Mr. Honesty Episode 14 Recap
> Mr. Honesty 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.
