Be Yourself Episode 2 Recap
> Be Yourself Recap
Counsellor Mai Meng held a class meeting, emphasizing teamwork for the upcoming military training and expressing his personal connection as this cohort was his first as a counsellor. He laid out his rule: students could approach him with problems, but should not create problems unnecessarily. During the meeting, Fan Xiaoyu observed her roommate, Xia Langlang, reading an English original book.
Fan Xiaoyu noted that Xia Langlang, who occupied bunk number one in room 5438, was unique in their dorm: she was the only one brave enough to go out without makeup, owned no skirts or high heels, and couldn't distinguish lipstick shades. Seeing her academic book, Fan Xiaoyu wondered why such a high-achieving student like Xia Langlang chose their university.
Unbeknownst to Fan Xiaoyu, Xia Langlang harbored a secret crush on a boy named Ma Yiran, a memory resurfacing of an earlier encounter where he expressed shared interest in "One Piece," particularly his favorite character, Zoro. However, when Xia Langlang finally found the courage to approach him, she saw him with another girl, Luoluo, who was his university classmate. Ma Yiran greeted Xia Langlang, mentioning other high school classmates at the university and suggesting an alumni gathering.
Feeling awkward, Xia Langlang quickly excused herself, claiming she had to send a parcel. Back in the dorm, the girls struggled with the unreliable Wi-Fi connection. To facilitate communication, Yang Jiaqian created a dorm group chat, which Fan Xiaoyu promptly renamed "Shapingba's Four Beauties." Huangfu Shumin, despite Xia Langlang's declared atheism, insisted on reading her tarot cards.
Xia Langlang grudgingly drew the reversed Hierophant, which Huangfu interpreted as a prediction of romantic failure, isolation at work, mental exhaustion, and fighting alone. Xia Langlang dismissed the ominous reading. Later, after recalling the morning's encounter, Xia Langlang checked Ma Yiran's QQ Moments but found no new updates. Early the next morning, Xia Langlang went to find Mai Meng to retrieve her military training forms.
Mai Meng revealed that Xia Langlang's mother had contacted both the school and him repeatedly, pushing for Xia Langlang to drop out and retake the college entrance exam to aim for a more prestigious university. Xia Langlang vehemently refused, stating her resolve to stay at Southwest University of Communications. Later, during a phone call, she confronted her mother, highlighting her mother's lack of involvement in her education, even missing parent-teacher conferences.
Her mother, however, insisted that given her father's early passing and her own limited resources, she felt compelled to secure Xia Langlang's future, expressing her desire for Xia Langlang to attend a Project 985 university rather than a Project 211 one, and even mentioning a potential scholarship for "high-score return students." Xia Langlang, frustrated by her mother's persistent nagging, firmly declared that she would not leave the university she had chosen.
A flashback then showed Xia Langlang leaving for university, meticulously preparing breakfast for her mother and giving detailed instructions for taking care of the house, while her mother, tired from a night shift, did not come to send her off. In that memory, Xia Langlang confessed how exhausting it was to always be the "sensible" child.
Before departing for military training, Xia Langlang called her mother again, informing her that she would be in the mountains and likely unreachable, urging her to take care of herself. Military training began, and the students were sent to the mountains. Huangfu, with her delicate constitution, struggled and eventually fainted, needing to be taken to the infirmary. The communal meals were unappetizing, consisting mostly of uninspired vegetable dishes.
During one meal, Ma Yiran approached Xia Langlang’s table, introducing himself to her dormmates as Xia Langlang's high school classmate. He brought a newly opened bottle of Laoganma chili sauce as a gift, which impressed Xia Langlang's dormmates, particularly as he described the effort of getting it from an "illegal store" at the school's back gate and offered to fetch anything else they needed. That evening, Ma Yiran messaged Xia Langlang, inviting her for a walk.
Excited, Xia Langlang quickly went out. They chatted about their respective military training experiences, with Ma Yiran admitting he and a dormmate faked fainting to try and get Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid for the girls, but were caught by the instructor. He also shared a "secret to handle the heat" by loosely buttoning their uniforms instead of zipping them, allowing mountain breeze to cool them.
He then suggested a joint star-gazing outing with both their dorms, mentioning a particularly beautiful spot he and his friends had found. A few days later, the two dorms gathered for the "star-gazing." The "stars" turned out to be string lights set up by the boys. They settled down to play Truth or Dare. Fan Qingzhou drew "Truth" and, without prompting, stood up to make a confession.
As he spoke about being deeply attracted to someone since first sight and subtly showing his feelings, Xia Langlang's face flushed with anticipation, her heart racing, believing he was addressing her. She recalled Ma Yiran's gesture of bringing her the Laoganma. However, in a crushing turn, Fan Qingzhou directed his declaration of "I like you" to Fan Xiaoyu.
Witnessing Xia Langlang's immediate heartbreak and tear-filled eyes, Fan Xiaoyu, without responding to Fan Qingzhou, promptly pulled Xia Langlang away from the gathering. Back at school, Xia Langlang remained heartbroken. Fan Xiaoyu tried to comfort her, telling her that Ma Yiran wasn't worth it and that she would never pursue a friend's love interest. Still, Xia Langlang yearned for an explanation.
She confronted Ma Yiran, holding a photo with a message he had written on it from their high school graduation day. He nonchalantly explained that he had written the generic phrase, "I'm grateful to meet you," to every classmate, and had no idea what she meant by "One Piece character in QQ," claiming he hadn't watched the anime in a long time. This revelation shattered Xia Langlang, as she realized her entire connection with him was a misunderstanding.
Overwhelmed, she contemplated dropping out, telling Mai Meng she felt she had made a wrong decision by coming to the university but didn't want to retake the exam. Mai Meng, in turn, advised her as an adult to own her choices and their consequences. Soon after, Mai Meng informed Xia Langlang that a parcel had arrived from her mother during military training, which he had signed for.
Inside, she found a new dress, carefully chosen from Wangfujing Department Store in Wuyi Square, and a heartfelt letter. In the letter, her mother expressed that Mai Meng had affirmed Xia Langlang's maturity and independent decision-making. Her mother reflected on how Xia Langlang had grown up quickly after her father's death when she was eleven, becoming the strong one who guided their family through grief.
She acknowledged her past attempts to guide Xia Langlang, but realized that her daughter's path and life choices were ultimately her own. Her mother urged Xia Langlang to live for herself from that day forward, rather than for her.
Reading the letter, Xia Langlang was deeply moved and recognized her mother's consistent, subtle support—it was her mother who had adopted the "Zoro" persona on QQ, encouraging her to "sleep more and take care of her eyesight," a detail she had initially misinterpreted as coming from Ma Yiran. Xia Langlang immediately called her mother, apologizing tearfully for her past tantrums. Her mother, equally emotional, reassured her that she understood and urged her not to cry, reminding her to be happy.
On Xia Langlang's birthday, her roommates surprised her with a large cake, a gesture that deeply touched her. Fan Xiaoyu, reflecting on Xia Langlang, noted her courageous choices in life despite being romantically naive, concluding that she would need to guide her friend through future emotional missteps.
