The Romance of Tiger and Rose Episode 11 Recap
> The Romance of Tiger and Rose Recap
As the group prepared for their journey, Chen Qianqian, viewing her current reality through the lens of a story, internally mused about Su Ziying, whom she conceptualized as "Cherry." In her revised plot, she cast Chen Chuchu as the heroine "Apple" and Han Shuo as the male lead "Banana." She recalled that in the original script, "Cherry" was a loyal advisor who had manipulated events on Weimeng Mountain—through methods like "trapping and drugging"—to make "Banana" fall for the heroine.
Chen Qianqian hoped Su Ziying could now repeat his role to facilitate a romance between Han Shuo and Chen Chuchu, thus allowing her to "rest and wait for the finale." Han Shuo, noticing the chill, moved to drape a cloak over Chen Qianqian, cautioning her to be careful. However, Su Ziying swiftly intervened, covering her himself. He immediately knelt before Han Shuo, feigning humility and concern for Chen Qianqian's health, subtly implying Han Shuo had threatened him.
Han Shuo, infuriated by Su Ziying's cunning, clenched his chest in frustration. Chen Qianqian, oblivious to the deeper manipulation, chided Han Shuo for supposedly making Su Ziying kneel and insisted that Pei Heng had sent Su Ziying purely for her care. She then asked Su Ziying to join her in the carriage for a private talk. Later, Han Shuo spoke with Bai Ji, admitting his chest tightness was from vexation, not heart disease.
Chen Qianqian, continuing her matchmaking efforts, then urged Han Shuo to consult with Chen Chuchu about their itinerary, praising their respective intelligence and military prowess and emphasizing the need for thorough discussion. Chen Chuchu and Han Shuo discussed strategy for Weimeng Mountain. Chen Chuchu acknowledged the mountain's complex terrain and asked Han Shuo for his plans. Han Shuo, dismissing Meng Guo as arrogant, predicted the bandit leader would not remain hidden.
He proposed stationing their forces to lure Meng Guo out, humorously suggesting Su Ziying as bait before declaring that he, as Young Master of Xuanhu City, would serve as the bait himself. Meanwhile, Chen Yuanyuan remained at Risheng Mansion due to her leg injury, feeling sorry for herself and lamenting her inability to contribute. Zi Nian, her attendant, brought her various tonics while discreetly disparaging Chen Qianqian's idleness.
When Su Mu arrived, he informed Chen Yuanyuan that Chen Qianqian had been dispatched to Weimeng Mountain to suppress bandits and had instructed him to oversee Chen Yuanyuan's daily rehabilitation. Surprised and perhaps shamed by her sister's active role, Chen Yuanyuan initially refused to continue, but later, moved by Su Mu's persistent and genuine encouragement, she allowed him to read her private diaries.
In these writings, she revealed her secret desires: to skate, to ride a horse, to fly a kite, and even to visit the Music and Dance Academy. Su Mu promised to fulfill all these wishes if she committed to her rehabilitation. Touched by his sincerity and unique kindness, Chen Yuanyuan overcame her initial shyness, agreed to resume her exercises, and declared Su Mu an honored guest of Risheng Mansion.
Back on the road, Chen Qianqian complained that the carriage felt crowded with three people, hinting for someone to disembark. Su Ziying, feigning humility, offered to get off, but then offered his massage skills, claiming they would alleviate Chen Qianqian's travel fatigue. Han Shuo, again battling for Chen Qianqian's attention, insisted he could also massage her, leading to playful jostling and bickering between the two men.
Han Shuo accused Pei Heng of teaching Su Ziying his kneeling habit, which Chen Qianqian quickly dismissed. At an inn, Bai Ji, mistakenly believing Han Shuo's primary goal was to secretly subdue Meng Guo and not to foster romance with Chen Qianqian, quickly secured three separate rooms for Han Shuo, Chen Qianqian, and Chen Chuchu, much to Han Shuo's dismay.
