Lovely Us Episode 4 Recap
> Lovely Us Recap
While Zhu Jinxiao was looking after the shop alone, she observed two men harassing a woman wearing a camisole top and shorts. Jinxiao bravely intervened, challenging the men for blaming the victim and asserting that no one deserves such treatment regardless of their attire. The men then turned their attention to Jinxiao, attempting to harass her as well, using similar taunts about her own attire. Just then, Tan Ouyang, Tan Song's cousin, arrived at the shop to buy something.
Seeing the situation, he stepped in and drove the hooligans away. Afterwards, Jinxiao offered him a Sprite as a token of gratitude for his help. Tan Ouyang recognized Jinxiao, having seen her picture at Tan Song's house, and learned she and He Jinzhao were managing the shop because her father was delivering goods and her mother had a sprained lumbar.
He cautioned her to be safe on her way home, a warning echoed by a news report later advising women to be vigilant when walking alone at night. In class, Tan Song noticed Huang Chengzi meticulously arranging her books, a habit he teasingly called her "Pre-exam ceremonial sense syndrome." He offered to help her with a difficult problem, but quickly realized he couldn't solve it either.
Tan Song then thought of his older cousin, Tan Ouyang, a "talented one of Xihua University," as their potential savior. However, the news of Ouyang offering free tutoring spread quickly through the compound for Shude staff's families. Soon, Chen Zui, Zhu Jinxiao, and He Jinzhao, along with other students, crowded into Tan Song's house for the session. To everyone's surprise, Ouyang struggled to recall high school knowledge, making several mistakes, including a basic arithmetic progression problem.
Eventually, Chen Zui and Zhu Jinxiao took over, explaining the concepts to Ouyang. Tan Song's mother, Auntie Hongxia, noticed this and questioned Tan Song, who tried to justify Ouyang's struggles as "relearning senior high school stuff" because "learning is a lifelong task." Later, He Jinzhao's mother suggested that Zhu Jinxiao also enroll in a cram school, as Ouyang had forgotten too much, and Jinxiao agreed. Meanwhile, He Jinzhao defiantly declared himself the "master of his fate," relying only on himself.
Across town, Huang Chengzi was engrossed in a different kind of preparation, counting words in a reading comprehension passage and repeatedly wishing for "good grades" for her upcoming mid-term exams. As mid-term exams approached, the math teacher canceled PE class, much to the students' dismay. The teacher held up Chen Zui as an example of diligence, only for it to be revealed that he was sketching basketball strategies.
However, Zhu Jinxiao was truly engrossed in her studies, even eating in the cafeteria with a book in hand. Huang Chengzi and Tan Song, concerned by her relentless study, tried to convince Jinxiao to take a break. He Jinzhao described her as a "study-demon." During their conversation, He Jinzhao warned everyone about a "gangster" in a black cap and black jacket who had been robbing and assaulting people, including molesting women, near the school.
He urged Huang Chengzi and Jinxiao to be cautious, avoid dark alleys, and hide their valuables. Meanwhile, Huang Chengzi's mother bought her father, Huang Chengzi's father, a new black windbreaker and a matching black hat. Huang Chengzi's father expressed worry that he resembled the robber from the news, but his wife assured him he looked handsome, so he wore the outfit to work. After school, Huang Chengzi engaged in a superstitious ritual to predict her exam results.
She declared that if she could walk home within 100 steps, she would rank among the top 100 students. She carefully counted her steps, reaching 99, only to find herself still a short distance from her front door. Just then, Tan Song walked by. Huang Chengzi, desperate to complete her ritual, asked him to carry her the rest of the way. Tan Song agreed, playfully asking for her gratitude and calling himself "good" and "considerate."
However, he then mischievously put her down, forcing her to take a giant stride to complete her 100 steps right at her doorstep, much to her annoyance. Later that night, as Zhu Jinxiao walked to the shop alone to work, she ran into Chen Zui and Tan Song, who had just finished playing basketball. Seeing her alone, Chen Zui immediately offered to escort her to the shop.
Not to be outdone, Tan Song joined them, playfully singing a song about not being afraid. The next morning, Huang Chengzi, hoping for a "very lucky" start to her exams, performed another ritual: if the first person she saw wore red, her exams would go well. To her dismay, the first person she encountered was Tan Song, dressed in his blue school uniform. Refusing to give up, she badgered him to reveal if he had any red clothing underneath.
After confirming his shirt and socks were white, she brazenly demanded to know the color of his underwear. Tan Song, exasperated, refused and struggled to get her to let go of his bag, jokingly calling her a "pervert." The class was rattled by news that Guo Yao, a classmate, had been robbed and nearly molested on her way home from cram school.
