Let me dispel a few more Sunny Happiness induced moments of self-doubt pertaining to your perceptive abilities – yes, Mike He as Xian Yun Jie is getting hotter and more insanely handsame with each episode, and no, it’s not your imagination that the love story you are watching develop brings a feeling of tender awe and little heart flutters in your very soul.

If there was any doubt that Yun Jie and Yong Yong are falling in love with each other, in a way that feels so real and not just told to the audience that these two people like each other, episodes 15-16 of SH puts that niggling concern to rest. He cares about her, oh god how he cares about her, and she puts what would be best for him first before her own needs. This is not noble idiocy at work, for Yong Yong and Yun Jie are living breathing examples that love means uncertainty, doubt, and giving, all wrapped up in an untidy blanket of emotion.

Episodes 15-16 Recap:

Yong Yong gets a call that her father has fallen ill. She races out of the office, with Yun Chao looking on in concern. In the parking lot, she’s rushes off on her bike when she falls. Yun Chao sees her on the ground and helps her and the bike up. She’s fine but the bike is not, and she has to rush to the bus station to catch a bus to the mountains, where her father has supposedly collapsed.

Yun Chao thinks to himself, and offers to drive her there. He doesn’t have any afternoon engagements, and she should consider this a good deed he’s performing today. They are driving when Yun Chao gets a call from Xin Jie. He lies and says that he is with a customer, and promises he’ll make the dinner tonight with her parents. Yong Yong has a map and is navigating, and she hears Yun Chao’s white lie to Xin Jie.

Yun Jie is having a family picnic with Xiao Nian and Wan Lan. The kid sweetly wishes for his parents to be by his side forever, and is told that his mom is relocating to Taipei. Xiao Nian runs off to fly a kite, and the parents chat. Wan Lan notes that Xiao Nian is actually quite similar to Yun Jie, and he concedes that Xiao Nian reminds him of his childhood self.

Yun Jie says that he sees there are parts of Xiao Nian’s personality that reflect flaws of his, such as Xiao Nian’s stubborn perfectionism. Wan Lan laughs and says that she thought Xiao Nian got that flaw from her, and Yun Jie compliments her, saying that the personality trait is positive when exhibited by her. He sees how hard she works, and he feels that she validates herself.

Wan Lan compliments him back, saying that he is someone who gives everything for the person he loves, never once complaining, such as when he gave up his family business for her when they first got married. She asks if Yong Yong will mind if she comes by to visit Xiao Nian often, and Yun Jie confirms that Yong Yong won’t mind in the least. He stands up to help Xiao Nian fly his kite.

Yong Yong and Yun Chao are lost, and he blames her for misdirecting him when he told her they should have gone straight. He’s annoyed, and she tells him not to be annoyed, they are just lost is all. Xin Jie calls again, and Yun Chao has to deflect her some more, telling her that he’s not done with his business. He gets back in the car and it won’t start. He’s about to call for help when Yong Yong asks if he has some tools.

She gets under the car and demonstrates her miss-everything capabilties, which includes auto shop. After she fiddles with it, the car starts and Yun Chao is understandably impressed. He smiles at her blackened face and gives her a handkerchief to wipe herself clean.

He tells her that watching her working hard at the hotel always impresses him, because she always has a positive attitude. She offers to find a bus stop and tells him to head back to Taipei so he’s not late for his dinner with Xin Jie. Sadly there is no bus stop nearby, but luckily Yun Chao has not left and he tells her to get back in the car and he’ll take her there.

At the hotel, Yun Jie sees the jewelry that Yong Yong has returned to him, along with a note. She cheerfully tells him that she’s completed her performance and is ready to take her bow. She reminds him of the amusement park date tonight, and she doesn’t need him to accompany her, he and his creaky old bones can just open the door for her. Yun Jie smiles as he reads the note, and he gets a call from his friend who confirms that tonight the amusement park will have its first fireworks display.

Yong Yong arrives to find her dad just fine, and drinking with his friend. The friend tells Yong Yong that her father did collapse of high blood pressure, but someone had medicine and her dad is fine now after resting. Yun Chao comes up to ask about her father, and the elders think he is her boyfriend. He explains he’s just a friend, and Yong Yong gets mad that her dad is drinking after being sick. She yells at him and stomps away.

