I Can See You Shine

Sophomore year isn't starting out the way Yeh Hsiao-tong had hoped. After being separated from her best friend, Chang Yang-yang, Hsiao-tong feels a growing sense of loneliness. Labeled by classmates as an unsociable loner, she finds it increasingly difficult to break through her shell and fit in.

When Yeh Hsiao-tong and Chang Yang-yang finally locate her missing diary, they make an unexpected discovery. Tucked inside the pages is a mysterious message from someone who calls himself 'Martian.' The cryptic words spark a sense of curiosity in Hsiao-tong, who can’t help but wonder about the identity of this mysterious figure.

Yang-yang and Luo Shao-hsien's budding relationship is everything Yang-yang has dreamed of romantic and filled with excitement. She is over the moon, believing this is the beginning of her fairytale romance. But for Hsiao-tong, it's a bittersweet experience. Watching her best friend in love brings up feelings of jealousy and sadness that she doesn't quite understand.

Hsiao-tong and Yang-yang, who had once been inseparable, make plans to get matching tattoos, a symbolic gesture of their unbreakable friendship. But when Yang-yang fails to show up on time, Hsiao-tong, filled with anger and hurt, makes an impulsive comment: she tells Yang-yang that she likes Luo Shao-hsien. It's a lie, a cruel attempt to provoke a reaction, but it works.

Secrets, lies, and manipulation run rampant in the lives of Yang-yang, Hsiao-tong, and their classmates, as everyone is caught in webs of deception. Yang-yang finds herself in a tough spot as Hsieh Jia-ying, who knows about her struggles, threatens to expose her secrets, making Yang-yang feel trapped and cornered. She’s not sure how much longer she can hide the truth.

The highly anticipated food festival, a time for students to showcase their culinary skills and share their favorite dishes, starts with excitement and enthusiasm. But as the event unfolds, it becomes clear that the atmosphere is charged with unspoken tensions. The carefully guarded secrets of the students come crashing to the surface, igniting a storm of confrontation.

With the highly anticipated performance drawing near, Chang Yang-yang's overwhelming determination to lead the folk-dance club to victory has transformed her into a relentless taskmaster. She pushes her fellow club members beyond their limits, demanding intense practice sessions, ignoring their exhaustion in the pursuit of perfection.

As Yang-yang sits in her room, disheartened by the ongoing stress and tension in her life, her mother notices her mood and sits down to comfort her. Sharing her own story of immigration, she tells Yang-yang how she once left her homeland to move to Taiwan. Despite not understanding the language, she was able to persevere because of the love and support from her family.