I was bored and went to research about this drama. Apparently, the writer, Lin Ya Chun, has penned The Outsiders 1 & 2. Including this drama, she has a total of 5 projects, four of them featuring Dylan Kuo as the leading man. She must be really fond of him so I’m sure she won’t sabotage his character for anything less than 3D. Surprisingly, Amanda Zhu is married to Alyssa Chia’s brother, with a son no less! My shipper heart dropped 70 miles/hr. She’s famed for playing the villain in The Fierce Wife, and I can’t imagine her being evil…

As for Zi Wen, the actor has the same looks as my brother’s lanky, pale-faced friend. I can’t take him seriously. 😛

Episode 4:

Show time with Ping An. Again. Today, she has a big announcement to make, regarding the noble identity of Xi Yue as the Chairlady’s daughter. Everyone fawns over Xi Yue’s glorious days ahead, including the annoying supervisor. Chairlady and Ye Chen look at the group from a distance, and she calls Xi Yue to her office. One the way there, Director Li asks, “When did you have a daughter? Do you consider me a stranger to tell me now?” She dismisses his fake concern. Frustrated with her condescending attitude, he quips, “Don’t I also have a son? Where’s Huo Ying?” he questions the assistant.

New character alert. Director Li’s son, Li Huo Ying (Chen Qiao Wei). He’s busy performing magic tricks to soothe his crying girlfriend. Tears stop pouring when an expensive pearl appears magically in the palm of his hand. “People say a pretty girl’s tears are like precious pearls. See? I’ve wiped your tears and picked out a pearl.” Oh. We have a sweet talker on our hand! The source of her tears? It’s because our playboy is sending her back home, somewhere far, which requires a flight on the airplane. He kisses her goodbye on the forehead and quickly fixes his appearance. He goes right back into the shopping mall to woo his new target – the cashier. The girl is slightly surprised at his initiative, but he clarifies, “The girl earlier is not my girlfriend. She’s mental, something we call delusional nowadays. With my kind heart, I just had to play along.”

The girl shows understanding on his part, she’s further impressed by his filial nature when he picks up a coat for his mother. He requests that she personally delivers the goods. He gently grabs her hand and jots down his phone. “Just in case you can’t locate the address. Call me.” Eagerly, she asks him to perform his earlier magic trick. He does and is distracted by Ping An’s loud voice, dropping the pearl on the ground, causing Ping An to slip. The food conveniently dumps on his head.

They point a finger at each other, both demanding compensation for their goods. Quick on her feet, Ping An gets in the first word, saying how valuable her ribs with white rice is. The cashier needs to consume food during lunch time in order to have the energy to work for the rest of the evening. It makes sense, so he pays her, but he swiftly obtains the money back by stating how his branded clothes are dirty because of her food, “They need to be dry-cleaned. TW$300 will do!”

She agrees and comes up with another plan. With her lunch being trashed, the cashier needs her compensation too, “TW$500 for her!” He’s flabbergasted, “But you said the lunchbox is only TW$300!” Ping An’s chokes up her words, explaining the painstaking effort the farmers, the chefs, and everyone who is involved in creating a perfect lunchbox. “Those can’t be measured!” Huo Ying gives up and pays her TW$500. Feeling triumphant, Ping An returns TW$100 to him, citing that her kindness wants him to have his head cleaned at a hair salon.

He crushes the bill in his hand, declaring to hunt her down.

That night, Ping An camps over at Xi Yue’s new home. She retells her verbal victory to Xi Yue, but the latter chides her for fooling an honest person. Ping An believes in her judgement, “If that guy is good, then the world has no bad people in it.” Xi Yue gazes solemnly at Ping An, and asks, “How was last night? It was the first time we slept separately.” Well, the hardest moment was over, so Ping An happily states that she’s living fine in her crappy doghouse. A sense of foreboding overcomes Xi Yue and she wants Ping An to promise that they’ll always be good sisters. “So what I have, you’ll have too.” Aww.

These simple words touch Ping An and she grins at the gracious thought. Xi Yue continues, “Remember when you were little and you said you’ll share your dad with me when we find him? Just like that, I want to share my mother with you.” The sudden reminder of her father has Ping An looking down, she misses him. Yi Xue scoots closer and hugs Ping An, reminding her that she’s got a sister and a mother now.

