Mr. Honesty Recap, Plot, Synopsis
Mr. Honesty Synopsis
Xu Yiren is a young vivacious girl, and Fang Zhiyou is a cool president. In their first encounter, Fang Zhiyou revealed Xu Yiren’s boyfriend’s lies in public, leading to their breakup.
It was thought that they will not meet again, but they met again at the interview.
When Xu Yiren was depressed about quitting her job and meeting her “enemy”, she accidentally learned that she had been accepted by Fang Zhiyou.
Since then, she has been transformed into the assistant of the president who cannot lie. They went from mutual dislike to mutual support and gradually had a mutual affection.
Xu Yiren built a bridge of love with good-intentioned lies, and a series of unexpected and funny love stories occurred.
Mr. Honesty Recap
Episode 1 Recap
Fang Zhiyou, a man who chooses to tell the truth above all else, engaged in a business meeting with Melissa. When asked for his opinion, he bluntly stated that her purple coat made her look like a "giant eggplant," and criticized her "Barbie pink" lipstick and plastic surgery. Angered by his honesty, Melissa called him "nuts" and threw water on him.
Later, Fang Zhiyou explained his philosophy, differentiating between lies of pandering, showing off, or self-defense, and reaffirming that he always chooses to speak the truth. While leaving, Fang Zhiyou encountered Xu Yiren and her boyfriend, Gao Ming, in an elevator. Gao Ming was on the phone, telling his girlfriend in France that he missed her, but told Xu Yiren he was speaking to his parents. Fang Zhiyou promptly exposed Gao Ming's deceit.
Realizing the truth, a shocked Xu Yiren broke up with Gao Ming on the spot. He Yuwen, Fang Zhiyou's partner, expressed her frustration over his actions, informing him that Melissa was furious, though she hadn't canceled their contract. He Yuwen said she would apologize to the client herself and, in exchange, tasked Fang Zhiyou with negotiating a contract with a supplier. Meanwhile, Xu Yiren was called back to her office for an urgent client meeting. The client was Fang Zhiyou.
Her boss made an excuse for her tardiness, claiming a pipe had burst at her home. Fang Zhiyou, having just seen Xu Yiren on a date, exposed the lie. Citing her lack of integrity, he canceled the major business deal, leading Xu Yiren's boss to fire her on the spot. Returning home, Xu Yiren found her apartment flooded from an actual burst pipe. Her aunt, the landlord, was furious.
Xu Yiren confided in her best friend, Xia Di, calling Fang Zhiyou "Thanos" for the destruction he'd caused in her life. During their chat, the HR department from Fang Zhiyou's company, Square & Circle, called Xia Di's phone—listed as Xu Yiren's emergency contact—to invite Xu Yiren for an interview. During the interview, the interviewer turned out to be Fang Zhiyou.
When he asked why she left her previous job, Xu Yiren lied again, claiming her company was unprofitable and withheld her salary. Recognizing her and her dishonesty, Fang Zhiyou immediately dismissed her. Later, He Yuwen expressed her exasperation with Fang Zhiyou for being unable to hire an assistant, as he kept firing them for minor deceptions like having someone else clock in for them. He insisted that not lying was his minimum requirement.
Afterward, Xu Yiren angrily confronted Fang Zhiyou, blocking his car and blaming him for her misfortunes. Fang Zhiyou calmly broke down her situation, asserting that her problems were her own fault: her boyfriend cheated, she lied at work, and she lacked competence in the interview. He argued he had only spoken the truth. Xu Yiren tearfully admitted she knew her relationship was failing but that he had cruelly shattered her "only light," something a stranger had no right to do.
Struggling to find an assistant for the difficult Fang Zhiyou, He Yuwen had a chance encounter with Xu Yiren. Impressed by her, He Yuwen offered her the assistant position, explaining the high salary was due to Fang Zhiyou's difficult nature. Her primary role would be to manage his interpersonal relations and prevent him from being overly blunt. Offered a one-month trial with a generous severance package, Xu Yiren accepted.
On her first day, Fang Zhiyou was furious to see Xu Yiren and accused He Yuwen of hiring her deliberately. He Yuwen asserted her authority and proposed a bet: if Xu Yiren made no mistakes in one month, Fang Zhiyou had to keep her. He reluctantly agreed. He Yuwen then warned Xu Yiren that if she told a single lie, she would be fired immediately.
In a team meeting, Fang Zhiyou declared that a client-approved design was "not working" and ordered it redone. Xu Yiren tried to intervene but was told to "get out." Later, in his car, she struggled with the seatbelt; instead of helping, he brusquely told her to sit in the back. Forced to work overtime, Xu Yiren canceled dinner plans with Xia Di.
At the restaurant, Xia Di realized she had booked for the wrong month and gave her reservation to a stranger, Gu Bo, who she found "so cool." After work, Xu Yiren asked to be dropped at the bus stop. Fang Zhiyou complied, but secretly watched from a distance to ensure she got on the last bus safely before he drove off. Late that night, a rival, Li Zhe, saw Fang Zhiyou still working and vowed to make him pay.
The next morning, Xu Yiren found Fang Zhiyou asleep in his office chair. Initially wanting to curse him for her troubles, she noticed he was having a nightmare and her anger turned to concern.
Episode 2 Recap
Fang Zhiyou experienced a distressing flashback to his childhood in his sleep. In his agitated state, he grabbed Xu Yiren's hand, pulling her on top of him. Startled awake, Fang Zhiyou found Xu Yiren struggling to get up. She apologized for waking him, and after an awkward exchange where he sarcastically asked if she was there to watch him change, she placed his package outside his door and promptly left.
Fang Zhiyou opened the package to find a box of colorful pencils, realizing someone from his past had returned. Liu Tianyang decided to resign after Fang Zhiyou rejected his design proposal. He Yuwen and Xu Yiren intercepted him, and Xu Yiren fabricated a story, claiming Fang Zhiyou had canceled all his appointments to speak with Liu Tianyang.
When Fang Zhiyou arrived, he offered Liu Tianyang 10% of the company's shares and his own studio, but insisted the Xingcheng project must follow his conditions. Liu Tianyang refused, accusing Fang Zhiyou of arrogance and revealing Xu Yiren had misled him. Confident, Liu Tianyang vowed his design would be approved at Xingcheng Real Estate’s board meeting, suggesting Fang Zhiyou would regret it. Annoyed by the lie, Fang Zhiyou told Xu Yiren to process her resignation.
He Yuwen immediately intervened, claiming she instructed Xu Yiren to lie and threatening to resign herself if Xu Yiren was fired. Fang Zhiyou relented, calling it a one-time exception. Later, Xu Yiren admitted to He Yuwen that despite his arrogance, she found Fang Zhiyou's personality cool and liked him. Upon returning home, Xu Yiren found her landlady showing her apartment to new tenants. The landlady presented Xu Yiren with a bill for a burst water pipe, demanding compensation.
Xu Yiren protested, as she had reported the issue two weeks prior, but the landlady insisted it was Xu Yiren’s fault and demanded she use her rent and deposit to cover the damages, pay another quarter's rent at an increased rate, or be evicted immediately. At that moment, Fang Zhiyou called, but Xu Yiren claimed to have an emergency. Annoyed, Fang Zhiyou went to her home and witnessed the landlady bullying her and breaking her lamp.
He intervened, citing the rental contract, which stipulates the landlord is responsible for hardware damages. He warned that if she evicted Xu Yiren without proper cause and compensation, she would be blacklisted from the rental market. The landlady left in a huff. Xu Yiren thanked Fang Zhiyou, who dryly suggested she get her IQ tested. Fang Zhiyou brought Xu Yiren to a meeting with Mr. Yang, a potential client. Xu Yiren skillfully flattered Mr. Yang, creating an agreeable atmosphere.
However, Mr. Yang’s young son, whom Xu Yiren had charmed, suddenly threw ice at her. Fang Zhiyou immediately demanded the child apologize. Mr. Yang dismissed it as child's play and insisted Fang Zhiyou apologize instead. Fang Zhiyou retorted that parents are responsible for correcting their child's behavior and escalated the argument, causing them to lose the deal. Afterward, Fang Zhiyou explained to a remorseful Xu Yiren that he is incapable of lying, even to make things easier.
She offered to handle such difficult situations for him in the future. Meanwhile, Liu Tianyang secretly met with Li Zhe, who admitted to instigating Liu Tianyang's departure. Liu Tianyang boasted about winning over Junior Mr. Xu, who had been given full authority and wanted Fang Zhiyou out. The next day, a new intern named Gu Bo arrived. Xu Yiren recognized him from that morning, where he had traded a sandwich for one of two croissants she had just bought.
Gu Bo seemed to have investigated the company, knowing about Liu Tianyang's departure, and had a convoluted connection to He Yuwen. At Xingcheng Real Estate, Junior Mr. Xu expressed great satisfaction with Liu Tianyang’s design proposal. As the meeting was about to conclude, Senior Mr. Xu unexpectedly arrived with Fang Zhiyou, disrupting Liu Tianyang's presumed success. Having been persuaded by Fang Zhiyou, Senior Mr. Xu overturned the decision.
Devastated, Liu Tianyang broke down before Fang Zhiyou, complaining about his years of hard work and humiliation. Fang Zhiyou offered to let him return not as chief designer but as a design team leader with a reduced salary. Overjoyed, Liu Tianyang accepted, vowing never to be swayed to leave again.
Later, Fang Zhiyou surprised Xu Yiren with a moon lamp, telling her that people shouldn't be like the moon, waiting for others to provide light, but should be like the sun, illuminating their own lives.
Episode 3 Recap
After receiving her first month's salary of 8,000 yuan, Xu Yiren immediately called Xia Di, offering to treat her to dinner. Xia Di, however, preferred a homemade meal, which Xu Yiren happily agreed to cook. Later, Xu Yiren bought a coffee for Fang Zhiyou and drew a smiley face on the cup. Fang Zhiyou suddenly appeared behind her, startling her and causing her to spill the coffee on him.
He criticized her "ugly" drawing, remarking that her skills were too poor for his assistant, and then added a few strokes, claiming his was better. Xu Yiren retorted that she would only work for him for the money, prompting Fang Zhiyou to tell her to either speak up or stay silent. While enjoying Xu Yiren's excellent cooking, Xia Di observed that Xu Yiren’s usual twenty daily complaint messages about her "Thanos boss" had significantly decreased.
Xu Yiren admitted that while Fang Zhiyou could be annoying, his principle of never lying was beneficial, as she didn't have to guess his true thoughts. Xia Di found it hard to believe anyone could live without lying and wondered if his honesty was innate or the result of past trauma. Inspired, Xia Di decided Fang Zhiyou would make a great subject for her comics, envisioning him as an "Inuyasha-like" figure: wild, frank, and sharp-tongued.
She urged Xu Yiren to continue working for him to gather more material. Fang Zhiyou summoned Xu Yiren, pointing out three errors in a cost sheet that took her two days to prepare. He sternly ordered her to correct it by the next morning, stating the company had no time for her to learn slowly. Forced to work late, she was found by He Yuwen, who was impressed to see Xu Yiren using two classification methods for accuracy.
Praising Xu Yiren's professional ability, He Yuwen admitted to underestimating her and invited her for a late-night snack. During their meal, Xu Yiren asked if Fang Zhiyou had been deceived in the past, making him so sensitive to falsehoods. He Yuwen noted Fang Zhiyou's lack of social skills, qualities she saw in Xu Yiren, and hoped Xu Yiren could assist him. She then advised Xu Yiren to "work harder, gossip less." The next morning, Xu Yiren presented the corrected report.
Finding no errors, Fang Zhiyou assigned her a new three-day task: to compile data on similar real estate projects from the past five years. He then instructed her to accompany him on an outing in five minutes, to her silent frustration. Meanwhile, Xia Di, trapped by her boss "Little Witch" on a deadline, called Xu Yiren for help. Unable to leave, Xu Yiren sent Gu Bo for a "heroic rescue."
Xia Di tried to escape from her second-story window using a ladder but lost her footing and was caught by a surprised Gu Bo. At a restaurant, Gu Bo revealed he was an intern designer at Square & Circle and that they were colleagues creating beauty in different "dimensions"—comics and graphic design—which he suggested love could bridge. When his card failed at checkout, Xia Di paid.
Gu Bo insisted on repaying her via WeChat to get her contact information, but she playfully dismissed him as a "little boy," telling him to save his money for milk tea. Fang Zhiyou took Xu Yiren to a flower shop, making her wonder if he needed her as a "third wheel" to pursue someone. He asked her to explain the meanings of different blooms, then subtly inquired about flowers representing an apology.
When he ordered a bouquet of lilies, the shop owner mistakenly assumed Xu Yiren was his girlfriend. Fang Zhiyou bluntly corrected her, stating they were not a couple and adding, "Besides, I'm not blind." Annoyed, Xu Yiren internally echoed his words. They proceeded to a nursing home, where he instructed Xu Yiren to deliver the flowers to an elderly man, Li Jinghong.
The man mistook her for "Zhe's teacher," apologized for Zhe's behavior, and offered her an apple before snatching it back for Zhe. Becoming agitated, he suddenly fainted. Fang Zhiyou rushed him to the hospital. At the hospital, Xu Yiren blamed herself, but Fang Zhiyou reassured her it wasn't her fault. The doctor confirmed Li Jinghong was stable but needed observation for high blood pressure.
Fang Zhiyou offered to cover the costs, explaining the family was abroad and wouldn't want to see them anyway. While paying, Xu Yiren discovered her wallet was missing. Unbeknownst to her, it had been found by Li Zhe, who then tasked an associate to investigate her relationship with Fang Zhiyou. Due to the late hour and Xu Yiren's lost ID, they were forced to share a single hotel room.
In the hotel, Fang Zhiyou told Xu Yiren to shower while he went to a supermarket for "daily necessities." Puzzled, she called him a "psychopath." Xia Di called, and upon learning Xu Yiren was sharing a room with Fang Zhiyou, she excitedly teased that he was out buying condoms for his "ulterior motives." While in the bathroom, Xu Yiren felt dizzy and fainted. Fang Zhiyou returned, found her, and carried her to bed.
Discovering she had a slight fever, he gave her medicine, explaining she likely caught a cold. Touched by his care, Xu Yiren mentally vowed to stop calling him "Thanos." Elsewhere, He Yuwen saw her father on TV discussing their company's interest in the Huaxing project. She called Fang Zhiyou to discuss it over a drink, but he declined, stating he was at the hotel with Xu Yiren due to "some unresolved matters" and suggested they talk at the office.
Episode 4 Recap
Following the events at the hospital, Xu Yiren, unable to sleep after taking medicine for her fever, finds Fang Zhiyou and starts a conversation, asking why he never lies. After she playfully guesses a few lighthearted reasons, Fang Zhiyou shares a story about a friend whose family was destroyed by a single lie, which led to his father developing dementia and his mother's death. This friend, he explains, vowed never to lie again.
He reveals that the elderly man they visited, Li Jinghong, is the father of that friend's best friend. His friend has been quietly caring for the man for years, hoping to see his own friend again but also fearing the reunion. Xu Yiren realizes the story is about Fang Zhiyou himself, expressing surprise that someone from such a privileged background has such a tragic past.
Fang Zhiyou dismisses her sympathy, warns her not to tell anyone, and sends her to bed. During the night, while checking Xu Yiren's temperature, Fang Zhiyou is surprised when she hugs his neck in her sleep and mumbles "Mr. Fang." He quickly covers her eyes and leaves the room. The next morning, Xu Yiren wakes up to find a note from Fang Zhiyou, who has already left.
He instructs her to eat the breakfast he prepared and wait for his return. Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyou secretly visits Li Jinghong's hospital room, where he is found by Li Zhe. Li Zhe reveals he orchestrated Liu Tianyang's defection with the Xingcheng project as a "greeting gift" and declares this is just the beginning. He vows to make Fang Zhiyou lose everything as revenge for an incident thirteen years prior.
When Fang Zhiyou returns to the hotel, he finds Xu Yiren asleep on the sofa and mistakes her for having fainted again. As he leans in to check on her, she wakes up abruptly, and they bump heads, causing her nose to bleed in a moment of clumsy panic. Later, at a company meeting for the Huaxing project, Fang Zhiyou emphasizes the need to understand their competitors. He seeks volunteers for case analysis and proposal writing.
A young intern volunteers but is curtly dismissed by Fang Zhiyou as unqualified. Witnessing this and feeling untrusted after his own recent disloyalty, Liu Tianyang hesitates to step forward. With no other volunteers, Fang Zhiyou assigns the task to Xiang Wei and Sun Ziyang. After the meeting, He Yuwen overhears colleagues gossiping and mistakenly thinks they are talking about Xu Yiren and Fang Zhiyou spending the night together.
She confronts Xu Yiren, who explains that her car broke down, forcing them to stay at a hotel, but insists they stayed in separate beds. He Yuwen warns her that the biggest taboo for an assistant is falling for her boss. Later, He Yuwen expresses her concern to Fang Zhiyou about competing against her father, He Yuliang, for the Huaxing project, as Fang Zhiyou has never won against him. He dismisses her anxiety, urging her to focus on strategy.
Their conversation is cut short by a call from his younger sister Fang Shiyu's elementary school. Fang Zhiyou takes Xu Yiren with him to the school. They learn that Fang Shiyu posted a pre-braces photo of her classmate, Jiang Doudou, on the school bulletin board to defend another friend, Linlin, whom Jiang Doudou had been bullying for her small eyes. Jiang Doudou's mother demands that Shiyu be transferred.
Fang Zhiyou defends his sister's actions as not illegal, but Xu Yiren steps in to mediate. She proposes that if Jiang Doudou apologizes to Linlin first, Shiyu will then apologize to Jiang Doudou. Shiyu immediately agrees. On the way home, Shiyu astutely observes the bickering between Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren, deducing they like each other. She praises Xu Yiren for understanding her and calls her brother a "hardcore steel straight man" for being so difficult.
The next day, Gu Bo takes Xu Yiren to dinner to ask for advice on winning back Xia Di. He plans to impress her by becoming a high-level gamer and gifting her expensive items. Xu Yiren advises him to leave Xia Di alone for now, as she is struggling with a creative block for her comic, but Gu Bo believes this is the time she needs him most.
Meanwhile, after Fang Zhiyou rejects Xiang Wei and Sun Ziyang's proposals again, Xu Yiren approaches Liu Tianyang. She fabricates a story, claiming Fang Zhiyou wants him to lead the project but is too proud to ask. She suggests Liu Tianyang volunteer, giving Fang Zhiyou an easy way to accept. Wary of being tricked again but persuaded by her reasoning, Liu Tianyang agrees to trust her.
Episode 5 Recap
Following up on Xu Yiren’s scheme from the previous day, Liu Tianyang visited Fang Zhiyou's office, expressing his belief that Xiang Wei and Sun Ziyang were not experienced enough for the Huaxing International Movie World project and that he wished to serve as Fang Zhiyou’s assistant. He also mentioned that after the Xingcheng project, he felt Fang Zhiyou no longer trusted him and suggested that Fang Zhiyou should communicate with him directly, rather than through Xu Yiren.
Upon hearing this, Fang Zhiyou called for Xu Yiren. Startled, she internally fretted about being fired, especially since she had only received one month's salary. However, Fang Zhiyou simply instructed her to organize a file for an afternoon meeting. Distraught throughout the day, Xu Yiren later decided to apologize to Fang Zhiyou while working overtime. She found him asleep in his office and, after a moment of finding his sleeping face cute, she accidentally knocked over an architectural model.
As she frantically tried to fix it, Fang Zhiyou woke up, told her to stop, and then suggested they reassemble it together, mentioning he never builds models with anyone else but conceding that an extra pair of hands would make it faster. Xu Yiren quickly identified a part of the model as a platform for Fang Zhiyou’s castle design, revealing she had seen many of his designs and found the castle particularly fantastic and unique.
Meanwhile, Li Zhe, having learned Xu Yiren was Fang Zhiyou’s assistant, instructed his own assistant to keep an eye on her, noting that although Xu Yiren's background appeared simple, such people can often be the hardest to discern. As they worked on the model, Xu Yiren explained she learned to make models as a child because she lacked toys and would copy what her classmates made, a childhood experience she felt Fang Zhiyou couldn’t understand.
Fang Zhiyou then shared that he also had no one to play with as a child, leading him to choose painting as a solitary activity. He asserted that he preferred being alone, viewing socializing as a source of endless noise and unavoidable hypocrisy.
Xu Yiren countered that everyone needs friends to share joy and sorrow, and deduced that Fang Zhiyou’s often-told "I have a friend" story was actually about himself, noting his care for that friend's father as proof of their bond. When she asked why he lost contact with the friend after he went abroad, Fang Zhiyou offered no reason, merely stating he suddenly felt tired.
