Discussion post - episode 8

[yantantether]

The episode opens with Tang Yi meeting with Chen Wen Hao. Chen Wen Hao talks about how it was loyalty (to Tang Guo Dong, although we don't learn this until a later scene) which kept him in jail for 24 years. Tang Yi accuses Chen Wen Hao of bribing Ah-De to act for him, Chen Wen Hao responds by accusing Tang Yi of not keeping to their agreement, and finally Tang Yi pretty blatantly threatens him with revenge.

In a flashback, we see Chen Wen Hao and Tang Guo Dong running from pursuers. They're obviously close friends. There's a time jump to a later flashback and they're now by a river, talking about how Tang Guo Dong is on the point of being sent to jail. Chen Wen Hao says that Xin Tian Meng wouldn't survive without him, and offers to take the fall, and his place in jail. He asks Tang Guo Dong to take care of his girlfriend and says, "you can't let her know."

Back in the present, Chen Wen Hao gives Jack a meaningful look.

Meanwhile, Meng Shao Fei is searching through police records to find more information about Li Li Zhen's connection to Tang Guo Dong. He finds a secret compartment in Li Li Zhen's music/puzzle box, which conceals a birth certificate of someone with the same birth date as Tang Yi. Deng deng deng!

Meng Shao Fei's phone has died while he's out investigating, and Tang Yi is repeatedly trying to contact him, getting more and more angry/concerned. Awwwww, he's fallen SO HARD. The next morning finds him looking hilariously self-conscious and uncomfortable as he walks into the police station to find out his whereabouts. Blabbermouth Zhao Zi tells him Meng Shao Fei has the day off. Then he goes home to pine and Zuo Hong Ye notices and asks him if him and Meng Shao Fei are fighting, which is pretty cute. (Tang Yi, you know where he lives... why not go to his flat??)

Jack turns up at the police station and gives Jun Wei the eyes of death until he takes his arm from around Zhao Zi and scurries off. Jack asks Zhao Zi where Meng Shao Fei is, and Zhao Zi looks adorably disappointed that Jack is seemingly there on Tang Yi's business and not his own. They flirt about bento and Zhao Zi puts his arm around Jack first, which is adorable - he's obviously not too put off by the unwise kabedon.

"You're worried about me?" / "Why can't I be?" ♥♥♥



Zhao Zi might not be quite ready to tell Jack he likes him back just yet, but he's also hanging onto Jack's coat and looking at him with hearts in his eyes. And also, this is such good acting from Kenny here! His little satisfied smiles at Jack's pursuit of him, his physicality, his mix of shyness and boldness. So good!

Next, Jack goes off to meet with Chen Wen Hao, not looking happy about it. Chen Wen Hao flatters him and tries to bribe him into spying on Tang Yi for him. The scene ends ambiguously, implying that Jack might be considering it but trying to drive a harder bargain.

Back at the police station, Captain Shi and Huang Yi Qi are teasing Zhao Zi about his bento lunch box (assuming the cook is his girlfriend and not a handsome redhead of questionable morals) when they find out that Ah-De is dead. The captain goes to confront Ah-Zhi, and we learn that Ah-Zhi murdered Ah-De to cover up that Ah-Zhi has been mixed up in the mob and has been selling confiscated drugs, and Captain Shi knew about it and has been covering up for him. (I'd forgotten about this bit! Nooooooo Captain Shi.)

That night, Meng Shao Fei finally rocks up at Tang Yi's. He plugs in his phone and sees the multiple texts and missed calls and voicemails. He's playing back Tang Yi's worried voicemails when Tang Yi walks in and gets increasingly flustered and embarrassed. It's SO CUTE.



Meng Shao Fei has this stunned and pleased look as he listens to the messages, and it honestly melted me.



Meng Shao Fei is about to tell him about finding his birth certificate and what he's discovered when Tang Yi's phone goes, and he charges off looking furious. He and Meng Shao Fei run into a dramatic kidnapping scene with Zuo Hong Ye tied up and terrified, a ranting Xin Tian Meng gang member, and Chen Wen Hao. Chen Wen Hao claims that Tang Guo Dong stole his girlfriend and killed his child. Everyone points guns at everyone else, and then Meng Shao Fei tries to save Tang Yi from being shot by yelling at Chen Wen Hao that Tang Yi is his son!

Recapper note: I'm away this weekend, so episode 9 will go up on Weds 5th. Also, apologies for the lack of pretty in this post, I'm battling a semi-dead laptop which is making including gifs and pics quite tricky.

