A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
EPISODE 1
Have you ever wondered what will happen to you in the future?
At least the 18-year-old me
never thought something like this would happen in real life.
My name is Dong Shancai.
I'm just an ordinary 18-year-old girl.
This is my mother.
She has plump cheeks, stubby legs, and a loud voice.
She's very healthy and has an optimistic outlook on life.
I think I'm a lot like her.
You silly girl.
How did your face get so dirty just by buying vegetables?
I'd like this one.
Sweet and sour pork ribs is the signature dish of the Dong family.
Ever since I was a child,
eating my mom's food together at the table has been the best thing ever.
What smells so good?
It looks delicious.
Done.
Silly girl. Who said you could have some?
This is for our customers.
You've had them for 18 years. Isn't that enough?
I'll never have enough.
I made up my mind to get into Mingde University's Nutrition Department
so that I could expand my mom's catering business.
I want more people to enjoy her food.
My Sweetheart.
Dad.
This is my dad.
He's just an ordinary logistics manager.
But he's also a good husband who loves his wife
and a good father who loves his daughter.
TALENT'S TEA SHOP
This is my high school classmate, Xiaoyou.
She loves tea,
so after taking the college entrance exam, we worked part-time at this tea shop.
It was a long and peaceful summer.
Just like the last 18 years.
But, the peace was broken on that day.
-Three. -Three.
-Two. -Two.
-One. -One.
-You got in! -You got in!
-I got in! -Xiaoyou got into
-That's awesome! -Tea Culture Department at Chaoyang
and I...
CELEBRATION BANQUET
Thanks to all her teachers,
our baby girl Shancai got into Mingde University.
-Congratulations to Shancai! -Congratulations!
-Thank you. -Cheers!
Thank you.
I got into the school of my dreams, Mingde University.
And I became a freshman in the Nutrition Department.
Mom.
Is this the legendary Mingde University?
Yes.
It's the best school.
Shancai, work hard.
Your future starts here.
Fist bump?
Cheers.
Shancai.
I'm so happy
that we got into Mingde together.
My best friend in high school will now be my best friend in university.
I'm so lucky.
It's better than winning the lottery.
I'm happy too!
Shancai.
You're...
Let me think about it.
Li Zhen.
You're the quiet girl with the best grades in the other class.
This is Chen Qinghe.
He's my best friend.
We were classmates in high school and got into the same university.
You must be very close.
Of course, we're so close
that I applied to the same universities as her.
Why did you apply to the same universities?
I didn't want to be apart from her.
Also, it doesn't matter what I major in.
I'm going to take over the family company, a banana processing factory.
Bananas are great. They're very nutritious and delicious.
Yes, most importantly,
they're never lonely.
Bananas are never lonely?
Because...
-Bananas hang around in bunches! -Bananas hang around in bunches!
-You're so in sync. -Of course.
No matter what,
I'm going to be Shancai's classmate again.
Shancai, it's good that I know you,
I'd be so lonely all by myself.
We'll be best friends from now on for the next four years.
I, Dong Shancai, am ready.
I'm going to work hard at Mingde University
and start this new chapter in my life.
-Are you okay? -Be careful.
-I'm fine. -Sit down.
-The lecture's about to start. -Hurry up.
Next, let's welcome our guest from University of Pennsylvania,
Mr. Bobbit.
-Mr. Bobbit? -So impressive.
I can't believe Mingde invited him.
I'm going to tell my parents.
They'll be so jealous.
Hey, look at my pictures.
Shancai, you got really good ones.
Send this one to me.
-I'm making birthday emojis. -It's your birthday?
-Happy birthday. -Happy birthday.
It's not today. It's in two days.
-I sent it. -Okay.
-That lecture was awesome. -Look.
-That's great. -Yeah.
I think so too.
Hey, who's that?
-I don't know. -What's happening?
Is it F4?
-Let's go take a look. -Okay.
Shancai!
Sorry.
