Be Yourself Episode 5 Recap
> Be Yourself Recap
Xia Langlang sat in a dull public elective class, feeling her life lacked direction. From behind, Ma Yiran noticed her and moved to sit beside her. Xia Langlang hesitated, intentionally moving further away, but Ma Yiran still passed her a note. After some internal struggle, she took it. Xia Langlang was troubled by Ma Yiran's suggestive note and discussed it discreetly with Yang Jiaqian and Huangfu Suming.
Huangfu Suming commented on how public elective courses often serve as a "bridge of magpies" for students to find partners from different majors, pursuing relationships under the guise of earning credits. Xia Langlang then posed a hypothetical question about a boy telling a girl, "I'm also a fool," wondering if it implied romantic interest. Yang Jiaqian dismissed it as simply calling her a fool, but Huangfu Suming suggested it could be ambiguous.
Suddenly, the dorm received a notice for an inspection requiring a photo with a Marxism-Leninism textbook. Fan Xiaoyu was not in the dorm, so Xia Langlang had to quickly find a neighboring roommate to impersonate her to pass the inspection. Meanwhile, Fan Xiaoyu was tricked into going to a pub by Lu Xuwen, who was feigning drunkenness.
Lu Xuwen first called her, pretending to be drunk and missing her, then a stranger took the phone to convince Fan Xiaoyu to pick him up. Upon arrival, Fan Xiaoyu immediately saw through his act, reminding him of his past asthma attack from a small mountain climb and questioning his claims of being "amazing" from high altitudes. Lu Xuwen then confessed he orchestrated the meeting because he was worried she would be upset by her father's social media posts.
He then showed her a post from Fan Debiao's WeChat moments, which announced the arrival of a new baby. Fan Xiaoyu, who had blocked her father, was displeased, asserting that her relationship with her father was none of Lu Xuwen's business. She then advised him not to drink too much and to call her when he got home, before leaving. Returning to the dorm, Fan Xiaoyu found Xia Langlang awake.
Before Xia Langlang could even speak, Fan Xiaoyu correctly deduced she was preoccupied with Ma Yiran and urged her to move on, suggesting that emotions aren't like academics where effort guarantees results. Xia Langlang lamented that it wasn't that simple. After Ma Yiran sent Xia Langlang an invitation to sit together in their next public elective class, Xia Langlang couldn't resist.
She even asked Fan Xiaoyu to teach her how to do her makeup, and Huangfu Suming helped her paint her nails with a claret color, claiming it was very popular and irresistible to men. Despite the fun night, the next morning, seeing Ma Yiran and Xia Langlang together, Fan Xiaoyu sighed, convinced that Ma Yiran was untrustworthy. Yang Jiaqian also expressed disbelief that Ma Yiran would immediately pursue Xia Langlang after Fan Xiaoyu rejected him.
Fan Xiaoyu went to the drama club to observe Ma Yiran and overheard him arranging a movie date with another girl, despite knowing she had a boyfriend, claiming he just wanted to share popcorn. This confirmed Fan Xiaoyu's suspicions that Ma Yiran was a terrible man. Upon returning to the dorm, Xia Langlang excitedly announced she was going to see a movie, and asked to borrow Fan Xiaoyu's high heels.
Despite Fan Xiaoyu's implicit warnings about choosing people carefully, Xia Langlang remained determined, attributing Ma Yiran's invitation to their shared hometown. Watching Xia Langlang fall deeper, Fan Xiaoyu felt she needed to intervene for her friend's sake. Fan Xiaoyu decided to take action. She tried to "accidentally" fall in front of Ma Yiran, but he was too engrossed in conversation with a junior student to even notice her.
Discouraged, she then overheard gossip that Ma Yiran had also invited other girls to the movies. Alert, she started recording their conversation as she followed them. Despite this, upon returning to the dorm, seeing Xia Langlang's beaming face, Fan Xiaoyu held back her concerns. She lent Xia Langlang her high heels and watched Huangfu Suming paint Xia Langlang's nails, knowing Xia Langlang was likely heading for trouble, but feeling powerless.
Later, Fan Xiaoyu, sitting with Fan Qingzhou, sighed repeatedly, expressing her frustration at being unable to help a friend who was walking "into a pit of fire." Fan Qingzhou advised her that if she couldn't stop someone from jumping into a pit of fire, she should become the one to extinguish the flames. Filled with anticipation, Xia Langlang arrived at the cinema only to receive a WeChat message from Ma Yiran cancelling their date due to a sudden club emergency.
