Episode 4 Recap
Thirteen years He Hao Yi has been looking for her and found her. Never could have imagined his meeting with her would be like this. Seated at a coffee table, Ai Li Si sits straight. No hint of recognition or acknowledgement of him is seen in her. Her expression is emotionless as the CEO introduces He Hao Yi as Capital’s Risk Management Advisor to her. The CEO then invites He Hao Yi to ask any questions he wishes to alleviate any concerns Capital has over the risks of their investment, which he uses to request every form of contact information from Ai Li Si, starting with her current place of residence.
In a neutral tone, Ai Li Si questions why he would need to obtain such information. He Hao Yi explains that he once had someone disappear for no apparent reason and he won’t let that happen again. He Hao Yi goes on to lists the other forms of contact information he requires: phone number, email and all social network usernames. He must have them all from her.
Ai Li Si ignores such a request. However, she does pass over her business card to him. It lists her email which she tells him he’s welcome to use for any questions he might have about the experiment. Introductions made, a form of contact detail given, Ai Li Si gets up from her chair and instructs the CEO that they can discuss the rest with He Hao Yi before taking her leave.
He Hao Yi immediately gets up and excuses himself to chase after Ai Li Si. He runs up to her, wondering if she still remembers him. Ai Li Si affirms, but he tells him that remembering who he is of no significant to her then carries on walking. He shouts his question about whether the day he met a woman at the bookstore looking to borrow the Naruto manga was her. The questions stops her. She more or less confirms. Catching her attention for the moment, He Hao Yi walks up to her to ask her the questions he really wants to ask: how did she become the way she is and is she angry at him for not having met up with her thirteen years ago.
After the incident at camp, Ai Li Si had tested all three to meet up at the place they buried their time capsules to explain and clear everything up. Not one of them showed up—at least not on time. Both Bai Shu Lei and Liu Xiao Fen had no intention of meeting Ai Li Si. He Hao Yi had initially not wanted to meet her: he was afraid to hear that she really didn’t like him. In the end, he did go; but, he was too late. After that day, she had transferred to another school and he never saw her again.
As if trying to suppress the any errant emotions, Ai Li Si slowly blinks to control them before making a move to leave. He Hao Yi won’t let her, though, holding her back. Song Han Ming comes to her rescue, breaking the grasp He Hao Yi has on Ai Li Si’s arm.
Song Han Ming enters the scene looking very different from his high school days. His complexion has cleared up, his glasses are gone and his teeth is straightened. He is still recognisable, but it would take a double look and a mention of the fact that he is Song Han Ming for recognition to hit. He enters the scene, addressing Ai Li Si as “Dear” instead of using her name.
Not recognising Song Han Ming, He Hao Yi, with his surprised and curious look, moves to introduce himself. The introduction has Song Han Ming acknowledge He Hao Yo as someone he already knows. “I didn’t expect to meet you here,” Song Han Ming adds. Song Han Ming seems to be playing a game of “let’s see if he can catch on to who he is. He Hao Yi doesn’t. Song Han Ming’s acknowledgement of him only has He Hao Yi make an assumption that he probably knows him because he’s from the same company as Ai Li Si.
Song Han Ming’s moves to introduce himself, he doesn’t use his Chinese name. He uses the same English name he used in high school. “I’m Peter,” he says, “Jsut International’s Business Manager and Ai Li Si’s closest colleague.” Despite the name being the centre of what lead to the misunderstanding which saw the group of friends break up and the disappearance of Ai Li Si, He Hao Yi doesn’t connect this Peter to the Peter/Song Han Ming he knew in high school.
Song Han Ming moves to end the encounter between them. He announces that time for lunch should have ended for them and advises that He Hao Yi wait till he officially enters their company to discuss anymore matters. He Hao Yo tries to use the fact that Capital is one of their most important partners and have the right to speak to the people he wishes to keep Ai Li Si from leaving, but with Ai Li Si telling him that discussions had ended between them, he has no choice but let her leave with Song Han Ming.
With that, Song Han Ming takes her hands and walks past him. As he does so, he makes sure to knock into He Hao Yi’s shoulders.
At a distance from He Hao Yi, Song Han Ming revels in the act he’s just put on in front of He Hao Yi and how green his face appeared (sick with jealousy) after he called her “Dear”. No doubt questions about his relationship with Ai Li Si are swimming through his mind now.
