Asian Addicts Anonymous

Perpetually behind is my name sometimes. 😛

Episode 4: Choosing to Hover between a Dream and Reality Part 2

So Pei Ni is on her way home and her purse falls off the passenger seat so like an idiot she takes her eyes off the road and bends over to get it. Seriously? Shakes head. Bad driving 101. She then ends up hitting Eason who is biking home. He immediately starts complaining about the driver not watching when he looks up and it’s Pei Ni. Eason asks if she has it in for him and she says that it was really just an accident. Eason says he knows this is just his own bad luck and goes to pick up his bike. Pei Ni goes to help and this sets him off on her not dirtying her celebrity hands with his worn out old bike. Pei Ni gets defensive at his bristly words and asks if he thinks he’s being cool right now. Whether he is or not doesn’t matter. He’s annoyed that Pei Ni says one thing and does another. She gave him acting advice while demanding Zhou have his character killed off behind his back. Pei Ni tells him he’s being unreasonable. A crowd gathers around and recognizes Pei Ni and Eason. To stop the gossiping, Pei Ni quickly tells him to get in the car. Eason doesn’t want to, but the two pack up his bike and drive off while a paparazzi takes a picture.

They arrive at Eason’s and he takes out his bike and goes off. Pei Ni gets out and asks if there is really no need to go to the hospital. Eason says the crowd is gone so she can stop her act. She’s only asking because she’s worried he’ll cause her trouble later (not true, but then again, Pei Ni’s previous actions have been less than endearing so it’s no surprise Eason doesn’t trust her genuine concern). He then mentions the irony to be hit by her car when his character is to die thanks to a car accident in episode 5. He turns his back and thanks her for taking him home to his dump of an apartment. Pei Ni can only watch him limp away.

Pei Ni goes to get back in her car when her phone rings. It’s a reporter asking after her relationship with former idol Eason. Pei Ni says it’s just an old publicity stunt of PD Zhou’s and there is nothing between them. Pei Ni’s face gets rather serious when the reporter says she has photos to back it up. Pei Ni forces a smile and says that she and Eason are just getting to know each other because of their new drama. She then instructs the reporter to write that at this time she and Eason are only friends. Right. Like the reporter would do that. Eye roll.The next day Zhou and Xiao He are reading the news story speculating that a romance is blossoming off screen. Zhou could care less as she believes it’s a grand publicity stunt created by Pei Ni who had called her the night before to tell her about the story hitting the newsstands. Enter reporter Yang who comes in complaining that she was beaten to a new scoop. Zhuo apologizes and promises her a new scoop at a later time. Enter Shao Tian asking after the veracity of the article. Yang turns around and calls Shao Tian “Senior” (the term applies they went to the same school). Shao Tian is shocked to see Yang Ru En [Hua Yi Han].

Shao Tian treats his junior to coffee and she asks how long its been since they lost contact. 5 years, right? Shao Tian doesn’t know and doesn’t really care. He then points out empty seats and they go to sit down. How has she been? Good. Both are surprised to meet each other at the studio of all places. Ru En asks for his help in the future for scoops. Shao Tian cannot believe that she’s asking for such a big favor right after their first meeting in 5 years. Ru En asks for romantic sparks between any cast members. Shao Tian only smiles and tells her to download the videos from the homepage he created for the drama. Ru En’s smile immediately fades. He then offers her an extended interview with the leads at the press conference or else he can buy her another cup of coffee as that is the extent of his ability. Shao Tian then says that since he used to look after her during their school days, it’s her turn to help him out and stop publishing such rubbish as the newspaper article.

Meanwhile, Eason and his mother are over the moon about the news article. The articles all paint Eason in a positive light. Enter Pei Ni. Qiong Zi immediately thanks Pei Ni for helping her son get into the news and rushes off to buy refreshments. Pei Ni says it’s her fault for hitting him, so the news coverage is her repayment. Pei Ni tells him media interest is how to keep his career from completely faltering. He needs to not tell the truth of that night and keep up an air of mystery. This will keep reporters interested in both him and the drama. She gives him a big smile before turning and leaving. Eason just doesn’t know what to think.

We cut to them filming the coma scene. Again, the acting within the acting is awful. Maggie Wu, great actress. Pei Ni? Not so much if you go by this. Can’t we have believable acting especially since Pei Ni is supposed to be a big name star who climbed her way to the top the hard way? Anywho, cut is called and Zhuo tells Pei Ni to stick it out until Ouyang can come. This means that Pei Ni will be the sole star for 2 episodes while Eason’s Fang Meng is lying in a coma. In rushes Ming Ming. She tells Zhuo that it will be impossible to have Eason’s character in a coma for two whole episodes (obviously she’s never watched an American soap opera) as Pei Ni talking to herself will be boring (totally true). Ming Ming’s idea is flashback scenes showing just how good Fang Meng was to Mei Gui thus making everyone feel her loneliness as Fang Meng lies in a coma. Zhuo vetoes this immediately, but Pei Ni actually jumps in and says she agrees! Shocking. Zhuo immediately changes her tune since Pei Ni agreed to it and Zhuo asks Ming Ming to meet her later to discuss it.

