We still get a bit of the usual Zhi Sheng and Zi Tong wholesome moments this episode, but not as much as the past few episodes. Instead, this episode is more about each of our characters making some headway toward their goals and mostly a lot of set-up for some juicy showdowns.
Recap
Zhi Sheng goes to Chongyun to look for Cai Feng, who doesn’t look happy to see him. She looks even more unhappy when Zhi Sheng shows that he’s done his research on the dojang’s financials — it’s not doing well. Zhi Sheng says that he’s willing to invest in the dojang if Cai Feng is willing to train Zi Tong.
Cai Feng smiles sardonically at how Zhi Sheng thinks money can solve all problems. Zhi Sheng is willing to be the bad guy who throws money around if that means he can help the person he cares about fulfill her dream. He hopes Cai Feng can forgive him, because she’ll be his mother-in-law one day.
Cai Feng is incredulous that Zhi Sheng and Zi Tong are dating and also views it as more evidence that Zi Tong isn’t worth her time. How can she train properly if she’s dating? Zhi Sheng promises that he won’t be a distraction. The moment he is, he’ll leave.
Zhi Sheng tells Cai Feng that Zi Tong idolizes her — she did before and she does now. In a past conversation with Zi Tong, Zhi Sheng had asked if she had any other coaches she would work with as a back-up in case her mother didn’t agree to coach her, but Zi Tong said that she didn’t have a back-up option. Her mother is her only option. And it’s not because she’s her mother — it’s because she’s the one who understands her best. Zi Tong knows that her mother is the only one who can get her to the Olympics, and she also remembers her promise to her mother that they’d go to the Olympics together.
Now, Zhi Sheng asks Cai Feng to accept his proposal. It’ll be good for the dojang and good for Zi Tong and Cai Feng’s relationship. Qian Ni eavesdrops with a frown.
Zhi Sheng’s employees are busier than ever. Jia Qi and Ren Guang thought that Zhi Sheng would forget about work after falling in love, but it seems like the opposite.
Zhi Sheng visits Zi Tong at the hospital, where he sees her trying to move the leg she just got surgery on and freaks out. She tells him that she’s supposed to do these exercises as part of her recovery. Zhi Sheng accepts that and then comments on the size of her feet and guesses her shoe size exactly. She’s surprised; he tells her that he knows everything about her.
Zhi Sheng has also brought some food that he personally made. Zi Tong tells him that she and her father ate already, but he pulls out the boxes anyway. He was hoping to make a good impression on her father through his cooking.
He manages to convince Zi Tong to eat and feeds her a bite before she seems to lose her appetite. She heard that the company has been busier than ever and is worried that Zhi Sheng’s decision to sponsor her is what’s putting pressure on the business. He tries to poke her cheeks, but she grabs onto his fingers to stop him. He reminds her that the company is prepping for Series B funding and it’s expected that they’re busy.
He tries to feed Zi Tong again, but she presses the call button for a nurse. She needs to go to the bathroom. He offers to help her, but she responds that she’s not allowed out of bed yet — for now she has to use a bedpan. He’s willing to help her with that, too, but she insists that he leave.
Fang Qing gets a text from Jiang Tao Zhong, the coworker who’s interested in her, saying he eagerly awaits her return to school — it’s not the same without her. She remembers how he had asked her to give him a chance and wonders if she would really consider him. Then she thinks of Tian Lin and their make-out session from her dream.
Zhi Sheng returns home and congratulates Fang Qing on the school issues being resolved. She guesses that he heard from Tian Lin, then defensively adds that there’s nothing going on between them even though Zhi Sheng wasn’t going to mention anything about them at all.
Zhi Sheng meets with Tian Lin to get more information on the family’s dojang. Tian Lin is willing to hand over the info — but only if Zhi Sheng first shares what he knows about his father’s investigation into Mingtong. Zhi Sheng says that he’s in the process of investigating and will let Tian Lin know if he finds anything. That’s good enough for Tian Lin, who shares the files on Chongyun.
They’re interrupted when Zhi Sheng gets a phone call from Fang Qing. He confirms some details of Zi Tong coming over to stay with them. Tian Lin is surprised to hear this. Zhi Sheng addresses him as a brother-in-law and reassures him that he’ll take good care of Zi Tong. Tian Lin thinks Zhi Sheng is getting ahead of himself, but warns him that he better follow through on his word if he’s talking about marriage.
Fang Qing shows Zi Tong to her new room. Zi Tong is grateful to Fang Qing, but Fang Qing says she should be the one to thank Zi Tong. Zhi Sheng doesn’t let people in very easily and she’s glad that someone like Zi Tong is by his side. She tells Zi Tong about how they were bounced around until she turned 20 and could support them. It was only then that Fang Qing discovered that Zhi Sheng was struggling with mental health issues. She started taking him to see a psychologist and he seemed to be getting better, but she knows that he’s just been faking it.
