Uncle Xia (Ma Weijiang) finds Tang Mingxuan (Hans Zhang) at his office, half joking and half demanding that he should not be overworking his daughter Xia Xueling (Wang Ruizi). Uncle Xia also questions the decision to include Mo Fei’s (Lulu Xu) work on Fashion Daily, since she was not a top finisher in the ‘Chinese Style’ competition. Tang Mingxuan assures him that Xia Xueling will definitely not be mistreated and as the company’s current leader, he has his reasons for the decisions he makes. Before Fang Xiaoyu (Hong Yao) heads to France, he visits Tang Mingxuan one last time, asking if he has any message he wants to tell Mo Fei. Fang Xiaoyu tells him this is what it must feel like to be dumped, how his sister felt. Tang Mingxuan reminds him he should be fully aware of what actually happened.
Mo Fei, looking at the Little Prince doll, thinks of recording a message to ask Tang Mingxuan what he meant at the airport, but decides she isn’t going to send it anyways, so she deletes it. She consults Mi Duoduo (Guo Ziqian) that it is very likely that Tang Mingxuan is really dating Xia Xueling because he has not reached out to her since she left Shanghai. She admits Mi Duoduo that she did like Tang Mingxuan before, but will forget about him.
Tang Mingxuan immediately goes to the Xia residence upon receiving news that Uncle Xia has held onto the funds for the next phase of construction of the embroidery workshop. Uncle Xia explains that the elderly stakeholders have opposing views on it. Tang Mingxuan suggests he can personally explain to each stakeholder as needed and reminds him that they have already invested so much money on the acquisition so if they stop now, everything that has already been done will go to waste.
Fang Xiaoyu arrives in Paris and excitedly tries to find Mo Fei at his alma mater ECSCP but misses her just as she is walking out with a Chinese classmate Meng Jing (Jiang Yanru) that she just met in class. After many rejections, Mo Fei finally secures a part time job as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant. A trio eating there shows off a diamond necklace and when it’s gone missing, they blame Mo Fei who picked up the woman’s bag. Fang Xiaoyu finally spots Mo Fei on the streets in Paris. He brings her to a gallery that he frequents, showing her a few pieces of artwork that have not yet been sold over all these years. He uses them as an analogy that they should design and collaborate on a fashion line of batik or else she is like abandoning a baby.
Lu Zhu (Zhang Tianying) gives Mo Fei’s number in France to Tang Mingxuan. As he is waiting for the rain to stop once again under a pergola in Suzhou, he gives Mo Fei a call. Mo Fei wants to ask him to clarify what he meant at the airport, but she just cannot get the words out. Tang Mingxuan discusses with his father that he should make a trip to France to discuss with SLC’s acquisition, as it is crucial for Mingyuan. Lu Zhu immediately informs Mo Fan (Jerron Wu) of this, who informs Mo Fei of this. Mo Fei scolds Mo Fan for giving away her number in France to everyone.
Episode 13 Remarks: Tang Mingxuan still does not see where the problem lies. Mo Fei is waiting for his affirmation but he continues to be vague, leaving questions unanswered.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing everyone good health and happiness!
Watched:
(TVB) The Impossible 3: Very short and silly series with Bosco Wong, Chilam Cheung, and Chrissie Chau. It’s enjoyable if you want to watch something but not have a long commitment.
(MangoTV) Perfect and Casual: This was the first series that got me into the C-Drama phase this year, to a point where I barely watched any TVB dramas.
(Sohu/Kukan) Mysterious Love: Romantic. Thrilling. Action packed. What more can you ask for in an addicting series that you stumble upon from Youtube clips? Rumors are a second installment with the original cast is in the works, but has been delayed due to the ongoing pandemic. Even the song is addicting to listen to.
(Kukan) Sunshine of My Life: Hans Zhang is super charming in this one and Lulu Xu make a very convincing couple. I watched the whole series, but stopped with the episode recaps, as I could not squeeze in time.
(TVB) Fraudstars: This was a short 8 episodes series that was pretty creative at the beginning, but dropped off massively in the last two episodes. That is not an excuse as that would be 25% of the entire series!
(TVB) Plan ‘B’: This was Eliza Sam’s first series back after giving birth. After this series, I can confirm for sure that Kenneth Ma is only good in roles where he plays a doctor!