Hoping to share everything with Ping An, Xi Yue requests her to stay for a sleepover. Ping An agrees before it’s too late. Yi Xue wants to know everything about her relationship with Ye Chen. Gritting her teeth, Ping An thinks, “Big Pervert! Look at the problems you made!”

Opening his gift box at home is Zi Wen. It’s come to his knowledge that Xi Yue is Chairlady Bai’s daughter. He smells the scarf she knitted, and says out loud, “It was made with sincerity.” He goes into his bedroom and pulls out Ping An’s birthday cake drawing and smiles unknowingly. He pauses, “I guess I have to change the direction of my plan.” He puts the drawing into a box, containing his photo with Ye Chen’s deceased sister, Wei Shen. His lips stretches into a sweet smile, flashing back to the days she were still alive and breathing. Ah, so he does have special feelings for Ping An?

Our playboy finally returns home with a luggage in toll. He’s caught by Director Li. The father lectures his son for sneaking back without informing the family. Huo Ying evades further questioning by presenting his father with a case of well-made pearls. They’re from a friend in Hong Kong and he envisions establishing his own brand of jewelry by manufacturing and distributing pearl-related ornaments. Enthused, Director Li advises him to keep it from the Chairlady’s vigilant eyes, afraid of the profits being split. He wants Huo Ying to work at the shopping mall starting tomorrow. The poor boy smells his dad’s trick miles away. Dad wants him to spy on Bai Ming Li, “What a cunning old fox!” he barks in his head.

Still in his deep sleep, Zi Wen awakens to the phone call from his assistant, informing him of President He’s (the man who called her desperately in episode 1) suicide. The man has left a note condemning the Chairlady.

During the car ride to work, Ye Chen voices his suspicions over the sudden suicide, however, Chairlady remains calm and collected, calling this incident a short-term impact on the company. This might give the board directors a chance to criticize her, the fluctuation of their stocks, but in the long run, “This won’t hurt me one bit.” He eyes her warily and expresses sensitivity over the man’s death. Chairlady Bai, in a matter-of-fact tone, interprets his suicide as a stupid move and that he deserves not one ounce of sympathy.

Ye Chen swallows down her harshness. Chairlady then instructs him to pick up and drop off Ping An at work, followed by driving Xi Yue to school. Curiosity colors his face at her mention of Ping An before Xi Yue.

At the office, Zi Wen’s doing damage control, organizing an urgent press conference and drafting Chairlady’s statement in advance, hoping to reduce the company’s bad reputation to a minimum. However, the blood leaves his face once he holds President He’s suicide note in his hands. He grips the note tightly as images from the past rake his head. He asks for a day’s leave, claiming he’s unwell.

Ye Chen drives a glum Ping An to work. She utters that if the co-workers see them, they will gossip, naming her a dog or horse. Ye Chen doesn’t get what those animals have to do with him driving her to work. She quotes, “Xi Yue’s the Chairlady’s daughter. With you driving me to work is the same as saying when the dog ascends heaven, his followers (dogs/chickens, you name it), naturally rises to heaven too.” He quips that she knows her position well. hehe. I just love their banter! I need more of PingChen!!

Their conversation boils down to the President He’s suicide, and Ye Chen warns her to stay out of trouble. She replies that a good person cares more than just themselves. She doesn’t want to be a part of that side of the world. She calls President He selfish; he committed suicide without thinking about the devastation his loved ones would feel. Ye Chen listens attentively to her words as his mind drifts off to time far, far back when he had rushed home to find a shivering Zi Wen sitting below the stairs. Between his painful sobs, a much younger Zi Wen murmurs tearfully, “Everyone is dead…dead. I’m all alone now…” Ye Chen had embraced him, lending him strength. Don’t tell me Chairlady Bai is responsible for this? And Zi Wen is avenging by getting close?

The more he thinks about it, the more worried he becomes, so Ye Chen turns the car around, heading to Zi Wen’s house. At home, Zi Wen sits stoically on the sofa, his face burning with menace, his eyes recalling the tragic day he returned home to discover the deaths of his parents. His father’s greed had killed their company and driven him to bankruptcy. His dying wish was for Zi Wen to stay away from the business world. Nope, no can do, dead daddy. Angered by his father’s own incompetency, Zi Wen violently shoves the papers off the table, confirming my guess, “I won’t turn out like you father. I won’t let Bai Ming Li off!!” HOHOHOHO!