Fang Qing tells Zi Tong that Zhi Sheng must view her as one of his people if he’s told her all of this. Zhi Sheng is someone who will do anything for those he cares about. He’s a great person — except for the fact that he doesn’t do any chores and has terrible living habits. Fang Qing is shocked when Zi Tong tells her that Zhi Sheng can cook.
At night, Zhi Sheng brings Zi Tong a cup of milk and then helps her blowdry her hair. He tells her that in the future, he’ll only care more for her, not less. She smiles gratefully and says that once she’s better, she’ll do the same for him.
After Zi Tong goes to sleep, Zhi Sheng finds Fang Qing. He wants to talk about his father. Zi Tong helped him realize that he doesn’t hate his father — he just cares about him too much, but never wanted to acknowledge it before. His doctor has always said that facing the past is the first step toward moving forward. He wants to give it a try.
Fang Qing smiles. She’s been waiting to hear Zhi Sheng say these words. She gives Zhi Sheng a box of his father’s possessions, including a lighter, a photo of Zhi Sheng with his father that brings back a memory of happier days with his parents, and his father’s laptop.
Zhi Sheng powers up the laptop, but it seems to have been wiped. When he wanders out of his room, he sees Zi Tong’s door is open and her bed empty. He rushes downstairs, where he finds her sitting on the couch, and asks her if something is bothering her and if that’s why she can’t sleep. She holds up her mug — she was just getting water.
Zi Tong asks Zhi Sheng why he hasn’t told his aunt that he can cook. Zhi Sheng admits that he wants to give his aunt something to do so she doesn’t have time to worry about other things — like everything that happened with his father. He knows that Fang Qing feels guilty for not having discovered earlier how he was being neglected by his father, so now she tries to do things for him to make up for it. Zi Tong guesses that this is why Zhi Sheng pretends he can’t take care of himself, so Fang Qing can feel like he needs her.
The next morning, Fang Qing goes downstairs to find that Zhi Sheng has made breakfast. She pouts, asking Zhi Sheng why he deceived her for so long. But when she and Zi Tong take bites of their food, they exchange a look. Fang Qing tells Zhi Sheng that his food is edible, at least.
Zhi Sheng responds that this is why he still needs Fang Qing around. He cooks to feed himself, but it’s not very good. She starts giving him advice on how he should be cooking his food, and he smiles, humoring her.
At school, Xin Yan and Tian Lin arrive and spot Fang Qing. Xin Yan greets Fang Qing, who is on her phone and turns, appearing to not notice them as she walks the opposite way. Once she’s sure they’re gone, Fang Qing sneaks a glance behind her and breathes a sigh of relief. She asks herself why she tried to avoid them, then composes herself.
Zhi Sheng asks Yu Qian for help seeing if anything can be salvaged from his father’s laptop.
Da Quan talks to Dr. Du about Zi Tong’s condition. He’s worried that starting physical therapy only a month after her surgery is too quick, but Dr. Du reassures him that it’ll be fine. Dr. Du is a little concerned that Zi Tong’s old injury might flare up again and that she’ll push through it without taking care of herself. Da Quan promises to keep a watchful eye on Zi Tong, but Dr. Du tells him that there’s already someone else who is watching her even more carefully. Da Quan guesses that it’s Zi Tong’s boyfriend, whom he hasn’t met yet. He asks Dr. Du if Zhi Sheng is handsome. Dr. Du thinks he’s just okay.
In a continuation of the scene from the beginning of the episode, Zhi Sheng asks Cai Feng to accept his proposal. Cai Feng takes the pamphlet he offers her, but then tears it in half, saying she has no interest in it.
Zhi Sheng smiles and looks unconcerned — he’s brought 8 other pamphlets. If Cai Feng rips through those, he’ll come back tomorrow with 10 more, and will keep coming back until she agrees. She glares at him, but he can’t be dissuaded.
Zhi Sheng is headed out when Qian Ni asks him if Zi Tong is really worth all this effort that he’s putting in for her. Chongyun is a bottomless hole that can’t be filled. Zhi Sheng disagrees. He thinks Chongyun has a good foundation — it’s just lacking a viable business plan. He calls Qian Ni out for not seeming very attached to her dojang. He guesses that Qian Ni is probably thinking of ditching it after she gets to the Olympics.
She glares at him and says it’s none of his business. She just wants to remind Zi Sheng that there’s no place for Zi Tong here anymore. It’s impossible for her to recover and train in time for the Olympic team selection.
