Parallel Love Episode 14 Recap
> Parallel Love Recap
Director Li had all of Jiao Yang's office belongings removed while Jiao Yang was away at a meeting, dispatching someone to clear out the space for himself. An employee relayed this to Jiao Yang, stating Director Li was "going too far." Jiao Yang was furious and wanted to confront him, but Lin Miao intervened.
She calmly urged him to prioritize the upcoming bid, emphasizing that "winners get to do what they want" and he shouldn't be a slave to his emotions. Jiao Yang expressed his frustration, asking if they should just accept the humiliation, fearing Director Li would escalate if they didn't fight back. He then resolved to protect his office, promising himself he would ask his father for help to ensure Director Li's schemes failed.
Simultaneously, the president's office distributed questionnaires asking staff to describe their ideal home. As Lin Miao received hers, she was swept into a painful flashback of her childhood, recalling her mother. Later, Lin Miao encountered Su Cheng Jun, who greeted her, noting she looked thinner and expressing sympathy for her recent difficulties with Jiao Yang. Lin Miao, however, remained cold, accusing him of being the instigator of Jiao Yang's troubles and criticizing his pretense of kindness.
Su Cheng Jun admitted that in her eyes, he was just a villain set on harming Jiao Yang. He then rationalized his actions, suggesting that if Lin Miao and Zhao Yan had been more discerning, and if Jiao Yang had been more astute, the donation fraud wouldn't have occurred. He claimed he merely capitalized on an opportunity, asserting they could only blame themselves for falling into his trap.
Lin Miao scoffed at his "genius" logic, calling him a perpetrator blaming the victim for weakness. Su Cheng Jun then shifted the conversation, confessing his feelings for Lin Miao and contrasting himself with Jiao Yang, whom he called "pampered." Lin Miao sharply retorted that despite being brothers, they were completely different and advised him to drop his hypocritical facade, saying she might respect him more if he were an openly wicked person.
Su Cheng Jun ominously agreed to become the frank villain she wished to see. A colleague then asked Lin Miao for her completed questionnaire, but she declined, stating the questions were too difficult to answer. Zhao Yan then confronted Lin Miao, revealing she had witnessed the exchange with Su Cheng Jun in the coffee shop.
She sarcastically remarked on Lin Miao's adeptness at playing both Su Cheng Jun and Jiao Yang, likening her approach to not putting all eggs in one basket. Lin Miao deflected with a dry compliment on Zhao Yan's public relations skills. Zhao Yan then passionately declared her long-standing relationship with Jiao Yang, whom she had always considered her future husband. She accused Lin Miao of changing Jiao Yang, claiming his attention was now solely on her.
Pressing Lin Miao directly, Zhao Yan demanded to know if she liked Jiao Yang, not wanting to be excluded from the "competition." Lin Miao, visibly annoyed, stated that Jiao Yang was not a toy for two girls to fight over, but a person with his own thoughts and choices. Overwhelmed with work, she claimed to have no time for such romantic squabbles, but playfully challenged Zhao Yan to "fair competition" if she truly wanted Jiao Yang.
Zhao Yan immediately interpreted this as Lin Miao admitting her feelings, and after a slight hesitation, Lin Miao conceded. Jiao Yang, who had been passing by, overheard her admission and was ecstatic, repeatedly exclaiming his happiness. After work, Jiao Yang, still beaming, insisted on walking Lin Miao home, despite her suggestion to take a cab due to the hour-long walk. He playfully complained about her lack of romance, mentioning her similar demeanor at Yue Rong Villa.
Lin Miao then revealed the true reason she stopped him from finding althaea at the villa: her father had died while searching for it. She shared poignant childhood memories of living with her mother in a small house with a garden, where they would sing and dance, her mother accompanying her by tapping a water glass. This was her limited but cherished memory of home.
