Asian Addicts Anonymous

Gah! I’m currently in the middle of watching episode 19 and I’m steaming. That lowdown dirty rotten…lots of bad words. I hate her, I really do. Zhi Hao needs to kick this sorry excuse social climber to the curb. One, it’s not healthy that he’s with the wench because she resembles his mother, and two, she’s just a horrible excuse for a human being. She is hereby dubbed Evil Wench and shall hence force be called such.

Zhi Hao is having a rough time thanks to what happened at work and how the board denied him being able to launch his produce. Our worried Hao Yun puts on a little show for him and gets him to cheer up a bit. She gives him some encouragement and he does a really hard comparison of their model versus the forgery. As it turns out, they only look the same. I guess in the rush to get things out, the competitor forwent some of the features and uses of the phone. So Zhi Hao and his team work hard to tweak the phone a bit and launch it once more. Mr. Wang wishes to finally support his son (plus he knows there’s a company leak that caused this major problem) and he allows him to continue and even pushes back an important board meeting so that Zhi Hao can get some results (preferably good).

Of course, Ming Wei is watching this all and inwardly gloating…or is he? Even though his diabolical scheme is commencing just as he had hoped, he seems to be rather depressed. Is it because he really did view Zhi Hao as his loveable little brother? Or is it just because he’s realized just how alone he is…especially with writing off Zhi Hao and Mr. Wang? In his depression he likes to call up Hao Yun. And she will do her best to cheer him up. She views him as a friend after all. Of course, this friendship with Benefactor is nothing when compared to her friendship (and ever-growing love) for Zhi Hao.

Surprisingly enough, Mr. Wang makes an interesting decision. He decides to celebrate his birthday for the first time with everyone – even Zhou Min whom he always expressed a distaste for. He then talks to his lawyer about the nitty gritty of dying. Zhi Hao will get all of his property and money. Mr. Lawyer thinks that the company will obviously go to Mr. Wang’s only son, but nope. Guess again. Is it not ironic that Ming Wei is doing all this nasty stuff out of revenge and to regain the company when Mr. Wang has just willed him the company? Now that’s what you call very ironic. Situational irony, got to love it. Not really.

Hao Yun’s mother also goes to pay a visit to Xiao Mei to figure out what Shushu isn’t doing well. Mrs. You is unhappy to learn her in-law was kicked to the curb because Xiao Mei cannot forgive the fact he was divorced. You know…as much as I do not like divorce and believe it should be done only after serious reflection (just like marriage), I don’t get what the whole hangup is. It’s like all these boyfriends and girlfriends who get upset if they aren’t the first and the only ones. What the heck is up with that? Of course, Xiao Mei cannot go without Shushu for long and after learning of her own boss’s divorce and getting some advice, she makes the decision that she will accept Shushu after all. Which is good as they are a cute couple…even if I really can’t get over the fact that Xiao Mei referred to Shushu’s attraction being partly because she grew up without a father and she knows she can get a “fatherly” love from him.

Guess who didn’t know that Zhi Hao hired Hao Yun back? Yep, Evil Wench. She’s unhappy when people pester her about marriage. Eyeroll. But, people keep pointing out that Zhi Hao will ultimately inherit everything. Now…this is situational irony that I love! Sure, Zhi Hao will end up wealthy with daddy’s death, but Evil Wench wants to be mistress of the company, not of the family so that means she needs to pick Ming Wei. But she chooses Zhi Hao yet again in her never-ending yo-yo-ing that makes a person sick. Very literally. Kudos to the actress for making me hate her so very much. So she goes to pay a visit and spend some time. Not only is she unhappy that Hao Yun is back, but Zhi Hao lies about finding his own necklace and letting the nanny off the hook, plus Zhou Min calls her an evil lady to her face. What an intelligent child. Unfortunately this earns him spankings from daddy. Sheesh. The boy has done some spank-worthy things (like constantly running away or causing some trouble), but Zhi Hao never punished him, not even when he talked back to Mr. Wang.