(TVB) The Kwoks and What: A rather lighthearted drama with not too much excitement.
Skimmed:
(TVB) Lo and Behold: Some of the episodes are just not worth watching, so I’ll either read the summary the weekend before OR randomly turn it on.
(HunanTV/MangoTV) Begin Again: This popped up on my Youtube feed. I did see chemistry sparks between Simon Gong and Zhou Yutong, but the storyline did not spark much interest for me to watch from beginning to end.
(MangoTV) Love Unexpected: When I first read the synopsis for this, I honestly thought ‘what a stupid storyline’. But, on Feb. 18th, 2021, news broke out that the main leads Kris Fan and Judy Qi were spotted heading back to his apartment. And suddenly, I found myself skimming the series. There are very cute scenes in here, but ultimately, I didn’t end up watching from beginning to end.
(Tencent/iQiyi) Go Go Squid 2: Dt. Appledog’s Time: Only skimmed through the scenes of Wang Anyu and Nina Wang.
(Tencent) The Sword and the Brocade: Wallace Chung, despite being 46 is still a leading actor! Some of the scenes were interesting when I skimmed through the second half of the series, but I’m not really a fan of costume drama to watch this.
(Youku/MangoTV) One Boat One World: Jumped on the Hans Zhang boat (literally) while watching him in Sunshine of My Life. They were aired simultaneously, but it didn’t look interesting enough to watch from beginning to end.
(HunanTV) Here to Heart: Another one of Hans Zhang’s series that kept popping up on Youtube’s recommendations. However, 48 episodes seemed to long for me to watch.
(Tencent) Pretty Man: How interesting that they dropped the female lead (Sierra Li) but kept the male lead (Dylan Xiong) for the second installment!
(Tencent) Young and Beautiful: I came across the subtheme song 明明可以爱很久 (We Could Have Loved for Longer) on Youtube and thought about giving the series a try. It looked promising. However, as I was skimming through the episodes, I could not believe that the female and male lead were still not together at episode 40! Although it was a happy ending at 42 episodes, I did not like how they dragged on the storyline.
(TVB) Battle of the Seven Sisters: This was decent, but definitely not Best Drama material.
(TVB) Line Watchers: It was nice to get an inside glimpse of the customs department, but the ‘love square’ between Benjamin Yuen, Mandy Wong, Venus Wong, and Jack Wu was just odd.
(TVB) Kids Lives’ Matter: I really liked the interaction between Linda Chung, Kenneth Ma, and Kevin Cheng. A bummer that this did not win the awards worthy of its content.
Dropped:
(TVB) Beauty and the Boss: I tried to watch this but gave up midway. It was just not as interesting as the trailers suggested.
USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball team opened play in Pool B with a 3-0 win (25-20, 25-19, 25-20) over Argentina. Jordan Thompson finished the match with 20 points under her name.
The USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball team played their second match in Pool B with a sweep, a 3-0 win (29-27, 25-22, 25-21) over China, the reigning Olympic champs. Jordan Thompson once again stole the show, finishing the match with 34 points under her name, meaning she scored over 43% of Team USA’s points. She had 28 kills, 4 blocks, and 2 aces! Kim Hill was used as a serving sub for all three sets. Justine Wong-Orantes was credited for a 94.12% receiving efficiency. A very nice win indeed for Team USA!
The USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball team played their third match in Pool B with a 3-2 win (25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 20-25, 15-12) over Turkey. This was the first five-setter for Team USA this year. What looked like it would be a sweep based on the first two sets turned into another story in Sets 3 and 4. Turkey began to get more touches on the block and digs in the backcourt. In Set 5, USA went off on a blazing start, only for Turkey to play their way back in. It wasn’t until late in the set when USA got back-to-back blocks that allowed them to draw two points clear and closed out the match.
It was just not meant to be for the USA’s Indoor Volleyball Women’s team in the fourth pool play match. Facing off against the ROC, they never found their groove, losing 0-3 (20-25, 12-25, 19-25), the first loss in the Tokyo Olympics. They had problems siding out, whether it was finding a space to put the balls to kill or getting past the Russian block at the net. Jordan Thompson also rolled her ankle mid-match and was subbed out by Annie Drews. They will have a day to rebound in the last match against Italy, who surprisingly lost to China in straight sets.
The USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball team played their fifth and final match in Pool B with a 3-2 win (21-25, 25-16, 25-27, 25-16, 15-12) over Italy. This is the second five-setter for Team USA this year. After a loss to ROC in straight sets previously, USA played some inspired volleyball and did not give up. In Set 1, they stayed close within Italy, but needed to settle in. They won decisively in Set 2 and cruised through most of Set 3 until Italy came back and stole the set. Jordyn Poulter, the setter went down with an ankle sprain for a block and was replaced by Micha Hancock. They did not let the foot off the gas in Set 4 and built a solid lead with Italy’s errors before finally tooling the block for the victory in Set 5. With ROC falling to Turkey in five sets, USA topped Pool B, setting up a matchup against the Dominican Republic in the Quarterfinals.
The USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball team swept past Dominican Republic (25-11, 25-20, 25-19) in the Quarterfinals. Regular starters Jordan Thompson and Jordyn Poulter were dressed, but did not have to play on court. Instead, Annie Drews and Micha Hancock served their duties well. USA was not challenged in Sets 1 and 2, with them getting touches on the block to extend the rallies and put the ball down in transition. Dominican Republic charged forward in Set 3, with them having the lead by a couple points in Set 3, but USA held them down. Dominican Republic saved a few match points until Michelle Bartsch-Hackley tooled their block for the final point and the victory.
The USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball team swept the reigning World Champs Serbia in straight sets (25-19, 25-15, 25-23). USA built early leads in all three sets. In Set 3, they once again built a cushion of a lead, but Serbia came fighting back little by little. Serbia sided out for the first match point so USA called a timeout to steady out, coming back in to finish the match. Serbia dug a ball but it was out, meaning USA won the final point of the match. USA served tough forcing Serbia’s service reception to be shaky. Serbia’s star player Tijana Boskovic was limited to just 19 points, along with 11 hitting errors. USA outblocked Serbia 12 to 8 and had 6 aces to their statistics. This was a redemption in a sense because Serbia knocked USA to the Bronze Medal match in the Rio Semifinals.
In the Olympics GOLD MEDAL match, the USA Women’s Indoor Volleyball team swept Brazil (25-21, 25-20, 25-14) en route to claiming the program’s first ever gold medal, after previous heartbreaks in getting the silver and bronze medals. In Sets 1 and 2, USA established themselves early on, building a lead. Brazil tried to come back towards the end of the set, but was denied. In Set 3, USA once again scored in bunches of points, not allowing Brazil to come back with the hole they dug for Brazil. The USA blocks denied Brazil into siding out and forced Brazil to commit unforced errors down the stretch. They had 11 gold medal points. It was only fitting that the captain of the team, Jordan Larson would have the last swing to finish off the match. USA finished the Olympics with a 7-1 matches won/loss record. Despite losing to the ROC in pool play, USA bounced back and showed pure domination in the last three elimination matches against Dominican Republic, Serbia, and finally Brazil.
#1 Micha Hancock (Setter) played for Igor Gorgonzola Novara in Italy for the club season and will be going back for this season. She was one of the two setters selected for the Olympics roster, out of the three on Team USA (the other two being Lauren Carlini and Jordyn Poulter). She is known for serving aces with the hardspin jumpserve she has at the service line. She wasn’t a starter, but had to step in when the starting setter Jordyn Poulter injured her ankle mid-match against Italy in pool play.
#2 Jordyn Poulter (Setter) is the youngest to make the Olympics team. She will play for Futura Volley Busta Arsizio in Italy for the club season. She was the starting setter until she rolled her ankle mid-match against Italy in the final pool play match. She was sidelined for the Quarterfinal against the Dominican Republic, but started again in the Semifinals against reigning World Champs Serbia and then the Gold Medal match against Brazil. She was named Best Setter to the Dream Team.
#4 Justine Wong-Orantes (Libero) played professionally for Wiesbaden VC in Germany during the club season. She is of Asian-American heritage. A few years ago, it did not look like she would remain on the roster, but with the recent success on the team, it seems like she is here to stay, after all the crazy digs she got to keep the ball in play. She was named Best Libero to the Dream Team.