 

She’s crying by the basketball court and Yun Chao comes to sit down next to her. He pretends to look for his handkerchief to offer to her, and says that he probably lent it to someone, and he needs to leave the house with more hankerchiefs in the future. She’s angry that her dad doesn’t take care of himself, and Yun Chao tells her to go ahead and cry, and then to go back and take care of him.

He remembers her telling him that she was left at the orphanage by her dad. She tells him that her dad is the only person who is related to her by blood now, but she has realized that family and importance is not based on blood. She happens to have memories with her dad that nothing can replace, which is memories of her mom. If she lost her dad, she would have lost two important people at the same time.

Xin Jie is upset that Yun Chao missed the dinner, and her calls goes to voicemail. Her parents tell her not to be upset and enjoy the meal together. On the other side, Yun Jie is waiting by the amusement park carousel and calls Yong Yong only to get her voicemail. We’ve got two sad stood up people, and two people dealing with their issues up on a mountain. Nice angst.

Yong Yong apologizes to Yun Chao, for getting lost and his car breaking down, and him missing his date with his fiancee. He tells her things happen, and it’s not a big deal. They decide to call home to explain and apologize, but neither has any signal. They find a pay phone, and Yong Yong calls home to tell her sisters where she is. All they hear is that she is with Yun Chao.

The phone breaks after Yong Yong’s call, so she can’t call Yun Jie and Yun Chao can’t call Xin Jie. Oh boy, not looking good, you two! Yun Jie keeps checking his watch, and his distress and disappointment clearly shows. He turns to watch the fireworks, and his sadness is palapable. Oh Yun Jie, let me come hug you! He wonders where Yong Yong went? He goes to her house and overhears from her sisters that she is spending the night somewhere with Yun Chao.

Yong Yong and Yun Chao have to crash for the night in the school library. She brings him a sleeping bag, and he’s totally cool with the simple sleeping arrangements. She’s planning to sleep on the other side of the room, and he asks if she’s fine with that. She tells him that she’s fine with it, and he tells her to stop calling him Vice-President. His name is Xian Yun Chao, and if she considers him a friend from now on, to use it. They shake hands and reintroduce each other again with their full names.

Yun Jie opens Yun Chao’s door and sees that his younger brother is not home yet. The next morning, Yun Chao wakes up and sneaks over to Yong Yong’s side of the room. He secretly takes pictures of her fast asleep. She wakes up and tell him that he is being a low class jerk, but he thinks she’s amusing when she was asleep. She grabs his phone to try and delete the pictures and he falls on top of her trying to get his phone back.

Her dad comes in and mistakens the intimate position for something untoward. Yong Yong stops her dad and Yun Chao makes his quick escape. Yun Jie is stewing at work and staring at his brother’s empty chair in the conference room. Yun Chao hasn’t arrived for the meeting yet.

When Yun Chao walks in, Yun Jie pointedly says that staying out all night is no longer Yun Jie’s specialty. Yun Chao explains that he had to take a friend somewhere far away.

After the meeting, Yun Chao heads back to his office and gets the twelve degree from Xin Jie. She’s angry that a customer could be more important than his fiancee and his future-in-laws. Yong Yong walks in and asks if she can clean. Xin Jie barks at her to leave, and Yun Chao tells her not to behave this way. It’s her job to clean, and there is nothing wrong with her coming in to clean.

Yong Yong leaves, and Xin Jie asks why Yun Chao would defend her? He correctly tells her that she is mad at him, and shouldn’t take it out on strangers. Yun Chao tells him that he’d rather her father not invest if it would make their relationship difficult and complicated. He tells her that the project is making him unable to spend time with her, and if that is the case, he’d rather drop it.

Xin Jie gets worried and tries to backtrack, apologizing for her possessiveness. She tells him that she will support him and asks that he not stop pursuing his dreams. He promises that he will spend more time with her, and what happened last night won’t happen again.

