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Why Is He Still Single? Episode 1
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We are introduced to YuYu, a man who speaks his mind unfiltered and who expects top quality in everything he deals with whether food or design materials. He is somewhat antisocial by choice and amuses his colleagues with his ability to inadvertently annoy women in particular with his word choices in communication. He is perfectly comfortable alone and in fact declares that is his preference. He doesnât want to mingle but he does want to share things he appreciates, like the noodles. But unfortunately that fell flat and he was embarrassed at the young designer he feels is showing him up. He is not pleased with design changes and shoddy workmanship and is not winning popularity points there either. At the movies he is a stickler for the rules but expecting the woman to move twice rather than once. He just gave her every reason to keep the seat. I enjoyed her reaction to him being called away.đđ€Ł He ends up in the hospital for hemorrhoids and does not recognize Dr Gu as the woman he met at the movies. He has interesting relationships with his colleagues and they scheme together with cash quickly passing back and forth with YuYu usually winning.đ Itâs a fun start of drama as he meets his new neighbor with plushie drop and in spite of his gruff nature, he wants her to get her item back. He is prickly by nature yet rather thoughtful when understood.
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This episode gave the stepmomâs history and I found that I didnât give a free flying about it. I was not even going to register this an 8 til the tournament game started. That made this episode worth the watch. Stepmomâs mentor was enlisted to get Asuka back into competing. She brought him to the table with her game and her attitude. I liked when she went over to get the snack and said that age and gender shouldnât register when sitting down at the game. And then she beat him as well.đ Her step brother finally grew a spine with his mom, but he showed himself a complete ass for the match. Too bad the dad wasnât watching to see his kids play. Guess new wifey had better game, but she was weak with the game and a bully to get her way so she was no prize. Her son is just like her and his fiancĂ©e would do well to rid herself of the lot of them.đ Asuka successfully kicked little broâs ass and they had a brief chat. She was neither fearful or impressed with the idea of competing against monster dad. She knew what he was at five.đ I like her stepping stone comment. Good on her. Sheâs got the grit for it. So the brother I think is the culprit releasing the pics of Asuka and knife at that match to the press. Somehow she still gets to keep playing and that certainly rocked her world, but I am glad to know the father was made aware of what his daughter thought of him. I donât even know if he is capable of having that register, but maybe it pinged somewhere in that shogi brain of his what a complete ass and loser he was with his first family. The ones that made the mistake of loving him more than the damn game. That affection was wiped off the planet and he should know that. I want her to wipe the floor with him and tell him to stop playing like he did to her. I really hope to see that moment. Then she should walk away without another glance like he did her and her mom. I can dream right?
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The small fox clone is so sure he has FuGui in the bag for his master that he launches himself at FuGui expecting to feed off hatred. He finds himself tossed and bouncing around like a Pachinko ball because no hatred exists inside FuGui.đ€Łđ This amused me. I still smirk thinking about it. While the fox is testing FuGui, QingTong runs into Madam Yin. The spider master learns that old ways no longer hold sway with QingTong and that her 12580 was doing her damndest to blow them both up with her core to keep the master from FuGui. He arrives just in time to slam QingTongâs core back into her and defeat the spider master who is stunned that he was capable of hauling out a divine flame blade with such little spiritual energy left. He refuses to kill her while she moans over her husbandâs core and screeching about HongYeâs treachery. Here FuGui knew was incorrect because they record all demons killed. So he looks at the core and points out that it was in suspended animation and he could remove the seal to prove it to her. She spent so much time with her hatred she missed that detail.đđ Here she offers a future favor as a thank you. So when FuGui helps a demon he gets the entire spider spy network owing him. Quan JingTing disrupts a lot, but he is not a great asset to any cause for human or demon. He is despised by both sides. With that mind scrambling talisman he said the blood magic would only spare the creator while EVERY person in there failed to note HE was the one that destroyed it. That poor young priest was demon brainwashed whether by deceit or choice and was driven to suicide before the truth could be told. This fickle YiQi alliance have no problems killing their own and change leadership with little thought. They cave to the strongest and/or richest. HongYe has been set up and his people know it, but instead of killing off that wretched QingTing, he uses the same warped logic with himself as FuGui and sees it as harmful if they kill off each other. Funny he didnât see that logic with his son and innocent life.đ I canât feel sorry about or angry at his betrayal. He keeps the villains close with minimal restraint. I am glad the butler pointed out how little the alliance actually does for the power they want to wield and how FuGui basically took care of the entirety of their demands with no reward in sight. That prophecy is getting closer and they are to blame. Small scenes with RuMu still trying to find his ice dragon and being in bad shape. He is a mess and bragging about soldier backing him when he hears just a bit of whatâs been happening with his cousin. They are going to have an interesting conversation when they next meet.
