Delicious Romance Episode 13 Recap
> Delicious Romance Recap
The episode opened with a reflection on men, noting that they rarely discuss their childhoods, preferring the strong adult images they've cultivated. However, men never truly grow up, only revealing their childish sides when they fall in love or when they are drunk. Alcohol, it was observed, has the power to transform both adults into children and children into their imagined versions of adulthood.
For Song Chao, this meant that "fair-weather friends" surrounded him from a young age, drawn to his wealth. He grew accustomed to people revolving around him and understood their motivations clearly. Shanmu, in contrast, was a cynical child who detested the phrase "being socially adept." When his mother insisted he thank an "Uncle Wang" at a dinner table for securing his spot in an advanced class, he feigned a need for the bathroom to escape the social obligation.
This reinforced his association of drinking tables with forced social etiquette, leading him to detest alcohol. Lu Bin, a trusting child, grew to despise liars after his grandfather tricked him into trying alcohol, which he found repulsive. This incident led him to almost completely abstain from drinking later in life. Wang Jichong, however, enjoyed observing others drink, not for the alcohol itself, but for the symbolic meanings it conveyed to him: maturity, sophistication, confidence, and success.
Zhang Ting's childhood memories painted alcohol as a terrifying force, capable of transforming people into monsters, driving them to madness, tears, and rage, as he witnessed his father's drunken behavior and violence towards his mother. Later, Liu Jing went to a nightclub, searching for Song Chao. As she exited the elevator, she passed a couple passionately embracing. Inside, she found Lao Gao filming, while Song Chao, shirtless, was on a bed surrounded by women.
Lao Gao, noticing Liu Jing, quickly urged Song Chao to sober up and put on his clothes. Song Chao, in a drunken state, tried to hug Liu Jing, but she pushed him away. Liu Jing apologized for "today's incident," but Song Chao challenged her, asking if she was sorry for not liking him or for hiding their relationship.
He then declared that she didn't need to apologize because he could still be very happy without her, calling over others like KK and Dandan to prove he had many friends. Liu Jing, on the verge of tears and feeling uncomfortable, claimed she was sleepy and asked them to continue their party without her, then left disappointed. As she was leaving, Lao Gao stopped her, explaining that Song Chao was profoundly upset, more so than he had ever seen him.
He revealed that Song Chao's way of coping with distress was to throw large parties, and the number of guests correlated with his level of pain—from a dozen when he was held back in college, to over a hundred that night, indicating his current immense sadness.
Liu Jing initially dismissed it as Lao Gao making excuses, but Lao Gao angrily questioned if she thought she was being fair to Song Chao, urging her to consider his perspective, which made Liu Jing realize her own fault. Meanwhile, Fang Xin and Liu Jing were at Xia Meng's apartment. Fang Xin complained about the changed locks at her house, a trick by Ma Zhenyu.
She tried to call him but he blocked her, so she went to Huang Menglin's place, only to learn that Huang Menglin and Ma Zhenyu had broken up. Fang Xin saw this as a form of poetic justice, reflecting on how Ma Zhenyu had been eager to marry his mistress just as he had been eager to marry her. She mused that perhaps they had both taken marriage too lightly, or perhaps Ma Zhenyu was simply a serial cheater.
Xia Meng and Liu Jing noticed Fang Xin's beaming smile and pressed her to reveal the full story. Fang Xin confessed that she had visited Zhang Ting's place earlier. She recounted an incident where she playfully slapped his bottom to vent her anger, explaining how she used to be harassed at work but couldn't openly express her discomfort. Zhang Ting commended her bravery.
During their conversation, Fang Xin mentioned that his girlfriend had returned the necklace he gave her, to which Zhang Ting calmly replied that they had broken up and she likely didn't want to keep it. Upon hearing this, Fang Xin couldn't hide her joy, claiming she was happy for her friend finally being rid of a "terrible girl" who had fooled him.
Xia Meng and Liu Jing, however, speculated that Fang Xin's true happiness stemmed from Zhang Ting becoming single again. Fang Xin vehemently denied any romantic interest in Zhang Ting, saying he wasn't her type, but Liu Jing suggested her type might have changed, teasing her about wanting another Ma Zhenyu. Xia Meng then shared her own news: Lu Bin had confessed that Wang Jichong, Xia Meng's ex-boyfriend, was his student.
