Unrequited Love Episode 21 Recap
> Unrequited Love Recap
Luo Zhi sat on the bleachers watching her classmates play basketball, a familiar habit from high school, even though Sheng Huainan, the person she once eagerly watched, was no longer among the players. She recalled a time in high school when a basketball had accidentally hit her, presenting a chance to connect with Sheng Huainan, but her shyness had made her flee. Suddenly, another basketball flew her way, but Zhang Mingrui quickly intercepted it before it could hit her.
He then sat down beside her, sharing his recent dating woes with Xu Riqing. Zhang Mingrui admitted that while having a crush was easy, actual interaction with Xu Riqing left him feeling exhausted and powerless due to their differing interests. He described it as a "beauty in the distance of a crush," where idealizing someone from afar makes it difficult to reconcile with their true self when close.
He felt a vast gap between them, like a designer bag versus a cheap street stall item, and that her desired birthday gifts required extensive part-time work for him to afford. Luo Zhi advised him that understanding can be cultivated, as no one is naturally compatible.
Zhang Mingrui then suggested a new part-time job for Luo Zhi: an English tour guide and translator for his professor's foreign friends visiting Gulangyu Island, noting Luo Zhi’s recent trip there and excellent English skills. As Luo Zhi considered this, she saw a crystal swan necklace on display, which brought back memories of a similar crystal swan necklace she had once admired.
Her mother had offered to buy it when it was on sale, but Luo Zhi, not wanting her mother to spend lavishly, had made an excuse and pulled her away. She also remembered Ye Zhan Yan proudly showing off a similar necklace given to her by Sheng Huainan, reinforcing Luo Zhi's long-held feeling that she and Sheng Huainan were never meant to be. Sheng Huainan eventually followed Luo Zhi, who was visibly upset, asking why he was trailing her.
Luo Zhi retorted, questioning his sudden interest in her financial situation, sarcastically suggesting he was a "rich young man" investigating common folk’s living standards. She then challenged his expectation for her to explain herself while he offered no explanations for his own actions or prolonged absences. Sheng Huainan then directly asked if she liked him, revealing that Ye Zhan Yan and Shui Jing had shown him her high school diary, which he had learned about after their trip to Dreamland.
He accused her of observing him and collecting information to create an illusion of a deep connection, all to make him like her. Luo Zhi found his perspective ridiculous. He pressed her further, asking why it was him, given their lack of interaction in high school and college. Luo Zhi, with a surge of emotion, confessed that in her "dark and difficult youth," he was her "only light," and that the reason was simple: "Because you are Sheng Huainan."
Sheng Huainan interpreted this as her having a hidden agenda, yet assured her she didn't need to resort to such means, as he would accept her feelings openly. Luo Zhi, however, declared it her choice and freedom, having nothing to do with him. Sheng Huainan expressed how her actions had made him care, and now her dismissal of their connection felt like a betrayal.
He referenced Ye Zhan Yan's claim that Luo Zhi had thrown away the breakup letter and necklace, a claim he hadn't believed but now left him unable to discern her true self, asking how many lies she had hidden. He then accused her of retaliating for him standing her up for a planned visit by using Ye Zhan Yan's raincoat.
Though he admitted his impulsiveness regarding the raincoat, he pressed her to answer if any of her actions towards him were sincere. Luo Zhi, hurt by his distrust, finally revealed her truth: since high school, she had always viewed him as a goal to surpass and had loved and pursued everything about him.
She admitted that all the "coincidences," such as their shared preferences, were her carefully crafted lies, but these lies were what allowed her to gradually get closer to him. She then declared, "Sheng Huainan, I like you. This is my only sincerity. Do you believe me? Are you satisfied?" With that confession, Luo Zhi felt her most precious, years-long secret had been "trampled" and her "confession" was nothing more than "torture."
She recalled his past question about whether they were friends, and her hope that he would be the one to show her how to stop the pain. She then rushed into a hair salon. She thought to herself that she had kept her long hair for him and her years of secret love, but now that the humble secret love was over, there was no need to hold on to it anymore.