#10 Jordan Larson (Outside Hitter) is the Captain and has a long list of accolades to her impressive volleyball career. She has played professionally in Puerto Rico, Russia, Turkey, and China. She will be playing for the Shanghai Bright Ubest team once again and then return to the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball professional league for Season 2. She is a wonderful team leader, and it shows as the team is more stable and calm through her presence on the court. She is a great passer who knows exactly which shot to use to get the point. She was named as one of the Best Outside Hitters to the Dream Team. With this gold medal, she completes her collection of all colors of the Olympic medals, just like her teammate Foluke Akindarewo Gunderson. Although not formally decided and announced yet, this was likely Jordan’s last match with Team USA.
#11 Annie Drews (Opposite) plays professionally for JT Marvelous in Japan. She was not the original starter in the Opposite position, but after Jordan Thompson rolled her ankle mid-match against the ROC, she subbed in for the remaining matches. She proved herself worthy and did an excellent job. In the match against Serbia, she served 3 aces.
#12 Jordan Thompson (Opposite) plays professionally for Eczacıbaşı VitrA in Turkey. She was the leading scorer for Team USA. In the pool play match against China, she led with 34 points, in just 3 sets played. It was looking more and more like she would be USA’s star player with the most points scored. But, she landed on a teammate’s foot during a play in the match against the ROC, requiring immediate rehabilitation. For the next match, she could only watch from the bleachers as she sat with the Normatec on her legs. She was suited for the rest of the matches, but was not required as Annie Drews did such a good job.
#13 Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (Outside Hitter) will be playing professionally for Vakifbank S.K. in Turkey. There were some moments in matches where she looked shaky, either through passing the ball or committing a hitting error, but she stabilized when it mattered. She was named Best Outside Hitter to the Dream Team.
Screenshot Credit: Kimberly Hill (IG: @kimjayehill)
#15 Kimberly Hill (Outside Hitter) played professionally for Imoco Volley Conegliano in Italy during the club season, with the club winning all the trophies possible in the 2020-21 season. Kim Hill was a star spiker during the club season, but was not used as a spiker in the Olympics. Rather, she was the serving substitute for Foluke Akindarewo Gunderson (whose brother married Kim’s sister). She adds to the bronze medal from Rio 2016. This is perhaps Kim’s last volleyball tournament, as she has announced retirement from the sport.
#16 Foluke Akindarewo Gunderson (Middle Blocker) played professionally for Hisamitsu Springs in Japan. After a surprise pregnancy in 2019, she had to work her way back, due to a severe case of diastasis recti, where she had to regain her core strength. The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics worked in her favor, giving her more time to recover and train with the team. With this gold medal, she completes her collection of all colors of the Olympic medals, just like her teammate Jordan Larson.
Screenshot Credit: Haleigh Washington (IG: @hales_storm)
#22 Haleigh Washington (Middle Blocker) plays professionally for Igor Gorgonzola Novara in Italy for the club season and will be going back for this season. She was impressive as a starting Middle Blocker for Team USA, getting the blocks in addition to the slide attacks from the back row. She was named one of the Best Middle Blockers to the Dream Team.
#23 Kelsey Robinson (Outside Hitter) played professionally for Guangdong Evergrande in China and Fenerbahçe in Turkey during the club season. She will be playing for Toyota Queenseis in Japan this season. She was only utilized as a substitute in matches where Team USA was down to add an extra spark to bring the team back up. She adds to the bronze medal from Rio 2016.
#24 Chiaka Ogbogu (Middle Blocker) played for Eczacıbaşı VitrA, but will be playing for Vakifbank S.K. in Turkey. She was only utilized as a substitute in matches where Team USA was down to offer some changes as needed.
The USA women’s national team and staff pose for a photo/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
The team reunites to celebrate/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
The USA squad has as tearful celebration/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
The USA women’s volleyball gold medalists on the medal stand/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Jordyn Poulter sets outside/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
The team reacts after Jordan Larson puts away the match-winning kill/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Head coach Karch Kiraly calls his team not only “bad sses, but gold medalists!”/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Gabi Braga Guimaraes exploits a hole in the USA blok/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Michelle Bartsch-Hackley reaches for a pipe set/Ed Chan, VBshots.com
Heading into the Olympics, Coach Karch Kiraly made it clear that Team USA’s strategy was to ‘outteam the other teams’. While, many of the other teams relied on one spiker, whether it be China (Zhu Ting), Serbia (Tijana Bošković), or Italy (Paola Egonu), Team USA tries to spread the offensive attacks between the athletes on the court. This proved to be effective as USA defeated all three of those teams in straight sets, limiting their attacking efficiency. Using the Volley Nations League (VNL) as a tuneup to the Olympics and extra practice also proved effective as many teams decided to keep their starting A-Team at home and instead sent their B-Team or C-Team.