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This episode has FuGui and QingTong resting in an unknown village. Their care for each other is quite sweet.đ„° Even the fox messenger is amused at the lack of feeling Quan JingTing displays at his misdeeds. The uncle thinks he is just getting what entitled to and no reason for guilt. HongYe missing his son and wishing him safe doesnât move me since he is the same parent that whipped him, left him hanging literally for days in the elements, and demanded FuGui kill a woman he loved with an audience. He is so much more like his father than I expected him to be. The evil ones are starting to register on QingTongâs warning webs. She again opts to not say anything.đ After Peach Village I was hoping not another setup when big bowls of wine passed around. Who knew how much FuGui really takes after his mom. So little time to get divine fire. He is a great legacy for HuaiZhu. He even has her gift of drinking without getting drunk. đ All the wishes over glutinous rice balls and lanterns. This has been a nice respite but the fox messenger at the end makes it clear this is the calm before the storm. The actress playing QingTong has such a sweet childlike smile. She is adept at presenting childlike joy that makes us smile along with Fu Gui at her. These two show such sweet affection for each other. It does not seem forced and they work well together. The entire cast did an outstanding job of portraying their characters and making that world come alive. Production is doing well with the fantastical portions. The man to hate this series is Quan JingTing. đHe does an outstanding job of making you loathe him on sight. I was not expecting HongYe to reside so high on the hate list. He is actually second in line for me. The more I try to sympathize with his character, the more inclined he is to do something tunnel visioned that pisses me off. To have such strong feelings good and bad, this cast rises to the next tier as a whole with no weak link acting to pull you out of the story. I am in the minority that enjoyed both prior installments equally and sequentially rather than order of release. This last installment takes it up a level and continues the story masterfully. đđ»
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Asuka is going up the ranks and seems calmer. She is more interested in her appearance by choosing her own look. As she battles the top female player, she is so lost in the game she doesnât realize she won. These two would have been good friends under different circumstances. I donât think she chose a new pattern of play for a way out. I think she wanted to know if she could be defeated by Asuka. Once she lost, it was easier to accept bowing out to accommodate family. The dad is still an obtuse jerk, but he recognizes his daughterâs talent. Here her mentor is losing it and I am glad their angel is along to keep him from doing something stupid. Asuka is shocked to see her dad, but to her credit, isnât losing it either. She needs to acclimate herself to the environment to beat him. The step mom is blocking her from participating so she canât progress. The preview looks interesting because Asuka is getting the chance to explain herself to a top master. I am curious if she loves the game like her father, or just wants to kick his ass with the game and be done. Not many are noticing this series, but I think it is quite well done and gives us a good view of the game without expecting us to be masters to get whatâs going on. I think they have struck the right balance to keep the game central and viewers interest in all the characters.
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I enjoyed this episode as it revealed some history of the knife wielder Su and Kui. When the mask was split, Chang He said that speech was for Kui and now he was talking to Mu Yu. He reminded his friend of the pact they had made and why Patriarch needed to die. They grew up as numbers 17 (Kui/Su Mu Yu) and 63 (Su Chang He). Early on they looked out for each other and rescued each other as needed. They were the best two assassin prodigies and great things were expected of them. I was with the Su representative that wanted to take out the teacher that pitted them against each other. The task was ten left and one returned. When it was down to the last two 63 was going to sacrifice himself and 17 refused to let him. He was determined they would find a better way. There was a brief flash of Patriarch and I think this is how both got to live, but we have not been filled in on the backstory yet. The patriarch is having nightmares and they show his sword broken. This is new. Healer Bai wants to do a soul swap with him to determine what symptoms he is experiencing. I think this is code for sifting his memories for her father while studying symptoms. Rabbit has sensed a new Tang present that wants to settle the score with Patriarch. Their battle is interesting and pretty equal so far. 63 has put obstacles in 17âs way to patriarch hoping the leader will die before he gets back. The Mu clan has sent a creepy one with lamp children to kill him but the Kui outsmarted him and wanted him dead, so this is his first Blood River offering. There is a very strong bond between the two assassins, and he has been warned that if they change roles and Su Chang He becomes patriarch, that he will indeed kill his best friend. Even with that, Kui continues. I am enjoying both the history flashbacks and the different battle elements. I am also glad creepy guy that preyed on children got killed early. He really needed to go. The music with this drama is also quite good. The Patriarch is on the move to destination unknown so this will be an added obstacle for Kui in finding him.
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BeiChuanâs business partner sets up a meeting with Yan. To be fair, Yan tries to tell them politely this isnât his cup of tea. He and XiNing are now partners and she shows up to the table expecting adoration for blessing off their project. Beichuan excuses himself from the conversation and leaves. I have no idea where she had the temerity in her diatribe to accuse him of the things she said. All those behaviors were herâs exclusively through the course of their limited relationship. She is as delusional as the student in her opinion of herself and him. I am glad BeiChuan kept it brief and to the point. His first assent to her labeling their relationship status made her head jerk. She had no idea he would agree that was the best thing to do. The more she added on, the more he was inclined to agree. I am not a big fan of BeiChuan actually. He is out of a job because he refused to exercise common sense in taking care of his student/teacher status. He acquiesced to every harebrained expectation of XiNing, so he was no better there. He at least recognizes it and chooses to accept the consequences for both. I give him credit for that. Their pairing is truly a cautionary tale of what not to do in many respects. She has no true respect for him as a person. She admires his writing skills but doesnât give thought to his feelings on anything. He doesnât meet her as an equal partner in their relationship. He wanted to be subservient no matter the cost to himself and that further supported her complete lack of appreciation for him. Thatâs why she returned thinking he would be the happy servant celebrating a big pay day, not the man that would walk with her no matter what for a lifetime. Yan and XiNing are having a fancy meal at a new restaurant. Yan briefly mentions her gpa and how community leaders wanted to use her connection for a land deal. He refused for herâŠ.for now. BeiChuan and Professor Ni enter restaurant, but he suggests they leave due to unstable ex. While they ride away on bicycles XiNing throws shoes and curses them. She really does come across as unhinged with her impulsive outbursts. Yan comes back to find Yin waiting for him. This one is also unhinged. He is a stalker now and heâs strong and determined to get his money back. I donât know why Yan wonât do it. No matter how much, it is the guyâs money for services not rendered and heâs due the refund. Why keep creepy stalker guy around when he could just throw money at him and call it a day? BeiChuan has just made a date with professor Ni to go to the movies and XiNing shows up at the door. She has a huge rant session and she did have a point about the clothes, but the fact that he didnât have many more items should have been noted. He wore them from necessity because he is a very practical man. She is worse on the ears than Jiuling. I had to take breaks from it. When he shut the balcony door and locked it. Good on him.