Hao Yun tries to say the bad words are all her doing, but Zhou Min won’t let her lie for him and gets spanked some more. Evil Wench takes umbrage. Hasn’t she done her best to be a good, loving mother to Zhou Min? Eh…SINCE WHEN? She’s only treated the child coldly and when she’s nice it’s only under false pretenses. She does get thrown quite the loop when Zhi Hao calls Hao Yun family and refuses to fire her. If that tiny little nanny is family, then what does that make her? I really wish Zhi Hao would wake up and smell reality. He’s head over heels for Hao Yun, so why keep pursing Evil Wench who is VERY undeserving. Even if Zhi Hao’s character can be rather annoying at times, he doesn’t deserve that sow.

After this incident Hao Yun and Zhi Hao have a talk. This is a grand facepalm moment. Hao Yun URGES him to marry right away. She will become more and more trapped by the contract the longer she stays. I’m not sure Zhi Hao really gets what she’s saying. By trapped she means how much she cares for Zhou Min…and him. He is upset that she’s only there because of the contract. The woman even explained how it was unfair to Zhou Min who desperately needs a mother’s love and his ow growing attachment. Seriously. Doesn’t she recall all the horrible things Evil Wench has put both the little boy and his father through? Does she really seem like mother material and good wife material? Bad form, Hao Yun, bad form.

So our birthday party arrives and Zhou Min refuses to go without his jie. Hao Yun refuses, but caves to the Wang men’s puppy dog eyes. So off she goes. Evil Wench is not happy once more to see her present. And talk about stealing thunder. Evil Wench gets lectured by Mr. Wang while Hao Yun is a ray of sunshine to him. Oh…and her giving back his missing necklace was declared the best birthday present of his life. Take that Evil Wench! We have an awkward family dinner followed by a conversation between Ming Wei and Evil Wench that Zhi Hao overhears. He’s angry. Of course Evil Wench tries to pin everything on Ming Wei who happily takes the blame and plays the concerned big brother card. He wooed Zhi Hao’s fiancee because he hates her and wants Zhi Hao to know how horrible she is. Actually…I think in part before he went full on revenge, that could have been true to some extent. Hard to say.

Hao Yun then comes and doesn’t understand the horrible atmosphere. Zhi Hao just drags her off without a word and drives rather crazily. A song comes on the radio. The song that Hao Yun lent her voice to. Zhi Hao pulls over and demands to know if that is her. Hao Yun doesn’t get what’s going on and does confess it is. Zhi Hao curses and does a U-Turn. Proof. What more proof do you need? Sure he’s angry at Ming Wei and Evil Wench for their duplicity, but he gets more angry that Hao Yun was taken advantage of. Ming Wei needs to wake up and realize just how much little brother cares for Hao Yun. Anyways, Zhi Hao yells at him and even grabs Ming Wei’s collar. Ming Wei doesn’t care that he’s lying to the world and that what he has done can harm Hao Yun whose dream is to be a performer. Ming Wei does get satisfaction of saying its all because of Zhi Hao that Hao Yun agreed to lend her voice – for the price of a photograph of Zhi Hao with his father. Hao Yun bursts in and says all is her fault alone and Zhi Hao turns and leaves and she follows.

I really wish Zhi Hao would permanently ditch Evil Wench. She’s not good. But you know he won’t as we have the opening and ending credits which show her getting ready for marriage…to Zhi Hao (who then ditches her to be with Hao Yun…poetic justice, ne?). Ming Wei needs to grow up. He really does. What he’s doing is already proving to be more of a burden and a harm than something that will truly make him happy. I kind of don’t hate him even though I hate Evil Wench. Go figure. I think its just because he wasn’t all that awful until that man came with some bad news about Mr. Wang. Don’t dramas prove that ultimately revenge is never really the answer? Look at how much unhappiness is sowed?