A Love So Romantic Episode 7 Recap
> A Love So Romantic Recap
Lady Ru returned to the mansion, immediately questioning Gu Yanxi's ambition to secure the Imperial Household Department's order, warning him against seeking fleeting fame that could cause trouble with the royal family. She then warmly greeted her son, Ziqian, the Gu family's second young master. Ziqian explained he was late because he was revising his homework.
Lady Ru encouraged him to seek Gu Yanxi’s help with his studies, and asked Gu Yanxi to assist his younger brother, to which Gu Yanxi agreed. Ziqian asked if Lady Ru had brought back any gifts from her trip. She presented him with a fur jacket, claiming she picked the fabric and made it herself.
Gu Yanxi, observing the garment, noted it appeared to be ferret fur from the Western Regions, which was typically traded in the north, not in the southern regions like Jiangnan, where Lady Ru had traveled. Lady Ru quickly explained that her maternal family had acquired the fur from the north. Gu Yanxi then excused himself, declining her invitation to dinner, stating he had other matters to attend to.
After Gu Yanxi left, Lady Ru continued to praise Ziqian, telling him that with effort, he could surpass Gu Yanxi. However, when Ziqian asked permission to participate in a Cuju competition, Lady Ru became enraged, accusing him of being idle like his father and declaring that Cuju was not a proper pursuit for a Gu family young master. Ziqian retorted that he didn’t truly belong to the Gu family, further infuriating Lady Ru.
She ordered Lianfang to burn all of Ziqian’s Cuju equipment and confined him to his room until the competition was over, strictly instructing Lianxin not to allow him to leave. Ziqian's attendant, Yuanshuang, was also sent to the woodshed for failing to keep him in line. Su Xiaowan overheard servants discussing Ziqian's grounding and asked Qiu Xiang about Lady Ru's extreme reaction to Cuju.
Qiu Xiang revealed that before marrying into the Gu family, Lady Ru had a romantic relationship with a Cuju player, and Ziqian was his son. This secret explains why Lady Ru, despite her noble background, became a concubine, and why she so strongly disliked Cuju, as it reminded her of Ziqian's true father. Su Xiaowan felt sympathetic towards Ziqian, who saw Cuju as his only connection to his biological father, and decided to help him.
After much pleading and promising Qiu Xiang she wouldn't be implicated, Su Xiaowan convinced Qiu Xiang to help distract the guards. Qiu Xiang feigned a sprained ankle, successfully diverting a guard's attention. Su Xiaowan then snuck into Ziqian's room, bringing him a maid's uniform as a disguise, explaining it was the only way to get past the mansion's strict security. She covered his face with a handkerchief.
As Su Xiaowan and Ziqian, disguised as a maid, attempted to leave the mansion, they were stopped by Gu Yanxi. He calmly demanded Ziqian remove the handkerchief covering his face. Ziqian, flustered, tried to explain, but Gu Yanxi simply returned the handkerchief and walked away without a word. Seizing the opportunity, Su Xiaowan quickly pulled Ziqian out of the mansion. Meanwhile, Gu Yanxi's investigation into the fire and his sister Wan'er's disappearance from 16 years ago continued.
His subordinate reported that they had located some of the former servants, but none of them would disclose any useful information, claiming ignorance. Gu Yanxi suspected they were being threatened and ordered his men to continue monitoring them, noting that several were hastily trying to move away, which suggested they were being silenced. The subordinate also informed him that Ziqian had been put under house arrest for secretly joining a Cuju league, with the competition scheduled for that very day.
Gu Yanxi decided to go check on Ziqian. Later, Gu Yanxi arrived just in time to intervene when Lady Ru confronted Su Xiaowan (still disguised as a maid) for a perceived transgression. He claimed Su Xiaowan was his servant and promised to discipline her, thereby saving her from Lady Ru’s wrath. He then warned Su Xiaowan to stay away from Lady Ru, stating he couldn't always rescue her.
Su Xiaowan thanked him, but Gu Yanxi clarified that his actions were to prevent internal family strife and the Gu Mansion from being accused of mistreating servants. Su Xiaowan then asked Gu Yanxi if Cuju matches were interesting, mentioning she had never seen one. Gu Yanxi teased her, saying her short stature would only allow her to see people's heads in a crowded stadium.
Su Xiaowan saw this as an opportunity to get closer to him and insisted they attend the match together, claiming it was to support Ziqian. Despite his initial reluctance, Gu Yanxi eventually relented, though he maintained that he was only going for Ziqian's sake. At the Cuju match, Su Xiaowan cheered enthusiastically for Ziqian's Tianyu Team. Fueled by her support, Ziqian led his team to victory.
Afterwards, he presented Su Xiaowan with flowers, thanking her for her encouragement, and invited her to celebrate with roasted duck at Zuixian Tower. Gu Yanxi immediately pulled Su Xiaowan away, sternly refusing the offer by citing roasted duck as unhealthy and "heaty." Su Xiaowan secretly delighted in this, believing it meant Gu Yanxi was jealous. Before anything else could happen, Gu Yanxi received an urgent message and abruptly left.
Although Su Xiaowan was supposed to return with Gu Yanxi, Ziqian and his teammates persuaded her to join them for a celebratory meal. Gu Yanxi continued his investigation into Wan'er's disappearance. He located Wan'er's former nanny, who confirmed that Gu Yanxi had grown to resemble his father. She revealed that 16 years ago, Gu Yanxi's uncle saved her life, and she was tasked with caring for Wan'er. The nanny regretfully admitted she couldn't save Wan'er.
Gu Yanxi asked if the fire in the mansion that day was an accident. The nanny confirmed it was not. She recounted that Wan'er had gone to retrieve a lost hair tie from the side chamber, and the nanny, worried, secretly followed. She then witnessed an armed person carrying Wan'er away in the darkness and couldn't identify their face. As she tried to follow, the side chamber suddenly burst into flames.
Due to her weak legs, she lost track of the person. Believing the culprit was someone from within the mansion and fearing a larger conspiracy, she kept silent until Gu Yanxi sought her out. Later, as Su Xiaowan and Ziqian were attempting to re-enter the mansion through a back door Ziqian had obtained a key for, they were ambushed by Lady Ru. Lady Ru sent Ziqian back to his room with her attendants, Mingyue and Wandao.
She then apprehended Su Xiaowan, accusing her of being a bad influence on Ziqian. Lady Ru ordered Su Xiaowan to be tied up, given twenty strokes, and sent to the woodshed. Despite Su Xiaowan's pleas of misunderstanding, Lady Ru remained unyielding. In the woodshed, Lady Ru interrogated Su Xiaowan, demanding to know who instructed her to help Ziqian. Su Xiaowan insisted on her innocence. Lady Ru, ignoring warnings that further beating could be fatal, ordered the punishment to continue.
Just then, Gu Yanxi arrived, stopping the guards from striking Su Xiaowan again. He lifted the injured Su Xiaowan into his arms. Lady Ru confronted him, accusing him of disrespecting her by making a fuss over a mere servant. Gu Yanxi, with unwavering resolve, declared, "She is not a servant. She is the Gu Mansion's lady, Ms. Gu Wan'er." Lady Ru was left stunned by the revelation.
Meanwhile, Ziqian, having overheard servants discussing Su Xiaowan's beating and rescue by Gu Yanxi, burst out of his room to find her. In Gu Yanxi's arms, Su Xiaowan felt a comforting warmth and believed her suffering was worth it, sensing his deep concern for her.
