Falling Into Your Smile Episode 17 Recap
> Falling Into Your Smile Recap
Tong Yao excitedly recounted her recent solo match with Lu Sicheng to her best friend, Chen Jinyang. Chen Jinyang was thrilled, convinced Lu Sicheng had intentionally let Tong Yao win. Tong Yao, however, insisted he hadn't gone easy on her, suggesting her victory was due to her superior familiarity with the mid lane. Chen Jinyang advised her not to act rashly, noting that if a man has feelings, he will eventually express them; otherwise, Tong Yao might be overthinking things.
After the call, Tong Yao found Lu Sicheng downstairs and asked why he hadn't left for his date with Su Luo. Lu Sicheng implied he had overheard her earlier comment about not wanting him to go. Flustered, Tong Yao claimed she was merely concerned about him being distracted from the team's goal of winning the championship.
Lu Sicheng then revealed he had changed the meeting location to the base entrance before reiterating that "relationships don't exist in e-sports" and their focus must be on the National Championship. Outside, Lu Sicheng was confronted by Hierophant and his teammates, who teased him about deliberately losing the solo match to Tong Yao. Lu Sicheng denied it, attributing his loss to a calculation error and dryly remarking that Tong Yao was probably already plotting to replace him.
As they left, Su Luo arrived. Lu Sicheng coldly told her they were not suitable. Despite Su Luo's apologies for her fans' behavior and her offer to learn about the e-sports world, Lu Sicheng was unmoved. He explained that if he truly wanted someone, he would protect them, emphasizing he was a pro gamer, not an idol. He then stated he would marry someone who could beat him at Onmyoji Arena—or even just at Tetris—before leaving abruptly.
Back at the base, the team was grumbling about being hungry, worried the popular crayfish restaurant would sell out. Hearing their complaints, Tong Yao went out to find Lu Sicheng. After confirming his date had left, they decided to drive to the crayfish shop in the southern part of the city, a distance that surprised Tong Yao.
At the shop, a staff member mistook Tong Yao for Lu Sicheng’s girlfriend, commenting that she looked at him with the affection of a wife. Lu Sicheng smiled at the observation. While carrying the food, Lu Sicheng revealed his hand was hurting from a chronic strain common for AD players. Tong Yao immediately took the heavy bags from him, scolding him for not mentioning his injury sooner.
Visibly touched by her concern, Lu Sicheng thanked her and gave her a gentle head pat, leaving her momentarily stunned. On the drive back, Tong Yao again asked if he had intentionally lost their match. He playfully teased that she didn't have a "girly heart" to understand such complex plots. When she insisted she did, he conceded with a smile and gave her another gentle head pat.
Tong Yao then tried to express her concern about his hand and suggest physiotherapy but became flustered. Noticing her nervousness, Lu Sicheng turned on the radio and began singing along, subtly easing her anxiety. Upon returning, they shared the crayfish with their teammates. Fatty started a live stream of their feast, declaring that RIO cocktails and crayfish were the perfect combination, as endorsed by their mid laner, Smiling.
Noticing Lu Sicheng wasn't eating, Tong Yao peeled a crayfish and offered it to him. He took it directly from her fingers with his mouth, prompting playful teasing from their teammates, who called them a "husband and wife" pair. Their banter was interrupted when Xiao Rui pulled Lu Sicheng aside. Xiao Rui informed Lu Sicheng that his repeated rejections of Su Luo had angered his mother, who was now pressuring the club.
As a result, they were obligated to attend an anime convention, as the contract was already signed despite their packed schedule. Lu Sicheng reluctantly agreed but made it clear this was the last time the club would make such an arrangement for him. At the convention, while the team was having breakfast, a crowd of fans surrounded them for autographs. Tong Yao noticed one fan, Jia Qi, repeatedly asking for signatures.
She alerted Xiao Rui, who politely dismissed the fan due to their schedule. Angered, Jia Qi insulted them for being pretentious and later posted negative comments online, accusing Tong Yao of acting like a big shot. Later, the team reviewed the event schedule and found an activity requiring them to princess-carry showgirls unreasonable, citing the models' short skirts and the risk of aggravating their hand injuries.
Jia Qi, now acting as a staff member, refused their request to change the activity. She antagonized them, claiming "everyone is here for the money" and threatening to post on social media that the ZGDX players were "too precious" to participate. Infuriated, Tong Yao shoved her. Lu Sicheng immediately intervened, pulling Tong Yao back as Jia Qi dramatically accused her of assault. Tong Yao retorted, "So only you are a woman? Am I a man in your eyes?"
before teammates de-escalated the situation. Left alone in the dressing room, Tong Yao cried out of frustration. Meanwhile, Jia Qi started a live stream, exaggerating the incident and calling Tong Yao a "lunatic" with a temper, which led to a wave of online backlash. As the situation escalated, the club's executive director and Lu Sicheng's mother, Wang Lan, arrived for a meeting. She immediately penalized Xiao Rui by docking two months of his salary.
Lu Sicheng rushed in and proposed a solution: the club should issue a sincere public apology while using friendly media and other teams to clarify the truth. However, his mother insisted that since Tong Yao initiated physical contact, she must be held accountable and proposed a one-match suspension. To everyone's surprise, Lu Sicheng agreed, then asked Xiao Rui to take Tong Yao out so he could speak with his mother privately.
