Xing Wang and Shen Yin He was one of those perfect couples that the writers managed to come up with without trying too hard to make them perfect because they weren’t perfect, to begin with. However, it was often overlooked by viewers because of other details or ongoing plot that diverted attention from them. Moreover, it could be possible that it was hard to accept their behaviors or decisions at one point or another.
Xing Wang was a genius, to say the least. He graduated from Harvard with straight ‘A’s. However, sadly to say, he wasn’t satisfied with those things. He would rather trade those for some time with his father and to be exact, his family. Loneliness has been his friend since young. Solitude was the game he played once too many times. When he went on an adventure around the world to explore its many wonders, he encountered a former gangster leader, Di Wu Zheng, and was mistaken that the guy was still carrying on with those ‘activities’. He pretended to be the boss’ long-lost son, You Ya Yu, but little did he knew that he could not fool the old man–even for just a second. The man played along with him and allowed him to make his escape afterward. Upon his encounter with this ex-gang leader, Xing Wang found out about the most powerful person of a place called Westside Street, which was You Ya Yu. Maybe it was his curiosity. Maybe it was his disbelief that anyone could be that powerful as legend says it. Or maybe it was his attempt of wanting to deliver a message to the young man about the whereabouts of his father. After all, no one knew more than Xing Wang himself the pain of not having a father (or not having any fatherly love). It was then that he was determined to enter Westside Street–a place so different from his, yet he was willing to step forward and experience.
Shen Yin He, on the other hand, was an unfortunate girl who lost her mother since young. Not only did she had to raise her siblings all by herself, but also had to look after her father–who was once a gambler. Having such a heavy burden on her shoulder, she had no choice but to turn to other means in earning money. Hiding her true self and entering the complicated world of Westside Street, she became a person who will not be accepted by society. It was not because she wanted to choose an easy way out and not cared about other things. She was a bright person with high intelligence and loved to study. But she did not have as many options as she wished. People who did not know her would consider her as ‘having an angel face but possessing a demon’s heart’ or a person who only cared about money, but it was not the case at all. She was just a young girl who had to carry such a burden, knowing her future will be ruined if she was found out. She was just a person drifting slowly along the path of life, doing what she had to, not caring if she was misunderstood.
Their lives crossed paths when everyone was in search of her whereabouts because of her mysterious disappearance. Her friends and non-friends were searching for her because of the need to and tints of curiosities creeping about in their minds. It was the intriguing romance between her and a mysterious man named Gu Tian Le. Little did the others knew that the little challenge set out by Xing Wang to You Ya Yu will change their lives forever. It was a path they were taking because of a silly misunderstanding between You Ya Yu and Xing Wang. (You Ya Yu teased Xing Wang and was not taking his offer of friendship seriously upon their first meeting, causing the delay in information being exchanged between You Ya Yu and Xing Wang as to where You Ya Yu’s father was at. The little tease also caused Ya Yu the challenge since Xing Wang felt the need to prove to Ya Yu that he was worthy of Ya Yu’s friendship.) Everything started out with innocent intent or a casual challenge. But because of how the story finally unfolded, things changed. After solving the mystery of Yin He’s disappearance, they were back again to their own lives, living normally–or so they thought.
Many incidents–whether accidental or on purpose, pulled their lives together again, causing many stories to unfold. However, the more they knew about each other, Xing Wang and Yin He found out they were just right for one another. So right yet they could never be together because both feared that they would betray a friend’s and lover’s trust.
To sum this up, I want to add in their song from the drama, Tormented (煎熬), sang by Tony Sun and Cyndi Wang–a song that describes their characters and obstacles so perfectly. (Go here for lyrics translations)
Go here for part 2 of their story.
*All images were captured by DTLCT