Just an Encore Episode 9 Recap
> Just an Encore Recap
Ji Xiao rushed to the infirmary to check on Yan Ze, showing great concern by asking a barrage of questions about her leg injury. He asked, "What's wrong with you? Did you get your leg injured? Has everything been taken care of? Does it still hurt? When did you get injured? Why didn't you tell me?" He also mentioned receiving a message from her, but his phone was off.
Yan Ze joked that he was like Tang Sanzang for talking so much, as she had never seen him speak so much before. Ji Xiao retorted by saying that if he hadn't seen her clearly at the podium, he wouldn't have known she was injured, reiterating, "Why didn't you tell me?" Yan Ze, however, didn't want to elaborate, asking him to stop questioning her and pointing out that He Xinliang could ask.
After he got her some hot water, they discovered a bag of food left outside the door. Both assumed it was from Gu Xiye, which made Yan Ze happy, believing Gu Xiye wouldn't abandon her. She wondered why Gu Xiye didn't come in. Meanwhile, He Xinliang went to the classroom and fixed Gu Xiye's locker. When Gu Xiye returned, she found him there.
He Xinliang explained, "Yan Ze asked me to fix the locker for you," and then added, "She really cares about you." He also handed her an invitation card, claiming, "Yan Ze asked me to give it to you." This angered Gu Xiye, who questioned why Yan Ze didn't give it to her directly if she knew she was looking for it that morning. She then sharply asked He Xinliang, "Are you guys so close now? Weren't you deadly foes before?"
He Xinliang lightly dismissed her question, joking, "I'm the bigger person and she already kowtowed to me, so I've forgiven her." He then informed Gu Xiye about Yan Ze's injury, telling her, "She was slightly injured, and she is staying at the infirmary now. Show her your care when you've got the time. She really cares about you." Gu Xiye remained unresponsive, prompting He Xinliang to ask, "Aren't you going to see her? Isn't she your bestie?"
Gu Xiye only asked what else Yan Ze had told him, to which he replied, "She didn't tell me anything." Gu Xiye thanked him for fixing the locker. Gu Xiye took Yan Ze's composition book from her locker, remembering a time when Yan Ze's mother had scolded Yan Ze for writing "little articles" instead of studying, and Gu Xiye had bravely covered for her.
Now, Gu Xiye returned the notebook to Yan Ze in the infirmary, coldly stating, "I can't keep the scripts for you in the future. Just keep it yourself." When Yan Ze asked why, Gu Xiye pressed her, "Do you know something?" Yan Ze became evasive, which prompted Gu Xiye to question their friendship: "Do you still regard me as your friend now? Now He Xinliang is your friend, right? He is the friend who knows everything about you."
Gu Xiye then confronted Yan Ze about the clothes incident and her leg injury, expressing her hurt: "Why did you lie to me that he wanted me to deliver it? And as for the injury to your leg, you didn't tell me about it, and I was so silly to ask you to be the substitute of the relay race which gave He Xinliang a chance to save you. How about me? I became the one who hurt you.
Ze, since when have you become so wary of me? What did I do to make you keep so many things from me?" Yan Ze wanted to reveal the truth about her crush on Ji Xiao and how it led to her actions, but she lacked the courage. Instead, she simply apologized, saying, "I'm sorry."
Gu Xiye then asked if Yan Ze had fallen in love with He Xinliang, citing his actions like her washing his clothes, him taking care of her, asking Gu Xiye to visit her, and delivering the invitation. Yan Ze was shocked but vehemently denied it, swearing, "I really don't like him. I swear." Gu Xiye then made a demand: "If it's true that you don't like him, then I want you to keep some distance from him." Yan Ze agreed.
After the sports meeting, Mr. Zheng praised the class for their performance. He specifically commended Yan Ze for her "admirable spirit" in participating while injured for the class's honor, despite not finishing the race. He also acknowledged He Xinliang for "enthusiastically helping classmates," though he advised him to "do it in a better way" next time. Once Mr. Zheng left, the class descended into chaos.