Qiong Zi quickly leaves Ming Ming and Eason alone. Ming Ming asks after his injury and Eason is quick to say he is fine. He then notices the newspaper in Ming Ming’s hands. He quickly explains about the accident and the fight leading to that article. Ming Ming doesn’t believe those lies does she? Ming Ming smiles and tells him he doesn’t have to worry about that. Scandals help the drama, everyone knows that. She then leaves and Eason smiles as she tosses the article into the rubbish bin. Enter  Shao Tian asking Eason if he’s free for an exclusive interview later. Eason says he is.

The two sit down and Eason starts the normal talk of how the drama will help his career and show HE fans how he’s grown. Shao Tian tells him to leave the pretentious lines to him and then asks how Eason feels about the script. Uh-oh. Looks like Shao Tian is testing the waters about just what Eason is doing with Ming Ming. Eason’s short reply is that it’s very innocent and heartwarming. Shao Tian, of course, is not happy with this answer. He says the leading man has only a superficial understanding of the script. Eason is an empty shell with no ideas of his own. Eason scolds Shao Tian for his bad attitude. Eason then tries to talk about Mei Gui’s character and her symbolism, but this doesn’t interest Shao Tian. What about Fang Meng and the changes in the upcoming episodes? Eason says nothing to this.

Shao Tian turns off his tape recorder and says not only is Eason trying to seduce the writer to secure his role, he’s even managed to get the protesting Pei Ni on his side—how impressive. Eason feigns (not really sure, but he might not be considering he actually didn’t do anything about Pei Ni really) innocence. He has no idea to what Shao Tian is referring. Shao Tian then says Eason was very busy. During the day he was with Ming Ming and at night he had a rendezvous with Pei Ni. Eason then retorts by asking if this is going on the drama’s homepage or some gossip magazine. Why is Shao Tian so interested in Eason’s personal life? Shao Tian says it’s not his business about how messy Eason’s personal life is. Shao Tian only wishes to warn Eason to leave Wang Ming Ming alone. She’s an innocent girl who comes from a completely different world than Eason’s. Our former idol then asks how Shao Tian would know about what Ming Ming’s world is. Shao Tian says he’s known her for 15 years so he completely knows her world. Eason then jumps in. So what? 15 years of knowing Ming Ming means Shao Tian can freely come and go from her house, but does it mean he really knows her thoughts, dreams, and heart? This response surprises Shao Tian. He tries to regain the upper hand, but Eason beats him to the punch. He tells Shao Tian to listen as Ming Ming is not stupid and is not a fool. That was heartfelt. Yep, Eason is definitely falling for her.

We cut to Ming Ming walking home when she passes by a mother and daughter selling dolls and stops to buy some, and then get Eason’s voice over as he talks over her innocence and desire for love, and how she’s easily touched by little things. That’s why she chose a lifestyle that brings her happiness, that won’t hurt her. The present Ming Ming may be confused and in need of special care, but he knows she’s waiting for love. When that love arrives, she will definitely muster up superpowers. We then see Ming Ming go back to buy even more dolls. She then heads off to a coffee shop and orders when she notices her wallet is empty. Whoops. She cancels the order and admits she doesn’t have the money on her. The boss says that is okay and Ming Ming hands him one of the stuffed dolls she had bought earlier.

On her way home, Ming Ming scolds herself for spending all of her bill money. When she turns the corner to get to her apartment, she sees a woman sitting on a suitcase. It turns out to be Ming Ming’s mother. She is very happy for the surprise visit. She scolds her mother for not telling her she’s coming. Her mother replies that Ming Ming has a guest room always ready for her, so why call? To give Ming Ming time to clean up of course. That’s exactly why her mother doesn’t let her know. She then looks around and says something is off because the place is too clean. LOL. Right. Ming Ming is a HORRIBLE housekeeper. Looks like her mother doesn’t know about the arrangement and Ming Ming won’t tell her about Shao Tian coming in to clean for her either. Her mother asks if she found a boyfriend who cleans for her. Ming Ming tells her she doesn’t have a boyfriend—is that the reason why her mom came? Nope. She’s there for a wedding. Ming Ming’s mother then complains about her daughter not being any closer to marriage at her age. Ming Ming says she’s only 30. Ming Ming’s mother then brings up Ming Ming’s beloved Japanese drama Over Time. (I have only watched the 1st episode of that so far. Not bad.) How can she say 30 isn’t old? Her mother then makes an alarm sound. Ming Ming points out the drama is over there and her mom can even act it out while she works on her script. Her mommy looks depressed.

