Lie to Love Episode 9 Recap
> Lie to Love Recap
The Ouman Hotel board meeting began with Huo Jian expressing impatience over Li Zeliang's tardiness. Li Zeliang arrived shortly after, apologizing for the delay. Yi Fei, a key executive, reported that the prestigious Fujiade Auction was seeking a five-star hotel in Shanghai for an upcoming event. Although Ouman's Yunfeng Hotel had made it into the top three, Mr. Roman of Fujiade had decided to partner with their long-standing rival, Zhengde Hotel. This news caused a stir among the board members.
Huo Jian, visibly frustrated, announced penalties for those involved in the failed bidding. Li Zeliang interjected, suggesting that since Mr. Roman had not yet formally signed with Zhengde, there was still a chance. He proposed a bold wager: if he succeeded in winning the partnership, he would gain full management control over Yunfeng Hotel; if he failed, he would resign from all his positions at Ouman. When Huo Jian asked who would assist Li Zeliang, only Shi Chuchu volunteered.
Su Xieyi, having recovered from an injury, returned to work at Ouman Hotel. She was introduced to Xie Minghao, a lawyer from Hengye Bank brought in by Shi Chuchu. Pretending it was their first meeting, Su Xieyi took him to a cafe to talk. Xie Minghao expressed his and her sister's worry over her unresponsiveness after a recent incident and urged her to be more transparent.
He then asked if Li Zeliang's previous claim about their relationship was true, and Su Xieyi confirmed it was a ruse to help her. Just then, Li Zeliang approached, and Su Xieyi introduced Xie Minghao as her sister's fiancé, making him her brother-in-law. After Xie Minghao departed, Su Xieyi told Li Zeliang that Xie Minghao already knew their relationship was a pretense. In the office, Su Xieyi had a brief, tense encounter with Yi Fei.
Later, her colleague Ming Yue informed her of Li Zeliang's high-stakes gamble with his career. Concerned, Su Xieyi immediately went to a restaurant to leverage her connections and met a woman named Nina. Nina was explaining how to mix the perfect Mojito, and Su Xieyi, intrigued, ordered the same. The two bonded over their shared interest in badminton, particularly the Thomas Cup, and it was revealed that Nina was Mr. Roman's wife.
Meanwhile, Li Zeliang and Shi Chuchu met with Mr. Roman. Roman stated he was meeting them out of courtesy, as he had already made a verbal commitment to Zhengde Hotel. Shi Chuchu pressed on, revealing that her father is the president of Hengye Bank and proposed a powerful alliance between Ouman and the bank, offering a specialized loan service to boost auction clients' purchasing power. Though Roman admitted he was tempted, he was reluctant to go back on his word.
At that moment, Nina arrived with Su Xieyi, introducing her as Li Zeliang's girlfriend and suggesting a friendly badminton match. Li Zeliang accepted, partnering with Su Xieyi for a doubles game against Roman and Nina. Shi Chuchu, aware of Li Zeliang’s physical limitations, tried to stop the match, but Su Xieyi insisted, believing he was stronger than he appeared. Huo Jian then arrived to watch.
During the game, Roman was impressed by Li Zeliang's persistence and determination despite his physical challenges. Declaring him a "true strong one," Roman granted him an "overtime opportunity"—a second chance to win the partnership. Overjoyed, Su Xieyi embraced Li Zeliang as a disappointed Huo Jian looked on. Later, Li Zeliang confided in his assistant, Ying Song, that Su Xieyi was special because she was the only one who treated him as a normal, healthy person.
That evening, Shi Chuchu called Li Zeliang to discuss the new proposal, also expressing concern for his leg. Li Zeliang, however, was brief with her, ended the call, and immediately sent an encouraging message to Su Xieyi, leaving Shi Chuchu disheartened. The next day, Li Zeliang presented his revised proposal to Mr. Roman.
The plan, featuring a combination of online and offline bidding and an internationally renowned security team, deeply impressed Roman, who declared him the "strongest" and confirmed Ouman as his partner. Roman explained his decision was also influenced by an unpleasant incident he witnessed at Zhengde Hotel, where their irresponsible handling of a guest's lost item raised serious security concerns. Huo Jian offered to personally oversee the auction's security, but Li Zeliang asserted his right to manage his own project.
Backed by Shi Chuchu and Mr. Roman, Li Zeliang won the argument, leaving Huo Jian resentful. Back at Ouman, Yi Fei warned Huo Jian that Li Zeliang was making a move for the chairmanship, which was up for re-election. Huo Jian, however, saw it as an opportunity, believing that if Li Zeliang's high-profile project failed, he would be finished. He remained confident, knowing that Chen Heng Sheng, the general manager of Yunfeng Hotel, was his loyal subordinate.
Li Zeliang gave Su Xieyi the auction details for her business trip to Yunfeng Hotel. Su Xieyi requested a leave of absence to visit her sick sister, Xie Qing, at a rehabilitation center. Li Zeliang agreed and secretly instructed Ying Song to ensure her safety. At the center, Su Xieyi brought her sister mung bean cakes and told her about the trip to Yunfeng Hotel, the former Zhiwei Building headquarters.
Xie Qing warned her about Yunfeng's cunning manager, Chen Heng Sheng. Su Xieyi revealed that Chen was merely a pawn for the true mastermind, Huo Jian. Despite knowing she was outmatched, Su Xieyi expressed her determination to confront him and promised her sister she would bring the man who ruined their family to justice.
