Asian Addicts Anonymous

Omo, omo, what an episode! Although, I shall admit to its predictability. Besides that, it is going good. And I will preface this by saying how much I really ship Tian Ze with Ai Xing. Why? You’ll see.

Step Nine: Compared to love, I love money more.

Mrs. Meng shows up at Ai Xing’s office and Ling Li immediately starts fawning over her thinking she is a potential customer. I admit to loving how Mrs. Meng tactfully shot Ling Li down and put her in her place. After Ling Li leaves, Mrs. Meng asks Ai Xing how Jing Jing is doing. Ai Xing tells her the exact same thing that Tian Ze told Mrs. Meng. I guess she just wanted to ascertain that it was indeed the truth. Mrs. Meng then tells Ai Xing that problems are arising at home and Mrs. Meng really needs her daughter’s presence and support. While I know she’s not lying, you have to think she chose Ai Xing to relay the message to as Ai Xing is definitely more pushy when it comes to keeping family together.

Thus Ai Xing ends up waiting for Jing Jing to knock off work. Jing Jing is happy to see her friend, but her mood takes a downward turn when Ai Xing explains why she is there. Ai Xing, however, does convince Jing Jing to go and have dinner with both her parents. Needless to say the girls get quite a shock when Ren Wei also shows up. What a small, small world. Mrs. Meng introduces him to Jing Jing and he confesses that they’ve met before. Dinner starts and Mrs. Meng asks fi Ren moved back to Taiwan [he rose to the top from nothing in the US] to be with his parents. Ren confesses that they are both dead. Mrs. Meng apologizes and Ren says he chooses to look at it this way, at least he can do what he wants without having to worry about pleasing his parents and doing as he’s told [relationship wise]. Talk about a barb leveled at Jing Jing.

Mr. Meng [who I expected to be a real jackass that I wouldn’t like thanks to the first episode, but I find myself really sympathizing with] turns the topic to Ai Xing and Jing JIng imposing on her. Ai Xing says that Jing Jing is no trouble at all. Besides, she has a small and shabby apartment, so she is just happy that Jing Jing will come over at all. Mr. Meng then asks where Ai Xing hails from and boy does his mood immediately turn dour when she says Mei Ze [that is also the place where the development project is taking place]. Now, I am going to conjecture something here. I think that there just might be a chance that Mr. Meng could be Ai Xing’s dad. This might be coming completely out of nowhere, but I wonder. Mrs. Zeng’s “husband” [if he was really her husband, I don’t think he’d emigrate and not send money back nor eventually try to take her with him] emigrated to the US before he knew she was pregnant with the twins. Given drama plots, doesn’t that sound plausible? Anywho, enough digressing. Mrs. Meng saves the situation by taking his hand and saying that is where they met.

The quintet then toast the special fate that had brought all of these people together. Ai Xing completely downs her glass of wine in mere seconds. Jing Jing tries to get her to slow down, but Ai Xing doesn’t listen. I do recall Tian Ze saying that Ai Xing has a horrible drinking problem when the booze is free to her. This amuses Mr. Meng and he encourages the rest of the table to follow Ai Xing’s example. Wow. I am liking this man more and more. I figured he would be the pompous arse who didn’t really care about his family, but that hasn’t proved to be so [although I don’t think there’s any real romantic love for his wife].

Jing Jing corners her mother in the bathroom and wants to know why Mrs. Meng didn’t tell Ai Xing about Ren coming. Mrs. Meng said it doesn’t matter as Jing Jing hasn’t had dinner with her dad in a long time. Mrs. Meng asks if Jing Jing will go back the Ai Xing’s apartment and then basically says that Jing Jing needs to come home to save their reputation. Ay de mi. That woman. I want to like her and pity her, but can’t seem to do so.

Somehow Ai Xing and Yia Nan end up walking home together. Ai Xing is happy to have had such good free meals of late when she sees Tian Ze at the exact moment that Yia Nan was trying his luck again. She asks why Tian Ze is in the area and he shows her the keys to his new apartment. This sets Ai Xing off on another “woe is me” dialogue about the apartment and while this is going on, Tian Ze pulls Yia Nan aside and basically tries to get Yia Nan to move in with Ai Xing so she won’t be lonely when Tian Ze leaves. Ai Xing, when she finally stops her theatrics, figures out what is going on, she immediately vetoes the idea. What will happen to her reputation if another man moves in with her? Ai Xing says it didn’t matter that Tian Ze moved in with her as she didn’t see him as a man. This makes Yia Nan happy as that means Ai Xing considers him a guy. His good mood is shattered as he realizes that Ai Xing doesn’t take interest in men either. What’s the poor boy to do?