đ she even punctured his bike tire. This woman is shameless and not in a funny way. She is borderline crazy. He had no expectations of her being the money maker. They just had completely different goals. She wanted the Mercedes and he wanted multicultural understanding. She is tiresome. That is the kindest term I can give her. When she gets home, there is a surprise. The runaway bride has returned. There is no explanation of the why, just that she missed home and was ready to deal with whatever punishment was in store for her. BeiChuan leaves Ni to go there. He sees the bride being hauled away in handcuffs. When he tries to give XiNing a handkerchief she refuses. The next day he meets Professor Ni at a coffee shop. She is such a nice mature person. She has surmised the situation and kindly says he has things to resolve. She suggests putting a pin on their relationship growing until he has made up his mind and settled things. I hope BeiChuan has a moment of regret anytime she comes to mind in future. I like her. But, BeiChuan is kind of a yes man, I think she wants someone more willing to debate from time to time. I hope she finds the right guy and has a happy life. It is Yanâs bday and his party is at a karaoke place. BeiChuan arrives late and after the happy bday he asks what he thinks the sentence for Shan will be. And BeiChuan candidly answers. I think Yan is wanting an idea of what his sentence will be when the hammer comes down. XiNing also arrives late and catches Yan in the hall. He actually does an excellent job of giving her a big brother speech. I donât think it will register, but he tried. He also runs into Yin who stabs him. He tells BeiChuan what happened and that they are now square. He calmly sits down, gets Yanâs phone, and calls the police. He sits there looking at the party snacks and not one of Yanâs guests take note of him. A week later Yan gets out of the hospital saying I didnât think he would be that vindictive. I have no words for him here. His vindictive stinginess bit him in the ass because Yinâs case opened up Yanâs secret dealings. He was sent to prison for quite awhile. BeiChuanâs business partner runs in out of breath saying he is taking XiNing to the airport to go to Hungary. BeiChuan should have only had two words for herâŠ.bon voyage.đHe convinces her to marry him instead. There is always the second certificate option. XiNing tries to give the watch back to Yi, but gma tells her to keep it. This is her choice as well. They had a montage of sweet moments, but for me, they did not outweigh the shrill mandates she spent almost 90% of their time together yelling at him. And the beautiful ballad in background while she was shrieking them, really did not work for me. I loved the first two parts and the couples they represented. This third part will always be the cautionary tale.
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Footprints of Change Episode 29
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Score one big for Mr professor. No clue how he knew where the address was, but he made it his business to save her. He went to the door and asked for XiNing, since she had stalled for so long, she hadnât offered Shan anything yet except company. BeiChuan swapped bags while girlfriend hurled insults. Next ring was police for Ms Shan. Guess they noticed that ultra elite Mercedes she was driving. I am understanding Wen with Fu much better now. XiNing asks to leave after saying she was there to visit a school friend. When they went to check bag she dropped it and knew the gig was up. Miraculously, the books she said were there, were actually there. She went home and did some contrition crying. She needs to reflect and be very grateful she has someone that cares about her. He brought the money bag back, knocked in the door and left. She found the bag and knew who left it. Next day she is in the phone trying to get her order out. BeiChuan drops by with food. She says thanks for the food and dismisses him. She should have hugged that man and said thank you. She should have treasured the one that looked out for her best interest when she was too damned stubborn to do it herself. She is still focused on the problem with shipment more than gratitude of the problem he solved for her. Shan canât hold grudges because she didnât imply anything untoward with the visit. Yan is discussing Shanâs difficulties when BeiChuan comes in. He doesnât say a word but takes Yanâs fancy phone and throws it through the window and left. That spoke volumes about what he thought of his friend almost getting his girlfriend in serious trouble. Yan is packing his money and running. It is not clear where exactly heâs headed but he has friends scattered globally so he will land on his feet. XiNing returns his money and he adds it to the stack and they part ways. BeiChuanâs book has taken off and become quite popular. He has a book signing at some big place and XiNing looks on but doesnât let him know she is there. She knows his course was the best path though much slower to progress. While she admires him, she chooses to save face and leave with nothing but a break up note left for him. I expected more courage from her. She was all Miss in his face til she was proven wrong and then she canât even speak to him. I guess a note is better than nothing, but not much. She continues to take the low road mistaking it for the high one.đ A year has lapsed and story continues. XiNing returns to town in her big ass Mercedes, scarlet red lipstick and designer sunglasses. She meets BeiChuan on the bridge and jumps on him like sheâs a long lost lover returning. In her eyes she is. She thinks he will be impressed with her stuff and status, forgetting that was always last on his list. He was politer than I would have been. He simply said whatâs wrong with you? And he leaves. His look is a mixture of sadness and contempt as she is all fake joy and listing off stuff with no âsad Iâm sorry for leaving youâ entering her pea brain. I am glad she isnât blood with the Lin girls. I can blame Wenâs clan. đShe is the cautionary tale of this group of three. She is probably still redeemable, but she definitely wasted a decade extra with self absorption. She is not a credit to her family no matter how much money she has made. She has become the Shen sis.đđ BeiChuan is far from flawless, but his care for her brought about stronger actions. He was waiting for his words to catch up. She didnât bother waiting and now wants greeted with open arms. Iâm with BeiChuan, what the hell is wrong with her that she thinks she has this coming? Yan and XiNing share a meal and both realize the other has had no real contact with BeiChuan. I like the big sis talk she has with Jiuling. Little sis certainly needs to learn about restraint. BeiChuan has a chat with his business partner. He gets teased about the relative he has that would love bike rides around town and living in a partitioned room. BeiChuan is not ascetic like Wen. He simply appreciates living within his means and is not covetous of things he canât afford. Tong tong strikes again. That smutty book she had published incriminated BeiChuan,XiNing, Yan and even Jiuling. She fesses up under duress as XiNing lets her know what she has done. There is a sad way she is just like XiNing, she wants to throw money at it and thinks it;s forgiven. Guess the professor unfortunately has a type. đ The episode ends with Tong Tong crying after him and BeiChuan finally yelling at her to leave him alone. The poor kid is truly delusional. BeiChuan has resigned and his career is over thanks to this stupid stunt. Here, I am not as sorry for him, he had so many times to report her, clear the air, and set her straight. But he didnât look after himself and minimally corrected her. His lack of action has cost him big.
