I’ve been saying for weeks that the best thing for Tian Xing to do was to make Xiao Lu disappear and it would appear that he’s finally decided to take my advice which means we’ve got all sorts of tears to wade through in this week’s episode of Fall in Love With Me.
Before we dive into Xiao Lu’s whole “I’m leaving” thing, can I first ask someone to explain to me what kind of world Tian Xing is living in that would make him believe that dragging Le Si to some advertising big wig cocktail party, as his date, would be a good idea, ’cause I’m really lost on that one. I mean really! If Tian Xing wanted to impress Le Si with his connections and his money he could have gotten her tickets to some sold-out show or arranged for her to have dinner with her favorite celebrity or something… Anything would have been better than dragging her to that stupid party, right? I’m fairly convinced that, for the most part, Tian Xing is a smart guy so he had to have had some sort of clue that dragging Le Si to that party was actually a bad idea. So why’d he do it? Anyone? Anyone?
Perhaps Tian Xing honestly believed that Le Si would miraculously grow a backbone and suddenly be able to stand up and speak for herself (which would be a miracle far beyond the imagination of any T-drama writers). Perhaps Tian Xing thought the reporters and fellow industry leaders would simply overlook his new girl or maybe he just wanted to show her off? Of course there’s always the possibility that Tian Xing honestly thought he was doing Le Si some sort of good by bringing her to that party but if that’s the case, I’m really disappointed in his lack of intelligence. I suppose there is another option here, and one that I’m hesitant to mention because it would paint Tian Xing in a less than savory light, but seeing as how he’s not exactly the nicest of guys there’s a very real possibility that he brought Le Si to this party, knowing things would fall apart, just so he could be the one to comfort her at the end of it all. Like I said, this is a less than chivalrous idea but it’s still a possibility and I wouldn’t entirely put it past Tian Xing to try something like that, at least once.
As dramatic as the events at the party were the real drama in this week’s episode was Xiao Lu’s sudden decision to disappear completely. We all knew this day would have to come sooner or later and I applaud Tian Xing for finally accepting the fact that if he’s ever going to have a chance with Le Si, he’s going to have to first stop lying to her. As difficult as it was for Tian Xing to stick with his decision to make Xiao Lu disappear, it was the right thing to do. Of course if he were smart, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to make Le Si fall for Xiao Lu in the first place (and yes, I am aware that his initial goal in becoming Xiao Lu wasn’t to make Le Si fall for him but you have to admit that he did a fine job of making it happen anyway). Tian Xing would have saved everyone, himself included, a whole lot of heartache if he had decided to be honest with Le Si from the beginning but that would mean we would have nothing to talk about now so I guess this is just how things were meant to work out.
I have to say, I was pretty disappointed in the way Xiao Lu decided to make his grand exit. Leaving Le Si standing there, with her eyes closed, expecting that her desperate wish for Xiao Lu’s affections was about to come true was harsh, even in Tian Xing standards and I can’t blame Le Si for being upset. There’s nothing quite as painful as having your love rejected but to have it blown off completely… Ouch! To make things worse, Xiao Lu has to show up at OZ the next day and declare he’s leaving, as in right now, and there’s no chance for anyone to say anything more than a quick “goodbye.” Shocked as she is, Le Si can’t stand to let Xiao Lu go without making it absolutely clear how she feels about him and instead of letting her down gently, Xiao Lu flat-out tells her she’s nothing more than a friend and he wants nothing more than that from her. (Liar.)
We all know that as Le Si tries to process Xiao Lu’s rejection, Xiao Lu is struggling to stick with the decision he made to disappear and we also know that he feels incredibly guilty for breaking Le Si’s heart (as well he should) but even all of that inner turmoil isn’t enough to convince me I should forgive Xiao Lu for being so cold. There were a zillion different ways Xiao Lu could have said good-bye but he chose the most painful path and now he has to deal with the consequences. I think that the thing that makes it even harder for me to forgive Tian Xing/Xiao Lu for his coldness is the sneaky way Tian Xing shows up almost immediately after Xiao Lu left. I know that Tian Xing was really just worried about Le Si and that he wanted to be with her, to comfort her as best he could but at the same time, it left me feeling like Tian Xing inflicted the wound just so he could administer the medicine.
