Homecoming Queen

It was a weekday in late September. Through the window, the sky was clear with few clouds, like an over-enhanced desktop background. The car drove smoothly, making a faint vibration that gave one the comfortable feeling like a swaddled baby, or nestling in a lover's arms. It was a good time for a nap, but Zhu Xiao'ao wasn't tired.

Read more

She sat in the back of the car, the matcha latte in her hand down to its foamy dredges, with a mildly bitter flavor left. From the passenger's seat, her assistant He Meili took the cup from her and put it in the rubbish bag. This girl, in her early 20s, had signed on just two months ago. She had bright eyes, excelled at both office work and outreach, and was uncharacteristically calm for her age. Come October, Zhu planned to make her full-time.

She'd just gotten her hands on 30 million RMB in capital, and would have a lot of planning to do, but for the time being, she didn't want to think about it. The trees on the sides of the road were mostly poplars, and between them lay cows, sheep, and people. Most of the landscape was green, but apart from the occasional torch tree that lit the scene up like fire, the colors were fading now. This pastoral scene didn't seem much different from 20 years before, proving that it's not things that change, but people. Zhu was quite happy, as if on vacation, but it had become a habit to muse.

She'd graduated from the university 12 years ago, but hadn't been back since. Every New Year she visited her parents, but though their apartment complex was only a click or two away from the campus, she never thought of going back. Why go back? For what? She didn't understand those who went to class reunions, and never deigned to do them herself. University was just a way-station in life, no need to look back after you passed it.

But unexpected things happen. A few days ago, Yang Qin, a former classmate who had stayed on to teach at the university, learned that 'Cherry Maruko-chan,' the internet celebrity with tens of millions of fans, who'd just published a book, was the same Zhu Xiao'ao. She'd spread the word on WeChat, and after confirming the truth, got the dean to invite Zhu Xiao'ao to give a lecture and book-signing. At first, Zhu refused: Did a teaching university in a small county-level city think it had the credentials to invite her? A number of big-name schools had tried and she'd politely refused them all, saying she had no time. Could coming back lower her status? How would the outside world see this? Even though the school had upgraded to become a satellite campus of a provincial university, it still didn't deserve her time.

She'd been a cut above her former classmates for a long time, like fish in different ponds. Zhu was quite sure there wouldn't be anything she'd ever need from them, and they'd have nothing to bond over. She even avoided her relatives if she could help it; she'd rather be thought a failure than lend a hand, whether it was emotional support, money, or help with work.

Yet in the end she accepted the invitation. She was no longer just an internet celebrity; she was a businesswoman, with a company and cultural profile, who couldn't do just whatever she wanted anymore. There were dozens of livelihoods depending on her continued success. Her management team said she should go'there was nothing to lose, and it'd look bad to refuse: Netizens were apt to be righteous. If a crusading blogger or troublemaker wanted to accuse her of forgetting her roots, this would be the opportunity.

Nothing to lose, though? Getting there and back would waste a day at least, and she was busy, with a whole suite of more important engagements lined up. Still, it was important to look like a woman of the people, so she had He Meili set up a date with Yang Qin.

There weren't many cars on the road, so they were off the expressway and onto the country road after just over an hour, but here they had to slow down'not only for speed cameras, but also because of traffic. People here didn't know how to follow regulations. Or maybe they did, but nobody cared, and the police couldn't go around arresting everyone.

There was a commotion in front of the county's sole KFC: People dressed in clashing styles, some raising Chinese flags and chanting, others displaying typical red banners with white characters. 'Oppose America, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines! Love and respect China! When you eat KFC, you eat American rubbish and disrespect your ancestors!' The crowd ignored Driver Chen's repeated horn blasts, only grudgingly making way when the car was about to hit them. 'I didn't know your hometown was so patriotic, boss,' Chen quipped.

Zhu thought it was ridiculous too, but wasn't surprised. Just like the old days, she thought with disdain. 'It's good that we're driving a German-made Audi, and not a Japanese or American car,' He Meili fretted. 'Or they'd turn their spears towards us when we honked at them.'

It made Zhu think of the athletic festival during her second year at university. She'd won the 100-meter race the previous year, and signed up again, not for honor, but because there was a prize of 200 RMB for first place. That would allow her to eat for at least three months without having to ask her family for money, or buy some clothes. Unfortunately, she got her period the day of the race, but the lure of money trumped biology. Not wanting to let down her classmates or professor, she persevered and came in fifth. No one said anything, but they acted noticeably colder, and some said, behind her back, that she hadn't given it her all, purposely losing face for the class. This was her first taste of the fickleness of the masses, and after that she hardly did any extracurricular activities.

It had just turned 11:30 when they arrived at the campus, and Yang Qin, who'd been at the gate for a while, embraced Zhu upon seeing her. She was almost like a fangirl meeting her idol, squealing: 'Oh, it's like you've aged in reverse, I'm already a mother, and you're still like a young girl!' She smelled of years spent hanging around wood, paint, and books. 'Oh, you know, I'm just pretending to be young,' Zhu replied indifferently. 'I want to be a mother too, but haven't found anyone to be the father.'

Yang told Chen where to park, and took Zhu and He into the school's canteen. 'Oh, you're probably spoiled for choice,' she said without envy. 'Guys must be falling all over themselves, left and right.' Zhu smiled distractedly. The campus hadn't changed much in a decade. 'Feeling nostalgic?' Yang asked. 'It's like we were going to class here just yesterday. 'Uh, yeah,' Zhu replied, careful not to say anything untoward.

