My Dear Lady Episode 12 Recap
> My Dear Lady Recap
Cheng Li and Ling Xunxun were deeply reconciled, indulging in a sweet domestic life together. Cheng Li happily took on the role of Ling Xunxun’s personal assistant, driving her, and cooking for her. One evening, after Cheng Li prepared an elaborate meal, Ling Xunxun teasingly asked if he had attended a culinary school. Cheng Li proudly stated that intelligent individuals quickly master anything, while those who are less clever possess almost no life skills.
Ling Xunxun, feeling slightly annoyed, listed several simple dishes she could prepare, such as rice porridge, millet congee, fried eggs with tomato, tomato and egg soup, and egg fried rice. Cheng Li then playfully suggested she should be grateful to her ex-husband for abandoning her, as it allowed her to discover a “treasure” like him. Ling Xunxun conceded with a smile, though she wished he were less conceited.
The next morning, at the office, Mike placed a box of cosmetics on Ling Xunxun’s desk. Cheng Li immediately grabbed it and threw it onto Mike’s desk, sternly warning him to stay away from Ling Xunxun, who was his girlfriend. He emphasized that as the owner of a cosmetics company, he had no shortage of money to buy products for her.
Mike protested that it was a work-related gift from Inglemirepharm and questioned if Cheng Li and Ling Xunxun were still broken up. Cheng Li accused him of trying to take advantage of their previous fight and threatened to fire him. Mike retorted that he would inform Cheng Li’s mother about his unprofessional conduct, but Cheng Li dismissed the threat, saying his mother would be pleased if he fired Mike.
Noticing the commotion, Bao Xiaojing stepped in and took the cosmetics for herself, expressing her liking for them. Later, Mike asked Bao Xiaojing if any letters had arrived for him. She handed him a letter from California, which he revealed was from his first fan, a girl studying abroad. Mike eagerly inquired about her appearance, to which Bao Xiaojing confirmed she was indeed pretty, even prettier than Ling Xunxun, before suggesting Ling Xunxun wear less makeup.
Mike then announced he needed a quiet place to enjoy time with his fan. Ling Xunxun and Cheng Li invited Zhou Quan to their home for dinner. Zhou Quan was delighted to see them reconciled and joked that she felt like a mother-in-law meeting her future son-in-law. She expressed that as long as Cheng Li treated Ling Xunxun well, she had no objections, and their future would unfold naturally. Ling Xunxun thanked Zhou Quan for being her steadfast support.
Impressed by Cheng Li’s cooking, Zhou Quan humorously inquired if he needed "concubines," to which Cheng Li laughingly declined, fearing his "empress" (Ling Xunxun) would be jealous. To express their gratitude, Cheng Li arranged a golf outing with Hui Yiwang, specifically telling him it was a business meeting and to come alone. However, much to Zhou Quan’s dismay, Hui Yiwang arrived with Mo Yunyun, claiming she was in a bad mood and wished to come along.
During the golf session, Mo Yunyun, despite knowing how to play, exaggerated her inexperience and asked Hui Yiwang to teach her, while Zhou Quan fumed, wishing she could hit Mo Yunyun with a club. Ling Xunxun tried to calm Zhou Quan, reminding her that Mo Yunyun was going through a difficult divorce.
Ling Xunxun then created a diversion by taking Mo Yunyun to the restroom under the pretense of offering her an "ABC Chinese cotton sanitary pad," leaving Hui Yiwang and Zhou Quan alone. Moments later, Hui Yiwang called Ling Xunxun, revealing he was injured. When Ling Xunxun and Cheng Li returned, they learned that Hui Yiwang had tried to coax Zhou Quan into a softer approach, similar to Mo Yunyun’s pretense of helplessness to give him a sense of achievement.
Zhou Quan scornfully rejected the idea, asserting that she would never rely on others for a man's ego boost and would learn to play by herself. In her frustration, she accidentally hit Hui Yiwang with a golf club, striking his head. Cheng Li and Ling Xunxun found the situation incredibly amusing and couldn't stop laughing. Cheng Li mused that most men would struggle to be with someone like Zhou Quan, with Ling Xunxun adding, "Mission failed."
Cheng Li and Ling Xunxun enjoyed a deeply intertwined life, with Cheng Li making breakfast for her daily. Ling Xunxun, however, found their happiness almost too perfect, feeling as though it wasn't real. Cheng Li reassured her that everything, including his feelings for her, was real. He then confided in her about his own insecurities, revealing that his father died when he was very young, and his mother's focus on her career often left him feeling abandoned and inferior.
