Sparkle Love Episode 8 Recap
> Sparkle Love Recap
Mai Sichong and Mei Weiwei spent a peaceful, warm night trapped together. As morning broke, Mai Sichong finally stirred awake. His phone, which was in his pocket, suddenly rang, revealing to Mei Weiwei that he had intentionally hidden it and orchestrated their predicament. Realizing his mischievous ploy, Mei Weiwei was filled with both embarrassment and anger. She thought, "Mai Sichong, you just wait and see." Meanwhile, at the sports brokerage, Peng Pai was busy with his work.
His boss, Mr. Zhang, still had Mai Sichong on his mind, seeing him as a potential goldmine. Mr. Zhang instructed Peng Pai to subtly gauge Mai Sichong's interest in joining their company, inviting him to visit and play. Peng Pai readily agreed, mentioning he also needed to return to school. Upon Mai Sichong's return to the swimming pool, Ding Yi couldn't resist teasing him about his "blossoming romance," asking what he had been up to last night.
Mai Sichong dismissed it, but Ding Yi smirked, claiming to understand Mai Sichong's shyness. The coach then appeared and announced an upcoming friendly match among the swim team members. He explained that it was a warm-up for the provincial team trials and encouraged everyone to perform their best. Ding Yi jokingly asked if he could opt out for the sake of friendship, to which the coach retorted he could participate to ensure someone came in last.
The coach made it clear that all team members must participate. Shortly after, Mai Sichong received a text message from his mother, reminding him to see a doctor for a consultation with an American expert the following day. Later, Peng Pai, who had come to the swimming pool for company business, called Mai Sichong aside. At a plaza nearby, Mei Weiwei joined their conversation.
Peng Pai mentioned a meeting with the renowned athlete Xun Yang, an event Mei Weiwei, as a devoted fan, was thrilled to hear about. Peng Pai then extended an invitation for Mei Weiwei to attend the event at his company, promising to meet her at the entrance at 2 PM the next day. Mai Sichong, visibly displeased by Peng Pai's invitation, found himself with nothing to say.
In class, the class monitor, Lin Baihui, announced that students needed to find partners for the upcoming massage exam. Simultaneously, other students were abuzz with discussions about a recent "peeping tom" who had been secretly taking photos in the school's toilets. Mei Weiwei, however, was focused on finding a partner. Her friend, Li Daixi, apologized, explaining she couldn't help because she had a live broadcast that day.
With no other options, Mei Weiwei reluctantly turned to Mai Sichong for help, and he readily agreed. Later, in a coffee shop, Lin Baihui, the class monitor, found Li Yuxin alone at the counter. He enthusiastically invited her to join the new massage club, describing it as the first club of their Class of Rehabilitation and saying it wouldn't have a "soul" without her.
He even confessed his admiration for her "cold outside, but warm heart inside" personality, which he believed would stabilize the club. Li Yuxin, initially cool, quickly rejected his offer, warning him not to use the club to pursue her. However, Lin Baihui then found Li Yuxin's massage course review materials, which she had forgotten in class. He offered her a complimentary drink as the store was closing. As he left, he urged her to reconsider joining the club.
Li Yuxin watched him go, a faint smile playing on her lips, hinting at a softening of her demeanor. Back in the dormitory, Li Daixi attempted to compensate Mei Weiwei with a meal for declining her earlier invitation. However, upon learning that Mei Weiwei was heading to Peng Pai’s company, Li Daixi grew indignant. She couldn't believe Mei Weiwei had seemingly forgotten the past, recalling how Peng Pai, as a friend, had failed to help her when she was bullied.
Mei Weiwei, however, saw the outing solely as an opportunity to meet her idol, Xun Yang. Their disagreement escalated, and Li Daixi eventually left in frustration. On the sports field, Mei Weiwei was engrossed in her phone, admiring pictures of Xun Yang. A visibly jealous Mai Sichong then playfully pulled Mei Weiwei close, capturing a selfie of the two of them. His roommate, Xia Rui, witnessed the interaction.
When Mei Weiwei arrived at the sports brokerage building, a large crowd of excited fans had already gathered, cheering for Xun Yang's high popularity. Peng Pai appeared and escorted Mei Weiwei inside the company. Among the crowd, two overly zealous fans, feeling resentful and jealous that Mei Weiwei could walk directly into the company, exchanged glances and discreetly sneaked inside as well. At a restaurant, Ding Yi, Li Daixi, and Mai Sichong were deep in conversation.
Li Daixi vehemently criticized Mai Sichong for allowing Mei Weiwei to associate with Peng Pai. In a fit of anger, she revealed Peng Pai's past inaction, recounting how Mei Weiwei was severely criticized in high school and had to transfer, and how Peng Pai, then known as Peng Yan, disappeared without a word when she was in trouble. Mai Sichong absorbed these words, a mix of anger, jealousy, and resentment churning within him.
Fuelled by this newfound information, he decisively left to find Mei Weiwei. Under Peng Pai's guidance, Mei Weiwei finally had the chance to speak with her idol, Xun Yang, and even posed for a photo with him. Meanwhile, the two stalker fans who had sneaked into the company were peering through a window, observing the scene. Seeing Mei Weiwei standing beside Xun Yang for a photo, they became consumed by jealousy and, after exchanging meaningful glances, concocted a plan.
After the photo, Mei Weiwei presented Xun Yang with a poster, asking him to sign it not for her, but for a friend named Mai Sichong, who was also a swimmer and greatly admired him. Peng Pai, standing silently nearby, heard this and, despite a mix of emotions, managed to conceal them.
After Peng Pai escorted Xun Yang out of the company, Mei Weiwei, left alone in the meeting room, barely had time to savor her joy before the two stalker fans burst in. They immediately began to loudly accuse Mei Weiwei. When one of them raised a hand to strike her, Mei Weiwei instinctively reached out to grab the attacker's wrist in self-defense, causing an uncontrolled electrical current to surge forth.
The two fans, feigning injury from the shock, immediately began to create a scene, yelling loudly within the company. Amidst the chaos, Mai Sichong, having broken through the company's security, rushed into the meeting room just as a slap was about to land on Mei Weiwei. He arrived in time to shield her from the blow. Mei Weiwei then asked Mai Sichong why he hadn't answered her calls, to which he replied his phone might have been on silent.
Peng Pai, returning to the company, quickly realized the severity of the situation. When he caught up to Mei Weiwei and Mai Sichong, Mai Sichong, furious at Peng Pai's ineffective apologies, began to lash out. Facing Peng Pai's various excuses, Mai Sichong vehemently brought up Peng Pai's past inaction and failure to help Mei Weiwei as a friend. As Mai Sichong revisited the painful past, Peng Pai's expression darkened.
He finally unburdened himself, revealing that at the time Mei Weiwei was being unfairly criticized due to misunderstandings caused by her electrical abilities, he was about to rush to her aid. However, he simultaneously received news that his father was critically ill. With no other choice, Peng Pai had to leave Mei Weiwei, who was suffering, to see his father for the last time.
After his father passed away, Peng Pai had to live with his mother and, consequently, grew distant from Mei Weiwei due to this misunderstanding. Seeing Peng Pai's anguish as he recounted his painful past, Mai Sichong left abruptly without a word. When Mei Weiwei later managed to reactivate her long-lost QQ account, she found a flood of persistent messages from Peng Pai. She realized that their estrangement had been based on a profound misunderstanding.
In that moment, the emotions conveyed by Peng Pai's actions over the years became incredibly clear. The sudden truth, however, left Mei Weiwei struggling to process such a complex relationship in a short time, and her own feelings began to blur into confusion.
