Be Yourself Episode 1 Recap
> Be Yourself Recap
Xia Langlang arrived at Southwest University of Communications, filled with anticipation for her new college life. After purchasing some essential items, including a green basin, a mishap caused her luggage wheel to break as she descended a stair, dashing her spirits. Not far away, a wealthy and elegant student, Fan Xiaoyu, approached, followed by what appeared to be her entourage. Xia Langlang's basin rolled to Fan Xiaoyu's feet.
Xia Langlang quickly apologized, but Fan Xiaoyu merely removed her sunglasses and offered a dismissive smile. Later, after reporting to her counselor, Xia Langlang briefly glimpsed the back of Ma Yiran, someone she had yearned to speak to for three years of high school. Coincidentally, she again encountered Fan Xiaoyu, and by the time she looked back, Ma Yiran had already left. Unable to express her frustration, Xia Langlang glared angrily at Fan Xiaoyu and hurried away.
Earlier, Fan Qingzhou, a fifth-year electronic information engineering student, and his partner Lu Xuwen were struggling to find a suitable office to meet investors for their startup. During registration, Fan Xiaoyu, trying to pay her tuition, discovered her credit card had been suspended by her father. While pondering this, she saw Fan Qingzhou sitting on her limited-edition luggage. Annoyed by her imperious tone, Fan Qingzhou dismissively threw down his volunteer badge and left.
Soon after, Fan Xiaoyu arrived at her dorm, room 5438, somewhat disheveled. Yang Jiaqian was already settling in, while a quiet Huangfu Shumin sat despondently, still processing her parents' departure. Xia Langlang then arrived, catching her breath. As soon as she and Fan Xiaoyu made eye contact, both their expressions changed, recalling their earlier, awkward encounter. Yang Jiaqian warmly greeted everyone, learning Fan Xiaoyu was from Fujian, she herself from Shaanxi, and Huangfu from Shanghai.
The tension quickly escalated when Xia Langlang discovered Fan Xiaoyu had taken her assigned bed, Bunk No. 1. Xia Langlang pointed out that the bed had her name on it, and Fan Xiaoyu's was Bunk No. 2, emphasizing that it was a pre-arranged assignment. However, Fan Xiaoyu insisted on a "first come, first served" principle, questioning the reasonableness of arrangements and refusing to comply. Xia Langlang called her unreasonable.
Yang Jiaqian tried to mediate, even offering her own bed to Fan Xiaoyu, but Fan Xiaoyu remained adamant about keeping Xia Langlang's spot. When Yang Jiaqian then offered her bed to Xia Langlang, Xia Langlang unyieldingly declared she wanted her own assigned bed. This confrontation amused Huangfu Shumin. Eventually, they settled into their respective beds. As they unpacked, Huangfu Shumin couldn't help but notice Fan Xiaoyu’s array of luxury items, from La Mer skincare to a limited-edition Montblanc pen.
Huangfu noted the pen was a special eighteenth birthday gift from Fan Xiaoyu’s father and was rumored to be worth as much as a car. Fan Xiaoyu, however, dismissed its value, calling anyone who'd spend so much on a pen a "fool" (or "stupid pen," a play on words in Chinese). Huangfu sighed about their "different destinies" despite being roommates, a sentiment Yang Jiaqian quickly countered by emphasizing their shared journey in college.
Yang Jiaqian proposed a group dinner to foster camaraderie, but Fan Xiaoyu declined, claiming she wasn’t hungry, her mind preoccupied with her tuition fees. Faced with this unexpected financial crisis, Fan Xiaoyu decided to sell her valuable Montblanc pen. Later that evening, after the other roommates returned from dinner, Yang Jiaqian kindly brought Fan Xiaoyu some egg fried rice. When Fan Xiaoyu took a shower, the hot water suddenly ran out.
She resorted to using the hot water from Xia Langlang’s thermo jug. Xia Langlang soon discovered her jug was empty and confronted Fan Xiaoyu, who nonchalantly explained she had used it because it was the only source of hot water, offering to refill it. Xia Langlang silently declined, muttering under her breath, "You call it ugly but still use it." The suspension of Fan Xiaoyu’s card was a consequence of a deeper family conflict.
Her mother called, angrily scolding her for the scene she caused at Fan Debiao's wedding, where he married a woman three months pregnant. A flashback revealed Fan Xiaoyu had prepared a "surprise" video message for the wedding. In the video, she introduced herself as Fan Debiao’s daughter and announced gifts for the bride hidden under each guest's chair—which turned out to be "broken shoes," causing a scandal among the attendees.
Fan Xiaoyu told her mother she only wanted to make her father look bad to get revenge for her mother. Her mother, however, admonished her for being childish, fearing it would jeopardize their financial standing and allow the "little coquette" to claim their inheritance. She even branded Fan Xiaoyu a "jinx" and vehemently ordered her to apologize to her father to secure their future.
Frustrated and cornered, Fan Xiaoyu angrily closed her phone, staring at Fan Debiao's name on her blacklist. Meanwhile, Xia Langlang noticed a social media post from Ma Yiran about a shirt being too small. Recalling a cherished group photo from senior high school, where she had asked Ma Yiran to write a heartfelt message on her own shirt, Xia Langlang carefully ironed it and hung it in the bathroom to dry, hoping to protect it from the wind.
