About Is Love Episode 1 Recap
> About Is Love Recap
At Guanghua Visual Arts College, during the 2009 summer Yun Ma Scholarship award ceremony, Zhou Shi inwardly lamented that such honors were luxurious dreams, far removed from her reality. She believed her luck had run out the moment she enrolled in the third-tier art institution. To her utter disbelief, the final recipient announced by Dean Xiao, whom she knew well from his persistent calls for overdue tuition fees, was Zhou Shi from the Fine Arts and Drawing department.
Her friend, Lin Feifei, was visibly astonished, and Zhou Shi reflected that if she possessed even half of Lin Feifei's femininity, she wouldn't still be single. Despite arriving late, Zhou Shi, prodded by her classmates, ascended the stage to accept the award. She was shocked to find that the presenter was Wei Qing, a representative from Yun Ma Group.
Just as she processed this unexpected turn, the stage plunged into darkness due to a sudden power outage, pulling Zhou Shi's thoughts back a month earlier. A month prior, Zhou Shi had sought an internship at the Mountain Art Gallery Hotel, a property under the Yun Ma Group. Her true intention was to orchestrate a romantic Chinese Valentine's Day with her childhood friend, Li Ming Cheng.
The supervisor, Supervisor Wang, initially suspected she was a paparazzi or a fan of the young, handsome, and charismatic Wei Qing, who was admired by many women. Zhou Shi quickly disproved his theory by effortlessly replacing a heavy water bottle for a male employee, proudly stating her strength came from routinely moving plaster figures. She emphasized that her primary goal was to secure a position at the hotel before August 28th, the date of Chinese Valentine's Day.
On the morning of Chinese Valentine's Day, Li Ming Cheng and his friends were en route to the Mountain Art Gallery Hotel by car. News reports confirmed that the Perseid meteor shower would peak that night. His friends playfully suggested that Zhou Shi must harbor feelings for him, having arrived a month early to secure staff discounts and stage a confession. Li Ming Cheng dismissed their teasing, clarifying that Zhou Shi was merely his neighbor's younger sister.
He firmly stated that she hadn't even passed her CET-4 English exam, implying she wasn't qualified for a relationship. His friends countered, arguing that not everyone could be as smart and beautiful as their university's star student, Zhang Ran Yu. Distracted by their banter, Li Ming Cheng inadvertently crashed their car into a pickup truck. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but their vehicle was immobile.
Meanwhile, at the hotel, Zhou Shi carefully placed a pink envelope containing her confession letter and a ring under a pillow in room 1208, silently wishing for her declaration of love to succeed. Soon after, Li Ming Cheng called, assuring her that he and his friends would arrive before nightfall. Zhou Shi excitedly offered to prepare their room and an ideal stargazing spot for just the two of them, to which Li Ming Cheng cordially agreed.
Stranded on the roadside, Li Ming Cheng and his friends attempted to hitchhike. During their wait, they were surprised to see Zhang Ran Yu speeding past in a luxurious Maserati, identified by his friends as belonging to Wei Qing, whom they knew to be notoriously promiscuous. Inside the car, Wei Qing informed Zhang Ran Yu they were heading to one of his group's secluded hotels for a private vacation, having already booked a suite and arranged her university leave.
Back at the Mountain Art Gallery Hotel, Zhou Shi was engrossed in photographing artworks by Xun Ran when Supervisor Wang frantically pulled her aside, announcing the imminent arrival of the hotel's "big boss." The entire hotel staff was put on high alert, instructed to meticulously clean their designated areas and prepare for a "business handover," a phrase Supervisor Wang interpreted as a warning for those who might displease the boss to pack their bags.
He explained that Chairman Wei, also known as Wei Qing, suffered from mysophobia a hundred times more severe than anyone else, often choosing unconventional rooms, even a warehouse, during his visits. Upon his arrival, Wei Qing directly chose room 1208. Inside, he donned gloves, a mask, and a white lab coat, then proceeded to thoroughly re-clean the entire room himself. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the bed, a decade of living with mysophobia weighing heavily on him.
He desperately hoped that Zhang Ran Yu was the girl who had saved him years ago. He then instructed his assistant, Wei An, to clear out all the stock from the hotel's logistics department and nearby convenience stores. He also called Supervisor Wang, severely chastising him for the unacceptable hygiene of room 1208 and demanding a personal housekeeper. Supervisor Wang, seeing an opportunity for Zhou Shi to compensate for her earlier cleaning performance, assigned her to the task.
Zhou Shi immediately rushed back to room 1208, hoping to retrieve her confession letter, unaware that it had already passed her by in a trash cart. Believing the room to be empty, she spotted a pink envelope sticking out of a jacket pocket in the wardrobe and lunged for it. Suddenly, Wei Qing emerged, startling her. Zhou Shi stumbled, accidentally stepping on his foot, and her hands reflexively grabbed his face.
