This episode has lots of things to unpack but I’ll limit myself to 5 bullet points. Anyway, you’re better off watching the short 30-minute episode than reading anything longer than 5 bullet points, anyway.
• Yu Tu as female repellent.
If JingJing (JJ) had been planning on keeping her gender secret from her newly acquired teammates, then she failed before the night was over. They knew as soon as they heard her in voice chat. But they were more surprised to learn that Yu Tu (YT) invited a female to play with them than they were surprised to discover that she was female. They considered YT a “ladies’ repellent.”
Ladies’ repellent? We can easily imagine Yang Yang being a lady-killer and ladies’ man, but a ladies’ repellent? In what alternate universe? Maybe if he wore a hairy gorilla suit in bed or something. Or maybe they meant that he was stern, cold, and aloof…but women don’t necessarily find these characteristics repulsive.
His buddy, Zhai Liang (ZL) asked him if he really didn’t know the lady, and Yu Tu grunted yes in an indifferent manner.
ZL: Do you really not know this lady?
YT: Mmm.
ZL: Isn’t she the one on QQ? You add a stranger on your QQ?
Because of his lack of reaction, ZL let it slide.
Meanwhile, JJ hoped that he didn’t recognize her voice. She changed the topic to distract ZL. But I think she quickly realized that this was unnecessary since YT was unfamiliar with her voice. If I were her, I would have felt a bit miffed. After all, she was a popular actress, with millions of adoring fans, but this guy didn’t even know her voice?? He must not have watched any of her films.
Because JJ was distracted, ZL lost his match. He told JJ to follow YT from then on because he was out of game. Back in their shared apartment, he called out to YT.
ZL: Yu Tu, the one who invited her should be responsible for her, too.
YT: Sure. A terrible marksman like you isn’t worth protecting.
YT’s quick comeback tells me that he wasn’t the kind to suffer mockery or ridicule from his buddies meekly. Then, with ZL out, he demonstrated that he could take on multiple tasks to win the game for the team.
The following morning, JJ bought skins (or costumes for their avatars?) and distributed them to her teammates except for YT. In my opinion, JJ was engaging in microaggression here. She wanted to let YT know that, although they were friends on QQ, she wouldn’t single him out or play favorites with him. On the contrary, she wanted to show him that he was at the bottom of her list. She was discriminating against him. Hahaha.
I thought this was funny because JJ’s intentional snub proved that Yu Tu was indeed a ladies’ repellent. For some reason, JJ felt that YT had to be taken down a peg or two. Fortunately for her, though, YT didn’t bear grudges. Or did he?
ZL: Miss! You gave me two skins.
The other players were excited because they received them, too.
JingJing: Please invite me (to play with you).
ZL: Of course. I never received skins before. From a girl, nonetheless.
One player immediately offered to lead her.
ZL: (noticing YT’s avatar) Why don’t you wear the skins she gave you?
YT: I didn’t get any.
ZL: Ah! Yu Tu! I didn’t expect you to get to the bottom of a girl’s list.
To get back at him, Yu Tu let him die in the game.
ZL: (in disbelief) Yu Tu! Did you just betray me?
After the round, ZL decided to move to a different kind of game setting that JingJing couldn’t play with them given her novice level. Unaware that she still could be heard over voice chat, she bleated sadly, “I got left behind again. I bought six skins for nothing.”
Yu Tu smiled because he discovered her gambit. She’d bribe his friends to get invited back on the team. Feeling guilty, ZL suggested that YT lead her while the rest of them move on to other game setting. YT didn’t like to play that game, anyway. With a straight face, YT said, “I’m not the one who received her skin.”
So yes, he did bear grudges. Lol.
ZL tried another tactic. He bargained that for every two matches that YT won, he’d do the household chores for the day. Soon after that, JJ received an invitation to play with YT. Fortunately, she didn’t know that she was part of a bet or her ego would’ve been crushed.