With this historical win, USA won its first ever Olympics gold medal in Women’s Indoor Volleyball. They had to deal with heartbreak in previous years, but the momentum built despite the team suffering two injuries during pool play. It was Brazil who defeated the USA 3-1 in the Gold Medal match in London 2012, so it was fitting for USA to defeat Brazil to win 3-0 this time. It was Serbia who defeated the USA 3-2 in the Semifinals in Rio 2016, preventing them to play for a gold medal, so it was fitting for USA to defeat Serbia to win 3-0 this time. It was also fitting that Jordan Larson have the kill for the final point to seal the match. Tears were shed and hugs were embraced.
Jordan Larson and Foluke Akindarewo Gunderson finishes their Olympic medals collection, having earned a silver in London 2012, a bronze in Rio 2016, and finally a gold in Tokyo 2020. Coach Karch Kiraly also becomes the only person to have won 2 gold medals in Indoors and 1 gold medal in Beach as a player and 1 bronze and 1 gold medal in Indoors as a coach.
At the end of each competition, they announce the Dream Team, the best players in each position. Team USA swept 6 of the 8 awards, with Captain Jordan Larson earning the prestigious MVP award, in addition to one of the two Best Opposite Hitters.
Congrats to Team USAVWNT on the historical gold! With this 39th gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, the USA also officially surpassed China in gold medals count.
It’s extra sweet to see the team that you’ve been cheering and rooting from the very beginning to come out on top at the Olympics! Everyone brings their A game to the biggest stage in sports, and ATeam surely did not disappoint. They won all 7 matches, only dropping one set along the way to get to the Gold Medal.
ATeam opened their first match of Pool Play with a straight set victory (21-17, 21-19) over China’s Xinxin Wang/Chen Xue. They held the lead for much of Set 1. China served tougher in Set 2 and they led by two points maximum, trading sideouts for much of it. Late into Set 2, China got a block on Alix Klineman, taking the lead at 19-18. April Ross and Alix called a timeout, came back onto the court and won the next three points, winning their first Olympics match.
ATeam started off the first match of the day in Shiokaze Park, the beach volleyball stadium, playing against Spain’s Elsa Baquerizo/Liliana Fernandez in their second pool play match. ATeam came away with the straight set decisive victory (21-13, 21-16). April had 4 aces in the pouring rain. Alix was also highly efficient in attacking. In Set 2, they were up 19-13 and Spain went on a 3-0 points run, only for Alix to close out the match with another block.
The last pool play match was played in torrential rain. Besides the four players on the court, everyone else was wearing a rain poncho. ATeam were pushed, but ultimately won in tiebreak (20-22, 21-17, 15-5) against the Netherland’s Sanne Keizer/Madelein Meppelink. In Set 1, both teams traded sideouts until the Dutch drew two points clear. ATeam trailed for most of Set 2, until coming back from the technical timeout. Alix got a couple blocks to level the match. Set 3 was when the ATeam became unstoppable. Alix served three aces in a row and on match point, the Dutch team overpassed the ball, resulting in an easy kill from Alix up at the net. They went on a 10-2 points run. With the win, they officially topped Pool B and will be headed to the elimination rounds as the 2 seed. Pool B was composed of 6 former Olympians. Their coach Angie Akers was the former coach of the Dutch team until her contract with the Netherlands expired last year and she did not renew it. The Dutch team lost all three of their pool play matches, which all went to three sets.
ATeam played the Cuban team of Lidy/Leila in the Round of 16 match, putting an end to the losing streak of USAV from the day before. They won in straight sets (21-17, 21-15). From the scores, one would not be able to tell that they held a comfortable lead in Set 1 but early on in Set 2, they were down 1-6 at the first side switch, which looked worrisome. Then they were down 5-9, when April Ross went on a service run to bring them up 11-10 by the technical timeout. A few timely aces and blocks from the team, along with Cuba’s unforced errors gave them a comfortable lead to close out the match.
