A Girl Like Me Episode 5 Recap
> A Girl Like Me Recap
Rong Xia's butler noted his young master's unusual attentiveness to Ban Hua, observing that Rong Xia had the stone lions she sent him wiped three times a day. While aware that Shen Yu continued to pester Ban Hua outside her mansion, Rong Xia chose not to intervene, expressing a desire to see how she would handle such a persistent scholar.
Shen Yu's ardent declarations of love for Ban Hua became a daily spectacle outside the Ban's Mansion, and he even had a friend stand guard at the back door. Feeling trapped, Ban Hua attempted to slip out, sending Ban Heng to divert the friend, but Shen Yu spotted her, forcing her to retreat. Later, despite a sudden downpour, Shen Yu remained steadfast, standing in the heavy rain. Moved by his persistence, Madam Ban and Marquis Jingting invited him inside.
Ban Heng tried to dissuade Shen Yu by painting a grim picture of Ban Hua's temperament, but Shen Yu firmly declared his unwavering love for all of Ban Hua's traits and criticized Ban Heng for speaking ill of his own sister. Madam Ban explained that due to His Majesty's affection for Ban Hua, he would not allow her to marry an ordinary person.
Nonetheless, she presented a condition: if Shen Yu could achieve a ranking within the top three in the imperial examination, she and the Marquis would petition His Majesty to grant the marriage. Shen Yu joyfully accepted, receiving a jade pendant as a token of their agreement, and promised to dedicate himself to his studies. Du Jiu excitedly reported to Rong Xia that the Ban family had accepted Shen Yu's proposal, causing Rong Xia's writing hand to pause subtly.
Back at the Ban's Mansion, Ban Hua vehemently opposed the engagement. Upon learning from Ban Heng that he had spread the news of the proposal throughout the capital, she was infuriated. Ban Heng explained it was a ploy to pressure Count Cheng’an into revealing his true feelings for her. Conceding that Ban Heng's logic held some merit, Ban Hua took his novel and a chicken leg, her anger dissipating.
Meanwhile, Shen Yu proudly flaunted the jade pendant to a friend, boasting that after he married Ban Hua, he would find a suitable noblewoman for him. Ban Hua’s maids, Softy and Rocky, suggested schemes to deter Shen Yu, such as feigning a monastic vow or a plague, but Ban Hua dismissed them as impractical and decided to confront him directly.
When she told him she was not yet ready for marriage and wished to remain with her family, Shen Yu offered to marry into the Ban family and wait for her a lifetime if needed. This unwavering devotion only exasperated Ban Hua. Unbeknownst to her, Shen Yu then met with Prime Minister Shi, a powerful veteran official. It was revealed that Shi had dispatched Shen Yu to get close to the Ban family and search for a hidden tiger tally.
Shen Yu admitted he had not yet found it, with Ban Hua’s room being the last unsearched area. The Prime Minister reassured Shen Yu that once he achieved top scholar status with his help and married Ban Hua, he would have easy access to her room. Their conversation was overheard by Shi Feixian, who stood just outside the door. Shen Yu passed the imperial examination, and rumors of his impending marriage to Ban Hua reached the Emperor.
After a brief personal assessment, His Majesty placed him as the third-place scholar, the lowest rank among the top three. Shortly after Rong Xia received intelligence about Shen Yu's success, Shen Yu himself arrived at Rong Xia's residence. He declared that once he married Ban Hua, her affairs would become his own, showing the jade pendant as proof of their engagement. Rong Xia, perceiving Shen Yu as cunning, immediately instructed Du Jiu to investigate his background.
Ban Hua remained unwilling to marry Shen Yu, finding his overly compliant nature suspicious and recalling his peculiar, furtive behavior within the Ban mansion. To test him, she had Rocky disguise himself as a fortune teller, who cryptically warned Shen Yu that a forced marriage would cost him his life, leaving Shen Yu visibly concerned. Later, a group of young noblemen, including Zhou Changxiao, cornered Shen Yu.
They recounted the tragic fates of Ban Hua’s previous fiancés—one drowned, another blinded—hoping to deter him. However, Shen Yu stubbornly defended Ban Hua’s reputation against their slander. Concerned, Rong Xia sought out Ban Hua, warning her that his investigation revealed Shen Yu's unsavory character and connections to Prime Minister Shi. Without concrete evidence, Ban Hua remained unconvinced.
At court, Shen Yu was appointed Deputy Director of the Ministry of Personnel, a position notably lower than those awarded to the top two scholars. At a subsequent banquet for the new scholars, Shen Yu and a young noblewoman, Li Xiaoru, were conspicuously ignored while others flocked to Rong Xia and Shi Feixian. Shen Yu generously offered Li Xiaoru his fan, explaining that it symbolized camaraderie and that no one should feel neglected.
Li Xiaoru, blushing, reciprocated by shyly offering him her handkerchief. Meanwhile, Rong Xia's subordinate, Wang Qu, uncovered critical information: Shen Yu had an unbetrothed fiancée, Ms. Wang, in his hometown, who had even funded his journey to the capital. Rong Xia immediately ordered Wang Qu to bring her to the capital. Wang Qu burst into the Ban’s Mansion and presented Ms. Wang to Ban Hua, who was instantly enraged upon learning of Shen Yu's profound deception.
