Love, Now: Episode 25

Step back guys, make way for the new and improved Qi Ming. Actually, I'm not so sure about the "improved" part, but one thing's clear: the man had a personality makeover and is totally subdued and void of witty repartees now. Omigosh, who are you and what've you done to Qi Ming??? What happened to the sassy and boisterous character we've come to know and love? 

Love, it's a scary thing.

Chlo-Meter:

EPISODE 25 RECAP

A woman with the Kindest Face, Ever arrives at Feng Hua. True enough, she's representing the orphanage and but is tight on money. Will they accept her case? Well, she has come to the right place, because not only are they doing the video, they're doing it pro bono. It's an honor, Qi Ming says as Yi Ru and the staff looks on approvingly.

Ahahahah, having not watched twdramas in a while, I've forgotten the mandatory hero/heroine "let's visit the orphanage scene." I say this because I vaguely remember Shi De preparing to go visit in the previous episode, but my lazy behind can't be bothered to go get the footage for confirmation. So yeah, definitely an OTP meet up looming ahead. 

Meanwhile, Yi Qing is rejecting all her suitors' offers of going out, which makes Zi Yuan worried. Is she really serious about Mr. Perfect? She pooh-poohs his concerns, why so serious? She merely wants to make a new friend to broaden her horizons. Meh, whatever. There's no stopping her and she's a big girl anyway, so let's just sit back and watch her crash and burn from the sidelines. 

It is as I had predicted, but the orphanage scene still manages to surprise me: Shi De in jeans! My, how rare. Yi Ru witnesses this too, for she took over the case from Qi Ming seen he has a heavy workload (New and Improved, remember?). 

Kind Face Woman tells her that Shi De is one of their sponsors, that little kid he's carrying right now (lucky brat) has been under his care for five years, and he has been coming here regularly ever since his dad passed away.

Yi Ru looks on with wonder in her eyes, seeing Shi De in a whole new light. But she walks on without calling on him, perhaps not wanting to interrupt his time with the kids. Whut. No swinging the kids around togethar like one big happy family? 

Luckily, Shi De and his eagle eye sees Yi Ru on the sidewalk on his way back from the orphanage. Awesome. He reverses the car, oh it's really you, why don't you hop in? I'll give you a ride. And no pressure of course. Only if you want to. Yi Ru: "Okay then, sorry to bother you."

Heh, he's so surprised that she accepted his offer so readily. He can hardly contain his glee, flashing his killer smile. While driving, he kept sneaking glances at her, which has not gone unnoticed. Yi Ru: "The road is in front, why do you keep looking sideways?" Ha. That comments earns her an impish smile. 

Mr. Perfect and partner goes out for a bowling date again, but this time without the stalker. Hm, he seems to be out of it, scoring gutterballs while Shi Yun bowls a strike. Could it be that he's affected by what grandma said yesterday? She tells him not to feel pressured, you know how old people are. 

BTW, who's still amazed balls over Qi Ming's transformation? He won't even go to Yi Ru's place for dinner, because he NEEDS TO WORK OVERTIME. Buh? Yeah, you heard that right. Yi Ru even cajoled him with the faux Togepi, but it's not working.

But when she leaves, he clutches the faux Togepi and says, "You deserved this. Now that you're really serious, no one believes you." Aww. Melancholy becomes him. 

First pumpkin, now bitter gourd. A white one, mind you, it's something I didn't know existed till I went to Taiwan (it's usually light green). It's a lot of labor involved, because you need to slice it thin as the veggie is notoriously bitter (yeah, Chinese are sadistic that way. They tell you eat nasty stuff while saying it's good for you.) I wished I could reach into the screen and hand him a food processor. Would save him the trouble, just sayin'.

He excels as usual, and even Aunt is improving, because the dish is not the color of charcoal. After the lesson, Aunt has a sudden coughing fit. Psst Psst, remember what I told you, Shi De? Why do you think I'm dressed like a vixen for? 

Sigh, he has to leave without meeting Yi Ru. But he's nothing if not a dutiful nephew. Out he goes. 

... and bumps into Yi Ru. "You're home?" he beams. Then he berates himself for asking such a stupid question. Err, it's okay, Shi De. They're called rhetorical questions. 

So while Aunt does her big confession, Yi Ru is staying out here. Shi De happily accompanies her, and presents her with a tupperware of his fruits of labor. "Try it, " he says. Nuh-uh, she don't wanna. It's bitter. (LNAAs: "We'll eat the world's bitterest bitter gourd for you, Shi De.") 

He coaxes her, it's not bitter, I swearz it! Be rest assured, he has sliced it thinly. She takes a bite. And reels from the bitterness. 

Oh, look what've you done, Yi Ru! Can't you bloody fake it, now you've our Shi De sad (Also, is Papa Yang trying to sabotage him? Grrr.)

At least she still has a conscience, because she asks him, "Are you free tommorow?" He answers yes in a heartbeat, which garners a chuckle from Yi Ru. "Aren't you gonna ask me when, where and what before answering?" He tells her that he's the GM, so he can just ask Angus to clear his schedule accordingly. Hee, he can be so cheeky when he wants to be.