Parallel Love Episode 23 Recap
> Parallel Love Recap
Su Cheng Jun confronted Chairman Zhao with irrefutable evidence of his illicit dealings with Chairman Li. He revealed how Chairman Zhao had exploited shell companies under Li Dong Qiang to illegally transfer funds from China to the United States and then to the Cayman Islands, ultimately profiting immensely through Zhong Qing. Su Cheng Jun accused Chairman Zhao of being the true mastermind behind these schemes, having earned far more than Chairman Li and Chairman Xue.
He recounted how he had suspected a deeper conspirator within Hong Yu after Jiao Yang won the Heng Yuan bid, initially misidentifying Chairman Cao as the culprit before realizing it was Chairman Zhao, who had always feigned loyalty to Jiao Jun Hong. Facing these accusations, Chairman Zhao resignedly asked Su Cheng Jun what he wanted, to which Su Cheng Jun declared that Chairman Zhao's game was over. Lin Miao brought Jiao Yang to visit Grandma Chen in the hospital.
She expressed to her unconscious grandmother how much she longed for Grandma Chen to be part of the family Jiao Yang promised them, and how deeply she regretted not spending more time with her over the past decade, wondering if things would be different now. Later, Lin Miao initiated a candid conversation with Jiao Yang, stating she had no secrets left and wished for their relationship to be founded on openness and honesty.
She apologized for concealing her physical condition, but Jiao Yang revealed he already knew. He reassured her, promising to become president as soon as possible and send her back. Lin Miao, however, urged him not to use Infinite Home as a bargaining chip for the presidency, emphasizing it was more than just a house, representing the efforts of Jiao Yang and his mother. She declared she would not let him sacrifice it and affirmed they would face any challenges together.
A nurse then informed Jiao Yang that someone was looking for him at the reception. He left, suspecting it was his team. Seizing the opportunity, Su Cheng Jun entered Lin Miao's hospital room. He announced the imminent downfall of Jiao Yang's Infinite Home project and offered Lin Miao a deal: if she left Jiao Yang and allied with him, he would ensure Jiao Yang received a nominal presidential position.
Lin Miao vehemently rejected his proposal, accusing him of manipulating her to destroy Jiao Yang, and called him a pathetic person. Su Cheng Jun conceded her point, articulating his frustration at Jiao Yang's effortless success while he, despite his relentless efforts, remained empty-handed. He stated he merely sought a final chance to fight back. Overwhelmed by the confrontation, Lin Miao fainted. Lin Miao woke up to find herself back home, with Jiao Yang solicitously caring for her.
She playfully teased him about their intimate living situation. Shifting to a serious tone, Lin Miao confessed she had many unfulfilled regrets from 2010 and wished Jiao Yang would help her complete them. She initially suggested buying a house, explaining that real estate was a valuable asset and a guarantee for the future. Jiao Yang was amused by her "rich woman" aspirations, only for Lin Miao to reveal she already had many houses, leading Jiao Yang to drop the topic.
She then listed other wishes, including watching movies, visiting the zoo, and seeing the underwater world, expressing how she realized she had missed out on many experiences due to her monotonous daily routine. Jiao Yang lovingly agreed to help her fulfill these wishes. Later, Yan Xin, Jiang Rou, Ying Jun, and Ding Ding gathered at Jiao Yang and Lin Miao's home for a dinner. Jiang Rou mentioned needing ginger tea, and Ying Jun offered to make it.
The team also brought Jiao Yang's favorite meeting blackboard, encouraging him to "show his ability and start his speech" again. They lightheartedly demanded better treatment, compensation for past losses, a pay raise, early end to probation, and initially a 5% discount on Infinite Home apartments upon their return to Hong Yu. Jiao Yang initially refused the discount but then, after some playful banter about "businessman's attributes," he conceded to a 6% discount, stating it would better reflect their collective efforts.
Jiao Yang then unveiled his new plan. Although meticulously laid out, it lacked one crucial element: funding. Without hesitation, the team members offered their personal savings, with Ying Jun even proposing an interest-free loan. Jiao Yang expressed his gratitude, promising to privately thank Lin Miao, and they all rallied, determined to win this "final fight."
Fearing Su Cheng Jun's ambition would lead to his ousting, Chairman Zhao sought out Cao Hua to propose an alliance, warning her that she would be Su Cheng Jun's next target after him. However, Cao Hua revealed she had already received an email from Su Cheng Jun detailing Chairman Zhao's and Chairman Li's illicit activities, implying that all board members were aware.
She advised Chairman Zhao that he would no longer garner any support and encouraged him to "quit with dignity" rather than face further humiliation. Shortly after, Zhao Yan returned, presenting Chairman Zhao with an old pen. She disclosed that she had been by Jiao's father's side, explaining that important events were reported to her first, and she would then convey key information to him.
Though Jiao's father never explicitly blamed Chairman Zhao for his actions, Zhao Yan expressed her deep shame. She reminded him that the pen was a cherished item, bought with pooled money by the original four founders—Jiao, Li, Yu Jun, and Chairman Zhao—to project an image of dignity when Hong Yu was first established. She recounted how this pen was present for their first major deal and how they collectively built Hong Yu's foundation.
Zhao Yan implored her father to "stop doing the wrong thing," questioning how he could destroy the company they built and if he wished to be branded a "traitor" when he eventually reunited with Chairman Li and Jiao's mother. At a subsequent board meeting, Chairman Zhao announced his decision to retire early.
