The Sweetest Secret Episode 23 Recap
> The Sweetest Secret Recap
After Tang Weiwei discovered Lin Ran's detailed relationship planner while helping him pack, she misunderstood his intentions and left alone with her luggage. Lin Ran, realizing his mistake, quickly gathered his own bags and pursued her. Tang Weiwei was surprised by his sudden appearance. Lin Ran sincerely apologized and openly shared his emotional journey, explaining that his love for her began even earlier than what was documented in his planner.
After some time to cool down and reflect, Tang Weiwei understood his feelings and was no longer angry. She explained that she chose to channel her anger into "reciprocal control," aiming for positive change rather than mere outburst. Lin Ran recounted their shared past, how she had always treated him like a child, but he had grown to see her as more than just a childhood friend, wanting to follow her footsteps and eventually marry her.
Hearing this, Tang Weiwei realized his deep feelings for her were more profound than she had initially thought. Meanwhile, Jin Zichuan and Li Xiang went on a date, where he kept offering her tea, which made Li Xiang feel helpless. Noticing her disinterest, Jin Zichuan immediately ordered mung bean cakes. However, seeing Li Xiang affectionately call someone "baby" on her phone, he became jealous and deliberately tried to regain her attention for their date.
Li Xiang, realizing Jin Zichuan wanted her to delete the contact, quickly invited him to see an opera. Jin Zichuan, pleased by her playful demeanor and the way she held his hand, happily agreed. Happy and reconciled, the couple saw people releasing sky lanterns. Tang Weiwei expressed a wish to participate, so Lin Ran quickly acquired one and wrote "Tang Weiwei Lin Ran, grow old together" on it.
Watching the lantern ascend, Tang Weiwei felt a rush of sweetness, and Lin Ran, delighted to see her so happy, held her close. Later that night, in their shared room, after a passionate kiss, Lin Ran tried to stay in bed with Tang Weiwei. However, she playfully kicked him off and tossed him a pillow.
Despite being on the floor, Lin Ran was content, extending his foot to touch the bed, feeling as though he was still beside her as he drifted to sleep. Meanwhile, Ji Han's private diary was illicitly photographed and posted online, exposing her long-held secret crush on Lin Ran to everyone. Lin Ran immediately teamed up with Da Fei and Gu Zhen to track down the person responsible for the leak.
Du Ruyue, who believed her actions were untraceable, initially showed keen interest in the investigation. However, when Gu Zhen, a skilled tech expert, quickly managed to trace the IP address of the post to a general location and outlined his plan to pinpoint the exact culprit, the post mysteriously vanished. Lin Ran, connecting Du Ruyue's sudden inquiries with the post's disappearance, confronted her. He suggested she resign from Tang Weiwei's dessert shop to avoid further embarrassment for everyone involved.
Later, Ji Han thanked Lin Ran for his help and confessed that while she had indeed harbored feelings for him, she had already moved on since learning about his relationship with Tang Weiwei. Lin Ran expressed his appreciation for being admired by such a good girl but lamented that this situation might unfortunately end their close "revolutionary friendship." Anticipating his birthday, Lin Ran subtly tried to remind Tang Weiwei about the upcoming date at the dessert shop.
Although Tang Weiwei pretended to be unaware, she secretly made plans to buy him a gift. Exploiting Tang Weiwei's absence, Du Ruyue tampered with a cake, leading to a customer suffering from food poisoning and being hospitalized. Upon learning of the incident, Tang Weiwei rushed to the hospital, where she was harshly reprimanded by the patient's parents.
Remembering that her former classmate Xiao Yin's husband was a deputy director at the Food Administration Bureau, Tang Weiwei called Xiao Yin and arranged to meet her at a dinner party, hoping to understand the official procedures. Xiao Yin, who had always been envious of Tang Weiwei's academic success, relished this opportunity to have Tang Weiwei seek her help. She deliberately withheld information and pushed Tang Weiwei to drink, prolonging her agony.
Unable to reach Tang Weiwei by phone, Lin Ran grew worried and set out to find her. He eventually located her leaving a club on Wangjiang Road, where he saw someone hand her a bag. Rushing forward, Lin Ran loudly declared himself Tang Weiwei's husband. He then angrily confronted Tang Weiwei for seemingly neglecting his birthday and going out drinking instead.
Deeply hurt and frustrated, Tang Weiwei revealed the day's distressing events, including the food poisoning incident, her visit to the hospital, and Xiao Yin's unhelpful behavior, explaining that her phone had been on silent. Lin Ran immediately realized he had severely misjudged her and was overcome with self-reproach. Seeing his remorse, Tang Weiwei quietly left for home. That night, Lin Ran used the paints Tang Weiwei had given him to create a painting for her.
He sent her a message expressing his regret for misunderstanding her, emphasizing that he didn't want them to be "calm" but rather passionate for each other. Tang Weiwei, moved by his sincere apology, forgave him. In other developments, Jin Zichuan delivered a well-received speech for the international exchange program, which he admitted was based on a draft Li Xiang had written. He told Li Xiang that Lin Ran had specifically asked him to look after her.
Later, he invited her to be his partner for Lin Ran's belated birthday celebration. Meanwhile, Tang Weiwei, having decided not to treat Lin Ran like a child anymore, prepared a special sugar-free cake for him. Presenting it as a gift to make up for missing his actual birthday, she expressed her desire for them to build a relationship where they could openly correct each other's mistakes. Lin Ran was touched by her sincerity and the thoughtful gesture.