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Footprints of Change Episode 28
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Ms Shan is sick and mending at home. Yan has shared her address with XiNing who goes to visit with gifts. She has fruit and an amber necklace which Shan more reluctantly takes. She leaves the price tag on while saying not expensive. At the college, Guo storms in pissed off heâs not selected for the apartment. He throws the shirts back to BeiChuan saying they shrunk and are low quality. When questioned how he knew since first draft not even out yet, he confesses the boiler guy told him. He storms out to clarify with Zhang yelling if heâs not on list for housing, nobody else will be either. Lu has come back from brokering another big deal overseas. This is all dependent on getting shipped timely for the Halloween holiday. If Shan doesnât help them, the loss will again be big. I guess this guy thinks three times is the charm in trying for success. It would be better to deal with if he stuck around to correct his mistakes, but his pattern is to leave the ladies clean up the mess so he can go start an even bigger one somewhere else.đđLater, Guo confirms that BeiChuan will get the apartment. He explains that he and his wife have always worked there with limited salary and his inlaws look down on him. He wants the apartment to save face with her family and promises to help him in future to get one. Considering their circumstances, this was a huge admission from a proud colleague and it was very considerate of BeiChuan to take her pregnant status and family into consideration. When he tells XiNing she is outraged. She has every right to be mad, but that he doesnât explain the circumstances as to why bugs the hell out of me. She goes off on her mini rant how she will go shopping with other men blah blah blah when I havenât seen the first time where sheâs asked his business opinion about anything. She doesnât pay him the same respect in academic matters and I am tired of her adolescent selfishness. She is not ready to be married and frankly neither is he. Having a partner is equal footing. She thinks itâs to have her own way and he thinks heâs supposed to be the doormat for her. As a couple, these two constantly annoy me tho I am liking the peripheral story much better. It is definitely showing the signs of the times and the house of cards that small businesses often rely on to make themselves equitable with the bigger fish. XiNing and Yan are at a business dinner and she is much more at home. It is Yan sitting out on the balcony. Whe XiNing goes to check up on her he plants the seed of how different they are from BeiChuan. He wants to put doubt as to the success of their relationship. BeiChuan sees the writing on the wall and resigns from his friendâs company while they are still friends. He returned every cent he owed and here Yan is resentful in reply. He thinks he is being looked down on and unappreciated. Here BeiChuan said it was more a difference of how to conduct business and leaves it at that. At dinner, he reveals to XiNing the new company he has started that will deal with cultural differences. She wants to know how he will do it without money. He says educating and inspiring the people is more important than making money. She hands him a bunch of money as they are leaving. She points out an exclusive Mercedes and declares that her goal for success. Turns out the car is a loaner to Shan. BeiChuan suggests they stay distant and she is offended by his remarks and says she wonât ever discuss work again with him. I could take his criticism of her friend choices better if he bothered to stick up for himself more verbally. Actions do speak louder than words, but sometimes words do need to be said. He is gaining ground but it is a snailâs pace compared to XiNing. Here is where youth and impulsive behavior will greatly work against her and his quiet studious nature will contribute greatly to misunderstandings when they probably would actually agree if ever discussed.đXiNing goes to Shanâs house and is treated more coldly. I am thinking it;s because of BeiChuan. Now that heâs seen her âborrowedâ car, he is one likely to report wrong doings. She now sees XiNing as a liability because Yan is like her for general business practices. Yan tells XiNing she will need q00k as a bribe to get such a large order through and urges her to be carefu. She hurries back to tell Lu and they are scheming how to get the second 5pk they donât have. JiuLing is smart. She is leaving saying I donât hear anything as she goes. XiNing and BeiChuan have a loud argument over ethics and business. She has Yanâs judgments running through her head and her reasons to absolves herself of conscience in this matter. She has chatted with Shan in depth to get up her nerve and is just about ready to hand Shan the money when BeiChuan shows up at the door asking to speak to XiNing. Episode endsâŠ
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Footprints of Change Episode 27
