The Secret of Love Episode 19 Recap
> The Secret of Love Recap
Su Yi returned home to find Su Xiangtai cooking her favorite dishes. He greeted her, expressing how much she missed him. When Su Yi inquired about his internship, Su Xiangtai revealed that while working as Wu Linjiang's trainee, he learned that her father, Mu Feng, and Chairman Li Yaohui had a major conflict over the first-generation patent.
Mu Feng was strongly against giving the patent to the Lee Group, which led to a huge argument and his intention to leave Li Mu Research Institute with his entire team. Su Xiangtai also noted the strange absence of the first-generation patent from the institute's displays, as it was deemed a confidential file stored with other formulas.
Su Yi then wondered if she could use the excuse of learning new formulas to investigate whether her father's death was connected to this secret patent. Su Yi attempted to inquire about the formulas and first-generation patent at the Lee Group Research Institute, only to be told that access required approval from a vice president or higher. An employee invited her to dinner to discuss further, but Li Jiashang intervened, claiming Su Yi was busy.
Su Yi later met with Ding Hang, who shared information about Zheng Yi, a former forensic examiner suspected of illegally reselling donated bodies. Su Yi speculated that Li Mu Research Institute might have acquired bodies from Zheng Yi, despite their research not typically requiring them, raising questions about secret experiments. While Su Yi was meeting Ding Hang, Li Jiashang approached and handed her a letter from Zhu Yue.
In the letter, Zhu Yue warned Su Yi about danger related to her father's past, stating that Mu Feng knew about the danger but waited for Su Yi to leave before facing his tragedy. Zhu Yue urged Su Yi to protect herself and not seek him out again. Connecting this to her father's opposition to the Lee Group's patent, Su Yi directly requested access to the first-generation patent from Li Jiashang.
However, he refused, citing that his approval and her viewing would both be recorded and visible to the board of directors, which he could not allow. Su Yi received a message from Li Yaohui, who wanted to meet her. At what appeared to be a hospital, Li Yaohui, after acknowledging Su Yi's straightforward nature, presented her with a bank card containing enough money for a comfortable life and a document.
He gave her three days to leave Ocean City, implying she would "understand it once she read it." Su Yi accepted the card, calling it her "allowance." Li Yaohui then warned her not to forget that Li Jiashang would always be a part of the Lee Group. Su Yi later confided in Xia Xiyang, calling Li Yaohui's tactic "outdated" but noting that he must be covering something up to want her gone so quickly.
She acknowledged Li Yaohui's point about Li Jiashang's loyalty to the Lee Group and found herself with three days to decide her next move. Seeking assistance, Su Yi met Gao Mu. He playfully chided her for only seeking his help when needed, then used an anecdote about replicating a rare dessert to illustrate his philosophy: "Money indeed cannot buy everything. But it can buy the closest replica."
Gao Mu correctly surmised that Chairman Li had pressured Su Yi to leave Ocean City, which Su Yi confirmed, stating she had uncovered too many suspicions about Li Mu Research Institute to abandon her investigation now. Gao Mu revealed he possessed evidence that could implicate the Lee Group, but he needed Su Yi's help first, as revealing the evidence publicly prematurely would strip him of leverage.
Following Gao Mu's suggestion, Su Yi realized that attaining a high-ranking position, specifically Vice President, was necessary to access the confidential formulas. Gao Mu challenged her, offering to help her secure a major sponsorship deal to achieve this. Soon after, an announcement was made that Lin Zi broke their contract with S Level Variety, and the sponsorship rights were awarded to the Lee Group, leading to Su Yi's successful promotion to Vice President.
Her colleagues celebrated her achievement, and Li Jiashang, though initially teasing her, joined in the congratulations. Su Xiangtai also arrived with a celebratory cake for his sister. In her new office, Li Jiashang presented Su Yi with photos from her promotion event. Su Yi, now Vice President, expressed her desire to view the formulas without leaving a formal record. Li Jiashang, having anticipated this, had already made arrangements. At the data room, Su Yi presented her pass.