ATeam played Germany’s Laura Ludwig/Maggie Kozuch in the Quarterfinals. Ludwig is the gold medalist from the Rio 2016 Olympics with her then partner Kira Walkenhorst. Like Alix Klineman, Kozuch was an indoor volleyball player who transitioned to the beach. In Set 1, ATeam jumped off to an early 5-2 lead at the first side switch, but Germany tied it at 7-7 at the next side switch. Germany led 12-9 at the Tech Timeout, with Alix coming back with two back-to-back blocks to tie it 12-12. They continued to trade the 1 point lead until Germany made some errors at the tail end of the set. ATeam started off well again in Set 2, but Germany overtook the lead 11-10 at the tech timeout. The two teams traded sideouts once again, taking turns taking the 1 point lead. April came up with some timely aces to regain the lead. Kozuch served into the net, giving ATeam the match point. A sideout later, they won the match in straight sets (21-19, 21-19).
ATeam played Switzerland’s Anouk Verge Depre/Joana Heidrich in the Semifinals. Both the Swiss players previously competed in the Rio Olympics with different partners, who retired after the last Olympics. In Set 1, ATeam built a 10-3 lead and never looked back. The beginning of Set 2 started off more evenly until ATeam once again built a lead to 13-8 at the Tech Timeout. ATeam was able to transition their serves into points with Alix getting a lot of touches on the blocks and April digging the kills from Switzerland. At the end, ATeam won with an excellent performance in a straight set victory (21-12, 21-11).
ATeam played Australia’s Mariafe Artacho del Solar/Taliqua Clancy in the Gold Medal Match. April Ross and Alix Klineman came storming out of the gates, establishing a lead early on. In Set 1, they had a 13-8 lead going into the Tech Timeout. The service pressure was there from the beginning, allowing them to have a cushion of points, even if they made some errors at the later part of the match. In Set 2, Australia won the first rallies to win the first two points. April Ross went on a 10-0 points service run, stressing out the Australians. Although Australia tried to save a couple of gold medal match points, they served the last ball into the net for USA to take the convincing straight set victory (21-15, 21-16). Like the semifinals the day before, ATeam showed pure domination from start to finish. They had 7 aces in the match, along with 2 blocks from Alix.
With the Tokyo Gold medal, April finishes her collection of Olympic medals, one in each color (Silver in 2012 London, Bronze in 2016 Rio, Gold in 2020 Tokyo). She earned the medals all with different partners. She is the first female beach volleyball player to have the full collection of Olympic medals.
It’s only been 4 years since Alix Klineman transitioned to the beach. She had always envisioned herself going to the Olympics for Indoor Volleyball, but at the first Olympics outing, she wins the gold medal!
Not only are they known as the #ATeam, they are also known as #TeamHugs, with them hugging it out after every point as a strategic move to have a little more time to breathe after the last play since teams are given 12 seconds after celebrating to serve the next ball. The pair was previously coached by Jennifer Kessy (April’s former partner earning the silver medal in the London Olympics). When the pandemic postponed the Olympics by a year and Jen Kessy had family commitments to move to Maine, Angie Akers became the head coach starting last summer.
It’s been a tough 24 hours for the USA Volleyball fans to digest. But Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena’s loss hurts the most. I’ve been rooting for them ever since the last Olympics in Rio. They have a great backstory — two college kids starting out in Florida and playing their way into the beach volleyball scene, eventually making a profession out of it. Phil went on to win gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Todd Rogers, becoming a formidable pair on the FIVB circuit. But, he always envisioned finishing off his excellent career with his buddy Nick. They reunited in 2015 and qualified for Rio, and were seen as favorites, but lost in the Quarterfinals to the eventual Brazilian champions Alison/Bruno on their home sand.
Phil contemplated hanging it up, but there were no coaching opportunities at the time reaching out to him at the time. In 2017, they turned back the clock and won 3 FIVB events and 3 domestic AVP events. During the Olympics Qualification period, at times it looked like they were not interested. But I am so, so proud of the way they fought through the one year postponement of the Olympics due to COVID. Originally the 3rd USA men’s team (each country can only send two), they climbed in rankings to tie with the first team over the course of the 6 events this year.