Later, He Yuwen returned home to find her father, He Yuliang, ending a phone call with Mr. Huang, the head of Huaxing. He Yuwen confronted her father, expressing her disapproval of his "stealthy tricks" and demanding a fair bidding process for the Huaxing project, in which their company, Square & Circle, would also be participating.
He Yuliang dismissed her idealism, arguing that a project's success isn't solely determined by a design and that Fang Zhiyou's inflexible demeanor would prevent him from ever succeeding, despite being his most talented student in a decade. Frustrated, He Yuwen declared she would rather ruin her own life on her own terms than be anyone's puppet.
Afterward, Xu Yiren approached Fang Zhiyou, confessing her anxiety and that her real motivation for helping with the model was her fear of being fired over the Liu Tianyang incident. Fang Zhiyou revealed he knew she had lied to Liu Tianyang by claiming Fang Zhiyou had sent her. Xu Yiren admitted she orchestrated the situation to achieve a perfect ending where no one was harmed, as both men were too proud to make the first move.
Fang Zhiyou granted her one last chance, warning he would fire her if she lied again. The next day, Xu Yiren found Fang Zhiyou resting at the back of his office. She stealthily approached, thinking he looked handsome. Aware of her presence, Fang Zhiyou quietly challenged, "Dare you come closer?" This startled Xu Yiren, causing her to stumble, and Fang Zhiyou quickly stabilized her by holding her waist.
Later, Xu Yiren received a call from Li Zhe, who explained he had found her lost wallet and offered to return it at a Japanese restaurant. Upon meeting, Li Zhe remarked that Xu Yiren didn't seem like someone who worked in architecture, as he rarely encountered such beautiful women in the field. Flattered, Xu Yiren joked about joining his company.
She learned that Li Zhe knew her boss, Fang Zhiyou, and while acknowledging Fang Zhiyou's demanding reputation, she defended him as a sincere person who deeply values relationships, dismissing the rumors of his bad temper. He Yuwen took Fang Zhiyou to play golf, hoping to give him a break. They unexpectedly encountered He Yuliang and Mr. Huang. He Yuliang attempted to provoke Fang Zhiyou, suggesting he lacked confidence.
While He Yuliang strategically tried to lose to Mr. Huang, Fang Zhiyou, oblivious to the social maneuvering, skillfully scored a hole-in-one. He thanked Mr. Huang for the "good luck" and boldly stated that Square & Circle would compete vigorously for the Huaxing project based on merit, then promptly excused himself. He Yuwen confronted him, concerned about how his actions would be perceived. Fang Zhiyou, annoyed by her "tricks," countered that he had already shown her consideration by not leaving sooner.
He Yuwen argued that building client relationships was crucial, especially against her highly respected father, but Fang Zhiyou firmly declared that he wanted fairness for his design and refused to engage in such games, stating, "I don't want to be He Yuliang." Later, as Xu Yiren and Li Zhe were about to see a movie premiere, Fang Zhiyou abruptly called, demanding she appear before him immediately.
He took her to a luxury store and told her to pick out a purse. Assuming it was for a client, Xu Yiren inquired about the recipient. Fang Zhiyou sarcastically described a woman in her twenties who "likes to talk back," "gossips," has "bad taste," dresses "like a middle-aged lady," and has "a bad figure."
When Xu Yiren suggested a simple bag, Fang Zhiyou pointedly asked if "she" liked it, revealing the gift was for her as a replacement for her lost wallet. Annoyed by his insults, Xu Yiren defiantly asked the sales assistant for the most expensive purse in the store, which Fang Zhiyou promptly purchased. Back home, Xu Yiren worried about the expensive gift.
Her friend Xia Di immediately deduced that Fang Zhiyou must have a crush on Xu Yiren, asserting that a person's willingness to spend money is a direct sign of affection. Xia Di, a self-proclaimed "expert in girls' love," revealed that her comic based on Fang Zhiyou was about to be serialized and demanded Xu Yiren act as her spy to gather material on his behaviors and hobbies.
When Xu Yiren refused, Xia Di resorted to playful blackmail, threatening to use Xu Yiren as a comic prototype and expose her embarrassing childhood secrets. During a field trip to the Huaxing International Movie World, Xu Yiren secretly observed Fang Zhiyou for Xia Di’s comic, noting his work obsession, his use of an old-style camera, and his tendency to sketch, suspecting he had a "sixth sense" as he always seemed to know she was watching.
They encountered Fang Shiyu, Fang Zhiyou's younger sister, who was handing out flyers for a school activity after being ditched by her classmates. Shiyu coerced them into wearing animal costumes and took numerous photos, exclaiming how gorgeous Xu Yiren looked and what a perfect match they made. She urged her brother to cherish Xu Yiren, noting that mutual affection is rare.
Shiyu then borrowed money from Fang Zhiyou for a movie and instructed him to drive Xu Yiren home safely and give her a bonus. Later, as Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren headed to an exhibition, Xia Di called, pressing her to find out Fang Zhiyou's ideal type.
Episode 6 Recap
After his sister, Shiyu, suggested that Xu Yiren had feelings for him, Fang Zhiyou confronted Xu Yiren directly. She emphatically denied it, explaining that her greatest strength was self-awareness and she would never harbor such "fantasies" about him. Relieved, Fang Zhiyou stated that if his assistant were to like him, he would fire her, explaining that it would inevitably affect her work and that dismissal would be the best option for her.
Feeling utterly humiliated, Xu Yiren confided in her friend, Xia Di. Xia Di teased her, suggesting Xu Yiren was upset not just because of the misunderstanding, but because Fang Zhiyou had explicitly rejected the idea of her liking him. After light-heartedly making fun of Xu Yiren’s appearance, Xia Di sincerely told her that Fang Zhiyou was not worthy of her. Meanwhile, Gu Bo took Xia Di to a haunted house attraction to help her overcome a creative block.
Hoping to be a hero, Gu Bo was instead terrified by the experience, clinging to Xia Di and, in a moment of panic, desperately pleading for them to be together. Xia Di, completely unfazed, found it boring and ended up comforting the hysterical Gu Bo. Later, Fang Zhiyou decided to take Xu Yiren to an important bidding conference.
However, just as they were about to leave, Xu Yiren received a call from a hospital informing her that her ex-boyfriend, Gao Ming, had been in a car accident. Fearing Fang Zhiyou’s strong dislike for Gao Ming would prevent her from going, Xu Yiren lied, claiming Xia Di was the one in the hospital. Fang Zhiyou allowed her to leave and asked He Yuwen to attend the Huaxing Movie World Project bid with him instead.
At the conference, Fang Zhiyou discovered his design proposal had vanished from his briefcase, causing his company, Square & Circle, to lose the significant project. At the hospital, Xu Yiren found Gao Ming's injuries were only superficial. He tried to manipulate her into staying by feigning pain, but she was no longer swayed. She firmly told him she no longer loved him and only came because she believed he was seriously hurt, expressing her disdain for his constant lies.
Back at the company, a furious Fang Zhiyou, suspecting he had been lied to, had Gu Bo call Xia Di. When Xia Di answered, clearly unharmed, the deception was exposed. When Xu Yiren returned, Fang Zhiyou confronted her about her unanswered calls, which she realized Gao Ming must have hung up. Infuriated that she had abandoned her duties for an ex-boyfriend, Fang Zhiyou fired her on the spot.
Deeply remorseful, Xu Yiren blamed herself for the loss of the Huaxing project and was puzzled over how the design file, which she had checked, had disappeared. In the office, while a colleague named Sha Sha sympathized with Xu Yiren, He Yuwen maintained that everyone must take responsibility for their actions, admitting that hiring Xu Yiren was her own oversight.
Meanwhile, Li Zhe, having learned about Square & Circle losing the project, found Fang Zhiyou at a villa in Qingshan, a place of shared childhood memories. After visiting his own father, who suffers from memory loss, Li Zhe confronted Fang Zhiyou, telling him he came to see him humbled by defeat and that he lost the right to call him by his childhood nickname thirteen years ago.
Li Zhe blamed Fang Zhiyou for his mother's death and his father's condition before violently attacking him, vowing to make him lose everything. Fang Zhiyou stoically endured the beating, telling Li Zhe to continue if it made him feel better, but also to consider letting go of his pain.
At home, a heartbroken Xu Yiren began building a model of the Huaxing Project’s main building, hoping to present it to Huaxing's head and convince them to give Square & Circle another chance. Xia Di visited, joking that Xu Yiren must have Stockholm syndrome for still helping the man who fired her. Concerned for her friend, Xia Di and Gu Bo confronted Gao Ming.
After Gu Bo’s attempt to be brave failed, the kickboxing-proficient Xia Di quickly subdued Gao Ming, forcing him to admit he was a "scumbag." Seeing Xu Yiren’s lingering guilt, Gu Bo claimed he had a way to get her reinstated, asking for a home-cooked meal from Xia Di as a reward if he succeeded.
In his office, Fang Zhiyou looked at a coffee cup with a smiley face Xu Yiren had once drawn, then tossed it in the trash just as Gu Bo arrived to talk to him about her.
Episode 7 Recap
Following his previous argument with Xu Yiren, Fang Zhiyou is approached by Gu Bo, who pleads for Xu Yiren’s reinstatement. Gu Bo suggests a pay dock or a fine instead of firing her, revealing that Xu Yiren has spent days creating a detailed architectural model for the Huaxing project in an attempt to atone for her mistake.
Fang Zhiyou dismisses the plea, citing the gentleman's agreement with Gu Bo's father that forbids interference in company decisions and advising Gu Bo to focus on his work instead of chasing after Xia Di. Despite Gu Bo’s insistence that Xu Yiren is genuinely trying to make amends, Fang Zhiyou coldly states that some mistakes cannot be rectified.
Meanwhile, Xu Yiren is on a video call with Sha Sha while waiting outside the Huaxing office, hoping to show the model to Mr. Huang. Hearing that Sha Sha is temporarily filling in as Fang Zhiyou's assistant, Xu Yiren provides a detailed guide to his demanding routine: preparing his caramel Americano without milk by 8:50 AM, reviewing his schedule first thing, and subtly forcing him to take breaks by bringing minor matters for his approval.
Racked with guilt, Sha Sha confesses to Fang Zhiyou. She explains that while helping Xu Yiren get ready for the bidding conference, she accidentally swapped Xu Yiren's U-disk with a blank one of her own, as they all looked identical. She only found the correct U-disk with the design proposal under a desk later. Tearfully, Sha Sha admits she stayed silent out of fear of being fired but was inspired by Xu Yiren's words about taking responsibility for one's mistakes.
At Huaxing, Xu Yiren’s attempt to present the model is met with contempt from Mr. Huang, who shoves her and sends the model crashing to the floor. Just then, Fang Zhiyou arrives, having heard Sha Sha's confession. He sternly orders a defiant Mr. Huang to pick up the pieces.
As Mr. Huang's secretary scrambles to defuse the situation, Fang Zhiyou stops Xu Yiren from apologizing and, threatening to call the police, forces a reluctant Mr. Huang to personally apologize to her. After the confrontation, Fang Zhiyou notices Xu Yiren has injured her foot. He reveals that their efforts were in vain, as Huaxing had already signed a contract with a rival firm, Liangshan.
Xu Yiren opens up about her past, explaining that after her parents died in an accident when she was ten, she grew up feeling overlooked in her uncle's home. Gao Ming was the first person to make her feel valued, which led to a dependence she mistook for love. She clarifies that her relationship with him is now firmly in the past.
Fang Zhiyou accepts her apology for her recent lies but warns her he won't be so lenient again, then tells her to return to work the next day. That night, Fang Zhiyou meticulously reassembles the broken model, conceding that Xu Yiren has a sliver of his talent. He muses that if an assistant were to fall for him, he would have to fire her to spare her the pain of unrequited love.
In her own apartment, Xu Yiren fights her growing feelings for Fang Zhiyou, reminding herself that their worlds are too different and he despises lies. The next morning, Xu Yiren returns to Square & Circle, bringing breakfast for her colleagues. Sha Sha is overjoyed by her return, and they agree to keep the U-disk incident their secret.
Xu Yiren then briefs Fang Zhiyou on the day's schedule, explaining that she will present the Huaxing design concept at the weekly meeting and has already changed his afternoon appointment with the Moon Bay Resort contact to a more relaxed afternoon tea. Shortly after, He Yuwen arrives and, upon seeing Xu Yiren, confronts Fang Zhiyou. She argues that Xu Yiren has become a liability who repeatedly lies and questions his judgment in bringing her back.
He Yuwen observes that Fang Zhiyou's principles have softened for Xu Yiren, prioritizing her over projects. When Fang Zhiyou demands a convincing reason for her dismissal, He Yuwen implicitly offers her own feelings for him as the cause. Understanding, Fang Zhiyou gently but firmly states that Xu Yiren will remain his assistant and the decision is his alone. After work, Fang Zhiyou suddenly falls ill with acute gastroenteritis.
Despite his condition, he refuses to go to the hospital because he promised his late mother he would celebrate his sister Shiyu's birthday with her every year. Xu Yiren proposes a solution: she will cook a birthday dinner at his home. At his apartment, Xu Yiren prepares a feast, and Shiyu is ecstatic, declaring that the "Three Cup Chicken" tastes exactly like their mother's cooking.
Xu Yiren, however, serves a sick Fang Zhiyou only a bowl of porridge, insisting it's her professional duty as his assistant to manage his health. On the walk home, Fang Zhiyou expresses his sincere gratitude, explaining that Xu Yiren's home-cooked meal made Shiyu happier than any expensive restaurant ever has, as it evoked cherished memories of their mother. They stop at a roasted sweet potato stall, and as they share one, he gently wipes a smudge from her lip.
The tender moment leaves Xu Yiren flustered. Later, her aunt calls asking for money, jolting her back to reality and reinforcing the vast difference between her world and Fang Zhiyou's. The following day, Xu Yiren arrives at the office to find herself the subject of intense gossip.
A photo of her helping the unwell Fang Zhiyou into his car the previous night has circulated, sparking rumors that they are in a relationship and that he has even bought her a house. Amid the speculation, a guilty Sha Sha confesses to Xu Yiren that she saw them together and mistakenly told everyone they were dating.
Episode 8 Recap
Fang Zhiyou asks Xu Yiren why she referred to him as Thanos. She explains that they both embody the qualities of being outstanding yet lonely, labeling them "handsome, strong, and tragic." Fang Zhiyou subtly questions her judgment before asking her to accompany him to a meeting. To avoid potential office gossip, Xu Yiren feigns illness, claiming a low-grade fever. Despite her obvious pretense, Fang Zhiyou gently drapes a scarf around her neck and advises her to go home and rest.
Xia Di excitedly informs Xu Yiren that her new comic strip is a massive success. She invites Xu Yiren to celebrate, but Xu Yiren declines, admitting she fabricated her illness to avoid being seen with Fang Zhiyou. She confesses feeling immense guilt whenever she lies to him, especially since he consistently sees through her deceptions. Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyou, accompanied by Gu Bo, expresses dissatisfaction with Chengxi Modeling after a meeting.
He tasks Gu Bo with researching the top ten modeling companies in the city. When Gu Bo asks about Xu Yiren's absence, Fang Zhiyou explains she is sick. Unable to celebrate with Xu Yiren, Xia Di invites Gu Bo to a lavish celebratory meal instead. She insists on paying for everything and even buys him a new, brightly colored outfit, despite his reservations about the pink color.
Feeling uneasy about misleading her, Gu Bo privately resolves to find an opportune moment to reveal his true financial circumstances to Xia Di. Gu Bo later informs Fang Zhiyou about rampant company rumors that falsely portray Xu Yiren as a conniving opportunist who seduced him, caused a quarrel between him and He Yuwen, and was even given a "love house" by him.
Alarmed by the vicious slander, Fang Zhiyou visits Xu Yiren's apartment, bringing an assortment of medicines because he was unsure of her specific ailment. Xu Yiren confesses that she faked her illness, admitting she felt overwhelmed by the office gossip and uncomfortable being seen with him. In response, Xu Yiren proposes they maintain a "safe distance" to quell the rumors. Fang Zhiyou, however, steps closer, asking her directly about her feelings for him. Startled, Xu Yiren is speechless.
He then asserts that as long as they conduct themselves honorably, they have no need to care about others' perceptions, before reminding her not to be late for work. Disheartened by Fang Zhiyou's growing relationship with Xu Yiren, He Yuwen vents her frustrations in a boxing session with Chen Qiming, who has secretly admired her for years. Chen Qiming expresses sympathy for her intense competitiveness, but He Yuwen dismisses it, vowing to fight for what she desires.
She voices her insecurity about no longer being irreplaceable to Fang Zhiyou, noting that another woman has succeeded in making him break his principles—a feat she never accomplished. Chen Qiming suggests this is because she has always idealized Fang Zhiyou, never daring to challenge him. He Yuwen recalls how her father’s demanding pursuit of perfection instilled in her a relentless drive to be the best, declaring that no one will displace her.
During a mock negotiation practice, Fang Zhiyou exhibits a playful demeanor, prompting Xu Yiren to urge him to be more serious. He then challenges her to answer questions with the opposite of her true feelings and compliments her appearance. Soon after, Xu Yiren receives a call from Li Zhe, who reminds her that he owes her a meal and invites her out that evening.
Fang Zhiyou observes her delighted expression, internally noting that a woman's true interest is often revealed by her animated phone conversations. Later, as Fang Zhiyou drives Xu Yiren home, he appears distracted and repeatedly tries to detain her with vague warnings, struggling to articulate his true intentions. After she leaves, he calls for his car to be taken for a fabricated brake issue, ensuring he has a reason to remain nearby.
Xu Yiren meets Li Zhe for dinner at a luxurious restaurant. Dismayed by the exorbitant prices, she orders only a truffle mushroom pasta. Li Zhe, however, orders an array of expensive dishes and insists on covering the bill. He notices her wallet, which she explains was a gift from Fang Zhiyou. Li Zhe finds this unusual and asks if they are close, but Xu Yiren insists their relationship is strictly professional.
As dinner concludes, Li Zhe directly expresses his romantic interest and asks her on a more formal date. Before she can respond, Fang Zhiyou unexpectedly appears. A tense confrontation ensues, with Li Zhe challenging Fang Zhiyou for interfering in his employee's personal life. Fang Zhiyou retorts that any issues should be directed at him, not those close to him, after which Li Zhe defiantly returns Xu Yiren's wallet to Fang Zhiyou.
As heavy rain begins to fall, Fang Zhiyou offers to take Xu Yiren home, but with his car at the repair shop, they seek shelter. He reveals his deep sadness, explaining that Li Zhe is the son of Uncle Li from the hospital and was once his closest friend who defended him from bullies. Despite their shared past, they are now estranged.
Xu Yiren speculates if their strained relationship is linked to a lie that caused Li Zhe's family misfortune, and Fang Zhiyou admits he is the reason for Li Zhe's return to China. He then abruptly asks Xu Yiren if she likes Li Zhe. She denies any romantic feelings, which visibly relieves him. When Xu Yiren asks why he cares, he confesses he doesn't know, only that he fears she might be deceived.
Xu Yiren then wraps the scarf he had given her around his neck. Fang Zhiyou gently adjusts it, wrapping the other end around her, and they share the scarf as they run out into the pouring rain together.
Episode 9 Recap
A private detective hired by Li Zhe reports that there were no missing girl reports filed from the period Li Zhe specified thirteen years ago. While the local police officers have no memory of such a case, the detective is attempting to contact two transferred officers and provides graduation photos from the three elementary school classes that had an outing to Qingshan that year. At the location, Li Zhe's associate asks if this is where he met the young girl.
Li Zhe confirms it, and a flashback reveals a younger, despairing Li Zhe about to jump into a river when he was interrupted by a lost little girl's cries. He calmed her down with a small bird but never asked for her name, later explaining to his associate that he didn't expect to live another day. Later, holding a key given to him by Fang Zhiyou, Li Zhe realizes it belongs to his childhood home.
Entering the house alone, he is overcome by a traumatic vision of his parents' suicide. Back at Fang Zhiyou’s company, Li Zhe arrives to find Fang Zhiyou preparing to swim. He confronts Fang Zhiyou, offering five million for the villa—now revealed to be Li Zhe’s childhood home—which is worth four million, stating he doesn't want to be indebted. Fang Zhiyou insists it was a debt he was repaying.
Li Zhe retorts that Fang Zhiyou owes him far more than a villa and that buying back their "secret base" cannot erase the past. Declaring he doesn't know what else to do, Fang Zhiyou listens as Li Zhe vows to take what he values most: his company, Square & Circle, and Xu Yiren. Li Zhe announces he will formally pursue Xu Yiren, prompting Fang Zhiyou to warn him away from her, though he denies having feelings for her himself.
Later, Li Zhe finds Xu Yiren at the office and invites her to a movie the next evening, leaving before she can properly respond. That night, Xu Yiren stays late at the office to study for her driving exam and falls asleep. In her dream, she gets her license, drives Fang Zhiyou to a remote location, and locks him out of the car, demanding he promise to stop mocking her and respect her dignity in exchange for a ride back.
