Dream Garden Episode 9 Recap
> Dream Garden Recap
Zuo Yan grew up under the strict and unquestioning love of her mother. Because her pillow was made of Chinese herbs, she constantly carried a faint herbal scent, which led to classmates mocking her despite her pretty appearance. Her mother forced her to learn tennis and other subjects she disliked. One day, when confronted about skipping tennis lessons, Zuo Yan lashed out, mentioning her father, which deeply wounded her mother. Zuo Yan felt suffocated by her mother's control.
That night, after drinking with Xiao Xiao, her mother again handed her a glass of vegetable juice, a habit instilled since childhood for health and fitness, which Zuo Yan reluctantly drank. Xiao Xiao woke up the next morning with a hangover, trying to recall what happened, but the most crucial parts were a blank. Lin Shen, meanwhile, found the morning air unusually sweet, yet felt an awkwardness when he saw Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao, feeling guilty, asked if she had done anything inappropriate, quickly explaining she had blacked out and would not have intentionally offended him, blaming the cocktail. Lin Shen’s mood plummeted at her words. He also noted Zuo Yan's latest online account had posted more critical comments the previous night, continuing her ongoing battle with Zhang Kexi's aggressive fans. Lin Shen deduced that Zuo Yan’s sudden outburst was likely triggered by something related to her mother.
Later, both Lin Shen and Xiao Xiao received packages. Xiao Xiao's contained hot spring experience vouchers from Fan Qi, a sight that visibly annoyed Lin Shen. Xiao Xiao then had an idea: to use these vouchers to organize a team-building trip and create a "rage gift" experience for Zuo Yan. Lin Shen found himself involuntarily waiting for Xiao Xiao to invite him to lunch. Shao Lin, observing him, perceptively told him he was in love, though Lin Shen denied it.
Shao Lin suggested Xiao Xiao invite another friend to complete the group, and Xiao Xiao naturally thought of Yan Luo. Zuo Yan initially resisted attending the team-building event because her mother had arranged a blind date for her that weekend. Xiao Xiao urged her not to be held captive forever and to make her own choices in life. She encouraged Zuo Yan to make small changes, assuring her that things would get better, even if a full transformation seemed impossible.
Lin Shen consistently went downstairs to take out the trash at precisely 9:30 PM. One evening, Xiao Xiao intercepted Yan Luo, taking her trash to seize the opportunity to speak with Lin Shen. Yan Luo stayed upstairs, secretly enjoying the unfolding drama. Xiao Xiao suggested rescheduling the team-building event to accommodate Zuo Yan, but Lin Shen argued against it, insisting that for any change to occur, Zuo Yan herself needed to cooperate.
Despite his firm stance, Lin Shen later sent Zuo Yan a message, acknowledging that while habitual compromise can be frightening, it doesn't mean true change is impossible.
Inspired by Lin Shen and Xiao Xiao’s words about making her own choices and breaking free from shackles, Zuo Yan, recalling Lin Shen’s words about releasing her inner “beast,” finally chose herself and walked away from the blind date arranged by her mother, who was pushing her to marry for an opportunity to emigrate to the UK. At the team-building destination, Lin Shen and Xiao Xiao's "rage gift" plan for Zuo Yan was set in motion.
Her room was filled with herbal scents and pillows, and the upcoming meals and music were specifically chosen to be things she detested, reflecting her mother's preferences. When everyone arrived, Xiao Xiao announced the first rule: handing in all mobile phones. Zuo Yan received frantic calls and messages from her mother, demanding to know where she was and why she skipped the blind date.
Zuo Yan replied with a simple text, "I'm at team building," and then switched off her phone. She reacted with visible physical repulsion to the pervasive herbal scent in her room. During the afternoon activities, when encouraged to play tennis, Zuo Yan reflexively refused, flashing back to traumatic childhood memories of being forced to play. However, after some encouragement from Xiao Xiao and others, she reluctantly agreed to play one round.
Lin Shen noted this as a failure for the first step of their plan to provoke her. Later, as Xiao Xiao went to the underground garage to retrieve some wine, a car intentionally tried to hit her. Fan Qi, who happened to be there, quickly pulled her out of the way. Lin Shen arrived shortly after with the car keys, just as the car returned for another attack.
Lin Shen managed to dodge it and, in a flash, recognized the driver from the hotel. Fan Qi then engaged Xiao Xiao, pressing her to help him choose a bottle of his private collection of wine, while Lin Shen ran out of the garage in pursuit of the car. Out on the road, the car reappeared and deliberately struck Lin Shen, knocking him unconscious.
