Love O2O Episode 1 Recap
> Love O2O Recap
In the expansive martial arts online game "A Chinese Ghost Story II", Luwei Weiwei and Zhenshui Wuxiang successfully defeated a formidable monster. The creature dropped a Magical Heaven Reversal Necklace, a highly sought-after item. Their friend Nini, delighted by the find, accepted a duel challenge on Weiwei's behalf. The match was set for 5:00 PM at a tavern located just outside Jinling City. Zhenshui and Weiwei had been game partners, known as a "couple," for over six months.
Zhenshui expressed a desire for Weiwei to address him more intimately, but she found the suggestion awkward. He then inquired if she attended university in the capital city, revealing he was also based there, and proposed they meet for dinner offline at a top-tier Japanese restaurant. Weiwei politely declined, emphasizing her preference to keep their interactions within the game. Zhenshui, however, pressed for a photo, citing a common online saying about the uncertainty of who one is truly interacting with.
Before Weiwei could respond, the power in her university dorm room suddenly went out. The unexpected outage was caused by Erxi, Weiwei's roommate, who had been cooking noodles on an electric stove. Weiwei, a Computer Science major, swiftly repaired the circuit. To her dismay, she found her computer was now broken. Erxi confessed to accidentally dropping it the previous day.
Weiwei expressed concern that Zhenshui, who had just requested a photo, would now assume she was intentionally avoiding him out of guilt. She explained that she wouldn't send a picture as their in-game partnership was purely for completing territorial quests. Determined to participate in her evening duel, Weiwei insisted they immediately go buy a new motherboard so she could repair her computer herself. A reluctant Erxi accompanied her.
While passing by a school notice board, they noticed a crowd gathered around an announcement for a campus basketball tournament between the Computer Science and Biochemistry Departments. Weiwei was excited, anticipating the return of Xiao Nai, a fourth-year Computer Science student widely revered as "Xiao God," to play in the game. She praised his exceptional skills and accomplishments, envisioning him as the top-ranked student in any academic leaderboard, similar to game rankings.
Erxi, more interested in his appearance, agreed that they should arrive an hour early to secure good seats. At a digital store, Weiwei and Erxi encountered Meng Yiran, a prominent campus figure known as the school beauty queen. Meng Yiran was in the process of purchasing a RAM stick.
Weiwei, drawing on her computer science expertise, observed that the store owner was attempting to sell a used memory module at the price of a new one, and at double its actual value. She pointed out the discrepancy to Meng Yiran. However, Meng Yiran dismissed Weiwei's warning, completed the purchase, and even defended the owner, asserting that businesses were entitled to make a profit.
Erxi was annoyed by Meng Yiran's aloofness, speculating that Meng Yiran's attitude stemmed from their past competition in a school beauty contest, where Meng Yiran had secured first place and Weiwei second. Weiwei, recalling the contest, pondered why Meng Yiran would harbor animosity towards her, to which Erxi jokingly attributed it to Meng Yiran's "flat chest," leading Weiwei to playfully chide Erxi for her focus on other women.
Later that day, at an internet cafe, Weiwei logged into the game for her scheduled duel. Her opponent taunted Weiwei for her perceived hesitation. However, Weiwei quickly demonstrated her impressive combat skills, utilizing precise jumps and dodges to secure a decisive victory. The online community was abuzz, marveling at Weiwei's prowess and questioning how a player of her caliber was only ranked sixth. Many speculated about the identity and skill of the top-ranked player, Yixiao Naihe.
Her defeated opponent requested a rematch, which Weiwei accepted, noting she had only paid for an hour of internet cafe time. In a separate area of the same internet cafe, Xiao Nai was engaged in a game of Go with his uncle. His uncle inquired about Xiao Nai's post-graduation plans to establish his own company. Xiao Nai confirmed his intention to initially develop two games.
His uncle then generously offered the internet cafe premises to Xiao Nai, suggesting he could renovate it into his initial office space. Xiao Nai, however, respectfully declined, stating his preference for the satisfaction of "starting from the ground up" and revealing he had already secured a location. As Xiao Nai exited the cafe, he paused, observing Weiwei intensely focused on her game, her fingers moving skillfully across the keyboard and mouse, and found himself intrigued.