Yong Yong comes to see Yun Jie for her apology session, and he’s curt and cold with her. She explains what happened yesterday – her father falling ill and she missed their date – and that Yun Chao took her to find him. Yun Jie asks why she didn’t come to him for help, and she candidly explains that everything happened so fast, and Yun Chao happened to be there at that time.

She apologies again and says that she is so disappointed because she was so looking forward to the amusement park with him. He sits down and, with his back to her, baldly lies and says that he never showed up. Hence, she has nothing to apologize for since she didn’t stand him up on the date. Yong Yong’s face falls, and she says that she thought Yun Jie was looking forward to it as much as she was. He says of course not, it’s just an amusement park, who hasn’t been there before?

He asks her to leave so he can work, and she walks out tentatively. He turns to look at her with his I’m-hurting-inside eyes. Back at the Xian house, Xiao Nian won’t open the door for his grandmother, and Yun Jie brings Yong Yong to help coax him out of his funk. She goes inside his room, and sees that he’s hidden himself in a closet.

Xiao Nian comes out and tells Yong Yong that he wants to tell his grandparents that his dad has only one wife and he has only one mom. He’s upset thinking that his grandparents want to set up his dad on matchmaking dates. Xiao Nian says he only had one mom, and he won’t eat if his dad marries another woman. Yong Yong patiently explains to him that he will always have his mom.

Yun Jie promises Xiao Nian that he won’t go on matchmaking dates, so Xiao Nian can’t refuse to come out for dinner. Yong Yong’s food is delicious, and his mom asks her to come to the house to be a nanny/housekeeper for the family. Yun Jie looks so proud that his mom has a good impression of his Yong Yong. He asks her to seriously consider the offer. She tells him that she’s happy at the hotel, and that she’s not sure if she can satisfy their standards.

He says that he’s got the highest standard in the family, and he’s already approved of her. He tells her that they can keep their contract secret, the pay will be higher, and she can go home anytime she wants. She asks him if he’s worried whether things will get more complicated? He just smiles and says nothing. Oh Yun Jie, your silence speaks volumes.

Yong Yong tearfully quits her job at the hotel, and her supervisor cries and tells her to come visit often. Yong Yong starts working at the house, and she voiceovers that it’s a whole new experience. She notices that his dad is cold and aloof like he is, but Yun Chao is warm and caring, and someone who really could become her friend. She’s there to help Xiao Nian, and she believes that she’s there to protect and care for this family. One day if she has a family, she wants to give this much love to her loved ones as well.

Yong Yong bites into a leftover and rushes to the sink to heave. Yun Chao comes into the kitchen and asks her if she’s okay? She says that her stomach doesn’t feel right, but it’s no big deal, just a chronic stomach problem. He tells her to go see the doctor and she refuses. He tries to tell her to take better care of herself, which is when Xin Jie comes into the kitchen.

She reminds Yun Chao that he’s supposed to go with her to sample dessert for her runway afterparty. Yong Yong excitedly asks about the fashion show, and Yun Chao smiles at her enthusiam. Yun Chao asks Yong Yong to attend the show if she’s so interested, and Xin Jie has no choice but to stammer out an invitation.

Yun Chao grabs some medicine at a pharmacy on his way out with Xin Jie, and he candidly tells her that its for Yong Yong. Xin Jie immediately has a look of sourness cross her face, and I don’t blame her at all. They are sampling desserts, and Xin Jie asks why Yun Chao is so nice to the family help. She tells him that Yun Chao and Yong Yong are suspiciously close. He doesn’t answer and instead laughs, and he tells her that she’s just being jealous.

He tells her to stop going wild with her imagination. Xin Jie warns him that he cannot disappoint her, she will not allow her life to have any failures, especially concerning love. She tries a dessert, he stops her, telling her that she’s allergic to sugar since she used that excuse to decline his chocolate. She’s touched that he remembered something she said to him in passing. She kisses him on the cheek, and his face freezes and he wipes the cream off his face and hands.

Yong Yong is hand washing clothes in the garden and playing around with Xiao Nian. Yun Jie comes home and tells Xiao Nian to go change, since they are headed to his mom’s place later. He asks Yong Yong why she is hand washing the clothes, and she explains that the washing machine is broken. He tells her to just buy another one, and she says that since his mom is away, she was going to wait until she came back to ask.

