A Love So Beautiful Episode 2 Recap
> A Love So Beautiful Recap
In literature class, the teacher discussed Long Yingtai’s essay "Farewell," emphasizing the importance of cherishing family bonds and assigning an essay about parents. During the lesson, Chen Xiaoxi was called upon to share her thoughts on a passage about a father's departure. She initially misinterpreted it, prompting the teacher to explain the profound meaning of the parent-child relationship and the inevitability of separation, urging students to cherish their parents.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen sat quietly, deep in thought, as the discussion resonated with his personal experience of his father's early death and his mother's prolonged absence, working in another city with his younger brother, Jiang Rui. After class, Chen Xiaoxi expressed concern to Lin Jingxiao about Jiang Chen's unusually quiet demeanor. Lin Jingxiao, however, dismissed it as typical for the always reserved Jiang Chen. Their conversation then shifted to the topic of becoming a Manager for Chris Lee's fan Tieba.
Lin Jingxiao proudly described the vast number of fans and the influential position of a Manager, likening it to being "second to one and superior to a hundred thousand." To Lin Jingxiao's surprise, Chen Xiaoxi then revealed she had been selected as a Manager, showing her the confirmation message. Other classmates, overhearing the news, immediately changed their attitude towards Chen Xiaoxi, offering to fetch water for her. Lin Jingxiao, recognizing their attempts to curry favor, quickly pulled Chen Xiaoxi away.
During lunch, Lin Jingxiao explained to Chen Xiaoxi the "advantageous position" of a Manager, implying it brought opportunities for "bribery" or favors. Just then, Lu Yang, Wu Bosong, and Jiang Chen joined their table. Lu Yang enthusiastically invited Jiang Chen and Wu Bosong to an internet cafe after school for his "wedding," clarifying it was a virtual wedding in a game. The mention of "wedding" surprised Chen Xiaoxi, causing her to spit out her food.
After both Jiang Chen and Wu Bosong declined, citing busyness, Lu Yang tried to tempt them by promising "a wife for each of you" in the game, which caused Chen Xiaoxi to express her displeasure. Despite Lu Yang's playful teasing, Jiang Chen remained uninterested, while Lu Yang persisted in convincing Wu Bosong to join. Later, Lu Yang successfully persuaded Jiang Chen and Wu Bosong to go to the internet cafe, with Chen Xiaoxi and Lin Jingxiao secretly following behind.
At the cafe, Chen Xiaoxi was relieved to learn that neither Jiang Chen nor Wu Bosong had acquired virtual wives. Wu Bosong, who admitted to rarely using computers due to his swimming training, asked Chen Xiaoxi about QQ, and she offered to help him explore it. During their conversation, Wu Bosong invited Chen Xiaoxi to his upcoming swimming competition, and she happily agreed to cheer for him.
As Jiang Chen observed their interaction, a subtle shift in his expression went unnoticed. Later, Chen Xiaoxi checked her QQ memo, where she had recorded a reminder: "The death day of Jiang Chen's dad, be with him and comfort him." This realization finally helped her understand the reason for Jiang Chen's recent low spirits. Their time at the internet cafe was cut short by the unexpected arrival of school director Zhang Shiliang, sending the group scrambling to escape.
Chen Xiaoxi realized her bicycle was missing, but Wu Bosong quickly offered her a ride on his own bike, saving her from being left behind. On the way, as Wu Bosong swerved to avoid a pedestrian, he crashed the bicycle, instinctively shielding Chen Xiaoxi with his arm during the fall. Though shaken, they quickly regrouped with Lu Yang, who was more concerned about his unfinished game.
Back home, Chen Xiaoxi fabricated a story about losing her bicycle while buying test papers, claiming she would now walk to school for exercise. Her mother, though initially annoyed, agreed to buy her a new one. Chen Xiaoxi then steered the conversation to Jiang Chen's father's upcoming death anniversary. Her parents discussed that Jiang Chen's mother, He Yanjun, was expected to return for it.
Chen Xiaoxi eagerly volunteered to help Jiang Chen prepare items for his mother, reasoning that as a boy, he might be unsure what to buy. Her parents, being close neighbors, readily agreed to her suggestion. The next morning, Chen Xiaoxi waited outside Jiang Chen's building, hoping to go to school with him, but found his bicycle already gone. In literature class, the teacher praised several students, including Jiang Chen, for their moving essays on parents.
When Jiang Chen declined to read his own, Chen Xiaoxi eagerly volunteered. As she read Jiang Chen's essay, "Father," she learned of his deeply personal memories: a childhood incident at age seven where his father pushed him after he made his younger brother fall, followed by a quiet, comforting meal of noodles on his father's bicycle. This revealed a vulnerable side to Jiang Chen that she had never seen, understanding the hidden pain beneath his usual cold demeanor.