The next morning, Fan Xiaoyu, unaware of the shirt's sentimental value, carelessly pulled it down, causing it to tear and fall into the toilet water. Furious and heartbroken, Xia Langlang stormed out of the bathroom. Unable to adapt to dorm life, Fan Xiaoyu decided to move out and began searching for an apartment. After rejecting several places as "roughcast," she found one that met her standards.
Coincidentally, Fan Qingzhou also arrived to view the same apartment, intending to rent it as an office for his startup. Recognizing each other, Fan Xiaoyu, asserting her claim, declared she would take it, leading to a competitive bidding for the deposit. Fan Xiaoyu secured the lease by offering to pay a full year's rent in advance. Fan Qingzhou, frustrated by her interference, criticized her for taking the apartment he needed.
Soon after, Mr. Mai, their counselor, called Fan Xiaoyu about her unpaid tuition fees. Fan Xiaoyu quickly fabricated a story about lost cards and parents being abroad, and that she was working a part-time job to foster independence, to buy herself time. Her mother then called again, hysterically demanding that Fan Xiaoyu apologize to her father to secure their family assets, once more calling her a "jinx."
Despite her immense reluctance, Fan Xiaoyu called her father, but his new wife answered, speaking affectionately to him. Enraged, Fan Xiaoyu immediately hung up the phone. Desperate for money, Fan Xiaoyu called her old friend, Lu Xuwen, expressing an urgent need for assistance. Lu Xuwen was delighted to see her, teasing her about her recent notoriety back home and professing his deep, long-standing affection for her, proposing they become a couple.
He reminded her of their intertwined lives since childhood and how they were "destined to be together." Fan Xiaoyu, uncomfortable with his condition and unwilling to accept his help under those terms, abruptly rejected his offer, saying she was no longer hungry, and left. Returning to the dorm, Xia Langlang noticed Fan Xiaoyu's dejected expression.
Having coincidentally overheard Fan Xiaoyu's earlier phone call with her mother that afternoon, Xia Langlang now realized that the proud young lady also had her own hidden difficulties. With tuition and apartment rent overdue, Fan Xiaoyu faced a dire situation and decided to sublet the apartment she had just rented. She contacted the real estate agent, who confirmed this was an option. She then met Fan Qingzhou, who, to her surprise, agreed to take over the lease.
However, in an accidental slip, Fan Xiaoyu reminded him that the apartment was strictly for residential use and "no other purpose." The agent, overhearing this, immediately canceled Fan Qingzhou's lease, citing the landlord's "no office and no dogs" policy, resulting in Fan Qingzhou losing his deposit. Infuriated, Fan Qingzhou lashed out at Fan Xiaoyu, accusing her of being a "jinx" and destroying his dreams.
This harsh accusation deeply wounded Fan Xiaoyu, who tearfully confessed her own struggles: her father had cut her off, her mother constantly berated her, she couldn't afford tuition or rent, and faced dropping out of school and homelessness. To compensate for his lost deposit and assert her dignity, she handed him her precious Montblanc pen, declaring, "I never owe anyone anything!"
Feeling utterly defeated, Fan Xiaoyu received a notification that her Montblanc pen had been sold on a second-hand market for tens of thousands of yuan. She suddenly realized she had given it to Fan Qingzhou. Coincidentally overhearing Fan Qingzhou give his dorm and room number (Room 1001 at Dorm Building No. 8) to a courier, she tracked him down.
She frantically asked for her pen, only to have Fan Qingzhou calmly state that he had thrown it away, believing it was hers to discard. Fan Xiaoyu reminded him about property rights, and they both rushed to search through the trash bins. As they frantically searched, Xia Langlang, who was coincidentally looking for Ma Yiran, overheard Fan Xiaoyu declare her determination to "decide her own life" and not let "humble tuition fees get in her way."
Believing Fan Xiaoyu had found a solution, Xia Langlang smiled and walked away. Mr. Mai also happened to pass by, seeing Fan Xiaoyu and Fan Qingzhou rummaging through garbage, and advised Fan Xiaoyu to "be cautious when making friends." After a strenuous search, Fan Xiaoyu and Fan Qingzhou finally recovered the Montblanc pen.
Fan Xiaoyu expressed her relief and acknowledged the unexpected friendship she had formed with Fan Qingzhou, clearing the air about the "jinx" remark and her parents' unintentional words. She confidently stated that they could now pursue the lives they desired, even starting from nothing, believing that "everything will turn out to be alright." They bid each other "see you around." Exhausted, Fan Xiaoyu returned to her dorm room in the dark.
She found that her roommates had thoughtfully cleared a space for her belongings in the bathroom, and Xia Langlang had left a handmade note on the door, seemingly an apology, promising to "remember to knock on the door next time." This gesture of silent care, along with the earlier egg fried rice from Yang Jiaqian, filled Fan Xiaoyu with warmth, signaling the true and hopeful beginning of her university life.