She defined home as a place to shed one's guard, face one's true self, and create memories with the most important people. Moved, Jiao Yang promised to build a home for her, pulling her into a tight embrace. In that moment, Lin Miao realized her life's greatest miracle wasn't the reversal of time, but meeting Jiao Yang. The next day, Jiao Yang and Lin Miao attended the Heng Yuan bid.
Jiao Yang had Secretary Yan choose a beautiful dress for Lin Miao, though Lin Miao questioned its suitability for a business bid. They encountered Su Cheng Jun before the presentations began. During the announcement of shortlisted companies, it was revealed that both Zhong Qing Group and Hong Yu Group had submitted proposals for an "Urban Eco-Hotel," prompting murmurs of surprise from the audience.
Su Cheng Jun presented his concept first, detailing the integration of the hotel with the local artificial lake and gardens to reflect the city's unique landscape. When it was Jiao Yang's turn, Su Cheng Jun provocatively told him to give up, but Lin Miao gave Jiao Yang a reassuring look. Jiao Yang began by acknowledging Su Cheng Jun's presentation and then introduced Hong Yu Group's unique addition: the "concept of home."
He elaborated that while traditional hotels served short-term stays, modern pressures led more guests to seek a comfortable, home-like environment where they could unwind, be authentic, and create memories with loved ones. His speech resonated deeply with Lin Miao, as he used the very words she had shared with him the previous night.
After the presentation, Su Cheng Jun attempted to invite Lin Miao to dinner, but Jiao Yang interjected, declaring that Lin Miao's time after the bid belonged to him. When Su Cheng Jun challenged his overreach, Jiao Yang firmly stated that Lin Miao represented him, then led her away. The host announced that Zhong Qing Group, New Century Group, and Hong Yu Group had all advanced to the next round.
Following the bid, Su Cheng Jun, still focused on his objectives, contacted Manager Lu to arrange a dinner with his friend from the admissions office. As Jiao Yang and Lin Miao were leaving, Lin Miao received an urgent call reporting Lin Weijun missing from the hospital.
They rushed to find her, discovering her on the verge of jumping into a river, distraught from a recent breakup where her boyfriend stated he needed someone who could grow with him, not someone stuck in the past. Jiao Yang swiftly intervened, saving Lin Weijun, who subsequently passed out. At the hospital, Lin Miao noted that the date of Lin Weijun's suicide attempt was earlier than her own attempt ten years ago.
Jiao Yang, sensing Lin Miao's distress, realized her fear stemmed from having gone through a similar ordeal in the past, wondering how she had endured it without him. As Jiao Yang stepped out to buy food, Lin Miao watched his retreating figure and suddenly remembered: it was Jiao Yang who had saved her life ten years ago. When he returned, she joyfully embraced him, exclaiming her realization.
Jiao Yang was unfazed, casually remarking that it sounded like something he would do, then playfully asked her to marry him as repayment. Just then, Lin Weijun woke up, immediately becoming hysterical and threatening to die, blaming Lin Miao for her breakup with Su Cheng Jun.
Exasperated, Lin Miao splashed water on her and unleashed a furious tirade, chastising Lin Weijun for her self-pity and self-debasement, reminding her that Su Cheng Jun no longer wanted her and urging her to improve herself. Overwhelmed by her own past emotions, Lin Miao broke down crying, and Jiao Yang held her close while the doctor warned them not to overstimulate Lin Weijun.
With Lin Weijun cleared for discharge, Jiao Yang decided to move her into his home to monitor her and prevent further self-harm. Lin Weijun initially refused, believing Su Cheng Jun would care for her, but a call to him went unanswered. She reluctantly agreed, on the condition that Lin Miao disappear. Ignoring her demand, Jiao Yang brought Lin Weijun back to his apartment.
There, Lin Weijun noticed Lin Miao's high heels, sparking gossip about her and Jiao Yang living together, which Jiao Yang quickly dismissed as a temporary arrangement for work convenience. Jiao Yang then took Lin Miao to his other apartment upstairs. Lin Miao, still concerned for Lin Weijun, asked Jiao Yang to stay downstairs to keep an eye on her.