Excuse me.
Dong Shancai,
go home and reflect upon your actions today.
Regardless of the reason,
you should never be so rude to our school's
special guest, Mr. Bobbit!
Look, that's her.
She's that freshman, Dong Shancai?
Why did she attack Mr. Bobbit?
Yeah, is she crazy?
Something must be wrong with her.
This is terrible.
Is she really a student here?
Yeah.
Look. That's her.
Shancai, are you hurt?
Shancai, I'm sorry.
It was all my fault.
I wasn't able to protect you.
Why did you attack Mr. Bobbit?
I didn't want to attack him.
I was trying to find the F4 member with green shoes.
One of them stepped on my phone and broke it.
F4?
Who's F4?
Where are they?
Are they the ones those girls were taking photos of?
They seem to be very popular.
The F4 members are very popular seniors.
Are you guys new?
Yes.
We're freshmen from the Nutrition Department.
And you are?
Junior in Journalism.
I'm Guo Caijie.
You're so pretty.
Caijie,
why is F4 so popular?
They're four senior students at Mingde.
Their average height is 185cm.
They're all very handsome, talented and outgoing.
Most importantly, at school,
they all excel in their respective fields.
Huaze Lei majors in music.
Ximen, Meizuo, and Daoming Si
major in business administration.
They attract a lot of attention at school.
They always get the best scholarships
and they're all skilled in at least three languages.
They're not only smart, they have great taste too.
They might look like players,
but they respect women.
The four of them are very close.
They've been friends since they were little.
It's almost impossible for someone new to join them.
Because of that,
F4 has always been very mysterious at Mingde.
The girls all love them,
and there are a lot of boys who want to prove
that they're better than them.
These boys challenge them to prove that they're more popular
and more attractive.
Challenge? How do they challenge them?
With Bridge.
-Bridge? -Bridge?
What is Bridge?
I've never heard of it.
Bridge is an international card game that's elegant and civilized.
It's competitive and requires skill and cooperation.
They're not only the stars of Mingde, they're also stars in the Bridge world.
If anyone wants to beat them,
they'll have to be really good.
But, since F4 founded the Bridge club,
no one has been able to beat them.
They're that good?
The four of them have different strengths when playing Bridge.
Feng Meizuo is the artistic one.
He loves literature and art.
He's good at designing exhibitions and holding salons.
At the Bridge table, he has incredible memory.
He never forgets anything.
He's also very humorous.
After listening to his jokes,
his opponents often lower their defense.
They start to take the game less seriously.
Ximen is very subtle and cautious.
His family adores tea.
He is very skilled in the art of tea.
At the Bridge table, he's good at strategies.
He knows how to play mind games.
He distracts his opponents.
They often don't even know how they lost.
They call him the Battle God.
Huaze Lei is a music genius.
He has perfect pitch and plays many instruments.
He earns many music scholarships every year.
At the Bridge table, he's calm and poised.
The opponent can never tell what his hand is like.
Some say he has laser eyes
that can see through others' trickery.
Also, they say that when the opponent sees his smile,
they'll give up their best card.
As for the leader of F4, Daoming Si,
he has great interest and talent in finance.
When he turned 18, he earned a million yuan
through trading securities.
That made him a legend at Mingde's business school.
At the Bridge table, he's very aggressive.
Some people sit down and get scared into making mistakes.
They fail to utilize their best cards
and regret it afterwards.
The four of them
have won many Bridge awards for the school.
The school is very proud of them.
That's awesome.
Even if they're good at cards,
they should apologize when they break someone's phone.
Yeah, we should go to their club right now.
If they don't apologize,
I'll challenge them and beat them.
It's not that easy to challenge them.
You have to get the joker first.
What's the joker?
F4's challenge invitation.
-Invitation? -Invitation?
So many people want to challenge them.
They got annoyed and made this rule.
Anyone who wants to challenge them needs to find the opportunity
to tell them in person that they want a challenge.
