Introduction
In the ending of My Page in the 90s: Couple Moments Episodes 1 to 12, I questioned what and whose expense would ‘pay’ her to return to her time/world. Well, both are answered in this final part of this highlight article series. Huan’er initially treated the world in the novel world as a game system to beat by earning Haiming’s like percentage and completing quests, but eventually she struggled once she formed a real relationship with him and other characters.
Let’s see how her adventure in the retro world ended!
Couple Moments
Episode 13
This episode was about how Huan’er, Haiming, and Mengmeng revealed Xiaojue’s real character to Die’en, as well as informing people how Huan’er had supported Xiaojue financially while he was in the UK. Nothing much about Huan’er and Haiming relationship, only to clarify to Haiming that Huan’er and Xiaojue had broken up and Huan’er had moved on.
Episode 14
After the high school reunion, Huan’er, Haiming, Mengmeng, and Tiehan went to eat wonton at Huan’er’s favorite place. They played card games, in which whoever got picked by the card had to share their wishes. When Huan’er’s turn to share her wish, she wished for a swift completion of destiny’s arrangement, aka finding her way back to her own world. When it was Haiming’s turn to share his wish, Tiehan asked him if he wished for a girlfriend. Haiming simply said he might already have someone in mind, but didn’t want to spill the beans. Huan’er thanked him for helping her resolve the troublemaker Xiaojue with his gossips, but Haiming admitted he had his own motives. Later, her game pager notified Huan’er that Haiming’s like increased to 66%.
After Xiaojue was gone from Huan’er’s life, Haiming tried to get to know her by walking to the office with her instead of driving the car. They stopped at a playground and played the see-saw bench, which was so cute, because of the imbalance, Huan’er accidentally slid down the board right into Haiming.
Furthermore, they also eat lunch at Huan’er’s family home with her father and sister. He, who rarely had a chance to have a family lunchtime, really enjoyed the meal, and also when they played mahjong together. Haiming’s like level increase to 68%.
The business trip to Lucheng was full of pretty cinematography, and of course, let Huan’er and Haiming to get closer. They finished the business two days early, so they spent time leisurely to enjoy the area and themselves. The image of them at the flower shop was exceptional, especially with red flowers around the windowsill. They posed as a couple, so they could plant flowers together (which they chose sunflowers). They even went fishing at the lake, and Haiming learned how to control his fear of water.
Episode 15
Huan’er fell asleep on Huaming shoulder, waiting for a catch. When none of them caught anything (because he was busy staring at her sleeping), Huan’er borrowed a fishing net from the resort owner and scooped up a fish herself. And as usual, drama’s male leads are good cooks. So, Haiming surprised her by cooking at the campfire. He had learned to cook as a child because his parents were always too busy.
Ah, Haiming apparently wanted to confess, even arranged flowers, balloons, string lights, and canned air from Lake Como (?). However, a cleaning lady took the box with the canned air, thinking that it was a box of trash. When Huan’er, who was busy downloading photos from the camera, finished her work, she walked out to see the romantic setup. She was surprised that Haiming wanted to confess, because earlier, Huan’er checked her pager, and his like was only 69.9%. When he was about to confess, suddenly the lights went out. Huan’er wisely stated that the area turned off the lights because tonight they would have a meteor shower sighting. Before Haiming said anything, suddenly there was a display of fireworks and a festive proposal from another couple nearby!
Suddenly, Haiming’s phone rang, and his assistant reported that he had to go back for an urgent meeting with a business partner who would fly overseas the next day. Haiming took Huan’er back. He didn’t want to wait too long, though. When they arrived at her place, he confessed in the hallway, presenting the remaining canned air. They shared a kiss; however, Huan’er suddenly pushed him away. She apologized that she couldn’t do it. Huan’er realized that she fell for him, but if his like reach 100%, she would go back to her own world. She wasn’t ready to leave him! The next day, Huan’er found ways to avoid him.
Episode 16
While one tried to avoid the other, one tried to get closer to the other. Haiming searched the internet to find strategies to win over a woman’s heart. He thought that getting close to her family, in this case, her sister Lin Le’er, would definitely win Huan’er’s heart. Sure, he won her heart by helping the family to find a school for her, but Huan’er was even more avoiding. Sensing her tension, he asked her if she didn’t like working at Letao Group. It was not that she disliked working there, she just couldn’t explain it to him.
