A Girl Like Me Episode 4 Recap
> A Girl Like Me Recap
Having moved into a mansion right next to Count Cheng’an’s residence, Ban Hua, with her attendant Softy, arranged for a spectacular fireworks display. Softy boasted that Rong Xia would have the best view. As the fireworks lit up the sky, Rong Xia's servant, Du Jiu, dismissed it as Ban Hua’s typical antics, but Rong Xia watched with a faint smile. Softy later attempted to visit Rong Xia's mansion but was rudely turned away by Du Jiu.
Infuriated by the dismissal, Ban Hua resolved to find a new way to approach the unexpectedly difficult Count. The next morning, noticing Ban Hua hadn't sent her usual carriage for him, Rong Xia worried that Du Jiu’s behavior had offended her. He instructed Du Jiu to select jewelry from his treasury and deliver it as both a thank you for the fireworks and an apology.
When Du Jiu arrived, Softy, still holding a grudge, deliberately made him wait for a long time before informing him that Ban Hua had already left for the day and handing him a letter for Rong Xia. The letter was an invitation to go skating in the suburbs. Rong Xia accepted, arriving to find a large frozen lake.
Du Jiu, knowing Rong Xia disliked skating so much that he had all the ice in his own mansion broken during winter, suggested they decline. Rong Xia, however, was determined to foster a good relationship with the Ban family and insisted on staying. He initially claimed to have a cold to avoid getting on the ice, but he couldn't refuse the enthusiastic pressure from Ban Hua and her brother, Ban Heng.
Ban Heng, misinformed, had previously told his sister that skating was Rong Xia's greatest passion, a hobby he’d maintained for eighteen years. Ban Hua assured Rong Xia that the activity would warm him up and that she had even brought a physician in case of any falls. On the ice, the graceful and skilled Ban Hua offered to teach Rong Xia, who admitted he was rusty.
As she took his hand to guide him, the closeness stirred a memory in Rong Xia of his brother teaching him to skate as a child. A quick learner, he was soon skating on his own. Impressed, Ban Hua challenged him to a race. As they glided towards the center of the lake, however, the thin ice cracked, and Rong Xia plunged into the freezing water.
Meanwhile, a royal drama unfolded as the Emperor ordered Prince Luo to marry Xie Wanyu. The prince defiantly refused, declaring he would only marry Shi Feixian. The Emperor explained that with her sister already the Crown Princess, marrying Shi Feixian would grant the Shi family too much power. When Prince Luo remained defiant, the Emperor slapped him and ordered him confined to his residence.
The incident spawned wild rumors among the public, with tales escalating from a slap to a full-blown fight where the prince knocked the Emperor unconscious. Ban Hua quickly pulled Rong Xia from the icy water. While his attendants were frantic with worry, Softy retorted, blaming Ban Hua for the accident. After composing himself, Rong Xia took his own cloak and insisted on draping it over Ban Hua, expressing his gratitude and concern.
The gesture made Ban Hua see him as less boring than she had thought. Unbeknownst to them, Shi Feixian's spies reported the entire event to their mistress. Shi Feixian was furious that her plan to create a rift between them had backfired, inadvertently bringing them closer.
Ban Hua's attendants suggested that Rong Xia was now indebted to her and should repay her with marriage, but Ban Hua dismissed the idea, stating she was only responsible for the skating, not for the ice breaking. Later, continuing his private investigation into his mother’s bracelet, Rong Xia sent Du Jiu, disguised as a doctor's assistant, to infiltrate the Xie mansion.
Accompanying a doctor treating the blind Xie Qilin, the masked Du Jiu made a sarcastic remark about Xie Qilin's condition, prompting the doctor to send him out. Du Jiu used the opportunity to search Xie Qilin's study but later reported to Rong Xia that he found no trace of the bracelet. Rong Xia concluded they were being intentionally misled, as he believed Xie Qilin lacked the cunning for such a scheme.
When Ban Hua came to visit, Rong Xia instructed his butler, Uncle Rong, to turn her away, claiming he was ill and could not receive visitors, leaving the butler confused by his master's conflicting signals. Undeterred, Ban Hua sent two magnificent stone lions to Rong Xia's mansion, naming them "Zhen Jing" (Suppress Fright) to "calm" him.
Hearing he was genuinely sick, she decided not to enter, preferring to preserve the elegant image of him in her mind rather than see him in a vulnerable state. She and Ban Heng then went out, with Ban Hua arranging for someone to monitor Rong Xia’s recovery. During their outing, they saw a poor scholar, Shen Yu, being thrown out of an inn for defending Ban Hua’s and Xie Wanyu's reputations against drunkards spreading malicious rumors.
Ban Hua intervened, scolding the patrons and declaring that a woman's worth is not defined by marriage. She forced the innkeeper to apologize to Shen Yu, who was deeply impressed by her righteousness, calling her a "beautiful and clean jade." Moved, Ban Hua announced that the Ban family would sponsor the inn to provide free food, lodging, and study materials for poor scholars until the imperial exams, earning Shen Yu’s profound admiration.
Following the establishment of "Ban's Academy," which attracted many poor scholars, the family's patriarch, Marquis Jingting Ban Huai, expressed his approval of the strategic move. Shen Yu, now infatuated, boldly proposed marriage to Ban Hua at the academy, leading an infuriated Ban Huai to have him thrown out. Undaunted, Shen Yu began a relentless vigil outside the Ban mansion, proclaiming his love daily. At court, the Emperor commended Ban Huai for his family's generosity.
Ban Huai seized the opportunity to complain about Shen Yu’s "terrifying" courtship. The Emperor asked for Rong Xia's opinion. Rong Xia praised Ban Hua's wisdom and empathy but advised the Emperor that it was a personal matter only Ban Hua could resolve. The Emperor agreed. Later, Ban Huai informed Ban Hua that he had seen a perfectly healthy Rong Xia at the Imperial Study.
Realizing Rong Xia had lied about being sick, Ban Hua was annoyed but then decided to let Shen Yu continue his vigil, curious to see how long his determination would last.