She is woken by the smell of stinky tofu, which Fang Zhiyou is eating. He then drives her home. Noticing he is still down after his confrontation with Li Zhe, she offers to treat him to a meal. They go to a barbecue stall, a type of place Fang Zhiyou says his mother forbade him and his sister, Shiyu, from visiting.
Xu Yiren recalls frequenting similar places as a child, not just for the food but to be in a lively crowd and avoid going home. She reveals how her aunt always favored her cousin, forcing Xu Yiren to lie to keep the peace, such as pretending to hate a teddy bear her uncle bought her so her cousin could have it.
Fang Zhiyou empathizes, encouraging her to be her true self in the future—to express her feelings freely without pretending or trying to please others. Xu Yiren, who had intended to comfort him, finds herself being comforted instead. Back home, reflecting on his words, she resolves to be more honest and finally admits to herself that she likes Fang Zhiyou. The next day, Xu Yiren receives no word from Fang Zhiyou. As she worries, Li Zhe arrives for their movie date.
Having forgotten, she apologizes but agrees to go. After the movie, Li Zhe probes for details about her company's confidential Moon Bay Resort Project. Seeing through his attempt to gather information, Xu Yiren firmly states that whatever the history between him and Fang Zhiyou, she will always stand by Fang Zhiyou, even if he is in the wrong. She pays for her own drink and leaves.
Later, Xu Yiren gets a call from a weak-sounding Fang Zhiyou and rushes to his home. She finds him with a high fever. As she tries to find medicine, he stops her, asking her to keep her cool hand on his forehead. After she makes him take medicine, he falls into a restless sleep, dreaming that Li Zhe renounces their friendship and declares his hatred.
Waking with a start, he looks at Xu Yiren and remarks that she reminds him of his mother. As his fever breaks, she tells him to shower while she makes porridge. Surprised she stayed, he asks why, and she replies that she couldn't leave him while he was sick.
Episode 10 Recap
The next morning, after waking up from a bad dream about Li Zhe, a still-ill Fang Zhiyou found that Xu Yiren had stayed and taken care of him all night. He was touched when she forced him to eat porridge and take his medicine. As Xu Yiren prepared to leave, she received a text message from Li Zhe, who apologized for his actions, clarifying that his intentions were not to gather information about Fang Zhiyou but genuinely to pursue her.
He hoped they could go out on another date. When Fang Zhiyou asked about the message, Xu Yiren quickly hid her phone, claiming it was from her aunt to avoid suspicion. Later, as it grew late, Xu Yiren prepared to leave, but Fang Zhiyou insisted she stay the night, deeming it unsafe for her to travel alone. That night, Xu Yiren joined Fang Zhiyou as he worked overtime. He suggested they play a game to stay awake.
They chose Sudoku, but Xu Yiren, not proficient in math, consistently lost, resulting in Fang Zhiyou drawing all over her face. She then proposed a game of luck, asking him to guess which hand held a pen cap, and finally won a round. Fang Zhiyou chose "truth" as his penalty. Xu Yiren questioned if he hated her because she often lied, noting his dislike for falsehoods. Fang Zhiyou affirmed his aversion to lies but stated he did not hate her.
He explained that while he still believed lies were unforgivable, he was beginning to consider that there might be underlying reasons, perhaps even good intentions or unavoidable circumstances behind them. Though his fundamental dislike for lies remained, he was willing to try and understand them. Xu Yiren brought up past instances where he knew she had lied or knew about Sha Sha's mistake with the USB, yet he did not fire her.
Fang Zhiyou then turned the question on her, asking if she hated him, especially since her life took a turn for the worse after meeting him. Xu Yiren admitted that initially, she found him conceited, rude, and irritating. However, after spending time with him, she realized his awkward personality was actually quite endearing, and most importantly, he was a kind person who simply struggled with expressing himself. She then concluded that she didn't hate him either.
When Xu Yiren won another round, Fang Zhiyou abruptly declared he was tired and wanted to sleep, causing Xu Yiren to express her frustration at him quitting after she had only won once. The following morning, He Yuwen inquired about Xu Yiren’s whereabouts. Fang Zhiyou informed her that Xu Yiren had requested leave from him. He Yuwen expressed her displeasure, asserting her right as head of the Administration Department to be informed when her employees took leave.
Fang Zhiyou apologized and promised to be more careful in the future. He then asked He Yuwen for assistance with an urgent matter. He Yuwen accompanied Fang Zhiyou to a client meeting where Fang Zhiyou bluntly stated that the client's company might not meet their expectations. He Yuwen quickly interceded, explaining that their company’s style might not align with the project, but there could be future opportunities for collaboration.
She later chided Fang Zhiyou, expressing concern about him offending too many modeling companies and urging him to consider future options. Fang Zhiyou explained that he brought her precisely because he feared losing control of his temper. He acknowledged that Square & Circle would have likely failed without her.
After the meeting, Fang Zhiyou tasked He Yuwen with contacting the top modeling companies, a challenging endeavor given their limited number, their already full schedules, and the relatively small scale of the Moon Bay project. Despite her reservations, He Yuwen accepted the formidable task. Meanwhile, Li Zhe went to a driving school to exchange his overseas driver's license, where he unexpectedly encountered Xu Yiren, who was learning to drive.
He promised her that he would no longer inquire about Fang Zhiyou's affairs. He shared that he had few friends, especially after moving back to China, and that despite their limited interactions, he genuinely enjoyed their conversations. He confessed that his initial pursuit of her was partly because she was Fang Zhiyou's assistant, but now, he sincerely wished to be friends with her for who she was. He suggested they re-introduce themselves.
He Yuwen, pursuing Fang Zhiyou's request, sought help from Chen Qiming to connect with a top modeling company. Chen Qiming, who had a personal connection with Mr. Qi of Dasheng Modeling, agreed to help, though he warned that Dasheng was a renowned company and might not take on their relatively small project. Li Zhe was set to become the head of Dasheng. He congratulated Mr. Qi on his transfer to the Shanghai headquarters.
Aware that Dasheng had previously refused Square & Circle's projects, Li Zhe leveraged his friendship with Fang Zhiyou to persuade Mr. Qi to accept the project, subtly offering him a favor in return. Although Mr. Qi initially expressed reservations due to the project's size and Dasheng's full schedule, he eventually agreed to arrange another meeting with Square & Circle's representatives.
As Fang Zhiyou drove Xu Yiren to the Moon Bay resort for an inspection, eager to create something new and meaningful, his car suddenly got a flat tire. Unable to make the scheduled meeting with Mr. Qi, Fang Zhiyou had to send He Yuwen alone. He Yuwen, accompanied by Chen Qiming, attended the dinner. Mr. Qi, displeased by Fang Zhiyou's absence, questioned his sincerity in the collaboration.
Despite He Yuwen's explanation about Fang Zhiyou's car trouble and his promise to personally apologize, Mr. Qi insisted she drink three penalty cups on Fang Zhiyou's behalf. Chen Qiming attempted to intervene and drink in her place, but Mr. Qi demanded he drink double if he wished to "play the hero." With the roadside assistance company off-duty until the next morning, Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren were stranded and forced to spend the night in the car.
They shared the limited bread he had. Fang Zhiyou expressed his frustration with the company's unreliability, lamenting that they had waited four hours for a service that never came. Xu Yiren tried to lighten the mood by appreciating the beautiful scenery and fresh air, suggesting they view it as an impromptu camping trip.
As they gazed at the stars through the car's sunroof, Xu Yiren recalled the last time she saw such a beautiful starry sky: when she was twelve years old. She had gotten lost during a spring outing in the mountains and was terrified until a kind older boy found her and carried her to a nearby police station. It was on his back, looking up, that she saw the sky full of stars.
She admitted she had always wanted to find him but had no clues. Fang Zhiyou commented that perhaps they were not destined to meet again, but Xu Yiren held onto the hope that she would one day. At the dinner, He Yuwen, despite Chen Qiming's attempts to help her, had to drink several cups of alcohol for the sake of Square & Circle's business, which Mr. Qi accepted. Afterward, He Yuwen returned home, immediately collapsing by the toilet and vomiting.
She tried to call Fang Zhiyou to share the good news, but her body gave out, and she lost consciousness. Chen Qiming, who had followed her home to ensure her safety, gently carried her to her bed. The next morning, Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren woke up in the car. Fang Zhiyou playfully teased Xu Yiren about drooling in her sleep, then called it a joke when she accused him of lying.
Shortly after, Dasheng sent the contract to Square & Circle. Fang Zhiyou was deeply grateful to He Yuwen for securing the agreement. He Yuwen appeared composed, feigning well-being, but was clearly unwell, discreetly asking Sha Sha to find some stomach medicine. When Sha Sha struggled to locate the medicine in the emergency kit, Xu Yiren overheard and quickly offered her own antacids, proving to be a timely savior for He Yuwen.
Fang Zhiyou, acknowledging Dasheng's strength, expressed renewed confidence in the Moon Bay Resort project with their assistance and apologized to He Yuwen for having sent her alone to the dinner. He Yuwen brushed it off, stating it was better that way as it prevented him from offending people with his bluntness.
Episode 11 Recap
He Yuwen was experiencing severe stomach pain but tried to conceal her discomfort, preferring to work rather than seek medical attention. Xu Yiren, along with Sha Sha, urged her to go to the hospital, with Xu Yiren fabricating a story about a friend who suffered a stomach perforation after ignoring similar symptoms. Although initially resistant, He Yuwen eventually agreed to be driven to the hospital by Xu Yiren, as calling an ambulance would have been too slow.
At the hospital, the doctor diagnosed He Yuwen with a gastric burn due to excessive alcohol consumption, advising rest for recovery. He Yuwen then confronted Xu Yiren, stating she knew the story was made up to scare her, and warned her not to use such tactics again. She then pressed Xu Yiren about her whereabouts the previous night, suspecting she was with Fang Zhiyou.
Xu Yiren began to explain that she and Fang Zhiyou had been scouting a resort for the Moon Bay project when their car had a flat tire, leaving them stranded overnight, but He Yuwen cut her off and instructed her to leave. Later, Fang Zhiyou visited He Yuwen at the hospital, bringing flowers and showing deep concern for her well-being.
He Yuwen complained about the unreasonable demands from Dasheng, which led to her overdrinking, but insisted she had to sign the contract for Square & Circle, where she holds shares. Fang Zhiyou expressed his disapproval of her sacrificing her health for work, while Xu Yiren observed their close interaction, appearing disheartened. Meanwhile, Li Zhe learned that the elementary school teacher of the girl he met years ago had retired and was currently on a two-week trip to Thailand.
He immediately wanted to book a flight to find her, but his assistant reminded him of his imminent new role at Dasheng and the ongoing situation with Square & Circle. Li Zhe relented, instructing his assistant to inform him as soon as the teacher returned. Later, Gu Bo, having received his salary, treated Xia Di and Xu Yiren to a celebratory dinner.
At the restaurant, the manager recognized Gu Bo, much to Gu Bo's subtle chagrin, as he preferred to keep his family's wealth discreet. The manager offered them a complimentary, expensive featured dish and announced a couple's discount: fifty percent off and free drinks for couples who took a "close photo" at the restaurant and posted it on social media.
Xu Yiren promptly suggested that Xia Di and Gu Bo take a photo together to avail the discount, which they did, posing with a heart gesture. During the meal, Gu Bo revealed he borrowed his car from a "gold player" friend he met through gaming. Xia Di expressed her aversion to wealthy men, stating they either become corrupt or lose their ambition.
Xu Yiren then playfully questioned Gu Bo about who he would save if she and Fang Zhiyou both fell into a river, to which Gu Bo quickly replied he would save Xu Yiren first, because Fang Zhiyou was a university swimming champion. Xu Yiren then asked Gu Bo if he thought Fang Zhiyou and He Yuwen were a good match. Gu Bo confidently asserted that He Yuwen's feelings were unrequited, describing Fang Zhiyou as completely oblivious to romantic matters.
He reasoned that if Fang Zhiyou truly liked He Yuwen, they would have been together years ago given their long acquaintance and her obvious affection. Despite Xu Yiren's claims of indifference, Gu Bo advised her not to deceive herself about her own feelings. The scheduled meeting between Square & Circle and Dasheng for the Moon Bay project was postponed as Dasheng's representatives failed to appear.
Eventually, a Dasheng assistant arrived, announcing the unilateral termination of their contract and their willingness to pay the default fee. The Square & Circle team was taken aback, only then learning that Mr. Qi had been transferred and Li Zhe was now in full charge of Dasheng. Li Zhe then directly confronted Fang Zhiyou, asserting that his actions were intended to make Fang Zhiyou experience the agony of being betrayed at the last moment.
The Square & Circle team expressed their frustration at the lack of time to find a new modeling company. Fang Zhiyou, recognizing the irreversible nature of the situation, knew Dasheng would not cooperate and that Li Zhe had likely already contacted other companies to ensure Square & Circle could not secure the project. He Yuwen later confronted Chen Qiming, accusing him of complicity in the Dasheng situation, even suspecting her father had used him to sabotage Square & Circle.
Chen Qiming, hurt by her distrust, denied any prior knowledge of Mr. Qi's transfer and defended his integrity, pointing out he wouldn't have introduced the project if he intended harm. He Yuwen, realizing her error, apologized and asked Chen Qiming to investigate Li Zhe, noting his apparent vendetta against Fang Zhiyou.
At a subsequent meeting, Fang Zhiyou proposed an innovative solution for the Moon Bay project: instead of relying on unavailable 3D models, they would present design concept maps using watercolor paintings, focusing on the overall style and concept rather than intricate details or functions. The team expressed skepticism, as this approach was unprecedented and the design complex.
However, Fang Zhiyou insisted on highlighting the most unique and appealing aspects to buy time, planning to secure a new company for 3D modeling later. He pointed out that their design's emphasis on nature aligned well with watercolor. Xu Yiren arranged to meet Li Zhe for dinner, directly asking him why Dasheng had terminated the contract, arguing that Fang Zhiyou's advanced design would also benefit Dasheng.
Li Zhe, however, suggested his actions were personal, not business-related, stating he was simply reclaiming what he deserved. He warned Xu Yiren not to approach him again on Fang Zhiyou's behalf and left abruptly without further explanation, telling her to seek him out for her own reasons next time. Shortly after, Li Zhe called Fang Zhiyou, taunting him for sending a woman to plead on his behalf and calling him a coward.
Upon learning that Xu Yiren had met with Li Zhe, Fang Zhiyou confronted her angrily, reminding her that her role as his assistant was to execute orders and not interfere in company matters. He explicitly forbade her from having any further contact with Li Zhe or anyone from Dasheng, dismissing her protests that Li Zhe was a friend.
Episode 12 Recap
Following his recent confrontation with Li Zhe, Fang Zhiyou's company, Fangyuan, is in crisis, unable to find a modeling company for their Moon Bay Resort project. At the office, Xu Yiren finds Sun Ziyang reading about architectural modeling and asks if he has any ideas for alternatives to 3D modeling. Sun Ziyang, admitting it's a personal hobby, suggests using handmade models but expresses doubt about its feasibility due to the significant time and energy required.
Undeterred, Xu Yiren enthusiastically offers to collaborate with him. Their conversation is cut short when Xu Yiren receives an urgent call from her landlady, who is selling the apartment and demands she vacate within a week, returning her rent and compensation as per the contract. Xu Yiren asks Sun Ziyang to inform Sha Sha she is taking a leave of absence. With nowhere to go, Xu Yiren visits Xia Di, hoping to stay with her temporarily.
To her surprise, Gu Bo is already there. Xia Di explains that a gas explosion in his community damaged the electrical circuits in his building, requiring a twenty-day renovation, so she offered him her spare room. Realizing the room is occupied, Xu Yiren conceals her housing problem and feigns a casual visit to "bum a meal." Meanwhile, Shiyu spots Xu Yiren searching for apartments online and informs Fang Zhiyou.
He later summons Xu Yiren to his office, apologizing for his previous cold attitude and offering assistance. Internally, he resolves to help if she admits her housing dilemma, but Xu Yiren, not wishing to be a burden, insists she has no issues. Frustrated by their lack of directness, Shiyu takes matters into her own hands. She bursts in and dramatically invites Xu Yiren to live with them, claiming Fang Zhiyou neglects her by serving only instant food.
Cornered by his sister, Fang Zhiyou reluctantly agrees. Fang Zhiyou drives Xu Yiren to his home, though she worries about being seen with him and sparking company gossip. Inside, Shiyu eagerly shows Xu Yiren Fang Zhiyou's room, pointing out an Iron Man figurine and a plush toy named Danfu, which she reveals Fang Zhiyou sleeps with every night. Shiyu then mischievously announces that this room will "also be her room," implying they will share.
Later that night, Xu Yiren is too restless to sleep. When Fang Zhiyou finds her in the living room, she claims a nightmare woke her. He offers her Danfu, explaining his mother gave it to him, calling it a "knight that guards dreams" capable of warding off nightmares. The next morning, Xu Yiren wakes at five to prepare a lavish breakfast. Concerned she overexerted herself, Fang Zhiyou tells her simpler meals are fine, but Shiyu is delighted.
Xu Yiren offers to cook their breakfast as "rent." When she mentions her plan to house-hunt over the weekend, Fang Zhiyou urges her not to rush. On the way to work, Xu Yiren suggests they walk separately near the office to avoid gossip, but Fang Zhiyou insists on accompanying her. When she tries to secretly snap a picture of him, he notices and playfully tries to grab her phone, stealing a quick kiss on her forehead in the process.
Flustered, Xu Yiren changes the subject to the handmade model proposal, but Fang Zhiyou dismisses it. He explains that unlike their previous project, the Moon Bay Resort project requires a display of overall design style, including cultural and natural landscapes, making handmade models impractical. Separately, Chen Qiming provides He Yuwen with information on Li Zhe.
He confirms they were close friends until Li Zhe's third year of middle school, when his father, Li Jinghong, was sentenced to five years for illegal private equity. In the aftermath, Li Zhe’s parents attempted suicide; his mother died, while his father survived but developed dementia. Chen Qiming speculates Fang Zhiyou might have betrayed Li Zhe, prompting He Yuwen to confront Fang Zhiyou.
He coldly dismisses her questions, stating it is a private matter he is not obligated to share with anyone. Deeply disappointed, He Yuwen argues his personal issues are now harming the company. Li Zhe meets with Xu Yiren, vowing to reveal the truth about his hatred for Fang Zhiyou. He recounts their childhood friendship and how, when his father was in legal trouble, he entrusted crucial evidence to Fang Zhiyou to give to his father, the renowned lawyer Fang Zhanyang.
However, at the trial, Fang Zhanyang appeared as the opposing counsel and used that very evidence to convict Li Zhe's father. Later, Xu Yiren confronts Fang Zhiyou, who confirms Li Zhe's story is true, admitting his father’s actions and expressing his own regret. Still troubled, Xu Yiren asks Shiyu about the past.
Shiyu, though young at the time, confirms that from her earliest memories, her brother has blamed their father for the incident and refused to speak to him, eventually moving out after their mother's death. She says she believes it was their father’s fault and that Fang Zhiyou, despite his pride, holds a deep grudge. Finding Fang Zhiyou secluded in his study in a foul mood, Xu Yiren heeds Shiyu's advice not to disturb him.
Episode 13 Recap
Finding Fang Zhiyou brooding alone on his balcony, Xu Yiren approached him. He admitted it was the only place he could escape from being himself. Noticing he hadn't eaten, Xu Yiren brought him food and urged him not to carry his burdens alone, gently criticizing his unwillingness to explain the situation with Li Zhe. Fang Zhiyou dismissed the idea, stating that no explanation could undo the tragedy that befell Li Zhe's family.
Reaffirming her trust in him, Xu Yiren insisted it wasn't his fault and reminded him that the past was over. She pledged to stand by him as both a friend and an assistant, encouraging him to eat and gather strength for the fight ahead. At the office, Liu Tianyang assigned several small projects to the team, telling intern Gu Bo to stick to his basic duties for now.
That evening, Xu Yiren got permission from Fang Zhiyou to skip overtime for personal matters. However, she and Sun Ziyang were secretly working in the office late at night, building a handcrafted architectural model. Fang Zhiyou, also working late, discovered them. Xu Yiren confessed they were discreetly trying the manual model-making approach he had previously rejected. Fang Zhiyou examined their work, complimenting the details but pointing out a fundamental flaw: their resort design lacked benches for tourists.
While they worked on improving it, Xu Yiren's hand got stuck to the model with superglue. While driving Xu Yiren home, she struggled to unfasten her seatbelt. Unlike a previous, similar incident, Fang Zhiyou leaned over and unbuckled it for her. He asked if she was genuinely interested in learning model-making. She confirmed, explaining her passion had grown since the Huaxing project, despite her lack of formal training.
