Hidden Love Episode 13 Recap
> Hidden Love Recap
Duan Jiaxu mistakenly believed that the boy who had just brought Sang Zhi a hamburger was the one she liked. Sang Zhi quickly denied it, struggling to explain. When pressed about her type, Sang Zhi described him as very "manly," which prompted Duan Jiaxu to playfully suggest she was describing a "jerk," as her ideal man was "manly, yet had no muscles, and was attentive to everyone." Sang Zhi insisted he was not.
She then cleverly turned the tables, asking Duan Jiaxu why he, already in his twenties, still didn't have a girlfriend. To her surprise, Duan Jiaxu responded by asking her to introduce someone, adding that he would be fine with someone her age. Sang Zhi was left bewildered, wondering if he was merely teasing her. Upon Sang Zhi's arrival home, her parents rushed to greet her, promising her favorite steamed fish and white strawberries.
Meanwhile, Sang Yan was left to drag all her luggage inside, grumbling about being treated like a "worker." Sang Zhi presented her parents with New Year gifts, including two items for her mother and hand cream for her father. For Sang Yan, she proudly presented a pair of asymmetrical sunglasses, claiming they were "on-trend." Sang Yan, however, found them "ugly" and "sophomoric," but under Sang Zhi's prodding, he reluctantly admitted he liked them.
During dinner, Sang Zhi updated her family on Duan Jiaxu's recovery from appendicitis, mentioning his game was now very popular. This prompted her parents to scold Sang Yan for being idle and skipping a blind date they had arranged. Later, Sang Zhi suggested Sang Yan take Duan Jiaxu along on a blind date, reasoning that Duan Jiaxu might be looking for a girlfriend and could otherwise "end up pathetically alone." Sang Yan found the idea preposterous.
Later, Sang Zhi found a teddy bear blanket Duan Jiaxu had given her, which brought back his earlier comment about being fine with a girlfriend her age. Wondering if he was serious, Sang Zhi messaged Duan Jiaxu, claiming Sang Yan had a very young girlfriend. Duan Jiaxu immediately asked if she was an adult. When Sang Zhi confirmed she was, he dismissed any concerns.
Privately, Duan Jiaxu felt uneasy, realizing that while such an age gap seemed acceptable for others, it felt different when it concerned himself. He worried Sang Zhi, who had always seen him as a brother, would not be able to accept it. Unbeknownst to him, Sang Zhi lamented their age gap, wishing they had met now, when she was nineteen and he was twenty-four, so he might have seen her as an equal rather than just his friend's little sister.
Sometime later, Qian Fei, in Yihe for a business trip, had dinner with Duan Jiaxu and asked about the girl he liked. Duan Jiaxu vaguely described her as "a little girl," admitting he felt somewhat "guilty" about the age difference. When asked about the girl's preferred type, Duan Jiaxu described a man who was "quite a flirt," "attentive to everyone," and "a bit shameless."
Qian Fei immediately pointed out that this description perfectly fit Duan Jiaxu himself and suggested the girl might actually like him. Duan Jiaxu initially dismissed the idea, claiming he had seen the man and that he was a "jerk." However, Qian Fei's insistence that he had never met anyone who fit the description better than Duan Jiaxu led him to consider the possibility that he was the one Sang Zhi liked.
On the day of Qian Fei's wedding, Duan Jiaxu texted Sang Zhi to let her know he had arrived in Nanwu. At the banquet, Duan Jiaxu playfully called Sang Yan his "brother" after receiving a red envelope from him, much to Sang Yan's disgust. Sang Zhi was seated next to Duan Jiaxu but remained uncharacteristically quiet. Duan Jiaxu prompted her to say hello and then directly asked how old the guy she liked was.
Seeing Sang Zhi flustered and trying to switch seats with Sang Yan, who refused, Duan Jiaxu realized Qian Fei's observation had been correct. After the banquet, as Sang Yan prepared to continue drinking with friends, Sang Zhi excused herself to go home. Duan Jiaxu followed her out, offering to drive her. He then returned the red envelope to her, affectionately using her childhood nickname, "Zhi Zhi."
When she questioned it, he reminded her that she had said only "close people" called her that. The next morning, as Sang Zhi prepared to return to school, Duan Jiaxu informed her he would pick her up for the airport, revealing they were on the same flight. He then gave her a New Year gift: a bracelet with her name engraved on it. Sang Zhi was puzzled by the gift's potential meaning.
His intense gaze left her even more confused about his intentions. He then playfully offered her a white strawberry, teasingly asking if she wanted him to feed it to her and warning her not to "take advantage" of him.