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BeiChuan is getting more recognition from faculty head and students. But as his popularity rises, his colleague Guo is becoming more and more jealous. He originally defended BeiChuan, but when students say how they prefer his colleagueâs classes to his, trouble is brewing. For XiNing trouble is also on the horizon. The manager handling their sale with foreign trader ran off with the money after collecting it from the buyer. Lu makes a deal to sell with a local buyer who reduces to half price after contract signed. They have run him out of factory and considering their options. Now that Jiuling is being allowed to offer input she and XiNing are agreeing more with how to do things. The story is shifting to make Lu the incompetent poor manager. So far, Jiuling is the character I like best. She has reasons for her behavior and she sees to the heart of things. I think she is spot on rolling her eyes at XiNingâs behavior with BeiChuan. I think XiNing does truly like him, but she is shameless in putting herself up on a pedestal to be adored. He annoys me being so subservient. He lectures like a professor when correcting, but in regular conversation he comes across as a weak servant to be taken advantage of. Case in point, BeiChuan bought some shirts to help them out and gave two to he faculty head to see if wife and he would like. He offered a shirt to Guo and was asked if color could be exchanged. When another color was found he kept both instead of just the one offered. He nods his head at BeiChuan who says nothing to stand up for himself. This bugs me about his character. Yan shows up at the stall and accepts offer to buy 50% of the merchandise for 20% off. He ups salary to 3k and invites her to work for him. JiuLing isnât slow, she says offer 6k and both will work for him.đ€Ł XiNing makes excuse to clean up the mess at company first. She knows working for Yan will âfast trackâ her, but she also thinks Yan does unethical business practices and thatâs not how she wants to do things. In this, I have growing respect because even customs looks down on honesty. Scene goes back to college and Guo trying to butter up boss for a place in the dorms. The sr cannot verify if placement is based on seniority or popularity of classes. He recommends applying early because spaces go fast. He is quickly drawing his line in the sand reminding BeiChaun he eas ther a semester earlier. Going to stall XiNing is trying to find Lu and BiChuan shows up and tasks the professor to work stall. TongTong shows up and does a significant purchase. BeiChuan knows this isnât proper considering teacher/student status but Jiuling just sees dollar signs. The company is in trouble and sheâs not turning down any cash offers. Again, BeiChuan concedes instead of making a firmer stance with Jiuling why it wasnât proper for him to be selling to students. BeiChuan is having tea with a colleague. He is a publisher wanting to publish BeiChuanâs book. It comes up in conversation that his student showed up demanding to be published. She wants to publish smutty romance stories. The student is TongTong who misrepresents her status with professor. This student is a problem and he should be reporting her, but heâs letting himself get boxed in with her and Guo.đ Yan is now adding to mix because Yin only got to Canada and not US as agreed. He is a bit slow witted but what he lacks in quick thinking, he makes up for in per determination. There is a closeup on burner after both men left, but at least Yan remembered to unplug it. Shan is helping XiNing because of Yan. The ladies are at dinner and XiNing is trying to get a Visa to Hungary to make a case with the buyers. She wants to give Shan money, but doesnât see how this looks like sheâs bribing an official. She is warned to stop or no assist will be given. It goes back to the school and Guo is helping TongTong instigate trouble. He is giving bad advice to BeiChuan who is buying it.đTongTong is selling the goods she bought from Jiulingâs stall and selling them for top dollar to âhelpâ professor Xiang. The dorm supervisor found out and Guo involved himself because he wants to live in dorm and just happens to know her. He promises he took care of it and nobody else would know. BeiChuan should have reported it immediately and explained circumstances, but he is too busy being a shmuck and accepting things at face value without standing up for himself. Maybe he finally will when they toss him in jail.đ Time must have passed because the conversation between BeiChuan and XiNing is like a long engaged couple getting ready to establish a home. She knows the business world is going to compromise her ethics and challenges BeiChuan how steadfast his love would be comparing herself to Shan and Yan. What starts as a jest leads to a serious conversation. She is not enthused with the humble surroundings of an educator and sheâs wondering how they are going to combine lifestyles. Skipping to Yan, he knows the proper bribe for Shan is shoes. There is more cash to come for Yeâs Visa. She wonders why heâs so determined to help her and he admits to unrequited love. BeiChuan and XiNing are interrupted by Yin who has made it back to China and wants his money back to get to US as promised. BeiChuan is headed out with him to find Yan. He confronts Yan in a calm but resolute way wanting what was promised. When he got to Canada they sent him back home. Yan is annoyed due to the rumors he heard that Yin would deal with him. He has no plans of assisting or returning the money. Here BeiChuan intercedes because he knows the guyâs story and Yan kicks them both out and makes a call to his stockbroker. Yin doesnât leave. When he finds out that isnât possible he hit himself with a cup. I thought he was going to pretend he was beaten by Yan, but he is just that distraught. This guy has mental issues. He promises to borrow whatever needed and BeiChuan is tagged with taking him to the hospital. This entire episode is shifting the moral compasses of the characters. It is yet to be determined if that is a positive or negative direction. It is using their circumstances to make them decide where they truly stand on things. This is interesting.
