My Mr. Mermaid Episode 3 Recap
> My Mr. Mermaid Recap
As an intern reporter, Yun Duo found herself in Director Liu's office, where she refused to dig up Tang Yibai's scandal. Her defiance angered Director Liu, who sternly reminded her that her internship results and potential for official employment were entirely in his hands. He chastised her, asserting that her role was to learn to be a professional reporter, not to teach him.
Just as the conversation escalated, Cheng Mei entered, subtly diverting Director Liu's attention with questions about a work task. Despite this, Yun Duo's ranking on the performance list was placed last, leaving her in a difficult position, torn between keeping her job and upholding her principles. Later, Teacher Sun, disappointed by Yun Duo's passive nature, explained that such an attitude would lead to her being eliminated from the company. Seeing her innocent demeanor, he advised her to seize an opportunity.
Since most reporters would be attending the Dream Cup press conference, he suggested she use that time to seek an exclusive interview with Qi Ruifeng. Yun Duo immediately understood. Excited, Yun Duo rushed to the swimming stadium, only to be stopped by a security guard. She lacked the necessary interview permit from the school's General Services Office.
Despite running between various offices—from General Services to Academic, then Announcements, and finally the Sports Management Center—she was continually redirected and still couldn't obtain permission. Just as she was about to give up, exhausted and frustrated, she noticed an unlocked door at the swimming stadium and quietly slipped inside. The usually bustling swimming pool was unexpectedly empty, leaving Yun Duo disappointed. Then, she noticed an unusual stir in one part of the pool.
Curious, she tiptoed closer to investigate, only for Tang Yibai to suddenly emerge from the water. Yun Duo was startled and momentarily stunned by his athletic physique, her mind completely blank. Tang Yibai asked why she was there, and feeling awkward, she quickly turned and ran, the image of him surfacing from the water replaying in her mind. Yun Duo ran all the way to a nearby basketball court, her face flushing as she replayed the recent encounter.
Lost in thought, she failed to notice a basketball flying directly towards her, despite hearing shouts of warning from the court. In a split second, Tang Yibai appeared and skillfully intercepted the ball, revealing his surprising basketball prowess. As they walked together along a quiet campus path, Tang Yibai explained he had been doing breath-holding training and hadn't intended to scare her. He smiled as he spoke, his handsome features becoming even more striking.
Yun Duo's cheeks flushed, and her heart pounded as she shyly repeated, "Don't smile, don't smile!" Their playful banter created a subtle, intimate atmosphere. Upon learning that Yun Duo's primary purpose for being at the university was to interview Qi Ruifeng, Tang Yibai offered to help arrange it.
However, Coach Yuan immediately refused, citing Qi Ruifeng's tendency to speak impulsively and his poor English, which had led to embarrassing international incidents, like misinterpreting a question about post-graduation plans as "bye-bye school." Tang Yibai proposed a compromise: Yun Duo could conduct the exclusive interview with Qi Ruifeng, and in return, she would regularly tutor him in English.
Coach Yuan, recalling Yun Duo's previous defense of Tang Yibai against false accusations, agreed, believing she was a trustworthy journalist who wouldn't sensationalize the truth. Yun Duo quickly discovered the extent of Qi Ruifeng's poor English, realizing it would take considerable effort to teach him, as he couldn't even spell basic words correctly. Later that evening, as Tang Yibai left the swimming stadium after his solo training, he noticed Yun Duo tutoring Qi Ruifeng.
A hint of displeasure flickered across his face. After walking away, he soon returned to their classroom with a book, claiming he also had questions for Yun Duo, implicitly asking to join their study session. Qi Ruifeng, amused, playfully asserted that Yun Duo was his "exclusive English teacher" and told Tang Yibai to keep his distance. This playful exchange was unfortunately overheard by Xiang Yangyang, who had just arrived, eager to find Qi Ruifeng.
Having recently heard gossip among the female team members speculating about Qi Ruifeng's possible romantic interest in Yun Duo, seeing his possessive demeanor towards Yun Duo deeply upset her, and she turned and left. It was quite late when Yun Duo finished tutoring Qi Ruifeng, and Tang Yibai insisted on walking her home. Yun Duo noticed Tang Yibai, who usually didn't wear glasses, was now wearing a pair without lenses.
Tang Yibai explained he wore them to prevent other girls from thinking he was "flirting." Yun Duo chuckled at his self-absorbed explanation, never having seen this side of him. After bidding Tang Yibai farewell, Yun Duo felt a warmth in her heart, perhaps from his earlier comment that it was his first time walking a girl home.
Meanwhile, after finishing her own training, Xiang Yangyang was annoyed to find Qi Ruifeng still studying English and even eating late-night snacks while doing so. She recalled his indifferent attitude when she used to tutor him. Xiang Yangyang confronted Qi Ruifeng about his differential treatment, but he only praised Yun Duo while finding fault with everything Xiang Yangyang did. Back from Yun Duo's place, Tang Yibai questioned Qi Ruifeng about keeping Yun Duo so late for the tutoring session.
Qi Ruifeng, grinning, admitted his true intention: he deliberately prolonged the session to create an opportunity for Tang Yibai to walk Yun Duo home. As they spoke, they noticed Chen Ziqiang still training intensely. After losing to Tang Yibai in the previous competition, Chen Ziqiang had switched from his preferred freestyle to butterfly stroke, determined to secure a spot in the upcoming Dream Cup.
The next day, Qi Ruifeng, eager for his interview with Yun Duo, woke up exceptionally early, much to Xiang Yangyang's renewed annoyance. As Yun Duo prepared to conduct the interview, Qi Ruifeng proposed changing the individual interview to a collective one with the entire South Physical men's swim team. Yun Duo agreed, recognizing the greater news value in a team interview. After the interview, Qi Ruifeng promptly asked for Yun Duo's WeChat contact.
Tang Yibai and Zheng Lingye, also present, immediately pulled out their phones. Yun Duo presented her QR code for them to scan. Qi Ruifeng noticed her WeChat ID was "a white cloud," which sounded like a combination of Tang Yibai's and Yun Duo's names. Qi Ruifeng then teased Yun Duo, speculating that she had a crush on Tang Yibai. Xiang Yangyang, passing by and overhearing, was instantly cheered and praised Yun Duo's good taste.
Yun Duo quickly denied it, but her explanations seemed futile, while Tang Yibai, the subject of the speculation, merely watched her efforts to explain with a faint smile. Feeling a sense of relief after successfully interviewing Qi Ruifeng, Yun Duo found Tang Yibai looking somewhat piqued. She playfully adopted an interviewing posture and earnestly asked him about his dream. Tang Yibai responded that his dream was to become the fastest swimmer in the world.
His gaze was gentle yet resolute, and Yun Duo found herself believing his dream would come true. Later, Coach Wu sternly reprimanded Tang Yibai for being half an hour late to training because he had walked Yun Duo home, emphasizing that he did not want Tang Yibai to waste his precious training time on socializing with girls or jeopardize his four years of hard work.