Whether Tian Xing had ulterior motives or not, one thing is for certain, Le Si willingly used the shoulder he offered and spent the entire rest of the evening conversing, quite civilly, with a man she has sworn she hated. I know that things aren’t going to pick up between Tian Xing and Le Si any time soon but they’ve started heading in the right direction and there is the very real possibility that things between them could eventually move beyond civil toleration, at least on Le Si’s part. Tian Xing has made it painfully obvious that his feelings for Le Si aren’t going to change so it’s really only a matter of time before he wins her over. Of course a lot of his success is going to depend on whether or not he can keep his mouth shut on matters concerning Xiao Lu. Mere hours after Tian Xing decides to make Xiao Lu disappear, he’s on the verge of spilling the beans about the whole thing and if Le Si doesn’t catch on soon, I may have to start flipping tables.
So what are your thoughts on this week’s developments? Could you find Tian Xing’s motivation in bringing Le Si to that party? Would you care to elaborate for me? What do you think of Xiao Lu’s decision to disappear? Do you think Tian Xing is doing the right thing by making Xiao Lu leave forever? Do you really think Tian Xing will be able to stick with his decision or will Xiao Lu reappear in the near-ish future? Am I the only one who felt a little uneasy about Tian Xing appearing to comfort Le Si so soon after Xiao Lu left? As always, I’d love to hear what you’re thinking so be sure to leave me a comment below!
You can catch up on all of my reviews of Fall in Love With Me here:
Wow, this week’s developments left me disappointed. I feel like skipping a few episodes until Le Si gets over Xiao Lu. As for the party, I think the whole point was that Le Si asked Tian Xing for advice on how to act more like a professional producer so he decided to dress her up to attend one of the industry events as encouragement. Unfortunately, I don’t think he taught her well enough because clearly, she was not ready to face the public. Le Si’s attitude about the whole thing really disappointed me. Does she really believe that she can take over her brother’s company and act like a deer in headlights in the business world? I can’t stand seeing weak women. Surely, after all these years working at OZ, she should be able to at least explain what her company offers and be able to speak about her company. I was majorly disappointed. If this is the case, I’m on Tian Xing’s side in that he should have taken over the company because it would have fallen anyway without him. Sure, Le Si could have relied on Leo, but she can’t rely on him forever and besides, it was her job to begin with. Tian Xing should have trained Le Si more before even attempting to bring her to such a social event because she and OZ just became the laughing stock of the industry.
I understand that Xiao Lu had to disappear, but it was really disappointing to see it done the way Tian Xing did it. I was pretty disgusted in how Xiao Lu broke up with Le Si. He’s a first class jerk for abandoning her in the middle of a square, making her realize what a fool she is for being honest. I think I saw the ugly side of Tian Xing, which I can’t get past at this point. There are better ways to go about it. Why did he have to crush her heart like that? Actually, I expected Tian Xing to show up by Le Si’s side because Le Si is very vulnerable at this time. Tian Xing could show a better image of himself and surprisingly, Le Si never rejects his company even though she reject her friend Miao Miao’s genuine offer to stay by her side. I’m sure Le Si was avoiding Leo as well. I believe Le Si finds comfort in Tian Xing somehow because maybe she just needs to get upset with Tian Xing like she always does in order to lessen the pain of breaking up with Xiao Lu since Tian Xing and Xiao Lu have the same face. I would have used Tian Xing like a punching bag.
There is no doubt in my mind that Xiao Lu will make a reappearance. After all, this drama’s title is to fall in love with “both” of me so it’s too early to cut Xiao Lu out of the game. It’s not like Tian Xing will try to come clean any time soon. A stupid excuse like family problems is not going to keep any concerned person away from him. I’m not sure why he wants to keep everything a secret and I still have yet to figure out what his master plan is regarding OZ. So what if he helps OZ? What will he do with his existing company? I really can’t support what he’s doing until I know what’s going on. This week is the first week where I’d rather skip next week’s episode if Le Si is going to mope around after a jerk who didn’t even give her the time of day or night. It’s time to take advantage of her black belt skills.
