Love The Way You Are Episode 5 Recap
> Love The Way You Are Recap
Following the fashion show, Ruan Dongsheng carried Eva off the T-stage, garnering much attention. Xiao Nan attempted to intervene and pull Eva away, but Ruan Dongsheng held on tightly. The two men glared at each other, almost visibly sparking. Luo Yiren arrived just in time to pull Ruan Dongsheng aside, reminding him that Jason Wang was awaiting his scores. Though reluctant, Ruan Dongsheng had no choice but to leave.
Luo Yiren then told both Xiao Nan and Ruan Dongsheng that it was not the time for jokes, as the judges had finished grading, and they should get changed. As expected, Eva lived up to expectations and won the "Angel Crown" championship in China. During her acceptance speech, Eva spoke about her childhood dream. She shared that as a child, she wasn't conventionally pretty, even considering herself quite ugly.
However, she was always drawn to beautiful things, often standing in front of glass display cases admiring exquisitely sewn clothes. After seeing "The World Angel" program on TV, she dreamed of wearing beautiful clothes and appearing before the entire world. She worked incredibly hard, enduring unimaginable pain and almost giving up, but ultimately persevered. Eva concluded that the little girl she described was herself today, and urged other girls with low self-esteem to dream big, as everything is possible.
Her words caused Ruan Dongsheng to recall a chubby Zhen Yuanyuan from his high school days, leading him to wonder if Eva might indeed be Zhen Yuanyuan. Back home, Eva, still wearing Ruan Dongsheng's jacket and clutching her new trophy, happily spun around. Xiao Nan, observing her, cautioned her not to become "love-brained" and fall for Ruan Dongsheng's tricks again. He urged her to consider who might have secretly harmed her this time.
Eva confidently dismissed Ruan Dongsheng's actions as a strategy of "playing hard to get" and asserted that he still lacked experience in such tactics. She was certain Rebecca was behind the recent troubles, noting Rebecca's long-standing dislike for her and questioning why they should tolerate her bullying. Eva declared it was time to let Rebecca know the strength of "Niu Gu Lu Yuanyuan." Seeing Eva's newfound confidence, Xiao Nan felt relieved and offered to return Ruan Dongsheng's jacket for her.
Suspecting Xiao Nan's true intentions for returning the jacket, Eva secretly followed him, intending to record the interaction with her phone. She heard Xiao Nan warn Ruan Dongsheng to stay away from Eva, leading to an immediate struggle between the two men. Ruan Dongsheng retorted that Xiao Nan was the one who didn't understand, stating that he had always liked Zhen Yuanyuan and would not give up on her.
Xiao Nan then pointed out that Ruan Dongsheng was currently pursuing Eva, accusing him of lacking integrity. Ruan Dongsheng admitted he suspected Eva was Zhen Yuanyuan. Xiao Nan vehemently disagreed with this "silly thought," telling him to abandon it. Eva, who had initially been trying to film, rushed to Ruan Dongsheng's door, but before she could knock, Xiao Nan emerged looking disheveled, followed by an equally disheveled Ruan Dongsheng.
Misinterpreting their appearance and sudden friendly demeanor, Eva grew angry and slammed her door, later calling Xiao Nan to vent her frustration about the morning's schedule. Luo Yiren reported to Ruan Dongsheng that his heroic act of saving Eva had significantly boosted their company's social media presence, gaining 10,000 new Weibo followers overnight and ranking first in healthy cuisine interest.
Luo Yiren and Ni Hao proposed leveraging this popularity by marketing Ruan Dongsheng and Eva as a couple to improve his public image and promote their upcoming product line. Ruan Dongsheng agreed, but added a crucial condition to the contract: during her time as a representative, Eva was not to have any rumors with any man, especially Xiao Nan. Eva later questioned this specific clause when Ruan Dongsheng presented the contract.
She also demanded that Ruan Dongsheng cook for her daily as a condition for signing, and he agreed to her terms, despite expressing amusement at her lack of self-respect regarding the cooking request. As Ruan Dongsheng fulfilled his promise to cook daily, their relationship gradually grew closer.
Luo Yiren pressed Ruan Dongsheng about the progress of new products for the upcoming season, noting that materials needed to be submitted to the publicity company soon and suggesting he introduce his father's traditional "Four Taste Of Life" dishes. Ruan Dongsheng initially hesitated, feeling his current standard for these dishes didn't meet his own expectations, though he admitted they would satisfy most diners. He eventually agreed to consider it.
Ruan Dongsheng prepared the four dishes for Eva, recounting the stories behind each. He explained that his father had created these dishes, "Sweet stormy heart," "Discovered love," "There's no boundary for travelers," and "Loyalty," aiming to blend Chinese and Western cuisine. He then shared a personal anecdote about how he and a girl, Zhen Yuanyuan, were injured in his father's restaurant explosion.
