The Trick of Life and Love Episode 14 Recap
> The Trick of Life and Love Recap
After Li Jingfan's unexpected visit and the resulting commotion, Li Qian felt a sense of relief. Her brother, Li Chen, called, worried that their father had upset her. However, Li Qian assured him she was fine, explaining that her father's sudden appearance had simply caught her off guard. She then excitedly told Li Chen that she and Ning Chengming were moving their pretend relationship to a real one.
Li Chen was surprised by this revelation and, while talking to Li Qian, was momentarily distracted by Gu Lan. He quickly hung up and asked Gu Lan if she had plans for the evening. She initially said she was going home to be a dutiful daughter, but then agreed to let Li Chen accompany her. Meanwhile, Qi Wei, who was temporarily staying at Ning Chengming's cousin Lu Shao's house, complained about being turned away from Li Qian's community.
Lu Shao informed him those were paparazzi sent by Li Qian's father. Dismissing Qi Wei's intelligence, Lu Shao instructed him to take out the trash, threatening to add any fines for improper sorting to his rent. While doing so, Qi Wei discovered an account book in the garbage. Recognizing it as the original one for Guanding, he pressed Lu Shao for its origin.
Lu Shao recalled his cousin Ning Chengming had left it there when he stayed with a guest, whom Qi Wei suspected was former financial controller Dong Wei. Realizing the account book's importance, Qi Wei requested Ning Chengming's exact location from Lu Shao before rushing off. Li Qian and Ning Chengming were enjoying themselves at an arcade. Li Qian found Ning Chengming adorable in a bunny ears filter.
Just as Ning Chengming was on the phone, likely giving his location, Li Qian spotted Qi Wei approaching. She quickly pulled Ning Chengming into a photo booth to hide. Inside, they playfully took photos, some of which Li Qian found unflattering and tried to delete, but Ning Chengming refused. During their struggle, a printout fell out of the booth.
Fearing Qi Wei would see it, Li Qian went to retrieve it, but Ning Chengming startled her, causing a photo to fall right at Qi Wei's feet. Li Qian swiftly pulled Ning Chengming behind the curtain. Qi Wei picked up the photo, realized Ning Chengming was nearby, and began searching the booths. However, he couldn't find them and eventually returned empty-handed at Lu Shao's instruction.
After Qi Wei left, Li Qian and Ning Chengming took another photo, this time squatting for a uniquely angled shot. Later, as Li Qian and Ning Chengming walked together, Li Qian briefly lost sight of Ning Chengming after paying for something. She panicked, calling out his name, but he then appeared behind her, carrying a dessert he had bought. Overwhelmed, Li Qian hugged him, shedding tears of relief.
Ning Chengming comforted her, holding her hand and promising never to get lost again. Unbeknownst to them, Qi Wei was on his way back and spotted them holding hands, but his driver couldn't stop the car in time for him to catch up. Separately, Ma Hao called Cao Mei, chastising her for contacting Director He, accusing her of "tearing down the bridge before crossing the river."
Cao Mei defended herself, explaining she was simply following his earlier instructions to leverage her position to secure their success. She reasoned that since Ma Hao had already secured funding, she couldn't afford to fail, especially with the shareholder meeting approaching. She expressed concern about the missing account book, but Ma Hao dismissed it, claiming he had already destroyed it and paid Dong Wei hush money, rendering him a "living dead man."
He declared that with Ning Chengming also "dead," no one could stop them. Lost in thought during their walk, Li Qian mentally reviewed Ning Chengming's situation. She connected the dots, suspecting Ma Hao was behind Ning Chengming's current predicament. She believed the key to helping Ning Chengming regain control of Guanding lay in finding evidence of Ma Hao's crimes, which she felt must either be in Ning Chengming's possession or something he knew, leading to his downfall.
She resolved to find these crucial clues quickly. Ning Chengming surprised Li Qian with a beautiful string of colorful lights he had made. He explained that someone told him women appreciate a sense of ceremony and surprises, and he promised to make her happy. He even suggested that if he wasn't around, she could look at the sky and think of him to cheer up.
