Love Me If You Dare Episode 1 Recap
> Love Me If You Dare Recap
University student Jian Yao returned home for summer break and decided to take on a translation job introduced by her professor. Her younger sister, Jian Xuan, and childhood friend, Li Xunran, picked her up at the train station. Jian Xuan was surprised to learn about Jian Yao’s new job, as the workplace was a villa located remotely in the suburbs, appearing deserted even in daylight. The following day, Jian Yao prepared for her interview.
Li Xunran, a police officer with a strong sense of safety awareness, urged her to stay in constant contact, emphasizing that the villa owner was unknown and the location was isolated. Jian Yao agreed with a smile. Jian Xuan, still trying to dissuade Jian Yao, shared rumors from a friend who claimed to have seen a "skeleton ghost guy" on the villa's balcony.
Li Xunran reiterated his concern to Jian Yao, telling her to notify him before and after her interview the next morning, especially given the ongoing missing persons cases. At the police station, Deputy Officer Li Xunran discussed a troubling series of missing person cases, with five already reported and more continuing to occur. He noted the increasing frequency and similarity of the missing persons, all underage, suggesting a possible connection and advising a combined investigation.
His captain shared this view, though agreed that more supplementary investigation was needed as the evidence for a combined case was still insufficient. Jian Yao arrived at the secluded villa for her interview. A man introduced himself as Bo Jinyan and offered her a drink. He mentioned that her professor, Zhang, spoke highly of her.
He then presented her with two papers to translate, along with graphic accompanying pictures of a murder victim that he stated he had forgotten to remove. Jian Yao calmly and quickly translated the disturbing content. The man expressed surprise at her speed and asked about her career plans. Jian Yao revealed she had already secured a job with an import-export company in Jiangzhou, where she attended university.
The man, stating that his research was merely a side job, then challenged her to guess his main profession. Jian Yao, observing his unsteady hands (seen when making tea and scattering leaves), his lack of meticulousness (mixing up tea lids), his "mouse hand" indicating extensive typing, and his creative thought process, deduced that he was not a surgeon, as many might assume due to the antiseptic smell and medical papers, but rather a computer software developer.
Impressed by her deduction, the man admitted she was right and revealed his true identity: Fu Ziyu, a friend of the real Bo Jinyan. Jian Yao explained that she had initially only guessed, but then confirmed his identity after seeing an interview with him in a magazine downstairs. Fu Ziyu, now no longer posing as Bo Jinyan, confirmed that the translation job was hers.
After Jian Yao left, Fu Ziyu went upstairs to speak with Bo Jinyan, questioning why he would set up such an elaborate test for a mere temporary translator. Bo Jinyan revealed that he had deliberately left the magazine downstairs, stating he needed "observant eyes" to translate his works properly, as a "stupid" or "not detailed" person would only translate words, failing to grasp the "exquisite details and the soul" behind them.
When Fu Ziyu asked if Jian Yao could understand his soul, Bo Jinyan replied that no one could. Jian Yao subsequently received her contract, confirming she had secured the translation job. Jian Xuan teased her about the "monster-like" signature on the contract, to which Jian Yao retorted that even if he was a "monster," he was one with character.
Hearing Bo Jinyan's name, Li Xunran found it familiar and jokingly wondered if he had a criminal record, which Jian Yao dismissed, noting Bo Jinyan had recently returned from America, implying any such record would be beyond a local police officer's reach. Fu Ziyu informed Bo Jinyan that Jian Yao would start work the next day, and he would be returning to Jiangzhou.
He also mentioned Bo Jinyan’s high standards, including the expectation of typed rather than handwritten translations because Jian Yao's handwriting was difficult to read. Meanwhile, the police continued their investigation into the missing person cases, with the latest victim identified as Fu Mingyi, a 15-year-old and the sixth case reported.
Despite the city bureau's reluctance to combine the cases, Li Xunran, still convinced they were linked, hypothesized that Fu Mingyi might have traveled directly to Tong City without getting off the bus midway. He also discovered that a path leading up the mountain, usually quiet and isolated, contained only one villa, making it suspicious in connection to the disappearance locations. Jian Yao began her work at the villa.
Fu Ziyu had advised her to treat the first floor as her own, but explicitly warned her not to venture upstairs or disturb Bo Jinyan, who he described as having a "weird and annoying temper." One day, Jian Yao, an avid angler, was walking near the villa and discovered a high-end fishing rod by the river bank.
Assuming Bo Jinyan might have left it there and forgotten, she used it to catch several fish, then brought both the rod and the catch back to the villa, sending Bo Jinyan a text message to explain and apologize for the liberty she took.
Separately, Li Xunran continued his investigation, and during dinner with Jian Yao and her mother, he subtly probed Jian Yao about the villa's other residents and a locked room on the first floor, hinting at his growing suspicion about the mysterious villa owner. Jian Yao playfully suggested Bo Jinyan could be a "pervert killer," dismissing his concerns, but Li Xunran remained serious, examining old documents related to the villa.
Later that afternoon, a sudden thunderstorm caused a power outage at the villa. Frightened, Jian Yao called out to Bo Jinyan, who came downstairs. He calmly explained that the outage was due to an overloaded electrical grid and a burnt transformer, stating he wouldn't repair it himself and that she shouldn't disturb him, telling her to make herself at home.
When Jian Yao asked to borrow a shirt because it was cold, Bo Jinyan refused, stating he didn't like others wearing his clothes. Hungry, Jian Yao found only frozen fish in the refrigerator and prepared it. However, Bo Jinyan criticized her cooking, calling the fish "nasty," "meat too old," and "too salty," before demonstrating how to make proper "boiled fish slices" himself.
As they finished eating and Jian Yao was clearing the dishes, a sudden, loud clap of thunder shattered a window. Jian Yao, startled and disoriented by the darkness, was at a loss and attempted to navigate the broken glass scattered on the floor with only faint candlelight.
Without hesitation, Bo Jinyan lifted her into his arms, carrying her safely over the shards to the sofa, remarking that she couldn't have managed it herself without night-vision goggles, given her slow reaction time. Jian Yao admitted his fish was superior but pointed out his overly harsh words. He then clarified that the shirt she had asked to borrow earlier belonged to Fu Ziyu. He then bid her good night.
