Chapter 12 Chuchu fakes an injury, spouting that Xiao’En pushed her as episode 12 of Lost Romance begins. Aoran says that Xiao’En isn’t like that and that there must be a misunderstanding. The other women are keen to blame Xiao’En and sympathize with Chuchu, shouting for an apology. Aoran tries to downplay it but proposes Xiao’En ask for forgiveness. She slaps Chuchu hard, says sorry, then runs away. Aoran follows while her friends try to defend her but Chuchu continues to play it up. Aoran doesn’t get it, asking if she hit Chuchu because she’s jealous of his previous relationship with her. Xiao’En helped Chuchu so much, it’s fine for others to mess with her, but not Chuchu. She accuses Aoran of believing Chuchu because of her appearance. He throws it back, asking her whether she likes him or that he looks like Tianxing, pointing out that they’re different people. She struggles to explain her relationship with Tianxing, making things worse. Tianjian is home nursing his injuries and confesses to his Mom that Mingli beat him up. He feigns sympathy over his sister’s stress and cleverly reels his mother in, offering sleeping pills for her to pass on to Mingli. Uncle He is impressed that he’s upped his game. Mingli is frustrated that the board won’t agree to meetings and accepts the pills from her mother. She takes a handful with something that doesn’t look like water. Xiao’En takes the stairs rather than an elevator with Aoran and he doesn’t look much happier. Aoran asks Qingfeng if knows of Tianxing. In Marketing, Chuchu hasn’t shown up for work. Qingfeng tracks down Xiao’En to find out what she’s hiding from him, noting Aoran is upset about Tianxing. She tells him Tianxing is impossible to explain. He asks if she’s made up with Chuchu and mentions he saw her in Moran’s car the previous night. Xiao’En panics and runs to Chuchu’s house. Her brother says he’d left together with her that morning. Moran calls Xiao’En saying he has Chuchu. Alone, so arrives to search for Chuchu, who’s trapped. Xiao’En uses her phone to draw Moran out before running back to release her. But as she does, Chuchu locks Xiao’En in. Chuchu says she wants to teach her a lesson so she’ll stay away from Aoran. Moran is seeking something more extreme and asks Chuchu to call Aoran. Chuchu refuses so Moran threatens her father and brother. Aoran races to find Xiao’En but Moran finds him first, punching away. Xiao’En convinces Chuchu to release her so she can help Aoran but Moran has already locked him in a warehouse. Xiao’En can’t remove the padlock and searches for tools. Aoran makes her promise to be within arm’s length when he reaches for her. Moran returns with a container of something flammable. Xiao’En hides so she can alert the police. Moran barks for her, guessing she’s near. He says he’ll light the warehouse if she doesn’t come out. Aoran tries to keep it between brothers, digging into the reason. Moran declares Aoran stole his father’s love and that Aoran’s been mocking him, only giving him money to get him out of his hair. Aoran shouts for her not to come out but Xiao’En attempts to convince Moran that this act won’t impress his father. Moran threatens to light her on fire so Aoran breaks the door down. With a knife at Xiao’En’s neck, Aoran gives up. Xiao’En threatens to light them all up and Aoran tries to get her to leave. She’s surprised to hear him say he likes her. Moran is distracted by their ill-timed confession conversation so Aoran manages to thump him just as the police arrive. Qingfeng and Chuchu enter to find Xiao’En and Aoran together. At his place, Xiao’En bandages his injury and tells him he’s no one’s replacement. Their romance takes flight. Killing the buzz, Mingli dreams a nightmare where she’s arguing with herself. She wakes up in her nightgown at the beach. Qiaozhi brings her home and her mother notices her enter sandy and shoe-less. Tianjian greets employees at HQ. He reminds Mingli of her call the previous evening, bringing him back. Uncle He corroborates saying he received confirmation too. Employees are listening so she agrees. In her office, she checks her phone to discover she did call Tianjian and Uncle He. Qiaozhi notifies her – the employees have all received a video of her fight with Tianjian. Xiao’En wakes up in Aoran’s bed, not sure how to act. Aoran startles from a nightmare asking why she didn’t save him. He reminds her she shouldn’t let go of his hand.
The Episode Review
Things are ramping up everywhere… so, of course I loved this episode, particularly with the real kissing – none of that anemic stuff for Lost Romance. In Episode 2, we compared it to the popular K-drama What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim from a romantic relationship perspective, but there’s also a parallel to the overbearing CEO’s ingrained fears and childhood trauma. It’s a lot more wound into CEO Lee Young-Joon’s story (played by Park Seo-Joon) but certainly significant here – partially as a romance novel trope but also solidifying Aoran’s connection to underdog-loving Xiao’En. The heightening of the relationship between Aoran and Tianxing is noteworthy. That must be going somewhere. And you can kinda see Aoran’s irritation over the confusion with He Tianxing. After all, it looks like he was the substitute brother in the Situ family as well. Does it feel a bit of a miss to not have given us a bit more of a clue about Moran’s animosity? It runs pretty deep – more than he let on during that lunchtime conversation. Perhaps there could have been a few more clues for such a heavy and pointed antipathy. Anger all around as Chuchu loses the plot as well. We knew from last week that she was fuming but first the outrageous public lies then the betrayal with Moran. Whoa. Have these guys been watching the resentment-turned-evil fest on Devil Punisher? Meanwhile, Tianjian is showing his stripes as well, making a special effort to help Mingli feel crazy. All part of a master plan to oust her on that basis it seems. Or to get his mother to do it. Even Uncle He looks a little taken aback by the methods – not that he’d discourage it. Lots of great stuff, including some nice editing and sound work in the fight/kidnapping scenes to match both scenarios. Since we’ve been talking music, I loved the frenzied violin section during Moran’s attack as well. Nice one!