If F4 believes that you're qualified,
they'll give you a joker card and give you a time.
But, before the game, you need to wager something.
Wager something?
There's a lot of rumors about that.
Some are funny.
Some are unbelievable.
For example?
For example,
if you lose, you'll have to clean the school for one semester.
or squat in the school fountain for half a day,
or stay the night in the biology lab with all the specimens.
That person fainted.
Or, you might have to eat
a hundred steamed pork buns in an hour.
Some losers have to do a traditional dance by the sea.
One of the most ridiculous rumors
that no one has been able to prove yet
is that one time, someone who lost to them
had to eat a pair of slippers.
So? Do you still want to challenge them?
That's the Bridge club.
Good luck.
Shancai, should we go find them?
Yes. Why not?
The guy with green shoes is the one in the wrong.
I'm not afraid.
Yeah, why should we be afraid?
Let's go.
-Right here? -Yeah. Right here.
F4.
Come out right now.
Yeah. F4, come out right now!
The guy in the green shoes, you broke my phone.
You have to buy me a new one.
Yeah. Buy Shancai a phone!
If you don't come out, we're coming in.
Yeah.
If you don't come out, we're coming in to challenge you.
I think they're not here.
Let's go.
Yes.
According to what Caijie just said, they should be easy to find.
That's right.
If we see some tall, long-legged,
arrogantly handsome guys,
it should be them.
What?
Is that them?
I think so.
I can feel their presence.
Hey.
Green shoe guy.
What do you want?
-What's this? -A broken phone.
Do you know why it's broken?
-It's none of my business. -None of your business?
You broke it by stepping on it.
When?
After the lecture.
Those girls wanted to see you and they pushed me.
My phone fell on the floor.
You stepped on it and broke it.
Hey! I'm not done yet!
That's enough.
-Stop it. -Hey!
Shancai, stop it.
Hey!
I'm Professor Ma. This is Introduction to Nutrition.
This is your first class.
Can anyone tell me why you came to Mingde?
This is the best school.
To get hands-on experience.
Learn how to work with others.
Mingde has the best teachers and learning environment.
So, we'll become top students.
Good answers, everyone.
But, what I want to tell you is that
most people won't pass.
During these four years,
I will hold you to the strictest criteria.
You might feel tortured.
You might hate me.
Even so,
I won't make it easier for you.
Let me tell you this.
We have limited capability,
but...
WE HAVE UNLIMITED DETERMINATION.
We have unlimited determination.
Don't be held back by your capability.
Now, form groups of four.
We're going to do group reports.
Silly girl. What are you doing?
Mom.
A girl from my high school, Li Zhen, got into Mingde with me.
Tomorrow's her birthday.
I want to make a delicious but low-fat cake for her.
There's no such thing as a low-fat cake.
Of course, there is.
Our nutrition professor said
you can use skimmed milk instead of whole milk
and half the amount of sugar.
Look what you've learned already.
That cake is looking good.
How can you get your face dirty by making a cake?
All right. Carry on.
Shancai.
It's kind of ugly. I hope you don't mind.
I love it.
Did you know that this is the first time someone made a cake for me?
I don't have money to buy a nice gift.
This is nothing big.
It's low in fat so you won't gain weight.
-There's a card too. -Hey!
Don't read it yet. Read it at home.
I'll feel embarrassed.
How about we take a photo with the cake?
There's a lot of people here.
Let's go...
Over there.
-Okay. Let's go. -Let's go.
How about here?
-Let's take the photo here. -Okay.
Stand over there. I'll take one of you.
Okay.
-A bit to the right. -Like this?
I can't get the cake in.
-Step back a bit. -Okay.
-Are you okay? -I'm fine.
You scared me. Be careful.
-Here's your phone. -But my cake...
I need to get it.
You again.
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to do that.
If apologies worked, why would we need the police?
Si, let me help you clean up.
-Go away! -Hey!
-Are you okay? -Yeah.