Getting to play in their last Olympics was not an easy task either. Because Phil sat in front of someone on the flight to Tokyo who tested positive, he was placed under modified quarantine. This meant he could not stay in the Olympics Village, and instead had to stay in an isolation hotel. He could only receive treatment at the end of the day. He and Nick could not practice against other teams, only amongst themselves and use the courts at the end of the day. The situation was really not ideal. Adversity was hitting them on all corners. They lost the opening pool play match to Rio’s bronze medalists, Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen of the Netherlands. They fought hard to win the next two pool play matches against Brazil’s Alison/Alvaro and Argentina’s Azaad/Capogrosso, both in tiebreaks. A 2-1 record in pool play put them as the third ranked team in pool play.
They would draw Qatar, the current #1 team in the world. Before the match started, on paper, it was obvious that Qatar’s Cherif/Ahmed were the favorites. Phil and Nick would go on to win Set 1 21-14, with Phil getting multiple aces and blocks. In Set 2, Phil and Nick were up 16-14 and were looking good to close out the set in two sets, but Qatar would not let them get away easily. They ended up stealing the second set and then went on to build on the momentum and won Set 3. Phil and Nick lost 2-1 (21-14, 19-21, 11-15). This meant they placed 9th in their last Olympics, and what looks to be their last international tournament.
Thank you Phil and Nick for leaving behind a legacy and allowing us to support you from afar. Having witnessed your wins at AVP NYC in 2018 and 2019 was pretty special. Enjoy the well deserved family time at home! For sure, I’ll continue to root for these two buddies when they (hopefully) play in AVP’s.
我以為 (I Thought) is a song that I came across on Youtube. It features strong vocals throughout parts of the song.
The song is original by 品冠 Victor Wong. This version is a cover by 萱萱 Dai Yingxuan, in which she sings it on Masked Singer (Season 2). I find her voice to be similar to GEM Tang.
侧脸 (Profile) is the subtheme song for 他在逆光中告白 (Mysterious Love), which finished airing on Sohu a few weeks ago, but is being released on the Kukan Drama Youtube channel with English subtitles starting today. It’s a short 16 episodes low-budget production that is both suspenseful and action-packed. It surprisingly was very well-received and at the celebratory party, they announced that the original cast will be in a sequel (or spinoff, to be determined), with filming anticipated to begin next year. The song starts off gentle, but the pace picks up, giving it a suspenseful and mysterious feel, just like the series.
魏语诺 Seven Wei sings this song, which is played at the end of each episode when the credits roll.
明明可以爱很久 (We Could Have Loved for Longer) is the subtheme song for 我的漂亮朋友 Young and Beautiful, which is currently airing. It’s 42 episodes long and stars 张天爱 Crystal Zhang Tianai and 徐开骋 Xu Kaicheng. I first came across this song on YouTube and was just hooked. The duet part is the best part, where his voice blends with her voice. I started skimming through parts of the drama, but would like to know whether it will be a happy ending before fully diving into it, because it’s on episode 32 now and the male lead and female lead have not yet gotten together yet, with misunderstandings between them, so it does seem very draggy.
There are three versions of the song, but my favorite one is the one by Crystal Zhang and Xu Kaicheng.
While waiting in line to check in luggage, Mi Duoduo (Guo Ziqian) asks if Mo Fei (Lulu Xu) can help her put some of her stuff in Mo Fei’s luggage as hers is overweight. Tang Mingxuan (Hans Zhang) gets to the airport just as Mo Fei is about to go through the security checkpoint. He tells her he needs clarification of where they stand before she goes. He does not like when things are vague. Mo Fei says she can tell that he and Xia Xueling (Wang Ruizi) are childhood friends turned lovers. She will give her blessings if he gets together with Xia Xueling, but he firmly says he does not need her blessings. Before they bid farewell, he gives her back the Little Prince doll, hoping she will keep it by her side and think of him everyone she sees the doll. Tang Mingxuan can only see the plane take off from the road and think of their interactions thus far.
On the flight, Mi Duoduo finds out that Mo Fei is going to study at the same school that her boyfriend graduated from. Upon landing in Paris, Mi Duoduo’s boyfriend Cheng Yang (Xu Ge) drives them to the apartment he has rented for Mi Duoduo, who invites Mo Fei to stay with her instead of living at a youth hostel. The two new roommates are extremely attracted to the architecture and interior decorations of the apartment. Mo Fei’s assessment interview at ECSCP goes well. The professor is amazed with the intricate craft and skill of the shirt she is wearing, which she made for herself. She is able to start as a junior, instead of a freshman.
