Deep Affection Eyes Episode 23 Recap
> Deep Affection Eyes Recap
At a press conference concerning the Blue Harbor construction collapse, Li Lingbai announced that Li Jinyu would completely withdraw from the project. She claimed that Li Jinyu had been suffering from a serious mental illness for many years, stating that his attending psychiatrist, Yang Bingzhang, was present and would provide a detailed explanation. Li Lingbai declared that Hanhai Group would permanently transfer control of Blue Harbor to the Lin Group.
Lin Yangyang, representing the Lin Group, then affirmed their commitment to fully dismantle the existing Phase 2 project and rebuild Blue Sea Port, welcoming villagers to oversee the reconstruction process. Just as Li Lingbai was speaking, a video feed of the construction site suddenly appeared on the screen behind her. Ye Meng, introducing herself as the PR manager of Blue Harbor, entered the room.
She presented the video as evidence that a week prior, all construction materials were up to standard, but mysteriously became non-compliant after the incident. She further revealed that surveillance videos from that period had been tampered with. When a reporter questioned if Li Jinyu might have orchestrated the situation, Li Lingbai challenged Ye Meng's authority as an external PR manager and ordered her removal by security.
Undeterred, Ye Meng dramatically displayed her marriage certificate, asserting her right to intervene as Li Jinyu's legal partner. She then challenged Li Lingbai, asking if she truly desired Li Jinyu to leave the group, given his deep affection for his mother. Li Lingbai was visibly shocked by the marriage announcement and dismissed the video, again suggesting Li Jinyu was "crazy" and capable of staging such events.
At that moment, Zhou Yu stepped forward, holding his phone, and revealed a video he had recorded of someone sneaking around the warehouse. The video clearly showed the individual who had tampered with the materials, who then attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended. Faced with this damning evidence, Li Lingbai conceded that it was a misunderstanding and promised to hand the culprit over to the police.
However, she maintained that Li Jinyu's current mental state still rendered him unsuitable to manage Blue Harbor, citing project safety concerns. Dr. Yang Bingzhang, Li Jinyu’s attending physician, immediately contradicted her, asserting that his professional diagnosis confirmed Li Jinyu’s mental state was entirely normal and would not impede his work. Ye Meng swiftly argued that since Li Jinyu's mental state was uncompromised, he should be reinstated to lead the project and provide a proper public explanation.
She pointedly asked if Li Lingbai truly wished to continue publicly insisting on her son having a mental illness. As Li Lingbai defensively claimed to love her son, Grandma burst into the conference, angrily confronting Li Lingbai. She publicly exposed Li Lingbai's past cruelty, revealing that Li Lingbai had abandoned her own son, Li Jinyu, when he was less than seven years old during a heavy storm.
Grandma further accused Li Lingbai of forcing Li Jinyu to see a psychologist, confining him in a dark room, and hiring outsiders to brainwash him into believing he was sick. She fiercely warned Li Lingbai never to harm Li Jinyu again. The shocking revelations created a stir among the attendees. Amidst the chaos, Li Lingbai attempted to suppress the news.
However, Lin Yangyang approached Li Lingbai, stating unequivocally that the Lin Group would not take over such a "mess" and dismissed Li Lingbai's attempt to use her as a pawn. That night, Ye Meng picked up Li Jinyu from the police station. She expressed her profound relief, admitting she had been terrified when he was taken away.
Li Jinyu, deeply moved, praised Ye Meng, declaring he had married a wonderful wife and calling her "the most amazing person in the world," likening her to a hero who arrived on a rainbow to rescue him. Back at home, they watched news coverage describing Ye Meng as the "CEO of Hanhai Group, slim and sexy, a real-life Barbie." Ye Meng confessed that despite her bold demeanor at the press conference, she had been truly scared.
She then promised Li Jinyu, "I will protect you from now on," to which he readily agreed, deepening their emotional connection. The following morning, Ye Meng's son, Jiayu, prepared for a school performance. Jiayu's mother initially wanted to drive him, but he insisted on waiting for Cheng Kairan, who had promised to pick him up. At school, some children made insensitive comments about Jiayu being from a single-parent household.