Retracting his earlier dismissal of handcrafted models, Fang Zhiyou encouraged her and Sun Ziyang to pursue it, assuring her that following a passion is never a waste of time, as the process itself brings joy. Back at her new home in his apartment, Fang Zhiyou used laundry detergent to dissolve the glue on her hand, giving a scientific explanation for the chemical reaction. His sister, Shiyu, playfully chided him for being unromantic.
Feeling useless at work, Gu Bo complained to Fang Zhiyou, who bluntly told him that he was more of a hindrance than a help and was only hired because his father was a shareholder. Meanwhile, to focus on the model, Xu Yiren called her driving instructor to cancel her lesson, falsely claiming her hand was injured. She was unaware that Li Zhe had asked the instructor to check on her.
Soon after, a bouquet arrived at the office for Xu Yiren with a card from Li Zhe wishing her a speedy recovery. He Yuwen saw the flowers and warned Xu Yiren against being too public with her relationships at work. Xu Yiren clarified they weren't dating, which prompted He Yuwen to ask what she knew about Li Zhe and Fang Zhiyou's past.
Xu Yiren revealed that Fang Zhiyou had told her they were once close friends who had a falling out. This information visibly annoyed He Yuwen, as Fang Zhiyou had previously dismissed her own inquiries about the past as irrelevant. Moments later, Li Zhe appeared at the company entrance to see Xu Yiren. An enraged Fang Zhiyou spotted them, pulled Xu Yiren back inside, and confronted Li Zhe, warning him not to poach his staff.
Away from Li Zhe, Xu Yiren argued with Fang Zhiyou, asserting that she had no obligation to explain who she met or whose flowers she accepted. Overwhelmed by emotion, Fang Zhiyou blurted out, "I'm jealous." Instantly flustered by his own confession, he awkwardly retreated. Both Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren were left distracted and unable to focus. As soon as the workday ended, Xu Yiren left and texted Fang Zhiyou that she would be having dinner at Xia Di's house.
However, upon arriving, she found Xia Di comforting Gu Bo, who was dejected about his situation at work. Not wanting to be a third wheel, Xu Yiren left to walk alone.
Episode 14 Recap
Feeling lonely, Xu Yiren decides to eat at a "foods on a stick" restaurant, a place filled with memories of a happier time with Fang Zhiyou and his sister. Coincidentally, an unsettled Fang Zhiyou also finds himself at the same spot. Their unexpected meeting is marked by surprise and awkwardness, with both politely gesturing for the other to enter first.
Back at their shared home, Fang Zhiyou confronts Xu Yiren about her lie of visiting Xia Di, asking if she was trying to avoid him. Xu Yiren confesses that she wasn't unwilling to see him, but rather that she "didn't dare" after he had confessed to being jealous. She dismisses his jealousy as a slip of the tongue made in anger, not believing he could genuinely feel that way about her and Li Zhe.
When pressed for the truth about her supposed injury, she admits to lying to her driving instructor to skip a lesson, which led to Li Zhe finding out and sending flowers to the office. Fang Zhiyou sternly warns her that if she wants to remain his assistant, she must abandon her habit of telling thoughtless lies. Though she agrees, Xu Yiren remains convinced his "jealousy" was an angry outburst, completely missing the truth of his feelings for her.
He Yuwen, noticing Xu Yiren’s prolonged absence, instructs her subordinate to call and question her. Fang Zhiyou intervenes, explaining he assigned Xu Yiren a more important task. In his office, he reveals to a stunned He Yuwen that he has tasked Xu Yiren, an assistant, with helping Sun Ziyang build a model. He Yuwen protests that this is a designer's role and violates company policy.
Fang Zhiyou defends his decision, stating it's a one-time exception to support an employee's passion, and though he's uncertain of the outcome, he is willing to "take a chance" on her. Knowing Fang Zhiyou never gambles, He Yuwen grows more jealous, realizing Xu Yiren is an "exception" for him. She then questions why he shared personal history about Li Zhe with Xu Yiren but never with her, despite their long friendship.
He dismisses it as an "accident," leaving He Yuwen hurt but resolute in her support for him. During a project review, Liu Tianyang erupts at Gu Bo for a "low-level" design error regarding a fire access area. He berates Gu Bo for past mistakes and a lack of responsibility. Gu Bo retorts that Liu Tianyang should be more respectful and not engage in "age discrimination."
Fang Zhiyou steps in, telling Gu Bo that his true failing isn't just incompetence, but his refusal to face reality. Humiliated, Gu Bo announces his resignation on the spot. Xu Yiren tries to intervene, but Gu Bo insists he can no longer stay at the company. The team's handcrafted model for the Moon Bay Resort project proves to be a massive success, winning the client's instant approval.
Fang Zhiyou admits he was wrong to doubt the approach and praises the team for achieving a nearly impossible task. He announces a 20% raise for everyone and invites them to a celebratory dinner. Meanwhile, Li Zhe, having learned of Xu Yiren's role in the model's success, invites her to dinner, claiming he wants to discuss Fang Zhiyou and clear up misunderstandings.
During her call with Li Zhe, Xu Yiren's aunt calls, asking her to find a large, furnished, and cheap apartment for her family, who are moving to the city. Li Zhe overhears and offers to help, but Xu Yiren declines. Later, at the restaurant with Li Zhe, Xu Yiren runs into Fang Zhiyou, who coldly asks why she, the guest of honor, is absent from the celebration.
She explains she is just finishing up, but he cuts her off, stating, "No need. We're fine with one less person." Hurt, Xu Yiren decides not to go. After resigning, Gu Bo vents to Xia Di about the harsh criticism he received. Xia Di offers a reality check, telling him that superiors don't have to consider his feelings and that after making a mistake, he should have apologized sincerely instead of lashing out.
She urges him to remember his dream of becoming a top designer like Fang Zhiyou and questions if he can handle even a small setback. Spurred by her words, Gu Bo seeks out Fang Zhiyou at his home. He bluntly asks if it's true he was only hired because of his father. Fang Zhiyou confirms it but clarifies that Gu Bo's real failure isn't his family connection, but his poor attitude and his refusal to face his own shortcomings.
Meanwhile, after her tense encounter with Fang Zhiyou, Xu Yiren has a final conversation with Li Zhe outside her apartment building. He questions her secrecy about her address. She admits she finds him difficult to understand, unlike Fang Zhiyou, who is straightforward even when the truth hurts. Li Zhe asks if she's using him to provoke Fang Zhiyou. Xu Yiren firmly denies this, declaring her loyalty as Fang Zhiyou's assistant and vowing to never betray him.
Li Zhe persists, remarking that "people change." Once inside, Fang Zhiyou confronts her about Li Zhe escorting her home and questions why she hides their living arrangement. She explains she didn't want to bring up painful memories for him. He then reveals his true fear: that Li Zhe will hurt her. He discloses that Li Zhe once vowed to steal his "most precious thing" and is now pursuing her as part of that plan.
Confused, Xu Yiren asks why Li Zhe would pursue her if he's after Fang Zhiyou's most valuable possession, but Fang Zhiyou simply reiterates that he doesn't want her, or anyone, to be hurt because of him. Later, Xu Yiren presents Fang Zhiyou with Gu Bo's discarded design notebook, which is filled with detailed notes and shows his deep passion for design and his admiration for Fang Zhiyou.
She passionately argues that Gu Bo has been working hard in secret to emulate his idol. She pleads with Fang Zhiyou, explaining that unlike him, many people need encouragement from their role models, and that a single word of praise from him could change Gu Bo's life.
Episode 15 Recap
Fang Zhiyou approached a distraught Gu Bo, who had just submitted his resignation, for a talk. Gu Bo confessed his long-held dream of designing buildings that would bear his name, just like his idol Fang Zhiyou, but felt he had exhausted all efforts with no success. Fang Zhiyou acknowledged Gu Bo's intelligence and hard work but emphasized that attitude and responsibility were paramount in their industry, where a small error could have significant consequences.
He revealed he had rescinded Gu Bo's resignation out of respect for his father but sternly warned that this "outside help" was a one-time deal and future expectations would be stricter. Overjoyed to be reinstated, Gu Bo playfully asked if Fang Zhiyou had been kidnapped and enthusiastically promised to work towards becoming his successor. Later, Gu Bo excitedly shared the news with Xia Di, who had worriedly waited up for him all night, resulting in a stiff neck.
Xia Di remarked that Fang Zhiyou's encouragement seemed more effective than her days of persuasion, prompting Gu Bo to declare he would rely on both his idol and his "goddess." Xu Yiren began searching for an apartment for her relatives who were planning to visit. She found a surprisingly affordable unit that accepted monthly payments but grew suspicious when the real estate agent became evasive about contacting the landlord.
Realizing Li Zhe must be behind it, Xu Yiren confronted him, accusing him of deceiving her and using her only to provoke Fang Zhiyou. Expressing her disappointment, she asked him to stay away. Li Zhe admitted to the deception but later remarked to his subordinate that if being "used" meant someone cared for him, helped him, and found an apartment for his family, he would welcome it.
As Xu Yiren left the restaurant, Li Zhe instructed his subordinate to return her watch, which she had left behind. Xu Yiren woke in fright from a dream where Fang Zhiyou accused her of seeing Li Zhe and threatened to "punish" her. Later, He Yuwen suggested to Fang Zhiyou that Xu Yiren leverage her "close relationship" with Li Zhe to secure a partnership with his company, Dasheng, for the Moon Bay project.
Fang Zhiyou dismissed the idea, stating they were not close and Fangyuan would never collaborate with Dasheng. He Yuwen persisted, suggesting that if Xu Yiren and Li Zhe were indeed a couple, Fang Zhiyou should find a new assistant. When Li Zhe had the repaired watch delivered to Xu Yiren at the office, Fang Zhiyou saw it and, enraged that they had met again, retreated to his office.
Noticing his idol's foul mood, Gu Bo advised him that actions speak louder than words, even playfully suggesting a kiss. Later, Xu Yiren tried to explain to Fang Zhiyou that she only met Li Zhe to find an apartment. Misunderstanding, Fang Zhiyou questioned if she was anxious to move out and why she preferred Li Zhe's help. Frustrated, Xu Yiren confronted him, admitting his confusing behavior gave her the "illusion" he liked her and demanded he clarify his feelings.
In response, Fang Zhiyou pulled her into an embrace, stating that while he didn't know what to say, he knew what to do, and kissed her. Stunned, a shy Xu Yiren fled. Arriving at her apartment, Xu Yiren recounted the kiss to Xia Di and a terrified Gu Bo, who were watching a horror movie. Xia Di urged her to contact Fang Zhiyou, but Xu Yiren was bothered that he hadn't verbally confessed.
Meanwhile, Gu Bo secretly informed Fang Zhiyou of the situation, who bribed him with a red packet to eavesdrop. Gu Bo reported back that Xu Yiren was worried they were from "different worlds" and thus not a good match. That night, Fang Zhiyou's younger sister, Shiyu, overheard him and criticized him for kissing Xu Yiren without a proper confession, calling it disrespectful.
Meanwhile, Li Zhe's private detective confirmed that Xu Yiren was the long-lost little girl he had been searching for. Realizing the truth, Li Zhe rushed to Fangyuan, grabbed Xu Yiren’s arm, and urgently tried to speak with her. Fang Zhiyou intervened, took her other arm, and declared, "Because she’s my girlfriend." He challenged Li Zhe to ask his questions in front of him. Stunned, Li Zhe asked Xu Yiren if it was true. After she confirmed, a defeated Li Zhe lamented that it was his fault for not recognizing her sooner.
Episode 16 Recap
Fang Zhiyou pulled Xu Yiren to a secluded spot and apologized for having claimed she was his girlfriend without her consent. When she dismissed his actions as just another "slip," he impulsively kissed her again, then immediately apologized for being so forward. He formally confessed his feelings for her, admitting his previous claims of "slips" and "settings" were a clumsy attempt to hide his affection because he didn't know how to express it.
As Xu Yiren tried to escape by feigning urgent work, Fang Zhiyou blocked her path, admitting his jealousy whenever he saw her with Li Zhe. He then sincerely asked her to be his girlfriend. Xu Yiren hesitated, citing their boss-employee relationship and company rules against office romance. Fang Zhiyou, in a determined manner, unilaterally abolished company rule number 26, which prohibited such relationships.
He candidly admitted his inexperience with romance was why he had acted so rashly and asked for her forgiveness. Xu Yiren voiced concerns about her inability to guarantee she would never lie, given his strong aversion to dishonesty. However, Fang Zhiyou declared that she had become his "uncontrollable exception," stating he only wanted to cherish every present moment with her, regardless of the future. Deeply moved, Xu Yiren accepted.
She then proposed they keep their relationship a secret for the time being to avoid office gossip and complications with her aunt and uncle's impending visit. Fang Zhiyou agreed to consider her request but warned her that being his girlfriend would come with its own challenges. Meanwhile, Gu Bo rushed to the hospital after learning his friend Xia Di had been in a car accident.
He found her with a leg injury, using crutches, and lovingly carried her to her ward. Xia Di explained she was injured while chasing a thief on her motorcycle after he snatched a girl's bag. Gu Bo admonished her for her recklessness, expressing his profound fear upon hearing about the accident. Xia Di reassured him that she had no fractures and only needed rest.
She also made a point of telling him she had informed him about her hospital stay before anyone else, highlighting his importance to her. Gu Bo then went to get her some food. Considering her desire to study architectural design, Xu Yiren found the course fees exorbitant. She overheard a colleague, Miss Xiang, mentioning that many students audit classes taught by renowned professors without formal enrollment, as long as they do not disrupt the class.
This gave Xu Yiren an idea to save money. After work, Xu Yiren waited for her colleagues to leave before meeting Fang Zhiyou. As she was about to join him, their colleague Liu Tianyang bumped into her. Flustered, Xu Yiren claimed she was going home but pointed in the wrong direction. Fang Zhiyou stepped in, quickly shielding Liu Tianyang's view with a folder and kissing Xu Yiren.
Inside the office, Fang Zhiyou playfully pushed her onto a desk, but she urged him to be calm, wary of being discovered. Later at home, Xu Yiren worried about Shiyu finding out about their relationship, but Fang Zhiyou revealed that his sister already knew, stressing that Shiyu was his only remaining family. Xu Yiren cautiously inquired about his relationship with his father.
He recalled how his father's actions had ruined his best friend's family, and admitted his own naive trust had made him complicit in Li Zhe's suffering. He had tried to compensate Li Zhe over the years, but Li Zhe now only sought to inflict the same pain he once endured. Fang Zhiyou's willingness to take responsibility for his past mistakes led Xu Yiren to see a more relatable side of him, bringing them closer.
Shiyu then announced she was moving back home because her father had returned. Before leaving, she gave Xu Yiren her "Mr. Bunny" toy, advised her not to meddle in the conflict between her brother and their father, and openly acknowledged their relationship, asking Xu Yiren to take good care of the "idiot" brother who had such a hard time finding a girlfriend. Meanwhile, Li Zhe was drinking alone at a bar when He Yuwen approached him.
She expressed her desire to see him and Xu Yiren together, even offering assistance. Li Zhe, however, revealed that Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren were already in a relationship. He Yuwen was visibly shocked by the news and departed abruptly. Xu Yiren informed Fang Zhiyou of her plan to attend a lecture by the celebrated designer Guo Xudong at Chengji University. Fang Zhiyou revealed that Guo was his junior and offered to teach her himself.
Xu Yiren countered that a talented designer isn't always a good teacher and that he was too busy. Stung by her comments, Fang Zhiyou secretly arranged to substitute for Guo Xudong's lecture. During the class, Fang Zhiyou's handsome appearance and composed demeanor captivated the students, who eagerly sought his contact information afterward. Fang Zhiyou, however, looked at Xu Yiren and stated that getting his WeChat ID depended on her permission.
As students wondered about her identity and she began to explain she was his assistant, Fang Zhiyou interrupted by pulling her into an embrace and kissing her, publicly confirming their relationship.
Episode 17 Recap
Following the events at the lecture where Fang Zhiyou publicly declared Xu Yiren his girlfriend, he finds her on campus. Meanwhile, Li Zhe is at the same university to establish a scholarship in his mother's name and spots the new couple. Fang Zhiyou playfully expresses his jealousy, not because Xu Yiren was lecturing, but because she was auditing a class on the weekend instead of spending time with him, admitting he only came to be with her.
He offers to pay for the design course, but Xu Yiren declines, valuing her financial independence and wishing to avoid complications should they ever break up—a possibility Fang Zhiyou refuses to entertain. Their conversation is cut short by a call from Xu Yiren's uncle, who has arrived at the train station early with his family. Xu Yiren has to leave, politely declining Fang Zhiyou's offer of a ride, feeling it is too soon for him to meet her relatives.
Having followed them, Li Zhe secretly listens to their entire exchange. Meanwhile, Gu Bo is carefully helping Xia Di walk, as she has sprained her ankle. Despite her injury, Xia Di insists she is fine and tries to walk on her own, only to stumble, with Gu Bo moving quickly to cushion her fall. Her independence is short-lived when her mother unexpectedly arrives at her apartment.
Panicking, Xia Di lies about being in a meeting at work and instructs Gu Bo to go to her place and manage the situation. Once there, Xia Di's mother puts Gu Bo to work on chores before showing him photos of several men, asking for his help in choosing suitable blind-date candidates for Xia Di. Protective of Xia Di, Gu Bo finds a flaw in every candidate, from receding hairlines to signs of alcoholism and potential domestic violence.
Frustrated, Xia Di's mother retorts that any of them are better than him. Her suspicion grows when she discovers a voice message from Xia Di on Gu Bo's phone asking if she has left. Infuriated, she orders Gu Bo to make sure Xia Di chooses two men to meet. When Xu Yiren arrives at the train station, she intends to take her family to a hotel, but Li Zhe unexpectedly appears and insists on driving them.
He takes them to a spacious, beautifully decorated house he has arranged, which immediately impresses Xu Yiren's aunt. Li Zhe pulls Xu Yiren aside, explaining that while his goal of getting revenge on Fang Zhiyou remains, this act of kindness is genuine and that he will not manipulate her again. Xu Yiren hesitantly accepts his help.
However, the goodwill sours slightly when her aunt learns Li Zhe only paid for one month's rent and a deposit, leaving them to cover the rest. To ease the tension, Xu Yiren takes them out to dinner, where she is treated poorly. Her aunt takes the beef from Xu Yiren's bowl for her own daughter, Yu Qing.
When Yu Qing admires Xu Yiren's phone case, a gift from Xia Di, her aunt seizes it and gives it to Yu Qing, telling Xu Yiren to simply get a new one from her friend. Xu Yiren endures it all in silence. Returning home, Xu Yiren finds Fang Zhiyou still awake and makes instant noodles for herself.
She confesses her deep disappointment in her relatives, admitting that despite knowing what they were like, she had held onto a fantasy that things might have changed. She expresses both gratitude for them raising her after her parents' death and a profound sadness, believing their lives would have been easier without the burden of her. Seeing her distress, Fang Zhiyou comforts her, assuring her those difficult times are over.
He promises to stay by her side, fill their home with warmth, and protect her from further hurt. Later, at Xia Di's place, Gu Bo emerges from the shower, and Xia Di walks in on him, complimenting his physique. He playfully strikes a pose, causing her to shyly hide, though she teasingly remarks his body is "not as good as the community guard's." Separately, Gu Bo discusses the blind-date situation with Xu Yiren.
While Xu Yiren lists Xia Di's flaws—a hot temper and a sharp tongue—Gu Bo passionately defends her at every turn, calling her "forthright" and declaring that he doesn't care about such things. Impressed by his loyalty, Xu Yiren tells him he has passed her test and urges him to confess his feelings to Xia Di, reminding him that he was the one who taught her the importance of bravery.
He Yuwen approaches Fang Zhiyou about rumors circulating about him and Xu Yiren, cautioning him that as a boss, such gossip could negatively impact both of them. Fang Zhiyou calmly confirms the rumors are true and that they are dating, which they have kept private at Xu Yiren's request. Shocked and angry, He Yuwen questions Xu Yiren's suitability, dismissing her as a graduate from a third-rate university who initially struggled with basic design concepts.
Fang Zhiyou staunchly defends Xu Yiren, declaring he wants to be the "stars in her eyes" so she can be her true self. Undeterred, He Yuwen accuses Xu Yiren of being manipulative, pursuing him while also being ambiguous with Li Zhe. Fang Zhiyou's anger flares, and he tells He Yuwen that if she were not a long-time friend, he would have thrown her out for her disrespectful words.
He Yuwen then questions her own place in his life, suggesting she is merely a work partner. Unbeknownst to them, Xu Yiren is nearby and witnesses He Yuwen leaving the office in tears. Later, Xu Yiren gets an urgent call from her aunt about a broken water pipe at the house. She arrives to find Li Zhe has already fixed it. Her aunt profusely thanks Li Zhe, and Yu Qing explains she got his number from the agent.
