A Love So Romantic Episode 2 Recap
> A Love So Romantic Recap
Gu Yanxi, determined to send Su Xiaowan away, falsely claimed to his Grandmother that Su Xiaowan's adoptive parents, who raised her, missed her greatly and she must return home. Su Xiaowan, upon hearing this, decided to use the opportunity to secure her stay. She tearfully presented Grandmother with a jar of honey, a comfort for her medicine, lamenting that she wouldn't know when she'd see Grandmother again after returning home. Grandmother insisted this was Su Xiaowan's true home.
Su Xiaowan then spun a tale, exaggerating that her adoptive parents only fed her boiled vegetables for "self-cultivation" and found her a husband who was "forty to fifty years older." Gu Yanxi foolishly corroborated, saying an older man would be "calm and steady" and could "control Wan'er's lively nature," infuriating Grandmother. Grandmother chastised Gu Yanxi for encouraging such thoughts and firmly declared that Su Xiaowan, her "long-lost precious granddaughter," would not be leaving to have her life ruined.
She told Gu Yanxi that if he wouldn't handle the situation, she would. When Gu Yanxi offered to discuss it with the adoptive parents, Grandmother dismissed the idea, stating Su Xiaowan was staying. Gu Yanxi, visibly frustrated, was then instructed by Grandmother to smooth things over with the adoptive parents. Su Xiaowan thanked him, while Gu Yanxi begrudgingly accepted the task. After Su Xiaowan left, Gu Yanxi acknowledged her "survival skill" and privately vowed to get even.
Meanwhile, Ye, the second young master of the Gu family, was observed by his maid, Yuan Shuang, to be distracted while reading. He inquired if Yuan Shuang knew that Gu Yanxi, the first young master, had lost his childhood memories after his mother passed away. Ye revealed that Gu Yanxi had given him a jade pendant before his memory loss, and he wore it daily hoping it would help Gu Yanxi remember.
He then pondered why Su Xiaowan was looking for Gu Yanxi, the owner of the jade pendant she sought, unaware that Gu Yanxi, with his amnesia, wouldn't recall her. The next morning, Su Xiaowan met Ye, bringing him baked sweet potatoes she had made herself, a nostalgic treat from their childhood. She eagerly asked if the taste reminded him of anyone or anything familiar. Ye, however, simply stated he didn't remember.
Su Xiaowan then silently mused that he must have lost his memory, which explained why he hadn't recognized her. She mentioned that he was still as sensitive to hot food as he was as a child. Su Xiaowan then proposed they sneak out that night to explore the lively Lin'an night market.
Ye declined, explaining that he had to accompany Second Young Master Ziqian to Yixian, where Second Young Master Ziqian would study under a master, and would be gone for ten days. He mentioned that he was once an apprentice in the mansion and was chosen to be Second Young Master Ziqian's study partner because of his intelligence.
Before he left, Su Xiaowan gave him a hair accessory and asked him to meet her at the rockery to visit the night market upon his return. Later that day, Gu Yanxi summoned Su Xiaowan and announced that, effective immediately, she would be his personal maid, responsible for his daily needs. Su Xiaowan, surprised, questioned why she wasn't informed.
Gu Yanxi claimed he saw her "creative" potential and wanted to personally "groom her" as she was too talented for mere cleaning. Su Xiaowan offered a sarcastic thank you. Gu Yanxi then proceeded to deliberately make her life difficult, repeatedly criticizing her attempts to grind ink—too thick, too thin, uneven—and brew tea—water too hot, pouring too fast, posture not elegant. Su Xiaowan complied with increasing frustration.
When she offered to sing to entertain him while he drank tea, he abruptly dismissed her. Afterwards, Su Xiaowan fumed, realizing Gu Yanxi's actions were a deliberate attempt to make her leave. She called him petty for retaliating because she hadn't complied with his earlier demands to depart.
Returning to her living quarters, Su Xiaowan was confronted by a group of maids, who were openly hostile and questioned how she, an ordinary-looking girl, had managed to replace Qiuxiang as Gu Yanxi's personal maid. Su Xiaowan, quick-witted, claimed it wasn't her choice, but Gu Yanxi's. When the maids accused her of manipulation and threatened her, Su Xiaowan changed her story.
She declared Gu Yanxi a "great philanthropist" who, despite his noble status, took pity on her "helpless" situation, even personally treating her illness when she couldn't afford medicine. Deeply moved, she swore to devote herself to serving him in the Gu Mansion. The maids, now appeased, confirmed that her relationship with Gu Yanxi was purely based on his pity and declared her one of their "true friends."
They welcomed her into their "Love Xi Society," a group dedicated to loving, cherishing, and admiring Gu Yanxi. They explained that Gu Yanxi had a "tragic background" as the son of the late Madam, while Second Young Master Ziqian (Ye) was the current Lady Ru's son from a previous marriage.