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Footprints of Change Episode 26
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This episode we find out some of Jiulingâs history. She is the main breadwinner of the family and the husband sees her as an adulteress with her boss. Because he is so jealous, he breaks things, verbally abuses her, and teaches their son to disrespect her. XiNing tries to show sympathy, but other than letting Jiuling hang on her crying, she is not overly empathetic. The next morning they are at least acting more like friendly roommates now. I thought it rather accurate, tho teasing, that XiNing was called a shrew and BeiChuan nice, so not to bully him. BeiChan is a bit concerned to know what she said since she interrupted their kiss. XiNing goes on to say how her roomie thinks he isnât that great and he was lucky to have her.đ She then says she can put up with his flaws and he will grow out of them. After insulting him she then backhand compliments him with his true qualities. I think this was supposed to be seen as cute and funny but for me it was annoying. He seems too old for her and she is too selfish and irresponsible to be taken seriously. They run into Yan Jun and a girl at a restaurant and are invited over. The girl tuns out to the the one that wrote the gossip piece on XiNing. Right after hearing her name she throws a glass of water at her. When Yan heard what she did he asked her to leave. Her hairpin was in his room and he gave her cash to call it even. BeiChuan then lectures her like a dad or big brother about handling it better. Yan teases them about sounding like a couple and they confirm they are. He gets some wine for them and makes excuse to leave. He is sad because he had hopes of being the beau. Both are obtuse to whatâs really wrong with him. She goes on about all the ways he is to spoil her and then feeds him an unpeeled shrimp. The more these two go on the less I like them. The next scene is Yan Jun and BeiChuan chatting. They are heading for a meeting and Yan is asked what work he really does. He traffics in labor. He ships off young men whose families canât support them to foreign countries to have a chance at better jobs. The one that keeps popping up is pretending he can be a translator when they arrive. They are given a ârelativeâsâ name as contact and the whole thing is sketchy. There is no indication of real support or sponsorship when they arrive. BeiChuan doesnât quite jibe with it, but he pats the manâs arm and wishes him luck. BeiChuan gets out of the dinner with the business people and promises XiNing he will pick her up. Yan clears a path with official Shan to break XiNing into the rules of the trade. Here she says honesty is not the best for business and suggests she works with Yan instead of Lu.đ BeiChuan arrives with a bike to pick her up and sr Shan and Yan tease him about it. She is more snide than his friend is. They take it in stride and go home happy. XiNing promises to buy a better car than either one of them for him. This is the first time they seem almost cute to me. The company that sent the sweaters sent two boxes of moldy ones to blend with the good ones and sell them. Lu is learning from Yan and saying it is the standard of doing business while XiNing strongly disagrees. She and roomie are now gossipy sisters and they gossip about the bossâs woes and the moldy sweaters. BeiChuan is back to teaching and TongTong tries to leave him a gift. This time he tells students they must visit his office in pairs and he says nothing about the gift but leaves it in the podium. At the market there are copies of BeiChuanâs works published and she buys ten copies to share. He doesnât want to make a fuss but she wants him to be famous. It ends with them bickering. He is a stodgy professor and she is an impulsive entrepreneur. Iâm trying to see them with a future together and still struggling with that. Yan is seeming more and more like Dalun and mingling has gone from gossip columnist to PR rep for one of the local businesses. I think Xi Ning will wish she had chosen a different option with her. Mingming sees right away that Yan has a crush on her. Trouble is brewing.
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Footprints of Change Episode 25
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XiNing waits outside for her senior and continues to try to find out how to sway the officialâs pace at processing their order. I know her boss thought they were buddies and that this would provide an advantage, but that wasnât the case. She did figure out later that Yan probably bribed her with getting her son admitted to a good school. She is found by BeiChuan face down in the hallway. There was a power outage prior so maybe that had something to do with it. He canât find her keys so he takes her to his room to sleep it off. She is very bossy in her sleep. When BeiChuan wakes up she tries to bribe him with breakfast before interrogating him on how Yan got their shipment through. This is where she figured out acceptance letter for child the most likely route. She bumps into Yan and he plans a dinner for her to get another try with senior. It then goes to BiChuan and XiNing meet TongTong where the student again tries her stunt with an essay. XiNing sends BeiChuan off to the menâs room and deals with the student solo. The student pretends to have a much closer relationship with the professor than she has and XiNing has some good retorts for her. BiChuan shuts the girl down with some hard truths and she runs off in tearsâŠagain.đ I would say he was a bit harsh, but considering the trouble she has caused him, I canât blame him. And he has a witness to verify how things went down.When BiChuan invites her to dinner she says no thanks. If she believed what Yan said, why doesnât she ask him? If she doesnât, why does she toss him to the curb after helping him out? So essentially his only use to her is an in for Yan to network business deals. Lu finds there is a holdup with their sandwashed silk and sends Ye to her prior employer to find out why. She agrees to take on towels, duvets, etc from him to expedite the fabric they want. Nobody checks it until it arrives and the leftovers from other company is over a decade old. đJiuLing isnât impressed with their trade but she had no part allowed in the deal. Her deal was giving BeiChuan a pair of free jeans to sell him five more. Mr Lu does step up and take the blame. BiChuan find himself at the business table with Yan. Yan is definitely a smooth talker and trying to present his partner in the best light. BeiChuan offers too much info about his university employment status. Turns out the partner he met at the table is a day worker.đ Xi Ning goes back to her employer with her friendâs diary. After saying she will expose him he doesnât force them with the crap material and promises seller of sandwashed silk will sell at base price. On the way back she finds an article in newspaper slandering her about their product. Jiulingâs husband is jealous and tired of being poor. Not sure what his backstory is but he holds Lu accountable for it. He and Jiuling fight about it and she storms out of the house. She gives her son her stall money and tells him to give it to XiNing to compensate her. She refuses the money and chats about it with BeiChuan. She gives him a peck on the cheek for being a nice guy. When they get to her place they are preparing for first kiss when Jiuling interrupts saying they should sue her husband. This whole episode was about making deals by being sneaky or blackmailing. The professor is the most honest but he keeps reminding me of a calm version of Yang. He is kindhearted, but he doesnât read the room well which is why he gets taken advantage of by everybody acquainted with him. XiNing is playful with him at the end of this episode but Iâm struggling seeing these two as a couple so far. I donât find her sincere or him adventurous enough for her. I think they were going for a younger more modern version of Yi and Wen to wrap things up but itâs really not working for me. I am sad because I loved the first two parts of this.