After she signed a registration sheet, the staff member responsible for retrieving the formula components received a call from "CEO Li" and had to leave, inadvertently providing Su Yi with an opportune moment. She quickly photographed the formulas, including one for "Snow Lotus Conservation Essence" invented by Mu Feng, which was conspicuously marked "Prohibited from use." Back home, Su Yi called Su Xiangtai to her office to discuss her discovery.
Su Xiangtai believed it was clear that Mu Feng and the Lee Group had a major falling out because his specialty formula was prohibited, causing their significant disagreement. Su Yi lamented being only seconds away from fully capturing the image of the "Prohibited from use" label. Su Xiangtai, however, found the entire process suspiciously smooth, feeling something was amiss. Later, Su Yi received a mysterious package from "Feng Yun" containing a phone.
It held a message from the sender, "Miss Su's gift has been received. The desserts are ready. We request the pleasure of your company at any time," which connected to Gao Mu's "dessert" analogy, and recalled his promise of evidence to implicate Lee Group. The phone also contained a voice recording. The recording featured a man's urgent voice warning, "Brother Mu, you have to leave this place quickly. There's someone after me.
If something happens to me, it must—" This unnerved Su Yi, leading her to believe her father's death was no accident. She contacted Gao Mu, who revealed that Mu Feng had sent him this voice message before the accident, explaining why Gao Mu had helped her and why he had left the Li family and closed the research institute. Gao Mu also shared that Mu Feng had always spoken proudly of Su Yi.
Subsequently, Su Yi retrieved a music box from a box Zhang Bo had given her, which had originally come from the police. On her phone, she also saw a past message from Li Yaohui, warning her to keep silent and suggesting they both "take a step back." Everyone gathered to celebrate Zheng He and Xia Xiyang's successful engagement and Su Xiangtai's completion of his internship.
Li Jiashang also toasted Su Yi, congratulating her on cleverly turning Gao Mu's trick against him to secure the sponsorship deal and gain access to the special documents. It was revealed that Su Yi had anticipated Gao Mu's scheme to use her to obtain the formulas.
She had conspired with Li Jiashang to stage a "double-act," making it appear as though she had stolen the formulas from the Lee Group, even allowing Gao Mu's spies to believe she had deceived Li Jiashang in the process. Su Xiangtai, who had initially worried about their maneuvering, remarked on their cunning. He then asked Li Jiashang, whom he addressed as "brother-in-law," why the first-generation patent was prohibited.
Li Jiashang clarified that it was Mu Feng's decision because the first-generation products had flaws, which Mu Feng feared would lead to accidents in the market. Though his grandfather, unwilling to lose the market advantage, initially disagreed, he eventually conceded. Mu Feng and the Lee Group later collaborated on a fourth-generation product, indicating that his grandfather would not have fired Mu Feng over the earlier disagreement. Amidst the celebrations, Zheng He and Xia Xiyang discussed their honeymoon plans.
Xia Xiyang suggested various destinations like Europe, Semporna, or Nepal, but Zheng He found reasons to reject each, citing seasickness, deep-sea phobia, and fear of heights. He jokingly concluded that marriage involved choosing someone to argue with and suggested they simply stay home. Meanwhile, Romanie observed their affectionate exchanges and playfully urged Su Xiangtai to be more assertive in their relationship, even initiating a kiss to encourage him.
Later, Su Xiangtai told Su Yi that he intended to go on vacation with Romanie. Su Yi, concerned about their nascent relationship, worried that he was being too impulsive and might be left stranded. However, Su Xiangtai, holding Romanie's hand, asserted that their relationship was stable and that he needed to grow up and become independent from his sister's constant protection. Su Yi, recognizing his newfound resolve, reluctantly agreed.
It was then revealed through a flashback that Romanie had actually advised Su Yi to feign disapproval, understanding that Su Xiangtai, being a rebellious young man, would be more inclined to do something if forbidden. After Su Xiangtai and Romanie departed, Li Jiashang immediately seized the opportunity, urging Su Yi to move into his place, citing concerns for her living alone.
Su Yi initially resisted, expressing her preference for her own bed, her dislike for his germaphobia, and her fear that cohabitation would diminish the spark between them. Unfazed, Li Jiashang playfully declared that if she wouldn't move to his place, he would move to hers, and they should simply get used to living together, ultimately leading Su Yi to reluctantly agree to his persistent coaxing.
