Saturday, September 7, 2013

Love Around Episode 1

Zhou Zhen (played by George Hu) is at an empty ball field with his girlfriend, Chen Mei Li (played by Tan Ai Zhen). It's Zhen's birthday but he's the one with the gifts as he gives Mei Li an expensive wrist watch. She promises him that every birthday he has from now until forever will be just as special as this one. Looks like Zhen is having the best birthday ever, right?
 
Wrong. He's having the worst birthday ever. Turns out he's watching and rewatching a video tape of this happy occasion as things have certainly changed since this happy celebration.
 
Liang Xiao Shu (played by Annie Chen) is a radio DJ who jockeys under the name of Xiao Xia. Zhen calls into her show, using the simple identity of Mr. J, to request a song for Miss C. It's the same song he's been requesting for Miss C. for the last two weeks. Xiao Shu, ever the romantic at heart, tells her mysterious caller that she hopes everything works out between him and Miss C. and if he needs her, Xiao Xia will back him all the way.
 
Zhen is going to meet Miss C/Chen Mei Li and beg her to take him and the watch back. It's been two miserable weeks since she dumped him. Mei Li explains she couldn't take the stress any more. Zhen is the son of a (former, according to him) gangster and her association with the underworld has cost her some jobs as well as friendships. So in a way I can kind of see why she broke up with him. To emphasize things are over, Mei Li violently throws the watch to the ground, breaking the timepiece like she broke his heart.
 
Zhen stops by a large sports center to work out some of his tension on the batting range where he hits the ball every time. Zhen is the general manager of a hotel so he can take time to goof off like this.
 
Today is also the birthday of Jason, Xiao Shu's boyfriend. She's at the same sports center shopping for a gift because why go shopping early when you can wait to the very last minute to get a gift. She wants to get Jason an autographed Louisville Slugger but this particular bat is not for sale. It is a prize in a batting contest. Xiao Shu eagerly signs up.
 
She encounters Zhen for the first time when she wants to warm up on the batting range but he's reserved three spots because he doesn't like anyone around him when he hits the ball. She gently chides him for being selfish and urges him to do something nice once in awhile so nice things will happen to him in return.
 
The contest begins and Xiao Shu does a horrible job, getting hit by the ball more than hitting it. Dejected she's walking away when she notices Zhen, still practicing, and how good he is. She talks him into entering the contest and winning it, then she'll buy the bat from him. Remembering what she said earlier about karma and stuff, Zhen agrees and wins the bat for her, saying he doesn't need any money so she should keep the bat.
 
It's raining and once again Zhen comes to her rescue by nicely offering to split his cab with her. During the ride Xiao Shu has a call from her mother. This grown woman has to negotiate with her parents to get an extra hour on her curfew since she wants to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday. Xiao Shu is so busy talking to her mother she doesn't notice the cab has dropped Zhen off at his hotel until he's already gone. He even paid for her part of the cab fare. Not wanting to be beholden to him any further, Xiao Shu has the cab go back to the hotel so she can pay Zhen back.
 
Zhen is having to deal with his little sister, Zhou Ying Ying (played by Tao Yan Lin), who has taken over the (surprisingly very small for a hotel) swimming pool and won't allow any other guests to get near it while she's swimming. This makes Zhen think about his own actions when he was taking up three batting cages.
 
While in the lobby Xiao Shu calls Jason to confirm plans only to have him tell her he has to work overtime tonight so they'll have to celebrate his birthday tomorrow. At that very moment, though, Xiao Shu catches sight of her boyfriend at this very hotel with another woman. Xiao Shu learns which room Jason has checked into and she goes up to face him and his cheating ways. (BTW, Jason is butt ugly and she can do a whole lot better.)
 
Since he's been caught, Jason decides it's time they broke up. Zhen happens to witness this ugly breakup in the hall as Jason says he's tired of dating someone who has a curfew and won't let him kiss her on the lips. Zhen comes to Xiao Shu's defense by decking Jason.
 
Xiao Shu goes outside for a good cry. Zhen comes to find her and comfort her some more. Since she already has reservations at a very tiny restaurant, and she saw on the batting contest entry form that Zhen's birthday is also today, Xiao Shu invites Zhen out to dinner. As pre-arranged, the waiter brings the birthday cake to their table. Jason's face is on the cake. Xiao Shu and Zhen take turns decimating the cheating ex-boyfriend's image.
 
Xiao Shu has gotten drunk and Zhen tries to walk her home, only the house she takes him to is the house of Jason. Xiao Shu wants drunk revenge and plans to vandalize Jason's car, she just doesn't know how. It's up to Zhen to show her how to let the air out of a tire. Xiao Shu thinks this is the funniest thing known to man, then promptly passes out on the road. Zhen must give her a piggy back ride. (I thought that was only a Korean thing.) He tries to get the inebriated girl to tell him her address but she's no help, dropping her purse and phone along the way.
 
He takes her to a hotel room so she can sleep it off. Zhen is in the bathroom washing his face when there's someone at the door. It's the cops doing a random raid. (Does this sort of thing really happen in Taiwan? Do the cops just show up out of the blue to search your hotel room?) When they ask about the other person in the room, Zhen realizes he never caught Xiao Shu's name. All the cops know is here is a woman he just met today, he doesn't know her name, she's unconscious in the bed and she's covered with bruises (from the baseballs). Understandably the cops want to take Zhen in for further questioning.

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