Just an Encore Episode 1 Recap
> Just an Encore Recap
A group of girls gathered as Zhuo'an explained a scientific fact: if the sun were to stop shining, people on Earth wouldn't know for eight minutes, meaning the warmth they currently felt was merely an illusion. Yan Ze, a common-looking girl with an average academic record, often felt inferior and troubled by her ordinariness.
She fantasized about becoming pretty, smart, and truly awesome, and wished to share her story of youth, friendship, and love, particularly the "eight-minute warmth" of her own life. She often dreamt of Ji Xiao, who was mild, gentle, smart, and brilliant, radiating elegance with every move, truly the Prince Charming of the school. Yan Ze wondered how much effort it would take for someone as ordinary as her to catch up to him and make him notice her existence.
During the school's annual arts festival, Yan Ze, as class monitor, was left to manage various mishaps for her class's performance. As Ji Xiao passed by, he complimented her, saying she looked beautiful that day, and encouraged her, stating that Class 3 was counting on her. His words greatly boosted her spirits. Meanwhile, He Xinliang was backstage looking for Ji Xiao when he witnessed Yan Ze accidentally being struck by a red flag prop.
Despite her injury, she stoically prepared to go on stage. Yan Ze's hand swelled severely, causing distress to her teacher, Mr. Zheng, and her friend Gu Xiye. With the performance imminent, Yan Ze had no choice but to let Gu Xiye take over as the chorus conductor. As Gu Xiye performed, Yan Ze noticed subtle gestures between her and Ji Xiao on stage. Backstage, Yan Ze's parents arrived, initially upset about her performance not being as planned.
However, upon seeing her badly swollen hand, they became concerned and instructed her to return home for the weekend to recover. Later, backstage, Yan Ze encountered He Xinliang. To defend another student who had confessed to He Xinliang and been rudely rejected, Yan Ze intervened loudly. Her impassioned exchange with He Xinliang about his arrogance and the girl's feelings was overheard by many, leading them to mistakenly believe that Yan Ze herself had made a confession to He Xinliang.
He Xinliang later mocked her, asking her to repeat her "creative love confession." Outside the auditorium, Yan Ze's younger brother, Yan Hai, was captivated by Liu Xichuan, the school's "babe" who had just sung on stage. He waited for her and approached, complimenting her singing. Her brief smile left him smitten, and he excitedly told his friend he believed Liu Xichuan liked him. Later, while washing hands, Gu Xiye asked Yan Ze if she really liked He Xinliang.
Yan Ze vehemently denied it, calling it a "gigantic misunderstanding." Gu Xiye, offering to keep a secret, said Yan Ze could confide in her if she truly liked the boy. Angered by the persistent misunderstanding, Yan Ze left. Back in her dorm room, her roommates were performing a New Moon wish ritual, which they claimed was very effective.
Yan Ze reluctantly joined in, wishing for "the freak He Xinliang to burn in hell" and for "Ji Xiao to notice my existence." After their dorm supervisor, Mrs. Sun, left, the roommates excitedly gossiped. They revealed that He Xinliang and Ji Xiao were both "school hunks" at PHB Junior High, with He Xinliang being a top student, neck and neck with Ji Xiao in academics, and whose parents were doctors at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
He was also reportedly excellent at basketball. Yan Ze, still fuming from her encounter, interjected, asserting that He Xinliang was not a good person, dismissing their admiration. The next morning, Yan Ze found He Xinliang occupying her seat, determined to remain Ji Xiao's desk-mate. After a brief internal fantasy of Ji Xiao choosing her, Yan Ze loudly objected to He Xinliang's plan. He Xinliang, in turn, teased her, asking if she was nervous about being separated from Ji Xiao.
Yan Ze defiantly told him to get up, stating she would not move and challenged him to do something about it. In class, He Xinliang loudly questioned if Yan Ze had a crush on Ji Xiao, which mortified her. When Ji Xiao walked in, Yan Ze immediately denied any feelings for him, pulling He Xinliang aside to scold him for spreading rumors.
Later, while washing her hands with Gu Xiye, Yan Ze expressed her intense dislike for He Xinliang, vowing to "teach him a lesson." Gu Xiye eagerly offered to help her scheme against him. Yan Ze attempted two pranks: first, by confronting him about not handing in a test paper, and then by trying to get him to do cleaning duty, but both attempts failed, with Ji Xiao even stepping in to help He Xinliang with the cleaning.
When Yan Ze tried to clarify to Ji Xiao that He Xinliang was a "blabbering jerk" who spread nonsense, Ji Xiao simply asked if she would attend the semi-final debate competition on Sunday. Yan Ze, delighted by the invitation, enthusiastically confirmed she would be there to cheer them on as class monitor. He Xinliang continued to provoke Yan Ze, referring to her as someone who "trash-talked me behind my back."
In a moment of anger, Yan Ze tripped, stumbling into a clumsy bow before He Xinliang, creating an awkward scene. He Xinliang, unfazed, sarcastically asked if she was "kneeling" and if she could stand up. Ji Xiao intervened, inviting He Xinliang to sleep over at his house after dinner, to which He Xinliang playfully agreed, but only if Ji Xiao "asked" him properly.
Yan Ze then recalled Ji Xiao once calling her a "cute class monitor," which brought a mix of joy and anger as she remembered He Xinliang's recent behavior, vowing silently that he "wouldn't get away with it." Yan Hai's basketball team had an upcoming exhibition game. He suggested to his sports teacher, Han, that they change their opponents to Class 3, a class of "nerds." Han initially dismissed the idea, but the thought lingered.
Unbeknownst to them, Yan Ze had her own plan. Sneaking into the sports office, Yan Ze secretly changed the schedule to pit Class 3 against the professional school basketball team. She declared her intention was for He Xinliang to compete against professionals and lose, humiliating him in front of the entire school, so he would no longer dare to provoke her. Yan Ze mused that every day brings new people and new events, leading to unexpected surprises or even terrors.
