Parallel Love Episode 9 Recap
> Parallel Love Recap
Zhao Yan arranged for Secretary Yan to set up a romantic setting at Yue Rong Villa, intending to confess her feelings to Jiao Yang. Seeing this, Lin Miao felt a pang of sadness, wishing she could be as bold and carefree. Zhao Yan reminisced that this was where she and Jiao Yang played house as children, considering it their first home, though Jiao Yang had been uncooperative back then.
When Jiao Yang arrived, he seemed more preoccupied with Lin Miao and Su Cheng Jun chatting nearby than with Zhao Yan's preparations. Zhao Yan tried to confess, but Jiao Yang kept deflecting her, focusing instead on work discussions and muttering about this "stupid woman's" distraction and how she was ignoring him. Jiao Yang stated that the hotel staff's reluctance to cooperate stemmed from an underlying reason, and the solution was to identify this reason and win them over.
Lin Miao suggested they investigate Tianya Club, a community forum, for any grievances employees might have posted. Although understanding the cause was the first step, Lin Miao wondered how they would convince the staff to cooperate. Jiao Yang proposed they tackle each person individually. Jiao Yang then complimented Lin Miao on her recent improvements. He initially wanted to team up with Lin Miao to approach Chef Liu, leaving Su Cheng Jun to talk to Ji Zi at the bar.
Zhao Yan immediately objected. Su Cheng Jun then suggested that he and Lin Miao visit Chef Liu, while Jiao Yang went to see Ji Zi. Lin Miao agreed with Su Cheng Jun, pointing out that Chef Liu was not fond of Jiao Yang, whereas Ji Zi would likely be pleased to see him. She also noted that Chef Liu, being an artist, and Su Cheng Jun, having studied design, would find common ground.
Despite Jiao Yang’s insistence that Lin Miao, as his assistant, should be on his team, Lin Miao argued that Chef Liu would find Jiao Yang "tacky" and wouldn't listen to him. She emphasized that a leader should assign the right people to the right roles for the greater good of the mission, which required building trust and solving problems quickly. Jiao Yang reluctantly agreed to the team assignments.
Meanwhile, Director Li met with Su Cheng Jun, reminding him that Yue Rong Villa was his mother’s legacy and rightfully his company. Director Li offered to help Su Cheng Jun reclaim it from Jiao Yang, viewing Yue Rong Villa as the starting point for Su Cheng Jun’s revenge against those who "bully others with their power." Su Cheng Jun later presented Lin Miao with a bouquet of freshly picked daisies, asking if she liked them.
Lin Miao was momentarily caught off guard, remembering that daisies were a symbol of love between her and Jiao Yang in the past. Su Cheng Jun quickly clarified that the daisies were meant for Chef Liu, for his artistic inspiration. Chef Liu, however, mistook them as a gift for Lin Miao and commented on how well-suited Lin Miao and Su Cheng Jun appeared. Lin Miao gently reminded Chef Liu that Su Cheng Jun had a girlfriend.
Ultimately, Chef Liu gave some of the daisies to Lin Miao. When discussing Chef Liu’s artistic and culinary talents, Lin Miao expressed pity that he was confined to such a struggling resort. Chef Liu lamented his inability to fully pursue either passion, feeling unappreciated. Su Cheng Jun empathized, sharing his own past struggles of being overlooked despite hard work, crediting Jiao Yang with giving him an opportunity at Yue Rong.
He advised Chef Liu not to give up, as talent would eventually be recognized. Chef Liu, however, remained cynical about persistence. Su Cheng Jun later urged Lin Miao to give Chef Liu time, though secretly he wished for Chef Liu to side with him against Jiao Yang. At the bar, Ji Zi was expecting Jiao Yang. She proposed a game where each question would cost one drink.
After Jiao Yang drank and inquired about Manager Zhou's animosity, Ji Zi revealed that previous developers had damaged the local environment or sought to dismantle the villa, earning the residents' hatred. She explained that the remaining staff—Manager Zhou, Chef Liu, Shan Shan, and herself—stayed because they had nowhere else to go and valued the freedom and nature of Yue Rong. Ji Zi then questioned Jiao Yang's insistence on developing the villa, given its issues.
Jiao Yang explained that Yue Rong Villa was his mother's, an architect’s, most cherished work. He had seen it transform from blueprints to reality and held many beautiful memories there with her, now wishing to give it a new meaning. Ji Zi, impressed, playfully teased him about his "fiancée." Jiao Yang denied having one, but Ji Zi challenged him, suggesting his relationship with Lin Miao was an act. Jiao Yang insisted they were "truly in love."
Ji Zi then prepared two drinks, telling Jiao Yang to choose one to test his honesty. He picked a drink called "Destined Lovers." Ji Zi warned that those who chose it often encounter a "demon-like girl" who, like vodka in a cocktail, could unpredictably change their lives, for better or worse. Just as Ji Zi hinted that this "demon" was "right by your side," Lin Miao walked in.
Jiao Yang, convinced she was the demon, shouted at her to "go away" and rushed off. Lin Miao, confused, called Jiao Yang childish. She then sat down and drank the other cocktail, named "Wheel of Fortune." Ji Zi observed Lin Miao's unhappy expression and advised her, "Since you can't change it, why don't you enjoy the present?" Later that night, Jiao Yang, still unsettled by Ji Zi's words, accidentally threw a pillow from his balcony, hitting Lin Miao below.