Both Mo Fei and Tang Mingxuan compose a message to each other, but deletes it before sending. Tang Mingxuan is unable to sleep again, without Mo Fei’s broadcast. Mo Fei debates if she should do a broadcast, seeing he is online when it’s already late in China. Mi Duoduo questions her relationship status with Tang Mingxuan. Mo Fei replies that he might have a girlfriend already. Mi Duoduo teaches her to post a Wechat Moment to see how he responds: whether he likes it, comments on it, or sends her a message right away.
Fang Xiaoyu (Hong Yao) goes to find Mo Fan (Jerron Wu) and Lu Zhu (Zhang Tianying) to ask about Mo Fei, only to find out that she’s already gone to France. He informs his supervisor that he is leaving Shanghai and going back to Cayman in France, much to his supervisor’s delight. Fang Xiaoyu wants to create a new fashion line based on batik technique and wants to collaborate with Mo Fei.
Episode 12 Remarks: Although Tang Mingxuan says he wants to be clear where they stand, they are still very much in an ambiguous state. Both of them are hesitant to message the other, even though they really want to.
Mo Fei (Lulu Xu) accompanies her mentor Mr. Pan to an event. Tang Mingxuan (Hans Zhang) starts exchanging messages with her, asking her what she is up to and informs her he is in Nanjing, but will go to find her once back in Shanghai, with a gift. Zhu Haitian (Zhang Yi) consults Xia Xueling (Wang Ruizi) how to find talented fashion designers to add to his company. She specifically points out Mo Fei from a distance and recommends he should consider hiring her, but Mo Fei expresses she has absolutely no interest in joining his company. They find Fang Xiaoyu (Hong Yao) at the same event. Along with Xia Xueling, they converse in front of Mo Fei and make it sound like there is something between Xia Xueling and Tang Mingxuan. Feeling uncomfortable and confused, Mo Fei excuses herself and leaves. As she is outside, Zhu Haitian continues to annoy Mo Fei, really wanting to sign her as a contracted designer. His plans are ruined when Bai Xiaoman (Shi Qingyan) stops her boyfriend from interacting anymore with Mo Fei.
Xia Xueling offers to drive Mo Fei home. On the drive, she purposely lets her know that Tang Mingxuan allowed for her designs to be sold on the online platform even though she placed 8th, angering the person in charge, making her feel guilty and uneasy. Xia Xueling also purposely drives to Tang Mingxuan’s home to drop off something to his mother, Lu Dan (Wen Zhengrong), who invites her in for some fruits. Lu Dan presents a set of silk pajamas for Xia Xueling and Tang Mingxuan and tells her the guest room is always available to her and eventually they’ll become family. Once again, this makes Mo Fei feel uneasy. When they get home, Bai Xiaoman scolds Zhu Haitian for being interested in Mo Fei, but he puts his foot down in the argument that he is determined to sign her, regardless of whether she likes it or not.
Mo Yuxin (Lee Ng) finds out that Mo Fan (Jerron Wu) is a model trainee, but does not object it as much as Mo Fan and Mo Fei thought she would. Mo Fei is unable to sleep, sorting through the conversations she heard during the day hinting Xia Xueling and Tang Mingxuan are a couple. She starts a broadcast, announcing that fairytales do not exist in real life. Once back in Shanghai, Xia Xueling once again brings to Tang Mingxuan’s attention that Mo Fei technically did not finish the competition, so her designs should not be able to be sold on the Fashion Daily website. He goes to find Mo Fei at her home and presents her the gift he got from Nanjing— a cloud brocade piece. She tries to distance herself from him, instructing him to contact one of the embroiderers if there is anything about the acquisition.
Mo Fei packs her suitcases for Paris. Before heading to the airport, she stops by Mingyuan office to drop off her ID card, handing it to Xia Xueling. She thinks about messaging Tang Mingxuan her flight information, but deletes it. Lu Zhu (Zhang Tianying) informs Tang Mingxuan that Mo Fei is leaving tonight. He hurries to the airport after he messages Mo Fei and she replies that she is taking the 9pm flight to Paris. Tang Mingxuan is stuck in traffic. Mo Fei looks around at the airport, but does not spot the person who she wants to see most.
Episode 11 Remarks: What a heart wrenching episode for Mo Fei, for those around her to be fooling her and making her think that Tang Mingxuan and Xia Xueling are a couple and convinces her that they are only friends.