Sweet Combat Episode 5 Recap
> Sweet Combat Recap
Life’s daily demands weighed heavily on Ming Tian, leaving him exhausted and his thoughts far from the fighting ring. Yet, Fang Yu sensed an inherent strength within him and could not understand his reluctance to continue fighting. When she pressed him, Ming Tian remained silent. Later, alone, he ran his hand over the bicycle Fang Yu had offered him, pondering her words and wondering if he was truly destined to be a failure.
His younger brother, Ming Lang, expressed a desire to join the school taekwondo club, but Ming Tian sternly refused. Ming Tian had once trained in combat, taught by his own father. He had diligently learned every move until one day, during a match, his father's opponent, a man named Ji Gang—the very "Uncle Ji" Fang Yu had mentioned—died before his eyes. This tragedy had shattered Ming Tian’s family; his mother had left his father, and their home became fractured.
From that day forward, Ming Tian vowed never to engage in combat again, and he firmly decided his siblings, Ming Zhu and Ming Lang, would not either, regardless of their misunderstandings. Meanwhile, Fang Yu fumed over the day’s events. As a young woman of privilege, she had swallowed her pride to appeal to Ming Tian, only for him to reject her overture. Still, she sensed a deeper, hidden reason behind his refusal to fight and resolved to uncover it.
To clear her mind, she suddenly remembered the game they had played earlier and pulled her brother, Fang Zhou, into playing it late into the night. The next day, Ming Tian and Fang Yu found themselves awkwardly seated before the school principal, who lectured them about freshly ground coffee beans, explaining how they release the most fragrant and best-tasting coffee when under pressure in a crowded area.
He then brewed a perfect cup, asking if his words offered them any inspiration, before finally getting to the point. The principal declared they must take responsibility for the confusion they had caused at Zhengze. Addressing Ming Tian first, the principal criticized his reckless actions in wanting to drop out, stating he had failed the school. Fang Yu agreed, adding that his decision was indeed disappointing.
The principal then turned to Fang Yu, scolding her for her overbearing and willful decision to choose Ming Tian as her opponent, which had disappointed students and teachers alike. Fang Yu again conceded. The principal quickly cut off any further comments, officially announcing that Fang Yu’s designation of Ming Tian as an opponent was nullified, and Ming Tian’s withdrawal application was denied. He confirmed they had no objections, then assigned them manual punishment together: cleaning the ecological pool.
Zhang Chunhua, overseeing the task, instructed them to thoroughly clean the fish and turtles' home. As they cleaned, Ming Tian and Fang Yu found amusement in splashing each other, turning the chore into a water fight. Zhang Chunhua, noticing their antics, stepped in. She explained that the punishment was meant to foster teamwork, not continued fighting. To ensure they cooperated, she tied their ankles together.
Ming Tian complained that Fang Yu’s slow reflexes and clumsiness were holding him back, to which she retorted that he was the one causing her to fall. Ming Tian suggested they try a cadence, moving their tied feet on "one" and untied feet on "two," but Fang Yu proposed her own system of moving specific feet on each count, and they began to work in a coordinated rhythm.
Later, Song Xiaomi arrived with a special lunch she had prepared for Ming Tian, only to encounter Sun Hao, who was delivering an order. Sun Hao, eager to show off new menu items from his family's restaurant, accidentally aimed his water gun at Song Xiaomi. He quickly blocked the spray with his own body, explaining that this heroic gesture was how romantic scenes unfolded in movies.
However, he lamented that he had shielded the wrong person, while Song Xiaomi, similarly, thought she had been protected by the wrong person. Since Ming Tian was unavailable, Song Xiaomi offered her lunch to Sun Hao, who readily accepted, jokingly acting like a hungry puppy. As they chatted, Song Xiaomi discovered that Sun Hao had a crush on Fang Yu.
She immediately warned him of the formidable challenge, reminding him that Fang Yu was a powerful queen on the fighting stage whose family’s chefs were Michelin-starred. Sun Hao, whose family ran a food stall, was undeterred, vowing to one day capture Fang Yu’s heart. After completing their cleaning punishment, Fang Yu and Ming Tian collapsed onto chairs, exhausted. Ming Tian quickly fell asleep. Fang Yu watched him, her gaze sweeping over his face before settling on his Adam's apple.
