Because some BoD are more spoiled than others…

1. “Just a regular friend”

The episode opens with a sniff (or is that a barely concealed snicker?). Zhousheng Chen and ShiYi are sitting in front a big round table with food spread out on a lazy Susan turntable. With a smile, Shiyi observes that she feels like in a fantasy world. Of course, she must be feeling like a reverse Cinderella. It’s past midnight and she’s in a fancy place being served a sumptuous dinner. With a deadpan face, Zhousheng Chen says that he brought her there because he thought she might like grand things as she likes to read classical literature.

Awwww… isn’t that sweet? He didn’t bring her there to impress her but to suit her taste – or what he thought were her taste.

She agrees that she likes them, but she reads them as a collection of novels. She says that some people like to modern novels, some like to read classical ones; it’s just a matter of preference. I think she’s trying to tell him that she isn’t limiting her reading to just to the classics.

He then tells her that they have some things in common. He likes to collect “Wu Ge’s embroidery.”

But Shiyi thinks it’s weird (he’s a weirdo, remember?) because We Ge contains many erotic songs and poems about “what happens in the bedroom.” Lol. I think ZSC made another faux pas here…just like when he pretended to know how to play mahjong. To me, it’s obvious that he’s trying to fit in with her taste in men, but his ignorance in literature comes to light. SY kindly corrects him, saying, “I don’t think they’re the same.”

Then, she shifts the conversation to his labwork, a topic he’s comfortable talking about. She asks him if it’s hard to do experiments, and, as expected, he begins talking confidently.

The waitress walks in with a platter of steamed crab. He says that it wasn’t ordered, but the waitress replies that it’s compliments of the chef to celebrate the restaurant’s anniversary.

ShiYi likes it while ZSC has this dismayed look on his face. (Remember now: he brought those tiny crabs outside her hotel in Xian to keep as pets.) She offers him the crab, and he protests, “I don’t eat this.”

Shiyi: You don’t eat crabs?
ZSC: I used to. Not anymore.
Shiyi: Oh. Alright. (putting it on her plate) Let’s eat.

ZSC’s face:

For me, this is funny because we get to see the limits of Zhousheng Chen’s effort to suit Shiyi’s taste.

He’s willing to reserve a fancy restaurant for her.
He’s willing to pretend to read classics.
But he isn’t willing to eat his pets’ cousins: the hairy crab.

After their dinner date, he walks her home in companionable silence. They stop outside her apartment building. He informs her he’ll be commuting between Shanghai and Zhenjiang for the next three months.

SY: (surprised) Zhenjiang?
ZSC: (serious) What’s the matter?

He’s bracing himself to hear bad news from her.

SY: Ah. My ancestral home is Zhenjiang.
ZSC: (smiling) What a coincidence!

Here, he looks relieved that that’s all there was to it.

SY: Yes, how coincidental.
ZSC: The number in your phone…you can reach me anytime you want.
SY: Mmm. I’m going up then.
ZSC: Go on.
SY: Good night.
ZSC: Good night.

I took plenty of screenshots for the next scene because I thought it was well done. I want you too see what I’m seeing. 🙂

This is in slow-motion. She turns, and walks away. The camera follows her.

Her eyes glances to the side. She knows that he’s looking at her.

Then, we see Zhousheng Chen’s expression as she walks away: he looks sad to see her go. Then we see his mouth: he drops it open.

To me, he’s silently asking her to turn around and look back at him once more.

Then, we see ShiYi again. Unlike him, she’s smiling.

If this was a final goodbye, she was making a grand exit. But she turns around once she reaches the lobby.

And this is a good shot. She’s in the light, and he’s in the dark. The symbolism is obvious so I won’t explain.

And he begins to smile.

He’s smiling because she “heard” his silent plea to look back at him. Note here: this is the beginning of ZSC’s smiles.

ShiYi smiles back at him and even waves goodbye.

And he mirrors her. He waves goodbye, too.

And just like that, he’s reassured that it isn’t a goodbye scene, but a “See you later” moment. They’ll see each other again.

Then, when she walks out of sight, his mouth drops open again.

I realize now that he’s been holding his breath and keeping his feelings in check. He was tensed and nervous. But now that she’s gone, he breathes easily.

Why is he tense? Because he’s afraid that he failed to make a good impression on her because he has a boring personality.

Back in the car, his driver/uncle Lin teases him, “I didn’t realize you had a close lady friend.” He sighs and then corrects him, “She’s just a regular friend.” He meant that they weren’t “close” romantically.

