Delicious Romance Episode 2 Recap
> Delicious Romance Recap
Liu Jing found herself in a vivid dream, kissing Wenwen's unexpectedly young father. The moment was abruptly shattered when Wenwen discovered them, startling Liu Jing awake. Her mother's voice then came through, calling to check if she was up, to which Liu Jing responded irritably, asking her mother not to bother her. Fang Xin's home had been under quarantine. During a video call with Liu Jing and Xia Meng, she spent much of the time in tears.
Liu Jing, however, was noted by Xia Meng to have an unusually radiant complexion. Fang Xin expressed her anger and hurt, revealing that while she was diligently live-streaming to ease Ma Zhenyu's financial burden, he was busy cheating on her. Xia Meng reminded Fang Xin that she had given up a promising career at a public relations company because Ma Zhenyu preferred her not to be in the public eye, emphasizing that she had done nothing wrong.
Despite the betrayal, Fang Xin was torn, recalling his past kindness and apologies, which made it difficult for her to make a firm decision. Ma Zhenyu could be heard from outside her door, apologizing profusely and pleading for forgiveness, but Liu Jing and Xia Meng advised her to ignore him. Their conversation was then interrupted by medical staff arriving to conduct a nucleic acid test, and Fang Xin hung up.
Liu Jing and Xia Meng worried that Fang Xin was too easily swayed and might forgive him yet again. Shortly after, Liu Jing received a call from Jiang Shanmu, Wenwen's father, who lived upstairs. He explained that Wenwen had fallen ill and was at the hospital, but in their haste, they had forgotten her phone and documents. He asked Liu Jing to deliver them, and she readily agreed.
After undergoing the nasal swab, Fang Xin remained defiantly silent towards Ma Zhenyu, who continued to plead for her forgiveness from outside her door, repeatedly vowing it would be the "last time." In a flashback, Fang Xin recalled working late at a PR company when Ma Zhenyu surprised her. He had expressed concern over her demanding job, suggesting she quit to become his wife so he could provide for her.
When she mentioned a significant job offer from a Shanghai company, he emphasized the importance of "first establishing a family, then a career." He then proposed, and she accepted. Back in the present, Ma Zhenyu, seeing her with a boxed meal, rushed to warn her about allergens like starch in the Mapo tofu, nuts in the stir-fried beef, and seafood in the cucumber.
He offered to arrange a special meal for her, but Fang Xin instead asked for the contact information of the "big sister" he had previously arranged to cook her custom allergy-friendly meals. Ma Zhenyu hesitated, explaining that the "big sister" was also in quarantine, which immediately raised Fang Xin's suspicions.
She then realized that "Miss Huang Menglin," recently identified as a suspected case in their community with Ma Zhenyu listed as a close contact, was the very "big sister" who consistently made her three specific dishes. Confronting him, Fang Xin accused Ma Zhenyu of lying about only meeting Miss Huang once when he had been seeing her daily. Ma Zhenyu dropped to his knees, begging for forgiveness and promising to sever all ties with Miss Huang.
However, Fang Xin was unmoved, recounting his past infidelities, such as secretly contacting an ex-girlfriend before their marriage and lending money to another old flame after they were married, both of which she had previously forgiven. She declared that this time was different, reflecting on the immense sacrifices made by medical professionals during the pandemic and contrasting their selflessness with Ma Zhenyu's "disgusting" betrayal while she was quarantined at home. With finality, she told him they should get a divorce.
Wenwen fell ill after eating her father, Jiang Shanmu's, cooking, suffering from acute gastroenteritis. Liu Jing, who had come to help, prepared porridge, initially assuming Wenwen's illness was from unhealthy takeout from "unscrupulous vendors." Jiang Shanmu admitted responsibility, expressing guilt over making his daughter sick so soon after her return. Liu Jing then offered to cook for Wenwen going forward.
Later, Liu Jing's mother, seeing her home, inquired if Liu Jing was interested in Jiang Shanmu and cautioned her to investigate the reasons behind his divorce. Liu Jing defended Jiang Shanmu's responsible nature and care for Wenwen, dismissing her mother's "older folks' prejudice." Wenwen, still recovering, requested Liu Jing's homemade tomato and egg noodles after her father's attempt at the dish turned out unappetizing.
After trying his own "dark cuisine," Jiang Shanmu sheepishly asked Liu Jing to prepare the meal instead. Liu Jing agreed, also preparing sliced oranges for Wenwen. On their way to the divorce registry, Fang Xin expressed a pang of guilt for being half an hour late to what she considered their "last date," remembering how Ma Zhenyu always waited for her.