To show her gratitude, the aunt cooks her signature braised fish for Li Zhe. During dinner, Yu Qing openly flirts with Li Zhe and brings up Xu Yiren's ex-boyfriend, asking why they broke up. Li Zhe intervenes, remarking that Xu Yiren's past bad choice in men was fortunate, as it created an opportunity for him. He then pointedly asks why she hasn't told her family about Fang Zhiyou, suggesting she lacks confidence in their relationship.
As Li Zhe is about to ask if she was ever lost in the mountains, Xu Yiren clutches her stomach in pain. While getting medicine, Li Zhe accidentally knocks over a box, revealing a woven grass bird. He instantly recognizes it as the one he gave a lost little girl in the mountains years ago.
Stunned, he looks at Yu Qing, realizing with a jolt that the girl he had been searching for was not Xu Yiren, but her cousin, Yu Qing, who immediately claims the bird as a childhood trinket.
Episode 18 Recap
Li Zhe awakens abruptly from a recurring dream. In it, he relives a childhood memory where he, as a young boy, comforts a lost and crying little girl, giving her a small woven bird and promising to take her home. He is deeply troubled to see the girl's face in the dream morph into that of Yu Qing, questioning if she is truly the person he has been searching for.
Meanwhile, at Xia Di's home, her mother expresses strong disapproval of Gu Bo living with them, deeming it inappropriate for an unmarried man and woman to cohabit and urging him to move out. She also tries to push profiles of "high-quality bachelors" on Xia Di, who is confused until she finds the shredded resumes in the trash and realizes Gu Bo was responsible.
Later, Gu Bo musters the courage to call Xia Di, whom he refers to as "Goddess" in his phone, and invites her to dinner to celebrate her recovery. At the restaurant, Gu Bo, dressed up for the occasion, tries to create a romantic atmosphere. However, Xia Di playfully torpedoes his efforts by loudly declaring her preference for "muscular" and "super macho" types, adding that she truly desires a boyfriend who is "mature, stable, older, and rich."
Gu Bo's hopes are dashed. When a violinist he pre-arranged appears, a flustered Gu Bo quickly sends him away, awkwardly explaining that he feels like he's in a detective story and doesn't want to witness a murder. The next day, Xia Di presses Gu Bo about when the electrical problems at his place will be fixed. He tries to prolong his stay by insisting her foot isn't fully recovered, but she assures him it is fine.
Pointedly stating that it's "time for her to look for a boyfriend" to share meals with, she gives him a two-week ultimatum to move out. Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren go grocery shopping together. At the supermarket, Fang Zhiyou gently corrects Xu Yiren when she mistakes leeks for leek sprouts and light soy sauce for dark soy sauce, demonstrating a surprising knowledge of cooking ingredients.
He explains that he wants to learn these things to share domestic responsibilities with her in the future. Unbeknownst to them, Yu Qing is working at a high-end clothing store in the same mall. After being harshly reprimanded by her manager, she spots the couple and sees them leave in a car together. She immediately calls Xu Yiren, who lies about being at the company.
Yu Qing concludes that Xu Yiren has found a rich boyfriend and is deliberately keeping it a secret, fearing Yu Qing might try to steal him. Li Zhe meets Yu Qing for coffee. He asks her about the small woven bird she owns and whether she remembers any accident on Qing Mountain during their fifth-grade spring trip. Yu Qing claims the bird was a gift from a friend she can no longer recall.
Shown an old class photo, she confirms she and Xu Yiren were classmates and cynically remarks that Xu Yiren used to steal her things as a child. Regarding the Qing Mountain incident, Yu Qing vaguely remembers falling ill after the trip and has no clear memory of any accident. Later, Xu Yiren visits Fang Zhiyou's secluded private space, which he calls his "island."
He tells her that before she came, it was a place of retreat, but with her, it has started to feel like "home." He admits that because of her, he has even begun to rationalize her lies, realizing they were often a result of his actions, and playfully warns that he will "punish" her for every future lie. After Xu Yiren prepares "wine poached pear" for him, Fang Zhiyou pretends to be intoxicated, teasing her and childishly demanding a lullaby.
At home, Yu Qing complains to her mother about her job. Her mother encourages her to persevere, seeing the high-end mall as a place to meet a wealthy man. Yu Qing reveals she saw Xu Yiren with a rich guy, which her mother sees as a positive, leaving Li Zhe free for Yu Qing to pursue. Yu Qing then mentions Li Zhe's strange interest in the woven bird, sensing "it’s not as simple as it appears."
Li Zhe confirms with a private investigator that Yu Qing and Xu Yiren have been classmates since childhood. Though Yu Qing is likely the girl he's been looking for, he feels no happiness. He painfully reflects that his uncertainty was his "last reason to keep pestering Xu Yiren shamelessly," and he fears what he will do if he loses that connection. The next morning, Yu Qing visits Xu Yiren with lunch and asks about the cherished grass-woven bird.
Xu Yiren explains that a "little brother" who helped her when she got lost on a childhood outing gave it to her, but she never learned his name. Hearing this, Yu Qing realizes that Li Zhe is the little boy who saved Xu Yiren. Heartbroken by Xia Di’s rejection, Gu Bo confides in Xu Yiren. Just then, Fang Zhiyou's sister, Shiyu, arrives and, calling herself a "matchmaker," offers Gu Bo advice.
She astutely analyzes that Xia Di doesn't dislike him, and her rejection is either "insincere" or because she sees him only as a "buddy" and fears making things awkward. Seizing on the "insincere" possibility, a re-energized Gu Bo rushes off to confess again, missing the rest of Shiyu’s advice. Shiyu relays a message to Fang Zhiyou: his father will visit on "that day" next month.
Fang Zhiyou explains it is the anniversary of his mother's death and he always avoids his father on that day to prevent arguments. He asks Xu Yiren to accompany him to the memorial this year with a bouquet of jasmine, his mother's favorite. He then says he would also like to meet her uncle and aunt. Seeing Xu Yiren become hesitant, he reassures her they can wait until after his company's current busy period.
Episode 19 Recap
He Yuwen is found alone, drinking and watching Chaplin, clearly in distress. Li Zhe approaches her, pointing out that her deep affection and years of silent support for Fang Zhiyou are obvious to everyone, even to him, Fang Zhiyou's former best friend. He suggests Fang Zhiyou is either oblivious or intentionally exploiting her feelings, claiming her devotion means less to Fang Zhiyou than Xu Yiren's. He Yuwen, sensing his manipulative intentions, asks his true purpose.
Li Zhe proposes they work together to demonstrate to Fang Zhiyou that certain individuals are not to be trifled with. He Yuwen firmly rejects his offer, stating he has "barked up the wrong tree," but Li Zhe confidently asserts she will eventually seek him out. Meanwhile, Gu Bo surprises Xia Di with a new Yamaha R6 motorcycle, a bike she had only dreamed of.
After an exhilarating ride, Gu Bo confesses that he is not a poor student but is, in fact, "super-duper rich." As a gesture of sincerity, he offers her the bike. Xia Di, initially assuming he is merely renting the bike and pretending to be wealthy, hits him and calls him a bad actor.
When Gu Bo insists he truly is rich, her anger shifts, and she accuses him of having deceived her all along by pretending to be poor, threatening to block him completely. In a desperate panic, Gu Bo ridiculously claims he was only pretending to be rich, begging her not to cut him off. He then comes clean, explaining he only hid his wealth because he feared she would reject him and assuring her of his genuine affection.
Xia Di, however, asserts that love is unrelated to money. The real issue, she states, is her own reluctance to date someone younger, whom she can only see as a younger brother. At his mother Bai Lan’s tomb, Fang Zhiyou candidly shares his recent successes with Square & Circle, which has gained a strong foothold in the industry.
He then introduces Xu Yiren as the woman he loves, assuring his late mother that Xu Yiren will take good care of him. Their private moment is interrupted by the arrival of Fang Zhiyou’s father, Fang Zhanyang, and his sister, Fang Shiyu. Fang Zhanyang immediately criticizes Fang Zhiyou for not greeting his sister, revealing he intentionally rescheduled his visit to meet Fang Zhiyou.
He then disparages Square & Circle as a "small workshop" and suggests Fang Zhiyou join a larger firm like Huanyu. Fang Zhiyou dismisses his father’s concerns. When Xu Yiren steps in to defend Square & Circle, Fang Zhanyang dismisses her as a "stranger." Fang Zhiyou swiftly corrects him, revealing Xu Yiren is his girlfriend. This prompts Fang Zhanyang to question his judgment, asking what he could possibly know about a "little assistant."
Fang Zhiyou retorts that his father is the one who knows him "the least in the world." Later, Fang Shiyu laments their father’s "hypocritical" behavior and his tense interaction with Fang Zhiyou, urging her father to be gentler. Xu Yiren recognizes Fang Zhiyou’s underlying longing for a family and suggests he try to reconcile with his father.
Fang Zhiyou explains it's impossible, as true reconciliation would require his prideful father to apologize to Li Zhe's family for the past wrongs, an act Fang Zhiyou deems his father incapable of. Xu Yiren comforts him, understanding his emotional struggle caught between his best friend and his father. While having dinner with Li Zhe, Yu Qing recounts a childhood memory about a small wicker bird.
She claims that in the fifth grade, she got lost on Qing Mountain and was helped by a boy who gave her the bird. Li Zhe appears visibly troubled by her story. Later, at Fang Zhiyou’s home, Fang Zhiyou discovers the same wicker bird in Xu Yiren’s belongings. She cherishes it as a gift from her "savior" and narrates the same story of getting lost on Qing Mountain.
Fang Zhiyou, recognizing the bird, recalls Li Zhe’s childhood talent for weaving such objects. He remembers a game where he would draw an animal, and Li Zhe would weave it, leading him to believe this specific bird was one he had drawn. As more details align—Li Zhe having a villa in the Qing Mountain area and his family's troubles coinciding with that time—Xu Yiren remembers the boy told her a fairy tale about "kites and boats."
Fang Zhiyou immediately identifies it as "49 Kites and 49 Boats," their favorite childhood storybook. Convinced of the strong possibility, Fang Zhiyou urges Xu Yiren to confront Li Zhe directly for answers. Fang Zhiyou drops Xu Yiren off at her relatives' house, where she is slated to meet Li Zhe. Upon Xu Yiren’s arrival, Yu Qing, seeing the wicker bird in her hand, quickly snatches it and sends Li Zhe upstairs.
Yu Qing then confesses to Xu Yiren that she loves Li Zhe and has led him to believe that she was the girl from his childhood. She pleads with Xu Yiren not to reveal the truth, using the fact she kept Xu Yiren’s relationship with Fang Zhiyou a secret from their family as leverage. Despite Xu Yiren's initial refusal to give up such a special memory, she is moved by Yu Qing’s tearful plea about her lifelong feelings of inadequacy.
Xu Yiren relents. When Li Zhe reappears, she is unable to tell him the truth. Instead, she attempts to persuade Li Zhe to forgive Fang Zhiyou’s father, but Li Zhe firmly states it is none of her concern, causing Xu Yiren to apologize and leave. Outside, Fang Zhiyou asks if Li Zhe was indeed the boy from her past. Still affected by Yu Qing's plea, Xu Yiren denies it, claiming she was mistaken. Fang Zhiyou, however, sees through her lie.
At this moment, Xu Yiren’s uncle arrives and mistakenly believes Fang Zhiyou is harassing her. Fang Zhiyou introduces himself as Xu Yiren’s boyfriend, but the uncle’s surprised reaction reveals he was unaware of their relationship. Feeling deeply disheartened by her secrecy, Fang Zhiyou states he thought they could change for each other but now realizes his expectations were "one-sided," and he walks away. Back at her apartment, Xia Di finds a distraught Xu Yiren at her door.
Xu Yiren recounts the day’s events, expressing deep-seated insecurities about the gap between her and Fang Zhiyou and her fears of a breakup. Xia Di criticizes Xu Yiren for being too passive and submissive to Yu Qing, reminding her of their "avengers" pact. The following morning at work, Fang Zhiyou is in an exceptionally foul mood. He Yuwen arrives, focused solely on the Moon Bay project, unaffected by his demeanor.
When Xu Yiren approaches Fang Zhiyou with documents, she tries to explain that she stayed at Xia Di’s place the previous night. Fang Zhiyou, still clearly upset, responds with cold silence, taking the documents without a word.
Episode 20 Recap
Xu Yiren confided in Gu Bo about the difficulties of being in a relationship, revealing that Fang Zhiyou had caught her in a lie and was now ignoring her. Gu Bo expressed his own frustration at being rejected due to his age, and Xu Yiren advised him to be persistent for a few years. Gu Bo then pointed out that she constantly provoked Fang Zhiyou and teased her for staring at him with a smitten look.
During a company meeting, Xu Yiren's gaze remained fixed on Fang Zhiyou. Gu Bo, intending to warn her to be discreet, accidentally sent a message to the company-wide group chat, exposing their secret relationship. The message advised Xu Yiren to be careful lest her secret relationship with Fang Zhiyou be discovered. In response, Fang Zhiyou immediately announced to the shocked employees that Xu Yiren was his girlfriend and that they had been together for a while.
He then abruptly ended the meeting and left with Xu Yiren. Later, Xu Yiren expressed her desire to keep their relationship low-key at the office, which prompted Fang Zhiyou to confront her, asking if she was ashamed of him. He pointed out that she had been avoiding and denying their relationship to both family and coworkers and questioned if she had ever intended to make it public. Meanwhile, their colleagues gossiped about the revelation.
Luo Yang remarked on Xu Yiren's sophisticated tactics, speculating she might get pregnant to secure her position as "Mrs. Fang," a comment Xu Yiren overheard. He Yuwen intervened, scolding the staff for gossiping, before pulling Xu Yiren aside. She offered to meet any of Xu Yiren's demands if she would agree to leave Fang Zhiyou. Xu Yiren firmly refused. He Yuwen argued that the relationship was a detriment to Fang Zhiyou, as he had become less decisive.
Xu Yiren countered that his newfound consideration for others' feelings was a positive change appreciated by clients. He Yuwen disagreed, asserting that if he changed, he wouldn't be himself, and offered to write Xu Yiren a recommendation letter for a better job. Xu Yiren insisted she would not resign unless Fang Zhiyou fired her, prompting He Yuwen to warn that she had other ways to make her leave.
At the pool, Xia Di punished Gu Bo for leaking the secret by making him swim ten laps. Gu Bo apologized to Xu Yiren and advised her to be more open with Fang Zhiyou, arguing that men also need a sense of security and praising Fang Zhiyou’s public announcement as manly and honorable. Xu Yiren, frustrated, told Gu Bo he was only causing more trouble and to stay out of their affairs.
Xia Di defended Gu Bo, stating he meant well and that only she was allowed to scold him, leaving Gu Bo pleasantly surprised. A distraught He Yuwen arrived at Fang Zhiyou’s home and confronted him, demanding he choose between her and Xu Yiren. She confessed her long-held love for him, reminding him she had even fallen out with her father for his sake.
Fang Zhiyou stated unequivocally that Xu Yiren was his girlfriend and that he had only ever seen He Yuwen as a friend and partner. Hurt, He Yuwen disparaged Xu Yiren as an assistant who couldn't be seen in public. Fang Zhiyou sternly warned her not to insult Xu Yiren. He expressed gratitude for her contributions but respected her decision if she chose to leave the company.
As He Yuwen left, her high heel broke, triggering a memory of Fang Zhiyou buying them for her, a painful reminder of her shattered hopes. She then called Li Zhe to accept his previous proposal. Xu Yiren asked Fang Zhiyou's sister, Shiyu, to distract him so she could pack her things. Shiyu agreed but secretly alerted her brother. As Xu Yiren packed, Fang Zhiyou appeared and embraced her, refusing to let go.
Prompted by her friends' advice to be honest, Xu Yiren confessed her deep-seated insecurity, stemming from past betrayals and failures, made her feel their happiness was a dream. She admitted she feared he might stop loving her. Fang Zhiyou revealed he shared her fear of loss, confessing he couldn't bear a future without her. They acknowledged their imperfections and their commitment to becoming better for each other. They embraced, admitting they weren't angry, just sad.
Later, He Yuwen approached Fang Zhiyou in the library, apologizing for her impulsive behavior and claiming she felt better having been honest. She stated she would respect his choice and hoped to preserve their friendship. Relieved, Fang Zhiyou listened as she admitted her jealousy stemmed from Xu Yiren's ability to change him in ways she couldn't. He Yuwen then declared her renewed commitment to their company, Square & Circle.
Turning to business, she suggested a small-scale call for bids for the Moon Bay Project, identifying Jitong and Hongtu as the most suitable companies. She then specifically requested that Xu Yiren be put in charge of the bid signing, to which Fang Zhiyou agreed, noting it was part of Xu Yiren's job. Fang Zhiyou took Xu Yiren on a business trip to a hot spring hotel to research ideas for the Moon Bay Resort.
While there, Xu Yiren recounted a childhood memory of lying about not wanting to go to a hot spring to spare her uncle the expense, though she had secretly longed to go. Fang Zhiyou promised to stay with her as long as she wished and shared his new dream: to travel the world with her. He explained that she had changed him, making him more considerate and able to understand why people sometimes lie.
Xu Yiren replied that she, in turn, now rarely lies, not out of fear of his disapproval, but because she was learning to accept her true self. Concurrently, Gu Bo arrived at Xia Di's house and found her struggling to fix a broken speaker. Proclaiming himself an "electronics whiz," he offered to repair it for her.
Episode 21 Recap
Following an emotional reconciliation, Fang Zhiyou embraced Xu Yiren, telling her he had waited twenty-eight years for her and promised to make every day ahead as sweet as their current moment, easing both their nerves with a kiss. Meanwhile, Gu Bo attempted to fix Xia Di's speaker but accidentally caused a power outage. Xia Di calmly called property management while they ate dinner in the dark.
Gu Bo expressed his frustration, believing his incompetence was why Xia Di didn't like him. Xia Di confessed that she wasn't a passionate person and found it risky to invest energy in relationships, admitting she knew little about love despite drawing romantic comics. Gu Bo then offered to be her "guinea pig" for an experiment, hoping to show her that loving someone was better than she imagined, even if she didn't end up loving him back.
Just as they leaned closer, the power unexpectedly returned, prompting a flustered Xia Di to abruptly tell Gu Bo she was tired and send him home. The next morning, Xu Yiren woke in Fang Zhiyou’s arms and reminded him of an important bid meeting with He Yuwen. During the meeting, He Yuwen (Ms. He) informed them that Hongtu Architecture had declined their bid and Jitong Architecture’s response was too vague. She proposed considering Jiaye Company, a small but professional firm.
When Fang Zhiyou asked for Xu Yiren's opinion, He Yuwen quickly interjected, twisting Xu Yiren's hesitant words to imply she also approved. Convinced, Fang Zhiyou agreed to send Jiaye an invitation to bid. Afterward, He Yuwen tasked Xu Yiren with helping her prepare the bidding documents. Xu Yiren seized the opportunity to ask He Yuwen if she still thought she shouldn’t be at the company or by Fang Zhiyou’s side.
He Yuwen confessed she had been biased, partly for business reasons and partly due to her personal feelings; she had loved Fang Zhiyou for a long time and was jealous of their relationship. Xu Yiren stated her unwavering trust in Fang Zhiyou and promised to focus on her work, hoping He Yuwen wouldn't let personal emotions influence her professional judgment. Later, He Yuwen met with Li Zhe, discussing their plan to use Jiaye, a shell company, to deceive Fang Zhiyou.
Li Zhe was confident the fake documents they prepared would fool Fang Zhiyou, who trusted He Yuwen deeply. He Yuwen asserted that she never regretted her decisions. Back at the office, Fang Zhiyou playfully announced to Xu Yiren’s colleagues that her lunch breaks now belonged entirely to him. He then took her to a convenience store, where she pointed out the spot she had sat, feeling devastated and hopeless after he had dismissed her during her interview.
Fang Zhiyou apologized for misjudging her as a liar. When Xu Yiren tried to ask him a question, Fang Zhiyou misunderstood and declared he would be responsible for her. Embarrassed, Xu Yiren clarified she was asking if He Yuwen had feelings for him. Fang Zhiyou confirmed it, explaining he had withheld the information to prevent her from overthinking. He firmly stated that he never had feelings for He Yuwen and never would, then publicly kissed Xu Yiren.
Xia Di’s editor expressed concern over the declining popularity of her comic, "Mr. Honesty", as readers found its romantic plots too clichéd, and suggested she experience love herself to gain inspiration. That evening, Fang Zhiyou accompanied Xu Yiren as she worked overtime. He playfully leaned on her shoulder, reminding her she had a boyfriend.
