Xia Qiao’s managed to convince Bai Hao Yu she’s the Li Hui Zhen he’s been searching for with the puzzle piece she took from her best friend’s room. She doesn’t feel too great with what she did, but until she sorts out her thoughts, she’s going to continue her act in order to keep Bai Hao Yu by her side.
Bai Hao Yu ejects Li Hui Zhen from his heart after seeing the puzzle piece. He reverts back to treating Li Hui Zhen coldly, but it’s looking like it won’t last long. A business trip where the two are teamed together to survey potential photoshoot locations shows signs that Bai Hao Yu might just forget this resolve of his as he finds himself being amused by Li Hui Zhen and unable to refuse her.
Pretty Li Hui Zhen Episode 16 Recap
Carrying on from after where Xia Qiao shows Bai Hao Yu the puzzle, Xia Qiao is seen in the washroom after going through with her plans to ensure Bai Hao Yu never doubts her again and he stays by her side. It has her run into her step-mother at the restaurant. Her presence threatens to expose her act. Once that happens then it’d be all over for her and Bai Hao Yu.
In the washroom where the two meet, Xia Qiao had initially ignored her step-mother, walking out without saying a word. But then her step-mother reveals she’s caught onto Xia Qiao’s act. He heard her being called Li Hui Zhen when she caught sight of her and Bai Hao Yu meeting at the front of the restaurant.
Xia Qiao begs her step-mother to pretend she doesn’t know her. Her step-mother doesn’t make any indication as to whether she’d answer Xia Qiao’s plea at first. Her step-mother wants to have Xia Qiao see a point first. That point is getting Xia Qiao to see how important Xia Qiao’s father is to her as Bai Hao Yu is to Xia Qiao. To make this point, Xia Qiao’s step-mother drops her handbag and makes Xia Qiao pick up. She tells her that it’d be nice if Xia Qiao could do things for her when she asks. Her meaning is that if Xia Qiao would listen to her once in a while, it wouldn’t make it hard on not only her, but Xia Qiao’s father as well.
After Xia Qiao reluctantly picks up the bag from the floor, Xia Qiao’s step-mother then agrees to keep her secret. She also expresses to Xia Qiao that her father would be quite disappointed in her if he knew about this act of hers.
Bai Hao Yu:
“Hui Zhen!”
Xia Qiao:
“I’m not Li Hui Zhen!”
Bai Hao Yu:
“If you’re not Li Hui Zhen then who are you?”
Even though Xia Qiao’s step-mother had agreed she’d keep her secret safe, knowing her step-mother is in the restaurant has Xia Qiao worried. It has her so worried, she came close to letting everything out of the bag.
Returning to Bai Hao Yu, Xia Qiao abruptly ends her meal with Bai Hao Yu, fearing her step-mother might suddenly make an appearance. She runs out of the restaurant with Bai Hao Yu calling after her by her fake name.
Hearing Bai Hao Yu call her Li Hui Zhen has Xia Qiao angrily tell him to stop calling her by that name because she isn’t her. It wasn’t her intention to be so truthful it seems. She realises what she had just admitted to when Bai Hao Yu demands to know who she is if she wasn’t Li Hui Zhen. The question has her struggle ever so briefly. But then, she manages to save herself with telling him that she’s changed. It’s not that she isn’t Li Hui Zhen. It’s just she’s no longer the Li Hui Zhen he remembers. A lot of things have changed since he knew her.
Bai Hao Yu:
“All my doubts have disappeared today. You are Li Hui Zhen. You have our evidence as your proof. This time, I won’t get it wrong anymore.”
Thanks to the fact that Xia Qiao has the puzzle piece as proof of identity, Xia Qiao’s explanation passes without questions. Bai Hao Yu apologises to Xia Qiao for making it hard on her by bringing up the past. His frequent mention of the past has given Xia Qiao an impression he wanted to go back to the way things were. This has her curious and so she questions him why he wanted to go back to the way things were so much.
Bai Hao Yu seems to suggest that it wasn’t so much he wanted to go back to the way things were, but it was because someone at work who resembled her younger self reminded him of the past. He reveals that because of this person at work, not only did she make him suspicious of Xia Qiao, but he was actually starting to believe this person was the real Li Hui Zhen.
Bai Hao Yu assures Xia Qiao he won’t get things wrong again, though. To him, she will always be Li Hui Zhen in his heart (regardless of how much she has changed). He tells her he’ll stay by her side, keep his promise to protect her and not make anymore mistakes about this matter anymore.
With that, Xia Qiao’s slip-ups, and Bai Hao Yu’s doubts and suspicions is put down to Bai Hao Yu being stuck in the past. But with the puzzle piece as proof of Xia Qiao’s identity, and her explanation that she’s longer the same Li Hui Zhen, Xia Qiao no longer has to fear the past being brought up nor deal with Bai Hao Yu wondering why she doesn’t feel like the Li Hui Zhen from his childhood. The evening worked out well for Xia Qiao. Is she happy? No.
