My Lonely Planet Episode 13 Recap
> My Lonely Planet Recap
On the day of the lunar eclipse, Miao Yu and Wang Chen arrived at the designated rooftop, their matching clothes chosen by Wang Chen making them look like a couple. They were joined by Bi Guan and Ling Sansan, who had met downstairs. Ling Sansan emphasized her crucial role in helping Dr. Bi prepare the experiment. Bi Guan explained that if the experiment succeeded, they would forget everything that happened during their animal interlocking period, essentially "formatting" their memories.
He advised them to record any important recent events or password changes on their phones. Before starting, he instructed them to wear sensors so he could monitor their brainwave changes. As the lunar eclipse approached, Bi Guan suggested they each make a wish. Ling Sansan wished to stop being gluttonous and lose weight. Fang Xun, a third participant, wished to become a real actor with more than three lines.
Wang Chen wished that even if they became strangers, she and Miao Yu could meet again as normal people and become friends. Miao Yu, after some hesitation, wished that Coffee would be forever happy, even without him. As the countdown ended and the eclipse passed, there were no visible changes. To test the experiment's success, Wang Chen bravely volunteered. Bi Guan played a video featuring "Lady Ugly," but Wang Chen initially showed no reaction.
Everyone began to celebrate, believing the experiment worked, but Wang Chen suddenly crouched down, crying angrily, "I’m not Lady Ugly!" The experiment had failed, leaving everyone disheartened. Miao Yu gently patted Wang Chen's head and comforted her, quickly calming her down. After the failed experiment, everyone started to leave. Bi Guan suggested they all squeeze into one car, but Ling Sansan quickly intervened, claiming she had "divined it" that there wasn't enough room.
She dragged Bi Guan away, leaving Miao Yu and Wang Chen to take another car, ensuring they had time alone. Later, Miao Yu and Wang Chen shared a late-night supper. Miao Yu reflected that despite the setback, starting over was always possible if they chose to let go of their fixations. He now had more experience and felt no fear, having started with nothing before.
Wang Chen mentioned her online store was doing well, with many repeat customers, and she felt happy to be recognized. They agreed that many things were just their own obsessions, and they could always begin anew if they were determined. Just then, the owner brought them free barbecue, reinforcing their belief in a brighter tomorrow. The next morning, Bi Guan visited Miao Yu early, knocking rather than calling because Miao Yu's phone was dead.
He was checking for any unusual physical or emotional changes from the experiment. Miao Yu was still groggy, wanting to "sleep again," and dismissed Bi Guan, saying he planned to play a game when he woke up. Bi Guan criticized him, saying the Miao Yu he knew wouldn't become so dejected after one failure, staying home playing games. This prompted Miao Yu to pull out a "Proposal for Personal Clothing Business," asking if Bi Guan was satisfied.
Miao Yu admitted he hadn't fully thought out how to rise again. Bi Guan also asked about Miao Yu's brainwave anomaly from the previous night, but Miao Yu brushed it off. Bi Guan then mentioned he was going to help Wang Chen move items from her shop with Ling Sansan. When Bi Guan arrived at Sunray, Wang Chen's shop, she expressed surprise he was there, explaining she didn't want to bother him with her decision to close the physical store.
She told them her current store location was poor, and she couldn't afford a better one, so she considered focusing solely on an online store by just renting a warehouse for inventory. Bi Guan disagreed, saying Sunray, unlike Walnut, shouldn't be given up so easily. He conducted a quick SWOT analysis: Wang Chen's strengths lay in her design and product quality, but her weaknesses were in operation, management, and marketing.
Her opportunity was to leverage online operations to attract customers outside her immediate area and enhance the in-store user experience, given that few women's wear brands at her price point had produced "a hip style." The threat was the difficulty of removing the "Lady Ugly" tag from her existing online store. He suggested creating a new brand. Wang Chen lacked confidence in starting a new brand, but Bi Guan reminded her of her excellent design and craftsmanship.
He then proposed that Miao Yu and Wang Chen collaborate. Miao Yu, having expressed his desire to restart a clothing brand, could handle product marketing and operation, while Wang Chen could focus on product design. Wang Chen initially thought it wouldn't work, but Bi Guan and Ling Sansan convinced them it was a perfect match. Miao Yu and Wang Chen took a moment to discuss it seriously, both agreeing to the partnership with a high-five.
Miao Yu immediately began discussing the business with Wang Chen, expressing his frustration about her ordering expensive hand-brewed coffee when takeout was cheaper, highlighting her lack of financial awareness. He praised her new designs, which incorporated zippers and buttons for a bolder, more "hard-edged" style, and designated one as their first new product. He then delved into the financial realities, explaining concepts like cash flow, cost, and assets, noting her "zero" company financial knowledge.
