The Trick of Life and Love Episode 12 Recap
> The Trick of Life and Love Recap
Li Qian and Ning Chengming engaged in a coin-guessing game, with the loser obligated to take medicine. After losing two rounds, Ning Chengming suspected Li Qian of cheating and insisted she had a hidden coin. Li Qian denied it, but his persistence led to a playful struggle that ended with Li Qian accidentally pushed onto the sofa. The close contact left them both flustered.
Li Qian quickly showed her empty hands, prompting Ning Chengming to apologize and drink his medicine before retreating to the kitchen. Once he was gone, Li Qian retrieved the coin from the sofa cushion, realizing she needed a new strategy to get him to take his daily medication. Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Yu Qingqing was startled by Gu Zhe, who was waiting for her. His car battery had died, and he asked for a ride.
Despite her initial reluctance, Yu Qingqing agreed to drive him, partly due to their mutual dislike for Gu Lan, Gu Zhe’s sister. In the car, Gu Zhe noticed a photo of Li Chen, referring to him as his "future brother-in-law," and asked why Yu Qingqing had it. Realizing Gu Zhe’s misunderstanding, Yu Qingqing urged him not to go home immediately, offering to explain the situation between Li Chen and Gu Lan.
Inspired by a childhood memory, Li Qian created a "wish box" to encourage Ning Chengming to take his medicine. She recalled how her mother used a similar box filled with snacks, which Li Qian could open after fulfilling a wish, usually related to taking her medication. Li Qian presented the wish box to Ning Chengming, promising him a mystery gift from a hidden compartment each time he took his medicine, on the condition that he couldn't open it prematurely.
Ning Chengming, intrigued, complied. After he took his medicine, Li Qian rewarded him with a toffee. Ning Chengming noticed Li Qian's dark circles, realizing she had likely stayed up all night preparing the box. Touched, he reached out to gently touch her face, but Li Qian, flustered by his proximity and her accelerating heartbeat, quickly excused herself to go to work, worried about developing feelings for him.
Ning Chengming told her to message him if she wanted anything specific to eat and wished her a safe journey. Concurrently, Qi Wei, who had been abducted, found himself blindfolded and restrained. When pressed for Ning Chengming's location, he honestly stated he had followed Ning Chengming's instructions abroad but had been unable to contact him since returning.
His captor, Ning Chengming's cousin Lu Fanyi, then removed Qi Wei’s blindfold, mocking his incompetence and questioning Ning Chengming's decision to entrust him with important tasks. Lu Fanyi, who disliked meeting strangers, had Qi Wei retrieve a package. Upon opening it, Lu Fanyi informed Qi Wei that he had no direct information on Ning Chengming's whereabouts but would soon. He activated a phone from the package, which displayed numerous photos of Ning Chengming and Li Qian together.
Back at the office, a weary Yu Qingqing asked Li Qian if Li Chen had a fiancée. Li Qian said she hadn't heard anything, which immediately brightened Yu Qingqing's mood, as she dismissed the idea as a baseless rumor. As they walked off, a former employee named Lin Tong, whom Yu Qingqing had previously fired, deliberately splashed coffee on Yu Qingqing. Lin Tong, recently dismissed from Guanding after allegedly misappropriating design plans, accused Yu Qingqing of ruining her career.
Yu Qingqing retorted that Lin Tong was facing consequences for professional misconduct, specifically the crime of duty encroachment, and threatened legal action. Lin Tong angrily claimed that despite her hard work at her previous company, Star, she received poor performance reviews and low bonuses. She felt appreciated at Guanding after taking the designs there, but Yu Qingqing had sabotaged that opportunity. Li Qian intervened, trying to reason with Lin Tong.
She explained that the design team had never deliberately obstructed Lin Tong's progress, and that Director Xu had championed her during her internship. She also pointed out that Yu Qingqing had attempted to mediate the situation to minimize the negative impact on Lin Tong’s career. Li Qian emphasized that workplace realities involve accountability for poor performance and mistakes. She urged Lin Tong to stop blaming others and to appreciate the colleagues who had supported her.
Lin Tong, feeling lectured, accused Li Qian of condescending to her from a position of authority. As Lin Tong shoved Li Qian, she nearly fell, but Ning Chengming, who had arrived to deliver Li Qian’s forgotten folder, caught her. Ning Chengming helped Li Qian to a bench and quickly returned with first-aid supplies for her scraped knee. As he disinfected her wound, Li Qian pondered the difficulty of changing people's perspectives.