Knocking persistently outside the door is Ping An. They’ve been standing there for a while now. Ye Chen deduces that Zi Wen might prefer silence, hence he has turned on music, to block out other intruding noises.

Back at the company, Director Li chooses this time to introduce Huo Ying to Chairlady, suggesting that he’s old enough to start training in the company. Huo Ying agrees, claiming that to learn after the most successful entrepreneur like auntie is his honor. She figures there’s no way out of this one and promises to find him a suitable position. Then, Director carefully proposes the jewelry idea and thinks it’s profitable if the company invests in it by replacing the gold jewelry stand in the shopping mall for pearls. Buying herself some time to think this over, Chairlady agrees to read the details of this project.

Before Director Li leaves, he jabs at Chairlady by speaking to his son about her definition of success; requiring one to be cruel, exact, and thorough in defeating the enemy, never giving them a second chance.

Afterwards, apprehension overcomes Chairlady. She’s fearful for her daughter, living in such brutal battles.

Huo Ying scans the shopping mall and bumps into Xi Yue in his rush. When his eyes lay on her overall appearance, they sparkle with delight. “Wearing such branded clothing, she still has simplicity in her eyes,” he thinks. Not giving up a chance to know this beautiful girl, he stops her from leaving and guides her to a nearby chair, all the while, saying it’s fate that they met at this exact moment in a big shopping center.

He does the same old magic trick and presents her with a pearl at the end, “This is a gift to remember our magical meeting today.” The pearl is plucked out of his fingers by Ping An, and she reinforces his line, “I’m here to witness this magical moment of yours!” 😀 She then shows him how childish his tricks are by pulling out some materials from both sides of his head, “The pencil is to help you learn, and the eraser is to help erase your naughty thoughts.” She laughs at him and pats his hair like a child, promising to teach him some advanced tricks when she’s free. Aw! The cousins’ interactions are cute too!

Ping An accompanies Xi Yue to bring a lunchbox to Chairlady Bai, but the cold mother takes a glance and calls Ye Chen to take her home. Ping An speaks up that she could be less strict about work, but Chairlady merely says she doesn’t like when someone barges in, messing up her whole schedule. Her temper quickly rises when Chairlady accidentally knocks off the lunchbox. Calmly, she adds, “You’ve always been high and mighty, so you might not know when a person worries about you. Xi Yue made you a few dishes because she’s worried about you exhausting yourself over work.”

Ping An goes on about the wonders of having someone caring for you. It’s a blessing to be a part of a family. Chairlady leans back in her chair, contemplating about the warmth of a family, a feeling so distant in the past. She apologizes, then invites the three of them to lunch. Ye Chen marches up and pokes Ping An’s back, “Hey Delivery girl, time to show off your expertise.”

First time Chairlady is having food from the shopping center. She reveals that food to her is just a means to filling the stomach. She doesn’t eat delicacies but since the assistants are in charge, they naturally pick the expensive dishes. Feeling embarrassed, Ping An shyly inserts that food in the shopping center is good, so if she needs anything, just tell her. “Then you’d be happy you didn’t fire them back then.” I love that Ye Chen stares at her flow of words, seriously considering when she would shut up. 😛 During her ramble, she mentions Huo Ying, and the Chairlady urges them fiercely to stay away.

Lunch is over. Xi Yue asks Ping An to take a stroll with her. She shows Ping An a credit card she’s given and the latter marvels how fantastic it is to have a rich mother. But Xi Yue sighs. The house may be grand and all but it feels cold. Ping An agrees with her friend, describing how stone-faced Chairlady Bai can be. And since the card is in her possession, Xi Yue wants to use it to buy gifts for the kids at the orphanage. Standing happily beside her, Ping An points to herself. And off the girls go shopping.

The tie pin displayed at the front captures Xi Yue’s attention and the happy glint drops from Ping An’s eyes, remembering her own crushed confession. She teases Xi Yue and casually discloses about Zi Wen’s sick absence, which prompts the girls to visit him. With Ping An’s hazy memory, they make it to the front entrance, before being stopped by the same gangster who used to work for Bai Ming Li. He was fired after messing with her daughter on her order (LOL!) He snickers at the ladies, spewing his plan of revenge. Silly Ping An thinks that she could scare him off by mouthing off that Xi Yue is the Chairlady’s daughter, “If you do anything to us, you’ll regret it!” He’s anything but regretful, now that she’s confirmed the rumors, he can hurt Chairlady where it’s most painful.