Uncle Lin quips, “Yes, an important regular friend.”

ZSC realizes that this is an oxymoron, so in the dark, he struggles to control his smile.

2. Post-date recap

The following day, Shiyi and Xiaoyu have a post-date summary. Xiaoyu knows that ZSC asked her out at 11pm, had supper with her at 1am, and brought her home at 2am. Isn’t he behaving like a hoodlum, she asks? I think she meant like a delinquent who does crime in the middle of the night.

Shiyi answers that had it been anybody else, she would have declined to meet him but since it was ZSC, she saw nothing strange about it. He often answered his emails in the middle of the night.

But she got the wrong impression about his job. She thinks that his job is based in Shanghai and his commuting to Zhenghai for business. She also thinks that he’s been treated nicely at his job because he’s provided with car and a driver.

Xiayu: That’s because of work. He doesn’t own it. But he should be able to afford a car with his age. But I’m not sure if he can afford to buy a house. But you have a house. After you get married, you guys can move in together for a while. I’ll have to find a new place by then.

This is cute because one, he’s the CEO-in-waiting of his conglomerate. He owns a fleet of cars, and several properties. And it’s cute because Shiyi’s friends are always reminding her of practical things.

Shiyi: So far I’ve only had dinner with him once.
Xiayu: If there’s a first time, there’s a second time. If there’s a second time, there’ll be countless times after that.

I like Xiayu’s logic.

In his corner of the world, Zhousheng Chen is similarly questioned by his best friend Mei Xing. To show that Xiayu didn’t need to worry about Shiyi and ZSC’s living accommodations after marriage, he’s shown walking with MX after an early morning horseback riding session. The impression here is that he owns the equestrian center.

Unlike Xiaoyu who knows all the details about Shiyi’s late night/early morning date, MX has to ask ZSC for details.

MX: Where on earth did you go last night? Coming back until the morning.
ZSC: I had a midnight supper.
MX: With a girl? If it was with a man, you’d have asked me to join you.
ZSC: Yes. With a girl.
MX: Another one?!
ZSC: (gives him a bad eye) The same one.
MX: Shi Yi?
ZSC: (smiling)

Note how often he smiles when talking about ShiYi. He doesn’t smile often, but when he does, it’s because of ShiYi.

ZSC wants to bring MX to his other businesses (or properties) near the equestrian place, MX asks if there’s enough time for to talk about SY on the way.

ZSC: I’m afraid not.
MX: Even a brief introduction will do.
ZSC: A few words won’t do.

And he smiles to himself. Like Shiyi keeping a secret from her manager about her chemistry professor, ZSC wants to keep his relationship with Shiyi secret from Mei Xing.

At this point, he’s unaware that:

a. his family had opened an investigation on Shi Yi the moment she approached him at the airport.
b. he needs to propose to her.

3. Business matters

Ordinarily, I would have skipped over this part. But in one of the post-production interviews of the actors, ZSC actor, Allen Ren was asked “What is the most important thing to promote their relationship? A. Uncle Lin, B. Chocolate pills, C. Air conditioner.” He answered D.

Allen Ren: I’ll choose D. It must be Zhousheng Chen’s father. Without the will, I wouldn’t have proposed to Shi Yi so soon.
Bai Lu: That’s right.

I admired the actor for his quick wit. So let’s take a quick look at this will thing.

Back at his home, ZSC is informed by Mei Xing that his stepbrother, Zhou WenChen (WC) was engaged in shady business and could drag the family corporation into trouble if XZC doesn’t act quickly. MX isn’t only ZSC’s friend but also his legal counsel.

ZSC: You’re a professional. Tell me what I should do.
MX: Announce that your family will invest significantly into national industries and support national manufacturing in the investment meeting. Show people that your family will focus on the domestic market for the next ten years. Do this to gain their confidence.
ZSC: All right.
MX: But at the same time, you must get married. If you don’t get married, it’s all empty talk. Your father wrote very clearly in his will. All of his children will be given corresponding shares after marriage. There are no exceptions which means you too.

And this is interesting. Because we’ll find out later – spoiler alert – that his brother wasn’t really the son of his father. Technically, his father had only child: Zhensheng Chen.

ZSC: I know that. You don’t have to emphasize that. It’s just that marriage isn’t something I can decide on my own.
MX: I did some calculations. If tonight, you start seeing the girl your mother introduced to you, you can expect to get married in May.
ZSC: You’re making fun of me, right?

As an answer MX shows him a dossier of WC’s shady foreign business transactions. He urges ZSC to take back the reins of the business.