Ning Chengming agreed, stating that one cannot force others to change. He recounted meeting someone who, despite being disliked, always expressed his true ideas, inspiring Ning Chengming to become a better person. Li Qian was deeply touched, realizing he was speaking of himself. As Ning Chengming finished bandaging her knee, Li Qian, overwhelmed by her burgeoning feelings and a new understanding of his strictness, spontaneously hugged him. Ning Chengming was visibly moved.
This moment was secretly photographed by a private detective, who sent the images to Li Jingfan. Enraged, Li Jingfan misinterpreted the embrace as Ning Chengming's calculated attempt to manipulate his daughter for business, overriding Li Chen's attempts to intervene and demanding a face-to-face meeting with Ning Chengming. Later, Yu Qingqing confronted Li Qian about the hug, warning her about the possibility of Ning Chengming regaining his memory and the complications that could arise for their "fake" relationship.
Despite Li Qian's verbal denials, a lingering gaze at Ning Chengming, who was waving to them from the doorway, betrayed her true feelings. Shortly after, Li Qian received news that Engineer Ren had recovered a crucial video, and she hurried off to view it. Meanwhile, Cao Mei learned of Ma Hao's attempts to contact Gu's Group and warned him that his tactics would be ineffective against powerful figures like Li Jingfan, advising him to abandon the connection with Gu Lan.
Ma Hao, however, was determined, stating that all preparations for a deal with Chairman Zhu were complete, and he was past the point of no return. He also insisted the company was not solely Ning Chengming's. When Cao Mei questioned his capabilities without Ning Chengming, Ma Hao, provoked, revealed some of his "backstage moves," unaware that Cao Mei was secretly recording their conversation.
He then callously stated that Ning Chengming was "absent and will never come back," and instructed Cao Mei to continue playing the role of Ning Chengming's best friend and former fiancée, as many were unaware their engagement had been called off. Later, holding a photograph of herself, her father, and Ning Chengming, Cao Mei reminisced about her ailing father, Ning Chengming’s teacher, entrusting her care to Ning Chengming before his death. Ning Chengming had always looked after her.
His disappearance deeply pained her, and refusing to believe he was truly dead, she ordered an investigation into his whereabouts. After reviewing the recovered video, Yu Qingqing concluded it only depicted a hit-and-run, lacking evidence of premeditated murder, making it insufficient for a formal case in China. Li Qian, however, remained convinced that Ning Chengming's amnesia was linked to Guanding's top executives. Yu Qingqing mentioned that Jiang Chao had provided personnel information for Guanding’s executives, which she was still examining.
Feeling the urgency, Li Qian proposed leveraging their headhunter and financial sector contacts under the guise of gossip to gather more information. Simultaneously, Ning Chengming, having cooked a delicious meal, texted Li Qian inviting her home for dinner. Li Qian, still determined to maintain distance and pursue her investigation, replied that she had other commitments and wouldn't be coming home, leaving Ning Chengming disheartened.
Fearing their "fake" relationship might be exposed, Yu Qingqing had Li Qian practice a romantic scenario, including a simulated kiss. Gu Zhe accidentally walked in, misinterpreted the scene, and quickly retreated, leaving the two women flustered and struggling to explain. Yu Qingqing tried to reassure Gu Zhe that Li Qian already had a boyfriend.
Separately, Cao Mei called Qi Wei, instructing him to search supermarkets near Guanshanjing Bar for Ning Chengming, believing she might have seen him and acknowledging their shared hope for his survival. Meanwhile, Ning Chengming, perplexed about how to approach Li Qian, sought advice on an online forum, framing his romantic dilemmas in complex economic terms. While he pondered his next move, using a coin toss to decide, Gu Zhe received a message from Ning Chengming.
Before he could respond, Li Qian walked past. Yu Qingqing, observing, reiterated to Gu Zhe that Li Qian already had a boyfriend. Li Chen met with Li Qian, with Yu Qingqing and Gu Zhe covertly listening. Li Qian asked if Lirong intended to invest in Guanding. Li Chen confirmed the possibility but then pressed Li Qian about her relationship with Ning Chengming.
Li Qian insisted it was just an act, reminding Li Chen that he had helped them create the pretense. However, Li Chen, drawing from his own experiences, expressed concern that a prolonged fake relationship could lead to genuine feelings, fearing Li Qian would fall for Ning Chengming and get deeply hurt.
