Mr. Honesty Episode 23 Recap
> Mr. Honesty 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.
