Be Yourself Episode 14 Recap
> Be Yourself Recap
Lei Dongqiang brought Fan Qingzhou to meet Mr. Wang, who criticized their dating app for lacking a human touch. Mr. Wang suggested that they watch romantic movies and TV shows to understand people's interests and opinions, since he sensed they lacked real-life experience with profound love.
Lei Dongqiang immediately blamed Fan Xiaoyu, claiming that as the app's "Goddess of Splash Ad", she was not attractive enough, specifically that "she wore too much," suggesting she should take more revealing pictures to make users' hearts pound. Fan Xiaoyu vehemently disagreed, accusing Lei Dongqiang of blaming her for his own failures. As the two argued intensely, Fan Qingzhou tried to mediate, urging them to calm down, but his efforts only fueled their anger.
Lei Dongqiang complained about the pressure of securing investment while Fan Qingzhou only focused on coding, leading to a heated exchange about their responsibilities. Fan Xiaoyu also chimed in, defending Fan Qingzhou's coding role and questioning Lei Dongqiang's methods. Xia Langlang, Huangfu Shumin, and Yang Jiaqian watched the latest episode of Justin's new drama, "You or Her".
Both Huangfu Shumin and Xia Langlang were infuriated by Justin's "scumbag" character, who they felt was misleading Fang Jiaqi, while Yang Jiaqian staunchly defended her idol's acting as being true to the plot. When Huangfu Shumin called Zhou Yu and discovered he preferred the "scheming" character Liu Piaopiao, she immediately declared their breakup. After her phone call, the group went for a walk.
Yang Jiaqian spotted an announcement for an entrepreneurial design contest, which she immediately photographed and sent to Fan Qingzhou, realizing his team could participate if they had a current student member. Huangfu Shumin suggested Fan Xiaoyu could join their team, which made Yang Jiaqian hesitate, as she liked Fan Qingzhou and didn't want to hand such an opportunity to Fan Xiaoyu. Coincidentally, Fan Qingzhou and Lei Dongqiang were also watching popular romantic dramas to gather ideas for optimizing their app.
Seizing this opportunity, Yang Jiaqian spent an entire night compiling a detailed analysis of TV drama user preferences. The next morning, she presented her extensive findings to Lei Dongqiang and Fan Qingzhou. Lei Dongqiang initially downplayed her efforts, mentioning they had more comprehensive data and advising her not to waste time on such reports. He also expressed disinterest in the school contest due to the urgent need to revise the app for Mr. Wang.
However, Yang Jiaqian insisted they were qualified, having confirmed with the contest organizers that only one current student was needed. She volunteered to join their team and prepare the business plan for their app, "Try-it," allowing Fan Qingzhou and Lei Dongqiang to focus on the app's modifications. Lei Dongqiang, though initially wary of Yang Jiaqian's "overenthusiasm," eventually agreed to her joining after Fan Qingzhou found no issue with it.
The tension between Lei Dongqiang and Fan Qingzhou escalated as Lei Dongqiang continued to express frustration over the urgent investor deadline and Fan Qingzhou's focus on the school competition. Lei Dongqiang suggested a "crooked way" to win over Mr. Wang: having Fan Xiaoyu charm him during a dinner, leveraging her "inherent advantage as a woman" to secure the investment.
Fan Qingzhou vehemently opposed this, arguing it was unethical and that Fan Xiaoyu was a shareholder, not to be used in such a way. Their argument spiraled into a bitter fight, with Lei Dongqiang accusing Fan Qingzhou of undermining their efforts for a "trivial thing" and challenging his commitment to their success, ultimately storming off and telling Fan Qingzhou it was his call to either "give it a go or let all the efforts go down the drain."
Meanwhile, Yang Jiaqian's roommates praised her detailed project proposal, marveling at her dedication. Fan Qingzhou, overwhelmed with modifying the investor's plan, called Yang Jiaqian and entrusted her with leading the entire presentation for the upcoming competition, expressing his full trust in her ability to deliver a great pitch. Excited by his confidence, Yang Jiaqian felt a renewed surge of motivation.
Separately, Xia Langlang spotted Zhou Yu dropping off another girl and secretly took a photo, immediately sending it to Huangfu Shumin. Moments later, Zhou Yu received an angry message from Huangfu Shumin, making him smile wryly at her jealousy. The popular drama "You or Her" reached its climax, with both Huangfu Shumin and Yang Jiaqian shedding tears over the touching storyline where Justin's character finally chose Fang Jiaqi.
Yang Jiaqian eagerly shared her feelings with her fan group, who further encouraged her to bravely pursue her own love. Later, Fan Qingzhou invited Fan Xiaoyu to discuss ways to inject a "heart-pounding" feeling into their app for Mr. Wang, seeking her insights on what that sensation truly meant. Fan Xiaoyu jokingly replied that it might be "the feeling after running 800 meters."