When she'd been a student, Zhu usually didn't buy a full meal, opting instead for the vegetable-stuffed buns, three for a kuai, or buying leftover dishes at half price for dinner. She'd never been in the canteen's private rooms, used by students from rich families or the principal's guests; she hardly even dared to looked at them directly. She'd never thought that more than a decade later she'd be inside one, and as she looked around, felt a slight tinge of pride. She'd been exposed to all manner of fancy foreign food, so this bit of special treatment was nothing new. The only dish that made her nostalgic was the vinegar-soaked noodles made out of bean flour, a local specialty. When they'd graduated, Qian Weiwen had taken her to a noodle house and ordered them. She remembered the incident clearly, because a piece of chive had stuck to her teeth, and she couldn't loosen it no matter how hard she tried. In the end, she had to bare her teeth to let Qian scrape it off.

After eating, they went to Yang Qin's dormitory, where there was a bed. Yang asked her if she wanted to rest, but Zhu said she was fine. Yang informed her that the talk would begin at 1:30, and there'd be her speech, which should be under an hour, and then 30 minutes of Q&A, followed by the signing: 'The whole thing shouldn't take much more than two hours; you could be back in Beijing before dark.' As Zhu absentmindedly agreed with the plan, Yang handed her an envelope: the appearance fee.

'No, it's fine,' said Zhu, refusing. 'It's my alma mater, it's only right for me to come back'plus I'm promoting my book. There's no need for me to take the money.'

'It's from the university, you might as well take it,' Yang persisted.

Judging from the thickness of the envelope, it couldn't have been more than 2,000 RMB. Zhu continued to refuse it. Yang pretended to be angry. 'Oh, so it's too little for you? Plus, the director asked me to give it to you, so let me do my job.'

Put this way, Zhu couldn't really refuse, so she passed the envelope to He Meili.

'We've still got half an hour,' Yang said, glancing at the time. 'Let's walk around campus, and then go to the auditorium.'

'You're the boss,' said Zhu.

By the time they had walked two laps around the university's running track, Yang had volunteered everything she knew about their old classmates, but still hadn't mentioned Qian Weiwen. He'd been missing from their WeChat group as well: Zhu had opened everyone's profile picture one by one, and, it quickly transpired that 12 classmates were missing, Qian included. Their home numbers were all out of service; there was no way to track them down, except visit their last address.

Zhu and Qian were from the same hometown, although she'd lived in the village and he in town. They went to the same middle school, but not the same class, and didn't speak much. But three people in their class had gotten into the university'Zhu, Qian, and Jia Suling. Every Friday after classes ended the three of them would ride their bikes home, and ride back to campus on Sunday afternoon. They met in front of Qian Weiwen's house, and if they had to wait for anyone he'd invite the other inside to relax for a while. Zhu couldn't remember how she'd gotten together with Qian; neither specifically made a move, but their relationship started somehow. Jia Suling had dark skin and looked older than her age, though she had big doe eyes. Still, anyone who had a choice would pick Zhu'that much she still believed.

'Looks like you're the most successful of our class,' Yang was wrapping up. 'The others are teaching, or working for other people. At the last reunion everyone seems to have gotten fat, like life had made them prematurely middle-aged.'

Zhu was pulled back to reality. 'There's no point comparing yourself with others,' she replied. 'Do what you want to do. It's most important that you're satisfied with where you are in life.' This was more or less like the same kind of self-help Chicken Soup for the Soul bullshit that had made her famous. It offered nothing of substance, but was comforting; it helped unsuccessful people feel like they had hope.

'So you say, but seeing you, I feel like I've accomplished nothing,' said Yang. 'Women should be more selfish, rather than spending all their energy on husbands and children. My husband works at the tax administration, so he's busy every day. Besides my job, I have to do the laundry, cooking, and take care of my kid. A few years ago we paid off our mortgage, but now we're about to take out another and buy a two-bedroom place, as we're afraid prices will keep rising. It's almost as stressful living here as in a big city!'

Yang was humble-bragging, Zhu realized, but that was fine; she didn't mind letting Yang indulge her vanity. She tried to inject some envy into her reply: 'Oh, it would be so great to have a husband and a child. All I do is work all day, just going to this and that event, so busy I sometimes wish I could have a few more of me to spread the workload; I hardly even made it here!'

'Gotta find a husband,' Yang Qin said happily. 'Even powerful women need a man. Still, the single guys I know aren't great'definitely not up to your standards.'

Zhu casually tucked her hair back behind her ear, revealing a ruby stud that shone like lake water rippling under a breeze. 'You think I don't want to get married?' she smiled. 'There's guys that are interested, but I can never tell if they like me, or my money.'

Yang Qin didn't know how to respond to this; she had a husband, but not the money to be burdened with this kind of problem. Embarrassed, she said, 'Well, you're better at reading people than I am. I don't have that kind of skill. At the end of the day, all you need is someone who's thoughtful, someone who understands your emotions.'

Was Yang showing off again? Zhu read between the lines. She made a point of sounding exasperated: 'Of course'those things are the bare minimum! Other than that, let's not even talk 'handsome,' just as long as he looks all right, and we can communicate, and he makes me happy, and you know, we're compatible in bed, that's perfect.' She imagined Yang and her husband might not have had a sex life in a long time: If not, why did she look so dried up, like a rag that hadn't been used in years?

'It's better in the big city; no matter how high your standards, you can find what you're looking for,' Yang, seemingly admitting defeat, was bringing the topic to a hasty close. Fortunately, they'd arrived at the multimedia building.

The auditorium had been built just before Zhu graduated, and she'd only been to a few events there. Now there were notices at the entrance about her, with a very yuppie-ish headshot, an introduction to her book, and a short biography. Entering the auditorium, she looked toward the end of the hallway, and stood still for a few seconds. A memory had struck her like a bolt from the blue, as if a cloud had just uncovered the moon.

It was just before graduation, and along with the fragrance of flowers, a mild scent of parting grief was in the air. For those about to leave, all the rules and procedures of the university seemed meaningless. After lights-out, Qian and Zhu stole across the darkened campus to the multimedia building, holding hands all the way to the top of the auditorium. The big, round moon looked like it belonged to the story of Runtu in the Watermelon Patch. The moonlight spilled into the hallway, forming a silver rectangle, in which the shadow of the two lovers lay close together.