Li Hui Zhen:
“When I got my pay, I already wanted to buy you one. Everyday, the people in our office as well as the beauty department will always end up talking this lipstick. They say that no matter what base color the lipstick is, this will shine and shimmer when you put it over the top.”
Xia Qiao is greeted with a gift from Li Hui Zhen when she returns home. After Li Hui Zhen received her first pay check from Immortal, Li Hui Zhen went shopping a gold-infused lipstick to give to Xia Qiao as a gift.
Xia Qiao can’t be feeling too deserving of the gift or Li Hui Zhen’s friendship at the moment. Li Hui Zhen’s been shopping, thinking about her, buying her a pretty lipstick with her first pay—she didn’t even get one for herself because she thought she had no use for such things. Xia Qiao though, she spent her day thinking about herself: she stole Li Hui Zhen’s puzzle, met with Li Hui Zhen’s childhood love and successfully convinced him to move away from Li Hui Zhen and stay with her.
Because of what she did, Xia Qiao isn’t too enthusiastic about receiving such a nice gift from Li Hui Zhen.
(If anyone’s wondering about the name of the lipstick, it’s L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Gold Obsession. Looks so pretty. :o) :o) Li Hui Zhen’s good. She got us searching it up!)
Li Hui Zhen:
“Where’s your bracelet?”
Xia Qiao:
“Zhen-er… actually, I… I wasn’t careful and lost it. It was probably that day when I was exercising, I wasn’t careful and it came off. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid that you’d get anxious about it.”
Despite Xia Qiao’s reluctance to take the gift, Li Hui Zhen insists Xia Qiao take it. She puts the lipstick back in the bag and puts the bag in Xia Qiao’s hands. This is when Li Hui Zhen notices that the bracelet she gave Xia Qiao is no longer on her wrist.
The sudden discovery seemed to have caught Xia Qiao off guard. It sounded like she was about to tell her the truth about why it was no longer there, but she ends up lying about having lost it at the gym and makes up a story about how she didn’t tell Li Hui Zhen about it because she was afraid Li Hui Zhen would worry about it. This has Li Hui Zhen tell Xia Qiao that it’s no big deal since she can just get her another one—which she plans on doing as she receives more income. With her gifts, she plans to top the previous, too.
Bai Hao Yu’s bracelet is also no longer on her wrist. She had lost that in the restaurant. She doesn’t know where, though. Despite backtracking to all the places she went—inside the car, under the car, inside the restaurant, in the restaurant washrooms—she couldn’t find it in the end. Losing Bai Hao Yu’s bracelet seems like a sign: she’s can’t keep hold of something (or in this case someone) who’s not meant to be hers.
Xia Qiao:
“I sleep in your room or you go to my room to sleep. You choose.”
Li Hui Zhen:
“What’s wrong, Qiao-er? Did something happen?
Xia Qiao:
“Can you wait for me? Wait for me to think things through. Once I make sense of them, I will definitely tell you.”
Xia Qiao may have chosen Bai Hao Yu over Li Hui Zhen, but Xia Qiao feels extremely troubled by her actions and hiding much from her. She doesn’t plan on going behind Li Hui Zhen’s back forever.
At the end of the night, she goes to Li Hui Zhen wanting to sleep in her room. Li Hui Zhen instantly picks up that something is wrong. She asks Xia Qiao about it, which has Xia Qiao tell Li Hui Zhen that it’s not a time she can tell her what’s troubling her, but promises she will tell her everything once she’s sorted it all out in her mind. She hopes Li Hui Zhen can wait for the time when she’s ready.
Meanwhile, over on Bai Hao Yu’s side, he’s gone and thrown out the purple onion which he had placed in a bowl of water (Episode 15). This purple onion had represented his decision to seize the present, forget the past and follow his heart which was moving towards Li Hui Zhen. Now believing that Xia Qiao is Li Hui Zhen, he’s following through with his promise to his childhood friend to always be by her side and protect her, and forget about the Li Hui Zhen at work.
Li Hui Zhen:
“You’re going on a business trip Deputy Editor in Chief?”
Bai Hao Yu:
“Whether I’m on a business trip or not has nothing to do with you. It’ll be enough that you handle your matters well.”
Li Hui Zhen goes to work with a huge grin on her face as she recalls the lingering gazes Bai Hao Yu’s been sending her way recently. To her confusion, her greeting to him on her way up to the Immortal office is met with cold, curt responses. Her attempt to have a conversion with him about the business trip he’ll be going on later gets her told to mind her own business!