I am so with you on the whole “I can’t stand weak women” thing! Argh! It’s so upsetting to see a woman in a strong leadership role acting, as you said, “like a deer in headlights.” If Le Si was really as helpless as she appears to be now, OZ should have disappeared years ago! There’s no way a company can survive when it’s leader is not only helpless but also completely clueless about anything remotely related to her business. Seriously, there’s no way OZ should have lasted as long as it has, at least not with Le Si at the helm.
If Tian Xing is really out to help Le Si learn, he needs to step up and really put some effort into his lessons. He can’t just pop in every now and then with a little wit and charm and expect Le Si to actually learn what it takes to run a successful business. If he’s really going to help her he needs to stop trying to make her fall for him and just focus on helping her with her career. I’m sure that once Le Si realized Tian Xing was genuine in his wanting to help her, things would naturally fall into place on a personal level. It’s obvious Le Si doesn’t mind Tian Xing nearly as much as everyone thinks she does, if he could just be around her without being a jerk, she might be more inclined to fall for him… Well, once she gets over Xiao Lu that is.
Speaking of… I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one upset with the way Tian Xing/Xiao Lu handled the whole thing with Le Si. (I’d call it a break up but they were never “officially” a couple so I’m kind of at a loss for words on this one…) Leaving Le Si in the park like that was pretty much the worst, most awful, most cruel and uncaring way to let someone know you’re not interested in them, ever in the history of the world. (Well, pretty close anyway.) I’m not sure I’m really going to be able to forgive him for that one. It was just so low and then, to make things worse, he has to tell her he only liked her as a friend. Like she’s really going to believe that! You don’t plan a major romantic birthday celebration for someone you only see as a friend. Stinking punk! I’m still holding out hope that Tian Xing didn’t set Le Si up for the major disappointment just so he could swoop in and comfort her but there’s a big part of me that wouldn’t put such low tactics past him. He still hasn’t proven himself to be as trustworthy as I’d like him to be which is why Le Si is as unsure of him as I am. Though like you pointed out, why would she be willing to spend her evening of mourning with Tian Xing instead of Miao Maio? That doesn’t make sense unless she’s secretly harboring feelings for Tian Xing and if that’s the case why be so upset over Xiao Lu when you’ve got his look-alike right in front of you? Ugh, sometimes this whole alter-ego things is a bit frustrating!
I really hope that Xiao Lu doesn’t come back. He needs to stay as far away from Le Si as possible and Tian Xing knows that. He’s not so stupid that he doesn’t realize his chances with Le Si are 0 as long as Xiao Lu is around. That was the main reason for his whole emotional breakdown this week, he was torn between being with Le Si as Xiao Lu and saying goodbye to her forever. I get that it was a struggle for him but it still doesn’t inspire me to forgive him for dumping Le Si as he did. My guess is Tian Xing isn’t going to be able to keep the truth about Xiao Lu a secret for much longer. I think he’s going to get so frustrated with Le Si for holding onto the hope that Xiao Lu might come back some day that he’s just going to spill the beans. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind that as it would probably do everyone a world of good to get the truth out in the open and let things develop from there. Of course that may be asking too much from a drama but it would be nice…
That’s why I believe OZ was really run by Leo, who is too nice of a person to just leave Le Si and OZ. I just can’t believe Le Si was the one running the company since their college days or maybe she really had small business contracts so it wasn’t as intimidating.
I really thought that Le Si would fall in love with Tian Xing because of his business skills. I thought that she would realize his and her potential during this time period, but I think the staff rushed the whole apprentice thing with Le Si. Yes, of course, it’s nice to dress the part, but you have to have the skills first.