ZSC: Is there any other way?
MX: Get married first. I have a suggestion.
ZSC: What?
MX: Shi Yi. She likes you. You have feelings for her, too.
ZSC: (licks his lips, lol) I admit it. She’s very special to me. But don’t you think it’s ridiculous if I talk to her about marriage right now?
MX: Everything I said to you wasn’t meant to tease you. They’re my sincere advice.

Comments:

a. So there we have it. It’s the father’s will that was the catalyst for ZSC speeding up his courtship of Shiyi. Without it, he would have acted in his usual slow pace.

b. Mei Xing is digging his own hole. He doesn’t know that in pushing ZSC to propose to Shiyi, he’s foregoing his happiness. But then, who cares? He’s only the second male lead. Pwahahaha.

His talk with MX is interrupted by his sister WenXing (WX). Their mother wants to see him. He doesn’t know that his mother actually wanted to introduce him to a bridal prospect. Though the prospective girlfriend asks him friendly questions, he answers in monosyllables:

“Yes.”
“Right.”
“Mmm.”

Fortunately for him (and the girl!), his young cousin, Ren, swoops in to rescue him from Spanish Inquisition Chinese Matchmaking Inquisition. Ren wants ZSC’s help with homework so his mother and the poor girl leave the room.

Instead of handing his homework, Ren hands him the dossier on Shiyi which his family gathered. The family has known about her since the beginning. Ren thinks he’s lucky for finding such a pretty girl, and a celebrity, too.

ZSC gives him his standard answer. “She is…she is just one of my ordinary friends.”

4. Beautiful bones

In the next scene, we see Zhousheng Chen striding towards the car where Uncle Lin waited to drive him. They’re going to Shanghai again. This looks like an impromptu act when, in truth, he’s doing an experiment. He told Ren that Shiyi was “just” a friend, so now, he’s off to test his hypothesis. If Shiyi is nothing more than a friend to him, then driving eight hours round trip should be tedious.

But he’s happy. On the way there, he opens the file on Shiyi again and looks through her pictures from when she was a baby till she was a teenager. He has a huge smile on his face as he looks through her pictures.

From the rear mirror, Uncle Lin observes him, and he reminds him to call Shiyi up before they arrive.

Lin: You don’t have to call her ahead?
ZSC: No need.

Yes, there isn’t any need to call her because this trip is NOT about spending time with her, but about coming to terms with his feelings for her.

In the end, he discovers that, not only is he happy to go the distance for her, but he’s also quite content just to stand and wait outside her building.

Uncle Lin assumes that they fought.

ZSC: What fight?
Lin: If you two didn’t fight, you should go up there or ask her to come down.
ZSC: (sighs) She must be working right now. I don’t like to be disturbed when I’m working. I think she’s also like that.

He looks at his watch and sees it’s dinner time. He reaches into Uncle Lin’s bag and grabs Uncle Lin’s hamburger. He bites into it.

Lin: I thought you weren’t hungry.
ZSC: It’s time for dinner. Eating on time is taking care of your body.

Not only is he willing to commute eight hours, but he’s also willing to eat just a burger for dinner. He’s eating because he must.

When she unexpectedly comes out of the building, he and Uncle Lin hide from her. Yes, I get that this action may strike some viewers as odd, but I think he purposely doesn’t want her to see him because it’ll ruin his experiment. You see, if he gets to spend time with her, then there’s a reward for his eight hours of commute.

Anticipating (or accepting) a reward for the hassle thwarts the boredom. Of course, he won’t bored! On the way to Shanghai, he’ll be excited to meet her. And on the way back to Zhengjiang, he’ll be content to have met her. Spending time with her ruins the experiment.

He needs to know whether he’s willing to spend eight hours in a FUTILE exercise. Like, will he get bored if he knows that he’s traveling in vain? Will the trip still be worth it if all he gets is a glimpse of her?

And his answer is yes. He confirms that he has feelings for her.

He also discovers something new about her while standing outside. She isn’t just a pretty face; she also has a kind heart. She sees that her food delivery boy was injured, and she offers help.

Remember ZSC’s and ShiYi’s observation about beauty to be found in the bones? They both were beautiful people.

ShiYi goes back inside her office after handing the delivery boy some medicine. ZSC instructs Uncle Lin to drive the delivery boy to the nearest hospital. Uncle Lin proudly explains to the delivery boy that the girl who attended to him is ZSC’s girlfriend. And the boy isn’t surprised that two kind-hearted people are dating.

As Uncle Lin drives off, ZSC finishes his burger and smiles to himself. He’s definitely not bored.

