Like the others before this episode, the title doesn’t seem to need explanations. But I’ll go over it anyway because I like things in order.

Chapter 21. Relying on you. I am because you are.
Featured Object: Game controller

1. Sang Yan

The title refers to Sang Yan who realizes belatedly that Duan Jiaxu is a “good” boyfriend for his younger sister. He’s “good” because that he treats Sang Zhi with more patience than Sang Yan ever did, and because he can beaten up by Sang Yan should he ever mistreat Sang Zhi.

SY: Hey. I have a question. Are you working overtime on top of picking up the Little Demon from work, having dinner, going shopping, and watching a movie with her?
DJ: (not looking up from work) A while ago, my superior fell sick, so I was quite busy. But things are better now. Today is an exception.
SY: Don’t ruin your health just to date. Actually, you can tell her. The Little Demon isn’t sensible, but she will understand.
DJ: If she was sensible enough, I would do whatever she wishes.

Meaning, Sang Yan should not worry that he’s spoiling Sang Zhi rotten. Jiaxu recognizes that Sang Zhi can be at times impractical, unreasonable, and headstrong (aka not sensible), so he’s simply making allowances for her.

DJ: (continuing) It’s fine. I’m moving to a new place soon. The situation will improve.
SY: New place? Why are you moving?
DJ: My current place is too small and far away from her campus. I found a new apartment with two bedrooms and it’s near her campus. You won’t have to be so worried.

He means two things here. Explicitly, he’s telling Sang Yan not to worry that he’s running himself ragged just to date Sang Zhi. Implicitly, he’s also telling Sang Yan not to worry about the sleeping arrangements because there will be two rooms.

SY: As if!

I interpret this comment in two ways: One, Sang Yan is denying that he’s worried about Jiaxu’s dating life. Two, Sang Yan is skeptical that two rooms will stop Jiaxu from getting physical with Sang Zhi if he really wants to. Lol.

SY: (sighing) Duan Jiaxu, you know me. As her brother, I worry since my sister is dating. Do you remember the mess when she went to see that guy she met online? Ayyy. But in the past few days, I have felt relieved that you are her boyfriend.

A note to myself: Sang Yan’s words imply that time has indeed passed since his angry confrontation with Sang Zhi at the restaurant. He’s been in YiHe for a “few days” to observe his best friend and sister.

SY: But mark my words, if you ever dare to hurt my sister, I will make sure you pay for it.
DJ: It’s a shame that you won’t have this chance.

Jiaxu’s words are ironic. He’s very confident that Sang Yan will wait forever to punish him since there’s no way he’ll intentionally hurt his sister. However, he doesn’t know that if there’s anybody who consistently made Sang Zhi cry all these years, it’s him. He has unintentionally caused her emotional distress because he’s her “hidden” love.

DJ: (suddenly thinking of something) So about working late tonight…
SY: No worries. I won’t tell her. I’m not that clueless. Continue with your work.
DJ: Thank you, my dear brother.

In short, Sang Yan gives his approval to Jiaxu dating his sister.

Going back to the title then, Sang Yan is relying on Jiaxu to take good care of Sang Zhi. He’s at ease because Jiaxu is a good man. He goes back to playing his games because he has nothing to worry about.

Hence, one reason the featured object here is the game controller because he gave his approval for them to date while playing a game. I like how the game controller was at the beginning and end of this episode.

2. Jiaxu

He learns about the encounter between Psycho and Sang Zhi and knows that the meeting couldn’t have been accidental. He gives the Psycho a stern warning.

DJ: What you did to me constitutes harassment. If you go to her again, I’ll consider calling the police.
Psycho: Police?
DJ: Jiang Ying. You’ve been bugging me for many years, and I’ve let it go. I can tolerate it all. But if you hurt her, the girl I love, I can do anything for her sake.

He is furious for two reasons: one, because the Psycho accosted Sang Zhi, and two, because he knew he had enabled this situation. Up until now, he didn’t want to admit that he was harassed by the Psycho, and he tolerated it out of a misguided sense of guilt that he had to bear it as punishment for what his father did to her family.

But now that he’s dating Sang Zhi, he must change the situation.