It seems after the incident at camp, the only person who stayed by Ai Li Si’s side was Song Han Ming. It’s unclear whether he’s been there by her side for the last 13 years, but he’s been with her and looking out for at least the time since he entered the company she worked (three month ago). He’s also been sending her breakfast every morning for the last three months. Now with He Hao Yi in front of him, he seems to have a goal of making He Hao Yi know his mistakes in the handling of the past and how disloyal he was to Ai Li Si, criticising him at every chance he gets for Ai Li Si.
When He Hao Yi arrives into Song Han Ming’s department for an inspection, the mention of having the right timing can have great effectiveness in turning a crisis around has Song Han Ming mock him about a possible missed opportunity in his past which led him to such a deep realisation. The jabs continue during He Hao Y’s visit of Ai Li Si’s office where he witnesses Song Han Ming deliver breakfast to Ai Li Si’s desk. The gesture has He Hao Yi make a comment about how such gesture is only done by high-schoolers. Song Han Ming retorts by making a criticism of He Hao Yi’s past actions: he tells him how being simple and direct is the most effectiveness way to show you care, not beat around the bush. Someone like He Hao Yi probably doesn’t know what it’s means to stick by someone.
He Hao Yi cuts the conversation by asking Ai Li Si’s manager, Manager Zhao, where she is. He is told she’s out working in the lab. He Hao Yi gets up and leaves with Song Han Ming leaving to follow him closely later.
A small reunion between He Hao Yi, Song Han Ming, Ai Li Si and Bai Shu Lei follows. On the day He Hao Yi visits Ai Li Si’s office, Bai Shu Lei’s come to do her rounds of the Research and Development (R&D) as Manager of Marketing as well. It is her first day on the job. She visits Ai Li Si’s lab without registering. Company policy requires that anyone who wishes to visit must register. It doesn’t matter if that person is the chairman of the board or otherwise. Bai Shu Lei, who seems to think because she’s the marketing manager she could use it to bypass registering, is told exactly this by Ai Li Si.
Finding Ai Li Si’s tone unnecessary and not knowing it’s Ai Li Si she’s speaking to, Bai Shu Lei demands to know who she is. Bai Shu Lei takes a step towards Ai Li Si (who’s turned to walk away) to call her back, but losing her balance, she finds herself falling to the floor.
He Hao Yi, who arrived at the lab quite some time ago, goes to Bai Shu Lei and helps her. She is not impressed and doesn’t give him much of a greeting when they meet after what seems to be a while. With He Hao Yi only only having arrived in to the country, he and Bai Shu Lei has yet to catch up. She only heard he was back through Liu Xiao Fen. Meanwhile, in the background, Song Han Ming holds back a laugh. He met Bai Shu Lei earlier at an indoor pool. The meeting has Bai Shu Lei take a liking towards Song Han Ming as he surfaced from the water to reveal his wet, toned, muscular body.
Ai Li Si watches Bai Shu Lei get up with He Hao Yi supporting her. Her gaze is only on Bai Shu Lei, though. She’s waiting for Bai Shu Lei to return to her feet not to ask whether she’s okay—no. It’s to answer the question Bai Shu Lei posed before she so clumsy fell. Back on her feet, Ai Li Si moves to introduce herself: “I’m R&D’s team leader, Ai Li Si.” She then removes the mask from her face. She stares in shock as memories of the cheerful, supportive Ai Li Si flood back to Bai Shu Lei.
Song Han Ming, who arrived at the lab following He Hao Yi and saw the whole thing, makes his entrance onto the scene after holding back a laugh upon witnessing Bai Shu Lei fall and make a fool of herself. He greets both Bai Shu Lei and Ai Li Si with a smile.
Silence, awkwardness and tension seeps into the atmosphere . He Hao Yi, seemingly finding it necessary to say something, makes a comment about how they all seem to know each other as he too puts on a smile to try and lighten the tension that’s built up.
Bai Shu Lei calls him away to talk outside. She thinks Ai Li Si purposely made it difficult for her because Ai Li Si knew she was working at the same company as she was. When He Hao Yi tells her that it wasn’t personal and that it’s an attitude she gives everyone, Bai Shu Lei seems to relax and decides to just treat Ai Li Si as a stranger from now on.
At AI and having been introduced to Manager Zhou, He Hao Yi moves to find out about Ai Li Si’s working habits through her manager. He needs to talk to her and clear things up, but finding a time where she’s not working is a bit of a challenge. Manager Zhou reveals that Ai Li Si rarely leaves the office. She often works overtime and sleep in the office. Even lunch, she skips. The only time she’d stop for a break is precisely at 3:15pm. She’ll head off to brew herself a cup of tea which she ensure is the brewed with the exact temperature so she is able to extract the best flavor from the leaves. He attempts to have a cup of tea with her during this short break, but he is rejected. Manager Zhou then tells him that there is one day out of every month she gets off work on the dot. That day happens to be the current day.
