I’m convinced that Shanyang is a lying liar.

And I’ve got the proofs! Aside from his actions at the amusement park, I’ve got his stepmom’s words and his conversation with Nian’s nosy friend Meimei in Episode 13, to back me up. This is one long review because I’ll cover one and half episodes.

Warning: this post has lots of pictures, and gifs I found from tumblr. It might be slow loading this up.

But first, I must start with Episode 7 because that’s when I had an inkling that Shanyang is a consummate liar. I broke down the family conversation at New Year’s Eve, and I pointed out that he straight-out lied. He confessed to being Nian’s boyfriend because he liked her and didn’t mind being associated with her as her boyfriend even if it was just a fake and a stop-gap relationship.

So to recap my long post for Ep 7 highlights:

Shangyan didn’t like her family ganging up on her and embarrassing her in front of everybody so he stepped in to protect her. He was taking responsibility for her. He lied two more times at that dinner.

One: he rationalized his spur-of-the-moment move to protect Nian by blaming it on his grandfather’s condition. “It’s New Year’s Eve. Grandpa is getting old. If something had happened, would you’ve taken responsibility then?” Only Wu Bai saw through him and found him funny. He always argued with his Grandpa.

Second: he openly lied to Nian when he said that Wu Bai asked for his help to extricate him from a match with Nian. On the contrary, he told Wu Bai to clear up the problem himself. He fully anticipated WB to tell the truth and spill the beans about his past association with Nian.

He wanted his relationship with Nian revealed. That’s why he was annoyed that she ignored him back in the living room and pretended not to know him. He stopped the Jeep on the way to the restaurant and let her cousin know that he and Nian weren’t strangers with each other. And before entering the restaurant, he cleared the air between them and reassured her that he wasn’t interested in her cousin because he knew that she was upset.

And this was a guy who didn’t care about other people’s opinions of him.

Now in Episode 12 we see him lying over and over again to hide his real feelings. I find this episode interesting to watch because normal viewers will NOT be able to “read” his reaction correctly if they don’t get into his mindset.

Take for instance, his interaction with Solo’s daughter, Little Ai (LA). He pretends to be an ogre with her because he’s using reverse psychology on her. Anything he says, LA will contradict out of loyalty to her dad. So he tricks LA to agree to the amusement park by insulting her dad for raising an ill-mannered child.

credit: kimp05

He invites Nian to go with them but she hesitates because it might not appropriate (i.e., if she’s intruding on their outing). He simply asks if she likes kids, and when she nods, he declares it’s appropriate. Why doesn’t he just come out and tell that he needs her help to entertain a child?

Then, at the carousel ride, he hides behind a triceratops statue. Like what kind of grown man clings to a statue like that?

I bet he’s getting nauseous from watching the carousel go round and round with Nian and LA on it. lol.

When LA’s mom asks why he isn’t playing with them, he straightens up and ridicules the ride, “Who would ride this one?” See the sudden change in body posture? Yeaaaaah. He’s trying to look cool.

LA doesn’t understand why Nian likes to date Shangyan. She thinks he’s overrated, “For guys like HSY, besides being a bit handsome, they don’t have any good traits. He’s full of shortcomings.” Nian quickly comes to his defense, so LA helps her out by giving them time alone on a boat ride.

Shangyan and LA’s mom talk a bit about her regret in leaving LA behind. She knows she’s done LA great harm in abandoning her and doesn’t know how to make amends. Shangyan replies, “I only believe in doing it or not doing it. I don’t think about whether I can do it. If you don’t do it, then you have nothing. Isn’t that so?”

Ahhh. I get it. He’s a man of action. He doesn’t waste time on deliberations and indecision. That’s true. That’s how he’s been with Tong Nian so far….

On the boat ride, Nian and SY sit quietly facing each other. LA waves to another boat and SY wonders why they’re in a different boat. LA lies that his boat was too crowded. (lol. Their boat was almost empty.) Of course, SY knows what she’s up to.

He says, “Don’t you young girls all like to take pictures and put it on Moments? (darts a look at her) I’ll help you take pictures.” She says she doesn’t post pics like that and offers to take his and he refuses. They lapse in silence again.