Later that afternoon, Luo Zhou told her that Haiming had gone home early since he came up with a high fever of 40°C and was home alone because his housekeepers were gone. Huan’er went with Luo Zhou to Haiming’s villa to bring some files. I didn’t know if he was really sick or not, because once Luo Zhou was near the villa, he sent Haiming a message. Haiming immediately hopped into bed, pretending he was really sick. He faked the temperature, which read 42°C, which worried Huan’er, who insisted on taking him to the hospital. He didn’t want the hospital to find out that he was not sick, so the second time, his fake temperature went down to 36.8°C. When she realized he faked his fever, their car broke down. Haiming insisted on fixing the car himself in the cold air. The result was that he really became sick with a genuine 39.1°C. Feeling obligated, Huan’er stayed to take care of him. While staying, Huan’er even got a timed quest on her pager to do a “Compulsory Wall Slam” within 3 minutes. Kabeidon was a trope in romantic dramas. She forced that poor Haiming to get up and walk, and pulled him onto the wall. Luckily, Haiming didn’t know about kabeidon and was confused why she did it. Regardless, his like percentage went up to 82%.
Episode 17
Initially, Huan’er thought that Haiming orchestrated his fever because he sent his housekeeper and his driver home beforehand, instead of them leaving for family urgency as said before. However, seeing him dizzy and burning up, she helped him back to bed. He didn’t want to let her hand go, so she ended up sleeping by his side.
The next morning, the game instructed another bizarrely timed quest: Huan’er had to tear Haiming’s clothes within twenty-four hours. If she didn’t comply, the game would punish her with Haiming having a fever for 3 days! After using other methods, the game regarded them as cheating, she waited until he was asleep and cautiously unbuttoned his shirt. Suddenly, Haiming woke up, grabbed her, and pulled her into a hot kiss. After ripping his pajama, she ran away, far away, leaving the villa!
When Haiming finally recovered and was back to work, he noticed that Huan’er was avoiding him. He caught up with her in the break room and cornered her against the counter while she tried to make tea. However, some colleagues arrived in the break room, so Haiming booked a secluded restaurant for a candlelight dinner just for the two of them. However, Huan’er pretended that she had to work late.
Well, it seemed Haiming’s father not only monitored his son’s progress in business but also had Haiming’s relationship with Huan’er. As the rumors of the office romance between them circulated, Huan’er got a call from Gao Mingshan. He told her that she was a burden for the company and unqualified to be with his son because of the poor sales data of the new product line she managed. He threatened to strip Haiming of his management rights if things didn’t improve.
Episode 18
To boost sales, Huan’er’s implemented an unconventional marketing strategy by featuring Haiming as a celebrity spokesperson for sanitary pads in a magazine. Although the magazine feature drove sales, Gao Mingshan was still unhappy; he was furious that his son embarrassed the family by promoting the product. Haiming criticized his father; they profited from the products but were ashamed to represent them. Haiming’s like towards Huan’er also increased to 88%.
Now we got another drama cliché. Huan’er sister, Lin Le’er, was kidnapped by… Ou Xiaojue, who demanded a ransom of 400,000 yuan. I watched dramas with this cliché before; what appears as light-hearted romcom plots suddenly are darkened with kidnapping subplots. As usual, the Male Lead would save the day at the expense of his being injured. Huan’er was angry at the game system. Part of her feelings wanted to finish this cruel game so she could get out soon, the other part she didn’t want to finish it because she didn’t want to part with Haiming.
Huan’er accidentally left the game pager on Haiming’s hospital bed, and he saw the flashing light but couldn’t see any message. When Huan’er came again, she read that Haiming’s like to her had increased to 95%!
After being released from the hospital, Haiming worked at home and used this chance to get Huan’er to work with him at home, too, and of course, change his dressing. Using metaphor as his “female friend liking a guy but doesn’t want to admit it”, he wondered what the psychological reason behind it. Earlier, his assistant Luo Zhou suggested Huan’er might have self-doubt, but Haiming dismissed the idea since he knew Huan’er had enough self-confidence to be with him. Huan’er reply the possibility was avoiding attachment, and she honestly revealed that her case was complicated. He said that he could wait, if not today, then tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or the next tomorrow. Awww…
Episode 19
The rumors of Haiming and Huan’er not only reached his father, but his mother as well. She called Huan’er to visit her… at the hospital. I don’t want to spoil what happened to the mom, but she agreed to their relationship, and with her blessings, they officially became a couple.
