Original subtitles

[You are My Fateful Love] [EP03]

How did I even add him?

Well...

What did my friend request

say?

[Hello, Lawyer Xu.]

[This is Ruan Yu.]

[If it's okay with you, ]

[I'd like to ask you a question.]

[Well...]

[What did my friend request]

[say?]

[Sorry, Mr. Xu.]

[I accidentally]

[pressed the wrong key.]

[Are you]

[in the US right now?]

[Sorry, ]

[I didn't know that.]

[Sorry for disturbing your rest.]

[Let's talk]

[when you're free.]

Wasted that coffee for nothing?

Let's do 5 p.m. San Francisco time.

5 p.m.

8 a.m. Beijing Time?

So as soon as I wake up,

I'll have to talk to him about the case?

It's fine.

At least there's over

ten thousand kilometers between us.

No face-to-face.

It's still early.

So late?

Being a lawyer in California,

Xu Huaisong can't be

that idle, right?

He wouldn't just wait around for me…

Would he?

Mr. Xu, I'm so sorry.

I overslept.

Are you free now?

So shall we start?

[Let's talk face-to-face.]

Isn't he in San Francisco?

[Via video.]

Video call?

[May I ask, ]

[is there any part of this case]

[that requires a video meeting?]

[Sorry, ]

[I'm not available right now.]

[How long?]

[They say in front of an ex]

[you can't lose your composure.]

[An ex-crush and an ex]

[are just one word apart.]

[I can't look this messy.]

[Ten minutes.]

This is way too casual.

No, no.

Still got time.

Mr. Xu, I'm ready.

Hello.

Your manuscript

is a bit long.

I'll skim through it for now.

Or you can just skip it.

It's well-written.

Readable.

Th-Thanks.

[Xu Huaisong's place]

[is so cold and lifeless.]

[So bleak.]

Mr. Xu, are you drinking

black coffee?

Taking big gulps of black coffee,

that's a first for me.

Habit.

For the plagiarism checker,

any thoughts?

[Ruan Yu, oh Ruan Yu, ]

[what are you doing?]

Mr. Xu, sorry.

I'll go get the documents.

Uh...

Mr. Xu.

I'll go get the documents.

Mr. Xu.

Well, earlier,

a friend in the industry

already helped me with part

of the plagiarism checker.

I picked out a few examples

that I think could serve

as direction for our rebuttal.

Go on.

The first direction is plot-wise.

Like

what I wrote in chapter ten,

the scenes between the male lead

and some side characters.

The fried chicken scene.

I'm in.

Bring a ladder after school

and put it by the back wall.

What ladder?

What for?

You know exactly what for.

To climb over the wall

and buy fried chicken.

[Xu Huaisong—so aloof, elegant, ]

[like he doesn't need food or anything, ]

[would he really gang up with them to]

[break rules just for fried chicken?]

Did you finish your homework?

I'm not interested.

Come on.

Forget about your homework.

You're not going?

If you don't go,

I'll give your phone to Old Ruan.

[Oh no.]

[With my dad's temper, ]

[Xu Huaisong is done for.]

[No, I need to figure something out.]

Are you going or not?

Thank you, Madam.

When I'm done with it,

I'll return it right away.

No rush. Tell Mr. Ruan he's welcome

to keep the ladder as long as he wants.

Just bring it back

- whenever you have time. - I've got it.

Thank you.

Xu Huaisong.

Now they won't

give you a hard time, right?

Even if it actually happened,

it's been so many years.

He probably doesn't remember it anyway.

What about this scene?

This scene

is also in The Poet's writing.

But if you look closely,

you'll know our intentions in writing it

are completely different.

My version is from

the female lead's perspective,

I wanna reflect her feelings of secret love.

But for The Poet,

it's from the male lead's perspective,

followed by

his internal monologue,

saying he actually loves fried chicken,

but only pretended to be aloof

because the female lead was nearby

and he thought climbing over the wall

was embarrassing.

That's why he acted

like he was above such things.

I think The Poet

included this scene

to highlight

the male lead's duplicity.

Are you okay, Mr. Xu?

So…

Did you return the ladder afterwards?

Did you get punished?

He's asking about me,

not the female lead in the book.

Could he have already

seen my Weibo

and know that this is

my personal experience?

Mr. Xu,

have you seen my Weibo?

No.

Is there something on your Weibo

I should pay special attention to?

If so,

I can take a look now.

No, no.

It's all trivial stuff.

Nothing important.

Let's continue.

Where were we?

When I returned the ladder...

No.

You've totally confused me.

Let me clarify,

what we're talking about now

isn't me,

We're talking about

the protagonist in my novel.

Besides, your question

doesn't really have anything to do

with our case, does it?

