Meteor Garden 2018 Episode 12 Recap
> Meteor Garden 2018 Recaps
Daoming Si lay awake next to Shancai, unable to sleep. He quietly got up and watched her, playfully poking her cheek, a satisfied smile on his face. The next morning, as Shancai was changing in the bathroom, Daoming Si suddenly burst in shirtless. Shancai gasped, quickly covering herself with a towel, but Daoming Si shamelessly tried to show off his abs.
During their playful tussle, Shancai’s mother walked in, momentarily embarrassed but also secretly pleased by the scene, and quickly excused herself. Shancai then pushed Daoming Si out of the bathroom, telling him to close the door. Later, as Daoming Si and Shancai walked to school, they encountered Chen Qinghe and Li Zhen. Daoming Si leaned in to Chen Qinghe, excitedly revealing that he had slept with Shancai.
Chen Qinghe reacted with surprise and disappointment, mistakenly believing that Shancai's mother had approved their relationship. Shancai quickly clarified that her mother had simply insisted that Daoming Si stay overnight. Feeling down, Chen Qinghe later confided in Li Zhen, lamenting why he couldn't compare to Daoming Si and feeling like a "power bank without electricity." Li Zhen retorted that his gloomy demeanor was precisely why he couldn't measure up.
Daoming Si went to the F4's usual spot, the bridge room, only to find it empty. He called Ximen, who, along with Meizuo, teasingly claimed they had all moved to London to be with him and even enrolled in school there. Ximen then added that they wouldn't return unless Daoming Si spoke to Huaze Lei. Exasperated, Daoming Si insisted he had a lot to say to Huaze Lei and demanded they come back.
Just then, Huaze Lei appeared from within the bridge room, questioning what Daoming Si wanted to say. Realizing he had been tricked, Daoming Si finally apologized to Huaze Lei for a past incident involving a Spider-Man toy and for driving him away from the group. His friends playfully recorded the rare moment of Daoming Si bowing in apology. A video call from Daoming Zhuang interrupted their reunion.
Daoming Si quickly passed his phone to Meizuo, who tried to deflect his sister's questions. However, Daoming Zhuang was persistent, even threatening to sing until Daoming Si took the call. The F4 members quickly made their excuses and left, leaving Daoming Si to face his sister. Daoming Zhuang, still abroad, scolded Daoming Si for secretly returning to Shanghai, but then expressed her concern for him.
She informed him that their mother would be returning to Shanghai for his birthday and reminded him that his mother would not approve of Shancai. Daoming Zhuang described the ideal woman their mother would like: someone elegant, talented, able to shine in public, yet gentle and polite at home.
Daoming Si then began to research ways to "transform" Shancai, explaining to Ximen that he wanted Shancai to be a woman who could be his equal, though Ximen believed they were already a perfect match. Meanwhile, Tian Ye found Shancai and sincerely apologized for his deception, admitting that Tian's Chinese Pharmaceutical was indeed his family's business.
He explained that he had kept it a secret because he wanted to be treated like everyone else at work and make friends naturally, without any special treatment. Shancai accepted his apology, acknowledging that she had overreacted. Later, Shancai returned home to find her family in disarray. Her mother was crying, and her father, Dong Da Nian, was distraught.
He confessed to losing a million yuan in a bad investment of company funds and, out of guilt, offered to divorce Shancai's mother. Shancai's mother initially reacted with anger, feeling unappreciated, stating that she loved him for his kindness and sincerity, not for wealth. However, she eventually expressed her unwavering love, asserting that she wouldn't leave him and they would face the hardship together if he promised not to repeat his mistakes. Just then, Daoming Si arrived at their home.
Upon learning of their predicament, he immediately offered them a bank card containing one million yuan, with a password of six zeros, for their emergency. Shancai, reluctant to accept charity, tried to refuse the money, but Daoming Si insisted it was his own earnings from financial trading and that her father could face legal consequences if the money wasn't repaid quickly. Shancai eventually accepted. She asked how she could repay him.
Daoming Si asked her to come to his house the next day. There, he revealed his plan: she should participate in the "Chinese Cuisine Campus Cooking Competition," which offered a grand prize of one million yuan. Shancai was initially daunted by the challenge, but after Daoming Si's playful provocation, she agreed to try her best. As a "loan interest" payment, Daoming Si requested a kiss on the cheek, which Shancai shyly gave before rushing out in embarrassment.
Daoming Si had arranged for Shancai to participate in the competition, which was sponsored by his mother, with the dual aim of enhancing Shancai's abilities and having his mother recognize her. He called Daoming Zhuang back from London to train Shancai, despite the short half-month timeframe before the competition. When Daoming Zhuang met Shancai, she asked about her cooking repertoire, to which Shancai listed common home-style dishes like sweet and sour spare ribs and Kung Pao chicken.
Daoming Zhuang dismissed these as too ordinary for an international competition. She emphasized that the most crucial element to win was to "touch people's hearts" through cooking.
She recounted her own experience winning a past competition with a pumpkin cake, which she had given a dramatically elaborate name (dǒng xiǎowǎn zhī shénzī yàn fā yǎo tiǎo chánjuān, guàn xiāng dǒng táng jīn sè xiāngtián yòuhuò), revealing it was her way of punishing Daoming Si, who hated pumpkin, and jokingly stating that she now gets rashes from the sight of pumpkins.
Daoming Zhuang stressed that culinary excellence for such a competition required not just skill, but also cultural depth, which she gained from extensive reading of Chinese history. She handed Shancai a copy of "The Book of Songs" and told her to read it to gain a deeper understanding and elevate her cooking to another level. Daoming Si remained confident in Shancai's tenacious spirit. Under Daoming Zhuang's rigorous guidance, Shancai began her training.
Daoming Zhuang started by emphasizing that "attitude decides everything" in cooking, and reiterated the importance of blending "The Book of Songs" with cuisine to create dishes with cultural charm. She demonstrated various knife skills and cooking techniques, from blanching to stir-frying and intricate plating styles. During a lesson on "Hibiscus Chicken," Daoming Zhuang had Shancai massage the chicken while she herself performed yoga, recording her instructions for Shancai to practice later. She stressed constant effort and practice for continuous improvement in culinary skills, warning Shancai not to slack off.
