Lovely Us Episode 2 Recap
> Lovely Us Recap
All the friends from the Shude staff's families compound gathered at Huang Chengzi's house to watch Jay Chou's music videos, except for He Jinzhao, who was home struggling with his summer homework. Chen Zui asked Huang Chengzi if she had finished her summer homework, to which Huang Chengzi confidently declared that she had. However, the others were skeptical. As Chen Zui meticulously checked Huang Chengzi's assignments, he discovered she had missed a math test paper.
Before Huang Chengzi could start pleading, Zhu Jinxiao and Tan Song quickly made their excuses and left, leaving Huang Chengzi to turn to Chen Zui for help. Instead of asking Chen Zui to teach her, Huang Chengzi simply took his test paper to copy. Chen Zui, not wanting to incur Mrs. Feng's wrath, reluctantly agreed under Huang Chengzi's threat. Meanwhile, He Jinzhao, facing numerous empty pages in his own homework, found a unique method to complete it.
On the first morning of school, the classroom buzzed with students frantically copying homework. When Chen Zui, known for his good temper, arrived, a crowd of students swarmed him, eager to copy his assignments. Seeing this, Huang Chengzi quickly pulled out her own math test paper and announced, "Who wants to copy the math homework? I copied Chen Zui's!" effectively diffusing the situation for Chen Zui.
In the office, the homeroom teacher was comparing the thickness of He Jinzhao's summer homework book to others, sensing something amiss. Fortunately, a colleague from the next desk called the teacher away to discuss matters related to a debate contest, saving He Jinzhao's summer homework from further scrutiny. At school, Huang Chengzi and her friends discussed the upcoming debate topic: "In contemporary society, do men or women need more care?"
Even He Jinzhao found the topic somewhat distasteful, but Huang Chengzi was confident no one could out-argue her. Later, in Huang Chengzi's room, she asked Zhu Jinxiao to analyze her debate draft. Zhu Jinxiao immediately pointed out the weaknesses in Huang Chengzi's draft, stating that her points of view were too shallow, with too many logical loopholes and unconvincing arguments.
She also noted that Huang Chengzi's debate style was soft and her words not sharp, suggesting that the judges would quickly forget what she said. Zhu Jinxiao concluded that Huang Chengzi would not be able to contend with Tan Song's eloquent arguments, as he could make her feel depressed just by opening his mouth. Huang Chengzi, still trying to defend herself, insisted she had earned her place in the semi-finals and that Tan Song hadn't beaten her that afternoon.
Just then, Tan Song and two other boys pushed the door open and walked in. Tan Song boldly declared that his victory over Huang Chengzi was an "unchanging truth of the universe." Huang Chengzi, affronted, retorted, telling him to knock on the door before entering a girl's room. Tan Song and his friends then exited, re-knocked, and asked if "Huang Chengzi and them" were there, announcing that dinner was ready.
In the living room, a harmonious atmosphere prevailed as all the parents from the Shude compound gathered for a potluck dinner, with adults at one table and children at another. Huang Chengzi and Tan Song found themselves squabbling over a piece of meat, which quickly escalated into a heated discussion about the upcoming debate contest. Tan Song vowed to defeat Huang Chengzi and use the prize money to buy the "most awesome sneakers."
Huang Chengzi's mother interjected, reminding them to mind their manners and avoid aggressive language. Huang Chengzi explained to her grandmother that their debate topic was "Do men or women need more care in contemporary society?" The topic resonated strongly with the parents, leading to a lively argument among themselves, with each side passionately advocating for their own need for care. Mr. Lin, seeing the escalating dispute, suggested they turn it into a practice debate for Tan Song and Huang Chengzi.
The women, including Huang Chengzi's mother and He Jinzhao's mother, became the proposition side, while the men formed the opposition. They each presented their arguments for why their gender needed more care. During the free debate segment, Huang Chengzi, as the first debater for the proposition, and Tan Song, for the opposition, passionately argued their points. Tan Song challenged Huang Chengzi to recall their childhood.
