Delicious Romance Episode 1 Recap
> Delicious Romance Recap
Fang Xin was always considered the prettiest girl in her class, exuding a quiet and gentle demeanor that suggested a peaceful existence. However, having many choices since childhood led her to develop a cautious nature, as she meticulously avoided ingredients that would trigger her allergies and patiently waited for the perfect suitor to appear among her many admirers. Her life path seemed simple: a decent education, a respectable job, and the right partner at the right time.
Liu Jing, in contrast, was an inconspicuous figure in class, with good but not exceptional grades and an average appearance. She pursued unique interests, especially cooking, and tended to shy away from opportunities to showcase her talents publicly. Yet, deep down, she harbored a desire for passive recognition of her skills, a trait she describes as "repressed passion." Her internal world was rich with elaborate scenarios, making her feel content even when alone.
In relationships, Liu Jing sought an elusive "feeling." She once broke up with a boyfriend after making him a snack, which he ignored in favor of a game. She concluded that he viewed her as a backup and ended things, claiming she no longer had feelings for him. Xia Meng was a driven top student, but her ambition often led to her over-performing and inadvertently alienating her peers.
They often resented her for her influence and tendency to flaunt her accomplishments. The sole exception was her college boyfriend, Wang Jichong, who genuinely appreciated her excellence, and with whom she later worked at the same company. Now, as Xia Meng was on the verge of becoming a Vice President, with a salary set to be several times higher than Wang Jichong's, she began to realize that their relationship might not withstand this imbalance.
During the pandemic, the three friends connected via video call. Liu Jing, bored at home due to her IT job (which mostly involved fixing computers and managing Wi-Fi) having little work, was constantly badgered by her mother about marriage. Fang Xin, who was livestreaming and selling goods, suggested Liu Jing join her in live streaming, remarking on how Liu Jing had earned a few thousand yuan from her cooking videos, thanks to a persistent gift-giver.
Liu Jing's mother was relentless in her efforts to marry off her daughter. She called Liu Jing a "witch" when annoyed and constantly criticized her tidiness, lamenting that despite her skills, no one wanted her. She harped on the accumulated wedding gift money they'd paid out over the years, eager for Liu Jing to marry so they could recoup their investment.
She even tried to set Liu Jing up with the son of a neighbor who owned a Chaoshan beef hotpot restaurant. Her mother also initiated an online matchmaking session with a matchmaker named Aunt Xiaofen, extolling Liu Jing's virtues to her.
The matchmaker, who introduced herself as Aunt Zhang and mentioned her son's surname was Li, praised Liu Jing's youth (not yet 30), stable IT job with a good salary, exceptional cooking skills, and ability to fix electronics, declaring her "perfect for marriage." Liu Jing, exasperated, hung up, firmly stating she wished to choose her own partner and asked her mother to stop interfering.
Xia Meng, working from home, strictly adhered to a keto diet, demanding Wang Jichong prepare specific meals—high in fat and protein, no carbs or sugar. Her authoritative tone at home, mirroring her leadership style at work, grated on Wang Jichong, who reminded her they were not in the office. Xia Meng instructed him to complete a work-related requirements analysis via phone, which he attempted to delegate, but she quickly ensured he took on the task.
Meanwhile, Fang Xin’s husband, Ma Zhenyu, returned home with special takeout, explaining the difficulty of finding food compatible with her allergies. He claimed to have found a "lady" in the neighborhood, a chef school teacher, who made custom meals for Fang Xin. While touched, Fang Xin found it odd that Ma Zhenyu repeatedly refused to let her join him in learning to cook from this "lady."
This suspicion escalated when members of the neighborhood committee arrived, informing them that Ma Zhenyu had been in close contact with a suspected COVID-19 case, a Ms. Huang Menglin from a neighboring building (Building C, 603). Ma Zhenyu vehemently denied knowing Huang Menglin, but the committee presented surveillance footage of him entering Huang Menglin’s hallway.
Cornered, he frantically claimed Huang Menglin was "clinging to him" and he was merely trying to "explain things" to her, leaving Fang Xin furious and confronting him. Back at Xia Meng's, her professional assertiveness caused further friction. During a video conference, she publicly lambasted Wang Jichong’s report as "sloppy" and ordered him to "go home and rewrite it," humiliating him in front of his colleagues.
Despite her later apologies and promises not to publicly shame him again, she still insisted the report needed revisions. In another video meeting, she continued her critiques, opposing the use of "traffic stars," suggesting a male lead be changed to a female, and dismissing a screenwriter as "poor quality." Wang Jichong, present in the meeting, felt she was unfairly using their personal relationship to criticize him.
Their argument escalated into a full-blown quarrel, with both criticizing each other's professional shortcomings and personal habits, which included Wang Jichong pointing out her recent weight gain and her lack of contribution to household chores. Unbeknownst to them, their heated exchange was recorded and uploaded online, making them internet sensations. Deeply embarrassed and angered, Wang Jichong remained unresponsive to Xia Meng's attempts at reconciliation. Liu Jing, escaping her mother's persistent marriage pleas, continued to visit Wenwen upstairs with home-cooked meals.
Wenwen, a ten-year-old girl recently returned from abroad, initially insisted on calling Liu Jing "auntie" instead of "sister," though she later accepted "sister." Wenwen eventually admitted her internet wasn't working, and Liu Jing, drawing on her IT expertise, happily fixed the connection. They properly introduced themselves. Later, Wenwen, noting Liu Jing's "feeling-based" approach to dating, suggested her own father, who was single after divorcing Wenwen's mother years ago. Liu Jing initially balked at the idea of dating an "uncle."
However, when Liu Jing returned with more food, she heard a male voice and mistakenly thought there was an intruder. She confronted and attacked the man, who turned out to be Wenwen’s father, Jiang Shanmu, who had just returned home after being stuck out of town. After the misunderstanding was cleared, they apologized to each other. Jiang Shanmu complimented Liu Jing's beauty, while she noted his youth (he was 29, one year younger than her). He then playfully pointed out she had foam on her head, leading to a spontaneous kiss between them.