This harks back to the title. Jiaxu must demonstrate that he can be relied upon to protect her from the very same person who’s been bullying him all these years. He can no longer be passive and forbearing of the abuse from the Psycho since he has someone precious to keep from harm. He needs to become assertive and proactive because Sang Zhi is his girlfriend.

But then, he discovers that the encounter with the Psycho isn’t the only secret that Sang Zhi’s been concealing from him. She’s also been bottling up her work stress.

DJ: Have you been in a bad mood lately? I thought you hadn’t talked about work because you weren’t having trouble.
SZ: There aren’t that many troubles at work. I…I feel that I can handle it myself. You’re busy with your work and I don’t want to give you more pressure.
DJ: You used to cry a lot in front of me. Why do you feel embarrassed now?

This is true. She used to cry a lot.

At their first meeting, he saw her fake her tears to get Sang Yan in trouble. When he asked her why she “framed” Sang Yan, she threatened to turn on the tears for him, too. She pressured him to come help her with her teacher in place of Sang Yan. On another occasion, she cried on his shoulder after she was bullied by older students. She didn’t want to tell him what actually happened because she didn’t want to trouble him. She added, “Sang Yan also told me that you are very busy, so I shouldn’t bother you.” Since he couldn’t rush in to confront the bullies himself as he was only a family friend, he reported the bullying incident to Sang Yan. He made sure, however, to deliver his own two cents to the bullies and scare them.

The last time she cried on his shoulder, he was giving her a piggy-back ride because she was drunk as a skunk. She was crying about her crush who was nice not only to her, but to everyone.

pic or gif

Given these past interventions, it surprises him that she doesn’t want to discuss her work stress with him. In his mind, he’s still a “Gege” or older person that Sang Zhi can run to with her problems.

He doesn’t yet understand that with their new relationship comes a change in Sang Zhi’s mindset. As far as she’s concerned, he’s no longer that “Jiaxu Ge” to dump her problems on so he can fix them for her. Perhaps in middle school, she relied on him to attend her teacher’s conference and get her out of trouble. But now, she doesn’t need him to beard her boss in the office for her. She can solve her problems on her own.

SZ: (tapping his arm in protest) That was when I was a kid! I don’t cry anymore. Only…Only kids cry. I’m an adult now. When I face any problems, I should think about how to resolve them. I can’t cry all the time.

DJ: (stopping to make her face him) If you think that only kids get to cry, then you can always be a kid. I’ll provide for you. All right.

They smile at each other.

I think they’re both correct.

Sang Zhi is saying that as an adult, she can work out her problems. I like her show of independence, maturity, and positivity.

On the other hand, Jiaxu is making a good point that there’s nothing wrong with adults crying or asking for help.

I think he’s laying stress on this because of his experience. He couldn’t cry or ask anyone for help when he was growing up, and he wants to spare Sang Zhi from feeling the same way. He doesn’t like her to grow up fast like he had to because of his unfortunate family circumstances. Thus, he wants to “provide” for her, not only in the material or financial way, but also in the emotional sense. He’s reassuring her that he’s a reliable guy and she can depend on him for support.

DJ: Are you homesick?
SZ: (nodding)
DJ: Let’s go home then. I’ll take some days off and go home with you. And you can quit this job if you don’t feel like continuing it. What’s wrong with this company? They keep giving my Zhizhi a hard time. I must have a serious talk with your superior.
SZ: Honestly. You’re acting like a parent now.
DJ: Yes. Perhaps I’ve become greedier. I want to be more than just your boyfriend. I also want to be someone you can rely on. May I?

He brushes her hair then kisses her forehead. She hugs him.

To me, he’s telling her that she can rely on him to give her a chance to open up about the trouble at work and with the Psycho. But she has no idea that he’s already aware of her problems. She hugs him to avoid telling him that she’s no longer a helpless girl in need of his constant protection. She doesn’t want to sound like she’s rejecting or dismissing him. Instead, she tells him that he too can rely on her.

