Meteor Garden 2018 Episode 27 Recap
> Meteor Garden 2018 Recap
Meizuo, inspired by Daoming Si's recent happiness, tells the rest of F4 that he is serious about pursuing a relationship with Zhou Caina, the champion of the school cooking competition. He identifies Terence as his main rival, describing him as an "obstacle" and representing "the past tense of a bad ending" for Caina. Meizuo explains his plan to subtly deal with Terence and make him back off without upsetting Caina.
When Xi Men suggests simply beating Terence up, Meizuo rejects violence. Huaze Lei then proposes a strategy: praise Terence in front of Caina, an approach he calls "the highest strategy in adult love philosophy," to show Meizuo as generous and polite. Later, Meizuo calls Caina to invite her to a violin concert, but she declines, explaining over the phone that her house is leaking. Moments later, Terence calls Caina.
Mistaking him for Meizuo, she mentions the leak, prompting Terence to immediately rush to her home to help. After fixing a few pipes, Uncle Lu asks Terence to check Caina's bedroom ceiling for leaks. Caina nervously tries to stop him and rushes upstairs to hide a memento. Terence goes into her room, spots a special coconut, but pretends not to notice it.
Caina, believing he has forgotten their past, asks him if he saw anything, and upon his denial, tells him he can leave. As Terence is leaving, Meizuo arrives. Caina introduces Meizuo as her boyfriend, causing Meizuo to beam with happiness. However, Meizuo quickly becomes openly hostile towards Terence, sarcastically thanking "the plumber" and suggesting he shouldn't "ask for favors in the future," which makes Terence leave. Afterward, Caina is visibly upset.
Meizuo presses her about Terence's true intentions, saying, "Only men can see through men. . . He has different intentions for you." Caina insists Terence has no such intentions. Meizuo then asks if her earlier declaration of him being her boyfriend was serious. When Caina tries to explain it away, Meizuo interrupts her, declaring he believes her regardless and is confident he will make her fall in love with him, promising to always bring a smile to her face.
The morning after sharing her first kiss with Daoming Si, Shancai is seen talking to herself, feeling awkward about her impulsive act and trying to dismiss it as a mere "greeting." Huaze Lei appears, having overheard her, and playfully teases her about the kiss, even asking for one himself. Shancai refuses, making Lei comment that her "Mid-Autumn Festival gift" is not for everyone. His demeanor then turns serious as he warns Shancai about Daoming Feng.
He reveals that Daoming Feng has likely already begun to target her friends, explaining that as a powerful figure "at the top of the business food chain," she can achieve in fifteen minutes what takes others years. He elaborates that Daoming Feng, knowing Daoming Si's rebellious nature, will attack Shancai's most cherished friends to control her, especially since Shancai's own family now has "nothing to attack."
Lei stresses that choosing to be with Daoming Si means Shancai "must learn to let go, even if it's something very important to you," noting that Xiaoyou's and Qinghe's parents' business ties with the Daoming Group make them vulnerable. Shancai, horrified, asks why her friends are being dragged into this. She rushes to find Qinghe, learning from someone that he left due to a "family emergency."
She then receives a distressing call from Xiaoyou, who tells her, "I may never see you again." Immediately after, Shancai finds Qinghe, who explains that his father is being sued due to "loopholes in the contract" and has to hurry home. Shancai tearfully apologizes, recognizing her indirect role in their misfortunes. She then rushes to Xiaoyou's house, where Xiaoyou tearfully reveals that her father has been "transferred to Qinghai."
Shancai tells Xiaoyou's family not to pack and promises that she will make sure Xiaoyou's father "will definitely stay." Shancai acknowledges to herself that Daoming Feng's "danger has already permeated every corner of my life" and that she is being forced to move in the opposite direction of her blossoming relationship with Daoming Si. Determined, Shancai rushes to the Daoming residence.
Daoming Feng, who was just informed that her instructions regarding Shancai's friends had been successfully carried out, calmly offers Shancai tea. Shancai refuses, stating she will leave after saying what she needs to say. She immediately declares that she will agree to any terms Daoming Feng sets, on the condition that she "immediately stop messing with my friends' lives." With a slight smile, Daoming Feng makes a phone call to her lawyer, canceling all her previous orders.
She then asks Shancai what her conditions are. Shancai responds that she "will leave immediately and have nothing to do with Daoming Si," asking if Daoming Feng is "satisfied." As Daoming Feng prompts her to leave, Shancai, no longer intimidated, unleashes a torrent of anger.