In record time, they won enough matches for ZL to do the chores for a week. JJ was so impressed with his skills.
JJ: (berating herself) Qiao Jingjing! What’s wrong with you? You’re turning 30 years old soon, yet you adore a person just because he’s good at playing games. For all I know, he could be bald or obese. What is there to be excited about? But he’s really handsome when he plays.
In JJ’s eyes, then, one sure way for YT to become a ladies’ repellent – or JJ’s repellent — was to suck at what he did. He’s handsome because he was capable.
• Yu Tu’s murky future
Unfortunately, genius, competence, performance and experience don’t necessarily add up to higher wages. (Because this is communist China?? lol.)
He tendered his resignation from the aerospace research institute. However, his director insisted that he reconsider his plan while taking his vacation days accrued over two years of non-stop work. News of his possible retirement from the institute reached his former schoolmates and one of them offered him job at his company should he decide to join the financial industry. When asked why he was leaving his field which he was so passionate about, he replied for personal reasons.
Another one of his friends called up worried that YT wouldn’t land a good job. YT assured him that he was sending out resumes. YT was warned to carefully consider between investment banking and venture capital financing because they had their own pros and cons.
His temporary housemate ZL also showed concern for his future. ZL didn’t understand why he was hesitating to leave his stressing job which paid so little for a job that could pay him a million yuan a year. It was no brainer for him.
YT: No one pays me a million yuan a year.
ZL: That’s not true. When you got your degree, you received so many letters of offer. If you had accepted one of those offers, you’d now be earning millions of yuan annually. You’re silly to have chosen to work in an aerospace company. Even if you earned yourself a Ph.D. and been burning yourself out, you’re still earning so little. If you haven’t done the research, and earned yourself some prize money, how could you afford paying your mortgage loan?
Ahhhh. He bought this nice home from extra research he did, and some prize money.
ZL: Living your life like this…you’ve put your intelligence to waste. At least, at the very least you wouldn’t have broken up with Xia Qing.
YT: Let the bygones be bygones.
ZL: You will regret it sooner or later. Where will you find such a beautiful and smart wife in the future?
YT: Worry about yourself.
ZL: Pfft. You are lucky you look good. You can’t live on your dreams and sentiment. I have different goals. I worked hard to earn my degrees. Now, I want to make as much money as I can and live the best life I can afford. In today’s society, a celebrity and a live-stream seller can earn up to millions of yuan every minute.
Ahhhh. Like Qiao JingJing.
ZL: Look at yourself. You’ve launched satellites into orbit. You can ask around. No one knows who you are. You sold your soul to the company but you’re only making so little.
Ahhh. So this is what friends are for. To make you feel smaller than a coffee bean. Gee, thanks, pal.
If I were Yu Tu, I would have pushed that dude off the balcony.
• Shutting down the rumor
This is the nice part of the episode. Yu Tu received word from a high school classmate that somebody uploaded a gossip about him and Qiao Jingjing in their chatroom. He took action right away.
Peipei reported the news to JJ. She said that YT scolded the uploader. After telling of the uploader, he also came after a few others who left insensitive remarks. YT said that he had never said anything like that to her, so the malicious gossipers were silenced.
JJ asked for a screenshot of the chat and Peipei obliged.
YT: I haven’t said anything like that before. If any of you is still in touch with Qiao Jingjing, send my apologies to her. If there’s anything that requires further explanation, I’ll cooperate.
After reading all this, JJ was naturally gratified that he’d go to that extent to clarify the situation, but she wondered how that would help her. Would he post it on Weibo too? She laughed because he knew nothing about how the entertainment industry. She wished that he’d played with her instead on the game instead of wasting time in the chatroom.
I find it interesting that many of these people think of Yu Tu as genius but only in his field of expertise. He knew nothing about modern finance; he knew nothing about practical stuff; he knew nothing about the entertainment industry. It seemed like he’d been shut in his rarefied field that when he took a step outside his circle, he found himself left behind. People have moved on and around without him noticing the changes.