The driver exited the car with a knife but was startled by a passerby and fled the scene. Fan Qi presented Xiao Xiao with an expensive bottle of wine, a rare import, using dangerously ambiguous language and insisting it was for her and her friends, acting as a generous host. Xiao Xiao, though initially hesitant, agreed to treat him to dinner in return. At dinner, everyone was concerned about Lin Shen’s prolonged absence.
Xiao Xiao went to his room and found him with a cut on his forehead. He downplayed it, claiming he was injured while rescuing a lost pet. Xiao Xiao, despite scolding him for his carelessness, tenderly cleaned his wound. At the dinner table, Shao Lin was notably attentive to Yan Luo, even revealing to her that several people in their company were part of her "wild fan club."
Meanwhile, Zuo Yan grew increasingly suspicious as the restaurant played a specific song, "Street Corner Wind," whose two distinct instruments, erhu and piano, played side-by-side but never truly merged, a melody that resonated with her own feelings of disconnect from her mother. That night, Xiao Xiao suggested to Lin Shen (over the phone) that experiencing intense emotions, even negative ones, could be a valuable experience.
Lin Shen disagreed, admitting he had experienced it long ago, but it felt bad because caring deeply for someone made him fear loss and feel weak. Xiao Xiao gently countered that weakness is a natural human emotion. As she drifted off to sleep, Lin Shen quietly whispered "Good night, my pet," revealing his true affection. The next day at the hot springs, Sun Kele, following the plan, sang Zuo Yan's favorite idol's song, "Diamonds," but deliberately off-key and badly.
Zuo Yan's face instantly stiffened, but she remained silent, only leaving the hot spring, feeling "stuffy." Lin Shen instructed Sun Kele to continue provoking Zuo Yan. They met at a coffee shop, with Lin Shen and Xiao Xiao discreetly observing. Sun Kele, again following instructions, ordered a vegetable juice for Zuo Yan, calling it a "slimming and beautifying" seasonal special. Zuo Yan recalled her mother's forceful insistence on her drinking such juice.
Sun Kele pressed her further with verbal taunts, and Zuo Yan finally lost her composure. She rose to leave, but Sun Kele continued his barrage of insults, calling her two-faced and comparing her to the Hulk, accusing her of being mentally ill and selfish for being a fan at her age. Lin Shen watched, noting, "the butterfly is going to flap her wings."
With her patience completely shattered, Zuo Yan returned to Sun Kele and splashed water on him, then launched into a furious tirade. She corrected him that her "ultimate bias" was Black Widow, not the Hulk, and asserted that her polite demeanor in front of others was a choice, not a sign of weakness, as she didn't want to humiliate them. She declared her high IQ and strong psychological well-being.
Sun Kele, Lin Shen, and Xiao Xiao then burst into laughter, celebrating Zuo Yan's long-awaited emotional release. Sun Kele later found Zuo Yan, bringing two bottles of wine to apologize. In his relief, he accidentally revealed that the entire situation was a planned "act" for her own good. Zuo Yan, however, understood their intentions and did not hold a grudge, instead relishing the refreshing feeling of being able to openly express her true thoughts and feelings.
Later, Lin Shen used this experience to teach Xiao Xiao a lesson: Zuo Yan, despite knowing them better, found it easier to open up to the relatively unfamiliar Sun Kele. This, he explained, was due to Jung's "persona theory," where people might act differently in various social settings, often finding it easier to be their true selves with strangers who hold no pre-conceived notions.
Meanwhile, Yan Luo was drawing her comics nearby when Shao Lin joined her, strongly suggesting she give his character a love interest and teasingly proposing a "youthful maiden" as a partner, causing Yan Luo to blush. As they prepared for lunch, Fan Qi heard a child cry out "brother" from a distance and suddenly fainted. In the ambulance, Fan Qi kept dreaming of his past with his elder brother. In his sleep, he instinctively clutched Xiao Xiao's hand tightly.
When he awoke, Fan Qi recounted a story to Xiao Xiao about two brothers who depended on each other. The younger brother was mischievous, and the elder always protected him, taking responsibility for his misdeeds. For the younger brother, his elder sibling was the most important person in his life. However, the elder brother was also just a child and could only hide and cry when he was bullied. Over time, the younger brother, who is Fan Qi, developed a stress reaction whenever he heard crying.