He reported that Jiao's father, during a recent phone call, had agreed to the retirement and, seeing Cao Hua as a capable woman, appointed her as interim chairman until his return from abroad. Cao Hua accepted the role, promising to safeguard Hong Yu for both Jiao's father and everyone else. Later, at the airport, Yan Xin arrived to see off Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan confessed she had been ashamed to face him due to her father's actions, but Yan Xin reassured her that neither he nor Jiao Yang blamed her. Zhao Yan playfully invited him to go abroad with her, but Yan Xin declined, citing Jiao Yang's critical situation, to which Zhao Yan admitted she was only teasing. Jiao Yang also came to see off Chairman Zhao.
He acknowledged knowing about Chairman Zhao's misconduct, having been copied on all the relevant emails by Su Cheng Jun. Chairman Zhao admitted he had nothing to say and urged Jiao Yang to discuss everything with his father directly. Before boarding, Jiao Yang wished both Chairman Zhao and Zhao Yan to "Take care."
As Chairman Zhao left, he imparted a final warning to Jiao Yang, suggesting that the will held by Su Cheng Jun might be problematic and required a thorough investigation. Lin Weijun sought out Jiao Yang to apologize, expressing deep regret and self-blame for her professional negligence regarding the will, which allowed Su Cheng Jun to exploit a loophole and cause damage to Jiao Yang and Hong Yu. Jiao Yang reassured her that he didn't hold her responsible.
Lin Weijun then disclosed crucial information: she had been in a relationship with Su Cheng Jun even before Jiao's mother passed away. During that period, a lawyer repeatedly tried to meet with Su Cheng Jun concerning Jiao's mother's affairs, but Su Cheng Jun, unwilling to discuss anything related to her, always sent Lin Weijun to dismiss him.
Eventually, the lawyer mailed a picture frame to Su Cheng Jun, containing the only photo of him with Jiao's mother, but Su Cheng Jun callously threw it away. Recognizing the potential importance of the discarded item, Jiao Yang abruptly left to pursue this lead. Meanwhile, Jiang Rou attempted to uncover information by going on a blind date with Su Cheng Jun's assistant, Chen.
She probed him about his career and his leader, but her efforts were abruptly foiled when Su Cheng Jun himself appeared, exposing her true intentions and warning her against wasting her time trying to extract any valuable clues from his assistant. Later, acting on her memory of the discarded picture frame, Lin Weijun covertly went to Su Cheng Jun's house. There, she located the will and realized that they had all been deceived by Su Cheng Jun.
While Jiao Yang was negotiating with Cao Hua, aiming to secure her full chairmanship by helping her "remove the word 'acting'" from her title, he received an urgent call from Lin Weijun. She breathlessly informed him from Su Cheng Jun's house that she had found the will. Before she could elaborate, Su Cheng Jun returned, immediately accusing her of stealing the will and forcibly retrieving it from her bag.
Realizing Lin Weijun was in danger, Jiao Yang swiftly called Lawyer Gu, arranging to meet at Su Cheng Jun's residence. Su Cheng Jun, in a fit of rage, tore the will to pieces just as Jiao Yang arrived. Lin Weijun frantically informed Jiao Yang that the crucial attachment to the will, which stipulated that Jiao's mother's shares would only become effective for Su Cheng Jun after he turned 40, was now destroyed.
Lin Weijun questioned Su Cheng Jun's drastic change, but he defiantly blamed Jiao's mother and Jiao Jun Hong, claiming they never understood his suffering. He boasted that he had defeated Jiao Yang and would soon control Hong Yu. At that critical moment, Lawyer Gu arrived. He announced that he had discovered a scanned electronic archive of the will on his late master's old computer, rendering Su Cheng Jun's destruction of the physical document utterly useless.
Lawyer Gu asserted that Zhong Lun Law Firm would see the matter through to restore its reputation. Jiao Yang then revealed that the original will had always been hidden behind the very photo of Su Cheng Jun and Jiao's mother—the one Su Cheng Jun had discarded. He stated that Jiao's mother had prepared the will long ago, but Su Cheng Jun had "given it up himself," thus having no right to blame anyone else.
Su Cheng Jun, however, furiously dismissed this as a manipulative lie to force his forgiveness, adamantly declaring he would "never forgive her." Jiao Yang countered that Jiao's mother had done nothing wrong and didn't need his forgiveness, accusing Su Cheng Jun of merely finding an excuse for his own life's failures. Jiao Yang concluded by stating that allowing Su Cheng Jun to lose everything would serve as his most profound lesson.
After successfully dealing with Su Cheng Jun, Jiao Yang again approached Cao Hua, presenting her with an opportunity. He argued that with Su Cheng Jun removed, Zhong Qing was leaderless and Beyond Home was in disarray, making it the ideal moment for her to join Infinite Home and recoup her substantial research investment in the US. In exchange, Jiao Yang sought the presidency of Hong Yu, further offering to secure her position as the full Chairman, not merely acting.
Later, Jiao Yang informed Lin Miao that his father's surgery was successful and he was now confirmed as the youngest prospective president. He shared that his inauguration ceremony was scheduled for October 31st, coinciding with Lin Miao's three-month mark, and reiterated his plan to send her back home immediately after becoming president. However, Lin Miao emphatically stated her desire to stay, asserting that Jiao Yang had never truly asked if she wished to return or remain.
She proclaimed her decision to stay, expressing indifference towards his presidency, the mission, or the three-month deadline, and pleaded for a chance to "bet on it" and remain by his side. Jiao Yang, heartbroken, refused, telling her he couldn't gamble with her life and simply wanted her to live. Despite her pleas to postpone his inauguration ceremony and try to stay together longer, Jiao Yang insisted on sending her back. Later that night, Jiao Yang, watching Lin Miao sleep, softly wondered why she wouldn't listen, reiterating his sole desire for her to live.