Very little interaction, just be a good employee and do her job well. That was how Li Hui Zhen saw her relationship with Bai Hao Yu back in Episode 13. The view had troubled Bai Hao Yu back then, but now it looks like this is exactly the view he wants to become reality. : oO : oO.
Lin Yi Mu:
“Okay. I’ll now use the first one.”
“Let’s eat hot pot today. How about it?”
Lin Yi Mu uses the first of his three wishes Li Hui Zhen promised to grant him when he helped her bring over porridge for a sick Bai Hao Yu (Episode 14). Li Hui Zhen thinks it’s all about feeding his stomach and cashing in on a few free meals. But, we think Lin Yu Mu is trying to use it as a way of spending some time with Li Hui Zhen because he likes her, only he doesn’t know he likes her, yet. If we remember correctly from She Was Pretty, he shouldn’t be aware of his feelings for Li Hui Zhen at this point.
Lin Yi Mu’s decision to use his first wish might have been brought on by a scene between Li Hui Zhen and Bai Hao Yu.
Amidst the cold treatment Bai Hao Yu was giving Li Hui Zhen at the entrance, Li Hui Zhen might have been able to unnerve Bai Hao Yu a little with the pointing out of some foam on his lips. It had her point at his lips then at her own as she showed Bai Hao Yu where the foam was on his lips. This had Bai Hao Yu look at Li Hui Zhen’s lips then wipe his own lips.
This scene saw Lin Yi Mu run over to her once Bai Hao Yu left. He’s his usual self, teasing her, bothering her, but it’s looking like this might be his roundabout showing of having feelings for her.
But the hot pot looks like it will have to wait. Li Hui Zhen has to go on the business trip which she was asking Bai Hao Yu about earlier.
Last episode, they were discussing the surveying of three locations for a fast approaching photoshoot. It was arranged that Bai Hao Yu and Lin Yi Mu go survey one location, Lin Hao and Han Xue to survey the second location and Team Leader Zhu Ying and Lin Hu Sheng to survey the third (we believe this was the arrangement mentioned in Episode 15). But Lin Hao’s hurt his leg and can’t go, while Team Leader Zhu Ying has been asked by their client to be available online when needed to oversee some design proofs.
Han Xue:
“Zhu Ying-jie, let Hu Sheng and me go together. Give me a chance to perform well.”
Lin Yi Mu:
“Hui Zhen and me are a team. She and me are a team.”
There’s a small fight over the new pairings. With Lin Hao and Team Leader Zhu Ying out, Team Leader Zhu Ying has to rearrange the pairings. Li Hui Zhen is selected to go in Team Leader Zhu Ying’s place, where she is paired up with Bai Hao Yu. Lin Yi Mu takes the place of Lin Hao, making him Han Xue’s partner.
Both Han Xue and Lin Yi Mu wants to be partnered up with someone else, though. Han Xue is still after Hu Sheng for the fact he might be the heir, so she wants to go with Lin Hu Sheng. Meanwhile, Lin Yi Mu wants Li Hui Zhen to be paired up with him. If the two have it their way, this leaves Bai Hao Yu on his own.
Team Leader Zhu Ying thinks it’s not right for the Deputy Editor in Chief to be left without an assistant. Also, the convention is that an assistant should be paired up with a main editor. So, the new pairings changes to Bai Hao Yu and Li Hui Zhen, Han Xue and Lin Hu Sheng, and Lin Yi Mu on his own.
The reception is frosty when Bai Hao Yu sees Li Hui Zhen greet him outside the building entrance for the business trip. Her explanation about the change of plans and how she was the only one left to accompany him has Bai Hao Yu walk away from her and into his car without a word. When she takes too long to get in, he honks his car as a way of telling her to get in. She’s right by the car, so it gives her quite a jolt.
It’s scary silence in the car. Li Hui Zhen’s attempt to break the silence with how cool she thought his car was for having so many functions. That attempt is met with a command to stop touching the display showing the functions. Her mention of how her mother used to prepare figs for her on trips gets her told off for going through someone else’s bag without permission. (The figs were found in Zhu Ying’s bag which the team leader gave Li Hui Zhen.) When Li Hui Zhen explains that Zhu Ying gave her permission, he criticises her about how she never forgets to eat. Her attempt to sing to lighten the tense mood has him shut her down quickly and told he wants quiet: this is a work trip not a field trip they were going on.
In short, Bai Hao Yu is cold and curt with Li Hui Zhen. There’s no need for any kind of interaction between them now he’s decided to eject her from his heart.
Li Hui Zhen:
“Stop rumbling. I can’t take it anymore Deputy Editor in Chief! I can’t. I… I really need to eat something. I’m starving to death.”
Sometime later, Li Hui Zhen has quietened down and stopped eating. Seemingly, she’s listened to Bai Hao Yu’s commands, but her stomach apparently can’t keep quiet.