Ms. Ruan,

in order to reach a resolution

that satisfies both of us,

as your legal counsel,

I need you to

trust me one hundred percent,

rather than

questioning my professional judgment.

So…

What does whether the female lead

was punished

have to do with our case?

The Poet included

the next day, the male lead saw

the female lead standing in punishment.

If your female lead

was also punished...

Good thing I didn't include that part

'cause I thought she'd suffered enough.

Mr. Xu, you have sharp eyes.

I almost wronged you just now.

Sorry about that.

Let's move on to the second point.

The second direction is character-wise.

Even though these two books

share many similar plot devices,

the male lead's character

is actually very different.

In my novel, the male lead...

In my novel, the male lead

is quiet and elegant,

mature and composed.

Even though he's aloof,

he's gentle at heart,

and a well-rounded top student.

Huaisong.

I reread Senior

Ruan Yu's novel,

and how come in her book,

you've become such a

lofty and unattainable person?

Huaisong.

Were you just putting on an act

in front of her every day back then?

It seems

Ruan Yu likes

that type.

You better watch out,

don't let your persona collapse.

Did your homework not keep you busy enough?

But the male lead

in The Poet's novel...

If my male lead's demeanor

is more like

Hanazawa Rui

from Meteor Garden,

then The Poet's male lead

is more like

Domyoji Tsukasa

from Meteor Garden.

Don't touch it.

This is for Ruan Yu.

Ruan Yu?

Again?

This is for her too?

You're always giving her gifts.

You bet.

Girl.

I saw your favorite grilled corn

at the cafeteria just now.

Here.

No need.

It's you again.

So what if you're "Class 10's Domyoji"?

Who do you think you are,

some kind of domineering CEO?

So childish.

So childish.

What are you guys looking at?

Don't you know Ruan Yu

is the one I've set my sights on?

I'm already being nice

by not telling my dad

about you.

If you keep pestering me

and interrupting my studies,

we'll

take this to the dean's office.

Ruan Yu, Ruan Yu.

Ruan Yu.

And one more thing,

so what if you're Domyoji?

I like Hanazawa Rui.

Sorry,

what did you just say?

I might have made it too complicated.

To sum it up simply,

I think The Poet's male lead

is very playful and childish.

Aren't most boys that age

pretty much the same?

How are they the same?

How can they be the same?

The Poet's male lead

is so different from mine.

Look at him, going to great lengths

for fried chicken and soda

all the time.

Isn't that playful?

And to win the female lead's favor,

he puts on an act

in front of her

every single day.

Isn't that childish?

That's nothing like my male lead,

not at all.

I remember there are

more scenes to prove it.

Wait, let me show you.

No need.

That's it for today's meeting.

We'll continue another day.

He just hung up like that?

Why does he seem kind of upset?

I wasn't talking about him.

[Daydreaming, buddy?]

[Asking a question like that]

[guarantees you'll never]

[be an aloof man in this lifetime.]

[Aloof, elegant, ]

[and always confident.]

How to be aloof?

[Something's off.]

[Very off.]

Lawyer Xu, are you asleep?

Nothing urgent.

I just wanted to ask,

during today's meeting,

did I say something wrong?

Why did you suddenly

hang up the video call?

You didn't.

I received an urgent work assignment.

But Ms. Ruan,

you harshly criticized

the other male lead

with strong personal feelings.

You were in a subjective

and irrational state, so we should

postpone discussing the case.

I see.

That's too strict.

Lawyer Xu, you misunderstood me.

I was just

a bit anxious

because you didn't see the difference

between the two male leads.

I do see it.

[She doesn't like me at all.]

[How can I confess my feelings?]

Elite lawyers are different, huh?

Always have to stay

objective and rational.

Did he schedule

the next meeting with you?

No.

Hopefully he's

tied up with some big case

and doesn't have much time

for another video meeting with me.

It feels like

I'm back in school taking an exam.

That's not impossible.

I looked him up.

The SG copyright case

he handled in the US

set foreign media ablaze back then.

They said the young and promising

Lawyer Xu, single-handedly,

brought SG back from the brink.

Word is,

what SG pays him now

as legal counsel

is enough to set him up

for the rest of his life.

That impressive?

Makes my years of

crushing on him worth it.

Proves

I've got pretty good taste.

Good taste alone won't cut it.

He's so sharp,

are you sure you haven't slipped up?

Thanks, miss.

I'll try it on myself.

Okay.

Not yet.

You know what,

to not expose myself,

I have to outwit him every day,

it's exhausting.

One video call

feels like I've run 800 meters.

But after all these years,

he hasn't changed much.

I can hear a hint of

lingering affection.

No way.

How is there not?

Look at you every time

you mention Xu Huaisong,

your emotions fluctuate

just like when you were eighteen.