5. The proposal

The following day, he tells Mei Xing of his experiment to verify his feelings for Shi Yi. MX is surprised that he drove all the way to Shanghai but didn’t talk to Shi Yi.

MX: What were you doing there then? You just didn’t wait for her downstairs, did you?
ZSC: I was downstairs. I wanted to make sure that I had feelings for her.

On other heroes, this sort of gesture can be regarded as romantic. But on Zhousheng Chen, this behavior can be viewed as scientific as well.

MX: And how did you test that?
ZSC: (proudly) If I’ll get bored going back and forth for eight hours again for her. And the answer is I enjoyed every second of it.

This is a change for him. He looks smug here.

MX: You’re finally admitting it.
ZSC: (sighing)
MX: So what’s next? What are you going to do?
ZSC: (Sighing) The next I’m going to do is…propose to her.

Note this: from here on, ZSC’s sighs will become more frequent. He’s exhaling louder and louder. This is to show that he doesn’t look forward to proposing to Shi Yi, and that he’s getting stressed out. He thinks he’s going to be rejected.

I think he asks Mei Xing to draw up a pre-nup agreement for them. (sorry, I can’t read Chinese)

Coincidentally, they pass by Shi Yi’s car on the road. She’s on her way home to Zhenjiang with her parents. Mei Xing marvels at number of times the two of them keep bumping into each other, and advises ZSC to propose to her in person. ZSC hesitates.

ZSC: Let’s go home first.
MX: What? Are you afraid of being rejected?
ZSC: How much do you think the probability of success is if you propose to a girl you’ve only been on one date with?
MX: (snorting) That depends on how charming you are.

I like their interaction. It mirrors Shi Yi’s and Xiaoyu’s sisterhood.

At home, ZSC is calm on the outside but nervous in the inside. Just like when he stared at his laptop for hours because he didn’t know what to write to Shiyi, he sits in the courtyard wondering how to propose.

He thinks it’s too noisy in the courtyard to make a phone call. MX looks exasperated because the only sounds in the courtyard are the tweeting birds and rustling leaves.

He blows air then stalks off…

to borrow Uncle Lin’s phone. What’s wrong with this man? He still doesn’t have his own phone?

Uncle Lin senses his anxiety…or probably he HEARS it because ZSC’s body isn’t trembling but his breathing is.

Uncle Lin smiles at him.

ZSC: (defensively) What’s so funny?
Lin: Make the call.

ZSC notices that both Uncle Lin and MX are waiting for him to make a call so he decides to do it in his room because it’s “quieter” in there. Note: when ZSC complains about the “noise,” he doesn’t mean the sounds around him, but the “nosy” eyes of both Uncle Lin and MX trained on him.

MX thinks he’s too tense, and Uncle Lin replies that he’s just being cautious. Meaning, ZSC is carefully weighing everything in his mind, so ShiYi won’t reject him.

ZSC goes to his room and closes the door firmly. He’s probably thinking that his rejection should be kept private.

He calls up ShiYi who’s resting in her cousin’s bedroom.

6. The actual proposal

*This segment is for @Leedale and everybody else watching this Cdrama. I swear you’re all so spoiled! Why am I explaining this when you can watch the show yourselves?*

ZSC sniffs while waiting for SY to pick up the phone.

SY: Hello?
ZSC: Hello, it’s me.
SY: (smiling) I know.
ZSC: You’re in Zhenjiang.
SY: How do you know?
ZSC: I found out right after you passed the checkpoint.

Checkpoints?! Nice. Wish we have the same security at our US-Mexican border.

SY: Checkpoint?
ZSC: I think you must have heard about the special event that’s being held in Zhenjiang. That’s why they’re registering all the cars entering and leaving the city.
SY: Yes, I have heard it. There’s an investment meeting.
ZSC: Right. (licking his lips twice) I have the information about your family. I just checked with the people at the checkpoint just now and confirmed that it was your father’s car. I’ll explain this in detail to you when we see each other.

Hello?? He’d better. If I were Shi Yi, I’d wonder what he was doing with that kind of info. That’s invasion of privacy.

ZSC: Right now, I have something to ask you.

lol. Listen to his breathing here again. You can tell that he’s quaking in nervousness.

SY: Go ahead.
ZSC: (licking his lips again) I need to get engaged with somebody right now.

Shi Yi freezes. Flashback to the dinner when his student mentioned that he had a fiancée. Internally, Shi Yi thinks it’s all true; he does have a fiancée. She questions why kind of man is he to ask her out when he’s already engaged.