Jiao Yang playfully feigned concern about leaving Lin Miao alone with a man as charming as himself, but Lin Miao asserted that Lin Weijun was only interested in Su Cheng Jun. The next morning, Lin Miao astutely guessed that Lin Weijun had eaten an entire bucket of ice cream the previous night, leading to numerous trips to the bathroom and keeping Jiao Yang awake on the sofa.
Jiao Yang, surprised by her accurate prediction, jokingly asked if she had installed surveillance cameras. Lin Miao replied that experience would teach Lin Weijun about the harm of unhealthy eating. An employee then reported that their project's estimated cost was approximately 480 million yuan, with interior decoration being the largest component at 220 million, putting them at a 30 million yuan disadvantage compared to Zhong Qing Group.
Jiao Yang acknowledged the problem, stating that while New Century Group was not a major threat, Zhong Qing was their main competitor. He recognized that their "home concept" would inevitably increase costs, and with Chairman Liu valuing cost-effectiveness, they couldn't risk the upcoming price comparison. After brainstorming with his team yielded no solutions for cost reduction without compromising quality, Jiao Yang decided to take Lin Miao to visit material suppliers, including the city's largest steel market to meet Boss Chang.
Jiao Yang offered Boss Chang a generous deal for a 2% discount and future priority on all Hong Yu projects for five years, emphasizing the large steel demand. However, Boss Chang couldn't agree to the price. As Jiao Yang turned to leave, dismissing Boss Chang's offer of a "shortcut," he reiterated Hong Yu's commitment to quality over cost, reminding Lin Miao of the company's spirit: "We build the house with our heart, so that our residents could live in peace."
Walking away from the fruitless meeting, Jiao Yang asked Lin Miao about the differences between the present and ten years in the future. Lin Miao spoke of car-sharing services and evolving real estate trends, highlighting the future popularity of the housing rental market and long-term serviced apartments, where travelers opted for them over traditional hotels. This sparked an idea in Jiao Yang, and he eagerly asked Lin Miao for more details.
She explained that long-term serviced apartments offered humanized and customized services, including basic but not luxurious decorations, daily free breakfast, ironing, cleaning, and travel reservations. She added that younger residents appreciated the autonomy to decorate their own spaces, making it cheaper and more comfortable, fostering a "home" feeling. With this new insight, Jiao Yang exclaimed that he finally knew how to save the 30 million yuan. Jiao Yang promptly presented his revised proposal and budget plan to his father.
His father, greatly impressed by the adjustment plan, expressed his approval and relief that Jiao Yang was finally able to take charge independently. Jiao Yang then reassured his father that he would secure the project and not disappoint him again. Jiao Yang's father instructed Secretary Hu to deliver the document to the board of directors for signing.
He also confirmed that Director Li was indeed responsible for the leaked video at Yue Rong Villa, with the intention of removing Su Cheng Jun and isolating Jiao Yang. Ironically, this led to Su Cheng Jun becoming Zhong Qing's representative and directly opposing Jiao Yang in the bid. His father tasked Secretary Hu to continue investigating Director Li's future moves and report any new developments.
Meanwhile, Su Cheng Jun was also pushing his assistant to find ways to further reduce their project costs. Despite his assistant's protests that they were already at the lowest price and Hong Yu's "home concept" would inherently be more expensive, Su Cheng Jun insisted on achieving an "overwhelming advantage" in total cost to eliminate Hong Yu's chances.
He lectured his assistant about leadership, stating that he faced difficulties head-on while his assistant chose to compromise, which he believed would lead to perennial failure. Alone, Su Cheng Jun reflected on the bid's significance, not only for his standing at Zhong Qing but also for impacting the Jiao family's position at Hong Yu.
He envisioned Lin Miao realizing Jiao Yang's incompetence compared to him, and he longed for his mother to regret her choice of heir, determined to win the bid at all costs.