Liu Jing and Xia Meng were supportive, with Xia Meng advising Fang Xin to claim half of their marital home given rising property values, but Fang Xin preferred an amicable split, stating she didn't "expect anything from him anyway." Upon arrival, they found the registry crowded. Ma Zhenyu, having already taken a number, appeared eager to proceed with the divorce. Xia Meng, observing his efficiency, made a sarcastic remark about his "master-level time management" and MBA studies.
During the waiting period, Ma Zhenyu answered a phone call, revealing he was rushing to complete a "marriage registration" immediately after his divorce from Fang Xin. Fang Xin overheard this and spotted the marriage registration counter. Enraged, she confronted Ma Zhenyu and his mistress, Huang Menglin, accusing him of planning a seamless transition from one marriage to another.
Huang Menglin attempted to interject, but Xia Meng cut her off, reminding her that Fang Xin and Ma Zhenyu were still legally married. As the scene escalated, an official tried to maintain order and safe distances.
Liu Jing, connecting the dots of their quarantine, pointed out that if Fang Xin was isolated due to living with Ma Zhenyu, and Ma Zhenyu due to close contact with Huang Menglin, then Huang Menglin must have been quarantined for intimate contact with "someone else" too, not just Ma Zhenyu. This revelation shocked Ma Zhenyu, who realized he was also cheated on. Amidst the chaos, Liu Jing pulled Fang Xin away, suggesting they postpone the divorce given the pandemonium.
Ma Zhenyu and Huang Menglin immediately erupted into a heated argument about her other intimate contacts. Fang Xin, choosing to return home alone, urged Liu Jing and Xia Meng to go back to work, as it was their first day of resumed work. On her first day back at the office, Liu Jing received a phone call informing her that she had been laid off.
The caller, representing a small private bank, cited the need to cut costs and revealed that her department leader decided to let her go because other employees were married and needed to support their families. Additionally, her age was a factor, as the information technology industry leadership viewed a single, older woman as a potential "trouble" if she marries and takes maternity leave.
Liu Jing confronted the caller, asking if she was being unfairly sacrificed simply because she was a single, older woman. She was offered a compensation package and asked to sign. Alone at home, Fang Xin attempted to order takeout. She called the restaurant to meticulously detail her numerous allergies, requesting no seafood in her fried rice, no starch in her tomato and egg soup, and specifically asking for gluten-free soy sauce.
When informed they did not carry it, she instructed them to use no soy sauce at all, explaining that regular soy sauce caused her to break out in hives and that she was quite "particular." The exasperated restaurant employee told her they could not accommodate her "particular" needs and advised her to order elsewhere, fearing they would be held responsible if she had an allergic reaction. Her order was cancelled.
Shortly after, a person from a local baking class, which had pivoted to bread delivery due to the pandemic, knocked on her door. Fang Xin reiterated her gluten, lactose, seafood, and nut allergies, making it clear she could not order anything from them. She explained her struggles, mentioning that no local restaurant was willing to take her customized orders, and that one even called her "particular."
She apologized for the unprompted confession, attributing it to low blood sugar from not eating. When Liu Jing returned home, her mother expressed surprise, to which Liu Jing falsely claimed her company's leader advised working from home for safety. Her mother then revealed she had arranged a meeting for Liu Jing with Song Chao, the son of Uncle Song, whom Liu Jing knew as a child from their old compound.
Liu Jing initially resisted, claiming Song Chao used to bully her. However, her mother insisted, highlighting that Uncle Song's business was now very successful and that Liu Jing "must" attend the meeting, especially since she might need financial security if she remains unemployed. Unexpectedly, the person from the bakery returned to Fang Xin's door, delivering a cake.
They recalled Fang Xin mentioning her low blood sugar, explaining that the cake was specially made for her without gluten, sugar, dairy, or nuts. Fang Xin was pleasantly surprised and found the unique cake delicious. Meanwhile, Liu Jing taught Wenwen how to prepare deboned chicken thighs, demonstrating how to poke holes for better seasoning absorption and rub them with fine salt before marinating. Wenwen eagerly expressed her desire to eat.
Later, Liu Jing told Wenwen, who was watching something on a screen, that it was getting late and she should go to bed instead of watching "messy things." Wenwen asked if Liu Jing was leaving, and the scene ended with a voice (implied to be Liu Jing's mother) reacting strongly to something, possibly the show Wenwen was watching, followed by a confused "Wenwen, what's going on?"
