"so Zhi's crush was.. me?" 他喜欢的人...是我

This is the moment we were all waiting for ! Love blooming at bullet train speed !

Chinese New Year was back.
Jiaxu was driving Sang Zhi to the airport while interrogating her about her crush. She answered with an accurate description.
Jiaxu was nonplussed, but admitted in answer to her question that he might accept a girlfriend her age. Sang Zhi was startled.
But he still needed help from his friend Qianfei later, to realize who she had been talking about.

Qianfei was getting married in Nanwu. At the wedding party, Sang Zhi was surprised by Jiaxu’s unexpected arrival, looking transformed in his business suit and glasses, and playing with the gift she had given to him for his graduation. The rest of the evening was a succession of smooth moves to attract her, separate her from the shield of her elder brother, and have her accept his closeness and his gift of love under the pretext of a New Year’s gift.

Did you catch the snippet about the strawberries and did you find where it fit in the episode ? Did you understand what he meant by this present and by the warning he gave her ?

CZY and ZLS played perfectly the ballet of flirtation and bewilderment to acceptance, showing with moves and glances, piano playing on the wheel and rapping knuckles on a table, using the glasses to alternatively show a naked face and dressed up appearance.
This was preceded by a counterpoint of Sang Yan sporting asymmetrical sunglasses that his sister had given him as New Year’s gift ; only Victor Ma BoQiang could rakishly wear such glasses with a crooked lock falling on them.

Notice the song at Qian Fei wedding banquet was the one sung by Zhao Lusi in the Oh! My Emperor OST : "It Seems to Fall Into The Sea of Love" which you can listen to here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJLqLedBsxQ
The song they were laughing to in the car during the strawberries moment was "Be Your light", the song by Ma Boqian from the OST, here in lyrics MV : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo8LkKRIOIw

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Now to list the series of seductive moves that had you squealing with delight and kicking up your heels :

* Sang Zhi was taken aback when she saw Jiaxu stride into the wedding party while he was fingering the necktie to draw her attention.
* He played Sang Yan, calling him mockingly « Gege » (as if he was into BL !) so that Sang Zhi’s brother exchanged seats in exasperation, and Jiaxu could sit next to her.
* He rapped his knuckles on the table to command her to watch the text message where he demanded why she had not greeted him yet.
* He continued his interrogation, ascertaining that she had met her crush at the karaoke, and next baffling her with his remark that Qianfei was a smart guy indeed.
* He gained knowledge of her pet name, ZhiZhi, used only by those close to her, and he shook her confidence, when he inquired about why she had him as « Brother no.2 » in her phone directory, making her indirectly aware that this name was now as moot as « little sister » was about herself : both were now acknowledged adults and free to move ahead.
* He noticed with a thoughtful expression her frustration when a passing guest snatched the strawberry that she had coveted on the fruit plate.
* He let her go first, when she expressed the desire to leave, but followed on her heels shortly after and commandingly showed her the keys to the car that Sang Yan had lent to him.
* He was intrusively familiar to her, calling her by her pet name then, doing away with the childishness.
* He swiftly purchased a box of heart shaped strawberries at the nearby store, while wearing his business like glasses as if to hide his intent.
* While he was driving, he let her feed him a strawberry, pretending (after having taken off the glasses, as though he wanted to draw attention to his naked face) that he could not take his hands off the wheel ; yes, but he could bend his head to her and snatch the strawberry with his lips (as if in symbolic kissing) from her hand with a wicked glance. She blushed in surprise and could not repress a smile. He smiled back knowingly at her.
* He was in full mock serious flirtatious mode when he warned her "Don't take advantage of me".
* He was wearing the glasses again, when he set her off at the door to her garden, where he gave her the box containing a tenderly chosen gift with a highly symbolic meaning.
* Sang Zhi was so surprised that she had to confirm that the initials engraved on the charm were hers.
* She raised her head to look directly into his eyes after accepting the gift, and Jiaxu looked immensely satisfied when she agreed, in answer to his slightly ambiguous question 喜欢吗 Xǐhuān ma? ([Do you} like?)... Did he mean only the bracelet or did he mean himself too?
* This was like a betrothal present, and a symbol that this previously "lone dog" (a common way of talking about single men, in China) was now "collared and leashed" to her...
* He released her, after an exchange of nod, meaningful glances, and a tender gesture of his hand as if his fingers were running ahead.
* She looked up the meaning of the wristlet (手环 shǒu huán) and paused when she discovered the symbolism and near homophony with « Love » (喜欢 xǐhuān). Her raptured expression, next, showed that her dream had come true.

All the cards were now on the table, and the game could move on to a higher ground, no-holds barred, in the chasing and winning her, hook, line and sinker.
The whole episode, in the rapid-fire succession of seductive moves, was a pure delight.

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