She asked him what he planned to do after graduation. Their county was no longer allocating jobs to graduates, meaning they could expect substitute gigs at best. Being a teacher wasn't what Zhu wanted, but her family wanted her to find a job as quickly as possible, not only to ease their financial burden but also to save up for her dowry. They wouldn't forgive her if there was an opening and she didn't take it. This wasn't the first time she'd asked Qian about his plans, but every time he'd given some half-baked answer about going with the flow, or even joked that going back to the farm wasn't off the table. This time, she hoped he'd be earnest. She looked at the fine hairs on his face, which made him look young and tender under the moonlight. Something almost maternal welled up in her heart.

'You know, I can't leave my family,' he said after a slight hesitation. 'They need me.' Qian's mother was an invalid, and his father worked at a concrete factory to support the whole family. But she tried to convince him otherwise: 'All the more reason to go out into the world, and after you make a fortune, you can bring your parents to Beijing and get her cured.'

'It's not that easy to make a fortune,' Qian complained. 'And even if I did, my mother might be dead by then.' His tone was defeated, which angered Zhu. 'You're young, you're full of energy. Why act like a tired old man? If you don't try to make it happen, you're going to regret it.' 'You can go,' he offered. 'Then what about us?' she asked. He didn't say anything, loosening his arms around her like string being untied from a package. She pushed him roughly, turned, and ran away, hearing her own footsteps like an angry ghost in pursuit.

Before the lecture, the director gave a brief introduction of Zhu's accomplishments, calling her the pride of the university and adding, in vague and generic terms, how wonderful a student she had been. They smiled at each other. She knew he had no memory of her whatsoever; even her classmates and professors had seen her as a non-entity. She accomplished nothing in those days and came from an average family, with parents who had neither wealth nor title. She had no special talents, didn't participate in student groups, never won any prizes, wasn't even a student cadre. None of this mattered now that she was standing here.

The turnout was good; almost no empty seats. Zhu was used to this kind of venue, and the speech was her standard one, modified slightly to suit the day's audience: How she went from being a white-collar worker to a celebrity, just dwelling on the difficulties enough to cast her accomplishments in a better light .

Zhu Xiao'ao really did go to Beijing after graduation, but spent everything she had in just a few days and, jobless, had no choice but to return home with her tail between her legs. But as luck would have it, a web start-up headquartered in Beijing had set up offices in her county to save money. Zhu got Qian, who hadn't found a job, to go work there with her. If the company had stuck around, maybe they would have stayed together. Instead, it expanded until the boss closed the county office, and selected his most hard-working, talented employees to take to Beijing. They were both picked, but Qian didn't go, and this time she didn't beg. He could stay if he wanted, there was no point in forcing him, the wishy-washy bastard.

Zhu left all this out of her speech, which began with her return to Beijing, jumping between web-related jobs. When WeChat personal brands became popular, Zhu wrote some self-help pablum which gained her a few fans. After that, she opened her own public WeChat account, posted the same kind of lovey-dovey stuff every day: humorous, cheeky, sensitive, emotional pieces promoting personal independence. Her fans were mostly aged 16 and 28, from first and second-tier cities, girls seeking self-improvement and self-actualisation: the 'eternal 17.' Her WeChat account alone had more a million followers, and soon a monthly ad revenue to match. She was approached to write books; brands suddenly wanted her as a spokesperson. She'd recently shot a subway ad for a mobile game for a seven-figure fee. After that, Zhu told the students, she opened her own company and raised 30 million in capital. With both fame and fortune, her dream had come true.

The Q&A session got off to a rather dry start, with questions on her career and various points raised in her speech. Zhu handled these deftly, but then a boy wearing glasses stood up, laughed awkwardly, and said, 'Miss Zhu, may I inquire about something personal?'

'Of course,' she said. This wasn't a rare occurrence and she had a practiced response. 'I think you might be surprised to find I can handle it.'

'Are you single?'

'No.'

'Are you married, then?'

'No'you still have a chance.'

There was some laughter and she felt Yang Qin's eyes stinging her like a mosquito. She said earlier she was looking for someone, and now she claimed she wasn't single? She hoped Yang would understand that she was just playing along. The boy's question had opened the floodgates and now some girl was asking if love and marriage were more important than a career.

'Both are very important. If you are in love, you should give the relationship a shot, and if it lasts, get married,' Zhu spoke with confidence and fervor. 'If not, then concentrate on your job and see where things go. Most people can make both happen.' How many boyfriends was it normal to have, the girl persisted. Zhu kept her voice light: 'If you end up with your first love happily ever after, you've saved yourself the pain of many breakups. And people with too much dating experience may become jaded with the concept of 'love.' But if you're the kind of girl who is going to cry, flail around, and try to hang yourself after a breakup, then just get married as soon as possible.'

She thought of all the men she'd been with over the years. Her longest relationship was right before she was famous. She was building her career and didn't think it was the right time. Not long after, he married someone he'd known for only two months. Then came a procession of successful men, some a decade or more older than her, others cute boys in their 20s. People didn't wait for each other, though, and she had a hard time falling in love. All the back and forth made her sick of playing the game. The heart of the girl she once was now only lived in her writing.

After the signing, and the selfies, when the students had finally left, the huge auditorium looked like a graveyard, the seatbacks sticking up like tombstones. Every time an event like this was over, she felt relief as well as loss. The excitement was addictive, after all. Some former professors had bought her book and made chitchat; one history professor wanted tips on new media for her new ad agency.

