Binary Love Episode 9 Recap
> Binary Love Recap
Zhou Linlin played the guitar and sang, bringing their bonfire party to a satisfying close. Everyone sat around, with Fang Yuke gazing affectionately at Linlin, while Wang Jie appeared quite drunk. In her caravan, Ye Ruting was also intoxicated, singing loudly and out of tune, which drew a crowd and disturbed the campers. Zhou Linlin, hearing the ruckus, asked her friends to head back while she went to check on Ruting.
Inside the caravan, Zhou Linlin asked Ruting what was wrong. Ruting, weeping, confessed that Xie Duanxi had rejected her. He had described her as a "tree," saying a tree transplanted across a river would regret it. Confused, Linlin couldn't understand the metaphor. Ruting then declared vehemently, "No one can reject Ye Ruting!" Meanwhile, Wen Tao had strategically decided to sleep outside Fang Yuke's tent.
When Fang Yuke questioned him, Wen Tao explained he was "preventing trouble" in case Fang Yuke "did something in the middle of the night." Fang Yuke found this tactic childish. His roommates, however, were also keeping watch, believing that "on such a beautiful night, something great will happen." Zhou Linlin spent time comforting Ruting until her crying subsided.
Ruting, still upset about Xie Duanxi and feeling her makeup was smeared, didn't want to face Fang Yuke directly, but understood Fang Yuke might have insights into Xie Duanxi. Linlin offered to help by getting information from him. She sent a text to Fang Yuke, asking him to meet her at the seaside, as she had "something to tell" him. Fang Yuke immediately sat up, dressed, and rushed out, believing Linlin was about to confess her feelings.
When they met at the beach, Fang Yuke, ever thoughtful, brought a jacket for Linlin and suggested they talk where it wasn't as windy. Linlin, however, was resolute, stating, "Love can't wait." Mistaking her urgency, Fang Yuke tried to confess first, but Linlin stopped him, directly asking, "Do you know what kind of girl Xie Duanxi likes?" Fang Yuke was taken aback.
When Linlin claimed she was asking "for myself" rather than for Ruting, he grew angry, accused her of being out in the strong wind after an infusion, and turned to leave, telling her to go back. Back at the caravan, Linlin was surprised to find Ruting had already recovered. Ruting explained, "My sadness is time-bound."
She confidently asserted that Xie Duanxi would eventually fall for her, adding that to love someone, one must take action so the other person knows their feelings. She said she needed to learn more about him, as "Ye Ruting is never a girl who easily gives up." She thanked Linlin for gathering "information" late at night and gifted her a face mask.
Furious, Fang Yuke went to confront Xie Duanxi, demanding to know when he and Zhou Linlin started their relationship. Xie Duanxi, initially believing Fang Yuke was asking about him and Ruting, admitted they weren't officially together, but had shared "a little crush and a few surprising kisses." He added that Ruting had often visited him in the greenhouse, professed her love that day, and asked him to be her boyfriend, but he had rejected her.
Fang Yuke's anger intensified, but then he quickly realized Xie Duanxi was talking about Ruting. Xie Duanxi clarified that he had "nothing to do with Zhou Linlin," and only then did Fang Yuke finally understand Linlin’s earlier question. Meanwhile, Linlin and Ruting were applying their face masks. Linlin praised Ruting as "the bravest girl I've ever seen," especially surprised to learn Ruting cried, having always thought of her as an "ice queen."
Ruting, however, denied crying, insisting she was just watching a movie with a loud scene. She cautioned Linlin to keep this "movie" secret. Xie Duanxi then offered Fang Yuke advice, telling him that if he cared about Zhou Linlin so much, he should "directly tell her." Fang Yuke argued that their relationship wasn't at that stage yet, having just returned to being friends, and he didn't want to "scare her" by confessing.
He felt Linlin only saw him as a friend. Xie Duanxi countered that if Fang Yuke never expressed his feelings, Linlin would never know. He questioned whether continually "defending" against Wen Tao and avoiding direct action would yield results. Fang Yuke, who had loved Linlin for many years, wanted to make her fall for him step-by-step through his actions, and he was willing to wait. Xie Duanxi pressed him, asking, "What action have you taken? You've missed too many opportunities.
Why not start now?" This profound advice resonated with Fang Yuke, who immediately rushed out. At that moment, Zhou Linlin was also out on the beach, watching the sunrise. Fang Yuke found her, shouted, "Zhou Linlin, I like you," and then kissed her. Startled and shy, Linlin ran away. On their way back to school, Wen Tao, having woken to find Fang Yuke gone, discovered him kissing Zhou Linlin.
Later, Zhou Linlin dismissed the kiss as "just an accident between friends" that Fang Yuke should "forget immediately." Fang Yuke tried to discuss it further, but Wen Tao interrupted, reinforcing Linlin's words by stating it "was just an accident between good friends" that "doesn't mean anything." Despite this, Fang Yuke refused to give up, resolving to remain by Zhou Linlin's side.
Upon returning to Lingfeng Campus, Fang Yuke tried to continue their friendship as before, but Linlin consciously maintained a distance. For instance, when Linlin texted Fang Yuke to help her request leave for an evening class, he texted back, "That's not how you use a good friend. A gentleman's friendship is bland as water," indicating his growing frustration with the friend label.
To further his cause, Fang Yuke bought a Musang King durian for Zhou Linlin's roommates, telling them, "your good friends are his good friends, too," hoping to curry favor. When Fang Yuke was preoccupied in a meeting, Wen Tao seized the opportunity to invite Zhou Linlin to play tennis. He surprised her with "Happy Ball No. 3," declaring, "I'm your biggest source of happiness."
He even let her win a game, giving her a small "gold trophy" as a prize, and she happily agreed to treat him to dinner. Meanwhile, Fang Yuke's friends saw Zhou Linlin and Wen Tao together at the canteen and sent photos to Fang Yuke, who was in his meeting, completely distracting him. Fang Yuke, now determined, sent Zhou Linlin a flurry of messages, including a list of "100 things to do with good friends."
Annoyed by the constant notifications, Linlin muted him, texting back, "The world is quiet now," expressing her discomfort with his incessant messaging. Ye Ruting, upon returning to school, directly confronted Xie Duanxi about his "plant" metaphor. She asserted, "I'm not a tree or a plant. . . The environment where you are is the environment suitable for me." She then departed for class, playfully calling him "botanist."
One evening, as Zhou Linlin and Wen Tao finished dinner, it started raining heavily. Wen Tao rushed to buy an umbrella, even referring to Linlin as his "girlfriend" at the cashier out of urgency. However, Zhou Linlin, unwilling to wait, ran back to her dorm. Fang Yuke, having sensed the situation, intercepted Zhou Linlin in the rain. He embraced her, telling her, "If you don't want us to be good friends, perhaps we can try another relationship.
I no longer want the wordplay." When she tried to resist, he forcefully kissed her, declaring, "It's never an accident between good friends." In a flashback to high school, Zhou Linlin and Fang Yuke were at an ice cream shop. When Linlin inquired about a "second item half-price" offer for Peach Gem Ice Creams, the cashier, assuming they were a couple, remarked, "You two little lovers have been together for a while." Zhou Linlin quickly clarified, "We're not a couple.
We're good friends." Fang Yuke then, subtly hinting at his feelings, asked, "Can't good friends get the second one half-price?" before emphasizing, "We're good friends. Very, very good friends." Later, they were seen ordering big drumsticks and fries.