They bickered until they noticed Shan Shan sleepwalking. To protect her, they quickly moved to shield her. Shan Shan, holding a photo, mumbled an apology to her father for not finding his favorite althaea, expressing her unfulfilled wish. Jiao Yang then proposed transforming Yue Rong Villa into an eco-resort, inspired by Crosswaters Ecolodge & Spa. He highlighted its renowned status and potential for long-term economic benefits and enhanced corporate reputation, all while preserving the local environment and satisfying the board.
The key to this plan was finding althaea, a rare and nationally protected plant with both ornamental and medicinal value. However, Lin Miao vehemently opposed this. When Jiao Yang pressed her for a reason, she recalled a tragic memory: her father died in a landslide while searching for althaea. Instead of revealing this personal pain, she argued that althaea was too rare to find within the company's timeframe, making the plan impractical.
Jiao Yang, angered by her lack of support, especially given his mother's belief that althaea existed on the mountain (a belief reinforced by Shan Shan's photo), accused Lin Miao of looking down on him. He declared he would find althaea himself to prove her wrong and stormed out with his team. Later, Su Cheng Jun found Lin Miao distraught and offered her a drink.
He expressed agreement with her reservations about the slim chances of finding althaea within the given timeframe. Su Cheng Jun then presented his own proposal: to demolish and rebuild Yue Rong Villa into a luxurious entertainment center, arguing that the existing villa was outdated, inaccessible, and lacked tourism potential, and mere renovations would be insufficient. Lin Miao voiced concern, knowing Jiao Yang would never agree to demolish a place so significant to his mother.
She also questioned why Su Cheng Jun hadn't presented this proposal earlier. Su Cheng Jun explained that his junior position made it difficult to get such a high-level plan approved by the board, especially the chairman, without seeming to have an "ulterior motive." He promised to tell her the full story later but urged her to review the plan as time was critical. Lin Miao agreed to look over it.
Soon after, Su Cheng Jun made a phone call, subtly influencing the board by mentioning the current deadline seemed "too lax." The next morning, Secretary Yan urgently woke Jiao Yang, informing him that Director Li had publicly questioned his leadership at the board meeting and proposed selling Yue Rong Villa. The board had given Jiao Yang three days to present a new, viable plan, or the sale would proceed.
Jiao Yang called his father, expressing his frustration, reminding him of the villa's deep significance to him and his late mother. His father, however, urged him to "look forward" and "grow up as soon as possible," warning that if he couldn't protect Yue Rong today, he wouldn't be able to protect Hong Yu Group in the future. Jiao Yang managed to secure three days. Lin Miao found Jiao Yang in his room, where he was still upset.
He made a snarky comment about her being there to remind him of his failures. She calmly suggested a "safer solution" than the near-impossible task of finding althaea. When Jiao Yang asked what it was, she showed him Su Cheng Jun's rebuilding proposal. Jiao Yang was furious, calling it a plan to "destroy" Yue Rong, not protect it. Lin Miao tried to reason, explaining the villa's impracticality and the board's need for profitability.
She also tried to detach his emotional attachment from the physical structure, using a broken model as an analogy, arguing that rebuilding it better would be the best way to honor his mother's legacy. But Jiao Yang lashed out, stating she couldn't understand because she hadn't "experienced what I had been through" and didn't know what althaea meant to him.
He then coldly dismissed her, telling her as project manager and vice president that she was no longer needed for the Yue Rong Villa project and that Xin would drive her back. Heartbroken, Lin Miao reflected on her own painful past of losing both parents, realizing how deeply she understood the pain of losing a cherished home. Later, Lin Miao received a phone call from Jiao Yang's father, who confirmed his approval of the demolition and rebuilding plan.
Lin Miao then joined Chef Liu and Manager Zhou to inform Jiao Yang, adding that Chef Liu, Manager Zhou, and Ji Zi also supported the rebuilding. Jiao Yang was visibly upset. He returned Shan Shan's photo, and she reminisced about a beautiful patch of althaea on a sunny hillside from her childhood. Jiao Yang attempted to persuade Shan Shan to help him find althaea, stressing it was her only remaining connection to her father. Shan Shan hesitated.
Manager Zhou, Chef Liu, and Ji Zi, noting Jiao Yang's team of four was outnumbered by their five (with Lin Miao's support), urged Shan Shan to side with them. Shan Shan, whose father was a botanist, shared that she had never left the resort since her father's death. Jiao Yang asked if she wanted to see the outside world. When she remained undecided, Jiao Yang declared that he would lead his team to find althaea within 48 hours.
He assigned Zhao Yan and Secretary Yan (Xin) to go with him, while instructing Su Cheng Jun to stay at the villa to coordinate with the investigation team and compile information about althaea, so they could apply for eco-resort status as soon as the plant was found. As they prepared to depart, Zhao Yan and Secretary Yan expressed concern about the lack of information on althaea.
Their comments prompted Jiao Yang to recall his research, and he suddenly realized that althaea only grows on red soil at an altitude of 500 meters. He promptly ordered Xin to identify all such hills near Yue Rong.
