My Dear Lady Episode 3 Recap
> My Dear Lady Recap
Cheng Li took Ling Xunxun to try on clothes, telling her she was two minutes and 26 seconds late. After Ling Xunxun finished, he instructed the staff to send all the clothes to his company as her reward for securing the agency rights. Ling Xunxun, however, suggested exchanging them for cash, but Cheng Li refused, stating that his personal assistant could not be dressed like a middle-aged aunt. Later, Cheng Li drove Ling Xunxun to the hospital.
Both of them were there to visit Uncle Wen, Cheng Li's former house manager. Uncle Wen expressed his fondness for Ling Xunxun, remarking that she was a good and kind girl who still came to see him. Cheng Li appeared displeased by their familiarity. Ling Xunxun tried to explain that she felt Uncle Wen was like family to Cheng Li, but Cheng Li dismissed her, reminding her that she was his assistant, not his friend, and should show some respect.
On the way to the factory, they bickered further about their ages. Upon arriving at the factory, Cheng Li instructed Ling Xunxun to wait in the car while he went inside. Ling Xunxun waited for a long time before calling him, only to find the factory had experienced a power outage. Cheng Li, who suffers from nyctophobia due to a childhood incident, was paralyzed by fear.
He called Ling Xunxun for help, and she rushed to his aid, carefully guiding his trembling form out of the building. Afterwards, a staff member apologized, explaining that he had turned off the power thinking the factory was empty. Ling Xunxun apologized for not knowing about his phobia, but Cheng Li, clearly still affected, told her to shut up. Ling Xunxun later confided in Zhou Quan, expressing her worries about Cheng Li and Mike's recent secretive behavior.
She was concerned that after putting so much effort into securing Inglemirepharm's agency rights, Cheng Li was now spending all his time at a factory on the verge of bankruptcy. Zhou Quan advised her not to overthink things, assuring her that Hui Yiwang would not be swayed by personal feelings in business decisions and that Cheng Li had his own reasons for his actions. Zhou Quan encouraged Ling Xunxun to simply focus on her own job as an assistant.
Mike approached Cheng Li, warning him that Ling Xunxun was manipulative, claiming she had flirted with Cheng Li at a party and was now doing the same with Hui Yiwang at the company. Cheng Li, however, remained unconcerned, remarking that it was fine to have Ling Xunxun as a free publicist for the company. Despite his outward nonchalance, the thought of Ling Xunxun caused him to lose interest in his game, prompting him to abruptly leave.
Cheng Li then tried to invite Hui Yiwang to dinner, but Hui Yiwang stated he already had an appointment with Ling Xunxun and asked if he could "borrow" her for the evening. Ling Xunxun initially refused, citing her duty to send Cheng Li home, but Cheng Li surprisingly agreed. Hui Yiwang then took Ling Xunxun to dinner at a restaurant she recognized as the place where her ex-husband proposed and where they celebrated their anniversaries.
The familiar music made her visibly uncomfortable, and Hui Yiwang offered to change restaurants. Ling Xunxun, however, decided to stay, believing it was fate and a chance to face her past to move forward. Meanwhile, Cheng Li arrived at the same restaurant with Jin Hui, a famous host and his childhood friend. From an upstairs private room, Cheng Li observed Ling Xunxun’s sad expression, feeling a sense of satisfaction. After dinner, the four coincidentally met at the restaurant entrance.
After brief introductions, Jin Hui departed. Hui Yiwang insisted on taking Ling Xunxun home, overriding her offer to send Cheng Li back, and led her away, leaving Cheng Li to return home alone. On the drive home, Hui Yiwang clarified that he hadn't intended to make things difficult for Ling Xunxun but rather for Cheng Li, who had casually offered Ling Xunxun for "free publicity" while dining with a female celebrity himself. Ling Xunxun felt a pang of self-reproach.
Later, Jin Hui called Cheng Li, noting that the evening felt like two men vying for a woman, making her feel like a third wheel. Hui Yiwang shared with Ling Xunxun how he met Zhou Quan on a rooftop when he was feeling down, and recounted Zhou Quan's intense and direct personality. He also mentioned that Zhou Quan spoke about Ling Xunxun with such affection that he once thought Zhou Quan was a lesbian.
Hui Yiwang encouraged Ling Xunxun to never forget her true self, reminding her that she was once the "school belle" and a "princess," and to remember the life she truly wanted to live. Upon returning home, Cheng Li, who had been waiting, made a sarcastic comment about Ling Xunxun returning exactly at midnight. He then quipped about people her age falling in love like "an old house on fire," quickly getting out of control.
He looked up the song Ling Xunxun was humming, noting it was from a 1987 Spring Festival gala and confirming their generational gap. Hui Yiwang later met with Zhou Quan, where it was revealed that the entire dinner had been Zhou Quan's idea. Her plan was to establish Ling Xunxun as having a "strong backup" at the company so no one would dare bully her.
Meanwhile, Cheng Li, watching a horror movie, called out to Ling Xunxun, insisting she stay in his line of sight because he was scared. Zhou Quan, separately, probed Hui Yiwang about his feelings for Ling Xunxun, attempting to play matchmaker, which made Hui Yiwang visibly uncomfortable.
Later, Cheng Li dozed off while watching the movie and woke to see Ling Xunxun, whose long hair was disheveled from exhaustion, startling him into thinking she was a ghost and sending him scurrying back to his room. The next day, Cheng Li’s mother arrived at the company with shareholders, pointedly asking Ling Xunxun why she was still there.
She then confronted Cheng Li, acknowledging his success in securing the Inglemirepharm agency but dismissing it as a "low-level trick" and criticizing his focus on the factory. She demanded he return to the headquarters to prepare to take over the Meicheng Group, arguing that the small cosmetics company was a waste of his effort.
Cheng Li countered, stating that the value of starting a company was not merely monetary, and that she had always measured his life in terms of money, never asking about his dreams or aspirations. His mother responded that as the sole heir, he bore the responsibility for thousands of people. She delivered an ultimatum, informing him she planned to sell the factory land to build a technology park, forcing him back to the headquarters.
Cheng Li reiterated his desire to protect people and things, but she countered that he needed to become stronger to have the right and ability to protect others. Later, Cheng Li, holding a drawing, asked Ling Xunxun if it was hers. Ling Xunxun was upset that he had entered her room without permission, emphasizing her right to privacy as a woman, despite their employer-employee relationship.
Cheng Li, unfazed, told her the house was his and he had the right to enter any space, adding that she could quit anytime. When Ling Xunxun demanded her drawing tools back, he told her he had thrown them into the attic. Ling Xunxun rushed to the attic to find it beautifully transformed into a new art studio, complete with easels. Cheng Li then brought her a package, which contained a hamster. Ling Xunxun happily took it, saying it was for "DuDu," a name that piqued Cheng Li's curiosity.