Meanwhile, Meng Yiran was discussing Weiwei with her friend Na Na. While Meng Yiran conceded that Weiwei was "quite pretty" and "helpful," Na Na strongly disagreed, disparaging Weiwei's appearance as "common" and her presence as "like a flower vase." Na Na warned Meng Yiran not to be swayed by Weiwei's seemingly kind gestures, suggesting Weiwei was merely trying to appear superior.
She then revealed that Cao Guang had recently captured a photograph of Weiwei emerging from a luxury car, implying Weiwei was not as innocent as she seemed. When Cao Guang appeared, Na Na brazenly asked him to show the photo to Meng Yiran, but he claimed to have deleted it, dismissively stating he would never be interested in "that kind of girl."
Na Na then used Cao Guang's remarks to reinforce her warning to Meng Yiran about Weiwei's supposed lack of sincerity. Back at the dorm, Erxi informed Weiwei about internship opportunities at Zhen Yi Technology for Computer Science students and offered to help them apply. Weiwei readily agreed. Soon after, Weiwei successfully repaired her computer by expertly replacing a capacitor part. Erxi praised her hardware skills, playfully remarking on Weiwei's deep passion for gaming.
Weiwei articulated her belief that games were not merely a waste of time but offered "a whole new world" where one could pursue dreams and talent. She shared her aspirations of becoming a game designer for Feng Teng Corporation or contributing to the development of "A Chinese Ghost Story II". Shortly thereafter, Zhenshui Wuxiang contacted Weiwei in the game, requesting they meet at the Stone of Three Lives to dissolve their in-game partnership, without providing a reason.
He offered a set of powerful Heaven Reverse equipment and a "break-up compensation." Weiwei declined any compensation, agreeing to meet him promptly. At the Stone of Three Lives, Zhenshui apologized, to which Weiwei calmly responded, "It's okay." After they symbolically drank the Water of Forget Love, a public announcement in the game declared the dissolution of their partnership, stating that their "fate has ended."
Weiwei again declined any compensation, emphasizing that their partnership had been purely functional for game quests and that she felt no lingering burden. She suggested they might still battle monsters together in the future. Soon, Nini messaged Weiwei, surprised by her composure after the split, and revealed that Zhenshui was on the verge of marrying Xiaoyu Yaoyao, celebrated as the "number one beauty" on the server and winner of the Dream Angel poll.
Nini then hesitantly shared a rumor circulating among players: due to Weiwei's exceptional combat skills, her refusal to seek equipment from male players, and her unwillingness to share photos, many suspected she was a male player using a female character. Weiwei expressed her disbelief, questioning how such assumptions could be made in a "face-focused world" simply because she withheld her photo. Moments later, the game announced the grand wedding of Zhenshui Wuxiang and Xiaoyu Yaoyao, featuring an elaborate procession.
As the lavish wedding procession made its way through the game world, Weiwei, needing a restroom break in real life, left her character standing innocently on the Vermilion Bird Bridge. This simple act was immediately misinterpreted by other players as an audacious attempt to "snatch the groom." The game's public channel erupted with chatter, with many players, observing Weiwei's lone figure, rallying in support of Luwei Weiwei "snatching Zhenshui."
Upon returning a few minutes later, Weiwei found her character surrounded by a massive crowd. Realizing that running away would be seen as a heartbroken retreat, and staying would only perpetuate the misunderstanding, Weiwei decided to act. She set up a makeshift stall, loudly advertising "new potions freshly brewed from the top-level alchemists" at a "20% discount." The irresistible offer quickly drew the crowd away as players scrambled to purchase the discounted items.
Once the throng had dispersed, Yixiao Naihe, the server's top player, appeared before Weiwei. He courteously commented on the grandeur of the recent wedding event, then, to Weiwei's astonishment, proposed that they "couple up" to host "an even grander wedding ceremony."
