Whirlwind Girl Episode 20 Recap
> Whirlwind Girl Recap
Fang Tingyi passionately declared her long-standing affection for Chu Yuan, but he returned a pen she had given him, choosing to use one from Bai Cao instead. Fang Tingyi grew increasingly agitated, expressing her deep dislike for Bai Cao and questioning why Chu Yuan always defended her. Chu Yuan gently explained that he only saw Fang Tingyi as a sister and urged her to stop acting in ways that could harm others.
Fang Tingyi refused to accept his words, convinced that Bai Cao's presence had changed everything between them. She left, shouting for him to go away. Later, Bai Cao was seen trying to fix a broken water cooler. Despite Shen Xiaoying and others urging her to leave it and join practice, Bai Cao insisted on cleaning up the mess. She arrived late to practice, prompting Ruo Bai to assign her a 1000-meter run as punishment.
During the session, some students admired Bai Cao's new uniform. Ruo Bai, however, noticed Bai Cao's hesitation while wearing it and ordered her to change back into her old, ill-fitting uniform, despite Shen Xiaoying’s protest that it was too old and short. Ruo Bai then gave four other students a 10,000-meter running punishment for talking during practice. That night, Ruo Bai was seen meticulously mending Bai Cao's old uniform.
The next morning, Bai Cao thanked him for mending it, but he brushed off her gratitude, telling her to focus on practice. Fang Tingyi held a press conference, where reporters praised her skill. She announced an upcoming match against Bai Cao, stating that Coach Shen hoped Bai Cao would gain higher-level experience before the national competition. Fang Tingyi, seemingly humble, claimed she would be careful not to "destroy Bai Cao's confidence."
However, Fang Tinghao, her brother, quickly ended the interview, pulling Fang Tingyi aside. He chastised her for underestimating Bai Cao and for neglecting her training for two years, instead focusing on Yu Chu Yuan and commercials. Fang Tingyi fiercely retorted, accusing Fang Tinghao of taking out his anger over his own loss to Ruo Bai on her.
She vehemently reaffirmed her belief in her own superiority, vowing to defeat Bai Cao repeatedly and to push her down "into the dirt again and again." Before the match, Shen Xiaoying encouraged Bai Cao to eat heartily for energy, but Ruo Bai intervened, suggesting Bai Cao wasn't in a weight competition. Shen Xiaoying then gave Bai Cao a handmade "Certain Victory" charm, expressing her belief in Bai Cao’s ability to win, inspired by Ruo Bai’s recent victory over Fang Tinghao.
At the training center, numerous reporters and flashing cameras were present for Fang Tingyi and Bai Cao’s match. Fang Tingyi confidently told reporters she was ready. During the first round, Fang Tingyi offered to ask the reporters to stop taking photos if the flashes were disturbing Bai Cao, claiming she herself was used to the spotlight but acknowledged Bai Cao might not be. The reporters dismissed this, stating that real competitions involved far more distractions.
Fang Tingyi won the first round, leading 2:0. Shen Xiaoying blamed the reporters' distractions for Bai Cao's lost points, and Bai Cao admitted she wasn't accustomed to the intense media presence. Ruo Bai warned Bai Cao that Fang Tingyi might attack fiercely or try to provoke her in the second round, and advised her not to let external factors affect her rhythm. He also checked Bai Cao’s hand, offering her medicine for a minor injury.
The second round began with Fang Tingyi launching a fierce offensive. However, Bai Cao demonstrated significant improvement, seemingly able to anticipate Fang Tingyi's moves, thus preventing Fang Tingyi from scoring any new points. Fang Tinghao observed Fang Tingyi's uncharacteristic hesitation, realizing that Bai Cao's newfound skill had shocked her. Fang Tingyi, trying to provoke Bai Cao, called her a "scaredy cat" and challenged her to attack. Bai Cao calmly responded that she had her own strategy.
The second round ended with the score remaining 2:0 in Fang Tingyi's favor. Between rounds, reporters questioned Fang Tingyi about her stagnant score, but she maintained that only the final victory mattered. She promised a more exciting third round. Spectators discussed Bai Cao's remarkable progress, with some arguing she was now on par with Fang Tingyi, while others emphasized Fang Tingyi's superior experience and standing. The issue of Bai Cao being denied opportunities to compete was also raised.
Ruo Bai reminded Bai Cao that if she only defended, the best she could achieve was a draw, implying she needed to attack in the final round. He then subtly told her to "use it now." In the climactic third round, Fang Tingyi observed Bai Cao, confident that she would soon make a move, which would allow Fang Tingyi to land her special "double chop kick." However, Bai Cao surprised everyone by unleashing her powerful "Whirlwind Three-Kick Combo."
Fang Tingyi was caught off guard, falling to the ground and unable to get up for a while, and the score was tied. Seeing this, Shen Ning immediately intervened, declared the match a draw, and dismissed the bewildered reporters. Some trainees were indignant, believing Shen Ning was biased towards Fang Tingyi, and felt Bai Cao would have won if the match continued. After the match, the attendees were abuzz with talk of Bai Cao's "Whirlwind Three-Kick Combo."
Fang Tingyi, though defeated, still arrogantly mocked Bai Cao for winning by unorthodox means and declared a final showdown with Bai Cao in a month, the outcome of which remained uncertain. Separately, Fang Tinghao accepted interviews from reporters, announcing that he had received a training invitation from Changhai DoJo in Korea, offering all trainees the opportunity for advanced training to prepare for the City Youth Competition.
Rookies, led by Shen Xiaoying, cheered, but Shen Ning quickly reminded everyone to maintain their academic performance, warning that failure to do so would result in losing the chance to train abroad. Ruo Bai voiced his discontent over Shen Ning's biased decision to end the match prematurely, feeling it was unfair to Bai Cao.
Although Bai Cao had once again made a surprising impact in the match, Shen Ning remained unconvinced, placing her hopes instead on the ultimate showdown a month later, unsure if Bai Cao could truly defeat Fang Tingyi then. Meanwhile, Shen Xiaoying later faced criticism from her mother at home for neglecting her studies for martial arts, to which she cheekily replied that good looks were enough to get by.
Fang Tingyi’s grandfather, Wan DoJo Master, was furious about her neglecting training for Yu Chu Yuan over the past two years. He scolded her severely and confined her to the Xian Wu DoJo for a month of intensive, closed-door training. When the television replayed parts of the day's event, Shen Xiaoying was disappointed to find only clips of Fang Tingyi's training, with no footage of Bai Cao or their actual match.
Ruo Bai explained to Bai Cao that despite her impactful performance, Fang Tingyi's position in the martial arts world remained unshaken, and the media's selective broadcast was a deliberate effort to protect Fang Tingyi's reputation. He emphasized that Bai Cao could only truly surpass her through continuous, hard work.