Ning Chengming admitted he had planned to finish the lights earlier but got distracted by Li Jingfan's visit. Li Qian reassured him not to take her father's words to heart. She then shared her childhood story, explaining that she only learned Li Jingfan was her father in her sophomore year. She described her artist mother as an intriguing but elusive woman from a privileged background who never learned household skills.
Her mother had met and fallen in love with Li Jingfan while studying art in France. After Li Qian was born, her mother ran away, possibly to avoid an arranged marriage her maternal grandfather had set up, and due to her artistic aversion to conventional marriage. Her maternal grandfather, furious, disowned her mother, who then raised Li Qian in a house left by her late maternal grandmother.
Li Qian recounted her mother's lack of domestic skills, famously "frying the kitchen" whenever she tried to cook, leading to a childhood largely devoid of her father's presence until her mother, when ill, unexpectedly entrusted Li Qian to him. Ning Chengming listened, then shared the analogy of little sea turtles struggling to reach the ocean, suggesting Li Qian's mother's actions were a desperate attempt to ensure Li Qian would have the freedom to choose her own life, unlike her.
Li Qian acknowledged it took her two years after college to fully grasp her mother's intentions for her independence. Meanwhile, Gu Lan, at home, was confronted by her father about contacting Guanding. She admitted to speaking with Ma Hao. Her father expressed his disapproval, warning her about Guanding's mysterious rise and Ma Hao's deceitful nature, despite having previously supported Gu Lan's business ventures.
Gu Lan retorted, reminding him of her successful track record and how she was compelled to lead the company when her brother, Gu Zhe, showed no interest. She defiantly declared her intention to acquire Guanding, further angering her father. Gu Zhe, who had been trying to mediate, overheard Gu Lan calling Ma Hao and arranging a meeting for the next morning, stating she had decided to "go with it."
Later, Yu Qingqing met Gu Zhe, who tried to appease her by mentioning he had gone home for dinner to gather information about his sister for her. Yu Qingqing remained unimpressed by his "childhood nightmare" of family dinners. Gu Zhe then revealed his findings: his father was putting so much pressure on Gu Lan that she might have to enter a marriage of alliance.
Yu Qingqing confirmed this possibility, adding that Li Chen himself had told her his relationship with Gu Lan was purely a business arrangement and they wouldn't truly marry. Feeling a lack of "insidious tricks," Yu Qingqing expressed frustration about her inexperience in pursuing someone, as she had always been the one pursued. Gu Zhe commiserated, suggesting their combined intellect in romantic strategy formed a "stupid closed circle."
Despite Yu Qingqing's attempts to make him leave her car, Gu Zhe insisted on accompanying her to Li Qian's house, arguing he needed to see Ning Chengming and that he had already shared valuable information. Yu Qingqing reluctantly agreed to drop him off at the alley leading to Li Qian's. At Li Qian's house, she prepared a sweetened coffee for Ning Chengming, encouraging him to add some "sugar" to his often-bitter life.
They shared a playful moment, taking photos with coffee foam on Ning Chengming's face. The doorbell rang, and Li Qian found Yu Qingqing at the door, with Gu Zhe following closely behind. Li Qian welcomed Yu Qingqing in. Yu Qingqing declined an offer of coffee, stating she and Li Qian had company matters to discuss, and Li Qian led them into a room.
Gu Zhe confessed he had heard Ning Chengming was Li Qian's new boyfriend and came to "explore the reality." Feeling a mix of self-doubt, Li Qian wondered aloud if her "useless leadership style" and "ridiculous orders" had harmed Yu Qingqing and led to her own predicament. Yu Qingqing acknowledged that Li Qian's initial "ridiculous orders" were indeed the catalyst, but the situation had evolved beyond that.
Li Qian then questioned Yu Qingqing about being with Gu Zhe on a weekend, to which Yu Qingqing wryly attributed it to "another ridiculous order." Ning Chengming entered with coffee and was visibly surprised to see Gu Zhe, who was equally shocked to see him.