When Xu Yiren suggested he go home, Fang Zhiyou adopted a bossy tone, ordered her to leave work immediately, and also reminded her about visiting her uncle. The next day, Xu Yiren submitted the completed bidding documents to He Yuwen, who praised their thoroughness. Meanwhile, Li Zhe accompanied Yu Qing shopping and seemed distracted, seeing a fleeting image of Xu Yiren in Yu Qing. Later, Xu Yiren and Fang Zhiyou visited her uncle and aunt.
Fang Zhiyou formally introduced himself and assured them of his serious intentions. Just then, Yu Qing and Li Zhe arrived, and the aunt insisted Li Zhe stay for dinner. At the table, the aunt questioned Fang Zhiyou about his family. When he mentioned his father was a lawyer, Li Zhe made a sarcastic remark about lawyers' power to ruin families. Yu Qing then claimed that Li Zhe had saved her life when they were children.
Fang Zhiyou subtly implied that Yu Qing was mistaken about who her savior was, commenting that while mistaking a cup is trivial, mistaking a person is a serious error, and trusting the wrong person—especially a best friend—is truly dangerous. The aunt accused Fang Zhiyou of making the atmosphere awkward. Xu Yiren defended him, stating that he was also a guest and that if their presence was an issue, they would leave.
Later, Xia Di took a detour to avoid a roadside argument and was confronted by an obsessive fan who demanded she make him a character in her comic. As the fan harassed her, Gu Bo intervened to protect her. The fan attacked Gu Bo, but Gu Bo continued to shield Xia Di until the police arrived and subdued the assailant. Despite his injuries, Gu Bo’s first concern was to check if Xia Di was unharmed.
Episode 22 Recap
After Xia Di and Gu Bo completed their police statements, Xia Di realized Gu Bo was injured protecting her. Gu Bo dismissed his injury as a "mark of glory," then playfully suggested that if he couldn't be her boyfriend, he could be her bodyguard. He promised to learn taekwondo, kickboxing, and Thai boxing to protect her better. Finding him "too noisy," Xia Di silenced him with a kiss.
Gu Bo, feigning protest, then declared she must take responsibility for kissing him and demanded another kiss, playfully threatening to continue annoying her otherwise. Xia Di obliged with a deep kiss, proclaiming him hers and jokingly "stamping" him. Gu Bo, delighted, confirmed it wasn't a dream and acknowledged her claim. Xu Yiren apologized to Fang Zhiyou, feeling she had caused him distress over the unpleasant family dinner.
Fang Zhiyou dismissed her apology, saying he wasn't aggrieved but had come to understand the hardship of her childhood. As they walked, Li Zhe appeared, requesting to speak privately with Xu Yiren, to which Fang Zhiyou consented. Li Zhe asked about her well-being and if Fang Zhiyou had mistreated her, but Xu Yiren reassured him that they were doing well.
Xu Yiren then questioned Li Zhe about his seriousness regarding Yu Qing, advising him to reconsider if his feelings stemmed solely from Yu Qing being the girl he was looking for, warning him not to give her false hope. Li Zhe recounted a traumatic past involving the loss of his parents, revealing he had contemplated suicide until "that little girl" inadvertently saved his life, making their encounter deeply significant.
He expressed gratitude to Yu Qing but admitted she seemed different from his memory, asking Xu Yiren if Yu Qing was truly that girl. Torn, Xu Yiren internally debated telling him the truth, fearing the emotional impact on Li Zhe. She ultimately withheld the truth, urging Li Zhe to let go of his animosity towards Fang Zhiyou and suggesting they find peace, referencing a story about "49 kites flying in the sky and 49 boats floating in the rivulet."
Li Zhe recognized this as the story he once told the young girl he met. Later, Fang Zhiyou asked Xu Yiren about her conversation with Li Zhe. He referenced the half of a storybook in his office, revealing Li Zhe held the other half, and playfully wondered if they intended to "tear him into halves." Xu Yiren explained she wanted Li Zhe to abandon his hatred, observing that they both still cared for each other despite their conflict.
Fang Zhiyou acknowledged that for Li Zhe, hating him had become his sole motivation for many years. Xu Yiren mused on the peculiar nature of fate, having met Li Zhe first yet now being with Fang Zhiyou. She found solace in not having recognized Li Zhe back then, thus avoiding a difficult dilemma between the two men. Fang Zhiyou asserted that regardless of who she met first, she was "doomed to be his girlfriend."
Meanwhile, Li Zhe, back in his own space with his half of the storybook, recalled the tale of the squirrel and the bear, a story he believed only he and the girl knew. He then pondered aloud why Xu Yiren knew the story, questioning which of them was truly the girl from his past. Gu Bo escorted Xia Di home, reluctant to part ways and suggesting they walk longer, even after circling her house multiple times.
Xia Di, teasing him as a "clingy boy," eventually invited him inside to try her freshly baked cookies. Though the cookies were burnt, Gu Bo insisted on eating them, claiming they tasted "bitter" but Xia Di herself was "sweet," equating it to the saying "after the bitter comes the sweet." Gu Bo then attempted to confess something significant, but his words were cut short by a call from Xia Di's editor.
The editor expressed concern about the declining click rate of Xia Di's novel, "Mr. Honesty," specifically criticizing the male protagonist's character arc, as a man who supposedly never lied was now deceiving the female lead. Xia Di, revealing her personal disdain for liars, stated that no man who had ever lied to her had escaped unscathed.
Gu Bo, who had been concealing his own privileged family background, was visibly affected by her words and chose to continue hiding his truth, changing his intended confession to simply assuring her he was not a frivolous man and would be responsible for her. The next day, representatives from Hongtu and other companies stormed Fangyuan, demanding an explanation from Fang Zhiyou.
They accused Fangyuan of leaking their confidential bids to Jiaye, claiming they had heard it directly from Mr. Xie of Jiaye while he was intoxicated. He Yuwen attempted to calm the agitated crowd, but they insisted on speaking only with Fang Zhiyou. Stepping forward, Fang Zhiyou assured them there was a misunderstanding and promised a thorough investigation and full accountability.
He Yuwen then revealed that their internal investigation, led by Luo Yang, traced the leaked bids to an IP address originating from Xu Yiren's computer. Despite this, Fang Zhiyou reiterated his commitment to uncovering the truth. In a subsequent company meeting, Mr. Liu openly accused Xu Yiren, pointing out the email was sent from her computer. Xu Yiren vehemently denied the accusation, questioning why she would be so foolish as to use her own device for such an act.
Mr. Liu threatened to resign if Fang Zhiyou continued to show partiality towards Xu Yiren. Fang Zhiyou firmly declared he would not favor anyone and would not fire any employee without clear evidence. Li Zhe learned of the turmoil at Fangyuan and instructed Mr. Xie to solidify the accusations against the company, promising him a generous reward.
Simultaneously, Fang Zhiyou discussed the situation with Gu Bo, explaining that he could not publicly defend Xu Yiren because they were together when the email was sent, which would make him seem biased. He also revealed that the company’s surveillance cameras had been deliberately turned off that night and tasked Gu Bo with finding out who was the last person to leave the office.
The following day, Mr. Xie and his men confronted Xu Yiren at Fangyuan, accusing her of accepting payment in exchange for a winning bid for his company and then failing to deliver. Xu Yiren denied taking any money and threatened to call the police. Ignoring her, Mr. Xie ordered his men to vandalize Fangyuan. Fang Zhiyou immediately shielded Xu Yiren, sustaining a hand injury in the process.
He stubbornly refused to go to the hospital, insisting Xu Yiren bandage his wound instead. He reassured her not to feel guilty, explaining that the attack was aimed at him because she was his girlfriend. He promised to swiftly uncover the truth and prevent such incidents from recurring. Gu Bo’s investigation revealed that Jiaye was merely a shell company, recently established with no legitimate projects, and was incapable of handling the Moon Bay project.
This led him to conclude that Jiaye's true purpose was to destroy Fangyuan and Fang Zhiyou's reputation, suggesting that only someone with deep hatred would resort to such self-damaging tactics. Realizing the implications, Xu Yiren immediately confronted Li Zhe at Dasheng Model Company. Li Zhe calmly offered her a position at Dasheng, claiming he could protect her better than Fang Zhiyou. Xu Yiren insisted on the truth about the accusations.
Li Zhe then posed a question in return: if she told him whether she was the lost girl he met thirteen years ago, he would tell her everything. Xu Yiren admitted she was. Li Zhe, in turn, confessed to orchestrating the entire scheme: he had bribed Jiaye's Mr. Xie to participate in the bidding and arranged for the fake quotations to be sent from Xu Yiren's computer.
He explained his motive was not for Jiaye to win, but to ruin Fang Zhiyou's reputation, knowing Fang Zhiyou would unconditionally protect Xu Yiren, thus forcing him to choose between saving her or saving his company.
When Xu Yiren questioned who specifically sent the email from her computer, Li Zhe, realizing she was recording their conversation with a voice recorder hidden in her sleeve, snatched it away, telling her to abandon her efforts to help Fang Zhiyou and ending with the statement that he had met her first.
Episode 23 Recap
Gu Bo, concerned about Xu Yiren going alone to meet Li Zhe, immediately alerted Fang Zhiyou. When Fang Zhiyou arrived, Xu Yiren recounted how her primary voice recorder, intended to record Li Zhe's confession and vindicate their innocence, had been discovered and seized by Li Zhe. However, she then revealed she had a second, hidden voice recorder, on which Li Zhe had admitted to hiring someone to frame her using her computer, though he didn't name the accomplice.
Fang Zhiyou assured her he would uncover the identity of the person involved. Xu Yiren expressed her desire to prove her innocence through her own efforts, not wishing to constantly rely on Fang Zhiyou. Fang Zhiyou responded by comparing her to his life's sun and rainbow, affirming his belief in her and his willingness to go through anything for her.
Fang Zhiyou then played the recording for their colleagues, revealing that Xie Dongren from Jiaye was bribed to participate in the bidding, and the quotations of the other three companies were sent from Xu Yiren's computer to Jiaye. Jiaye's true intention was not to win the bid but to ruin Fang Zhiyou's reputation. After the recording, Fang Zhiyou declared Xu Yiren's innocence, and the colleagues expressed their relief and support.
He announced that the Moon Bay Project would restart in two weeks and tasked Liu Tianyang with overseeing its follow-up work. Liu Tianyang was visibly surprised that Fang Zhiyou still trusted him despite their past disagreements. Meanwhile, Li Zhe informed Yu Qing that her employment was terminated. He explained that he had only hired her because he believed she was "that girl," and since her lie had been exposed, she was no longer needed.
Yu Qing immediately suspected Xu Yiren had revealed her secret, warning Li Zhe not to trust Xu Yiren, whom she accused of constantly snatching her things since childhood, including her parents, toys, and friends. Li Zhe retorted that he had suspected Yu Qing from the beginning and that she should consider herself lucky he had a better temper now than in the past.
He told her to take an extra month's pay and never appear before him again, advising her not to covet what wasn't hers. Yu Qing continued to criticize Xu Yiren, claiming she feigned innocence for sympathy, while Li Zhe starkly contrasted Xu Yiren's pure heart despite her lies with Yu Qing's thoroughly repulsive nature.
Fang Zhiyou later discovered that surveillance footage from the night the incriminating email was sent only showed He Yuwen entering the company, with no record of her leaving. He concluded she must have stayed until the cameras were off and then used Xu Yiren's computer to send the email. Confronted, He Yuwen immediately confessed, stating she simply couldn't stand Xu Yiren. Fang Zhiyou expressed disbelief that she would conspire with Li Zhe, a person she supposedly despised.
He Yuwen rationalized her actions by stating that Li Zhe's attacks on Xu Yiren were actually aimed at Fang Zhiyou, and that she felt Xu Yiren was not worthy of him, believing that she and Fang Zhiyou were alike in their perceived coldness and selfishness.
Fang Zhiyou refuted her claim of him being selfish and cold, offering to listen to her if she still trusted him, but sternly warned her against further harming Xu Yiren, stating that such actions would sever their friendship. Feeling discarded, He Yuwen bitterly lamented that her five years of hard work were valued less than "a girl who lied for months," and promptly resigned from Fangyuan.
Distraught after losing her job, Yu Qing cried at home, blaming Xu Yiren and accusing her father of bringing Xu Yiren into their family years ago. Her mother agreed, labeling Xu Yiren as Yu Qing's jinx. Driven by revenge, Yu Qing secretly followed Xu Yiren and Fang Zhiyou to their home. She confronted Xu Yiren, accusing her of betraying her to Li Zhe, leading to her unemployment and being "dumped."
Fang Zhiyou interjected, telling Yu Qing that Li Zhe's taste would never have inclined him to be with her, therefore he couldn't have "dumped" her in the first place. Later, Yu Qing and her mother went to Fangyuan, where they overheard colleagues discussing how He Yuwen had come to the company for Fang Zhiyou, and that with Fang Zhiyou now with Xu Yiren, He Yuwen had left due to embarrassment.
This led Yu Qing and her mother to wrongly conclude that Xu Yiren was a "mistress." Yu Qing's aunt then dramatically stormed into the company, loudly accusing Xu Yiren of being a "mistress" and ruining their family's reputation, specifically impacting Yu Qing's future marriage prospects. She went on to recount fabricated stories of Xu Yiren's supposed promiscuous behavior from childhood, including camping with strange boys and dumping an old boyfriend, Gao Ming, for Fang Zhiyou.
As colleagues attempted to defend Xu Yiren, the aunt further claimed Xu Yiren had "stolen" Li Zhe, who she asserted was Yu Qing's boyfriend. At this point, Shiyu stepped forward, calmly asserting that the aunt's statements constituted slander and spreading rumors. Shiyu produced a lawyer's business card and gave the aunt a fifteen-second ultimatum to leave the premises or face a court summons. Startled, the aunt quickly fled.
Fang Zhiyou noticed Shiyu's distress and, by threatening to enroll her in various extra classes, prompted her to reveal the details of the aunt's disruptive visit and Xu Yiren's silent endurance. Fang Zhiyou then pulled Xu Yiren aside, asking why she hadn't told him. He urged her not to suffer in silence or constantly endure injustice, emphasizing that a loving relationship should never require one person to compromise their well-being.
Xu Yiren decided to resolve the matter herself and went alone to her uncle's home. She calmly stated that when her parents died unexpectedly, there was a pension, and their family home, if sold, would have been sufficient to support her education. Her aunt dismissively claimed that their upbringing could not be repaid with money and accused Xu Yiren of trying to settle accounts.
Xu Yiren explained that her past tolerance was purely out of gratitude for their upbringing, but since they had never truly regarded her as family, she would no longer step foot in their house. She told her uncle she understood his difficult position and didn't blame him, but this chapter of her life was closed. After speaking her mind, Xu Yiren felt a profound sense of relief.
Li Zhe visited his father in the hospital, noting his father's improving condition, even reading newspapers, and hoped that spending more time together would help his father recognize him. He expressed a desire to take his father to America for treatment, where he also hoped to start anew. Li Zhe acknowledged that his father's greatest wish was to clear his name, and to achieve this, he had resorted to harming his best friend and the woman he loved.
However, he lamented that in doing so, he had become a person he barely recognized, admitting he felt exhausted. At Xia Di's new book launch, Gu Bo discreetly paid a group of people to act as enthusiastic fans to boost attendance. Xu Yiren observed this and, realizing Gu Bo's true wealth, confronted him about concealing his identity from Xia Di. Gu Bo admitted he lacked the courage to tell her, fearing her anger and a potential breakup.
He also revealed that he was not just a fan of Fang Zhiyou, but a shareholder of Fangyuan, and Fang Zhiyou was aware of this. Xu Yiren advised him, based on her own painful experiences, that it was always better to honestly reveal the truth than to have a lie exposed by others, urging him to carefully consider her advice.
Later, Xu Yiren overheard colleagues discussing how He Yuwen was still inquiring about Fangyuan, despite having rejected a lucrative offer to be an Administrative Director at another firm. This suggested He Yuwen still cared deeply for their company. Xu Yiren then approached Fang Zhiyou, asking him to consider reinstating He Yuwen, arguing that despite her mistakes, He Yuwen was the "anchor" of the administrative department and was genuinely dedicated to Fangyuan.
Fang Zhiyou adamantly refused, stating that He Yuwen's actions had gone too far and crossed an unforgivable line. Xu Yiren, acknowledging his immediate disagreement, nevertheless pressed him to at least think about it.
Episode 24 Recap
He Yuwen questioned if Fang Zhiyou was aware of Xu Yiren's visit, but Xu Yiren clarified that her actions didn't always need Fang Zhiyou's approval. Xu Yiren sincerely asked He Yuwen to return to Square & Circle, stating the company needed her. He Yuwen dismissed this, claiming the company would run perfectly well without anyone, including Fang Zhiyou. Xu Yiren countered that while the company might continue, the quality of its operation would suffer without her.
He Yuwen conceded that she didn't want to see the company face problems and admitted that, if it were possible, she would indeed want to continue working at Square & Circle. Xu Yiren, unable to find Fang Zhiyou at home, received a call from his father, Mr. Fang, who invited her to a tea house.
Mr. Fang expressed his surprise that Fang Zhiyou was with Xu Yiren, admitting he had always expected Fang Zhiyou to be with He Yuwen, whom he considered excellent. Xu Yiren acknowledged that Mr. Fang likely saw her as an ordinary girl, not worthy of his talented designer son. However, she argued that love wasn't a competition based on qualifications, but an equal connection.
She explained that she understood Fang Zhiyou's underlying pain from losing his best friend and his deep-seated aversion to lies, which shaped him into the person he was. Regardless of how difficult others might find him, she would always stay by his side. Similarly, she revealed that Fang Zhiyou had helped her through her own past heartbreak, encouraging her to become "the light of her own life."
Xu Yiren firmly stated that if Mr. Fang's intention was to make her leave Fang Zhiyou, she absolutely could not. Mr. Fang clarified that he had no intention of interfering with their relationship, knowing his son would never listen. Instead, he wanted to confirm the sincerity of Xu Yiren's feelings for Fang Zhiyou and then asked for a favor. He revealed his deep desire to reconcile with his son before he died, acknowledging the lingering hatred in Fang Zhiyou's heart.
Xu Yiren admitted she wasn't sure if she had the ability to help him, and Mr. Fang urged her to take her time to consider his request. As he left for a meeting, he inadvertently left his briefcase behind. Meanwhile, Gu Bo excitedly showed Xia Di a list he had compiled: "100 romantic things a couple must do." Xia Di, feeling exhausted from the week, reluctantly agreed to complete only fifty of them.
Gu Bo then eagerly suggested they start with the very first item on the list, but their attempt to kiss was cut short by the unexpected arrival of Xia Di’s mother. Later, Xu Yiren, noticing Mr. Fang's forgotten briefcase, returned it to him. As she handed it over, she observed a bottle of Donepezil Hydrochloride Tablets fall out. After parting ways, Xu Yiren researched the medication and discovered it was used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Xia Di’s mother, having caught Xia Di and Gu Bo, confronted them. Gu Bo immediately took responsibility, admitting he was the one who pursued Xia Di and even hid the information about the blind dates her mother had arranged. Xia Di then formally introduced Gu Bo as her boyfriend. Her mother remained unimpressed, questioning Gu Bo's reliability, despite Xia Di’s defense that she liked his height, youth, and energy.
Gu Bo invited Xia Di's mother to dinner, hoping to talk things over. During the meal, Xia Di's mother conceded that Gu Bo was a good young man but still felt he was unsuitable for Xia Di. Gu Bo initially assumed her concern stemmed from his age, but her mother clarified that her real objection was his recent graduation and perceived inability to financially support Xia Di.
Hearing this, Gu Bo was visibly relieved, implying that this was a problem he could easily resolve. Xu Yiren led Fang Zhiyou to an art exhibition. Fang Zhiyou initially claimed disinterest in art but expressed great interest in Xu Yiren herself. As they explored, Xu Yiren noted the exhibition hall's clever layered and staggered structure, which made its display space a third larger than its actual area.
She then noticed a plaque indicating that the exhibition hall had won the Gold Award of the National Design Competition, and the designer was Mr. He Yuliang, whom she realized was He Yuwen's father and Fang Zhiyou's former teacher. Xu Yiren questioned why Fang Zhiyou hadn't mentioned this earlier. Fang Zhiyou admitted he had his reasons but asked if he could keep some things to himself for now, a request Xu Yiren respected.
Back at the restaurant, Gu Bo, under pressure from Xia Di's mother, called Xu Yiren to ask about his family's background. Xu Yiren, somewhat hesitantly, confirmed that Gu Bo was a shareholder in their company and that his family was involved in a very large business. Hearing this, Xia Di's mother's demeanor completely changed.
Gu Bo then pleaded with Xu Yiren over the phone not to tell Xia Di about his family's wealth, fearing she might break up with him if she knew. He then swore to Xia Di's mother that he would treat Xia Di well for his entire life. Xia Di's mother accepted his promise, sternly warning him not to hurt her daughter. At a boxing gym, a distraught He Yuwen fiercely punched a bag.