Xia Langlang, unable to find the books she needed at the library, coincidentally met Mai Meng, who generously invited her to his dorm to borrow from his extensive collection. While there, Xia Langlang subtly swapped the position of one book, then quietly left with her chosen book, declining Mai Meng's offer to take more, citing the classical saying that "books are not read unless borrowed."
Yang Jiaqian meticulously rehearsed her pitch for the competition, recording herself repeatedly and refining every detail. Her roommates admired her dedication, noting that her efforts were sure to pay off. However, Fan Qingzhou called Fan Xiaoyu with distressing news: Yang Jiaqian's name had been accidentally omitted from the registration form due to Fan Qingzhou's oversight, for which he apologized profusely. Fan Xiaoyu was filled with guilt, realizing her earlier submission of the form contributed to this.
With Lei Dongqiang still missing and Fan Qingzhou prone to stammering under pressure, Yang Jiaqian would be unable to present. To ensure the team's hard work wasn't wasted, Yang Jiaqian selflessly ceded the presentation opportunity to Fan Xiaoyu. Fan Xiaoyu, though hesitant, accepted the challenge, taking Yang Jiaqian's meticulously annotated script and practicing diligently with her roommates. Despite making this sacrifice for the team's success, Yang Jiaqian watched Fan Xiaoyu practicing, her heart heavy with disappointment.
On the day of the contest, as Fan Xiaoyu took a deep breath and walked onto the stage, Yang Jiaqian watched from the audience, envisioning herself in that spotlight, knowing that her reality was different and she wouldn't be the one shining on stage. Just as Yang Jiaqian left the hall, she spotted Lei Dongqiang hesitating near the entrance. Yang Jiaqian immediately confronted him, expressing her surprise that he was there but not on stage.
Lei Dongqiang admitted he saw the presentation and felt too embarrassed to go up after Fan Qingzhou's moving speech. Yang Jiaqian then passionately urged him to overcome his embarrassment and join Fan Qingzhou, emphasizing that Fan Qingzhou was more worried about him than the competition itself, and was waiting for him.
During Fan Xiaoyu's presentation, she confidently introduced herself as "the face of our team," acknowledging the more technically-minded nature of Fan Qingzhou and Lei Dongqiang and making a lighthearted joke about male app developers. She then delivered a compelling pitch, built on Yang Jiaqian's carefully prepared materials, explaining their app's unique value. " Try-it" ultimately won the excellence award.
During his acceptance speech, Fan Qingzhou spoke emotionally about the app's origins, remembering his initial idea with Lei Dongqiang to create an app that would allow the whole world to understand them. He expressed his disappointment at Lei Dongqiang's absence, wishing they could share the stage together. At that moment, Lei Dongqiang walked onto the stage, much to Fan Qingzhou's surprise and delight. Fan Qingzhou embraced Lei Dongqiang tightly, then extended a big hug to Fan Xiaoyu.
The trio bowed to the cheering crowd as they accepted their award. Later, Fan Xiaoyu and her roommates celebrated their victory. Her friends praised her for preparing so well overnight, but Fan Xiaoyu attributed the success to Yang Jiaqian's meticulous work. When the topic of Lei Dongqiang's sudden appearance came up, her roommates assumed Fan Xiaoyu had angrily convinced him to return.
Yang Jiaqian remained silent, having spent the past few days tirelessly searching for Lei Dongqiang, eventually finding him at an internet cafe, convincing him to attend the contest, and then encouraging him to go on stage. Overwhelmed by her unacknowledged sacrifices, Yang Jiaqian declined Fan Xiaoyu's celebratory invitation and drink, retreating to the restroom. Later that night, Lei Dongqiang and Fan Qingzhou, reunited, drank until they were completely drunk.
After settling Lei Dongqiang back in their dorm, Fan Qingzhou sent a WeChat message to Fan Xiaoyu, thanking her for her help that day. He realized that in the moment he hugged Fan Xiaoyu on stage, his heart had pounded intensely. Fan Xiaoyu, seeing his message, also felt a strong flutter in her heart. Meanwhile, Yang Jiaqian hesitated over a confession message to Fan Qingzhou in her chatbox, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to send it.
In his drunken state, Lei Dongqiang jokingly suggested changing the app's name, claiming "Try-it" was unlucky and they needed something more romantic. After Lei Dongqiang was asleep, Fan Qingzhou, pondering all night with Fan Xiaoyu's face on his mind, decided to completely shut down "Try-it" to pursue new product optimization. Consequently, Yang Jiaqian's first ever confession, which she finally attempted to send, failed to deliver as the app was offline.
She realized that even with her intelligence, she couldn't always have her way, as there were many people she cared about. Later, Lei Dongqiang, while still slightly inebriated, confirmed to Fan Qingzhou that it was Yang Jiaqian, not Fan Xiaoyu, who had found him at the internet cafe and convinced him to come back for the competition, adding that Fan Xiaoyu had only sent him scolding messages.