He revealed that he was barely clinging to life until she gave him a piece of candy, which he believed saved him. He had been searching for her for years, hoping to fulfill his promise of cooking for her every day. Eva listened, finding the food delicious, and comforted him, assuring him that he would find the person he was looking for, as the world is vast and predestined individuals always reconnect.
Ruan Dongsheng subtly asked if their meeting was a reunion after a long separation, to which Eva cryptically replied that all meetings in this world are reunions after long periods of separation. Meanwhile, Luo Yiren sought to negotiate a partnership and discovered that the new Vice President of Hua She, the food app company, was Qiao Man, a food critic Ruan Dongsheng had previously offended.
Qiao Man was difficult with Yiren but ironically needed Xiao Nan's help to clear Eva's schedule for a focused homepage promotion. When Yiren arrived to make amends with Qiao Man and they went out for drinks, Qiao Man deliberately made things difficult for Yiren.
Despite Xiao Nan's worried attempts to stop her, Yiren, unfazed, bravely drank glass after glass to show her sincerity and commitment to her boss, stating that sharing her boss's worries was her job and she wouldn't back down. Late one night, Eva woke up feeling hungry and quietly entered Ruan Dongsheng's apartment to find food.
Ruan Dongsheng heard the noise and came out to investigate, but Eva accidentally hit him in the eye with a right hook, explaining that Xiao Nan had taught her to use martial arts to defend herself against perverts. Ruan Dongsheng, pointing out her sleepwear, called her a pervert instead and asked her to put on some proper clothes. He then sent her out, declaring he wouldn't go to the kitchen after midnight.
Eva, however, persisted, knocking pitifully on his door and begging for food, even invoking Xiao Nan's name. Her persistent knocking woke up a neighbor, who came out and scolded Ruan Dongsheng for being insensitive to a "beautiful girl." Succumbing to the pressure, Ruan Dongsheng let Eva back in and began to cook for her, even giving her a cooking lesson, but Eva suspected he was still trying to fool her.
During the cooking, Eva faked feeling hot and tried to get Ruan Dongsheng to turn on the air conditioning, a tactic he saw through. The next morning, a hungover Luo Yiren arrived at the office, surprised that Hua She had proactively contacted them about advertising, seemingly no longer holding a grudge. Ni Hao explained that Ruan Dongsheng was exhausted because Eva had called him up seven times overnight, constantly hungry.
Later, Ruan Dongsheng told Eva that his new product development, which aimed to create dishes suitable for different weather, would prevent him from cooking for her on time. Eva then offered insightful feedback on his "Four Taste Of Life" dishes, demonstrating a sensitive palate. For instance, she suggested using cow's milk instead of goat's milk for the "Sweet stormy heart" to prevent the cream from overpowering the sweetness.
She also noted issues with the "Discovered love" dish's bitterness from overcooked pickles, and suggested adding red wine to "There's no boundary for travelers" to balance the coldness of bitter melon and lotus seeds, thus protecting the stomach. Finally, she commented that "Loyalty" was too spicy and lacked bitterness, correcting Ruan Dongsheng by explaining that spiciness is a sensation, not a taste, while bitterness is.
Ruan Dongsheng was impressed by her profound understanding, admitting he had listened intently despite his inability to taste. Eva then offered to be his "tongue," promising to taste delicious food worldwide for him, and suggested staying the night so she could cook for him, effectively becoming his new tasting partner.
Ni Hao later reported to Ruan Dongsheng that wild mushrooms, a key ingredient for his new dish called "The hermit in the forest," were unavailable because farmers were unwilling to risk climbing the slippery mountains during heavy rain, even for more money. Ruan Dongsheng decided to go collect them himself. Eva, overhearing, volunteered to accompany him.
Though Ruan Dongsheng initially declined, Ni Hao convinced him that it would be a good opportunity for Eva, as a representative, to learn more about the corporation and a reward for her contributions to the new dish's research. On their trip to the mountains, Ruan Dongsheng admitted to Eva that he had to lie to Xiao Nan to bring her along, but he felt it was worth it seeing her enjoyment of the beautiful scenery.
As they explored, Eva asked where the rare "The hermit in the forest" mushrooms were, noting a lack of signal in the area. They both stumbled and fell. Ruan Dongsheng injured his leg, and Eva, always prepared, pulled out a first-aid kit to bandage him. He feigned more pain than he felt, teasing her, especially after she expressed concern. Despite his supposed injury, he later stood up and walked, still maintaining a slight limp.
Eva, though surprised, continued to support him as they searched for mushrooms. As they were almost down the mountain, a dog suddenly appeared. Ruan Dongsheng, abandoning his fake limp, swiftly pulled Eva to safety up a tree. Eva realized he had been tricking her about his injury, but he playfully attributed his sudden burst of speed to adrenaline. After waiting until late into the night for the dog to leave, they climbed down. Ruan Dongsheng presented Eva with a flower, which she found beautiful and sweet, before leaning in and tenderly kissing her.