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Footprints of Change Episode 24
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Yan gives BeiChuan 10k commission which he tries to return. He still owes his friend 60k and doesnât feel right accepting money from him. Yan is interesting. He lists off the money he lost but says itâs for the boss to worry about and makes him take the money. He has an instinct for business and feels heâs on the verge of making it big. He is surprised his friend doesnât feel the vibe. BeiChuan decides to give the money to XiNing to get her family watch from the pawn shop. I am surprised she already has. She gives him his dried and folded laundry back, refuses the money and tells him to make her noodles with better ingredients. Lu is looking over the jeans and trying to decide what to do with them. He is considering donating them The roomie had a good idea. Sell to the kids that liked faded jeans. Here XiNing runs with it to talk to people that handles acid washing to learn how to do it. They walk off leaving the roomie ranting that nobody listens to her and she should leave. Here I hate her temper tantrum, but she does have a point. She started the idea and was then ignored. Since she actually did help them with truck driver and is inclined to throw people under the bus when mad, I am not getting why they donât accommodate her some when she is actually being helpful. Here is where I am less impressed with XiNing who takes the opportunity to ignore her rather than letting it be a group project. Honey works better than vinegar. đ Yan comes in with a Dunhill coat for BeiChuan. He is stunned that his friend even knows the brand.đ He reminds him that this is what he should where when they go out to the kennels so their merchandise will a higher price bracket. Jiuling is a loudmouth and annoying, butâŠ.part of it is because the boss only notices the young pretty girl and not the one who has tried hard to help the factory succeed. She had the right idea about the outside stall and drummed up business for them where XiNing was failing. When a young boy shows up at the door and tells XiNing to tell Jiuling his dad says she is shameless, she grabs the cash and runs out the door. There is some story here that makes her act the way she does if anybody would bother to listen. The boss is celebrating with XiNing and thinks he has found a buyer for their new stock. The price they are willing to pay is exactly how much they cost to make. She says they will have better luck at the stalls and will circle around the popular schools. She gives her roomie credit and he says she is a distant cousin when asked. Yan and BeiChaun show up and Yan invites himself and friend to their table. He pretends to fight over paying for meal so Mr Lu will now get to pay for all four of them. Since he was rude to Jiuling for no good reason, I consider this a just punishment.đ Yan tries to swap his friend for XiNing. If Lu knew of his computer abilities, he would be getting the better end of the deal. A drunk Yan tells horrid stories of BeiChuan assaulting girls when wonât leave the car to escort XiNing. Here I think he has crossed a line. He might think himself the better match for XiNing, but maligning his âfriendâ in this fashion is really obnoxiously mean. His friend canât quit because he has no other source of income, but this does explain why BeiChuan considered him the ultimate last resort. They form a deal to get sand washed silk shirts and help Yan give a fashion show. There are two big buyers there that are very interested. They need $100k worth in a short time and XiNing and Mr Lu affirm it is doable. There is what was supposed to be cute conversation between the expected couple of this arc with the dog photos but I found it more silly than anything else. I thought she would ask for a brochure of their products or something but she talks about him putting her pic by his favorite dog. Why? I am getting more and more annoyed at how they are treating Jiuling. Yes, she came to work smelling like alcohol. But she was never asked why she ran out upset the night before. This your so pretty crap that keeps getting pushed XiNingâs way. SiYun and Yi ignored it and she plays it up to make the deal and take most of the credit. Itâs not that she isnât pretty, but I donât see any strength of character. She is much closer to doing business like Yan than she thinks she is. She is not deliberately manipulative like Yan is, she is more like the impulse shopper willing to make a deal she only might be successful at. She is savvy in seeing a deal, but she lacks experience and expertise in fulfilling her side of the bargain. Jiuliang seems a mountain of sour grapes comparatively, and her volume certainly doesnât help, but she actually has some decent input to add if they would listen. Even when she was speaking with an inside voice, they completely ignored her suggestions even tho it was her idea alone that was successfully making them money. BeiChuan is having difficulties because a female student named TongTong expected on the spot assistance. His first big mistake was not having a third party there as chaperone. Her crying as she left gave cause for rumors. I am not sure if Yan is behind the anonymous letters or disappointed in what the school told him about his friend. He is suspicious since he did not ask his friend about it before spouting off all that crap to XiNing. If his friend was truly that handsy with girls, he should have got his ass out of the car and escorted XiNing himself. This might be Yanâs attempt to force his friend to work with him. If it is, he is a complete creep to be avoided.đXiNing and BeiChuan find themselves dealing with customs about shipments. Things donât go so well for XiNing this time because itâs not a guy to fawn over her looks. She wants sympathy from the customs officer and she doesnât feel inclined. Yanâs order is accompanied by other paperwork that I think is a bribe the officer wanted. She says it will be processed in two days. BeiChuan has no reason to think anything of it because he did not look at the paperwork, he was simply the delivery boy. XiNing was surprised things went so well and BeiChuan said he only told her he was colleagues with Yan. The wheels were spinning in her head so waiting to see if she claims partnership with Yan to curry favor with her senior. Hopefully she wonât because it will most likely not work for her. This arc is being a struggle because I am not enthused with any of these characters. Iâm waiting for the âunyielding strength and courageâ from XiNing. Currently, she doesnât demonstrate that much depth. đ