But Zhi Sheng senses that Qian Ni’s words come from a place of fear — she’s afraid that Zi Tong can turn the impossible into the possible. He reminds Qian Ni that some people, no matter how hard they work, can’t beat someone who has talent and is willing to work hard.
Zhi Sheng’s words remind Qian Ni of what she once overheard Cai Feng saying about her. Cai Feng had told Da Quan that working hard wasn’t enough — one also needed talent. And Qian Ni wasn’t good enough for her at the time.
Zi Tong starts physical therapy under the guidance of her old trainer, Xu Hao Ping. Zhi Sheng arrives right as Zi Tong grows weak and Hao Ping has to help catch her. He looks jealous and immediately goes over, while Hao Ping also looks a bit jealous to see him. Zhi Sheng makes sure to introduce himself as Zi Tong’s boyfriend, while Hao Ping calls Zi Tong “Tong Tong” and introduces himself as her “old friend.”
They each try to alpha the other, squeezing each other’s hands, while Zi Tong returns to doing her exercises and ignores them. Hao Ping is the first to let go after Zhi Sheng boasts that he and Zi Tong are living together.
Qian Ni takes out her frustrations on a punching bag, remembering all the times she was second to Zi Tong. She vows that she won’t be in second place anymore.
Tian Lin picks up Xin Yan from school. The moment Fang Qing spots them, she turns and walks away. Xin Yan asks Tian Lin if he and Fang Qing are fighting with each other — it seems like they haven’t spoken to each other in a long time. Tian Lin looks at Fang Qing’s retreating back and agrees — it’s been a while.
Zhi Sheng shows up early to pick Zi Tong up from her physical therapy session. Hao Ping gives him a book on massage exercises that he think will come in useful, then shares that Zi Tong is doing better than he anticipated. He heard that Zhi Sheng is trying to convince Cai Feng to take Zi Tong back, but thinks his chances are slim.
Later, Zhi Sheng buys a treadmill for Zi Tong (okay, that’s a pretty cool product placement) and gets a text from Yu Qian — he was able to recover the files on his father’s laptop.
The files that Yu Qian recovered all have to do with Mingtong. Zhi Sheng flips through them with a frown. Who tried to wipe his father’s laptop and why?
Da Quan visits one of Zi Tong’s physical therapy sessions and insists on sending her good vibes and loudly cheering her on as she does her exercises. Cai Feng drops by and watches from around a corner.
On his way out, Da Quan calls his wife to try and convince her to take Zi Tong back on. Does she really want Zi Tong to train with a different coach? He asks her to stop being so stubborn and just forget about it.
Zhi Sheng is on his way in and just misses seeing Da Quan, but hears him say, “Forget about it.” He staggers. The voice brings back a memory from his childhood. He remembers hearing Da Quan’s voice saying to forget about what happened in the past and just let it go.
Zhi Sheng faints, then sees a full memory. He hears Da Quan arguing with his father. Then later, he opens his door and sees a struggle. He hides back in his room. When he next wakes up and opens his door, he hears water and bends down to pick up a large shard of glass that is dripping with blood. He sees his father’s motionless corpse sitting on the ground.
Zhi Sheng wakes up with a start in his own bed with Zi Tong gently patting his face. Da Quan’s words, saying to forget the past and pretend it never happened, still echo in his head.
He clings to Zi Tong with a hug and lies about why he fainted, claiming he overexhausted himself. When he looks up, he sees his childhood self, clutching a broken piece of glass and staring back at him. Zhi Sheng hugs Zi Tong harder.
He knows that the past that can be forgotten never actually disappears. It’s only forgotten because it’s too scary to remember it. The guilt also never disappears. It just hides somewhere, waiting for the moment when you can no longer avoid it.
Zi Tong continues doing physical therapy and growing stronger. One day, she returns to the dojang and shows Zhi Sheng around. Revisiting the dojang brings back memories of when she and Qian Ni trained and lived there together and were friends who would chase each other around and sneaks bites of ice pops. Her mother would lecture them for laughing and enjoying themselves instead of being focused and serious.
Zhi Sheng sees Zi Tong’s expression and thinks that she’s having doubts about what lies ahead. He smiles and tells her that he trusts she can do it. She smiles back and promises that she’ll persevere to the end — she won’t let all his efforts go to waste.
When they get to the bottom of the stairs, Cai Feng is waiting for them. She and Zi Tong make eye contact.
Qian Ni is warming up and stretching with some of the other students at the dojang when Cai Feng walks in. Qian Ni’s smile falters when she sees Zi Tong walking in behind Cai Feng. Cai Feng announces that Zi Tong is returning to the team, starting today.