Wei Qing, having never experienced such intimate contact with a stranger, recoiled in horror and immediately rushed to the bathroom to vigorously scrub himself. Later, upon learning that Zhou Shi was his newly assigned personal housekeeper, he disdainfully tossed her a phone and laid down two strict rules: she must be at his beck and call when needed, but stay as far away as possible when not.
Zhou Shi, bewildered by his eccentric demands, quickly fled the room, mentally questioning what kind of person he was. That afternoon, Wei Qing and Zhang Ran Yu were on the balcony, enjoying drinks and conversation. Wei Qing recalled their first meeting by the river a month ago, expressing gratitude to Zhang Ran Yu for saving him when he was drunk and almost fell into the river.
Zhang Ran Yu's eyes briefly flickered with confusion, but she quickly brushed it off as "nothing." Wei Qing subtly attempted to touch her face, but she deftly blocked his hand. He then presented her with a simple, old necklace, asking if she recognized it. When she commented on its plain appearance, uncharacteristic of Yun Ma's style, Wei Qing quickly exchanged it for a beautiful, new Yun Ma design, which delighted Zhang Ran Yu.
Meanwhile, Zhou Shi, observing from a distance, was harshly warned by Wei Qing to maintain a distance of at least ten meters, an order that left her seething with frustration. As they strolled, Zhang Ran Yu recounted her version of that fateful night on the bridge. She claimed to have recognized a heavily inebriated Wei Qing and called out to him. Upon waking, he had immediately asked her to be his girlfriend.
Sensing an opportunity, Zhang Ran Yu deliberately faked a sneeze, feigning a cold, and embraced Wei Qing from behind. Zhou Shi, who had just been summoned by a message from Wei Qing to "take her away," appeared promptly. Zhang Ran Yu shot Zhou Shi a resentful glare before reluctantly leaving. Wei Qing then rewarded Zhou Shi with 300 yuan for her swift intervention.
Wei Qing's mind, however, was consumed by painful memories from a decade ago when he first developed severe obsessive mysophobia. This condition had progressed to the point where any physical contact with another person caused him to break out in rashes. Despite leading the prestigious Yun Ma Group, he felt profoundly isolated. He recalled a night he sought solace in a bar, only for his then-girlfriend to accuse him of philandering, dousing him with wine and calling him a scoundrel.
Devastated, Wei Qing had stumbled to a bridge, where, in a drunken haze, he remembered nearly climbing over the railing. He distinctly recalled being saved by a girl with incredible strength. Yet, when he regained consciousness, it was Zhang Ran Yu by his side. He had been thrilled that his body showed no allergic reaction to her, prompting him to plan a candid confession with her on Chinese Valentine's Day.
However, his doctor had subtly warned him to prepare a backup plan, a contingency Wei Qing had already considered. His earlier attempt to touch Zhang Ran Yu was a deliberate test, which now, seeing the rashes on his own body, confirmed his suspicion: Zhang Ran Yu was not the girl who saved him that night. While Wei Qing was in the shower, Zhou Shi seized the chance to search for her letter.
Wei Qing discovered her rummaging through his closet and immediately accused her of theft, forcefully pulling her out. As he did, Zhou Shi inadvertently caught sight of the rashes covering his body. Enraged, Wei Qing reached for his phone to call security. Zhou Shi frantically lunged and hung up the call, desperately explaining that she was only trying to retrieve her lost letter and ring. Unmoved, Wei Qing sternly ordered her to vanish within ten seconds or face immediate termination.
Zhou Shi, left with no choice, quickly fled the room. Just as she escaped, Li Ming Cheng called, apologizing for his phone's dead battery and their earlier complications. He reassured her that everything was resolved and they could proceed with their original plans, inviting her to watch the meteor shower together that night. Zhou Shi was ecstatic, believing he was deliberately giving her an opportunity to confess her feelings.
However, she suddenly remembered her confession letter was still in Wei Qing's possession. Desperate, she sought out Zhang Ran Yu, explaining her predicament. Zhang Ran Yu agreed to help retrieve the letter and ring, but only if Zhou Shi performed a favor for her: buying condoms. Zhou Shi was surprised, asking if the hotel lacked them. Zhang Ran Yu explained that the large hotel inexplicably had no contraceptives in stock, and the supervisor was waiting for a restock.
She emphasized that Wei Qing was very cautious and wouldn't be intimate without them, especially on Valentine's Day. Zhou Shi expressed concern about leaving her post during working hours, but Zhang Ran Yu promised to vouch for her, urging her to hurry as night was falling.