Huan’er still wanted to keep their relationship secret in front of their colleagues, but Haiming was the contrary. Huan’er asked the game system if she had not been sent back to the modern time when she won the game (100% like with a proposal), but the game warned her that it would cause a bug and Haiming would disappear. Huan’er decided to cherish her remaining game life and told Haiming she wanted to experience everything with him right now.
Noticing that his fondness for her was already at full percentage (100%), she also asked him to propose on the turn of millenium, on New Year’s Eve. When he asked the reason, she mentioned the popular legends about the world would end at the beginning of 2000 (the Y2K fear). If he proposed then, she would have no regrets even if the world truly ended.
Episode 20
Because of what happened to Haiming’s mother, Haiming wanted to experience things he hadn’t done before, or he would have regrets. Since rollerblading was very popular back then, during a vacation she took Haiming rollerblading on the rollerblading rink. And of course, they did the deed while they were (again) stuck with one room in the hotel, or they would have regretted it for life if they didn’t do it!
What, New Year’s Eve already?! I thought it would be in the final episode??? Huan’er and Haiming went to the town square to celebrate New Year’s Eve with Mengmeng and Tiehan. Before the countdown, Haiming suggested that the four of them take a group photo. Just as Huan’er set the delay timer, Haiming took out a ring and knelt to propose. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the drama borrowed the famous K-drama cliche The White Truck of Doom to target Huan’er. Haiming pulled her, and instead of Huan’er, he was hit. Huan’er screamed, and out of panic, she forgot the game rule. She shouted that everything was a dream, everyone was NPCs, and she was from 2025!
The pager sounded a warning that she had used her last spoiler. She faced a severe game punishment, which was to erase all of Haoming’s memories of her. The game scene then returned with only Mengmeng and Tiehan, but no accident scene, and they didn’t have any clue who Gao Haiming was! This was insane! How would the drama restart the romance again with only 4-5 episodes left? And Huan’er was not even back in 2025?
Honestly, I would love it if Huan’er didn’t shout her last chance and she returned to 2025, and we could watch 4-5 episodes of Huan’er looking or chasing Haiming again in her real life. That means, we wouldn’t have a rushed ending as dramas always give us!!!
Oh well, here we were now, still in the game, but now it was the year 2000. Besides, Mengmeng and Tiehan, her sister Lin Lin’er didn’t know Haiming. She returned to Letao, and nobody knew who she was. Haiming’s assistant, Luozhou, only remembered Huan’er worked downstairs. Haiming walked past her and didn’t recognize her at all. Huan’er made up her mind that she would find a way for them to fall in love again. Lol, what could she do? She was still stuck in the game!
Since she didn’t have a chance to meet him personally, Huan’er went to the airplane model shop to meet Haiming. She asked him to help her assemble a Wild Weasel fighter jet model. Haiming only knew she was his employee, but he didn’t refuse.
Episode 21
The Letao’s newly launched sanitary napkin product had major issues. Huan’er found out that there was a culprit who sabotaged the products, so she went to the warehouse and found counterfeit goods. She secretly took photos, but was discovered by the culprit’s people. When they tried to snatch the camera, Haiming suddenly appeared. The police were called, and they took a statement from Huan’er. Haiming saw that Huan’er was dedicated to Letao and was willing to take risks for the company. When taking her back, he asked for her opinions on how Letao should handle public opinion, and Huan’er gave her suggestions.
Haiming was very impressed with Huan’er innovative ideas, and he asked her to join his core marketing team. So she became his marketing assistant and always prepared everything for Haiming in advance. During overtime, she even bought him the wonton from the street food stall they often ate before. I assumed they implemented the amnesia trope to Haiming that he vaguely tried to remember something while eating wonton.
At home, somehow, Huan’er found a record of the radio song request. We then knew the complete request. Haiming told the radio host that he both hated and loved Huan’er, but didn’t dare to confess. Huan’er cried the whole time she heard that song, but her sister didn’t hear any song at all. Huan’er then requested the same song through the same radio broadcasting company, to be aired at the time he was driving home. She only said her name, which Haiming recognized, but the song was dedicated to an old friend who didn’t remember her anymore. Haiming returned home still remembering Huan’er radio message. He found the massage doll and photos from their prior business trip, but all the photos either only contained him or only scenery.
