Autumn's Concerto - Episode 1 [Recap]

Here's the recap for the first episode of Autumn's Concerto. The rest will follow.
This first recap is rather extensive - the rest won't be that long, but I just thought a lot of scenes were rather important in this episode, because this is also the introduction to a lot of people.

Summary:
We see:

• MuCheng's transformation, from rich piano-playing little girl to hard-working woman on a fish market.
• The close relationship MuCheng had with her father.
• Cynical Ren GuangXi being a rich playboy, giving up his Porsche as "break up fee".
• The bad blood between GuangXi and his mom, President Fang.
• Uncle Cai's perverted actions
• The skating scene
• and we meet a bunch of people

People we meet:

• Liang MuCheng
• MuCheng's father
• Xiao Ah Yi
• Ren GuangXI
• Hua Tuo Ye - MuCheng's friend.
• Zhang Ai Li
• Lawyer Lin (informally known as Xiao Lin - although he doesn't look that Xiao (small) to me.
• President Fang - GuangXi's mom
• Jacko - friend of GuangXi's.
• Ah Jian - another friend of GuangXi's.
• Ah Nuo - Zhang Ai Li's God brother or something like that.
• Xu Fang Guo - Clever student at Sheng De University

Full recap just:
Screencaps are taking from SUBlimes's version of episode 1.

The story begins with MuCheng as a rich young girl playing the piano gracefully. It is her birthday and while her and Xiao Ah Yi pick up a birthday cake MuCheng's father is on the phone. - Her father is in financial trouble. He tries to cross the street but is too occupied on the phone so he doesn't see the car coming.
MuCheng saw her father die in front of her eyes. From then on it just went downwards.
Xiao Ah Yi and MuCheng lost their house due to her father's financial issues, and Xiao Ah Yi tried to abandon MuCheng on a public bus! Certainly a "great" stepmom she is.. Luckily MuCheng woke up in time and followed Xiao Ah Yi.



Xiao Ah Yi asks MuCheng to steal some buns but they are caught and Uncle Cai of course comes and saves the day. - I knew he was bad from the first moment I saw him. He looks evil too! It's quite obvious that he's the perverted type. MuCheng objects to Xiao Ah Yi being inappropriately touched by Uncle Cai, but Xiao Ah Yi has no choice. - Xiao Ah Yi is a widow with a young child, and of course women can't support themselves? (I would object to that, but perhaps it was like that back then.)



Fast-forward some 10 years and MuCheng is working on a fish market. She has specially ordered a grouper fish because President Fang (President/Headmistress of Sheng De University, where Xiao Ah Yi and Uncle Cai are contractors in the school canteen), likes groupers and they're trying to suck up to her. - Not that it helped because President Fang is a snobbish cold woman who isn't easily sucked up to. She hardly even cares for her own son.
Anyways, the grouper is given to MuCheng for free even though she had planned to pay for it, but the boss gave it to her as a bonus for her hard-work.



So MuCheng takes the public bus to the school but on the way a rich, playboy parks his fancy Porsche in front of the bus. The bus is forced to stop and the bag filled with water and the fish is punctured which means MuCheng has 1 hour to go home if she wants the fish to stay alive and fresh.



This playboy is of course, Mr. Ren GuangXi aka. rich boy who has made another one of his famous bets with his friends on getting a kiss from a selected girl at school. VanNess Wu looks absolutely hot with those sunglasses and his first scenes were very convincing. Zhang Ai Li is the "lucky" victim this time, and she isn't so easily put off, in fact she turns out to be a pain in the b*tt in the next few episodes.



Well, GuangXi is selfish and could care less about the people in the bus, who are stranded because he parked his car in front of it. MuCheng makes a desperate attempt to knock some sense into GuangXi because she is in a hurry, but end up being fooled by GuangXi and accidently backs his car into the bus. GuangXi, MuCheng and Zhang Ai Li then end up at the police station where GuangXi is still being his usual jerk. He tries to frame MuCheng for the damages on his car even though it was very much his own fault. The case is solved when witnesses from the bus come to the station to explain that it was GuangX's fault. Before then we also see the appearance of Xiao Lin, GuangXi's lawyer.

