Hello, the Sharpshooter Episode 17 Recap
> Hello, the Sharpshooter Recap
Tang Xin was delighted when Xiaoci agreed to be her friend, admitting she had felt inadequate compared to Xiaoci's excellence. Xiaoci reassured Tang Xin not to feel inferior, reminding her that everyone possesses unique strengths and weaknesses. Deducing that Tang Xin had a question she was hesitant to ask, Xiaoci suggested they have lunch together, promising to give her the answer during their meal. She then sent Tang Xin off to find Shen Qingyuan on the sports ground.
Tang Xin filmed Shen Qingyuan and the team during their morning run. Spotting Du Lingfeng, she approached him for an interview with her live stream audience. Seeing their close proximity, a jealous Shen Qingyuan immediately intervened, pulling Du Lingfeng away to continue running and effectively ending the interview. Though Tang Xin recognized this as Shen Qingyuan's possessive behavior, she was secretly thrilled because Shen Qingyuan and Du Lingfeng running together provided the perfect shot she wanted to capture.
Later, Du Lingfeng and Jiang Yitian comically attempted to fake injuries with mercurochrome to get out of training, with Jiang Yitian offering to carry Du Lingfeng to the medic. However, Shen Qingyuan saw through their charade, sternly reminding them to learn from the right example and punishing them with additional training after their afternoon session. During their lunch, Xiaoci answered Tang Xin's unspoken question about who she likes, admitting she wasn't sure anymore.
She explained that she used to believe Shen Qingyuan was the only man she could accept in her life, viewing him as a worthy opponent and appreciating his talent, even wanting his success to complement her own. However, Xiaoci revealed she recently had an impulsive experience with someone else. She described the feeling as reaching a "goal line" but hesitating to cross it. She then noticed Du Lingfeng deliberately avoiding them, which clearly bothered her.
In the cafeteria, Du Lingfeng sat in a corner trying to avoid Xiaoci, quickly lowering his head when he caught her eye. Enraged, Xiaoci took a fierce bite out of an egg as if taking out her frustration on him. At another table, Shen Qingyuan’s gaze remained fixed on Tang Xin.
Jiang Yitian and Yang Zhou teased him about his anxiety, with Yang Zhou explaining that Shen Qingyuan's "double standards"—being cold to others but different with Tang Xin—was a sign of true love. He also warned Shen Qingyuan that his overly cautious and hostile attitude towards everyone else revealed just how much he feared Tang Xin getting hurt. That afternoon, after a demanding 10K run, Du Lingfeng tried to slip away for a rest.
Xiaoci confronted him, warning that if he walked away, their connection would be severed. Forced to face her, Du Lingfeng admitted he felt awkward because of false online rumors about his dating life. He explained that before meeting her, he only understood relationships as pursuing, being pursued, or having already won someone over. He now saw their dynamic as a "wrestling relationship"—a competitive yet enjoyable push-and-pull where neither wanted to yield first.
Xiaoci agreed to let their relationship develop naturally, a response that made Du Lingfeng incredibly happy as he called her his "opponent." Later, while Tang Xin was choosing a blind box, Du Lingfeng offered to buy all of them for her. Xiaoci intervened, reminding him of their "wrestling" dynamic's hidden rule: they split costs.
She humorously referenced a time he bought so much takeout that she had to save up to pay him back, making her wary of him spending too much. Meanwhile, Ding Fang was distraught over her mother's serious illness. Zhou Zuguang comforted her, and moved by his warmth, she leaned in to kiss him. However, Zhou Zuguang instinctively pulled away, apologizing that he wasn't ready.
Ding Fang was heartbroken, finding it ironic that they presented as an affectionate couple to outsiders, yet he was unwilling to be intimate with her. Guided by signs from Jiang Yitian and Yang Zhou, Shen Qingyuan awkwardly asked Tang Xin on a date. When she eagerly asked where they were going, the inexperienced Shen Qingyuan was at a loss until he saw his friends' cue.
Noticing Tang Xin's hairband, he insisted on buying her a new one, claiming hers was old. He led her into a women's accessory store but stood uncomfortably close to a lingerie display. A little girl innocently asked if he was buying underwear for Tang Xin and if they were married, causing Shen Qingyuan to flush with embarrassment. He glared at the child, unintentionally scaring her into tears. Mortified, Tang Xin quickly pulled him away.
To comfort an embarrassed Shen Qingyuan, Tang Xin playfully sent him a kiss through a water bottle, a gesture that delighted him. She then explained that his height and serious expression could be intimidating. She confessed her frustration at being unable to be physically close to him like a "normal girlfriend" due to her trauma, worrying it made him unhappy. Shen Qingyuan reassured her of his patience, promising to help her overcome her psychological barriers.
Tang Xin admitted that despite trying to move on, she still longed to know what truly happened in the past and why he had selectively forgotten her. That evening, Tang Xin called Ding Fang, admitting that while she and Shen Qingyuan were officially dating, she struggled with intimacy due to her anxiety. Ding Fang advised against forcing it, suggesting that true healing, like the natural resolution of Tang Xin's stammer, often happens unexpectedly.
Tang Xin then encouraged Ding Fang to cherish her relationship with Zhou Zuguang, noting he is "firm in speech but soft in heart" and that his actions matter more than his words. Just then, Zhou Zuguang arrived with food for Ding Fang, and his thoughtful gesture began to soften her feelings. During a later training session, Tang Xin bumped her arm while getting water for the exhausted team. Shen Qingyuan immediately rushed over to check on her.
Witnessing his tender care, Jiang Yitian comically feigned a shoulder injury to get similar attention, bringing laughter from the team as they lamented the "unfairness" of seeing such affection after a grueling run.
