Be Yourself Episode 6 Recap
> Be Yourself Recap
Fan Qingzhou's dorm was running low on food, and the payment for a job from the previous month was still unsettled. He expressed frustration that after three years, talented individuals like himself and his partner, Leizi, still struggled to find investors, attributing it to a lack of a clear public persona.
He had analyzed big data to identify suitable personas, describing himself as the "handsome and charming" and "cute boy type" like Karry Wang, while Leizi, who enjoyed foot baths for health, Chinese calligraphy, and antiques, was the "veteran cadre type" like Jackson Yee. Fan Qingzhou, however, clarified his own foot baths were purely for warmth because the air conditioning was too low. He reminded Leizi to chase the outstanding payment because they were almost out of food.
Meanwhile, Xia Langlang's dorm was also excited about the school's upcoming College Spring Art Festival, which offered a grand prize of fifty thousand yuan. Earlier, Xia Langlang’s mother had informed her of her grandma’s broken bone and upcoming surgery, expressing concern about the medical bills. Xia Langlang, assuring her mother that she would find a way to cover the costs, saw the competition as an opportunity.
Her roommates initially considered performing a quartet, with one playing violin, another playing piano, and Yang Jiaqian on Chinese zither. Xia Langlang optimistically suggested she could handle percussion, though her attempt ended in loud clangs. When they decided to try a dance, her roommates highlighted their cheerleading, ballet, and rhythmic gymnastics backgrounds. Xia Langlang offered to do "lifting" due to her strength, but during practice, she accidentally injured Huangfu's eye.
Fan Xiaoyu received a call from Fan Qingzhou, who proposed they perform a "great saw living person" magic trick for the competition. He explained that his team was developing an app called Try-it and urgently needed funds, as odd jobs were scarce. Fan Xiaoyu initially expressed surprise that a fifth-year senior like him was still competing but agreed to the partnership, demanding 60% of the prize money and accident insurance, to which Fan Qingzhou readily agreed.
Back at the dorm, Huangfu and Yang Jiaqian informed Xia Langlang that they would perform a duet dance, effectively leaving her out. Xia Langlang felt abandoned but defiantly declared she would perform solo and "defeat all of them." Later, alone in the cafeteria, Xia Langlang witnessed Wu Yan intervening when two students were yelling at the cafeteria lady. Another student then mocked Wu Yan for his "weirdo" attire.
Xia Langlang offered Wu Yan a yogurt and a seat at her table, having observed the incident. They introduced themselves: Xia Langlang, a Journalism freshman, and Wu Yan, a sophomore in Information Engineering, known for his love of sewing and knitting. Wu Yan shared details about his Slow-paced Hobby Group, a community of less sociable individuals who enjoyed time-killing hobbies. Xia Langlang found his interests endearing and his group "nice."
Upon learning about Xia Langlang's grandma's fracture, Wu Yan kindly offered to knit a blanket for her recovery. Xia Langlang then invited Wu Yan to partner with her for the College Spring Art Festival, mentioning her roommates had "ditched" her. Wu Yan agreed, sealing their partnership. During their magic rehearsal, Fan Xiaoyu became frustrated with Fan Qingzhou's lack of expressive emotion.
She tried to teach him directly, illustrating the performance's dramatic shifts by using the prize money as an example—showing excitement, disappointment, and then renewed hope. Fan Qingzhou, feeling shy as she got close, struggled to grasp the emotional nuances. Annoyed, Fan Xiaoyu declared him "unteachable" and left, but her concern for the unattended props led her to return. She found Fan Qingzhou secretly practicing her lessons in front of a mirror.
When she messaged him about locking up and reviewing instructions, he playfully claimed he was already asleep, making her smile as she continued to watch him from outside. Meanwhile, Leizi, Fan Qingzhou's business partner, asked him for 2,000 yuan, claiming he needed it for dinner before leaving to collect payment for a previous job. Shortly after, Leizi sent Fan Qingzhou a text message apologizing and saying he had "messed up" and felt too ashamed to face him.