After class, Chen Xiaoxi invited Jiang Chen to her house for dinner. He gave her his bicycle, instructing her to leave the key at his door, and then walked away alone, implicitly declining the invitation. While shopping for items for He Yanjun, Lin Jingxiao teased Chen Xiaoxi about trying to win over her future mother-in-law. Chen Xiaoxi explained that she believed Jiang Chen was deeply affected by his mother's absence and that helping out would surely please him.
Lin Jingxiao then asked Chen Xiaoxi what it felt like to like someone. Chen Xiaoxi described the experience as if the person "shines brightly" in a faded world, recounting a vivid memory of Jiang Chen buying books for her, a scene she constantly embellished in her mind with elaborate details. Lin Jingxiao jokingly suggested Chen Xiaoxi was just after his money, but Chen Xiaoxi insisted that "it is simple to like someone."
Later, the two girls who had previously sought favors approached Chen Xiaoxi again. Initially, Chen Xiaoxi tried to assert her authority as a Manager, but she soon discovered, through a text message, that the Tieba "explosion" event conflicted with the time Jiang Chen's mother was supposed to return. She was then dismissed from her Manager position due to the time conflict. After school, the two girls confronted Chen Xiaoxi about the unfulfilled request.
Wu Bosong, seeing her distress, intervened and offered her a ride, pulling her away from the awkward encounter. Feeling humiliated by losing her Manager title, Chen Xiaoxi was comforted by Wu Bosong, who reminded her that being his "boss" was more impressive than being a Manager, especially since he intended to become an Olympic champion. He invited her to his competition the next day, promising to win a gold medal for her, which she readily accepted.
The next day, at the swimming competition, Wu Bosong's performance was visibly affected by the shoulder injury he sustained during the bicycle crash with Chen Xiaoxi. He placed second, a rare occurrence for the usually victorious swimmer. Despite the outcome, Chen Xiaoxi's enthusiastic cheering from the stands, even with his name misspelled on her cheering board, visibly lifted his spirits. Afterward, Chen Xiaoxi, wanting to console him, treated him to a large meal.
She humorously recounted her own meager achievements to make him feel better about his second-place finish, comparing him positively to famous athletes like Liu Xiang. Wu Bosong, clearly fond of Chen Xiaoxi, insisted on keeping her cheering board, despite the misspelled name, and offered his silver medal as an "exchange of love tokens," promising to trade it back once he won a gold medal. Chen Xiaoxi agreed to the exchange.
However, suddenly worried about Jiang Chen, she abruptly left the meal, promising to treat Wu Bosong to steak next time. Meanwhile, Jiang Chen received a text message from his mother, He Yanjun, informing him that she could not return for his father's death anniversary because his younger brother, Jiang Rui, was sick. He was deeply saddened.
Chen Xiaoxi arrived at his apartment with bags of daily necessities she had bought for his mother, explaining she thought he, as a boy, wouldn't know what to pick. Distraught, Jiang Chen reacted coldly, telling her he didn't need the items and to take them back, claiming they were "useless." Feeling hurt and angered by his rejection, Chen Xiaoxi confronted him, accusing him of always being "cold and pushing others away," and of ignoring his mother's concern for him.
Jiang Chen, offering no explanation, simply forced her out of his apartment. Later that evening, Chen Xiaoxi learned from her parents that He Yanjun was indeed not returning, which explained Jiang Chen's earlier coldness. After dinner, she went back to his apartment to deliver a property management notice, finding him asleep on the sofa, burning with a high fever.
Unsure of what else to do, Chen Xiaoxi carefully wrapped him in multiple layers of blankets and clothes, staying by his side until late into the night before quietly departing. When Jiang Chen eventually awoke, he found the property notice on the table, understanding that Chen Xiaoxi had been there to care for him. After recovering from his fever, Jiang Chen visited a noodle shop he used to frequent with his father.
As he ate, he was asked by the owner about his father's health, to which he evasively replied, "He's fine." He silently reflected on his memories with his father, coming to terms with the transient nature of life and the importance of cherishing present moments. He also sent a text to his mother, acknowledging her message about Jiang Rui. The next morning, Chen Xiaoxi was pleasantly surprised to find Jiang Chen waiting for her downstairs with his bicycle.
She commented on the comfort of his back seat and playfully asked if she could ride with him. Though Jiang Chen initially said "No," he immediately took off his backpack and handed it to her, signaling his true intention. Chen Xiaoxi, understanding the unspoken invitation, happily accepted the backpack and hopped onto the back of his bike, as they rode off together into the soft morning light.