Bai Ji confidently explained his rationale to Han Shuo, who, realizing Bai Ji had inadvertently aligned with his "actual" ambition to co-opt Meng Guo, silently acquiesced. Chen Qianqian, still determined to unite Han Shuo and Chen Chuchu, drafted two romantic invitation letters, one for each, asking them to meet at a secluded cabin behind the mountain at noon.
She instructed Zi Rui and Su Ziying to deliver them discreetly and then hid to observe, hoping to witness the blossoming of love. However, Han Shuo misinterpreted his letter, believing Chen Chuchu was inviting him to a martial arts duel. What Chen Qianqian envisioned as a romantic idol drama quickly devolved into a full-blown martial arts battle. Han Shuo fought fiercely, showing no mercy, much to Chen Qianqian's exasperation from her hiding spot.
As Han Shuo was about to deliver a decisive blow, Su Ziying, from his own hiding place, intentionally stepped on Zi Rui's foot, eliciting a loud yelp. This noise exposed Chen Qianqian, who awkwardly emerged, trying to praise both of their "equally matched" fighting prowess and calling them a "heaven-made match." Chen Chuchu, believing Han Shuo had deliberately set her up for public humiliation, left in a huff.
Chen Qianqian was frustrated by Han Shuo's "one-track-minded" nature, telling him he was not fit for an idol drama. Han Shuo, however, misinterpreted Chen Qianqian's complaints as jealousy over his interaction with Chen Chuchu, making him delighted. Su Ziying, continuing his subtle manipulations, lectured Han Shuo on "men's ethics" and avoiding upsetting Chen Qianqian, further fueling Han Shuo's misinterpretation of Chen Qianqian's feelings.
Frustrated by her failed matchmaking attempts and Han Shuo's obliviousness, Chen Qianqian secretly tasked Su Ziying with finding a way to bring Han Shuo and Chen Chuchu together, suggesting a "harder" approach might be necessary to spark romance through mutual reliance in peril. Su Ziying, mishearing "peril" (xiǎnjìng) as "trap" (xiànjǐng), ingeniously dug a pit on the marching route and then dispatched a messenger with a false report of Han Shuo being ambushed.
Chen Chuchu, falling for the ruse, rushed to investigate and fell into the trap. Han Shuo, learning of Chen Chuchu's danger, quickly went to rescue her, confirming his earlier suspicion that the ambush report was a diversion orchestrated by Meng Guo. He found Chen Chuchu in the pit with an injured leg and tended to her, noting her resilience compared to Chen Qianqian's more expressive nature.
As they sought refuge in a dilapidated temple, Chen Chuchu, overcome with emotion, confessed her regret at having "given up" Han Shuo to Chen Qianqian. She wondered if, given another chance, Han Shuo would choose her instead. Han Shuo, though acknowledging her feelings and the twist of fate that brought him and Chen Qianqian together, firmly stated his deep love for Chen Qianqian, reaffirming he would always choose the "pure-hearted, upright, and kind" Third Princess.
Meanwhile, Su Ziying, attempting to cook congee for Chen Qianqian at their campsite, unknowingly exposed their location with the smoke. Meng Guo and his bandits attacked, with the specific intent of capturing Chen Qianqian to make her his "wife." Han Shuo, having returned from rescuing Chen Chuchu, arrived just in time to defend Chen Qianqian, taking a blade intended for her. After Meng Guo was captured, Chen Chuchu ordered his execution.
However, Chen Qianqian, recalling that Meng Guo was a key general in the original script, intervened. She convinced everyone, including a hesitant Han Shuo, to spare Meng Guo's life and instead "co-opt" him, making a clever allusion to the famous tale of capturing a rival seven times to win his loyalty. Han Shuo, impressed by her quick thinking and her efforts to protect him, felt his affection for her deepen.
Chen Qianqian, seeing Han Shuo's injury, apologized for causing him to be distracted and wounded. As Chen Chuchu rejoined them, she questioned who had exposed their campsite, realizing that she and Han Shuo had been out all night. Chen Qianqian, piecing together that Su Ziying's cooking fire was the cause, angrily demanded Su Ziying be brought before her for severe punishment.