Leizi then became unreachable, his phone switched off. Facing potential eviction, Fan Qingzhou confessed his predicament to Fan Xiaoyu. Fan Xiaoyu generously lent him money, stating he could repay her once he secured investment. Fan Xiaoyu also expressed annoyance at Leizi's unreliability, labeling him an "unreliable partner" and a potential "loser who can't graduate." Fan Qingzhou lamented his situation as a fifth-year student facing the end of his academic journey, and both acknowledged their vastly different circumstances.
Xia Langlang soon joined Wu Yan at a gathering of his Slow-paced Hobby Group. However, when Wu Yan's classmates saw them together, they jokingly teased them about being a couple in matching outfits. Xia Langlang, feeling awkward, suggested they move to a different spot. Outside, she overheard students discussing Wu Yan's past attempt at the College Spring Art Festival, where he had become "famous" for his "weirdo outfit" and was "laughed at for a long time."
The students speculated that anyone partnering with him must also be "a weirdo." These rumors, coupled with the news from her mother (on the phone) that her grandma's surgery was successful and covered by medical insurance, thereby removing her initial motivation for the prize money, made Xia Langlang reconsider her partnership with Wu Yan. She awkwardly told him on the phone she felt "under the weather" and needed to attend class, suggesting they rehearse later.
Later, she confided in Huangfu about her doubts, saying she didn't want to participate and wasn't "so close" to Wu Yan. Wu Yan, who was nearby, overheard her conversation. Though he was clearly hurt, he quietly conveyed through Huangfu that he understood her decision and did not wish to be contacted again. Despite being abandoned, he still sent Xia Langlang a blanket for her grandma, who had back pain, fulfilling his earlier promise.
Meanwhile, Huangfu and Yang Jiaqian faced their own conflict over their dance costumes, with Huangfu insisting on a short, sexy skirt and Yang Jiaqian preferring trousers or a retro style, leading Yang Jiaqian to withdraw. When Fan Xiaoyu returned to the dorm, celebrating her successful "night out" without being caught, she found Huangfu and Yang Jiaqian upset. Yang Jiaqian lamented that Huangfu "didn't want her anymore" over the costume disagreement.
Fan Xiaoyu calmly suggested they each wear what they preferred, arguing, "Why do you want to be uniform? Shouldn't everyone have their own personality? The world is a colorful place because we're different." Her words resonated, and the two reconciled, deciding to embrace their individual styles for their performance. Inspired by this, Xia Langlang also returned to Wu Yan, apologizing and expressing her renewed commitment to their rehearsal.
During the College Spring Art Festival, Huangfu and Yang Jiaqian's duet dance was met with cheers from the audience, who found it "very cool." Fan Qingzhou and Fan Xiaoyu's "great saw living person" magic trick also garnered significant attention, though some audience members noted minor flaws, like a foot exposed outside the box. Wu Yan and Xia Langlang then took the stage, delivering a powerful singing performance.
The audience, including some of Wu Yan's classmates, expressed surprise to see him participate again after his past notorious performance. After the competition, Fan Qingzhou and Fan Xiaoyu received the "Unique Style Award," which Fan Xiaoyu noted was merely an "encouragement award." She joked that the prize money was just enough for Fan Qingzhou to repay her the 300 yuan.
As Fan Qingzhou was preparing to leave school that summer, with his entrepreneurial efforts seemingly failing, he shared a worried farewell with Fan Xiaoyu. She offered her prize money as "angel investment," but he initially declined. They eventually exchanged WeChat contacts, realizing they had known each other for a year without doing so. Just as Fan Qingzhou was feeling down, his former partner, Leizi, reappeared.
Leizi confessed that while he had been tempted to pursue other paths, he recognized Fan Qingzhou's "marketing genius" and suggested he join his venture, urging him to "get real" instead of making "meaningless sacrifices and struggles." Reunited with his friend, Fan Qingzhou felt a renewed sense of purpose and courage to confront reality.