She calls Daoming Feng a successful and rich person but condemns her for using "power as a shield, exploiting others as tools to achieve your goals, trampling on those precious things," declaring her "even worse than a criminal in prison." Daoming Feng dismisses Shancai as a "kid" wasting her time, boasting she could make more money in their brief conversation than Shancai's family could in "three generations."
Shancai retaliates, asserting that "no matter how delicate the makeup is, it can't cover up your ugly face." She warns Daoming Feng that "no matter how you hurt me, I will always get back up. But if you dare to hurt my friends again, I won't be nice to you," before turning to leave. Ms. Yu, noticing Shancai's hurried departure and Daoming Feng's unexpected trip to London, senses that something is amiss.
She finds a letter from Shancai, in which Shancai falsely claims she is returning to her parents in the countryside and must leave immediately. Shancai expresses her feigned excitement to reunite with her family and thanks Ms. Yu for treating her "like my own grandma," apologizing for being "selfish." As heavy rain pours down, Daoming Si returns home and finds Shancai drenched outside. He tenderly tries to pull her inside, but Shancai pulls away.
She tells him, "I can't be with you anymore," and that she will move out of his house that night. Daoming Si is bewildered, reminding her of their recent intimate conversation about an "equal relationship" and asking if she has "forgotten all of this." Shancai assures him she hasn't forgotten and that her feelings were sincere, including her desire for a "peaceful relationship."
She then tearfully reveals the truth: "Your mother said if I continue to date you, she'll make Qinghe and Xiaoyou's dads lose their jobs." When Daoming Si immediately moves to confront his mother, Shancai stops him, declaring, "I've made up my mind. I won't be involved with the Daoming family anymore. I've decided to cut all ties with you."
She confesses that she once "naively thought I could let go of everything and just be with you," but realized she couldn't. Daoming Si presses her, asking if she ever truly saw him "as an ordinary man" and loved him. Shancai, in a moment of internal conflict, recalls various sweet memories where he protected her and was "a domineering, naive, kind and gentle man."
However, to make him let go, she heartbreakingly lies, saying, "If I really liked you, I wouldn't have left you." She then turns and runs into the rain, forcing herself "not to stop or look back," knowing that any hesitation would lead her back into his arms and undo all her sacrifices. She feels "almost numb," experiencing nothing "except for the pain of my heart being torn." Daoming Si is left standing frozen in the rain, devastated.
That same stormy night, Caina's old house experiences more pipe issues, causing a water cut-off. Uncle Lu informs her that Terence is outside in the heavy rain, attempting to fix the problem. Caina rushes out, finding Terence completely drenched. She urges him to come inside, and once he agrees, she makes him some ginger tea, which he praises, accurately guessing the unique ingredients, including sesame. Terence mentions his heart feels "warmed."
Caina tries to clarify her actions, stating she is merely showing "compassion" because he helped her and got soaked in the process. As Terence leans in, trying to confess something, Meizuo calls Caina. Startled, Caina accidentally drops the teacup, spilling hot ginger tea all over Terence. She profusely apologizes and suggests he "take a shower." Meizuo, still on the phone, overhears the commotion and asks if someone else is there.
Caina truthfully tells him it's Terence, leading Meizuo to immediately assume Terence is "taking a shower" at her house. Caina frantically tries to deny this, becoming flustered and unable to explain, eventually hanging up on Meizuo. Terence then bids Caina good night and leaves. The next day at school, Daoming Si has completely reverted to his former arrogant and sullen self, ignoring everyone.
Huaze Lei, Meizuo, and Xi Men confront him about Shancai's disappearance, asking why she's gone and if he made her angry. Huaze Lei suggests that Shancai "sacrificed herself in front of your mother" to protect their friends. Qinghe and Xiaoyou, now aware of their families' recent troubles, also confront Daoming Si, directly asking if his mother was behind their misfortunes and why he allowed her to hurt them and Shancai.
Daoming Si, with a dark expression, repeatedly snaps at them to "shut up!" Huaze Lei observes Daoming Si's cold stare, noting that "the old Si is back." Meanwhile, Qinghe and Xiaoyou later piece together the timeline, realizing that their family problems were resolved immediately after Shancai's disappearance. They confirm their suspicion that Daoming Feng did it and used them to pressure Shancai.
They feel guilt and concern, lamenting that Shancai "didn't say a word" about her sacrifice, always "carrying so much burden but never complaining." They are furious at Daoming Si for his apparent indifference, with Qinghe calling him a "jerk" and asserting that he himself is "the one who likes her the most in the world." They express deep worry about Shancai's whereabouts and well-being, hoping she contacts them soon.