He tells her that he’ll accompany her tonight to go buy what she needs. Dude, lame excuse to spend time with your wife. Xiao Nian, Wan Lan, and Yun Jie are having dinner at her place, and Yong Yong has arrived at the store a half hour early and is waiting outside for Yun Jie. Wan Lan takes Xiao Nian to take a bath, and Xiao Nian tells his mom that Yong Yong takes good care of him at his dad’s place.

Wan Lan tells Xiao Nian that he needs to tell Yong Yong more about what he likes so she can take better care of him. She asks whether Xiao Nian calls Yong Yong auntie or mom at home, and Xiao Nian is confused. Wan Lan goes outside and confronts Yun Jie, asking if Yong Yong is not really his wife? She tells him that Xiao Nian told her that Yong Yong is just a nanny and goes home every night.

Yun Jie apologizes that tells her that he had no choice, he wanted to to get his son back. Wan Lan asks if everything between him and Yong Yong is not real? He confesses that it’s all fake, and just a contract. Wan Lan tells him that she’s been unhappy for all these years, and she misses him. She tells him that she missed a chance 8 years ago to give Xiao Nian a complete family, and she asks him for another chance. Yun Jie looks away and tells her that what is in the past is over with. He asks that they maintain the relationship they have right now.

Yun Jie runs to meet Yong Yong, who is outside waiting, worrying about whether he’s forgotten about their meeting. He apologizes for being late, and realizes that she’s cold having waited outside for him. He wonders why she didn’t wait inside, and she told him that they promised to meet outside. He offers to give her a day off, or to take her to have snacks. She declines the snacks, explaining that her stomach hurts.

Before heading inside, she stops to smile at the fact that the rain has stopped. Yong Yong voiceovers that everytime she runs into Yun Jie, the rain seems to stop. And after the rains stops, the sun comes out. Yong Yong is home and hugging the giant teddy bear and smiling like a loony. She gets a call from Yun Chao, who asks her where she lives.

She meets him at the basketball court and he hands her antacids for her upset stomach. She says that she doesn’t have any money on her, and he smiles and tells her to just play ball with him as her payment. Yong Yong is a total cheater at basketball, and Yun Chao laughs and lets her play silly with him.

She goes up for a shot which he blocks, and he lands on the ground on top of her. He helps her up, and she tosses one final basket into the hoop and claims she wins.

They sit down and he confesses that he doesn’t mind losing when its to her. When he hangs out with her, he is surprisingly relaxed. She ask why he’s stressed, with a fiancee and a successful job, he has the perfect life. He says that he doesn’t want to regret anything in his life. He tells her that he used to like this girl, and hoped for something more with her.

But due to life’s circumstances, he went abroad instead of choosing her. He concedes that this girl is probably his first love, and he’s been wondering lately how his life would have changed had he stayed with her or kept in touch. He asks what she would do with something she regrets? She says that she will do everything in her power to salvage situations, so that she doesn’t have any regrets.

She tells him that her method doesn’t apply to some wild goose chase to find a first love, and definitely doesn’t apply since Yun Chao already has a fiancee. Yong Yong threatens to tell Xin Jie, and Yun Chao smiles at her. She asks if he wants to play another match, and he refuses since she’s not playing fair.

Yong Yong heads back to her house, and finds Yun Jie outside waiting for her. He’s circled back to bring her some medicine (as well). He reminds her to take care of herself, but he amends it by saying he doesn’t want to pay money for a sick employee.

It’s the day of Xin Jie’s runway show, and her model brides are doing a test walk down the catwalk. Yun Chao and Yong Yong are watching the rehearsal, and Yong Yong is so excited to be there. She sincerely compliments Xin Jie on her beautiful designs and how beautiful she looks on stage. Xin Jie asks Yun Chao to bring her flowers after the show, and he heads out to buy flowers since clearly he didn’t come equipped.