In between we see Uncle Cai's perverted actions - he tried to peak into the bathroom while MuCheng showered.
We also meet Xu Fang Guo - disgusting A-level student on a scholarship who sells his reports to other students who don't do their homework.

MuCheng leaves a book Hua Tuo Ye (a friend of hers, who recently started attending Sheng De University), has borrowed for her on the school's library. Unfortunately this is illegal and GuangXi finds out and of course decides to use this against MuCheng. He practically blackmails her to go on a date with him, because MuCheng is GuangXi's new lucky victim. He has made a bet, he has to kiss MuCheng within 24 hours and the clock is ticking..
GuangXi doesn't believe women have feelings or hearts. He is cynical because he has seen his mother's coldness ever since his father died.
We learn that President Fang was rich whereas GuangXi's father probably focused more on being an artist - he played the piano well and due to fights between them, GuangXi's father committed suicide.



Finally MuCheng agrees to go on a date with GuangXi, but only because she needs to get the book back otherwise Hua Tuo Ye will be in trouble for borrowing books for non-students. GuangXi takes her to the hockey rink where he plays hockey with his friends.


MuCheng is not prepared for it and isn't really dressed for it either, so she sits at the seats and freezes. GuangXi sees this and goes off the rink to buy her a hot drink and brings her a shirt.. :) So cute and thoughtful. Unfortunately it seemed like it was just a ploy to get that kiss from her. He even goes as far as to apologise to MuCheng for wasting her time, for trying to frame her and for killing the grouper fish. - He seemed so sincere, unfortunately I doubt he really was.
MuCheng replies saying,

"You don't need to apologise to me, because it's no use apologising. What's gone is gone, the harm has been done, apologising won't turn back time, and it won't let what has happened go away."

I'm not sure if I agree with that statement. In a sense it's true, but IMO it sounds a bit off for MuCheng's character.
Anyways, GuangXi pursuades MuCheng to try to skate, he promises to "hold onto her". :D
While they're on the rink MuCheng comments on GuangXi's way of holding onto people, she says it's old-fashioned. He replies saying that on the ice rink,

"When I said that I would hold on to you, it's the same as promising to protect you. No matter what, I will protect you.."

- That's a really cute quote :) I personally love it.



The skating scene is one of my favourites even though I know GuangXi's intentions weren't exactly pure. But there's something about skating scenes that are just so romantic. It reminds me of the skating scenes in the Korean Drama - Stairway To Heaven.

While skating MuCheng also asks GuangXi why he's playing hockey when it's so dangerous. - She saw him fall earlier. He replies saying

"Being hit and hurt, it's the only way I can feel that I'm still alive. All the other times, I'm not much different from being dead.."

This is a very harsh statement, but is describing GuangXi's character very well. Ever since his father's death he has not taken anything seriously. He feels dead inside.
MuCheng doesn't like the cynical words that GuangXi says, so she then mentions the story of JS Bach and the "Air on The G String" story to encourage him. The story is about JS Bach who was going to perform, but his cello was tempered with, so he used one string, the G string to perform. This melody became the famous melody "Air on The G String" She says,

"The story tells us that no matter how difficult life gets, you can still play out the most touching melody.."



GuangXi then decides to make a move on it, and kisses MuCheng - it would have been really romantic if GuangXi was taking a picture of it at the same time.. *frown*. Hua Tuo Ye then arrives and punch GuangXi. Exposing his real intentions to MuCheng. Instead of being sad and starting to cry, MuCheng does something completely unexpected. She tells Tuo Ye he came too soon, she made a bet with some students at the school, betting that the school's playboy Ren GuangXi would ask her out on a date within a month and within a week, she would get a kiss. If she was right, they would buy a month's lunch pass at her family's restaurant. GuangXi who is not used to being played back is furious and accuses MuCheng for selling herself out for money. She then replies, "at least I won money, what have you won now?" - Ouch! That hurt, but GuangXi really had it coming for messing with MuCheng. :) I admire that strong personlity of hers.


A furious GuangXi yells, "Liang MuCheng the game is not over yet!"

-End-

Overall a great episode, with lots of great chemistry! :)