I thought writing out their dialogues will be faster. I was wrong.

1. Her cuteness

Situ Mo looked cute as she ran towards Gu WeiYi. No one could doubt her excitement to see him waiting for her in the lobby of her office. She’s come to depend on him to be there waiting for her everywhere she was. When he didn’t respond to her text, she was more anxious than she cared to admit.

I also thought her questions on their walk home were cute, too. Her questions remind me of those children’s books where the child asks for reassurance that her parent will love her no matter what happens.

Mo: Are you going to pick me up in the future?
WY: Yeah.
Mo: What if I work overtime?
WY: I’ll pick you up.
Mo: What if it’s cold, or it rains heavily? Or there’s flood or typhoon?
WY: I’ll pick you up.

She laughed but she noticed that he was out-of-sorts.

Mo: What’s wrong with you?
WY: Is your colleague very close to you?
Mo: Who? Xu Jie Er?
WY: The man who was hit in the eyes?

He thought the man was a “Bad Apple” because he sported a black eye. That was wishful thinking on his part. If the guy had been a street brawler who got himself into scrapes, then Gu WeiYi would feel justified in warning STM from associating with him.

Mo: Lin Zhi Cun. That’s just special effects. He’s the artist hired by the advertising agency.
WY: So?
Mo: What?
WY: Are you two very close? (she doesn’t answer) Is this so hard to answer?
Mo: Not bad. (she meant her relationship with the LZC) We used to have lunch together.
WY: (sigh) What did you eat? Snails rice noodle?

STM started laughing. I would, too. Since when did eating stinky snails rice noodle become a privilege reserved for boyfriends only??

Mo: I only eat that with you! You’re jealous. (pinching his cheeks) You’re jealous. You’re jealous. You’re jealous.

He removed her hands and bent down to kiss. She was left speechless. He looked smug. He found his winning argument: just kiss her to shut her up.

Mo: (chasing after him) I want to eat snails rice noodle.
WY: No way. It stinks.
Mo: It doesn’t stink. (hugging his arms)

I like this scene for a couple of reasons.

First, all the time that he was feeling jealous, he still promised to pick her up at work. She should be very satisfied that NOTHING, not rain, thunderstorm, flood – and even jealousy — would stop him from picking her up.

Second, she knew how to get rid of his green-eyed monster. She didn’t ignore it. Instead, she was extra affectionate with him: pinching his cheeks, clinging to his arms, and making him realize that he’s special to her.

2. Her sneakiness

lol. I think Gu WeiYi wizened up and saw through her sneakiness.

He was eating plain ramen. She was eating her snails rice noodle but she eyed his ramen as well.

WY: What’s wrong?
Mo: Didn’t you say snails rice noodle stinks?
WY: I’m used to it.
Mo: Since you’re used to it, you can try it out now. It’s delicious. It stinks but tasty. Try it out.
WY: Delicious? (she nods) Eat more then.

She was trying to get some of his noodles. Just like when they were at the mall and she had some of his drink, too. She wanted her noodles and his, too.

GWY slowly moved his bowl away from her.

Mo: What if you put some of the instant noodle into the soup of my snails rice noodle. (laughing nervously because he might catch on to what she was doing.)

WY ignored her.

Mo: Forget about it then. I’ll eat it then.

WY looked at her.

Mo: The snails rice noodle is tastier than the instant noodle. It doesn’t stink.

She was just being sour grapes and he smiled at her.

I like this scene because it showed that she could be childish at times while GWY could be the more “mature” person. Earlier, it was GWY who was behaving childishly with his jealousy, and now it was STM with her food-envy.

3. Informing his parents

He told his parents that he was dating, but she didn’t. This was interesting.

4. Fireworks

He received a phone call while working at his father’s ceramic shop.

Mo: (excitedly) We’re having fireworks here. What about you?
WY: (calmly) Let me see.
Mo: Can you hear the fireworks? Listen to it. Can you hear it?
WY: Yes.
Mo: Do you have nice fireworks there?
WY: Nice.
Mo: I’ll let you listen to the fireworks again. Listen.!

lol. The difference in their environment is clear. She was in a noisy, festive place and she was as excited as a kid.