Now the dean approached, and it seemed he'd been waiting a while. He suggested they have dinner together, and he would arrange a hotel. He was far more hospitable than before. When he mentioned her potential investment in the university, she could see what he was thinking. Before, she was just some writer with a few fans online; only after her address did he realize she was a multimillionaire. But it was too late for that. Nobody had shown up to see her at lunch, and nobody had paid attention when it mattered.

'I'm sorry, but I really can't. I have other engagements tonight in Beijing,' Zhu smiled politely as she declined. 'You're quite in demand!' the dean remarked, obviously disappointed. 'Well, in the future, please come around if you've got time; our gate is always open for you.'

'Next time, send a car,' she said, only half-joking. The director's face tensed before he laughed it off: 'No problem!' He and Yang accompanied her to the gate and, just as she was about to get in the car, Yang hugged her again and whispered, as if sharing a juicy secret, 'I hear Qian Weiwen is still at his old home.'

At the intersection, the car had to turn right. Zhu, who'd sat silently until then, suddenly barked: 'Turn left.' Chen didn't understand, but didn't ask questions. 'Sure, but I don't know the way.'

'I'll tell you. If we go west, we can still get on the expressway, and it's closer than going east,' Zhu said. There was a pause, and He Meili asked tentatively: 'Did you want to see your old home?'

Zhu had sometimes mentioned her birthplace, a beautiful but isolated village by the Blue Spring River to the west, where the roads had only been paved a couple of years previously. Before that, the dirt paths turned to mud whenever it rained. Outsiders couldn't get in, and insiders couldn't get out. In the old days when she came home, the drivers at the station would refuse to take her, saying the road was too rough. After three years in Beijing, she'd used all her savings to put a down payment on a modern three-bedroom house in this county, and moved her parents there so that she wouldn't have to go to the village anymore; that was now 'home.'

Zhu nodded slowly. Even she wasn't sure why she had made Chen change direction, but Yang's comments had planted a seed in her mind. Maybe after all these years she was afraid to find out what was going on with Qian. Maybe that's why she moved her family, so that she wouldn't have to worry about running into him, or hearing news of him. Maybe the reason she'd become obsessed with earning money was so she could show him, that he could one day see all she'd achieved and how happy she was'not like that day she'd boarded the slow train to Beijing, watching the indifferent look in his eyes, the silhouette of his back disappearing on the platform.

The road was clear, and after 20 minutes they'd already passed through three towns. Linxi town lay only a little way ahead, where Qian Weiwen still lived, if Yang's information was correct. What did he do for a living? Probably not teaching; most of their classmates hadn't stayed in the profession long. Jia Suling had been one of them, then joined the local porcelain boom, becoming an accountant at one of the factories. But, like the small coalmines in Shanxi, the porcelain boom was short-lived, and soon only two or three struggling factories remained. But Qian was too straitlaced to go into business, didn't have it in him to cheat his way to the top in a place like this. Maybe he worked at the concrete plant like his father. Zhu was seized with the painful thought of her former lover, roughened, buckling under the weight of heavy bags of cement.

By now they'd arrived at the main road through Linxi. Zhu told Chen to slow down, so she could see the town clearly. The place had actually changed a bit, with the dark-tiled houses resurfaced, even a few new two-story buildings. There were more stores than before, with tacky signs like 'Come Again Dumpling Shop,' 'A-Jun's Hair Salon,' all closed. The street was deserted like Beijing at midnight, everything looking smaller than she remembered; even the road seemed shorter. Though they drove at a crawl, they were already near the far western end of the road when Zhu ordered Chen to stop.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit GECONA SOLAR.

She lowered the window, and a bitingly cold wind blew dust into the vehicle. She sniffed but couldn't sneeze. The air was as dry as she remembered. 'Is this where you grew up?' He Meili asked. 'It's not what I pictured.' 'Well, it wasn't always like this,' responded Zhu. She wondered if it would be too much to actually drive to Qian's street: If she ran into him, would it look like she was looking for him? How would he react?

Just when she'd decided to abandon the idea, He said: 'I need to use the toilet'my stomach doesn't feel good.'

Across the street was a brick building, an outhouse that probably belonged to the nearby clothing factory, with 'Man' and 'Woman' daubed on its concrete wall. Zhu got out to wait, and looked across at a small store where a girl of 7 or 8 was playing with a balloon on a string. Zhu remembered a peddler's market behind the shop. On the fourth and ninth of each lunar month, it was packed with people selling fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, and everyday essentials. She'd gone one time with Qian, and he'd bought her a pair of red leather shoes'actually, they were pleather.

A familiar silhouette suddenly crossed her view. Though stockier than before, dressed differently from how she remembered, she instantly saw it was Qian Weiwen. He stopped his e-bike in front of the store, and walked in carrying a large braided sack.

The little girl let go of the balloon, letting it fly away as she made a beeline after Qian, yelling, 'Daddy!' After a short while, Qian emerged, daughter in arms, as they went chasing after the balloon. Zhu's eyes were hot, but she couldn't walk over, could only stand there and stare. When Qian turned in her direction, she turned around, and when she turned back a woman was just coming out the store. The woman got on the e-bike and it beeped twice. 'Mama!' cried the girl, as Qian picked her and placed her on the back seat. The bike drove towards Zhu, heading north. As the woman's face flashed before her, Zhu almost cried out'wasn't that Jia Suling?

Darker'plumper'her doe eyes no longer quite so dewy. But she had married Qian Weiwen, and they had a child.

He Meili was finished, and Chen was now pouring out bottled water to wash her hands beside the road, but Zhu Xiao'ao was still unable to move, eyes fixed upon the small store. Qian looked over at her, and she felt like she was on fire. Then his eyes swept past like a pair of headlights, and he returned to the store.

Realizing Qian' gaze had been following his wife and daughter, Zhu dove into the car, voice trembling slightly as she practically ordered Chen to drive.