He recounted how a past girlfriend in England had distanced herself due to his PTSD, and how he felt unworthy of protecting Jin Hui because she had seen his past bad experiences. He asserted that it wasn't Ling Xunxun who didn't deserve him, but rather he who felt he didn't deserve her. Ling Xunxun, touched by his vulnerability, asked if he truly understood the difference between dependence and love.
Cheng Li urged her to stop doubting and worrying, affirming his certainty in their relationship. Late that night, Zhou Quan showed up at Ling Xunxun and Cheng Li’s apartment, clutching a teddy bear and declaring she was in a bad mood and relying on them. Ling Xunxun noted how unusual this behavior was for the typically strong Zhou Quan.
Cheng Li, barely awake, suggested Zhou Quan go to Hui Yiwang’s house the next morning and "start a fair competition" with Mo Yunyun. The next day, Zhou Quan indeed went to Hui Yiwang’s place, claiming she needed to escape the mother of an assistant she had helped, who was now constantly showing up at her house with food, hinting at wanting Zhou Quan as a daughter-in-law. Hui Yiwang expressed his discomfort, explaining that Mo Yunyun was still living there.
Zhou Quan insisted, pointing out that his house had multiple rooms. Hui Yiwang reluctantly agreed. Zhou Quan was then dismayed to discover that Mo Yunyun had claimed the master bedroom, stating it was more convenient with a bathroom, leaving Zhou Quan with a smaller, less comfortable room. She called Ling Xunxun and Cheng Li to complain, realizing that her "two stupid teammates" were not providing helpful advice for her romantic predicament.
Ling Xunxun’s marketing proposal, which focused on the "smell of moms," was approved. Cheng Li expressed his gratitude to Ling Xunxun for helping him move past his own emotional burdens. He told her he recognized many admirable qualities in her, seeing her as embodying the "smell of moms" – simultaneously delicate and resilient. This newfound understanding helped him grasp his mother's decision to sell Yumeiling; she wished to deliberately say goodbye to the past and forget her weak self.
Cheng Li’s mother, after reviewing Ling Xunxun’s proposal, acknowledged Ling Xunxun as a "clever girl" who not only solved her own challenges but also seemed to mend the relationship between mother and son. She then approved the necessary funds for their project. Meanwhile, Mike created a "handmade mask with love" and asked Bao Xiaojing to mail it to his fan in California.
Bao Xiaojing’s comments about the fan being "lucky" and Mike being "very kind to her" hinted at her unspoken envy. Mike clarified that the fan was just a "little girl" and not what Bao Xiaojing was imagining. Later, Zhou Quan, back at Hui Yiwang’s house, heard a scream and saw him exiting Mo Yunyun’s room. Angered and suspecting something, she left, calling Ling Xunxun and Cheng Li, who were tired from being woken up late at night.
Zhou Quan complained about being "bullied," while Ling Xunxun and Cheng Li, still half-asleep, began recalling their own relationship. Ling Xunxun shared that she realized her love for Cheng Li the day they visited his father’s grave, wanting to care for him because his father had died when Cheng Li had the accident, leaving him sad. Zhou Quan, frustrated by their open display of affection, abruptly left their home.
Back at Hui Yiwang's house, Zhou Quan entered Mo Yunyun's room, seeking sanitary pads. Mo Yunyun, just out of the shower, shrieked and retreated to the bathroom, revealing injuries on her body. Hui Yiwang explained to Zhou Quan that Mo Yunyun had returned after severe domestic abuse and was emotionally and spiritually unstable, confiding in no one else about such a private matter.
Understanding Mo Yunyun’s plight, Zhou Quan comforted her, told Hui Yiwang to take good care of her, and offered to move out the next day. She also generously offered to recommend the best lawyer in international divorce cases from her firm to help Mo Yunyun. Ling Xunxun and Cheng Li later explored a night market, which Cheng Li said he particularly liked.
Ling Xunxun was touched to learn that Cheng Li had helped Miss Yin, an artist they encountered, secure a job opportunity. Miss Yin revealed that Cheng Li had found her crying while selling her paintings late at night to raise money, and offered her a chance, otherwise she might have given up her dreams and returned home.
Cheng Li explained his fondness for the night market, appreciating how people from diverse backgrounds—art academy graduates and craftsmen—strove to create their best work, demonstrating that "everyone can pursue beauty." He drew a parallel to their cosmetics company, which also aimed to make the world more beautiful. He distinguished his approach from his mother’s, stating that he wished to be a person with feelings first, and then conduct business with feelings.