He was working away in the shop, looking old before his time.

Later, on his way home with his dad, they saw fireworks, too. The dad remarked, “Look the firework is so beautiful!”

WY: It’s colorful.
Dad: Yeah. It’s wonderful.
WY: (sighing) It would be nice to enjoy it with Situ Mo.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. STM and GWY’s time away from each other gave him a chance to reflect on what she brought to his life. He would have been fine following the same scholarly footsteps as his father. They would be traveling like this: silent and gloomy.

Also, the symbolism here is obvious. She was like fireworks that lit up his dour personality and somber future.

lol. I like the director’s heart bokeh effects.

5. Romance Fail #??

Maybe I should make a tally sheet for our poor Gu WeiYi?

Mo: Nobody’s answering. Nobody’s answering.
WY: Situ Mo!

His reality:

His imagination:

credit: pitara

She sees him on the skateboard and she’s rendered speechless again.

WY: (trying to shake her out of her trance) I’m here!

Mo: Why didn’t you answer the phone?
WY: I was skateboarding. It’s dangerous to answer the phone.

Does this sound familiar? I think for STM, answering her phone calls and texting her regularly are imperatives.

WY: I’m skateboarding.

He repeats himself because he expects a more enthusiastic reception from her. Like,  seal clapping.

Mo: How did you learn it all of a sudden?
WY: It’s a spur-of-the-moment thing.
Mo: It’s just as spur-of-the moment thing?
WY: Yes. Do I look awesome?

Mo: Well (evasively) How will you manage the luggage with the skateboard?

He’s waiting for praises and affirmation but he encounters a logistical problem instead. He realizes that his plan has backfired and he looks pained.

WY: It’s okay. I’ll hold the skateboard.
Mo: Are you sure? (holding out her bags, too).
WY: I think I can.
Mo: (she has this “Oh yeahhh?” look on her face) Here take them. Let’s go. (skipping in front of him) Heavy?

Hahaha. What an evil child STM can be at times. To tease him, she dumps everything on him and she skips in front of him. Before long, she offers to take some of the load off him.

Mo: Here. Let me take some. I’ll hold the skateboard.
WY: No.

His masculine pride was pricked earlier so he’d die first before he’d allow her to help him.

Mo: Give it to me.
WY: I can do it.
Mo: Okay.

I would have said, “Suit yourself” and rolled my eyes. STM simply lets it go and begins to prattle about the upkeep of the grounds.

To me there are two possible reasons for her chattiness. She may be feeling more at peace and regaining her equanimity because she’s finally approaching home. Or she may have realized that she was unfairly snippy with him earlier and he’s annoyed.

Mo: What a good maintenance. They’ve even changed the dustbins after the winter holiday.

He notices another couple walking hand-in-hand and overhears their conversation. The girl says, “Let me hold your bag.” The guy answers, “I’ll hold the luggage and you hold my hand. It’s more romantic.”

This gets him thinking that yeaahhh, he made a tactical error bringing the skateboard. lol. Just then, STM calls out to him.

Mo: Gu Weiyi! I wanted to hold the luggage. But you refused it. Let me do it.

Everything begins to fall off and she totes them herself. He’s left with his skateboard.

Back in the apartment, Situ Mo sighs in relief, “Finally, we’re home!” GWY comes up from behind and links arms together. Suddenly.

WY: I’ll hold the luggage and you hold my hand. It’s more romantic.
Mo: Huh?
WY: Forget about it.
Mo: Where did you learn all this?

WY: (sounding disappointed) I didn’t learn it. (he leaves her.)

I think there’s a double meaning here. He can be denying that he “learned” it because being romantic is instinctive to him. Or he can be denying that he “learned” it because he messed up. He’s kicking himself for not realizing sooner that he shouldn’t have brought the skateboard.

