My Bargain Queen Episode 36 Recap
> My Bargain Queen Recap
Ning Meng went to the hospital to see He Zhijuan, who was surprised by her presence. He Zhijuan told her he was fine and that she could go back, as he would explain the situation to Director Lu and wouldn't trouble her anymore. Ning Meng asked when he would be discharged, and he replied in three or four days. She offered to go home to get him clean clothes and daily necessities, to which he thanked her.
Ning Meng reminded him that they were still lawfully married and he could call her anytime if he needed anything before she left. As she walked out, she saw a nurse delivering a patient meal and was dismayed by its lack of nutrition. She informed the nurse that she would personally bring He Zhijuan meals every day, so no further hospital meals were needed for his room.
Sheng Zhening was engrossed in work, so An An deliberately brought up Xia Qian, mentioning how hot it was and expressing concern about her getting heatstroke during an offline survey that afternoon. He added that Hao Siyuan, the CEO of Ruifeng Technology and Xia Qian's childhood neighbor and friend, would also be attending the survey and seemed to be interested in her. An An even exaggerated the details.
Sheng Zhening dismissed An An's comments as meddling and ordered him to leave, but secretly, he was disturbed. He then discreetly followed Xia Qian to the amusement park for the survey. There, he watched Xia Qian happily taking photos of children and interacting with Hao Siyuan. When a fan recognized Hao Siyuan and asked for a picture, Xia Qian took the photo for them.
Hao Siyuan completed the survey, and Xia Qian brought him and his team mung bean soup, reminding them to stay hydrated and avoid heatstroke. Sheng Zhening, feeling uneasy watching their cheerful interaction, put on a large bear mascot costume and openly stood opposite them. Xia Qian noticed the bear staring intently at her and Hao Siyuan, finding it peculiar. She thought he might be thirsty from the heat in the heavy costume and offered him a bottle of water.
She then tried to remove the mascot's head to help him drink, but the bear quickly pulled away, dropping the head and revealing a stranger's face as Sheng Zhening had already slipped away. Hao Siyuan then offered Xia Qian a ride home, and they left together. After being dropped off by Hao Siyuan, Xia Qian was met by An An, who expressed concern that Sheng Zhening had heatstroke and was unwell, isolating himself in his room and refusing to eat.
An An also emphasized how terrible Sheng Zhening felt. Xia Qian, feeling for Sheng Zhening, agreed to An An's suggestion to make some mung bean soup. When An An protested he didn't know how, Xia Qian decided to make it herself. She cooked the soup diligently, even getting lily bulbs and lotus seeds from her mother to add, explaining that she wanted to make this specific batch herself.
Later, Xia Qian called An An, asking him to pick up the soup from the second-floor hallway of Changsheng. She asked about Sheng Zhening's condition, and An An reported that he was still sick but forcing himself to work. An An then intentionally arranged for Xia Qian to encounter Sheng Zhening. When Sheng Zhening emerged from his office, Xia Qian handed him the mung bean soup, urging him to take care of his health, before quickly departing.
Sheng Zhening then confronted An An, asking if he was the one who informed Xia Qian. An An claimed it was an accidental slip of the tongue, emphasizing how worried Xia Qian was and how she insisted on making the soup herself. Sheng Zhening called him a "busybody" and told him to leave. An An tried to get out of household chores by exaggerating a sprained ankle, claiming it worsened from his efforts to reconcile Sheng Zhening and Xia Qian.
However, Sheng Zhening quickly exposed his lie and, as punishment, assigned him all the monthly chores, including cleaning the house and windows, and washing dishes. Despite his earlier pretense of indifference, Sheng Zhening later tasted the mung bean soup alone, finding it sweet and clearly enjoying it. Qin Hebo dropped Fu Shuangshuang off at work after she affectionately kissed him goodbye. Qin Hebo was initially undecided about how to proceed with Langyue's aggressive strategy against Changsheng.
He sought out Fu Shuangshuang for advice, and upon understanding her principle of prioritizing peace of mind over purely commercial gains, he found clarity for his decision. He then went to meet Mr. Xue, directly confronting him about using Langyue to target Changsheng.
Mr. Xue, along with Mr. Wu, confirmed that Lihe Capital had orchestrated Langyue's low bid for a previous project and was now driving Langyue to drastically cut hotel rates to wage a price war against Changsheng during the peak tourist season. Qin Hebo argued he could achieve Langyue's success against Changsheng within two years through less aggressive, more sustainable methods.
However, Mr. Xue found his timeline too slow and declared the price war unavoidable, stating that Langyue's prices were already adjusted across all platforms, officially beginning the conflict. Internally, Changsheng's team reported significant customer losses to Langyue, necessitating immediate action. Sheng Zhening assured them he would revise strategies, confident in Changsheng's ability to compete. Mr. Xue tried to entice Qin Hebo to stay by offering him 5% of Langyue's shares if they surpassed Changsheng.
Despite the lucrative offer, Qin Hebo firmly stated his decision: he would resign if they insisted on partnering with Lihe Capital. Mr. Wu attempted to dissuade him, highlighting his promising career, and questioned if his past with Changsheng was more important than the lucrative shares Langyue was offering.
Qin Hebo explained that while his initial motives for joining Changsheng weren't pure, he had grown to care for Sheng Zhening and Ning Meng, and most importantly, he didn't want to put Fu Shuangshuang in a difficult position. He reiterated that for him, feeling safe and at peace was paramount, a sentiment he'd embraced from Fu Shuangshuang's advice.
Mr. Xue warned him about his limited tolerance, to which Qin Hebo coolly responded that they were no longer partners, so his tolerance was irrelevant. Upon returning home early, Qin Hebo informed Fu Shuangshuang about his resignation. She was deeply moved by his sacrifice and how he prioritized their relationship, fulfilling his promise from Sheng Zhening and Xia Qian's engagement banquet to handle his ties with Sheng Zhening.
Xia Qian, having seen news about the price war between Changsheng and Langyue online, contacted An An to arrange a meeting with Sheng Zhening. Sheng Zhening, before a meeting, instructed An An to have Xia Qian come to his office. When they met, Xia Qian expressed her concern about Changsheng and offered to withdraw the principal and dividends from the money Sheng Zhening had invested in Worth or Not to help the company.
However, Sheng Zhening coldly rejected the dividends, asking only for the principal back, explicitly stating that this act would signify a "clean break" between them. Heartbroken by his words, Xia Qian left his office. Later that evening, a heavy rain began to fall. Xia Qian found herself stranded at a bus stop, unable to hail a taxi. Sheng Zhening drove past her, but a moment later, conflicted, he turned his car around, intending to offer her a ride.
To his dismay, he watched as Hao Siyuan pulled up and gave Xia Qian a ride home. Sheng Zhening internally imagined a heartfelt conversation where he would offer her a ride, but she would reject him, reminding him they had broken up and she was trying to forget him.
He internally confessed that he had lied about wanting a clean break, and that he missed her terribly, deeply pained by the sight of her offering mung bean soup to others earlier. Despite these profound emotions and his love for her, he suppressed the urge to intervene and watched Hao Siyuan's car drive away before driving off himself. Separately, He Zhijuan’s mother visited him, bringing him ginger cola, a drink he cherished since childhood. He confirmed it still tasted the same, though he had to wait for it to cool down, and his mother reminded him to rest well and stay warm.