A heavy rain began to fall as Luo Zhi ran from the salon, her tears mixing with the rain. She ran around the track field, constantly venting her emotions until she collapsed. Unseen, Sheng Huainan sat in the downpour, lost in thought, until his mother found him and urged him inside, worried for his health and offering to help with anything. Meanwhile, Zhang Mingrui, worried after receiving a brief thank-you message from Luo Zhi, realized he couldn't reach her.
He called Jiang Baili, and together they frantically searched the campus. They eventually found Luo Zhi collapsed and unconscious on the track field and rushed her to the hospital. Luo Zhi woke up the next day, disoriented, asking about the time and her tutoring commitments. Jiang Baili reassured her that she had handled everything, calling in sick and telling Luo Zhi's mother she was in the shower. Jiang Baili then asked if Sheng Huainan had hurt her again.
Luo Zhi recounted the "torture" of their confrontation, revealing that Sheng Huainan knew of her lies, leaving her without even her "most humble crush." Luo Zhi began to doubt herself, hating the person she was when she had deceived Sheng Huainan in her youth. Jiang Baili tried to comfort her by humorously recalling Luo Zhi's less-than-glamorous dorm habits and teeth-grinding.
Unbeknownst to them, Zhang Mingrui, who had gone to get them breakfast, overheard part of their conversation from outside the room. Later, Sheng Huainan’s aunt, Zhu Yan, visited Luo Zhi in the hospital with her children, Jack and Tiffany. The children presented Luo Zhi with handmade cards and flowers, though Zhu Yan gently reminded them that flowers were not allowed in the hospital due to pollen.
The children also brought fish soup, claiming it made one smarter, to which Zhu Yan interjected that Luo Zhi needed chicken soup for energy. After sending the children off with her driver, Zhu Yan asked Luo Zhi what had happened, recalling Luo Zhi's previous mention of Sheng Huainan. Luo Zhi confided in Zhu Yan about her "unromantic confession," Sheng Huainan’s knowledge of her lies, and her inability to distinguish her true feelings from her calculated actions.
She felt the sweetness of their past interactions was now unreal, attributing the deception to herself. Zhu Yan empathized, stating that Luo Zhi's illness was a sign her heart could no longer bear the strain. She advised Luo Zhi not to despise her past self, as that youthful, loving self represented a precious and unrepeatable part of her life.
Separately, Sheng Huainan's mother continued to press him about his future, suggesting he either go to London for studies or join his father's company. She directly questioned if he was serious about "Luo's daughter." Sheng Huainan received an urgent phone call from Ge Bi, informing him that Mr. Mo Dan's agent found their seminar manuscript too superficial and ill-informed about the author’s work, demanding immediate revisions. Ge Bi expressed concern that the symposium would be jeopardized.
Sheng Huainan decided to return to school at once. Before leaving, he firmly told his mother not to interfere in his love life, declaring it his "bottom line." At the student union, Sheng Huainan found Ge Bi frantic, complaining that Chen Yongle had gone missing and was only looking out for his own future. With the symposium widely advertised and important guests invited, its failure would ruin the student union's reputation.
Sheng Huainan immediately proposed rewriting the interview manuscript, and Ge Bi, realizing Luo Zhi was the only one with the necessary expertise, suggested they seek her help. Luo Zhi, meanwhile, was preparing for discharge. She instructed Zhang Mingrui not to tell Sheng Huainan about her hospitalization, and he agreed, understanding their strained relationship. While Zhang Mingrui went to buy food, Luo Zhi called her mother.
Her mother spoke of buying Luo Zhi's favorite potatoes and tomatoes, feeling happy imagining her daughter at home, even though Luo Zhi wasn't there to eat them. Luo Zhi suggested they have a video call to share a meal together. Her mother, sensing something was amiss in Luo Zhi's voice, asked if she was hiding anything.
Luo Zhi denied it, claiming to be in the library and unable to speak loudly, but her mother urged her not to keep things bottled up, assuring her that despite the distance, her heart was always with her daughter.
