Love, Now: Episode 16

This week, members of LNAA (Love Now Addicts Anonymous) face our hardest tribulation yet: The glory of Shi De in a workshirt. Hot damn.

Chlo-Meter:

NOW PLAYING
Angela Zhang - "王子病" (Prince Syndrome) Who says I don't care about the second lead? Sun Qi Ming, this one's dedicated to you.

EPISODE 16 RECAP
Continuing from last Thursday's episode, where Yan Kai makes a surprise visit to Shi Yun's house bearing a gift, but when they meet, Shi Yun shrieks like in a B-grade horror movie, because gasp! Perfect Namja saw her without make-up! Oh, the tragedy. He is sure to dump me now, she laments. Sigh. Her credibility as a relationship expert: going, going, gone.

But all that shrill worrying proved to be unfounded when she receives a SMS from him: "Shi Yun, I'm sorry. I'd wanted to give you a surprise, but instead it brought you trouble. Hope you can forgive me and not hate me." And his gift? An ACER computer (first a branded watch and now a computer? Man, the guy is loaded). We learn that he designed this, and the password is the day that they met. 

Now that's what I call a smooth product placement. This has been bugging me for a while, this dude... he just rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's just all the shady roles I've seen Shaun Chen in. Dare I hope Yan Kai is actually a attention whore, wanting to date a celeb in order to achieve his 15 minutes of fame? Sure sounds good, because I find him dull as dishwater right now. 

Back at the office, Yi Ru is aghast at the way Qi Meng is handling her sacred pen. She gets it back ASAP and takes extra care to wipe the saliva-covered pen cap thoroughly. 

He's like, it's just a cheap ol' pen, what's with the overreaction? Yi Ru: "Although it's not a branded pen, it has history and heart." Qi Ming scoffs at that. Heart? Who has so much "heart" he gifts you a pen instead of, oh I don't know, a fruit basket or something. "Anything is better than a pen like that!"

Yi Ru fills him in on the pen's history: "It's not a gift, it's a returned item." It's something Lan Shi De kept for 6 years, and now he's returned it to her. This is news to Qi Ming, who did not know that both of them go that far back. His reaction? Pouts and refuses to answer company calls, tending to his fishies as Yi Ru works. Careful there, boy. Your fishes are gonna die of overfeeding.

Things took a turn for the worse in the love triangle when Shi De, as Feng Hua's client, invites both of them for dinner, with Awkward being the dish of the day.

He goes through the motions with a long face, and exasperatedly tells Yi Ru, "You've kicked me for the seventh time already, what do you want?" She not-so-subtly pssts him and tells him to say something, anything - isn't he and expert at creating the mood? He answers loudly (clearly intended for someone to hear), "Liven the atmosphere? I'm only good if the other party is a woman."

Feel bad seeing Yi Ru feel bad, Shi De gallantly tells them the reason of his dinner invitation: he apologizes for having put Feng Hua through so many uh, tough situations. "Hope the food here is to your taste." Qi Ming gibes, "It's hard to swallow." That garners another kick from the lady, which he doesn't fail to mention: "This is the eighth kick."

Yi Ru tries to smooth things over, apologizing on behalf of her boss who says things without thinking. It's the same excuse Qi Ming had used when he confronted Shi De at the office, but this time he takes offence. "I'm not brainless, I'm just telling the truth!"

Then, a very drama-like thing happened within the drama: At the restaurant, a woman is publicly dumped on her birthday, her now ex-boyfriend with a new girl on his arm, no less.

That of course sets off Qi Ming's hero complex, and despite Yi Ru's protest to mind his own business, he's there in a jiffy to console the heartbroken lady. Guess which line he uses to cheer her up:

A) "Your present is the knowledge that your ex is trash and you're better off without him."
B) "Your present is... me."

Yup, he really said that with a straight face. Witnessing that, the understandbly concerned Shi De asks Yi Ru, "You don't mind?"

But Yi Ru's all chill, why would I? Having known him for so long, she knows that he is helpless (or should I say, helpful) against a woman's tears. Shi De process this new found information - "That means their relationship is just between a boss and an employee, right?" he thinks to himself. 

Qi Ming sings a happy birthday song for the woman, asking everyone to join in. Kinda feel sorry for the girl, she just broke off with a two-timer only to hook up with another one, heh.

Talking about birthdays, Shi De remembers Yi Ru's tearful birthday wish back at Boracay, of her wanting to meet her true love, marry, babies, the works. "Can I make your dream come true?" he asks her. Woah, that came out of nowhere. "Let me make your dream come true," he says determinedly.  

Surprised at first, she then makes shifty eyes and excuses herself. In other words, SHE RAN AWAY, ahahah. Why, you ask? I do not know either. He runs after her, but I guess she got away, since the next scene is of her safe at home, and him brooding. WORKSHIRT!! NIPPLES ALERT!!