At the Meng home, Jing Jing calls Tian Ze only to hang up on him when her mom enters the room with pajamas. Mrs. Meng praises Ren Wei [its easy to see she’d like Ren and Jing Jing to get together]. Mrs. Meng also reveals that Ren praised Jing Jing. She then changes the topic to Jing Jing’s new doctor. Jing Jing replies she has an upcoming appointment and then she also drops the bomb that she hasn’t been taking her medicine since she left the Meng house. Why? Her improved mood and atmosphere was the best medicine. Well, she has a point, and boy is that point a slap in her mother’s face. With this news, Mrs. Meng tells her daughter to take a shower and go to bed and leaves.

Meanwhile, Tian Ze waits anxiously. Just when he gets up, he finally gets another call from Jing Jing. She apologizes for earlier. Talk about one awkward phone conversation. The two then lie on their respective beds and determine to keep on line throughout the night. Before they sleep, Tian Ze says he has someplace to take Jing Jing the next day. He takes Jing Jing to their new apartment. The girl is ecstatic. Tian Ze then says he has already seen their life there together. The two then play at house and end up getting a little hot and heavy in the bedroom before being interrupted by a call from Jing Jing’s office. She has to return.

Jing Jing’s Wealthy Woman and Rich Man event goes off without a hitch and is well received. She takes the dolls for Ai Xing [it actually looks like they might be piggy banks] and meets her for lunch. Ai Xing has already bought and heated the lunches and has even got drinks. She happily accepts the gifts and Jing Jing then says she has something to tell Ai Xing who says she already knows about Tian Ze and Jing Jing moving out. Jing Jing says that isn’t it and then confesses she had met Ren Wei prior to the meeting Ai Xing arranged. At that time neither Ren nor Jing Jing knew just who the other person was. Jing Jing didn’t know how to tell Ai Xing. This makes sense to Ai Xing as now she knows why Jing Jing was so harsh when she saw Ren. Jing Jing then tells Ai Xing about Ren’s comment about love at first sight.

Well, Ai Xing rushes over to her boss’s office and he tells her that she needs to knock first. This totally knocked the wind out of her sails. She goes back outside and then knocks. He tells her to come in and Ai Xing immediately tells Ren to stay away from Jing Jing as she already has a boyfriend. Ren says that doesn’t matter and Jing Jing isn’t married, so he’s done nothing wrong. Ai Xing can’t argue with that, but again insists that he needs to stop pursuing Jing Jing. Ren points out that it’s Ai Xing’s fault for rejecting him. Poor, gullible Ai Xing believes this. Ren then scolds her for yelling at him when he is the boss and she is a little peon.

Mr. and Mrs. Meng sit and talk about their dire financial situation and their options. Mrs. Meng wonders if he can’t get a government loan. Mr. Meng replies that there are already so many people applying for those who are worse off, so it is unlikely that they’d get one. Mr. Meng will talk to the banks next week and warns his wife not to do anything again [I am guess he’s referring to trying to set Jing Jing up with the son of an affluent family who could help the Meng’s out of their troubles]. Jing Jing then shows up soon followed by Ren Wei. Jing Jing definitely picks up a strange vibe and demands to know what’s wrong when she gets home. Mrs. Meng doesn’t want to tell her, but Mr. Meng confesses the awful truth. The company is on the verge of bankruptcy and they have debt that accrues NT$1,000,000 in interest daily. Ouch. Jing Jing is completely stunned. Mr. Meng then apologizes for not being able to spare his family from this disaster.

Ai Xing and Tian Ze are sighing together. Ai Xing wonders why he hasn’t moved out with Jing Jing as of yet. Jing Jing called and said something was up at home, so she will be staying there for the next few days and  Tian Ze doesn’t want to move in without her. Ai Xing sighs again and Tian Ze wonders what her reason is. Did another rich guy fall for her? Ai Xing keeps her mouth closed and Tian Ze marvels at who would have such poor taste. He then yells after the retreating Ai Xing to focus on work and not on landing a wealthy man. Good advice. AI Xing then freaks out about what Ren Wei said and comes to her own decision on just what to do to keep Ren away from Jing Jing.

