Episode Summary
Zuo Qian Dai begins avoiding Ye Qi, using grad school exams as an excuse to stop helping with his comic, leaving Ye Qi confused but supportive. Meanwhile, Gu Zheng Xing seeks Ye Qi's help to find a girl he's only seen in a leg photo. Chai Zi Yu models for the art club and later tells Ye Qi that Zuo Qian Dai might be heartbroken after posting a sad voice message online. Though initially critical of her supposed emotional investment, Ye Qi ends the episode preparing a gift to cheer Zuo Qian Dai up.
Spoiler Alert
First off, Zuo Qian Dai has been MIA from Ye Qi's place, leaving him high and dry without his usual inker. When Ye Qi finally tracks her down, she hits him with the classic "I'm super busy with grad school exams" excuse, implying she can't help with the comic anymore. Ye Qi, bless his oblivious heart, totally misses the subtext. Instead of sensing something's up, he wishes her luck and even offers to be her model for practice sketches, an offer Zuo Qian Dai flat-out refuses. Ouch.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng Xing pops up with a rather unique problem. He’s completely smitten by a photo of a girl's legs he saw on campus and is desperate to find their owner. He even asks Ye Qi for advice on how to track her down. Good luck with that, buddy.
Back to the art club drama: Zuo Qian Dai, in an effort to find a male model for the art club, approaches Chai Zi Yu. Ye Qi, still trying to be helpful (or perhaps just cluelessly trying to get back in Zuo Qian Dai's good graces), gets some grad school exam tips from senior You Li to pass on to her.
Later, Chai Zi Yu, now roped into modeling, asks Ye Qi for tips on striking cool poses. Ye Qi, ever the comic nerd, suggests copying poses from his action figures. Great idea, right? Except Chai Zi Yu sheepishly admits he only collects female figurines, leading to some predictably awkward and less-than-heroic stances. You can just picture that.
Chai Zi Yu eventually makes it to the art club and starts posing as instructed by the eager female students. Ye Qi also shows up to give Zuo Qian Dai the exam notes he gathered. For a fleeting moment, you can see Zuo Qian Dai is touched by the gesture, though she quickly puts her cool facade back on. As Ye Qi watches the art club members sketch, he decides to join in. It's around this time that the penny finally starts to drop for Ye Qi – he realizes Zuo Qian Dai is definitely giving him the cold shoulder and wracks his brain trying to figure out what he did wrong.
Inspired by Ye Qi's earlier (unintentional) advice, Chai Zi Yu takes a seat on some steps, scanning the passing crowd, hoping to spot the girl with the "mystery legs" from Gu Zheng Xing's photo.
Speaking of Gu Zheng Xing, his professor gives him some feedback on a script he submitted. The prof likes it but feels the emotional connection between the main characters needs more depth. Gu Zheng Xing, ever the opportunist, decides to weave his real-life quest for the "mystery legs" girl into his story. Hey, write what you know, right? The professor actually thinks it’s an interesting addition.
Back with Ye Qi, he's still mystified by Zuo Qian Dai's sudden aloofness. Chai Zi Yu then drops a bombshell: he tells Ye Qi that Zuo Qian Dai recently posted a voice message online about heartbreak. The theory? She's probably heartbroken. This leaves Ye Qi completely baffled, as he had no idea Zuo Qian Dai was even dating anyone. He then remembers that time she was stuck in a tree and he overheard her talking about a guy she liked.
Upon hearing that heartbreak is the likely cause of Zuo Qian Dai's mood change, Ye Qi's reaction is a bit… well, judgey. He actually blames her for investing too much emotionally. Dude, really? After Chai Zi Yu leaves, Ye Qi opens a drawer and stares at the ink he’d bought for Zuo Qian Dai, a clear look of disappointment on his face.
But it seems our boy Ye Qi isn't entirely clueless or heartless. The next day, determined to lift Zuo Qian Dai's spirits, he carefully prepares a gift and sets off to find her.