She returns to see Shi De's aunt hugging dad's legs while he "dangerously" replaces the light bulb.  I really don't see how doing so will help him if he actually falls. She guiltily says, "nothing happened!" and dashes off.

Seconds later, guess who's in da house? Qi Ming's here, no doubt to check up on Yi Ru. He suspects she got bullied again, which she denies, but he's like, it's okay, I've got this. They wouldn't believe her, so she tells them the truth, what Shi De said and her dream of meeting her true love by 28 and marry by 30.

Upon hearing that, Qi Ming laughs like a mad hyena. How can you have such a girly dream! She's so boyish, or in his words, "like a man." Plus she's a workaholic, what man will dig that. Hmm let me see... two?

Yi Ru says she left the restaurant without answering him, 'cause she didn't know how to respond. Qi Ming: "What's there to think about? Just say NO, impossible!" What 28, 30? Let's go get married now, he says. Papa Yang can be our witness. Yi Ru pushes him off and heads straight to her room, calling him nuts.

What? It's just marriage, he says. Er, do you not see Papa Yang sitting RIGHT THERE. What sane father will give her daughter to someone that cavalier about his daughter's lifelong happiness. When it comes to Qi Ming as a romantic partner or worse, husband, err - l'd say apply the same stance any sane person would have on drugs: Just say no. Or, alternatively, HELL NO YOU CRAZY?!

Yi Ru ponders in her room, hmm... why would Shi De say all those things, since he already knows she doesn't have cancer. Gah, this woman. But never mind her thick skull. The moment we've been waiting for: Shi De broods in his workshirt, looking at the now legendary Boracay scrapbook:

Look at them kissing the sand vessel! How adorbs. And Shi De looks so happy as he points to his shiny new ring. 

But LNAAs cannot be happy for long, at least not while Shi De is moping. You see, seeing her run away after he poured his heart out like that - his confidence is shaken. "Does she not have feelings for me anymore?" Aww. Don't be sad Shi De. I'm sure she wants you too - but this chick mother hen is to be approached with gently, with caution, and you're about as subtle as a flying brick. 

Qi Ming is also in throes of frustration, but this we can laugh about. He's at his office, watching a video of, believe it or not, Shi De's toilet bowl factory visit. He's scrutinizing Shi De's every pore, trying to see what's his appeal. 

The video's in pause, and it shows Shi De smiling at the camera (i.e. Yi Ru). Qi Ming mimics the kinks of the video - smiling, not smiling - back and forth as the video hits play and pause.  Ahahaha. I DIE. That is an awesome impersonation, Qi Ming. 

"So... Yi Ru likes Lan Shi De?" He's about to hit the "delete" button on the video player, but stops himself (better not incur mother hen's wrath). She married him, and slept with him. He suddenly looks determined as he takes out all the fishes from the PC aquarium. Show, are you saying... that his fishies represents his casanova lifestyle? LOL. 

But looks like he has a change of heart, what has this got to do with the fishies? That's right, put them back, Qi Ming. Those fishies are innocent. 

Next morning, Dumbledore grandpa is startled to find that the office is open so early. He thought there's been a break-in, but lo and behold, it's Feng Hua's boss. And he wakes up thinking it's still night time, only to realize that he has just spent the night with his fishes. And Yi Ru's working on that video again. Having no more of it, he staggers out.

... to find lil' sis. He asks whether Yi Ru has been acting weird lately. In other words, he wanna know whether he's been having the same symptoms as him, because if she does, that means towards Shi De...

 Yi Qing: "I don't think so." You don't "think" so? "Because I fell asleep in three minutes." 

Three minutes... are you a pig?

They trade sassy remarks as per usual, though to the uninformed observer (i.e Stalker Boy's business partner, GUO ZI YUAN), it looks like a fop is trying to make her stay by saying "he will give up a whole aquarium for her." Though we know he pretty much meant it literally.

It's kinda cute though, I had thought Zi Yuan had a thing for her, but brushed it off when he negated it that one time Stalker Boy brought it up. Moral of the story: Shipper instincts don't lie. 

He "serves" them both coffee, while standing, hovering. While Qi Ming is incredibly dense when it comes to himself, as a 3rd party, he geddits. Sighing, he grabs Zi Yuan's arms and and tells him, "It's been hard on you."

Seeing Qi Ming all touchy-graby with her boss, Yi Qing thinks his playboy ways has made him swing for the other team, hee. (She's all for men love, by the way.) 

Meanwhile, Stalker Boy dons a coat in an attempt to be more refined (Shi Yun's preference in men). He follows Shi Yun and Perfect Man to a high-end restaurant, but I think this plan is backfiring on him again, since he's like a bull in a china shop. So many faux pas, so little time.

But aww - seeing a guy getting flustered for you is always endearing!

Chloe Says
Despite the lack of development story-wise (Plot? What's that?), it does not dampen my drama mojo at the least, because watching Shi De mooning while Qi Ming is remains hilariously in denial continues to be a hoot. When I said I can watch Shi De do nothing but peel bananas all day long, I mean it!