A major reason it takes me long to review one episode is that I like pouring over the dialogues. It’s second nature to watch visually as well as aurally.

But get this: To analyze dialogues, it’s important not only to listen to what the characters are saying, but to what they’re NOT saying. Understanding dialogues means looking below the surface, watching the body language, getting the subtext, and hearing what the character aren’t verbalizing with words.

For some viewers, dialogues could be boring, static, and un-dramatic.  They’d say that nothing happened because a couple spent the whole time conversing or bickering or doing mundane things. But to me, if I wake up the following day still pondering about what he or she said then it’s because the emotional complexity of the character moved me like he or she were a real breathing person.

Besides, I like unspoken meanings.

I’ll show you in this piggy-back scene.

4. Piggy-back ride

Look: there’s nothing dazzling about their conversation. But if we pay attention, it’ll explain how she sees herself and their relationship moving forward.

Xia Ke had just been lectured by the police. “Young man, when something like this happens to a young lady, what she needs is comforting. This hard exterior, soft heart method of yours will get you nowhere.”

It didn’t seem as if Xing Yun overheard them because she had walked away, and was searching for his car or their ride home.

Xing Yun: CEO Xia, since you came to find me, what about the project manager?
Xia Ke: Don’t worry about him. (squatting and offering his back to her) Get on.

She had a sprain ankle, so he was offering to give her a piggy-back ride. Now, I like this idea. Most of the time, in these dramas, when a guy gives the girl a piggy-back ride, it’s a trope because the girl is stupidly drunk as a skunk. But here, it appeared to me that Xia Ke was heeding the policeman’s piece of advice to show her a bit of tenderness. He took it to heart and felt guilty that he had scolded Xing Yun earlier when he found out that her cab driver left her in the middle of nowhere instead of commiserating with her unfortunate circumstances.

Xing Yun: Huh?
Xia Ke: Do you want me to carry you like a princess?

She shook her vigorously so he told her to hop on.

Naturally, showing her tenderness would be something new to him. He must be feeling embarrassed so what did he do? “The best defense is a good offense.” By mocking her, he was hiding his awkwardness.

I like this scene. Any sane viewer would have wondered where they were going. His friend had his car so Xia Ke knew that his friend was returning for them anyway. They could have waited at the police station. So where were they headed? And why were they walking?

But I like this scene because it was a comforting “couple moment.”  I like it when I see a lot of these couple moments in my romcoms.

She was safe. But what this meant for both of them was different. For her, she had been scared to death: fleeing her kidnapper, running in the dark. But now she was being soothed by the rocking motion of being carried on the back. She was safe. But for him, he must have been scared, too, to learn of her ordeal, and that he had been clueless the whole time and powerless to do anything for her.  So carrying her on his back was giving himself comfort too. She was safe.

Do you see what I mean now that even simple and overused tropes can be imbued with deeper meaning? 🙂

Xing Yun: CEO Xia, I’ve really troubled you today. In actuality, you do have a hard exterior and a soft heart.

Aha! So she did hear the policeman. My take here was that she was trying to mollify him, too. She sensed that he was troubled by the policeman’s admonishment and she wanted him to know that she didn’t hold this personality trait of his against him.

@agdr03: What do you think of his hands? They were holding her thighs!! lol. I thought he would have used “manner hands” like in Kdramas. hahaha.

Xing Yun: Last New Year’s eve, when the entire company was made to work overtime because of the network provider, at midnight, we received deluxe sushi combo sets sent anonymously. It was from you, right? I know that sushi restaurant is your favorite.

Awww. See that? She was softening the sting of the policeman’s words, and telling him that it didn’t matter that he had a cold demeanor because she knew his thoughtful ways.

Xing Yun: (continuing) Oh! Also last time when Dong Dong’s break-up delayed progress, even though you said that neither a red nor a white event (i.e., marriage or a funeral) could delay the project’s progress, the next moment, you gave Amy a VVIP card for a bar and said that it was almost expired and that we should spend it. Amy checked it! There were several years before it would expire.

Awww. He was smiling here because he knew that she caught him.

Xia Ke: Why are you talking so much?

This told me that he wasn’t the type to seek the limelight or take credit for his good deeds.

Xing Yun: Just let me talk, okay? In the past, while watching movies, the main actor had many, many lines before dying. I finally understand now. That’s them really not wanting to die.
Xia Ke: You’re far from dying.
Xing Yun: If I had been kidnapped by that human trafficker today, who knows what would have awaited me. The moment when I was being pulled away, I thought about a lot of stuff. It was like a movie passing through my head. I feel that half of my life I’ve lived so far has been pretty lucky. I have parents who love me dearly, and at work, I have you, a cold-faced, warm-hearted boss.

His look! lol. He was pleased, I’m sure, that he came in second after her parents.

But…here came the bad news.

Xing Yun: I met Chu Nan the first time I dated, and he wants to take me home to see his parents.

