Meeting You Episode 9 Recap
> Meeting You Recap
With the sports meet concluded, the high school second-year students turned their focus entirely to preparing for their final exams, which marked the end of a demanding academic year before the even more rigorous third year. Their head teacher, Ms. Hu, rallied them with encouraging words and energetic slogans, urging them to embrace the challenge and avoid repeating the year. Meanwhile, Cheng Erluo and Zhao Yishu formed a study partnership at Boss Yi's coffee shop.
Cheng Erluo, valuing their "revolutionary friendship" over mere studying, often diverted from their tasks. He frequently complimented Zhao Yishu, even teasing her about her blushing face. During one study session, he brought her ice cream, playfully smearing it on her face. As he wiped it clean, their faces drew close, making Zhao Yishu blush even more. Cheng Erluo remained oblivious to her evident affection, consistently referring to her as his "most important revolutionary partner" and "most reliable revolutionary comrade."
After their final exams, the students gathered, excitedly discussing their performance. Everyone acknowledged Nan Xi's exceptional ability to accurately predict key questions, including the Chinese and English compositions and the Physics final question. Cheng Erluo joked that he and Zhao Yishu had benefited greatly from Xia Rui's close connection to Nan Xi, suggesting they might owe Nan Xi a fee for his predictions.
Xia Rui, on the other hand, candidly shared her unorthodox exam strategy, which involved following Nan Xi's tips for math problems by filling in partial solutions and dots to give the impression of effort, hoping to earn points for her good attitude. Later, Ms. Hu announced the official start of summer vacation, tantalizing them with the perks awaiting them as third-year students, like special seating and better food in the cafeteria.
She then delivered a mixed bag of news: due to the exams being particularly challenging, results would be delayed until after the break, but their summer vacation would be significantly shortened to a mere two weeks to allow more time for review. Despite the students' protests, Ms. Hu remained firm. On the first day of summer vacation, Nan Xi arrived promptly at their agreed meeting spot.
Suspecting Xia Rui would arrange to meet Nan Xi alone, Cheng Erluo, accompanied by Zhao Yishu, decided to follow them covertly. Zhao Yishu questioned why they couldn't just join them, but Cheng Erluo insisted that Xia Rui adopted an "everyone is her brother" persona in a crowd, and he wanted to observe her true self when she was alone with Nan Xi.
Before meeting Nan Xi, Xia Rui was at home having breakfast with her mother, Madam Shao, and her younger brother, Haohao. Xia Rui was trying to convince Madam Shao to buy her a coffee machine. Madam Shao initially set a high bar of 500 points on the final exam.
After some lively negotiation, during which Haohao playfully intervened, Madam Shao eventually lowered the requirement to 400 points, but only if Xia Rui agreed to stay home and supervise Haohao's art homework. Faced with this difficult condition, Xia Rui immediately called Nan Xi for help. When Nan Xi arrived at Xia Rui's door, Haohao playfully pushed Xia Rui, causing her to stumble into Nan Xi's arms. Cheng Erluo and Zhao Yishu, who had been secretly observing, witnessed the accidental embrace.
Haohao, acting like a miniature adult, demanded Nan Xi release his sister. He then proceeded to size up Nan Xi, remarking on his gentle appearance and desirable temperament before directly questioning what Nan Xi liked about his sister. Xia Rui tried to distract Haohao, but he quickly turned the tables, threatening her coffee machine deal by claiming he couldn't find artistic inspiration. With Nan Xi's subtle agreement, Haohao managed to bargain for a trip to an Anime Convention.
Ultimately, Nan Xi suggested a hike up the mountain to find inspiration for Haohao and to collect rare timber for his wood carving hobby. The trio embarked on their hike, unknowingly followed by Cheng Erluo and Zhao Yishu. Xia Rui complained about the strenuous climb, teasing Nan Xi for being a "Little Wood" and Haohao for calling her "Auntie." Nan Xi, despite the playful banter, was focused on collecting various pieces of wood.
Xia Rui, while warning him about the danger, showed a surprising amount of concern. Haohao, meanwhile, continued to make sarcastic remarks, teasing Xia Rui about her apparent interest in Nan Xi's looks and threatening to expose her "puppy love" to their mother. Exhausted from the hike, Cheng Erluo grumbled about Nan Xi's unusual choice of "date" spot and wanted to turn back, but Zhao Yishu, surprisingly energetic, insisted on continuing to explore another direction.
Reaching a pavilion at the mountain summit, Xia Rui, utterly exhausted, leaned against a wooden pillar and fell asleep. Noticing her uncomfortable posture, Nan Xi gently adjusted her head to rest on his shoulder. Haohao, sitting nearby, diligently sketched the scene on his drawing pad until he too succumbed to sleep. Their peaceful nap was abruptly interrupted by a phone call from Zhao Yishu.
Her voice filled with panic, she explained that she and Cheng Erluo had gotten lost while following them and were now stranded in a square-shaped pavilion somewhere on the mountain. Alarmed by the news and the setting sun, Xia Rui, Nan Xi, and Haohao immediately set out to find them.
Nan Xi, utilizing his extensive knowledge of local trees and their specific habitats, expertly navigated the terrain, pinpointing the location of the pavilion and leading them directly to their lost friends. Upon reaching the pavilion, Xia Rui was relieved but also annoyed, scolding Cheng Erluo and Zhao Yishu for causing such anxiety. Zhao Yishu quickly took responsibility, explaining that she had wanted to revisit the pavilion because it held a special childhood memory.
She recalled playing there with Cheng Erluo when they were children. While other kids teased Cheng Erluo for being "fat," she had asked him to be her prince, even promising he'd be her prince forever. Cheng Erluo, visibly embarrassed by the revelation, quickly dismissed it as mere "children babble thoughtlessly."
The reunion dissolved into playful arguments, with Cheng Erluo accusing Xia Rui of being unreasonable and suggesting she wanted to keep their mountain "date" a secret because they had an "impure relationship." Haohao, ever the instigator, chimed in, asking if Cheng Erluo also believed his sister had an "impure" relationship with Nan Xi. Zhao Yishu expressed her amazement at Nan Xi's ability to find them, remarking that he seemed to "speak to the timber here."
As night fell, everyone safely descended the mountain. Xia Rui struggled with a sleeping Haohao on her back. Seeing her difficulty, Nan Xi, without hesitation, gently took the boy from her and carried him, also offering to carry her bag. Xia Rui, though touched, continued to insist that their bond was merely that of "brothers." Once they arrived home, Haohao immediately burst into action, revealing that he had been "pretending to sleep" the entire time.
He dramatically criticized Xia Rui and Nan Xi's interactions as a "terrible idol drama" and scoffed at Xia Rui's "good brothers" comment. When Xia Rui attempted to scold him, Haohao quickly held up the drawing he had made on the mountain, threatening to show it to their mother as "evidence of your crime of puppy love."
Flustered, Xia Rui quickly tried to appease him, vehemently denying any "puppy love" and reiterating that she and Nan Xi were just "good friends" and "brothers." The brief summer respite quickly dissolved into a new routine of studying for Cheng Erluo. Zhao Yishu, ever diligent, forced him to focus.
He complained dramatically about staying up until 3 AM to copy her review summaries, but then, looking at her, he expressed genuine confusion before complimenting her clear handwriting, level of detail, and organization, calling her "adorable."
