Falling Into Your Smile Episode 5 Recap
> Falling Into Your Smile Recap
The ZGDX team's base was bustling the next morning. Tong Yao descended the stairs with her parents, surprised to find everyone already up. Fatty enthusiastically greeted her parents, listing the abundant breakfast options. K offered a polite morning greeting, and Lao Mao, holding a dumbbell, was comically practicing English phrases. Lu Sicheng and God Ming, deep in discussion about reviewing yesterday's match, also stopped to greet Tong Yao's parents.
During breakfast, Tong Yao's mother discreetly asked her who the "Chessman" she often mentioned was and if he was interested in her. Lu Sicheng, overhearing, coolly introduced himself to her parents, stating that he also goes by the name Chessman.
Later, as Tong Yao waited for a rideshare to take her parents to the station, her mother expressed concerns about the base's secluded location, advising Tong Yao not to go out alone at night and playfully suggesting Lu Sicheng could accompany her. She also subtly probed into Lu Sicheng's family background. Tong Yao laughingly dismissed the questions, jokingly offering to get his household registration record for her.
After her parents departed, Lu Sicheng, who had clearly overheard the conversation, appeared behind Tong Yao with a knowing smirk, informing her it was time for the team meeting. During the meeting, manager Xiao Rui began discussing the 4-Protect-1 tactic. Lao Mao interrupted to retrieve a parcel, soon returning with numerous gift boxes from Bestore, all for Tong Yao from her fans. As Fatty and Lao Mao excitedly sorted through the snacks, they found a package from "Sunflower, Jian Yang."
Lao Mao proceeded to read aloud an ambiguous letter from Jian Yang asking Tong Yao if she ever thought of "A Place Where the Sun Shines." Mortified, Tong Yao demanded that all future parcels from him be rejected. Amidst the team's laughter, Xiao Rui sternly announced a new schedule: training would now begin at 9 AM, meaning 8 AM wake-up calls, much to the team's dismay. The next morning, Xiao Rui mercilessly woke everyone, threatening salary deductions for non-compliance.
Lao Mao, having experience in physical training, led a warm-up that quickly escalated from a promised "slow jog" into a demanding run, leaving the sleepy team grumbling. Back at the base, Lu Sicheng was live streaming when Tong Yao approached to complain about the new exercise regimen. The live stream audience erupted, demanding she appear on camera.
Xiao Rui seized the opportunity, reminding Tong Yao of her 45-hour monthly streaming contract and warning of deductions if she failed to meet her KPI. Cornered, Tong Yao reluctantly agreed but asked for time to "prepare," which earned a teasing remark from Lu Sicheng about her needing to dress up for a "queen's ball." Soon after, Tong Yao's friend, Chen Jinyang, arrived in a sports car to help her prepare, a sight that immediately captivated Lao Mao.
Chen Jinyang, a friend Tong Yao had called for an "emergency," was actually there to do her makeup. As she worked, she chided Tong Yao for her dark circles and dry skin, advising her on a skincare routine. Their conversation drifted to the "E-Sports' Legend of White Snake" rumors involving Tong Yao, Jian Yang, and Lu Sicheng, and Jian Yang's persistent attempts to reconnect. In turn, Tong Yao asked about Chen Jinyang's relationship with Ai Jia.
Chen Jinyang expressed frustration with his singular focus on e-sports and neglect of their future. She also revealed she was considering an offer to host the National Championship draw ceremony. Once Tong Yao's makeup was done, they went downstairs, where Lu Sicheng was visibly impressed. Meanwhile, Ai Jia heard Chen Jinyang's car and rushed out calling her name, but she drove off without seeing him, leaving him dejected.
Tong Yao began her first live stream, initially daunted by the 300,000 viewers. Lu Sicheng, sitting beside her, immediately began to cause trouble by reading insulting comments from the chat aloud, mocking her height and calling her a "primary school student." Annoyed and distracted, Tong Yao struggled to focus and quickly lost the match. Furious, she blamed Lu Sicheng for the loss and abruptly ended the stream, declaring she needed yogurt to recover from the ordeal.
Later, Xiao Rui informed Lu Sicheng that their rival team, TAT, had invited ZGDX to a training match. Lu Sicheng immediately refused, stating Tong Yao needed more time. Meanwhile, TAT's mid-laner, Ah Tai, gave a provocative interview, dismissing ZGDX's new female player as a publicity stunt and labeling the team "cowards" for not accepting their challenge. The interview caused an uproar online, leading ZGDX's owner to order Xiao Rui to accept the match.
Lu Sicheng remained adamantly against it, causing a heated argument with Xiao Rui. He finally revealed his true reasoning: Ah Tai was a notorious "mid-laner quality inspector" known for systematically crushing the confidence of new players in training matches, often ending their careers. Lu Sicheng cited the case of God Niu from the Star team, who was defeated by Ah Tai using God Niu's own championship commemorative hero skin.
He explained that Ah Tai's goal was to publicly dismantle his opponent's best hero, and this time, he was targeting Tong Yao to claim her title as the "top Tamamo-no-Mae in China." Lu Sicheng clarified he wasn't protecting her because she was a girl, but because she was a rare "gem" with pure talent that he didn't want to see shattered before being polished. Just as Xiao Rui was convinced, they discovered the rest of the team had been eavesdropping.
Forced to explain, Xiao Rui laid out the full situation. Unfazed, Tong Yao boldly declared she wouldn't retire before winning a championship. She rejected the idea of running away, arguing it was better to face defeat now than on the official stage. Confidently, she proclaimed her intent to be the "pretty girl who enforces justice," certain she could win. The training match against TAT began.
As Lu Sicheng predicted, TAT banned several of Tong Yao's main heroes and then immediately picked Tamamo-no-Mae. He advised her to choose Higanbana and focus on farming, avoiding direct confrontation. However, Ah Tai relentlessly targeted her. Despite her teammates' efforts to protect her, she was repeatedly outplayed and killed. The team tried to comfort her, but the loss clearly took its toll. As her teammates went to bed, a defiant Tong Yao stayed behind.
Still deeply affected, she queued for another solo game, murmuring she would sleep "after this round." However, her performance suffered, and she lost this match as well, leaving her in a state of quiet frustration.