This heightened Zhu Jinxiao's fears, prompting her to ask Huang Chengzi to accompany her to cram school that evening. However, Huang Chengzi declined, having already agreed to He Jinzhao's "all-out cramming plan" with Tan Song. He Jinzhao, believing in leveraging their "respective advantages," devised a study schedule: Huang Chengzi would teach Chinese, Tan Song physics, and he would teach geography.
Their study session, however, quickly dissolved into tangents and distractions, with Huang Chengzi recounting the story of "Injustice to Dou'e" and Tan Song attempting to explain physics concepts using a "sniper rifle." Later that night, after her cram school class ended around 10 PM, Zhu Jinxiao walked home, singing to steel her nerves.
Sensing she was being followed, she quickly faked a phone call, loudly boasting about having just earned a Taekwondo black belt and almost "kicked the coach to death," before running off. Unbeknownst to her, the person following was Huang Chengzi's father, returning from his night shift in his new black windbreaker and hat. He saw Jinxiao running and, concerned, gave chase. Chen Zui, passing by, recognized Huang Chengzi's father and commented on his robber-like attire.
Realizing Jinxiao's fright was due to his appearance, Chen Zui advised Huang Chengzi's father to stop wearing the cap and jacket together. Afterwards, Chen Zui went to the shop with a deck of cards to keep Jinxiao company, playing "Kittens Go Fishing." Meanwhile, Huang Chengzi, Tan Song, and He Jinzhao, having found their study session at home unproductive due to "too many temptations," decided to relocate to the library the next day.
The next day, Huang Chengzi, Tan Song, and He Jinzhao met at the library, confident that being in a studious environment would guarantee success. However, Tan Song's hopes were dashed when Huang Chengzi and He Jinzhao quickly fell asleep, read comics, and clipped their nails instead of studying. Frustrated, they attended a "learning tips" lecture by Professor Xu.
A woman named Liu Guilan, a plant (shill) for the lecture, shared a "motivational" story about how Professor Xu's lecture transformed her life at 43, leading her to a part-time job in mathematics at Beihua University. Tan Song immediately suspected it was a scam, but Huang Chengzi and He Jinzhao were enthralled. Professor Xu then unveiled his "formula" for success and awarded He Jinzhao for his enthusiastic participation.
He then dramatically announced a limited sale of his "books to help you get victory," ultimately convincing the excited Huang Chengzi and He Jinzhao to buy a large stack of these "secret books," despite Tan Song's clear discomfort and warning. They were overjoyed, convinced they were now "instilled with brilliance" and would "crush" everyone in the upcoming exams. Tan Song, embarrassed by their gullibility, asked them not to tell anyone they knew him.
Meanwhile, Zhu Jinxiao diligently attended her cram school. Afterwards, Chen Zui waited for her outside and then discreetly followed to escort her home. However, he was momentarily distracted when he paused to help someone who had fallen. This brief delay meant he wasn't there when Jinxiao was cornered in a dark alley by the robber. Just as the robber was demanding her valuables, Tan Ouyang suddenly appeared, hugged Jinxiao and reassured her, then single-handedly subdued the criminal.
A narrator reflected that in the summer of 2017, Tan Ouyang became an object of widespread admiration among the girls of the Shude Compound, but none would be more deeply or lastingly affected than Zhu Jinxiao. Chen Zui arrived moments too late, only to see Ouyang and Jinxiao walking away. Later, the group gathered at Tan Song's house, where Huang Chengzi comforted a shaken Jinxiao.
He Jinzhao lightheartedly asked Jinxiao if she had developed a crush on Ouyang after his heroic act. Jinxiao playfully denied it, claiming new crushes on celebrities. Tan Song, seizing the moment, revealed that Ouyang had just broken up with his girlfriend, Xiangtong, and encouraged Jinxiao to pursue him. Chen Zui, however, interjected, telling them to stop teasing Jinxiao, prompting Tan Song to ask if Chen Zui was feeling unwell.
The next day, on their way to school, He Jinzhao and Huang Chengzi continued to boast about their newly acquired "books to help you get victory," fully convinced they would outperform everyone else in six days. Their confidence quickly shattered, however, when they spotted Liu Guilan, the supposed "talented student" and part-time Beihua University professor from the lecture, frying Chinese dough sticks on the street.
Confronted, she sheepishly admitted to frying them both during the day and in Beihua in the evening. Realizing they had been scammed, they rushed back to the lecture venue, only to find it sealed by the Public Security Bureau, with notices proclaiming "Scammers, return the money" and that "Xu Tiezhu was arrested." He Jinzhao and Huang Chengzi were utterly stunned.