From the other boat, LA signals Nian to sit beside Shangyan. She quickly switches sides, making SY eye her suspiciously. LA then calls out to SY and as soon as he turns his head, Nian poses with a smile and her fingers in a V sign, and LA takes a shot.

Camera-shy, SY makes a fuss and orders her to delete the picture. She says she’ll post it on her Moments. From across the water, SY threatens her, “Don’t you dare. You don’t think I’ll throw you into the river once we reach the shore?” Nian calms him down. LA continues to take photos of them and Nian poses charmingly each time. Shangyan bullies LA nonstop. “Don’t think I’ll beat you up once we’re on the shore? I’ll beat you up till your dad can’t even recognize you!” Nian giggles at his absurdity.

Shangyan and LA continue to bicker once on dry land. He insists that LA gives him her phone and chases after her. LA taunts that he’s already 30 years old, with crow’s feet, forehead wrinkles and age spots. She says, “There’s nothing worth photographing.” He looks at Nian for confirmation and Nian denies it.

LA brags about her father and disses SY. SY counters that she’s a prime example of someone who brags about Solo, implying that she’s his dad’s hardcore fangirl.

Once Nian and SY leave to get food for them all, LA plops down. She’s has menstrual pains.

To me, it’s clear what Shangyan’s effect is on LA. He teases LA to get her out of her moodiness. It actually energizes LA to constantly fight with him and he allows it, even though, given his reticent personality, he must find it tiresome. He wants LA to redirect all her resentment she feels for her mom, towards him. He lets her use him as her emotional punching bag.

After their meal, they ride the roller coaster. As to be expected, Shangyan cries off, saying he has emails to attend to. When they come back, he’s playing with Tetris. lol.

LA challenges him to play Tetris and quickly fails because the game speed is too fast for her. SY plays it next but as soon as he overtakes her score, she distracts him to end his game. She sulks when her mother reminds her that even her father couldn’t beat Shangyan in games. Recognizes that sulky face on LA, Nian quickly steps in and asks if she can play the game, too. SY looks at her dubiously and asks if she knows. LA quickly defends Nian, “Everyone in the world knows how. Don’t look down on others.” Nian says, “I may be a gaming idiot but I do know how to play this and Minesweeper.”

When her turn ends, she scores higher than SY and LA is happy again. She probably feels that her sister “avenged” her defeat against the evil ogre Shangyan.

Nian: Ugh! My score could’ve been higher.
SY: Your score is higher than mine and you’re still not content.
Nian: Is my score higher than yours?

SY doesn’t answer and looks away. They stand up.

SY: I didn’t know you had that skill. If there’s time, we should swap pointers.

Nian: (chasing after him) When? I can do it anytime…

He just frowns at her and walks away. Nian stares after him. LA and LA’s mom gush at her win.

This is another lie. Of course, Nian scored higher. LA was distracting him and he was playing with one hand.

But he absolutely didn’t need to swap pointers with her because he’s playing Tetris more often than she has. He just said it to be nice to her.

It’s interesting to see the “family” dynamics in the park. On the surface, it seems as if Shangyan is another kid himself when he stoops to the level of LA’s immaturity. He bickers with incessantly. But this is all an appearance. He adapts to the situation as needed and pretends to be a strict disciplinarian with the K&K players and a quarrelsome curmudgeon with LA.

On the ride home, LA and Nian sleep cuddling up on the back seat. LA’s mom observes them and begins to praise Nian.

LA’s Mom: Tong Nian’s parents raised her so well. Girls should be like that. Pure without any hidden intentions. She’s bright every day.
SY: (glances at the rearview mirror then smiles) An annoying kid.

lol. By now, we have to understand Shangyan’s character. He’s a “cat” lover.  Remember this conversation?

HSY: (talking to his cat who didn’t want to eat) Did you not eat well again today?
Solo: I initially thought you’d like big dogs like a Tibetan Mastiff or something. But in reality, you like that kind that sticks to you for twenty-five hours, that frequently will cling on to you, and even use their little paws to tightly hold onto you. Those kinds of little animals.

When he grumbles that “she’s annoying,” he actually LIKES that she’s annoying him.

LA’s Mom: You should stop being so stubborn. You don’t want to develop your relationship with her?

SY looks back again at the sleeping LA and Nian, then glances at LA’s mom.