With that information, He Hao Yi goes about catching up with Ai Li Si after work. He waits for her outside the building. Sure enough, as Manager Zhao says, she exits though the building. His asks whether she wants to have dinner together. She rejects him, not stopping for a second. He Hao Yi follows her onto the bus and a repeat of a scene similar to the one where Ai Li Si falls into He Hao Yi plays out. Instead of Ai Li Si and He Hao Yi talking happily and playfully with He Hao Yi begging Ai Li Si to teach him trigonometry, they stand in silence. Ai Li Si is very cautious of He Hao Yi, who stands right up next to her shoulder. He Hao Yi’s proximity to her bothers her so much that she suddenly shouts “Sir, stop coming so close to me!” (Haha, that was kind of funny! We feel sorry for He Hao Yi though!) Then, like thirteen years ago, the bus suddenly breaks, causing Ai Li Si to fall into He Hao Yi. She looks up at him, but instead of staying and letting him support her she quickly moves away to take hold of the hand grips above her.
A few moments later, the bus driver announces that the bus is out of order and the passengers must take the next bus. The announcement has Ai Li Si hop off the bus and into a run. Another similar scene to thirteen years ago plays out: it is the scene when He Hao Yi first met Ai Li Si. Ai Li Si is in a hurry to go somewhere, but He Hao Yi doesn’t know. He chases her. (Back then, he was chasing her to hand her wallet back to her.) She comes to a pedestrian crossing. This time, there is no elderly lady with dropped oranges that she helping pick up, so she runs right across. Ai Li Si stops momentarily to watch the road, allowing He Hao Yi to almost catch up, but then she takes off again. She stops across the road where she talks to a young woman holding a box of pudding, wanting to know where the truck selling the pudding went.
All this running, the reason she got off work one day out of every month was for this pudding. Later in the episode, it’s revealed that this pudding is for her mother who comes visit every month. But with her mother’s neighbour was injured, her mother ends up not being able to visit till the next month.
The young woman tells Ai Li Si that the truck was chased off by the police before she points towards the direction it had left. Ai Li Si immediately heads in the direction the young woman gestured. He Hao Yi thanks the young woman before following Ai Li Si. She runs right past the truck on her left. Fortunately, He Hao Yi spots it and calls her back. He draws her attention to the truck before taking her wrist and pulling her with him to chase after the pudding truck.
They manage to stop the truck and Ai Li Si gets her pudding. As they head back down the way they came, He Hao Yi asks for one of the puddings. When Ai Li Si asks why he didn’t buy one and he answers he forgot, Ai Li Si opens her box and prepares to give one to him. But then he takes the whole box away from her. He’s holding them ransom until they eat dinner together.
Managing to get Ai Li Si to eat a meal with him, he also manages to get her to go for drinks. He Hao Yi’s hope is that Ai Li Si will drink enough that she reveals her thoughts and feelings during her drunken state. Ai Li Si doesn’t get drunk, though. He Hao Yi does. He’s the one who ends up drunk and revealing all he wanted to say to her. He tells her that he did go meet her at the place they buried the time capsules. He tried to call her straight after when he missed meeting her, but the call didn’t go through. He intended to see her after summer and treat everything like nothing was wrong, but by then she had transferred schools and he never heard from her again. He went to her house, too. He then asks whether it was too late to apologise to her. Just as he does so, the restaurant blacks out. (This scene is like a mix-mash of the blackout scene and the fever scene in Episode 1 and Episode 2.)
Ai Li Si doesn’t scream in fear of the darkness. This time, she takes out her cellphone and switch on her phone’s flashlight. The action had He Hao Yi worry she’ll leave him. He tells her not to go. He won’t allow it. She doesn’t.
They head outside. Seated at a bench, Ai Li Si asks whether it was okay for the night to end here. Now that they ate, drank and talked, is she allowed to she leave? Before she does, she remembers the pudding she was supposed to give to him. Whether she truly believes that it was the pudding he wanted or not, she takes it out and hands it over to him.
He Hao Yi doesn’t reach out to take it straight away. He confesses to her the truth. His intention was to get her drunk tonight so that she wouldn’t avoid him and so that she’d tell him her feelings, about where she went after she transferred and what she wanted to say to him and the others when she texted to meet thirteen years ago. He wanted to know what made her so “cool”.