Eason is sitting and brooding recalling his good time with Ming Ming earlier in the day and her promise to save Fang Meng. He smiles and his mommy comes out asking which outfit is better for the press conference. Eason looks them over and says they are too oversized for him. Of course they are for Qiong Zi and not her son. Besides, hasn’t Eason already borrowed clothes from Henry? Qiong Zi then asks her son what the matter is. Is he nervous? Eason smiles and says she’s the one who is nervous and that neither outfit suits her. He tells her the perfect outfit and she complains he isn’t excited enough. Even though it’s only for 7 episodes, Eason is still the leading man. His mother then does some weird moves and says she transferred 90% of her powers to him. Eason then gets up and dances and his mom goes back in after warning him not to stay up too late. His smile fades and he looks all depressed again. He takes out his phone and texts someone.

Ming Ming is busily working on the script revisions when she gets a text from Eason asking if she’ll be at the conference. Ming Ming texts back that reporters don’t care about script writers so it doesn’t matter if she goes or not, so she’ll just work on her script. Besides, she doesn’t have the looks for such an event. This seems to make Eason unhappy.

The next day Ming Ming’s mother wakes her up and complains that Ming Ming slept at her desk. Ming Ming says she spent all night writing and puts her head back down. Her mother then hears someone in the kitchen and Shao Tian says Ming Ming needs to quickly wake up as he’s prepared bread and yogurt to help with constipation. Ming Ming’s mother demands to know who he is. Shao Tian then asks if that is Mrs. Wang. This immediately helps Mrs. Wang recall him. Ming Ming comes out and scolds her mother for not remembering her teacher’s son. You can already see Mrs. Wang matchmaking them in her head since she complimented the boy on how well and handsome he grew up. LOL.

The three sit down for a mean and Shao Tian compliments Ming Ming’s mother’s cooking. He gives some food to both women and tells them to eat up. Mrs. Wang then says that a good man like Shao Tian is sure to have had many girlfriends, right? Before he can answer Ming Ming asks what kind of girl likes a clean freak like him. Shao Tian asks if he’s weird and Ming Ming quickly says he is. Shao Tian then lists all of Ming Ming’s faults (can’t do laundry or clean up after herself) and if it wasn’t for him she’d starve. Ming Ming scolds him for trying to look good in front of her mom and Mrs. Wang just smiles at the kids’ bickering. Shao Tian smiles and wipes Ming Ming’s mouth off and tells her to maintain her image. She smartly replies she doesn’t have to do that in front of him. Mrs. Wang’s smile broadens and she says people who don’t know better would think Ming Ming and Shao Tian were a couple. I think that makes Shao Tian happy while it annoys Ming Ming who reminds the young man about the press conference and sends him off.

Shao Tian leaves and Mrs. Wang asks her daughter to be honest with her. Of course Mrs. Wang doesn’t believe it when Ming Ming says that Shao Tian is like her little brother and they just happen to work on the same drama. Seeing her mother’s face, Ming Ming asks what is wrong. Mrs. Wang says her heart aches as her daughter isn’t feminine and doesn’t take care of herself. She has this young man living downstairs who comes up to look after her and cook for her. Where else would Ming Ming find such a good man? Saved by the doorbell. It’s Ming Ming’s two aunts there to pick Mrs. Wang up. The immediately ask Ming Ming to her wedding since she’s already 30. Isn’t Mrs. Wang embarrassed to have such a daughter? Mrs. Wang jumps to her daughter’s defense. She’s not embarrassed as her daughter is a professional. The three leave.

The doorbell rings again and it’s Eason asking her to come with him. He takes her to a salon and leaves her in the hands of Henry’s personal friends. He smiles and says he will see her later at the press conference and leaves. We then cut to scenes of Ming Ming being made over.

We then cut to the press conference where the drama’s trailer is being shown to the press. There is positive comments about the acting and the drama. When the video ends, Zhuo thanks the reporters for coming and apologizes for not doing anything when filming started initially. She then opens the floor for questions since the trailer is done. Ru En immediately asks why the discerning Zhuo chose Eason for the male lead, since his band broke up ages ago. Did she choose him because she discovered acting talent? Zhuo says that is but one reason. It was mainly because Eason’s background makes him highly suitable for the role. Zhuo then promises another secret weapon—the true leading man. This makes Qiong Zi stand up and shout. All eyes turn to her. Whoops. She then notices Ming Ming and saves herself by announce the scriptwriter’s arrival.