Wang Jichong still loved Xia Meng, regretted their breakup, and wanted her back. Lu Bin admitted he was hesitant to tell her, fearing she might return to Wang Jichong, who was more successful. However, he declared his intention to compete fairly for her, having already renovated his apartment to be more like a shared home. Xia Meng, intending to move into Lu Bin’s renovated apartment the next day, was then confronted by her friends.
Fang Xin and Liu Jing criticized her for having hidden the truth, urging her to confess everything before moving in, warning that continued deceit would make her appear despicable. This ignited a heated argument. Liu Jing accused Xia Meng of being hypocritical, calling her "two-timing" for dating Shanmu while still stringing Song Chao along, exploiting his affection and treating him as a backup. Xia Meng retaliated, accusing Liu Jing of pretending to be poor and manipulating others' feelings.
Liu Jing then turned on Fang Xin, accusing her of constantly worrying about Zhang Ting while denying her true feelings, suggesting she secretly wished for his breakup. Fang Xin called Liu Jing "two-faced," to which Liu Jing retorted by calling Fang Xin "fake innocent," claiming she always exploited her charms while feigning ignorance of why people favored her, now suffering at the hands of Ma Zhenyu and unable to go home.
The argument escalated, with Fang Xin breaking down in tears. Xia Meng intervened, reminding them of their established rule: no more blaming, each must confess their own faults. Liu Jing was the first to admit her mistakes. She confessed that while she liked Shanmu, she had continuously accepted Song Chao's kindness, never clarifying her stance, and secretly dating Shanmu behind Song Chao's back, acknowledging this was indeed two-faced.
Fang Xin then admitted her own tendency to rely on others' kindness and to only hear what she wanted to hear, always avoiding problems. She recognized her significant responsibility for the issues in her failed marriage, noting that she would ignore marital problems as long as Ma Zhenyu coaxed her. She also conceded that her concern for Zhang Ting had indeed crossed the boundaries of a normal friendship.
Lastly, after initial hesitation, Xia Meng confessed that she was a woman who loved to lie. Later that night, unable to sleep, they were still lying in Xia Meng's bed. Xia Meng reiterated her decision to confess everything to Lu Bin as soon as she moved in. Fang Xin finally acknowledged her feelings, saying she realized she truly liked Zhang Ting. Liu Jing decided she needed to have a serious conversation with Song Chao.
They light-heartedly joked about not finding each other attractive even if they were men, calling each other "too dramatic," before sharing a warm embrace in bed. The next morning, Fang Xin was on the phone, noting that the lock to her apartment had been opened and nothing was missing, still puzzled by Ma Zhenyu's actions.
She then went to Zhang Ting's bakery, where she informed him that she would try to negotiate a higher price for the cake recipe transfer contract and asked him to consider it. Zhang Ting happily agreed, expressing his delight that the cake, which he had specifically designed for the brand, was being recognized. Fang Xin then offered him a bottle of alcohol from the brand.
Zhang Ting initially declined, stating he didn't usually drink, but Fang Xin suggested he could use it as an ingredient, so he accepted. She cautiously asked if he planned to resume matchmaking now that he was single. Their conversation was interrupted by an aunt, Teacher Zhang, a new student at the bakery, who jokingly asked if Fang Xin was Zhang Ting's girlfriend.
Zhang Ting denied it, explaining they were just friends, but the aunt suggested Fang Xin was too beautiful for him. Fang Xin then left for her company. Meanwhile, Liu Jing was at Shanmu’s apartment, explaining that she was staying at Xia Meng’s, essentially running away from home to avoid her parents. Shanmu tried to cheer her up, playfully suggesting a kiss would reveal his "solution" to her negative emotions. Liu Jing declined.
Shanmu then tried to initiate intimacy, mentioning that Wenwen was out. Liu Jing, however, was concerned about Wenwen returning and suggested they go to a hotel, feeling their actions at home were like "having an affair." Shanmu assured her Wenwen wouldn't be back, but just as he continued his advances, Wenwen walked through the door, asking, "What are you doing?" Liu Jing and Shanmu quickly pretended to be cleaning the house. Wenwen then expressed a desire for a younger sibling, asking if Liu Jing preferred a brother or a sister.
