Cupid's Kitchen Episode 14 Recap
> Cupid's Kitchen Recap
Lin Kesong frantically searched for Nina and, upon Jiang Qianfan's return, demanded to know her whereabouts. When he remained silent, Lin Kesong tried calling Nina, only to find her phone unreachable. She confronted Jiang Qianfan again, and he reluctantly confessed that he had asked Nina to leave. He explained that he had been poisoned by essential oils, and, suspecting Nina, he dismissed her.
Lin Kesong, furious, called Jiang Qianfan heartless and cruel, arguing that Nina had cared for him meticulously and would never sabotage him. She pointed out that he had no evidence and had not considered Nina's feelings or where she would go. Jiang Qianfan retorted that even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of such a person being near him was unacceptable. He ordered Lin Kesong to change and begin her kitchen practice immediately.
Defiantly, Lin Kesong went to her room to pack her belongings. There, she found a note from Nina: "Little Bread, take care of yourself. Don't ever lose that enthusiasm of yours. I wish you and Mr. Jiang well. Forever and ever. Yours truly, Nina." Lin Kesong was moved to tears. As she tried to leave with her suitcase, Jiang Qianfan blocked her path. Lin Kesong abandoned the luggage and departed on her own.
Having nowhere to go, Lin Kesong called Song Yiran from his doorstep. Upon hearing her plight, Song Yiran immediately sped back home. Chu Ting, riding with him, was displeased and suggested he could arrange a hotel room for Lin Kesong at Bellagio to rest. Song Yiran insisted that Lin Kesong needed him, not just a place to stay. They arrived home late that night to find Lin Kesong asleep at the front door.
After she recounted the events, Song Yiran offered to find her a job at Liang She, but Lin Kesong had decided to return to Wuzhen the next day. As they spoke, Jiang Qianfan arrived, asking to speak with Lin Kesong privately. Song Yiran, agitated, lunged at Jiang Qianfan, but Chu Ting pulled him away, advising him to stay out of their affairs. Lin Kesong confronted Jiang Qianfan again, expressing her anger.
She argued that Nina treated him like a younger brother and would not have waited until now to harm him, adding that his dismissal of Nina had deeply hurt her feelings. Jiang Qianfan warned her that if she ran away now, she would forever be ridiculed as the "Evil Dragon Princess." Lin Kesong reiterated her intention to return to Wuzhen the next day.
Jiang Qianfan then produced a contract, reminding her of the two copies she signed on the way back from Xiaoyu's Private Kitchen. The contract stipulated that she could not terminate her apprenticeship for three years, with a penalty of ¥3 million for breach. Lin Kesong, realizing she had been manipulated, furiously tried to call out to Song Yiran. Jiang Qianfan quickly covered her mouth, and she bit him to vent her frustration.
Though resentful, she reluctantly returned with him, deeply wanting to leave but perplexed by his elaborate scheming against her. Back at home, Chu Ting noticed Song Yiran constantly texting Lin Kesong and grew annoyed by their closeness. Song Yiran found her jealousy amusing, explaining that he and Lin Kesong had been friends since childhood, and her problems were his. He contrasted this with Chu Ting, stating she was capable of handling her own issues and didn't need him.
Chu Ting gave him an ultimatum: either stay with her and distance himself from Lin Kesong, or they would break up. Song Yiran chose to break up. Meanwhile, Boris was unable to locate Lin Xiaoyu and called Thomas to obtain her address. Thomas, while dining out, habitually jotted down his food reviews on napkins.
After he left, the restaurant's owner and chef speculated that he might be the fabled "napkin hero" of the internet, known for his incisive critiques and elusive nature. Lin Feng had confined Lin Xiaoyu to her room and confiscated her phone because she prioritized cooking over visiting her hospitalized sister. Lin Xiaoyu protested by refusing to eat.
Her father informed her that she would be released only after the competition, emphasizing that learning proper conduct was more important than culinary skills. Boris arrived at Xiaoyu's Private Kitchen, having obtained the address from Thomas. Lin Feng informed him that Lin Xiaoyu would not be participating in the competition, believing that becoming Boris's apprentice had made her "inhuman."