Tian Lin catches Fang Qing trying to avoid him and traps her his arms on campus after school is out. He asks why she’s avoiding him — is it because he likes her?
Before Fang Qing has to answer, Teacher Jiang shows up and frees Fang Qing. He pulls her to his side and asks Tian Lin what he thinks he’s doing with his girlfriend.
Tian Lin looks at them skeptically, but Fang Qing quickly nods and confirms Teacher Jiang’s statement. Tian Lin crosses his arms and still looks unconvinced. If they’re really dating, he wants to see proof: they should kiss.
Fang Qing immediately protests, saying it wouldn’t be appropriate on school grounds, but Tian Lin points out there’s no one else around. “Please,” he says, gesturing for them to go ahead and do their thing.
Fang Qing winces, then closes her eyes. She and Jiang slowly turn their faces toward each other.
Before they can kiss, Tian Lin grabs Fang Qing’s wrist and pulls her to his side. She was really going to go through with it? He starts to take her elsewhere to talk, but Jiang holds out a hand, trying to stop them. Tian Lin grabs his wrist and warns him that he’s a black belt in taekwondo — does Jiang really want to try and stop him? Jiang lowers his arm and lets them go.
Cai Feng takes Zi Tong to the weights section of the room and tells her that she may be back on the team, but she’s not training with them. This is where she will do all her training for now. She also tells Zi Tong to take off her dobok and leaves her with some exercises to do.
Tian Lin drags Fang Qing out the school gates. He tells her that if she had acted like nothing had changed between them, he would’ve done the same. But the fact that she’s avoiding him means that she cares about how he feels toward her. He won’t let her go without talking about it.
Zi Tong does her exercises while watching Cai Feng coach Qian Ni. Cai Feng smiles approvingly at Qian Ni. Qian Ni turns to smirk at Zi Tong.
During a break, two of Qian Ni’s friends make snide comments about the coach is purposely messing with Zi Tong and trying to put her in her place. Qian Ni tells them to not disrupt someone else’s training, but gives Zi Tong another smug smile before heading out.
Zi Tong frowns and remembers what took place prior to her joining the class. Cai Feng had asked Zhi Sheng if he was afraid she wouldn’t actually train Zi Tong. Zhi Sheng admitted he was a bit worried, but Zi Tong trusted that her mother wouldn’t do that. She trusted that her mother took taekwondo seriously. Her mother had said nothing to that and instead told Zi Tong to come in if she wasn’t worried about injuring her leg.
Tian Lin shares with Ya Jun, his editor, what he’s found on Mingtong Group. Based on Fang Xiang Tai’s research, it seems like Mingtong’s town-building plans were problematic from the start, but for some reason, all the reports on it were suppressed. There’s a pattern here with the town-building plans and Tian Lin suspects that they’re to hide the corporation’s real motive. Ya Jun frowns. It seems like there are a lot of people involved in this scheme.
Tian Lin says he understands if Ya Jun won’t accept this article. He flips his lucky coin to decide what should happen. If it’s heads, he’ll keep pursuing this article and ask Ya Jun to accept it. If it’s tails, he’ll give up.
The coin lands heads, but Ya Jun pulls out a handwritten resignation letter he had already prepared — he planned on pursuing this article either way. They continue discussing the evidence they found. Wang Xin Hui walks by and eavesdrops outside Ya Jun’s open office door for a moment.
She gets a friend in IT to help her look up Ya Jun’s browser history. She sees that he’s been researching Mingtong Group and finds the article on Fang Xiang Tai, then smirks thoughtfully.
Zi Tong continues to her strength exercises while watching Cai Feng review Qian Ni’s video footage with the rest of the students. She remembers how Cai Feng used to do the same for her.
Zhi Sheng arrives and is frustrated to see Zhi Sheng still doing strengthening exercises and not participating in any sort of real taekwondo. He demands an explanation from Cai Feng in front of everyone else — Zi Tong has been doing the same thing for the past two weeks. What does this have to do with taekwondo? He asks if Cai Feng is trying to mess with him.
Commentary
This episode wasn’t quite as enjoyable for me because it felt like a lot of things happening rather than cute moments between our characters, which is where it usually shines. I did have a good laugh out loud moment with how far Fang Qing was willing to take her boyfriend bluff, though.
It seems like the show is trying to make us think that Da Quan had something to do with Fang Xiang Tai’s death and set up some sort of star-crossed misunderstanding between Zhi Sheng and Zi Tong. To me, the more likely scenario is that Da Quan was trying to stop Zhi Sheng’s father before something happened to him. Did he outright cause Fang Xiang Tai’s death? I doubt it.
The Drama Llama 