They were back on the expressway within a quarter of an hour. Gradually, some color came back to Zhu's papery complexion. The sun set brilliantly red as the car drove on, everything soaked in a layer of orange. She looked into the rear-view mirror, at the road that stretched behind them like shed skin.

Author's Note: To summarize the web celebrity's experience in a sentence'their hometown is a place they can never return. Of course, this is not in a physical sense. There are three meanings here: First, with rapid urbanization, when you have been away for years, your hometown never stays the same as in your memory. When returning, you are unable to locate the old traces. Second, people who have been toughened by living in the city are transformed into new individuals without even realizing it. Their habits, values, and outlook are no longer compatible with small-town thinking. No matter if it's in lifestyle or culture, there will exist a large gap between them and their friends from the old times. There's now essentially nothing in common between the two groups. Thirdly, it refers to a spiritual return. Hometown is merely a symbol of childhood. Times are always changing and everyone has to adapt. In this sense, no one can simply retreat back to a peaceful childhood.

I'm not going to sugar coat what a major letdown episode 13 of In A Good Way turned out to be. All the fantastic momentum of episode 12 was sucked into a twin vortex of expulsion woe plus interrupted confession tension. If either had worked out well then I wouldn't be as peeved, but with neither plot thread unfolding in a satisfying way I was left asking 'that's it?!?!' when the final scene rolled. Even worse was the lack of a preview. That is a big no-no in my book since it leaves my mind scrambling to make sense of what exactly comes next. The episode started off well and I thought the fall out from the protest concert was nicely done. Everyone with eyes saw the major hugging between Liu Chuan and Jia En and now it's impossible for her to deny it must mean something. I liked how she tentatively tried to make sense of her own feelings and the quickened pace between her and Liu Chuan when he plainly asked her out on a date. When she accidentally called it a date and then backtracked, only to have Liu Chuan correct her that he sees it as a date, that was the highlight of the episode for me. That, plus Xiao Wei almost completing her blossoming transformation into a girl with backbone as well as Bai Xue giving Jia En the green light to go ahead with Liu Chuan.

I knew Bai Xue would get there, and their conversation was so beautifully moving with both sincerity and sadness, because friends can still wish each other well even if it hurts. Ren Wei is slowly turning his friendship with Jia En into the type of friendship Bai Xue had with Liu Chuan, where one side harbors an unspoken affection for the other while still toggling comfortable camaraderie. I don't feel the frisson of tension or awareness between Ren Wei or Jia En even if they finish each other's sentences and know every little detail about each other. It's reassuring that Ren Wei is working through his own metamorphosis with respect to how he feels about Jia En, and he's still her best friend and always has her back. The tension sapping in this episode was really the problem of coupling the potential Jia En and Liu Chuan expulsion with that last and final step confession between them that would have opened the floodgates for their future interactions. Suddenly everything grounded to a halt and then Liu Chuan finds himself needing to play the white knight by selling his principles out to dear old dad. I can't handle the possibility that Liu Chuan made a deal with the devil to save Jia En, and that the exchange may actually end his freedom journey early and at a cost to the first girl he's ever opened his heart to. He's come so soooo far and he was so soooo close, and then the coldest cold water ever was poured on our poor thwarted OTP. Aish, next week can't come any faster.

Episode 13 recap:

Wu Bai finishes his song to the cheers of the audience. Jia En and Liu Chuan are totally oblivious and still hugging, only reluctantly breaking apart when the crowd starts chanting for an encore. Ren Wei continues to look distressed after witnessing the hug. Xiao Wei bravely gets on stage and introduces herself as the person who was treated unjustly. She admits to taking a bribe from Professor Chang and lying that she was not the injured party. Now she wants to be brave and tell the truth, and her freedom is becoming a better person with each day. She asks for the students support for this petition and she promises to be strong to fight for her own justice. Professor Chang has been standing in the rear listening to this and turns to leave only to spot the angry Chancellor standing there as well. The Chancellor glares at him before storming out.

Team Freedom is cleaning up afterwards and Liu Chuan pauses when he walks past Jia En and gives her a small smile. Tracy goes up to Jia En to ask if she's finally getting a credit in love. Everyone's been talking about the two people hugging the longest time at the concert was Jia En and Liu Chuan. Jia En insists nothing is going on but Tracy keeps pressing her until Ren Wei walks by and tells Tracy to lay off Jia En already. Tracy grumbles and wonders why Ren Wei is butting in since it has nothing to do with him. Ren Wei gets a page from Jia En's parents since they can't reach her and she freaks out when she sees 8 missed pages on her pager. Ren Wei offers to take her home and they head off only to have Liu Chuan ask to have a word with Jia En. Cue awkward four way looks all around and Jia En looks at Ren Wei and he steps forward to ask Liu Chuan to talk with Jia En at a later time since she really needs to go home to her parents. Liu Chuan agrees and everyone awkwardly disperses.

Jia En and Ren Wei are silent on their walk home with both of them deep in thought. Ren Wei wonders what Jia En is thinking and why she hugged Liu Chuan for so long? Jia En knows Ren Wei must've seen the hug and wonders if she should discuss it with him? But she doesn't even know how she feels so what is there to discuss? Ren Wei wonders if he should bring it up with her and if she has feelings for Liu Chuan? Jia En wants to brush it off as just a hug but doesn't know if she really cares about it. Ren Wei starts to talk and Jia En cuts him off and tells him not to ask anything.

They arrive at the teahouse and Jia En's parents chew her out for being MIA all night. Ren Wei takes the blame and makes the excuse that Jia En was helping him with an assignment. Her parents are mollified and remind them to call home next time they stay out late. They drag Jia En inside leaving Ren Wei staring after her and then slowly walking away. He thinks about the conversation with Jia En when she told him to find a girl who is close to him like a friend and he talk comfortably with. He stops and looks back at the teahouse for a few moments before continuing to walk back to campus. Jia En lays in bed unable to sleep and thinks back to that hug. Ren Wei is also sleepless in his dorm room, and then the camera pans to Liu Chuan and Momo also being awake in their room.

