Unrequited Love Episode 12 Recap
> Unrequited Love Recap
Luo Zhi returned home to find her mother, who was cooking noodles. Her mother recalled the time after Luo Zhi's father passed away, when she took Luo Zhi to a church wedding. Feeling desperate and angry after the Sheng family refused to help them, Luo Zhi's mother lashed out at Luo Zhi, making her cry and forbidding her from interacting with the Sheng family children.
Now, she expressed deep regret for her past actions, telling Luo Zhi to let go of the past and look forward, assuring her that she would no longer interfere with Luo Zhi's life decisions. Luo Zhi responded that she didn't blame her mother, acknowledging the significant impact of her mother's words.
Meanwhile, Luo Yang visited Ding Shuijing, telling her she would need to find an art studio outside the school to continue her practice, as the art classroom was a mess and she couldn't return to Zhenhua for a while. Though Ding Shuijing agreed, she felt disheartened. Ye Zhanyan, reflecting on Sheng Huainan's desire to become his true self, yearned for the same but found it incredibly difficult.
She admitted that after pretending for so long, she no longer knew which face was truly hers. The pain from her past remained, unyielding and unforgivable, especially since Sheng Huainan was intertwined with her misfortunes. On Monday, Sheng Huainan went to the library, purposefully sitting across from Luo Zhi. He feigned studying but secretly watched her throughout the morning.
Luo Zhi, engrossed in her notes for "Introduction to Law" and "Ideological and Political Theory," eventually finished and offered them to Sheng Huainan. When she asked if he had finished reading, Sheng Huainan, flustered, denied looking at her, clarifying he was looking at his book. She clarified she was asking about his book, and they agreed to have lunch together. At the cafeteria, Luo Zhi spotted Jiang Baili, who appeared preoccupied.
Luo Zhi greeted her and, after Jiang Baili complained about not being informed of her return, convinced her to join them for lunch. Just as they settled, Zhang Mingrui arrived, jokingly complaining that Sheng Huainan came back to school and immediately sought out Luo Zhi instead of him, who then gave an excuse about needing help with liberal arts courses. At that moment, Ye Zhanyan called Sheng Huainan, who hesitated to answer.
Zhang Mingrui remained silent, trying to avoid any awkwardness. Ye Zhanyan soon appeared in person, asking Zhang Mingrui to move and taking his seat beside Sheng Huainan. Jiang Baili, sensing the tension, announced she was full and tried to leave with Luo Zhi, but Ye Zhanyan stopped Luo Zhi, stating that what she was about to discuss concerned Sheng Huainan's future.
Ye Zhanyan presented Sheng Huainan with an application form for the university's Student Venture Competition, confidently stating that with his talent, the first prize was undoubtedly his. Jiang Baili, before leaving, questioned the rush to start entrepreneurial work in their sophomore year. Ye Zhanyan argued that talented individuals aim for global recognition by twenty, while Luo Zhi countered that such competitions often merely served as a pipeline for big corporations to recruit talent, turning students into pre-hires.
Sheng Huainan agreed with Luo Zhi's assessment but also acknowledged the competition's potential benefits for the future, including self-employment. Ye Zhanyan continued to push, emphasizing her foreign language skills as a valuable asset for his team's international expansion and investor relations. Luo Zhi interjected, urging Ye Zhanyan to respect Sheng Huainan's personal wishes. Sheng Huainan then confirmed that his professor had already informed him about the competition, and he was indeed considering participating.
Ye Zhanyan, taking this as a confirmation, immediately declared she would handle all presentation details and foreign language writing, then departed, telling them to inform her of the first meeting. Zhang Mingrui lamented Ye Zhanyan's domineering nature but quickly expressed his own interest in joining Sheng Huainan's team. Sheng Huainan invited Luo Zhi to join as well, highlighting how her liberal arts expertise would be valuable, but Luo Zhi stated she would decide once he had finalized a concept.
Later, when Sheng Huainan was ready to present his project idea to Zhang Mingrui, Lei Tian, and Xu Zhian, Ye Zhanyan unexpectedly arrived. Sheng Huainan unveiled his concept: a "Children Anti-lost Application." This brought Luo Zhi back to a memory of Sheng Huainan teasing her about getting lost while using navigation, jokingly promising her an "anti-lost bracelet" and "Huainan-brand navigation" to ensure she'd never get lost again.
Ye Zhanyan initially questioned why such a project was aimed at children, suggesting Sheng Huainan's talent deserved a larger scope. Sheng Huainan explained their limited time and resources, affirming that the children's app was the optimal starting point, and they could expand its scope once successful. He elaborated on the app's core philosophy: "guarding with love," a system designed to connect with mall surveillance, service desks, and security systems to instantly locate lost children.