She had her chance when they went for another business trip to the same city they had been to before. She took him to the same place where he failed to propose his love to her. Haiming didn’t remember that he proposed there, so she could only say a friend of hers proposed there, but he had amnesia. But Haiming believed that two people truly in love would never miss each other; they would eventually find their way back to each other.
Episode 22
As a last chance to make Haiming remember, Huan’er took him to the flower shop. The sunflower Haiming planted bloomed, but nobody claimed it. The shop assistant didn’t remember them. The current Haiming didn’t remember that he had gone there, either. Now Huan’er understood the love meaning of the sunflower: “silent love”. She regretted that Haiming should probably planted forget-me-not flowers instead, so she planted one.
At night, Huan’er was alone drinking at a street food stall. She complained to the game system. Suddenly, Haiming appeared in front of her. Huan’er thought he was a hallucination. But it was really Haiming, and he quietly accompanied the poor Huan’er drinking.
After Huan’er sobered up and calmed down, she took him to the aircraft model shop and could even open Haiming’s private room. She asked for the multicolored model she painted before. Haiming still had it. Although he didn’t remember why it was there, he put it away, thinking it must be important. At home, Haiming called Luo Zhou, asking when the company hired Huan’er. His assistant didn’t know either; it seemed she was always there, lol!
On Haiming’s birthday, he suddenly agreed that his company would celebrate his birthday; he had never done it before. Huan’er helped Luo Zhou to organize the party at the office, but she was very sad seeing Xie Wanjun arrive with a birthday present, and saw Haiming was also happy. Their groups would have a business cooperation, and the staff whispered that they looked good together like a power couple. Huan’er secretly slipped outside after leaving him with her birthday present. A model plane. When Haiming didn’t see her among the employees, he called her to thank her for the birthday party. She was at the beach park drinking beer, and suddenly her phone fell, and beer spilled on it. He heard people shouting that someone was drowning. Haiming thought it was Huan’er who fell into the sea!
Haiming jumped into the sea, forgetting that he couldn’t swim. Luckily, Huan’er could swim, and she rescued him. With near drowning, Huan’er gave him ‘mouth-to-mouth’ resuscitation, and Haiming memories of Huan’er returned! Kissing under the water seemed have magic power in dramas! Of course, the Female Lead’s hair was wet, followed by the mandatory Male Lead drying her hair, and a hot night together. The next day, the pager informed Huan’er that Haiming’s like level was 100%, and it instructed Huan’er to continue with the attempt to get proposed.
With Haiming remembering the past scenario, came confusion. For example, Luo Zhou reported that they just hired Huan’er one month ago. However, he remembered that he poached her from the Yunsheng PR agency for a high price. He also remembered when he was at the hospital, he overheard Huan’er complain to her pager, as if there was a system outside the real world she was from.
As both knew that their time was limited, they went public with their relationship. During Chinese New Year, Haoming also visited Huan’er family and introduced him to them as her boyfriend.
Episode 23
Haiming didn’t know that he couldn’t propose, or she would return to her real world. While at her family’s house, she almost freaked out when he gave her a box. It turned out to be a pair of earrings from his mother. He then took her to the plane model shop, and his private had already been set up with a proposal atmosphere. Huan’er told Haiming not to rush the proposal. When asked the reason, Huan’er simply said she just wanted more time together. However, she was given a warning by her pager because she had repeatedly failed to follow the proposal. The system had entered a three-day countdown. If the mission was not completed, the world around her would collapse. Oh well, since she couldn’t change it, she must as well enjoy her last three days with Haiming.
I won’t elaborate in detail, but Huan’er tried to change the fate with Hu Tiehan, as she knew what happened to him from the novel. She had a high hope that her fate with Haiming could be changed, too. Unfortunately, Hu Tiehan’s fate was not changed.
One of the places they spent time in these limited days was the amusement park, including the magic photo booth. Huan’er almost cried when Haiming picked the last option, the photo of them looking old. She wished that she could grow old with him, but she couldn’t. Haiming comforted her that she wouldn’t look like the photo, but she would look the same.