The lights flicker on in the dorm lobby as Liu Chuan goes down to call Jia En. He gets a busy signal because Jia En is using her to page him at the exact same time. He hangs up the and then gets a page from her so calls her right back. It's the same old awkward conversation these two are perfect at doing. Liu Chuan asks if her parents yelled at her when she got home and hears that Ren Wei helped her out. Liu Chuan notes that Ren Wei really takes care of her and is relieved that she's fine. She apologizes for not staying to help clean up and he assures her it's no big deal. Jia En is very happy today in doing something of great importance and purpose. Liu Chuan agrees even if they can't change anything. She compliments him on what he said on stage today but he brushes it aside and says he got the motivation from her starting this entire protest. Liu Chuan asks Jia En out to grab a bite to eat since there is something he wants to say to her. Jia En is silent so Liu Chuan asks again if she heard him ask her out to eat? Jia En says sure and Liu Chuan makes the date for next Monday after class and he'll go pick her up. They tell each other to get some rest after the long day and then end the call.

It's morning time and Ren Wei is tossing and turning in bed. Jacky walks into the room and climbs into bed with Ren Wei because he can't sleep alone. Ren Wei isn't in the mood for his crowding him and Jacky assumes Ren Wei's bad mood is due to having a bad dream. Ah Di comes in and Jacky shares his nightmare about chasing two mermaids. He couldn't catch them no matter what and then turns out he can't swim and ended up almost drowning. Ah Di explains the dream as Jacky going after an unattainable dream and he's going to fail no matter what. Jacky thinks Ah Di is an expert at explaining dreams and tells Ren Wei to share his dream. Ren Wei explains his bad dream is Jia En being chased by a bear and when the bear caught her it gave her a bear hug. He went to pull the bear off her and discovered that he was the bear. Ah Di and Jacky are totally off-topic and wonder what kind of bear it is and how to escape a bear in real life by playing dead. Ren Wei tells them to shut up but Ah Di actually explains it perfectly as the person having the dream is struggling between whether to hug Jia En or not. Ren Wei is in no mood to listen to their crazy talk and grabs a ball to go out and shoot hoops.

In the other men's dorm, Ah Qing is wide awake and tries to rouse the sleeping Ri Qi and Liu Chuan up on such a beautiful day. He thinks they did well yesterday especially with how furious Professor Chang looked. Ri Qi wonders why Ah Qing is in such a good mood and Liu Chuan correctly guesses that Ah Qing is going on a first date today. Ah Qing confirms he's going out with Tracy and explains his dating expertise. The first date needs to be nice but not too expensive. It's better at a place that's not too crowded so the girl feels a bit mysterious. He shares even more tips such a bringing a toothbrush on a date and secretly brushing in the bathroom in case a chance for kissing comes up. Then afterwards the best idea is to find a place for a secluded stroll. He suddenly realizes both guys are listening intently and not interrupting him this time. Both of them try to play coy, with Liu Chuan saying it's not a big deal to listen to him once in awhile and Ri Qi asking for the name of the cozy nice restaurant. Heh.

Ah Qing and Tracy are near the airport and she wants him to take a picture when the plane is landing behind her. Ah Qing apologizes for running out of film and when he grabs the camera his address book falls out. Tracy grabs it to flip through and realizes it contains tons of numbers of girls all saved under the letter G. She correctly guesses that G is for girlfriend. Ah Qing tries to explain that the girls are his exes and she's unique at #37 which is a prime number. Tracy rattles off tons of prime numbers and says it's not unique at all and then huffs off with Ah Qing chasing after her. He catches up to her near school and shows her his address book where he's re-arranged her number to be under E and he's deleted all the other numbers under G. Tracy feels like he doesn't respect her and she can be moved to another place in his heart any time. Ah Qing explains that putting her under E is for eternity but she knows he doesn't know why she's mad even if he keeps apologizing. Ah Qing doesn't need to understand because he is really sorry and pretty much sweet talks his way to getting Tracy to smile again.

Professor Chang calls Xiao Wei into his office and reveals that he reviewed her test and found two big grading errors which raises her grade to 88 now. He admits it was his fault and asks if this whole incident is over? Xiao Wei nods and happily runs out. Professor Chang sits down after she leaves and it's clearly not over for him. Xiao Wei finds Jia En outside and happily reveals that she's gotten a passing grade in her midterm.

Liu Chuan brings two letters from Wu Bai and Chang Cheng Yue thanking them for a great free night and the passion to pursue their youthful freedom. Jia En runs in to share even better news which is that Xiao Wei got a passing grade on her midterm after Professor Chang re-graded it. Ah Qing suggests a party tonight to celebrate and Jia En sneaks a look at Liu Chuan. The group discusses going to the KTV to sing the same songs and then Jacky starts pretending to be Wu Bai singing 'You On My Mind' and then making to call for everyone to hug. Jacky and Ah Di start hugging but Tracy says they aren't doing it with any feeling and wants the two people hugging the longest at the concert to show everyone how it's done. Jia En asks them not to joke around and runs off to class. Ren Wei looks concerned and Bai Xue shoots Liu Chuan a look before excusing herself as well. That leaves Ren Wei staring at Liu Chuan in the club room.

Bai Xue catches up to Jia En and asks to speak to her. She apologizes for lying before, for denying that the person she likes in turn likes Jia En. That really is true. She just wasn't ready to deal with that truth. She knows that Jia En treasures the friendship with her and today she wants to tell Jia En how to treasure this friendship. She wants Jia En to be true to her own heart and not think about hurting Bai Xue. She doesn't want anyone's pity and she doesn't want a love that comes from Jia En sacrificing her own right to love. Jia En has freedom and now needs the courage to pursue what she wants. No matter what, don't worry about what Bai Xue thinks and never forget that they will always be good friends. Gosh, these two are just so wonderful and why can't more dramas write such compelling female friendships. Jia En hugs Bai Xue and thanks her. Both of them are crying now and Bai Xue pats Jia En before walking away.