Poor Ming Ming is shocked by this and uncomfortably walks to the front in a sleek black dress and her red high heels. I know black goes with anything, but I’m not a huge fan with colored shoes and black. The red kind of garishly stands out. Boy, had to love how Eason’s face lit up at her arrival. Will she really not end up with him? Or Shao Tian? Or will she end up with one of them? As Ming Ming continues walking, she trips and falls into Shao Tian’s arms (LOVED Eason’s unhappy expression at this). He easily turns the situation around by apologizing as their scriptwriter isn’t used to such attention and brings the reporters back to Pei Ni. Zhuo quickly latches on to this and introduces Pei Ni as Mei Gui—the soul of the drama The Season Rose Blooms.

It’s time to take pictures. The reporters gather around and poor Eason is more or less left out (even though he’s standing right next to Pei Ni) as reporters are more interested in the surprise that Zhuo can only hint at now (thanks to Ouyang not being done filming in Japan—plus I don’t think he’s signed the contract yet). Ming Ming takes off her shoes and watches on. Eason is excused while pictures are taken of Pei Ni. Shao Tian watches on and Ru Eun comes over to complain about the reporters on biting on the rumors that they all know to be fake. Shao Tian then asks if Zhuo didn’t give a big enough bone to Ru En that the girl asked such a bold question. Ru En doesn’t like the mere crumbs Zhuo threw and demands Shao Tian tell her what the big secret is. Of course, Shao Tian says that is behind the scope of him taking care of Ru En that Zhuo asked him to do. Ru En must wait like everyone else for the big reveal. Ru En says she already knew he wouldn’t help and says she plans to interview HE and asks Shao Tian to include the script writer to talk about the drama’s plot.

The four meet at Henry’s club and Ru En asks about Eason’s workload. Thanks to the drama, he’s got quite a bit of work lined up. Enter Henry who asks after the guests and tells Ru En that HE disbanded a long time ago, but reunited just for her. Ru En doesn’t seem to like that and asks if she can continue the interview. Henry smiles and says of course since Eason is the star and sits down next to Ming Ming who is silently drinking. Eason says he is setting everything else aside and focusing on the Fang Meng role. He chokes a little bit and Ming Ming quickly hands him a napkin. He smiles in return and Henry and Shao Tian look worried as Ru En’s discerning gaze takes in the scene and reads quite a bit into it. Eason continues to discuss his character (comparing it to Jiro’s real-life drama role as Mars in ToGetHer). Ru En cuts him off and says she can read all of that on the studio’s webpage. She wants fresher stuff—like news about Eason’s love life. Ming Ming’s ears immediately perks up and Henry rushes to the rescue. Eason’s love life consists of only work at the moment, his, however, is a rich flower garden. LOL. And here I thought Henry didn’t have much of a head on his shoulders, but he proved me wrong.

Ru En is upset at this. HE disbanded and one person became fake while the other became a pervert. She angrily shuts her notebook and Shao Tian reminds her she asked for the exclusive HE interview and promised to promote the drama. Ru En says she can’t do that since there’s no marketing link between the two. She then says to be in the news, you need to create gossip. Since she’s doing Shao Tian a favor, she will just recycle what’s already been done. She asks Eason about the pictures taken with Pei Ni. The former idol recalls Pei Ni’s advice and smiles and says that since Ru En doesn’t want the official explanation, he can’t tell her anything beyond he and Pei Ni are a little more than good friends in terms of trust, care, and shared experiences. He then says that what will happen in the future between him and Pei Ni is a secret. Not being able to stand it any more, Ming Ming jumps up and accidentally spills her drink. Eason immediately jumps up to help and Ru En watches with narrowed eyes while Shao Tian looks grumpy. Eason turns and sees Ru En’s look and immediately tries to hid his increasing affection for Ming Ming.

Ru En turns to Ming Ming and says it looks like she has a close relationship with Eason. Have they known each other a long time? One says no and the other says yes. Uh-oh. Awkward. Henry, always thinking lightning fast, quickly jumps in and says that Ming Ming is an acquaintance of Eason’s mother so the two knew each other before filming, but became closer since working on the drama together. Since they are so different, Henry is amazed they are able to communicate well at all. Ru En then says that for someone who used to be an idol, Eason is really seasoned. The whole night she only got empty comments. Ru En leaves and Shao Tian sees her out. Henry is outraged—did she just call him fake? Eason says that he’s the fake one and Henry’s the pervert. LOL. I don’t think he likes either.

Shao Tian says the interview was a major failure, so no help from Ru En, huh? She promises to keep her word and then hints at picking up a story that can become a major scoop if she can gather the evidence. Shao Tian says it sounds scary and intimidating. Shao Tian asks for a hint, but she refuses. I think he already knows, though, since he showed annoyance and worry over Ming Ming’s and Eason’s interaction—heck even Henry tried to distract Ru En from that.

Sigh. Complicated, complicated. It’s crazy, but not bad.