3. Sang Zhi

SZ: I also want to be someone you can rely on. You can share your joys and sorrows with me.
DJ: All right. Then, we’ll rely on each other.
SZ: (looking at him)
DJ: So now you can tell me what happened at work.
SZ: (hugging him again)
DJ: (confessing) Zhizhi. I know that Jiang Ying went to see you. Don’t worry. I went to her and warned her today. She won’t harass you anymore.
SZ: (stops hugging him)
DJ: Zhizhi. You didn’t tell me that you’re having trouble at work and that Jiang Ying came to you. You don’t have to take on everything alone. Promise me. You’ll tell me first thing when you run into problems again, okay?

Note here: I prefer the translation from Youku. In it, Jiaxu tells her upfront that he doesn’t like her keeping her worries to herself. He tells her, “I mind that you didn’t tell me when you encounter problems at work and when Jiang Ying came to you.”

SZ: Mmm. I will let you know. I didn’t tell you about Jiang Ying because I’ve grown up and I can handle it. You don’t have to worry about me. I won’t let her pick on me without doing anything. I can protect myself. And I can protect you, too.

SZ: What’s the matter?
DJ: I feel that my Zhizhi really has grown up now.

They hug each other.

My comments:

a. I like that Jiaxu is an emotional guy (or the way he’s portrayed by his actor). He doesn’t show this side with the guys. I don’t mind that he’s easily moved by Sang Zhi’s remarks and gets teary-eyed. It’s a sign that he allows himself to be weak and sentimental with her. This first happened when he cried upon reading her New Year’s greeting at the airport, then continued on his graduation when he opened up about his debts. He became teary-eyed too on the night on New Year’s Eve in Yihe after they had the first snowfall, then on his birthday.

b. I also like that Sang Zhi insists that she’s no damsel-in-distress. He isn’t the only one worrying about her. She’s also worrying about him, too. Moreover, he isn’t the only one protecting her. She’s capable of protecting herself and himself, too.

Also, when I reflect on this, I realize that even when she was in middle school, she was bossy, feisty, and fearless. She wasn’t called “Little Demon” by Sang Yan for nothing. She wouldn’t be the type to get bullied by somebody like the Psycho.

c. I like that she lets him know that their relationship is based on mutual dependence and protection. This goes to the heart of the matter. They can rely and depend on each other. Individually, they’re becoming strong (or strong-ER) because they know they need to grow stronger and more dependable in order to weather tough times ahead as a couple.

4. The new apartment

Lol. I know this is fantasy-drama when he got all his furniture delivered to their new apartment in no time. How did he do that? I redecorated not long ago, and ordered new furniture. The couch took 5 weeks to be delivered, the four kitchen counter chairs took 6 weeks, and the swivel/glider armchair from Pottery Barn took 2 months. Ugh.

But I like what he said about the keys.

DJ: There’s a kitchen over there. There are two bedrooms.
SZ: (about to enter his room)
DJ: (redirecting her) This room has a bigger balcony. It’s your room.
SZ: Does this mean that we are living together?
DJ: No. I thought of giving you a place to rest when you get tired from studying.
SZ: (smiling)

Nice try, Jiaxu. For propriety’s sake, she can keep her dorm room as her “primary” residence and keep this one as her secondary home. But for all intents and purposes, they’re living together.

DJ: Let’s go eat.
SZ: By the way, you haven’t told me how much the monthly rent is. Is it expensive? If it’s expensive, you don’t have to rent this place.
DJ: Are you afraid that I can’t afford it?
SZ: No. I’m afraid that you are wasting money.
DJ: I can afford this. I’m renting this place because it’s near your campus. You can have more time to rest. Give me your hand.
SZ: Why?
DJ: (hands her the house key) From now on, this is our home.
SZ: (shocked then smiling) Mmm.

My comments:

a. Since this is a sweet and innocent love story, I’m taking this scene as it is. But in real (American) life, this can lead to a complicated living arrangement. For one, it seems like he’s setting her up in their “love nest” and if her conservative parents find out, I’m sure they’ll go ballistic. For another, cohabitation shouldn’t be entered into without serious discussion about budget, income, joint finances, household chores, sexual intimacy, long-term goals, end goals, etc.

b. As a mother with adult sons of my own, I hope he isn’t living beyond his means in an effort to prove to her that he can materially “provide” for her.

c. I like that Sang Zhi looked shocked then happy. For her, this is one step closer to her wish. Didn’t she pray on that first snowfall that bad things stayed away from him, while she stayed close by him?

d. I thought it was funny that when her a/c broke down at her dorm, he quickly grabbed the opportunity to bring her home to his apartment, and then he bribed her with snacks to stay there.