Episode 24
Well, it seemed like Haiming also knew that the proposal would end everything, so propose he did. Huan’er also realized that agreeing to marry him would also end everything, so she agreed to marry him. After putting the ring on her finger, she rode a merry-go-round, and he videotaped her. Then the ring fell, and she was no more. Haiming didn’t see her anymore, and he was in tears, whispering, “I love you”.
Huan’er woke up in 2025 after passing out during broadcasting. Nobody knows Gao Haiming, even her boss, Mr. Zeng, didn’t acknowledge anyone wanted to buy the company. Her assistant told her that the date was February 16, and she time-traveled on February 28. No Letao Group was building in the same address, either.
Well, she still needed to finish the broadcast, and now she had a conviction. She originally didn’t believe in love until she experienced it herself. She realized true love was when two unwavering hearts met, and even if they were not in the same spacetime, it could not stop love from blossoming. The broadcasting staff was actually stunned by those lovely words.
At home, Huan’er was feeling lonely and gloomy. Her AI suggested some dinner recipes, one of which was Homemade Wonton. Suddenly, she remembered Haiming had given her that recipe! She went to her recipe box and found it, folded in the shape of a heart. Haiming wrote the note down on the last day when they ate wonton at the same place. He promised he would find her in her time and space. After that, Huan’er learned how to make wonton with Haiming’s recipe.
It was like an alternate world. They went to the amusement park separately, ate at the roadside wonton place separately, but it seemed they were connected in different times and spaces. The odd thing was Haiming acquired the old pager, and it seemed he could see her.
One day, at work, she received a large package. It was a Wild Weasel fighter jet model, with a candy underneath. Huan’er looked at the sender, and it was written as Mr. Gao. She followed the sender’s address. Surprisingly, she bumped into Luo Zhou’s look-alike and passed a lovey-dovey couple, who looked like Hu Tiehan and Zhu Mengmeng. Nobody knew her, but she was happy, specifically for Tiehan and Mengmeng.
The sender address was the model airplane museum, the first place she arrived in her time-travel adventure. Huan’er knew exactly that there was a private room there belong to Haiming. Sure enough, the room opened, and she saw the model plane she worked on before, colorful with candies, on a glass display. Huan’er was in tears.
Not only was she the one who was in tears. Suddenly, there was a voice behind her, chokingly said: “Long… long time no see.” (好… 好久不见) It was only translated as “Long time no see.” Huan’er turned around and saw Haiming standing behind her with tears in his eyes. She ran towards him. The two happily embraced and kissed each other, fulfilling their journey towards one another.
At the end, there was someone unseen typing the script. The scriptwriter didn’t want to detail further how Haiming went to Huan’er’s world. It’s another story.
THE END.
Conclusion
I tried to find a logic between the illogicality of the ending of My Page in the 90s (突然的喜欢). My ultimate question is: how did the Homemade Wonton recipe with his love letter end up in Huan’er’s recipe box? Because the answer to that question determined the process of the ending, aka how Gao Haiming could be in modern times.
There are many logics/theories I read floating in the internet:
- Huan’er truly time-traveled after touching the model airplane in Episode 1, which makes sense that Haiming is real and not NPC, who also time-traveled to modern times.
- It’s an alternate world in which both the 90s and the current time collide, as shown by how the couple was shown living ‘side-by-side’ after she returned to the modern world. Also explained the existence of Haiming in Episode 1.
- Huan’er actually had amnesia and didn’t recognize Haiming in Episode 1, who was already her lover. When she finally got to know him, he sent her the model airplane for her to find him.
- Haiming was originally a NPC in the novel, he and the novel’s Huan’er were a couple. He somehow transmigrated into the real world, and upon knowing there was a real Huan’er, sending her into the novel to fall for him and become her lover. Mr. Gao in Episode 1 requested another broadcast and questioned her if there is any man in the novel worth of love. Once she got to know him through her transmigration, he sent her the model airplane in Episode 24.
- It’s only the creation of the drama novelist (as seen in the very end of the drama) to pass the NRTA review.
Unfortunately, none of the theories above answers my ultimate question.
Oh well, I still took home a valuable message from this drama. As Lin Huan’er and Gao Haiming realized their parting time was near, they valued their present. We have to cherish our time together with the ones we love or care about, knowing that our circumstances or the time we live in is fleeting.
