A Love So Beautiful Episode 1 Recap
> A Love So Beautiful Recap
Chen Xiaoxi, a cheerful short-haired girl, believes her life's most important things are drawing and Jiang Chen, especially since she was sixteen. She often followed him, convinced he was secretly waiting for her. They lived in the same building, attended the same junior high, and now found themselves in the same class at Chenxi School. Chen Xiaoxi saw this as destiny, jokingly attributing her admission to a lowered entry score.
One day while sweeping leaves, Chen Xiaoxi gathered her courage and told Jiang Chen, "I like you." Jiang Chen, unfazed, replied, "I don't like you." Undeterred, Chen Xiaoxi declared, "Then I'll figure out another solution," and dashed away. The next morning, Chen Xiaoxi chatted about novels with her classmate Lu Yang, who sits behind her. When it was time to collect test papers, she hastily copied answers from Lu Yang, then tried to appear studious to Jiang Chen.
She boasted that the recent test was easy, mentioning the essay topic as "Pursue Your Dream." Jiang Chen, however, immediately corrected her, pointing out that "Pursue Your Dream" was a sample essay, and the actual topic was "Impartiality." Later, during class, the teacher publicly criticized Chen Xiaoxi's poor English test scores and her off-topic essay, noting her rank had dropped 75 places. The teacher compared Chen Xiaoxi to Jiang Chen, who consistently ranked first.
Chen Xiaoxi, unfazed, declared her intention to learn from Jiang Chen. Meanwhile, other girls, like Li Wei, approached Jiang Chen under the guise of academic help, much to Chen Xiaoxi's dismay. Feeling self-conscious after a comment about face sizes from Lu Yang, Chen Xiaoxi was briefly downcast and left the classroom. Undeterred by her academic woes, Chen Xiaoxi decided to focus on impressing Jiang Chen with "gentle and considerate" gestures, after researching online.
She began waiting for him every morning with a prepared breakfast of baozi or youtiao. Despite her efforts, Jiang Chen repeatedly declined her offerings, telling her to stop bringing him food. Her attempts also caused her to be late for school five times in the first seven days of the month, making her a familiar face to the school gatekeeper. Realizing breakfast wasn't working, Chen Xiaoxi found inspiration in a Chinese literature class discussing Li Shangyin's love letters.
She decided to write one herself. Unable to write a decent letter, she sought help from Lu Yang, who boasted about being Chenxi School's "God of Love" and having received numerous love letters. He offered to teach her in exchange for her delivering his many letters. Lu Yang dictated a poem to her, which Chen Xiaoxi read to Jiang Chen on their way home. Jiang Chen immediately recognized it as song lyrics, advising her to spend her time studying instead.
Disappointed, Chen Xiaoxi then turned to an online friend in a Chris Lee fan group for help, who offered to write a powerful love letter for her. Practicing the new, assertive letter in a quiet corner of the school grounds, Chen Xiaoxi declared, "I've set my eyes on you. If you don't agree to me, I have a hundred ways to make your school life very miserable, by all means.
If anyone wants to steal you from me, believe it or not, I will chop. . ." A new student, Wu Bosong, overheard her practicing. He sarcastically asked if she was a "gang boss," to which she confidently affirmed, warning him not to mess with her. During English class dictation, Chen Xiaoxi was called to the board but struggled to write a single word. Just then, Wu Bosong, a new swimming specialty student, arrived late.
He recognized the word "balance" from his shirt and called it out, much to the teacher's annoyance. As punishment for his lateness, he was sent to the board to participate in the dictation with Chen Xiaoxi. Both students performed poorly, unable to write most of the words, leading the teacher to send them back to their seats. Wu Bosong, recognizing Chen Xiaoxi from earlier, affectionately addressed her as "Boss," indicating their burgeoning camaraderie.
Later, two girls approached Chen Xiaoxi asking for Jiang Chen. To deter them, Chen Xiaoxi falsely claimed that Jiang Chen had transferred schools. Determined to give Jiang Chen a love letter before anyone else, Chen Xiaoxi hurriedly wrote one. During a break, she tried to slip it into his bag, but in her haste and carelessness, she accidentally placed one of Lu Yang's prepared love letters inside instead.
Jiang Chen later found the letter during class, looked at its confusing content, and simply tossed it into his drawer. Chen Xiaoxi tried to explain that she had written the letter with all her heart, but Lu Yang pulled her away, reminding her of their task to deliver his love letters. While helping Lu Yang deliver his love letters to a senior class, one was snatched by a male student who proceeded to read it aloud, mocking Lu Yang.
Chen Xiaoxi, fiercely protective, demanded the letter back, leading to a heated argument between the two first-year students and a group of seniors. A classmate who liked Lu Yang, and Wu Bosong, who proudly referred to Chen Xiaoxi as his "Boss," quickly came to their defense. Just as the confrontation escalated, Jiang Chen appeared and calmly diffused the situation by announcing the arrival of Mr. Zhang Shiliang, the stern Director of Studies, causing everyone to scatter.
This incident also subtly hinted at Jiang Chen's protective feelings towards Chen Xiaoxi. The incident, however, reached Mr. Zhang, who stormed into their classroom, demanding Lu Yang hand over any remaining love letters. This implicated Chen Xiaoxi, who possessed the rest. As Mr. Zhang began to read the confiscated letters aloud, Chen Xiaoxi realized her mistake: she had given her own personal love letter to the Director while Lu Yang's letters had ended up with Jiang Chen.
As Mr. Zhang was about to read her letter, Wu Bosong bravely stood up, arguing that reading a student's private letters was an invasion of privacy. Jiang Chen, understanding the gravity of the situation, also rose to his feet to intervene. An infuriated Mr. Zhang ordered all involved to write a 1,000-word self-criticism. The group then gathered to complete their punishments, with Lu Yang humorously offering to teach them how to write such a letter.
Despite some initial hesitation, the three boys – Jiang Chen, Lu Yang, and Wu Bosong – eventually went to an internet cafe after school, playing games and solidifying their new friendship. Later, while campaigning for Chris Lee, Chen Xiaoxi witnessed a classmate, who had defended Lu Yang during the love letter incident, upset over her ruined fan banner.
With her exceptional drawing skills, Chen Xiaoxi quickly sketched an impressive new banner of Chris Lee, earning the classmate's gratitude and solidifying their friendship. The classmate observed that Chen Xiaoxi’s "friend" (referring to herself) had a unique taste in liking someone as "icy" as Jiang Chen. Chen Xiaoxi simply replied that the classmate wouldn't understand. Following the self-criticism incident, Jiang Chen's demeanor towards Chen Xiaoxi became noticeably less cold.
One morning, after countless attempts by Chen Xiaoxi to wait for him, it was Jiang Chen who paused and waited for her. He asked why she was smiling, and she, beaming, replied that she was simply happy to go to school with him. This subtle shift suggested a new chapter in their relationship.
