Unrequited Love Episode 26 Recap
> Unrequited Love Recap
Sheng Huainan, having traveled to Harbin, finally found Luo Zhi and tried to reconnect with her. He admitted his regret at not knowing more about her in high school and expressed a desire to understand her better in the future. Luo Zhi, however, challenged his sincerity, pointing out he could have easily asked her teachers at Zhenhua Teaching Building for her contact information.
Sheng Huainan explained that he had gone to Zhenhua but encountered Ye Zhanyan at the school gate, who told him Luo Zhi wasn't there. Ye Zhanyan then requested to speak with him, leading them to a cafe. Luo Zhi retorted that his actions didn't align with his claims of searching for her all day.
Feeling wronged, Sheng Huainan countered that Luo Zhi had missed the celebration party, ignored his numerous calls, and only messaged Gobi, who Luo Zhi clarified was the event organizer. When Ye Zhanyan messaged Sheng Huainan, asking if he had found Luo Zhi, Luo Zhi directly questioned him about his conversation with Ye Zhanyan. Sheng Huainan refused to disclose the details, stating he wouldn't tell a third person, even when Luo Zhi asked if she, herself, counted as a "third person."
Luo Zhi, exasperated, demanded to know the real reason he came to Harbin, accusing him of acting without clear thought. Sheng Huainan admitted he hadn't fully figured out his motives, prompting Luo Zhi to sarcastically suggest they could simply be "good friends" and move on as if nothing had happened.
He apologized for his inability to explain his complex feelings, but Luo Zhi remained firm, questioning if he truly believed his presence and acts of kindness would erase their past unhappiness. She then challenged his trust, noting he readily believed Ye Zhanyan's claim that Luo Zhi wasn't at Zhenhua, but would he believe her if she insisted she had been there all afternoon?
With that, Luo Zhi took her bag and decisively left the restaurant, leaving Sheng Huainan to call out her name and then ask for the bill. Back home, Luo Zhi's mother urged her to eat, but Luo Zhi was distracted. Aunt Fu arrived and joined them for dinner, praising Luo Zhi's cabbage chicken soup. Aunt Fu then mentioned seeing "the Sheng Family's child" waiting outside their community, which is how Luo Zhi learned Sheng Huainan was there.
Luo Zhi tried to excuse herself, but her mother and Aunt Fu continued to discuss how Sheng Shida had been reported for purchasing scrap aging equipment, and that he wouldn't escape justice this time, with investigations ongoing. Overhearing this, Luo Zhi looked out the window and saw Sheng Huainan standing in the cold. Despite hearing his "love words," she resisted the urge to compromise, even as she watched his shivering figure.
He messaged her, expressing fear she might secretly return to Xiamen. Luo Zhi sent a voice message, angrily asking if he thought she would simply fall for him and accept his mixed signals. Sheng Huainan, watching her from the window, told her he was determined and wouldn't easily give up on someone he had identified as his love, telling her she could let him stand there as long as she wished.
Luo Zhi curtly responded for him to "sleep as he liked." Eventually, a kind security guard invited the freezing Sheng Huainan into his home to warm up, offering him hot water and advice. Later, Luo Zhi, unable to shake her concern, quietly delivered a box of hot chicken soup to him at the guard's home. Sheng Huainan saw her retreating figure from the window and happily drank the soup.
The next morning, Luo Zhi attempted to quietly leave her home with her luggage, but Sheng Huainan was already waiting for her at the community entrance. He thanked her for the chicken soup, mentioning he had washed the pot and left it with the security guard to return to her mother. Luo Zhi's mother then came out, bringing pastries Luo Zhi had forgotten. As Luo Zhi and Sheng Huainan walked away, her mother watched, genuinely happy to see them together.
In a taxi, Sheng Huainan offered Luo Zhi a flatbread, which he revealed he knew she liked from high school. When Luo Zhi tried to ask about his night, he preemptively assured her he hadn't caught a cold, though she feigned indifference. To alleviate potential boredom, Sheng Huainan suggested they share music with an earbud, then leaned on her shoulder and fell asleep, which she quietly permitted.
Meanwhile, Ding Shuijing conversed on the phone about Christmas plans in Xiamen, while Luoyang also had a phone call. Ding Shuijing, noticing Luoyang's quiet mood, teased him good-naturedly. Luoyang then firmly told Ding Shuijing not to bother Luo Zhi or Chen Jing, as they were important family members to him.
Ding Shuijing expressed gratitude for his past encouragement but lamented her inability to pursue her dreams, feeling she lacked the "capital" for "free things," unlike Luoyang, who she believed could achieve anything. Luoyang explained that his choice for a "safety card," for his family's sake, might not be what he truly wanted, but he couldn't bear to see his family worry or look at him with disappointment again.
Ding Shuijing cried, not for herself, but for the "free-spirited boy" within Luoyang, who yearned to be unrestrained. Luoyang then suggested they go for a walk. They played playfully in the snow, and Ding Shuijing presented him with a handmade necklace she had spent four nights making, featuring a design similar to one she had drawn on his shirt. Luoyang, feeling he hadn't given her any gifts, said her drawing was the best gift.