Jiayu confidently responded that his parents' love remained unchanged despite their divorce. Cheng Kairan, acting as a supportive elder brother, defended Jiayu from the other children. The initial school play was "Little Red Riding Hood vs. the Wolf Grandma," with Jiayu cast as the Wolf Grandma, a role he disliked as it involved getting beaten, a sight he didn't want his mother to witness.
Cheng Kairan suggested altering the play to better promote anti-fraud awareness, noting the "wolf grandma" role might discourage unity among the children. The play was revised to "The Seven Little Red Hats Fight the Wolf Grandma," and Cheng Kairan volunteered to play the Wolf Grandma, taking on the "beating" himself. During the performance, the clever little red hats outsmarted the Wolf Grandma by utilizing an "anti-fraud client" application, effectively delivering a message about vigilance against strangers.
After the successful show, Jiayu thanked Cheng Kairan, acknowledging that he would have been the one beaten if not for Cheng Kairan. Jiayu then asked Cheng Kairan to teach him boxing so he could protect his mother. Although Cheng Kairan initially advocated for knowledge over physical confrontation, he eventually agreed to teach Jiayu boxing, cautioning him about the toughness of the training.
Cheng Kairan also informed Ye Meng that his bar, "Ju Bao Shi," had been converted into a restaurant and would soon open, explaining the change was made so Jiayu could visit. As Cheng Kairan left, Ye Meng subtly observed a hint of sadness in his demeanor. Soon after, Zhou Yu visited Ye Meng to apologize for his previous assault, explaining he was blinded by hatred and had been manipulated.
Ye Meng graciously accepted his apology and thanked him for his crucial assistance at the press conference. Zhou Yu then presented Ye Meng with old childhood photos of her mother, which he had found at the welfare house. Looking at the pictures, Ye Meng recognized her mother and another girl.
Zhou Yu recalled witnessing Ye Meng's mother, whom they called "Xiaoyi," and the other girl, named "Baicha," having a fierce quarrel at the welfare home many years ago, with Baicha expressing intense hatred and a desire for Xiaoyi to feel her pain. Zhou Yu, being young at the time, remembered little else. Further inquiry at the welfare house revealed that Xiaoyi and Baicha were once inseparable friends.
Baicha was adopted first, even though the original adopters had initially wanted to take Xiaoyi, who selflessly gave up her chance for Baicha. Meanwhile, Li Jinyu confronted Li Lingbai, questioning her elaborate scheme and her connection to Ye Meng's mother. He suspected her actions were an attempt to conceal her past dealings with Wang Xingsheng in Tianhui City.
Li Lingbai harshly dismissed Li Jinyu's affections for Ye Meng, calling her mother a "swindler's daughter" and accusing Xiaoyi of being fake and manipulative since childhood, having deceived everyone with her appearance. She outright branded Xiaoyi a "complete fraud" and claimed to be the true victim of the recent events, telling Li Jinyu to bring evidence next time.
Just as Ye Meng and Li Jinyu were about to discuss this disturbing revelation, Fatty Tuo called Ye Meng, revealing that Wang Xingsheng had gone missing but had left a USB drive with him, promising a substantial reward for it. Acting quickly on this information, Li Jinyu and Ye Meng set out to retrieve the USB drive. They soon noticed Li Lingbai's subordinates following them, realizing she might be aware of the USB drive's existence.
In a separate scene, Wang Xingsheng, held captive, desperately told his captors that if they killed him, Li Lingbai and they themselves would face dire consequences, implying he possessed damaging information. To create a diversion, Li Jinyu deliberately stopped his car and verbally confirmed to the tailing car that Wang Xingsheng had indeed left him a USB drive. While Li Jinyu engaged the pursuers, Ye Meng retrieved the USB drive from a hotel express delivery locker.
However, upon opening it, she found it completely empty. She immediately tried to call Fatty Tuo, but his phone was unreachable, leading her to believe they had been tricked and that Fatty Tuo had kept a backup plan. Elsewhere, Li Lingbai was seen furiously berating her subordinate for the failed retrieval, expressing intense frustration over the empty USB drive.