The next morning, Jing Jing and Mr. Meng share the car to work. He is very happy to be able to spend such time with his daughter. Mr. Meng also confesses that he had a wish that Jing Jing would graduate and work for him. Jing Jing wonders why he didn’t say anything earlier and Mr. Meng replies that he did not want to stand in her way. Jing Jing finally realizes that her father wasn’t the uncaring man she thought he was. He had spent so much time building the company for her and her mother [although she understands that there is no love for Mrs. Meng, but still]. So Jing Jing takes the plunge and quits working at the ad agency [just as she was about to be promoted to AE – is that different from the AD position she was coveting or did I mishear?]. This, of course, gets the girls who always taunt her to talk nastily about how Jing Jing bragged she make it to AD and now is leaving after only playing around for a little while. Sigh.

Ai Xing shows up at Ren’s apartment, shocking him. Even more shocking is her clothes and behavior. Since she doesn’t want Ren to go after Jing Jing, Ai Xing is putting in her best effort to seduce him. Now, whenever she tries this tactic, she is always so horribly fake and obvious. Ren finds this amusing, but has no time to play. Then out pops a livid Ling Li who immediately starts chasing, berating, and hitting Ai Xing. Ren tells Ling Li to quit it as Ai Xing is her employee. Ling Li says not for long as she will fire Ai Xing, but Ren says he won’t have that. Ling Li is livid that Ren is protecting the younger girl. Alas, Ren can’t stay any longer as he really needs to be somewhere. He tells the two girls to work out their problem and leaves, calling Tian Ze on the way out to come and save Ai Xing’s life. LMAO. Nice. It was a really funny scene but I totally wanted to facepalm after seeing Ai Xing’s “seduction” act. And I have to wonder why she would go quite that far as to sacrifice her body and happiness like that. I mean, there’s nothing wrong in trying to help your friends out, but that’s going a step too far.

Tian Ze arrives and Ling Li immediately deduces he is Ai Xing’s live-in boyfriend. The two adamantly refuse that they are in that type of relationship. They are just two friends who live together. Ling Li wonders how Ai Xing can have such a complicated love life. Ai Xing admits she is still a virgin, but Ling Li won’t believe her after that slutty act she witnessed. Tian Ze picks up on this and demands to know just why Ai Xing did. Ai Xing then confesses she tried to seduce Ren Wei to keep him away from Jing Jing. Say what? Ai Xing then tells him what Ren Wei said to Jing Jing about falling in love at first sight and how Ren told Ai Xing that was because she rejected him. Tian Ze denounces his friend as an idiot for believing Ren [he does have a point there]. Meanwhile, Ling Li tries to follow and denounces Jing Jing as another slut which earns her the wrath of Ai Xing and Tian Ze. Ling Li then puts two and two together and realizes Jing Jing is Meng Cheng Hua’s daughter. She then says that Fu Hua construction is going bankrupt. This shocks both Ai Xing and Tian Ze.

Meanwhile, Jing Jing is now working at her father’s company. She is with him as he pleads with the bankers to give him time to repay the increasing debt. The bankers refuse to do so and then berate Mr. Meng for his lack of hospitality [he didn’t offer drinks or anything]. Jing Jing immediately goes to pour some water and watches heartbrokenly as her father apologizes and pleads for the bankers to listen. They refuse, but in rushes Ren Wei who is there to pay off the debt for the Mengs. Mr. Meng thanks him profusely and Ren said that he had been waiting for the sale of land to go through before he tried to step in and help as Mr. Meng’s gross debt is no secret. Mr. Meng goes back to his office and Ren Wei tells Jing Jing that this is his present to her. Ugh. I would say he has a good heart, but we already know about how he blames Meng for his father’s and brother’s deaths.

Tian Ze and Ai Xing head home wondering how they can help their friend when they find Jing Jing sitting alone, drinking with a full party spread [complete with balloons]. She teases them about being out on a date behind her back and says they can’t do that. Tian Ze then says they know about her father’s company going bankrupt. Jing Jing then has a complete meltdown. She starts badmouthing Tian Ze and Ai Xing who have vowed to help in whatever way they can as they are poor with no money. Tian Ze tells her to stop as he and Ai Xing are the only ones who would stand by her side. Jing Jing then tells them that doesn’t matter as she has come to a decision. Jing Jing chooses money over love and breaks up with Tian Ze who rushes after her, but he can’t find her. Jing Jing sobs [everyone was crying before she left] against a tree and apologizes to Tian Ze [mentally] as she is doing this to save her family.

Jing Jing goes home to find her father crying and she tells him not to worry as they will definitely pull through. At what cost?

Poor Tian Ze can’t get the events of the past few days out of his head. He keeps recalling everything that happened between him and Jing Jing and her mother and also his fight with his father. Was he so wrong to be prideful and hate money? Poor guy. Poor, poor guy.

The scenes for 10 show things are really heating up. Can’t wait! But I’ll work on more episodes of Pure first.