SY: Are you envying her?

hahaha. Again, Shangyan’s character is so easy to read. He doesn’t want to hear any more dating advice, so he deflects her inquisition. No, he isn’t insinuating that she wants to date him. Her current husband is Shangyan’s good friend.

Instead, he’s implying that she’s interested Nian and his lovelife only because Nian’s quickly bonded with her daughter while she and her daughter are still at odds with each other.

They arrive at Solo’s office building and LA teases her new-found favorite friend.

LA: Remember to go on WeChat when you have time and we can play!
Nian: How old are you? I’m not going to play with you. Remember to do your homework.
LA: Remember to go on my Moments to see the picture of you two.

SY quickly frowns at them, but he doesn’t say a word. This is important because although he hates having his picture taken and spread in media, he’s accommodating her wishes. He doesn’t complain because he knows Nian wants to see their picture together. Although he didn’t comment at that time, he was aware that Nian was actually posing for the pictures. She will naturally be curious to know how those pictures turn out.

Nian checks it out. LA had written “I love the expression of a surprise photo. Big fool and little adorable girl. Do you guys know who the big fool is?”

She scrolls and focuses on his face. lol. With the help of LA, she gets a picture of Shangyan that she’s been wanting to capture.

LA returns to talk to her tormentor. “Your debt from when my dad picked you up at the train station back then has been repaid. There’s still the debt of taking you into the industry, taking you to win the championship that we’ll work on later. (she’s implying that she doesn’t mind spending time with him now) Also, don’t give my dad the sour face so much in the future.”

See that? His mission’s accomplished. Shangyan has broken through LA’s reserve.

Shangyan and Nian decide to go back to K&K so they can try out Nian’s software that she made for the team. He brings her to an empty room and says that he’ll come back for her after an hour. She wants to go with him, though, and says something cheesy.

Nian: Can I go with you? Wherever you go, I’ll go. Can I just do it next to you?
SY: Come with me? You mean…you want to go to my room?

Now, he’s intentionally “scaring” her. Remember her eagerness earlier at the park to swap pointers with him? lol. He knows that she’s so innocent that she doesn’t see the impropriety of what she’s saying at times.

Nian: To your room?
SY: My plan was to use 10 minutes to shower and use 50 minutes to sleep. You still want to go?
Nian: (backpedaling) No need! I’ll just stay here and wait for you. You god do what you need to do.
SY: You really won’t go?
Nian: I really won’t. I’ll just wait here for you.

He nods his yes. He’s probably thinking, “Good! She’s learned her lesson.”

When he comes back later, she proudly displays her software program involving pigs.

lol. I don’t know about Shangyan but I stared laughing at the incongruity of dour Shangyan and his cool kids playing with farm animals.

Shangyan only tells her that they play these games as part of their training, not for fun.

She explains about the software but he notices her score, “1.002 seconds? The worst score really could only be yours.” She tells him to try it out and he scores, “0.102 seconds? So fast!”

Showing off, he cracks his hands and stretches his arms. To me, he’s implying that he hadn’t even warmed up when he did that trial test.

He offers her a drink saying it’s the only kind they have. She hesitates because it contains alcohol. And he mocks here, “Ah! Little kids can’t drink alcohol. Then, I’ll change to water for you.” She takes the can. She checks that the it was only 3% alcoholic. (I’d consider this a non-alcoholic drink, lol.) But she downs the whole can in one sitting and becomes drunk.

gif: dramasauce

She’s a “touchy-feely” drunk and clings to him. She asks him if he likes the software. She follows him and refuses to let him go so he promises to give her a gift if she just releases him.

Awkward. That’s why girls (and boys) really should know their drinking limit (for Nian, it’s a sip) before drinking in public.

She follows her to his room and he forces her to sit on the couch so as not to give people the wrong idea. (lol) She wants to touch his castle construction and when he tries to stop her, she accidentally sends him flying so he knocks his head on a post. She notices she’s sitting in the dark and warns him not to think of doing anything with her.

His reaction: What the heck?

He tells her not to move from the couch and turns on the light. He then attends to the bruise on his forehead as Nian, bored from sitting, gets up and explores his room. She sees the box with his stepmother’s necklace and plays with necklace. She thinks it’s his gift to her. She puts it on her head like a matta-patti, or an Indian bridal chain worn along the hair parting.

