Discovery of Romance Episode 8 Recap
> Discovery of Romance Recap
Xia Tian and Guan Xin walked into the private room side by side, drawing envious glances from everyone. Xu Zehao watched them, feeling annoyed as they were surrounded by friends. He wished he could just drink himself into a stupor, feeling he couldn't stand being there any longer. While Xia Tian was in the restroom, Xu Zehao and Guan Xin, fueled by alcohol, began to "pour out their hearts" to each other, marveling at their shared fate.
They drank bottle after bottle until they woke up the next day. It turned out that when Xia Tian returned from the restroom the previous night, she found the private room in chaos. Xu Zehao and Guan Xin, both heavily intoxicated, were calling each other "brother" and dancing. They even took a pair of dice as a token of their newfound brotherhood. The next morning, Xu Zehao looked at the dice in his hand and chuckled, finding Guan Xin childish.
Guan Xin, waking up with a hangover, found a small lucky dog figurine beside him. It was a gift Xu Zehao had impulsively removed from his car and given to Guan Xin as they parted ways last night, noting Guan Xin was born in the year of the dog. Xu Zehao tried to justify his behavior, thinking that anyone could get drunk. As for his confession to Xia Tian last night, he dismissed it as drunken nonsense.
He convinced himself there was no way he could fall for a woman he had already broken up with. Despite this, he privately considered terminating his contract with Xia Tian's studio, but Mr. Yu quickly dissuaded him, pointing out the value and cost-effectiveness of her designs. Mr. Yu also asked Xu Zehao if he had ever liked a woman with a boyfriend, to which Xu Zehao immediately responded with a firm no, calling the idea "psycho."
He then mentioned the character of The Great Gatsby, who loved a married woman and ended up dying, reaffirming his disdain for such "crazy" behavior. Mr. Yu suggested Xu Zehao might still be drunk and offered him a hangover cure, but Xu Zehao insisted he was fine, just wanting coffee. Later, while waiting to check timber at a mill, Xu Zehao saw Xia Tian approaching and hid behind his car.
Xia Tian greeted him cheerfully, stating she had blacked out last night and couldn't remember anything he had said or done. Both Xu Zehao and Xia Tian soon discovered problems with the timber. Mr. Zhang, the mill owner, tried to brazenly defend his products, claiming his old elm was ancient and had been naturally dried, contrasting it with Xia Tian's observation of fake fumigated wood.
Xia Tian critically questioned his sales philosophy, "do fair business, be cautious to flaws, be kind to others, sell nice products," implying he was trying to fool them. Xu Zehao directly terminated the partnership, noting that Mr. Zhang's words were like "Zhang Fei selling tofu, tough person but soft goods," meaning he was full of empty talk.
Xia Tian agreed, reasoning that if issues appeared at the first inspection, more problems would likely arise later, and they didn't have time to constantly check for problems. She also shrewdly pointed out that the lack of older, experienced workers in the "old" mill indicated deeper issues, which impressed Xu Zehao. Finding a rare common ground in their meticulous observations, Xu Zehao left Mr. Yu behind and decided to drive Xia Tian home.
Meanwhile, Dong Hao worried about Xia Tian finding out about Guan Xin and Lu Xi, as both were his good friends. Lu Xi messaged Guan Xin, inviting him for skewered food. Seeing this, Dong Hao promised Guan Xin he would keep it a secret, calling himself a "secret defender." Lu Xi took Guan Xin to a local greasy spoon for delicious and cheap skewered food.
Guan Xin surprised her with a set of recording equipment, which he specifically bought for her after she mentioned her interest in recording. Deeply touched, Lu Xi promised to treat him to afternoon tea for a month in return. As they ate, Lu Xi noted that Guan Xin, like her older brother, couldn't handle spicy food. She then asked if she could call him "Brother Guan Xin," which he agreed to.
Lu Xi shared that she had a non-biological brother she grew up with, and that she kept a scar on her hand hoping he would recognize her by it. She didn't realize that Guan Xin, who had recognized her, was pretending not to. She declared that if her brother recognized her and pretended otherwise, she would never forgive him, especially since he "replaced her life." She hoped he was living well.
Xia Tian requested Xu Zehao to drop her off at Guan Xin's hospital. Xu Zehao tried to seize the opportunity to talk, but failed and accidentally revealed that he hadn't been drunk last night. Xia Tian then confessed that she hadn't blacked out either and remembered everything he said. She expressed a sense of satisfaction, seeing him as the "humble party" now.
She declared she no longer cared for his feelings, as she cared only for her own and those of the person she loved—and that person was not him. Faced with Xia Tian's harsh words, Xu Zehao was speechless. Guan Xin didn't reply to Xia Tian's message, instead gazing at the bright and enthusiastic Lu Xi. As Xia Tian got out of Xu Zehao's car, a sudden heavy rain began to fall. She couldn't reach Guan Xin by phone or message.
Guan Xin was driving Lu Xi home. Seeing his phone ringing, Lu Xi sensed he had something urgent to attend to and quickly got out of the car. Guan Xin, however, rushed out after her to put his jacket over her shoulders before hurrying off to pick up Xia Tian. Xu Zehao, seeing the heavy rain, decided to go back for Xia Tian, but Guan Xin beat him to it.
As a dejected Xu Zehao drove away, he noticed Lu Xi nearby and felt puzzled. In the car with Guan Xin, Xia Tian spotted a receipt for recording equipment and simultaneously saw a grateful message from Lu Xi on Guan Xin's phone. Guan Xin's clumsy lies about buying the equipment for a "patient" and the lingering smell of hot pot on him made Xia Tian uneasy.
Guan Xin tried to explain that he ate hot pot because the patient invited him, and he didn't want to be disrespectful, knowing Xia Tian knew he typically avoided such "heavy tastes." Upon returning home, Xia Tian confronted Dong Hao about Guan Xin's activities that evening. Dong Hao, despite knowing everything, tried to protect Guan Xin, further angering Xia Tian. Xiao Song then punished Dong Hao, declaring him the "dishwasher slave" starting that day.
Xia Tian found many unfamiliar emojis on Guan Xin's phone and reflected on his uncharacteristic consumption of skewered food. She grew increasingly suspicious, feeling that while Guan Xin was generally a kind person, his generosity towards this new individual felt out of the ordinary. That night, Lu Xi hugged Guan Xin's jacket, her heart fluttering, and posted a "Wonderful Rainy Night" recording online, noting her feelings "wavered" like a "running deer."
The next morning, Xia Tian dressed in a powerful outfit, determined to confront her "love rival" at the coffee shop. Upon arriving, she observed Lu Xi, noting her height (168cm), weight (48kg), and age (24). Xia Tian concluded that Lu Xi was just an ordinary young woman, with nothing particularly special about her except her youth.