He then reminded her that this was their last meeting. Ding Shuijing, accepting this, asked him to take a selfie with her for a keepsake. As she was setting up the shot, Chen Jing called. Ding Shuijing, seeing the call, told Luoyang to answer it and left. Luoyang called out to her, urging her to take care of herself, stop self-torturing, and work hard on her retake exam.
Elsewhere, Zhang Mingrui, who had bought Luo Zhi's favorite biscuits, felt his appetite gone since she wasn't back. He saw Zheng Wenrui queuing for the same biscuits, but they were sold out. Seeing her disappointment, he impulsively offered her his hot biscuit, claiming he was just "doing good and accumulating virtue." Zheng Wenrui, however, was suspicious, stating she never liked owing favors and directly asked what he wanted in return, fearing he had ulterior motives.
The vendor aunt then fueled Zheng Wenrui's misunderstanding by remarking that Zhang Mingrui often bought those biscuits for a girl he liked, leading Zheng Wenrui to believe he was secretly in love with her. Horrified by her misinterpretation, Zhang Mingrui fled the canteen, declaring that even if Zheng Wenrui were the last woman on earth, he would never be interested in her.
After arriving in Xiamen, Sheng Huainan continued to insist on carrying Luo Zhi's luggage and walking her back to the dormitory. Luo Zhi accepted his apology for past carelessness but firmly told him she wouldn't accept his ambiguous behavior, demanding clarity on his true intentions. She listed his recent actions – chasing her to Harbin, treating her to meals, waiting all night – and confessed she didn't understand what he was thinking, as his "concern" wasn't helping her.
Sheng Huainan claimed his actions were merely instinctive. Luo Zhi reiterated that she could accept unrequited love but not their current ambiguous state. Sheng Huainan clarified that he wasn't trying to be ambiguous, but was expressing his care in his own way and wanted her to know how much he genuinely cared for her, admitting he felt "crazy" when he heard no news from her after the student union banquet.
Luo Zhi, frustrated, asked if they still had a chance, then urged him to think clearly and decide what he wanted to say. Until he could give a clear answer, she proposed they pretend not to know each other, as she couldn't handle being "slapped back" by his regret or guilt.
Sheng Huainan then insisted on taking her to a favorite spot of his, a balcony, where he confessed that every time he came there, he was reminded of the Zhenhua Teaching Building window. Luo Zhi initially thought he was referring to memories with Ye Zhanyan, but Sheng Huainan revealed he had realized the girl he met there, who corrected his equation, was "her", not Ye Zhanyan.
He then recounted a fairy tale about a boy indirectly confessing by asking a girl if she preferred sunny, cloudy, or rainy days, and the girl shyly choosing "cloudy." Luo Zhi, recognizing the story she had recommended to him, confirmed she was the one who shared it. They reminisced about their past study sessions, where he would help her with math while listening to music.
Finally, Sheng Huainan explicitly stated that Luo Zhi was the girl from his Zhenhua memory and the one who recommended the fairy tale. Luo Zhi then directly asked what he wanted to ask her, and he responded that he wanted to ask her name, wondering "what will happen if I said." However, a text message from Ye Zhanyan, asking him to eat in Xiamen, interrupted their conversation.
Luo Zhi pressed him to explain his current behavior and the "causes and consequences" of their relationship, asking if he could let go of the resentment related to their parents' past feud and truly accept her. Sheng Huainan struggled, admitting he couldn't explain the complex "cause and effect" now, asking for more time, but asserting that his feelings for her were true. Luo Zhi, unable to get the clear answer she sought, turned and left in frustration.
Feeling adrift, Luo Zhi went to Gulangyu, a place of a past meet-up with Sheng Huainan; its past beauty now accentuated her present loneliness. There, she coincidentally encountered Wen Yuan, who initially mistook her for a tourist and offered to show her around for a fee. Upon recognizing each other, Luo Zhi mentioned she had just had an argument with Sheng Huainan, explaining it stemmed from a misunderstanding involving his ex-girlfriend framing her for something she didn't do.
Wen Yuan advised her to communicate directly and explain things, noting that simply initiating a conversation "is" communication. Luo Zhi admitted her reluctance to explain, prompting Wen Yuan to ask if she feared Sheng Huainan wouldn't believe her. He then gave her humorous but direct advice: if Sheng Huainan and his ex-girlfriend's issues were unclear, she should confront him assertively, even dramatically, by threatening to "die with him" if he didn't explain himself.
He added that the more she "worked" for their relationship in this way, the more he would love her, reminding her to later "coax him back" as men need to save face. Concluding that Luo Zhi wasn't there for sightseeing, Wen Yuan urged her to get in his car so he could take her to the dock, telling her not to waste time and to go find her boyfriend. Wen Yuan's advice, though somewhat jocular, left it unclear how much Luo Zhi truly took it to heart.