Who wouldn't get emotional

over something this absurd?

Besides,

love at twenty-eight

can't be like it was at eighteen,

where hormonal urges were enough.

It's not just about charm and

physical attraction,

but also personality in daily interaction,

aligned values mentally,

and a spiritual connection.

These four conditions

are all indispensable.

My little emotional outburst

is far from a rekindled flame.

At most,

it's just nostalgia for youth,

a fond remembrance

of the self I was back then.

No wonder you're a writer.

Four conditions,

and nostalgia and remembrance?

You draw the line so clearly.

But still, he was someone

you had such a huge crush on back then.

You should feel a bit familiar, at least?

Here I am,

holding onto my disguise for dear life.

How could I possibly

feel any closeness to him?

Besides,

it's been ten years.

Now, I only see him as

a responsible,

competent lawyer.

He'd better not be so responsible.

It'd be best if he hands

my case to Lawyer Liu.

What about Lawyer Liu?

You've worked with him for a few days.

Did sparks of love

ignite between you two?

Forget it, with my current situation,

I have no mood for love.

Even if I wanted to fall in love,

Lawyer Liu isn't

my type at all.

How do you know

if you don't try?

Look at me and Zhang Chuan,

when we first got together,

I couldn't stand him.

But look how it turned out.

So good.

It does smell nice.

Hi. Can I get

a bottle of this perfume, please?

Sure.

What's wrong?

I feel like someone's watching us.

It's weird.

It's broad daylight.

Are you switching from romance

to horror?

Just pick your perfume.

Which one?

- This one. - Senior Ruan.

It's really you.

Excuse me, who are you?

I'm Cen Sisi!

Don't you remember me?

Oh my gosh.

I haven't seen you in ages!

I was just over there

peeking at you for ages. I was afraid

I'd mistaken you for someone else.

Did you end up staying

in Hang City after graduation?

This is our college junior,

Cen Sisi.

She was in the Chinese department too.

This is my best friend, Shen Mingying.

Nice to meet you.

You too.

I remember now.

Back then, you two were

both in the Arts Department with Shican,

right?

Shican and I grew up together.

I saw you so many times

when I went to visit him.

Seeing you three spend all day

in the Arts Department,

those were good times.

Oh, right!

He's got a performance

in Hang City in a few days.

Did you make plans to meet up?

We don't keep in touch much now.

I didn't even know he was coming.

Yeah, that's true.

After he returned to China last year,

he's been really busy.

Even his family

hardly gets to see him.

But no matter how busy he is,

he shouldn't forget his old friends,

right?

How about this.

I'll arrange a time with him

and we can all get together.

That okay?

Senior.

What do you do for a living now?

I'm kind of a freelancer.

Don't tell me you're a writer.

Not really.

Just an average online writer.

And you?

What job did you get after graduation?

Me?

I just work

at my family's company.

But our school

really produces talented people.

Look at Shican, a big star.

And you, a renowned writer.

I do know a few

online writers.

This circle

seems really tough.

They really have it hard.

I'm okay.

I'm pretty laid-back.

I just write for fun.

Yeah, the online environment

isn't great right now.

It's good you can stay positive.

Sorry, I need to take this.

Yeah, go ahead.

Mr. Xu.

Just got

news from the court.

The case has advanced

to the additional defendant phase.

That fast.

Mr. Xu,

it must be very late there.

Still working?

Insomnia. I'm used to it.

I called

just to ask if,

coincidentally or not,

you might know the defendant.

What?

She's an alum from your department.

Two years behind.

From my college?

Yes.

Her name is Cen Sisi.

Does that ring a bell?

I'm with her now,

having dessert.

It seems like the online smearing

and today's encounter

might not be coincidental.

An open secret in the online lit scene.

Steal a rookie's stories

and concepts, then throw some money

at them to shut them up.

This fake statement...

Does Lily Vale really think

netizens are that stupid?

A whole year without writing,

is it her block,

or nothing left to copy?

Did she really write

those past works herself?

Are you okay?

What's wrong?

Are you feeling unwell?

You look off.

Senior.

What's wrong?

Are you okay?

Sisi,

Are you Su Cheng

from Qianhe?

What...

How do you know that? Are you psychic?

I'm not psychic.

I'm Lily Vale.

You're just coming clean this way?

I might as well get a judge in here

to hold a trial for you two.

Senior,

are you joking?

The world is so small.

Then

on Weibo, I...

Oh my god.

Oh my god, oh my god.

Let me calm down.

Senior, this is

a huge misunderstanding!

If I had known Lily Vale was you,

there's no way I would've

posted that Weibo.

Really?

Why is that?

You'd never

do something like plagiarizing.

Senior.

Did you really sue me?