DJ: You can have these every day if you move in.

5. The Game Controller

Of course, we really know why the game controller was the highlighted object in this episode. It was because it’s the prelude to the kiss.

I thought it was savvy of Jiaxu to defuse the tension of their first night at their new “home.”

SZ: (thinking to herself) Why did he change into pajamas?
DJ: Why are you standing there?
SZ: I’m working. (pretending to work on her laptop)
DJ: I’m playing a game.
SZ: Is it the same game as before?
DJ: Come and play with me.

Holding her hand, he sits her between his legs.

Again, I wish the camera director zoomed out a bit and took a medium shot (i.e., from the waist up) of this moment. I would have liked to see their hands connecting.

DJ; Have you tried this before?
SZ: (looks at him)
DJ: Hmm?

If I were her, I’d give him an odd look, too. What does he mean? Does he mean their sitting position or the game? Either

SZ: (shaking her head)
DJ: Then I’ll show you. The first skill: Shoot. Shoot outward. The second skill is range.
SZ: (she turns her head to gaze at him)

She’s obviously distracted by their closeness. If I were her, though, I’d be more distracted by his words. I’d wonder if he was making sly innuendoes as he taught me the game.

DJ: I’m teaching you how to play. Give it a try. Here.

Rats! The camera should have moved back to give us a view of Jiaxu wrapping his arms around her waist. I don’t get why the camera director insists on a close-up of their faces. Booooo.

DJ: (snuggling) Buy the equipment. Attack them with the skills.

He smells her hair. She looks up at him.

The fact that she doesn’t shy away from him indicates that she’s receptive to him. But I don’t think he’s playing fair here. First, he distracts her, then he chides her for losing focus.

DJ: Focus on the game.
SZ: (handing him the controller) What should I do now?
DJ: Run. Run. Run. It’s fine. You did very well.
SZ: I’ll go get some snacks.

This is when her hair gets entangled in his shirt button.

And the kiss happens after that.

gifs from radishayuan’s tumblr

source: radishayuan’s tumblr

My comments:

a. The game controller deserves special recognition for facilitating the kiss. If they hadn’t been sitting together, sharing one controller, then he would have had a harder time setting up the kiss.

But because they were comfortable touching each other as they played the game,

and they were smiling without a hint of awkwardness or nervousness as she disentangled her hair,

he knew that she wasn’t going to startle if he leaned in for the kiss.

b. I thought it was a great kiss. He moved in so slowly to lock lips with her that if she didn’t really want the kiss, she could have turned her head away so his lips would land on her cheek, ear, hair, or thin air instead.

And she reciprocated.

c. It was good acting on Zhao Lusi’s part. I like how she was kneeling at his feet, then she raised herself higher to give their kiss more connection. If you noticed, he wasn’t straining his neck to kiss “down” because her face was positioned slightly higher than his. I also like how she pushed her shoulder back a little when his hand moved up behind her back, because when she did so, she opened her front — or chest — to him. She wasn’t afraid to expose herself to him. She looked like she surrendered herself to the moment.

d. There must have been more than two takes. The camera was supposed to capture her side of the kiss, then his side. From every angle, I think Sang Zhi looked convincingly like she lost her head in the kiss. Thus, it didn’t sound scripted when he reminded her that she had work the following day.

DJ: You have to work tomorrow, right? Maybe you should go to bed now.
SZ: (waking herself up from the kiss) Yes. I am a bit sleepy. (touching her head) I think I had better rest now. I need to go to work early. (grabbing her laptop) I still have some work to do. (fleeing)
DJ: Remember to lock your door!
SZ: (closing the door)

e. The button deserves an honorary mention!

Moving on to the next episode.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

As you know, I ban anything and everything political in this blog, but in this instance, it would be unconscionable of me not to make a stand. I stand with Israel. 🇮🇱