Episode 9 was a bit of a blur for me. The storyline isn’t moving forward all that much (or I wasn’t paying attention except for our OTP?). Maybe I should rename all posts about this series to ‘Xiang En / Ai Ya highlights reel’ because that’s the only thing that’s keeping me watching lol.
After what happened at the restaurant Ai Ya finally accepts she’s in love with Xiang En but there’s nothing she can do about it. She fell asleep while looking after the replanted tree (ah yes that subplot about the Yuan Zhou Island development…) and then has a dream…
It’s like a carrot they’re dangling in front of the viewers. THIS is how cute our OTP can be. Keep watching and you might get some more…
Are we counting how many dramaland clichés this series can throw at us? Because we’re heading to the next one, where the girl gets sick and the guy looks after her. So Xiang En was the one who was trying so hard to disassociate Ai Ya from his life, but guess what, he’s the one who turns all stalker-ish and watches her from outside the store where she works.
He sees her coughing and isn’t feeling so good so he bought some cold & flu medicine for her. At the register, Ai Ya was trying to remain professional and just doing her job, but he just looks at her with this intense gaze.
She looks at the stuff he brought to the register and it was… sanitary pads? (What?) He paid then leaves the store but he left the medicine at the counter.
Ai Ya: Ji Xiang En, did you forget? Or did you leave it behind deliberately? Qin Ai Ya… of course he forgot. When did you have such an active imagination? It’s not like you to be so impractical.
During a break, Ai Ya is outside having a chat with her best friend (who is also in love with her) Chao Qun. Xiang En watches from afar, with a stern look on his face. I think they’re trying to show he’s jealous, but it’s all a bit confusing.
So Xiang En goes back to the store asking for a refund of the stuff he bought earlier, yeah the sanitary pads.
Xiang En: I want a refund! The things you sold are not good to use.
Ai Ya: Mister, these are some of our best selling products. Can I ask what sort of problems you’re having when you’re using them? You can gives us your valuable feedback so we can improve in the future.
I think everyone is wondering what the hell is he talking about since well, he can’t exactly use the sanitary pads. Ai Ya was trying to contain her annoyance at him and daydreams about hitting him on the face.
(More great stuff for the ‘Behind the scenes’ reel, Tammy had to hit Dylan repeatedly in the face for this scene, and she hit him rather hard. LOL)
He insists on the refund and just continues to stare at her, but not in a nice way. So she has another daydream… this time he’s kissing her?
After they processed the refund she’s getting a bit annoyed at him (as she should, what the hell is he trying to do?) so she put the medicine on the table and said he forgot to take them last time. And he just takes them and leaves…
I’m beginning to think handsome guys can get away with a lot of crimes, like stalking. Isn’t that what he’s doing? Ai Ya goes on the bus, Xiang En follows. Then she’s handing out flyers, and he takes one. She goes to the supermarket and picks up some milk, he takes it from her hands and just leaves. He doesn’t say anything in any of these scenes. Ai Ya should be pretty pissed off by now.
In a somewhat hilarious display of bad acting (on both sides unfortunately) Chao Qun goes to confront Xiang En, telling him to stay away from Ai Ya’s life.
Xiang En: Me? She’s the one disrupting my life! She’s always in my mind giving me a killer headache!
Chao Qun: Don’t think you can disturb her life just because she borrowed $300k from you!
Xiang En: Wrong! I gave her that $300k. You like her?
Chao Qun: That’s none of your business. So, do you like her?
Xiang En: That’s none of your business. How can I like her? She’s a money chasing girl, she can do anything for money… I’m not interested in that kind of person, I even look down on her.
Chao Qun explains Ai Ya took the $300k to help someone. Xiang En realises he made a mistake.
Chao Qun: Even though Ai Ya loves money, but it’s never for herself. In the past, it was for her ex boyfriend who wants to study overseas but she was duped. Then it was for Apple Grandfather (the people who adopted her)’s medical bills. After he passed away, now she has to worry about Apple Grandmother’s nursing home fees every day!
You don’t understand Ai Ya at all! How can you like her?
Chao Qun is absolutely right here. In this episode Ai Ya does a backflip… twice even though she didn’t want to. Initially, she returned the $300k Xiang En gave to her at the restaurant (in episode 8). But after she found out one of the other island residents need money to repay some debts, she asks for it back. She didn’t explain why, so Xiang En assumes she can even leave behind her dignity for money. He chose to believe she’s just a money chasing girl even though he had seen how much she had to endure – living in poverty and looking after Apple Grandmother.
Bet Xiang En is sorry now. He does make it up to her in the next ep… I was planning to write episodes 9 and 10 together but there’s quite a lot in 10 so I’ll stop here. There’re a couple of things nagging in my mind about how Xiang En is portrayed in these couple of episodes, which just grows more puzzling as we go along. I think they’re trying to show Xiang En having some sort of internal struggle about his feelings for Ai Ya but it’s just coming across as a bit weird and inconsistent. There isn’t enough in the story to really show what Xiang En is thinking… plus we’re reminded in every episode that Xiang En is having a headache. Yep, I think we’re ticking off every possible thing idol dramas can throw at us now.
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