Ai Li Si turn to face him and straight out ask him whether this was him asking her out on a date. He cups her face and only answers that he missed her so much. For a few short moments, Ai Li Si stays still as if processing the meaning behind his words before she gets up off her seat. She tells hims that a pudding has an expiration date of only 3 days. The expiration date for an apology isn’t as long as 13 years. The time for his apology has long expired. She tells that she almost forgotten all the things that happened from high school and it’s unnecessary for him to feel guilty over those matters. She suggests that if he wants to use their history of being high school classmates to get close to her and have a one night stand, then he’d be better off going to a bar because it’d be less awkward at work. It’s much better for them to treat each other as strangers as this way he won’t have to pretend to care about her.
He tells her that wasn’t his intention. It doesn’t matter what his intention is. Ai Li Si tells him it’s time to call it a day and to stop bothering her. She then walks off.
At their respective homes, both He Hao Yi and Ai Li Si stare at their pudding. He Hao Yi stares at his seemingly not ready to accept that everything is over: “Does missing the opportunity to apologise mean one will fail in recovering everything?” Meanwhile, at Ai Li Si’s home, she recalls the scene where He Hao Yi cups her cheeks and tells her how he missed her.
It might still be possible if Ai Li Si’s flashback is anything to go by! But it won’t be easy. With Song Han Ming in the picture and not allowing He Hao Yi to have his way with anything—not even a car park which they happen to both go for the next morning. He Hao Yi gets out of his car and confronts Song Han Ming, noting exactly that. He gone against him in every respect. He has it in for him because of Ai Li Si, He Hao Yi tells Song Han Ming. Song Han Ming doesn’t deny it, openly admitting to doing so. He Hao Yi moves to tell him that he doesn’t have the right to interfere with his relationship with Ai Li Si since he’s only started at the company three months ago (implying Song Han Ming doesn’t know Ai Li Si as long as him).
Song Han Ming plays with He Hao Yi, telling him that even though He Hao Yi spent so much effort in learning about Ai Li Si’s state and followed her around the whole day, he’s found nothing about anything. He, on the other hand, knows what he wants to know. He Hao Yi calls him bluff. To show he isn’t, Song Han Ming gets specific, telling him that he knows why Ai Li Si transferred 13 years ago. The reason is simple, but he won’t tell him.
Unable to see why someone who’s only known Ai Li Si for three months would know that kind of information, He Hao Yi puts it down to him having something over Ai Li Si. Song Han Ming denies such a situation and tells He Hao Yi that it’s down to them being alike and are friends. He never gave up on her. Song Han Ming tells He Hao Yi there is no place for him. He can’t return when he pleases because he won’t allow it. He Hao Yi accuses him of making decisions for her which Song Han Ming denies in doing, he then walks off, leaving He Hao Yi standing there in frustration.
Inside the Jsut International office, another confrontation is occurring between Ai Li Si and Bai Shu Lei. Surrounding the meeting table are distributors of beauty products. In front is Bai Shu Lei presenting and pitching Jsut International’s cleansing masks and acne and blackhead removal series to them, which she hopes will create a win-win for everyone. Everyone seems onboard until Ai Li Si comes into the room and interrupts her presentation with information that the products contain ingredients that are unsafe and criticises the packaging as having left out information on whether the ingredients can be used. She questions Bai Shu Lei in front of all the distributors about whether she went through AI’s lab research manual. Bai Shu Lei responds by saying that she will make sure to carefully do so when they officially send out the products.
Sensing the battle between Ai Li Si and Bai Shu Lei may go out of hand and do more damage than help pitch the products to the distributors, Song Han Ming quickly steps in to put a positive spin on the display up front. He draws attention to the hardworking team of the R&D department rather than the errors which Ai Li Si picked up from Bai Shu Lei’s presentation. He tells them that because of how hardworking the R&D department is, they will be able to help their products become better and add a special touch to it. This alleviates then situation and the distributors are all happy to hold in board.
The episode ends with Ai Li Si, He Hao Yi and Song Han Ming out back, just outside the lab. He Hao Yi looks to gave been working alongside Ai Li Si. Song Han Ming has apparently come to see Ai Li Si. He sees He Hao Yi behind her and makes a comment about him appearing like a stalker were it not for his work. He Hao Yi ignores him and moved to ask Ai Li Si to join him. With a small smile, he asks: “Capital has some questions. Are you free?”
