Return of the Queen Episode 18 Recap
> Return of the Queen Recap
At the celebration banquet after the archery competition, Lu Siyu was swarmed by admiring fans who praised his incredible performance and good looks, asking for photos and autographs. Overwhelmed, Lu Siyu subtly looked to Ye Haimeng for help, but she playfully ignored his plea. His rival, Song Yang, who had previously competed with Lu Siyu abroad, approached Ye Haimeng, introducing himself and inquiring about her relationship with Lu Siyu.
He probed whether she was his friend, relative, agent, training partner, or coach. When Ye Haimeng denied all classifications, Song Yang, believing she had no connection to Lu Siyu, asked to exchange contact information. Ye Haimeng flatly refused, stating, "This is my little boyfriend." Hearing this, Lu Siyu immediately stepped in, pulling Ye Haimeng close and wrapping his arm possessively around her waist. He asserted, "What misconception made you think she's my coach, agent, training partner, or relative?
Let me tell you. She is my official, genuine, and properly acknowledged girlfriend." Devastated, Song Yang lamented his double loss, exclaiming, "This is so unfair! It's fine that I lost to you in the competition. But I finally found someone I liked, an older sister. . . And I lost to you again. Lu Siyu, you're not human! I hate you."
Ye Haimeng chided Lu Siyu for his harsh words, but he insisted that Song Yang was trying to steal her right in front of him, emphatically stating, "You are mine." Lu Siyu then pressed Ye Haimeng for a response to his earlier confession, reminding her that he views her as his whole life and asking if she feels the same.
Lu Siyu, consumed by jealousy and tipsy from the drinks Ye Haimeng had been playfully pouring to keep him quiet, stumbled slightly. Ye Haimeng warned him about his low alcohol tolerance, likening it to a "kindergarten toddler" and forbidding him from drinking without her supervision. Lu Siyu, still under the influence, insisted he was a "senior toddler" and demanded to be called her "boyfriend," not "kid," proudly proclaiming himself her "tall, handsome, well-behaved, obedient, and championship-winning boyfriend."
Ye Haimeng teasingly dismissed his self-praise as "not very handsome." He asked if his words made her heart skip a beat, but Ye Haimeng urged him to either return to the hotel for rest or stay there with his cardboard cutout. Despite his inebriation, Lu Siyu then poured out his heart to Ye Haimeng, confessing his deep affection and regret for not being in her life sooner to share her past pains.
Ye Haimeng comforted him, telling him to forget the past, as it wasn't his fault, and she herself had moved on. Lu Siyu then made a solemn vow, asking her to promise that no matter what great misunderstandings or hurts might arise in the future, they would always firmly believe in each other, never hurt one another, and never break up.
Ye Haimeng reciprocated the promise, confirming their unwavering commitment to each other, and Lu Siyu then expressed his desire to kiss her, culminating in a tender embrace under the warm glow of a streetlamp. The next morning, Lu Siyu awoke, disoriented, believing Ye Haimeng was beside him after a wonderful night. He was surprised to see Ye Haimeng standing elsewhere in the room.
Ye Haimeng playfully revealed that he had been extremely drunk, hugging and kissing his own league cutout, even attempting to shower with it and show off their abs. She reassured him that she had given him hangover pills and prevented him from carrying out his drunken antics, noting that he slept soundly with the cutout by his side.
She warned him against future drinking, fearing he might bring back all the league cutouts, humorously adding that the bed wouldn't fit them all. Still mortified and refusing to believe her, Lu Siyu dismissed her story as a lie as she headed out, telling him to go downstairs for lunch. Meanwhile, Ye Haimeng received a call from her friends, who had returned from abroad and landed in Haijiang, checking into Mare Nubium (Yunhai Continental).
She explained she was still in Xiamen with Lu Siyu, accompanying a very important person for an archery club competition, which had just ended. She informed them she would return in a day or two at the latest, asking them to definitely remain at Mare Nubium. At Mare Nubium, Ye Yuezhi met Ling Ke in his Vice President's office. He presented a USB drive, cautioning her to think through the consequences before proceeding.
Despite Ye Bochen's attempts to intervene and persuade his adoptive father to reconsider, Ye Yuezhi instructed him to retrieve a computer. Ye Yuezhi then opened the USB drive, revealing its contents to Ling Ke. He stated that it contained only the finance department's annual financial summaries for the Cloud Sea Group, not the "secret account records" she had been searching for, emphasizing that Mare Nubium had no such records.
Ling Ke questioned why, if it was merely a summary, there were four copies hidden in a drawer's secret compartment. Ye Yuezhi explained that as a seven-star hotel group, financial transactions are the core commercial secret and must be meticulously backed up and secured, not treated like a small shop's income list available to anyone. Ling Ke responded sarcastically, thanking the former CFO for the "lesson."
Ye Yuezhi then warned her of the "consequences of her curiosity," stating he would report her unauthorized audit and suspicion of the former CFO to the board of directors for appropriate penalties. Ling Ke bravely accepted the challenge, telling him to "come at me." As Ye Yuezhi prepared to leave, Ye Bochen stopped him, then turned to Ling Ke, urging her to stop the investigation since all the USB drives showed identical, clean financial records.
Ling Ke remained unconvinced, asserting that such "perfect" accounts must hide something, and she would find clues if she searched diligently. Ye Bochen then challenged her, asking if her suspicion was towards the company's finances, the Ye family, or specifically his adoptive father, Ye Yuezhi.
He pointed out that the Ye family controls Mare Nubium, and his father has managed the finances for a decade, making her persistent audit, even after seeing all records, seem like a direct attack on them. Ling Ke confirmed his suspicion, stating she was indeed targeting the Ye family and specifically Ye Yuezhi. Ye Bochen asked if she intended to become his enemy and stand on his opposite side.
Ling Ke clarified that she didn't want to be their adversary but sought to be a partner, asking them to disclose what they were truly looking for and how they intended to proceed. Ye Bochen attempted to assure her, "I don't want to hurt you. I want to help you." Ling Ke, however, dismissed his offer, saying he couldn't help if he didn't even dare to oppose his adoptive father.
When Ye Bochen insisted she tell him the truth, Ling Ke pushed him away, causing him to almost fall, but he protected her, taking the impact of falling archive boxes himself. In that moment, he noticed a mole behind Ling Ke's ear, a detail that stirred a memory from his childhood. He then asked her if her mother's surname was Zhang, and if she was Zhang Yujie, Mare Nubium's CFO from ten years ago.
Later, over a meal, Lu Siyu, who had won the championship, reiterated his regret for getting drunk, promising never to drink without Ye Haimeng's presence again and half-jokingly suggested not returning to his own room that night, as he didn't want to sleep with his cutout.
Ye Haimeng confirmed their plan to return to Haijiang the next morning, as his competition was over and she had responsibilities at Mare Nubium, while Lu Siyu also had to check a new archery club location. Lu Siyu then expressed how being away from Haijiang and their families, the Lus and the Yes, had brought him peace and happiness, hoping they could maintain that feeling upon their return.
Ye Haimeng agreed, assuring him that as long as they were together, they could remain happy and disregard others' opinions. As they finished their meal, Ye Haimeng told Lu Siyu they should go back to their respective rooms to pack that afternoon. She left, promising to call him later. Moments after Ye Haimeng walked away, Lu Siyu, surprised she was actually leaving his room, was suddenly ambushed by a masked assailant who had been hiding in his room. The attacker violently strangled Lu Siyu with a bath towel. From the hallway, Ye Haimeng, sensing something amiss, turned back and glanced towards Lu Siyu's room.