She tried to play it cool, responding that she hadn't left yet, but in reality, she was already there, meticulously made-up and wearing borrowed high heels. She then awkwardly began her walk home. Her phone rang again, and it was Fan Xiaoyu, who sent her a picture of Ma Yiran waiting at the cinema entrance. Fan Xiaoyu intended to expose him in front of Xia Langlang.
Xia Langlang's heart sank, and when she rushed to a different cinema entrance, she saw Ma Yiran smiling, handing a drink to Fan Xiaoyu. Xia Langlang's hopes crumbled as she watched from a distance. Unbeknownst to Xia Langlang, Fan Xiaoyu had pushed away the drink Ma Yiran offered, and Fan Xiaoyu didn't notice Xia Langlang's disheartened departure. Escaping the suffocating mall, Xia Langlang twisted her ankle while chasing a bus.
In despair at the bus stop, she called her mother, but during the conversation, her mind drifted, overwhelmed by her emotions. Upon learning of Xia Langlang's injured foot, Fan Xiaoyu rushed back to the dorm. Yang Jiaqian had already applied medicine to Xia Langlang's ankle. When Fan Xiaoyu tried to check the injury, Xia Langlang coldly turned away.
Fan Xiaoyu's intervention had not improved Xia Langlang's mood; instead, it served as a stark reminder of her futile three-year devotion to Ma Yiran and her struggle against her mother for him. Despite the absurdity of her infatuation, Xia Langlang resented anyone's interference, stating that her feelings, freedom, and choices were her own. This made Fan Xiaoyu realize her mistake, recalling her own annoyance when Lu Xuwen tried to mediate her relationship with her father.
She recognized that she had, in turn, interfered in someone else's life. Seeing Xia Langlang's emotional tears, Fan Xiaoyu's eyes also welled up, and she once again sought out Fan Qingzhou, who listened empathetically while focusing on his coding. Fan Qingzhou reiterated that everyone has the right to choose their own path, no matter how difficult. Fan Xiaoyu reflected on her realization that she disliked others interfering in her life, yet she had done the same to Xia Langlang.
During her phone call with her mother at the bus stop, Xia Langlang learned that her mother had recently started dating someone nice. This news brought a mix of complicated feelings—a blend of sadness and confusion. Mai Meng, having also received a call from Xia Langlang's mother, came to counsel Xia Langlang. He explained that caring for her mother didn't mean restricting her choices, as everyone has the right to their own life and to choose their own happiness.
He challenged Xia Langlang's assumptions about her mother's loneliness and desires, reminding her that her mother's choices were her own and not for Xia Langlang to interfere with. As Xia Langlang listened, she recalled her own angry words to Fan Xiaoyu, realizing she had become the very person who meddled in others' decisions. Mai Meng then led Xia Langlang to the university canteen, where she was surprised and brightened to see her mother.
Despite her injured leg, Xia Langlang approached her. Her mother warmly encouraged her to eat, offering her favorite egg. Seeing her mother's unchanging care, Xia Langlang mustered her courage and told her mother to pursue her own happiness, urging her not to sacrifice her personal life for Xia Langlang's sake. Her mother tightly gripped the table's edge, holding back tears, and simply remarked how much more sensible her daughter had become.
Xia Langlang then led her mother on a tour of the campus. They encountered Fan Xiaoyu, and Xia Langlang instinctively looked away, unsure how to react. Fan Xiaoyu, taking a deep breath, stepped forward to greet Xia Langlang's mother. In her conversation with Xia Langlang's mother, Fan Xiaoyu praised Xia Langlang, thanking her for her constant help and understanding, and apologized for her own past "troubles." Xia Langlang, perceptive, understood Fan Xiaoyu's implicit apology.
She then took Fan Xiaoyu's arm, and the three continued their campus tour together. Later, after another dorm inspection requiring a specific "X-ray" pose for a photo, Fan Xiaoyu handed Xia Langlang a new bottle of Ruyi medicated oil from Hongkong. She suggested it could help with Xia Langlang's ankle or, if she was still angry, could be applied to Fan Xiaoyu's eyes (after Fan Xiaoyu finished her essay).
Xia Langlang, having moved past her anger, smiled and took the oil, signaling their reconciliation. This experience taught Fan Xiaoyu the importance of respecting personal boundaries. Perhaps also influenced by seeing Xia Langlang and her mother holding arms affectionately, Fan Xiaoyu looked at her phone, unblocked Fan Debiao from her WeChat, and with renewed resolve, opened his moments, ready to confront her relationship with her father.