They offered Su Xiaowan a place in their society and promised her shared fortune if she remained loyal, asking only that she report Gu Yanxi's daily whereabouts in return for their acceptance. Su Xiaowan readily agreed, privately deciding that Gu Yanxi's pitiful story made him less annoying, and she resolved to reconcile with him. The next day, Su Xiaowan enthusiastically greeted Gu Yanxi, trying to flatter him into doubling her salary, citing her double duties serving both him and Grandmother.
Gu Yanxi, seeing through her attempts, challenged her to demonstrate her capabilities, starting with cleaning his study. After she finished the initial cleaning, he gave her the daunting task of taking down, sorting, and re-shelving all the books on his overflowing shelves, categorizing them by content. Su Xiaowan diligently worked, even asking for clarification on "sorting." Gu Yanxi patiently explained the classification, even correcting her on the difference between "painting" and "design" books.
Impressed by his knowledge of various languages, including European and Sanskrit, she praised him. He then pointed to a multi-language dictionary and told her to figure things out herself. Later, Su Xiaowan dozed off while working. Gu Yanxi watched her for a moment, then quickly pulled a book away as her saliva was about to drip onto it. He casually threw a cloak over her.
Upon waking, Su Xiaowan, believing it was a kind gesture, thanked him for caring that she might catch a cold and mused that he was "kind of caring." Gu Yanxi quickly shattered her illusion, stating she had misunderstood. He explained that her "bad sleeping posture" was an "eyesore" that "severely affected the overall atmosphere of his study," and he had covered her so he "could continue working." Disappointed, Su Xiaowan asked about her promised raise.
Gu Yanxi assured her he was fair and would reward her. As she left, Su Xiaowan comforted herself that despite his bad temper, the doubled monthly salary was "bearable," and she even admitted to finding him "kind of handsome." The following morning, as Gu Yanxi went through account books, Su Xiaowan searched for the cloak he had supposedly "rewarded" her. Gu Yanxi, finding it, sniffed it and grimaced, having realized it was stained with her saliva.
He then mockingly presented her with the cloak, telling her to wash it, claiming it had a "smell." Su Xiaowan tried to argue that it was clean and smelled of her, but Gu Yanxi retorted that only she thought her saliva smelled good. She grumbled to herself about him, calling him a "bad guy" and imagining he was born without saliva. He then added to her burden by bringing more cloaks, claiming they too were stained with saliva.
Before she could protest, he "recalled" several more in his closet, forcing her to accept the pile. Su Xiaowan, suppressing her anger, hurried off to wash the clothes. Seething, Su Xiaowan found a loose hair on one of the cloaks. Assuming it was Gu Yanxi's, she fashioned a small dummy in his likeness, tied the hair to it, and began gleefully poking it, imagining her revenge.
Just as she was in the midst of this, Gu Yanxi walked in and caught her red-handed. She quickly hid the dummy. Gu Yanxi demanded she hand it over, but she refused. He attempted to take it from her. Su Xiaowan quickly concocted a story, claiming she was grateful for his kindness and had made a "good luck doll" for him, following her hometown's customs.
She showed him the doll, calling it "dignified and blessed," and claimed the hair tied to it was her own, sacrificed to "shorten her life" for his good fortune. Gu Yanxi, however, pointed out that the "Xi" in his name (言夕) meant "sunset" (夕), and the character on her doll was incorrect, meaning she had "prayed for the wrong person." He then "generously" ordered her to copy his name one thousand times so she wouldn't make the same mistake again.
Su Xiaowan, gritting her teeth, reluctantly agreed. While begrudgingly copying Gu Yanxi's name, Su Xiaowan continued to curse him under her breath, calling him a "petty" and "bad-tempered man" and complaining that she wouldn't serve him if not for the "ten taels of silver." She also vented her frustration when a maid incorrectly informed her that her salary was deducted because she had "stained Mr. Yanxi's cloak," leading her to call Gu Yanxi a "liar" and a "dishonest businessman."
Later, she secretly drew a caricature of Gu Yanxi. Pangya, another maid, stumbled upon it and, misunderstanding Su Xiaowan's intentions, believed it was a portrait drawn out of affection. Pangya, declaring them "true friends," offered some of Gu Yanxi's used personal items as a gift and even offered to buy the drawing. Soon, other maids, fueled by their admiration for Gu Yanxi, eagerly joined in, buying copies of the drawing.
Su Xiaowan capitalized on the situation, even selling strands of Gu Yanxi's hair (which she claimed were "compensation" for a damaged drawing) for a premium. Having quickly earned over ten taels of silver from this unexpected business, Su Xiaowan surprisingly found Gu Yanxi to be "less annoying." With her new earnings, Su Xiaowan decided to visit the medical clinic to pay for Xiao An's treatment.
Learning that Gu Yanxi was out on an appointment with Shopkeeper Ding, she took the opportunity to sneak out of the mansion. While attempting to discreetly leave, she accidentally overheard a group of robbers discussing their plan to break into the Gu Mansion. Startled, Su Xiaowan lost her footing, fell from a wall, and was immediately apprehended by the robbers.