He revealed they would need a startup fund of at least one million, an optimistic estimate, to cover a year of operating costs, including hiring a shop manager, an operations specialist, and a business manager, as well as funds for new product development, inventory, promotion, and working capital. Overwhelmed, Wang Chen admitted she only had a fraction of that amount. Miao Yu confidently took on the responsibility of securing the remaining funds.
Miao Yu’s application for a business loan was denied. He then urgently contacted an estate agent, asking him to sell his house quickly, even below market price, and to find him a rental. The agent, assuming Miao Yu was starting a business and that the frequent calls were from his "wife," was surprised by his haste. Miao Yu's house sold very quickly, but the agent, who suddenly quit to start his own business, couldn't find him a rental.
Meanwhile, Wang Chen received a call from Aunt, her landlady, informing her that her rent would increase by 30%. Facing the expensive increase and the hassle of moving, Wang Chen considered finding a roommate and posted about it online.
Miao Yu, having seen her post and secretly secured the necessary startup funds (presumably from selling his house, as it's not explicitly stated but implied by the timing), told Wang Chen she didn't need to meet any investors and should focus on her designs.
While working on designs, Wang Chen patiently taught Miao Yu about clothing basics, from dressing a "dress form" to the different sections of a fabric market (North Section for cotton, denim, canvas; Section Two for reconstituted fabrics, artificial cotton, leather; Section Three for accessories like mesh, georgette, lace, buttons; Section Four for clothing hardware). At a fabric shop, Miao Yu used his charm, complimenting the owner, Zhang, to secure access to exclusive imported fabrics, which impressed Wang Chen.
She realized they were very complementary, believing their future was bright. Miao Yu explained his actions as "supplier relationship maintenance," to which Wang Chen playfully accused him of "You learnt fast," referring to "partner relationship maintenance" when he offered to treat her to a meal. Having sold his house to secure startup funds but unable to find a rental, Miao Yu had nowhere to go. He decided to spend the night at Wang Chen's shop, Sunray, with Coffee.
Aunt Liu, a nearby resident, noticed the lights on late at Sunray. Peeking through the door, she saw Miao Yu changing clothes and mistook him for a pervert secretly entering Wang Chen's shop. She immediately called Wang Chen to warn her. When Wang Chen arrived and saw Miao Yu's back, she was terrified and promptly called the police. While waiting for the police, Wang Chen insisted on entering the shop to protect her creations, which were her life's work.
Aunt Liu, though scared, bravely accompanied her. Coincidentally, Miao Yu, inside, had heard the commotion and, also fearing a thief, had armed himself with a stick and was hiding, ready to ambush. When he rushed out, he saw Wang Chen and froze, but Aunt Liu, mistaking him for the intruder, struck him in the abdomen with her stick.
At the police station, they encountered the same familiar officer who, yet again, assumed they were a couple having a fight, with the man being kicked out. Wang Chen tried to explain it was a misunderstanding, but Miao Yu, playing for sympathy, deliberately went along with the officer's assumption. To avoid further complications, Miao Yu and Wang Chen had to pretend to reconcile and were even forced to hug before leaving, following the officer's "old rule" for couples.
Aunt Liu, witnessing this odd custom, and seeing no one else to hug, embraced the police officer herself. As both of them were single, no misunderstanding arose, but a subtle, ambiguous atmosphere seemed to develop between them. Before the police station incident, the estate agent had mused to Miao Yu that business partners were like couples, both "managing" something together.
Wang Chen, too, had already expressed to Ling Sansan and Bi Guan that she and Miao Yu could not be a couple, fearing that quarrels and breakups would jeopardize their work. After their release from the police station, Miao Yu and Wang Chen went to Ling Sansan's coffee shop to calm down. Learning the full story, Bi Guan innocently suggested they cohabitate, clarifying he meant sharing rent, as Miao Yu now needed a place and Wang Chen needed a roommate.
Ling Sansan enthusiastically supported the idea, praising Bi Guan’s newfound smartness. Wang Chen hesitated due to gender differences, but Bi Guan's reasoning—that it was acceptable if there were no romantic feelings—and the urgency of her landlady needing a reply tomorrow, ultimately persuaded her. Miao Yu also agreed.
They officially became roommates, with Wang Chen laying down strict ground rules in their shared workspace-apartment: separate beds, her specific workspace, and curtains to be drawn when in their respective areas, and no "tricking" her cat, Coffee. Miao Yu agreed, and Wang Chen immediately ordered him to clean up the mess.