Hey! Come back here!
She didn't mean to do it.
She apologized to you, didn't she?
Why do you have to be so mean?
You're an arrogant, green shoe-wearing, pineapple head.
You think you're popular at school
so you can do whatever you want.
You didn't apologize for breaking my phone.
You're just a jerk.
You.
You've got guts.
Shancai, why did you argue with him?
I don't know why I was so mad.
Okay, I won't do it again.
A joker card?
Shancai, why would you get a joker card?
I bet it's because you made Si mad that day.
Si wants me to play cards with him?
I don't have time for that.
Shancai, where are you going?
For a walk.
Those stupid people.
All I want to do is study.
I didn't want a joker card.
They broke my phone
and embarrassed me in front of everyone.
F4.
You're all jerks.
I hope that from tomorrow,
your phone signals will be blocked by aliens.
No calls, no texts, no games, no internet. No phone in your life.
You'll step on your own foot and fall.
You'll dream of zombies that eat your face.
Your nostril hair will grow
until it penetrates your head and becomes your hair.
And then?
What happens after it becomes my hair?
-Then-- -Will you be happy?
Are you trying to bully me too?
Why would I do that?
Aren't you a member of F4?
Yes.
I really have no interest in other people's business.
Here.
-Pass it. -Pass the ball.
Over here.
-Nice! -Yeah!
Go, Si!
All right.
Hey, Shancai.
Come over here.
Come here.
Shancai, look.
That's the boy I like.
I want to take a video.
When I give him this drink,
take a video of us.
I need to go somewhere.
-See you later. -Hey.
Shancai.
Don't be so petty.
Can't you help me out?
Fine.
Wait.
It's for you...
Are you filming me?
Who's filming you?
What are you doing?
Shancai.
-Yes? -A customer ordered 20 takeouts.
-Can you deliver them? -Okay.
Sir, excuse me. Where's the Halftime Cafe?
Thanks.
HALFTIME CAFE
Sir, here's your takeout.
You?
You ordered takeout?
Yeah.
Shouldn't you be glad
that I'm supporting your family?
Here are your 20 takeout meals.
Please enjoy.
Stop.
What?
I didn't check the food yet.
I need to make sure you didn't get my order wrong.
This is what your family sells?
It doesn't look good at all.
Then don't eat it.
I'll take it back.
I spent money on them.
I'll give them to whoever I want.
Do you have a problem with that?
I know you're bullying me.
But you shouldn't waste food like this.
Do you know how much time my mom spends on making these lunch boxes?
Enough is enough.
Is it my problem now?
You should be nicer to your customers.
I'm nice to good customers.
You don't deserve it.
Say that again.
Or what?
They say only the elite can go to Mingde.
They're polite and have good manners.
But when I see you,
I feel ashamed for you.
You don't know how hard other people have to work.
-You're a parasite of society. -Shut up!
You insulted me first.
You deserve it.
What happened to you, miss?
Don't go, miss.
Let go of me!
Don't be shy.
-We're good people. -Let go!
Let go!
-We're good people. -Yeah.
-Let go of me! -What are you doing?
Get lost.
What a busybody.
Why?
Why did Si do this to me?
Wipe it off.
When you feel like crying, do a handstand.
That way, your tears won't fall down.
Let me borrow this.
Eat the slippers!
-Eat the slippers! -Eat the slippers!
Eat the slippers!
Shancai,
come have breakfast.
Sweetheart, come and eat.
You've had two already.
That's for our daughter.
You have to buy me a new one.
It's none of my business.
Go away!
This is what your family sells?
It doesn't look good at all.
Shut up!
We have limited capability, but we have unlimited determination.
I'm going to fight back!
Shancai, good morning.
Si!
Who wants to play cards with you?
I, Dong Shancai, will not be bullied by anyone.
Subtitle translation by Sophie
Subtitles downloaded with "Netflix subtitle downloader" UserScript by Tithen-Firion.