Boris tried to rationalize, arguing that her presence at the hospital would have been futile, wasted expensive ingredients, and could lead to her losing the first round of the competition, condemning her to an ordinary life in a "ragged and damp little eatery." Lin Feng, angered by Boris's disrespect, erupted into an argument. Surrounded by other chefs, Boris, realizing he was outmatched, scurried away.
Blu later visited, but Lin Feng, engrossed in a game of Chinese chess, dismissed him, raising Blu's suspicions about Lin Xiaoyu's whereabouts. Upon returning, Lin Kesong, seeking to annoy Jiang Qianfan, deliberately refused to learn to cook. When Jiang Qianfan hired a new housekeeper to replace Nina, Lin Kesong quickly alienated the person, warning them about Jiang Qianfan's "heartless" and "cruel" nature and his tendency to "falsely blame" others, causing the housekeeper to quit.
Enraged, Jiang Qianfan ordered Lin Kesong to do the housework herself, but she simply tossed the vacuum cleaner aside and returned to her room. With no other option, Jiang Qianfan begrudgingly cleaned the entire house himself. Afterward, he informed Lin Kesong that he was going to Yuxuan to teach a new dish and left a chef's uniform by the door, stating it was her choice whether to come. She pretended to be asleep, claiming she didn't hear him.
Madam Quentin arrived, immediately questioning Elise about the essential oil poisoning. She expressed her certainty that neither Li Yan nor Nina would commit such an act, and her disappointment that Elise's methods had failed to keep Jiang Qianfan. As Elise wept, Madam Quentin cautioned her that Jiang Qianfan was starting to rely on others, specifically Lin Kesong.
She urged Elise to secure control of the restaurant's shares, fearing that if Jiang Qianfan and Lin Kesong grew closer, he might hand over the business Elise had worked hard for. She also noted that if Jiang Qianfan discovered Elise's involvement in his loss of taste, he would not be so generous with the shares.
Later, at Yuxuan, Jiang Qianfan demonstrated a new dish, "Meeting of Two Seasons," explaining the intricate preparation of freshwater crayfish with green tea and sirloin beef cooked to a precise temperature. Elise approached him with alternative treatments for his taste, but he politely declined, stating he would seek them out himself. At Chu Ting's boutique opening, Song Yiran had originally ordered flowers and planned to attend.
However, after his brother, Song Yisen, revealed he had hired a top photographer to stage Song Yiran and Chu Ting as the city's "most perfect couple," Song Yiran lost interest and decided not to go, cancelling the flowers. Chu Ting, with models and media growing impatient, eventually began the ceremony without him. Back at home, Lin Kesong pointedly ignored the elaborate dinner Jiang Qianfan had prepared, opting instead to drink milk.
He reminded her of the upcoming press conference and the competition a week later, expressing concern that she was wasting valuable time. Lin Kesong retorted that her happiness was directly tied to his unhappiness. To help Lin Xiaoyu, Blu sought out his mentor, Huang Shi. Huang Shi posed as a delivery person, insisting Lin Xiaoyu present her ID to receive a package. While Lin Feng was distracted, Huang Shi discreetly slipped a cell phone into Xiaoyu's pocket.
Later, Song Yiran's elder brother summoned him to apologize to Chu Ting. Learning their conflict stemmed from Lin Kesong, he assured Chu Ting that if Song Yiran and Lin Kesong were meant to be together, it would have happened long ago. Chu Ting expressed her frustration, feeling that by giving Song Yiran space to grow, she had inadvertently allowed someone else to enter. Seeing his brother's efforts, Song Yiran placated Chu Ting, and they reconciled.
To motivate Lin Kesong, Jiang Qianfan arranged for Victor to challenge her at home. Lin Kesong initially refused to engage, but Victor, before leaving, taunted her, saying he wouldn't go easy on her in the competition. Remembering the past ridicule from Elise and Victor, Lin Kesong messaged Jiang Qianfan, conceding his victory. She immediately regained her determination and returned to the kitchen to resume her culinary training.
That night, Blu, having contacted Lin Xiaoyu, secretly entered the courtyard and rescued her. As they sped off on a motorcycle, Lin Feng, who was seeing guests out, spotted them. At Lin Xiaoyu's urging, Blu accelerated, escaping under her father's watchful eye.