Chen Qiming urged her to stop punishing herself and to consider returning to Square & Circle. He passionately argued that Fang Zhiyou did not deserve her and had changed her for the worse. He Yuwen then confessed that she was indeed the one who betrayed Square & Circle and framed Xu Yiren. Chen Qiming refused to believe her, insisting that Fang Zhiyou must have forced her.
He then confessed his long-standing affection for her, assuring her that he was willing to wait indefinitely for her to notice him, but He Yuwen remained silent. Later that evening, Xu Yiren apologized to Fang Zhiyou for lying to him earlier about her phone use. She revealed that she had visited his father and discovered he was taking medication for Alzheimer’s disease. Fang Zhiyou sat in stunned silence.
Suddenly, he received a call informing him that Li Zhe's father had suffered a heart attack. Fang Zhiyou rushed to the hospital, where he learned that the patient was out of danger but must avoid any future emotional distress. During their girls' night, Xu Yiren gently suggested to Xia Di that she might not fully know Gu Bo. Xia Di was unfazed, believing that the enjoyment of a relationship lay in the gradual process of discovering each other.
In the middle of their chat, a heavily intoxicated He Yuwen called Xu Yiren from a bar, defiantly declaring she would "never lose." Concerned, Xu Yiren decided to leave to go find her. She informed Fang Zhiyou, who agreed it was better for her to go than for him. Upon arriving at the bar, Xu Yiren found He Yuwen drinking heavily. He Yuwen aggressively pushed Xu Yiren away, insisting she would never surrender.
Xu Yiren calmly admitted that when she first met He Yuwen, she had felt inferior but eventually realized that love was not something to be compared. He Yuwen scoffed, claiming Xu Yiren’s relationship with Fang Zhiyou would not last. Xu Yiren countered that if He Yuwen truly understood Fang Zhiyou, she would never have betrayed his trust by harming the company.
Xu Yiren urged her to rediscover her confident self and return to Square & Circle, suggesting that Fang Zhiyou also needed her. When He Yuwen asked if Xu Yiren wasn't afraid of her return, Xu Yiren admitted she was, but affirmed her trust in both Fang Zhiyou and herself. Later, at the hospital, Li Zhe revealed his intention to take his father to America, stating his father no longer needed Fang Zhiyou.
A nurse brought Li Zhe his father's belongings, including a newspaper detailing an old illegal funding case. Li Zhe deduced that this news had caused his father's heart attack, explaining that for thirteen years, his father had never forgotten the injustice and had been waiting for Fang Zhiyou's father to apologize. Fang Zhiyou promised Li Zhe that he would make his father publicly apologize to Li Zhe's father.
Meanwhile, Fang Shiyu feigned a sports injury, asking Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren to pick her up from school. She dramatized her pain from a supposedly flipped toenail and insisted on being taken home. She specifically requested Xu Yiren to carry her, much to Fang Zhiyou's jealousy.
She resisted going to Fang Zhiyou’s apartment, unusually insisting on going to her father's house, claiming she didn't want to be a "third wheel" and secretly hoping to orchestrate a meeting between her brother and their father. Fang Zhiyou eventually relented. Upon arrival, she continued to feign helplessness, prompting Fang Zhiyou to carry her inside.
Episode 25 Recap
Xu Yiren arrived at the Fang residence with Fang Zhiyou and his sister, Shiyu, and quickly discerned that Shiyu was feigning her leg injury to get them there. When their father, Mr. Fang, arrived, Fang Zhiyou was adamant about leaving immediately. However, Shiyu reminded him that it was their father’s birthday and pleaded with him to stay for dinner. Xu Yiren also persuaded him, pointing out that leaving would be rude on her first visit.
Shiyu added that the home felt "quiet" now, unlike the "happy and lively" atmosphere when their mother was alive. Fang Zhiyou reluctantly agreed to stay for dinner, making it clear he was only doing so for Xu Yiren and his late mother's sake and that there were to be "no more" additional requests. He then confronted Xu Yiren, revealing he knew she had conspired with Shiyu, and playfully vowed to "deal with her later."
During dinner preparation, Xu Yiren asked Fang Zhiyou if he planned to discuss his father’s Alzheimer's medication with him, but Fang Zhiyou insisted his father would speak up if he wanted to. In the kitchen, Xu Yiren explained she was happy to cook because Shiyu liked her food and she also wanted to leave a good impression on Mr. Fang.
Fang Zhiyou teased her, saying he was beginning to regret letting her stay, prompting Xu Yiren to jokingly ask if he was jealous of his own sister. Meanwhile, He Yuwen met with Chen Qiming. She confessed that in college, she had "strained every nerve" to surpass Fang Zhiyou, only to fall in love with him.
Chen Qiming admitted his own jealousy of Fang Zhiyou's talent and the high regard their teacher, Mr. He, had for him, revealing he likely wouldn't have his current position at Liangshan if Fang Zhiyou hadn't betrayed Mr. He. He then pointed out that Fang Zhiyou had now hurt her as well. He Yuwen, however, maintained her anger was focused on the past, stating she could "never forgive" Fang Zhiyou for betraying Mr. He.
She then announced her decision to return to Square & Circle, explaining that while she initially joined for Fang Zhiyou, it had become her career. Having lost love, she couldn't afford to lose her career too. She clarified she left her father’s company, Liangshan, because of her father’s own actions, not just to follow Fang Zhiyou. Back at the Fang house, while looking through childhood photos, Fang Zhiyou discovered a contract for the transfer of his father's law firm.
He confronted his father, who admitted he had been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. Fang reassured him he wouldn't be a burden and only asked him to care for Shiyu. Hearing that Li Zhe was back and causing trouble, Mr. Fang offered to "help," prompting Fang Zhiyou to sarcastically ask if he meant to "put him in jail, too."
Fang Zhiyou furiously demanded his father apologize to the people he had wronged, but Mr. Fang refused, fearing it would make him "lose all reputation." Bitterly disappointed, Fang Zhiyou accused his father of caring only for "status and reputation" and declared he "shouldn't have had any hope" for him. While the men argued, Xu Yiren asked Shiyu about their father’s health, specifically if he had been forgetful.
Shiyu admitted she and her father were distant and preferred not to interfere in each other's lives. Xu Yiren advised her to care more for her family, sharing that she missed her own late father. In a touching gesture, Shiyu told Xu Yiren that once she married Fang Zhiyou, Mr. Fang would be her father too.
The argument escalated, and despite Xu Yiren having prepared a full meal, Fang Zhiyou declared he had no appetite and pulled her out of the house. Left with their disappointed father, Shiyu quietly sang "Happy Birthday" to him alone. Later, Xu Yiren comforted a distressed Fang Zhiyou, who embraced her tightly, saying, "Luckily, I have you."
Elsewhere, Xia Di was thrilled to hear her comic was pre-ordered for a second season but grew anxious about the poor sales of physical books. Gu Bo reassured her, promising her new book would be a success and playfully offered to buy "twenty thousand books" himself if it didn't sell well. When Xia Di's mother called, Gu Bo expertly handled the conversation, leaving Xia Di amazed.
Xu Yiren tried to persuade Fang Zhiyou to "let it go" regarding his father, given the illness, but he remained resolute, determined to keep his promise to Li Zhe to see justice done. At Xu Yiren’s suggestion, Fang Zhiyou agreed to discuss He Yuwen's return. He met her at a basketball court, where they wagered on a game: if he lost, she could return to Square & Circle. Fang Zhiyou intentionally played to a tie.
He Yuwen declared that a tie counted as her win but insisted on paying a price for her past actions, offering to give up her shares to come back. Fang Zhiyou warmly welcomed her back, calling her his "best partner" and affirming that the company truly needed her. He Yuwen officially returned to Square & Circle, promising the staff she would always prioritize the company's interests and announcing plans to hire a new assistant.
Entrusting the company to her, Fang Zhiyou took Xu Yiren to see his father’s doctor. The doctor confirmed Alzheimer's has no cure and that treatment focuses on slowing its progression, emphasizing that family "care and concern" is paramount. Later, Fang Zhiyou expressed his deep internal conflict, trapped between his father and Li Zhe. He reflected on the irony that the perpetrator might forget everything, while the victim suffers for a lifetime.
This strengthened his resolve to get his father to "vindicate Li Zhe's father" before it was too late. Days later, Xu Yiren found a stack of unsent letters in Fang Zhiyou’s home that he had been writing to Li Zhe monthly since he moved away. Shortly after, during a hospital visit, Mr. Fang's condition had clearly worsened, as he tragically mistook his own son for Li Zhe.
Deeply moved and determined to end the painful rift, Xu Yiren went to see Li Zhe and gave him the letters. She clarified that Fang Zhiyou hadn't sent her, but she came because she knew Fang Zhiyou was also a victim, deceived by his own father. She urged Li Zhe to stop "lying to himself" and admit he still saw Fang Zhiyou as his "best friend."
Xu Yiren then revealed Mr. Fang's diagnosis, explaining how distraught Fang Zhiyou was, yet still determined to secure an apology and justice for Li Zhe's family before his father's memory faded completely. She ended by telling Li Zhe he no longer had to walk his difficult path alone.
Episode 26 Recap
At her uncle and aunt's invitation, Xu Yiren had dinner with them, where they asked her to help Yu Qing find a job after being fired by Li Zhe. Xu Yiren firmly refused, stating she had already made her position clear. Her aunt grew frantic, admitting her previous behavior was selfish and wrong, and even offered to let Xu Yiren hit her to vent her anger.
Yu Qing then tearfully confessed that she had always been jealous of Xu Yiren—of her beauty, intelligence, and popularity. Fearing Xu Yiren would steal the love she felt she deserved, she subconsciously tried to take things from her. Yu Qing expressed deep regret for her actions and pleaded for a chance to rebuild their sisterly bond, regardless of the job.
Moved by her uncle's distress and seeing him as her only remaining family, Xu Yiren relented and promised to consider it. Later, Xu Yiren confided in Fang Zhiyou, feeling weak for her soft-heartedness. Fang Zhiyou reassured her, explaining that blood ties are not easily severed and acknowledging that her uncle, despite being hen-pecked, truly regarded her as family.
Xu Yiren recalled a childhood memory of her uncle secretly slipping a large, red apple into her schoolbag after her aunt had given the best fruit to Yu Qing. She noted that her uncle had never begged her for anything before. With newfound confidence that no one could hurt her anymore, she playfully asked Fang Zhiyou for a "girlfriend's favor" to help Yu Qing, offering a kiss from her dog Danfu in return.
Fang Zhiyou, after a moment of playful hesitation, agreed to speak with He Yuwen but noted that recruitment was ultimately an administrative decision. Fang Zhiyou brought Yu Qing's resume to He Yuwen, explaining she was Xu Yiren's cousin and asking her to be prioritized. He Yuwen was initially hesitant about having relatives in the same department. Xu Yiren, who overheard, rushed in to apologize, taking responsibility for the request.
He Yuwen playfully accused Xu Yiren of using "pillow talk" to influence Fang Zhiyou, then grew serious, warning her to be cautious as some people never change. Ultimately, He Yuwen agreed to hire Yu Qing as a junior assistant but made it clear she would be fired if her performance was unsatisfactory. On her first day, Yu Qing was met with a cold reception and immediately swamped with menial tasks by her new colleagues.
Later, Xu Yiren brought a specially prepared coffee to He Yuwen, expressing her happiness that the "Sister Wen" who had treated her like a sister was back. Xu Yiren admitted she initially thought He Yuwen was upset about the hiring but now realized she was simply worried for her. She playfully added that this understanding didn't mean she would give up on Fang Zhiyou.
He Yuwen smiled, but after Xu Yiren left, she dropped the sugar cube Xu Yiren had added into the trash. Meanwhile, Li Zhe visited Professor Qu, the Fang family's doctor, and directly asked if Fang Zhanyang had Alzheimer's. Citing patient privacy, Professor Qu refused to disclose any information. With the Moon Bay Resort Project officially starting, Fang Zhiyou decided to reward the design department.
Yu Qing eagerly suggested a venue, but when Fang Zhiyou asked for Xu Yiren's opinion, he immediately settled on the location once she approved. Gu Bo remarked to Xu Yiren that Fang Zhiyou's skills at winning a girl's heart were getting stronger, as he had publicly shown he only valued her opinion. Xu Yiren retorted that Gu Bo was equally skilled at pleasing Xia Di.
She then urged him to be honest with Xia Di about his family background, especially since Xia Di's mother already knew. Fearing Xia Di would leave him, Gu Bo decided to propose, believing that by securing their engagement, he could bind her to him before she could get angry. Later, Li Zhe met Xu Yiren and played a recording of his conversation with Professor Qu's assistant, who claimed Fang Zhanyang was suffering from hypertension due to work stress, not Alzheimer's.
Li Zhe furiously denounced Fang Zhanyang as a hypocrite who would lie to achieve his goals and showed no remorse. He wanted Xu Yiren to see the Fang family's true nature, reiterating his inability to forgive. When Xu Yiren expressed doubt, Li Zhe challenged her to find the truth herself, implying she would do it for Fang Zhiyou. At the same time, Fang Zhiyou returned to his family home to confront his father.
He questioned him about his irreversible illness, but Fang Zhanyang deflected. Fang Zhiyou pressed him on his past deception. Fang Zhanyang defended his actions, claiming Li Zhe's father, Li Jinghong, was not innocent and that he had saved him from a worse fate in court. Enraged, Fang Zhiyou demanded to know why his father had lied after promising to be Li Jinghong's defense lawyer, only to switch sides.
He expressed his deep hurt and inability to trust a father who could lie so flawlessly. Fang Zhanyang apologized, but Fang Zhiyou insisted the apology was owed to Li Jinghong, which his father refused to do. Fang Zhiyou vowed not to give up and urged his father to reconsider if he truly cared, promising to wait for an answer. As a storm brewed, his sister, Shiyu, pleaded with him to stay the night, and he agreed.
The next morning, Xu Yiren was waiting when Fang Zhiyou returned, looking exhausted with a cold. He embraced her, admitting he had spent the night reminiscing about his childhood and realized he could, in fact, go home again. Xu Yiren urged him to rest. Recalling that Shiyu had twice stopped their father from taking his pills, believing they were just for sleep, she advised Fang Zhiyou to see Professor Qu again to discuss a proper treatment plan. She then offered to visit Fang Zhanyang herself, hoping to improve the family's relationship. Touched, Fang Zhiyou thanked her, and she firmly sent him to bed to rest.
Episode 27 Recap
Xia Di expressed her frustration over the poor sales of her new book, despite Gu Bo's efforts to cheer her up with a variety of cakes. She lamented that not a single copy had sold on its first day and warned Gu Bo that her bad mood might lead to her taking it out on him.
Gu Bo confidently declared that her book would outsell all others and proposed a bet: if her book sold out completely, she would have to marry him. Finding the idea impossible, Xia Di jokingly countered that if it actually happened, she would be the one to "marry" him, a deal Gu Bo eagerly accepted. Xu Yiren visited Mr. Fang, bringing him a homemade soup.
Mr. Fang, aware of her true intentions, acknowledged that she had come for Fang Zhiyou's reply regarding the apology to the Li family. When asked for her opinion, Xu Yiren advised him not to offer an insincere apology, as it would only cause Fang Zhiyou more pain. Mr. Fang admitted he would not change his mind, indicating he would likely disappoint them.
As it was time for his medication, Xu Yiren offered to retrieve his two pills and discreetly concealed one in her hand. Meanwhile, He Yuwen, Fangyuan's Executive Administrative Assistant, proactively approached Mr. Wei of Fond Architectural Engineering. She learned that they were seeking bids for a cultural tourism project and presented Fangyuan's qualifications. Mr. Wei expressed awareness of Fang Zhiyou and the rumors surrounding his departure from Liangshan, where he was once He Yuliang's most promising student.
He Yuwen, revealing that He Yuliang is her father, stressed that their personal issues should not influence professional judgment. She highlighted Fang Zhiyou's impressive portfolio and challenged Mr. Wei to consider his talent, leading him to agree to further consideration. While caring for his own father, Li Zhe noticed the man holding a small paper boat with "I'm sorry" written on it. This triggered a childhood memory of folding boats with Fang Zhiyou.
Later, Xu Yiren confided in He Yuwen about taking Mr. Fang's pill, expressing her fear of what the truth might be and the pain it would cause Fang Zhiyou. He Yuwen reassured her that the truth cannot be hidden and offered to have a friend in the hospital test the pill, which Xu Yiren hesitantly accepted. Xu Yiren presented Fang Zhiyou with the Request for Proposal for the Zhiwu Academy, Fond Architectural Engineering's cultural tourism project.
She reminded him of his long-standing interest in designing academies and pointed out that another colleague could manage the ongoing project, allowing Fang Zhiyou to focus on this new opportunity. Fang Zhiyou, however, was hesitant, explaining that the project was a shared dream with Li Zhe, and he was unsure how to pursue it alone. Xu Yiren encouraged him not to abandon his dream, expressing her admiration for a related design he had created five years prior.
Subsequently, He Yuwen delivered the test results to Xu Yiren, confirming that Mr. Fang's pill was merely ordinary vitamins. Xu Yiren confronted Mr. Fang, who admitted to orchestrating a lie. He confessed to deliberately letting her see his medicine bottle and involving Fang Shiyu in his birthday plans, all to convince Fang Zhiyou that he had Alzheimer's. He justified this deception as a desperate measure to bring his son back home.
He implored Xu Yiren not to reveal the truth, fearing he would lose his son for good. Later, Fang Zhiyou noticed Xu Yiren's distress and reflected on his complicated feelings for his father, acknowledging both resentment and deep care. Fang Zhiyou later proposed to Xu Yiren, promising to marry her and give her a home just for the two of them once the issues with his father and Li Zhe were resolved.
Xu Yiren was taken aback by the suddenness, but Fang Zhiyou took her non-refusal as acceptance. Meanwhile, at the library, Xia Di excitedly informed Gu Bo that her book had sold out completely. She decided to throw a large celebratory party and insisted that Fang Zhiyou attend, and Gu Bo enthusiastically volunteered to organize it. Mr. Wei commended He Yuwen's capabilities, acknowledging she was instrumental in securing Fangyuan's spot in the bidding for the Zhiwu Academy project.
He informed Fang Zhiyou that only three companies were selected: Fangyuan, Liangshan, and Qingxuan Design. Despite Fangyuan's lack of experience in similar projects, Fang Zhiyou confidently stated his company would deliver superior results, adding that even Xu Yiren, with her newly developed aesthetic judgment, loved his design. He then accepted He Yuwen's request to join him at Xia Di's party, viewing it as an opportunity to try something new.
At the party, Fang Shiyu and Xu Yiren were already present, with Shiyu excitedly meeting her idol, Xia Di. Gu Bo orchestrated a grand surprise for Xia Di, presented in a large box, creating a buzz of anticipation among the guests as they urged her to open it.
Episode 28 Recap
At a lively celebration, Xia Di's friends urged her to open a large gift box. Expecting Gu Bo, she was surprised when her mother emerged instead, announcing that the real surprise was yet to come. Just then, Gu Bo, dressed in a rabbit costume, appeared and knelt before Xia Di, proposing marriage. Thinking he was joking, Xia Di dismissed him, but Gu Bo was serious, reminding her of a past promise and affirming their mutual love and happiness.
While Xia Di agreed they were happy, she stated she had never seriously considered marrying him, even playfully suggesting he marry her instead. Xia Di's mother intervened, praising Gu Bo for his elaborate proposal and revealing that he had even flown her in to witness it. She urged Xia Di not to let him go, dismissing her previous concerns about his age and finances as her own immaturity.
Despite her friends' encouragement, Xia Di firmly rejected the proposal, explaining she was not ready for marriage and wanted to first achieve her dream of becoming a top comic book writer. Her mother then disclosed that Gu Bo had not only bought all of Xia Di's unsold books with his intern salary but that his family also held shares in the design firm, Square & Circle. Stunned by the revelation of his wealth, Xia Di sought confirmation from Xu Yiren.
Xu Yiren's hesitation confirmed her fears. Feeling betrayed that her best friend had kept this from her, Xia Di lashed out, asserting her right to choose between truth and lies before storming out of the party. Seizing the opportunity, He Yuwen revealed to Fang Zhiyou that Xu Yiren had long known his father was faking his illness and had conspired to keep it a secret. Overwhelmed, Xu Yiren could only apologize repeatedly.
Enraged, Fang Zhiyou dismissed her apologies as more lies and walked away, ignoring her desperate pleas. He then confronted his father, calling him a liar. His father calmly admitted to being manipulative and unscrupulous to achieve his goals. Declaring their relationship over, Fang Zhiyou turned to leave, and in his wake, his father collapsed.
Distraught over losing the trust of her best friend and the man she loves, Xu Yiren received a frantic call from Fang Shiyu about her father's collapse. At the hospital, the doctor, Professor Qu, explained that an emotional shock had caused a spike in blood pressure, but he was now stable. When Xu Yiren revealed they knew the Alzheimer's diagnosis was fake, the doctor was shocked, insisting he had personally diagnosed him and would never participate in a deception.