Hers and his faces:

Xia Ke: Parents?
Xing Yun: That’s right. Today, I went to Chu Nan’s house and it turns out he wanted to introduce me to his parents. At first I went on the matchmaking date with Chu Nan because I was mad with you. I wanted to prove that I could also make a good model for the game. It’s a coincidence that I’m dating him. Sometimes I feel pretty sorry toward him. But after I survived today’s situation, at that moment, I prayed to the heavens that if I could be rescued, I would definitely cherish everything I have now. I will definitely cherish Chu Nan and date him well.

hahaha. His face! His exasperation with her was written all over.

I like this actress Bai Lu because I felt her sincerity. But not only did she sound believable, she also didn’t sound coy or scheming as she confessed her new resolution to date well.

He dropped her.

Pouf! The sweet moment disappeared. He wasn’t going to carry her if she was going to be Chu Nan’s girl.

Xia Ke: I say, when will you stop being so stupid?
Xing Yun: Huh?
Xia Ke: The reason you got into tonight’s dangerous situation is because of that scoundrel of a boyfriend. If it wasn’t for him, how could you be in the wilderness with no one looking after you?
Xing Yun: He was too tired. I was the one who didn’t let him give me a ride.
Xia Ke: You’re just lying to yourself. When he likes someone, it’s nothing like right now.

He knew this because he’d seen Chu Nan date his sister. He knew that Chu Nan was attentive to his girlfriend.

Xing Yun: You know Chu Nan?
Xia Ke: I don’t know him.

Xing Yun: Then, why did you say that? (hobbling beside him) I think you shouldn’t slander someone you don’t know, for no reason.
Xia Ke: I’m happy to!

She stopped dead in her tracks. She suddenly remembered what Yiyi told her about her boss trying to meddle with her date. In her mind, somebody who was willing to bad-mouth her boyfriend would be unscrupulous enough to ruin her date.

He stopped too because she wasn’t following him. He sighed and turned around to get her. She eyed him suspiciously.

Xia Ke: Get on.
Xing Yun: Wait a minute. Xia Ke, the project manager isn’t here tonight, is he? Normally you leave this matter to Director Liu or the Marketing Department. Moreover, you knew that I was going to be a guest at Chu Nan’s home tonight. Are you playing a trick on me again?
Xia Ke: (rolling his eyes)
Xing Yun: You really are playing a trick on me!

Despite her grubby face, she looked cute here.

Xia Ke: That guy clearly doesn’t like you.
Xing Yun: What about you then?

Fair question. Why does he care whether Chu Na like or not? What is it to him? Does HE like her?

The cat got his tongue. He couldn’t think of a comeback.

Xing Yun: (continuing) CEO Xia, I think we need to clarify something tonight. I don’t care how you feel about me. For me, there’s only a boss and subordinate relationship between us. Although that face of yours is my type, I will never like you. To make a long story short, I hate capitalists like you.

Did this make sense? She told Yiyi that she liked the money she was earning?

Xing Yun: (continuing) Moreover, tonight I swore that I would cherish Chu Nan. I hope you will stop being so childish in the future. Stop doing these ridiculous practical jokes. By the way, I hope you can be tolerant. Don’t retaliate against me through work for personal reasons.

Lol. Because of what Yiyi told her, she assumed that he was messing around with her love life because he was being jealous. Well, she was right in her assumption alright Xia Ke wasn’t admitting to it. To me, her only mistake was that she jumped the gun.

Xia Ke: (grabbing her by the shoulders) Xing Yun, is it because it’s dark tonight that you can’t see clearly what you look like?

She already knew that she didn’t look good enough for him. She said so earlier in the police precinct, right? But how did they get to this point where they were trading barbs? She just called him a capitalist (lol. Only in a Chinese drama is this considered an insult) and he was calling her ugly. They had started out in this journey as friends and now they were saying nonsense in a fit of pique.

lol. They could both blame Chu Nan. Xia Ke disapproved of her dating Chu Nan (or anybody else for that matter) and Xing Yun didn’t like him disapproving of her dating Chu Nan.

Conveniently, his friend arrived with the car.

Xia Ke: Where have you been?
He Yu: I saw that you were running out of gas and helped you fill it up. I didn’t expect you to be done that fast. (addressing Xing Yun) Hello. I’m Jia Wo’s Project Manager, He Yu.

Xing Yun realized that she had falsely accused Xia Ke of faking the meeting, and was appropriately flustered.

He Yu: So, you’re Xing Yun? I waited for you for a long time at the golf course. What are you guys doing here?

Xia Ke smiled smugly and left them.

He Yu: (asking Xing Yun) Are you okay? (asking Xia Ke) What’s wrong with her?
Xia Ke: It should be the first time she’s rejected a man. She still hasn’t recovered from the excitement.

Hahaha. He just had to rub that in.  He found the situation funny because, for one, she totally embarrassed herself by prematurely “rejecting” him. She accused him playing a trick on her to ruin her date because he liked her.

And for another, he GOT lucky. Although he really intended to ruin her date, even enlisting He Yu’s help, Xing Yun would never find out the truth. He played her well.

And that’s why I like this piggy-back scene. On the surface, nothing much really happened. But when look at it again, we begin to see the obstacles being set up for the future. That they both liked each other isn’t the problem. They like each other alright. Their problem is they’re entrenched in their boss-employee relationship. We’re rooting for her to outwit him one day and to shake him out of his complacency.