Professor Chang is meeting with the Chancellor who has pulled him as the school representative for the national banquet and replaced him with another professor. Professor Chang reveals he re-graded the test and did find errors and corrected it. He's apologized to Ding Xiao Wei and it's been resolved. But this protest was started by Lin Jia En and using loud protest for their own agenda is a disruption to the school. Professor Chang suggests that expulsion for Jia En is the most suitable penalty. The Chancellor points out that the protest is not started just by Jia En and is with the involvement of the entire Treasure Hunting club.

Jia En walks by the basketball court and finds Liu Chuan balling there with a bunch of guys. Someone points out Jia En's presence and Liu Chuan runs over to talk to her. She asks him if their dinner tonight is cancelled and he looks surprised and asks why she thinks that? Jia En reminds him that everyone is going to the KTV tonight. Liu Chuan grabs his stuff and walks back to the dorm with her while discussing what she prefers to do tonight, KTV with everyone or dinner with him? She made the plans with him first but worries that this will seem like they are secretly on a date. She then corrects herself and says she shouldn't have used the word 'date' and apologizes to Liu Chuan. Thank god my man is playing straight and tells Jia En that this is EXACTLY a date. Jia En stares at him and says they are just going to grab a meal and then Liu Chuan says this is a date to him. Jia En stares at him and starts to stammer so Liu Chuan decides to just tell her right now what he was going to say to her tonight. He takes a step forward and says that the reason he hugged her at the concert was because''.because''.because''.

Douchebag Professor Chang shows up right then and there and saunters over to tell Jia En that he's given Xiao Wei her justice but the university is going to expel all the students of the Treasure Hunting club for protesting without a permit. Liu Chuan and Jia En don't think they did anything that requires expulsion since they were in the right. Jia En confronts Professor Chang, asking if this is his decision or the school's decision. He lies that he tried to speak up for them. UGH DIEDIEDIE! Jia En and Liu Chuan run to see the Chancellor to discuss the potential expulsion. The Chancellor doesn't want such a severe punishment but this is the first mass protest in school history and he can't allow students to disrupt the school order for any reason. Liu Chuan explains they tried to go through the proper channels but never got anywhere. Liu Chuan takes the blame for the entire protest but asks the Chancellor to be fair going forward and not let injustice continue at school. Professor Chang says this protest is not Liu Chuan's doing but Lin Jia En started it. Both Professor Chang and Liu Chuan keep arguing about who is responsible for this protest but the Chancellor summons a school board meeting to discuss it. The school board meeting turns into a discussion of the pros and cons of letting students protest and whether the motivations matter.

Liu Chuan and Jia En walk into the Treasure Hunting club looking glum and reveal that the university is looking to expel them both. Ah Qing sticks up for Liu Chuan as does Ren Wei willing to transfer for Jia En. Ever the calm one, Liu Chuan asks Bai Xue for what happens if the school decides to expel a student? Bai Xue reveals a student got expelled and was gone three days later. Xiao Wei comes running in and is willing to apologize to Professor Chang and even drop the class as long as Jia En doesn't get expelled. Jia En doesn't think they need to back down to injustice even now and thinks they succeeded already. Ren Wei doesn't think so if Jia En and Liu Chuan get expelled but trash like Professor Chang gets to stay. Tracy suggests asking for help from someone powerful outside of school if anyone knows of such a personage. Liu Chuan says nothing to that. Xiao Wei cries about college life without Jia En but she in turns asks Xiao Wei to finish her education for the both of them. Xiao Wei hugs Jia En in tears asking her not to leave while everyone looks on all upset and feeling helpless.

Liu Chuan gets a page that hardens his face and he immediately leaves. Jia En runs after him and asks if he's alright. Liu Chuan is fine, he just needs to return a call but unfortunately their date tonight will need to be cancelled. Jia En asks to accompany him to return the call and Liu Chuan gets an order from dear ole dad to come home as he's sending a car to pick him up. Jia En stays with Liu Chuan until a Mercedes pulls up outside of campus and Liu Chuan gets in. He leaves with a very curt 'Jia En, goodbye' and I'm not feeling good about this.

Ren Wei asks his buddies Ah Di and Jacky for help thinking of ideas and warns them to be prepared to transfer if they don't have any ideas. Jacky wants to buy Professor Chang's book since he wants to sell it so badly. They wonder if they can go help him fix his computer or sing to him to exorcise his mean spirit and turn him into a good guy. Ahahaha. Even better is that they really do it. The Men of Steel grab a guitar and go sing outside of Professor Chang's a song about evil and plotting and justice. When Professor Chang confronts them, Ren Wei switches to a song asking if he dares to fail them if they don't have money to buy his textbook. Professor Chang warns they will get expelled as well if they don't stop this nonsense.

Liu Chuan sits down across from his dad who immediately asks if Liu Chuan's desire for four years of freedom has ended early for something so minor. He gave Liu Chuan freedom because he trusted him and thought he could do better for himself than what dad planned for him. Who knew he would mess it up. Liu Chuan didn't mess up and it wasn't for nothing, he's fighting for the rights of all students just like a government representative needs to fight for the rights of his constituents. He looks down on people who fight only for their own gain. Dad is fine with Liu Chuan having his own principles but did he weigh the costs of following such principles? Liu Chuan doesn't put weight on the cost, he only cares about how important it is for the person who has been harmed. He gets up to leave if all his dad wants is to lecture him but that is not what his dad wants. What's the point of lecturing him since Liu Chuan has his own ideas, he called him home to help him. He asks Liu Chuan to stay the night at home and talk with him some more over dinner.