She can’t take it anymore. She has to eat, and decides to just shout it like it is to him. She shocks Bai Hao Yu with her loud exclamation of this fact. Bai Hao Yu’s shock dissipates. He goes on to tell her that figs is an appetiser and when one eats figs when they’re hungry, they should probably cause one to be hungrier. He states this knowledge of his as if he’s not entirely certain about the effects of figs, but he knows their effects. He’s teasing her. He’s gone from being cold and ignoring her to being playful and finding her amusing because of her outburst.
Bai Hao Yu:
“If you have the time to complain, why don’t you try looking for a nearby place where we can eat.”
“It’s my treat. Just eat what you want.”
Li Hui Zhen chatises him for not telling him earlier about the figs which has Bai Hao Yu tell Li Hui Zhen to look for a place to eat rather than use that energy to complain. Not only does he tell her to choose a restaurant, he even tells her that it’s going to be his shout and she can eat to her heart’s content.
And so, Li Hui Zhen chooses a countryside family-runned restaurant that look like it doesn’t receive very many customers. The owners are seen sitting around a bamboo table, playing cards when Li Hui Zhen and Bai Hao Yu arrive. The owners don’t even realise they’ve come. The welcome is warm when the owners do acknowledge their presence, though. There is a menu and the ingredients are organic and fresh-as-fresh since all are picked, fished and sourced from their fruit and vegetable garden, river and farm right after an order is placed.
Bai Hao Yu’s not so sure about dining at the place, but it’s where Li Hui Zhen has chosen and settle on eating. Li Hui Zhen scans through the menu and notices the cost of the dishes. It’s a bit expensive she tells him. Bai Hao Yu’s tells her again, it’s his shout: she can order whatever she wants.
Comments
The Bai Hao Yu we’ve been seeing over the last couple episodes is back again after being forced to sit in a car with Li Hui Zhen!
Amused Bai Hao Yu
The scene in the car, we had to take a second watch before we picked up Bai Hao Yu’s subtle playfulness. When Li Hui Zhen asked if Bai Hao Yu was going to eat or not and he said an unwavering “no”, it sounded like the usual cold, mean responses he’s been giving her the whole morning. Looking at his expression, he was actually wearing an amused smile. It was so subtle we had missed it the first time round. His smile becomes more apparent after telling her about the figs being an appetiser, though. Don’t know how we missed all of this the first time round.
It’s so nice to see Bai Hao Yu’s back to being this way. Watching Bai Hao Yu being so cold to Li Hui Zhen especially after how she came to work happy, thinking her relationship with Bai Hao Yu had improved, was hard to watch. Bai Hao Yu chucking his purple onion into the trash can and hearing the thump the onion made when it hit the trash can, it was so cold and emotionless. He was chucking Li Hui Zhen out in manner basically.
The heart will go where it wants to go, though. Bai Hai Yu can try force Li Hui Zhen out of his heart, but it looks like he can’t do it for long. It only took what looks like half the morning before he forgot he was supposed to act cold towards her. Despite believing the Li Hui Zhen sitting in the car with him isn’t the one from his childhood, he finds himself unable to keep up that forced cold act, as in the end, her ways managed to defrost him again. It won’t be long till he’s pulled back towards her again!
We can’t wait to revisit the next part of the story! There should be some great developments between Bai Hao Yu and Li Hui Zhen on this business trip together.
Bai Hao Yu and Xia Qiao Moments
Just before we end this post, anyone who is fan of Bai Hao Yu and Xia Qiao, there were some Bai Hao Yu and Xia Qiao moments. We like Xia Qiao, we like Bai Hao Yu, but ah! No! Bai Hao Yu needs to find out Xia Qiao’s not Li Hui Zhen. It was hard watching him hold Xia Qiao’s hand to his heart, and brush her locks of hair away and cupping her face.
It makes us wonder if these scenes are actually the ones representing what was meant to be the kiss scene between Min Ha Ri (Xia Qiao) and Ji Sung Joon (Bai Hao Yu) in She Was Pretty. We thought maybe the scenes back a couple episodes were where it was supposed to happen, but maybe it’s this point of the story. If this is the point where Xia Qiao is supposed to kiss Bai Hao Yu then Pretty Li Hui Zhen’s version has decided to cut out the kiss scene between Bai Hao Yu and Xia Qiao.
Bai Hao Yu and Li Hui Zhen Moments
To offset those Xia Qiao and Bai Hao Yu moments – here are the Li Hui Zhen and Bai Hao Yu moments! As Li Hui Zhen looks after Bai Hao Yu as his assistant, he sits watching her. His frowns; his frosty aura; the cold, disinterested, annoyed gazes seen at the start of the episode are completely gone by the end of the episode. Replacing them are soft, pleasant gazes which appear right in the very last scene of Episode 16. Such a nice closing scene!
ADVERTISEMENT