He charges at the girls and Ping An steps up, his pocket knife scraping her hand. She falls and blackouts. The shameless gangster lifts his weapon to attack Xi Yue but Zi Wen screams stop in time, “The police are coming. You better leave now!” I know Zi Wen is a gentle assistant but the way he intervenes ever so calmly feels off. Freaked out, the gangster leaves and comes right back when he’s preoccupied with Xi Yue, and stabs him in the gut. O.O

Ye Chen and Chairlady speed to the hospital and she, deep in mother-instincts mode, kneels down worriedly in front of…Ping An, checking her hand injury. Uneasiness creeps into our girl’s face as she tries to subtly shift the attention to a pale-looking Xi Yue. This moment doesn’t go unnoticed by Ye Chen. Chairlady gets up and hurriedly hugs Xi Yue. Suddenly, she has difficulty breathing and Ping An borrows a brown bag to help her breathe smoothly.

The doctor informs them that no vital part has been punctured but the patient lost a lot of blood, so he’s required to stay for a few days. Ye Chen sends the ladies home, Ping An being the last passenger. He asks for her phone and punches his number in speed dial for #1. “In the future, when you’re in danger, you probably still have time to press one number, right?” I like how he doesn’t say his intention but she’s a smart cookie, calling him bluff, “Coming to my rescue immediately? You think you’re Superman?” He doesn’t answer back but tells her to keep the wound from contacting water. He drives off and she stares at his number with a grin. “Since you’re being sincere, I won’t delete this number.” Aww man, I want neighbor hijinks! Give me some writer!

At the hospital, an ominous figure steps into Zi Wen’s room. It’s the gangster. And he’s here to collect money for his getaway, having done the dirty deed with him. “Hero saving the damsel in distress! Now the two girls are head-over-heels for you.” GAHHHHHH! I was so right! But…but…how did he know they will go to his house? Did he wait outside the entrance all day? Anyway, Zi Wen hands him the key to a locker at the shopping center, the money is stored there.

Ye Chen comes back to the hospital then and the bad guys jerk up. The gangster must have left through the window because Ye Chen closes it and sits down in a chair, trying to piece all the scenes he has witnessed so far between Chairlady and Ping An. He concludes there’s only one answer.

Zi Wen pretends to wake up and asks about the investigation. Ye Chen replies that he doesn’t need to worry.

After receiving a call from Ye Chen about Zi Wen’s condition, Chairlady and Xi Yue are relieved. Xi Yue sits her mother down and requests that Ping An move into their house because she feels distressed for her clumsy friend, living alone in an empty apartment. Of course, Chairlady complies happily. They hug with Xi Yue saying “Thanks Mom! You are so good to me.” Poor girl. And I’m screaming, “NOOOOOOO!!! She must stay as neighbor with Ye Chen!!” Well, why can’t the bodyguard live with them too? That’s what I call a flawless security system! 😉

Next morning, we have a sequence of Ping An struggling with her injured hand, as she looks at her empty house, used to be filled with laughter by naggy Xi Yue. I like the song playing. I can’t wait for the OST! Then a voice calls out her name and Ping An touches her cheeks, “Is missing her causing hallucination now?” Indeed NOT. Xi Yue walks in the open door and begins packing Ping An’s clothes, gushing about them living under the same roof. Shaking her head, Ping An thinks it’s not a good idea. She can’t be inconsiderate and moves into Xi Yue’s new home. Xi Yue glances at Ping An, “You don’t want to move in because… you don’t like my mom?”

Kappy: Ah, a slow episode but it did reveal the background to one of our key players – Li Zi Wen. I initially thought that he was after fame and money, but the revenge aspect gives his character another dimension to be in the game. And it’s not a shabby excuse. Lord knows how many bodies Chairlady has stepped on to maintain her status. She’s not called a cold-blooded monster for no reason. Let’s hope our Ye Chen has a story of his own to tell!

But I’m kind of terrified for Xi Yue and her heart. People keep using her! I feel like she’s going to be seduced and then DUMPED by Zi Wen, once he learns about Ping An’s identity.

Silly boy, what are you doing next episode?!