Comments

[clevermanka]

Look at him holding onto Jack's coat! Ahhhh! I never noticed that.

Is it ever said why Tang Guodong didn't get Chen Wenhao out? And I never understood the "don't let her know" stuff. Is Tang Guodong just supposed to let Lizhen think her long-term boyfriend disappeared off the face of the earth? He knows she's in the academy to become a cop. Did they think she wouldn't find out he was in jail?

I like how we see how Hongye's feelings toward Meng Shaofei have changed by this episode. When she and Tang Yi are talking about her leaving soon, she looks honestly happy that Meng Shaofei will still be there for Tang Yi.

That really sucks about your laptop, yikes. Failing tech is such a hassle and so annoying.

[abyss_valkyrie]

Oh man,that voice message part,Tang Yi being so worried and annoyed,MSF finding out about them and just looking at Tang Yi like that-too too cute!Hhahaa!Jack and Zhao Zi's scenes always have me laughing whenever Jack does his glare/look thing and everyone just leave Zhao Zi alone.And getting lunch for him-awww!

[issenllo]

I think they mentioned that CWH was in jail for 24 years in the 1st episode but it didn't sink in for me until this episode and I was all kinds of pissed off at Tang Guo Dong about it. You don't let your buddy languish in jail for 24 years, TGD!

Jack's interaction with ZZ is the highlight for me. I hated the earlier scene of him pressuring ZZ but at least this made up for it.

[doctorskuld]

I really like the scene of Tang Yi and CWH in the tea house, the tension between them is palpable. I love it.

I was quite surprised, upon first watch, to see the care taken in writing the backstory of TGD and CWH, and how they didn't just leave it as a complete mystery told only through hearsay, which is why I was really surprised by the failure to close the loop with the question of, "So why did you leave your buddy to rot in jail for 24 years?" It makes me wonder if they'd written more in, but had to cut it due to length, or if this was something that was just never disclosed in the first place for sake of convenience.

Meng Shao Fei's phone has died while he's out investigating, and Tang Yi is repeatedly trying to contact him, getting more and more angry/concerned

The sequences of this entire bit are the cutest thing. TY getting worried out of his mind, while MSF cluelessly forgets about his phone while he's out chasing a case. It is very sweet that TY goes to the lengths of actually showing up at Unit Three's door to look for MSF. I still am gutted that we never see Captain Shi receive the news that MSF is dating TY now.

Jack turns up at the police station and gives Jun Wei the eyes of death until he takes his arm from around Zhao Zi and scurries off.
This scene, in contrast to the first, is pure hilarity. I love how long it takes Jun Wei to figure out what's going on, and how Jack effortlessly presses his superiority before Jun Wei scurries off.

I love the easy, closeness between Jack and ZZ here, the touching, the jacket-clutching, the way that ZZ smiles at Jack and Jack smiles back. I think that Kenny did a really good job at portraying ZZ's burgeoning feelings for Jack though I'm not sure whether that was Kenny acting or Kenny actually starting to feel something for Andy.

I also really like the scene between CWH and Jack, because not only does it make you question Jack's loyalties the first time you're watching, with a rewatch you really start to understand what Jack's objectives might be while he's undercover. Also, there's some close-ups of Andy Bian, and he is pretty.

and we learn that Ah-Zhi murdered Ah-De to cover up that Ah-Zhi has been mixed up in the mob and has been selling confiscated drugs, and Captain Shi knew about it and has been covering up for him.
I like how they had previously foreshadowed that there was something sketchy about Zhou Guan Zhi, but I had never suspected Captain Shi of being involved in it! Suddenly his berating of MSF and his pleas to drop the 4-years-ago things are thrown into a different light. Nooo, poor Captain Shi. :(

He's playing back Tang Yi's worried voicemails when Tang Yi walks in and gets increasingly flustered and embarrassed. It's SO CUTE.
This scene was SO ADORABLE. It was so seriously cute!! The way that TY goes from angry-grumpy to flustered, and how well MSF handles him, even though they're still so new at this relationship. I like that they've known each other for a long time before embarking on this relationship, and this helps them navigate situations like this and reach understanding. UGH. I keep forgetting how absolutely ADORABLE these two are.

Chen Wen Hao claims that Tang Guo Dong stole his girlfriend and killed his child.
This does make you wonder how involved TGD and LLZ were at some point...

Thanks for these recaps, Yan! They are amazing and fun, as always! <3333