Yan Ze, as class monitor, noticed Gu Xiye's locker was fixed and called He Xinliang to the water room. There, she quietly confronted him, asking, "What do you know?" and insisting they "keep our distance." He Xinliang playfully dodged her questions, leading to a circular exchange where Yan Ze pressed him, "What the hell do you know? Just tell me! Did you fix Xiye's locker? Did you see everything that night?"
He Xinliang then pinned her against the wall, revealing he learned the move from Ji Xiao, who "often does this to me." He then sternly told her, "Listen, you could ask when you're supposed to ask. But if you are not, you should hold it back," giving "the locker and Ji Xiao" as examples. Yan Ze demanded he "Get out of my way! Let's keep a distance," but he only moved closer.
At that moment, Gu Xiye walked in, saw them, and immediately turned and left, prompting Yan Ze to chase after her. In physical education class, Gu Xiye continued to give Yan Ze the cold shoulder. Yan Ze drew a small girl on the ground, initially writing "Xiye" next to it, then crossing it out and replacing it with "Yan Ze." Noticing Yan Ze lost in thought, He Xinliang approached her for a serious conversation.
He offered to "evaluate your looks with my professional eyes," which piqued Yan Ze's interest. However, he mischievously declared her "an ugly but soulful girl." Infuriated, Yan Ze demanded, "You just immediately get out of here without stopping!" He Xinliang quickly clarified it was a joke and that she was actually "cute and adorable," making Yan Ze secretly pleased. When asked about his "serious talk," He Xinliang inquired about her choice for the Division of Arts and Sciences next semester.
Yan Ze, without hesitation, stated, "Of course I'll choose arts. I'm looking for trouble if I choose sciences," to which He Xinliang agreed. Yan Ze again told him to "keep your distance from me," but He Xinliang countered, "Why should I keep distance?" Mr. Zheng announced an upcoming foreign student exchange program for the summer vacation, explaining that as the head English teacher of the top class, the responsibility for hosting would "naturally fall on our class."
He urged everyone to "actively take part in it and show them the elegance of Yangming Middle School." While students were unenthusiastic, Ji Xiao readily signed up. Mr. Zheng then called upon Yan Ze, telling her, "As the class monitor, you should take the lead. I'm counting you in, okay?" Yan Ze nervously agreed. Next, Mr. Zheng suggested He Xinliang host a student to practice his English, given his strong academic performance.
However, He Xinliang declined, explaining, "Mr. Zheng, I can't do that. I'm going to America for the Mathematical Olympiad summer camp. I'll hardly have a chance to speak Chinese." Finally, Mr. Zheng turned to Gu Xiye, saying, "Xiye, your spoken English is perfect, how about receiving one? I trust you. I'll leave the last foreign student to you."
Yan Ze then asked if "one family can only host one foreign student," and upon confirmation, began to say, "Then Xiye and I. . ." but Gu Xiye quickly cut her off, asserting, "I've no problem, Mr. Zheng." Yan Hai planned a grand confession to Liu Xichuan, inspired by a classic scene from "The Story of a Noble Family" involving Jin Yanxi, intending it to be an "absolute sensation."
His banner read: "To the beautiful and sweet-voiced senior, Liu Xichuan: Yan Hai, who is proficient in everything from basketball to discus and can be cool or cute as you wish, likes you." However, the banner was two meters too long for the planned location. He Xinliang suggested hanging it from the rooftop, which Yan Hai thought was a brilliant idea. The only obstacle was obtaining the rooftop key, which was with Mr. Zheng.
He Xinliang confidently declared, "I'll figure it out." Later, while He Xinliang was secretly searching for the key in Mr. Zheng's office, Yan Ze and Gu Xiye entered. Yan Ze asked Gu Xiye, "What do you wanna tell Mr. Zheng?" Gu Xiye replied that she intended to "make confession," revealing, "I'm gonna tell him that my parents have been in prison and I've been adopted by your family. So I don't have a home to host the foreign student."
He Xinliang, overhearing this from his hiding spot, was stunned. Yan Ze quickly tried to dissuade Gu Xiye, assuring her, "I swear I'll keep the secret for you. I didn't mean it. I would never, never tell anyone." She persuaded Gu Xiye to postpone the confession, promising, "There must be a way to solve it. Let's go back first," and then led her out of the office. Once they were gone, He Xinliang resumed his search for the key.