Upon learning this, Ye Zhanyan mistakenly believed the project was created for her, despite having initially dismissed it as commercially valueless. She then praised his ingenuity, declaring it worthy of the first prize, and expressed a wish to have children just to use the bracelet. After some playful banter about who would have children first, everyone agreed to join the "Children Anti-lost Application" project, including Ye Zhanyan. News of Sheng Huainan entering the Student Venture Competition quickly spread across campus.
Students discussed it online, and many assumed he would win. During a student council meeting concerning an alumni sharing session, Chen Yongle and his peers made sarcastic remarks towards Sheng Huainan, suggesting that the competition, meant for students without resources, was being unfairly dominated by someone of Sheng Huainan's wealthy background, who was treating it as a game and taking away opportunities from those who genuinely needed it to secure their future.
Ye Zhanyan confronted Yongle, pointing out that he himself had signed up and should focus on securing second place for the prize money and training opportunities instead of wasting time arguing. Zhang Mingrui also defended Sheng Huainan, stating that his project aimed to solve real-life problems, aligning with the original spirit of student ventures, and wasn't driven by fame or fortune.
After the continuous mockery and a sarcastic suggestion from Yongle to have Sheng Huainan's influential father host the alumni event, Sheng Huainan, seeing no progress in the discussion, quietly left with his team members. Outside, Ge Bi caught up with Sheng Huainan, expressing his desire to contribute to the team. Zhang Mingrui was surprised by Ge Bi's newfound interest in entrepreneurship.
Ge Bi explained that his father wanted him to build a strong resume for future board meetings, and offered financial support, wanting a significant share in the project. Sheng Huainan was initially reluctant to accept the funds, suggesting Ge Bi could participate in the research and development if he was serious. Ge Bi admitted he wasn't cut out for rigorous research. He then offered his father's spacious office for the team to use, which Sheng Huainan again initially declined.
However, Ye Zhanyan stepped in and decisively accepted the offer on Sheng Huainan's behalf, arguing that they needed a proper workspace, especially now that the student council office was out of bounds due to the conflict with Chen Yongle. Sheng Huainan, while feeling a growing distance between himself and Ye Zhanyan, ultimately accepted her decision, acknowledging the practical need for the space and funds.
He subsequently turned away other students who tried to join, recognizing their opportunistic desire for a "free ride" on his success. During a class, Zhang Mingrui whispered to Luo Zhi about the student council's cold attitude towards Sheng Huainan. Later, while Sheng Huainan was unwinding by playing baseball, Xu Ri-qing approached Zhang Mingrui, asking to join the team, citing information from Ye Zhanyan's online posts about their "high-end office building."
Zhang Mingrui explained the team was full, but Xu Ri-qing insisted on speaking to Sheng Huainan directly. To protect Sheng Huainan from further disturbances, Zhang Mingrui diverted Xu Ri-qing with the promise of ice cream from "The Ice Queen." Just then, Luo Zhi arrived. Zhang Mingrui, relieved, handed over the task of looking after Sheng Huainan to her, and quickly left for ice cream with Xu Ri-qing.
Luo Zhi joined Sheng Huainan, offering him a drink and later a warm bowl of noodles on the rooftop. She offered comfort, telling him that while she could provide support, ultimately, he needed to find his own way out of his struggles, akin to how she couldn't offer "chicken soup for the soul" perpetually. Sheng Huainan reflected that Luo Zhi's rational approach was similar to the advice he had given Ye Zhanyan, using words he'd learned from Luo Zhi.
Back at Ge Bi's lavish office, the team began their work. Ye Zhanyan took a call, revealing her strategy: seeing Sheng Huainan drawn to Luo Zhi, she intended to "bind" him to herself. She privately reflected that Sheng Huainan could easily ask her to let go only because he didn't understand that her past sufferings were connected to him, and she would never forgive.
The team discussed their next steps: completing the application for the anti-lost bracelet, setting up the central monitoring system, and conducting outdoor and indoor tests. Zhang Mingrui expressed concern about the difficulty of indoor testing and finding children volunteers. Luo Zhi, however, had already anticipated these challenges.
She informed the team that Sister Zhu Yan had agreed to let them use her villa for setting up cameras, the community's security had given permission, and child volunteers Jack and Tiffany were eager to help. Sheng Huainan was impressed by Luo Zhi's foresight, noting her ability to anticipate his needs, a stark contrast to Zhang Mingrui.
Luo Zhi then proposed the slogan "Baby Guardian" for their application, which Sheng Huainan praised for perfectly capturing the project's core spirit of protection and guidance. As the team prepared to launch into their tasks, Zheng Wenrui arrived at Ge Bi's company building, attempting to gain entry by telling the security guard she was part of Sheng Huainan's team on the fifteenth floor.