Thoughts
We’re so happy to see that Song Han Ming has been with Ai Li Si ever since the camp trip. It’s not a surprise that out of all people, Song Han Ming is the one who stayed beside her. Not only does he know the truth about the whole misunderstanding that happened 13 years ago, but we’re thinking Song Han Ming probably felt quite a bit of guilt and responsibility over how it all turned out with the group of once close friends and how Ai Li Si was forced to transfer schools after it.
On the topic of Song Han Ming, if we didn’t know that Edison Wang was playing Song Han Ming, we would be totally surprised. We’d be like, “Wow, he’s changed so much!” He’s a real competitor for He Hao Yi now! That is, if he were to go for Ai Li Si that is. We still can’t tell if he secretly likes her. He is mighty protective of her, though. He won’t let He Hao Yi get near her! Some of his actions feel like the actions from high school: the sending of breakfast is like sending Bai Shu Lei gifts, only he’s doing it out in the open now so maybe Song Han Ming does have a sort of a crush on Ai Li Si, but then it could be because of guilt from the misunderstanding that caused her to become the way she became that’s causing him to be so caring. When we think about the way Song Han Ming like Bai Shu Lei, the way he had said that she’s his idol and he’s her fan. Maybe his relationship with Ai Li Si is sort of like that.
We won’t get our hopes too high for a love triangle between Song Han Ming, Ai Li Si and He Hao Yi: love rival/second leads who actually play a love rival to the male lead is rare in Taiwanese dramas. Even though Song Han Ming looks like he’s gone over to Ai Li Si and showing concern for her, we have this feeling Song Han Ming will act as a sort of guardian angel to Ai Li Si. Song Han Ming’s closeness with Ai Li Si has more of a chance of creating problems between Ai Li Si and Bai Shu Lei than He Hao Yi and Ai Li Si we think, just like in the past.
Bai Shu Lei is fated to like Song Han Ming/Peter and being stuck trying to find out who he is. Back in high school she liked Peter and had to figure out he is Song Han Ming. Thirteen years later she likes him again, but now she has to figure out that Peter is actually Song Han Ming. We feel there will be a bit of a repeat of history with this couple, only that this time, it might not be whether Bai Shu Lei likes him or not, but whether Song Han Ming likes her or not! When these two met at the pool, Song Han Ming was not the least but affected by her or her bikini-clad body.
Song Han Ming’s turned to quite a player. It makes us wonder how he became this way. He’s so confident. He’s putting moves on Bai Shu Lei, he’s asking her out and then rejecting her when she plays hard to get. We’re not sure whether we like this kind of player-like Song Han Ming… But then, as long as he treats those who deserves to be treated with kindness, we’re happy! We’re definitely loving how he’s supporting and looking out for Ai Li Si.
On the subject of Ai Li Si, there appears to be something going on with Ai Li Si’s health. Episode 3 had her collapse from headaches. This episode, Song Han Ming was talking about her having stomachaches which came off as a regular thing. It was the reason Song Han Ming has been sending her breakfast so that she would remember to eat and not have those stomachaches. Ai Li Si tells him that her stomachaches are gone because of the breakfast, but somehow, when we think about the setting the drama (being in a company that works with genetic modification), we can’t help to think her stomachaches and headaches might be something more serious.
A scene between her and the Jsut International CEO, the CEO talked about be worried that her past was going to affect her decision. He also talks about being worried about Capital withdrawing their investment in them and needing to find alternative ways. This comes off quite suspicious. It makes us think that maybe she’s a test subject for the experiments. Hopefully, that conversation means nothing and her stomachaches and headaches are just to show how hard she works and they aren’t related to any experiment she’s doing. If it is, we suppose it would make good drama and it’ll be interesting to see how it affects her relationship with everyone. It’ll also make use of the laboratory/research part of the story it’s set in. But, it might just change the feel of the drama to one that might not go well with us.
So far, so good though! We’re really looking forward to seeing how He Hao Yi and Ai Li Si’s relationship develops. Ai Li Si may be cold and unfeeling, but she still responds quite well to He Hao Yi. We think with He Hao Yi’s persistent nature, Ai Li Si will definitely return to her past cheerful self. Thirteen years ago, Ai Li Si compassionate, helpful, caring way helped He Hao Yi obtain his happiness. This time, it’s He Hao Yi’s turn. The way the scenes in this episode mirrored the episodes of the last three episodes, only in reverse, it looks like from here, it’s restart for He Hao Yi and Ai Li Si.
Can’t wait to see what the drama has next! With Ai Li Si and Bai Shu Lei bumping heads, Song Han Ming blocking He Hao Yi at every corner, and the secret identity part of Peter, it should be interesting!
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