Mo: Gu WeiYi!
WY: (in a fed-up tone) What’s wrong?
Mo: Give me back my luggage.
WY: Oh! (wheels it back to her)
Mo: Gu WeiYi. Give me a hug. (She embraces him) Gu WeiYi. You’re romantic.
WY: Thank you. Situ Mo.
Mo: Hmm?
WY: I miss you very much.

Awww. I found this moment realistic.

Maybe she had been irritable at the sight of him skateboarding simply because it was a long day and she was tired from traveling. But maybe she was short-tempered because she was afraid that he wouldn’t be there when she got off the bus. Remember how she’d been anxious when she thought he wouldn’t pick her up at work? He couldn’t answer her text because his phone died.

To me, she was edgy out of worry that he wasn’t going to meet her.

And she took it out on him when he showed up on a skateboard. She didn’t get that he had “staged” (or timed) the whole thing for her arrival. He wanted to impress her. He must have been excited to show off his new skill that he’d been practicing JUST for her.

But she was in a bad mood and carped about his being encumbered by the skateboard to help her with her luggage. Normally, they would have divvied up the bags and they could still have been holding hands.

Her prissy mood made him defensive, too so he had to show her that he could carry everything on his own.

Once they got home, Situ Mo calmed down. But by then, the situation was reversed, and GWY was now the one in a bad mood…since he couldn’t seem to do anything right in her eyes.

A hug was all they needed to get their equilibrium back. She was glad to be back home, and he was glad too because he missed her. I think they just had different ways of showing that they missed each other.

6. Chatting with the Math Guy

MG: GWY, why did Xie YuYin ask about your girlfriend? Why does everyone care about your girlfriend. They don’t even care about me. Because of the seminar at the Heidelberg University, I can’t eat nor sleep. What about you?
WY: I’m okay.
MG: The man in love is really different.

lol. If only he knew! A man in love can’t sleep and eat well as well.

MG: What did you do when you’re in love? Doing math questions?
WY: We did whatever we should do in a relationship.

MG: You’ve done all of it?
WY: (backpedaling) No.
MG: Don’t be ashamed. We’re all adults. You’re living with STM. You can do everything easily. Tell me about it.
WY: I’m leaving. Remember to close the door.

Based on my experience, girls are more willing to describe the sex stuff with their girlfriends but guys are more reticent to share stories with their buddies.

7. Hand-operated dynamo

Can I just add this one to his list of failed romantic ideas? lol.

But it was sweet of him to make a dynamo that they could crank up during a blackout, although Situ Mo is right that the flashlight on her cellphone is more powerful.

To his credit, when the light went out and she was left in the dark, her first instinct wasn’t to turn on her cellphone.

It was to call out for Gu WeiYi.

So, it doesn’t matter if her flashlight was brighter. Gu WeiYi is still her first and foremost source of security and comfort.

I also thought it made a nice contrast. Situ Mo could be the fireworks in the sky to him, but he was the hand dynamo. He wasn’t perfect; he still could be improved. But he was all hers.

8. His sneakiness

lol. I doubt that he worked on Situ Mo’s computer problem for three hours.

Mo: Will it take a long time?
WY: Don’t know. I’ll try. You can sit on my bed and wait.
Mo: (hesitating) Tell me after you convert it. I’ll wait in my room.
WY: (smirking) What are you afraid of?
Mo: (reverse psychology working on her) I’m not afraid.
WY: Why don’t you dare to sit here then?
Mo: Says who? (sits on the edge of the bed)
WY: Sleep for a while if you’re sleepy. I’ll tell you when it’s done.
Mo: Will it take a long time?
WY: I’ll try my best.
Mo: (three hours later) Gu WeiYi. Tell me after you make it.
WY: Mmm.
Mo: Make sure you call me.
WY: Okay.

WY: (whispering) Situ Mo. Wake up.  (crickets, lol….) I did call you.

He wanted her to sleep in his room. He was probably reminded by his conversation with the Math Guy that they hadn’t done “everything”. So, he waited for her to nod off on his bed.