Xin Jie’s assistant comes to inform her that a model has fallen in, and they need a replacement right away. He thinks Yong Yong has the right build to fit into that dress. Yun Chao comes back with the flowers and finds Yong Yong getting made up. She asks him to extricate her, and he smiles and says that she ought to embrace the challenge and she’ll do just fine. He asks the makeup artist to make sure she looks beautiful.

Thoughts of Mine:

There is something about this girl? – that must be the one subconscious thought lodged in the back of Yun Chao’s brain whenever he interacts with Yong Yong. I’m sorry for spilling the guts about this love triangle in my first SH post ever, since I didn’t expect to end up recapping it. If I didn’t say anything, chances are people reading just my recaps would be expecting two sets of OTPs that don’t converge – Yun Jie and Yong Yong, Yun Chao and Xin Jie.

SH takes up to episode 12 before Yun Chao and Yong Yong begin to have real interactions outside of their respective antogonistic stances with respect to the orphanage demolition. But by episode 12, Yun Jie and Yong Yong have gotten married, hooked up, shacked up, and have started falling in love. So how the hell is the other game in town even worth a passing glance? Oh you’ll be surprised, starting with this episode.

I’ve thought this way from the beginning, but these two episodes confirmed for me that Yun Chao is his own unique character in this drama, and not here to merely serve a purpose as rival to Yun Jie and alternative for Yong Yong. He has his own issues and idiosyncracies, and his own strengths and weaknesses that make him in many ways as interesting of a leading man as Yun Jie.

Yun Chao’s day out with Yong Yong, driving her to find her dad and crashing in the mountain top for the night, broke down a tiny barrier between, the one which says “we are not quite friends”. It felt so natural and effortless, their banter, conversation, and quiet moments together, that I quite forgot about Yun Jie. But when I did remember Yun Jie, I was immediately all schmoopy that he got stood up at the amusement park.

These two episodes started me thinking back to that voiceover in episode 1, when Yong Yong and Yun Jie both wondered what their lives would be like had they not had that fateful accident. They will be just fine, moving along their separate paths, and even if Yun Jie had run into Yong Yong at the hotel, he would never talk with her long enough to even remember her name.

But Yun Chao gives off a completely different feeling – his growing friendship with Yong Yong is completely predicated on her being a hotel worker and him being cool with that. He’s the egalitarian one between the two brothers, and Yong Yong can tell that he’s a decent guy. This is the beginning of me repeating “but Yong Yong and Yun Chao would be the perfect OTP in any other drama” for all subsequent recaps, so better get used to it.

She’s interesting to talk to for Yun Chao, and from that grows their natural and effortless friendship. His offer to drive her was innocent enough, even if we all know deep down perhaps a part of him would rather hang out with her than attend dinner with Xin Jie’s parents. I like how neither wants anything from the other person, he’s not needing a friend, she’s not needing a confidante, but it just happens.

Which leaves trying to be a good husband Xian Yun Jie working through his emotions for good. These two episodes were chock full of great Yun Jie-Yong Yong scenes, and not necessarily interacting with each other. I love how Yong Yong is living her life to the fullest, and not letting her developing feelings for Yun Jie get in the way and turn her into a lovesick useless lump.

She’s working at his house now, and she both enjoys the opportunity but doesn’t dwell on its greater implications. I think Yun Jie has more problems trying to figure out what he wants to handle his situation with Yong Yong, and I think the missed amusement park date did make something click in him. When she asked him if he was worried it would complicate their relationship, his calm and contented smile told me all I needed to know – he’s made up his mind that he’s going to let their relationship get complicated.

I love how there are no misunderstandings between Yun Jie and Yong Yong at this point – she immediately explains the amusement park situation and he believes her. But that doesn’t mean his disappointment and jealousy from that night was going to disappear right away, and so he lied that he didn’t show up. I know why he said it, but I was sad that he was going to pretend that he stood Yong Yong up the same way her penpal stood her up.

We all know why Yong Yong is throwing up, right? Three cheers for actual sex happening in this drama, because these people are adults who are attracted to each other, and married to boot! I loved how both brothers brought her antacid for her upset stomach. The basketball game and conversation afterwards was sublime. But this episode won me over 100% when the fireworks went off and Yun Jie looked skywards with his eyes filled with longing.