She’s quiet for a long time so Zhousheng Chen wonders if she’s still there.

ZSC: Shi Yi?
SY: Thank you for telling me. I hope the two of you will be happy.

Nice response. ShiYi’s taking the gracious, classy way out already she’s upset with him.

ZSC: That’s not what I mean. What I’m trying to say is — Shi Yi. Would you like to be engaged to me?

She freezes again. The camera just zooms in on her face. We can “feel” that her mind has turned blank. There’s no flashback; no memories running in her head. She’s stunned.

Again, Zhousheng Chen wonders if she’s still there.

ZSC: Shi Yi?
SY: Huh…What you’re saying is…?
ZSC: What I said is true. We’re not strangers anymore and we have feelings for each other. Maybe we can get engaged and give it a go.
SY: (still dazed) We’re getting engaged just because we have feelings for each other…?

She’s focused on the “feelings” aspect of the proposal. She thinks they’re getting engaged because they have feelings for each other, when ZSC said that he NEEDED to get engaged with somebody right now. A quick engagement is a necessity for him, and he’s choosing her.

ZSC: I don’t know many girls. If I need to get engaged, then I hope that it’s with you.
SY: (no response)
ZSC: You can refuse if you want. Maybe you have someone better in mind.
SY: (quickly) I don’t have anyone —

She catches herself before she blurts out the truth that she only likes him.

ZSC: I’m rather shy and slow to warm up to people. It may take a very long time for me to develop feelings for something or someone. If you find that unattractive about me after getting to know me, or you don’t have any feelings for me, I will choose the most suitable way to end it. We can even cancel the engagement at any time. I won’t make things difficult for you.

Whoa! I believe that’s the longest speech he’s done.

Seriously though, his proposal moved me. He disclosed all his faults, and he made all the concessions. I like that he didn’t try to flatter her by saying how she made his life better.

SY: (smiling) Mmm. Can I ask you a question?
ZSC: What is it?
SY: You know about my family. But I don’t know anything about yours.
ZSC: Uh. (licking his lips) My ancestral family is from Zhenjiang. Same as yours. The other things, you’ll find out soon.
SY: What if I refuse you…
ZSC: In that case, I won’t disturb you anymore.

Shi Yi looks sad at the thought – as she should be. She knows that this is Zhousheng Chen from her past so what is she waiting for?

Silence on both ends. Then, she smiles and exhales.

SY: Okay. I accept your proposal.
ZSC: (speechless)

It’s her turn to wonder if he’s still on the line.

SY: Hello? Are you still there?
ZSC: I didn’t expect you to say yes.

I like his honesty.

He didn’t expect her to say yes because, in his mind, there’s no good reason for a girl like her to get engaged with somebody like him. He knows that she knows nothing about his wealth, and that she believes him to be an ordinary chemistry professor.

He doesn’t know that she likes him as a ordinary chemistry professor anyway.

SY: (teasing) Then, is it too late for me to say no?
ZSC: Uhhh (instantly, he sounds deflated) You can still change your mind.

He slumps over when he thought that SY was going to change her mind.

SY: You’re not kidding?
ZSC: Of course I’m not!
SY: Okay. So what do we do next?

Her little cousin interrupts so she shushes her.

ZSC: Uhhh…next, can you tell me your body measurements.
SY: Huh?
ZSC: I need to get you some clothes later.
SY: Ahh. 92, 62, 90.
ZSC: Then, this is…?
SY: My bust, waist and hips.
ZSC: Uh. I get it.

Then, he gets up to get a file with the list of information he needs to ask her. He also need her neck circumference, the measurements of her upper arms, forearm, wrist, calves, thigh, and ankles.

Lol. He sounds like he’s buying a heifer. She tells him that she’ll get back to her as soon as she’s done measuring herself. Then he hangs up.

The first thing he notices is Mei Xing peering from the window and giving him a thumbs up. MX walks in and ZSC asks how long he’s been outside the door. MX ignores him and says, “Trust me, if a girl agrees to become your fiancée, she must like you.”

ZSC has nothing to say so MX continues teasing him.

MX: You’re good, Professor. The first time you called, you had a midnight supper. The second time you called you asked for her hand in marriage. You are efficient, like your experiments.
ZSC: Didn’t we communicate with each other by email for six months already?
MX: Are you trying to convince yourself? She already said yes, Mr. Zhousheng. You have to believe in yourself. You have your charms.
ZSC: Really?

Then, he realizes something and stands up. He must prepare the gifts for tomorrow’s visit.