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Footprints of Change Episode 23
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XiNing has left room to avoid Cantonese opera and helps herself to professorâs noodles. She is quite shameless and opportunistic. She is a smarter and quieter version of Qing and just as annoying. đ BeiChuan is also annoying but heâs not as in your face about it. Heâs run out of his room to escape the whirlwind of XiNingđ She wants him to do his laundry in her room at night to get even with loud roommate. She double benefits because sheâs invited herself to steal half his food regularly. I would feel sorry for him but consider it karma because that is exactly how thoughtless heâs been with his friend. Mr Li calls the business but her roommate hangs up on him. She calls back and sets up a meeting to check out the factory. He is impressed with what he sees and gives her a contract. If they pull this off, it will forge a partnership. While she is doing this, her roommate is throwing her under the bus. She is just about to tear up the contract when XiNing returns with a deal. These are quickly stamped and returned. I donât think she bothered to read the penalty clause which is why her prior company was dragging feet. She comes back to find a 20k commission, a roommate with an attitude, and a 40% mark up in raw materials. Here is where she hits up Mr Yan. I find it funny that BeiChuan is used as her human lie detector.đ They make him a contract and the first batch is made. There is a rainstorm and when they check the shipment they discover it is soaked and there are no labels inside. This breaches their agreement and it has to be redone. What was rather humerous is that the two women had to cooperate. The older one is more maliciously scheming but XiNing is a self serving one. They both know they are in trouble with Mr Li for being late but it would be much more difficult had they been shipped. The roomie knows somebody is sabotaging, so she hits the market to find out who promising to make her new buddy the truck driver beat lumps on them. Turns out Lu and Yan made a side deal. They made a duplicate fake order to get more money for workers. At least that is their argument. đ So there are jeans made the right way with wrong fabric and others made wrong with their fabric. Itâs a big mess and Yan has hurt far more than helped. He is very like Dalun with business and just as unapologetic. BeiChuan thinks Yan and XiNing well matched and I agreeđ The story wonât go that way, but their skills do complement with opportunistic scheming. She and Yan go toe to toe dealing behind the scenes to correct the problem. So far, Iâm not impressed with any of the main characters in this arcđ The acting skills are very good because I equally dislike all of them.đ
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Footprints of Change Episode 22
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BeiChuan has a very good friend in Yan Jun. he has offered him a job and paid off the 60k he owed. Jun is in the high end dog business. He basically offered BeiChuan partnership to be a dog groomer, locator and advertiser. BeiChuan feels this is beneath him and a silly means of business. He is bossy and mocks his friendâs offer and steals his food. There is no doubt that ID theft ruined his current employment status, but I find his treatment of friend not too far above the one that stole from him. Heâs a bit of a jerk and something about his features reminds me way too much of Yang.đXiNing is packing her stuff up from work. Her desk mate offered some friendly advice and she returned it in like fashion.đ While there, she hears a contract in negotiations with a big company for 5k pairs of jeans. Her âfriendâ didnât want to be bothered by the details in the contract and tossed it in âthe get around to itâ pile. XiNing and BeiChaun find themselves at the same job fair. XiNing runs into a college friend who offers her a job. XiNing declines because itâs to be secretary to big shots who will treat her like an escort instead of capable employee. She finds herself at Yan Junâs stand. He offers her a secretary position but his job description didnât seem enough different from her friendâs job offer.đShe politely declines. Manager Li finds XiNing and persuades her to work for him. She mentions the contract and he tells her they have the right machinery and expertise to pull off the large order. She boldly goes to the companyâs manager and tells him they have German looms and Japanese sewing machines able to accommodate the order. He is at least considering it. BeiChuan has swallowed his pride and accepted his friendâs offer. He finds out they are a company of two.đ€Ł That whole barbershop room gig was a good prank back for being such an ass earlier. He has to make due with a storage room. But itâs clean, a good size, and very close to work. XiNing finds herself in Yiâs old room. There are two beds and the older lady tells her she can choose but then wants it. XiNing tells her thatâs where her friend slept that stole funds and caused the company to collapse. This lets her get her way with the bed, but her roomy is an avid tv watcher and loudly interacts with the programming. When XiNing asked her to tone it down a little, she swaps to Cantonese opera and starts singing. She wants to know if XiNing likes it better.đ She leaves the room for some quiet and finds BeiChuan down the hall. She immediately steals half his noodles and shamelessly makes herself at home. She has them toast to better days coming. She then tells him a story which may or may not be true about his unsafe burner. After swearing it can burn down the house he complies. His friend wants to make XiNingâs acquaintance, but it looks like he is the one stuck with her. đ last arc getting started now with a new group.
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