Meteor Garden Episode 2: Long Version (What is Lei's deal?)

Netflix Synopsis: After Shancai turns down his condescending offer, Ah Si deals her friend Qinghe a joker card. Ah Si and Huaze Lei come to blows over Shancai.

Long Version:

Having kicked DMS in the face, Shancai feels great!!! Let's celebrate with a selfie, shall we?


Meanwhile, F3 is having a blast mummifying a knocked out DMS.
Random Musing: Why can we see DMS's breath coming out his mouth at home? Is the set that cold?!

Back at school, the frenemy girls are giving Shancai a hard time, blaming her for violating girl code and disrespecting the school's seniors. Needing some space and hoping for some QT with Lei, she heads up to the roof, ready to return the Burberry handkerchief (with a heart on it!) that he saved her with. He's not there, but she manages to track him down practicing violin. Can we talk about Huaze Lei's amazing lighting here? With his illuminated porcelain skin and on point outfit, he looks like an angel. I am filled with envy.
Shancai thanks him for saving her and returns the handkerchief, but he refuses it, as he doesn't "take back what he's given away". He also tells her not to misconstrue what happened when he saved her, and when she asks if they will meet again on the roof, he coldly replies that he's never going there again and walks away. Geez. Maybe he was upset that she interrupted his violin practice. He looked a bit robotic... instead of super powers, maybe he is a robot?

Cut to Shancai being stopped by two men in suits who tell her that they've been sent by DMS and that she needs to get into the car. She's suspicious for a split second, but hops in the car anyways. Ladies (and Gents): DO NOT DO THIS. That is always the start to a movie with a terrible ending. Stranger danger!
We hear her screaming for mercy as a team of estheticians and stylists give her a makeover and ill-fitting shoes. Is it me, or is there something wrong with Mr. Liu, the butler, who, hearing these cries of help, still goes about his business? Note also the product placement of the CC Cream - it worked - I bought some last week in hopes of perfectly poreless skin like hers...
While waiting for DMS, she sees a picture of Baby F4 and swoons over Baby Lei who still has the same moppy hair... Si is here! He tells her that she can't like Lei, BUT she can be HIS girlfriend. This exclusive offer includes being able to sit with him at school, good snacks at school, tutoring, birthday dinner at the best restaurant in Shanghai - you know, what every other F4 groupie is dreaming of... Except that Shancai is not drinking the Kool-aid. After he claims "there's nothing in this world I can't have", she tells him off, saying that she'd never date a narcissist like him and ends up throwing her too big, patent leather shoes at him and storming out. He's not happy.

All of that drama doesn't make her forget about angelic Lei and his perfect skin, playing the violin... She passes F4 the next day and although she clearly only has eyes for Lei, he's staring straight ahead, while DMS glances at her. Swoon moment. Does he really like her… Meizuo's terrible shirt deserves another callout here. I gave it its own moment in the Fashion Outtakes, but I'm calling it out again. I just don't get it. We need to fire his stylist.
Meanwhile, DMS's inner child is bragging to his bros that Shancai has the hots for him. And like a ten year old boy, he wants to prank her, because that's what you do when you are crushing on someone, right? Hiding in the bathroom, pretending to be ghosts, putting fake cockroaches in her bag, painting an onion red so that she eats it like an apple... He is cracking himself up coming up with these ideas while the rest of the gang is now wondering why they are friends with this fool...

Soapbox Moment: DMS also says, "that girl says one thing but means another". No, not okay. You can't say things like that. No means no, people...I hope this show doesn't take a bad turn...

And nice car, btw.
At work, Shancai and Xiaoyu are talking about F4, when who walks in, but Lei and Ximen! They order some milk teas and when she hands him the drinks, their hands touch! What does this mean?!

And... What's up with Xiaoyu's hair? Is it a case of an ill-fitting hat, or ill-fitting hair?
We're back on the roof at school... Despite saying that he was never going back there, Lei shows up (in a bizarre sweater choice) and discusses the time difference between Shanghai and Paris. She tells him a joke and we get to see his dimple! Aww... Seriously, what does he use on his skin?!...


The frenemies see them talking and, the friends that they are, tell Shancai about Jing, Lei's love interest who is coming back from studying in Paris! What? Noooooooo…



Saddened by this news, Shancai decides to walk away her sorrows, when she sees Lei touching a billboard ad with Jing in it. Of course she's a model too. He sees Shancai, tells her how cute she is, kisses her on the cheek and walks away. Wait, is this a dream? Nope, it really happened. And there's that sweater again.


The next day, in her Lei-filled daze, she walks right past DMS, who is clearly expecting her to acknowledge him, but she is completely unaware of his presence. When he calls her out, she does notice that he's not rocking the pineapple head hair, and instead is wearing it natural. I like both, but I'm partial to the pineapple head...

Jing is back!

Walking in like a celebrity, with students swooning all over her, you see her reunited with her boys. She saves the last hug for Lei and tells him how much she has missed him. We learn that they all grew up together and that DMS also has an older sister who married a year ago and now lives in London.



At dinner, Lei looks upset and is unusually quiet. They give him a hard time and say that he's really quiet when he's really happy, but there's something clearly wrong. He finally blurts out that he thinks Jing's ads are "vulgar" and is not a fan. She isn't offended and ends up saying that she likes him the most and gives him a kiss. The rest of them want one too... Do you think the Asian wine flush is real here or is that makeup? Either way, loving the realness of the situation. :)


The next day, they've made up. Shancai is saddened to see them looking like a happy couple (Lei's seafoam green sweater is back!) demands that she talk to him. Used to girls throwing themselves at him, he's taken aback when she turns him down to eat lunch and play a video game with Qinghe. Uh-oh, seeing them laugh and reminisce about the past is making him very jelly and angry..

This is when he throws a banana peel on the ground to disprove Qinghe's theory that fresh banana peels have enough friction to avoid slipping (and to see him slip and fall)… aaaaand he gets a Joker pai (card). This is NOT okay with Shancai, who storms off to confront DMS. The jump kick music is back - is this when the super powers are revealed?
Cut to Shancai telling DMS that hanging out with Qinghe makes her 1,000, no, 10,000 times happier than him, when speak of the devil... Qinghe shows up with some mom-made soy milk as a thank you for the Joker pai. No, Qinghe, that is not the point... With a bump of his wrist, he knocks the soy milk all over Qinghe, who, male groupie that he is, probably is flattered that he got to be so close to him... They eventually get called out for being cowards who are too scared to use their joker cards... Side Note: Why is his gold TapOut necklace the same logo as my boxing gym?



Anyhoo, it's lunch time! DMS is staring at Shancai eating lunch with Qinghe. No, that's not creepy at all... She hastily gets up to leave as she sees him get up to walk over, and knocks into an unusually big Asian bully who berates her, even though she is the one on the ground covered in food. DMS, being the jerk that he is, comes over to give her a hard time and notes that she must be so happy hanging out with TapOut guy instead of DMS.

This is when it gets juicy. Lei has had enough! He comes to the rescue, helping her up and inspecting her like she's a Chanel bag that he's about to purchase. This does not make DMS happy... Both grab her arms like she's a wishbone... In front of Jing too, who along with Ximen and Mezuo are thinking WTF... DMS accuses Lei of liking her and gives him an ultimatum - Shancai or his friendship.

He chooses her.

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