I know, I hesitated to call it a break-up too, but I have no idea what to call this? A potential break-up, I suppose. They could have been a couple had Xiao Lu not been so evasive. I was just shocked at how cruel Xiao Lu was for leaving Le Si when she was confessing, but I thought he was going to come back and then make an excuse about why he left, though he never did show himself. It kills when Le Si texts him and she knew he read her texts, but he would not respond once. I guess he resolved to break-up with her and not prolong any leftover feelings they might have for each other. Sadly, as you mentioned, Xiao Lu is one of the worst lovers in dramaland. At least he didn’t knock her up and then leave.
Oddly, I have no idea where the story line would go if Xiao Lu disappeared for good. Tian Xing can chase Le Si in vain, but that’s really no fun. I’m hoping for more business direction in the next episodes. If Tian Xing isn’t willing to confess, we’ll need some other plot distraction to keep us going for the coming episodes. I keep thinking Tian Xing is the modern superman. Since Superman once was willing to get rid of his super powers to be with Lois Lane, I wonder if Tian Xing would be frustrated enough to just drop his main identity and live as Xiao Lu instead though I’m sure something will happen and he will have to revert back to Tian Xing because that is his DESTINY.
Destiny shmestiny! I think Tian Xing just needs to stop being such a punk and let the nicer Xiao Lu side out more often. A person doesn’t have to be all one way or all the other, it is quite possible for a person to have much more depth to their character. I think if Tian Xing could understand that and try to be a bit nicer he’d find that the whole world would open up to him, not just Le Si. (And yes, I realize that’s kind of a funny thing to say to a guy who literally has everything but seeing as how he has no friends beyond sleazy Lance and Uncle Fu, I’d say he could benefit from having the world open to him.)
Of course I’m not too keen on singing the praises of Xiao Lu at the moment either. He was a total jerk when he left Le Si and no amount of crying on his part is going to make me think better of him. If he wanted to remain with Le Si that badly, he could have found a better way to go about it. Like you said, at least he didn’t knock her up and then leave but still, crushing her soul and breaking her spirit isn’t exactly nice. I think that if Xiao Lu were to come back, it would be better for Le Si to have nothing to do with him.
Hmmm… Now there’s a thought. Maybe with Xiao Lu out of the picture, Tian Xing will have the space to move in and even if Le Si doesn’t immediately fall in love with him, the time spent together will eventually be so full of fond memories that if Xiao Lu were to return Le Si would eventually see that her heart truly lies with Tian Xing. Wouldn’t that be a lovely turn of events? Bringing Xiao Lu back just so he could be rejected by Le Si would actually make me pretty happy. Ooh! Now I have something to hope for!
As for Le Si and Tian Xing, I was really hoping she would fall for him simply because he’s interesting, he spurs her to greatness and she enjoys being around him but I guess that’s asking too much. I guess if Le Si could fall for Tian Xing because of his lessons in business that would be okay but honestly, I’d be pretty disappointed in her. I think Tian Xing is actually a really good guy (despite his obvious flaws) and the chemistry he has with Le Si (both when they’re fighting and when they’re not) is enough to make a relationship interesting. Of course I’m a sucker for the “I hate you” relationships that eventually turn to love so that’s really what I’m hoping for here. There just aren’t any sparks when a couple goes from mutual like to love… It’s just too boring!
As for the whole business aspect of this drama, it’s been pretty well established that the writers have had no actual experience in the business world so everything they’re throwing in here is just for dramatic effect. Had any of this taken place in the “real” world, OZ would have disappeared a long time ago and Leo would be making tons of money at Tian Xing’s company (if he really is as talented as everyone claims he is). Le Si would be stuck working at her parent’s clinic, most likely cleaning things and just getting in the way, and Tian Xing would be nothing more than the man who bought out OZ before it went completely under. Knowing that nothing pertaining to the business aspects of this show are realistic I can only hope that the writers find a way to use the business to bring Tian Xing and Le Si together (preferably in a way that doesn’t make me want to pound my head against the table).
All these possibilities sound good. I think I’m done with the fluff and now I actually want a better story line now. Actually, I think it would be nice if Tian Xing becomes a hybrid of Tian Xing and Xiao Lu, but I think he will get there eventually.
Yes! A better story line would be much appreciated! 🙂