Hidden Love Episode 8 Recap
> Hidden Love Recap
After Sang Zhi went upstairs, her parents dropped their facade and cautiously observed her reaction. Sang Yan assured them that Sang Zhi had realized her mistake, having cried the entire way home, and he had already scolded her sufficiently. He added that Duan Jiaxu confirmed her online crush was unrequited, and given Sang Zhi's proud nature, she would likely let go once she decided. Her father agreed it was a normal rebellious phase for a teenager.
They decided to act as if nothing unusual had happened at dinner, treating her return from school as normal. However, her mother insisted on confiscating Sang Zhi's ID card and phone to prevent future incidents. Sang Yan was also asked to take cold medicine up to Sang Zhi, as she was wearing a short skirt and might catch a cold. Upstairs, Sang Zhi quietly gathered all her items related to Duan Jiaxu into a box.
She found a star-shaped note where she had written her dream of being admitted to Yihe University, and a message: "Jiaxu, goodbye." With a heavy heart, she slowly crossed out this wish, then sat alone, embracing the box, seemingly resolving to bid farewell to Duan Jiaxu. Two years later, Sang Zhi's voiceover revealed she had fulfilled her dream and was admitted into Yihe University.
She began a new life there, participating in military training, attending lectures, and making new friends, including her beloved roommates. Ning Wei, Sang Zhi's enthusiastic roommate, began recording a video blog, inviting viewers to see the "most beautiful view" of their university. She playfully filmed their cool roommate, Yu Xin, who, to her embarrassment, tripped and asked Ning Wei to delete the footage. Soon after, they met Jiang Ming from the Sports Department, who was helping a professor carry books.
He introduced himself as being from the long-distance running team. Ning Wei, quick to make new connections, informed him that she and Sang Zhi were from the Digital Media Department and were roommates. She then invited Jiang Ming to her birthday celebration the following day, suggesting he bring his friends from the Sports Department along, to which he readily agreed. The group gathered at a lively KTV to celebrate Ning Wei's first university birthday party.
Ning Wei expressed her desire to eat well, have fun, and party hard. Meanwhile, in another section of the KTV, Duan Jiaxu arrived late and was introduced by a friend to a woman named Xu, who worked in Human Resources at a foreign company. The friend praised Duan Jiaxu as the young and promising chief programmer of their company. Sang Zhi, caught in the celebratory crowd, entered the private room with her friends, oblivious to Duan Jiaxu's presence nearby.
Feeling overwhelmed by her friends' encouragement to sing and dance, Sang Zhi excused herself to get some fresh air. On the stairs, she unexpectedly encountered Duan Jiaxu. He immediately noticed a cigarette that had fallen from her pocket and sternly accused her of smoking. Sang Zhi quickly denied it, explaining it belonged to a friend. Duan Jiaxu, however, confiscated it and continued to scold her, expressing his displeasure that she hadn't contacted him since her military training ended.
He called her an "ungrateful thing" and a "kiddo with no conscience," reminding her of how he used to help her with school. Sang Zhi retorted that he was practically a senior when he helped her, while she was a busy freshman now, which prompted him to accuse her of calling him old.
He pressed her on why she ignored his many messages, and Sang Zhi claimed she needed to isolate herself to focus on her studies to get into Yihe University. She repeatedly asserted that she was a grown-up and found the term "kiddo" awkward, but Duan Jiaxu insisted she was still a child. Duan Jiaxu offered to send Sang Zhi home, but she declined, preferring to return with her friends.
Back inside, as they prepared to cut the birthday cake, Ning Wei mentioned her mother would call by 11 PM. This prompted Sang Zhi to decide to leave early. As she walked away, steeling herself, Sang Zhi muttered, "I'm a grown-up now. I'm no longer a kid," before cursing, "Old thing." Unexpectedly, Duan Jiaxu was waiting outside and overheard her. He immediately challenged her, suggesting he was the only "old thing" she had encountered that night.
Despite his displeasure, he insisted on driving her back to campus to "settle a score" with her. In the car, Sang Zhi tried to justify her language, claiming "old thing" was a common term among young people. Duan Jiaxu questioned her about drinking, advising her to be careful with strangers, though Sang Zhi clarified she was with friends. He then tried to get to the root of her apparent animosity, asking why she seemed to have something against him.
She continued to express her discomfort with being called a "kiddo," reiterating that she was a grown-up. He then asked about her decision to attend Yihe University, suspecting it was because of her "old online friend." Sang Zhi quickly refuted this, clarifying that she chose Yihe because its digital media program was the best and her scores were sufficient.
She explained that Sang Yan's anger stemmed from her not informing him about her university choice, though her parents had supported her. Duan Jiaxu finally acknowledged she had grown up, offered his support for any future difficulties, and gently reminded her to speak more politely. As he dropped her off at her dormitory, Duan Jiaxu advised her to drink honey water to prevent a headache.
He then revealed that he had been living in Yihe by himself and was genuinely happy when Sang Yan told him she would be coming to study there. After he left, Sang Zhi pondered to herself, wondering why Duan Jiaxu would be alone if his family home was in Yihe, and questioned if he still had a girlfriend. The next morning, Sang Zhi assured Sang Yan over the phone that she hadn't drunk much.
She received a message from Jiang Ming offering to walk her back if she was ever out late again, but she ignored it and instead finally replied to Duan Jiaxu's unread messages. Later, while discussing boys with her roommates, Sang Zhi brought up a "friend's" dilemma: this friend had liked her brother's friend since high school but gave up when she thought he started dating.
Now they had reconnected, and the "friend" was unsure what to do, fearing he only saw her as a little sister. Her roommates, quickly catching on that Sang Zhi was talking about herself, asked for details. Sang Zhi described the man as a handsome, amusing, and charismatic 24-year-old game developer who worked on "A Dream of Jianghu," which Yu Xin recognized as a top-tier mobile game.
When asked if he had a girlfriend, Sang Zhi hesitantly said she didn't think so. Based on her glowing description, her roommates humorously concluded that a man that great "definitely" had a girlfriend, much to Sang Zhi's quiet disappointment.
