…

Fang Qing wakes up to the sound of her alarm clock and finds that she’s been rolling around in her bed, making out with her stuffed animal. She angrily yells Zhi Sheng’s name.

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Zhi Sheng accidentally nicks himself while shaving. The sight of the blood makes him woozy, but he manages to stop the bleeding.

At work, Zi Tong tells Ren Guang that he’s been assigned to support Jia Qi in planning next month’s courier party. He’s overjoyed.

Zhi Sheng shows up at work and Zi Tong immediately notices the bandage on his chin. She grabs his face to inspect it, and starts asking about his hemophobia, but then switches to ask if it hurts. He reassures her that it’s no big deal, while all the other employees pretend they’re not paying attention.

Zi Tong grabs the first-aid kit and goes into Zhi Sheng’s office to help him fix the bandage on his chin. Ren Guang, Mi Ya, and Jia Qi immediately try to spy on what’s going on.

Zi Tong spends a bit of time trying to get Zhi Sheng’s bandage off. She tells him to close his eyes if he’s afraid of seeing his own blood, and he does. She lingers for a moment, staring at him, after she finishes applying some ointment on his cut.

Zhi Sheng watches Zi Tong as she gently puts a new bandage on his chin. She catches him looking and they stare at each other for a moment.

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Zi Tong clears her throat and shifts back, trying to casually ask Zhi Sheng if something happened to him in the past and if that’s why he’s afraid of blood while she packs up the first-aid kit. That makes Zhi Sheng look away and he feigns interest in a document before saying yes. Zi Tong asks if that’s why he sees a psychologist. Zhi Sheng says yes, but that it hasn’t really worked to help him.

Zhi Sheng finally looks Zi Tong in the eye again and asks if she’ll come back. Will she come back to his side after she finishes competing?

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Commentary

I am really enjoying this drama! It’s just the right amount of light and fluffy and doesn’t make me think too hard while remaining solidly enjoyable. It’s rare that a drama strikes the right balance of feel-good without being boring to me.

I think part of it is that we don’t have any sort of love triangle going on, which is really refreshing to see. I much prefer watching these parallel relationships develop. Fang Qing’s hot dream about Tian Lin made me LOL, but she also wasn’t that far off with her imagination… the reality of the development of their relationship is so sweet and I love that Xin Yan is the one taking the initiative to try and match them together.

I really love Zhi Sheng and Zi Tong’s relationship. Or more specifically, the way that Zhi Sheng approaches his relationship with Zi Tong. It’s really sweet to see how unconditionally supportive he is of her and how his greatest wish is for her to feel comfortable enough around him to be fully herself. More healthy relationships please!