Jia En sits in front of her computer which her dad bought for her when she got into college, who could have imagined she might be after just one year in school. Ren Wei comes in and asks her not to look so depressed and sit around moping. He came today to be by her side to tell her parents the truth. Jia En doesn't think she did anything wrong and Ren Wei says he'll help her carry the burden of this situation. They head downstairs and stand in the middle of the room looking all stiff and making Jia En's dad hilariously call them a pair of door statues. Jia En cuts to the chase and reveals that she might get expelled by the university. The protest to help Xiao Wei has led to the school considering expulsion. Ren Wei says the school is to blame for their lame rules and he'll transfer with Jia En. Dad doesn't think the school is lame if people are fighting to get in.

Jia En starts crying and her mom asks what's next for Jia En? She doesn't want to test again to get into another college and will start working to help the family. Dad speaks up that he's not so poor that he can't support his daughter taking the transfer exam and going to another school. Mom suggests going to speak with the professor and the school while Ren Wei intends to keep looking for another solution. Jia En's parents are relieved that Ren Wei isn't being targeted for expulsion as well and wants him to stay out of it so they don't feel even worse to his parents. Jia En keeps apologizing but Ren Wei promises to be by her side through this difficult period. He knows that with her ability she can get into any college and do well there.

Jia En sits in her room and wonders about Liu Chuan, thinking about how angry his parents must be right now. She calls and leaves a voice mail for him. She asks if he's doing well and reveals that her parents know that she might be expelled. They didn't blame her but it makes her feel even worse. She really wants to know how he's doing and talk to him as well. Can he call her back when he has time? Liu Chuan listens to this message and looks really resigned.

Liu Chuan sits down to dinner with his dad and immediately apologizes for not handling things properly this time and he doesn't have the ability to resolve the problem now. He's willing to accept his dad's help but he only has one request. Liu Chuan explains another student is involved in this situation and he wants her to be saved as well. Dad asks why he needs to help her? Liu Chuan reveals she is very important to him and dad asks if she's more important than his future but Liu Chuan doesn't answer. His dad calls the Chancellor and reveals that the university's request for research funding from the government might be in danger of passing. He then brings up the recent protest and he knows the university has allowed the professors to sell their own textbooks in the past. Dad then drops the big bombshell that his son was involved in the recent protest and reveals Liu Chuan is his son. The Chancellor immediately agrees to handle it and Liu Chuan's dad asks that another student Lin Jia En also get let off the hook. After hanging up, he calls Professor Chang and does the same dog-and-pony trick, and the entire time he's doing these calls Liu Chuan looks utterly pained.

In class the next day, Professor Chang takes roll call and asks where Jia En is? A student says Jia En has been expelled and Professor Chang says its just a rumor and Jia En has not been expelled. He tells Xiao Wei to make sure Jia En comes to class tomorrow. Jia En is working in the teahouse when Ren Wei comes by with a bag of comic books to help her pass the time. She's still moping and he offers to take her to a Wu Bai concert to cheer her up. She's still uninterested and he asks what she wants to do? Jia En asks what Ren Wei would have done had be been expelled last time for failing his class? Ren Wei would have felt like his life was over, but thankfully Jia En helped him last time so he'll stick with her through this crisis no matter what. Jia En plops down on the table and says she feels like a piece of meat on the butchers block. Ren Wei doesn't think she looks like meat, she's radiant as an angel these days exuding the aura of justice. Xiao Wei comes running in to tell Jia En that she's not being expelled. Jia En is so happy and Ren Wei jokes that maybe it's the Men of Steel who helped her out. Jia En gives both Xiao Wei and Ren Wei a happy hug and poor Ren Wei looks a little affected to be hugged by Jia En.

Jia En runs to Liu Chuan's dorm room to share the news that they are not getting expelled. Ah Qing opens the door and reveals Liu Chuan didn't come back to the dorm last night. She asks Ah Qing for Liu Chuan's home address and wants to go find him. Ah Qing wishes Jia En good luck in bringing hope to Liu Chuan. Jia En follows the address given by Ah Qing and rings Liu Chuan's doorbell. He comes out and opens the door for her.

Thoughts of Mine:

God I'm so annoyed! C'mon drama, you could still have all that expulsion angst even after Liu Chuan tells Jia En that he likes her. Having him stutter three times trying to get the words out and then Professor Turd interrupting was just lame. Seriously, this time I'm calling you out on it. Especially on the heel of Liu Chuan telling Jia En that he's considering their dinner a date. It's like someone proposing and all that is missing is the ring. Normally the words like 'I like you' isn't all that important, especially over in K-dramas were the predilection is to grab and kiss first. Here it's of critical importance because anything less leaves Jia En room to just try and explain it away or not address it directly herself. I like that this drama has lots of other issues these students need to deal with besides romance, but at this point the OTP needs to at least get their feelings out in the open so they can deal with it along with their other concerns. I also think the threat to expel Jia En and Liu Chuan was ridiculous. Who expels students for organizing a protest? Expulsion is for breaking school rules and nowhere was there any rule singled out as being broken. Liu Chuan is also way too smart to not pull out all the rules and confront the school authorities with their overreaching. I didn't buy it even if the end result was lots of crying on Jia En's part and poor Liu Chuan being forced to ask for help from the one person he likely never wants help from. I also don't like his dad knowing that Jia En is important to him, I worry he'll squirrel that information away and use it to keep Liu Chuan in line later on. I don't think his dad is evil incarnate (that would be Professor Turd), but right now Liu Chuan looks totally beaten down and that makes me want to beat down everyone in that drama that is putting pressure on him when all the guy wanted to do was tell the girl he likes that he likes her! Hopefully all this is setting up for some majorly awesome development around the corner because I need that to wash away the frustration left by this episode.

Click here to watch In A Good Way.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Cheng Longjia. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.