Hidden Love Episode 2 Recap
> Hidden Love Recap
Continuing from where he agreed to help with her homework, a high-school-aged Sang Zhi waits for Duan Jiaxu at a bus stop. When he calls, she assumes he is late and playfully curses that he will "never find a girlfriend." To her surprise, a bottle of milk touches her cheek; Duan Jiaxu was already there. He teases her for being an "ingrate" and warns that if his curse comes true, she'll be "doomed."
He then leads her to a nearby breakfast shop to do her homework, buying himself a red bean bun and honey water, and a small cake for her when he notices her watching him eat. As Sang Zhi works, she recalls the time in middle school when Duan Jiaxu posed as her brother, Sang Yan, to meet her teacher. He had coached her to simply agree with whatever the teacher said to avoid being exposed.
At the meeting, Duan Jiaxu introduced himself as Sang Yan, which Sang Zhi affirmed by blurting out that he must be her brother because he was "so good-looking." Duan Jiaxu smoothly explained to the teacher, Mr. Chen, that their parents had a last-minute work emergency.
While Mr. Chen confirmed Sang Zhi's academic performance was top-notch, he spent the entire meeting lecturing about her poor attitude, such as drawing in class and having the audacity to ask where he was in the lesson when called upon. Duan Jiaxu played the part of a concerned older brother, feigning shock and scolding Sang Zhi.
He then showered Mr. Chen with flattery, attributing Sang Zhi's success to his excellent teaching and even suggesting he should "hit her and scold her as necessary," an offer Mr. Chen quickly refused. Convinced the meeting was a "big success," Mr. Chen dismissed them. Afterward, Duan Jiaxu had Sang Zhi properly apologize to her teacher. Back in the present, after Sang Zhi finishes her homework, Duan Jiaxu asks if she is angry about his earlier joke.
She instead asks if he's from Nanwu; he replies he's from Yihe but won't be returning for the summer, changing the subject back to her studies. Before she enters the school, he gives her a piece of paper, explaining it’s a “compensation” piece since he secretly read the composition she left at his dorm. Sang Zhi is mortified, recalling she had written about a stray dog that looked exactly like her brother, Sang Yan.
Before Sang Zhi can read the note, her classmate Fu Zhengchu appears, loudly proclaiming he worked hard to get into her school just to be near her, and invites her to his birthday party. Her friend, Yin Zhenru, promises to make sure she attends. Later, Yin Zhenru sees the milk Duan Jiaxu bought and reminds Sang Zhi of her milk allergy, but Sang Zhi says she isn't going to drink it.
At home, her mother voices the same concern, but Sang Zhi claims she just likes the bottle for drawing and will pour the milk out. In her room, Sang Zhi reads Duan Jiaxu’s essay. Titled "Helping My Brother Move," it is written from her perspective, humorously describing her brother's "useless things" before shifting to a warm description of his roommate.
The essay notes that even though he jokingly called her a "thief," she is grateful for his help and won't "detest him for being old anymore." It concludes with the wish for a brother like him and a postscript: "He told me he was very happy to meet me again." Her heart fluttering, Sang Zhi treasures the note and adds Duan Jiaxu on WeChat, which he accepts immediately.
That weekend, her parents leave to attend a wedding, arranging for Sang Yan to stay with Sang Zhi. She strongly objects, but her father insists, promising to cut Sang Yan's allowance if he bullies her. Sang Yan arrives and playfully calls her "little demon," telling her they are going out for hot pot with his roommate. When Sang Zhi hears this, she quickly agrees to go.
In the car, Sang Zhi is initially disappointed to see only Qian Fei in the back seat, but her mood lifts when they stop to pick up a sleepy Duan Jiaxu. Noticing Sang Zhi staring, Duan Jiaxu teases her for not greeting him. After she shyly says, "Hello, brother," he asks why she always blushes when she sees him.
This prompts Sang Yan and Qian Fei to mock him, with Sang Yan recounting a time Duan Jiaxu said the same thing to him after a 1000-meter run, and Qian Fei adding that he even talks to dogs that way. Sang Zhi quietly agrees that Duan Jiaxu is "not a good guy." At the restaurant, Sang Yan leaves to park, telling Duan Jiaxu to take Sang Zhi inside. Feeling unwell, Sang Zhi says she needs the restroom.
Duan Jiaxu then notices a bloodstain on the back of her skirt. Understanding, he tells her to wait in the restroom while he goes to buy something. Inside, Sang Zhi sees the stain in the mirror and is overcome with embarrassment. From a nearby supermarket, Duan Jiaxu frantically calls Sang Yan for help, calling him a "pig's brain" when he doesn't immediately grasp the situation.
Together, they awkwardly select sanitary pads and, realizing her skirt is stained, also buy a new dark-colored skirt for her. A female staff member, asked by the two, delivers the items to Sang Zhi in the restroom, kindly reassuring her that "such things happen." When Sang Zhi emerges, only Sang Yan is waiting for her, and they both tactfully avoid the topic. Rejoining their friends, Sang Yan covers for her absence by claiming she was stubbornly playing a claw machine.
Duan Jiaxu quietly pours her a glass of warm water. At the table, Sang Yan, who is treating, carefully monitors the menu, vetoing dishes Sang Zhi is allergic to, while he, Duan Jiaxu, and Qian Fei decide that iced tea is the "perfect match" for hot pot.