• Recruiting Yu Tu
I like JJ’s creativity here. First, she sent him his skins. When he turned them down, saying he didn’t need them, she went the direct route. She asked him to coach her. But she said it was for company tournament. She needed to play well for career advancement. She even had her staff create a fake Honor of Kings’ tournament poster to show YT.
Lol. Devious. But it worked.
Personally, I like how JJ’s mind works. She isn’t “sugar and spice, and all that’s nice.”
• Episode’s Romance Grade: 2/10
Nothing much romantic happens in this episode since Yu Tu was unaware that Jingjing was playing with him.
Nonetheless, this episode is important because it previews the conflicts in this drama. He’s a little bit traditional, proud, and obstinate, while she’s headstrong, daring, and used to getting her own way. His career has stalled but hers has taken off like a rocket. She’s always had a crush on him since high school but he didn’t think much of her. While it’s a welcome change to have a female in a position of power and success, I can’t help wondering whether he’ll find it a burden to be overshadowed by somebody in a “frivolous” profession. They both have demanding careers; will they be able to prioritize their relationship?
I think this drama has lots of potential.
“For all I know, he could be bald or obese. What is there to be excited about? But he’s really handsome when he plays.” To me, this is the most important element of Jing Jing’s relationship to Yu Tu. She always admired his mind – and his dream – most.
When I recall Panicky’s conversation with YT on the balcony, I contrast it with JJ’s conversation with YT at her agent’s house. She was shocked that he might leave the aerospace industry, but she was supportive, saying that he would be good at finance as well. Yet, after the excruciating meal with his professor where JJ defended YT, we hear that she didn’t like the idea at all. So he’s being forced out of his dream job for financial considerations and the girl is disappointed, too. She would defend and support his reasons for leaving science, but on it was bravado and she was caught out when she became emotional.
On another tangent, is it awful to like Panicky? I think this actor nailed it. I laughed during almost every scene he had. What a rubber face, too.
Most people would view Yu Tu’s situation like his friend Zhai Liang and think that what’s plaguing Yu Tu is only monetary. Without a strong passion for a particular field, majority of people will chase after money. However, it’s really the setbacks he’s been facing throughout these years that made him lose his spark. His mom’s situation was the final straw.
In Jingjing’s memory of him in high school, he was so self assured and confidant when talking about his dream. Especially at an age when most people around him don’t know what they want to do in life, it really does make him seem extra charming and appealing. What a contrast after being dealt with all those reality checks. Good thing Jingjing appeared when she did to brighten up his life, the same girl that was influenced by him back then to strive harder and become better. Had it not been the first rejection and heading down their own paths, we would have never been able to see such a wonderful relationship. It really is important to meet the right person at the right time.
Sidenote, looking back, the way they started the show with Yu Tu unable to receive funding for his project and experiencing yet another failure to the way they ended the last episode with Jingjing by his side was pure perfection.
@dramaluvr, you have hit the bullseye with your comments on timing. JJ’s current situation ends up moving YT along his original trajectory instead of away on a tangent.
I was interested in the professor’s point of view. He understands that with the change in Chinese economics since he started, it’s harder to retain good engineers/scientists, but his frustration is obvious. This is true in other countries as well – many of the brightest are going towards computer fields and other sorts of engineering so lower paid government jobs are going unfilled.
@dramaluvr and @Fern I agree with you totally on the trajectory of Yu Tu’s and JJ’s relationship. It is abt timing and maturity. Yu Tu said later that he regretted having rejected her in the past. But who knows? maybe if they got togheter then as young people it wouldn’t last? She admired him then for sure but would he have been able to really see and appreciate her like he did in his 30ties?
And @Fern I liked Panicky as well. Too bad that he wasn’t there in the later part of the drama. I would like to see him meeting JJ in person as Yu Tu’s GF for the first time.