He recounted how at five years old, Huang Chengzi bit his arm and he pulled her hair; she cried, but he didn't, resulting in him getting a beating. He then reminded her of when they were ten, and she tore his comic books, prompting him to cut her rubber band; again, she cried, and he didn't, leading to another beating for him.
Tan Song argued that because he was a man and strong, not crying, he was denied care and instead received punishment, calling it a great injustice. Huang Chengzi, as the first debater for the proposition, countered that Tan Song was punished because he had done something wrong, not because he didn't cry. She provocatively suggested that if he had cried, he would have been beaten even more severely, daring him to cry now to test her theory.
She further explained that women's crying stemmed from more sensitive nerves, drawing a comparison to Lin Daiyu burying fallen flowers, asserting that women empathize with everything and are more susceptible to negative emotions, thus requiring more care. Tan Song, the first debater for the opposition, then brought up an incident from kindergarten, accusing Huang Chengzi of having no empathy when she, along with his grandpa, "ended the life" of his pet loach, Nini, by strangling it.
He claimed this showed her "iron-cold heart" even at a young age, suggesting that he, the "poor and helpless boy" at the time, was the one who needed more care. Huang Chengzi dismissed this as childish and ignorant argumentation, clarifying that the loach was actually food her grandpa had bought. Tan Song accused her of personal abuse. Huang Chengzi retorted that he was the one vilifying her.
The argument devolved into a physical altercation, with their parents unable to stop them. To Huang Chengzi and Tan Song's surprise, the school announced the next day that the debate contest would be postponed and the teams regrouped due to two additional schools joining and five students withdrawing, leading to a revised competition system.
Even more shocking was the revelation that they were assigned to the same team, arguing as the opposition for the topic: "Puppy love does more harm than good." This topic stumped the Shude group, as none of them had ever experienced puppy love. He Jinzhao, however, came up with an unconventional idea: he suggested Huang Chengzi and Tan Song pretend to be in puppy love to gain first-hand experience for the debate.
Huang Chengzi and Tan Song, natural rivals, awkwardly attempted intimate gestures under their friends' watchful eyes. They both felt nothing, mutually expressing disdain for each other and commenting that their hearts remained "as still as water." He Jinzhao then proposed they go on a solo date over the weekend to find that "heartbeat feeling," tempting them with the prize money—a new bicycle for Huang Chengzi and a pair of Nike Air Force 1 sneakers for Tan Song.
Enticed by the substantial reward, they reluctantly agreed to embark on a quest to find the feeling of being in love. Following He Jinzhao's list of "daily love routine" activities, Huang Chengzi and Tan Song went on their date. Tan Song, being somewhat oblivious, brought a tandem bicycle for their ride. At the cinema, they bought a single bucket of popcorn as per their instructions.
Unlike a nearby couple affectionately touching hands, Huang Chengzi and Tan Song ended up fighting over the popcorn, completely ignoring the movie. At the skating rink, Huang Chengzi took advantage of Tan Song's inability to skate, deliberately pulling him to the center of the rink and leaving him to shiver alone.
Not long after, Tan Song found his element at the arcade, easily excelling at the games, which infuriated Huang Chengzi to the point where she threatened to break up with him. He Jinzhao, the self-proclaimed "love expert," refused to believe they couldn't cultivate feelings for each other. He instructed them to simulate romantic scenes from Korean and American dramas to find inspiration, but each attempt resulted in hilarious mishaps and no success.
Determined, He Jinzhao decided to set up special lighting for them that evening, hoping it would make a difference. However, when Tan Song saw Huang Chengzi under the dramatic lighting, he immediately fled, exclaiming that she looked like a "ghost." Feeling defeated, Huang Chengzi decided to go to the shop to buy two bottles of Sprite to cool down. At the shop, Huang Chengzi struggled to reach the Sprite bottles on a high shelf. From behind her, a handsome boy reached up and brought them down for her. On that rainy day, a young girl's heart beat 101 times.