He clarified that Fang's father had requested strict confidentiality and that his "pills" were merely senior vitamins. Hearing this, Fang Shiyu innocently confessed that she had swapped what she thought were her father's sleeping pills for vitamins, believing it was healthier. Later, Fang's father admitted his entire scheme to Xu Yiren. He had intentionally led her to discover his "illness" to persuade Fang Zhiyou to come home, having noticed her special place in his son's heart.
He explained he couldn't apologize for past events concerning Li Zhe's family without damaging the firm's credibility. He confessed that he faked admitting to the lie because he realized that if he weren't "sick," Fang Zhiyou wouldn't be trapped in a painful dilemma between him and Li Zhe. He also admitted to testing Xu Yiren's loyalty, as he considered her the woman his son would spend his life with.
Xu Yiren refused his request to keep this conversation secret, stating she would not lie for him again. Meanwhile, Gu Bo pleaded outside Xia Di's apartment for a chance to explain, insisting he hadn’t meant to lie. From behind the closed door, Xia Di broke up with him. He refused to accept it, but she declared she could not tolerate so-called white lies, stating that such deception was deeply damaging and that they were now strangers.
The fallout continued at the office. He Yuwen confronted Xu Yiren, who defended her actions by stating she had only told the truth and had a perfect work record, giving He Yuwen no grounds for dismissal. She asserted she would only leave if Fang Zhiyou personally fired her. He Yuwen conceded but stated Xu Yiren was no longer fit to be his assistant, reassigning her to administrative duties and promoting Yu Qing to her former role.
Fang Zhiyou remained silent throughout the exchange. Witnessing this, a furious Fang Shiyu berated her brother for his cold treatment of Xu Yiren and refused to ride home with him. In the office, Gu Bo, reeling from his breakup, questioned Fang Zhiyou's apparent lack of distress over Xu Yiren. Fang Zhiyou denied being heartbroken, while Gu Bo lamented that lies themselves are the ultimate damage, making any attempt to win sympathy futile.
Later, the newly promoted Yu Qing flaunted her authority, ordering Xu Yiren to pick up a large lunch order for a client meeting. While struggling with the numerous boxes, Xu Yiren spilled them. At that moment, Li Zhe appeared and took control. He dismissed her apologies and dramatically interrupted Fang Zhiyou's meeting, presenting a lavish meal and announcing it was a treat from "Mr. Li" on behalf of "Miss Xu Yiren," leaving everyone intrigued.
Amidst the turmoil, Xu Yiren went to apologize to Xia Di. When Xia Di learned of Xu Yiren's own troubles with Fang Zhiyou, her anger softened. She announced she was moving to a hotel for two months for a creative retreat and offered her apartment to Xu Yiren, asking her to kick Gu Bo out if he returned. Xia Di clarified that the offer was primarily to help her avoid Gu Bo, not as an act of forgiveness.
Episode 29 Recap
Li Zhe criticized Xu Yiren for allowing Yu Qing into the company, accusing her of being too tolerant with others while only showing Li Zhe her "sharp claws." Xu Yiren explained that in the past, she always backed down from conflict due to fear, but now she is different.
She is determined to stay by Fang Zhiyou's side, and no matter how others, including Yu Qing, try to torment her, she is no longer afraid because she knows nothing can truly harm her, except Fang Zhiyou himself. This time, however, she admitted that she was the one who hurt him. Li Zhe dismissed Fang Zhiyou's reaction as self-torture, suggesting he should vent his anger on his own father instead of taking it out on Xu Yiren.
Xu Yiren remarked that it was the first time she had heard Li Zhe speak so harshly about his friend. Li Zhe then proposed that he could forgive Fang Zhiyou's father, Fang Zhanyang, and clear all past grievances with Fang Zhiyou, if Xu Yiren would agree to leave Fang Zhiyou and be with him.
Xu Yiren refused, stating that even if she were not with Fang Zhiyou, she would not be with Li Zhe, because he is one of her closest friends, akin to family, alongside Fang Zhiyou and Xia Di. She shared that throughout the years, whenever she felt like giving up, she would think of a little boy from her past who wove a bird for her and told her fairy tales, always hoping to meet him again.
Li Zhe expressed regret that he didn't recognize her sooner, but Xu Yiren countered that the outcome would have been the same. She believes Fang Zhiyou is not a matter of timing or choice, but her "only love," and she is certain he feels the same way. Therefore, she could never love Li Zhe as she loves Fang Zhiyou.
Li Zhe then questioned whether any fondness she had for him was genuine, or simply a byproduct of his connection to Fang Zhiyou and their shared childhood. Remarking that her tongue had sharpened since being with Fang Zhiyou, he still advised her that if she truly loved Fang Zhiyou, she should find a way to make him stay, rather than just clinging to him.
Xu Yiren confessed that her lies had hurt Fang Zhiyou and her best friend, leaving her feeling helpless and unsure what else to do besides stay by Fang Zhiyou's side. Li Zhe offered his help, should she ever ask for it. Later, He Yuwen attempted to sow discord by mentioning that Xu Yiren and Li Zhe were still in contact.
Fang Zhiyou directly questioned why she chose that specific moment to reveal the truth, especially since she had known for a long time. He Yuwen explained that she initially tried to keep it a secret, just like Xu Yiren, but eventually decided to tell him the truth in a gentle way, reminding him that he always believed the truth mattered most. Fang Zhiyou then reviewed the meeting minutes, finding them full of errors, misspellings, and incorrect terminology.
He ordered them to be redone by Sha Sha, but Xu Yiren volunteered, explaining that Sha Sha wasn't present at the meeting and she could consult Sun Ziyang and Xiang Wei for details. Xu Yiren then used the opportunity to approach Fang Zhiyou, informing him that Li Zhe wanted to meet to discuss the Zhiwu Library.
Fang Zhiyou, having lost all trust, accused Xu Yiren of neglecting her work to meet Li Zhe and dismissed her, stating that her explanations weren't necessarily true. Meanwhile, Xia Di’s mother arrived at her hotel room, insisting that Xia Di reconcile with Gu Bo. Xia Di was angry, accusing her mother of only wanting her to marry Gu Bo because he was wealthy.
Her mother clarified that she wanted Xia Di to marry a reliable and trustworthy man, not just a rich one. She emphasized that Gu Bo genuinely loves Xia Di and would cherish her as the most important person in his life. She recounted how Gu Bo painstakingly collected old books for Xia Di, visiting every store and buying each book himself, instead of simply having someone else do it.
Her mother urged Xia Di to give Gu Bo a chance to explain why he concealed his family's wealth, reminding her that she knew how well Gu Bo treated her. Li Zhe met with Fang Zhiyou and offered to collaborate on the Zhiwu Library project, but only if Fang Zhiyou fired Xu Yiren.
Fang Zhiyou immediately refused, telling Li Zhe to stay away from Xu Yiren, knowing that Li Zhe's true intention was not cooperation but to stand up for her. Li Zhe confessed that he genuinely liked Xu Yiren, "with no strings attached," and suggested Fang Zhiyou let her go if he intended to continue their difficult dynamic. Fang Zhiyou firmly stated that Xu Yiren was "the only woman" he had ever loved, and he would not give her up.
Li Zhe then taunted Fang Zhiyou, accusing his love of being "damaging" if he allowed Yu Qing to bully Xu Yiren, and declared he would take Xu Yiren for himself. Suddenly, unknown assailants attacked Li Zhe. Fang Zhiyou instinctively stepped in front of Li Zhe to shield him, and they fought the attackers together. In the ensuing struggle, Fang Zhiyou was severely injured. A worried Li Zhe repeatedly called out his name.
Fortunately, Fang Zhiyou had already called the police before the fight began, and the attackers fled upon hearing the approaching sirens. Fang Zhiyou was rushed into surgery at Rende Hospital. His father and Xu Yiren arrived, waiting anxiously. After the surgery, the doctor informed them that although Fang Zhiyou's head had sustained a severe impact, there was no intracranial damage, only a minor concussion, which might cause dizziness, nausea, and ringing in his ears upon waking.
However, his right forearm was fractured and would require a period of rest. Fang Zhiyou's father expressed concern about his son's career as a designer, but Xu Yiren reassured him that his safety was the most important thing. Meanwhile, Gu Bo called Xia Di, desperately stating he hadn't heard from her in seven days and felt like he was dying, even threatening to harm himself if she didn't call him back. Alarmed, Xia Di called him.
Gu Bo told her he was at Rende Hospital, causing Xia Di to rush there, fearing he was injured. She found him perfectly fine and was relieved but scolded him for making her worry and speed. Gu Bo apologized, explaining he knew she would come if she thought he was in trouble.
He then confessed his deep affection for her by listing things he "disliked" about her—her excessive kindness, her tendency to take on too much, her habit of staying up late drawing, and her constant desire to lose weight—clarifying that these were actually the very things he loved about her. He stressed that despite being a few years younger, he understood how to love someone and make them happy. Overwhelmed, Xia Di embraced Gu Bo.
Fang Zhiyou's father expressed deep self-blame, believing that his past lies were the cause of his son's injury. Xu Yiren explained that Fang Zhiyou's actions were not out of guilt but because he still considered Li Zhe his best friend – a friend who had pulled him out of his solitary world and brought color into his life.
She explained that Li Zhe had provided the companionship and warmth that Fang Zhiyou's father, due to being busy establishing his law firm, couldn't give him as a child. Fang Zhiyou's father lamented that he had planned to spend more time with his son and wife once his firm was stable, but his wife passed away, and Fang Zhiyou grew up, seemingly no longer needing him.
Xu Yiren gently corrected him, saying Fang Zhiyou wasn't past needing him, but rather had been disappointed too many times to dare to hope. She assured him it wasn't too late to make amends, revealing that even in his injured state, Fang Zhiyou's primary concern was for his father to apologize to Li Zhe's family for past wrongs.
Later that night, Fang Zhiyou's father looked through old photographs, realizing with sadness that he and Fang Zhiyou had never taken a single picture together. He recalled a childhood memory where Fang Zhiyou expressed willingness to give up everything just for their family to be together, and he resolved to act on it. Xu Yiren remained by Fang Zhiyou's bedside.
When Fang Zhiyou finally regained consciousness, Xu Yiren reassured him about his injuries, explaining that despite the concussion and fractured forearm, his ability to draw would not be affected. She also informed him that the attackers had been arrested, as the police had received Fang Zhiyou's call 20 minutes before they arrived at the scene. Li Zhe entered the room and tried to leave, but Fang Zhiyou's father stopped him, expressing a desire to talk.
Episode 30 Recap
Following his injury while protecting Li Zhe, Fang Zhiyou is hospitalized. His father, Fang Zhanyang, confronts Li Zhe, acknowledging Li Zhe's hatred but urging him to listen. Fang Zhanyang offers to publicly apologize to Li Zhe's father and reveal the complete truth of the case from thirteen years ago, fully aware it would end his career and potentially lead to legal punishment. He clarifies that this isn't out of remorse but solely for his son.
Skeptical, Li Zhe questions if Fang Zhanyang understands the consequences, stating he desires far more than a simple apology. Fang Zhanyang then reveals his condition: Li Zhe must forgive Fang Zhiyou. He explains that Fang Zhiyou had genuinely intended to help and was deceived by Fang Zhanyang himself. Citing his progressing Alzheimer's, Fang Zhanyang implies a rapidly closing window for his confession.
When Li Zhe demands to know why, Fang Zhanyang admits that Jintai Group's CEO had offered him all their legal affairs if Li Zhe's father took the blame—a temptation he couldn't resist. He acknowledges the profound suffering this caused, but seeing his own son bleeding in the hospital made him realize nothing else mattered. At the hospital, Fang Zhiyou apologizes to Xu Yiren for being angry and for failing to protect her.
Xu Yiren confesses that while he was unconscious, she could only think of him. They promise never to lie to each other again. Fang Zhiyou reflects that true love means embracing a person's flaws and promises to love her completely. After visiting the hospital and seeing Fang Zhiyou and Xu Yiren affectionately reconciled, an angered He Yuwen calls Yu Qing, harshly scolding her for not immediately reporting the injury.
She belittles Yu Qing, calling her an idiot inferior to Xu Yiren, and warns that with the couple back together, Yu Qing will soon be ousted from the company. A frustrated Yu Qing declares that if she can't win, then no one will. True to his word, Fang Zhanyang is officially disbarred.
He visits Li Zhe's father, Jinghong, accompanied by Fang Zhiyou, and formally apologizes for his mistake, hoping their long-standing feud can finally end and not be passed down to their children. Li Zhe desperately urges his father to acknowledge the apology and the truth of his innocence. In a profoundly emotional moment, Jinghong finally recognizes his son, calling him "Zhe," and the two share a tearful embrace.
Afterward, Li Zhe confirms to Fang Zhiyou that he will not appeal the case, explaining he doesn't want his father to relive the trauma and feels that Fang Zhanyang has suffered enough. With their fathers' debts settled, Li Zhe playfully tells Fang Zhiyou it is time to resolve their own, provocatively claiming he still wants Xu Yiren. Fang Zhiyou retorts that Li Zhe could never win her over.
Li Zhe then confesses that he only feigned interest in Xu Yiren to push Fang Zhiyou into reconciling with her. Acknowledging his past mistakes, Li Zhe states he isn't cut out for revenge and announces his decision to resign from Dasheng to start anew. When Fang Zhiyou asks what he wants as repayment, Li Zhe responds with "a kite," referencing a story that symbolizes the mending of their friendship.
Meanwhile, Yu Qing spreads malicious rumors online, falsely claiming Xu Yiren is unmarried and pregnant and that Fang Zhiyou's hospitalization was due to a fight over her. Enraged, Xia Di confronts Yu Qing and her family, splashing them with ink and demanding a public retraction on Weibo. When Yu Qing insults her, Xu Yiren arrives and tearfully confronts her cousin, recounting how she begged Fang Zhiyou to give Yu Qing a job, only to be relentlessly betrayed.
Xu Yiren declares that she is cutting all ties with Yu Qing and her mother. Witnessing this, the Uncle warns his wife that if she wants to remain married, she must treat Xu Yiren well, but his wife defiantly agrees to a divorce instead. With the Zhiwu Academy project deadline fast approaching, Fang Zhiyou, though mostly recovered, finds his right hand still unable to draw and suggests Li Zhe help.
Li Zhe agrees, and during the design finalization, they demonstrate remarkable synergy. Independently, they both propose incorporating symmetric "sails" into the pillars for both structural support and aesthetic appeal. With the design complete, Fang Zhiyou emphasizes the critical need for secrecy. To celebrate, Li Zhe brings a rare bottle of wine. Despite his low alcohol tolerance, Fang Zhiyou insists on drinking and becomes completely inebriated after one glass, mistaking Li Zhe for Xu Yiren.
He affectionately calls Li Zhe "Yiren," comments on his "long legs," and even bites him, much to Li Zhe's exasperation. Later, Fang Zhiyou reminds Xu Yiren of her promise to marry him now that his feud with Li Zhe is resolved. Xu Yiren retorts that his proposal is too unceremonious, especially compared to Gu Bo's grand public display.
Fang Zhiyou playfully teases her about being envious, and while he admits a grand ceremony is no longer feasible, he promises a truly unique proposal gift. Xu Yiren agrees to discuss their wedding plans once he successfully secures the Zhiwu Academy project.
Episode 31 (Ending) Recap
Influenced by her father He Yuliang's manipulative words, He Yuwen gave Fang Zhiyou's design for the Zhiwu Academy project to him. Subsequently, Mr. Wei announced that Fond's board had chosen Liangshan's design and publicly accused Square & Circle of plagiarism, reserving the right to pursue legal action. Stunned, Fang Zhiyou was confronted by He Yuwen, who confessed everything.
She admitted to giving his design to her father and then lying to Mr. Wei by claiming Fang Zhiyou had instructed her to steal He Yuliang's work, thus framing him as the plagiarist. He Yuwen tearfully declared that Fang Zhiyou was the only man she had ever loved, recounting the hardships she endured with him. She expressed deep resentment towards Xu Yiren, whom she accused of repeatedly deceiving Fang Zhiyou.
He Yuwen asserted that she had secured the Zhiwu Academy project and could not bear to see it become Xu Yiren's wedding gift, stating she would rather destroy it than let them have it. Fang Zhiyou retorted that her actions were not love but a lowly possessive desire. He concluded that winning or losing no longer mattered; he had lost a dear friend and partner, as He Yuwen had become a stranger to him.
Fang Zhiyou recounted his painful history with He Yuliang, who had been his admired mentor since university. After graduation, Fang Zhiyou joined Liangshan, where He Yuliang continued to guide him. However, several years ago, He Yuliang stole Fang Zhiyou's design for the Tianyi Art Gallery, a project Fang Zhiyou had spent over six months creating. He Yuliang used the stolen design to win a prestigious award. This profound betrayal led Fang Zhiyou to sever ties and establish Square & Circle.
At the time, He Yuwen, unable to accept her father's actions and driven by her affection for Fang Zhiyou, left Liangshan with him, a pattern of behavior that had now repeated itself, but this time with her betraying Fang Zhiyou. Fang Zhiyou explained that his former mentor, fearing his own creative decline and unwilling to be forgotten, resorted to plagiarism when he lacked inspiration. He Yuliang met with Fang Zhiyou, pressuring him to admit to plagiarism.
He promised that if Fang Zhiyou confessed, he would persuade Fond not to sue Square & Circle for breach of contract, thereby saving the company and salvaging Fang Zhiyou's reputation. Though he hated lies, Fang Zhiyou considered the offer to protect his company and colleagues from ruin. However, his team vehemently rejected the idea, insisting they could not admit to a crime they didn't commit and that Fang Zhiyou would cease to be their idol if he conceded.
They warned that while losing the project was a blow, an industry-wide reputation for plagiarism would destroy both him and Square & Circle. Bolstered by their unwavering support, Fang Zhiyou resolved to fight back and expose He Yuliang. Distraught, He Yuwen drank heavily and confessed her and her father's actions to Chen Qiming, including the plagiarism of the Tianyi Art Gallery design five years prior. Chen Qiming questioned her actions, warning she could ruin her career.
He Yuwen, feeling she had nothing left, claimed she didn't care as long as she could destroy Fang Zhiyou. Chen Qiming, while admitting his own jealousy of Fang Zhiyou, asserted that He Yuwen was not like her father and couldn't live with such guilt. He urged her to reveal the truth, emphasizing that stealing a designer's work was like stealing their child. Desperate, He Yuwen begged Chen Qiming to take her away, promising to marry him if he did.
Realizing He Yuliang's design had omitted the crucial sail structures from his original plan, Fang Zhiyou devised a strategy. He and his team worked through the night to build a physical model. The next day, he dramatically interrupted the signing ceremony between Fond and Liangshan, urging Mr. Wei to reconsider partnering with a plagiarist. Presenting both design blueprints, Fang Zhiyou highlighted their similarities before pointing out the key difference: the two boat sail-shaped structures in his design.
He then unveiled his model and demonstrated that removing the sails caused the entire structure to collapse. He explained that a portion of the site was unstable sandy soil, and the sails were a critical safety feature. He Yuliang, unaware of their structural purpose, had carelessly removed them. As He Yuliang tried to dismiss it as a mere design flaw, He Yuwen arrived and confessed everything. She publicly admitted to stealing the design for her father and framing Fang Zhiyou.
She then exposed her father's past plagiarism of the Tianyi Art Gallery design, revealing the true reason she and Fang Zhiyou had left Liangshan. Overwhelmed by the public disgrace, He Yuliang collapsed. Following her confession and her father's collapse, He Yuwen decided to leave Square & Circle.
Before departing on a journey with Chen Qiming, she told Fang Zhiyou that while she was sorry for her words, she wasn't sorry for her actions, as she felt he owed her for the past, but now they were even. She revealed her father had suffered a stroke, an outcome she felt he deserved. He Yuwen and Chen Qiming planned to travel extensively, letting their relationship evolve naturally.
As she left, Fang Zhiyou gave her a final hug, wishing her well. Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyou prepared for his wedding. After Xu Yiren and her friends humorously struggled to fit her into a tight gown she had picked because he liked it, he surprised her with a unique, custom-designed dress he had secretly made. At the ceremony, Fang Zhiyou delivered a heartfelt speech, admitting that while he had always hated lies, Xu Yiren had become his one exception.
He described marriage as a "big lie" that promises eternal happiness, acknowledging it also involves arguments and misunderstandings. But because it was Xu Yiren by his side, he believed all lies could become truth. He declared that all his life experiences were preparation to meet her and that despite her imperfections, she was always "full marks" in his heart. Pledging to love and cherish her forever, he promised that every day would be her happiest. As they kissed, guests released balloons, showering the couple in blessings.