Oh, this is a huge misunderstanding.

If I had known

Su Cheng was you,

I would've...

Sued you sooner.

I was in the wrong anyway.

Senior.

I didn't want this to blow up.

If you really think

this is a misunderstanding,

we could consider settling.

Really?

That would be great.

If my dad finds out

about this,

he'll kill me.

And if Shican finds out too,

he'd be in such a bind.

Senior,

if you're willing to forgive me,

I'll publicly apologize to you,

and try to undo

all the negative impact on you.

I'll never

be that stupid again.

I'll do anything

for you.

So you know you messed up, huh?

It's not a big deal.

But I really don't know

much about the settlement process.

It needs to be discussed with a lawyer.

If we mess it up,

we'll only create

more trouble for ourselves later.

Right. Legal matters

aren't something

we can handle on our own.

Are you free tomorrow?

Tomorrow?

Well...

I have a full day meeting

at the company tomorrow.

I might not be able to make it.

Senior, how about the day after?

That works too.

So,

the court...

I can ask them to pause the proceedings.

Don't worry.

Let's add each other on WeChat.

Stay in touch.

Yeah.

Here's a summary

of my conversation with Su Cheng.

Please take a look.

Judging from the conversation,

Cen Sisi probably really didn't know

you're Lily Vale.

I don't think so.

This is complicated.

Let's talk about it face to face tomorrow.

What time works for you both?

Is 1 p.m. tomorrow okay?

Fine by me.

Lawyer Xu?

Push it back four hours.

It's midnight for you.

My schedule is flexible.

We'll go with your time, Lawyer Xu.

Alright, Ruan Yu.

So tomorrow,

let's meet at the office at 5 p.m.

Thanks.

Thank you. Thank you.

Okay, this way.

Mr. Xu,

we can't thank you enough.

Without your help,

we foreigners stuck here

would have been

taken advantage of

so badly.

The purpose of law

is to fairly protect

and provide relief to the innocent.

That's what we lawyers

should do.

That's the theory.

But we're just poor

wage earners.

It's only you who's willing

to take our case pro bono,

and you've done so much

for us all along the way.

Anyway, thank you.

Thank you.

When you're away from home,

you have to rely on your own people.

Alright.

I won't take up your work time.

I'll be leaving now.

Hello.

Song.

I'm so mad!

That Su Cheng actually urged me

to sue Senior Ruan Yu.

I'll send you the screenshot.

After thinking it over,

I still suggest you sue Lily Vale.

After all, she infringed

on your copyright.

Huaishi, you're new

to the online literature market.

You don't know how much damage

her plagiarism

will cause you down the line.

See?

What do I do then?

Make her prove

that she's actually Su Cheng.

Lawyer Xu is probably asleep by now.

It's midnight for him.

Right.

Then let's not wait for him.

Don't worry. Even without Lawyer Xu,

you still have Lawyer Liu here.

Let's continue

from where we left off yesterday.

Okay.

Cen Sisi gave me the impression

that she was overacting.

After I told her

I was Lily Vale,

she suddenly jerked her chin

down onto the glass.

Her eyes even

started to water from the pain.

She rubbed it for a while before saying,

"Are you joking?" —that kind of thing.

Also, after being exposed,

her face turned bright red,

and she kept fanning herself.

At the time, these gestures

just made her seem shocked,

but the more I thought about it,

the more off it felt.

You mean she was faking it all?

She probably didn't expect

me to be so direct.

So I think her exaggerated actions

were meant

to distract me

and buy herself time

to craft her response.

So, I think

she has another trick up her sleeve.

Another trick?

No way.

She can't have that many tricks.

You writers

must have too vivid imaginations.

But her actions

really...

Xu...

Mr. Xu?

Why are you back in the country?

I thought you said at the office?

What's this?

Cen Sisi's next move.

Let's get some fried chicken

this afternoon.

Sounds good.

Fried chicken? Huaisong.

You, as a

smart and sensible student,

always dragging us to do these things,

is that appropriate?

Do you want it or not?

Yeah, I'm in.

Bring a ladder after school

and put it

by the back wall.

What ladder?

Find a ladder

and put it by the back wall.

What are you talking about?

You know exactly what for.

To climb over the wall

and buy fried chicken.

Did you finish your homework?

I'm not interested.

What? Come on.

Forget about your homework.

Let's go get some fried chicken!

Come on, are we doing this or not?

Hurry up, they'll close soon.

You get the ladder.

What's wrong with you?

Deal.

Keep your voices down.

No one's going to mistake you

for mute if you keep quiet.

What? We've always

talked like this!

We're just loud!

You never complained before.

Don't you talk like this too?

So are we

eating fried chicken or not?

Yeah, yeah.

Let's go! Fried chicken!