Nian: (swaying side-to-side) Is this for me? So pretty.
SY: Tong Nian, put that down. Tong Nian!

He approaches her but she moves as if to evade him.

SY: Okay. Okay. It’s for you. For you. Hurry. Take it off.

gif: dramasauce

Nian obeys him but holds onto the necklace. Then, she lunges for him.

Nian: Thank you. I like this. It’s so pretty. Thank you.

gif: dramasauce

She falls asleep in his arms while standing up.

gif: dramasauce

He almost kisses her and pats her head instead. There’s nothing really much to be happy about Nian’s drunken state, but he smiles.

He calls up her friend Meimei and asks her to pick up Nian. He pries the necklace from Nian’s hands, studies it,

and then puts it in its jewelry box. Instead of storing it away, he drops in her backpack. Afterwards, he picks her up in his arms and studies her sleeping face.

Then, he brings her home where Meimei and hubby wait for him. Meimei’s husband tries to help him carry Nian but he blocks him off.

Meimei confronts him like a good and concerned friend that she is.

It’s only in the next episode, Episode 13, that we find out how he explains the missing necklace to his stepmother. She tells him to send the long-awaited necklace to her and he LIES that he lost it at the airport. He offers to pay it back. She doesn’t believe him.

SY: Why would I lie to you? (according to the subs, he uses an expression, “If I lie to you, then I’m your grandson.” So his stepmother answers him literally.)
Step: You’re my son.
SY: Not biological.
Step: I raised you like you were!
SY: Why are you nagging? I said I’ll pay you back.
Step: Hmph! Who knows if you’re speaking the truth or not.

He arranges to pay her in three days but he borrows $50K from Wu Bai which he’ll pay off in a year. He explains to Wu Bai.

SY: It’s…Auntie’s necklace she had me buy last time. I accidentally gave it to Tong Nian.
Bai: Accidentally gave? Then just ask for it back.
SY: You already gave it away. How could I be so shameless to ask for it back?

See that?

He lies so easily.

It was Nian who accidentally took the bracelet. He didn’t accidentally give it to her. Note: she was so drunk that she wouldn’t have remembered anything about the bracelet the following morning, anyway. To me, it’s clear that he intentionally gave it to her. He placed it in her backpack.

And I think I know why. She might not remember a single moment of that drunken episode but he wanted her to ask him about the jewelry the following day and discover what it was doing in her backpack. He wanted to give her a gift because, for the first time, he recognized that she was going to be somebody special to him.

And I say this because of his conversation with Meimei when he brought Nian home. At first glance, it appeared as if he was telling the truth that yeaaaahhh, it’s too early to tell whether he liked her or not. But by now, after seeing him lie so often, we should be able to spot when he’s “fudging” the truth.

This is their conversation.

Mei: So…since we’ve met, I’ll just ask you directly. Do you have any feelings for our Little Squid?
HSY: To tell you the truth, I don’t know her well at all. We’ve just met a few times.

But you gave her a jade necklace that’s worth all your bank savings plus Wu Bai’s $50,000 which you’d be paying off for a year! You knew her well enough to invest that much in your future together.

HSY: If you ask me whether I like her and I say that I do, it would be too hypocritical. Liking or not should be said later. Take it slowly. This isn’t important.

Remember what he said at the amusement park. He isn’t the type to waste time worrying and deliberating whether he likes her or not. He’ll just do it: like her. “I only believe in doing it or not doing it. I don’t think about whether I can do it. If you don’t do it, then you have nothing.”

Mei: But this is very important.
HSY: All things in good time. Sooner or later, feelings will come.
Mei: (asking hubby) That “sooner or later feelings will come,” what does it mean? Is it what I imagine?
Hubby: Just that he’ll take responsibility.
Mei: Really?
Hubby: Really! My idol said it very clearly. He’ll take responsibility until the end.

Yes, the hubby got it correct. Shangyan is saying that there’s no need for preemptive love declarations when the emotional bonding has already begun and will deepen on its own good time. The true reasons for saying that they love each are the ones that they’ll discover over time. There’s no rush because they WILL get there.

Mei: Little Squid will be so happy for sure.