Curiosity piqued, she leaned in and gently touched it, thinking about how Fang Zhou didn't have one yet, and a Western myth about its origin. When Ming Tian abruptly woke up, the atmosphere froze. Fang Yu quickly stammered an excuse about brushing dust off him before making a hasty escape, leaving Ming Tian bewildered. Meanwhile, Cheng Yanan sought out Luo Guanyan at Zhiying University's Boxing Club, eager for a rematch.
She declared that her boxing gym guaranteed the quality of its athletes and that she wouldn't lose to him again. Luo Guanyan agreed to fight but then noticed her discomfort, sensing she was feeling unwell. He declared they couldn't compete that day because he hadn't "prepared his thoughts enough," promising to accept her challenge another time. Cheng Yanan was exasperated by his excuses, angrily questioning what kind of preparation he needed for a boxing fight.
He then offered her hot cocoa, saying it would make her feel better and that she shouldn’t put so much pressure on herself. Cheng Yanan was surprised by his attentiveness, wondering if he knew her better than she thought. Later, Fang Yu reflected on her unusual feelings. Her internal thoughts spiraled: Was she starting to like Ming Tian? She realized she thought about him randomly and always wanted to be near him.
When she saw his eyes, nose, and mouth, her heart fluttered like a "little deer jumping out." This confirmed to her that she had indeed fallen in love. But Fang Yu, the proud queen, immediately rejected the notion, dismissing it as a youthful illusion and reminding herself she had never liked anyone before. The next day, Ming Tian was taking Ming Zhu and Ming Lang to KFC, having just received his pay.
Suddenly, Ma Yichen, a former high school classmate from Macau, recognized Ming Tian and confronted him. Ma Yichen, who attended Zhiying University, taunted Ming Tian about his past temper and how he enjoyed using Ming Tian as a "punching bag." When Ming Lang bravely stepped forward to defend his brother, Ma Yichen grabbed him by the throat. Ming Zhu clung to Ming Tian in terror. Seeing his younger brother in distress, Ming Tian pleaded with Ma Yichen to release him.
Ma Yichen, however, demanded Ming Tian kneel. With his scared sister in his arms and his brother’s life in the balance, Ming Tian reluctantly bent his knees. Ma Yichen then kicked him, disdainfully calling him a coward, and left. Ming Lang expressed his anger at his brother’s display of weakness. Ma Yichen, in an internal monologue, revealed his own past as a bullied, short child.
He explained that upon entering Zhiying University, he had immediately joined the Boxing Club, learning to bully others to prove his own strength and hide his weaknesses. He felt he needed people like Ming Tian to exist, to affirm his newfound power. Back home, Ming Tian splashed water on his face, overwhelmed by helplessness, regret, and immense self-dissatisfaction. He felt he should have fought back to protect his siblings rather than kneel.
Ming Lang found him, still unable to comprehend his brother’s actions. He defiantly declared he would rather be beaten to death than be protected in such a shameful way. This comment struck Ming Tian’s deepest wound, causing him to lash out at his brother for the first time. He revealed that their mother had left because their father had accidentally killed someone, which had shattered their family and left them miserable.
He explained that if he were alone, he would risk everything to fight back, but with his siblings, he couldn't afford to be injured or die and leave them as orphans. He questioned how Ming Lang could understand such a burden, echoing Fang Yu's earlier words in his mind about escaping life and being a failure. The next morning, Ming Tian apologized to his siblings for yelling.
He promised to explain their father's past to them later and vowed to become strong enough to protect them properly, ensuring no one would bully them again. With this renewed resolve, Ming Tian went to the Zhengze Boxing Club. While Fang Yu and the coach were demonstrating mixed martial arts techniques to students, with Sun Hao eagerly volunteering as Fang Yu's sparring partner despite repeatedly being defeated, Ming Tian found the principal.
The principal reiterated that while Fang Yu’s challenge was nullified, Ming Tian still had a duty to participate in the upcoming preliminaries. Ming Tian agreed, saying he would try his best. He then found Fang Yu, Song Xiaomi, and Cheng Yanan, who were trying to figure out how to convince him to train. Ming Tian caught up to them as they tried to avoid him.
He presented them with his packed schedule of part-time jobs, asking them to help him arrange a training course around it. Fang Yu and Song Xiaomi were shocked by his sudden change of heart, wondering if he had taken the wrong medicine. Despite the seemingly impossible schedule, they began to consider how to make it work.
