Episode 15 recap: Zhao Tan Tan and Cui Chen confirmed their romantic relationship.
Zhao Tan Tan deliberately wrote a set of rules for love and had Cui Chen recite them, recording it with a voice recorder. After Cui Chen finished reciting the rules, they embraced each other, promising not to let go of each other's hands. Qiu Yue Bai, who was hiding behind a tree, saw the intimate behavior between Zhao Tan Tan and Cui Chen and immediately instructed Mo Yan to prepare.
Zhao Tan Tan was delighted by her relationship with Cui Chen and couldn't wait to share the news with everyone. However, Xue Yi failed to see the signs of her happiness, and Hu Meng, the tree spirit, even took her pulse and concluded that she was perfectly healthy. Fortunately, Hu Meng noticed Zhao Tan Tan and Cui Chen's relationship and announced that they were together.
Qiu Yue Bai refused to accept this news and suggested that everyone return to Yunlai Town and continue searching for information about Lotus Seed. Hu Meng, who had moved on from the news of Zhu Yan's death, also wanted to go back and see the condition of Yunlai Tower. So Cui Chen, Zhao Tan Tan, and Qiu Yue Bai accompanied Hu Meng back to Yunlai Tower and unexpectedly saw Zhong Zhaoyuan working there. It turned out that the scholars had realized that gaining something for nothing was wrong, and they all found jobs to earn money for the upcoming exams.
The food at Yunlai Tower was now quite good, which made Hu Meng feel embarrassed about the previously overhyped but actually poorly cooked roast chicken. Recently, a new establishment called Shihua Ge emerged in Yunlai Town, and the owner, Lianrong, looked remarkably similar to Zhao Tan Tan. This piqued Zhao Tan Tan's curiosity, so she made a date with Cui Chen to investigate. The two of them entered Shihua Ge, attracting attention from others. Zhao Tan Tan sampled the food on the table and realized that the prices here were different from elsewhere. At the neighboring table, a gentleman who was composing poetry noticed Zhao Tan Tan and mistakenly called her Lianrong. He challenged Zhao Tan Tan to a poetry competition, and she sought permission from Cui Chen with her eyes before accepting. Despite not having ink for their brushes, they managed to stump the gentleman with just one line. At this moment, Lianrong, the owner of Shihua Ge, arrived gracefully and engaged in a poetic duel with Cui Chen. Zhao Tan Tan noticed that as soon as Cui Chen saw Lianrong, he involuntarily approached her. Lianrong also praised Cui Chen's literary talent and rarity, which made Zhao Tan Tan worry about their connection and quickly called off the competition, pulling Cui Chen away.
Cui Chen found Zhao Tan Tan acting a bit suspicious and wanted to surprise her with a sweet gesture. However, Zhao Tan Tan unexpectedly suggested going out to buy something to eat. Cui Chen happily agreed and accompanied her. They strolled the streets together and shared cotton candy. When Zhao Tan Tan saw a book titled "The Rules for Being the Perfect Girlfriend" being sold at a book stall, she couldn't resist and stopped to look at it. Afraid that Cui Chen would see her, she sent him to buy dried durian while she seized the opportunity to purchase the book.
Just as Cui Chen bought the dried durian, he ran into Lianrong. Lianrong wrinkled her nose and covered it, expressing her dislike for the smell of durian. Cui Chen quickly closed the bag and prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, Lianrong mentioned a shop in town that made excellent durian pastries and offered to take Cui Chen there. However, Cui Chen declined and went straight to find Zhao Tan Tan.
Zhao Tan Tan returned to the inn with the love guidebook she purchased and couldn't help but show it to Hu Meng. To her surprise, Hu Meng said that she wrote that book out of boredom when she first arrived in Yunlai Town and asked Zhao Tan Tan to return it. Hu Meng mentioned that the book was not suitable for her. However, Zhao Tan Tan refused to believe it and treated the book as a treasure. Following the book's advice, she focused on improving her appearance to captivate Cui Chen. However, Cui Chen was startled by her sudden change in style and ended up sitting on the ground in surprise. Zhao Tan Tan blushed and pulled him up, then took out a guzheng (Chinese zither) to showcase her musical skills. As they entered Cui Chen's room, Zhao Tan Tan's skirt got caught on the table, and after struggling to free it, she managed to play a couple of notes before the string broke, nearly causing Cui Chen to choke on his tea.
Zhao Tan Tan decided to make a final move and specially prepared a hot pot meal to capture Cui Chen's taste buds. This time, things went smoothly, and Cui Chen enjoyed the hot pot with great interest, eagerly anticipating what Zhao Tan Tan would do next. Meanwhile, Lao Xie had been running a noodle shop in Yunlai Town for some time, and business was booming. Qifang and Xianfang helped Lao Xie sell noodles while searching for Zhao Tan Tan, but there had been no news of her for a while, causing them to worry.
When Lao Xie saw the portrait of Zhao Tan Tan in the hands of Qifang and Xianfang, he immediately realized that it didn't resemble Zhao Tan Tan at all. No wonder they couldn't find her. Xue Yi saw Lao Xie's noodle shop and intended to have a taste. However, he accidentally learned that Qiu Yue Bai was going to meet a merchant named Hu, who sold beloved items of women. Intrigued, Xue Yi abandoned the idea of eating noodles and joined Qiu Yue Bai, along with the tree spirit, Huai, on their way to meet the merchant.
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