Meteor Garden 2018 Episode 18 Recap
> Meteor Garden 2018 Recaps
Shunping, after apologizing for pretending Shancai was his girlfriend to upset Daoming Si, advised Shancai to break up with Daoming Si, claiming he wasn't a good man. When Shancai admitted that while Daoming Si could be excessive, she also saw good in him and felt on edge around him, Shunping suggested she meet some friends of his who knew Daoming Si from before. He then offered to get her a drink, leaving her alone.
While waiting, Shancai was suddenly kidnapped by two strangers. Meanwhile, Qinghe noticed Shancai was absent from class and not answering her phone, which was uncharacteristic of her. He informed Huaze Lei, Ximen, and Meizuo, who grew concerned as Shancai remained missing all afternoon. Ximen checked with the academic office and discovered that Shunping had already withdrawn from Mingde College, raising alarms among the group.
Since Daoming Si was in a bad mood and uncontactable, not picking up anyone's calls, Huaze Lei, Ximen, and Meizuo went to his home to inform him of Shancai's disappearance. Daoming Si's butler mentioned he had been holed up in his study, either trading stocks, reading, playing video games, or sleeping, avoiding all communication. Shancai was tied to a chair with her mouth taped shut in an old warehouse. Her captors slapped her and took photos of her distressed state.
Shunping then arrived, and Shancai initially thought he was there to rescue her. To her shock, Shunping was allied with the kidnappers. He revealed that after leaving school, he fell in with a gang led by a man whose leg Daoming Si had injured in the past. The gang leader, seeking revenge, had manipulated Shunping into befriending Shancai and luring her out.
Shunping confessed that while he only agreed to part of the plan, he hadn't anticipated Shancai becoming a pawn and asked to speak with her alone. Feeling betrayed, Shancai demanded to know why he lied. Shunping explained that the gang leader had helped him significantly in the past, so he felt he couldn't stop the leader's revenge. He recounted how he despised school and his brother, Yan Zhibu, leading him to odd jobs where he encountered trouble.
The gang leader had rescued him, only to have his leg broken by Daoming Si during a chaotic confrontation at a bar. Shancai condemned Shunping's actions as illegal and hypocritical, asserting that Daoming Si, though domineering, wasn't the "scumbag" Shunping claimed. Shunping, however, retorted that being connected to Daoming Si always brought misfortune. Daoming Si soon received photos of Shancai tied up, with instructions to come alone, and he immediately rushed out.
Shancai, realizing she was bait, silently prayed for Daoming Si not to come, knowing the gang was well-prepared to ambush him. She defiantly called her captors "despicable" and "cowards," infuriating the gang leader, who slapped her repeatedly. Just then, Daoming Si arrived. Shancai was distraught, yelling at him for being foolish and blaming herself. The gang members attacked Daoming Si with sticks. He endured the beating without fighting back, aiming to intimidate them with his stoic resolve.
After taking numerous blows and spitting blood, Daoming Si collapsed. In her daze, Shancai saw him walking alone towards the sea. Shancai woke up in a hospital bed; she and Daoming Si had been rescued by the police. She realized with relief that her vision of him walking into the sea had just been a nightmare. Despite her injuries, Shancai frantically searched for Daoming Si.
She entered his room to find Ximen and Meizuo looking somber, claiming "Asi passed away peacefully," while Daoming Si lay covered by a white sheet, his face bruised. Believing he was dead and blaming herself, Shancai burst into tears. Suddenly, Daoming Si, who was merely pretending, began to laugh, joined by his friends. They had orchestrated the prank to tease her. After F4 left, Shancai and Daoming Si were alone.
Daoming Si, seeking her attention, began to scold her, but Shancai remained unusually quiet, recalling her terrifying dream. She expressed her relief that he was alive and well, acknowledging his foolish bravery in coming to save her. Shunping then arrived at the hospital. Daoming Si immediately became defensive, shielding Shancai. However, Shunping simply bowed deeply to both of them, apologizing for his actions, and announced his decision to turn himself in.
He expressed regret that they couldn't be true friends, stating that if she hadn't been the person Daoming Si liked, he would have wanted to be genuine friends with her. While recovering at the hospital, Huaze Lei, Ximen, and Meizuo seized the opportunity to praise Daoming Si to Shancai, hoping to bring them together. They recounted how Daoming Si had transformed from a troublesome, lazy student into a dedicated one, emphasizing his loyalty and protective nature.
Overwhelmed, Shancai could only blurt out that Daoming Si was "like a puppy" before fleeing the room, much to Huaze Lei's amusement and Daoming Si's exasperation. Days later, Shancai and Daoming Si were discharged. Daoming Si remained sullen, still fixated on Shancai's "puppy" comment, feeling unappreciated despite his heroic efforts to protect her.
